AN- Sorry I missed posting last week. We had a huge storm in my area that knocked out power for several days (I had never heard of a Derecho storm before. Thought the Meteorologists were just having fun with storm names like they do with Hurricane names. They weren't though, the first Derecho storm was recorded in 1877.)
Muggle AU. Not that magic, or lack there of, plays into the story at all.
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Concubine
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His first thought when she opened the door was that this woman did not photograph well.
Several photos had been shown to him of his friend's sister and in all of them she had appeared half in the bag or in need of a shower, or she'd simply been making a face at the camera that was the perfect impression of a differently abled individual.
The woman standing before him holding the door open looked almost nothing like her pictures. She looked nothing short of glamorous; her hair was long and shiny with a curl at the end, she had the perfect kind of nude make-up on her face that somehow made her look completely polished and yet like she simply woke up looking that good. And her dress! Wow. It was black with this little ribbon thing that was gold and went horizontal just under her breasts that showed off how narrow her waist was and how supple her breasts were.
The bright eyes and kind smile were a big selling feature for him too.
This vision had him wondering why on earth Ron had pushed so hard for him to agree to take his sister to this event. According to Ron she had needed a plus one but couldn't find anyone to go with her. Supposedly the story was that there were going to be some snotty girls that Ginny didn't get on with, or an ex that she wanted to one up, something along those lines.
Surely she should have been able to find someone else to go with her though. If she went anywhere looking like she did right now there would have been several men jumping at the chance to be her date for this evening.
"Thanks for being a bit early," Ginny grinned at him. "I probably would have been pacing and freaking out otherwise and I've only just managed to get my hair how I want it to be."
"I, er, yeah. Glad I was free tonight. Harry," he introduced himself and held out his hand.
"Ginny," she took his hand and shook it once.
She had small hands, they didn't feel dainty though; there were some calluses on them. They weren't too rough either. Then he remembered that she helped out at her dad's mechanics shop on the weekends sometimes.
"So, look, I really appreciate you doing this. I just didn't know anyone with a suit that was in my immediate friend group that wasn't also in my ex's immediate friend group and already going to the event."
"You know you can rent suits, right?"
She waved him into the flat with a sigh. "Yeah. Then it's a matter of my having to pay for the suit because none of my guy friends would dare opt to go to a gala event instead of a pub on a Saturday night and they definitely would be hitting the free booze too hard and wind up embarrassing me."
"Are you trying to tell me something?" he smirked.
"Yeah, don't get wasted," she smirked right back. "It's a work event for me and my editor made it clear that I was to bring a suitable date. Which sucks, because I could have called on several different female friends to join me for the evening."
"That was a strange request from your editor."
"Yeah, well. I think she meant well; says I've been single for long enough." Ginny went to the table and picked up her purse from off the chair and started double checking that she had what she needed for the night.
Harry looked around her place; it was a small studio flat with a murphy bed that took up the majority of the space, but it had high ceilings and she'd made good use of that with cubicle shelves that were stacked on top of each other near the window that held all sorts of books, knickknacks and plants.
She caught him looking around.
"London flats," she offered by way of explanation for the size. "You get what you get."
"I completely understand. Wasn't judging. I actually like how you made use of all the space."
"Oh. Well… cheers." She looked around her flat again. It seemed like she was trying to find any reason to delay having to go.
That was the whole point of him coming here tonight though, and there was no reason that she should be wasting all the time she spent getting dolled up just to bail on the evening.
"Shall we go?" he encouraged.
"Yes." She moved back to the door and gestured for him to walk through to the hallway again before locking up behind her. "So, I feel a bit strange that I know next to nothing about you," she admitted. "All I know is your name is Harry and you're a friend of my brother Ron, and that you two met at a pub."
"That's the long and short of it. I also enjoy long walks on the beach and sunsets."
Ginny snorted a laugh. "Don't we all."
"Well, I know that you work for the Daily Mail, used to play football and were really good at it, and you're the youngest out of a load of siblings."
