Chapter 4: Of Marriage and Men
*.*.*.*.*
Although Lucius was perturbed by Lacey's performance at dinner, he was by no means put off. It took him all of two days to repair his hurt pride, 'climb back on the horse', and find himself sitting once again in the top box, this time at the Exmoor Quidditch Stadium. Fitzhaggus had been only too happy to secure Lucius tickets for the Appleby Arrows v. Harpies match, flattered by Lucius' smooth lies that the Supreme Mugwump had, single-handedly, inspired a new found love in him for Quidditch.
The match had been going on for just over an hour, but already the Arrows were dominating the game, leading with 70 points to Lacey's team's 10, and already their Seeker had twice nearly caught the elusive snitch. Lucius wasn't particularly interested in the game, but the way that Lacey repeatedly flew past the top box, unaware of her new fan, had him quite captivated. He was more determined than ever that she would be his, one way or another, if only for a night.
"And there we have it, ladies and gents," the announcer exclaimed a few seconds short of the 90 minute mark, "Holland for the Arrows has finally caught the snitch, ending this match with 230 points for the Arrows! Good game, Arrows, good game..."
Lucius rose with the other top box spectators and clapped politely, his eyes trained on Lacey, who was sharing a sour look with Weasley and a quick handshake mid-air with the Arrows' lead Chaser, before losing height and finally letting her feet touch solid ground. The Arrows sped round the stadium as the Harpies disappeared inside, and Lucius slipped from the box before the inevitable meet-and-greet.
It didn't take him long to locate the area where the changing rooms were, and he fully intended to wait and intercept Lacey, who had been fastidiously ignoring his owls, on her way out. Growing closer to the dingy inner-part of the stadium, however, Lucius' brow furrowed. Raised voices could be heard from around the corner, and one of them in particular had his attention in an instant.
"I've told you before, Skeeter," a distinct, Irish accent hissed, anger clear in her tone, "I am not fucking Holland, nor did I screw Cotton - just because Holland's from bloody Dublin does not mean that-"
"Now, now, what's all this?" Lucius had moved around the corner towards the voices, and now raised an eyebrow at Lacey and Rita Skeeter in turn, in the manner of aristocratic arrogance that he had so perfected. "I do hope you're not bothering our dear Miss Delaney, Rita?"
Lacey sighed loudly at the sight of Lucius and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at both the infuriating journalist and her infuriating new stalker. "Leave off, Lucius," she told him fiercely, "These are the girl'schanging quarters, you shouldn't even be here."
"Oohh!" Skeeter squealed, her enchanted quill scribbling furiously as she clapped her hands, eyes darting between Lucius and Lacey like Christmas had come early. "What's this then? A Lovers' Quarrel? Delaney and the Death-Eater...No, no, scratch that!" she directed the quill, "Make that: Chasing the Dark Mark: Star Chaser's New Beau."
"You would do well," Lucius snarled at Skeeter, who had summoned a camera and was trying to push Lacey into a shot with Lucius, "to 'scratch' the whole of that dictation."
"How sweet!" Skeeter purred, ignoring him completely, "Lacey's a lucky girl to have you defending her!"
"He's not my beau," Lacey snapped, rounding on Skeeter with a steely glint in her eye.
"Hmph," Skeeter huffed, barely batting an eyelid when Lacey threw a punch at the camera, which had been hovering an inch from her head, "Very well then, I'll report my original findings - so, tell me, Miss Delaney - how will the Arrows' victory today affect your relationship with Holland?"
Lacey looked as if she was about to tackle Skeeter's enchanted notepad to the ground, but before she could, Lucius stepped in once again. "Miss Skeeter," he purred, changing tone, and coming to stand between the two women, "How about an even juicier story?"
"Ooh, do tell," she implored, quill poised beside her. Lucius leant forward and whispered something in her ear as Lacey strained to hear what he was saying. All she could see was Skeeter's reaction - but from the look of horror which quickly swept over her lined face, Lacey guessed that whatever Lucius had said wasn't exactly what the journalist had been hoping for.
