A/N: WARNING: This chapter is 7500 words long....I may reaaallly enjoy writing from Harry's point of view. Enjoy! Let me know what you guys think, thanks for all of your support. Xxx

Harry's P.O.V

It's not often that I find myself strolling through a park, I'm much too busy to be living my life at this slow of a pace. But I knew I couldn't convince Elena to go back to my place with me, so the park had to do. Thankfully, it worked out in my favour, and Elena is happily walking beside me ice cream cone in one hand, holding mine in the other.

"How were Lenny and Boyce after I left?" Elena's sparkling eyes peer up at me as we make our way down the path away from the ice cream truck. Wouldn't have thought she would want to bring them up anytime soon, those fucking pricks almost ruined this whole thing for me, after everything I've done for them over the years.

"Same old bastards, don't worry I'll keep them well away from you at the next event" I grit my teeth almost as soon as the words fall out of my mouth. This girl is hanging on by a thread based on how I treated her last night, and here I go shoving my foot straight into my mouth and assuming she'll still want to go to events with me. God, I really am a fucking idiot sometimes.

To my relief, there is a soft giggle beside me. "Maybe that's for the best," She says gently. Fuck, I dodged a bullet there, I have to be careful with saying stupid shit now.

I don't normally tread so lightly around people, I'm not known for my consideration of other people's feelings. But there is something about Elena; she kind of drives me nuts but in the best kind of way.

"How was it seeing your photo in the paper?" I ask her with a gentle smile on my face. My publicist had called me in the morning while I was out on my run to tell me that we had made the society pages. I was going to call Elena like I said I would, but then I thought maybe showing up at her work would be better. It would force her into talking to me even if she didn't really want to, plus I got to Mark my territory in front of that fucker.

"Uh, it was a little strange, but kind of cool I suppose. At least it was a good photo" There's a soft tinge of red on her cheeks as she slowly smiles. She's right, it was a great photo, she looked absolutely stunning last night. I'm not sentimental by any means, but I wish I had taken of photo of her myself, just to have for me. But not at the event where I know she didn't feel comfortable, back at my apartment when she was all excited and nervous. That fucking smile, it seemed to shine brighter somehow. We stop beside a bin momentarily so she can discard the rest of her ice cream cone, I throw away the napkin that was once wrapped around mine. It's been a long time since I've had such a simple ice cream, it just hit the spot.

"Must have got a bit of a surprise when you opened up the paper and saw it then?" It can be a bit weird at first, thinking that your private life is everyone else's public playground. Especially for someone like Elena, who loves to as she puts it 'fade into the background'. I couldn't think more the opposite, she stands out to me no matter where she is.

"Well actually, Ryan showed it to me" I grit my teeth and immediately my good mood crumbles away, I don't like that mother fucker. He's clearly into her, I can see it in the way his eyes follow her when she was working this morning. I was watching her too, but I'm allowed to, she's mine.

It seems my mood change is noticed as Elena stops walking beside me but still holds my hand, pulling me to a stop before standing in front of me. Fuck she's beautiful, even in a simple black T-shirt and jeans she manages to drive me crazy. Maybe because I know what's underneath, my fingers are crossed for the lacy lingerie set that I like, perhaps if I keep being good I'll be rewarded with an answer.

Her brown hair hangs in loose curls over her chest and shoulders, still with remnants of gold from last nights outfit still sprinkled through. Her doe brown eyes seem so large as she peers up at me, her lips upturned to a gentle smirk. Those lips, I'd love to see them wrapped around me while she looks up at me. Stop it Harry, she's trying to talk to you.

"I get that you don't like him, but you have nothing to worry about. Honest, I'm not interested in him at all" Her sweet words curl my lips into a soft smile. I have a feeling I consume her thoughts in the same way that she consumes mine, and boy does that excite me.

