Chapter Two
September, two years later
Tessa Lockwood did not like Wednesdays. She was well aware that most people didn’t share her feelings, that the majority of the world thought of this day as “hump day”, when their busy work weeks were half over and they could begin winding down for the weekend ahead. But for Tessa, it seemed that nearly every bad thing that had happened in her life so far had occurred on a Wednesday.
Bad things didn’t happen every Wednesday, of course, but when they did she usually had some sort of uneasy premonition. Like the butterflies kicking around in her stomach as she brushed her hair and got ready for work this morning. Or the chill that shimmered up her spine as she hurriedly ate a piece of toast with jam and drank a cup of tea before dashing out the door of her apartment.
The unsettled feeling continued during the crowded bus ride to work, and she tried desperately to quell her nerves. She wondered if her sense of unease had anything to do with the fact that Peter was supposed to be flying home today. After almost two years, one would think she’d stop worrying when he had to take a long flight home from a job assignment in Asia. Even though he frequently flew in and out of some less than stable socio-political countries, he’d never had any problems, at least none that he’d ever told her about. So she knew that her unsettled emotions this morning weren’t due to unnecessary worry about her husband’s incoming flight from Cambodia. But there was definitely something, some niggling little fear that something bad was going to happen. And her spidey-sense had yet to be wrong.
Tessa had to stand on the bus, as usual, and she assumed her normal position of never really making eye contact with anyone else on board. Most of the people riding the bus at this time of the morning were either going to work like her, or to school, but there were definitely a fair number of weirdoes along, too. San Francisco was a very diverse city, after all, with people of varying ethnicities, sexual orientations, and socio-economic classes, and Tessa was pretty sure she’d seen a really good sampling of them all in the two years she’d been living here and riding the city buses.
The bus left her off a block away from her office building, and she exited the stuffy, crowded vehicle with relief. It had taken her a long time to get used to relying on public transportation when she and Peter had moved here from Tucson. Because both of their cars had been old and in dire need of repairs, they’d unloaded them before moving to San Francisco. Now they relied on buses, rapid transit, and walking to get around, which made good economic sense because the cost of maintaining even one car in this very expensive city would not have fit into their extremely tight budget.
And money was always tight, the budget always stretched thin. Tessa made a good salary but Peter only got paid when one of his news stories actually sold. Not to mention the fact that the cost of living in San Francisco was exorbitant, the rent on their tiny, cramped apartment more than twice what they’d been paying for a much larger place in Tucson.
As Tessa entered the building that housed the corporate offices for the Gregson Hotel Group’s American headquarters, she hoped that Peter would arrive home with good news about his job. When they had moved to San Francisco two years ago, it had been for Peter’s new job as a freelance reporter for an international news agency based in the city. His assigned territory was Asia, requiring him to make frequent and lengthy trips to such places as Vietnam, Malaysia, China, and Thailand. He was hoping to find a better position that didn’t require nearly as much travel in addition to offering a regular salary, and had recently begun sending out resumes and doing some networking among the contacts he’d developed.
The past couple of years had been hard on Tessa, left alone and lonely for such frequent periods of time. Peter was all she had – he wasn’t just her husband but her best friend, her family, her everything. And when he was away for weeks at a time she struggled constantly with her fears, her loneliness, her sadness. The fear that she would descend into darkness like her mother had done for so many years plagued her often, and she was determined that she wouldn’t suffer the same fate. But it was hard to be alone, and she had to wage a constant battle with her emotions to keep positive and happy, to stay busy and not dwell on her sadness.
Tessa liked her job, finding the work both challenging and rewarding, though of course she would have preferred being a PA for one of the executives. Not only was the salary considerably higher but the position carried more prestige and responsibility, with some of the PA’s even traveling with their managers on occasion. But she also knew she would need a college degree before she could even think of applying for a job like that, and going back to school at this time just wasn’t in the cards. Her super-tight budget would never allow for college tuition and books. And, ironically, even though she and Peter lived in a cramped apartment in a questionable neighborhood; couldn’t afford to own a car; and ate a lot of cereal, ramen noodles, and peanut butter sandwiches to stretch their dollars, they made too much money for her to qualify for most grants or scholarships. It was a cruel sort of Catch-22.
