I gasped as Harry winked at me, tossing me his navy blue glittery fedora. Catching it, I placed it on my head, doing a little shimmy as he stepped out of the circle, earning a laugh from him.
"Nera! My darling daughter!" My father's voice said in my ear, startling me.
Turning around, I smiled at my dad, who was clearly high.
"Hi Dad." I replied, adjusting his glasses, which sat on his nose, turned almost completely sideways. "Having fun?"
"Loads. I was just thinking about you and wanted to give you this." He said, holding out a navy velvet box.
Taking the box, I opened it, gasping at the stunning necklace I found inside. The blue stone was perfectly cut and set in the middle of dozens of diamonds.
"Dad!" I exclaimed, tears springing to my eyes. "Thank you!" Throwing my arms around him, I held him tightly in my arms, blinking back tears.
"It's nothing. When I saw your dress, I called Marcus over at Tiffany's and had him send it over. I wanted to get you something special, to remind you that I love you."
"Thank you Dad. I would wear it, but I don't want to damage it or lose it, and I'm already drunk as it is. I'm gonna go put it in my safe." I said, pulling away from him and kissing him on the cheek. "Really, thank you. I love you so much."
"Love you too NooNoo." He said, calling me by his pet name for me.
He sauntered off then, quickly being enveloped by guests.

Turning on my heel, I weaved my way through the crowd, finding the staircase and focusing on walking up it without falling over. By this point, I had lost count of how many shots I had done. The glass staircase was slightly disorienting as I stumbled up it, coming to my bedroom and lurching through the door. My bed looked so inviting as I stumbled into the giant walk in closet, walking to the back and fumbling for the hidden button on the wall.
"Need some help?" A voice asked, startling me.
Whipping around, I saw Harry standing in the doorway of my closet, a sly grin on his face.
"Harry! What are you doing here?" I asked, a blush rising to my cheeks.
"I wanted to thank the hostess before I left."
"You're leaving?" I asked, noting the sadness in my voice.
"Yeah. I've already had too much to drink, and I have to work tomorrow." He replied, a shadow casting itself over his face.
I couldn't help but note that he seemed so tired and so sad at the thought of working.
"Well, is there anything I could do to get you to stay?" I asked, finally finding the hidden button and feeling the wall slide open behind me.
Surprise registered in Harry's eyes as a gleaming silver safe appeared in the hole in the wall.
"I'm sure you could persuade me somehow…" Harry said, walking over to me and marveling at the safe as I opened it, placing the necklace inside along with the other jewelry boxes and piles of cash.
Closing the safe, I turned around, suddenly realizing that we were standing very, very close to each other. His breath hit my face, smelling faintly of alcohol and mints.
"Could this persuade you to stay?" I asked, leaning in and wrapping my arms around his neck, wrapping my fingers in his dark curls.
"Maybe…"
"Or perhaps, if I did… this?" I asked, pressing my body up against his and resting my forehead on his.
He mumbled a response then, one that sounded like a garbled 'yes'.
"And… maybe, if I did this?" I said, reaching down an unbuckling his belt with a smooth flick of my hand.

That's when Harry kissed me. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, that kiss. It was driven by raw passion and hunger. His lips collided with mine with such intensity that I gasped, unsure if I could reciprocate. The warm buzz of alcohol kicked into my system, making my brain turn foggy as I kissed him back, moving his hands to the zipper of my dress and letting it fall to the floor in a massive heap of glittery blue and silver fabric. His hands gripped my butt as he lifted me up, crushing me to him with all of his strength. Stumbling through the closet, we continued kissing, occasionally colliding with the island at the center of the room as we found our way to the bedroom. My breathing grew heavy as he kicked the door closed, laying me flat on my bed and crouching at my feet, taking my shoes off with a gentle tug. Staring at me, he kissed me again, more softly now, taking his time. His hands pinned me down as he kissed my neck, trailing soft touches down my collarbone and stomach. His lips worked magic on my skin, sending me into a haze of drunken pleasure.

