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James
After yesterday's mishap, it was probably no surprise that he had spent that night drinking away in a popular bar downtown. All he could think about was her; 24/7 it seemed at this point. Harper Daniels. Harper Daniels. What made her so special to occupy his thoughts?
He yawned as he got up out of bed and headed out of the room. Manny his housekeeper was just heading down the corridor towards him, carrying what seemed to be a newspaper in her hands. She paused as she spotted him offering what looked to be a sympathetic smile.
"Everything okay?" James asked a little confused.
"I'm sorry to disturb you, sir," she apologised, "I thought you might want to be made aware of this," she added, passing him over the newspaper.
James gently took it from her hands as he skimmed through the headline column. It was a picture of James holding a female's hand, guiding her indoors towards a hotel lobby. James rolled his eyes, a little displeased that some paparazzi had found interest in printing a story on the playboy millionaire hooking up with a stranger.
"They have nothing else better to do," he commented aloud before thanking Manny as he passed her the newspaper back.
___
Last Night...
After what had happened in the corridor. James was a little disheartened things hadn't escalated. Had that meant she wasn't interested? Did he disappoint her somehow? Thoughts had raced through his mind as he tried to decipher what it all meant. And why was he so struck upon her when the opportunity to have any other woman he wanted was out there?
Now here he was, sat at a bar stool drinking a glass of whiskey. Typical. Alcohol always seemed to be the answer. Whenever he felt frustrated, anxious, upset or even horny, he somehow always found himself with a glass of alcohol in the palm of his hands.
When he next glanced at his watch again, it was dawning nine and he must have been on his fourth glass of whiskey judging from the three empty glasses discarded near him. The bartender seemed too preoccupied flirting with the two women sat at the end of the bar than actually attending to his job. Not that he could judge the man, the two women were pleasantly gorgeous. He was pretty darn sure that the one with bouncy blonde locks was giving him the once-over throughout the night. James even dared to smile back gaining an expression of desire from her red painted lips drawn slyly upwards.
-"Did we have to go out? I was enjoying binge watching that series, Daniella," –
The hairs on his arms suddenly stood up at the sound of a familiar voice meandering through the space, intriguing his interest almost immediately. James turned slightly around, surprised as he watched Harper, his Harper, enter the bar accompanying another female, with short pixie cut hair.
"Oh, loosen up. You're like an old woman, Harper. Chill out," the friend replied, 'let's get you a lemonade and vodka," they added, as he watched them from the corner of his eye appear up to the bar, three people down from him.
He couldn't understand why but anxiety seemed to creep up from the base of his back. James took a quick swig of his drink, unable to enjoy the taste.
"I just hate how things have suddenly changed. Like everything's just fucked up," he heard Harper say discouragingly, "I mean, it's just all wrong. I feel like a fool. I mean, he's honestly just playing me about at this point."
"Well, you need to stand up to him. Unless...you actually like him giving you attention," her friend teased, nudging her shoulder playfully into Harper.
"No, I think I just need to give up," Harper joked, "maybe I should even try dating again. That will set some boundaries. Just get myself a man and he'll soon back off," chuckling to herself. James tensed at that. Harper dating someone? Surely, she can't. Wait, why did he even care?
"I think that's exactly what you need. Go on a dating app, swipe right on some hunks and get yourself laid. We're out in this big ole' city and there are plenty of eligible men out there, Harper," her friend suggested.
Harper seemed to disagree. "Yeah and I was joking. I don't have time to date. And I'm far too busy to be to. Do you know how much work he sets me?"
James relaxed as he heard that. Somehow hearing her hearing her reluctant to date made him feel a lot more reassured, that he surely couldn't understand why. Why did he care what he she did? They weren't exclusive? They weren't even dating. He'd kissed her once out of sheer lust. There was nothing to dwell on. He was probably just incredibly swayed by the challenge of trying to get her into his bed if anything, he told himself.
"Oh, come on. That's foolish. There's such a thing called multi-tasking, Harper," her friend objected, rolling their eyes, before waving over the bartender to order drinks. "Hi, two vodka lemonades," she instructed the bartender before continuing to lecture Harper. "I mean look, this is the perfect opportunity now. We're in a bar probably with a dozen or so single men."
"No, honestly. I'm good," Harper responded.
"Oh, don't be silly. Wait here," her friend replied before shuffling away from the bar. Out of surprise, she seemed to be approaching James. He tried to remain calm, focused up front as he swirled the whiskey around in his glass.
"Excuse me, you wouldn't happen to be looking for an incredible date?" she confidently asked, popping up her right brow with a cheeky smile.
