The Serpent Chapter 22 Part II
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The Serpent
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Chapter 22 Part II
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Malfoy tensed and went still. In his arms, Hermione went frigid from head to toe. A second later, her knickers were manoeuvered back into place and the skirt of her gown dropped back to the floor. Flushed and panting, Draco moved back and straightened them both, but he was careful to keep himself between Hermione and the intruder, so she could right herself and get her emotions under control.
"Tori, what an unpleasant surprise," Draco drawled, looking over his shoulder at the interloper.
Braced for an ugly confrontation, Hermione stepped out from around Draco, ready to face the music. The first thing she noticed was the balcony doors were shut. Good, this confrontation would have no witnesses. The second thing she focussed on was Astoria Greengrass, looking exquisite in an emerald, strapless gown, glaring murderously at her. Her serpent-like gaze stayed on her, looking for an opportunity to strike.
Draco turned around, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at the witch. "What are you doing out here?"
Astoria's eyes almost bugged from her head with astonishment as she turned to her former boss. "What?" she screeched, tiny hands balling into fists at her side. "I have every right to be here - I'm your date! How dare you neglect and disrespect me to come out here and maul that... that... filthy Mudblood whore!"
Hermione flinched, not so much at the insult (she'd expected something that foul from Greengrass' nasty mouth), but at hearing Astoria was here as Draco's date. She'd been right in suspecting him of coming with someone else. He'd obviously been hedging his bets, intending on taking someone to bed tonight, one way or the other.
He'd tricked her, just as she'd feared, the bastard.
Well, he could just forget the rest of her apology for what had happened over the last two weeks. He could choke on waiting for it, in fact, as it wouldn't be passing her lips tonight or ever! She also wanted to kick herself for coming here tonight in the hopes of clearing the air between them. What kind of foolish, wishful delusion had she been under?
"I'll just leave you two lovers to it, shall I?" she bitterly snarked, and headed towards the balcony doors, intending on going back inside. She needed another glass of Champagne, badly.
In a quick snatch-and-grab, Draco had her arm in his hand, and he restrained her from leaving.
Before Hermione could yell at him for it, he turned back to Greengrass, his face and words thunderous. "First, do not ever utter that vile word in my presence again. Second, Granger was invited here by my mother, so you will respect her or I'll have you escorted out. Third, I didn't ask you to be my date, as you'll recall. My mother, good hostess that she is, required of me to escort you here tonight when you unceremoniously dropped by for a visit yesterday and whined about not having anyone to go with for tonight's ball. You manipulated her into taking steps to assure you, as her guest, were made comfortable, so don't assume my attendance with you here tonight meant anything more than my mother feeling sorry for you and me wanting to make her happy."
Astoria's face turned puce, her eyes snapping to Hermione's. Obviously, she didn't enjoy being humiliated in front of an audience... especially one who had been snogging her date and lover.
In an instant, Astoria had her spines back up. "Forgive me for assuming you might have shown the decency to ask me on your own. Perhaps I've put too much stock in your commitment to our well-established relationship, but I was quite sure that being told I would make 'the perfect Malfoy bride' while in the throes of passion was your promise of our future together. I never would have let you take such liberties with me, otherwise."
Draco jerked back as she slapped hard at his honour.
Hermione tugged at his hold on her, wanting away. This lover's quarrel wasn't any of her business.
If Draco noticed the urgency of her silent request to leave, he showed no inclination to allow her it. He held tightly to her, refusing to let go. His attention, however, never wavered from the witch in front of him and he addressed her in a crisp, no-nonsense tone. "I haven't been with you for weeks, Astoria, so stop romanticising the memories. And for the record, you would make the perfect Malfoy bride - if I cared to be saddled to such an ideal, which I do not. I won't pick my wife based on a set of ancient, outmoded criteria about magical blood purity, wealth, and lineage. Mine will be a marriage based on other, more important compatibilities." He sighed, staring with pity at his lover. "There was no promise between us, Tori. It was just sex, and you know it. We both enjoyed it, but it's done now. Let it go."
For a second (only the tiniest fraction of one), Hermione felt sorry for Astoria, who looked as though she'd just been kicked in the gut - hard. The woman's face was so white that even in the moonlight, she seemed pale... as white as the snow falling around them.
The moment passed, however, when Astoria turned on her. Eyes narrowed, she smiled maliciously at Hermione. "He'll tire of you, eventually. Draco's history speaks for itself." She tossed a disgusted glance at her now-ex. "Every Malfoy man is drawn to the forbidden. It's in their nature." She purposefully looked at Draco's left forearm, covered as it was under his dress robes. The implication was clear, though.
Draco sighed again. "Tori..."
Greengrass lifted her eyes once more to Hermione, only this time, they were filled with bitter tears despite the vicious fury upon her face. "He's a cowardly, untrustworthy snake in his heart, Mudblood, incapable of being a lion - not for you, or for any woman. Once he's had you... you'll realise that, too."
