Chapter Four: Play the Game

Chapter Four: Play the Game

"My turn to drive today, I think," announced Hermione as she grabbed the keys from the table.

The men turned to one another and raised equally incredulous eyebrows.

"You?" asked Lucius. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

"Yes, me. And if I can handle my father's Lotus, I'm sure the DB5 will be a piece of cake. It's twenty-five years older, after all."

"I'm around twenty-five years older than you are. Do you think you could handle me?" Lucius winked as he closed the door behind them.

"Oh, I'm sure I could handle you, Lucius. Just not sure I'd want to." Fibber.

Severus snorted at the dejected look on his friend's face as the witch strode off to the car. "Good try, old man. I'm sure she is wearing down."

"Wearing me down, you mean." Lucius sighed.

"Hey, you two! There's an owl on the car. It looks like it has a message," Hermione called.

"Damn. That can't be good. I left explicit instructions that I wasn't to be disturbed unless there was an emergency." Lucius frowned as he read the message. "Fuck!"

"What is it?" asked Severus, concerned. It was not often that his well-bred friend swore in front of a woman.

"Read it. It's from my chief accountant."

Dear Mr Malfoy,

Witherspoon, Merritt, and Sons.

"Surely all businesses have bad months?" Severus suggested.

"Not this one. We import wine from New Zealand. There is a huge market for their Sauvignon Blanc now and never enough to go around. This little venture has been steadily making a tidy profit for a few years. It makes no sense for it to suddenly lose ground. I think he is correct; there is foul play afoot." Lucius stroked a finger along his cheek pensively. "And I think I know just the way to find out what is going on." He shared his devious plan with his two companions as they turned the car in the direction of Guildford.

Hermione gaped. "You have got to be kidding. You really think you can pull that off?"

"And why not, with two such superb accomplices?"

For the rest of the journey they put aside their differences and plotted with the Machiavellian skill of Dumbledore himself.

***

"Right, everyone knows their role?" Lucius looked stunning in his dinner jacket ensemble. Severus was similarly attired, and with his hair pulled back into a neat queue even managed to look somewhat dashing. Hermione had stopped at a nearby Debenham's when they had arrived and acquired, with the help of Lucius's credit card, an expensive, black, cocktail dress. As instructed, it left little to the imagination, with shoestring straps, a low neckline, skin-tight fit, and a hem somewhat higher than she had ever worn before. Six-inch, black heels; glossy, red lipstick; and a new hairstyle completed the look.

Both men stared as she entered the living area of the suite they shared. Lucius wolf-whistled. "I think that should distract any red-blooded male in the vicinity," he declared.

"Bugger anyone else," murmured his friend. "How do you expect me to concentrate?"

Hermione blushed under their lascivious gazes. "Are you sure about this, Lucius?"

"Yes, my dear. While you and I are engaging their attention with our indubitable sex-appeal, Severus here will lurk around the offices and find out who dares to defraud a Malfoy."

"You didn't explain why we cannot use magic there." Hermione realised what had been bothering her about the plan.

"As I said, the business deals with Muggles often and has Muggle staff. For all intents and purposes, it is an ordinary Muggle company."

"But what if we are discreet?" she persisted.

"Unfortunately, some paranoid idiot insisted that there be wards set up to monitor any magical activity within the building. We cannot afford to set them off," he explained with a rueful smile.

"Hermione Granger, meet Paranoid Idiot." Severus performed the introduction with a perfectly straight face.

"And you have room to criticise? Who has his home warded more tightly than Gringotts?"

"Oh, shut it, you two! Lucius, how did you know there would be a company cocktail party tonight?" she asked.

"It's the first Friday of the month. Every Malfoy business has a cocktail party then. And if they know what is good for them, they ensure all the employees are present. I have been known to appear at random to inspect the business. They will no doubt fall over themselves to entertain me and my new lady friend."

Hermione rolled her eyes at Severus. "Is he always like this?" Arrogant... confident... too damned sexy for comfort.