"And that's my entire life story. So… you? Work, hobbies, siblings?"
He could hear the desperation in her voice to make these sound like casual questions. Perhaps she wanted to be armed with answers should anyone question her about him at or after the event. This was a set-up after all.
"I work for a distribution company, enjoy running and reading and have a younger sister. So, what exactly happened with this ex of yours that your editor is trying to make you show up?"
"Nothing dramatic; we went out, then we didn't anymore. He seems to be under the impression that I was in love with him and thinks I still am." She scowled. "He keeps giving me these looks like he feels bad for me or something. It's fucking annoying. And he's got some of the others in his department convinced of it too, so I'm getting sympathetic looks all around."
"And then you made the mistake of sharing that information with your family?"
"No, I made the mistake of sharing that information with Hermione, Ron's girlfriend, who then shared it with Ron, who took it upon himself to bully you into coming with me tonight. And I'm really grateful that you agreed to come," she added hastily, "even it if is a bit strange."
"It's new for me too. I've been set up on some coffee dates before, but never been pimped out like this."
She laughed again. "Well still, I'm grateful. And it really helps that we're about the same age and you don't exactly make me want to, you know, gag."
"High praise."
"Yeah, I'm a charmer. Ron's description of you though; it was 'he's white, our age, dark hair, and… I dunno, he's available and has the clothes for it.' Not very much of a salesman."
That had him grinning. "And you still agreed to me being your date from that?"
She shrugged. "Desperate times." Ginny led them South on the road. "So, this gala, it's for a few up-and-coming artists and there are going to be a bunch of staff from the Daily Mail there as well as a bunch of people from companies that advertise in the newspaper."
"And my job tonight is to simply stand by your side and smile and nod?" he queried.
"That's about it."
They kept walking in the direction she was leading them in, and he was struggling to find something to talk to her about.
"Why did you agree to come?" Ginny asked after several minutes of silence between them.
"Free drinks?" he offered. He wasn't going to tell her the full version of how Ron convinced him to be her date tonight, though, the mention of free drinks had been involved, so technically that wasn't a lie.
"Will there be dancing at this thing?" Harry asked her.
"Yes. But we don't have to," she added hastily.
"Okay. And this ex of yours, are you trying to make him jealous or trying to tell him that you've moved on?"
"Moved on," she said firmly. "It had been a terrible relationship that was built on nothing, and yet he's been going around the office telling everyone that I'm still in love with him. Which is a lie because I was never in love with him in the first place!" She'd gotten progressively louder as she said it, her tone had become defensive and angry as well.
"Ah, one of those situations," Harry nodded.
Ginny turned her head to regard him. "You're familiar?"
"Dated a girl once at boarding school. She came from a good family and didn't want for anything. She'd, er, dated a lot of guys and, well, she was hot and sort of… revered for it."
"The most popular girl in school, yeah?" Ginny smirked.
"Yes," he rolled his eyes. "Anyhow, she'd set her sights on me for a bit and I was just a horny sixteen-year-old, so it wasn't like my hormones were going to let me say no."
"Then what? You two were hot and heavy for a few weeks and when she broke it off it was because you were too 'obsessed' with her, or something?"
"Pretty much."
"Yeah, I remember watching the poor suckers lining up for the prettiest and most pretentious and slutty girl at my school. They all thought they could change her or lock her down or something. You can't. Those types thrive on the drama."
"And your ex is that type?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Turned out to be, yeah."
"So, what's the play there then? You looking to shove this in his face? Because trying too hard to look like you're over him will make him think you aren't."
"Yeah, I know," she sighed.
"Are you though?"
"Am I what? Trying?"
"Over him," he clarified.
"Course I am!" she stated in offense. "I told you I was never in love with him, and that the relationship was terrible."
"Doesn't mean you hadn't been hoping that he'd still see the light and want you back."