As Tessa put away her jacket and purse and booted up her computer, she thought it was likely all for the best that she couldn’t afford to go to college. She’d admittedly never been a brain or the best student, getting by with mostly B’s and C’s during high school. Of course, there had been some real extenuating circumstances behind that – a mentally ill mother, moving around and changing schools multiple times, always teetering on the edge of poverty.
At least she’d done very well with the computer and business classes she had taken at community college back in Tucson. The certificate she’d earned from their Office Technology program had enabled her to get a job at the Gregson Resort in Tucson, and the eventual transfer to the American headquarters here two years ago.
But this would likely be as far as she could reasonably expect to advance in the company without that college degree, so Tessa had made up her mind some time ago to simply do the very best job she possibly could. She took a lot of pride in her work, and worked very hard to be an exemplary employee. She was never late, never left early, never took more than her allotted time for lunch. She’d dragged herself into the office on more than one occasion with a cold or the flu, doggedly refusing to call in sick. And unlike most of her co-workers, she didn’t waste time during the work day gossiping, checking her personal email, sending texts or making phone calls. She was well aware that everyone who worked on the Management Support Team were watched like a hawk by Andrew Doherty, the Managing Director’s sharp-tongued, eagle-eyed PA.
In the time she’d worked here, Tessa couldn’t recall even one occasion when Andrew had so much as cracked a smile. He was all business all the time, and he didn’t miss even a single detail. Tessa had seen him chastise her co-workers for all manner of minor errors or oversights, everything from a misspelled word on a contract to ordering the wrong sandwich for a lunch meeting to an executive’s dissatisfaction with the flight that had been booked for a recent business trip. Andrew never raised his voice or used bad language or issued threats, but it was more than obvious by his icy, formal demeanor when he was displeased. So Tessa worked very, very hard to make certain she wasn’t on the receiving end of one of his famously scathing dressing-downs.
The Iceman – as one of Tessa’s co-workers had irreverently dubbed Andrew – arrived at the office about five minutes after she did. She knew he’d likely been at the office until early evening on the previous day, and probably had to deal with phone calls and emails after hours as well.
She offered him up a warm but businesslike smile as he passed by on the way to his office. “Good morning, Andrew.”
He gave her a brief nod. “Hello, Tessa. First one in again, I see.”
Her cheeks pinkened and she gave a small shrug. “I got the early bus. It’s a bit less crowded than the next one.”
“Mr. Gregson is going to need some spreadsheets done today,” he told her briskly. “I’ll be sending the information your way shortly.”
It was a great source of pride for Tessa to know that her expertise with producing complex spreadsheets was highly valued by the Managing Director. Mr. Gregson used them on a regular basis for his reports and presentations, and the vast majority of them were delegated to her for processing.
“Of course, Andrew. Send them along at your convenience and I’ll get right to them,” she assured him. “I don’t have anything else pressing on my schedule for today.”
“Good to know. I’ll email you the supporting data within the hour.”
Tessa always paid extra attention to her work when she knew the project was for Mr. Gregson. It wasn’t just the fact that he was the Managing Director – in charge of all the hotels in North and South America plus all of the employees here at the regional office. She couldn’t – or perhaps more truthfully – wouldn’t define her feelings for the incredibly handsome, dynamic man but she knew that they were not appropriate emotions for a married woman to be having for a man who wasn’t her husband.
She felt guilty every single time she saw Ian Gregson, or even thought about him, and recognized the little thrill that shimmered through her body as attraction. Tessa always dismissed her reactions to her charismatic, compelling boss as nothing more than a silly little schoolgirl crush, the same sort of harmless infatuation one might harbor for a movie star. God knew she would never, ever consider acting on her awareness of him. Besides the very obvious fact that she was completely devoted to Peter and would never consider being unfaithful to him, there was the matter of Ian Gregson being her employer. And he was so far above her in every way – intellectually, socially, economically – that it was laughable to think he would ever notice a lowly employee like herself. He dated socialites, businesswomen, and occasionally celebrities. Tessa’s co-workers were constantly tracking their boss in the society and gossip columns online, and chatting about the current woman in his life. And whether Tessa cared to hear about Ian Gregson’s personal life or not, she typically wasn’t given a choice in the matter. Just like she was rarely given a choice of the other mind numbing topics they chattered about incessantly – clothes, makeup, celebrities, a variety of TV shows, what club they had hit last weekend, the latest argument they’d had with their boyfriend. The list went on but none of the topics of conversation were of particular interest to Tessa, and certainly none of them could be called intellectually stimulating.