"He's very clearly into you Elena, what man wouldn't be who spends so much time with you. And now that you're quitting and he won't be spending time with you he's going to start getting desperate and try to get you to want him. And unlucky for him, but you're off limits. Just want to make sure that he knows that" I am aware that I sound like a jealous boyfriend. But I'm not, I'm just territorial, eager to keep what's mine, mine. I don't share.

Her eyes roll as she lets out a gentle giggle under her breath. I bite down on my lip as the thought of spanking her for rolling her eyes at me pops into my brain. The thought of her laid naked across my lap, her soft pale skin becoming red by my hand is making me hard.

I know we aren't quite there yet, but certainly me pleasuring her yesterday was a step in the right direction. The look on her face as she had her first orgasm is one that I won't be forgetting for a long time, that along with the feeling of her soft skin and the sounds of her moaning my name. And when she decided to return the favour, holy fuck. I didn't even need the release, watching her come undone under my touch was enough satisfaction for me. But my Elena, she wanted to make me feel good like the way I made her feel good. I really have to shut these thoughts down, I can already begin to feel the familiar ache in my groin.

"Well even if he is into me, it doesn't matter because I'm with you. And I'm perfectly capable of fending off his advances" The sweet sound of her voice brings me back into the conversation, of course we're still talking about him, my fault. Her words are music to my ears, 'I'm with you', she's with me, even though I've fucked this up a few times already in the short time we've known each other. I never pictured myself having this kind of relationship with someone, because I simply don't get attached to people the way that other people do. Ever since I met her, she's been a constant thought always running around somewhere in my mind.

"Good girl" I tell her softly, reaching my free hand to tuck some loose hair behind her ear. It's weird to me how much I like doing that, how much I like seeing a blush rise on her cheeks or hearing her sweet little laugh. Things have been turbulent for us, and that's definitely my fault. It's been way more complicated than any other arrangement I have had in the past. Most of my other arrangements have been pretty void of any conflict; because I set up boundaries before anything even began. There is a whole clause of the contract that I had removed before Elena even saw it that basically states the lay of the land. You go to events with me, pleasure me, I pay you, and it ends when the contract finishes.

I get bored easily, I've never signed a contract longer than 3 months, always afraid that something sweeter will come along while I'm tethered to someone else. I thought for sure Elena would be the same thing, despite Grace's assurances that Elena would be something new for me. I'm a business man; my job is to make deals and get people to do what I want, and god knows I love a challenge. I thought for sure, I can definitely take this young naive girl and she will become what I need her to be with a little bit of convincing. But each day that I spend with her; instead of changing her, I think that she's changing me.

"Stay the night with me tonight" I tell her. I don't want to force her into spending the night with me, of course I would never make her do things that she wasn't ready for. I just want her to spend time with me.

"I can't" She says after a few moments, she's thinking about it, considering it. "I have an 8am class tomorrow morning" I sigh at her reasoning. It's moments like this that I feel like a bit of a pervert. Yes it's completely legal, she's 19 and I'm 33, but still. Also I'm paying her, which is a little weird, but it's not like I'm paying her explicitly for sex. Yet is it weirder that I basically pay her to hang out with me?

"You can get your books and some things to wear in the morning, I'll have John take you in and I'll make sure you aren't late" I try and relax my tone, to sound a little more casual and little less desperate. Her head tilts to the side and she presses her lips together in thought before they part and omit a soft sigh.

"Okay fine, I'll stay" I lean down and immediately press my lips to hers, I know we last kissed yesterday but for some reason it feels like it's been too long. Her lips are soft and sweet, a hint of vanilla ice cream still lingers behind. Her lips part gently and I take the opportunity to press my tongue into her mouth, pulling her in close to my body by her hips. I don't care if we are in the middle of the pathway in a busy park, but it seems that she does as she only indulges my desperation for her for a few seconds before she breaks our kiss.

"T-there's a bus stop just outside the park that can take us to my apartment. So I can get my things to take to yours" The slight stutter in her voice pleases me greatly. I like it that she gets flustered with my touch, if only she knew how good I could really make her feel.

