Bound for Glory

written by: albe-chan

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction and I do NOT own Harry Potter or any of the characters mentioned, I am making no money from this, and any similarities with real life are purely coincidental. This work will contain MATURE THEMES, such as coarse language, mature subject matter (scenes containing graphic sex, nudity, etc.), and/or violence. Please, if you are not over the age of 18, or of majority in your country, DO NOT READ THIS! You have been warned!

XXX

Lily woke up slowly the next morning. When she glanced at the clock, it read ten fourteen. "Holy crap, no phone call wake up at the crack of dawn?" she asked the universe through a yawn. She smiled at Scorpius, still passed out beside her, and kissed his chest, then licked him, scooting down a little, nipping at his abs.

"You'd better keep going with that mouth," he rumbled, and she smirked a little, pressing hot open-mouthed kisses down his stomach. "Fuck, I love waking up to blowjobs," he murmured, threading his hands through her hair as she gripped his morning wood and teased him with her tongue.

Just as she took him into her mouth, humming and suckling erotically, his phone buzzed on the night stand. "Phone," she breathed, pulling away with a pop, then arched a brow at him.

"Mmm," he agreed, guiding her hot mouth back to his throbbing erection. "Finish what you started, my slut."

"Phone," she repeated, tonguing him erotically. "Answer it and we'll see if I can crack your composure." Scorpius smirked at that.

"Trial attorney, darling," he murmured. "If you can crack my composure I'll have to start looking at a different career." She grinned, even as he reached for his phone. The number was unfamiliar. "Malfoy," he said by way of answering, biting back a groan as Lily suckled him deep.

"This is Detective Berman," said a stern voice. "I need to speak with your fiancee. Do you have a number she can be reached at?"

Scorpius transferred the phone to his other ear, even as Lily's head bobbed up and down him and she hummed. "I do. What is this concerning?"

"It's concerning two dead bodies, Mr. Malfoy. When you speak to her next, have her come by the station as soon as possible. Or we can send someone to pick her up."

Scorpius grit his teeth a little. "That's not necessary," he said flatly, and then hung up.

"Who was it?" Lily murmured, glancing up, then giving him a playful lick.

"I'll tell you when you've finished, darling," he murmured.

After a long hot shower, Scorpius told her who had called. "Why would he call you?" she demanded, rubbing lotion into her legs.

"Probably because he couldn't reach you on your phone." Lily frowned. "I turned it off last night. It kept ringing when you were sleeping." Lily frowned more at him. "Would you have preferred to talk to him last night?" The redhead sighed.

"Still," she murmured. She went to the bedroom to get dressed and Scorpius watched her from the bathroom doorway. "What d'you think he wants to talk about?" she murmured.

"Probably only one thing," Scorpius murmured. Lily shimmied into a t-shirt then moved to her lingerie drawer.

"Do you think they found whoever did it?"

Scorpius was almost certain they hadn't. "I don't know, darling. We'll see when we go and speak with Detective Berman," he said, moving to get dressed himself.

When they got to the station, and to the third floor, Lily felt as though everyone was staring at her accusatorily, and reached for Scorpius's hand. He pulled her slightly closer and Berman met them by the elevator. "Miss O'Shea, you're not the easiest person to get ahold of. That doesn't usually end up being a good thing," he said, frowning.

Scorpius narrowed his eyes a little. "Has my fiancee become more than a person of interest, Detective?" he asked coolly.

"Not yet," he said. "This way." He lead them back through the maze of cubicles, the sounds of phones ringing and people talking, working even on a Sunday, filtering through the air just like before. Lily wondered how these people, homicide detectives, could get up every day and do it.

They turned into Interrogation Room A this time. It was a little larger, and there was already a man seated there. He looked round at Lily with interest.

