'Shit,' thought Hermione as she looked at the clock on her office wall. 'How the hell is it five-thirty already? Draco will be by in a moment and I'm not the least bit ready for dinner.'
Hermione looked down at her clothes. Her skirt was crumpled from her sitting on the floor most of the day going over designs and fabric swatches. She had discarded her jacket earlier in the afternoon and was only wearing her camisole. Not to mention that her stocking had a big run in them and there was a bit of scuff on her shoe.
'Fantastic, I look like hell. I can't wait to hear what -'
"Hermione? It's Draco. Are you in there?" A series of loud and fast knocks rattled Hermione's thoughts.
'Thank Merlin for locked doors.' Hermione got up and attempted to straighten out her skirt and put on her jacket at the same time. 'Blasted clothes-'
"Just a moment! I'm, um, well, I'm getting dressed actually. I'll be ready in a minute!"
Draco smirked on the other side of the office door. 'Bet she just lost track of the time. It's a damn shame all that beauty wasted on a work-a-holic with no proper manners. Really, if she was raised as a pureblooded witch, the wonders it would have-'
His train of thought came to an abrupt stop. The door had opened and the sight before him was a little less than spectacular.
Hermione managed to transfigure her rather demure camel suit into a cream blouse that showed just enough décolletage to entice the eye, and a pair of snug fitting muggle jeans that seemed too low to even stand in. He saw just a hint of a tan stomach peek shyly above the top of her pants. She looked breathtaking. Draco noticed that she had finally let her hair down, and it now cascaded in amber waves over her shoulder.
"Quit staring at me like I'm your copy of 'PlayWitch.' It's a bit degrading you know. But thank you for appreciating my appearance, let's go."
Without bothering to retort, Draco followed Hermione to the apparition corner and they were off.
~*~
Cirque was one of those restaurants that did not look well on the 'persona non grata' of society. Unless of course, one of those people was Draco Malfoy. He may have a tainted name and family history, but the owner of CIRQUE, George Olivier, could not resist the charms Malfoy put on when he desperately wanted something.
The restaurant was rather lavish, a bit ostentatious to some. It had gold-gilded doors that opened into a grand foyer of white marble and a gaudy fountain of a Greek nymph. Guests were guided to their respective tables covered in cream damask fabric and plush muslin covered chairs. George was smart enough to know that CIRQUE was a 'see and be seen' type of place, so he made sure that there were nothing but glass walls in the dining area, giving the paparazzi ample views of his patrons.
Hermione and Draco apparated just outside the doors. In an attempt to rush in, they were immediately bombarded with photographers and a rather annoying man with a quick notes quill.
"Say! Mr. Malfoy! Are and Miss Granger an item now? Care to give her a kiss for the cameras?"
A rousing chorus of 'Go on! Kiss her mate!' came from the surrounding crowd.
"Care to have my family haunt you in your sleep?" Draco leered maliciously at the reporter, who at the mention of the Malfoy Family Ghosts, knew better than to press any issues.
Hermione sighed and cleared her throat. 'Lord,' thought Draco,'The beloved queen of the wizard folk wishes to speak. Look at all of them staring doe-eyed at her as if she was to announce that the world was round.' He frowned as Hermione smiled at the crowd.
"I apologize for Mr. Malfoy. He's always had a bit of a temper. Now, to quiet any rumors you've been hearing, Mr. Malfoy and I are now working together for VERSACELF. And we're here on a business dinner, nothing more. So if you'll excuse us, we have reservations."
Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and literally shoved him through the golden doors, but not before turning back and waving to the cameras.
"What the hell was that little diatribe you spat out there?" Draco was straightening out his jacket as he glared at Hermione.
Hermione merely smiled, almost in a saint-like manner, but deep down she was thrilled to have made Draco look like a jackass to the press.
"Don't fret, Mr. Chairman of the Board. It's good publicity for us."
Before Draco could utter another word, George Olivier swooped in from the dining hall and began to hug Hermione and kiss her repeatedly on both cheeks.
"Dahhhlllinngg. It's so nice to see you! I must say, it has been a dreadfully boring evening, so I am glad that you've come. Come, come. See what a lovely table ol' George here has got for you."
Almost dutifully, Hermione took George's arm, pausing only once to nod to Draco, indicating for him to follow them into the dining area.
