The Eye Of The Gazer
Chapter 22
Jane Currer took a deep breath and entered Lucius Malfoy's study. He was seated in his accustomed place by the fire, lit against the evening chill now the nights were drawing in. A bottle and a glass of Glen Foy single malt were on a small table within easy reach. As he saw Jane come in, Lucius stood, initially the reflex action of a gentleman accustomed to rising when a lady enters the room, but then he remained standing, looking at her; she blushed.
"Come in, Jane, sit down," he gestured to the seat opposite him. Not knowing what else to do, she obeyed. She looked into the fire, she looked at the floor: she could not meet those searching grey eyes, or bear to look at that well loved imperfect face.
"Would you like a drink? I have whisky here, but if you prefer something else, I will ring for a house elf. A glass of wine? Tea? Coffee? Or perhaps a hot toddy?"
"Er – a hot toddy would be very welcome, thank you." Jane's nervousness was making her feel cold, she thought the combination of a hot drink and alcohol would warm her and perhaps steady her nerves.
Lucius did not ring for a house elf: he had the honey, cinnamon and cloves ready to hand in a wall cupboard, and a jug of Malfoy spring water on the table beside the whisky bottle. He measured out the ingredients with practised ease, and used his wand to heat the mixture in a silver jug. He added the whisky, applied his wand once more, and tasted a spoonful of the toddy himself to check the flavour and temperature. Then he poured the result through a strainer into a goblet, which he handed to Jane with a smile and a flourish. Jane had almost forgotten to be nervous as she watched Lucius preparing her drink, and she smiled back at him instinctively. She took a sip, inhaling the aromatic fumes, and felt the alcohol burn her throat as she swallowed. A warm feeling spread through her, and she nodded her appreciation. "It's very good," she said, "Just right for an autumn evening." She set the goblet down on the table beside her chair, for the drink was still too hot to cradle in her hands, and immediately began to feel nervous again.
"Jane, why are you afraid of me tonight?" asked Lucius quietly, retaking his seat, "We know each other well enough by now. Have I ever done anything to make you frightened?" He waited patiently, but clearly he expected an answer.
"I am not really afraid of you, Sir," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "I think I'm afraid of my own reaction when I'm with you. You see, I know I have lost you and that I should forget what happened between us, but I can't. I know it's wrong of me, but I wanted it to happen again." Jane looked up at Lucius through her lashes, fearful of his reaction. Would he laugh at her; he the Man of the World, she the governess with no experience of men? But no, he looked back at her seriously, a slight frown between his eyes.
"Jane," he said. "I have always tried to be truthful with you. Believe me when I say, if you want it to happen again, it can. This very night, should you wish it."
Jane looked at Lucius in astonishment. "But what about Miss Chang?" she cried incredulously, "You told me you had promised her you would try to be faithful to her. Is this what your word means?"
Lucius replied smoothly, "That was before we split up. We are not yet fully reconciled, and I have made her no such promise since our parting. Cho and I are not married, nor do we live in the same house. At present, I am free to entertain any female I choose, although circumstances dictate that there are no others. You are lodging here at the Manor, and Cho even knows you are here. You may sleep alone, or you may share my bed. I know which I would like, and you have just confessed that you would like the same."
During this speech, Lucius had stood and come over to Jane, kneeling at her feet. He placed the hot toddy back in her hands: "Drink, before it goes cold," he urged, sitting back on his heels. She did as she was bid, playing for time. She felt the unaccustomed alcohol rush to her head, and wondered idly how much whisky Lucius had put in it. When she placed the empty goblet back on the table, she suddenly found Lucius' lips on hers, and his arms around her. Her head in a whirl, she abandoned herself to the pleasure of his touch, and responded willingly when his tongue touched hers. A small voice in the back of her mind told her that she should stop, but her body told her she did not want to.
Jane had not been alone with Lucius since the last night she had come to him. After she had heard Lucius and Cho together on that fateful night following Bryony's recovery, she had tried to ensure that she did not meet him unless absolutely necessary. This had not been difficult to achieve, for she had been sure to leave Lucius and Bryony alone together when he came to Gildenford Hall in the daytime to visit his daughter; and she did not encounter him at all when he spent the nights there in Cho's bed. But now Cho had paid an unexpected visit to Tokyo to see her Japanese friend Mariko, who had worked for Cho's Chic for a while some years ago. Mariko had been injured in a magical accident, and Cho had gone to her, combining the trip with a visit to a manufacturer of exclusive embroidered kimonos; for she now had a wealthy customer who wished to stun her acquaintances at the Yuletide celebrations.
