Embracing Love (Tainted Love Book 3)

by Lily Zante

  That was it then, Tanya decided. This would be her one chance to shine.

  “You might want to book your ticket direct from Milan to the convention.”

  Did he really not want her in the Paris office at all?

  “Direct?” she could only murmur. It would be a nightmare of a journey, especially from Milan.

  “It’s only two weeks away.”

  Damn. There was so much going on. She’d barely have time to catch her breath in Milan before she’d be heading off to Sacramento.

  Chapter 14

  Michael Zimmerman was a shrewd man. Interesting, enigmatic and shrewd, thought Gabriel, as he walked slowly back to his office after a late afternoon lunch with him.

  It had been eye-opening working with him in Tanya’s absence. They’d had a few meetings and he’d already seen the man’s razor sharp brain at work. He had plans to open an office in London.

  Gabriel had also learned that Tanya’s year in Europe might not be confined to a year after all. He wondered what Tanya might be doing in Milan. Heading towards his office he stopped and asked his secretary. “Can you get me the number for the Zimmerman Group’s Milan office?”

  His secretary stopped typing and accepted his request as a matter of fact. “Of course.”

  Gabriel wavered in a rare moment of indecision. “Actually, forget it.” He wandered into his office and examined the rashness of his sudden request. What would he be calling Tanya for?

  He didn’t have a reason. But he felt he ought to have a good, valid one in order to call her.

  The truth was Gabriel felt the urge to hear her voice once more. All this talk with Michael over lunch had got him thinking of her and he had the urge to talk to her. Not for any reason in particular.

  He settled back into his chair, opened the drawer of his desk bureau and took out the scarf she’d left behind a few meetings ago. He’d forgotten to give it back to her the last time he saw her. Picking up the delicate and flimsy lemony lime-colored slip of silk, he held it to his lips. It was summer sun and fragrant flowers all mixed together; it was unmistakably her.

  He left the scarf on his desk—maybe it would be easier to get his secretary to post it to the Paris address. Tanya would be back soon enough and there was no point him holding onto it any longer.

  He let out a sigh as he saw thirty or so new emails which had arrived while he’d been at lunch. The one from Russell Trent, buried lower in the list, caught his eye first. Did the man never sleep, wondered Gabriel? It must have been very early morning back in the US.

  I hope your lunch with Michael went well. I’ve been invited to a weekend with the Zimmerman Group. It’s their yearly get together or something, in Sacramento. And by the time you get this email, you should have heard from Michael too.

  It will be a chance for the two of us to catch up. Not only with the Zimmerman people but you and I. Apparently this place has an excellent golf course and amenities. One of their senior managers is doing a presentation on our collaboration. It will be interesting to see.

  Let me know your thoughts and I’ll send you the details if you are able to attend. Sorry for the short notice, buddy. Michael only suggested this to me yesterday. You must have made an impression!

  Gabriel smoothed down his tie. Of course he knew. Michael had already spoken to him about it over lunch and he’d also learned that Tanya Braun would be there.

  And that, as far as Gabriel was concerned, was a good enough reason for him to attend. He quickly replied:

  “I’m looking forward to it. I already have the details. We’ll catch up soon. Gabriel.”

  Chapter 15

  Tanya sat at her desk in the small Milan office and read through the notes she’d made.

  There were only a few more days left before she flew to Sacramento and she found herself looking forward to the weekend jaunt.

  Just as in Paris, the people in this office were very friendly and she knew most of them, though there were many new faces from the last time she’d come here.

  Yet she missed Paris in the way that she’d missed San Francisco at first. She had a better affinity with the Paris office—perhaps because she’d spent more time there and had known the people longer. Besides, for her Paris just held so much more allure.

  The idea of spending six months here was hard to stomach. Work as always kept her busy and there was a lot more work to do here than in Paris; the managers here didn’t seem as diligent as Thierry was and therefore it would take longer to put the systems in place.