"No, John will pick us up. I don't do busses" I say, taking my phone out of my back pocket and scrolling through the numbers and clicking Johns name. Her lips spread into a wide grin as I wait for John to answer.

"What do you mean you 'don't do busses?'" An amused look crossed her face as she furrows her brow slightly. John answers after three rings, two longer than usual.

"We're at the park, corner of Richmond and Vue as soon as you can" I'm about to click off the call when Elena mouths a word to me with wide eyes. "Please" I finish, causing another grin to light up her face. It's such a weird thing to get so excited about, but if she smiles like that just from me saying please then I will be saying it a lot more often.

I hang up the phone after John tells me he is close by and will pick us up soon. I drape my arm over Elena's shoulders and start to walk towards the exit of the park.

"I have a six car garage and a personal driver, why would I ever take the bus?" I answer her previous question with a hint of sarcasm. Maybe I should get her a car, so she doesn't have to use the public transport system, which I've heard is often a real nightmare in London. Or maybe her own driver? I think I'm far more eager to give it to her my money than she is to take it. She leans her body into me as we reach the curb of the pavement.

"Do you think that maybe, you have more money than you need?" She lifts her head up to look at me as she asks her question. I nod my head and meet her gaze.

"I think that all the time" I smirk and shrug my shoulders. "You should really start helping me out with that, starting with getting you into a nicer apartment" she scoffs lightly but I can see the grin on her face as I bring up her apartment again. The whole place is only slightly bigger than one of our cheapest rooms at the hotel, I feel claustrophobic just thinking about how small it is.

And the area, it gives me a really bad feeling. I don't want to make her a target by turning up at her place in my cars or risk her being mugged when she walks into her building. If she'd let me, I'd get her an apartment in Chelsea with a doorman, nice and close to the hotel so I can make sure she's alright. It would be weird if I asked her to move into my apartment or got her an apartment at the hotel, so this is a good third choice.

Her chin is tilted up to show me a wide smile, oh please say yes. "For the thousandth time, I don't need a new apartment, I'm perfectly happy with the place I'm in now" Damn it, I really want her to move.

"But thank you, it's very sweet of you" My arm somewhat slips from her shoulders as she stands herself up on her tiptoes and presses a soft kiss to the edge of my lips. It drives me wild, unleashing something within me as I lean my head down to capture her lips in a passionate kiss. She's so sweet and gentle. I know the contract says no PDA in public or whatever but at this point I'm ready to cross that rule off that stupid fucking list just so we have moments like this. My tongue flicks against her own, sending a gentle moan throughout her body. Fuck she has no idea how sexy she is to me, how badly I want her, need her.

The kiss between us is broken and not a moment later the familiar black car pulls up to the curb and John leaps out to open the back seat for Elena and I. He regards us both warmly as Elena says hello to him before she climbs into the back seat. I give him a solemn nod and follow in after her, I already said please that should be enough manners for the day right? I don't want people to think I'm going all soft just because of this girl.

"Nearly ready love?" I call out to her from my seated position on her couch while she packs her bag in her bedroom. I know if I spend a long period of time in that room with her then I'm going to want to throw her into the bed and bury myself in her.

"Yeah almost" She calls back in response. I know I shouldn't, but what if she needs help packing her bras and panties? What kind of man would I be if I didn't come to her aid. I jump up and cross the floor of the apartment to the bedroom door and lean against the door frame. It's possibly the smallest bedroom I've ever seen. It can only hold a double bed, a chest of drawers, a night stand and a wardrobe. It's making me claustrophobic, how can she stand this?

"You can't skip class in the morning can you?" I ask cheekily as I fold my arms across her chest, watching her fold a pair of jeans and place them at the bottom of a well-worn backpack. She smiles over at me.

"No I can't, I mean I can but I won't. If I start skipping classes then I won't pass the exams then it will all be for nothing" She wanders over to the chest of drawers beside me and slides on open, digging through to find a white T-shirt before walking back over to the bed.