Lucius pulled back, and Skeeter straightened up, hastily pocketing her quill and notepad. "Right - well - that being said-" she stuttered, before giving a little squeak and legging it the other way. Lucius and Lacey watched her go as she scurried down the corridor and out of sight, looking every inch the beetle.
"I suppose you're expecting gratitude now, Mr Malfoy," Lacey said, turning to Lucius who watched her with interest and clear admiration. "But, frankly, I'm more interested to know why you're here - didn't you get the message after I ignored not one, not two, but three of your precious owls? I've told you - I'm not interested. And I'm not some damsel-in-distress who needs saving."
Lucius regarded her for a moment, his fingers drumming the head of his cane. "If you must know, Miss Delaney, I see you as anything but a 'damsel-in-distress', as you put it. I merely stepped in to help salvage both our reputations. The Prophet has hardly been a friend to either of us, has it? I expect nothing in return.
"As to why I'm here, I would have thought that much was obvious after the messages I've sent you. I wanted to...clear some things up. I feel that our dinner the other night left too many matters unresolved."
"Go on then," Lacey challenged him, and Lucius couldn't help but admire her fiery courage and slightly aggressive attitude, even after a tiring game and the subsequent confrontation with Rita Skeeter. She hadn't even had a chance to shower yet, and was standing before him in her Harpies uniform, broom under one arm. The look didn't bother Lucius in the slightest.
"You seemed to be under the impression that I am in a serious relationship with 'some little French girl'..." he put on Lacey's accent as he quoted her words from two days ago, but instead of infuriating Lacey, as it should have done, she found herself oddly trying to stifle a smile. "You were mistaken," he continued firmly, "I am not in a relationship with anybody. Mademoiselle Virginia Renwick is living with me, yes, but we are not together. She is the daughter of one of my close business partners, recently graduated from Beauxbatons, and she is staying with me while her parents are still in France. I am not, as you seem to imagine, an ogre, Lacey - I don't make a habit of 'locking up little girls' in my castle." She was still eyeing him suspiciously. "Unless they want me to, of course," he couldn't resist adding as an afterthought, and smirked as her eyes widened. She broke into a grin despite herself and he cocked an eyebrow back at her.
"So when you asked me out to dinner..."
"I hoped to spend a nice evening with a beautiful young woman."
Lacey grinned rather impishly. "Not quite what you got, though..."
"Oh, I don't know, Miss Delaney - it was certainly eventful." She laughed, an addictive sound. "There's always the second date..." Lucius suggested, his eyes darkening as he allowed them to roam her body freely as she looked away, considering his proposition.
"Are you sure you want to take the chance, Mr Malfoy?" she asked sweetly, her eyes shining, clearly enjoying this new type of conversation with him.
"I think I can take it, Lacey," he replied lowly, taking her hand and bending low to kiss the back of it, taking her quite by surprise. When he rose, he turned on his heel. "I'll be in touch," he called over his shoulder, striding down the corridor. Lacey, blinking in shock after him, didn't see the triumphant smirk plastered across his face.
*.*.*.*.*
"Lucius!" Virginia breathed as she heard his footfall outside her bedroom, "Thank heavens you're back-" She had thrown herself at him, clutching at his arms and pulling him into her room. She saw Lucius eyeing the bed behind them and her breasts hungrily, and wished that that was what she had in mind too.
"What's the matter, my dear?" he asked her with fake concern, running a presumptuous hand down her side. The look in his grey eyes soon turned to real worry as he caught a glimpse of Antoinette Renwick through Virginia's window. "Is that your Mother?" he asked, praying that his eyes had deceived him.
Virginia nodded, looking rather frantic. "She just turned up, after you'd left. I was about to go out to meet Cecily and Amelia..."
"And so you put her outside?" Lucius asked, a hint of teasing returning to his voice as he assessed the severity of the situation. Virginia missed the irony and shook her head vehemently.
"No, no - she said she wanted to explore - it was either show her the gardens or let her investigate the bedrooms! Sir, I'm sorry, I didn't know she'd turn up like this!"
