Femme Fatale

He laughed. He liked her laugh. It was more intoxicating to him than the drink in front of him. This was just bloody perplexing. He had planned on just some harmless fun, and now he was actually realizing he liked her. That frustrated him highly. He was doing everything he knew how to mask the frustration he felt. Liking her--really liking her--well, that had never been part of the plan. Not ever. Had never been part of any plan with any girl. He could be charming and alluring, but none of it had ever been genuine on his part--until now. The server brought the orders and placed them in front of everyone at the table, and Jeremy was glad to see it. It was a handy redirection for at least 3o minutes or so.

"Yes, and now our wine sauce will mask all that wonderful perfume," he said. "We'd better eat a bite. We don't want the drinks to go to our heads, now, do we?" He knew full well that she was well past the chance that the food would help her, but it might keep her from getting sick over the sudden introduction and indulgence in firewhiskey.

Tish cut a bite of her steak and tasted the firewhiskey sauce drizzled over it. "Oh, that is divine," she said. "Would you prefer I find a chair of my own for now?" she asked William.

"You have one," he nuzzled her neck, kissing her behind her ear, feathery little kisses down to her bare shoulder. "Right here. How's the steak?"

"Wonderful," she said. She speared another bite on her fork and fed it to him.

"You're right. It is good," he agreed.

"But I'm hoping," she said softly, " that dessert will be even better."

"Who knows?" he said in an experienced and captivating tone. "We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?"

"I'm counting the minutes," she returned his kisses with a kiss on his temple.

"Get a room, would you two?" one of the girl-less companions growled, tearing a dinner roll in half.

"Well, now, that's an original thought," William said with bland sarcasm, undeterred.

"Uh, yeah sure..." Lana had been looking forward to this all night. Why was she suddenly so dissappointed? Because it was distraction? Lana picked up her fork and knife, though her heart was completely into eating. When she looked at Tish and William, and saw how their little dinner was going... she felt the strange urge to try some. Not the meal, much to her consternation, but the whole kissing thing. Her heart nearly flipped when somebody said "Get a room, would you two?" but couldn't explain her dissappointment that they weren't talking to her and Jeremy.
She bit into the piece of pork on her fork and exclaimed, "Wow, this IS good!" with relish.

"I"m glad you like it," Jeremy smiled. He looked at her and saw just a small drop of the red wine reduction on the corner of her mouth. He took the side of his finger and slowly and lightly brushed off the drop of sauce, not able to help himself from correcting the slight temporary imperfection. Then he found himself rethinking it. He had the urge to apologize for his forwardness, and then got ahold of himself. He had to stop acting like a first year. He knew better. This was not his first date, after all.

He looked at the annoyed companions with them, who appeared to be getting more annoyed by the minute. He took out his wand and flicked it at their plates, one at a time, and moved the plates to the next table over. "Since it irritates you, perhaps you'd like a separate table," he said firmly. Even William looked at him with a raised eyebrow. This was out of character for Jeremy. The four were just frustrated enough to be relieved to be leaving William and Jeremy to their own devices tonight. He just watched them get up and go to the next table. Then he turned his attention back to Lana.

"Now, where were we before we were so rudely interrupted?" he asked her softly. "Oh, yes. I was about to...do this." He kissed her softly and slowly. He had taken chances before. He had done this lots of times, but he had not meant it before. And that made everything feel different.

Lana didn't know how to react. How could she? This was her first kiss. EVER! How did it come to this? Oh right, some sauce... his lips kind of tasted like that sauce. She really liked the sauce. She pulled away after a moment, her face now turning beet red as she tried to come up with a proper response. Why was it so hard to think? She drink more of her fruity drink, taking slight comfort in the warmth, but now it was beginning to feel electric. She couldn't explain what was happening to her. But she was glad she was being lead along by the gentleman beside her.

Unable to articulate a proper reaction, Lana looked back deeply in Jeremy's eyes... and kissed him right back.

Jeremy had managed to manipulate her drink during dinner so that she didn't end up smashed before the end of the evening, and he had managed to do it without wrecking the mood of whatever the deuce it was that was happening between them.