Several of the guests stared with interest at their entrance. It was a rare occasion to see Hermione with a man other than Harry or Ron at CIRQUE. An even rarer one to see her with Draco Malfoy.
Once they were seated (and it was at a table with an excellent view of the press) Hermione pulled out a small parcel from her pocket and enlarged the object.
It was her briefcase.
Draco couldn't believe that she bought that whole 'business dinner' line he fed to her. He already told Mr. Maschina that Hermione would be delighted to take on his new pet project.
"I can't believe you actually brought your briefcase.....and, god damn it to hell, is that a laptop?!"
Draco stared across the table at Hermione. She had set up a pile of files, presumably the previous Maschina accounts, set up her laptop, and put on her reading glasses. Gone was the sexy vixen he walked in with. He was sitting across from his old Hogwart's nemesis: Know-it-all granger.
"Well, it is a business dinner Draco and I thought I would share with you some notes I took on the previous Maschina files that the company has worked on as well as some figures and budgets I came up with this afte--"
"Does this mean you're taking the project then?"
Hermione smiled and took off her glasses, "Of course, this is a once in a lifetime chance for me. But I wasn't about to pass up dinner courtesy of VERSACELF, especially when it's at my favorite restaurant!"
'Note to self: Cirque is her favorite restaurant. ' Draco shook his head and with a flick of his wand, all the items Hermione had spread in front her disappeared and her briefcase was shrank back to pocket size and returned to her back pocket. 'Lucky briefcase,' thought Draco with a smirk.
"I believe then that we can count this as a celebratory dinner, still a business expense, since this is going to be a big account for the whole company. So away with all your fabric swatches and projected budgets, let's just have a nice quiet dinner."
"Oh," Hermione fidgeted nervously in her chair. She was expecting to ramble on about the time frame it would take her for her designs, who she wanted on the team and mindless work babble to keep her mind from wandering into lusty thoughts about Malfoy's behind. 'STOP IT! I would rather die than think of his arse...'
'But it's so nice....' said her conscience. 'Shut up!' thought hermione. She cleared her throat and attempted to smile across the table.
"Well, then, congratulations to both of us on a job that will be well done. I suppose we should order a nice wine then."
"I'm one step ahead of you Granger." Two goblets of Chateaux de Pape appeared before them.
'I have to thank Weasley for the little 'favorite things of Hermione' tips he gave me.'
"Oh wonderful! I love this wine. Well, then, since we aren't necessarily discussing work, let's try and have a conversation shall we?"
"Alright then, you start Granger."
"Humph," Hermione scowled at his amused expression, "Well, how was your day Draco?"
"Very well, thanks. I looked over some files, had coffee around two I believe snuck a peek into a modeling audition, and I read a bit of DeLuse and LoRei."
Hermione looked taken aback by his last statement. Emil DeLuse and Iman loRei were famous wizard architects who worked on preserving various historical sites. Hermione absolutely adored anything they wrote about their findings.
"I adore them! I had no idea you were such a history buff Draco."
Draco leaned in, tempted to wink at the girl in front of him. "There's a lot you don't know about me then."
"Well, I suppose this dinner would be a nice place to start."
~*~
Conversation flowed easily between Hermione and Draco throughout dinner. The laughs they shared and gracious smiles they gave to each other made the paparazzi outside the restaurant go into frenzy. The two former Hogwart's enemies were dining together in a dimly lit restaurant notorious for its ability to serve up torrid love affairs between the rich and famous as easily as it poured out wine. It was as if the front page of every newspaper in the wizarding world saw their story personified in front of them.
After dessert, Hermione gave an appreciative nod to the waiter as he cleared away the dishes.
"I must say, it is a bit refreshing to talk to someone who shares such delight over history of our world. I never thought you had it in you to continue a civil and interesting conversation. Did you forget to spray on your sarcasm and grit this morning?"
Draco smirked, "Not at all. It's remarkably easy for me to actually let go of my obsession with making you squirm uncomfortably in your seat with rude comments."
"Well, thank you for that. It's getting late. I should be going. I'll see you at the office tomorrow?"
"Absolutely. Have a good night."
"The same to you." And with a 'pop' she was gone.
Draco waved the waiter over and asked for the check.
