Wicked Obsession

6.

Saturday, July 13

My vocal chords are paralyzed, his eyes looking so deeply into mine it's like he is seeing me. It's unnerving and I want to look away but I don't. He parts his lips to speak, hesitates a moment, glances around us and closes them again.

In an instant, he pulls my arm into his strong grip and quickly leads me away from the crowd. I yank myself away from him, using my entire body, but he doesn't budge. The more I struggle, the tighter he holds me. I wince. 

"Let go of me." 

I lower my voice into a hiss and make it as commanding as possible. I'm tired of him bossing me around and I won't fucking have him manhandling me like this. Who the hell does he think he is anyway? 

He ignores me and leads us into a secluded area. I attempt to escape again and this time he releases me. I rub my aching arm and examine the damage. Red angry splotches mark my skin in the perfect shape of his fingers. I glare up at him and clench my teeth, speaking through them to answer his question from earlier, "It's none of your damn business."

His eyes darken and those perfect lips press into a fine line. He takes a step towards me and I mirror the movement, taking one back.

"It is once again, my fucking business Miss. Whitman." He takes another menacing step forward and my heels and back hit a wall. My heart beats frantically in my chest, its pace increasing with every word. "This charity is one of the biggest my company supports, and the resulting publicity makes me a lot of money." Mr. Styles leans in to me, eliminating any space between our bodies. I focus hard to keep my expression blank but the tension in the air is making it difficult to think. "So, when one of my employees is going around making a fool of my company's name, it is: my fucking business. Now I'll ask you again. Aurora. What the fuck are you doing here?"

The color in his eyes is gone and even though every nerve in my body is screaming at me to just answer his damn question, I stick out my chin in defiance. I'm done being afraid of him. He can go fuck himself. I'm about to tell him so, but his large hand clamps down over my mouth. He raises a finger on the opposite hand.

"I'm not in the fucking mood for your smart mouth right now." He removes his hand and I narrow my eyes. He sighs angrily,"Just answer the damn question."

"Getting answers." I snap, making sure to be as vague as possible. 

He knows it too. His answering look is once of annoyance, like I am some arrant child he has to put up with rather than a grown woman standing up for herself. The look infuriates me but.. I'm wary of the dark gleam in his eyes. I hold my breath. 

"You won't find any here. Mrs. Yates is a close friend and she has signed a non-disclosure agreement."

My jaw drops and a small smile spreads across his lips. His whole body rumbles with a deep chuckle and my hand twitches at my side. I just really want to slap the shit out of him right now... 

"Sorry, love, but you'll have to do better than that if you're going to take me on." He leans in close as he says it, sure to let his cool breath blow across my stunned features. I keep my eyes locked on his, watching as dark gaze flicker across my face and briefly land on my lips. The atmosphere shifts and suddenly every nerve in my body is aware of him.