Tainted Love Series Boxed Set

by Lily Zante

  It got his heart thumping even now just thinking about it—the way she’d looked up at him, with so much longing, the way she’d kissed him, holding on tightly with her arms around his neck.

  He shook his head—thinking about her was too dangerous. The one thing he couldn’t do was put her life in danger.

  The same text from Margaux came through—as a reminder that he couldn’t be with Zoe. At least not until Margaux was out of the way.

  “Thanks for having me over,” Becca poked her head into the kitchen and waved at him.

  We never did invite you over, he thought. “Be careful when you go home, and just let Zoe know when you get there.” He saw Becca give Zoe a puzzled look and the two of them giggled something he didn’t catch.

  Zoe walked into the kitchen then. It was late evening, and their weekend was over. Becca had stayed the entire day, and he’d been grateful for that because it gave him time to check everything and think about his options.

  Zoe had an unsure look on her face. She walked hesitantly toward him and crossed her arms as she stood across the kitchen from him.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she started, something like a half-smile on her face.

  He shook his head, “It wasn’t your fault. It was good she turned up.”

  The words hurt and he knew they would.

  She wanted confirmation that everything was alright between them, that Becca had been an intrusion—but as much as it killed him to do it, he knew he couldn’t give her that confirmation. But he felt powerless to do anything else. If he told her of his fears, she’d play it down. Better to just cut it now.

  She stayed where she was and he could see by her empty stare that he’d hurt her. Digging his hands deeper into his pockets, he took a long breath, steeling himself for the kill.

  “Zoe, I don’t think what happened between us was a good idea.” He swallowed, because the words stuck like sand in his throat, and his whole body stiffened, not wanting him to go through with his mission.

  She looked at him, her huddled up body, arms crossed, head down, so devoid of the vibrancy he’d seen when he’d been caught up in her arms.

  “No?” Her voice was quiet.

  “I just don’t think now’s a good idea for us to—.” Damn it, he couldn’t even bring himself to say the words.

  “I hear you.” There were no answers demanded, no explanations sought. She accepted it without a fight, and he knew then that he’d hurt her even more than he could imagine.

  She walked out and as much as his body screamed for him to stop her, he knew he couldn’t because her life depended on his not being a part of it.

  Zoe just about made it to her room in one piece before falling on the bed in a heap of tangled emotions.

  The one time she’d actually let her guard down, done away with the sarcasm, the witty remarks, the one liners, and showed him her soul—and what had he done? Crushed her anyway.

  She thought he felt the same way. She’d never done that before, made the first move, no matter how inconsequential.

  But now, with Tyler beginning to occupy her thoughts, and with the timing and the way things were, it seemed right to want to kiss him. So she had, and when he’d met her halfway, she really did believe he’d wanted her all along. That he’d picked her, above all the others.

  He actually liked her.

  Becca had stayed at theirs the whole day, but Tyler had been so preoccupied—especially once Becca had mentioned a woman hanging around—that he hadn’t seemed too annoyed by her interruption.

  But it wasn’t Margaux anyway! It was probably some random woman looking for the right door number.

  Tyler had become so fixated on Margaux that it was as if he couldn’t bring himself to accept that it wasn’t her.

  Or maybe he used Margaux being around as an excuse to let Zoe down. Maybe, once she’d let him in, he’d decided she wasn’t what he wanted anyway. What other way to bring her down gently than to make her think things were getting too much for him?

  She hadn’t asked him why—she knew he was expecting her to.

  There were types and she clearly wasn’t his.

  Why hadn’t she seen the signs all along? Letting herself think and fall for someone else with whom there was no chance of being together.

  She wanted to cry but her emotions were half mixed in with anger and resentment.

  She had to carry on as if this didn’t matter. For once she looked forward to Monday and her crazy busy life to distract her.

  Chapter 43

  Tyler had decided to meet with Bailey after work—just having a normal conversation would be nice.

  Things back at the apartment were cooler than ever, and he’d hardly seen Zoe at all this past week.

  Ever since he’d hurt her, she’d kept to herself in her room most of the time.

  It killed him.

  And Bailey did normal and nice once he told her he was being serious.

  He waited outside the shop, having locked up for the day and watched her drive up in her flashy new Porsche.

  “My latest buy,” she said proudly, the way most women would talk about their newest Ferragamo bag.

  She had a meeting downtown later in the evening and he hopped in for the ride, knowing it would give him enough time to talk before he headed off home from there. As they roared along in her new motor, he told her all about Margaux and the new influx of messages. Bailey looked shocked, but not particularly bothered.

  “I think it’s best if you just ignore her, Tyler.”

  “It’s easy for you to say. You’re not the one getting a million annoying texts everyday.”

  “Is she stalking you? Like following you around, creeping you out?”

  “I’m not sure, possibly. Yet I can’t prove anything.”

  It had occurred to him, because things had started to go missing. He still couldn’t find his watch, and—things seemed to have been moved. He wasn’t the tidiest of people, but even he knew there was a certain way he lined up his toiletries. But then again, he couldn’t be certain.