"Unfortunately, yes. But you will learn to ignore him as I do in time."

"I'm not sure I want to spend that much time with him." Fibber.

Arriving at the party a few minutes later, Lucius's belief in his own importance was substantiated. Sycophantic managers and adoring secretaries vied for his attention from the moment they entered the building. As the glamorous couple was surrounded and plied with food and drink, Severus easily managed to slip into a quiet hall and make his way to the office suites upstairs. Spying for so many years had left him with some useful skills, after all. He eventually found the evidence he needed in the office of one Mr Barnaby Flistletop and was about to leave the room when he felt something hard prodding him in his lower back.

"Turn around. Slowly." The threat implicit in the husky, feminine voice convinced him that his captor was serious. He turned slowly, to find himself looking down the barrel of a menacing-looking Muggle gun held by an extremely attractive woman in her early thirties. One who was eyeing him with a mixture of curiosity and appreciation. He could use that to his advantage.

"Ah. Now I have caught you," he murmured silkily. "I knew you couldn't resist finding out who was sneaking around. Please, be gentle with me." He smirked as her gun wavered. She was not quite as tough as she had thought. "Are there any... suitable rooms where we could... get to know each other better?" he asked, while unbuttoning his top few buttons. It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it.

She smiled eagerly, dropping her gun-hand altogether. "Oh, I think I know just the place..."

***

Lucius took Hermione by the elbow and gracefully excused them from the conversation on the pretext of finding her a powder room. Leading her out into the hall, he pulled her into a side room near the back of the building. It appeared to be a bedroom, probably used to accommodate visiting clients. "Have you seen Severus?" he whispered urgently. "He should have been back downstairs by now."

"No, I've been too busy fending off the advances of that creepy manager," she hissed.

"Which one? I'll..."

"Shh," she interrupted as they heard someone at the door. "Quick, into the wardrobe." Hermione shoved Lucius into the small wardrobe in the corner of the room where there was barely room for him to sit, legs apart, with her between. A crack in the door allowed them to see.

"Merlin, woman. No need to manhandle me!" His breath warmed her ear.

"There was no time for a bloody vote... Oh, my. Is that Severus? And who is that woman?" Tart!

"I don't know, but it appears she wants to have her wicked way with him. He is supposed to be gathering information, not shagging some secretary. You'd better look away, Hermione." Lucius gallantly shielded her eyes.

"Oh, bugger off, Lucius. I'm not missing this. But I don't think he planned it. Did you see the look in his eyes? Mind you, there is one part of him that is not objecting. Mmm... impressive!" Holy fuck. The man's a god. She shifted slightly, not hearing the soft groan from the wizard behind her as she moved between his legs. She was far too entranced with the scene before her. Severus Snape certainly had a fine body. And he knew how to use it. Hermione squirmed again and this time noticed a rather hard lump pressing into her bottom. "Is that your wand in your pocket, or are you just pleased to see me?" she quipped.

"Very funny. Now, stop wriggling, or I shall not be responsible for the consequences," he growled in her ear, eyes fixed on the scene in the bedroom.

"What? Like this?" She deliberately gyrated her hips against his hardness, the sensuality of the activities she was witnessing rendering her inhibitions void. His breathing became uneven as she increased her movements in time with those on the bed.

"Don't... do... that. It's been too long. Ahhhhh... aaahhhhh... mmmm." The wizard behind her grimaced as the dampness seeped through his pants. "Now, look what you've done, and it's not like I can use a wand to clean up." His eyes widened as she reached back and grabbed his hand, placing it firmly under her skirt. Not needing any further instruction, he quickly found just the right spot to relieve her frustration.

As she came down from her high, she covered her face with her hands. "What have I done?" she groaned. Nothing you haven't fantasised about in the last couple of days.

"What do you two think you are doing?" enquired an irritated and fully clad Severus as he pulled the wardrobe door open. "Do you realise how well I had to perform to cover the heavy breathing from in there?"

"You didn't seem to mind from what I could see," retorted Hermione, hauling her attitude firmly back into place.

