Chapter 14 Promotions And The Strings Attached
PROMOTIONS AND THE STRINGS ATTACHED
DECLAN
I sank into a chair at the restaurant of the main lodge as Tom and Paul came in behind me. I wasn’t upset when this dinner was canceled the other day, and I would be lying if I said I was looking forward to it now.
If this meeting was with Paul alone, I’d be more than happy to talk shop.
But, I had to also put up with Tom as he raved about the latest trip he and Sarah took.
We’d stopped in for drinks before dinner and I had to suffer through forty minutes of stories about their adventures in Italy over the summer.
In a wild turn of events, I would rather be back at the chalet spending time with Claire.
If you had told me that I would actually enjoy her company, I wouldn’t have believed you. We’d spent three years together, yet I didn’t know a single detail about her life until a week ago.
I always knew she was stunning, but she’s also smart and funny as hell. When I’m around her, I actually smile. I wasn’t sure the last time someone made me smile unironically by just being in their presence.
“So, Dex, how is the newly engaged bliss?” Paul asked.
Tom scoffed under his breath but added, “I’m sure Claire was beyond excited.”
“It’s been great. Claire and I both work a lot, so this has been nice to spend some time together before getting back to real life.” Nothing I said was a lie, but it also didn’t feel like the truth.
“And what does Claire do for a living?” Tom asked.
I froze. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Tom didn’t know that his question was one that would get under my skin but it still felt like he did this on purpose. I was going to have to just answer on the fly and pray Claire could keep the story straight when we were together.
“She is actually in marketing. She worked for a small company before but now she’s looking to potentially get hired at Driscoff and Pugh.”
Paul clapped me on the shoulder. “Why didn’t you say so? We’d love to have her. I’m sure we can work something out.”
I smiled, thinking back to Claire’s terms of our agreement. “She’d love that. Just don’t mention to her that I said anything, she gets a little touchy about using my connections.”
Paul picked up his whiskey and swirled the single ice cube. “I like that she wants to make her own way.”
“She can be a stubborn one,” I laughed.
“I have experience with that,” Tom said, inserting himself back into the conversation.
Paul and Tom broke into a conversation about Sarah’s shoe shopping addiction so I took the brief reprieve to sneak a look at my phone. I pulled up Claire’s contact and typed out a text.
What are you up to?
Claire
Reading a book.
Is it any good?
Claire
Uh, yes?
What is happening here?
I can’t ask how your night is?
Claire
I mean you can, you just never have before.
Maybe I’ll make a habit of it.
Claire
Do you miss me, Boss Man?
Miss you? Never.
I’m joking. Please save me from this dinner.
Claire
That bad?
Worse.
Claire
Well, sadly I’m busy and can’t entertain you.
You can definitely entertain me ;)
Claire
Don’t get ahead of yourself.
But that’s what I’m good at.
Claire:
Don’t I know it.
What are you thinking about?
Claire
My book. Which I’m reading.
Why? What are you thinking about?
You.
I was getting bolder with Claire but I wasn’t good at keeping my feelings to myself when I found a woman attractive. Being with Claire would be messy, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have a little fun.
Claire
You’re dangerous.
You have no idea.
Claire
I’m going back to my book. Enjoy your super fun dinner ;)
I chuckled. I liked getting Claire worked up. I liked the way she felt in my arms. I liked the way she felt against my lips.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts before I went further and further down the rabbit hole that was my assistant. No matter what happened here, in two weeks we went back to real life. A real life where she worked for me every day.
It was easy to forget that when we were here. Everything here felt like a different world.
Paul looked in my direction, prompting me to pocket my phone and make a mental note to pick the conversation with Claire back up later.
“So, the reason I have you both away from your women tonight is to discuss this position in Denver. I figured you both knew it already, but you’re my top contenders for the promotion.”
“So glad to hear that, sir.”
You would’ve thought Tom was just told he’d won the lottery by the giddy look on brown nosed his face.
“I look forward to discussing it further,” I agreed.
“Something that worries me is the fact that this is a big commitment. It requires a relocation and a lot of hours in the office. Pressure like that can really strain a relationship. Are you sure you can handle it?”
I was positive considering I wasn’t actually in a relationship.
