It's been five days. Five days since I talked to Harry about wanting see his life. I've been texting him and phoning him but every time I try to talk to him he says he's busy. I hope I haven't scared him off. It's just hard for to me believe. But in a way, it kind of makes sense as to why he's so emotionally shut down.
The next time I see him, I'm at work. I'm stacking shelves as per usual when I see him. He's strolling down the isle, his hands sunk deep in his pockets. He has that cocky smile plastered on his face and he knows he has that effect on me. I drop the frozen peas I was holding in one of the boxes and greet him.
"How's Louis?" I ask casually.
"He's good, he got discharged on Wednesday. Away seeing his family now." He replies and I nod, smiling at him.
"How are you?" he asks, suddenly frowning. Confused as fuck I think in my head, but don't bother telling him that.
"I'm fine." I lie. I know he can tell I'm lying but he doesn't bother mentioning it.
"So, uh...I'm free to show you what you want...if you are." He clears his throat and my eyes widen.
"Really?" I ask hopefully and he nods. I wonder what made him change his mind.
"Um...I'm actually like, half way through my shift right now...I'll call you later?" I offer warily and be repeats a nod. He leans over and pecks me on the cheek lightly and when he's gone, I'm left feeling dumb founded as I graze my fingers across my cheek.
Harry picks me up after my shift and he takes me to a remote mansion on the outskirts of London. It's surrounded by wild flowers and bushes and the iron gates swing open for us, leading up to two drive ways side by side of a water fountain.
He sees my puzzled expression and says, "This is Cassandra's house." My mouth forms into the shape of an 'o' as he parks the car and pulls the key out of the ignition. It's then I notice he's dressed in a suit. A pale blue button down shirt, a navy blue tie and a black blazer with shiny black shoes and matching pants.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were meeting the queen." I tease at him and he smirks.
"I was at a conference earlier, I picked you up straight from work." He answers simply.
"Oh." I reply and open the door, following his suit.
He leads me to the doors and opens them for me, stepping aside to let me in. When I walk in, my mouth falls open. There's a kitchen island in the far corner and in the centre is some sort of lounge. Two spiral stair cases lead up to the second floor and beneath that, a grand piano sits. I wonder if Harry's ever played. Harry's hesitating, his hands sunk in his pockets and I'm about to open my mouth to speak when I hear footsteps and Cassandra appears at the top of the stairs, her hand pressed against the banister. Her long, purple hair flows past her shoulders and she stares at us intensively.
"Hello, boys. What can I do for you?" She asks, walking down the stairs.
"I want to show Niall." Harry admits and Cassandra's lips form into a thin line. Her gaze turns to me and she's studying me carefully, her eyes narrowed.
"Doesn't he know enough?" She asks uncertainty and Harry shakes his head.
Cassandra heaves a deep sigh. "All right, then. You know the way." Cassandra gestures to the grand white door behind the stair cases and I follow Harry past the piano. I watch as his fingers graze over the platform of the piano, as if tempted to play.
Harry pushes the doors open and leads me down a dark basement. He opens another door once we've reached the bottom of the stairs and my jaw drops. It's like walking into a scene from 50 Shades of Grey, the Red Room. A red leather sofa sits next to a matching red four poster bed, with ropes tied at the front. Pieces of sex equipment lie against the walls or on shelves and chains are hung in the centre of the room and a golden-framed mirror sits at the far end. I step through the door and sit on the sofa, taking it all in. Harry's leaning against the doorway, his head bowed and he's saying nothing. He doesn't need to. Nadine was telling the truth.
My eyes drift to the chains that hung from the ceiling. Explains a lot. Explains the bruises on Harry's wrists every time I see him.
"She...she does this to you?" I croak and he shakes his head.
"Not her, no. She gets somebody else in each time and every time it's somebody different. It's always male to y'know...meet my needs or whatever." He explains and I nod slowly.
He looks embarrassed. Ashamed, even. I stand up, having one last glance at the room before stepping out of it. I follow Harry again and this time he takes me up the stairs. He leads down me down a lot, grand corridor and at the far end where there's a bedroom. Harry's bedroom.
There's a king size bed, a few French paintings on the wall. There's a shelf stacked with CD's and records and another separate shelf only for books. There's a laptop next to a computer and next to the computer, is two pictures. One of Louis and one of Nadine. He has a walk in closet and a wall-sized window, which looks out onto the balcony. An ice-cooler sits on the night stand but there's no champagne bottle sitting in it.
"What are you thinking?" Harry croaks and I forgot he's standing there, watching me carefully.
"I think...you're crazy." I admit and he laughs a little.
"I want you to show me." I say, sitting on the edge of his bed.
He frowns. "Show you what?"
"What the guys...what the men do to you down in that room." I explain and his glares at me.
"No, I'm not doing that." He replies shortly and my smile fades.
"Why not?" I ask innocently.