"Have a seat," Berman said. "This is Stefan Polaski. We'd like to have you work with him to come up with a police sketch of this Avery fellow." Berman glared at Scorpius. "Despite your assurances, it appears Ms. Ingles didn't inform anyone close to her she was seeing anyone romantically, and we haven't been able to find any trace of him."

Lily worried her lip anxiously. "Um," she said, looking at Scorpius.

"Give him a chance," the blond muttered. They sat with the police sketch artist for an hour and a half, Lily giving him as many details as she could remember. When the artist displayed his finished sketch she pursed her mouth. "No," Scorpius said barely containing his smirk. "Close, but not quite."

Lily licked her lips. She didn't want to step on anyone's toes. "Um, I'm sure you're very good at what you do, but do you mind if I just tweak a couple things?" the redhead asked, reaching for the pad and pencil.

"Miss O'Shea," the detective said firmly. "I'm aware you're attending an art school, however-"

"Do you want an accurate sketch or not?" Scorpius shot back. Lily bit her lip, glancing at the police artist, who shrugged and gestured as if to say 'go for it'.

Lily picked up the pad and pencil, hoping he wouldn't be offended when she flipped to a clean page. She pictured in her mind's eye Avery's face as he'd looked staring up at her at Screamers while she danced and shivered slightly. Half an hour later, she slid the pad back. Scorpius leaned over and glanced at it, impressed. It looked almost exactly like Avery, all right. The blond bit back his smirk and pointed. "That is the man you're looking for," he said.

Lily blushed a little as the police artist looked over her sketch. "You're positive?" Berman asked.

The redhead nodded. "That's him. But his eyes are like, really blue. Not like yours, no offence," she said to the sketch artist who had steely grey-blue eyes. His mouth twitched a little. "I mean blue. Like the ocean in whale documentaries, blue."

"Is that everything?" Scorpius asked the detective, who picked up the drawing Lily had done.

"For now," he said, then looked at Lily. "Try to be more available. Time isn't a luxury we can afford, Miss O'Shea."

When they left, the redhead frowned. "That detective is kind of mean. It's not like I ignored him on purpose," she mumbled.

"He's probably just feeling the heat," Scorpius replied gently. Lily shivered and leaned into him in the elevator.

"Do you think Avery did it?"

The blond smoothed a hand over her hair. Honestly, he didn't know, and he'd hoped she wouldn't ask. His brain rebelled against the notion, but his gut, which he had learned to listen to, thought it more than likely. "I think," he finally said as they got into the car, "that if he did, they'll get him."

Lily spent Monday painting in her room at her mother and Potter's. Scorpius had said he'd come get her before they were due to make their token appearance for his firm's company picnic dinner. She felt a little weird, painting something that wasn't an assignment after so long, but after an hour, she was deep in the zone on the first piece she had planned for selling. It wasn't strictly realistic, of course, but with her reference sketch to guide her, she laid out the picture on canvas.

She stretched around noon, going to get a drink and a snack, and Scorpius called her just as she was heading back upstairs. "Hey," she said, smiling a little.

"Change of plan, darling. I'm drowning in paperwork from the DA's office, those bastards, and I'm going to be stuck here sorting out this mess until late. Come by my office at six, dressed and ready to go, and we'll leave from here. And bring the invitation."

Lily licked her lips. "I've never been to your office," she said.

"Just ask for me at the front desk, darling. I have to go. Six, sharp."

"Okay," Lily said. "Enjoy wading through paperwork. I'm going to paint," she teased.

She set her phone's alarm to go off at five, and by six, she was dressed, dolled up and pushing her way into the lobby of the ten storey building that housed her fiance's law firm. A middle-aged woman who looked like she never smiled was manning the front desk. She had dark hair, pulled into a severe bun, and tiny spectacles on her nose. "Can I help you?" she asked with a tiny lift of one thin brow as Lily approached.

"I need to find-"

"Unfortunately, it is past business hours," the woman said frostily. "You can book an appointment later."