Lucius chuckled, pulling Virginia to him and kissing her soundly on the mouth until he felt her relax in his arms. Out of the corner of his eye he could still see her mother, who was waving her wand over various hedgerows, as if they might reveal secrets to her. "I don't mean to sound rude, pet, but do you happen to know when she's planning on leaving? I can think of many uses for the bedrooms, but a place to show your parents is not one of them..."
"I don't know," Virginia answered, turning, too, to watch her mother through the glass. "She said something about dinner. She wants to see you, of course, and I expect my Father will too - he's not here yet, I think Maman left him at their new house to instruct the house-elves while she came ahead..."
"Very well, then," Lucius said decisively, "There's nothing left for it - we shall have to entertain them." He saw Virginia swallow. "Don't look so distraught, my dear - there'll be plenty of time to...utilize the bedrooms after dinner."
Virginia shook her head. "It's not that," she admitted softly. "What if Maman wants me to..." She trailed off. "I don't want to leave here."
Lucius cupped her cheek gently, making her look up at him. "Then don't," he said simply, kissing her gently again. Truthfully, as infatuated as Lucius was with a certain mouthy Quidditch player, there was nothing quite like returning to the Manor and being welcomed by his young, adoring mistress, and he certainly wasn't willing to give that up anytime soon. If nothing else, he told himself coldly, his alliance with Charles Renwick was doing wonders for his Gringotts account, although deep down he had to acquiesce, his affair with Virginia was far more than a calculated business move to his advantage.
The rest of the afternoon dragged on painfully slowly. Virginia's mother was, of course, over the moon to see Lucius, especially when she saw how enamored he was with her daughter, and she almost dropped her cup of tea when Lucius planted a tender kiss on Virginia's forehead.
Virginia and Lucius, meanwhile, put up a valiant performance, letting Antoinette hear what she wanted to hear and see what she wanted to see, all the while shooting each other meaningful glances and the odd raised eyebrow here and there. Antoinette was thrilled when Virginia showed her the room she'd decorated for that very purpose, and seemed to completely buy into the story that the pair were continuing their courtship with great concern over Virginia's virtue.
The first sign of trouble reared its head it dinner that evening. Charles Renwick had joined the party, and he and Lucius had kept up a largely unintelligible conversation over the first three courses regarding their joint venture in selling Sal Ammoniac. It was during the dessert course that Antoinette made her voice heard:
"So, Lucius," she chimed in during the briefest of pauses in conversation, after perhaps one-too-many glasses of Cognac, "Do I hear ze wedding bells?" There was a terrible, heavy silence, as she downed the rest of her glass, her eyes fixed on Lucius. To his credit, Lucius maintained the air of distinction and dignity his position had always afforded him. He reached across the table and took Virginia's hand in his lightly, merely smiling at Charles when he tried to apologize for his wife's outburst.
"Well, Antoinette, I think it may be a little early to start thinking about all that. Virginia and I are still...getting to know one another." He looked away from the elder Renwick and picked up his fork, taking a bite of the rich cheesecake in front of him, hoping that his guests would follow suit and the topic would be dropped. It was, surprisingly, Virginia who spoke up, looking as if she was trying to hide some greater emotion behind a false expression of cheer.
"I have been here for nearly ten weeks, Lucius," she said, giving his hand a squeeze as he, sighing quietly, set down his fork. "Would it really be such a big step to start thinking about it?" Lucius' eyes widened, as did Charles', but Antoinette clapped her hands together, hastily wiping her mouth with her napkin.
"Exactly! Perhaps Lucius vould like ze word with Virginia's father after dinner, eh?" she winked, inebriated to the point that her limited filter was now non-existent. Lucius' jaw clenched, and he wet his lips with his tongue, beginning to feel rather uneasy. Was this what Virginia had been expecting the whole time?
"I'm quite sure that Charles has much to be getting on with this evening," Lucius replied firmly, and his tone had Virginia lowering her eyes. She pulled her hand away from his and rested it in her lap.
"I'm sorry about my wife," Charles told Lucius after the meal had ended. Virginia had taken her mother into the library, and for once it looked as though Antoinette was more put out with Lucius than with her daughter. "She's been very...stressed of late."
