Chapter 24 The Other Woman
THE OTHER WOMAN
CLAIRE
The last few days, something had shifted between Declan and I. This was all starting to feel less fake as time passed, which only had me worried that my heart wouldn’t survive when this ended.
This wasn’t even real, yet it was somehow the best relationship I’d ever had.
Declan was attentive and sweet. He actually listened when I talked and didn’t make fun of my quirks.
When I rearranged our pantry for the sixth time last night, he stood at my side and handed me the boxes I asked for.
He studied my system so he could replicate it instead of telling me I was crazy like everyone else in my life.
What if I never found that again?
What if someone never loved every single part of me?
It wasn’t something I spent much time thinking about before this trip. I was so busy and consumed by work and my family that I ignored this missing piece of my life. My fear was that now that I had a taste of it, I’d want more.
Especially in bed.
I hadn’t seen this much action since college and those boys did not compare to the man that fucked me every night this week.
Tonight, there was a dinner party at Paul Driscoff’s chalet.
I took one last look in the mirror and sighed.
I wasn’t sure if this would be fancy or casual so I went with something in between.
I was wearing a maroon a-line cocktail dress that was fitted around my chest and puffed out in a layered tulle skirt.
I paired it with gold heels and my hair was in a perfectly messy bun with strategically placed curls hanging out of it.
My eyes snagged on the diamond sitting on my collarbone. I raised my finger to faintly trace the outline of the pear shape. Declan didn’t mean anything special when he let me keep it, but it felt special. It felt like a representation of the shift in our relationship.
My door creaked open as Declan softly knocked on it.
“Wow,” he whispered. “You look beautiful.”
My gaze fell to the floor as a smile crept onto my face. I muttered, “thank you.”
He stepped up to me, cupping my jaw and bringing my forehead to his lips.
Seriously, I swear forehead kisses could be used in warfare.
Like what the actual fuck.
“Ready to go?” His lips brushed across my skin.
“Yeah.” My voice came out airy, light.
He smiled down at me, lacing our fingers together before pulling me toward the door.
The walk to Paul’s chalet was further than I anticipated. We walked past the main lodge and further up the mountain until we reached a driveway of sorts. It led to a building that was much, much bigger than what Declan and I were staying in.
Paul’s chalet sat against the side of the mountain. It was sleek and modern, covered in floor to ceiling glass windows and black metal accents. Where our chalet had charm, this one had luxury.
Declan opened the door at the base of the house that led to an elevator. When we stepped inside, his hand found my hip like it always did when I was next to him.
I liked that Declan was always touching me. It was possessive in a way I’d never experienced.
The elevator pinged as the doors opened to the main living space.
I tried my hardest to keep my jaw firmly in place as we walked through the space.
There were Christmas decorations everywhere.
A ten foot tree sat in one corner of the room, filled completely with ornaments.
There were garlands and lights hanging from every available surface.
Stockings were hung above the roaring fireplace. It was a holiday dream.
“Dex, Claire!” Paul said as he approached us with open arms.
He shook Declan’s hand before pulling me in for a hug which made me laugh.
I would’ve assumed that Paul Driscoff was an asshole. A ruthless business man who didn’t care about his employees and only cared about the bottom line. In reality, he was a big softy.
Shocking considering his daughter was the devil.
“Thank you for inviting us,” I said.
“You two are always invited here.” He patted Declan’s shoulder before moving on to guests who filtered in behind us.
Declan laced his fingers in mine as we made our way toward the bar.
I snagged a glass of champagne and took a sip, letting the bubbles soothe my nerves. I was getting too used to these dinners. This wasn’t my normal scene, but it was becoming easier to pretend it was.
Deep down, though? I was out of place. I wasn’t this girl who wore poofy dresses and heels to dinner. I ate sushi takeout three days a week and butter noodles the other two if my Mom wasn’t cooking.
The only time I normally wore makeup or did my hair was for work.
Socially, I was very low maintenance. A few times a year I went out with some college friends to an old dive bar in Austin.
We would catch up and then not speak for another four to six months.
Then we did it again. That was how my life normally was.
Not champagne and passed hors d'oeuvres.
Declan poured himself a whiskey before pulling me away from the crowd toward the large windows facing the town. In the distance, you could see all of St. Moritz at the bottom of the mountain. The entire town glowed in a warm yellow light as snow blanketed the streets.
Declan wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me into him. We swayed to the low hum of holiday music that was drifting through the air.