Lily smiled politely. "Oh no, I'm here to find my fiance. He works here," she said with a smile. The secretary didn't blink. "Um, Scorpius Malfoy," she said. "Could you call him, or-?"

The woman lifted her brow a little more. "Do you have an appointment?"

Lily smiled again. "No. I don't generally book appointments to see my fiance," she said, striving to remain polite.

"Then I'm afraid I can't help you," the secretary said. Lily stared at her.

"I don't think you understand. I'm here to pick up my fiance, we have some stupid dinner thing to go to, so if you could just call him, I'd-"

"Your name?" the woman interrupted.

"I'm Lily," she said firmly. "Pick up your phone and call him. He's expecting me."

The secretary picked up the phone, punched a few buttons and fixed Lily with an icy stare. "Mr. Malfoy, there's a young woman here who claims-" The secretary broke off. "Very well," she said, replacing the receiver. "You can go up. Eighth floor, to the right." She pointed to the elevator and Lily glared, because she still didn't smile, and sounded coldly dismissive.

"Thanks," she said, going to the elevator, checking her reflection in the mirrored wall as she ascended. She smiled a little at her gold shoes, smoothed the soft, black, silk and cotton jersey dress that was simply cut but very figure flattering with its scooped neck and ruffled peplum just below her natural waist. She got off the elevator and turned right down a long corridor, peeking into empty offices as she went. At the end of the hall was another receptionist, this one stout and grey-haired with rosy cheeks, who smiled kindly. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

Lily bit her lip. "I think I'm lost," she admitted. "I'm looking for Scorpius Malfoy, and the not very nice lady at the front desk directed me here, but I-"

"Send her in," came Scorpius's voice from an open door to the right.

"You must be Lily," the older woman said in a stage whisper. The redhead nodded and she smiled wider, exuding a grandmother-type warmth. "Pleasure to meet you, dear."

"You too," Lily said.

"Don't worry about the old bird at the front desk, dear, she's rude to everyone except the founding partners, and they're hardly ever here."

"Go home, Tabitha," Scorpius said firmly and the woman rolled her eyes. Lily smirked a little and poked her head into her future husband's office. It was sleek and modern, with a large desk, massive windows with a pretty nice view of the building across the street, and a plush sitting area to one side. "I'll be ready in two minutes, darling," he said without looking up from his laptop and paperwork. There were three boxes, one half-spilling files, of paperwork beside his desk.

Lily moved through the spacious room that was distinctly lacking any personal touches. "This is a nice office," she murmured. She glanced at a blank wall. "Even if you need help decorating it."

"The perks of being a junior partner," he murmured, then shut his laptop and gathered up a few things. "Hopefully this time next year, it'll be the corner office upstairs. They even give you a nameplate for your desk up there," he said, grinning, and kissed her thoroughly. Lily blushed because she could still hear the secretary typing just outside. "You look amazing," he said, tracing her neckline, then brushed the peridot necklace with a small smile.

"Thanks," she said with a smile of her own. "Come on, we're going to be late."

Scorpius grinned, even as they exited his office. "We'll be fashionably on time, I'm certain." He put a couple files on the older woman's desk. "I need copies of these, then make another copy and have them couriered to the DA."

"Would you like me to wait until the last possible moment and flood them with everything?" the woman asked.

Scorpius almost smiled. "No, Tabitha. We don't have to stoop to their level. At least not on this case. And go home, seriously."

"Have a good one, Mr. Malfoy." She smiled at Lily, who followed the light pressure of his hand at her back toward the elevator. As they moved through the reception area, Lily glared at the old bird behind the desk, who pursed her mouth.

"Are you going home to change?" Lily asked as he pulled out of his parking spot. Scorpius shrugged. "Well then it's a good thing I have this," she said, digging through her little bag for a moment, then pulled out his green tie.

"Lily," he said, smirking a little. She smiled sweetly back.

