Their eyes met only once, briefly, across the crowded table. She'd been avoiding locking eyes all night, and for good reason, too. Now that she'd looked in his eyes it was all that she could do to keep herself contained. Her chest began to grow crimson, contrasting the emerald green of her gown, and she looked down the table at Narcissa in an attempt to distract herself from her quickened breathing and the smirk that she knew would be glued to her husband's face at that moment.

Narcissa, of course, was busying herself in conversation; taking small, almost nonexistent, bites of her food while laughing politely with a woman who sat across the table from her, next to Lucius. Bellatrix looked down to the right, taking in the figures of Alecto Carrow and Evan Rosier who were both also engaged in conversation.

Damned Purebloods and their need to be constantly socializing, she thought cynically. Even the people next to her seemed to be deep in uninterrupted conversations about who knows what, and in order not to seem as if she'd gone mental, Bellatrix was forced to do the one thing that she didn't want to. She took a deep breath and turned back to Rodolphus, who flashed her a charming smile, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She had a sudden rush of dislike for seating etiquette; having him across from her right now was tantamount to torture. If he was next to her- if she could just touch him..

"You look amazing, Bellatrix," he'd said to her only a mere hour ago. The words seemed like they were an eternity away though as she looked into the dark eyes holding her gaze from across the table. Every second she looked into his eyes was another second that sensations came rushing back.

She felt his breath on her cheek; relived the moment that he'd walked around her and placed soft kisses on her neck and shoulders. She could feel his hands on her stomach, on her hips. She remembered the look of absolute adoration and longing that shone through his eyes as she turned around to face him, turned to let her hands do some exploring of their own; just before Narcissa had knocked to tell them that the guests were arriving.

That was the look they shared now. Anyone who'd been paying attention to them at all would have seen in an instant what they were both silently screaming at each other: "I need you. I want you."

Bellatrix weighed her options for a split second. Stay and wait for the elders of the group to take turns standing and reliving tales of the "glory days," back when blood purity was regarded with the honor it deserved; or she could make her move. Never being one for patience or inconspicuousness, she chose the latter and pushed back her chair. They were in her family home, after all.

She clutched pathetically at her stomach and whimpered something about not feeling well to her sister (growing up around helpless pureblood women, she had become well-versed in the art of "faking it") before exchanging a look that needed no explanation or words with Rodolphus. A smile slowly crept across her face as she was exiting the hall when she heard the unmistakable sound of a chair scraping the wood floor and her husband's voice echoing apologetically through the room. Of course, it would be his duty to check on his poor, sickly, wife.

She waited outside the room, and as soon as Rodolphus had closed the door behind him, she was upon him. Grabbing his tie, his robes, anything she could get her hands on and pulling him fiercely into her, she kissed him desperately. She could feel his laughter as he wound his fingers through her hair, pulling her face away from his and picking her up easily with his other arm.

"Now, now, Bellatrix," he cooed. "Not in the hallway, my love." He put her down and unwound his fingers from her now disheveled hair.

"What's wrong," she whispered to him. "Afraid of getting caught?" She laughed and grabbed his hand, pulling him up the stairs to her bedroom. She was thankful now more than ever that her parents had kept their daughters' bedrooms inhabitable even after they had been married off.

By the time Rodolphus had closed the door behind them, Bellatrix had already removed his robe and was starting on his jacket. He couldn't help but smile at his wife's enthusiasm. They'd been promised to each other since they were sixteen, and even now, years later, she still looked at him as if he was still the gorgeous young Quidditch captain that he once was. He loved that he had that effect on her. He loved his wife, and he loved the way she loved him.

Bellatrix grabbed at him furiously again, pulling his shirt over his head and taking a few moments to stand back and look at her husband's body. He wasn't the svelte athlete that he once was, but Bellatrix found him more attractive to her now a few years (and a few pounds) later. She moved closer to him and put her hands on his chest between them, running her fingers over his bare skin while he watched. Every so often she would kiss the skin behind her hands as they moved, and Rodolphus couldn't help but be aroused by her eagerness to appreciate every inch of him.

His hands cradled his still clothed wife, tracing the outline of her hips underneath her gown. He turned her slowly in place so that he could look in her eyes for as long as possible. He pulled loose the binding ties holding her dress together, gently pushing the sleeves off her shoulders and helping it in it's journey to the floor. As it fell he couldn't help but admire the pale color of her skin and the multitude of scars that were scattered across her body. He didn't know why, but the scars just made her all the more appealing to him. He ran his hands over the corset Bellatrix wore beneath her gown- his favorite black leather one. He couldn't help but smile again. She'd planned this. He turned her around quickly and pulled her against his chest, tutting playfully.

"Miss Black," he proclaimed with feigned disapproval. "Were you planning on trying to seduce me?" Bellatrix moved her face upwards in an attempt to meet his lips but Rodolphus pulled away teasingly and grinned at her.

"What," Bellatrix pouted. "I have to try now? I must be losing my touch…" She walked her fingers down his chest, pulling at the button of his pants playfully. She enjoyed toying with her husband. The look of painful pleasure that he got when she was playing with him was one of the things she loved most about him. That look of longing, desperation. The look that confirmed to her that her husband would never love another woman the way he loved her.

"That," he replied, "is not possible." He took her into his arms once more and carried her to the bed, laying her down on the bed and kicking off his pants. He lay next to her and pulled her on top of him. She immediately straddled his chest and held his arms down against the bed, kissing him furiously, moaning into his mouth.

He freed his arms from her distracted grasp and ran his hands down her body, grabbing her by the hips and sliding her until their hips were aligned, and he could feel the moist heat of his wife's arousal.

"Bella," he moaned against her lips. "I want you."

Bellatrix pulled her lips away from Rodolphus' only for a moment, to look into the dark eyes of the man she so craved. She leaned into his ear and whispered, "I'm yours."