A few minutes after he left, Wendy found herself standing in front of the door to Lucius' suite. For many long seconds, she paced in front of the door, trying to rationalize her behavior. I shouldn't be here. I think I know what he wants, but I'm not that person anymore. And I haven't talked to Remus about this. This is a decision he deserves to know about, to be a part of. But, Albus did want me to get close to people like Lucius. Earning his trust will be good for the Order. If I leave now, I'll never earn his trust and lose access to the others. I'll listen to his proposal. After all, I could be wrong. He's always liked pretty, young women and that's not me.
She steeled herself and raised her hand to knock on the door. When it swung open, she saw Lucius standing at the sidebar pouring drinks. He had removed his jacket and was wearing a silk brocade waistcoat over his crisp, white shirt.
"I prefer a more relaxed and private setting to discuss business, don't you?" He handed her a drink and took her cloak.
"What sort of business?" she asked as she sipped a very fine cognac. It was always the best with him.
"I thought we could renew our past arrangement," he said confidently as he sat on the opposite side of the couch from her.
She thought she was hearing things and almost choked on her drink. "Are you serious?"
"Quite. You see, my last mistress has decided that she wants a family. Of course, I had to let her go since it wouldn't do for her to bear my children." He swirled his drink in his glass before taking a sip. "I've yet to find a suitable replacement. It's incredibly tedious finding one who will be discreet and is pleasing, and young women today don't seem to understand what it means. Seeing you at the Ball brought back such wonderful memories." He gave her that melt-your-spine smile he was so good at.
"Aren't I a bit old for your mistress?" she asked cautiously. Surely, it would not be this easy. She had never imagined that Lucius would be so eager to renew their relationship. Of course, this would create a rather significant problem in her personal life.
"Nonsense." He slid closer to her. "Aside from that one scar marring your beauty, you still look quite young. Better than Narcissa, if I do say, and I spend a small fortune on her looks." He once again traced the scar on her cheek. As always, his voice was smooth and seductive. "Besides, you know me, how to please me, and I know how to please you." He let his hand trail softly down her arm. "You were always my favorite, and I was distraught after you shut me out. None of my lovers since have compared to you." He leaned close and kissed her gently.
"It's a very tempting offer, Lucius." Her pulse was starting to race. The pure sexuality he exuded was nearly overpowering. He was sitting entirely too close to her, and she found herself falling prey to his flattery.
"Of course it is. It's completely discreet and passionate, just the way it used to be. I need a mistress, and you need a lover." He let his hand gently run down her leg and back up her thigh.
"And how would you know that?" She was finding it very hard to concentrate with him this close. His scent was intoxicating. She took a rather large gulp of her drink, hoping to help calm her nerves.
He continued to caress her leg, letting his hand drift closer and closer to her belly. "I have my sources, and they indicate you have been alone for some time." He shifted closer to her and placed her glass on the table.
"Is that all that's in it for me?" Concentrate, you must concentrate. Don't let him befuddle your mind.
He looked shocked that she might be refusing him. "You mean I'm not enough? I wasn't aware that you had other needs." That had been the joy of having her as his mistress. She had never asked for material goods. The others had always been expensive, expecting baubles and fancy clothes.
She smirked back at him. "I don't. I just like to see you surprised." I need to get away. This is moving too fast.
He laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her head back. "I had almost forgotten about that. You always were very devious." He pulled her close and kissed her deeply. "You can't tell me you didn't miss that." She had not been shy about returning his kiss, so he knew it to be true.
She had to admit her heart was racing, and it was extremely hard to think clearly with her nerve endings set afire. "I did, but my life is rather complicated right now. I don't know that I could devote the attention you need. It wouldn't be fair to you." She knew what he demanded of a mistress. She would not be at his beck and call. She needed to get away and think about what he was saying.
"We made it work in the past. I have no doubt we could make it work again. And if I were to get you that supervisory position, you would work much more conventional hours. Perhaps I could even arrange for a transfer out of Magical Law Enforcement?" He nibbled at her neck, clearly remembering exactly how to drive her wild.
She inhaled sharply as her body reacted to his touch. When her awareness returned, she was straddling his lap and could clearly feel his arousal. "This is all so sudden," she said weakly as she looked into eyes filled with desire.