"You're wearing the black Armani, and you know how much I like this tie with black Armani. And I was going to buy you a coordinating pocket square, but I knew you wouldn't wear it."

"I actually have a collection of pocket squares," he said, grinning. Lily rolled her eyes.

"And you never wear them," she said pointedly. "Just wear the tie. I promise, you'll get a compliment on it."

"Unlikely, my love," he murmured as they pulled up to a red light. Scorpius loosened his slate tie anyway and pulled it off. "No one's going to be looking at my tie with you in that dress."

Lily frowned and held his tie out as he pulled away from the light. "What does that mean?" she asked. She'd specifically picked this dress because it was simple and classy and didn't show too much cleavage. And it actually made it almost to her knees.

"It means you look stunning," he said. "These people look at my face every day. You're a novelty."

By the time they made it to the country club that was hosting the event, they were indeed marginally late, but the valet took Scorpius's car, Lily put her studded, red leather purse on its chain over her shoulder, and they went in. "This is fancy," Lily breathed as they moved through a plush, exquisitely elegant entrance. The whole building seemed to scream Old Money.

"Just you wait," Scorpius murmured. "You brought the invitation?" She passed it over and he gave it to the doorman standing outside the grand ballroom. He glanced at it, tossed it on a table, and opened the doors.

Lily sucked in her breath at the grandeur when they walked in. She felt very small in the massive room with its domed glass ceiling and gilded everything. And as she stared, the redhead was certain she was gaping a little, and pointedly shut her mouth. "Wow," she said quietly.

"At least your shoes match," he murmured and she smiled a little.

There were at least a hundred other people present already, and Lily felt distinctly nervous as they moved through the large room and clusters of guests. Before they had made it very far, someone called Scorpius to join their group and he introduced her to two other couples and a single man. "I think I must be drunk," said a woman named Gloria in expensive pale pink Givenchy couture. The pale pink lace washed her out a little with her fair skin and blond hair in Lily's opinion. "Is it just me, or is your tie green?" she asked, pointing.

The single man's eyebrows lifted. "I almost didn't notice," he said.

Scorpius bit back a sigh and smiled. "Happy fiancee, happy life," he said, pulling her against his side.

"And you only noticed because it looks good, right?" she asked Gloria.

"It does. Less like an undertaker now, Malfoy," she teased.

"So what do you do?" the other woman present asked Lily. The redhead glanced at her, trying to remember if her name was Janet or Janice. She was in a black silk pantsuit, perfectly cut for her with wide trousers and a plunging neckline on her jacket. Lily doubted she was wearing a shirt underneath, but the look was very couture.

"I paint," the redhead replied. "Well that's what I prefer to do. Unfortunately I'm also still working on my art degree, so painting isn't my job right now."

The woman's husband, who Scorpius had introduced as Winston Henry and who was probably twenty years her senior, gave her an indulgent smile, the kind Lily loathed most, that clearly thought it was easy to be an artist, that you could just crank them out and make a fortune overnight. "An artist, then? Though still in training?"

"You could say that," Lily said pleasantly even as her temper flared a little. "I like to say painter, because that's my preferred medium."

"What do you paint?" Henry asked.

"I like flowers. Maybe the odd landscape or person. I even painted a dog once, for a friend of mine, from a picture. She got it tattooed on her leg when we turned eighteen."

"But you don't sell your artwork?" his wife asked.

"No. Not yet, anyway. I painted greeting cards for awhile, but I've since been persuaded to paint real pictures." She glanced up at Scorpius and smiled a little.

"And are you any good?" Henry asked. "Or is it more of a hobby?"

"I've been told I'm good," Lily said coolly. "Though I suppose that's a subjective sort of thing. You might think I'm utterly terrible, but you'd be the minority, I'm afraid. I like to think I'm good at what I do best."

"She's being modest," Scorpius replied. "She's very good, and painting is but one of her many talents."

"You have to say that," Lily murmured. "There's always room for improvement. Hence art school."

