The mini-fridge was well-stocked, naturally, and I took a long refreshing swallow of my favorite mineral water. Taking a seat at the occasional table, I stared at my notebook. What sort of gesture would appease the stricken females who had been accosted earlier? Flowers, of course, and no cheap arrangements either. I leaned back, removing my glasses to rub the bridge of my nose. Yet another unforeseen expense for the host club.
I stepped into the washroom and splashed my face. Water dripped from my hair, my chin. Glancing at my reflection in the mirror I once again saw Haruhi's limp dripping form. A surge of protectiveness surprised me. I grabbed a towel and slung it around my neck.
I dropped my shirt in the laundry bin on my way to the nightstand where my tablet rested. Taking a seat on the edge of the bed, I dabbed again at my damp neckline. Time to order the elaborate bouquets.
While I was debating the merits of overnight delivery, I heard my door crash open and what sounded like someone hurtling into my wash room. Sure enough, that door slammed just before I heard the unpleasant music of someone losing her dinner. Oh yes, from the sound of it my bathroom-crasher was the same young woman who overindulged in crab earlier.
A wicked smile pulled at the corner of my lips. Time to see how easily she scares when faced with a more personal danger. Was I enjoying this a little too much? Possibly, I admitted. But it is for her own good. Tamaki was right, after all. Haru-chan's blindness to her own vulnerability—and allure—would pose a danger if she found herself in these circumstances with someone less chivalrous.
I strolled casually back to my seat at the table, where she would see me directly upon exiting the wash room. A few drops of water continued to fall from my hair onto my bare chest and into my eyes. As I tackled them once again, my victim emerged.
"Are you okay?" I drawled.
"I apologize, sir, I didn't mean to intrude."
"Don't be silly. It's just me." I leaned back and dropped the towel so she could confirm my attestation.
Her eyes, trained on the floor until now, flashed up in surprise, a hint of which colored her tone as she said, "Kyoya-sempai." She kneaded her hands together and darted awkward glances around my bedroom.
I could see her spine stiffen as she forced out the concession she probably had just offered to the others in the dining hall. "I really didn't mean to make everybody worry about me today."
This next part would be tricky. I had heard the rumors about my father and a few women who had racked up medical bills they couldn't pay. I'd like to think I would never stoop that low, but for now I would have to act the part—cold, calculating. Not that much of stretch really…
"Thanks, but I wasn't especially worried." I took another slow draw from my water bottle as I worked up my nerve. "Although, I did have a difficult time separating Kaoru and Hikaru from those two punks." A warm chuckle escaped as I recalled the protective fervor of the twins in action. "They almost beat them half to death."
Haruhi looked quelled by the news. Seizing upon her moment of –weakness?- I stalked toward her. "And because of you I had to send each of the girls a bouquet of flowers to apologize. They'd been looking forward to this trip and we don't want to disappoint them."
"I'll pay you back for the flowers, Sempai." We both knew a hollow promise when we heard one.
I placed my hand on the light switch. "Each bouquet cost me fifty-thousand. That's a grand total of 600,000 yen, Haruhi." There, that should play on her discomfort with financial inequities.
Slowly, deliberately, I dimmed the lights. A soft glow filtered through the window shade, and I felt something hungry flare up inside me even as I warmed to my role.
"Uh, why'd you turn the lights off?" Still no hint of fear in her eyes. I'd have to turn it up a notch.
I leaned down into her face, holding her eyes. In honeyed undertones I suggested, "If you want to, you can pay me back with your body." Our gazes locked for long moments.
I took advantage of her distraction as she tried to process this abrupt departure from my usual demeanor. Modifying a practiced self-defense sequence I grabbed her hand and yanked her off-balance. She fell backwards, tripping over my now extended leg, and her own momentum sent her into my waiting arms. In a single motion I swiveled to deposit her swiftly on the bed. I had her trapped, flat on her back as I straddled her with my arms and legs. I stopped short of pressing against her, crouching over her instead. "Surely you aren't so naïve you believe a person's sex doesn't matter. You've left yourself completely defenseless against me."
