Leda

Leda\'s eyes were open in a heartbeat. It took her only a moment to comprehend the scene. The room was dark, illuminated only by the moonlight streaking through the window, but she could easily see that she was resting on Malfoy’s bed on top of the coverlet. Her head was near the foot of the bed and Malfoy himself was sitting on the edge next to her hips. His face was perfectly composed as he slipped his hands under Leda’s robes and began sliding her underwear over her trembling legs. Instinctively Leda reached down to stop his hands. Malfoy said nothing but only gazed calmly into her eyes through the dark and waited.

There was a second when Leda thought she would say something and even thought she should say something. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could almost hear it beating in her ears. She stared back in Malfoy’s eyes, burning like far off candle flame, and let her hands fall away from his.

She saw a slight smile cross his mouth before he continued sliding her underwear, another purchase she had sneaked past Hestia, down her legs until he pulled them off her. She shivered as his fingers lightly skimmed her skin, shivered at the intent profile of his face. He draped the lacy white panties across her stomach and reached for one of his black silk pillows. Leda obediently lifted her lower body as he slid the pillow beneath her hips, bending her knees to accommodate the new angle of her body.

With serene hands, Malfoy forced her to open her legs further as he gently pressed her knees apart. Leda lifted her head a little and watched him touch her, watched him bring his hand between her legs, watched him slide one finger slowly inside her.

All was silent except for the sound of Leda’s own desperate breathing. She arched into his hand, tilting her hips toward him and closed her eyes.

So this is how it’s going to be between us, she thought. And this is how it’s going to happen.

She could live with that.

Leda’s resolution proved unnecessary, however. She felt Malfoy slide his finger deeper into her until he came to the barrier of her virginity. Then he stopped. Leda opened her eyes again and met his. He smiled at her, almost as if he approved of what he found inside her, before coming slowly out of her.

It was Leda’s turn to wait now. Surely he was going to do more to her. But he pulled the pillow out from under her and Leda lowered her legs back onto the bed. She started to sit up but stopped when Malfoy took her underwear off her stomach and raised the lacy edging to his lips before delicately sliding it back up her legs and over her hips again.

Malfoy stood up and stepped away from the bed. Leda watched as he removed his clothes.

“Turn the bed down, Leda,” he ordered just as he had last night, just as if nothing had happened.

“Yes, Sir,” she replied with only the slightest tremor in her voice. She complied immediately despite her shaking hands. When she turned to face him he was exquisitely naked again. But she saw that his hair was still tied back. Leda stepped toward him and looked up into his face, still utterly serene, still absolutely beautiful.

Leda raised her hand, reached behind his head, and pulled the black ribbon free from his hair. She then brought the ribbon to her lips, not letting her eyes leave his. When she saw him smile, she smiled back before retreating to her own bed. Someone or something had laid out one of the nightshirts that Hestia had forced her to buy that day. It was actually quite lovely but it wasn’t still warm with the heat of Malfoy’s body. And it didn’t smell like him either. So Leda had to be content with the ribbon. She tied it around her ankle before slithering under the covers. Tonight she was prepared for the bonds to take hold of her. And tonight she wasn’t afraid. The only thing felt at all as she let herself fade into sleep was the wrenching ache of her reckless desire.
~ ~ ~
Leda awoke and sensed that she was alone. Apparently, Malfoy did not require her presence this morning and so had not sent her a Sisyphus shaped wake-up call. She lingered awhile in her bed debating whether or not she wanted to see him yet. She still didn’t know what to think about what had happened last night when he had. . .examined her, for lack of a better word. She pressed her free hand to her burning face as images from last night came rushing back into her mind. Leda couldn’t imagine why he had done what he had done to her. Although she knew perfectly well why she had let him. And why had he stopped? She would have let him do so much more. His touch had been brief but it had effected her profoundly.

Yes, she decided, she did want to see him.

The bonds at her wrist and ankle seemed to read her mind and released her just as she rose up. When Leda entered Malfoy’s office, she didn’t see him at first, and she thought he might have already left for the day.

“Good morning, Leda,” Malfoy said appearing out of thin air behind her.

Leda jumped at the sound of his voice and whirled around to face him.

“Can we put a bell on you or something? I lose a year off my life every time you do that.”

“I’m quite certain you can spare a few,” he replied cryptically as he strode past her.