"But you don't even enjoy it" I remind her of our conversation the night we met and from what Grace put in her file. I know she wants to write. She sighs with a gentle smile and places the T-shirt into the backpack.

"Yeah I know, but I'm almost half way there. It would be pointless to drop out now. Besides the fact that my mum would be crushed if I don't get a degree" I nod my head and watch as she gathers two large texts books from her bedside table and places them into the bag.

"You know if the issue is money, you don't have an issue" She pauses her actions to look over at me as I give her a smile. If she wanted to, I'd cover all of the fees for her to change her major. To my surprise she shakes her head.

"No, no I'm not going to take your money like that. But thank you I appreciate the offer" It really wouldn't be that big of a deal to me, I would be more than happy to spend the money on her if it was something that she wanted to do.

"You wouldn't be taking it technically" I tilt my head as she approaches the dresser beside me. "I would be offering it to you, not in exchange for anything" I attempt to convince her, she doesn't seem to be as comfortable as the girls I've been with in the past when I've offered them money. But I didn't really do much of that, I don't usually spend this much on one person like this. I want her to have nice things, I want her to be happy, I want her to stick around.

She smiles softly and shakes her head. "You're very sweet to offer, but I'm perfectly fine with school. Thank you" She leans over and places a gentle kiss on my bottom lip. See Elena, I can be kind, I'm not a total monster, at least not to you.

I shrug my shoulders. I know it's something that she wants, I'll try again some other time. Maybe not right off the heels of an argument next time, she might be more receptive to my offering then. She eyes me cautiously as she places her hand on the handle for the top drawer, that has got to be where she keeps her bras and panties stored. She's shy to open it in front of me.

"Love I've seen you practically naked already, I can handle seeing your bras loose in a drawer" I smirk and chuckle as her cheeks flush red. It's not exactly a lie, I can handle seeing them, I'd just so much rather see them on her than have to try and picture it. Despite my attempts to calm her nerves, she quickly pulls open the drawer and takes out a bundle of material before quickly shutting the drawer and walking back over to slide them into her back pack. I catch a glimpse of the material, it's black.

"Are those my favourite ones darling?" I ask her, unable to hide my growing smirk. I bite down on my bottom lip as she nods her head to say yes. I think I would probably like her in any kind of undergarment that she chose to wear, but these ones in particular just do something to me.

"Should I take my bat?" She gestures to the baseball bat leaning against the far side of her bed beside a small window. I let out a chuckle and shake my head. Though the thought of her feeling the need to keep that close by her in her own home does make me anxious. What if somebody did break in, and I allowed her to stay somewhere that I thought was dangerous?

"I'm ready now" her small voice squeaks and tears me from my inner thoughts. She finishes loading her laptop and toiletries into her backpack and pulls it onto her shoulder. It must weigh a ton but she shows no sign of distress as she leads the way out of her apartment, setting the alarm before locking the door behind her.

"How have you never seen 'The Notebook'!?" Elena practically jumps off the couch in sheer disbelief at my revelation.

"I'm not much of a movie guy, I get bored halfway through most of them so I never bother unless it gets a good review or I know someone involved in it" I reply honestly, her eyes widen at my reasoning, so I continue to explain.

"I know a few movie producers and directors. Through them I've met some actors who have been in some pretty good stuff" It comes off as a bit of a brag, and I suppose it is. I'm not very good at humility clearly, the sooner she knows that I'm self involved the better this whole thing is going to be.

"Well then, I'm recommending The Notebook to you, it's an incredible movie, one of my all time favourites. Please can we watch it!?" Elena's lips push out into a soft pout. This is a dangerous game, because I don't know how I will ever be able to say no to this gorgeous girls face. If I give in, then she knows just how to get me to give her whatever she wants. But I guess there isn't a lot I wouldn't her at this point. I sigh with a soft smile on my face and ruffle a hand through my hair before I press the button on the remote and the movie starts to play.

"Yay!" She's so excited about such a small thing, like a child being given the keys to a candy store after being told to 'go crazy' once inside. Her smile is infectious and I find myself smiling widely as I stretch my legs out in front of me and her body is curled into my side. Her head on my shoulder, her leg curled up underneath her, her arm resting against mine. Our Thai takeout is still sitting on the coffee table in front of us, having just finished chowing down on Pad Thai while I tell her stories of my travels through the years. She told me all the places she's ever really wanted to go, and I've made a mental note of them; New York, Venice, Los Angeles and Paris. I intend to take her to all of them, if she'd let me.

I have to say, the movie isn't that bad, but Elena is a terrible person to watch movies with. It's kind of adorable, but she watches the movie with her entire body. Whenever someone says anything sweet or romantic she kind of curls her body into a little ball and splits her mouth open with a wide grin. She also points out the characters and explains who they are and what her opinion is of them, and prepares you for major plot lines.

"That's her mum, she's kind of bad but kind of good, it's complicated"

"Remember this guy he comes back later"

"Oh this parts sad, brace yourself"

It's kind of funny, she cares about it so much and she wants me to enjoy it too. I guess I am, it's a pretty sweet concept for a movie, though pretty unrealistic. They just magically die at the same time at the end? Also who builds a house and gets it published in the paper? I get published in the newspaper when I open hotels, but those are hotels, not houses. It's illogical, but I guess it's 'meant to be' and all that crap. Whatever it is, Elena eats it up.

"Wasn't that great?" She grins as the film reaches its end, her eyes are glossy like she's been crying. She must have seen this a bunch of times why does she still cry if she knows what happens?

I nod my head. "Yeah I really liked it, a very sweet film" I give her a soft smile and click off the film as the credits start to roll. "Thank you for showing it to me" I don't like to think of it as lying, I did enjoy the movie, but I think I just enjoyed watching it with her than the actual film itself.

"You're very welcome" She leans her head onto my chest for a moment and I take the opportunity to run my fingers through her hair.

"Do you have any more trips planned soon?" Elena mumbles after a few moments of silence, she tilts her head up to look up at me as I try to remember my schedule. I shake my head.

"I have to go to New York in a month I think, but nothing planned until then. Eager to get rid of me huh?" I give her a cheeky grin and tuck some of her hair back behind her ear. She gives me a lazy smile and shakes her head.

"No, the opposite really. It would be nice to spend some time with you, not have to just talk on FaceTime"

"I agree, even though I did really enjoy those FaceTimes" I raise my eyebrows and turn my lips upwards into a soft smirk. She knows what I'm talking about clearly as she pushes her face into my chest in an attempt to hide from me. I laugh softly.

"Baby no need to be shy, I thoroughly enjoyed having you flash me" I purr softly.

"Stooooooopppp!" She laughs into my chest and reaches her hand up to push my shoulder gently. I lift up her body and sit her up in my lap as she lifts her head off my chest, keeping her gaze downward.

"You have a beautiful body baby, there's nothing for you to be shy or embarrassed about" I lean my head forward and place a soft kiss to her neck. I grin as she tilts her head to the side to give me more access to the soft skin and lifts her hand up and threads it through my hair. I slide my hands up her thighs and rest them on her hips, gently pulling her body closer to me as I kiss up her neck to the spot under her ear that I know she likes. I'm rewarded with a soft moan before she leans her head back and placed her lips on mine.

I don't waste a second, slipping my tongue past her lips and flicking it against her own. For someone who has had such little experience, I'm quite impressed with how good she has been with what we have done so far in the way of intimacy. At first I thought there was no way she was going to let me finger her this early into the relationship, but then she surprised me by practically begging for it before the charity ball. I think it's trust, she trusts me to look after her. And I will, this feels too good to screw it up over sex, no matter how desperate I am to feel her clench around me.