"I've already taken advantage and hurt you once before, I'm not doing it again." He snaps at me and I roll my eyes.
"Okay A) you're not taking advantage of me because I'm not drunk and B) I actually want this and C) you're not going to hurt me. I'll tell you if you are, how does that sound?" I ask hopefully. I see a glint in his eyes, his eyes darken. He knows he wants it. Just as much as I do. He stops leaning against the doorway and his eyes look over the bedroom, thinking of what to do. He loosens the cuffs of his jacket before removing his blazer completely and he sits it over the back of his office chair.
"Lie down on the bed and take your shirt off." He demands huskily and I do as he says, edging myself to the center of the bed and taking my top off over my head. I watch him undo his tie and crawl up next to me, on his knees.
"Do you trust me?" He asks softly. I gaze into his eyes and give a short nod.
"Can you pass me that ice cooler?" He asks innocently. I frown at him but do as I'm told, handing him the tub over. He sets it on the trunk next to his bed and he then takes my tense hands and ties them together next to the headboard, firm and tight. I gasp a little, feeling the bulge in my pants getting a little bit tighter. He grabs an ice cube from the cooler and pops it between his mouth. I watch him as he straddles my hips and I groan in the process.
He bows his head and starts to trace the ice cube from the waistband of my pants, up to my stomach, my belly button, and up to my chest. I gasp and my muscle tense, my hands pulling at the tie that they're tightened in. The movement seems to have stopped Harry and he looks up at me, giving me a warning look. I want to run my hands my through his curls, but I can't. It's ridiculously annoying. He teases around my nipples before he makes his way back down my belly button and he sets the ice cube there and I watch him suck the ice cube off my belly in fascination. The ice cube has left my body and there's a cold sensation running through my skin in replacement but it's soon gone as Harry leaves chaste, warm, open-mouth kisses on my belly. His kisses lead up to my neck and I groan a little as he starts to nibble at my earlobe. Then, finally, his mouth meets mine. My legs wrap around his waist and he quickly and hastily unties my hands from the headboard and he entwines them with his own instead, the tie dropping next to me on the pillow.
"That didn't seem so bad," I croak, wondering what all the fuss was about and Harry smirks.
"It wasn't, that was for amateurs." He teases and I blush.
"I only gave you what I thought you could handle." He admits and I scowl at him.
"Okay, Mr. Grey." I smirk and he rolls his eyes. He leans down to kiss me again when his phone vibrates on the nightstand. I groan and release my grip on him and watch him answer his call. Once he's finished the call, he bites his lip and looks at me.
"What is it?" I ask curiously, sitting up.
"It's Cassandra, she wants me to meet some people. Will you be okay here yourself? I won't be long." he assures me and I study him carefully.
"How long will you be?" I raise an eyebrow as I watch him put his shirt and tie back on.
"About half an hour." he confirms and I nod in agreement.
He's about to leave when I stop him. "Do you have any clothes I change into to? I don't really like spending the rest of my day in my work clothes." I admit, holding up my work T-shirt which was lying on the floor.
"Sure, there's a closet there. Knock yourself out." He smiles. He's about to leave but pauses. "Just don't get lost. And I'm not just talking about the closet." he winks at me. I blow a raspberry at him and he chuckles before leaving. Rich snob. I make a sound of disapproval before I wonder aimlessly into the closet, thinking of Narnia. I immediately take back my insults when I admire all of Harry's clothes, the line of Chelsea boots on the shoe racks. He has so many formal, fancy clothes that I can't find anything suitable enough that lies under the 'house wear' category. I end up rummaging through his dressers and find a pair of old grey sweats and a band tee.
I'm about to head down to the lounge to watch TV on the plasma screen when my eyes catch the kitchen. Biting my lip, I head into the kitchen island and rummage through the cabinets and the fridge, looking for something to cook. Bloody hell. It's all healthy food and I'm not surprised. I wanted to cook chocolate chip pancakes but I don't think that'll be happening any time soon. I find Jamie Oliver's newest cookery book and decide to use that to guide me. I end up making some sort of stir fry with a mixture of spicy chicken which I'm sure Harry'd like.
By the time Harry comes home, I've set out two plates for us at the kitchen bar. "What smells good?" Harry asks, nearing the kitchen. He slings off his jacket and tosses it on one of the sofas at the lounge.
"Nothing much, just some lunch." I beam at him but then my smile fades as I see Cassandra entering the house after Harry. But she doesn't even acknowledge me when she sees me, she disappears out of sight. "How was the meeting?" I ask, looking after Cassandra.
"Boring, as usual." he sighs, sitting himself on the bar stool. My gaze turns back to him and I raise my eyebrows at him.
"What?" he asks innocently.
"You seem different." I admit and he smirks a little.
"Sometime's it's good to get things off your chest." he admits and I smile gratefully at him.
