All characters belong to JKR
Chapter 17: Uncertainty:
What was she doing here? Hermione rolled over in bed, and looked at the opened window. It was a warm evening, and she had the window opened as far as it would go. There was a slight breeze, which stirred the curtains only a smidge. She turned to her back, stared up at the dark ceiling, and sighed. There had to be a better solution to their problem than 'faking' a marriage.
As far as she could tell, the only solution was to end their little rendezvous before they went back. It was the only way. Even marriage, fake or otherwise, wouldn't really save them, because everyone would know that they didn't leave this weekend as man and wife. When they came back and told everyone at his company that they were married, people would speculate that they dated in secret, and someone was bound to challenge the contract.
Hermione threw the sheets off her legs in frustration, and sat up. What would her parents think? Her friends? She couldn't even imagine what Harry Potter would think if she came back from a weekend away, only to say, "Ta da, meet my new hubby, your former enemy, the one, the only, Draco Malfoy!"
He was a lunatic! Even as a joke, to suggest that they pretend to marry in order to date was crazy! And he even said it himself, they would have to pretend for twelve months before she would be free to find other employment. It was way too early in whatever they had to get married! She would never do that.
She stood up and went to her window. She sat on the sill, and looked out at the dark, night sky. Hermione didn't like it when she didn't know what to do.
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Draco couldn't sleep at all. He tossed and turned. He finally stood up, left the bedroom, and walked out to the balcony that was at the end of the penthouse suite. The view was the exact replica of the one that overlooked the lagoon from the veranda, where just hours ago, he suggested to Hermione Granger that they forge a marriage so they would be at liberty to date.
It was a wonder that she didn't slap him! At the very least, he expected that. What he never expected in a million years was for her to cry, then turn away from him, and run down the beach toward the sea.
He watched her run away, and he didn't know what to think or feel. Was her hasty retreat a rejection of him, or just her surprise at his suggestion? He didn't stick around to find out. He went back inside, paid their bill, and then he went up to his room, where he remained to this moment.
He sighed out of frustration and went back into his room. At times, he hated his life, and now was one of those times. Why did he always have to screw everything up? What did he expect to happen? He knew how the weekend would have to end when he started it, and he knew that he would have to tell her the truth. Truth. How he rued the word. Lying was the way to go. Lying didn't cause pain. Lying didn't hurt! Lying wasn't wrapped up with problems! Oh, who was he kidding? Lying got him into this mess.
He threw himself on one of the sofas in the main room and closed his eyes. If he was lucky, he could get a couple hours of sleep, and then when morning came, he would go to her, apologize for…well, everything, and then he would beg her to let their weekend continue, no strings attached. Then he would let her decide what happened after that.
He thought there was an easy solution to their problem, but if he suggested it, she would be so offended that he would certainly lose her forever. It was what he wanted to suggest to her before the whole marriage thing spilled out.
He wanted to suggest that she quit her job; they start to see each other and that he would give her plenty of money to live on, until the year was over, and then she could get another job, or start her own business. Nevertheless, she would never do that, because she would say something crazy to the affect of, "I won't be a kept woman." Seriously, her morals were beginning to rub him the wrong way.
This was part of her charm, but of course. Not her morals, but the fact that she irritated him so much.
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Hermione decided to shower, even though it was only four o'clock in the morning. Sleep was something she could dream about later. It was already a lost cause. After her shower she dressed and went to the door of her suite when she realized something, today was her birthday. She was thirty years old.
She sat on the couch, eyes wide and thought, 'Thirty-years-old, soon to be unemployed, soon to lose new home and car, and will probably have to move back in with parents!' Maybe they would make her a tiny apartment in their attic. She could get a cat or two. She could be every cliché that anyone ever thought of a thirty-year-old woman who still lived at home. She could start wearing frumpy clothes, gain a couple of stones, and spend each day riding the bus back and forth to the library. Would that be so bad?
OH goodness, yes, it would be bad, for her anyway, that would be bad.
Hermione had been independent almost from the womb. She would not rely on her parents. The only other solution would be to tell Draco that she would continue to see him after he fired her, and ask him to give her enough money to live on, but of course that would make her his mistress, and she was nobody's mistress!
The fake marriage thing was looking better and better. So was saying goodbye to him at the end of the weekend, and continuing with their working relationship only. Which of the two would she pick?
She finally knew what she had to do.