  “It’s just a feeling I have, and I know it’s not enough. That’s what the police told me.” He’d gone and reported his ‘theories’ to them, showed them her latest and long text message, even mentioned about Becca saying a woman had been hanging around outside their apartment. But they said the same thing that Bailey just asked.

  “Is there anything you can prove?”

  He thought about it carefully—apart from the texts, which weren’t really implying any level of threat to his life, or endangering anyone else’s, he couldn’t. He didn’t have anything.

  He shook his head. And just like the police visit, nobody seemed to think this was anything other than a woman being a nuisance.

  “I’m sorry then, hon. I don’t think you’ve got much to go on.” They parked and walked around for a while; it was still daylight, and people were on their way home or out to eat at some place.

  The sound of cars growling past on the busy roads made them huddle closer together as they walked, in order to hear each other. Regardless of how things had started with them, and the fact that Chrissie forbade contact between clients and employees, even ones that were no longer with the company—Tyler was glad he and Bailey had kept in touch.

  Besides, he’d never cared much about Chrissie and what she thought. The woman hadn’t given him the time of day, hadn’t listened to his side of the story.

  “Come on.” Bailey wrapped her arm in his. “Let’s get something to eat. I want to tell you all about Xavier.”

  “Who’s Xavier?”

  “The new guy at the agency.”

  “Is this the guy who’s replaced me?” he asked, staring down at Bailey.

  “Nobody could ever replace you.” Bailey made the kind of noise that lay somewhere between a sweet sigh of contentment and a long purr.

  Tyler laughed it off. He cut a tall figure, and to anyone else seeing them, they could be mistaken for being a couple very much in lo
ve. “Don’t go getting him fired,” he joked.

  “Of course not. I’ve learned my lesson. I just wish I could do something to get Margaux off your back.”

  “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I ought to ignore her and hope for the best.” They stopped at a crossing, waiting for the lights to change.

  When the traffic stopped, they crossed over. “Is Xavier keeping you entertained?”

  “He sure is,” she replied naughtily. “He entertains very, very well.”

  As they reached the packed sidewalk on the other side, they almost bumped into another couple that was stuck on the sidewalk, trying to cross.

  “Zoe?”

  What was she doing here? And who the hell was that?

  They’d come face-to-face with Zoe and another man, whom Tyler didn’t recognize. They stopped, not crossing, and he saw Zoe’s eyes flick over his arms entwined with Bailey’s.

  He couldn’t stop staring at her face—as if probing deeper might give him the answers he sought.

  The guy gave him a nod, and as they all stood for an awkward moment amid the busy throng of people, Bailey moved to the side and Zoe followed suit.

  When they were out of the stream of people, Tyler felt obliged to introduce Bailey to Zoe.

  “This is Bailey; Bailey—this is Zoe, my flat mate.”

  Zoe locked eyes with Tyler before looking at Bailey.

  “Nice to meet you, Zoe.” Bailey held onto Zoe’s hand a moment longer, as if reeling her in for a good look. Both women were curious about each other, and both looked to be pretending they weren’t. Tyler could see from the way they looked each other up and down.

  But what was more pressing was for him to find out who the man was.

  “Nice to meet you,” Zoe replied graciously, before turning to Chris. “This is Chris. Chris—meet my flat mate, Tyler, and his friend.”

  Another awkward silence followed.

  Did she have a date with this Chris guy? Tyler clenched his teeth; it made his blood boil seeing her with another man. The way he felt right now, even seeing her with geeky Hugh would have been more welcome.

  “Shall we go?” Zoe suggested. She obviously wanted to get as far away from him as quickly as she could.

  They said their goodbyes and went in completely opposite directions. That was when Tyler realized that Zoe wasn’t on her shift at work.

  Chapter 44

  So that was the Bailey.

  Zoe tried to keep up with Chris—he walked so fast. Everything about him was quick and snappy, as if he’d had too much caffeine lately. She wondered what working for him might be like.

  He’d met her outside her class.

  There would be no evening shift at the Pancake House tonight or ever. Yesterday, when she’d tried to ask for two hours off for today, or offered to do her shift over the weekend, Campbell had been more difficult than ever.

  This time, though, she wasn’t going to put up with it. Maybe it was because she was still struggling to deal with the way Tyler had brushed her off so coldly, her emotions were at breaking point already. When Campbell tried to give her a hard time about her shift, she’d snapped.

  “I don’t need this job. I don’t need this crap. I don’t need people like you ordering me around. I quit.” She’d shivered as she walked away taking her apron off. She thought she’d feel victorious, had lain awake many a night thinking of this very scene, but when it had happened, the effect had been an anticlimax.

  Even the open-mouthed look on Campbell’s face hadn’t atoned for the jubilation she should have felt but didn’t.

  It wasn’t until she’d left her class, wondering if Chris really would show up, that she considered the ramifications of what she’d done.

  Now, she had to get this job with Chris. Or find another part-time job fast.

  Chris seemed similar to Hugh, both fresh-faced, cool young geeks. Only Hugh was calmer, more laid back, easier to be around. Whereas Chris was like a grasshopper, all over the place.

  He’d suggested they go to Starbucks and had made the trip downtown to interview her because Hugh had told him she worked in town.