"Please, think nothing of it," Lucius replied easily, although he seemed capable of thinking of nothing else. Is that what she wants? He was about to take Charles through to join the ladies when his house-elf Lexi ran towards him, looking more panic-stricken than normal.
"Master! There is guest, Lexi brings her into Master's study..."
"Her?" Lucius questioned. Rarely did anyone turn up unannounced at Malfoy Manor, but when they did, without exception it was one of Lucius' distant uncles or a client or business partner - never before had a woman shown up like that, not since long before Narcissa had moved out.
Lexi nodded hurriedly. "A tall lady, pretty, lots of hair...She wouldn't leave-"
Charles was looking on with intrigue as recognition dawned in Lucius' mind. "Very well, Lexi - I'll be with her presently." He led Charles through to the library, excused himself most apologetically from his guests, and straightened his robes as he made his way down to his office. Surely she wouldn't...But who else would?
He opened the door to his study somewhat cautiously, revealing, as he had suspected, an ever-so-slightly tipsy Lacey Delaney. She seemed to have made herself at home, reclining on one of his long couches by the fire place which had been empty of fire when he'd left it.
"Miss Delaney," he said as he entered, and she stood up leisurely as he shut the door firmly behind him. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Mr Malfoy," she replied, placing a hand on her hip as she regarded him across his study, "I do hope this isn't a bad time," she added with a cheeky smirk, imitating his distinctive way of speaking as he had teased her earlier that day. Lucius merely raised an eyebrow in return, and moved so that he was standing directly in front of her.
"What can I do for you, Lacey?" he asked lowly, taking in with appreciation her figure-hugging red dress.
"I had a certain second date in mind..." she replied, stepping even closer to him so that Lucius could smell her spicy fragrance and a hint of bourbon on her breath. Before she knew what she was doing, Lacey had closed the gap between them, wrapped a hand around Lucius' neck, and was leaning up on her toes, her mouth on his.
Lucius was taken by surprise, but soon his hand found its way round her waist and was pulling her closer to his body, the other one cupping her cheek as she kissed him hard, hardly caring that she barely knew the man, or that she knew more than she wanted to about his past, or that he lived in some sort of ice cold mansion with an army of house-elves. He was a damn-good kisser.
Lucius' eyes were dark when he pulled away, his arm still wrapped around Lacey, holding her up close to him. He searched her flustered looking face, but found a look of certainty in her ice blue eyes.
"What do you really want, Lacey?" he asked, his voice gruff.
"I think you know..." she murmured back, trailing a brave hand down between them and drawing a stunned gasp from Lucius as she cupped him through his suit trousers, certain that she felt the stirrings of an erection. "You want me too."
Lucius slid his hands down her back and ran them over her arse, feeling the outline of her panties beneath the tight dress. "Exactly how much have you had to drink this evening?" he asked her; as much as he wanted her, and, she was right, he did want her, he didn't plan on taking advantage of an intoxicated young woman who would no doubt regret it in the morning.
"Enough that I was brave enough to turn up here - not so much that I splinched myself on my way... I know what I'm doing, Lucius," she told him, reaching for his zipper, but Lucius stepped away nimbly and lightly slapped her hand.
"Naughty girl..." he purred, "Are you aware that you're playing with fire?"
"I'm the Gryffindor here, Lucius," she replied, moving to kiss him again, but again he stopped her.
"I hope you know what you're doing," he muttered, stroking her hair before tugging on it firmly, asserting his dominance and eliciting an appreciative moan from Lacey. "I've got half a mind to fuck you right here on the rug," he told her with a glint in his eye, and her lips parted as she breathed more heavily, "But I like to think of myself as a gentleman. If you're sure you want to stay..." He paused, but Lacey nodded. "My bedroom's upstairs. I hope you don't expect me to go easy on you..."
Lacey rolled her eyes. "The way you're inching away from me, Lucius, anyone would think you're scared of me..."
Lucius chuckled darkly. "We'll see about that, Miss Delaney - now, last chance to say no-"
"I've already said yes," she whispered, throwing herself at him once again, and wrapping two surprisingly strong arms around his neck as Lucius deepened the kiss. It took great will-power for him to pull away from her a second time.
