I remembered my Fanficton account and all of the random ideas I had for The Convention the other day as I was going through old emails. A lot has changed in my life since July of 2010. But I can't let go of this story. Hopefully some of you can't either.

Chapter 11 – Playing with Fire

.::-::.

Getting ready for my date with Collin that night was frustrating, to say the least. All day, I had been consumed by a variety of emotions. Partly, I was confused by my feelings towards James Potter. But I was also angry that I had allowed myself to be confused in the first place. I had been given the chance to begin a fresh, new relationship with a right proper man – someone I hadn't watched hit puberty or raid through the knickers in my school trunk on the train two years ago. I had too many negative ideas about James in my head. I was trying to convince myself that any man, even if it wasn't Collin, would be healthier for me than Potter.

It isn't easy, however, to pretend not to have feelings towards someone when you clearly do. It made me positively sick to my stomach, but I did realize I cared for James more than I had originally planned. There was a fondness there I couldn't hide from myself, even him. Every time he looked at me that day, I could feel the desperation in his eyes. He just wanted me to try, to give him a chance to prove to me we could make it work. But I couldn't give in. I had a date with Collin, and I was determined to have a good time.

James left me alone to get ready. We hadn't spoken since we left the convention center. The whole walk back had been incredibly quiet and awkward, to the point where I wanted to scream just so I knew I still existed. When we got to our room, he'd slammed the door behind us and flopped down on the couch, taking off his glasses and closing his eyes. I took that as a cue to lock myself in the bedroom and have a nap...or at least try to have one. I was too caught up in my thoughts to actually get any sleep. After a few hours of restlessness, I decided to get up and prepare for my date.

He rang the door at five past seven. I wore the best outfit I could find – a fairly short black cocktail dress I had thrown in at the last minute. It hung around my hips almost perfectly and it was one of the only outfits I had ever felt truly sexy in. I wore my hair up, trying to accentuate my neckline and keep my cleavage exposed. I didn't want to whore it up too much, but I needed to look good or else I was afraid he wouldn't ask me for another date. Then I'd have no excuse not to give Potter a chance. I had just finished slipping on my heels when James yelled from the other room, "Lils! He's here…." I quickly patted a bit more powder on my nose and took a deep breath before grabbing my clutch and walking out of the bedroom.

James was standing on the step at the entrance to our room, holding the door open as Collin stepped over the threshold. They both looked at me and for a moment I thought I was going to be sick. Both of them were so incredibly handsome that I second-guessed what I was doing. Did I really want to deny James? Obviously not, but the temptation of a new and exciting relationship budding with Collin currently outweighed everything else.

James had always worn sadness well. He had a worse time of hiding the anger building up in him, however. I scurried over to the door before he could start anything with Collin. He looked ready to pounce.

"When will you be back, Lily?" James peered at me over his glasses, trying to be nonchalant but failing miserably. His fists were clenched.

"I don't know, James. We are just going to—"

"Don't wait up for her," Collin interjected. "If she enjoys dancing as much as I think she does, we will be out for quite a while."

"She doesn't like dancing," James retorted quickly.

"James, stop it," I turned to Collin. "We'd better be going."

"Of course," he said, smiling. He held out his arm and I took it, not bothering to look back at James as we stepped out into the hallway. I heard the heavy click of the lock behind us and felt a tightness in my stomach. I looked up at Collin and faked a smile.

.::-::.

After about five minutes walking with Collin, I had already begun to forget all of my worries regarding James. Collin was very articulate, outgoing, and charismatic. On top of all that, he seemed completely interested in everything I had to say. He asked me questions about my family, school, and the convention. Then he brought up James and I felt my heart drop.

"So what is it with that boy you're staying with?"

"You mean James? He was chosen to attend like I was. I was supposed to have my own room but they got the hotel reservations mixed up; we ended up having to share a suite. Quite tragic, really."

"No, but I mean …well, he fancies you," Collin said, raising his eyebrows at me as we walked side-by-side to our dinner destination, of which I had no idea the location. I felt my face flush.

"Yes, he does. He's fancied me since 3rd year…at least that I know of."

Collin whistled. "Wow that is quite a long time. But you don't have any feelings for him." It wasn't a question. I paused for a moment, a bit taken aback.

"Right. Yes, that's right. I don't," I said nervously, tucking a loose hair behind my ear and hoping he wouldn't pick up on my uncertainty. "Where are we going for dinner? I'm starved."

"Oh, just a little restaurant not too far from here. They have a live band playing tonight and I really wanted to see how you were on the dance floor," he laughed. "Was James right? You don't like to dance?"

