A Maid in the Devil's Manor

Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 26 ~ A Rather Sexy Supper

Severus adjusted himself hoping his arousal wasn’t too obvious, and waited for Hermione to emerge. He planned to take supper on the rose-covered veranda. It was very lovely at night, with a nice view of the thousands of stars that filled the sky around Snape Manor. It would be just the right atmosphere to help make Hermione subtly realize that he could be much more to her than a patron if she were receptive. His decision to dress less like the Professor she remembered certainly seemed to pay off. She was quite taken with his appearance tonight. He distinctly saw approval in her eyes as they swept over him. Approval, and something else. Her eyes had gone unfocused for a moment, as if she were remembering something.

At that moment, Hermione walked into the study, and Severus politely rose to his feet. She wore a simple, sleeveless white cotton dress, and her damp hair was pulled back with a white hair clamp. She was barelegged and wore some floppy, rather cheap and uncomfortable looking open toed sandals on her feet. She noticed the Potions Master looking down at them with his brow furrowed. She lifted up one foot so he could see the shoe better.

“Flip-flops,” she said, “Just some cheap little rubber sandals muggles wear. I like them because it’s almost like going barefoot.”

“Flip-flops,” the Professor repeated, looking at the ugly things. “Well, the name fits them, to be sure.” He looked at her. “What I don’t understand is, why not just go barefoot, if that’s what you want?”

Hermione blushed a little.

“Just doesn’t seem appropriate here in the Manor,” she said.

Severus sighed.

“Miss Granger, for all intents and purposes this is your home now. If you wanted to walk around nude you could.”

He wouldn’t mind seeing that.

Hermione smiled, shaking her head.

“That would probably scandalize the house elves, not to mention you,” she said.

The Professor raised his eyebrows.

“I have nothing against a little scandal, Miss Granger,” he purred at her as she colored again. He looked down at her feet. “Take off your…flip-flops. I would rather see you barefoot than in those detestable things.”

Hermione liked walking around barefoot. She had ever since she was a child. She bent one leg, then the other, removing the flip-flops, then wriggled her toes. She looked up at the Professor. He was smirking at her.

“So, was your shower…satisfying?” he asked her, one eyebrow arched.

Hermione got a very uncomfortable feeling as she looked at the Potions Master. She had brought herself to orgasm thinking about his hands touching her body. She wondered how he’d take to the idea of her fantasizing about him like that? She imagined his response.

“That is highly inappropriate thinking, Miss Granger! We have a business arrangement! And I do not fondle former students!”

“My shower was fine. I feel good, but I still have a kink in my shoulders from all the planting I did,” she replied, hunching her shoulders a bit.

The Professor looked at her, consideringly.

“I may be able to help you work out that kink later on, Miss Granger,” he said, rather provocatively. .

This time, Hermione’s belly did a full flip at the suggestiveness of that comment.

“I am very good at massage,” he finished.

With those hands, Hermione didn’t doubt it.

“That sounds nice. I’m awfully tense,” she said a little weakly. She certainly was. The Professor held out his arm again.

“Shall we go, Miss Granger?” he asked her, his black eyes seeming to hold an even deeper question.

“Yes,” she breathed, taking his arm, aware of his muscles. He placed one large, warm, masculine hand on her arm as they walked toward the lift. It felt as if waves of heat were rippling out from where his hand touched her. Hermione drew in a breath to keep from reacting to the seemingly innocent touch of skin on skin. This was male contact. Not much of it, but enough to get her going. Severus was aware of her reaction, however.

“How do you feeling about Orange Duck, Miss Granger?” he asked her.

“I love it,” she replied, smiling.

“Good, because that is what we’ll be having,” he said as the entered the lift. He pressed the button and they rose quickly to the main floor of the Manor. The doors open and they emerged, the Potions Master still politely holding Hermione by the arm, guiding her into the corridor and down to the veranda.

They walked out on the veranda. Hermione looked at the table. The food was already prepared. There were platters of sliced, crispy orange duck, wild rice, snow peas, and smoked salad of wilted greens, goat cheese medallions, roasted beets and walnut vinaigrette. A bottle of Domaine du Pegau '01 also graced the candlelit table.

