Memoirs of a Male Escort

Authors Note: Many thanks to my beta Alexandra, who is da bomb, and I don't give such a highly cheesy compliment to just anyone.

Chapter 7 Impression

Never look a gift horse in the mouth. If a client wishes to give you something, take it and thank them. If you refuse it, they’ll most likely get insulted, and you don’t want that.

Plus, who doesn’t like presents and favors?

--

It had been easy enough to evade the charges leveled against Harry, seeing as they had done nothing wrong. Ron fumed over it, but eventually conceded that he had been mistaken. He shot Harry venomous glares throughout the entire process and refused to look at him even once after Harry had been deemed innocent.

“I suggest you apologize, Mr. Weasley. You’ve just accused the Minister of Magic of treason. He could have your job,” Kingsley advised.

“He’s not the Minister yet,” Ron spat.

“Yes, actually he is. He became Minister about an hour ago,” Kingsley replied.

“But, he was in a cell,” Ron sputtered. “The ceremony was put on hold.”

“The ceremony is just a show, Mr. Weasley. He became Minister at midnight. The gala will be put off until next weekend,” Kingsley added, shooting an apologetic look to Harry, who had groaned at the admission.

“You mean I still didn’t get out of it? All this, and they are still going to make me give a speech and dance and have dinner with a bunch of strangers?” Harry grumbled.

Kinsley narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare tell me you orchestrated this nonsense just to get out of the gala?”

Harry shrugged. “I couldn’t have planned it to go this well, but, well, let’s just say I know the Weasley temper all too well.”

“A fine minister you’re going to turn out to be. Shirking your first gala and organizing trumped up legal charges,” he muttered playfully.

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted me in office,” Harry noted with a laugh.

“Does anyone find the fact that Potter orchestrated this whole thing not amusing?” Draco asked.

Harry and Kingsley both laughed. Ron scowled but didn’t look like he was going to be voluntarily agreeing with a Malfoy anytime soon. Harry threw his arm around Draco’s shoulders. “Are you saying you didn’t enjoy being bound to me for the evening?” he asked.

Draco swallowed thickly. “That’s not what I said.”

Harry winked and placed a chaste kiss on Draco’s cheek. Ron made fake hurling sounds and Harry whirled on him. “Mr. Weasley, you are hereby relieved of Auror duty. I apparently made a mistake by awarding you with that promotion. Consider yourself dismissed from the Ministry.” His tone was light and slightly pained. He hated doing this to Ron, but he felt he had no choice.

“You’re going to regret this, Harry,” Ron snarled before stomping away, shedding his Auror robes and flinging them across the room.

Harry sighed and leaned into Draco slightly. “Home?” he asked.

“Which home?” Draco asked hopefully.

“Mine,” Harry said with a wink.

Excitement pulled Draco along as he followed Harry from the Auror offices and back to the entrance lobby. They flooed into Harry’s den and he placed a warm kiss on Draco’s cheek upon arrival.

“Thank you for putting up with my nonsense tonight, Malfoy,” he said while crossing the room and heading toward the stairs.

Draco shrugged and followed him. “It’s my job,” he said quickly, without thinking.

Harry paused at the banister, looked at Draco and sighed. “I know. Sometimes I almost forget.” He walked up the stairs to the next landing and turned around. “Maybe if we had met again under different circumstances…” his voice trailed off and Draco’s stomach plummeted.

“Right. I get it,” Draco replied. “The Minister of Magic can’t be sullying his body with a whore,” Draco spat and turned away, heading toward the door.

“Malfoy, that’s not what I meant,” Harry sighed.

“Oh? Then what is it? Afraid of diseases? Because I can assure you I have none. Or are you afraid for your reputation? Though I highly doubt that given the display this evening,” Draco huffed. He wanted to stop himself, but couldn’t seem to. He was actually berating a client into sleeping with him, which was ridiculous. He got paid either way, so it shouldn’t matter… but it did.

“No. No it’s none of that, Malfoy,” Harry spat. “Please stop pretending that you know so much about me,” he huffed.

Draco cringed and stepped back. “I think I can find my own way out,” he said.

Harry stared at him for a moment longer and finally nodded before turning around and walking up the stairs and out of sight.

--

The drive home went by too quickly. Draco pressed his foot against the pedal with all the might he could muster and sped the entire way back toward London, though as soon as he closed in on the city, he was slowed down by the inevitable traffic all around him.

It gave him time to think, and Draco didn’t want to think.

He didn’t want to think about yelling at a client for not wanting to sleep with him. He didn’t want to think about the fact that he was with Harry when he became Minister, or how good Harry looked in his dress robes, or how powerful and menacing he was toward Ron, and he certainly didn’t want to think about that mind-blowing kiss.

Draco had plenty of experience with kissing, you could even call him a connoisseur, and that, by far, had been one of the best. He was loath to admit it, but he was falling for a client, and that client was none other than Harry Fucking Potter.

It was infuriating. Even years after the war the prat got under his skin in ways no one else ever could.

He had almost reached his building when his phone chirped. “Malfoy,” he answered abruptly, still lost in thought. He was going to have to tell Madame X what happened before Harry got a chance to, and he was not looking forward to that conversation.

“Congratulations Draco, I’ve just heard from Minister Potter and you got a glowing review,” she said.

“What?” Draco asked, before he could stop himself.

“Were you expecting otherwise,” she asked suspiciously.

“I was just surprised you spoke to him already. When I left he was headed for bed.” That much was true anyway.

“Well, he seemed wide awake and quite thrilled with your performance. You’ll have to tell me all about the things our new Minister enjoys in bed,” she cackled.

“I wish I could,” Draco muttered.

“What was that?” she asked.

“He didn’t want to sleep with me,” he said. There was nothing wrong with admitting that, several clients throughout the years had declined sex for various reasons of their own. Though Harry was the only one Draco had ever yelled at for it.

Madame X made thoughtful noises on the other end of the line. “That’s so odd, because he mentioned how beautiful you were and what a pleasure your company was.”

Draco’s heart skipped at Harry’s words, though he would have liked to hear them from him instead of through Madame X. “Did he? Well I suppose I made the perfect spectacle for him.”

“You sound bitter,” she said.

“No, as I said, I was just surprised. I was under the impression he only wanted me there to cause a scene, and nothing more. I did my part,” he said truthfully. “You knew what he wanted me for, didn’t you?”

Madame X laughed. “Nothing gets by you, Draco dear. Yes, I always know what the client’s intended use for my men are. I need to filter out the crazies.”

“Did he know who you were sending?” Draco asked, feeling suddenly quite thoroughly used, more so than he had felt since that first night with Caleb years before.

“No, I only assured him I had the perfect bloke for the job. And I did, didn’t I?” she laughed.

“Yes. I suppose you did,” Draco said.

“Well, keep up the good work, and we’ll chat again in the morning,” she said quickly before hanging up.

Draco sighed and let the news wash over him. So Harry hadn’t gone to his boss and ratted him out. That only meant that he was a decent guy, right? It certainly didn’t mean that Harry had any feelings for him.

--

The next morning Draco padded groggily to his front door. The bell had been rung over and over and Draco was too sleepy to get up and answer it. He had come home the previous evening and tried to drink away the thoughts of Harry.

It hadn’t worked.

He yanked open the door to reveal someone he thought to be his boss, masked by a bouquet of purple orchids. She extended them out for Draco to take.

“You shouldn’t have,” he muttered.

“I didn’t,” she said as soon as he got the flowers out of her face. “They were on the doorstep when I arrived. Beautiful, beautiful,” she chimed.

Draco stared at the beautiful arrangement and then ran into the kitchen to put them in a vase. He parted the stems but didn’t see a card. “Do you know who they’re from?” he asked.

“Oh,” she replied, blushing slightly and rummaging in her pockets. She handed Draco a small yellow card and smiled sheepishly as he scowled at her. “I took the liberty of reading it… to make sure they weren’t from a stalker,” she added.

“Right,” Draco huffed, but made no bigger deal from it. Madame X loved gossip and there was nothing he would ever be able to do to dissuade that, so he didn’t waste his breath.

He opened the card and a slight smile curled on his lips.

Despite what you probably think, I had a lovely time with you last night. If someone had told me back at school that one day I would be taking Draco Malfoy as my date to my Minister of Magic induction gala, I would have hexed them. I did have fun with you though, and I hope we see each other under better circumstances soon.

Yours,

HJP

“It seems you made quite an impression on our young Minister, Draco,” she chimed.

“It does seem that way,” Draco agreed. He only wished he knew what that meant.

Authors Note: I know it's not the longest chapter, but I'll be posting an extra one this week since I'll be on vaca for a few days. The next chapter is longer I think...