She scoffed and rolled her eyes, like this was the hundredth time she'd been accused of that. "I'm not going to go all 'single, white, female' on him. I just want him to shut the fuck up about me."
Harry smirked and gave a single chuckle. "So, we'll play this understated then."
"Yes. And I'm glad we agree on that, because we're here."
They were standing outside of a modern art gallery that had been done up with different colored twinkle lights on each floor and had a lot of dressed up people making their way inside.
"Looks swanky." And it did. He could hear soft music over the talk of the crowd of people that were all as dressed up as the two of them. He could see there were waiters moving around inside with a tray of assorted appetizers, and then the lights on each floor slowly changed to a different color.
Ginny led the way in, and he followed obediently behind her.
Understated, he repeated in his mind. She didn't want to make it look like they were now a couple, he was simply her date. He wouldn't have minded making a bit of a show about it though.
Harry had to wonder if she knew how stunning she looked right now.
Ginny wove through the crowd, giving a nod and a half wave here and there, and headed straight for the bar. "What do you drink?"
"Just a Becks to start the night off, I think," he said to the bartender. Meanwhile, Ginny ordered a white wine.
"Any chance you might know anyone here?" she asked him.
"There's always a chance, but I can't think of anyone that I know that would be off the top of my head."
She nodded and took a sip from her glass, then led him over towards one of the closest framed art displays. "Do you know anything about art?"
"That it's expensive," he replied glibly.
She gave a snort of laughter into her glass and managed to swallow her mouthful down. "I've never understood most of it. And I certainly wouldn't be paying that much for it. Sometimes I see something I like, but it's usually at farmers market or a craft store. This… well, I could make this."
They were looking at a white canvas with a few blotches of different spray paint on it. At least, that's what it looked like to them.
"Sculptures too are something I don't get. I've been to the Acropolis and the museum there and seen all the statues of chiseled men with their junk on display, the women with one breast bared. They all look the same to me."
"Yeah, if someone is going to chisel me a man out of stone and have him be flaccid, the least they could do is make him a shower, not a grower."
They both chuckled over that and started moving around the room and commenting on the art.
She was funny, and the wine looked to have calmed her down a bit. A waiter came by with an appetizer tray that had cheese-ball bites and sausage rolls, both of which tasted really good.
"My company sent me a Christmas gift last year, it was a charcuterie tray with all these different cheeses and meats, it was fantastic. I've never been much of a cook, just stick to the basics; some kind of cooked meat and potatoes."
"That is our country standard," Ginny shrugged.
"Yeah, but when I get weird appetizers like this, or try new things like the smelly cheeses and such, it makes me want to figure out a few different dishes."
"Same. We grew up in the country, and there were a lot of us to feed, so it was all meat and potatoes for us as well. I did make it through an entire cookbook once though! It wasn't big, and it was just for beginners, I also may have gotten so devastated over how terrible some of the dishes turned out that I ripped a page or two out of the cookbook, but I did it!"
Harry laughed at that. "I'm picturing some sort of gelatin thing, what are those called?"
"Aspics? God no! There's no way that would be in a beginner's book."
"Well, that's what I'm picturing. Just seeing it half set and glooping onto the floor as you slink down beside it in tears."
"Oh, my misery is entertaining to you, is it?" But she was grinning too.
"Ginny!" A woman in her mid-forties came over to greet them. "And you've brought someone, wonderful!"
"Harry, this is Miranda, my Editor. Miranda, Harry," she introduced them.
"Ah, nice job Ginny," Miranda said, giving him a looking over like he was a mannequin Ginny had costumed up to be her prop for the evening.
"Thanks," Ginny said dryly. "We were just having a wander and making our way up. There's another bar up there, right?"
"There is, of course. Oh, and… he's on the third floor, with her." Miranda was telling Ginny this delicately.
Harry leaned closer to Ginny and didn't bother lowering his voice. "I think she means that twat you used to date that doesn't realize you never loved him because he didn't know how to give you an orgasm."
