41. Claire
The breeze today is gentle but persistent. It takes some of the heat out of the air despite the sun beaming down relentlessly, turning the ocean on the horizon into a glittering expanse. I stretch my toes, reveling in the feeling of peace rippling through me as I watch the water.
When I came downstairs this morning, the house was spotless, with all remnants of the night before gone as if it never happened. Elaine was nowhere to be seen, probably tired from single-handedly cleaning up the mess that got left behind after the last guests headed out. Feeling emboldened by figuring out her scheme, I got myself a glass of water and a bagel, no longer too afraid to eat, and headed to the patio to enjoy it in peace as the sun continued to rise.
I’m not sure how long I’ve been out here, but it’s been the most relaxing chunk of my vacation thus far. I’m not sure whether I should be salty about that, but I’m not. It just feels good to soak in the sun… so much so that I’m practically asleep by the time the patio door opening steals my peace.
I turn to find Rhea squinting into the daylight as if she’s personally offended by it. If I thought my hair looked wild this morning, hers puts mine to shame as she pushes it out of her face and ambles over to me with her eyes practically closed. She doesn’t acknowledge me when she collapses onto the chair beside mine, throwing her hands over her face and groaning.
“Morning sunshine,” I laugh, unable to help myself. I’ve seen her hungover more than I’ve ever been hungover myself. But something about this time is different… perhaps because it follows the wake of her father and she’s still trying to contend with what a piece of shit he was.
“No sunshine here.” She mumbles. The words are obscured by her hands, but I piece them together just in time to laugh again at her. “I’m a storm cloud today, Claire. Dark and heavy.”
Well, that peace was nice while it lasted.
I sigh, preparing myself to hear her lament her father’s evil deeds or something, but instead, she pulls her hands from her face and snaps her head toward me. “I slept with Dimitri.”
There’s something in her tone of voice that tells me it’s a confession of sin rather than a casual admittance to her best friend. Of course, she doesn’t know that I ran into Dimitri this morning . “I kind of gathered as much when I saw him creeping out of your room at six a.m.”
Rhea’s mouth falls open in shock as she stares at me. “Six a.m.?”
I nod.
“You mean he stayed… all night?” Rhea can’t deny the curve of her lips as she tries not to smile. It’s the first hint of cheerfulness I’ve seen from her this morning.
“Why is this a big deal? You sleep with lots of people.”
The cheerfulness from the second before disappears promptly. “Are you calling me a whore?” She snaps. It’s a little more frosty than usual, lacking in the teasing edge I think she was going for. I chuckle anyway.
“Of course not. But a week ago it was a woman sneaking out of your room to steal your brother’s coffee, and now it’s Dimitri trying not to get seen by your brother, probably. Before we came here, you were talking about sleeping with Tristan Ryan. Why does this one matter?”
I’ve known Rhea long enough to know that despite her status in life, she doesn’t discern against what she wants. If she’s drawn to someone, she’ll go after them regardless of if it’s the bus boy at a restaurant or the DJ at a club. I assume her shame has more to do with the fact that he’s employed by Remy rather than his job doing whatever he does for him.
“He works for my brother.” She groans, confirming my suspicion. “I bet Remy will give him the axe when he finds out.”
“Why would he do that?” I prod, offering her my glass of water. Rhea glares at it for a moment and then sits up to take it, drinking it down in a few big gulps. I’m her best friend and I’m sleeping with her brother. Surely if Rhea can be okay with that, Remy can tolerate Dimitri and Rhea sleeping together one time… assuming it was one time.
“I realize you’re new here, Claire,” she says sympathetically, “but sleeping with the person you’re supposed to protect is like, the one thing you shouldn’t do… not that I need Dimitri’s protection.”
“Of course,” I patronize her with a smile. Truthfully, the world outside of Remy’s home is probably rife with danger, but I trust that we’re safe here. Someone somewhere out there has paid a hefty price for my life—I expect they’re not just going to give up on trying to collect. It’s a weird thought to try and reconcile.
I think of the Senator with his eyes all over me last night, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing, and feel unease settle in my stomach. I don’t want to let go of what little remains of my bliss out here, though, so I put him out of my mind and turn my head so that it’s level with Rhea’s.
I know Remy’s got cameras all over his house—there’s one just behind us that I spotted on the first day we were here. I just hope he isn’t watching right now so he doesn’t hear me ask his sister, “Well? Was it good?”
Rhea laughs and looks for a second like she’s going to throw the empty water cup at me. “Was it good?” She mimics. “No, Claire. It wasn’t good. It was… amazing.”
That’s a ringing endorsement from her, and I can’t help wondering if her intoxicated state may have contributed to her thinking the experience was amazing. Dimitri is objectively good looking, but with all of Rhea’s experience, I find it hard to believe that he is capable of satisfying her sexual appetite so completely that she’d consider it amazing.
“You’re lying.” I say, searching her eyes for any hint that she is messing with me.
“Are you seriously telling me you didn’t hear me screaming last night? Because I know I wasn’t quiet.”
Not wanting to tell her I was too busy getting pleasure of my own, I just shake my head, to which she sighs at me like I simply don’t understand. “On my shitty fatther’s grave, Claire, it was the best sex of my fucking life. Which is why this is a problem.”
And just like that, I get it.
The problem isn’t that she’s embarrassed to say she slept with her brother’s employee. The problem isn’t that she spent the night with a man who was supposed to just keep her safe for the night.
The problem is that, whether they were sparked by last night or just cemented by whatever transpired between them, she’s got some kind of feelings for Dimitri. Dimitri, who lives in Costa Rica. Dimitri, who works for her brother. Dimitri, who would never let her get attached to him because his lifestyle is so incompatible with hers.
Suddenly, Rhea’s predicament hits me like a wrecking ball.
Her predicament is the same as my own.
We’re both fucked.