"So how long have you and Malfoy been engaged?" asked Gloria, gesturing to the engagement ring.

"Awhile," Lily said, then glanced at her fiance. "A month I think?"

"Six weeks, darling. And she said no the first time I asked," Scorpius teased. Lily frowned.

"I did not," she shot back. "He asked too soon," she said to Gloria, who looked thoroughly amused.

"When's the wedding?" Henry's wife asked.

"June twentieth, next year. That's all I know for sure, actually. Planning a wedding is like going into battle, there's a lot of things to think about, and you just sort of have to deal with it as it comes."

"Not a very long engagement," Henry drawled, giving Lily a searching look.

"Too long if you ask my mother, but she thinks I should settle down as soon as possible," she said easily. The older man cast Scorpius a pointed look with an arched eyebrow. "And if you're wondering how old I am, Mr. Henry, the answer is old enough," she said frostily. She wasn't sure she liked him. He seemed awfully judgemental.

Scorpius flattened his palm against her back where it still rested, even as the greying man smiled a little. "You don't beat around the bush too much, do you?" he asked her.

"Not usually," she admitted. "Though I've been known to ramble on occasion."

He looked back at the blond. "I like her. Even if she's an artist."

"Well I think that's admirable. Maybe she'll get famous," Gloria said. "If you ever decide to sell any, of course."

"I hope so," Lily said. "The question is will anyone buy them? But I don't want to be famous. That would probably suck, having lots of people know who I am, and I'm not fond of having my picture taken."

Scorpius smiled. "We're going to get drinks," he said smoothly, and they moved away and back in their original direction. "So, not to alarm you," he said quietly, "but Mr. Henry is kind of my boss. And he wants to retire, and he's going to hand-pick his replacement. That's the job I want."

Lily sucked in a breath and let it out slowly, dread and embarrassment fighting for dominance in her stomach. "You probably should have said that upon introduction, Scorpius," she breathed.

"But he did say he liked you."

"What does he have against artists?" she murmured as they were in sight of the bar.

"His first wife was an artist. Took him for half of everything on their twentieth wedding anniversary, after he was worth a disgusting amount of money, and got together with the divorce lawyer afterward." Lily gulped at that.

"Oh God. I'm sorry if you don't get the promotion," she murmured.

They sidled up to the bar. "That may have just sealed the deal," Scorpius replied but Lily couldn't read his face as he turned to signal a bartender and couldn't tell from his tone if he meant in a good way or bad way. "Whiskey neat, and a sour," he said as the bartender came down, and then turned back. The redhead still wasn't sure if he meant it in a bad way or not when he looked back at her, but didn't have the nerve to ask.

They mingled for a couple hours, and Lily was starting to feel less nervous she'd put her foot in her mouth again. She smiled and gave out polite compliments to the occasional pair of shoes or outfit, and fielded the odd notice of the green tie. Lily found only the few women he worked with seemed to notice and was amused. The redhead even sampled some of the buffet being carried around on massive silver platters by white-jacketed waiters, although she had no idea what half of the stuff was. It was okay, but she would rather eat Rosie's cooking any day of the week, hands down. After another trip to the bar and some more mingling, Lily was feeling distinctly relaxed. And then they bumped into the last person Lily had ever expected to see. "Blake," Scorpius said pleasantly. Lily moved instinctively closer to her fiance as blue eyes roved over her.

"Still too tall," he said. Scorpius grinned. "Just coming or just going?"

"Still here," Scorpius replied. "Lots of people left to introduce my cupcake to." Lily blushed a little at that, almost dropping her eyes, but pushed through the urge.

"I didn't know you were lawyer," she said politely.

Blake arched a dark gold eyebrow. "Looks can be deceiving, can't they?"

"Blake isn't a lawyer, he sits on the Board of Directors for the country club," Scorpius replied.