As before, Bryony was sent to stay with her father, and Jane had been asked to accompany her so that the child could continue her lessons. This evening, Jane had lingered over tucking an exhausted Bryony into bed, even though Nanny had insisted that it was her job, and Miss Jane should leave it to her and relax. But Jane had been avoiding the moment when she would finally be alone with Lucius, without the presence of Bryony to deflect her father's attention away from her governess.
When Lucius finally drew away from Jane, she felt unable to move away or protest. Her head was swimming, both from the whisky and the embrace. Lucius was very close, looking slightly fuzzy, as her eyes would not focus properly. He was still holding her, and she felt warm and safe here in his arms.
"Oh, Jane, I think you are a little drunk my dear," said Lucius. "Well, maybe that is no bad thing, you seem much more relaxed now. But I know that generally you drink only in moderation, and perhaps I overdid the whisky a little. But never let it be said that I took advantage of a female while she was under the influence. I think you will need help getting up the stairs, but you shall choose which room I take you to - or indeed, it has occurred to me that there is a third choice. So what will you: your celibate governess's bed, my spacious, warm and very welcoming bed; or shall we stay here and make love on the hearth rug before the fire?"
Jane's eyes flashed open at this last question. Lucius raised a quizzical eyebrow in response. "Ah, you like that suggestion? Or at any rate it interests you? I have a rug stored in here that is perfect for making love. It is the softest fur, and feels wonderful against your naked skin. You would be caressed both from above and below. You are worried about intruders? The house elves know better than to disturb me if I have female company. It may have been a long time since they needed to remember that, but they were well trained over many years."
"But – your son? And Mademoiselle Delacour?" Jane managed to say; for the thought of Lucius making love to her here and now had made her feel very flustered indeed, as desire fought with that niggling little voice. Then she had remembered that Lucius was not alone at Malfoy Manor anymore. Might not Draco wish to speak to his father, and so disturb them if they remained here? She had no wish to relive the look Lucius' son had given her that night outside the bathroom door.
Lucius pulled a rueful face. "You are quite right, Jane. They are out together visiting friends at the moment, it is entirely possible we may be interrupted when they return. In that case, we shall take the rug upstairs with us. Draco is not permitted to disturb me in my bedroom unless there is a dire emergency. Come, my dear, stand up." So saying, Lucius stood himself, and helped Jane to her feet. "Wait there a moment."
Lucius crossed over to a large chest against the wall, opened it, took out what Jane assumed must be a rolled rug, and tucked it under his arm; then he returned to her, picking up his cane on the way, and put his free arm about her. Before she was aware of what was happening, she found Lucius had apparated them both into his bedroom. Jane suddenly began to feel a slight sense of panic: things were happening much too fast.
But her companion seemed to sense her fear. Once he had set down the rug and his cane, he ignored them both and turned to her. "Remember, Jane, I said we would only do this if it is what you want. Say the word if you want me to take you to your own room. Now, sit down on the sofa and think it over. I will not touch you again until you tell me what you want to do."
As good as his word, Lucius left Jane alone on the sofa before the cheerful fire, lit earlier by a house elf, and he began to turn up slightly each of the lamps that had been glowing faintly when they arrived. The room became bathed in a golden glow, and Lucius' hair shone brightly as he moved about the room. He turned back the covers on his bed, inserting a warming pan that he heated with a flick of his wand, and then he shook out the rug. It was fashioned from silver-grey pelts that gleamed in the light. Lucius laid the rug in front of the hearth, smoothing it out caressingly with his hands. Jane watched him, imagining those long fingers stroking her in the same way, and she felt an answering twinge in her groin, and a dampness between her legs.
Lucius then removed the long, stylish coat he was wearing, and came to stand between Jane and the fire. With the light behind him, his hair shone like a halo around his head. Jane could not see his expression properly in the semi-darkness, and she was also distracted by the fact that Lucius was standing and she was sitting, so that her eyes were drawn instead to the very obvious bulge in his breeches. Lucius began very slowly to unbutton his shirt, and the hairs on his chest caught the lamplight as he did so. He captivated her, she could not look away. As more of his torso became visible, he gradually moved closer towards her. Part of her brain told her to leave, for Lucius knew exactly the effect he was having on her: he was determined to have her as he had had so many others; the other part of her was mesmerised by his performance, and desperately wanted him to make love to her, and damn the consequences. Her vulva ached for him, and she longed for him to suckle her nipples.