Miranda had the grace to look surprised by this information, Ginny kept her game face on though. "Yep, that's who she means." She turned back to Miranda then, "thanks, we're almost done our drinks, so we'll head up to the next floor."
Ginny took his hand then, and he let her, and guided them towards the stairs and to the next bar.
"Thanks for that."
"I didn't cross a line with it you mean?"
"No," she chuckled. "I've been trying not to be catty about it because that would just leave me open for more pitying looks. You being the one saying it though, that makes it more believable."
"Oh, and here I was hoping it was true."
"Sorry, but no. He did manage a few of them."
"Not as many as you would have liked though?" he asked in a teasing, yet hopeful manner.
"Is there such thing as having as many as you would like?"
"For men, yeah. We've got this whole time limit thing between them. You ladies though, it could be one after the other, after the other."
"I've only topped out at two," she placed their order with the bartender then.
"In a night, or in a row?" They were already on the subject, and he was curious.
"Uhhh, both?" She seemed confused by the question.
"You know you can go multiple rounds, right? It isn't just the one session that's allowed."
"Sounds like you've got a lot of experience on the matter," she told him as she handed him his new bottle of Becks.
"I've had a few serious relationships in the past, and they involved several nights of… fun," he shrugged.
He took a sip of his new drink and caught the way Ginny was now giving him a looking over, just the way Miranda had been. Just the way he had been looking her over when she opened the door to her flat.
Had she not assessed his shaggability when they first met? She had been nervous then, but still, it was the first thing single people do when they meet each other for the first time. And this first time was for a date.
"Gee, I wonder what you're thinking about," he teased her.
Her eyes met his then and she didn't look at all embarrassed about being caught. "Give a girl a few moments to daydream, would you?"
"Wondering if I might be up for acting out that daydream?"
She cocked her eyebrow at him. "Seriously? You've admitted you're single, we're both dressed up, I've caught you staring at my chest three times now and you've just told me you're capable of giving a woman several orgasms in an evening. Pretty sure if I asked you to meet me in the loo you'd follow behind like an obedient puppy."
"Hmm, I wouldn't have taken you for a 'shagging in the loo' type." He wasn't going to deny that what she said was completely true. Thus far, he'd been having a pretty good time on this date, and she was right, he'd been staring at her chest. What she hadn't noticed was that he'd been staring at her arse as they walked up the stairs as well.
"Guess that depends on how many glasses of wine I have," she countered.
"At least I know you're entertaining the idea while relatively sober. That way I won't feel like I'm taking advantage." He wasn't sure if either one of them was joking at this point. They were at her work event, he wouldn't think that having a shag anywhere in and around here was an option, but he did intend to walk her home.
The way she was still looking at him too.
He liked it.
Harry took a step closer to her, wanting to pave the way for something between them like that becoming more of a possibility. "If I give you a small kiss right now, will I get a slap for it?" he asked boldly.
"If you don't, you might."
He grinned and leaned down, when their lips met he felt he felt that initial sense of warmth and tingles that one got when kissing someone new for the first time. It was a short kiss, but it was the type of kiss that told them both there would be more to follow.
Ginny took his arm and they continued towards the closest art installation, keeping their arms linked now.
He felt he should say something, something suave, but nothing came to mind as his eyes lay upon the thing before him that was called art.
"Do you think it gets more eclectic as we move upwards?" he asked her.
"I've no idea what I'm supposed to be looking at," Ginny commented, clearly agreeing with him. "I think this venue was chosen because they were cheaper than anywhere else. Must make more off events than commission."
The music grew louder as they found their way up to the third floor.
Ginny had stopped them a few times to say hello to a few of her friends from work and to exchange pleasantries with some of the advertisers from the paper, ones who knew of her column and had wanted to say hello.
Harry hadn't read her column and felt like he should have done so that he could chime in when she was getting complimented.
The third floor was darker than the two below and the music playing was more ballroom than night club, which was appropriate given the audience.