  She moved her papers out of the way and stared at her computer screen. With nothing else much to occupy her, she’d once again taken to following Vincent’s life. He now gave daily updates about his girlfriend’s well-being through every stage of her pregnancy.

  It was nothing short of torture for Tanya to stare at the status updates and images, yet she made herself do it daily. It was like a habit.

  She’d worked hard on her presentation and found herself looking forward to being around friends again, even Nadine. Being in Milan had enabled her to get a little distance from the constant stress of the Flight campaign. She never realized, until she was away from everything, how frantic her life was. She’d had time to think about things in context and now she hoped that the underlying friction, of which she knew she was mostly to blame, would be dissolved by the time she flew out to the States next week.

  The idea of seeing Nadine again made her feel a little anxious but she wanted to re-sync their friendship and to put things to right.

  With that thought she felt a little cheered up. The thought of friends, of reconnecting relationships and returning to the Stormont suddenly had her looking forward to something.

  Gabriel had been staring at the number on and off for almost an hour and he hadn’t managed to do as much work as he’d intended this afternoon.

  “Damn it,” he hissed, then picked up his phone and dialed her number.

  The call was answered by the soft muted tones of a professional sounding Italian woman at the other end who announced the Zimmerman group offices in Milan. He asked for Tanya Braun and when the secretary asked him ‘whom may I say is calling?’ he replied, ‘A friend.”

  He was half afraid that if he gave his name Tanya might not accept the phone call. She’d been slightly annoyed with him the last time they had met and as professional as she tried to be, he could see right through her emotional mask.

  She came onto the phone and straight away he could tell by the tightness in her voice that she was already perplexed. “Hello?”

  “Tanya.” He waited for the recognition to settle in at her end. It did and then heard a faint gasp, so faint that perhaps he might even have imagined it. “Mr Valois —is anything wrong?”

  He laughed, if only to ease his own feeling of awkwardness at having called her when there was no logical reason for him to do so. “No,” he replied. “Why? Should there be?”

  She seemed to hesitate before answering and he could almost imagine the expression on her face with her eyebrow raised, her head cocked to one side and exasperation written all over her face. It wasn’t the response he normally evoked in a woman but for some reason Tanya Braun always seemed to be exasperated by him.

  “You called?” she said.

  “Yes, I did.” He said, slowly, and was stumped because he had no valid reason for calling her—except for the overwhelming desire to speak to her.

  But he couldn’t tell her that.

  “I was going through the proofs,” he said, quickly scanning through and finding the folders on his computer. What could he complain about? What logical, perfectly acceptable reason could he give?

  “The proofs?” She sounded unsure. “I’m not sure which proofs you’re talking about. I haven’t dealt with any of the Flight creative since I left. Perhaps you might be better off speaking to Mr Zimmerman? He’s is still in the Paris office I believe.”

  She was trying to get rid of him.

  “Michael was getting ready to
return to the US. But don’t worry. I—I’ll check up with him on Monday when he’s back at the office.” Damn. He clenched his fist together.

  “Okay,” she seemed distant again, and he knew she was analysing his motives. He’d made a complete idiot of himself and now he was struggling to find what he could run past her in a way that would not cast any suspicion on him.

  “You know, Mr Valois—”

  He interrupted her. “I thought we had moved on from Mr Valois.”

  “Gabriel,” she said.

  “That’s better, Tanya. Now, what was I saying? What were you going to say?”

  She let out a giggle. “I was going to say that if I didn’t know any better I would hazard a guess that you rang me for no obvious reason.”

  He laughed because she was right. The only way to respond would be in complete honesty. “What if I did?”

  The absence of noise at the other end told him that he had her completely stumped. Then she said, “Why would you want to phone me for no reason at all?”

  “Just to say that—” he struggled for something viable. And then he remembered. “I have your scarf.”

  “So that’s where it went!”

  “You left it here.”

  “Shall I have it sent to your Paris office?” he asked, and wondered if she’d mention anything about Sacramento. If he’d only just accepted Russell’s invite, there was no way she would know that he’d be there.