"That's what makes it so wonderful, the spontaneity. When was the last time you were truly spontaneous?" he asked playfully.
She couldn't tell him the truth. "I don't know, I guess it's been a while."
He kissed her chest and started unbuttoning her top. "Then indulge yourself."
She forced herself to pull away and stand up. "I…need to think about it." What she needed to do was discuss this with Remus, but everything was happening so quickly; she still couldn't think clearly.
He was growing irritated. Rejection was not the sort of thing he took well. He stood as well and wrapped his arms around her possessively, pulling her tight so he could grind his hips against hers. "Is there really so much to think about? You joined me here, willingly. I'm growing tired of your games," he said impatiently.
And play her games is exactly what she would do in order to get the information she needed from him. He was so very strong and virile, nearly irresistible. Besides, this was what Albus had told her to do, right? Giving him her best playful smile, she replied, "Are you really?" She undid his tie, pulled it slowly around his neck, and tossed it over her shoulder. "I was under the impression you rather enjoyed my games?"
His smile returned as she began to undo his buttons. "As long as I know it's a game." He devoured her mouth, letting her know who was in charge, and was pleased when she nearly melted in his arms.
Before she knew what was happening, she was on the bed with Lucius delicately removing her clothes. She saw him grimace as he saw the scars the on her otherwise smooth skin.
He kissed the scars softly. "You really should take better care of yourself," he whispered. He trailed his kisses further down her stomach. One thing he had learned over the years was the importance of pleasing his partner. He would make her remember what it was like to be his mistress.
As he drove her to frenzy, she bucked her hips and laced her fingers in his hair. Release was coming soon, but then Lucius pulled away. "Please," she begged.
"Please, what?" he asked smoothly as he slowly unbuttoned his waistcoat.
She got up on her knees and began frantically working on his buttons. "Take me," she pleaded. She had to have him; it felt as though she couldn't live without him. Her body was on fire and she was in pain, having been left on the verge of ecstasy.
He gently pushed her back onto the bed and slipped out of his trousers. "You want me?" He wasn't ashamed to have her feed his ego.
She writhed beneath him as he continued to tease her. "Yes," she replied desperately. As he finally obliged, she moaned in relief, knowing that Lucius liked her to be vocal.
Well aware of the power he had over her, he thrust slowly, holding her on the edge of release, relishing her moans of desire and pleas for him to take her.
"Lucius, please," she moaned. "I'm so close it hurts. Take me. I want you! I need you!" She was nearly crying and had her hands on his buttocks trying to encourage him to move faster and take her deeper.
"You need me?" he asked as he rotated his hips.
"Yes, yes," she panted in reply.
He thoroughly enjoyed the pained look on her face. "You want this?"
"Oh, gods, yes!" she moaned. She was so very close.
He continued to tease her for several more minutes until his own release was imminent. He then did as she had asked. It didn't take long for both of them to climax. He was incredibly pleased when she screamed his name in ecstasy. "Is that what you wanted?" he whispered as he showered her with kisses.
Her mind still clouded in the aftermath of her orgasm, she replied, "Yes. That was wonderful."
"Of course it was," he replied confidently. "No one knows you like I do." He pulled away from her and began to dress. "You see? We can make this arrangement work. After all, if Edgar didn't stand in our way, why should your job at the Ministry? And I'm pleased that you missed it as much as I did. You will forgive me for having to leave, won't you? Sadly, I do have other obligations." He flashed his charming smile at her.
"I understand." At that moment, she didn't care. What she had experienced was utter bliss.
Wendy walked out of Lucius' suite trying to determine how she had let the situation get so out of hand. She had never intended to actually do anything with Lucius, only to see if he was receptive to her friendship. Well, he had been receptive, and for more than just friendship. Running her fingers through her hair, she tried to determine what to do about this situation. She knew that Remus would feel betrayed, and rightly so.
I'll talk to him about this, let him know what Lucius has offered me, and how it could be exactly what the Order is looking for. With Umbridge at Hogwarts, Severus isn't as useful as he once was. I'll tell him that this would be nothing more than me using Lucius to get vital information. Yes, this will work quite nicely. He'll see the reason behind this. There's no reason for him to know that I have already made the arrangement with Lucius. He may not like it, but surely he will see the logic behind it.