"To the undying horror of my father," Blake said, smirking. "Good seeing you." He turned and walked away and Lily blinked, but they kept moving.

"Mr. Henry also happens to be Blake's father."

"Holy sh-!" Lily caught herself in time. "Wow, how is that not awkward?" she asked softly.

Scorpius shrugged. "It's not. I don't usually have to see him in regular life." Lily smirked a little at that. "Ah, here comes my favourite colleague," Scorpius said dryly and when the redhead looked up she saw his dark grey eyes had narrowed. Lily looked back at a very handsome man with coppery hair and soft blue-green eyes. He seemed to exude boy next door charm as he smiled winningly. He was barely taller than Lily in her four inch stilettos.

"Well, well, if it isn't the almost prodigy," he said in a deep, almost smoky voice. Lily watched his eyes rove over her and fought the urge to blush.

"I like to think future," the blond replied with easy confidence.

"Not when I'll be the one come October kicking my feet up in that very nice corner office."

Scorpius smiled. "Even if it's an unusually cold October and Hell freezes over, I'm sure I'll find some way to comfort myself," he replied, even as Lily melted against his side.

"Ah, the fiancee at long last, Malfoy? I almost wondered if the rumour was true."

"It is indeed. Lily, this is another of the junior partners, Colin MacPherson. Mackie, my fiancee, Lily O'Shea."

"Delightful to meet you," Lily said politely, even as MacPherson's eyes narrowed and his smile turned hard for a beat. "Are you in competition with Scorpius for the partner thing?"

"I'm not sure I would say there's any competition, darling," Scorpius said.

"None at all," MacPherson said. "I'll get the spot no problem."

"That's a great feeling, isn't it?" Lily said, grinning. She batted her lashes a little. "The knowing you have no threats? Take for instance me, right now. I have literally zero competition in the hot date department, which normally I'd be thrilled about, but it's still a tiny bit disappointing not to getting the chance to flaunt my victory. I mean, I like to think I'm a solid nine, but you don't even have a date to compare. And that feels awesome, because there's a lot of really pretty people here, but kind of a hollow victory because I didn't really have to try. I could be like a four and still win, y'know?"

"You're at least a ten," Scorpius murmured.

"Scorpius, we can't compare, he doesn't have a date," Lily replied in a stage whisper. "Um, no offence, Mr. MacPherson."

His eyes narrowed a little more when he looked at her, but his smile widened. "None taken. You're a firecracker. Too bad you like them so straight-laced." He glanced at Scorpius and Lily had to mush her lips together to keep from laughing at hearing the tall, sexy blond described as straight-laced.

"It's not so bad for me," Lily replied and glanced at MacPherson's hands, then let her eyes rove up him speculatively. "And you're not bad, but I doubt you'd be able to keep up. How old are you, like thirty five? Or closer to forty?"

"As much as you're at least twenty one, despite not looking it, honey," MacPherson said with a smirk. "No offence."

"Normally I would take that as a compliment, but it sounded like you were trying to be insulting," Lily replied icily. "So I'll say it plainly for you. You're the kind of guy most girls want to marry when they're young and foolish and easily distracted by your charm. And when they do, five or ten or fifteen years later, this," she ran a hand down Scorpius's chest, "is who they would want to cheat on you with, because he is the complete opposite of you. He is more than capable of walking the walk after talking the talk, where as you strike as more of a windbag." Lily pulled away from Scorpius a half step and leaned closer to MacPherson. "Is that why your wife isn't here? Better company elsewhere? Or did you finally just give in and sign the divorce papers? I noticed the tan line on your ring finger, even if you took the ring off," she whispered, then smiled politely. "No offence."

"Well, this has been a delightful encounter, and I for one am not going to tempt Fate any longer to ruin this delightful new dynamic in our acquaintance. Always good seeing you Mackie," Scorpius said, and they moved away.

