A Millionaire, His Suit, And Poor Me

Given that Henris had not slept for almost a whole day, I was not surprised when, waking up a few hours later, I found hin clinging to me, completely asleep. His breath came out in small light puffs against my neck, becoming the cause of my awakening. I slowly turned in his arms so that we were face to face, receiving small grunts from him, but they were not enough to wal him up. He looked different in his sleep; no trace of stress tainted his face, his lips were not pressed together and his eyebrows were not furrowed as usual. My amusement took shape as I ran my hands through her untamed curls. And although I could play with her hair all day, the noise of the pots and pans in the kitchen made me jump out of bed and leave my room, slipping into her shirt in a hurry. “What are you cooking?"I mumble while falling asleep as I cross the threshold of the kitchen where the silhouette of Loui in a pink CEO apron greets me. “Is Jace here?” “Rosemary chicken. And he'll be here in a minute."Louis replied. I served them both a glass of wine to sip while chatting while the food cooked. He told me how his day at the theater had been and Jace walked through the door just in time for dinner. She ran into the kitchen, wrapped her arms around her boyfriend's waist before turning to me. When she did, her chin hi the ground and her eyes opened wide. He attacked me in the space of a second, pulling on the collar of my borrowed shirt and continuously making small noise of surprise. “You are radiant, Noras. You even smell like sex”He accused. “You have definitely broken your abstinence period. Which i hilarious, considering who I met today." “My God, is it 50 hard to believe that I am capable of being sexually active?" blew. “I tend to question it sometimes. Now, tell me everything." “Tell me who you met today." There was a discussion in the kitchen about who should tell his story first. As usual, we decided to solve the question int most adult way possible: paper, scissors, stone. After an intense battle ignited only by Louis’ competitiveness, Jace emerg victorious and I had to tell this story first. “Very well. I'm pretty sure you cheated, but I'm going to start anyway."l whistled. “We were playing monopoly and then the Chinese food arrived. He got jealous and he went crazy. .... And it, like, just happened. It was nice.” “Eh..?" I narrowed my eyes in his direction. “Every inch of this man is a dime a dollar. I won't expand any further, you curious litt cunts. Now it's your turn.” Jace sipped his wine in an attempt to prolong the wait. But, after I pinched his nipple through his shirt, he gave up with a girlish cry, hid behind Louis to protect himself from my anger, and started talking. “Well, you see..'She started slowly, hugging her boyfriend and pulling him away from me. “Now that I hear what happene to you today, it doesn't seem like the best idea I've ever had." “Hm?” His voice died away as he looked around. “Is Henris still here?” “Yes? But he’s sleeping," I replied, frowning. “What have you been doing?” “Damn. Well, uh, it was funny a few minutes ago.’He said nervously. “Since you broke your abstinence period and I accidentally bumped into Liam while I was going out for coffee... And maybe I invited him to dinner?” I could physically feel my skin turning pale as Jace spoke. “You mean Liam's coming here for dinner?” “Well... Yes. You were friends, and it ended well... And he's a good guy... I haven't got a clue. It seemed like a good idea 2 the time, OKAY?" “Do you know Henris?"l whistled. “On what fucking planet would it be a good idea to bring my ex-boyfriend of two years the same area as Henris?” Jace squeezed even tighter against Louis, who was looking at us with a confused expression. It happened at the wrong tin How could 1 have known that you would do Henris the day I met the guy you lost your virginity to? Besides, it's not like Liam is going to try to do who knows what!” And, just to prove that the whole universe has a tooth against me, Henris Steve decided at that very moment to enter the kitchen, now wearing these waist-length suit pants. Everyone in the room was startled by his appearance; Louis turned around and hid in Jace’s arms, while I jumped off the balcony, surprised. Henris gave Jace a suspicious look before turning to me. I offered him the only smile I was capable of at that moment, which probably gave the impression that I was about to vomit, before returning my gaze to the floor, fleeing from his eyes “Can someone explain?”asked Henris slowly. There was complete silence, except for a slight muttering from Louis. I continued to fix the tiles without interest. “Noras. Who is Liam?” While 1 was thinking about the best answer to give him, including running away or lying, the doorbell rang. Jace let out a series of expletives and passed an enraged Henris, heading for the front door. The company CEO kept his sharp gaze on me. I stared at him, feeling hopeless. I opened and closed my mouth again and again, trying to form words, which were then destroyed by my poor brain. It didn't help that Henris's eyes were half close still asleep, and that he let out adorable little yawns from time to time. There were a few moments of awkward silence when Jace came back into the room, followed by my ex-boyfriend. The firs thing I noticed was that he had grown a beard that was fading just above the birthmark on his neck. Liam smiled at me slightly, then opened his arms. “Hey, RahRah." And suddenly Henris disappeared from my mind at the mention of this nickname, I rushed into the familiar arms of Liam