All black again, she thought, staring at the perfect cut of his clothes. I’m sensing a theme here.

Breakfast was laid out again and Malfoy seated himself at the table. Leda stood in place and waited impatiently, tapping her foot, for permission to join him. Malfoy glanced down at her tapping foot and rolled his eyes. He pivoted in his seat to throw his legs up on the windowsill again as he opened his newspaper.

Oh god, he has good legs, Leda groaned inwardly. Good everything.

Malfoy glanced back up at Leda still waiting for his order. He snapped his fingers and pointed at the chair opposite him.

“Did you just snap at me?” she asked trying to sound horrified. “Like a dog? You just snapped at me like I was a dog. That is so. . .hot,” she breathed. Malfoy flashed her stern eyes and turned back to his paper.

“Oh goodie, blueberries.” Leda grabbed a handful and curled up in her chair. “Where’s my Sisyphus this morning?”

“He is on an errand for me. And incidentally,” he continued, reaching for his coffee. “I have one for you as well this evening.”

“A wizard errand?”

“I will need you to go into an area of Muggle London.” Leda noticed Malfoy seemed to linger contemptuously over the word Muggle. “Someone will be waiting to give you something.”

“That sounds so cloak and dagger. Are you in the Mob? The wizard Mob?” she asked with a cheeky smile. “Wait, I thought you worked near London. Why can’t you go?”

“This is Muggle London, Leda.” Again, the aversion in his voice. “You will be far less conspicuous.”

“Are you trying to say that you’re prettier than I am? Because you are,” she conceded, “and I realize that. But there’s no need to rub it in. Gheesh.”

“Leda. . .”

“I know. I’m talking too much. I’m just still a little weirded out from last night,” she confessed pulling her knees tightly to her chest. “You know, you could have just asked.”

“Why?” The question came without irony or sarcasm. Leda heard nothing but genuine curiosity.

He really does think he owns me, Leda realized. Why should he ask?

“So now you know it’s there. . .” Leda felt herself growing warm at the memory of his touch inside her. “Are you planning on taking it?”

Malfoy didn’t answer. He stood wordlessly and stepped toward her. Her legs were still pressed against her, her feet on the seat of the chair. Leda shivered as Malfoy placed his hand on top of her knee and slid it behind her calf. He gripped her leg and lifted it, displaying for both of them his black ribbon still tied around her ankle. Leda had forgotten to take it off.

Oh shit.

“So,” she asked, trying not to blush too furiously at being caught in such an humiliatingly adolescent act of adoration, “what pillow did you sleep on last night?”

That got him.

Apparently he hadn’t noticed Leda watching him covertly as he slipped into bed. She didn’t know if he’d done it deliberately or not, but last night he slept on the very pillow that he had propped under her naked hips.

He only smiled at her as he released her leg. He threw his cape around his shoulders and picked up his cane.

He was leaving again and Leda suddenly felt slightly bereft.

“Do I have to stay here today? Can’t I go to work with you? I’ll behave. I’ll even sharpen your pencil,” she finished with a wicked waggle of her eyebrows.

“Not today, Leda.” He smiled at her sulky tone. “I’m sure Sisyphus will return shortly.”

“Oh fine,” she acquiesced, pleased at least to hear she would have some company that didn’t despise her. “Have a good day.”

Without another word, Malfoy was gone. Leda sighed and unfolded her legs from the chair. She took another handful of blueberries and munched grumpily, alone once again.

“Not today, Leda. I’m sure Sisyphus will return shortly. . .” she repeated into the empty air. “There’s a double meaning in that.”

Her soliloquy was interrupted by the mewing of Sisyphus as he streaked through the slightly ajar office door and jumped eagerly into Leda’s arms.

“Hello there,” she smiled, lifting up the little cat to look into his face. “Today I shall call you Beans. But only today so don’t get used to it.”
~ ~ ~

Hestia put Leda to work again shortly after Malfoy left. But at least today she wasn’t doing miserable grunt work. In fact, she was rather looking forward to her job. Hestia had taken her into the library and Leda was amazed by the mass of books in the cavernous room. Rows and rows of brimming shelves contained books older than she could fathom. Some of them looked a thousand years old. There was a king’s ransom alone is those ancient tomes. Leda had to wonder what other treasures were hidden in this strange manor.