Suddenly, the magic was gone, and the door to my bedroom was banging open.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Paul yelled, his huge strides covering the floor quickly as he strode over to us, yanking Harry off of me just as he was about to remove my bra.
"Paul!" I screamed, jumping onto his back and clawing at his skin as he threw Harry on the floor, punching him in the face repeatedly. "Stop it! Stop! Paul!"
Paul turned to look at me, his face so intensely angry that I scrambled off of his back in fear. Crawling backwards away from him, I felt tears well in my eyes. His breathing was hard as he looked at me, his face softening and the rage melting away. I watched through blurry eyes as Harry lay on the floor, his face bleeding and his breathing ragged. Paul stared at me, slowly walking towards me, a look of guilt and regret on his face.
"Nera…" He said, sorrow filling his voice. "Nera, I'm so sorry. I would never hurt you."
Paul slowly sank onto the ground beside me, hesitantly reaching out and stroking my cheek.
"I-I know." I whispered, tears spilling over my cheeks. "What about Harry? Is he okay?"
Standing up, I walked over to Harry, forgetting that I was still half naked as I sat down next to him, shaking his shoulders.
"Harry? Harry? Are you ok?" I yelled, tears dripping down my cheeks and pooling on his chest.
I could feel Paul hovering over me, his worry palpable.

Relief flooded through me as Harry's brilliant eyes fluttered open, a smile appearing on his face.
"I must have died, because an angel is standing over me." Harry mumbled, sitting up shakily.
"If you mean Paul then I thought wrong about you." I joked, earning a laugh from both Paul and Harry, although Harry's was covered by a wince. "Let's get you cleaned up."
Paul helped Harry up, not apologizing for what he had done, but helping me get him situated in my bathroom. Putting on my robe and fetching a towel, I gently cleaned up Harry's cut lip, wincing as he grimaced in pain.
"I'm sorry. I know it hurts." I muttered, biting my lip with worry.
"That's okay. As long as you're touching me, I can feel no pain." Harry said, winking at me with his uninjured eye.
Paul sighed behind me as I applied Neosporin to Harry's lip, handing him a few Tylenol and a glass of water.
"Do you need help getting home? Is there someone I can call?" I asked, anxiety buzzing in my every nerve.
"Just get Taylor up here please. She'll take care of me." Harry mumbled.
At the mention of Taylor, it felt as if my heart had been pierced with a knife. More tears threatened to spill over my cheeks as I realized what Harry really was. He was a sex-addicted asshole that just wanted me for my body.
"Fine. Then you can leave. Don't try coming back to the next party. You won't be on the invitation list. You're banned." I said, my words as cold as ice.
Standing up, I retreated into my closet, allowing Paul to show him out.

---

"Is he gone?" I mumbled, hearing Paul enter my closet, his shoes clicking on the hardwood floor.
"He's gone." Paul said, his breath close to my ear.
My composure crumbled then, the tears running over my cheeks and the sobs echoing loudly in the room.
"Nera! What's wrong?" Paul exclaimed as I buried my face in his chest, wrapping my arms around him and sobbing into his chest.
"I-I just can't imagine what would have happened if you hadn't been here Paul." I mumbled, my body heaving with the force of my tears.
"I'll always be here for you Nera. Always. I'm never gonna abandon you or hurt you or use you. I promise." Paul whispered, his fingers combing through my hair comfortingly as he held me tightly his arms. "Do you want to go to bed?"
I nodded, letting me be swooped up into his arms and cuddled onto his chest. My head fit so perfectly in the crook of his chest as he carried me to my bed, carefully laying me down and tucking the blankets up and around my body.
"Do you want me to stay with you?" He asked, running his finger down my cheek.
"Yes please." I whispered, sighing as he nodded and climbed into bed next to me, wrapping his muscular arms around my thin frame and rubbing tiny circles on my arm with his thumb.

I fell asleep to that, his soft caresses and steady breathing. I fell asleep to his reassurance and love. In that moment, just as I was drifting off to sleep, I realized that he loved me. He really and truly loved me. And maybe I loved him too.

Notes

Ok! Lot's of action! I promise that's not gonna be the last you see of Harry (that's a given) but I did need for her to see both sides of him. I hope you all like the story so far! Please vote if you have subscribed!

Thanks so much for reading! :)

xoxo
ThatGirlll