Like a startled rabbit she stared at me, wide-eyed and unmoving. My face hovered just above her own. Our breath mingled for a beat, and I saw her pupils dilating, drawing me in. My eyes fell to her soft pink lips. Her skin glowed translucent in the moonlight, and my hand itched to trace the outline of her neck.
But this was just an act, right? Part of the game. So why was my heart pounding?
While I was thus preoccupied, Haruhi's quick mind had been processing the full implication of my veiled threat and the likely result of any hint of surrender on her part. She steadied her voice as she stated, "You won't do it, Kyoya-sempai." It still sounded like she was trying to convince both of us. "I know, because it wouldn't do you any good. You wouldn't gain anything from it."
The unexpected wave of desire was shocked back into dormancy upon hearing how cold and calculating I appeared to her. Am I really that selfish? I wondered. Something to ponder later.
Careful to avoid inappropriate contact, I brought my feet to the floor and reached for my glasses where they lay on the nightstand. I sat for a moment, still struggling with unfamiliar emotions that the situation—that Haruhi—had awakened inside me.
Well, the game was lost, but I could still salvage my image. She was offering me an excuse to maintain our friendship.
"You're right," I said, avoiding her gaze. I took another steadying breath. "You're a fascinating young woman, Haruhi."
"But I've learned something from this," she declared.
Ah, now she would admit her weakness!
"I guess I never realized what a nice guy you are, Sempai."
Well. That was unexpected. I insult your social standing and nearly take you by force, and somehow I am a 'nice guy?'
"I know what you're doing, you're just trying to prove what Tamaki said earlier," she continued, warming to her theory even as her dainty form knelt comfortably in my bed. I stood and put some distance between us.
"I know that you're trying to prove his point—that you're just posing as a bad guy." I nearly snorted at her error, at least regarding my feelings at the moment. A knock at the door saved me from concocting a generous lie.
"Kyoya, do you have any lotion? This sunburn is worse than I…" Tamaki's jaw dropped as his eyes caught on the sordid scene: Haruhi kneeling up in bed; me standing there only half-clothed. Though my body was angled away from her naïve eyes, another man would easily recognize that desire that still simmered beneath the surface.
"You bastard!" he cried, lunging toward me.
As usual I had anticipated his reaction and was already moving to retrieve the lotion from the table and brandishing it swiftly to meet his swing. He wasn't the only one riled by the situation—the embarrassment at being caught mingled with self-doubt and my confusing feelings for Haruhi.
I bit out, "Here, use as much as you want, you big goof." My casual response to the intrusion calmed him somewhat, but he stood his ground, a stubborn expression on his face and his chest puffed out like a ridiculous rooster.
Haruhi's words cut through the silence. "I think I'll go to bed, er, to my room now," She strode out with every appearance of being unfazed by the whole odd episode.
As she left, Tamaki nudged the door closed with his foot, still watching me warily.
"What was that?" he demanded.
"Simply playing the game," I responded coolly. I selected a light shirt from the closet and took my time buttoning it as I waited for him to catch up.
"The game." His narrowed eyes hinted that he still had suspicions. "So did you…win?" The word seemed to carry a double meaning, and I let out a relaxed chuckle. He would interpret it as my admission of defeat, but it was impossible to resist laughing at Tamaki's territorial nature. And at the prospect of a different type of challenge….
"I'm afraid not. It seems our dear Haru-chan cannot be shocked even by ungentlemanly behavior. Although," I added as his fists clenched again, "I did not take the trial to any significant lengths. She is our little girl, after all," I added in a conciliatory tone. "And she did admit that the experience inspired her to more carefully consider your admonitions from this afternoon."
Jealousy still showed in the childish set of his jaw, but that last concession—as designed—revived his natural optimism and self-centeredness. "I wish I had thought of that," he joked.
He drifted out the door again, musing absently, "There must be something she is afraid of." I stood watching his retreating form with the fondness of an indulgent parent.
My darkened room held ghosts and unwanted emotions. "Nothing to be gained by it, huh?"
I couldn't dispel the bitter taste of Haruhi's matter-of-fact pronouncement and how it reflected her estimation of me.
I turned to saunter down the hall, forcing my feet in the opposite direction of Haruhi's room. Surely I could find something mundane that required my attention in this large villa.