But she was far too shy and retiring, and too intimidated by her co-workers, to speak up. It had been that way for her ever since childhood. Moving and changing schools so often had made it difficult for her to make friends easily. She had always felt like the new girl, the outsider, and just when she’d finally started to fit in and make a friend or two, her flighty, emotionally unstable mother would uproot them and move on to the next town where Tessa would have to start all over again. And old habits died hard it seemed, for Tessa still felt like the outsider at the office, even though she’d worked here for two years. She had never really bonded with any of her co-workers, didn’t feel as though she could honestly call them her friends, and, sadly, didn’t trust any of them.
She had been at her desk for more than half an hour before the rest of the team began to filter in. As usual, Marisol was the first one in and she gave Tessa a weary smile as she put her things away. At twenty-eight, Marisol was a pretty, petite Filipina woman, married with two small children under the age of four. Even though she and her husband got a lot of support from their families, working full time and caring for two young kids wore her out. She yawned constantly during the day, drank endless cups of coffee, and seemed to operate in slow motion most of the time. Still, Marisol was sweet and quiet, was always kind to Tessa, and generally didn’t join in most of the incessant gossiping and chatter as the others did.
Next to arrive was Shelby, a giggly, easily distracted strawberry blonde who reminded Tessa of a bird. Of medium height, Shelby was stick thin, her arms and legs spindly. She had a small face with a pointy nose and chin and deep-set, almost beady eyes. Her high-pitched voice and annoying little laugh at times sounded just like a chirping bird.
Andrew seemed to pick on Shelby more than any of the others, to the point that she was now terrified of him and would start quaking whenever he was close by. Privately, Tessa thought Andrew’s methods could be a little less intimidating but nonetheless could understand his constant irritation with the silly, not especially bright Shelby. Tessa wondered how she’d ever been hired to work in this very high profile unit given her overall lack of ability.
The next two to arrive were BFF’s Gina and Alicia. Since they were roommates, they arrived and departed the office together every day, and at times it seemed like they were joined at the hip. They gossiped all the time, were merciless in their critique of other employees’ wardrobes and grooming, and Tessa neither liked nor trusted them. They were always nice to her – almost sickeningly so – but she knew for a fact that they talked about her behind her back, made fun of her inexpensive clothes, and cattily speculated why she always seemed to get the best assignments from Andrew.
Both women were obsessed with clothes, shoes, hair, makeup and manicures, read fashion magazines and online blogs on a daily basis, and were always smartly dressed. Gina was the more exotic, flamboyant of the two with her olive skin, big dark eyes, and masses of dark brown hair. Alicia was classier, more refined, with a chin-length bob of wheat blonde hair, ivory skin and a designer wardrobe she was able to afford via her monthly trust fund stipends.
With their sly, almost predatory mannerisms, Gina and Alicia made Tessa think of the conniving Siamese cats from Lady and the Tramp. She was extremely careful not to give them any fodder for gossip, rarely if ever discussing her personal life, and generally not contributing to their almost nonstop commentary about the goings-on in the office.
Gina gave her an overly-friendly smile, while Alicia greeted her with a saccharin sweet “Good morning.” Tessa tried to ignore how both of them none too discreetly checked out the dress and shoes she’d worn today.
“That’s such a cute little dress, Tessa,” Gina told her in a phony voice. “Every time you wear it I think what a good color it is for you.”
Tessa merely smiled politely in response to Gina’s not-so-subtle dig. Tessa never tried to pretend that she had much beyond her rather limited wardrobe, or that she could afford to shop anywhere besides the big discount chains like Marshalls, Forever 21 and H&M. She could never dream of buying anything at the places she knew Gina, Alicia and Shelby preferred – big-name stores like Barneys, Nordstrom or Neiman Marcus. Not only wasn’t it even remotely in her budget, but Tessa didn’t let things like a label or price tag bother her. She knew all too well what it was like to have absolutely nothing, so she was always grateful for the little she did have.
The last of the team to arrive – almost fifteen minutes late – was Kevin, the lone male of their group. Though, as Shelby, Gina and Alicia loved to tease, Kevin was arguably the most effeminate of them all. He was flamboyantly gay – his clothing, haircut, mannerisms, speech – and he talked freely about his lifestyle to anyone who would listen. Tessa had learned far too much about Kevin’s numerous boyfriends and hook-ups, including his sexual preferences and escapades. Even though she was married, she’d been more than a little naïve sexually, but two years of working with Kevin had opened her eyes – and not in a good way.
