Tasha’s [POV]
The charming toasts and stale jokes of the awards dinner began and I found it hard to concentrate on anything.
I had somehow sat so I had to either turn towards the podium or sit staring straight ahead at Rainer.
Through a few shifting gaps of other people, his smiling face would appear and give me a little jolt.
He chatted with people at his table,ughed in support of whoever was at the podium, and lounged in his chair lookingpletely at ease.
“Ms. Nichols, is there anything I can get you?” Topher asked in a hushed tone.
“No, I’m fine. And you can stop asking,” I told my assistant. He shook his head.
“You look unhappy. They’re about to take a break if you’d like to switch tables. Maybe something with an easier view?” Topher meant of the stage, but he had no idea how apt his suggestion was for me.
I couldn’t help but stare at Rainer, and the more I did, the more I felt the tug of attraction. If I was seated somewhere else, maybe I could better concentrate on the awards being given out.
The next presenters had a slideshow, and I took to swirling my wine and then trying to ce it on the table in the same position. Topher eyed me with worry, but I shook my head at him.
I was fine and didn’t need to move. It didn’t matter that the table directly behind Rainer was half-empty. I could face the podium and see my fill of the back of his head.
Rainer would turn around, toss some funnyment over his shoulder, and we’dugh. Just like in meetings at themunity garden when his funny little asides were for my ears only.
I imagined us finishing off the dull awards speeches sitting side by side and highly entertained. It was tempting, and for a moment I sat up to signal Topher.
Then I thought of Rainer’s impending nuptials and slumped back in my seat. I might miss his banter, but I had no right to it. We didn’t even work together anymore. I turned my chair with a loud scrape and concentrated on the slideshow.
For all of thirty seconds before I nced across the room and saw Rainer looking back at me. His look was intense, solidifying his easy smile into something serious.
Rainer considered me the way a predator might stare at prey that once escaped. I shifted in my seat and was d when a round of apuse ended the long slideshow.Text ? owned by N?velDrama.Org.
From then on, I resolved not to look at Rainer. Instead, I scanned the room again, wondering if perhaps his fiancee camete and was waiting politely for the break to join him. Ellison knew how to make an entrance, and I expected to see her when I turned around.
She wasn’t there. Rainer hadn’t mentioned her. And neither did Topher. Why would my very detailed assistant offer to make our reservations for two? Shouldn’t Rainer be off to meet his fiancee as quickly as he could escape? No. I was being too romantic.
Ellison Ramsey most likely had some fancier and more expensive charity events to attend. Rainer was at this grassroots event out of the kindness of his heart.
I had to ignore the small voice that said perhaps he came on the off-chance that I would attend as well. The woman seated next to me waited until the apuse subsided then she leaned over with a conspiratorial smile.
“That Rainer Maxwell is easy on the eyes, isn’t he?” she asked. I swirled my wine ss too much and almost spilled. “Yes, I suppose he is.”
“Oh, dear, there is no supposing about it. Just look at him. I don’t me you for letting your gaze stray that way a few times.” She patted my arm.
“We used to work together,” I tried to exin, but it sounded like such a weak excuse. My table mateughed.
“Well, then you must know his reputation.” Irritation stiffened my spine on Rainer’s behalf.
“What reputation is that?” I asked. “He’s easy on the eyes but tough on the heart,” the woman informed me.
“I’ve heard him linked with at least five different one-night stands.” I frowned.
“Rainer Maxwell is engaged to be married. His fiancee would thank you to leave his past in the past.”
“Engaged?” The woman sped my arm.
“You mean that whole thing with Ellison Ramsey? Oh, most people just think that was a publicity stunt. After he turned down the position that was tailor-made for him, I hear she was so mad she left for Europe.”
“Wait.” I sped my table mate’s arm on mine. “Are you saying that he and Ellison Ramsey are not engaged to be married?” The woman must have seen the fevered look in my eyes because she backtracked.
“Well, one never knows with these tabloid types.”
“Haven’t the papers announced their wedding date?” She pried my hand off hers and edged away from me to the opposite side of her chair.
“It’s hard to tell what’s publicity and what’s real. I don’t know Mr. Maxwell. I’m just specting for fun.” I forced augh and spit out some Hollywood tabloid I had seen in the market the other day.
The woman smiled and nodded, but did not rx again. I excused myself to get another ss of wine.
Two volunteer servers and Topher jumped to help me, but I waved them back.
The next presenters were localw enforcement giving awards to exceptional and caringmunity members.
I forced myself to concentrate on their heartfelt and real message as I stood near the beverage table.
Only by concentrating on every word could I stop the room from doing wild swoops in my head. Rainer was not engaged? He was not going to marry Ellison? Instead of letting the weight of those questions knock me over, I grabbed another ss of wine.
“Can you believe he’s here? I mean, when I first saw him I thought I was hallucinating.”
A trio of women approached the beverage table. They spoke in quiet tones as the awards speeches continued, but I could hear every word.
