"Ellison Ramsey didn't seem to think so," Stan said.
"I was not ever, nor will I be, engaged to Ellison Ramsey," I said loudly. "In fact, I haven't dated or been out with anyone since—"
Stan raised his eyebrows. "Since?"
"Since working at Hyperion," I finished.
"Son, everyone at Hyperion, and now everyone here, can tell that you can't and won't leave Tasha alone." Stan gave me a comforting chuck on the shoulder. "Now, what I really want to know is what you're going to do about that?"
I frowned at the older man, annoyed that he saw right through me and was amused by what he saw. "So, you want to give me relationship advice?"
"God, no," Stan said. "I've been divorced more times than you've even seen Tasha. All I'm trying to do is to tell you not to give up."
"Tasha all but told me to give up," I said.
Stan sighed. "Of course she did. Tasha's got a lot of territory to defend. Her career means a lot to her and anyone wanting a relationship is really going to have to come to terms with that. And, she's been hurt before, so for her relationships are high risk. You got to make it worth her while."
"I can't bribe someone into falling in love with me." The word 'love' seemed to fill the small copy room.
"Tell you what." Stan rummaged in his suit coat pocket. "The first thing you can do is admit just how much you love Tasha."
"And what's the second thing?" I asked.
Stan handed me a black envelope with silver piping. "You can come to my retirement party. A very exclusive get-together if I do say so myself."
"So, you really are retiring and letting Tasha take over?" I whistled a low note of appreciation. "That's huge. And that's going to be one hell of a party."
"Good," Stan said. "It's settled. You'll come to my retirement party, have the time of your life, and when the time is right, you'll tell Tasha exactly how you feel."
I leaned against the copier to keep from falling to the floor. "I'm going to do what now?"
"You have to show Tasha that you are all in. Make a big scene, let everyone know."
I crossed my arms over my chest. "And what if she hates the public scene? What if she hates me?"
"You're never going to know unless you do it," Stan said.
"You make it sound so easy." I opened the door to the copy room and glanced around cautiously. The last thing I needed was for Tasha to see me sneaking meetings with her mentor. "I'll come to your party, but I'm not making any promises."
"Seriously, Rainer, you should listen to an old man. Besides," Stan followed me out into the elevator lobby, "my lavish retirement party will be a much better backdrop than some restaurant. I think it might actually inspire you."
He clapped me on the back and walked away before I could ask him what exactly he thought I would need the perfect backdrop for.
Chapter Twenty
Rainer Then Tasha
I almost stood up in the limousine, fumbling to pull my phone from my back pocket. My head bumped the ceiling and pushed a fuzzy wave across my hair. I swore out loud while I smoothed my hair back in place. The driver glanced back in concern as he had a dozen times during our short trip. I couldn't sit still, but I forced myself back in my seat.
Deep breathing didn't help.
I looked down at my phone and realized my hands were sweaty. My phone clattered to the floor of the limousine, and the driver looked back again, his forehead furrowed between the eyes. I couldn't blame him. It was the weekend and we were heading to a retirement party. For all he knew, I was in for a long night of flowing champagne, expensive entertainment, and crowds of people in their best dress.
My tuxedo felt too tight, and I tugged at the collar. "Could you turn the air up?" I asked the worried driver.
A blast of cool air hit me just as my phone rang. I saw it was my older brother, Evan, and I left the phone on the floor, glaring at it. I couldn't even handle a short car ride; how was I supposed to put up with my brother?
The screen on my phone went dark, and I tried to breathe some relief. It lasted eight seconds before my phone blared again, and I saw it was my father calling this time.