This Lucius was completely different from either previous occasion: this man was blatantly seducing her, and challenging her to refuse him. He pulled his open shirt out of his breeches, and stood with his hands on his hips before her, with his groin mere inches from her face. He shook his hair like a lion, and posed for her, a magnificent male specimen, all his confidence returned, his scars no longer important, an air of danger about him. He spoke:
"Jane, you have had time to think, and now you must decide. Stay or go? If you need assistance, I will escort you to the guest room, and I shall not attempt to remain there with you.
"But this time, Jane, if you stay, I shall not allow you to change your mind later. If you stay, we make love; and if you protest, I shall ignore you and have you anyway. You are no trembling virgin now, and I shall treat you as I would any other woman."
Jane looked up at Lucius, and knew that she did not have the willpower to refuse him, especially as this might be one of her last chances to be so close to him. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was so dry the words would not come out. It was in a hoarse whisper that she said, "I want to stay, please." In response, she received a triumphant smirk that softened the grey eyes that had been almost cruel as he had issued her the ultimatum. He stepped even closer, and taking her small hands in his larger ones, he placed her right hand on his chest. Those eyes urged her to react, and she stroked him, enjoying the almost furry feeling of the hairs under her fingers as she traced his muscles. Her fingertips caught his nipple, and as she saw him react, it occurred to her that he too might enjoy what she had found pleasurable. She circled the nipple with her finger, and saw it contract in response. Watching Lucius' eyes, she played gently with it, then pulled him towards her and kissed it just as he had kissed hers. He pulled her head towards him with both hands as she licked the small erect nipple with her tongue.
So close to Lucius, Jane was profoundly aware of his bulging groin pressing against her. Tentatively, she laid a hand on it, feeling his warmth through the cloth. Immediately, Lucius enclosed her hand in his, and moved it up and down over his imprisoned manhood. He removed his hand, and Jane realised that he was unbuttoning his breeches. As Lucius opened the front of his trousers, freeing his erection from the confines of his clothing, he closed Jane's hand on his swollen shaft, and sighed with bliss as she massaged him with cool fingers.
Jane was not sure what was required of her, but was taken aback at what happened next. Suddenly Lucius moved, and she found herself with one of his hands holding her head firmly, and with his manhood in front of her face. "Open wide, Jane," murmured Lucius, and he thrust his penis into her mouth. "A little wider, my dear, please! No biting!" he chided her, as he pushed himself in so far that she felt she would choke, and began to move himself backwards and forwards. Jane was shocked, and her eyes filled with tears. This was not what she had expected at all. This Lucius was completely different from the man who had taken her virginity on that wonderful night, and then made love to her again on her subsequent visit. On those two occasions, he had been gentle and considerate. Now he was treating her like a whore.
Or was he? On that second occasion, she remembered Lucius kissing her body: he had worked his way down slowly after spending a long time on her breasts, first kissing her belly, then the mound of her pubic hair, followed by her inner thighs, and finally he had reached the area between her legs: he had licked her labia, thrust his tongue into her vagina, and lastly licked her clitoris, tonguing her to a frenzied climax. When he had first placed his mouth on her most intimate parts she had been so shocked she had been speechless: she had never imagined that a man would ever do such a thing. But the resulting orgasm had been wonderful, and she wished she had had the courage to ask Lucius to do it again.
Now she told herself, if she had enjoyed that way of making love, then it was obvious that Lucius was enjoying the same thing. It was only fair that she should return him the favour. He had said that he was going to treat her like any other woman. No doubt many other women had gladly done this for him. With her mouth full, she could not of course speak, but she thought she could now pluck up the courage afterwards to ask Lucius to lick her to a climax once more. Jane again became aware of the demanding ache in her groin, and began to apply herself diligently to the current task. She slid Lucius' breeches down further, and clutched his buttocks tightly in her hands. She matched her strokes to his as Lucius thrust himself in and out of her mouth, using her tongue to tease his sensitive glans. What had at first seemed like something merely to be endured began to be more enjoyable: she loved being able to squeeze Lucius' beautiful behind, and she began to like his warm, firm shaft in her mouth, the smell of him up so close, and the feeling of power it gave her to have her lover in what was in fact a very vulnerable position. She discovered that to give pleasure to a loved one was in itself pleasurable. She became aware of Lucius' movements becoming more urgent, and his breathing becoming ragged. He suddenly stopped moving for an instant, followed by a strangled cry, and his groin thrusts became entirely involuntary as Jane felt him empty his salty seed into her mouth. She forced herself not to pull a face as she swallowed, hugging Lucius to her. She felt slightly pleased with herself at having done for him what he had once done for her. As his erection softened, she removed him from her mouth and smiled up at him. Lucius' eyes were closed, but now they opened and he smiled back as smugly as the cat who stole the cream.