She turned, threw open the balcony doors, and rushed out then. Her silk skirts flew behind her as an emerald wave as she sprinted through the ballroom and out towards the main entrance of the house.
Quickly, Draco moved him and Hermione out of the view of those inside the ballroom. With a wave of his wand, he shut and locked the balcony doors for good measure as well.
Hermione tugged her wrist free of his hold, finally and stepped away. Despite the Warming Charm around the terrace, she felt cold.
Draco's expression was guarded, and he observed her through shuttered eyes that were shadowed, as he stood with his back to the moon. Casually, he leaned against the wall of the house and shoved his hands in his trouser pockets, attempting, she thought, to ease her concerns that he'd want to pick up where they'd left off. That was the furthest thing from her mind just then, and honestly, it wouldn't be something she'd welcome. The previous passion they'd shared had cooled and soured, and they were now left with only the naked unease of things unspoken and questions unanswered on both sides of the divide.
She bit her bottom lip, averting her eyes. "I think I should go."
"Scared off by what you heard?" he sneered, sounding more disappointed than resentful. "You're not much of a Gryffindor, are you?"
"Stop it," she scolded, not wanting to play his game anymore. "We're not school children, Malfoy. Provoking me further won't help your cause."
"I'm not the one childishly running away when things get difficult or awkward, Granger."
Feeling her face heating in embarrassment, Hermione glared at him. "Perhaps I have nothing left to say to you."
"From your perspective, I'm sure that's true, but there's still plenty I'd like to hear from that lovely mouth of yours," he said, his voice dipping low, into the tone meant to entice her into letting down her guard. "The way you were moaning my name before... I want to hear that again and again tonight."
Desire and anger warred inside her. "That was nothing - a mistake. I was caught up in the moment."
"A mistake?" he rumbled, twin spots of pink appearing on his cheeks.
Hermione almost took it back, knowing she was lying through her teeth, but her pride wouldn't allow her to do so. Instead, she remained silent, refusing to acknowledge his mounting fury.
"I'm still hard for you despite everything that happened, and you think it was a mistake?" The word left his mouth in an angry hiss.
She nodded. It had been. He'd come here with another woman (regardless of the reason, it had been a date between him and Greengrass), and even guessing that correctly in advance, she'd still let him seduce her. If he'd come single, as she had, it wouldn't have been an issue, but he hadn't, and there was an unspoken, unwritten code about taking a man from another woman's side - specifically that you didn't do it. Only the most selfish, awful women did such a thing, and she didn't want to think she was like that, even unwittingly.
Draco looked furious again. "Do you make such mistakes with all the men of your acquaintance? Isn't that how it started with Weasley - an unintended kiss in the Chamber of Secrets. I remember reading about it in the papers. What was it like, Granger: 'oops, sorry, Weasel King - I didn't mean to kiss you and get you to fall for me... it was a mistake'? I'd say that was a pretty big one, if so. And what about Potter, did you make a mistake with him in your office that day? 'Sorry, Scarhead, I didn't mean to get you so horny that you'd jump me'. What about Theo - make any mistakes with him that you'd like to share with the rest of us poor, deluded males who follow after you like desperate wolves on the trail of a bitch in heat? And what exactly did you do on the roof that night with 'The Serpent'? Any mistakes there or-"
Her hand flew on its own accord, cutting through the air and slapping him hard across his pale cheek with such force that his head snapped to the side. Her palm stung, and a red shape bloomed on his cheek.
"I won't apologise. You were being disgusting and you deserved that," she calmly informed him, despite the fact her heart was pounding in her chest. She'd struck him - again. When they'd been children, he'd run for it, shocked by her for the first time in their acquaintance, realising that he'd gravely underestimated her. Now, as a grown man, he'd seemed prepared for her violence, almost as if he'd expected it, unlike that time in her office.
Because he had, she suddenly realised. He'd goaded her into striking him, hadn't he? But why? Did he feel it was some sort of deserved retribution for hurting her with Astoria? He stared down at her, a strange emotion sliding through his eyes, and for the first time, Hermione understood just how little she really knew about this Draco Malfoy, the sexually dominant, powerful man who was so different from the scared, bully of a boy he'd been... and that thought made her nervous in a way she'd never been with him before.
"Yes, I did deserve it, and I don't expect you to apologise," he finally admitted, his voice soft, careful. Slowly, he reached for her, giving her time to move away. When she didn't, his hand cupped her cheek and his thumb traced her bottom lip. "But don't tell me this is a mistake, Hermione, because... it's too late for me. I'm in too deep."
