After a well-earned vacation week of my beta-angel Magzillasaurus, I'm back with a new chapter. Thursday follows the second!
Day Thirty-Two
Draco's theory about how women flocked together like birds, was confirmed multiple times.
The gossip floated in a matter of seconds regarding how the Captain had threatened the duo with an unfriendly manner that if they continued their behaviour, he would have no other option than to force them to disembark at the nearest port. The company would undoubtedly refund the unused days and provide for travelling back to Southampton, yet their presence wouldn't be tolerated anymore.
Using the momentum as the perfect time for an act of long-desired revenge, a few other spouses decided to lay it on extra thick, claiming to feel offended by the unabashed proposals from the duo towards their husbands; even threatening to file a written complaint with the cruise line, about how he as the Captain tolerated such behaviour.
When some of those spouses belonged to loyal and wealthy customers, well, the man was easily persuaded and had come to an acceptable agreement.
The Captain's decision was only communicated to his staff, yet even some of the team held a grudge on the two and shared the hot news with the passengers famous for not keeping their mouth shut.
When the gossip reached Draco, he wasn't surprised to hear Hermione utter, "Don't expect my empathy. The dare, assaulting married men! You reap what you sow..."
He remarked, "If the men were loyal to their wives and happy in their marriage, they wouldn't even pay attention to those slags."
"You forget that men also think with their lower brain, darling. Sometimes it's that thing between your legs that does the talking." Her chin jerked at the statement.
"I don't hear you complain about my lower placed brain." He pointed his cherry tomato at her from its pierced place on the fork. "Instead, I hear you demand more, harder, and please Draco…"
"You git!"
"I've also noticed how you call me a git when you can't contradict my arguments." His teeth scrapped the fork of its content. "This is the way I see it. These two women launched bait and waited to see who bit. You might have overlooked one detail - blinded by the cutest jealousy I ever saw - but I was trying to evade them. If we didn't exist, then I would have accepted the lure most probably." She leaned back, acknowledging his reasoning, "What they do isn't nice, I agree, but you girls united in an act of retaliation I didn't anticipate."
"They can flirt with whoever they want, but not when the man is obviously in a relationship." The last cherry tomato on his plate was stolen under his nose.
"I concur. But again, it's also up to the man in question to fend off the unrequested attention."
"Was your fending off successful?" Finally, Hermione was getting her point validated. "Even when their fingers were being hexed, they kept pawing you, or did you encourage them to do such?"
"Have I given you any reason to doubt me?" He hoped she wouldn't dredge up all the old stuff, but focus on the present.
"Alright, I concede, it wasn't your doing. Yet, did they listen to your no? No, they didn't. I would feel guilty if they keep it to themselves or only to those singles on board like Nicholai or Harry the doctor...wait it wasn't Harry, what was it again...Harley, that's it, Harley, the orthopaedic surgeon."
"What does an ortho-things surgeon do?"
"It's a muggle doctor who operates on bones, set right broken legs or arms, replace a knee or a hip…"
"I don't mean to offend you, but I prefer skele-gro over your muggle medicine." The thought alone scared the shit out of him.
"We're not done about those bints. If I catch them one more time patting your body as if it's theirs, I promise you the hexes will be nothing compared to what comes next."
"I hope they are smart enough to steer a wide berth around us."
"Plus, for the record, if you cheat on me, I'll hex your balls off and make you eat them in your pizza, thinly sliced like your pepperoni."
Willing or not, he dry-gulped, "No need to be so violent…"
"Just saying." The raised eyebrows and pursed lips did the rest.
-oOo-
"Oh, if it isn't my favourite blond and his lovely girl!" Angelo applauded shortly on his hands, "Welcome to my kingdom, are we looking forward to ridding ourselves of excess weight?"
Draco was regretting his decision to return to the fitness room, feeling his arm be snatched by the trainer and his hot breath on the ear, whispering, "Though you have no ounce of extra fat on your lithe body, darling."
The shivers ran through the blond's spine, feeling the need for some comforting Hermione touch instantly, though by the looks none were being given shortly. In fact, his curly-hair was smiling deviously at the scene. Promises of revenge were made… to mess this way with a Slytherin was like asking for trouble.
His warm-up started at his favourite machine, the treadmill. This time Draco paid attention to all the buttons and choices Angelo punched, seeing to his pleasure a trail be set where some elevations were also incorporated. "There stud of mine, let your booty sweat on this course, it's perfect for your build. Don't worry about your lady…" Did the man touch his arse?