I had all of the time in the world to dedicate to work, and I liked it that way.
Relationships were distracting. I’d been with women over the years, but I chose women who strategically liked what my career brought to the table.
They never complained about my hours because it meant more money to spoil them with.
Tom sat up to speak first. “Sarah grew up in this business. She knows what it requires. The move won’t be a big deal.
She’ll stay in New York and I’ll go to Denver.
We’ll visit back and forth a lot and then eventually make a plan for her to join me since she grew up in Colorado.
We’ve talked it out and agreed we can handle it. ”
I highly doubted anything he said was true.
I knew Sarah better than he did. That girl wanted one thing and one thing only: a rich husband. As soon as she realized that Tom wanted to wait to get married until they were in the same location, she was going to move on to some other sorry bastard who could give her what she wanted.
The reason she was being so nasty toward Claire wasn’t because she wanted me, it was because Claire had what she wanted.
A ring.
A financially secure future.
Paul swung his attention to me without responding to Tom. “And you?”
I sat back and crossed my arms. “I want this promotion, I won’t deny it.
But, I can’t speak for Claire. She grew up in Texas and her family is there.
Moving would be an adjustment but it’s also a conversation to tackle if and when it comes.
I will say her sister’s husband is stationed in Colorado so there is incentive for her to move as well. ”
Paul nodded his head. “That’s a great way to think about it. You can’t always speak for what your partner would want.”
Tom’s eyes went wide. “It’s not speaking for them if we’ve already discussed it in preparation.”
“Very true, son,” Paul said, taking a sip of his whiskey.
Tom sat back, his eyes pinned on me. His face was smug as if Paul had practically told him he was a shoe in.
I tried my best to just ignore him, as hard as that was. I was pretty sure that Paul preferred me for this job. If Claire and I could just stay on track as we have, this would all end exactly how I wanted. I’ll go to Denver, and Claire will get the marketing job she wants.
Everyone wins.
Except Tom. Little man child can cry all the way back to New York.
The rest of the dinner, Paul outlined the role and responsibilities of the Denver position. We went over the general salary increases and who is on the team. Tom practically crawled up his ass with questions while I mostly listened and thought about this carefully.
By the end of the night, all I wanted was to see Claire and tell her about the dinner.
I practically jogged home, knowing it was late and she very well might be in bed.
When I entered the chalet, I took the stairs two at a time.
The lights were off, but that didn’t mean Claire wasn’t watching another Christmas movie on the top floor.
When I found her in the kitchen the other night, I almost swallowed my tongue.
She was on her tip toes, reaching above her head to sneak some marshmallows into a tall cabinet like a little kid hiding a snack she wasn’t allowed to have.
Her pajama top rode up to expose her back and the tiny cotton shorts she was wearing did little to leave her ass to my imagination.
I wanted so bad to reach out and touch her, but the best I could do was help her.
One touch to her hip and I was ready to fucking explode.
She was so self conscious about her Christmas tradition, but it was the most adorable thing I’d ever heard. I originally went along with it to make her happy, but as the night went on, I found myself actually having fun.
I was never one to enjoy Christmas. I thought it was stupid and overdone, but maybe I just didn’t see it the way that Claire did.
She was constantly playing music or putting on another movie.
She mentioned baking cookies later in the week and wanted to find some form of shrub or tree for us to decorate.
No matter what Christmas topic she was discussing, she was bubbly and smiling.
I aspired to feel that, and I was excited to experience this holiday with her.
The living room was dark when I stepped onto the landing, the only light coming from the town outside of the window. I walked up to the couch and paused when I saw Claire curled up with her book on her chest. Her eyes were closed and her mouth slightly open as her chest rose and fell.
I chuckled quietly, careful not to wake her. She was just so fucking cute.
I rounded the couch and sank to one knee, scoping Claire against my chest. When I rose to stand, she nuzzled her face into my neck and exhaled. I carried her down to her room and placed her in her bed.
Tonight, she was wearing pink and navy plaid pajamas with pink fuzzy socks. I was curious if the whole matching pajamas thing was an every day occurrence, or just a Christmas thing.
I picked up the quilt and covered her with it. She sank further into the mattress, not giving any indication that she woke up. I leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead before walking across the hall and shutting my door.