The guilt and regret over that prideful lie ate away at her. She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes. "I'm not sorry for striking you, but I am sorry for saying such a horrible thing. You're not a mistake, Draco. I... I was just so jealous of what Astoria said, of what she's had with you, and I'm honestly afraid of trusting this - of trusting you with everything." She peeked between her lashes at him. "I know what you are and what you expect from me, but... I don't think I can go into that kind of relationship on a casual basis. I'm not built for it. I don't want to have my heart broken again."
His eyes shuttered to half mast and she stepped forward close enough for the edges of his robes to brush against her hand and for his lips to hover a mere inch above hers. "And what if I were to promise you that nothing about it would be casual or short-term?" His nose gently brushed up the side of hers. "Would you give yourself to me once more, submit and let me love you?"
She met his silvery gaze, delved into his soul, and knew - not with her eyes, but with her heart. "You're him. That night at S&M, it was you, wasn't it? I knew it."
Draco shuddered against her and groaned. Then, he moved so fast, she only had time to gasp in alarm before she found herself wrapped in his arms, his hot mouth plundering hers, the marble balcony rail digging into the small of her back once more as he pushed her against it.
He held her tightly to him as he worked his mouth over hers, alongside her jaw, and over her ear. "I've been waiting for you to come back to me." His cock was a hard line along her lower belly as he slowly slid against her, working the friction and heat between their bodies. "You're finally ready, aren't you? You're ready for me, and this isn't a mistake. We're not a mistake."
No, not a mistake, she wanted to say, but her mouth was currently occupied with tasting Draco's lips and tongue. Burning with renewed desire, she returned his fevered kisses with equal ferocity. Her hands buried beneath his silky hair, her nails scraping his scalp, and earning her low, lusty moans from him - sounds that shot straight into her and rocked her core.
One of his hands slowly travelled down her covered thigh, and then lower, grabbing her beneath the knee. He hitched her leg up and swung it around his hip in a blatant, sexual move that drove his cock harder into her. Hermione arched her back, her head tilting back and exposing more skin for his questing mouth.
"Gods," he whispered in awe as he nuzzled the tops of her breasts, licking them and sucking on the soft flesh that peeked above her dress. His other hand dropped below her other thigh, he bent, and suddenly she was lifted off her feet. Delighted by the new position, she gamely wrapped her legs around his hips, digging her heels in his firm arse, pulling his lower body in closer contact with hers. His head slanted and his mouth pressed over her ear. He was breathing hard when he whispered, "I'm going to have you again, right now. No more waiting."
Hermione nodded, murmured some incoherent agreement, and clung to Draco as her world began to spin out of control.
The familiar feeling of Apparition was a dizzying trip that left her momentarily discombobulated for a few seconds after they arrived at their destination. When her brain stopped whirling, she glanced around to note that they were now in a bedroom, presumably somewhere in the upstairs of the Manor. When she spied the dark, satin coverings on the bed, visible only by the moonlight streaming into the room from the set of tall, cathedral-styled windows lining one whole wall, she knew this was Draco's bedroom.
Draco carried her towards the bed, stopping to press her against one of the tall, wooden posts and ravish her mouth. He thrust his hips into hers again and again, building up her desperation until it reached a crescendo... then he pulled back and let the sensation fade. Hermione whimpered, wanting to ride that journey to its end, but Draco was master of her pleasure tonight. She'd conceded to his demand and would give him this chance to prove to her that what they had could last beyond a few tumbles, as Astoria had assumed.
His mouth hovered over hers, unmoving, and their gazes met. In the bright light shining down through the windows, they could see each other well. "I'm going to bury my cock so deep inside you tonight that you'll feel it in your soul."
Shocked by the naked emotion and resolve in his eyes, Hermione's breath caught...
Theo had been right. Draco was in love with her.
Her heart trembled.
*.*.*.*.*
She landed with a muted 'thump' on the most exquisitely soft mattress she had laid in her life, the fine satin sheets tantalising to her senses. A soft whisper from Draco, and Hermione's dress and knickers were vanished, and silken ribbons appeared, zooming forward from the bedside table to wrap around her ankles and wrists. They magically tied themselves to the four wooden posts of the bed, spreading her open. She was unable to lift her head and so she remained motionless.
Breath coming in short pants, eyes wide, Hermione had never been more aroused in her life. Even the night at S&M couldn't compare, for sex with a stranger was exciting, but this... this was the repeat she'd been hoping to have for months, and the anticipation of it had been an aphrodisiac unlike any she'd ever known. Her breasts felt heavy, aching to be touched, her nipples and clit were so hard that one stroke, and she knew she'd go off, and her pussy was warm and slick, ready to welcome Malfoy inside.
From beyond her peripheral vision, Draco was undressing, the slow rustle of his clothing being removed and folded telling her he was in supreme control and in no hurry. She bit the inside of her cheek to stop from moaning aloud at the thought of him calmly watching her, splayed out so wantonly on his bed, observing how her body trembled and went liquid with desire.
