Dirty Thoughts (l.s.)

Part 7

"Do we publish it?"

"You mean, are we publishing a fair dispute that the head of a publishing agency read an unpublished interview with the well-known CEO about his resignation and pulled his money out of shares? I don't know, you tell me!"

Harry wasn't having the best night, but Louis was still winning the lottery of the worst nights ever. The younger man wasn't sleeping anyway when there was a loud banging on Louis' front door. He was the one who run up to wake Tomlinson up, too afraid to open the door.

"Why are they writing it anyway? Don't they know we'll see it?"

Louis was fully awake now, but standing absolutely still and mostly quiet while Zayn was running laps around the living room. Harry wasn't sure, he understood the subject of their discussion, but it seemed very serious, considering Zayn waking his partner up in the middle of the night.

"They do it to check our liberation policy."

Zayn scoffed. "They are the first somewhat political news outlet we've got and they are checking if we're reliable to give them freedom to speak?"

"Buy putting me to jail for fraud," Louis raised his hands. "Way to go!"

That made Harry frown. Was Louis in that much trouble? The older man turned around, looking outside at the sleeping city. The lights framed his body and Harry had to blink a couple of times not to panic.

"Did you know?" Zayn stopped near the bar cabinet eyeing an opened whiskey bottle.

"I didn't," Louis chuckled. "I just took the money out because I needed it. That's it. I didn't read it."

Zayn sighed and took the bottle, pouring himself a good amount.

"You want some?" he turned to Harry, who nodded.

"What happens when we publish it?"

"You mean if?" Zayn dropped on the other couch, glass in hand. "I called Steve, he said we shouldn't."

Harry saw the quick glance Zayn dropped his way and took a big sip of his whiskey. Louis was still looking away.

"Let's say say we do publish it, what's then?"

Zayn closed his eyes. It was like he was experiencing some kind of pain, maybe a headache.

"Then you call a lawyer and get ready for a call from the tax department."

"How do they prove that I read the article?"

"That's what you ask your lawyer."

There was a tremor in Louis' hands, Harry noticed. He was afraid. That made Harry afraid. He and Louis was still in the early stages of their relationships but somehow it seemed like they've been together for years. It was in this kind of moments that Harry realized that it wasn't true. He'd never seen Louis scared before and he had no idea what he was supposed to do.

"There would be an investigation?" he asked in a whisper.

Zayn shrugged. "Probably. They take these things seriously and our man here might've gained close to quoter of a million when the stocks fell the very next day."

Harry's eyes rounded. He knew Louis was loaded, but the numbers were never out in the open for him to process.

"Don't frighten him," he watched Louis turn around and walk to his couch. "They will talk to me, check my finances, fill in some papers. It's nothing, sweet thing."

He smiled at Harry with all the sense he could master. Harry was looking up at Louis with worry, but it wasn't about the investigation anymore.

"I can call Emmet," Zayn contemplated. "We need to have some kind of a statement ready to go."