"I have some guests to take care of, Lacey - you shall wait in my bedroom for me." She nodded. Lucius didn't relish feeling like a fugitive in his own home, but couldn't deny that there was something rather exciting about summoning Lexi to make sure that Virginia and her parents remained in the library, out of the way, while he escorted Lacey upstairs quietly.
He left Lacey, again looking as though she was planning on making herself at home, and headed back down to the library, aware that he had been absent for an inexcusable amount of time. If his mind hadn't been so set on Lacey, waiting and willing on his bed, the sight he found before him would have given him a headache.
Charles was sitting to one side of the library, cradling a scotch and looking supremely irritated. His wife and daughter looked to be in the middle of some sort of standoff. Virginia had her arms crossed stubbornly across her chest and a frown clung to her pretty features, as her mother towered over her, shouting in French so that Lucius could barely understand what she was saying. She trailed off when Lucius walked in, and shot him a forced expression which was barely a smile.
"Ladies, Charles," Lucius said evenly, eying the three of them. "I must apologize most profusely for my extended absence."
"We understand completely, Lucius," Charles said, standing up quickly. He looked distinctly relieved that Lucius had returned and stopped the arguing by his mere presence. "In fact, I think that perhaps Antoinette and I ought to be leaving now - we thank you for your generous hospitality this evening." He swept across the room and caught his wife by the arm, placing a firm hand on her lower arm to lead her away, stopping to plant a swift kiss on his daughter's cheek as he went. Lucius walked with the pair to the door, and showed them out, pleased that Antoinette chose to remain silent.
He found Virginia slumped in a chair when he returned to the library, looking rather defeated.
"It's late, my dear," he said, stopping by the doorway. The feeling constricting his chest felt too much like guilt for Lucius to be able to bear to accept it. "I'll see you to your room. Come."
Virginia's face fell. "You will stay with me tonight, Sir?" she asked plaintively, taking Lucius' hand in hers. He led her a few steps before answering. It was a rare thing for Lucius to lie to Virginia.
"Not tonight, pet. My unexpected visitor requires...urgent attention. A matter has arisen which I cannot ignore." Virginia was silent all the way back to her room, a room which she had yet to actually sleep in, terrified that the comments she and her mother had made over dinner had irreparably pushed Lucius further away from her.
Lucius bent to kiss her gently on the lips, but moved away before she could enchant him enough to make him stay. The feeling Lucius was overwhelmed with as he walked away from her was undeniably guilt.
It disappeared, however, very quickly when he made it back to his room. Lacey had stripped down to a set a deliciously revealing scarlet underwear and arranged herself on Lucius' king sized bed, like a delectable present waiting just for him. An array of cushions and pillows supported her head, and she had one long, lean leg bent at the knee. A slow smirk spread across her face as she took in Lucius' reaction to her.
"Fuck, Lacey..." he breathed. She laughed.
"I'm not the only one with a dirty mouth, then."
Lucius didn't take his eyes off her as he crossed the room, removing his dinner jacket and shoes and socks as he went.
"You really are a naughty, naughty girl, aren't you, Miss Delaney?" he teased her, stopping by the side of the bed to unbutton his shirt, before finally pulling it off his shoulders. "What I wouldn't give to see you spread eagled and tied to this very bed..."
"In your dreams, Lucius," she replied lowly, her hands immediately reaching for his shoulders as he lowered himself over her, and their lips met in a fervent kiss. Their tongues entwined in a passionate dance, until Lucius won the battle and Lacey finally submitted her mouth to his.
Her hands, however, had other ideas, and resumed their earlier position, stroking firmly through Lucius' trousers, the bulge there now straining to be released. Lucius groaned, determined not to be brought to pieces at Lacey's hand, and pulled her wrists up over her head, holding her hands down on each side of her head. She squirmed beneath him, and instead arched her back, rubbing herself unashamedly against the man above her.
Lucius nudged her legs so that they were spread wider apart, and moved into place between them, sitting back to remove his trousers and inch his boxers over his straining erection. Lacey eyed him hungrily through thick eye lashes.