'Dinner went well. Time to move into phase two: getting her to invite me in for tea.'
Hermione looked down at her clothes. Her skirt was crumpled from her sitting on the floor most of the day going over designs and fabric swatches. She had discarded her jacket earlier in the afternoon and was only wearing her camisole. Not to mention that her stocking had a big run in them and there was a bit of scuff on her shoe.
'Fantastic, I look like hell. I can't wait to hear what -'
"Hermione? It's Draco. Are you in there?" A series of loud and fast knocks rattled Hermione's thoughts.
'Thank Merlin for locked doors.' Hermione got up and attempted to straighten out her skirt and put on her jacket at the same time. 'Blasted clothes-'
"Just a moment! I'm, um, well, I'm getting dressed actually. I'll be ready in a minute!"
Draco smirked on the other side of the office door. 'Bet she just lost track of the time. It's a damn shame all that beauty wasted on a work-a-holic with no proper manners. Really, if she was raised as a pureblooded witch, the wonders it would have-'
His train of thought came to an abrupt stop. The door had opened and the sight before him was a little less than spectacular.
Hermione managed to transfigure her rather demure camel suit into a cream blouse that showed just enough décolletage to entice the eye, and a pair of snug fitting muggle jeans that seemed too low to even stand in. He saw just a hint of a tan stomach peek shyly above the top of her pants. She looked breathtaking. Draco noticed that she had finally let her hair down, and it now cascaded in amber waves over her shoulder.
"Quit staring at me like I'm your copy of 'PlayWitch.' It's a bit degrading you know. But thank you for appreciating my appearance, let's go."
Without bothering to retort, Draco followed Hermione to the apparition corner and they were off.
~*~
Cirque was one of those restaurants that did not look well on the 'persona non grata' of society. Unless of course, one of those people was Draco Malfoy. He may have a tainted name and family history, but the owner of CIRQUE, George Olivier, could not resist the charms Malfoy put on when he desperately wanted something.
The restaurant was rather lavish, a bit ostentatious to some. It had gold-gilded doors that opened into a grand foyer of white marble and a gaudy fountain of a Greek nymph. Guests were guided to their respective tables covered in cream damask fabric and plush muslin covered chairs. George was smart enough to know that CIRQUE was a 'see and be seen' type of place, so he made sure that there were nothing but glass walls in the dining area, giving the paparazzi ample views of his patrons.
Hermione and Draco apparated just outside the doors. In an attempt to rush in, they were immediately bombarded with photographers and a rather annoying man with a quick notes quill.
"Say! Mr. Malfoy! Are and Miss Granger an item now? Care to give her a kiss for the cameras?"
A rousing chorus of 'Go on! Kiss her mate!' came from the surrounding crowd.
"Care to have my family haunt you in your sleep?" Draco leered maliciously at the reporter, who at the mention of the Malfoy Family Ghosts, knew better than to press any issues.
Hermione sighed and cleared her throat. 'Lord,' thought Draco,'The beloved queen of the wizard folk wishes to speak. Look at all of them staring doe-eyed at her as if she was to announce that the world was round.' He frowned as Hermione smiled at the crowd.
"I apologize for Mr. Malfoy. He's always had a bit of a temper. Now, to quiet any rumors you've been hearing, Mr. Malfoy and I are now working together for VERSACELF. And we're here on a business dinner, nothing more. So if you'll excuse us, we have reservations."
Hermione grabbed Draco's arm and literally shoved him through the golden doors, but not before turning back and waving to the cameras.
"What the hell was that little diatribe you spat out there?" Draco was straightening out his jacket as he glared at Hermione.
Hermione merely smiled, almost in a saint-like manner, but deep down she was thrilled to have made Draco look like a jackass to the press.
"Don't fret, Mr. Chairman of the Board. It's good publicity for us."
Before Draco could utter another word, George Olivier swooped in from the dining hall and began to hug Hermione and kiss her repeatedly on both cheeks.
"Dahhhlllinngg. It's so nice to see you! I must say, it has been a dreadfully boring evening, so I am glad that you've come. Come, come. See what a lovely table ol' George here has got for you."
Almost dutifully, Hermione took George's arm, pausing only once to nod to Draco, indicating for him to follow them into the dining area.
