a/n: Thank you for still hanging with me!

Chapter 10: the Wager

The next few weeks were filled with similar banter but Serverus still hadn't gotten past "square one" and he was beginning to feel a certain level of frustration. While he was deeply enjoying their time together (they were currently in a heated chess game in the staff room) he wanted more from their relationship.

With Dumbledore gone for most of the winter Severus was able to distance himself from all the stresses that usually kept him awake at night and as a result his snarkiness was less bitter and more playful when he was with her.

As his rook just beheaded her knight he decided to approach the situation of their lack of a physical relationship from a different angle. "The Slytherin Quidditch team has a big match with Ravenclaw this weekend, do you care to place a friendly bet on the outcome?"

She wasn't overly surprised at the offer of a bet as they tended to both get a little too into their respective house's Quidditch matches but usually they restricted themselves to Griffindor-Slytherin games.

She moved her pawn on the chess board and while no spectacular death befell any of his pieces, if all went according to plan, she was two moves away from checkmate. She was therefore only partially paying attention to his offer. "Sure, I'll wager. What are the terms?"

He quickly moved his queen out of harm's way while at the same time knowing that he was setting her up for victory. "If Ravenclaw wins, you get to go the rest of the year without any pressure from me to accelerate our current...situation."

"And if Slytherin wins" she asked as she made her final play announcing "check mate!"

Severus pauses to look around, "I challenge you to a rematch, in my rooms, with you wearing your long pick nightgown and your hair down."

Still feeling euphoric and playful from her win on the chess board she looked up at him over the top of her spectacles, tightened her lips to clip the flirtatious smile that was threatening to come out, and said "deal"

Severus didn't even attempt to hide the devilish smile that spread across his face.

XXXXX

The weekend arrived quickly and Minerva made her way to the Quidditch pitch. She settled in the open seat next to Severus. His overall demeanor among the rest of the staff led to very few people seeking his company outside of meals and staff meetings so she usually had no trouble finding an open seat next to him.

After she settled in, Severus turned his head in her direction and leaned in closer whispering in her ear with his deep, sultry voice "When Ravenclaw loses, I would like to have that rematch tonight"

She looked straight out onto the pitch, fearful of looking into his lust filled eyes. "IF Slytherin wins, I will hold up my end of the bargain"

Later that evening as they were eating dinner in the great hall, she watched the Slytherin team celebrating their win and she tried to keep her eyes averted from Severus's but she kept feeling his stare and was hard pressed to stop herself from looking over at him and making eye contact. She was rather certain Madam Pomfrey noticed the "eye sex" they kept having during the meal.

She knew what tonight meant, it was not just about a nightgown and her hair, and it definitely had nothing to do with chess. Tonight, if all went according to Severus's plan, they would reestablish the relationship they had started last year. While she would never admit it to Severus, she was quite looking forward to the evening.

Around 9pm she knocked softly on his door. He answered swiftly but scrunched up his face in a scowl when he saw her usual attire. She was wearing her high neck dark green gown and still had on her black robes. When she saw his face she couldn't help the little laugh that came out of her mouth "Relax Severus, I will change here" She walked into his room and headed straight for the loo saying "I wasn't about to walk the corridors wearing nothing but a silk nightgown!"

Severus had been unable to think of anything else all day. He would have sacked his whole Quidditch team if they blew today's game. He busied himself with pouring some drinks and sat down to wait. Then stood up to wait. Then ran his hands through his hair. Merlin's beard what is taking so long he thought.

Minerva took her time to change her clothes and let down her hair. She brushed her hair over and over until it was both smooth and supple. Her black hair was now peppered with gray but the effect only added to her dramatic look. Her hair ran down to her breasts and the combination of the hair and the nightgown did make her feel sexy.

She washed her face, brushed her teeth, and then slowly made her way into his sitting rooms. At the sound of footsteps he looked from the window to the door and almost dropped his drink in awe. His mouth hung open slightly as he drank in the site. She was even more beautiful then he remembered.

Minerva gave him a shy smile and could feel a little heat rise to her face. She walked over to him and reached out to grab the drink from his hand. As she took a sip she said "We are not going to play chess, are we?"

He removed the glass from her hands and placed it on the side table without taking his eyes off of her. He reached up and grabbed a strand of her hair and let his fingers slide down her hair till it reached the very tip. "There are lots of names for what is about to happen tonight and to my knowledge, it has never been referred to as chess"

She smiled and placed a hand on his other arm, mostly to stop herself from starting to take his clothes off. He was in a short sleeve black tee shirt and black trousers and she couldn't' wait to get him out of them.

After he caressed her hair a second time he let his fingers continue down the side of her gown barely touching the material. He ran his fingers over her waist and down to her hip. She closed her eyes as she fought the urge to shiver.

He took a step closer and he brought his lips to her face and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Without losing contact with her skin he moved to kiss the corner of her mouth. When he moved to center his lips over hers she opened her mouth and captured his top lip in a kiss. He moaned slightly and she brought her hands to his cheeks as the kiss deepened.

He placed both his hands on her hips and ran them over her curves to her waist, up her body to the sides of her breast. She was already aching for him to take them in his hand. Instead, he moved his right hand to her shoulder strap and pushed it to the side as he moved his mouth from her lips to her neck and then her shoulder. His butterfly kisses were soft and sensual.

In the brief sexual relationship they had in the past they generally fell into two modes, the fast and furious or the slow and sensual. Tonight, Severus wanted to take his time and enjoy every moment.

After he finished with her shoulder he brought his hand up to her hair and wrapped it around his fingers as he began kissing her mouth again. Her body was tingling all over and she needed to feel him. She turned her fingers down and ran the palm of her hand down over his erection. When she made a move to repeat the action her grabbed her wrists. As he lifted her hand he tightened his grip, pulled her even closer and then in one quick, smooth movement, he swept her off her feet and started to carry her to his bedroom.

She let out a small scream saying. "Severus, put me down!"

The last two times he had lifted her she was injured and barely conscious. Now she was a little harder to hold as she was squirming all over the place. He placed her back on her feet and before she had time to get her bearings he picked her back up fireman style with her belly on his shoulder and her head hanging down the backside of him.

"I am not kidding, put me down now!" she yelled as he clapped his hand on her ass to keep her secure. When they made it to her room he dropped her a little less gracefully and she bounced slightly on his mattress. Her hair was disheveled, her nightgown strap had fallen down again, and the hem of her nightgown had worked its way up to her mid-thigh. It was the most seductive sight he could possibly imagine.

He climbed on top of her and his plan of slow seduction flew out the window as he drove his mouth hard into hers. She responded in kind and wrapped her long legs around his as she started to grab for the hem of his shirt.

He broke away long enough to allow her to remove his shirt and then drove his tongue as deep as he could into her mouth. They were both moaning while their hands grappled for purchase. She grabbed his ass and she pulled him into her trying to grind his erection into her body. He closed his eyes and grabbed the sheets tightly on either side of her as he let the sensation take over his body.

When he opened his eyes his face was inches away hovering over her. Her lips were red, her faced was flushed, and her eyes were full of lust. He lowered his head to her ear as he whispered "I need you, Minerva"

She ran her hand up his back and whispered back "then take me Severus"

a/n: I would love to hear your thoughts!