I devour my plate before he finishes his own and when I do, I'm staring longingly at his plate. He catches my staring when my stomach rumbles. "Want some?" he offers, scooping up a forkful of cooked vegetables. I smile as he slides the forkful into my mouth. He's giving me an intense look, hard and fierce. But at the same time, there's some sort of fondness behind it. Something I haven't seen before. I stare back at him as the fork leaves my mouth. He reaches out and scrapes a bit of sauce off my chin with the pad of my thumb. He lets out a content sigh and goes back to his food. That's when I see her again. Cassandra watching us, from up stairs.
Harry catches me looking and he sighs. "Just ignore her. I can take you home if you want." He offers softy but I shake my head.
"I jut need to talk to her, I'll be right back," I promise and slide off bar stool. Harry watches me leave and I head up one of the staircases where I follow Cassandra into the office. I knock on her door, which is already open. She swings around on her chair and looks be up and down.
"Nice clothes." She comments and I pick aimlessly at the clothes Harry lent me.
"Thanks." I say sheepishly and she smiles at me.
"What can I do for you?" She questions.
"I want out of the deal." I confess, folding my arms across my chest. She frowns at me.
"How so?"
"You lied to me. You lied to me about Harry and you lied to me about Harry and Nadine." I remark and her lips press into a thin line.
"Look, when you make a deal with someone, always know what you're buying into." She replies and I roll my eyes.
"Whatever, I'm done with you. You can't keep me away from Harry, it's not me to signed the bloody contract." I reply.
"True...But Harry has." She retorts. I watch her fetch for one of her office drawers and she pulls out a piece of paper with loads of writing on it. At the bottom of the paper is Cassandra's and Harry's signature. The contract includes terms and conditions and privacy policies and I frown as I gaze at Harry's signature. It was only dated about a year ago. How could she have damaged Harry within that year? I hand her it back and she slides it back in her drawer.
"I'll prove to you that Harry loves me." I say and she chuckles.
"Harry loves you? What are you, 12? Wake up, Niall. He doesn't love you, never has. The only reason why you're here is because he wants you to stay quiet." She explains and I can't"help but think of the money that Harry flung at me back in the car. Was that another bribe to keep me quiet?
"Then why did he bring me here?" I challenge.
"Because you asked. He answered. It's that simple. If you want out, there's the door." She says and gestures to the door. I glance back at her before heading out and head back downstairs where Harry still is, attending to the dirty dishes. He smiles at me as I greet him and I lean against the counter next to the sink. He's smirking at me, a glint in his eye and next thing I know he's dabbing soapy bubbles all over my face.. My nose, my cheeks, my chin. I'm a little bit shocked as we both laugh and I gather up some more bubbles in the sink and do the same to him. After our faces are wet with soap we dry them with the dish towel and I sigh deeply, resting my elbows against the counter.
"Are you okay?" He asks hesitantly.
"Yeah, I...I just have to finish things off with Melissa." I admit and his eyes widen a little.
"Oh." Is all he says and I smirk a little.
"Do you mind taking me home? I need to grab my work clothes first." I ask and he nods.
"Sure."
After I grab my work clothes, he takes me home. Once he's outside my flat, the engine dies He looks over and smiles at me.
"Thank you for making me lunch, you really didn't have too." he says politely and I shrug.
"I got bored." I admit and he smirks.
"Go easy on Melissa." he says softly and I nod, thanking him for my lift. Zayn is home as I enter the flat. We share knowing looks and brief encounters. He does a double take when he sees me in different clothes but he doesn't say anything.
I take Melissa to a fancy restaurant in London and we're guided to a two-seated table and we order our drinks and meals.
"Are you okay? You look troubled." Melissa says and I'm brought out of my thoughts. To be honest, I've barely spoken to her all evening.
"Nice hickey by the way." she adds. My eyes widen and my hand flies to the red and swollen mark on the crook of my neck and I know she's right. Damn Harry. How did I not notice he'd given one? Sly git. I blush furiously and give Melissa a sympathetic look.
"It's okay, Niall. I know what I got myself into." she smiles and I sigh.
"I think...I think we should stop seeing each other." I admit and I'm surprised when she smirks at me.
"Niall, we were barely seeing each other as it was anyway in the first place. We've been on what, like two dates?" she reasons and I press my hand to my forehead, blushing even more.
"Wow, I'm a crappy boyfriend." I admit, cursing myself and she laughs humorously.
"I think you're better than you care to admit." she says and winks at me, making me laugh.
After we've finished our meals and I pay the bill, I peck her lightly on the cheek outside the entrance and we bid goodbye and part ways.
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Not gonna lie, I felt a bit odd writing Zayn in this chapter after his snarky comment to Louis on Twitter. I don't know if I want to continue him or not anymore. Anyways, I hope you respect my decision if I do decide not to continue him. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention the on-going Twitter drama in my comments, that'd really mean a lot. Let me know what you think, feedback would be much appreciated. Love you all xxx