  “It can wait until I get back.”

  “I’ll leave it here in that case. It’s been nice talking to you. Have a good day now.” He hung up and eyed the scarf once more. He’d give it to her in Sacramento—after he’d seen the look of surprise on her face at him being there.

  Chapter 16

  She travelled from Milan to Sacramento with Mario and his wife Chantelle. The journey had been long and tiring, with two stops along the way and by the time they all reached the Stormont Hotel on Friday morning, Tanya was grateful to be shown to her room.

  As apprehensive as she was about seeing Nadine, she still looked forward to catching up on all news, as well as seeing the other familiar faces from head office. According to the last email from Nadine, she and Ethan had arrived last night, and would be busy overseeing the plans for the convention.

  Tanya hadn’t realized how much she yearned for the company of other people until she ran into Thierry and Stephan. Luc was around here somewhere, they told her but Patrice, Thierry’s wife, had been unable to come this time.

  She took a nap which only left her feeling even more tired than before, then a shower to refresh her. It helped a little but she couldn’t quite shake off her fatigue. She got dressed quickly, opting for a simple pair of white linen trousers with a loose fitting sleeveless salmon colored top that tapered in at the waist. She didn’t look particularly dressy, but she also didn’t look a total mess either. At least the salmon color made her skin look radiant.

  She looked at herself in the mirror, frowned, and decided that it would have to do. She wasn’t in the mood to dress up—even though Friday evening cocktails in the Stormont lounge called for it.

  She’d promised Nadine that she’d meet her sometime around six o’clock. But with it being almost half an hour past that time, she was already late. A drink would help lighten her mood.

  Sighing deeply, and knowing she would much rather prefer to stay in the room and run a bath, she forced herself to leave the room.

  She walked out of the elevator and straight into Nadine and Ethan who were about to get in. When Nadine saw her she stopped and greeted her with an enthusiasm that was hard to mistake. Tanya’s fears about any possible friction between them instantly melted.

  “At last! I’ve been waiting for you.” Nadine exclaimed.

  “I’m sorry. I was trying to get some sleep.”

  “Good, because you’re not going to sleep much this weekend. We’ve got lots to catch up.” Nadine told her, as she grabbed onto her arm and kept a hold of it.

  “Let me introduce you both,” she said, moving to the side, to reveal Ethan. “This is Ethan,” said Nadine, and Ethan stepped forward.

  His sparkling blue eyes were the first thing Tanya noticed. “I keep hearing so many good things about you,” she said, unable to look away.

  He looked amused. “And you must be Tanya,” he said, shaking her hand. She almost melted. “It’s great to meet you. Nadine’s told me lots about you.”

  For a moment Tanya wondered whether Nadine would tell him everything but she became so mesmerised by the blue of his eyes, that the thought was lost as quickly as it had come.

  No wonder Nadine was getting married so quickly. The man was a dream.

  “I’m going to get changed. If you ladies will excuse me.”

  As Ethan disappeared behind the closing elevator doors, Nadine hooked her arm into Tanya’s and walked with her in the direction from which she had just come.

  “Does he have a brother?” Tanya asked.

  Nadine laughed. “I’m afraid he only has two sisters.” She pulled at Tanya’s arm. “Why? Are you by any chance warming to the possibility of meeting someone?” Her eyes shone with in anticipation.

  “Hell, no,” Tanya replied quickly. “Who needs all that heartache?” She ran her eyes over Nadine’s eye-catching pale-blue summer dress, belted, and with a V-neck, she looked summery, and elegant, and chic.

  Nadine shook her head and made an exaggerated sigh. “It doesn’t always end in heartache.”

  “It does for me,” replied Tanya, wishing she had worn a dress too. They walked down the long hallway which lead to the cocktail lounge where the Zimmerman Group hosted their Friday night drinks reception.

  “You look amazing,” said Tanya, admiring the style of Nadine’s dress. “How come you were going back up?”