"Want me to take you for a spin?" he asked. "I know a few steps."
"That's more than I do. I'm worried I'd step on your toes."
He took her glass and set it and his empty bottle down before leading her onto the dancefloor and spinning her around once before pulling her close. "Don't worry, I'm a strong leader."
He hadn't enjoyed taking the ballroom dance classes that his parents insisted on, but now he was grateful for them. He didn't remember all of the moves, but what few he did retain were making Ginny beam up at him, so that was worth it.
A slower song came on and they kept dancing, their bodies growing closer and closer until her head was resting on his shoulder. He could feel all of her pressing against him and her breath on his chest just below his chin where his top button was undone and his tie loosened.
He hadn't expected this from the night at all; They were very clearly attracted to each other.
It was a really nice surprise for him.
He'd expected to be full of tight smiles and stiff nods all night until it was an appropriate enough time to head home.
He didn't want to head home though.
Her hand came up on his chest and slid slowly down his tie to rest in on the middle of his chest. All he could focus on was the feel of her hand there and the exciting tension that was continuing to grow between them.
"You're a pretty good dancer," she told him quietly.
"You're a pretty good dance partner," he replied and slipped his hands tighter around her, loving the feel of her body pressed so tightly up against his own. He could swear she was moving her hips just an extra little bit with the sole purpose or riling him up.
"Hey, Harry?"
"Yeah?"
She leaned back and looked up at him, looking like she wanted to ask him something but didn't have the nerve to say it.
So, he said it for her. "Want to go somewhere more private?"
It was the nicest way he could think to phrase it, and clearly she was grateful that he had asked that way, because she grinned and took his hand, leading the way back down the stairs and towards the loo. The handicapped loo, which had a lock and a larger space to work with.
Once she locked the door they both took full advantage of the situation.
"I don't want to mess up your hair too much," he told her between kisses.
"I don't care," she hastily responded and started tugging at his belt.
He hadn't realized how serious she was about them hooking up in the loo until then. He'd hoped, but it was a nice surprise to have her following through.
"Do you have a rubber?"
"I… yeah, in my wallet."
He tugged blindly to get the wallet out of his back pocket while she kept working at his belt. "Just so you know, this is far exceeding my expectations for tonight."
"Mmhm," she responded against his lips. "Same. I didn't expect to like you enough to have it turn out like this." His belt came undone just as his wallet came free from his pocket and she reached for his zipper, tugging it down and taking him in hand. "And I've never done this in a public space before."
"I'm going to take that as a very good thing." He kissed her again once he got the condom free from his wallet and let the wallet drop to the floor.
Between his mouth and her wandering hands he managed to get the rubber on and back her up against the wall, lifting her dress and tugging her knickers to the side so he could sheath himself inside her.
Ginny's legs were around his hips, her feet getting support from the wall on the other side thanks to the narrow space. It felt so good to be buried inside her. The discomfort of them both being mostly dressed and his dislike of latex weren't dampening his arousal enough that he was still very much loving the fact that he was taking her this way.
They barely knew each other, but the attraction had been enough to get them here.
He braced his hand under her bum and moved his other between them and under her dress so he could rub her clit, determined to get her to cum before he did. Her whimper of appreciation and the extra pressure he felt on his shoulders from her arms made him drive into her harder and keep making the circular movement with his thumb.
It wasn't too long before he felt her walls squeezing tighter around him and he started imagining how good it would feel if he didn't have his cock in a condom right then so he could feel it even more.
Ginny's one hand went to his hair and she pushed his face towards her breasts as her finish came over her.
He felt her hold on him slacken, but he wasn't there yet. "Ginny," he warned her, trying to tell her he still needed the assistance with leverage.
"Sink," she panted.
"What?"
"Let me down and I'll lean over the sink."
He came to an abrupt still at that offer, then was quick to let her to her feet so she could brace herself, facing the mirror, on the sink. This time she lowered her knickers and pulled up the back of her dress so he could admire her legs and bum. He was quick to take purchase behind her and guide his erection into her once more.