Kevin made his rounds to each of the girl’s cubicles, air-kissing them in turn. He cooed over Gina’s new shoes, admired Alicia’s manicure, made a whispered comment to Shelby that caused her to make one of those chirpy little bird laughs, and told Marisol he’d had dinner at the restaurant she’d recommended to him last night. He came to Tessa last since they sat next to each other.
He pressed his cheek to hers lightly, and she had to force herself not to recoil at the heavy scent of his cologne.
“Morning, sweet pea,” he grinned. “How’s my girl today?”
Tessa couldn’t help but return his smile. Kevin might be a promiscuous airhead with atrocious taste in clothes and cologne, but he was almost always cheerful and could usually put her in a good mood.
“I’m good, thanks. Peter’s due home later today,” she told him.
Kevin’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Oooh, bet someone’s good and horny by now. You’ll be walking funny tomorrow morning after he’s through with you.”
Tessa felt her cheeks grow warm at his very straightforward innuendo. No matter how many ribald stories Kevin shared with them, she wasn’t sure she’d ever really get used to his very frank way of talking about sex. And, rather sadly, it was quite unlikely that Peter would be the least bit horny, despite the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Or had sex for even longer. Things were – complicated.
With everyone settled in at their cubicles, the noise level in this section of the office began to rise dramatically. The sounds of telephones ringing, keyboards clacking, and voices speaking all co-mingled and seemed to get a bit louder with each passing minute. Tessa sighed, wishing for perhaps the thousandth time that she had a more private space – a secluded cubicle or desk in front of one of the private executive offices. Fortunately, she’d honed her powers of concentration very well over the past two years, so she could block out nearly all of the distractions around her. Except, of course, when her very favorite topic of conversation was brought up, as it was nearly every day. Then she was all ears, even though she was painstakingly careful not to betray even the slightest interest in what was being said. All it would take would be the tiniest hint she was interested, and her gossipy co-workers would be spreading the news of her infatuation all over the office. And Tessa would be mortified – absolutely mortified - if anyone ever guessed that she had a crush on Ian Gregson.
“Any sign of His Hotness yet this morning?” asked Gina in the sly, sultry tone that for some reason really grated on Tessa’s nerves. She also hated the rather undignified nickname that Gina, Alicia and Kevin had bestowed upon their boss. Oh, there was no question that the man was hot but he was also the epitome of suave sophistication and class, and Tessa privately thought such a nickname didn’t do him full justice or pay him the proper respect.
“Not yet,” offered Marisol. “He’s addressing a group at the Convention and Visitors Bureau this morning.”
One of Marisol’s jobs was to keep track of all the executives schedules, so that one could tell at a glance where a particular employee was on a given day and time.
“Mmm, guess we’ll have to wait a while longer to see what he’s wearing this morning,” lamented Gina. “He hasn’t worn the Dolce and Gabbana suit for a few weeks so maybe today will be the day.”
Tessa had zero idea how Gina and Alicia were able to identify which designer suit Mr. Gregson wore from one day to the next – and wondered why on earth they cared. She didn’t know an Armani from a Dior and it didn’t really matter, anyway – their gorgeous boss looked mouthwateringly handsome in whatever suit he wore, no matter the color, style or fabric.
“He was also out pretty late last night,” offered Alicia. “My mother texted me this morning that she saw him at a benefit dinner for the symphony last night.”
“Oooh, and what very lucky lady was he escorting last night?” asked Kevin, his pale blue eyes sparkling with interest. “Was it the bank president, the news anchor or the ballerina?”
Alicia gave a shrug that was meant to seem careless. Tessa knew that despite her co-workers feigned indifference, Alicia was actually very interested in who Mr. Gregson dated. And that it bothered her to no end that the man had such a rigid policy of never dating employees. Alicia had reportedly been one of many in a long line of hopefuls who had found that hard truth out. And while she never outright flirted with Mr. Gregson, she always went out of her way to greet him with a very interested smile, making it quite plain that if he were to ever change his mind she was ready, willing and available.
“I couldn’t say,” replied Alicia a little huffily. “My mother didn’t mention it and I didn’t care to ask. But he’s rarely seen with the same woman twice so whoever he escorted it can’t be too serious.”