He had thrown enough sickles on the table to pay for his tab and Lana's and left Tish and William to their own devices. He had led her off to the couples spot and had found it empty. He was glad. He had hidden some things in a cloth sack in the hollow base of a tree earlier, in case they found themselves useful. He had led her there, accio'd the sack from the tree, and spread a large warm fleecy blanket on the ground for them in a spot where they would not be seen. He drew his large and full quidditch cloak out of the bag and laid it beside the blanket. He allowed himself to stop holding back. He honestly wanted to love her. And loving her, well, that was easy. He didn't want her to be a proverbial notch in his belt. It was easy to hold her and to love her now.

It wasn't long before he heard Tish and William joining them, in a more open spot, not giving a rats behind who saw what they did, and hearing them pursuing their own plans with a lot more gusto than Jeremy had any desire to do. So far as he knew, Tish and William didn't know he and Lana were anywhere around, which was how just he wanted it.

He left their clothes laying on the ground, and, later, covered them both with his large quidditch cloak. He wrapped her close to him as she slept, skin to skin, and slipped off into a light sleep, his wand against his thigh, in case he needed to ward anything off from them before she woke. This had broken away all his previous conceptions of the whole idea of love and intimacy. A girl he hadn't known before tonight. And she had turned his world upside down before dinner was even done. Now there were new feelings. Was she going to hate him for this? He had never cared before. This time he cared. He cared very much.

Lana's conscious began to stir as the sun began to rise. She instinctively clung to the warmest thing in the area, which just happened to be a certain boy...
From last night.
Lana's eyes snapped open as she felt his body against hers. She instantly felt a throbbing pain aching through her entire body. Her heart began to hammer against her ribs as she confirmed the worst of her assumptions- she nude with a naked man, in the middle of THE couple's spot, and her clothes were nowhere in sight. At this point, what worried her most were the clothes. Then it all starting coming back to her. This young man's name was Jeremy. He was a polite, gentlemanly figure and...

Lana's heart dropped as she remembered all the daring things she had done. This had been her fault. She had followed the advice of a stranger and now she was there... and no longer a virgin...
Then again, Lana had never intended to keep herself pure... there wasn't much regret on that regard. If only she could remember the experience. Unfortunately, her head was pounding, and she felt terribly weak. There was no getting around this- she had just been laid, and it had all been her fault.

But enough self pity. She could only hope that the nice boy that had not really seduced her at least had a good time... ugh, why did it hurt so much to think that way?
Lana shook Jeremy, hoping it would be enough to wake him up, so that she could ask where her clothes were and just be done with this...

Oh no. Contraceptives. Molly had always warned her about that. Was it too late? She had packed up an unopened packet of "The Morning After," at her maid's behest. She needed to go and grab some. She also needed her clothes... where were her clothes?
"Um... J-Jeremy?" she asked the sleeping boy meekly. With the confidence of Firewhiskey, she was just plain old Lana.

He woke quickly. "Hi," he smiled. He looked at the packet she was opening. "You wont need that," he said. "I bought a potion from Slugs and Jiggers. Its a lot more fairminded, I think. Its designed to stop contraception before it starts. It places responsibility on the man to stop things and not the woman to prevent it. Seems a lot more fair to me. " He opened the bag and pulled out the bottle of potion and handed it to her to inspect. "I swear. I have no desire to be a father at this point in my life either if I can prevent it," he said honestly. "I wouldn't shy away from it if it happened, but if I can use my head a bit, it seems a wiser thing to do. Oh, And my guess is you need this. It really will make you feel better. " He pulled out a second bottle. "This one comes in handy too. Its a very effective hangover remedy. Works really well. You're welcome to try it if you like. And they're nice enough to make it flavorless. Like water."

He saw her looking for something. "Your clothes? They're here," he pointed to a stack of neatly folded clothes. They were under the cloth bag. His were on the bottom. He had actually had the forethought to not want the dampness from the night and the ground to draw into her clothes and had put his on the ground and not hers. That was different for him. He'd never cared about how or where the clothes ended up before. This was the first time they were not, in the morning, laying wherever they'd been hastily cast to during the night. And folded? His mother would have been proud of that. He had learned how to do that simple little spell, and last night, he had cared to use it.

"Lana," he said gently, "So you know. This wasn't at all about using you. I..well, I know this might sound weird. But I really do like you. I know that probably sounds like nothing but a lot of empty words right now, but I really would have wanted to see you again whether we ended up here last night or not." He didn't know if she would believe him, but, really, if he had just been another guy like William, he'd have been gone before sunup. While she slept. There was nothing to gain now from leading her on any further if it was just about using her. And he found himself wanting to be honest with her.