They both gave a groan at how easily he slid into her at this angle. He grasped her hips and started out going slow, making sure he wasn't being too rough with her. But then she started rocking back against him and meeting his thrusts halfway.
"Oh fuck!" he whimpered, and his eyes rolled back. He could see her expression in the mirror, he could also see part of her breasts the way she was leaned over. She was enjoying this, and that made him start moving faster.
He lasted another minute, another minute of grinding his teeth to stop himself from moaning loudly at how good it felt, then he came.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw they were both pretty red in the face from the exertion, but both had the same satisfied expression.
"That's one," Ginny counted off with a smug look on her face.
"For the next one," he started, giving a small smack to her bum and enjoying the jump of surprise she responded with, "you get to do the heavy lifting."
She scoffed. "Excuse me? Who are you calling heavy?"
"Eh, poor phrasing. I'll word that better once my blood flow is returned to my head."
She chuckled and then gave a small moan as he pulled out of her. They both averted their eyes as they tended to their own cleaning needs.
"I can't believe I just did that at a work event," Ginny muttered to herself.
"Think there might be anyone on the other side of the door that was knows what we just got up to?" he nodded at the exit.
"God, I hope not."
They took turns washing their hands and readjusting their outfits. Neither of them looked like they'd just been ravished in a loo, so they snuck out of the bathroom and were relieved to see that there hadn't been anyone standing outside the door waiting to give them a sideways look or a round of applause or anything.
"Another drink then?" Harry suggested.
"Definitely," she grinned.
He felt giddy. Satisfied and giddy. He hadn't been that adventurous since uni, and that had been out of necessity since his dorm mate was a tosser that wouldn't give him any privacy.
They grabbed drinks and helped themselves to a few more appetizers and went back upstairs where he spun her around on the dancefloor a few more times. Their moves were a bit freer, a bit more relaxed, than they had been before their sojourn. There were more smiles and a few short kisses between them this time.
He spun her outwards and went to pull her back towards him when someone bumped into her and he had to reach out to stop her from falling.
"Sorry! Didn't see you there! Oh! Ginny!" It was a woman about their age with long curly hair and a forced smile. Her dancing partner was standing stiffly beside her, his arm around her waist, holding tightly to her hip in a way that also looked forced. "You look lovely. And who is this?"
"Harry," he introduced himself and gave them a nod.
"Yeah, this is Harry. And don't worry about it. Have a good time," Ginny dismissed her, pulling herself back into his embrace.
Harry smiled down at Ginny and was about to start leading her off in a different direction so they could continue dancing, but the woman stopped them.
"Wait, aren't you going to introduce us a bit more than that?" she gave an annoying little laugh. "Not worried I'm going to steal him away from you or something, are you?"
He couldn't help letting out a bark of laughter, which he quickly tried to cover up with a cough when he saw how offended the woman now looked.
The woman's date didn't look offended though, he was still looking at Ginny. "Yeah, come on. Let's get a drink. Just because we've moved on doesn't mean we can't still be friends."
Oh, Harry realized, this was the ex. Clearly his new girlfriend thought she'd stolen him away from Ginny, that part he hadn't known about.
He was glad that these two had chosen to wait until now to start talking with them because Ginny looked at a loss as to what would be the right move to make and taking him to the loo now would seem like she was only doing it to prove she was over him.
"What's your name?" Harry asked him.
"Michael," he held out his hand.
Harry shook it and turned to the woman. "And you are?"
"Lavender. I write for Style section." She extended her hand for him too. The way she held it out was as though she expected him to kiss the back of it. Instead, he forced her hand sideways and gave her one up and down handshake in greeting.
"I'm sure we can spare a minute to chat. We need to get a refill on our drinks anyhow, cool off a bit." He gave Ginny a wink, one telling her he could handle any sideways comments thrown at them from these two.