“So that means there’s still hope for you, Ali,” teased Kevin, using the nickname he knew she despised. “Have you considered finding another job so that he might actually ask you out? I mean, that way he wouldn’t have to worry about his hands off the employees rule.”
Gina smirked. “She talks about doing that all the time. The fact that she hasn’t actually quit must mean she doesn’t think he’d ask her out regardless.”
Alicia threw a wadded-up piece of paper at her roommate. “Hah, hah. I haven’t noticed you turning in your resignation, either.”
Gina shrugged. “I’ve got my hands full with Alex at the moment. He’s not as hunky as His Hotness, and of course nobody’s even half as rich, but he’ll do for now.”
Kevin heaved a dramatic sigh. “Well, whoever the lucky lady he escorted last night was she’s probably wobbling around this morning. If that man isn’t built like a bull, I’d be shocked speechless. And for me, you know, that’s saying something. No pun intended.”
Shelby emitted one of her annoyingly chirpy little giggles. “What’s that saying about a man’s shoe size? I’ll bet he wears at least a size thirteen.”
Kevin cackled with glee, and for the next twenty minutes the conversation turned downright bawdy as he, Shelby, Gina and Alicia continued to speculate on Mr. Gregson’s sexual prowess. Tessa kept her attention focused on the report she was working on, trying desperately to conceal the embarrassment she felt and the flush that stained her cheeks. It certainly wasn’t anything she hadn’t heard before – or much worse after sitting next to Kevin for two years. But she was more embarrassed for Mr. Gregson than herself, finding this talk about the size of his “equipment”, or how many women he’d nailed, or what sexual position he would probably prefer, to be completely disrespectful to a man who wasn’t just their boss and part of the family who owned this company, but a kind, dignified and almost regal man. If Mrs. Carrington could overhear even a snippet of their crude commentary she would fire every one of them on the spot.
Tessa missed the cantankerous office manager who had been her boss, her mentor, her friend, and at times her surrogate mother. Mrs. C. – as she preferred to be called – had taught Tessa everything about office etiquette and had instilled a strict work ethic in her. The very fearsome office manager had put the fear of God in her about gossiping, being late, eating at her desk, not proofreading everything she typed at least three times, or wearing her skirts too short. The rules of conduct the older woman followed were, by her own admission, very strict and more than a little old-fashioned. But Mrs. C. had insisted that if Tessa followed them to the letter that she would be successful and go far in the company.
Considering the behavior of all five of her co-workers, Tessa doubted any of them would last a day with Mrs. C. And the stern office manager would certainly be outraged to hear the gossip being spread about Mr. Gregson. Tessa was aware that her former and current bosses knew each other but had never been told what the exact connection was. The only thing Mrs. C. had told her was that Ian was hardworking and demanding but a fair employer who prized diligence and loyalty above all else. Tessa had strived to be the hardest working and most loyal employee he’d ever had from her first day in the office.
She only wished she had the nerve to stand up and tell her co-workers to shut up, that they were being horrible, rude people to discuss such a dignified gentleman like Mr. Gregson like he was some sleazy gigolo. Like that nasty, creepy Jason Baldwin, for example.
Tessa shuddered as she thought of the way Mr. Baldwin leered at her every single time he saw her. She knew the other girls thought him attractive – Gina insisted he could be David Beckham’s twin – but he gave Tessa the willies. She knew he was married to Mr. Gregson’s cousin and that they had three young children. Mrs. Baldwin and her brood visited the office occasionally, and from all appearances she was a very pretty, sweet woman who certainly deserved better than her lecherous, cheating husband. Tessa had heard all the rumors and gossip about what women Jason had hit on and slept with, and she wondered how on earth he could live with himself for constantly cheating on his poor wife.
But even if Jason Baldwin had been single, Tessa still wouldn’t have found him attractive. Oh, he was handsome enough, with his expertly cut dirty blond hair, evenly tanned features, and leanly muscled body. No, it was the predatory look in his eyes and his leering smirks that gave her the creeps. She had made it very, very clear to him – albeit in a polite, respectful manner considering that he was her superior and an extended member of the Gregson family – that she was most definitely not interested in him and was a happily married woman. But Jason persisted in flirting with her, trying to find ways to be alone with her or touch her in some manner, and making all sorts of suggestive comments.