A low groan escapes my lips as she subconsciously rolls her hips against mine, creating an intense feeling of friction between us. God that felt good, I need more. She immediately breaks the kiss and widens her eyes.

"I-I'm so sorry, did I do something wrong?" Her words are soft as she stutters over an apology. She must not have meant to do it, she'd gotten carried away. That's fucking hot, she was unable to control herself while she's sitting on top of me.

"No of course not, you did nothing wrong, that felt really good babe" I lean my head down and leave a trail of kisses up her throat slowly, I don't like that she felt embarrassed about pleasing me. I want her to feel good, I'm probably more eager to please her than I am to please myself. Though if they could happen simultaneously that would be spectacular. Fuck I'm selfish.

She lets out a gentle moan as she again rocks her hips against my own before I tug gently on her ear with my teeth. If she thinks that feels good, I can't imagine what kind of pleasure she would get when we finally do have sex.

"It would feel a lot better if these were off baby...if that's what you want" I slide my hand across the waistband of her jeans as she gasps softly. I lean my head back to look up at her through hooded eyes. She looks spectacular in this low lighting; flushed cheeks, swollen lips, curious eyes. There are a thousand dirty things I'm dying to do to her, but we have to take baby steps, as much as I hate to move slowly like this. She nods her head slowly in response to my previous question.

"Not here" she mumbles, referring to our seated position on the couch. I immediately pick her up in my arms and head towards the staircase at the far end of the room. Elena wraps her long legs around my torso and clings onto my shoulders as she leans forward and kisses down my neck. I'm really not going to last long if she keeps this up and we've barely even started. What the fuck has this woman done to me? What the fuck is wrong with me?

I kick the bedroom door shut with my foot and lay her down on the bed before I make quick work on her jeans, tugging them down her leg and discarding them to some corner of the room. She giggles as she pulls herself upwards and reaches for my belt.

"W-would it feel good if yours were off too?" Her soft mumbling question has an immediate effect on me, the mere mention of her wanting to take off my pants leaves me with a semi. I nod my head and she starts to take my belt off before I take over. My jeans are discarded at the foot of the bed before I climb onto the bed with her and kiss her lips feverishly. I find that they tend to ache when they aren't pressed against hers, my body willing itself to be in constant contact with hers whenever it can.

She seems hesitant to make the first move so I do it, pushing her body gently up towards the top of the bed and sitting down on the sheets. I help her swing her leg over so she sits astride me  Even though I'm desperately hoping she won't, I remind her that she can say stop at any point.

"I want to" her chest rises and falls quickly as she speaks, the words are music to my ears. I place my hands on her hips and she lifts up her hips and gently rolls them against mine. She starts to develop a slow torturous rhythm and I slide my hands down to the hem of her shirt, slowly sliding it up her body and over her head. Her hands tug at my own shirt and I aid in its removal, throwing it over her shoulder to land down with our other discarded clothing. If it were anyone else who was so slowly teasing me I would flip us over and dominate them completely, pushing us both quickly to our release. But watching her take control, her head tilting backwards as she rubs herself against me, money just can't buy how good that feels.

She releases a few soft moans as I admire her physique. Her breasts are straining against the pale pink material of her bra, my fingers are itching to play with them. Instead I place my hands on her hips and help her move her hips, helping her develop a faster but more steady rhythm.

"Fuck Elena" I grunt as I lean my head forward and place kisses down her chest. I can feel how wet she is through my boxers, and no doubt she can feel how hard I am. She places her hands on my shoulders, digging her nails in slightly as the pace increases. I can tell she's close by the flurry of moans and soft curse words that fall from her lips.

I'm nearly there too, I'm aching for her to release so I can follow close behind. I'm a gentleman after all, ladies first and all that. Okay I'm not normally a gentleman, more of a 'me' first and if it happens for you, cool I guess. I know watching her orgasm will be an incredible sight to see, a thought that I want engrained into my head on the nights that we are apart. I slide one of my hands down from her hips and into her panties, placing my fingers onto her throbbing clit and beginning to rub it quickly. She lets out a much louder moan at my actions, dragging her nails down my chest as her movements deepen against me.