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Draco was walking out of the shower in only a towel when he heard a knock on his door. He looked at the clock over the mantle. It was 4:30 in the morning. He swung open the door and saw Hermione. "Granger, what's wrong?"
She had come up here to tell him that it was over, to tell him that she wanted to spend the rest of the day together, have a wonderful birthday, but then after that, it was over. That was what she had planned. Instead, she saw him and knew that was the last thing she wanted. She shook her head and said, "I don't know what to do."
He took her hand; he pulled her into the room, looked out the door for some reason, down one end of the hallway to the other end, and then he closed the door. He said, "May I get dressed?"
She nodded.
He dressed as quickly as he could, the whole time somewhat pleased that she was conflicted as he. Her distress didn't cause him to be pleased, just the thought that she was in a dilemma. It meant she felt the same things for him that he felt for her. It meant she was seriously considering his proposal. His 'fake' marriage proposal.
But then again, who said it had to be a fake proposal?
He walked out of the bedroom, towel drying his hair, and he asked, "So, why are you here so early? I take it you aren't serving me breakfast in bed, since you don't have any food, and you aren't here to give me early morning loving, since you're fully dressed. What do I owe this pleasure? You ran away from me last night, remember?"
She nodded, picked up a book that was on his coffee table, thumbed through the pages, threw it back down, and then stood up so suddenly he was alarmed. He backed away and threw the towel he was holding down on the floor.
"This won't do, Draco!" she said, throwing her hands up in the air.
"Okay." He was frowning, and he approached her slowly. "What won't do?"
"This, whatever we're doing here. I know you were joking when you suggested we marry last night, because what person in their right mind would suggest marriage at this stage?" He pointed his finger toward himself and she said, "Yes, yes, I know, you suggested it, but I asked what person in their right mind would suggest it? Listen, after a whole night of pondering our solutions, I see that there's no other answer."
She was rambling. His eyes narrowed and he asked, "Are you saying yes?"
"Yes?" she asked.
"Yes?" he asked back.
"Wait, what?" she asked again.
"I'm confused," he uttered. He pulled on her hand and sat down with her on the sofa. "Start over, without rambling and ranting."
"Okay, listen," she started again, pulling her hand from his. She thought it was better if they didn't touch right now. "I can't marry you, and you know that. We don't know each other well enough, and I know you weren't serious anyway. I couldn't lie to everyone and pretend to be married just so I don't lose my job! Furthermore, I can't go a year without working! That's crazy! Who would sign such a stupid contract?"
This time he pointed at her. She swatted his hand away.
"I know, me," she huffed. "I'll get a lawyer to look at whether I can get out of the contract, but if I can't, I can't go a year without working. I need income. I need independence. My parents would help me, and so would my friends, but I couldn't do that."
"Scratch my other offer off the list, then," he said.
"What other offer?"
"I was going to offer to give you enough money to keep you, or whatever, until you got another job," he said humbly. She looked angry, immediately, and he said, "I know, I know, you would never be a 'kept woman' but I wasn't proposing that. I wouldn't ask for anything in return. I feel this is all my fault and I want to help you. There, I said it. It's my fault." He stood up and walked over to the window. Without looking at her he said, "By the way, the offer of marriage was sincere. I wasn't offering a fake marriage. I didn't want us just to continue with our charade that we started here. I didn't want to lie, as in Heather and Derek. I would really marry you, if you'd like."
He was afraid to turn around and see her expression. He was sure she probably had actual steam rolling out of her ears by now, out of anger and fury.
Imagine his shock when he felt her arms go around his waist. He looked down at her hands. She rested her cheek against his back and said, "That's very sweet, impractical, and crazy, but sweet."
Draco didn't want to turn around. "What are you suggesting, then? What's our solution?" He thought to himself, 'please don't say what I'm afraid you're going to say', but she did.
"After the weekend, we can't see each other any longer, at least, not in the dating sense."
He winced. He thought he might feel actual pain. However, Draco Malfoy was a master manipulator, and liar. He would pretend to agree to her terms. He would turn around, smile, and pledge to give her the best damn birthday a witch had ever had. He would smile; he would tell her everything that she thought she wanted to hear. He would let her go back to work, and let her get comfortable in her perfect little world.
Then he would pounce. He would do little things at first, to let her know how he felt. Little touches, notes, flowers, looks. She would cave. She would see that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. It may take a while, but he would win in the end. Even if it took the whole year, he would then have her sign a new contract, demanding that she date the boss, HE WOULD WIN IN THE END!