Hestia took Leda to a massive carved oak table piled high with books and instructed her to put them back onto the shelf where they belonged.

“Mr. Malfoy been doing a little light reading?” she asked, astonished by the mount of knowledge in front of her.

“Master Malfoy has been engaged for some years now in a matter of very intense research.” Leda heard the disapproval in Hestia’s voice again but chose to ignore it.

You’re just pissed that he likes me better, she told off Hestia in her mind. I bet you’ve never seen him naked.

Leda hefted one of the colossal books into her arms and was astounded again when she saw a leather bookmark pressed between the pages. It had a diamond studded tassel on the end.

“Good Lord,” she said, astonished by this careless display of wealth. “Has the man never heard of Post-it Notes?”

Hestia shuddered at her irreverence and turned to leave.

“Hey, how am I supposed to know where all of these go?” Leda asked Hestia’s retreating form.

“Sisyphus will show you.”

“Beans.”

“What did you say?” Hestia turned and gave Leda a fierce scowl.

“His name is Beans today. Didn’t you get the memo?” Oh, Leda just loved irking this woman. She was so very irk-able.

Hestia released a disgusted sigh and strode angrily from the room.

“Beans, don’t they have Valium in the Wizarding world?” she asked the cat as he hopped up onto the table. “That woman needs to get laid even more than I do. And that’s saying something. ”

Leda took a step back and surveyed again the daunting stack of books in front of her.

“God, I love a man who reads.”
~ ~ ~

Leda and Sisyphus-Beans worked steadily throughout the day, pausing only for a short lunch. Leda imagined that Hestia was only feeding her on Malfoy’s orders. But soon after, she and the cat took up their task again of reshelving the piles of books. It was an arduous chore, Leda discovered. And try as she might, she couldn’t read much of what was in any of the books. Sometimes, if she concentrated the writing would writhe a little and she could make out a few words. After awhile, however, she just gave up and was content to follow Sisyphus through the confusing network of ornate bookshelves, climbing up an ancient but sturdy ladder to return book after book back to its place. Or at least she hoped it was its place. Leda was still not entirely convinced that the cat had the proper degree in library science. What sort of librarian sniffed a book before deciding where to put it?

When the books were all shelved Leda threw herself in an armchair and tried not to sneeze as the primordial dust that collected on her clothes wafted about her. She heard an insistent mewing and looked around to see Sisyphus was sitting on the uppermost shelf at the back of the library.

“Are you trapped, Beans?” she called out as she went to the rescue.

The top shelf was well over twenty feet high and Leda was grateful that she had a good head for heights as she climbed the ladder to reach the cat. Sisyphus was sitting with his paw lightly scratching at the cover of a small brown book. Leda reached out to pick the cat up but he jumped back quickly before adamantly butting his head against the book.

“You’re weird, Beans,” Leda said as Sisyphus nimbly jumped from the shelf onto the ladder and down to the floor. “You weren’t trapped at all, you big faker.” Apparently Sisyphus only wanted to draw her attention to this particular book. Leda picked up the book and climbed on top of the bookshelf, letting her legs dangle over the side as she stared utterly perplexed at the pages.

Again, she could make out very few of the words. She opened it to a random page and thought she read the word “power” and another word that was either “vision” or “virgin.” On another page she could make out the phrases, “human form” and “air elemental”--whatever that meant, she thought. She gazed at the cover for a long time and blinked her eyes. It may have said, “Sylph” or something like it. She had never heard that word before. After a few more minutes of cross-eyes staring she gave up. She put the book back on the shelf and grabbed another one. At least this one had pictures she could look at.

“Leda, what are you doing?” Leda gasped and looked down. Malfoy was glaring up at her. Somehow he had managed to sneak up on her again.

“That’s not what you’re supposed to say,” she called down at him.

“And what am I supposed to say?” he asked coldly.

“Haven’t you ever seen Mel Gibson’s Hamlet? You’re supposed to say, ‘What are you reading?’ and I’m supposed to say, ‘Words. Words. Words.’ No?” she asked, closing her book and bending over the put it back on the shelf. “You didn’t miss much. He’s a crappy actor. And way too short to play Hamlet. Hamlet should be British. And tall-ish.”

“Leda, please come down from there,” he said with irritation.

“Catch me,” she said, moving as if she was going to jump.

Even from high atop her perch she could see the smug smile on his lips.

“Go ahead,” he challenged her.