"Dani—"
James smirked at the sight of Harper's words silencing as she locked eyes with him. Her face seemed to grow paler and paler as she bit down on her bottom lip. That simple action caused a stir in his loins. God, how he wanted to bite that lip. She should have ought to know by now that it turned him on.
"I'm sorry," he apologised watching as her eyes begged for his silence, "I don't think we've met. I wouldn't forget a pretty face like that," he added, playing along with the game.
Her friend smiled. "Oh, well, you're a charmer."
James lifted his right brow. "And you're confident to presume your friend is interested," he found himself saying back in return.
"Touché," her friend responded.
"I need to go to the bathroom," Harper suddenly blurted aloud as she hurried off. James smirked to himself as he took another swig from his glass.
"Well, I'm sure she'll be back," Dani informed him before she leaned her elbow onto the bar and stood to face him. "So, I'm always available if you're interested," she coyly suggested, with a wink.
"Excuse me one moment," James told her as he got up.
"Well, bottom's up to me," he heard her friend say to herself as she drowned back the vodka and lemonade without hesitation.
Heading towards the bathrooms at the end far wall of the bar, he stood outside the women's bathroom hoping it wouldn't be long until the sight of Harper exiting the bathroom occurred. It must have been another minute or so until the door opened inwards revealing her, dressed in a purple dress and sleek black flats. A sight he couldn't seem to stop looking at.
He grinned mischievously as he leaned on the wall. "Well, well," he chimed, "I would have thought you would have introduced me to your friend, Harper."
She froze on her feet, tensing as it appeared at the sight of him stood there.
"E-excuse me," she began to say until he broke in, shuffling in front of her and herding her back into the face of the wall. Her cheeks flushed as did her chest raise ecstatically at the distance between them.
"Look at you now. I'm not even touching you..." he muttered. She bit down on her lip, threatening him to collide his body into hers until the intrusion of another voice entered the gap.
"Harper?"
She looked towards the source causing James to step back.
"Duke?"
Who the hell is Duke? James looked over, catching sight of a man stood at the entrance of the corridor leading towards them pair. His brown hair was permed on top and he held a boy-next door kind of charm with his patterned shirt laid over a black plain t-shirt, and blue jeans.
"Babe, look at you," he smiled, "you look hot. Who's this?" His eyes heading over to James.
"No one," she lied, as she headed over to him to capture him in a hug. "Oh my god. I've missed you so much," she added, "come on, you have so much to tell me."
James held back a minute or two before he followed, heading towards his still unpreoccupied stool at the bar. The three of them were a couple feet down the bar in discussion. He was lucky he could still make out what they were saying as he tuned into the conversation.
"I thought I would surprise you," their male friend said, "besides you have room for little old me, right?"
Harper's laugh filled the room. "Of course, you can even share the bed with me," she seemed to tease. James clenched his right fist aside his right thigh unsure whether to throw a punch or walk out the bar. Who was this guy? She wasn't serious. Had they dated? Were they casual? Who the hell was he?
"Hey," a gentle voice purred aside him.
James' attention was taken away from the group as the blonde woman from earlier, stood aside him, smiling coyly. She leaned in, the smell of her soft perfume tickling his nostrils. "Mind if I join you?"
"Sure," he offered.
Harper
How on earth out of all the bars they had gone to, he was here. And out of all the men her friend could have approached it had to be him? She was just glad he didn't reveal who he was in front of Daniella as that would have been game over. Well in embarrassment.
Her attention to remain on Duke was dwindling as she kept stealing glances over to him, this time preoccupied by another woman. Her insides clenched. Surely, she shouldn't care. But at the sight of him completely smitten with his company, laughing and flirting, it was enough to make her frustrated.
"Harper, earth to Harper," she heard Duke call out to her.
"Sorry," she apologised with a smile. "I'm—"
"She's just buzzed because work is giving her a hard time, literally," Daniella teased.
"Shut up," Harper gasped, nudging her friend in the shoulder.
She tried her hardest to remain attentive to the conversation but failed as she watched the pair get up and leave the bar. He was going to sleep with her. Her.
James
He stole one glance back at Harper, irritated that she seemed to caught up in that fella, that he left the bar without hesitation knowing he was going to instead fuck the living lights of this woman. Perhaps then it would stop these silly thoughts that were consuming his mind.
Even at the hotel as he had sex with this stranger. Alice? Rose? He didn't even know her name. All he could think about was Harper. Her there beneath him. Her moaning his name as he went in deeper and deeper.
Not even wanting to stay after he done the deed, James left The hotel, fed-up and strangely unsatisfied as the thought of Harper kissing someone else, haunted his thoughts.
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