"Remove your bra," he commanded, and Lacey surprised them both by obeying him without comment, arching her back enticingly as she undid the fastenings and pulled the silky garment off, tossing it to side of the bed. Lucius' eyes darkened further at the sight of her hardened nipples, and he cupped a breast in each hand, squeezing and massaging until Lacey was capable of doing nothing but whimpering under his touch.
Leaving one hand to service her nipple, he simultaneously dropped his head to bestow a multitude of kisses on her other breast, reveling in Lacey's soft moans, and snaked his other hand down over her toned stomach and beneath the thin material of her panties, curling a finger inside her as his thumb brushed over her clit.
"Don't torture me, Lucius," she begged, her fingers slipping through his hair, and he raised his head to look down at her with a smirk.
"Impatient, are we?" he asked in his infuriatingly patronizing tone, but it only made Lacey wetter and more desperate for him, especially when he punctuated his words with sharp pinches to her nipple, which sent pleasure spiking through her body.
Nonetheless, Lucius removed his hand from Lacey's panties, and tugged them down until they were past her knees, allowing her to kick them off, before resuming his place above her. She gasped as he pressed himself against her, the tip of his erection nudging against her soaking lower lips, but still he held back. Lacey let out an impatient moan, willing him to move.
She took her hands and planted her palms flat against Lucius' chest, and he barely had time to register what she was doing until she had given a strong shove and rolled them over, sitting up with a triumphant look on her face and straddling Lucius. He paused for a split second, shocked, before moving to grasp her wrists, planning to pin her down beneath him once again, but years of playing Quidditch had made Lacey just that little bit too fast for her opponent, and she instead held her arms out of his way, her eyes gleaming as she looked down at him, although her lips were still parted to accommodate laboured breathing.
"You underestimate me, Mr Malfoy," she taunted him, grasping the base of his cock firmly and beginning to run her hand up and down his considerable length, watching as his mouth fell open, although he tried to stay in control. He allowed her to carry on despite himself, right until he felt himself about to fall over the edge.
With a great groan he managed to flip them back over, gripping Lacey's upper arms and pinning her down with more force than before. "I warned you not to play with fire, my dear," he told her sternly, taking himself in hand and lining himself up with her entrance. "No more teasing. I'm going to have you, now."
He thrust into her roughly, his eyes fluttering shut as he felt her inner walls clench deliciously around him, and Lacey screamed out his name, bucking her hips up to meet him. Her hands in his hair tugged, but Lucius hardly noticed, nor did Lacey care that the way that Lucius was nipping at her neck and the tops of her breasts was sure to leave marks.
He pulled out all the way each time, driving into her relentlessly, holding off on his own release with some difficulty as Lacey mewled and panted beneath him, clutching at his hair and scalp desperately. Her legs were wrapped around his waist tightly, her head thrown back as she was overwhelmed with intense pleasure.
She came seconds before him, spasming around his cock and pushing him over the edge as she cried out repeatedly, until they both shuddered to rest. Lucius collapsed just to the side of her, breathing heavily and sticky with perspiration dotted across his forehead, as Lacey curled her legs up and hugged them to her as the pounding in her chest slowed gradually.
They lay in a peaceful silence for minutes, Lacey staring out of the window up at the pitch-black night sky, Lucius up at the high ceiling of his bedroom. When a draft of cool air swept into the room, he shifted off the covers and pulled them over Lacey, tilting her face to his and kissing her slowly at the same time.
"Second date's a charm," she muttered playfully, stretching out slightly sore limbs and stifling a yawn.
"Do you think there'll be a third?" Lucius asked, his ice blue eyes boring into hers.
She smiled up at him. "If you ask me nicely."
*.*.*.*.*
A/N: Thank you guys for your continued support! There is a new chapter up of "Love is a Ruthless Game" and there will be a new chapter up of "How to be a Heartbreaker" very shortly so you can keep up with all of Lacey and Virginia's adventures.
But tell us what you think? Lacey and Virginia are under the same roof? How will the morning after go?