Confessions of a Chalet Girl: (7 page)

It was time the seduction tables were turned on Scott.

***

Scott was roused from his office by the persistent bleeping of the smoke alarm. Great. Another problem he could do without.

When he reached the kitchen, clouds of smoke billowed from the oven. He quickly flicked the dials off, briefly registering the temperature was on full whack. Then he flung the terrace doors wide open. The air that rushed in was freezing cold but at least it was fresh. Grabbing a mop from the cleaning cupboard, he used it to reach up to stop the smoke alarm beeping.

He turned when he saw a flash of red dress at the periphery of his vision. It was Holly. Wearing a red silk dress that clung to her curves so snugly it actually made him jealous.

He'd never been jealous of a dress before! Hadn’t she been on supper duty tonight? Why was she all dolled up? The thought she might be planning to go out and meet someone later tonight hit him with the force of a heavy cudgel.

Anger growled in his chest at the thought of anyone else touching Holly.

‘Where on earth were you?’ he snapped, dimly aware that his anger was all out of proportion to the burnt supper but unable to control it.

‘Just in the bathroom,’ she said, biting her lip as she went over to the oven to examine her casserole ‘What happened?’

‘The temperature was turned right up to maximum.’

The confusion on her face turned to outrage. ‘But who turned the temperature gauge up? It was supposed to be slow cooking on a low heat. And what are we going to do about feeding them? It’s almost seven.’ She looked at the charred remains of her chicken casserole. ‘I’m really sorry, Scott. I don’t know what can have happened. Well, nothing I can prove anyway.’

Magda briefly flashed into Scott’s mind. Great, he was becoming as paranoid as Holly. She’d probably just knocked the dial herself.

‘I’ll have to make plans.’ He reached into his back pocket for his phone, scrolling though his contacts. ‘I suppose I can always get some skidoos brought over and we’ll go up to a mountain cantine. It’ll be a nice change for the guests.’

‘Are we…all going out?’

‘Well, you need to eat, don’t you?’ he replied belligerently. ‘Unless you’ve got other plans for the evening?’

He looked her outfit up and down. She blushed.

He was being a sod. He knew he was, but it was bloody hard being in such close proximity to her all the time. So close and yet not able to touch…

Magda burst into the kitchen, smirking, her heels clacking on the wooden floorboards. ‘Is everything okay in here, Scott? Can I do anything to help? Has Holly ruined the supper?’

The look she flicked across at Holly was vicious, pure vitriol.

‘Someone turned the oven temperature up to maximum. Probably someone who was in the kitchen after me…you know, maybe it was you Magda?’ Holly’s eyes blazed with barely controlled fury.

He watched Magda’s face, saw the pure hatred flash in her eyes.

Suddenly he’d had enough.

‘Magda, I’d like you to pack your bags and leave.’ He broke in and for a moment he wasn’t sure who was the most shocked out of the three of them. He didn’t care about the possible repercussions. Legally he probably didn’t have a leg to stand on but he didn’t care. Any amount of money to get rid of her would be worth it. He had to rid Holly of Magda’s poisonous presence.

For a moment Magda just gaped. ‘I’m sorry, you’re taking the word of the girl you’ve been shagging? How predictable.’

‘You can have two weeks wages but I don’t want to see you around here again, got it?’ His jaw clenched with the effort of controlling his temper.

‘Right,’ Magda spat her words out, ‘I’ll be on my way, clear out so you two can get cosy again shall I? I hope you enjoyed your Facebook fame, Holly?’

‘That’s okay Magda.’ Holly held Magda’s gaze. ‘I’m assuming you haven’t checked your email yet today? Someone forwarded me your Match.com profile and it looked…rather interesting.’

Magda stared at her for a minute, frowning and then stalked out of the room. If looks could kill, she’d be stuffing both their bodies into bin bags right now.

Match.com?

He’d have to take a look and see what Holly was on about.

‘Can you tell the others what we’re doing Holly? I need to make some calls.’

He strode out of the room. God knew what else he might do in this mood. Him, Holly and that red dress alone together in one room was
not
a good idea. He had to remember nothing had changed. She’d made it clear enough hadn’t she?

He noticed she kept the dress on when they were all ready to leave later. She’d just slipped on her boots and coat and hitched her dress up to get onto the skidoo. He made sure he went on a different skidoo. He wasn’t sure he could trust himself in that close proximity to her.

The mountain cantine was inaccessible by car; the winding mountain roads were impassable once the snows came. The snow grew ever deeper as they drove up the track. They passed fir trees were heavily laden with snow and frozen waterfalls that looked as though they'd been suspended in time.

The guests seemed to be enjoying the ride. Sophie and Amelia giggled when the snow spray hit them, they didn’t seem to be missing Magda all that much. He’d never understand the complexities of female friendship. But Scott couldn’t enter into the atmosphere. He had no small talk to offer.