Hell, if he could seduce her before the weekend was over, she wouldn't even last until Tuesday. She would beg him to marry her.
"Fine," he said, turning around with a fake smile on his face. He kissed the tip of her nose and said, "I have a great day planned for us, are you prepared?"
"So, this is fine with you?" she asked.
He felt like slapping her senseless; apparently she didn't know him at all, because of course he wasn't fine with all of this. Instead, he continued with his plastic smile and said, "More than fine. It's the right thing to do, and I always strive to do the right thing." That lie was hard, even for him. He felt like throwing up. He continued to smile, in fact, his mouth hurt from the unnatural upward curve. He took her hand. "I do have one request."
"Anything," she said softly.
"We not mention the blasted contract again for the rest of the day, and we continue on as if Adrian never came this weekend. Let's have fun, and enjoy each other's company, okay?" He meant every word of that sentence.
She looked sad to him. Yes, she would be easy to break. She would see the folly of her ways. She would see that her suggestion was crap. She would see that she loved him, because he knew one truth was evident. He loved her. For once, that was the unadulterated truth.
"I agree," she said, with a real smile.
He smiled a real smile, too and said, "You'll let me show you a nice day today, right?"
"Whatever you want," she agreed.
"What if I said I want to go back to bed?" he leered.
She didn't understand, and said, "If you're still tired, I'll come back later."
He grinned, and bit his lip to keep from laughing. He gripped her shoulders, pulled her closer, and said, "What if I wanted to go back to bed, with you?"
"Draco, we aren't having sex this weekend," she warned, shaking a finger at him.
"Who mentioned sex?" he asked. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Show me who mentioned sex and I'll throttle the bloke. I was thinking of sleeping, I swear."
"Behave, okay?" she warned.
"You wouldn't like me if I behaved," he said with a laugh.
"Just because I've never known you to behave, doesn't mean I wouldn't like it," she gleamed.
"You would find me boring, and you know it. You crave my antics." He touched her cheek and said, "You've been boring and good enough for both of us. Thirty years worth of boring and good. It's time to change a few things, and we only have one more day to do it. Remember, you're a new Hermione Granger."
"You don't really know me," she complained.
"And I was just thinking that you don't really know me either, so let's get to know each other," he said. He started to pull her toward the bedroom. She slapped his arm.
"We aren't going to bed!"
"Damn," he said with a small laugh. "Then, if you won't get to know me in the biblical sense, and don't give me that look, I know what the bible is, Granger, then let's get to know each other better in other ways. Let's take a morning walk on the beach."
He held her hand and they started out of his room. He was going to give her the perfect day, and come Tuesday, when she came back to work, he would start his assault. They reached the wrap-around porch, and before they started down the stairs, Draco turned her to look at him.
He reached out with one finger, placed it under the neckline of her blouse, and he pulled her to him. He moved his finger from one edge of the open neckline, down the swell of her breasts, to the top of her cleavage, and back up again to the other side. She watched his finger the entire time. Her knees felt weak, and she had to reach out for him.
He looked at her with darkened eyes, and in a husky voice he said, "By the end of this day, Granger, you will be mine, I promise you. I just thought it would be fair to warn you of my intentions, okay?"
She felt herself melt into his body. His arms went around her and he kissed the space between her eye and her hairline. He continued, "That's my birthday present to you. We will make love by the end of the day, after all, if I have to go back to the real world and you expect me to let go of you, well, I need something to remember this weekend by, don't you think? If I show you a nice day that would be the perfect ending, right?"
She started to protest, but his mouth descended on hers swiftly. Her hands went flat against his chest, as his mouth opened hers. His tongue swiped her lips, inside her mouth and he felt her heaving breasts against his chest. Her arms left his chest to wrap around his waist, his mouth left hers and he waited for her answer.
"We aren't having sex," she finally said, although she didn't put much 'punch' into the statement.
Instead, she swayed into his body, and her arms stayed around his waist. He grinned and said, "No matter." He took her hand again and walked toward the shore, as the sun was trying to rise in the sky.
He would have her by the end of the day, and then hopefully, for the rest of his life. Poor misguided Granger.
A/N: Thanks to my beta for getting this back to me quickly, and the next chapter is back, too. I have three more done that I will send to her shortly. A special thanks to everyone who has been so supportive, sent out good thoughts, prayers, emails, pm's, mentioned me in their reviews, or just thought about me. I still have no real news, but I see the specialist on the 3rd! Thanks!