I nodded before I turned and rushed towards the lower deck as casually as possible, deftly swerving at least two people who watched me with hungry eyes.
I shouldn’t have gone, really. If I stayed with Bunny I could have remained ignorant. There was no need for me to follow him. My life had enough trouble, but I wanted to torture myself more.
Rounding the staircase that led up to the balcony, I went on to the door on the other side. It took five steps to reach it. That was all. Five simple steps.
But I froze after three, my eyes fastened on the sight before me.
Dom, with his finger curled under Darcy’s chin, inching his mouth closer, Darcy’s grin wide as he stretched his neck, meeting Dom’s heavy gaze.
They were both lost to the world.
Darcy was another society child like Bunny and me. He had perfected the old money look, going as far as to have a cream jumper thrown over his shoulders, his blonde hair gracing its edge. He was thin but had finely defined muscles, wearing casual slacks and a navy polo shirt, and a smile that had caused more than one casualty. He was known for sleeping around, and the second I saw them, I could tell where those looks were leading.
Tension thrummed between them, visceral, even through the door. Dom released him, keeping his eyes on Darcy as he reached into the pocket of his suit. His lips moved, his faceserious, speaking to Darcy as he pulled out a golden key. And my heart sank even further.
Mum insisted that we use embellished golden keys for our bedroom. It meant she could make them match the golden sigils she had fixed to every door, naming the occupants.
Each room only had one key, and I had already seen the arrangement of the room. Darcy Hastings was not on that list. Darcy Hastings wasn't even supposed to be on the boat. The only way he could have hopped on was piggy-backing in with his grandfather, which shouldn’t have been possible. But Darcy was never good at taking no for an answer.
Darcy swiped the key with manicured nails, lifting it to his lips. With a slow smile, he gave the head a lush kiss, saying something to Dom before he twisted on one foot and left. Dom watched him go, a soft smile on his face.
My heart ached from Dom’s expression alone. I knew that softness, but it was usually reserved for the people closest to him. Or maybe there was something more between him and Darcy that he had never shared. He didn't tell me about his one-night stands, but if they were dating, surely he would share that?
Dom shook his head, running a hand through his hair as he grinned after Darcy. His cheeks puffed as he blew out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
I didn’t know what was going on in his mind, and I didn’t want to.
I took a step back from the door, swallowing the loud beating in my chest at the sight. As quickly as these feelings materialised, they were being crushed. And they needed to be.
Keeping my face straight, I returned to the party, gently easing into a conversation with yet another person looking to make a bid for their own social status.
I was thankful I’d seen it. Because it was a reminder of who Dom really was, and that it was insane to have any illusions about him, especially when I had Molly.
The door stayed in view, my fingers tapping when he returned minutes later. He scanned the deck, his face brightening as his eyes landed on me. He gave me a small wave before heading over, and not a single word about what had happened with Darcy.
I was getting married, and Dom was free to sleep with anyone he liked. But it still hurt, and I had no one to blame but myself.
Dom
Isaw the little bugger sneaking off through the door to the lower decks. I wasn’t about to let him go, especially when I knew he didn’t have an invitation. Grace and I had done a deep-dive on the guest list to make sure Mallory hadn’t fucked with it and just invited her own people. Even though the invites were exclusive, they could be tampered with so she could sell her own tickets off the books and pocket the money.
I got to the door at the bottom of the steps leading to the upper deck and instantly caught sight of Darcy through the porthole window. He was out in full view, and anyone walking past the door would have seen him sticking his tongue down the throat of one of the older waiters. A handsome silver fox, I’ll admit, but probably the worst choice he could have made.
Darcy had him pressed against the wall, his hand wrapped around the waiter’s neck, his other secured on his cock as the man writhed beneath him. Both of them were totally absorbed in the moment. Usually, I’d be happy to watch, but there were too many people around for it.
I pushed open the door, and stepped inside. The older man flinched, scared eyes shooting up to meet mine before Darcypulled him back into the kiss. I watched them for two seconds before clicking my tongue, annoyed that he would take such a risk.
“Darcy.” I folded my arms and leant back against the doorway, looking at them both pointedly. The waiter jumped away from him, but Darcy kept a firm hold on his cock.
“I’m busy. Leave us alone.” Darcy scowled, not bothering to look at me.
“You’re only two feet away from the deck,” I said. “You know the rules.”
Darcy pulled back from the kiss, his head dropping, letting out an annoyed sigh. “Everyone’s distracted. It’ll be fine.”
“No, not everyone,” I said. “You’re lucky I’m the one who caught you.”
The waiter’s eyes flicked back and forth between Darcy and me. I wasn’t moving on until he got some sense into him.
