Secrets / Black & White / Playing for Keeps

It was the night of Harry’s first social event since their ‘break up’ and Lara lay on his bed as she watched him get dressed.

“Where are you going again?” She asked as he pulled on a pair of black jeans. He held up a Rolling Stones T-shirt and a shirt with a slogan she couldn’t make out and she idly gestured to the Rolling Stones shirt.

“Some product launch… I don’t even know. I just know that I’m getting picked up at eight.”

“Will she be there?”

“Yes, *she* will be there.” Harry said with a grimace as he pulled on his boots. She wasn’t sure if the grimace was because of her question or because he had trouble putting the boots on.

“What’s going to happen?” Lara tried to sound casual, but knew that she was failing when Harry shot her a knowing look.

“We’re going to ‘bump’ into each other and have a chat… pretty tame stuff.”

“Just as long as you don’t get any one of your ideas.” Lara said, and Harry looked up with an amused smile.

“So are you going to hang out here?” He asked.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course not… make yourself at home. And you’d better be here when I get back.” He winked at her and she couldn’t hide the admiration in her eyes. A quick kiss on the lips and he was gone.

The night started out slow. Lara read her book, and then spent a couple of hours watching television. Her phone rang and she froze when she saw Ben’s name pop up. She ignored it, and returned her attention to the TV. The calls continued until she decided to switch it off.

Three hours later she was lying back on the couch googling Paige Harrison. Countless images of her impossibly pretty face popped up on the screen and Lara couldn’t help but scroll through all of them. Her Wikipedia page extolled her as the next It girl. She had made the difficult jump from model to actress and at the age of twenty two had just returned from starring in a US blockbuster that was set to be released in the next month. Impressive, Lara thought.

An hour later, Lara felt her eyes closing, and after pulling on her pyjamas lay down on Harry’s bed. She breathed in the familiar scent of Harry’s pillow and sheets, she wasn’t sure if it was the scent of his aftershave or just his shampoo, all she knew was that it comforted her. She was not yet asleep when she felt someone crawling into bed next to her.

“I’m ba-ack.” A deep voice sang into her ear and she opened her eyes to smile up at him.

“How was it?” Lara asked.

“Pretty boring.”

“What was she like?”

“Just your typical actress type…” He said casually.

“She’s pretty isn’t she?”

“Yeah she’s pretty.” Harry said a very slight edge to his voice as though he wanted to change the subject. His hand reached out to move a few loose strands of hair from her face.

“Were you asleep?”

“Kind of…” She murmured.

“What are you wearing?” He suddenly asked lifting the rest of the sheet to see her pyjama shorts and singlet.

He raised his eyebrows suggestively as though he liked what he saw, and she looked down as his fingers softly trailed against her stomach. His mouth found hers again, and he deeply kissed her, catching her by surprise. She recovered quickly and cupped his face in her hands bringing him closer to her, until he was lying on top of her. His hand travelled down to between her legs where he felt her.

“You’re wet.” He said with a smile, and she tried not to blush. How could she explain the effect he had over her. How she lived for the moments when they were together. She had been thinking about this moment since he had left her alone tonight. He touched her gently causing her thighs to press together in anticipation.

“Open them…” He whispered in her ear, and she relaxed enough for him to allow his hand to return to her warmth. His fingers rubbed against her, and she let out a contented sigh before he claimed her lips again. He gently bit her bottom lip before his lips travelled down to her neck, his tongue grazing over her skin. He didn’t stop there as his mouth lowered to her breast. She felt her breath hitch as his tongue circled her nipple, before taking it into his mouth. Lara closed her eyes allowing herself to enjoy the sensation. She was so caught up in the moment that she didn’t notice Harry pulling off her cotton shorts until they were halfway down her knees.

“Take them off.” She heard him whisper and without thinking she kicked off her shorts and underwear, hearing them fall in a heap on the floor. She lay back on the bed, now completely naked and feeling more than vulnerable when his mouth returned to her stomach. She watched as his lips swirled on her soft skin and held her breath when he glanced up at her slyly before his lips slowly licked and kissed their way between her legs. Lara involuntarily gasped her entire body tensing up as she stared up at the ceiling.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” She heard Harry’s melodic voice, and he seemed to pause as though he were giving her time to compose herself. Once he felt her body relax again, he tentatively licked her and she bucked slightly at the sensation. It was so different to what she had experienced so far; it felt strangely intimate, as though she were the only person who mattered at that moment.