"You like that don't you baby, you like me touching you while you rub yourself against my cock?" Her head quickly nods yes as I kiss up her neck.

"Let me hear how good it feels baby" I instruct her, her head tilts back up towards the ceiling as she moans out.

"So good....feels so good" Her moans make my cock twitch against her. She's a panting moaning mess above me, and it's fucking paradise.

"Come on baby, let go" A few moments later her head dips down onto my shoulder as she moans out my name loudly, finding her release with the aid of my fingers. Her hips continue to spasm and I bite down on her shoulder, quickly spilling my load into my boxers. Her chest falls against mine and we both try and recover ourselves, our breaths heavy as our sweaty bodies are pressed together.

"Sorry I scratched you" Elena mumbles softly as her delicate fingers run across the scratch marks she's left behind on my shoulder and chest. I smile as I examine them for myself. She didn't draw blood, but there is clearly a mark there.

"It's okay, I rather like them" I press my lips to her head as she hums softly, closing her eyes. "Tired?" I ask, she nods her head. I figured she might be, I am too to be quite honest. It's been a rather big day for us, not like everyday has been smooth sailing. It's good that we keep things interesting I suppose.

To my displeasure, Elena finds the strength to remove her body from my own and lift herself out of bed, making her way over to where her backpack is placed. I gaze at her as she rummages through the bag before she sighs heavily.

"I forgot my pyjamas" she groans softly. I chuckle and stand up, disappearing into my walk in wardrobe and grabbing myself another pair of boxers. I walk back into the room holding a black T-shirt in the other hand.

"Here" I call for her attention before I throw her the shirt and slide my boxers down my legs to replace them with the new ones. A soft giggle omits from her corner of the room before she slides the shirt over her head, the hem falling above her mid thigh.

"How'd you know I love Fleetwood Mac?" She grins as she slides her pink panties down her legs and replaces them with the black pair. She's tired, don't get any ideas Harry. I shrug my shoulders as I climb into the bed.

"Lucky guess" I grin as she slides in the other side and switches off her side lamp. I do the same as we both settle in onto the pillows. This feels so normal, so domestic. I don't normally let girls stay the night, then there's the expectation of cuddling and breakfast and talking, which I am not normally a great fan of. Yet here I am, tugging at Elena's hips and pulling her across the bed into my side, smiling as she tucks herself neatly underneath my arm and lies her head against my chest.

"Night love" I press a soft kiss into her hair once she's settled in.

"Goodnight Harry" she hums softly and settled into my side. I try and savour the moment as much as I can before my heavy eyelids claim victory over me. The calm, the quiet, the peacefulness. It's not something I find often, and yet it's in abundance here with this bewitching, sometimes irritating, always beautiful girl next to me.

"So....who is she?" Anne leans forward in her seat to question me as I take a large sip of my coffee. It's been a long morning, Wednesday's always are, and now I've been roped into having lunch with my mum. I know instantly who she is referring to, Elena. I haven't seen her since Monday morning, when she slipped out of my bed and left me a soft kiss on the lips before rushing off to her first class. I promised her I would call her later in the week, I make the mental note to do so after this tedious lunch is over.

"Mum..." I groan at her question, she knows I don't like to talk to her openly about my relationships. She sees them in the paper, she asks me about them, and I never talk. That's always been our way, yet she doesn't quite get the message that I'm not going to openly discuss my relationships with her.

"I know I know but I just thought I'd ask, she looked very lovely in the paper" my mum smiles over at me and tilts her head to the side. I do enjoy it when we spend time together, sometimes, but whenever I do it just seems to remind me of what a bad person I am. My mum is quite possibly the kindest woman who has ever existed, and here is her son; one of the most selfish fucked up humans to have ever existed. In a way I believe my father nearly ruined her, with his cruel words and his obvious hatred of us all.