  They each took a glass of champagne from one of the servers. “Ethan needed to get changed. He’s been helping me and Melissa set up the rooms for tomorrow.”

  “Where is she?” Tanya looked around for her former secretary.

  “Last I saw her she was going to speak to the catering staff about the tea and coffee for tomorrow’s breaks.” They stopped and stood face-to-face, each taking a sip from her glass. “That color really suits you,” Nadine told her.

  “Thanks.” Tanya nodded, feeling a little underdressed. She couldn’t shake off the jet-lag and hoped to get to bed early tonight. She wasn’t sure if it was the tiredness that dragged her down, or a feeling of nervousness regarding her presentation tomorrow. Or the reminder that this was her first time at the convention without anyone by her side. Throughout the years she’d always attended this event with a boyfriend, or, as in the case of the last few years, with Vincent.

  She was all too aware that she was now attending alone, and as happy as Nadine appeared to be to see her, Nadine had come with Ethan. She wouldn’t want Tanya hanging around with her all evening.

  “What’s up?” asked Nadine.

  “I’m not sure,” Tanya replied, honestly. “Jetlag, maybe. I’ve been feeling unsettled for days. At first I thought it was Milan.”

  “Milan?” asked Nadine, “what’s wrong with Milan?”

  “It’s not Paris.” They both laughed at the absurdity of the comment.

  “You seem to be settling in well.”

  “I am. I think I almost feel at home in Paris. I don’t know how I’m going to handle six months in Milan, I was glad to get out after a few weeks. The people are lovely. You know Mario and Chantelle, then there’s Gianni, and so many other new faces. It’s just that…it’s like starting over, you know.”

  Nadine listened patiently while Tanya tried to express what she’d been feeling. It was everything. Vincent, his pregnant girlfriend, and work. Many things. She’d never shared much about her past with Nadine and Tanya didn’t want to ruin this weekend by seeking counselling advice.

  She was determined to make the most of this weekend and to enjoy it for what it was.

  Yet she couldn’t help he
rself; desperation did that sometimes. “They’re having another baby.” She paused and looked around the room which was slowly starting to fill with people.

  “Who?”

  “My ex-husband and his girlfriend. Baby number two is on the way.”

  “I didn’t realize you were still hung up on him.”

  “I’m trying not to be.” Lately, she’d been thinking of Gabriel more. She had been using him as eye candy, and he’d replaced Luc when her mind sometimes drifted.

  Her time in Milan had made her feel more unsettled than ever, and she’d felt more like a nomad than ever, moving from country to country, for a short while, with nothing permanent, no roots, to go back to. She had come to understand that her ‘escape’ plan wasn’t working the way she’d envisioned when she had first left San Francisco.

  She couldn’t escape from her loneliness.

  “We’ll talk later. Thierry and Stephan are coming over.” Nadine looked beyond Tanya’s shoulder and waved. “I promise we’ll talk this out. Are you coming back to the office?”

  Tanya shook her head. “I’m flying straight back on Monday morning. I’ve been away from the Paris office for a few weeks.”

  Nadine’s face dropped.

  “We’ve got the weekend,” said Tanya, now suddenly wishing she’d taken a few days more.

  Thierry and Stephan greeted them enthusiastically. She got the impression that people from the Milan and Paris offices were looking forward to seeing each other—it seemed odd that the only opportunity they got to do so was at this event all the way in the US.

  But the yearly convention was greatly looked forward to by people on the other side of the Atlantic.

  “We missed you, Tanya.” Thierry told her.

  “I’ve missed being away.” She replied. “The jet-lag’s a killer, isn’t it?”

  “I’m happy to be here,” replied Stephan. “It could be a twenty-four hour flight and I wouldn’t mind.”

  “It’s a great way for us to meet people from other offices,” Thierry added.

  “I suppose it is.” Tanya looked around and waved Mario and Chantelle over. Another round of enthusiastic introductions followed.