He did tell her he'd gone to boarding school after all. They didn't deal with disputes by duking it out, like Ron had told him they settled things where the Weasley's grew up.
"So, Michael, which section of the paper do you work for? Wait, no, let me guess." He gave him a look up and down. "Judging from the hair I'd say… Sales?"
"Finance and Investments," Michael responded, giving him a curious look.
"Why would you have guessed Sales?" Lavender asked him.
"Well, they always have this… look," he waved his hand at Michael. "You know, overly groomed. Have to put a lot of effort into their appearance."
Ginny gave a single laugh. "It's true, he does. Spent more time in front of the mirror than me, that's for sure."
"Yes, well, my next guess was going to be that you were the legal representation," Harry stated as they got to the bar and waved at the bartender.
"And what do you do?"
"Oh, it isn't interesting. I work for a distribution company managing the logistics and shipping. I could talk about it endlessly, but I don't want to put you all to sleep. Just sort of fell into the career. They caught me with the salary, pension and career growth possibilities. I've only been with them five years and I've already been promoted three times, so it's good to know that the career growth bit wasn't a lie."
They all placed their orders with the bartender and then stood their staring at each other with nothing more to say. Harry was waiting for one of them to start talking so he wasn't monopolizing the conversation, but no one was giving it a go.
"Well, Lavender, since you work for the Style section, what do you reckon about the art around here?"
"Oh, I love it!" she exclaimed. "It's so wonderfully abstract."
From the pinch of Michael's lips, he didn't agree.
"I'm afraid I just don't get it. I mean, down on the main floor there are a few canvases that are simply sprayed with paint. And not Jackson Pollock style, more like lazy gang tagger style."
"Right!" Michael agreed. "And some of the sculptures, like, what the fuck are they supposed to be?"
Lavender scoffed. "I guess some people just don't have the appreciation for it."
"Yeah, but I agree with Ginny. The venue likely makes more money off events than commission. Wouldn't mind getting the name of their caterers though. Might recommend them to my boss for our next party."
"Yeah, the food is stellar," Ginny agreed and managed to snag the last cheese ball off of a passing caterer's tray.
"Erm, do you have any idea how many calories are in those?" Lavender asked her skeptically.
"Erm, do you have any idea how many calories I've burned through today? Forget the step counting, shagging certainly burns through enough," Ginny retorted.
"Then by all means," Harry grinned, "have a few more." He leaned down to whisper in her ear, "I'd love to help you burn them off later."
"Well, you did tell me it was going to be my turn to be in charge next," she whispered back and gave him a small kiss.
The music changed and Ginny's face lit up. "This is Swing music! I know the steps to this one!"
"Excellent, I actually enjoyed the lessons for this one." He took her hand and didn't bother bidding farewell to the other two before they were back on the dancefloor and boogying it up.
()()()
The next morning Harry felt like he'd fallen asleep on a marshmallow. He was sunk into the soft mattress with a down-filled pillow and a fluffy white duvet on top of him.
And he was not at his own flat.
They'd stayed at the event for another hour, dancing with some interspersed mingling and two more drinks, then walked back to her place and laughed their way through two more rounds of sex; he was determined to get her to a third orgasm, otherwise he would have passed out after the second because he was so tired and had a bit too much to drink.
He couldn't believe how great of an evening it had turned out to be, and how much he was already invested into Ginny!
He patted down the fluffy pillow so that he could get a look at her sleeping on the other side of the bed. She was still deep in sleep and her head was turned away from him, but he could see her bare back and count all her freckles in the light coming through her window.
A buzzing sound from the floor made him turn away from her and reach down for his trousers and the cellphone in his pocket. It was Ron calling and Harry accepted the call before realizing it was a FaceTime call, not a phone call.
"Oh, shit," he tried correcting it and blocking the camera, but Ron had already seen him, so he tried to keep it pointed down so he would only see his face and the white pillow behind him. "Er, hey mate."
"Hey, checking how it went last night. Guess you were up late if you're still in bed. Thought you woke early and went for runs at the track on Sundays?"