Of course, I'm still not sure how it all happened. I know how charming he can be, and I've been able to say no to him before. Did he drug me? Was it in the drink? No, it couldn't have been. I didn't have more than a sip. She was still perplexed at how quickly she had lost control of her faculties. Her Auror training should have provided her some protection, even against coercive drugs.
Feeling more confident that she could work her way out of this predicament, she Disapparated.
Remus was in the library, waiting for Wendy to come home, having finished his work for the Order. He was used to her coming home late, and she had more than enough books in her library to occupy his time. Over the music, he thought he heard the crack of Apparition. When he didn't see Wendy, he put his book down and headed out to the foyer. "Wendy?" He thought he heard a door close and made his way upstairs.
As he neared their bedroom, he saw the door was indeed closed, as was the bathroom door. It wasn't like her to not let him know she was home. He crossed the room to the bathroom door and was about to grab the knob when the door opened.
"Remus, I didn't know you were home," she said in a surprised tone. She had, of course, suspected he was home, which was why she had hurried upstairs. She was positive her clothes reeked of Lucius' cologne, and she would rather not answer those questions right now.
"Are you all right?" he asked, his voice full of concern.
"Why do you ask?" She tried to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"You don't normally change when you come home," he observed.
"I know. It was a particularly messy day. How was your day?" She hoped that by deflecting his attention she could avoid any unpleasantness for a little while longer.
"I think I'm making some progress with Albert, but he's to be discharged tomorrow. They don't want a werewolf at St. Mungo's during the full moon if they can avoid it, and there's really no reason for them to keep him there. I was thinking that perhaps I would spend the full moon with him, that my presence would provide him with some comfort during his first transformation."
She wrapped her arms around him, not wanting to look into his eyes. "That sounds like a marvelous thing to do. Where will you go?"
"I have a cave, well isolated, that I have used in the past. But, since both of us have taken our potions, it shouldn't matter. I truly hate this time of the month. I hate leaving you." He returned her embrace. While standing this close to her, he smelled something different, but he wasn't sure what it was. Surely, it was just a residue of whatever had made the mess that had lead her to shower and change.
"I'm not fond of it either. It's all right, I suspect work is going to busy this week. So many people like to start the New Year off the wrong way. George has already hinted that the hours are going to get longer. I guess there's a new series of raids they are planning, so I'll be busy in your absence." She knew she had to bring up her arrangement with Lucius, but there just was no good time to bring up that sort of thing. Especially since there was a chance that Lucius would come by her house; there was no reason for her to turn him away since she ostensibly lived alone. There had to be a way to make Remus understand this was purely a business arrangement, for the good of the Order. Since he was going away for the full moon, she had a few more days to figure out how best to explain it.
"Why don't we head down to dinner?" she asked.
"Sounds like an excellent idea."
They enjoyed a pleasant dinner, but Remus still had the unmistakable feeling that she was hiding something from him. "Is something bothering you?" he asked.
"What? Oh, no, I'm just distracted by work. Sorry. I'm not trying to ruin dinner," she said apologetically.
He smiled at her. "You haven't ruined dinner, I was just wondering what, other than me, had your mind so occupied." He rubbed his leg against hers under the table.
"I would much rather be thinking of you." She reached over and took hold of his hand. I should tell him, but I can't send him away for the full moon distressed. Let me have one more night of happiness with him.
He still had the feeling she was hiding something, but it was possible that it was work related. He knew that she could not talk about much of what she did as an Auror. "I thought that perhaps you might like to retire upstairs early tonight? Nothing interesting arrived in the post today."
Knowing how he was the night before full moon, she thought this was exactly what she needed to keep her mind off her problems. "That sounds like a wonderful idea," she replied.
Wendy arrived at work and found a memo designating her as part of the raid teams. They were meeting at nine o'clock to hand out assignments with raids scheduled to start after lunch. This was definitely going to be a long day. She quickly sorted through the rest of the paperwork that had materialized since yesterday afternoon. There were several silly new policies, but that seemed to be the new hallmark of Fudge's reign. Clearly, the idiocy at Hogwarts was contagious. She was waiting for they day they started regulating the color of a person's socks. There was really nothing pressing that she had to do before the meeting.