Firm, sure fingers caressed her foot, and she almost jumped. Draco slowly unbuckled her sandals and pulled them off. They fell to the carpet with a dull 'thud'. To her surprise, against the arch of one foot, his erection pressed. At first, she remained still, unsure what he wanted, then he rolled his hips, sliding against her, and she understood what he expected of her. Obeying the silent command to rub, she moved her foot over him, stroking the steely brand through his woollen trousers. Under her caressing toes, she felt his cock grow harder, thicker, impossibly longer. She traced his size, re-discovering him, remembering how it had felt to have that delicious flesh between her fingers, sliding across her tongue, and touching the back of her throat.
To reward her obedience, Draco massaged the arches of her feet, her ankles, and her calves. "Drac- oh!" she gasped with pleasure and surprise when he went to his belly on the mattress and pressed his warm, wet lips to the sensitive skin behind one knee. His talented mouth continued upwards, placing open-mouthed kisses to her soft, inner thighs. "Oh, Draco, yes..." she moaned as he sucked particularly hard on a patch of skin an inch to the left of her cunt.
He lifted his head. "I didn't give you permission to speak, Hermione."
"No, you didn't," she agreed, "but-"
He gently bit the inside of her thigh and she clamped her mouth shut, vowing to stay silent from then on. She'd forgotten her role.
"It seems difficult for you to give up control this time," he said, trailing his fingers up her thighs. "Can you really do this again, or was what happened at the club just an experiment? I need to know what our limits are, Granger, and where this is leading, so I can best gauge how to guide us tonight." He glanced at her, noting her restraint and rewarding her with a genuine smile for it. "Speak and be honest."
"I want this, but only in private," she admitted. "I can only be this way when we're alone. At work, I'll have to be your boss. Can you accept that?" she asked him, nervous that this might be a deal-breaker between them.
He crawled up her body until they were even and he stared down at her on hands and knees, contemplative. "You're a sexual submissive, but don't want a Total Power Exchange." He nodded. "That works well with my style. I'm a sexual Dominant who doesn't enjoy the idea of having absolute control over a woman all the time. It's too exhausting a responsibility. I'd prefer to keep such fun to bedroom activities. And I completely understand about needing to appear professional in the work place. I'll try not to let my want for you bleed over there." He gave her a sheepish, naughty grin that was actually quite adorable. "That's the best I can promise, though, because it'll be difficult for me not to want to bend you over your desk someday, as that's a particular fantasy of mine."
She raised an eyebrow at that, intrigued by the image.
As if he'd read her mind, Draco chuckled... but his amusement was short-lived as the seriousness of the situation returned. He shifted his weight onto one palm, with the other hand, stroked the tips of his fingers over her cheek. "Truthfully, I think this dynamic will work well for both of us, because of our careers and our personalities. What do you think? Care to give it a good whirl, Granger?"
Well, that was undoubtedly the fastest negotiation she'd ever tabled - and she'd done so completely naked and tied up in someone else's bed. Another first she'd give to Draco.
At least they were compatible in their lifestyle goals. That was more than she'd ever shared with Ron or any other man she'd taken up with over the last decade. Perhaps, then, she could trust this hope... give it a real go.
Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, decision made.
"How may your slave serve you, Master?" she offered, repeating the words she'd learned that night at the club under his tutelage. She leaned into his touch like a cat wanting to be petted, yearning for his affection.
Draco's eyes darkened with memory and lust as the words conjured memories for him as well, and he groaned his approval. Dipping his mouth, he claimed her lips in a sweet, hungry, too-soon-over-for-her-tastes kiss.
"Tonight, my little slave, you will obey my every command, without question or hesitation," he firmly instructed her, "and you may trust me when I tell you that I will not harm you. I will assure your pleasure, even as I take mine from you." He petted her cheek, caressing it to soothe and reassure her. "We'll start off as we did the first time we were together: incremental steps. I need to test your limits again - to be sure that you really want everything I do to you and where the line needs to be drawn. At the club, you allowed me to give and take without restraint, and it was…" He licked his lips and trembled against her. "It was unforgettable. Now, though, I'll require you to communicate with me. I want you to allow the experiences we'll share, but not to be overwhelmed or frightened by them. When that happens, I'll trust you to tell me. Do you understand and agree?"
Anticipation tightened Hermione's throat and made her heart pound as she easily consented to his terms. Gods, she wanted this - wanted him so much, she could taste her desperation across her tongue!
"Choose a safe word," he instructed.
"Azure," she automatically murmured - the same as the first time they'd been together. He repeated the word to let her know he'd heard it and understood the implication of its use.
Then, satisfied that they both understood the rules, Draco began.
A/N: Due to the chapter's length, I had to cut it into two pieces. The final part is already posted.