"That guy's kind of an arrogant prick," she murmured. "Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Scorpius paused and then turned her chin and kissed her. "Darling, I just got to watch that smug son of a bitch get knocked down a couple pegs by the woman I'm going to go home and make love to until neither of us can stay awake," he murmured. "Why on earth are you apologizing?"

He kissed her again, lingeringly, then broke away and the redhead smiled. "Does that mean I can have whatever's in that bottom drawer I haven't tried when we go home?" Lily breathed.

"Not quite," he replied. "That's for your birthday. But if you want," he said in a deep murmur, tilting his head to say right against her ear, "you can pick what you like from any other drawer."

"Any of them?" she breathed.

"But just one thing," he said, smirking as she bit her lip.

"Malfoy," someone said, and Scorpius turned, smiling, to face his boss again.

"Mr. Henry," he said easily, even as Lily blushed.

"When should I be expecting my wedding invitation?" he asked, and Scorpius glanced at Lily.

"Whenever I find a venue," she replied with a small smile.

"Why not here?" he asked, gesturing vaguely. "I'm sure the Board could be persuaded to let you have you day here. And there's even a garden, since you're so fond of the flowers."

Lily smiled politely. "No offence, but this is way too fancy for me. It's gorgeous, but I'm a little more low-key." Henry's silvery brows lifted. "And I don't know if I could enjoy my own wedding day if I was worried about my father stealing gold-plated candlesticks or something."

Scorpius swallowed his laugh. "You'll find somewhere, I'm sure," he said to Lily.

"Let's hope so, or your mother might take matters into her own hands. She's kind of like a car going ninety with no steering. Get out of the way or she'll run you down." Already Astoria had mentioned several venues she thought would be 'perfect for an artsy, bohemian type affair'. "Sorry, that's the rambling," she said pleasantly, glancing up at Mr. Henry apologetically.

"You're either going to be very good for Scorpius or the worst thing that's ever happened to him, I think," Henry said to Lily.

She forced herself to smile and bit back the snappy retort that sprang to her lips. "Well, I got him to wear a green tie, so hopefully that's not the beginning of the end," she said lightly.

Henry looked at Scorpius. "She reminds me an awful lot of my first wife." Lily sucked in some air, hoping she wasn't going to end up costing the blond his promotion, and she slipped her hand into his free one. "So I'm going to tell you what someone should've told me. Don't take her for granted. You did alright, cutting your teeth on the Lamar trial, but a couple of the other partners didn't like the guilty. Do well on this Mercer case, and you'll be on the short list for looking at a seat upstairs."

"Understood," Scorpius said with a nod and Henry glanced at Lily again.

"If you like flowers, take a look at the Botanical Gardens on Trent Boulevard. I hear they do weddings there."

"Thanks," Lily said, smiling a little, and Henry moved away. "Does that mean he likes me?" she whispered.

"Undoubtedly," Scorpius murmured back.

It was late by the time they got home and Lily was feeling a little tipsy and lightheaded when Scorpius pressed her to the wall of the elevator as the door slid shut. She gasped lightly when his hand slid up under her dress and then jumped as the doors pinged and slid open at the lobby. The little old lady, holding her chihuahua, Lily had seen before stepped in, smiling a little as Scorpius pressed their foreheads together, not bothering to remove his hand from under her dress. Lily was pretty sure she was a lobster face.

The old lady pressed twenty and they started rising. "No need to be embarrassed, dear," she said to Lily. "I'm not going to peek if you'd like to continue. No guarantee for Miffy, though," she said as the dog stared them down.

Scorpius pressed his face into her neck to contain the laugh and Lily blushed impossibly more. When the lady got off at her floor, she cast one backward glance at Scorpius, winked at Lily, then the doors closed again. "Oh my God," Lily breathed, even as Scorpius picked right back up where they'd left off.

"I know. I couldn't stop thinking about what she would've said if she'd walked in and you were naked or sucking my cock again," he rumbled.

XXX