"Lucius," began Jane tentatively, "Er – Lucius, please would you now do the same for me?" Her face was now scarlet. He stroked her hair, and caressed the side of her head around her ear. "Of course, sweet Jane," he replied, "Especially as the main method of satisfying you is now temporarily out of action!" Lucius deftly removed his boots and breeches, and sat beside Jane.
"So," he said, "Now it is my turn to pleasure you. Sit forward, my dear, so I can reach the fastenings of those exceedingly unflattering robes you insist on wearing."
Jane obeyed, trembling slightly. Lucius kissed the nape of her neck, and she moved her head to allow him to reach the sensitive hollow between her neck and shoulder. He nuzzled her earlobe, and tendrils of pleasure seemed to shoot towards her vagina. Meanwhile, Lucius unfastened the back of Jane's severe blue robes. She felt a moment's regret that she had not dared to anticipate this event, and so was wearing her everyday practical underwear. However, Lucius had no sooner undone Jane's dress than he also slipped open the hooks of her bra. He made no comment, but contrived to slip both robes and bra off Jane's shoulders, setting the bra aside, so that she now sat naked to the waist. His hands slid around her to cup her breasts from behind, and he kissed her neck and shoulders once more. He pinched her nipples between finger and thumb almost cruelly, so that she could not decide whether this was pleasure or pain. He nibbled her ear, and nipped her shoulder, again on the borderline between hurting and caressing her.
Keeping one hand on her breast, and still intermittently pinching her now fully erect nipple, with his other hand Lucius took down her hair, meticulously searching for every last hairpin that had imprisoned her long mane in a severe bun at the nape of her neck. Lastly he freed her hair from its securing band, and spread her soft brown tresses over her shoulders, stroking it as he did so. In her current state of heightened awareness, Jane's own hair against her skin felt very sensuous, especially when she realised that some of the hair was Lucius' as he whispered in her ear, "You do have pretty hair, Jane. I like to unwrap you from your governess uniform, and see the real you inside: your body revealed just for me to admire and pleasure. Although it would be nice to see you present yourself daily in a more flattering way. I believe I asked you this before, but Jane is such a stubborn little witch, she will do as she chooses, and not as Lucius requests." As he said this he squeezed both nipples very hard and nipped her ear. Jane gave a small cry of pain, but he ignored her. She guessed this was Lucius punishing her for disobeying him.
Lucius then told Jane to stand up, and swiftly he removed her robes. He unrolled her stockings, stroking her legs lingeringly with his long fingers, deliberately touching her inner thighs, and finally he slid down her unglamorous briefs, so that when she stepped out of them, she stood completely naked before him. He cupped her buttocks, and nipped her nipples with his teeth, forcing her to gasp out loud. Lucius then stood, his hands still supporting her buttocks, so that he lifted her up, for she was so much shorter than him. Instinctively, Jane wrapped her legs around Lucius as he carried her to the fur rug. He laid her upon it, and it was as he had said: the feel of the soft furs against her naked back and legs was so sensuous. Lucius knelt beside her. He kissed, nipped and pinched her with his mouth and hands, followed by gentle stroking, and then almost brutal kisses where her mouth felt bruised and his busy tongue was everywhere in her mouth, until Jane was desperate for him. She finally moaned, "Please, Lucius, don't make me wait any longer."
She did not expect his response: he roughly thrust two fingers deep inside her without warning. Once more, there was the pleasure/pain dichotomy, where she felt he had hurt her but she did not want him to stop. He looked into her startled eyes, and she almost felt afraid at what she saw, for his grey orbs were hard and his lips were curled in a snarl. Then he dipped his head between her legs and his mouth closed on her. His fingers still inside her, he ran his teeth over her swollen clitoris. This was such a shock that she cried out. Lucius raised his head, and looked at her, his expression still almost evil.
"You see, my dear, nothing is simple. What hurts may also give more pleasure. I can see, you can't decide if you like that or not, can you? Well tonight you have learned a new lesson: Lucius Malfoy likes to explore the boundaries between pain and pleasure; to see how far each woman will allow him to go before refusing him; to find her personal balance between hurt and ecstasy. Let me guess: your first reaction was pain, but there was also something else that makes you curious. You want more: I am right am I not?"