Several of the guests stared with interest at their entrance. It was a rare occasion to see Hermione with a man other than Harry or Ron at CIRQUE. An even rarer one to see her with Draco Malfoy.
Once they were seated (and it was at a table with an excellent view of the press) Hermione pulled out a small parcel from her pocket and enlarged the object.
It was her briefcase.
Draco couldn't believe that she bought that whole 'business dinner' line he fed to her. He already told Mr. Maschina that Hermione would be delighted to take on his new pet project.
"I can't believe you actually brought your briefcase.....and, god damn it to hell, is that a laptop?!"
Draco stared across the table at Hermione. She had set up a pile of files, presumably the previous Maschina accounts, set up her laptop, and put on her reading glasses. Gone was the sexy vixen he walked in with. He was sitting across from his old Hogwart's nemesis: Know-it-all granger.
"Well, it is a business dinner Draco and I thought I would share with you some notes I took on the previous Maschina files that the company has worked on as well as some figures and budgets I came up with this afte--"
"Does this mean you're taking the project then?"
Hermione smiled and took off her glasses, "Of course, this is a once in a lifetime chance for me. But I wasn't about to pass up dinner courtesy of VERSACELF, especially when it's at my favorite restaurant!"
'Note to self: Cirque is her favorite restaurant. ' Draco shook his head and with a flick of his wand, all the items Hermione had spread in front her disappeared and her briefcase was shrank back to pocket size and returned to her back pocket. 'Lucky briefcase,' thought Draco with a smirk.
"I believe then that we can count this as a celebratory dinner, still a business expense, since this is going to be a big account for the whole company. So away with all your fabric swatches and projected budgets, let's just have a nice quiet dinner."
"Oh," Hermione fidgeted nervously in her chair. She was expecting to ramble on about the time frame it would take her for her designs, who she wanted on the team and mindless work babble to keep her mind from wandering into lusty thoughts about Malfoy's behind. 'STOP IT! I would rather die than think of his arse...'
'But it's so nice....' said her conscience. 'Shut up!' thought hermione. She cleared her throat and attempted to smile across the table.
"Well, then, congratulations to both of us on a job that will be well done. I suppose we should order a nice wine then."
"I'm one step ahead of you Granger." Two goblets of Chateaux de Pape appeared before them.
'I have to thank Weasley for the little 'favorite things of Hermione' tips he gave me.'
"Oh wonderful! I love this wine. Well, then, since we aren't necessarily discussing work, let's try and have a conversation shall we?"
"Alright then, you start Granger."
"Humph," Hermione scowled at his amused expression, "Well, how was your day Draco?"
"Very well, thanks. I looked over some files, had coffee around two I believe snuck a peek into a modeling audition, and I read a bit of DeLuse and LoRei."
Hermione looked taken aback by his last statement. Emil DeLuse and Iman loRei were famous wizard architects who worked on preserving various historical sites. Hermione absolutely adored anything they wrote about their findings.
"I adore them! I had no idea you were such a history buff Draco."
Draco leaned in, tempted to wink at the girl in front of him. "There's a lot you don't know about me then."
"Well, I suppose this dinner would be a nice place to start."
~*~
Conversation flowed easily between Hermione and Draco throughout dinner. The laughs they shared and gracious smiles they gave to each other made the paparazzi outside the restaurant go into frenzy. The two former Hogwart's enemies were dining together in a dimly lit restaurant notorious for its ability to serve up torrid love affairs between the rich and famous as easily as it poured out wine. It was as if the front page of every newspaper in the wizarding world saw their story personified in front of them.
After dessert, Hermione gave an appreciative nod to the waiter as he cleared away the dishes.
"I must say, it is a bit refreshing to talk to someone who shares such delight over history of our world. I never thought you had it in you to continue a civil and interesting conversation. Did you forget to spray on your sarcasm and grit this morning?"
Draco smirked, "Not at all. It's remarkably easy for me to actually let go of my obsession with making you squirm uncomfortably in your seat with rude comments."
"Well, thank you for that. It's getting late. I should be going. I'll see you at the office tomorrow?"
"Absolutely. Have a good night."
"The same to you." And with a 'pop' she was gone.
Draco waved the waiter over and asked for the check.
'Dinner went well. Time to move into phase two: getting her to invite me in for tea.'