She decided to walk around the cubicles and see what gossip she could pick up. She was walking by Kingsley's desk when he stopped her. "Oi, Wendy, I see you've been volunteered." He held up a memo.
"Yeah, thrilling, isn't it?" she replied sarcastically. "Though it's been a while since we've done this, and I've gotten out of the last three or four so I shouldn't complain."
"Yeah, I've noticed that. How do you manage that?" he asked suspiciously.
She shrugged. "Good luck, I guess. It's about that time, ready?"
"Yeah," he replied reluctantly.
The room was noisy with the twenty or so Aurors all involved in conversations or demonstrating hexing techniques. George Stroud entered the room and just barely deflected a hex. "All right, settle down." He waited for order to resume. "Now then, you lot are the lucky few running this round of raids. I know it's been a while. We'll draw lots. All of you have your team assignments, and I'll ask the senior member of each team to come up and draw."
"Who did you get?" Kingsley asked quietly.
"Caleb Thomas. This ought to be fun, I think it's his first raid," she whispered sarcastically.
"Could be worse," he whispered back, "I've got Tonks."
"I thought she had a lifetime ban from raids?" Wendy asked.
"So did I. I guess they forgot. I can only hope I don't get a house with a lot of breakables." The last time Tonks had been on a raid, he had been teamed with her and it had been quite the disaster. She had to be the clumsiest person anyone had met.
It was Wendy's turn to draw from the hat. She opened the slip of paper and thought fate must be conspiring against her. Malfoy was the name on her slip of paper. She sat back down and stared at it in shock. There went her plan for avoiding him until she could talk to Remus.
Kingsley took his seat and sighed. "Gilbreath. I can see those suits of armor going down now. You want to place a bet on how many?" When she didn't answer he leaned over and looked at her slip of paper. "Malfoy, huh? Good luck. He's an unpleasant bastard. I had him about two years ago. You went to school with him, didn't you?"
"Yeah, he was quite a few years ahead of me, though." She really wanted to downplay any association she had with Lucius.
"I don't envy you. You might want to prepare Caleb. Old Lucius might make him piss himself." He chuckled softly at the thought.
Wendy couldn't help but laugh at that mental image. "Well, I guess I'd ought to brief him. Good luck at the Gilbreath place. Keep Tonks out of the trophy room, though."
"Thomas, come on," she called out. Caleb Thomas had only just recently finished his training. He was eager, but still very inexperienced and prone to intimidation. She knew he was following her out of the room like a puppy. On her way out, she grabbed the floor plan for the Malfoy manor. "Okay, Caleb, I need you to familiarize yourself with the floor plan. Most of our searching will be in the first floor rooms and cellar. It's not likely that anything would be hidden in one of the guest rooms. There's too great a chance that a nosy guest would stumble upon something. You know how to search for hidden chambers?"
"Yes, Miss Westin," he replied nervously.
"Let's go over this again, at work we all go by first names, out in the field it's last names. Remember?" she lectured.
"Yes, Mi…, er, Wendy."
She had always hated working with rookies. They were too easily intimidated. "Excellent. I'm going for tea and we'll talk about a plan of attack when I get back." She also needed time to think. She was almost positive that Lucius had things in that house that he wasn't supposed to have. If they found them, it would ruin any chance she had of remaining in his good graces. Conversely, keeping him out of trouble, would earn his trust. The best thing she had going for her was Caleb's inexperience. If only she knew where the hidden chambers were. She would have to make her best guess and send Caleb to the places where there was not likely anything incriminating. That would probably be the library, study and cellar. Those were the obvious places to hide something, which meant that Lucius would not use them. He much preferred to hide something under a person's nose.
Once she returned to her desk, she started to brief Caleb on the plan. By the time the Aurors met again in the conference room at eleven-thirty, she thought he was as ready as he was going to get.
George took a quick head count. "Okay, are there any questions? Everyone has a warrant, right? All right then, report back to me when you're done."
"Good luck, Kingsley," Wendy said.
"You, too," he called back.
"Let's go, Caleb," she ordered.
A/N: I know, she did. Oh, that dark and twisted path. I'm sure you are all imaging what Remus' reaction to to her behavior will be. I hope to have the next chapter up in a couple of days, possibly tomorrow. We'll see how busy I am.