"Well, he was sort of right…I'm not a huge fan. But I'm willing to try for you," I said, giving him a half-hearted smile. To be honest, I dreaded the idea. I wasn't exactly graceful.

"Well Miss Evans, I'm sure you're light on your feet. You just need someone to lead you is all."

Then he smirked and gave me this look that made my head cloudy and my stomach flutter. I could tell it was going to be a good night.

.::-::.

As we continued to walk towards the mystery restaurant, things around us started looking more and more familiar. We were practically walking the same route that James and I took to the convention center every morning. It wasn't till we got to the block the restaurant was on that it hit me- Collin was taking me to the same jazz club James and I had visited only the night before. We walked in and were seated only a few tables from where I had sat awkwardly, staring off into the distance as James had conversed with his long-lost friend, Lindsay. I ordered the same thing off the menu and watched as Collin expertly ordered me a pomegranate martini. I didn't tell him that I hated pomegranate. It's the thought that counts, right?

We talked and talked…and talked. All the way through our meal we discussed his new job, books, anything we could think of. I had just finished my third martini when he asked me out onto the dance floor. I should have been apprehensive, but I had three drinks in me and was starting to feel more than a bit tipsy. I was looking at the world through rose-colored glasses as we stood up and walked towards the stage. All eyes in the lounge were on me but I didn't care. Collin's burned more fiercely into me than all of theirs' combined. He casually looked me up and down, smiled, then grabbed me by the waist and pulled my body tightly against his. I'm not sure if the heat in my cheeks was from the alcohol or from my giddy excitement. He was commanding and aggressive – in my current state, it was incredibly arousing. All I wanted was for him to sweep me away and make me forget all about James Potter. We moved across the dance floor slowly as he swayed his hips with mine. Soon, he had his lips resting on my neck and I could feel his warm breath against my skin. He was as intoxicating as the martinis. In my garbled mind, one thought stood out clearly – how close we were to each other. The sexual tension was palpable.

I was so overwhelmed by the intense desire I felt for him that I didn't even notice when he tipped my chin up to kiss me. One second, I was smelling his cologne. The next, I was tasting the amaretto from the cocktail he had earlier. I closed my eyes and drank it all in – the feel of his mouth on mine, the sweet smell of his lips, the way his hand touched my lower back. It was intoxicating. It quickly turned hungry – it was not a kiss I had ever experienced before. It almost frightened me. I had so much sexual frustration pent up from my situation with James and it was trying desperately hard to break free.

This was all so new, so sudden. I was practically begging to be bedded by a perfect stranger. It was the kind of erotic fantasy you only read about in romance novels. But this was real, and it was happening to me. It was all too perfect, Collin was too perfect. My head was spinning, my legs felt like jelly, my face was burning and I was ready – ready to give it all up to Collin.

Then I snapped to and pulled away after I realized my fingers were fumbling with his belt. He looked at me, his eyes dark. He tried to kiss me again but I turned my cheek.

"Wow," I sighed. I suddenly got dizzy.

"Wow?" He chuckled.

"Yeah, you're a great kisser." I blushed.

"Then kiss me again," he whispered, turning my chin and laying another one on me. This time, there was tongue. I felt myself tremble. He stopped and leaned in so his lips were at my ear.

"You are quite possibly the most alluring woman I have ever met, Lily Evans." He nibbled at my ear and then pulled away, tearing us apart from one another. The last song of the night was over. The lounge was closing. I had no idea where the time had gone or how long we had been dancing. "We should probably be going now. James will be waiting to make sure I return you home in one piece," he smirked.

"Oh hush, he's not my father," I slurred, swatting him on the arm playfully.

He grabbed my hand and led me out the front door of the club. We walked a lot closer to each other on our way back to my hotel room. He wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him. Part of me wanted to ask him if we could go back to his place but I thought better of it. As much as I wanted to be spontaneous, it would probably be moving too fast.

The rest of it was a haze. As we took the elevator to the third floor, he kissed my neck and slid his hand up my dress. I felt his fingers playing with the edge of my knickers but as quickly as he started, it was over and we were startled by the ringing of the bell, telling us we'd reached my floor. He grabbed me by the waist and led me to room 317. I remember him pushing me against my door, kissing me deeply, and then whispering goodbye…

I don't remember unlocking the door but I do remember falling down onto my bed, not bothering to take off my dress or heels. I remember feeling the covers being pulled over me and a kiss on my cheek. I slept great that night. The next morning was a whole other story.

I can't make any promises when another chapter will be up, but I WILL finish this story.

-Emily B.