Hermione tried Draco's cross-trainer this time, messing up first with her arm and leg coordination. Her hope that he didn't see it evaporated an instant later, seeing his trademark smirk appear on his red face. The trail Angelo set up for him was demanding, and her wizard was puffing, yet not from over-exertion.
"Your man is handling it just fine, darling. See those muscles flex at every step…" The brunette startled from the comment coming from behind and missed a step or two before she got her rhythm back.
"Angelo…"
"Oh I know, darling. He's so yours...but you can't deny that he's a fine specimen of the male sex, sweetheart. I'm just messing with him a little, I love the blush on his face when he's trying to decline me while remaining polite. His grey eyes…"
"Are like mercury, I know..." She was more relaxed now, the man understood Draco, but he couldn't avoid fangirling over the blond - or can you call it fanboying?
"Come with me, darling. Let's work on those abs and your bosom, so it stays nice and perky. I bet it's one of his favourite body parts." Angelo motioned her to get on the mat, blocking her feet with his knees, smirking, "Oh, I've seen how he oggled them on the treadmill last time, it was impossible to ignore. Ten sit-ups love, one...two…"
Draco stood tall next to her, "I spot a bit of fat over here, my love. Angelo, make her sweat."
"I'll be with you in just a minute darling."
There are things I'm never getting used to, no matter how often I hear them…
"A bit of fat?"
"Probably from stealing my last piece of tiramisu, last night… her favourite sport, Angelo, stealing my food…"
"I would offer you all mine…" It was mumbled but still heard. "Do you want to do some weight lifting?"
"Can you turn him into a Paul Walker, with beefed up biceps and chiselled abs?"
"Now darling, I can do much but no miracles." Angelo retorted.
Draco didn't like where the conversation was heading, lifting his shirt up, "Is there something wrong with my abs, perhaps?"
Angelo gave him a good once-over, raising an eyebrow at Hermione, "Women like to complain, darling. Your abdominals are just fine… not chiselled like your lady wants but…"
The scoff and the following swirl heading to the weights made not only Hermione but also a few other sporters laugh. My abs are muscled...what the hell does she want?
-oOo-
The offended demeanour lasted beyond their shower, she caught him admiring his shape on the mirror, "Did I press a button, my dragon?"
"No."
With a blank face, she approached him from behind, letting a hand trail down the spine and the lithe build, a muscle-flexing at the touch.
"Are you sure?"
"Woman, you drive me nuts! I'm not a beefed-up guy like Longbottom or Blaise, I know that, but I'm not a sack of potatoes like your Weasel." He patted his tummy, the sound of taut muscle clacking in the air. "Should I ask the two bints their opinion about my body?"
"Sensitive point… Blaise eh? You compared each other in the shower?"
"We did share a bathroom in the dungeons, you see a thing or two…" Shrugging, he turned back to the mirror, flexing his biceps and pectorals. Vanity was still a weakness.
Her lips kissed his skin between the shoulder blades, then his shoulders, the hands stroking his arms hypnotisingly, "I'm only poking the bear, Draco. I consider you man-candy, taut where needed, soft where required and I love the part that feels velvet-soft but can be rock hard."
"You'll need to spoil your wizard a little more, to make that part rise as a flag and please you. At the moment, it feels a little offended by your lack of appreciation."
Her spread fingers worshipped his spine, reaching lower every time they dipped downwards. Despite his earlier statement, Draco's shaft did jerk in anticipation.
"You spotted fat on my belly, earlier… I'm not happy either." She faked pouting and headed to the bed.
"Oh, is this the game the lady wants to play?" She hummed in response, and that fired him up, "Well, I'm forced to employ other measures…" Striking like a real snake, he caught her legs and threw her into the middle of the mattress, the move making her tumble over her head. Draco gave her no room to recover, tickling her sides merciless.
"Your wizard without his chiselled abs is going to teach you a lesson." She kicked him and struggled to cut herself loose, but he was smarter and used the perfect moment to pin her down to continue his attack while guwaffing in pleasure.
She shrieked and contorted, multiple times trying to accio her wand, but his fingers were merciless, and her command lost its effect between the intakes of breath and the peals of laughter.
Until he pinned her wrists above her head and towered over her, the spark in the grey so vivid she could almost see it shine like in the animated movies. The kiss they shared carried the real bond between two souls, companionship and romance side by side.
Later, spooning around each other to recover from their intense lovemaking, the laughter and smirking returned, carrying the hope that this spark never would fade, somewhere in the back of their mind.
Right next to the thought of payback, the issue wasn't finished yet. Not for the lion or the snake.