“This place is the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen.” I’d voiced the sentiment before, but it continued to be true.
“It never loses its magic,” he said in my ear before placing a kiss there. I giggled, leaning further into him.
“Just who I was looking for.”
The voice was like nails on a chalkboard. My smile immediately fell as we turned to see Sarah Driscoff standing behind us.
“You were looking for us?” I asked, looping my arm through Declan’s. Was I acting a little possessive? Absolutely.
She gave me a pitying smile. “Actually, Tom was looking for Declan. Business Stuff. You understand.”
I smirked at her but I had a feeling it looked more like a grimace from Declan’s chuckle. I felt his palm flatten on the small of my back as he leaned in toward my ear.
“I’ll be right back, okay?”
I turned quickly, looping my arms around his neck and pulling his mouth to mine.
My tongue swept into his mouth in a way that was totally inappropriate for a work event, but I didn’t care.
Declan’s free hand fell to my ass, as if on instinct as he gripped me.
I pulled away, leaning my forehead against his, our noses touching.
“Hurry back,” I whispered.
When Declan moved to walk away, I noticed that Sarah hadn’t taken the hint to leave. Her face was an unnatural shade of red and that gave me a lot of joy.
I wasn’t usually a very petty person, but something about her brought that side out of me.
I didn’t like people who thought they were better than me for absolutely no reason.
She didn’t know a single thing about me.
She didn’t know that I was Declan’s assistant.
She didn’t know my family wasn’t wealthy.
She just assumed I was low class and treated me accordingly.
Who did that?
Declan disappeared around a corner but I was still in a stand off with the she devil herself.
“I actually did want to talk to you,” Sarah said, picking up her left hand and gazing at it. It was almost like she was admiring a ring that wasn’t there.
“Lovely,” I deadpanned. “What about?”
“I’ve been meaning to ask. How did you and Dex meet?”
I froze. Declan and I had discussed this—of course—but until now, no one had really cared. They took our engagement at face value, assuming we’d been together for a significant amount of time and they just didn’t have the knowledge of it.
“We met at a local bar in Austin near Declan’s apartment. He bought me a drink and we bonded over marketing. He’s a real charmer.” I smiled at her wickedly, “But, you already know that.”
“Hmm.” She looked bored, like my story wasn’t thrilling enough for her. Declan and I agreed that it was believable, and safe. It required little evidence. “You’re in marketing?”
“I have a marketing degree but I’m not working in marketing right now.”
Not technically a lie.
“Must have been nice for you to meet a man who could take care of you.” Her eyes did a slow perusal of my body before landing back on my face. “I’m sure you appreciate it.”
I barked out a laugh. “I don’t care about Declan’s money. He could lose it all tomorrow and I would still love him.”
“Everyone has a price.” She said the words like they were factual, but I disagreed with her.
I never cared about Declan’s money. I liked getting to know him away from that. I liked his sense of humor. I liked his confidence. I liked that even when he barely knew me, he was a caretaker. That was what mattered, not his income.
“Right, well, you have a lovely night,” I said before walking past her in the direction of the bar. I needed a lot more alcohol if I was going to get through tonight without scratching one of Sarah Driscoff’s eyes out of it’s socket.
A few minutes later, I was leaning against the kitchen island grazing on grapes and cheese when Declan rounded the corner. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sarah pull him off to the side.
Something hot boiled under my skin.
I watched as she ran a hand along his chest and up to his neck. She toyed with the collar of his shirt as her head titled to one side and then the other. He didn’t show an ounce of emotion on his face, slipping on the mask he used to wear at the office. But, I could tell she was flirting.
Did she want him back?
Wasn’t she with Tom?
I wanted to march over there and tell her to stop touching my man but my feet were cemented to the floor. Declan wasn’t really mine. When this was all over, he might choose to get back together with her.
Maybe she changed.
He said that she didn’t want him for who he actually was, but maybe she did now. They have more in common than Declan and I ever will—they make sense.
Something about their interaction seemed natural in a way that only showed when you had history with someone. It didn’t look like she was flirting with an engaged man; it looked like she was flirting with someone she had chemistry with.
Something about it had me feeling less like the fiancé and more like the other woman.
Declan eventually removed her hand from his body and stepped around her before heading in my direction. The moment our eyes met, his face softened and a smile formed on his lips.
The butterflies that erupted in my stomach from one simple glance told me what I already feared.
I was so gone for my boss.
And that was terrible fucking news.