Lana had trouble reading the bottle. Her hands slightly shook as she placed it in the grass, and sighed, covering her face with her palms. Great. Here she was, blaming herself for in her loss of inhibition, and it just happened to be with a guy was okay with being the responsible one. Why did this feel so wrong? She handed the potion back to Jeremy and accepted the hangover potion without a word. She really wanted to tell him that she appreciated his consideration. She really did. But she was choking on her words. It just felt WEIRD. It was weird to know that a place so private and personal to her person had been violated, and she could barely recall it. She couldn't even remember how they go there.

She fought the urge to chug down the potion, but hastily reconsidered. Poor hygiene and what not. She instead tipped her head back and poured some of the potion down her mouth, without touching the actual bottle with her lips. Better that way.

Then, Jeremy said he was interested in seeing her again.
Wait.
Seeing her? Again? As in, a date? His words echoed in her brain as she crawled over to her clothes, dragging the articles onto her aching form. She couldn't reply. She just felt so ashamed of her actions to even reply. Why would he even ask her out again? Lana put on her clothes and turned to Jeremy's. They were soaked with the morning dew. She smiled at the young man's consideration, pulling out her wand and tapping the garments lightly, the moisture evaporating before she placed the clothes on the blanket she once occupied.
"I'm sorry. I need to think about it for a while. But until I decide on my answer... we could always just hang out," she smiled, hoping that wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"I'd like that," he smiled. "Look, I know how this looks. You didn't even know I existed before last night, and now you wake up with me. We don't know dink about each other. I'm not expecting that you remember a whole lot from about dinner on. And I am sorry about that--really. I should have trusted you more in thinking maybe you might want to be with me--in your own time. I won't make that mistake again. I promise. To be honest, I'm not blind. I've seen the other girls at Hogwarts. But, for some reason, there's something different about you. It...it makes me rethink how I've lived. And...well, it makes me want to try for a different type of relationship.

"Thanks--for drying my clothes. I never did like the way they feel when they're wet. That hangover potion should take away a lot of the lousy aftereffects of the firewhiskey. Are you...interested in breakfastt maybe? No alcohol involved. Just breakfast. Maybe conversation--the 'getting to know you' stuff we should have been doing last night. "

And here he was, feeling like a first year again. How in the world did he say that he had laid awake after she had gone to sleep and had tried to think of the other girls he had been with, but when he did, all he could see now was Lana's face? How did he say anything about that and make it feel real to her? To him, there was no girl that measured up to her beauty and her grace. William could have all the one night stands. Jeremy was done with them. For some reason, he just didnt need them anymore.

Oh no. Lana may have been naive, but she knew the words of a romantic when she heard them. This was not going to be easy. Lana didn't want the responsibility of a boyfriend. The rumors, the jealousy, the very life of the person. She didn't know if she could respect another person enough to be their girlfriend. Especially when she just lost her... virginity... to a boy she barely knew. Yeah, she was lucky, and he was nice, but...
"Listen. I know you... really like me..." Lana began, unable to continue the sentence she was trying to come up with. "Uh... "

Lana felt the urge to just accept his invitation for dinner. But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She really couldn't. Even suggesting her interest would raise his hopes to such a level that... Lana wouldn't be able to find a way to gently let him down. Lana was scared. Not for herself, but for him. Kind of a strange thought, seeing as he DID tamper with her drinks and all, but she was worried about him. He was in love. And like any fool in love, he was obsessed over her. Perhaps someday, Lana herself would feel this way. Now, all she felt was the self-loathing feeling that could be accounted for by her indecision.

"Look, I get that you care about me. And I'm flattered, I really am. But I'm... just not ready for an intimate relationship. Not just the... sex... but i mean, the love. I don't think I can be a good girlfriend, so please, don't take this too hard. I just... never really tried it before.... and I'm flattered. I really am. You're an amazing guy, I just can't... can't...."
This was becoming too much for poor Lana... she needed a break. She needed to get away from there. She reached inside her pocket, hand ready to wrap around the keychain that would bring her home.
"I'm sorry Jeremy. I have to go and... take care of... stuff... but I'll keep in touch. Jeremy, Quidditch Player from Gryffindor." Lana smiled as she dissappeared.