She paused a moment. He was a wizard after all. He probably could catch her. But if he didn’t catch her, she would be facing a very long hospital stay.

She jumped.

Before she could even start screaming, she felt a rush of wind as she came to a slow stop just inches from the ground. She stepped forward off a cushion of air and onto the floor. Leda looked up at Malfoy with an exhilarated smile.

“Oh, bitchin’. Can I do it again?”

“What were you reading?” he asked suspiciously as he glanced up at the shelf.

“Actually, I can’t read much of anything in here. Must be the wizard font. But I did find a good picture book. I never knew there was a wizard version of the Karma Sutra. And I liked the moving pictures.”

“Leda you are . . .” Malfoy paused as if searching for the right word.

“Endearing? Intoxicating? Enthralling? Pick an adjective,” Leda said stepping toward him with a mischievous grin.

“Obnoxious.”

“Oh, I know,” she sighed. “I’m just the gopher in your golf course, aren’t I? You could always sell me, you know.”

Leda had been teasing him. But it was with utter seriousness that Malfoy stepped even closer to her and placed his hand on the side of her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

“Not for all the gold in Gringotts. Not for all the gold in the world.”

Leda’s breath caught in her throat at his words. She closed her eyes to revel in the feeling of his skin against hers.

She was speechless again. He was the only man, the only person, she had ever met who had that power. And it had nothing to do with magic.

“Come with me, Leda,” Malfoy said letting his hand drop from her face.

“Yes, please.” Leda turned to follow him hoping desperately that he was taking them to his bedroom.

“Your errand this evening,” he began. Damn, work again. “Is a matter of some delicacy.”

“I can do delicate.” Leda offered. I can do you too, she also offered in her mind.

“You may be surprised to know that I have some lingering reservations concerning that.”

“Oh, I can so do delicate. I promise. Look, I’ll even be subtle for the next five minutes.” Whereupon Leda composed her face and said nothing as they wound their way up the spiral staircase. After a valiant thirty seconds, Leda started giggling.

“Subtle indeed.”

“I’m sorry. I’ll do better, I promise,” she faithfully pledged as they entered Malfoy’s office. “So where exactly am I going?”

Malfoy didn’t answer her immediately. He walked to his desk and laid his cane on top of the ebony wood. He leaned back against the desk and pulled a black velvet bag the size of his palm from inside his pocket.

“Come here, Leda,” Malfoy ordered her softly, and Leda felt a shiver of anticipation as she came to him.

He brought his hands to her neck and deftly unbuttoned the top two buttons of her shirt. He gestured for her to turn around. Leda complied, shaking slightly at the possibilities running through her mind. It seemed so strange that despite their incredibly intimate moment last night, he still hadn’t even kissed her. She felt Malfoy lift her hair and lay it over her shoulder before he brought a necklace over her head. It was black silk, like the ribbon in his hair, and had a pendant on it she couldn’t quite see. She suppressed a sigh of pleasure as she felt Malfoy’s hands on her skin as he tied the silk before laying her hair down her back again.

“What is it?” she asked bring her hand to the pendant.

Malfoy nodded his head toward a corner of the office where an ancient and ornamented mirror hung. She looked at her reflection and wasn’t surprised to see a twisting silver serpent hanging at the hollow of her throat.

“It’s beautiful,” she sighed as she brought her hand to the pendant. The eye of the serpent was a tiny, perfect emerald. “It’s the most beautiful dog collar I’ve ever seen in my life,” she said feeling a strange coldness all of a sudden. She wanted to take the necklace off and even raised her hands to untie the cord. But the knot held. She pulled harder but it would not budge at all. She turned scared eyes to Malfoy who was now strolling toward her.

“Why can’t I take it off?” she asked him feeling panic begin to mount.

“You cannot remove it until you truly want to, Leda. Clearly,” he said, coming to face her, “there is some part of you that desires to wear it still.”

She couldn’t argue with that. There was probably more than one part of her that desired to be branded Malfoy’s possession.

“Do you like it?” he asked, raising a finger to her throat to touch the dangling pendant.

She sighed again and looked into his the blue abyss of his eyes.

“I love it,” she admitted. She did love it. He had given it to her after all. “So this errand,” she said trying to break the spell his nearness wove around her.

“Yes,” he replied striding back to his desk. “First, remove your clothes.”