Fortunately for Tessa, Andrew seemed to be very well aware of Jason’s interest in her and did as much as he could to keep her away from him. He never assigned her any projects where she would have to work with Jason, even though Tessa knew Mr. Baldwin had specifically requested her on multiple occasions. And somehow, as though he had radar, Andrew always seemed to appear whenever Jason was being especially obnoxious. Jason would mutter something like “here’s your guard dog again” before slinking off. Tessa didn’t know why Andrew had quietly appointed himself her protector, but she was exceedingly grateful to him. She had heard all the stories about Jason’s past troubles with female employees – including the one with Sarah, her own predecessor – and surmised that Andrew perhaps had been given strict orders to make sure no more unpleasant incidences occurred.
It was close to ten a.m. when Mr. Gregson arrived at the office after his morning appointment. Tessa could hear him greeting other employees before he reached her cubicle, his crisp British accent giving her a little thrill as usual. His voice was deep and cultured, and it never failed to enthrall her.
“Ah, His Hotness is finally here,” said Kevin in a stage whisper. “It’s show time, ladies.”
Six heads popped up simultaneously as Ian Gregson walked past their cubicles with his long-legged, supremely confident stride. He gave the team an almost perfunctory nod, greeting them with a “Good morning ladies. And Kevin.”
There followed a rousing chorus of “Good morning, Mr. Gregson”, including Tessa’s own softly murmured reply. And then he continued on his way to his office, leaving half a dozen admiring gazes trailing in his wake.
Gina sighed. “God, he just gets hotter with every passing year. Most men get fat and gray as they age but not him.”
“He’s wearing the Savile Row suit today,” volunteered Alicia. “And wearing it very well, I might add.”
Kevin sniffed. “We’d all look good if we wore custom sewn $5000 suits. Unfortunately, most of us are doomed to shop at Banana Republic for the rest of our lives.”
Tessa thought privately that even a moderately priced store like Banana Republic was way out of her budget. And the thought of spending $5000 on one suit was so far beyond her scope that she failed to comprehend the idea. Her entire wardrobe – including underwear and shoes – wasn’t worth the total of that sum. It was yet one more fact that widened the cultural gap between her and someone as splendid as Ian Gregson.
The rest of the morning went by quickly. Tessa had received the data she needed from Andrew, and was busily constructing the intricate spreadsheets. Though she didn’t consider herself to be especially brainy and wasn’t exactly a math whiz, she did enjoy working with the Excel program and the more detailed the worksheet the better.
But as she was reviewing the completed sheets before sending them on to Andrew, she frowned, for one of the pie charts didn’t look quite right. Remembering Mrs. Carrington’s teachings to proofread everything at least three times, Tessa checked and re-checked the data Andrew had sent her and was flummoxed over where the chart discrepancy was originating from. She hated to bother Andrew with anything, fearful that he would see her as incompetent. But she wasn’t about to send an incorrect file to Mr. Gregson, either, so she printed out the offending sheet along with the back-up data, knowing that Andrew would prefer looking at the physical sheets rather than a computer monitor. It was already past the noon hour, and half the team was at lunch. Marisol was off making photocopies, which left just Shelby and Tessa to mind the fort.
“I need to ask Andrew about one of these reports,” Tessa told her co-worker. “Are you okay here by yourself for a few minutes?”
Shelby visibly trembled at the mere mention of her tormentor. “God, poor you, having to deal with the Ice Man. Maybe you should put a sweater on so he doesn’t give you frostbite.”
Tessa merely smiled and headed towards Andrew’s office. The PA had his own private space just outside of Mr. Gregson’s commanding office suite, and the space was as tidy and organized as it always was. Except that Andrew himself was nowhere in sight. Tessa knew that he took his lunch break at precisely one p.m. every day, so she guessed he was off doing some task for Mr. Gregson.
She bit her bottom lip uncertainly, not wanting to just hang around as though she had nothing better to do. She was in the middle of jotting a detailed note to leave for Andrew with the reports when a voice from just behind startled her.
“Tessa. This is a surprise to see you here. Was there something you needed?”
She dropped the pen she’d picked up from Andrew’s desk abruptly, and looked up as Ian Gregson appeared by her side. Tessa felt like all of the air had been sucked out of her lungs, and she suddenly forgot how to breathe. He had this effect on her every single time she was within a few feet of him, and she felt her cheeks flush.
“Um, I was just leaving a note for Andrew, sir,” she murmured. “There’s a bit of a discrepancy with one of the spreadsheets he asked me to do for you.”