The Professor pulled out Hermione’s chair for her, and she sat down, looking at the delicious spread before her. It all looked so good, and she was starved. The Potions Master sat across from her, the candlelight softening the features of his face as he looked at her. The flame of the candles were reflected in his dark eyes, and Hermione felt her stomach clutch. He looked very attractive from where she was sitting. The Professor was thinking the same about her.

“Dig in,” he said.

Hermione filled her plate with the delicious food and tucked in. She made little appreciative sounds as she ate, something that would normally irritate the Professor, but in this case he found it rather nice, listening to her unabashed sounds of pleasure as she consumed her meal. It was something primal, welling up from within her and it pleased him immensely. It meant she was relaxed enough to be herself around him. He ate rather quietly, but the food was exquisite.

The moment they finished, Eli came and cleared the plates away.

“I is bringing dessert,” the house elf said and popped away.

The Potions Master tapped at his mouth delicately with a napkin, sat back in his chair and looked at Hermione, who licked her lips at that precise moment, the tip of her tongue sliding over her small, full lips in a very provocative manner as her amber eyes met his. She picked up her glass of wine and took a sip.

She set it down and said, “That was delicious, Professor,” and smiled at him.

Eli reappeared, and quickly put two bowls on the table and winked out before anyone could say anything to him. The Professor looked at what the elf had brought for dessert.

Bananas and long stemmed cherries.

“This is totally unacceptable!” he muttered, about to bellow for Eli, who actually was standing just inside the double doors. Hermione stopped him.

“No, this is fine. I prefer fruit to a heavy dessert,” she said, picking up a banana.

Inside the Manor, Eli smiled and winked out.

The Professor watched as the witch peeled the banana, pulling down the yellow skin slowly and deliberately, her amber eyes focused on the long, pale fruit as she revealed it. Severus groaned in the back of his throat. Hermione looked up at him.

“Did you say something, Professor?” she asked innocently. She knew precisely what she was doing. She was testing the waters. Most men reacted very physically to watching women eat bananas. She wanted to see if the Professor was like most men. By the sound he just made, she assumed he was.

“Ah, no,” he said, reaching for a cherry. Two could play at this game, he thought. He brought the cherry to his mouth, and licked it with the tip of his tongue, his eyes on Hermione, who had paused in devouring her banana to watch him. He sucked the cherry between his lips, turning it over expertly with his tongue. Hermione’s eyes were glued to his mouth as he manipulated the small fruit. He caught it between his teeth, then caught it by the stem with his fingers, sucking the fruit into his mouth neatly and separating it from its stalk.

He chewed blissfully and swallowed.

“I love cherries,” the Potions Master said silkily, looking the dazed witch in her eyes.

Hermione had been thinking some very dirty thoughts as she watched the Professor work the cherry between his lips, and was aware of a bit of heat between her thighs. He certainly could use his tongue. She realized they were both playing a very dangerous game. And it gave her a thrill. She slowly brought the banana to her mouth and wrapped her lips around it. Now it was the Professor’s turn to burn.

She slid the banana into her mouth a ways, her eyes locked to his. He had a very strange look on his face. His nose seemed to get bigger as it flared. He looked a little like a randy bull. Hermione stifled a chuckle as she drew back her lips a little, and let the Professor see her teeth holding the fruit lightly. She nibbled the banana a little before she took a slow bite, then began to chew normally as he expelled a long breath. She would like to have taken a peek under the table to see if there was a noticeable reaction, but she just gave him a little half smile.

Not to be outdone, Severus plucked another cherry out of the bowl, and this time put the entire fruit into his mouth, closing it and working his jaw a little. After a few moments, he stuck out his tongue, the cherry on the end of it, the stem tied neatly in a knot.

“Shit,” Hermione breathed to herself. She bit her lip.

“Professor?” she asked in a low voice as he pulled the knotted stem off the cherry then consumed it.

“Yes, Miss Granger?” he replied, looking at her with those dark eyes.

“What are we doing?” she asked him, her amber eyes half-lidded. That knot had nearly done her in.

He leaned forward and leveled his gaze at her. There was heat in it. A lot of heat.

"Complicating matters, Miss Granger," he replied, "definitely complicating matters."

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A/N: Hmm. Eli picked quite a dessert, didn’t he? Lol.. Please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter.