Flashbulb

Part Two

Ginny sucked in a deep breath and peered around the hotel functions room. The room had been commandeered hastily by the Magpies' management team but the staff of the hotel had been more than happy to comply. Indeed the manager had gone so far as to wrap his arms around Ginny in congratulation when she had arrived back at the hotel after the obligatory post-match press conference. For Ginny, the gesture had been a little awkward, and it had taken her several moments to extricate herself from his embrace. She supposed that she could not complain though. After all, the man had only been overexcited at the prospect had having the winning team staying in his hotel.

She could hardly complain about the party that he had helped to arrange either. To begin with, it was massive. Ginny suspected that every important dignitary in Madrid had turned up despite the short notice. She guessed that such evenings were perfect for political manoeuvring. In one corner there was even a lively band that had been supplying a never ending stream of music all night long and Ginny had spent a long portion of the evening dancing in spite of her tired and aching limbs.

For the last quarter of an hour however, those same limbs had been protesting a little too much for her to continue to ignore them. Ginny was almost ready to call it a night and go to be. Yet at the same time she was reluctant to actually do so. The party had been lots of fun and, furthermore, Ginny knew that there was every chance she would never get to experience a night quite like it again. After all, it was not every day that she would be part of such an important win.

She leaned against the wall, enjoying the feeling of the cool paintwork against her back. In the ten or so minutes that Ginny had managed to have to herself since Max had caught the Snitch to win the cup, she had hurried up to her hotel room and changed into the dress that she had bought along on the off-chance that they did indeed win the trophy. It was short, strapless, and flirty - flaring loosely out from where it was gathered just below her breasts. The colour was a purple so dark that it looked almost black, and twinned with her favourite pair of black high heels it did wonders for her figure.

More importantly, as far as Ginny was concerned, it had done wonders to keep her cool all evening. Even so she found herself raising her hand and waving it in front of her face in an effort to try to create some sort of draft. It did little to help. There were simply too many people in the room for it to work.

Pushing away from the wall, she gave in to the persistent demands of her feet and headed in the direction of the lobby. It was not as if she had not earned a rest.

She had barely taken ten steps away from the door when she heard it open again and a familiar voice called out to her.

"Going already?"

Ginny spun around to stare at Marcus with surprise etched on her features. She nodded. "I'm tired."

Marcus stepped out into the lobby, closing the door behind him. It was late - nearly three in the morning - and as a consequence there was hardly anyone else around. Indeed the only other person Ginny could see was a rather weary looking young man on the reception desk who had his nose buried in a rather ratty looking newspaper.

"With all those brothers I always thought you'd be less of a lightweight."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him, noting the teasing tone in his voice. "I'm tired, not drunk."

Marcus closed the distance between them with almost irritating speed and grace. To Ginny's eye he hardly looked as if he had done anything that day let alone played a rough and tough game of Quidditch. In fact, she decided that he looked suspiciously immaculate. His dark, usually unruly hair was carefully styled and he was wearing an expensive set of robes that certainly suited his broad shouldered figure. The altogether pleasing effect was emphasised by the hints of dark stubble starting to appear.

"Too tired to grab a nightcap?"

"What are you trying to do, Marcus?" Ginny asked, cocking her head slightly to one side as she did so. When he took another step closer and reached out to touch her elbow, Ginny smoothly sidestepped away from him.

Marcus held his hands up. "I don't have anything dodgy in mind. Honest. It's just that I've hung around with everyone else on the team tonight except for you."

"That's hardly unusual."

His lips curled into a small half smile. It was an undeniably arrogant expression and utterly familiar.

"This is different though, isn't it? Come on. We'll grab a couple of drinks and then go outside. Don't worry - I doubt anyone will see us together."

Feeling suspicious, Ginny took in the confident gleam in his eye while trying to discern whether there was anything about him that actually suggested he was up to no good. She could not shake the feeling that maybe the alcohol in her blood was clouding her judgement. Even keeping that thought in mind, Ginny could not see anything about Marcus to make her doubt him. Other than his sudden desire to be friendly, that was.

"Okay," she said finally, "but only one drink. I am tired."

Marcus' grin widened and without saying another word he took hold of Ginny's elbow. She had expected him to draw her back into the functions room but instead he led her towards the rear of the hotel. They exited onto a terrace overlooking the pool area but Marcus still did not let go of her elbow. She had expected him to draw her towards the pool bar but Marcus turned in the opposite direction. Feeling confused, Ginny allowed herself to be led around the side of the building and down into a small private looking garden. Her eyes widened as they landed on a small table, on top of which there was a bottle of champagne and a pair of glasses.

She stopped sharply, digging her heels in. "You said you weren't planning anything," she said. "But this certainly looks like planning something to me."

Marcus stepped in front of her, momentarily hiding the table from view. "I said I wasn't planning anything dodgy. This isn't dodgy."

Ginny peered around his tall frame, her eyes moving over the bottle and noting that it was hardly an inexpensive variety. "I think that depends on your definition."

"I've noticed you think things about a lot of stuff," he observed tucking a finger under her chin and turning her face up to his. "Have you ever tried not thinking for a while?"

"What do you mean?" she asked, frowning slightly while pulling away from his hand. Marcus made as if to run the tips of his fingers along the line of her jaw but Ginny brushed his hand away before he could do so.

"You know what I mean," he said.

"No I don't."

"Yes, you do."

Ginny opened her mouth intent on repeating her denial. For the second time that day however, Marcus caught her by surprise by pressing his mouth to hers. The words that had been on the tip of her tongue came out as a short sharp groan. The sound deepened as Marcus leaned closer to her and stroked the line of her mouth with top of his tongue.

Later, Ginny would be inclined to blame her apparently inability to remove herself from Marcus' embrace on alcohol clouding her judgement, but right at that second she knew that it was the realisation that the man was really rather good at kissing. When his tongue eventually did manage to part from lips and slip inside, a shiver swept so violently down the line of Ginny's spine to pool low in her body that the only thing keeping her upright was Marcus' hands on her. When he began to tease her tongue with his, daring her to deepen the kiss, Ginny found that it was all too easy to simply give in. The thought that doing so would cause more delicious shivers to run through her body was more than enough to make her want to respond.

Some semblance of sense began to come back to Ginny the moment that she felt his right hand drop from its resting position on her back to cup her bottom. She realised abruptly that she had been clutching at the front of his robes and quickly shifted her grip so that she could push him away. Another woman might have had trouble making Marcus move but Ginny was an athlete by trade so she accomplished it with relative ease.

"I thought so," he all but purred, leaning down to kiss her again.

Ginny ducked her head back out of the way. She was ridiculously aware of how good it had felt to be pressed up against the front of Marcus' body only moments before. Indeed, there were certain subversive parts of her which were suggesting that it would be quite nice to be in the same position again.

"What?" she exclaimed. She gave herself a slight shake, trying to lose the strange desire to simply grab hold of Marcus' perfectly pressed lapels and drag his head down to hers once again.

Drawing in an uncertain breath, she continued, "What's really happening here, Marcus? Did you bring one of the local girls up here but they wised up so you decided to try your hand with someone a little closer to home?"

Marcus chuckled, and before Ginny could move away again he took a firm hold of her again. He dragged her to him, and said, "As if you would ever come second to anyone. There's a greater chance that Potter will resurrect the Dark Lord some time in the near future."

"So you really did plan this with me in mind?"

He nodded, dark eyes glittering as he did so. "I've been thinking recently..."

"I thought you said no thinking," Ginny interrupted swiftly. She had the uncomfortable feeling that circumstances were threatening to slip out of her control.

If they had even been in her control to begin with, that was.

"I don't want you thinking too much - it leads to complications. I can think as much as I want."

"Which appears to have been a lot," she replied, gesturing again towards the table.

"Ginny," he said, making her look at him. This expression was a peculiar mixture - half serious and half teasing. "You're still thinking. This is quiet time. Let me do the talking."

She raised an eyebrow in disbelief and opened her mouth to object only to be stopped as she felt his hands once again drift to her waist. For a movement, she thought briefly about trying to pull away again before deciding that to do so would be pointless. Marcus was determined.

He seemed to read the decision in her expression and quickly caught her lips in a kiss that seemed designed to draw all the air from her body.

"That isn't talking," she said a little breathlessly when the kiss ended.

"And that isn't being quiet," Marcus responded. He covered her mouth again, this time leaving her feeling boneless.

"I really don't understand this," she breathed, the words coming out muffled as Marcus swooped in for another kiss. It was becoming rather difficult to think - or rather to think of anything other than the fact that Marcus' strong fingers felt deliciously firm as they gripped her. Her distraction was only made worse by the fact that they were stood so close together that she could feel her dress brushing against his thighs. She could not help but wonder whether there was a way for her to get him to take a final step towards her without being obvious about her intentions.

Pulling away again, she licked her freshly swollen lips before speaking. "I mean, where is this coming from? You don't even like me. You've spent more than a little time... trying to... get me... kicked off the team."

"Unresolved sexual tension - the tension coming out as aggression more often than not," Marcus suggested, dipping his mouth from hers to kiss her jaw and then her neck. "Plus I didn't want my place threatened. You really are a bloody good Chaser and the thought of being pushed down the pecking order wasn't exactly appealing."

"Oh. Oh!" she squeaked as he bit down lightly on the soft flesh. She could not help exclaiming again when his hand returned to its previous position on her bottom. This time Marcus did not seem inclined to give up his position, however, and she felt him dig his fingers in appreciatively. In response, even before she quite knew what she was doing, Ginny brought her hands up and threaded her fingers through his hair - returning it to its usual messy state in the process.

He finally ground his hips against hers. "Or it could be that I just want to fuck you senseless."

Ginny's eyes widened. Evidence of his statement was jutting into her belly through the thin material of her dress making her more than inclined to believe him.

In her opinion, only an idiot would not have believed him.

She waited for him to look at her, expecting him to want to gauge her reaction. Marcus, however, had no such ideas. He began to walk her backwards - kept on walking her backwards until her back hit the coarse stone of the hotel walls. Marcus was apparently confident enough of his ability to seduce that he did not need confirmation of her reaction.

As she felt him insert a knee between her legs, Ginny asked, "What happened to the romance?"

"It's not really me," he said, drawing her dress up until it was around her hips. He pressed against her with his thigh, letting his hands wander as he did so. Ginny murmured in appreciation as his roughen fingertips grazed across her skin and had the good grace to look embarrassed when he suddenly looked her in the eye.

"No knickers?"

"It was warm..." she protested, feeling heat flood her cheeks as she did so.

Marcus looked less than convinced. Indeed there was something smug about his expression as he let his eyes drift down her body once more. They lingered on her chest this time, and just the weight of them made Ginny breathe heavier. As she did so, the small voice in her head that had been struggling to remind her that the man she was contemplating having sex with was Marcus Flint, one of the most irritating and obnoxious people she knew, finally disappeared once and for all. It was easily drowned out by the sound of her blood rushing and her heart pounding as Marcus roughly pulled the front of her dress down and pushed the cups of her bra out of the way. When he ran the pads of his thumbs over her nipples while grinding his leg between her parted thighs Ginny could not stop a cry from escaping her.

She immediately reached out, clumsily battling with his belt buckle before finally managing to get it out of the way. Her hands encountered nothing but bare flesh when she finally pushed her way inside his trousers, and she met his eyes with a raised eyebrow.

"No pants?"

Marcus smirked in a fashion that instantly made the blood rush to Ginny's cheeks. "I'm always warm," he replied, and promptly hoisted her into the air.

The wall scratched her bare back; the resulting sensations making her gasp and arch towards Marcus who quickly took advantage by lowering his mouth to her chest. Ginny clutched at his shoulders and struggled to wrap her legs around his waist in response. The wriggling that accompanied her movement made a deep groan escape Marcus and he sank against her.

Ginny shifted her hips, desperate to find some way to increase the contact between them. Little seemed to help though, and it was not until Marcus began to move with her that she started to feel any satisfaction. The ripple of pleasure that had started to form the moment that Marcus had first pressed her against the wall grew abruptly stronger. It coiled in her, leaving her limbs tense and ready. Ginny grabbed hold of the back of Marcus' head by once again slipping her fingers into his hair and tugged his mouth back to hers.

Pinned against the wall, Ginny clung to Marcus half through fear that she would fall and half from lust. She moaned deeply into his mouth, digging her nails in and feeling Marcus tense in response. A smirk brushed over her lips and she allowed on hand to slide down to tackle the buttons on his shirt. The first couple came undone easily but the third popped off, and that having happened Ginny saw no reason that the others should not follow suit. She tore at them then slipped her hands under the expensive fabric and pushed it out of the way while trusting Marcus to keep a firm hold on her.

His skin felt heated under her touch, and when Ginny's bared breasts brushed against his chest she could not stop another moan from escaping. When Marcus suddenly shifted his hold on, his shoulders straining even as he pressed her harder against the wall, Ginny's vision was clouded by a sudden eruption of pinpricks of light. The move altered the fit of their bodies, leaving her gasping for air and with a deep mewing sound emerging from between her lips. Marcus dragged his mouth away from hers, burying his face in her shoulder while mumbling something that the redhead could not quite make out.

When she came, Ginny fiercely bit down o her lip to muffle the sound of the resulting cry. She curled her arms even tighter around Marcus, trying to prolong the sensation for as long as possible. The next few minutes were lost completely as she fought to catch her breath and simply luxuriated in the tremors still running through her body. To begin with she was aware of nothing but the sound of her harsh breathing mixed with Marcus' but then something else filtered through.

She frowned, sluggishly pulling her head away from the wall as the unwelcome sound refused to disappear. Marcus gave no indication that he had heard the same thing that she had. He was still holding her shakily, resting his head on her shoulder as he did so.

Ginny peered over his shoulder, looking around the planting that surrounded them. What she had heard had sounded suspiciously like leaves rustling even though the night air was still.

She squealed as a sudden burst light erupted from between a set of leafy palm trees. The crack of the flashbulb going off and the resulting light was more than enough to make Marcus drop her in surprise.

"Bloody hell..." he exclaimed. "That wasn't a..."

"Camera," Ginny finished. Awkwardly dragging up the front of her dress, she added, "Oh, sweet Merlin that was a camera!"

"Fuck," Marcus added, peering into the foliage even though there could be no doubt that the photographer was already long gone. He roughly pulled his shirt closed and tucked it into his trousers.

"You don't think that they saw anything do you?" Ginny asked, unable to completely keep the panicky tone out of her voice.

He shot her a disbelieving expression.

"I mean, you don't think they managed to... Marcus, I was half naked and you weren't much better. What if..."

"Settle down." Noticing Ginny's face darken, he continued, "They probably couldn't see very much. It's kind of dark and I think I was hiding most of you from view, anyway."

"They could still tell what we were doing and if they were using magical film then everyone else will as well."

"Is that so bad?"

"Yes!" she exclaimed. Marcus' face fell and Ginny instantly felt a ripple of guilt. A thought flared to life in her mind that made her abruptly uncomfortable. "I thought it was just unresolved sexual tension."

He shrugged his shoulders, mirroring her apparent awkwardness.

"Oh," Ginny said quietly. She drew her shoulders back. "Sorry... I didn't realise."

Marcus snorted. "For Merlin's sake don't say that. I'm not some pathetic lovesick Gryffindor you're trying to brush off. I wanted a bit of fun and we had it, so let's leave it there, okay?" He turned away from her, straightening his robes once again. "I figure the best way to go from here is to... Bloody hell! What was that for?"

Ginny rubbed her fist even as Marcus clasped his arm. She winced, almost immediately regretting her decision to hit him. At the time, though, it had seemed the only way to stop him from talking short of actually shouting at him and Ginny really had not wanted to risk that just in case the sound of her voice attracted unwanted attention.

"I'm not a bit of fun," she said, scowling slightly as she did so. "I mean I'm not just a bit of fun."

"Right.... Sorry. Of course you're not." He backed away, leaning against the edge of the table and nearly upsetting the champagne bottle in the process.

"Good."

"You seem calmer," Marcus observed, his dark eyes shifting over her as he did so. Almost immediately, Ginny felt warmth rush into her cheeks. The appreciative gleam that had been so dominant in his eyes earlier was still though - although granted it was hidden beneath what seemed to be concern.

"I suppose I don't exactly have much choice," she said after thinking about his statement for a moment. "Throwing a tantrum will hardly help."

Meeting Ginny's eyes once again, he said, "It might not be that bad. People will understand."

She smiled slightly at his rather obvious effort to console her. "I doubt it."

He shifted slightly, once again appearing uncomfortable. "There is one option open."

"What?"

"We could tell people we've been together for a while. That should stop some of the nastier comments."

"It won't stop the embarrassment," Ginny pointed out even as she silently contemplated the idea. It was not actually an entirely bad plan.

"But it will help you - help both of us - save face. Then later you'll have the chance to break up with me nice and quietly. It could all work out very neatly."

She took a step closer, and slowly said, "It would mean pretending that we were together though."

Marcus' eyes glinted briefly - full of promise. "I think I'd be able to cope with that."

"I'll bet you will," Ginny replied, rolling her eyes at his suddenly playful tone of voice.

"Is that a yes?" he asked. At Ginny's brief nod of affirmation, he added, "Maybe we should get some practice in - before the news gets out, that is."

Ginny's lips twitched slightly in amusement. She opened her mouth to tell Marcus precisely what she thought of the latest amendment to his plan but then stopped suddenly as a thought occurred to her. She blanched, and said, "Oh, Merlin, Coach is going to kill us when he finds out!"

Marcus tilted his head a little to one side in acknowledgement. Underneath his apparent renewed concern however, there was something about his expression that made Ginny think that he was actually at least partially amused by her exclamation.

To her surprise he moved quickly to wrap an arm around her shoulders. Giving her a quick squeeze, he said, "Don't worry, honey - we can face him together. After all, we're a couple now."

END