Lucius then explored her intimate parts thoroughly with his lips and tongue, occasionally running his teeth or fingernail over her so that she whimpered; but he ignored her and continued this wonderful, agonising attention to her sexual parts. He waited until she was almost mad with longing, then concentrated himself at precisely the right spot, so that she came at last, finding his touch almost unbearable, for she was so sensitive; but unable to stop herself from pushing her clitoris into his mouth for more. She realised she had screamed loudly at the moment of orgasm, and she continued to moan softly as the waves of ecstasy washed over her. Jane began to feel she could not stand Lucius touching her anymore, and tried to draw away, but he would not release her, and continued to flick his tongue over the tip of her clitoris. She felt the pressure building up in her once more, and abandoned herself to him: he knew what her body wanted better than she did, and she tensed her muscles against that busy tongue, and cried out as she climaxed once again.
Lucius lifted his head and looked at her. She saw him through half-closed lashes soaked with sweat and tears. "Again?" he asked, leering, and putting out his tongue at her in a very suggestive manner, "Or has Miss Currer had quite enough multiple orgasms for today?" She drew in her breath to reply, but he did not wait for an answer, and began to lick her again. This time, the pain was more, and she cried out with it, but he ignored her and she realised he was right, for she could feel yet another climax building. If she made herself think of the pleasure, the pain became bearable. As she peaked, and shook for a third time, she began to feel a little afraid, for she was sure that she could not stand any more, yet Lucius seemed to be in no mood to be dissuaded.
"Please Lucius, no more," she cried desperately, while she still shuddered intermittently from her last orgasm.
"As the lady commands," he replied smoothly, and lay on his side beside her on the fur rug, cupping one of her breasts in his hand. He pinched her nipple again, and she flinched. "Please, Lucius, stop now," she pleaded.
Lucius propped himself up on one arm, and looked down at Jane. "I think you will sleep well tonight, Jane," he observed. "Come, let me put you to bed before you fall asleep here." He knelt, lifted her up and carried her to the bed, where he moved the warming pan aside with a brief spell as he laid Jane down, and pulled the covers up over her. Jane indeed felt waves of sleep washing over her, but before she abandoned herself to the arms of Morpheus, she had to ask Lucius something:
"Lucius, would you have stopped before you did, if I had insisted?"
"But you did not insist, did you? You did not ask me to stop at all, so I did not. I could tell you wanted me to carry on, so I did. You enjoyed it didn't you?"
"But you hurt me."
"No, I did not really hurt you. Listen to your body. It knew what it wanted."
"But before, you said I could tell you to stop at anytime."
"This time I told you in advance I would not stop, so if you did not trust me, you should have left then. Jane, let us be clear. Tonight I showed you a little of the interaction between pleasure and pain. It made you afraid, both of me and of your own reaction. But there was nothing to fear. If I had really hurt you, I would have known it. When I finally stopped, it was because I knew you were right, that to continue would be too much for you. You dared to trust me. Did I betray your trust? Here you lie, completely sexually satiated, your groin throbbing still from the memory. Go to sleep. You can always trust me."
Knowing that what he had said was true, that so far Lucius had never lied to her, Jane finally allowed herself to fall asleep with that well loved face smiling at her in the golden lamplight, her body tingling from his magical touch.
Lucius watched her awhile, then he walked around the room turning out the lamps, and banked the fire with a flick of his wand. He slipped off his shirt, removed the cooling warming pan, and slid into bed beside Jane. He lay in the firelight staring at the ceiling, wondering slightly at what he had just done. He had not intended to expose any of his darker side to Jane so soon, for here was a young woman with no sexual experience save what he had himself given her; but he had felt possessed, as if a demon in his ear were encouraging him to do his worst. In the end, the experiment had been successful, but Lucius still felt it had been a great risk: why had he done it?
He glanced over at Jane: she was fast asleep, with a smile on her face. Lucius smiled to himself in response, and remembered the old saying that the quiet witches were often the worst. In the past, he had never bothered with quiet witches, so he had never had an opportunity to test this theory; but perhaps there was truth in it after all. This young woman beside him was the archetypal shrinking violet, but under his tutelage she had blossomed, and now she had just allowed him to nip and bite her, responding by opening her legs wider and thrusting her groin into his mouth. Jane Currer had hidden depths, and Lucius promised himself that he would explore them thoroughly. When he had finished with her, there was no way that Jane would settle instead for Neville, the colourless young gardener who looked at her with such longing.
It was only as he drifted into sleep that Lucius felt a twinge of guilt over his lack of fidelity to Cho.
And it was only the next day, as he lay watching the still sleeping Jane, that Lucius realised why he had acted in such a perverse manner to her. He recognised that subconsciously he had been trying to repel her, for he did indeed feel some guilt over making love to Jane now he was once again enjoying the pleasures of Cho's bed. But it had not worked. Jane was both inexperienced and smitten enough to allow Lucius to do as he would with her; more than that, she had enjoyed it, and shown every sign of willingness to repeat the experience.