Title: Checkmate
Author: Citrus587
Rating: Sorta Naughty (However, the actual fic will be extremely naughty.)
Ship: D/G
Disclaimer: I own nothing that you recognize.
Summary: Sometimes, wrong is just so right.
Notes: This is a snippet of a one-shot that I am working on at the moment. At it's completion, it will be a very long one-shot. Be forewarned: the following cookie i s UN-BETAED!!!

***

To the outside world, their relationship was the picture of perfection. His stolen life, their arranged friendship, and their eventual romance was the stuff of romantic myths.

On the inside, their relationship was much different. His unassuming arrogance, her quiet duty, and their dispassionate bond was more akin to life in prison.

--

?Happy anniversary, Gin-bug,? he greeted her, standing with a smile, as she approached the table. He gave her a chaste peck on the cheek, on that would be better suited for a relative, rather than a girlfriend of five years.

She mustered a grin and sat in the chair he had pulled out for her. He was always a picture-perfect gentleman. She could certainly not fault him for that.
He struck up a conversation about his day. He left not one second out of his detailed play-by-play description. She smiled and nodded appropriately, whilst taking in her surroundings.

She noticed that they were completely alone in the opulent restaurant, aside from a waiter watching the couple in the corner. He didn?t seem concerned with their conversation, but watched the table all the same. She also could hear the soft music of a piano, but could not locate the source. She assumed the music came from behind her.

While she was contemplating their isolation in the restaurant, the waiter she observed earlier appeared at their table, asking for their orders. She was startled by his abrupt appearance, and then quickly realized that she had not yet looked at the menu.

?She would like?? she heard him begin. She hated when he ordered for her, and had told him so on numerous occasions. However, he persisted in the habit. Now, she simply smiled back at him, as though she truly appreciated his thoughtlessness. She thanked him graciously, and handed her menu to the waiter, who walked away with a curt nod.

As they waited for their food, he prompted her to tell him all about her day. She did, despite the fact that she repeated the same routine virtually every day. He responded with his usual enthusiasm, as though this was the first time he was hearing her description.

She let out a sigh of relief when their food arrived. Her filet, cooked to his specifications, was far too raw for her to truly enjoy. She did not understand why she could not enjoy her meat cooked well done, rather than medium ?rare. The juices, in her opinion, added nothing to the dish.

They ate their meal quietly, commenting every once in a while on the quality of the food. They ate their food too quickly, with no conversation to interrupt them, and an awkward silence followed the entr?e.

She always looked at the dessert offerings first, before the entr?e. She had noticed that the restaurant offered a Dutch apple streusel cheesecake, which sounded delicious to her. She was a sucker, after all, for anything with apples. As she went to order it, he interjected and ordered the tiramisu.

?I know it?s your favorite,? he told her with a wink.

She smiled weakly back.

The waiter returned moments later with their dessert, as well as new table settings. She went to release the napkin from the napkin ring, when she noticed that the napkin was jewel encrusted. She saw him stand, and then drop onto one knee in front of her.

Check.

--

When he dropped her off at her flat, he gave her a kiss that evoked no emotions. He bade her good night, and she waved at him as she closed the door. She had said few words since uttering the one word that sealed her fate: ?Yes.?

Her mind had screamed for her to say ?no.? He?s too controlling, he mind told her, he doesn?t make you feel. Yet when she finally managed to say something, it was something completely different.

She searched her flat for any hidden drops of something that would make her feel something. Something more than the nothingness that was currently consuming her. Finding nothing, she grabbed a handful of Floo powder, stepped into the fireplace, and called out, ?Hog?s Head.?

She stepped out of the fireplace at Hog?s Head and immediately wished that she had thought to change her clothes before Flooing. She still wore the dressy clothes that she had worn to the upscale restaurant she had been to for dinner. She tugged at them unconsciously, trying to rumple the pristine outfit, so as to fit in more.

She gave up on fitting in, and moved to the bar, ordering herself a fire whiskey. The barkeep commented on such a strong drink for such a small girl, but served her all the same. He served the next rounds without comment when he watched her throwback the first one effortlessly.

She was well on the road to sloshed when a good-looking man sat down next to her. He casually offered to buy her next drink, and she accepted.
He also bought the next two rounds of drinks.

She had passed her usual limits a few drinks ago. Her inhibitions were low, and her desires high.

When he leaned in casually to kiss her, she never once thought of pulling back. The moment his lips touched hers, all thoughts left her head.
She deepened the kiss, demanding more of the man. He acquiesced. She could not get enough of the kiss, and she felt an intense hunger bubble up inside of her. She felt her skin inflame under his touch.

Her world went cold as he pulled away, looking slightly harried. The barkeep was grumbling about the state of the kids of day and told them to keep their hands to themselves or leave.

She continued to stare unabashedly at the man who had just given her the best kiss of her life. He returned the look. He slammed more than enough to cover both their tabs on the bar, and grabbed her hand roughly, leading her outside.

As soon as they were outside, he reclaimed her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her easily off the ground.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, eagerly responding to his assaulting kiss. Every thought she had was consumed by the moment, never once deserting the here and now.

He had the presence of mind to apparate them both before they attracted too much attention.

--

--
She awoke the next morning with a pounding headache, in a bed that was too soft to be her own, next to something that was too hard and too large to be her teddy bear.

She blinked, attempting to recall where she was and how she got there. She felt the person next to her stir. She watched him as he struggled to open his eyes. When he finally was able to blink them open, she stared back incredulously into two stormy grey eyes.

?Weasley,? he said helplessly, trailing off.

?######,? she said before apparating home.

--

Practice the next day was the worst she had had in years. She could not concentrate on a word her coach was saying.

She wondered how he could act so normal; especially since less than forty-eight hours ago she awoke next to him in his bed.

She hadn?t said a word to him about that night, and he didn?t broach the subject either. In fact, she hadn?t told anyone about what had happened. The experience became real as soon as someone said something about it. If she kept it in her head, then she could play it off as her overactive imagination.

Malfoy yelled, pushed, and demanded that she begin to play like a professional quidditch player, or he would kick her off the pitch. His threats proved empty and powerless.

After a grueling conditioning session, which was due to her poor performance during the regular practice session, Ginny followed the team into the locker room. She sat on the bench in front of her locker and stared into space. A few of her teammates asked her what was wrong. She pointedly ignored them all, and they likewise.

Unable to stand being the elephant in the room, she exchanged her quidditch kit for trainers, track suit bottoms, and a tee, lacing up her shoes. She left the locker room behind, sprinting out the door.

When she returned from her run, the sun had set and the locker room was quiet and dark. The only light came from the Malfoy?s office. He looked up when he heard her come in, but never moved from his seat.

She stood frozen at the doorway until he released her from his stare. When free, she snatched her wand from her locker and walked out the door, never daring to look back.

*****

Let me know what you think!! I'm in the midst of writing this fic.

Ah, I'm so sorry I missed this when it was posted.

I can't wait to see where this goes! Malfoy is her coach? And they had a tryst? I love when things are complicated like that...it just means passion, passion, passion.

How the heck did I miss this? I normally keep tabs on everything in this forum.

Well, I sincerely hope our delayed response has not left you thinking we don't care. This fic sounds very promising, and I only wish there was more so that I could keep reading.