"Her names Elena. It's new, but she's nice" I mumble as I take a bite out of my salad, my mum gazed at me with a shocked expression. She must think I have a brain aneurysm for opening up to her, for me that's a big step. I can sense the motherly pride from a mile away, I hope to keep it at bay as best I can.

"What does she do?" She asks in a very nonchalant way, though I know she's just dying to know everything. She's very involved in my sisters relationship, that kind of relationship always came easy to them. I've always been a lot more closed off, that's how I was raised to be with my dad around. And now that he's gone, she wants me to express my emotional side, a little late on that one.

"She's uh, she's a student" I'm normally pretty good with lying to my mum, I've made up thousands of excuses to not return phone calls or attend family events over the years. But for some reason I'm coming up blank, not that I really need a reason to lie, it's not like I'm doing anything wrong.

"Oh god, she's not in high school is she?" I can't help but let out a small laugh as I shake my head. My mother's shocked expression slowly subsiding.

"No mother, University. She's studying business" I reply, she tilts her head to the side.

"Well you make sure she's not using you for your money sweetheart" She warns me as she begins to pick at her pasta. I would love to point out the irony that I want her to have my money more than it seems Elena wants to take it. But that would open up a whole can of worms so I simply nod.

"Of course, but she's not like that. She's very real, very genuine" I smile softly, my mum looks like she's about to cry, god she's an emotional woman.

"That's sweet honey, maybe you'll consider bringing her to your uncles birthday next weekend? And before you make up some kind of excuse you already told me you were free last month" She speaks quickly as I open my mouth to rattle off some excuse about a last minute board meeting that doesn't exist. Perhaps I'm not always as slick as I think.

None of the girls I have ever had contracts with have met my family, and I didn't have any intentions of ruining that now. I have only known Elena for about a month, far too soon to have her meet my family, right? I don't even know how I would feel about having her there. It may be nice, or it could be a disaster, knowing me I'll find a way to fuck it up somehow and we would end up in a massive fight in front of my whole family. I don't need my family getting involved in my personal business.

Besides, would she even want to meet my family, or would that be crossing some ethical line for her. You know, like she wouldn't want to be amongst my family when both she and I know how our relationship started? I think I've been quiet for too long, better say something.

"Maybe, we will see" I reply simply and take another sip of my coffee. I have no idea if I'm going to ask her to come or not, but I'm eager to change this subject. "Will Jack be there?" I ask her.

Her silence gives me the answer I was dreading. "Count me out" I simply reply before she reaches her hand over the table to touch mine.

"Harry I know that this is a sensitive issue for you but for the sake of the family I am begging you to let this go" She pleads with me, but I'm immoveable on this subject.

"Do I need to tell you why I despise him? He stole one million pounds from me and screwed over hundreds of my employees when I trusted him to look after my business. And 'for the sake of the family' I didn't have him arrested for fraud and embezzlement. I've done enough for him, I will not play happy families with him" Why is this my problem to fix? Why doesn't he fuck off and find another family if the one he had meant so little to him.

"That all happened a long time ago darling, and he was going through such a terrible time when that happened. I don't like seeing you hold onto all of this anger over it. We're a family, we make mistakes, but we love each other and we forgive each other" I grit my teeth and shake my head as her voice slowly starts to fade out. That man has me seeing red, sure it happened nearly five years ago but the sting of betrayal is still fresh.

"Can you at least be in the same room with him and not bring it up? For my sake, please darling" She gives my hand a squeeze and I sigh, running the hand that is free through my hair.

"Fine, but he better stay as far away from me as he can. If he even tries to talk to me then we are going to have an issue" She nods her head.

"I will pass along the message. I'm proud of you darling, I do hope you bring this Elena girl with you. I would love to meet her" I roll my eyes as my mum circles back to her. I suppose maybe Elena should come with me, she might be a welcome distraction from all the crap I have to deal with when I go back home. She wants real, this is about as fucking real as it gets.