Perhaps he should go to Italy for a bit and put some physical distance between him and Holly. It seemed ironic that this time round it'd been him who’d read too much into the affair, him who was having trouble letting go.

The mountain cantine was a traditional chalet, roof laden with at least a metre of snow and icicles. Inside, however, the fire roared in the open hearth and heated the room so effectively they were soon peeling off layers. Hurricane lamps on every wooden table added to the cosy atmosphere.

Holly collected the ski jackets, scarves and gloves from the guests and made a pile by the hat stand. She tried to catch his eye but he deliberately looked away. It was childish he knew, but the things he wanted to say to her had no place here in the restaurant.

‘Scott, please,’ she whispered, throwing a nervous look back over her shoulder to see if the others were listening.

Something in those eyes stopped him from turning away from her. She looked close to tears and the vulnerability reminded him momentarily of Zoë. For one moment he felt that to be horrible to her was in some strange way to be horrible to Zoë.

If Zoë were here she'd probably be kicking him and giving him a shove in Holly's direction. His sister would have liked her, he felt sure they would have been friends. That was if they'd ever had the chance to meet.

‘What?’ He took off his ski jacket.

‘Can we talk later, when we get back?’

‘I thought you weren't interested in talking. You made that rather clear.’

She winced. ‘I’m sorry, I deserve that. Please let me explain, just hear me out and then, then…if you want me to leave Chalet Repos I’ll go, because this can’t go on.’ She jerked her head back to the table where it was obvious the girls and some of the guests were straining to hear their conversation.

She was right.

But how could he let her leave?

‘Okay, we’ll talk later, if only because I’m dying to know what you did to Magda on Match.com.’

She smiled back at him, her face relaxing a little.

He strode quickly back to the table before his emotions could get the better of him. ‘So, who’s for raclette? Or fondue? Or if you’re really not into cheese then they do a good Rosti here.’

He glanced up at Holly who moved reluctantly from the hat stand back to the table. What could she possibly have to say that would make what happened the other evening okay? He could have been childish and refused to listen to her, just as she’d refused to listen to him. But he could see in her eyes she was genuinely sorry. There was no indifference there, only a pain that echoed his own.

'I'm a gold digging bitch but I look pretty hot, so if you go for the obvious, slutty look … '

Scott laughed out loud at the screenshot of a
match.com
profile bearing Magda's photograph.

‘I don’t even want to know how you did that, I’m hoping she can’t trace it to you?’

Holly shook her head, the corners of her mouth twitching. ‘I’ll get Steve to take it down tomorrow. I just needed her to know she couldn’t mess with me.’

‘I think you managed that okay. I'm also thinking I need to stay on the right side of you.’ He handed back her iPhone and as their fingers touched he started, as though burned.

He withdrew his hand and moved back behind his desk. ‘So, you wanted to talk?’

Holly took a deep breath and smoothed the silk fabric of her dress down over her hips. ‘Talk, yes.’

Time to be honest.

Scott leant back in his chair, looking the picture of indifference. Only the slight tic of a muscle in his neck told her he was feeling…anything right now.

That tic reassured her, made her swallow down her fear. Scott was human and it was up to her to make things right.

She cleared her throat. ‘I'm sorry I didn't give you a chance to explain Scott. If it's any consolation I've been feeling really awful about it. I'd like to explain why I ran off like that, if you'll give me the chance?’

From the furrow that appeared on his forehead she guessed he was biting back the urge to refuse. The desk was too much of a barrier. She walked towards him and round the table so he was close. Close enough to touch.

She leant back against the edge of the desk, her chest felt uncomfortably tight. Maybe it was best to just come out with it.

‘My mum’s an alcoholic.’ She stared down at her shoes. ‘When I left home I swore I’d never put myself through…living with that again. I don’t think I could bear it, to be with you and it all be great then, then…’

He reached out and laid one of his hands over hers, squeezing gently. It gave her confidence to carry on speaking. ‘So, I know that doesn’t excuse running out on you and being so rude but I hope it explains it?’

She risked looking up from her shoes to his face. She saw only concern, not judgment. ‘You do understand I panicked, don't you? It was my crap that caused it. It wasn't even really about you.’

‘I do understand and I'd never do anything to hurt you.’ His hand gripped hers even tighter. ‘My sister died Holly, and for a while, everything was so awful I chose Whiskey to help me through. Luckily I realised what was happening to me before I got too far down that road and I managed to kick it into touch before it destroyed me.’

‘I’m really sorry to hear about your sister.’ She edged closer to him, resting her free hand on his forearm. ‘I do understand. I’m not being judgmental, really I’m not. I just…’

It was impossible to phrase what she was feeling, words were inadequate to express the host of emotions jostling for headspace.