  He didn’t know she’d quit her job and she had no intention of telling him either. She needed nerves of steel as it was because she wasn’t fully confident that she really was the right person for this job.

  Bumping into Tyler had been the worst thing that could have happened especially right now, before an interview on which so much rode.

  She’d been avoiding seeing Tyler all week. Seeing him unexpectedly like that, her insides had almost disappeared from the shock. And then to bump into him—with his arms linked to those of a beautiful woman—had destroyed the last grains of self-esteem she’d managed to hold on to.

  But the discovery that the woman was Bailey, had hit her like a lorry falling from the sky.

  She was crushed beyond hope.

  Now she was supposed to be having an interview for a job she didn’t feel she deserved—despite what Hugh might think. Not only did she need it more than ever, because she had no source of income, but her body felt heavy and she felt she’d lost the fight before she’d even gotten into the ring.

  “Okay, let’s get started.” Chris sounded enthusiastic and eager to get going. “I’m having an espresso. What would you like?” She politely declined, having lost her will to eat or drink anything. Her mouth felt dry and she was as nervous as hell.

  “Are you ready? It won’t hurt, I promise.” His smile, like his mannerisms, was quick.

  Underneath the table, Zoe crossed her fingers and got ready to wing it. “I’m a little nervous,” she confessed and made herself stop fiddling with her fingers. “I mean, what if I suck at this?”

  Chris looked at her with interest. “That would be a problem. What if you do suck at this?”

  The wind knocked right out of Zoe’s lungs—but at least she knew what she was up against. This wasn’t the kind, helpful, encouraging Hugh. Chris was a businessman and he was only interested in finding the right person for the job. Luckily for her, she knew how to fight back.

  “I might suck at it a little while, but I promise you, I’m a fast learner. You can ask Hugh, don’t take my word for it. I’ve achieved top marks in most of my assignments, I’ve met all my deadlines and managed to hand my work in on time. If I suck, it might be for a while, until I catch up.”

  Chris sat back in his chair and observed her. “It says here you used to work as an office administrator. Why the switch? What makes you think you can be successful doing this? You’re what, twenty-four? Most of my employees that old have four years of programming experience under their belts.”

  She sat up, leaned forward, placed her hands palm down on the table. “They might have programmed straight for four years, but I’ve got other skills I can bring. I’m organized, disciplined, and a fast worker. You might look down at my office administrator work, but it’s not easy being the oil in the system, making sure all the other links in the chain have what they need to work well. Sure, I might not have the programming experience, but that’s just a matter of time.”

  Chris cleared his throat but she piled in.

  “I might be twenty four, you make it sound as if I’m too old—but I’ve got seven years of work experience in a working environment. Computer languages are a learned skill—anyone can learn to program, if they have the aptitude for it and if they want to learn and apply themselves. The other stuff, the life skills, such as being a team player, working hard, being conscientious and driven—those kinds of attributes can’t easily be taught. But I have them and you’ll benefit from them. You won’t even have to train me up for that.”

  Chris sat forward again, his eyes gleaming with interest. “How much notice would you need to give to your current employer—assuming I took you on? I don’t want you to get too hopeful. Right now, I’m still looking at other candidates.”

  “I can start immediately.”

  “I thought Hugh said you were a part-time waitress?” He flicked
through the paperwork he had.

  “I quit yesterday.”

  He looked at her keenly.

  “I wouldn’t expect you to travel to San Jose every day after class. But while you’re doing the programming course, maybe you could work one day on the weekends, to get up to speed? On top of that I’ll give you some tasks you can do from home—during the week say, about a couple of hours each day. Assuming you’re the right candidate for the job. How would that suit?”

  “That would work,” she replied calmly, even though her knee juddered underneath the table. For the first time in days she found herself beginning to smile.

  Chris gave her an appraising look, and scratched his chin. “You’re exactly how Hugh described you.” And only because he mentioned Hugh, did she take that as a positive comment.

  “Thank you,” she replied, feeling better already and a little presumptuous too.

  “I’ll let you know,” he said, as they stood outside Starbucks and he shook her hand, “once I’ve interviewed all the others.”

  “Sure.” She shook his hand.

  As she walked along, suddenly overcome with extreme tiredness, she checked her cell phone and at the same time wondered what to do with herself now that she had an evening free. A frown passed over her.

  Tyler had texted her.

  “Meet me at Pier 39, near the Tuscan, at 9.” She blinked, and read it again. What? He’d never texted her before, and how vague could this be? And why? But she found herself smiling again, for the second time that day. Maybe he wanted to talk? She tried to calm herself down, then looked all around her, feeling her pulse starting to race.

  She felt like a girl on a first date.

  Oh my god. Is that what this was? Her breaths came shallow and fast as thoughts flooded her mind. Tyler wanted to meet her, to talk maybe. The pier was such a touristy place, full of bars and restaurants—the perfect place for a date.

  Her heart thumped wildly and she stood grinning like a fool on the sidewalk. To double-check, she read the message again. It was definitely from Tyler. Maybe he’d texted her by mistake. Maybe this message was for someone else.