Irresistible Forces - Brenda Jackson [70]
After his mother had left, Dominic sat at his desk while he planned his strategy to win back Taylor. Moments later after taking a deep breath he picked up the phone and punched in the phone number to her cell phone. He leaned back in the chair, waiting for her to answer.
Instead, another voice came on the line that said, “I am sorry, but at the customer’s request, this number has been changed to a nonpublished number.” Then there was a sharp click in his ear.
He slowly hung up the phone. Taylor had changed her number? Not to be denied the right to speak with her, he then pulled her business card from his desk to try reaching her at the office. Her secretary’s cheery voice came on the line. “Good afternoon, Assets of Steele. May I help you?”
“Yes, this is Dominic Saxon and I would like to speak with Ms. Steele, please.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Saxon, but Ms. Steele is out of town.”
“I see,” he said, somewhat disappointed. “Is she visiting her family in North Carolina?”
“No, sir, she is out of the country.”
Dominic frowned as he stood from his seat. “Out of the country? Where did she go?” he asked, as if he had a right to know.
There was a pause, and then as if the secretary decided that maybe he did, she said, “She’s in France.”
He lifted a brow. “France?”
“Yes, sir, Paris, France. If this is an emergency, she has asked that I refer those calls to…”
Whatever the woman was saying was lost on Dominic. Taylor had gone to France and he had an idea as to why and who she had gone to see. “Well, thanks for the information,” he said, interrupting whatever it was Taylor’s secretary was saying. He quickly hung up and then pressed a button.
“Yes, Mr. Saxon?”
“Liza, I’d like you to contact Martin and tell him to have the plane ready to fly me out in a few hours.”
“Yes sir, and the destination?”
“Paris, France.”
“Are you feeling better today, dear?”
Taylor smiled at Franco Saxon as she came down the steps to join him on the terrace for a midmorning meal. “Yes, a lot better.”
She had arrived at the Saxon Estates yesterday after having endured the lengthy plane flight across the Atlantic. Evidently something she had eaten had not agreed with her and in addition to jet lag, she had endured an upset stomach. After a good night’s sleep she was now feeling fine.
She glanced around as she took her seat across from Dominic’s grandfather. The Saxon family home was simply beautiful. According to Franco, it had been in the Saxon family since the late eighteen hundreds and was the place where all the Saxons, including Marcello, were born. The palace-style structure was composed of several reception rooms. Numerous bedroom suites with private baths and dressing rooms, game rooms, spa, gym, two swimming pools and a beautiful kitchen and dining room. It was a beautiful day and the sun was shining bright in the sky.
“I received a call this morning from Marcello and Megan. They are on their way and should be arriving later today,” Franco said, intruding into Taylor’s thoughts.
She nodded as butterflies went off in her stomach at the thought of meeting Dominic’s parents. She couldn’t help wondering what he’d told them about their now-defunct relationship.
She had been surprised when she had received a call from Franco inviting her to his birthday gala. Since she hadn’t been sure if Dominic was still in the D.C. area or had returned to New York, she hadn’t wanted to run the risk of a chance meeting with him—especially while her heart was still hurting—and had jumped at the opportunity to leave the city for a few days. The last thing she had to worry about was running into Dominic here.
The one thing she was certain about was that she truly liked Dominic’s grandfather. She believed that deep in Franco’s heart he knew that he had made a mistake in the way he had handled his son’s love for an American woman, a mistake that had cost him the love of his grandson. And from their argument the