‘I could never imagine choosing alcohol over you Holly.’

‘Oh.’ She blinked hard, refusing to start crying now.

He stared straight into her eyes. It occurred to her they hadn’t looked directly at each other since that night. Not properly.

Now they had, she knew the connection between them had never been severed. The magnetic tug was still as powerful as ever.

An overwhelming desire to make love to him consumed her. She tried to remember what she’d planned to say to seduce him. Well, she had nothing to lose. She took a deep breath.

‘You know Scott I was wondering, don't you ever feel the need to let go? To give up control to someone else even if it's just for a ten minutes?’

Staring at his face it wasn’t too difficult to read him. Dilated pupils had turned his dark eyes to sparkling granite. Her lines, reminding him of another time in this office, the first time they’d kissed, had hit home.

‘Let me take control now, here in this office and when you go back out you can take the control right back again. If you want to that is … ’

She gently trailed her hand up his inner thigh and squeezed it before reaching for the ties of her wrap dress. She took his silence for acquiescence, letting her dress fall open and exposing her best underwear. Then she shrugged the dress from her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

She had his attention.

‘Let me say sorry for running out on you.’ She knelt in front of him.

The only sound in the room was his rapid breathing, a sound that grew louder when she unbuckled his belt and unbuttoned his jeans. When she released him he was already hard. As she took him in her mouth his deep groan told her he liked what she was doing.

He knotted his fingers in her hair as if trying to anchor himself to her and sighed deeply as she caressed him with her tongue. Once he felt ready for her she took out the condom she’d secreted in her bra, placing it on the desk.

He laughed. ‘What else do you hide inside your clothes? A spare bra, a condom…’

‘Shut up and kiss me,’ she ordered. Their lips met hungrily and Scott grabbed her rear, pulling her onto his lap.

She straddled him, edging further up his lap so the silk between her legs provided a flimsy barrier between them.

She’d planned to tease Scott a little but she was wet for him already. Touching him had turned her on and not being rejected had lead to a euphoric relief. She arched her back, thrusting her breasts towards him, gasping with relief and desire when he reached out to cup them in his hands.

Groaning aloud, Scott pulled her closer still. His lips were everywhere, kissing her neck, her mouth, and her hair …  She barely noticed when he unfastened her bra but soon realised when he took one of her nipples in his mouth.

He sucked, nipped, teased and stroked…soon her slow seduction routine was forgotten. They couldn't get enough of each other quickly enough. Frantically they tugged each other closer, yanking at clothing, caressing flesh and kissing as though they might never kiss again.

Scott lifted Holly up onto the edge of the desk and buried his head between her legs. There was more urgency this time. He tasted her with an intense and thrilling hunger. It was less playful than before but more passionate and the pleasure sharper.

Then he flipped her round and bent her over the desk, his hands parting her thighs wide, sliding up her legs and inside her, teasing her and preparing her. The leather desktop felt deliciously chilled against her breasts, a direct contrast to the heat of her sex. She wanted him now more than she’d ever wanted anything.

She waited, feeling a sharp twinge of fear that he was about to walk away, to pay her back for what she'd done to him. At last she heard the sound of the foil packet ripping. Squirming, she longed for him to enter her, was still gasping with the force of the passion that had hijacked her seduction routine.

She wasn’t in control. Scott wasn’t in control. A force more powerful than either of them held sway.

It was passion, a wild desire, love … perhaps all three combined. They had unwittingly ignited it and now it had them in its grip.

He entered her from behind, the angle far deeper than when he was on top. She welcomed him, gripping him tightly as his hands slid around to stroke between her legs. He caressed her with his fingers at the same time as he thrust rhythmically from behind, reducing her to a quivering mess. She was pliable, soft clay to his touch and at that moment she was utterly, utterly his.

She cried out aloud, unable to stop herself as the sensations inside her mirrored what he was doing to her most sensitive flesh. An orgasm unlike any she'd had before ripped through her, leaving her breathless and shell-shocked.

As she contracted around him he stiffened and shuddered, gasping aloud. Relief flooded her again.

He still wants me.

Of course he wanted her, that had kind of been obvious, hadn’t it? And yet she was still relieved. Now that he’d come inside her she felt that they were united again.

‘Shall we go to bed and talk some more?’ Scott picked her dress up from the floor, looking less composed, less guarded than usual. It was as though what just happened had stripped away another layer between them, lessening the need for defences.

‘That sounds good. Oh my God.’ She put her hand over her mouth. ‘I’ve just realised we forgot to lock the door!’ She grabbed her dress from him and tied it around her body. ‘Well I suppose we had other things on our minds.’

***

Scott felt infinitely relieved. It all made sense now. Holly had explained more about her mum and how hard it’d been for her growing up and he'd understood. In fact he guessed she'd barely told him a fraction of how bad it had been. In return he’d been at pains to answer all her questions about his problems with alcohol with complete honesty.

