What's your Poison? - h.s

25.

Oh, Father tell me, do we get what we deserve?
Whoa, we get what we deserve
And way down we go

I feel my chest become heavy all of a sudden. I don't know who this man is, but hearing his name is enough to instil fear into me. I've noticed the way Harry reacts when people bring up his name, his presence changes very suddenly. I've heard Jeffrey bring him up before and I remember his body becoming tense and almost seeming angry that he was brought up. I never sensed fear from him. But being around James for less than 10 minutes, I feel as though I should be scared.

I reluctantly shake his hand, with a weak grip so that I can easily pull away if I need to. I quickly pull my hand back after a second of shaking his, stepping back slightly and bringing my hands to my side. I'm reluctant to tell him my name, remembering what Harry said about not wanting these type of people to know who you are.

"I should get back to my friend." I stutter, looking over my shoulder, hoping Katie is still here to save me. As I take another step back to try slip away quickly, James places one hand on my shoulder. The touch making me freeze in place. I try my best to hide my fear, but the way Harry is looking at me, I don't think I'm succeeding. He actually looks concerned, maybe even angry that James is touching me. It's unlike him not to intervene, adding to my assumption that James isn't like the others.

"Daisy. You must be Daisy. The new shot girl." He smiles at me, shaking my shoulder. My throat feels as dry as a desert, all I can do is nod. How does he know my name or that I work here. He knows too much already. "Stay. Have a drink. It must be your night off." His eyes scan the whole of my body, making me cross my arms in an attempt to cover as much as my body as possible. James moves to the side, gesturing for me to slide into the booth next to him. Before I sit down, Harry moves quickly further into the booth, creating a space next to him on the outside. He catches my eye and tilts his head to the side, making it clear he wants me to sit next to him. I quickly move to the other side of the booth, feeling safer sat next to Harry than James.

As it sit down, my leg touches Harry's, causing his to place his hand on his leg but stroking mine with one finger. I feel myself relax slightly to his touch.

"I actually do more bar and table service now." I correct his statement as he settles across from me. He ignores my correction and lifts his hand up to grab the attention of someone at the bar. A young man walks up to us quickly, wearing a smart black button-up top. He must have only just turned 21.

"Grab this young lady a drink will you. White wine." He shoos the man away. I've never seen him before, he definitely doesn't work here. He must have brought his own men here to get him drinks. I furrow my brows as I realise he ordered me a drink without even asking what I wanted. "So, Daisy. Do you miss Pittsburgh?" James asks across the table, leaning closer to me.

My eyes widen as he mentions my home. He's trying to show that he knows a lot about me, probably everything. He knows exactly what he's doing, he knows I'm scared right now and he just wants to scare me even more. He smiles as he notices my shocked expression, it's exactly what he wanted.

"I actually need to pay you for this week, would you excuse us?" Harry butts in. He nudges me out of booth slightly. I waste no time in standing up to leave. He follows swiftly behind me, placing his hand on the small of my back to guide me towards the stairs to his office. I'm probably walking a lot faster than usual, but I can't help it.

I practically run up the stairs, but take the door to the roof rather than going into his office. I need air right now, I need space. My mind is playing a million thoughts at once.

As soon as I open the door, the cold air hits me with relief. I bring my hands to my hair and run them through it to gather my thoughts, to control my breathing. I feel like I'm having a panic attack. I walk to the edge of the roof top, leaning on the wall for support. I feel Harry place his hand on my shoulder but instantly push him off.