"Yes, well, if you have quite finished getting yourselves off, I can tell you just what I had discovered before Miss Hotpants there found me. Luckily, I was able to... er... distract her."

"I can see that is a technique I must try," Lucius quipped. "Let's get out of here before too many questions are asked. You can show us what you have back at the hotel."

"Oh, I think we had an excellent view of what he has," Hermione purred. "Nice equipment, by the way, Snape."

"I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?" He sighed.

"I just wish I'd had a camera. Could have preserved the sight of your bony, white arse bouncing up and down for posterity. I'm sure next year's Gryffindors would have paid well for copies." She giggled as they made their way out of the building.

"If I believed that for one minute, I would lock you up in the dungeons and throw away the key, young lady!" he snarled.

Promises, promises... did I really think that? "No, actually I don't think I would want to traumatise the poor Gryffindors so much. Perhaps the Hufflepuffs?"

"She's evil, Lucius. Can't you do anything about her?" Severus pleaded for assistance from his supposed friend.

"You had her as a student for seven years and look how well you succeeded. Don't ask me for help. I think I'm scared of her. Look what she did to me when I was unable to defend myself." He pointed down.

"Just what were you two doing in that wardrobe? I thought you didn't like him?" he asked the still chuckling witch.

"I don't. He's an arrogant prat with more money than is good for his moral well-being. I must have temporarily taken leave of my senses with that floorshow you were putting on. I plead insanity." She held her hands up in surrender.

"Just my luck. The first action I get for months, and she denies any involvement. There I was thinking she had finally succumbed to the Malfoy charm. I think I shall just stick with old faithful here in future." He regarded his right hand affectionately.

"Ew. Just, ew! I did not need that image in my head!" Merlin, that's hot!

"Can't say it does a lot for me, old man." For once, Severus and Hermione appeared to agree.

Back at the Mandolay Hotel, Severus pulled a sheaf of paper from inside his jacket. "Here it is, all the evidence you need. Flistletop is only selling a fraction of the wine purchased by the company to the regular clients. The rest I suspect he is selling for his own personal profit. He has tried to falsify the records to cover his activities, but see here... and here." He pointed out the discrepancies in the totals.

"Excellent. I shall send this to Witherspoon tomorrow morning. Now, I suggest a celebratory drink. Sauvignon, anyone?"

"But aren't you going to hex him or anything equally nasty?" asked Hermione, surprised by his apparently mild reaction. A few rounds of Crucio, perhaps?

He poured the wine and handed Severus his. "Never fear, my dear. He shall not go unpunished. The Malfoys do everything by the letter of the law now. Witherspoon is very skilled at dealing with those who try and defraud me. Now, I believe we may have some unfinished business, young lady?" The awareness between them crackled as their fingers brushed on the wine glass.

I don't think I like the look in his eye. Lucius's scorching gaze was rapidly melting all of her previous objections. Can I change my mind now and not look fickle? "Unfinished business, Lucius?"

"Yes." He brushed his finger along her jaw, trailing it down her neck to the swell of her breasts. "Unfinished business."

Glancing at Severus, who was watching the exchange with an anticipatory smile, she licked her suddenly dry lips. Her former nemesis was doing unbelievably pleasant things with his fingertip along the low neckline of her dress, and all she wanted to do was to... Oh, fuck it. I have needs too.

A sudden armful of warm, willing witch took Lucius by surprise. His head was dragged down, and soft lips claimed his own. A hot tongue caressed his as hands rapidly unbuttoned his shirt. Looking over her head, he saw his friend flash a resigned smile and raise his glass in a silent toast.

Hermione felt the blond wizard pull away slightly. She raised her head and straightened her fallen shoulder strap. That's it, I've blown it. She briefly puzzled over his encouraging nod and the quirk of his eyebrow towards their companion until, with a wide grin, she turned to Severus and said, "Well. Are you planning on joining us any time soon, or are you waiting for a gold-embossed invitation?"

He needed no further encouragement.

***