A couple of more tentative licks and then Harry’s mouth descended on her, sucking gently, his tongue darting out to lick her folds. A small moan escaped her lips as he slowly continued to lick the ache that was building between her legs. She looked down at him to watch and he seemed to sense her gaze, his green eyes looking back at her. She could tell he was smiling, but she could only stare at him transfixed, noticing the sudden glint in his eye as his tongue began to enter her. He closed his eyes and began to quicken the motion, his tongue moving in and out, the sucking becoming more urgent. Lara’s hands found their way to his head, and she tugged at his curls, trying to retain some semblance of control over the situation. Her hips began to grind against him, wanting more and he didn’t slow down as he tasted her over and over again.

“I want to fuck you so bad…” She heard him mumble against her. The words sent her over the edge and she squeezed his head between her legs, her fingers locked in his curls as she came undone.

“Jesus…” Harry said rubbing his neck. “That was one hell of a grip you had there.”

“Sorry…” She squeaked.

“It’s okay.” His face broke into a smile when he noticed her pink cheeked afterglow. “Let’s just take a minute to recover… we’ve got all night anyway…”

******************************

The second night followed the same pattern. She waited at his apartment until he came home, this time around midnight. It had been an event that had gone over time he explained and he had caught up with some old friends while he was there. Lara shrugged and smiled as though it didn’t bother her that he was out enjoying himself, while she sat home alone.

She had spent most of the night on the couch daydreaming about what a date with Harry would be like, before she realised that apart from certain events that they had been forced to attend, she had only gone out with him a handful of times.

It was the third night and this time Harry had been invited to a party by one of his celebrity friends where Paige would also be attending- all by ‘coincidence’ of course. Lara had been avoiding Ben for the past three days, and had escaped their apartment once again to stay at Harry’s place.

She had brought a stack of interior design magazines to flick through, mindful of the fact that she was going to start her course soon. It wasn’t long before her phone was ringing and she saw Ben’s name pop up on the screen. She knew she had to face him eventually and it seemed easier to do so over the phone, rather than in person.

“Ben, what is it?” She answered.

“Lara what are you doing?”

She paused for a moment not knowing how to answer.

“What are you talking about?” She finally replied.

“I haven’t seen you for three days now… you’ve been sneaking in and out like you think I’m stupid to realise what you’re doing.”

“Ben-“

“Is this what it’s going to be like for you? Sitting at home waiting for him?”

“How do you know where I am?” She challenged although her voice came out sounding week and unconvincing.

“Because I just know.” Ben replied. “He’s wrong to do this, and you shouldn’t have to go along with it.”

“I’m hanging up now…” She said, although she still clutched the phone tightly to her ear.

“You know he’s with her tonight, don’t you?”

“Yes, because you told him to!”

“Just remember what he did when he was with you- because we told him to.” Ben said evenly, and Lara promptly hung up on him.

Tears stung her eyes and her brow furrowed as his words echoed in her mind. Doubt followed as she sat in Harry’s empty apartment, trying to figure out what she was doing there. What did Harry want from her? Where was this all leading? They weren’t meant to be together, how were they supposed to stay together? The walls felt like they were closing in on her, and she had a burning desire to leave, but something kept from her moving. She sat on the couch for what seemed like hours thinking. She heard the door open and with a quick glance at her phone realised it had been an hour. Harry walked in with a smile on his face, and literally fell onto the couch next to her and comically looked over at her. His smile disappeared when he saw her sad face.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his hand touching her shoulder.

“Ben just called.”

Harry’s face hardened and his body seemed to tense up at the sound of Ben’s name.

“What did he say?”

“Just that he knows what we’re doing…” Her voice trailed off not finishing the sentence.

“And?” His tone was now demanding.

“Just stuff about Paige and how I shouldn’t be seeing you…”
“What stuff about Paige?” Harry persisted.

“I don’t know… just that you’re with her now…”

“I’m not with her and as for you and me, we can bloody well do what we want.” He said stubbornly. “Tell Ben to fuck off or better yet I will.”

“No, please, you’ll just make things worse. I have to live with him you know.”

“No you don’t. Why do you have to do anything? It’s your life and you can do whatever you want.”

They both fell silent, and they both knew that although that last statement made all the sense in the world, there was still the contract Lara had signed hanging above their head.

His arms curled around her waist and he pulled her close to him, as the tears began to slip down her cheeks. She didn’t make a sound as she cried, hoping he wouldn’t notice, but it wasn’t long before he felt her wet cheek.

“Hey don’t cry…” He said softly. She muffled her sob against his shoulder and felt his hand rubbing comforting circles on her back.

“I’ll try and make things better…” He said quietly. “I promise I’ll try and making things better.”

Notes

If you're reading this put your arms in the air... and wave them around like you just don't care.

*ahem*

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