"Er, yeah, normally. And yeah, we were up late last night. It was a good time though. They had really great appetizers."
"Mmm, food," Ginny mumbled from the other side of the bed. "We should have snagged more for a midnight snack."
Harry stared at Ron's face on his phone and Ron was staring right back at him.
"Are you at Ginny's place?" Ron asked testily.
"Erm."
"Did you spend the night there?!"
"Erm."
"What the fuck?! I didn't pay you to sleep with her! You were just supposed to take her to the stuffy work event thing and then leave. Did I not mention the leaving bit to you?!"
Ginny sat up abruptly in the bed and Harry's eyes darted over to her aghast expression. "Did he just say he PAID you to go out with me?!"
"It wasn't like that!" Harry defended and immediately hung up on Ron and tossed his phone back to the floor. "I completely forgot about that bit."
"You're a fucking escort?!" she backed away from him.
"NO!" His phone started buzzing on the floor and he ignored it. "Everything I told you about my job is true. Ron and I are just mates that meet up at the pub and watch football together. He asked if I had a suit and if I was available to take you out last night."
"Then what was that bit about him paying you?!" She slipped out of bed and pulled on a robe.
Harry's phone stopped buzzing, but Ginny's then started chirping at her and she switched it off, but it kept buzzing.
"Look, I was hesitant, alright? He just kept asking, then started showing me pictures of you and they… well, they were kind of… distorted." It was the nicest way of phrasing it.
Ginny stood up even straighter and took in a deep breath. "Are you saying I photograph poorly, so Ron had to pay you to come out with me?"
"Erm…" That was essentially what happened. "So… Uh. Well, he just kept pressing, then offered to cover my bar tab and mentioned it would be an open bar at the event, so what was one wasted evening?" he said pathetically.
She stared at him for long enough that her phone screen went dark again and his started buzzing once more.
"Just the bar tab?" she asked. "No extra Gigolo cash to give me the night of my life, or whatever?"
"It was the night of your life?" he asked hopefully.
She crossed her arms and glared at him.
"I'm sorry, alright? If you'd have been at the bar when he mentioned you needing a date, I swear I would have paid for his and your drinks just for the opportunity to go on the date with you last night."
"Because?" she asked as though he was going to pass or fail a test with his next answer.
"Because I know we would have got on just as brilliantly then as we did last night. And we did, didn't we?"
"We did," she confirmed, still staring hard at him.
"So… maybe you'll let me make it up to you? Take you to breakfast? I still want to see you again. If, if you'll let me."
Something in his tone must have got to her, because he could see her eyes softening out of their glare.
"I do like you," she admitted. "And I really enjoyed myself last night."
"Then don't let something like a bar tab tarnish that. I like you too."
His phone stopped buzzing and her screen lit up again.
Ginny rolled her eyes and gave him a relenting smile, then she picked up her phone. "I'll yell at you later, Ron. I'm not done with my concubine yet." Then she ended the call and put her phone back down.
"Concubine?" he grinned. "I thought you were a writer? You should know that Gigolo is the correct term, you just used it."
"Escort," she countered and got back on the bed, sitting back against the wall.
"Man of questionable morals."
"Whore."
"Man whore."
"Haven't you heard about this whole gender equality business? Men are allowed to be called whores now, no need to put a gender identifier on it." She was smirking at him now. "How much was this bar tab exactly?"
"Er, it was the weeks' worth, so… hundred and twenty quid?"
She gave him a hum of acknowledgment. "I guess… if the tables were reversed."
That caused the knot in his chest to loosen. "Hey Ginny?"
"Hmm?"
"Will you go out with me? Promise I'll pay."
()()()
AN- Iwik- I know you wanted one about Ginny hiring an escort, but I couldn't get that to play out in my head where she follows through with shagging him when she knows she's paying for it. Thus, I did it this way. Ron still paid for Harry to go on the date, so it counts as him being an Escort.