The taller woman nced at Rainer’s table and said, “You think he’s going the charitable route or is this all a way to recover from his failed rtionship with Ellison Ramsey?” I finished my wine and got in line behind the women.
“Who cares,” the first woman said.
“If he’s here alone, then I say he’s fair game.” “Janice, he’s a yboy!”
“Exactly,” said Janice. I wanted to stop them and speak out on Rainer’s behalf. It was clear from their admiring nces that it was my Rainer they were looking at. I stopped myself and took a step back. My Rainer?
Why did I feel it was my job to tell them they had the wrong impression of him? Rainer’s reputation, his rtionship status, and even his current work situation were none of my business.
“I hear he’s not even that good of a businessman. His biggest windfall was all someone else’s work,” Janice’s friend said with a disapproving frown.
“As Rainer’s colleague at Hyperion, I can assure you that is not true,” I told the trio of women.
They stepped back with googly eyes and the volunteer server took that opportunity to hand me another ss of wine.
“Mr. Maxwell seems very nice to me,” the server said. I raised my ss to the young volunteer and then almost spilled the entire contents down my silk sundress.
“Berger! What are you doing sneaking up on me?!” Berger didn’t bother to hide his wide grin.
“Just chipping away at the ice, you know,” he said. He waited until the gossipy women returned to their table.
“Though it seems like someone else has beaten me to it. Did I just hear you defending Rainer?”
“Are you crashing this awards dinner?” I asked Berger. He grinned again.
“I heard some of my old Hyperion cronies were in the vicinity, so I just had to stop by.”
I narrowed my eyes at him but said, “It’s nice to see you stateside. Thest I heard you were off to Paris.” “I was,” Berger said.
“And it was all cafe drinks and beautiful parties until the Ramseys came to town. Did you know that Ellison Ramsey not only speaks French but also Italian and even some Arabic? Shepletely blew me away at an art auction. I almost lost my whole fortune just to keep hearing her trante art titles for me.” I blinked, confused, until I saw Berger catch himself and turn self-consciously towards the beverage table.
The volunteer server handed him a drink right away, but he took his time turning back around.
“So, how have things been here?” Berger asked. “Not as exciting as an art auction with Ellison Ramsey,” I said. Berger’s eyes flitted over to Rainer’s table.
“She wasn’t the only American society I saw.”
“Just the only one who mattered.” “Now, wait, Tasha, don’t get the wrong idea” I pressed a hand to Berger’s rapidly beating heart.
“Don’t worry; I won’t say anything. Not that it matters, right? I mean, it’s not like Ellison is spoken for or anything. Is it?” He shooed me back and brushed off his silk tie.
“It’s just nice seeing familiar faces when you’re overseas.”
“All right, fine,” I said, feeling better than I had all night.
“So, how do you like being home?” Berger was relieved to step back into his regr role.
“I’m bored already. I don’t know what you did to Rainer when you two worked together, but now he’s all work, work, work. You managed to turn our best party boy into the most boring and responsible drone bee.”
“You’re ming me?” I asked.
“Nothing else exins it. One day he’s fine and nning pranks to y on the golf course. Then he signs on to your project.
Next thing I know he’s over in the East Bay doing all this good work, and he barely has time to grab a drink,” Bergerined.
“I don’t see how that has anything to do with me,” I said. Berger chuckled and rubbed his hands together.
“Now the tables have turned.” “Stop,” I said.
“Whatever wild spection you are going to makeup, I don’t want to hear it. Rainer isn’t the set-up to some bad joke. And I’m not your punchline anymore.” All jest disappeared from Berger’s eyes.
“That’s what I was stopping by here to say. I’m sorry that I did not appreciate your hard work more when we were at the samepany.”
“Wait, what?” I spoke too loudly, and a few people nced back at us. Berger sighed. “The truth is that I got bored in Europe. All the parties and the jet-setting. I went all over but never seemed to be getting anywhere, you know?”
“You missed work,” I said. He nodded, almost embarrassed. “And I figured that was your influence too. After all those days of watching you go, go, go, I just wasn’t content to sit around.” A light bulb went on in my head.
“Well, maybe we should sit down during office hours and talk about what kind of work you’d like to be doing.” Berger shook my hand and then the mischievous light sprang back into his eyes.
“I’d love that, I really would. Now, I’ve got to gofort my old bachelor friend. We’ll talk soon, Tasha. Thank you.”
I watched Berger weave his way through the tables and take the empty seat I had been tempted by. When Topher appeared by my side, I couldn’t hide my thoughts.
“Should I have told Rainer congrattions? Isn’t he still engaged to be married?” I asked. Topher shook his head, relieved to finally be able to speak on the subject.
“No! He was never even engaged in the first ce. And I know for a fact that he never ns on proposing to Ms. Ramsey at all.”
Topher’s answer was so decisive that I berated me for not asking months ago. Then it sank in: Rainer was single.