who held me for almost two years of my life. They were a little more muscular than I remember, but he always did that thing where he lifted me off the ground by hugging me. “Liam Pays Off," I laughed into the curve of his neck. “Where the hell have you been?” “I was hiding from you."He replied by putting my feet back in contact with the fresh tiles. He put his hands on my shoulde and offered me another of his adorable smiles, accentuated by his hazel eyes. “You look thinner. And older. And man, hoy many hickeys do you have in your neck, Rah?" And that's when Henris showed up, literally pushing away Liam's hands that were holding me by the arms and hugging m to his chest with a low growl. He gave me a warning pressure on my hips before positioning himself behind him, as if to protect me. Liam, being the innocent man I've never seen harm a fly, didn't seem worried. “Ah, you must be the hickeys boyfriend,” Liam chuckled. “And beautiful tattoos. I have too." The muscles of Henris' tattooed arm twitched under my touch and I decided to intervene to try to calm the level of dama of the situation. “No. This is my... my... Henris. This is Henris." “Your Henris?"Liam teased him with a playful smile. Jace and Louis watched with wide eyes; they might as well have had some popcorn and soda to get a better look at the drama unfolding in front of them. “Well, hello, Henris from Noras. I'm Liam Payonne.” She held out her hand to Henris, who merely stared at her before turning to me. His eyes squinted at me from head to to noticing that I was wearing only his shirt that reached mid-thigh and darkened with each passing centimeter. “Noras,” Henris hisses. “Go put on some bloody clothes now.” “Come with me.’l whispered, “Please.” He let out a little grunt as I led him out of the kitchen, leaving a very confused Liam, his hand always ready to be clenche I rushed to my room, closed the door behind us, then turned to Henris. “Get dressed,” he said in a harsh voice, running his hands through his tousled hair. “And as beautiful as it looks on you, unfortunately, I need my shirt.” I did as he told me, and I quickly opened the remaining buttons of my shirt before sliding it off my shoulders and handin it to him while he looked at me in silence. Jace’s sweatpants that Henris tried to put on were still on the floor, and I put them on with a black T-shirt. “Is it true what Jace said? That you lost your virginity to him?"asked Henris suddenly. “Yes. Not that it matters.” The moment the words came out of my mouth, he let out an annoyed sigh and grabbed me by the hips, pushing me agair the door, in the same position as a few hours before. But judging by the anger that emanated from his eyes, I had a hunch that this time, they wouldn't end up seeing me moaning his name on his 17Black tattoo. I took a restless breath and put my hands on hers, first stroking her arms, then placing them on her tattooed biceps, to finally find their place at the base of her neck, my thumbs tracing the outline of her defined jaw. “Hey, don't be so jealous. He's just a friend. So can we have a quiet dinner, please?” When I stopped the movements of my thumbs, he shook his head slightly, prompting me to continue. So, with slightly flushed cheeks and a happy heart, I slowly resumed my movements, tracing her sculpted jaw and her adorable dimples. “He gave you a nickname,” Henris said softly. “He shouldn't call you that anymore.” I brought her mouth to mine in response to her stupid jealousy. The thoughts of my friends in the other room were banished from my mind, because all that mattered at that moment was the movement of her soft lips in perfect synchronization with mine. “Sit next to me at dinner,” he ordered against my skin. “And I will try." “Thank you. Do you feel better now that you have slept?” “Yes."He gave me a smirk. “And I think sex contributed to this too.” “Oh.” He gave me a light kiss on my blushing cheek and intertwined our hands. “You are absolutely adorable when you blush. Now come on, I would like to be formally introduced to this Liam.” We returned to the kitchen, now fully dressed, hand in hand and with slightly swollen lips. The table was set and everyone was sitting and waiting for us. There were raised eyebrows and a low whistle from Louis 2 the sight of our untidy clothes, but no one said anything when we sat down. “Wine?"Jace proposed with a smirk, already knowing the answer. At my annoyed look, he laughed slightly and began to pour it out. “You will probably need at least four glasses.” Louis patted his arm so 1 wouldn't have to and turned back to the table with a smirk. “So, Jace and Noras, why don't you introduce your little friends to each other.” “Well, guys, this is my boyfriend Louis. And, guys, this is Noras’ ex-boyfriend, now his friend, Liam. And this is Henri," he concluded. “Now, who else wants wine?” “I would like some."Liam said from his seat next to me. “Somehow I knew you would come up with some. You two have always been wine geeks.’ “shut up, Payonne! You loved wine as much as we do."l replied, forcing Henris to pass his arm lazily around my shoulders And as if that wasn't enough, he moved my chair slightly closer to his and therefore moved it away from Liam's. My ex raised his eyebrows at this gesture, before smiling at Henris. “So, how did you meet Noras?” “He interviewed me.'He let go. “For Vogue”? Are you a model or what?” I burst out laughing, because that's what we could instinctively expect from Henris, given his kilometer-long legs and his perfect features. “No, he's a company boss. We were writing an article about being your own boss." “Oh. What company?” “Steve Enterprises”. I also founded the company. Any other questions, Mr. Payonne?”He asked coldly. “My God"I whispered. This was followed by an amused growl from Louis and a quick change of subject from Jace. The dinner went more or less like this. Jace led a light conversation, as he tended to do, followed by teasing from Louis. They were a perfectly awkward couple. Liam was always so polite and respectful, telling stories about his new job and conversing effortlessly with all of us. I decided to ignore the way Henris was grinding his teeth at my side and talk as much as possible. Maybe it's because I wa: helped by one or more glasses of wine, but I still managed to keep going. At the end of the dinner, Louis and Liam got along better than ever and Henris began to calm down a little. The tension ir the room was gradually decreasing and I was starting to think that everything was going to be fine when we moved from the kitchen to the living room, a glass of wine in hand. Henris made me sit on his lap and surrounded my hips with one arm while with the other he held the glass. I snuggled uj to him and decided that being in his arms was one of my favorite places in the world, along with my bed and my new des “Tell me, Liam,” Jace chuckled. “Remember when I challenged you to put a whole toothbrush in Noras' mouth after she fel asleep during that movie?” Liam burst out laughing. “Yes, and he didn't talk to me for a week” “It sucked!"l groaned at the memory of that scene. “He did it on purpose to give you his toothbrush” “I should have suspected it” Louis blew and pushed his bangs to the side. Is this really your idea of a joke, J? You guys are terrible. I have to teach you “Absolutely not!"l squealed. “We're not going to start a war of pranks and grabs, or whatever name we give it. So don’t eve think about it... Louis! I can see the ideas forming in your mind. Stop it now!” He raised his free hand in defense. “Just know that it would be much worse than a toothbrush in your mouth, Noras.” The room filled with laughter, even Henris let out a giggle that amplified my smile. We sipped our wine while talking abot life in general, and soon we all laughed a little too hard at Louis's jokes and our cheeks flushed. Even Liam, whom I rarely saw drinking during our relationship, had pink on his cheeks and a smirk. He looked like he was part of the family, sitting next to Jace on our destroyed couch, which was enough to make me nostalgic. “Stop moving,” Henris whispered into the curve of my neck, pulling me out of my thoughts. “How many times do I have to tell you?” “Excuse me, Mr. Steve.'l whispered while playing. “Mr. Steve? It seems that you have become strangely attached to calling me that, Noras.” I turned on his legs, putting mine perpendicular to his so that I could look him in the face. He had the same glow as on h mother's wedding day after a few too many drinks. His eyes were shining and that damn beard on his jaw made him ever more attractive. “And what does that mean, Mr. Steve?” He rubbed his nose against my cheek, smiling. I bet you'd like to scream it in bed. I bet you like kinky things. I bet you'd crazy if 1 let you call me that” My cheeks flamed and I hid my face in the curve of his neck. “You're terrible," I whispered. “Absolutely terrible." “I bet you'd like to beg me too,” he whispered, moving my hair to the other side of my neck and bringing his lips closer to my ear. Goosebumps, which might as well have been constantly present in his presence, began to appear. And it didn't he that his left hand made its way under my shirt, along my back and now in circles. “So, would you do it?" “Stop itl moan weakly against the tattoo on his collarbone, 1957. “There are other people in the room.” Before he could answer, Louis clapped his hands in annoyance. “Oy, you two! We asked you a question, so stop sucking your faces and listen!” I lifted my head from Henris's shoulder and turned to Louis. “We weren't sucking faces, a****el” “You could have at least done that"He answered dryly. “So, have you at least heard some of what you have been asked?” “No," I admitted, embarrassed. “We weren't kissing, though." Louis ignored me with a wave of his hand. “Liam wants us all to go out on Friday. In a club!” I nodded with joy at this idea. Going dancing with Jace and Louis seemed awesome, and it was always fun hanging out wi Liam. Except Henris seemed to have other plans as he tightened his grip around my waist and shook his head. “No. Noras is coming with me to an event.” I turned around, surprised. “Really?” “Yes, indeed,” he confirmed abruptly. “Friday.” “When did we talk about this?” His nostrils widen in annoyance. “Don’t start, not now, Noras.” “Start what? You didn’t even ask me!” I blew. “And I want to go dancing.” Liam coughed in a way that caught our attention, making Henris and I wince. He rubbed the back of his neck, under our eyes; it's a nervous habit that I learned from our time together. “Could we, uh, go on Saturday? If that's okay with you, Rah?"Liam asked slowly. “Perfect” I answered cheerfully, then turning to Henris. “Now we can both go to whatever event you're talking about and hang out with Liam. Isn't that great, Mr. Steve?” I don't know if it's the fact of spending more time with my lovely ex, or the use of the formal callsign with which he had recently teased me, or the nickname that Liam had, once again, used, in any case Henris Steve seemed absolutely out of He kept his eyes on me as he spoke, each word accentuated by his hoarse voice and his strong British accent. “That soun great to me, Liam."