Tasha slipped around me and headed for the door. I would have thought she was fine, that she really was made of ice, if she hadn't bumped into the chair on her way by. She glanced up, embarrassed that I had seen, but I saw more than that. Her expression was bewildered, hurt, and angry.
Tasha did feel something for me! Enough to be jealous of the sudden appearance of an ex-girlfriend.
"This is Ellison Ramsey," I called out, stopping Tasha. "She dumped me flat years ago, back when I didn't know the difference between a single malt scotch and a blend."
"He was helpless, but a fast learner," Ellison said. She fingered the collar of my shirt and tickled my ear.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Ramsey." Tasha recognized Ellison, as everyone did. She was at the pinnacle of high society in San Francisco and ran the circle that most junior executives dreamed of joining.
"So, you're just another one of Rainer's co-workers?" Ellison asked Tasha.
"I'm the leader of the project he just joined. I made him rich," Tasha said.
The two women eyed each other, and I didn't know whether to find a front row seat or run. I was shocked, not at Ellison, she was always high-handed and catty, but Tasha surprised me. She didn't shrink under Ellison's withering stare. In fact, she seemed to find it funny. Tasha whole demeanor was self-confidence. This was her territory, she was in charge, and no one was able to diminish that.
Ellison turned her back on Tasha. "That's what I came to talk to you about, Rainer, darling."
"Getting rich?" I asked. "I thought all you had to do was snap your fingers."
I should have stopped Tasha as she finally turned to leave, but Ellison's words worried me.
My ex-girlfriend sauntered over and shut the office door firmly behind Tasha. Then she turned and practically pounced. "That was always the problem, wasn't it? I was rich, and you were jealous of my money. That's why you made me so jealous with all your little flirtations."
I tried to make it back to my desk, but Ellison slipped her hands up my collar and caught them tightly behind my neck. "Wait, that's it, isn't it? You broke up with me because I didn't have as much money as you?"
Ellison nodded. "I didn't want a man who would resent me. But, oh, Rainer, how I wanted you. Now that you're rich too, there's no problem."
"Are you saying you want to get back together?" I asked.
"No," Ellison said. She licked her smiling lips. "I want us to get married."
Chapter Eleven
Tasha
The whole rush and go of the office was nothing but a haze. When my assistant tried to show me a new fashion website she found, I couldn't focus on her computer screen. Somehow I made it into my office and shut the door behind me. I shook my head and reminded myself that I had work to do.
Minutes later, I was standing at my desk, phone in hand, with no idea whose number I dialed.
"You've reached Barbie. Leave a message."
I blinked. "Uh, hi, it's me. I, ah, wanted to say thank you for stopping by the new garden site. Everything is going great with the project. . ."
I bit my lip to keep from blurting out that Rainer was currently in his office with an ultra-rich model hanging around his neck. My sister would have no idea who Ellison Ramsey was, and she wouldn't care. Why did I care?
"Anyway," I continued. "I'll be working closer to home more often now that the community garden is a go. Maybe I can stop by and see what you're doing with the spare bedroom. Want some help shopping for a crib and stuff?"
My hands started to sweat. Barbie was definitely going to hear something was off. I quickly rattled off a hopefully breezy goodbye and hung up the phone. There was no way my sister was going to dismiss that voicemail as distracted by work.
I slumped into my desk chair. How was I supposed to work when I was stuttering and saying words like 'stuff?' I had to pull myself together.
I closed my eyes and prepared to re-imagine my entire day. I pictured myself in bed, just before my alarm went off. For the first time in months, I had been startled awake by the insistent buzzing. Normally, I was already awake and plotting my work day by the time the alarm sounded. Somehow I had fallen into a deep sleep that lasted through what was left of that night.
Then I remembered the night. Rainer's kisses continuing even as we gasped against each other's lips. The weight of his body over me, his flexing arms sheltering me, his hands tangled in my hair. The very real thought that everything outside my condo window had disappeared and San Francisco was on another planet.
I wasn't the only one with stars in my eyes. Rainer had given me a long searching look, our bodies still pressed together, until I had to look away.
That was the reason I had called him later. He looked surprised and happy, like he didn't want to let me go. It was clearly a new sensation for him, and it terrified me. I couldn't have that on his face while we tried to work together. I wasn't an experiment for him to conduct when business got boring. If he wanted to play with long-term, he'd have to find some other chump.