‘I’m really sorry to hear about Zoe,’ Holly had wrapped her arms around him, hugging her with her body when he’d told her all the details.

Then they'd made love again, less frantically but no less passionately.

Now Holly showered in the ensuite while Scott tried to locate her clothing for the second time. He knew something had happened between them that would change his life.

As he finally located her bra, her iPhone beeped on his bedside table where it lay charging. She'd insisted having it nearby as she was waiting to hear when her friend went into labour.

‘Can you check that for me Scott? See if it’s Steve?’ Holly called from the bathroom. ‘He said he’d text me if Pippa went into hospital,’

Scott looked at the text message visible on her screen –

A chill spread through his body and he sat down on the bed. His mind raced, then he took a deep breath and decided to think rationally. Instinct, intuition call it what you will, he'd decided it was time to start trusting it. After all if he’d trusted it in the beginning he could have saved them both a lot of hassle.

He knew Holly wasn’t a gold digger. He knew it as certainly as he could categorically state the opposite was true about Magda.

This text was nothing more than a joke, nothing to get worked up about.

If Holly had taught him anything it was to be a little less quick to judge, to go with his heart and his gut more. Life wasn’t black and white. No one was infallible, himself included.

‘Well, what does it say?’ She popped her head around the door from the ensuite into the bedroom.

‘It says ‘snagged that millionaire yet?’ Winky face.’ He raised an ironic eyebrow and winked to illustrate the point.

Holly burst out laughing, ‘God, she’s obsessed. That’s terrible! And the funny thing is she’s with a penniless apprentice and very happy too. You’d think she’d stop trying to sort my life out.’

Her open manner made him very glad he hadn’t accused her of anything. The old Scott would probably have gone away and brooded over it.

‘Have you found my knickers yet?’ She disappeared back into the ensuite. ‘You still haven't given me back the pair you took on New Year's Eve!’

‘So, you’ve uncovered my master plan to have you chained knickerless to the cooker then?’ he called back, forgetting to keep his voice down.

That would give Amelia and Sophie a lot to talk about. Although they’d given them a fair bit already. He didn't care. He didn't mind who knew he was with Holly. It was time to realise when he’d got a damn good thing.

***

Catcalls and whistling filled the air of the packed Wonderbar and this time Holly joined in the clamour. As did all the Verbier chalet girls and female bar staff who’d squeezed into the crush, determined not to miss tonight for anything.

‘Off, off, off,’ they chanted.

Some of the guys looked uncomfortable, others were smirking, confident in their ski-toned physique. Scott mouthed the word ‘help’ at Holly but she just grinned back. It served them right. She didn’t feel even a smidgeon of pity for them.

One by one they took off their shirts and sweaters while the female onlookers wolf-whistled at the toned torsos, made firm and taut by long days on the slopes.

A few show-offs stripped completely and then streaked round the bar but Holly found she didn’t feel embarrassed or awkward as she might once have done.

She merely raised an eyebrow as though pretending to be scandalised and walked over to Scott. Throwing her arms around him she claimed him as her own before some other girl took a fancy to him. She buried her face against his bare chest, inhaling her favourite aftershave with a little murmur of pleasure. She didn’t think she’d ever get tired of his smell, or of being allowed to touch his chest.

The bar manager looked a little dazed as he calculated how many free shots he’d have to give away tonight.

‘Equal opportunities,’ Sophie shouted over to him and he scurried away. He probably thought he’d be lynched by the female contingent if he didn’t comply.

The mood they were in, it was quite possible. Girl power was temporarily in force and they planned to enjoy it while it lasted.

‘I’m surprised you didn’t hide another T-shirt underneath your shirt,’ Holly murmured into his ear.

‘I thought about it. I could break your cover, you know. Tell them you didn’t hand over your own bra. They’d make you do it again.’

‘Just you dare!’ She poked him in the ribs.

‘Ouch.’ He wrapped both his arms around her, holding her close. ‘Don’t worry. I want you all to myself. You can do a strip for me later tonight as a forfeit.’

‘Okay.’ She laughed.

‘Are you having fun?’

‘Yes, I’m having fun.’ And for once she didn’t wish for a snowdrift to swallow her up. ‘Do you think I’m a proper chalet girl now?’

‘No, you’re a Holly,’ he said, holding her in a tight embrace. ‘Refreshingly unique and lovely just as you are. I don’t ever want you to change.’

Then he kissed her and it felt like they were the only two people in the room, despite the crush.

‘So, you’re going to stay with me after the ski season ends then Holly?’ He presented it more as a statement of fact than a question. ‘Switzerland is beautiful in the spring and we can go mountain biking. Didn’t you put mountain biking as an interest on your CV?’