“Ah, well, we can’t have that, can we?” he replied in a gentle voice. “Why don’t you show me the problem and let’s see if we can figure it out, hmm?”
“All-all right.” Tessa struggled to maintain her composure, for she was hyper-aware of the man standing right next to her. With her sensible heels on, she stood at five ten, but he still towered over her by a good six inches. He had removed the aforementioned custom tailored dark blue suit jacket and hovered next to her in his shirt sleeves. She stole a quick glance sideways and had to stifle a gulp when she noticed how the fine linen fabric stretched across his broad shoulders and the wide expanse of his chest.
And she thought faintly that no one had ever smelled as good as Ian Gregson did. It was an irresistible combination of soap, aftershave, and pure male, and it made Tessa long to burrow her face against that strong, muscular chest and take a long, luxurious sniff. Even without making any sort of physical contact, she could feel the heat pouring off his big body, and her nipples hardened automatically in response against the thin fabric of her dress. Hoping fervently that he didn’t notice, she self-consciously smoothed down the pleated skirt of her pale peach polka-dot dress.
She pointed to the pie chart in question. “This isn’t accurate, Mr. Gregson. But I’ve checked the input data four times and it’s all correct.”
Ian studied the two sheets of paper for a long moment before pointing to the one with the background information. “Except that you were given the wrong report. This is the previous quarter’s report, even though someone put the current quarter’s date on it. Who prepared this report anyway?”
Tessa feigned ignorance, even though she knew that Shelby was usually the one who was in charge of the report in question. Andrew would figure that out soon enough on his own and give Shelby yet another icy admonishment.
“I’m not certain, sir. But it should be a simple matter to fix this. And now that you’ve identified the discrepancy, I can go ahead and adjust the spreadsheet. It will only take a couple of minutes.”
The smile he bestowed on her made her knees go weak and her panties grow damp. “I don’t know what I’d do without you here, Tessa,” he told her earnestly. “You’re the only one I trust to get all of these done correctly. Thank you for all of your diligence.”
She couldn’t resist smiling at him in return and hoped faintly that her cheeks weren’t too red. “It’s – I’m happy to help, sir. I’ll – um, just take these back to my desk and fix the problem. I’m sorry to have bothered you, sir.”
“It was no bother at all, Tessa,” he assured her kindly. “I appreciate your conscientiousness in catching the error.”
Trying in vain to conceal her flustered state, Tessa quickly picked up the papers from Andrew’s desk and spun around to make a hasty exit. Except that Mr. Gregson hadn’t moved an inch and she bumped smack into him. He placed a hand on her arm to steady her, and her cheeks grew even hotter to realize that her breast was crushed up against his iron-hewed arm.
He released his grip on her arm immediately and took two steps back. He didn’t say another word but his hazel eyes had darkened noticeably, and the smile on his face had faded as he gazed at her somberly.
With a hastily mumbled “thank you”, Tessa almost bolted out of the office back towards her own desk. ‘Oh, God,’ she pleaded silently. ‘Please do not let him have noticed my nipples were hard.’
She was both mortified at what had just happened, but also incredulously, ridiculously aroused. It upset her to realize that her own husband failed to arouse those same types of feelings in her, and that she was so unsuitably attracted to her gorgeous, debonair boss.
She made it back to her desk on shaky legs and sunk down gratefully into her chair. She closed her eyes, and the image of Ian Gregson’s ruggedly handsome face filled her thoughts despite her best efforts to dispel it. He was more striking than classically good looking but his strong, masculine features were irresistible – the intelligent, all-knowing hazel eyes; broad cheekbones and square chin; the firm, full mouth that rarely smiled but when it did his whole face softened and became even more compelling. His face was framed by his expertly cut dark hair, the back and sides cut short and close to the head while the top was left longer.
It was the return of Kevin and the others from lunch – all giggling and gossiping together – that jolted Tessa out of her almost trancelike state. She swiftly located the correct report she needed from their file sharing system, and made the required changes to the spreadsheet before emailing it to Andrew.
But as busy as she strived to keep for the rest of the workday, she couldn’t completely forget about the brief but disturbing encounter with her boss earlier in the day. And each time she did her cheeks would flush anew and she’d curse herself for having such a strong and unsuitable reaction to him. She had no reason at all to believe that Mr. Gregson found her attractive, or even gave her a second thought. She was simply one of his many employees, and not a very important one at that.
The unwanted sexual attraction she felt for him was only because of the frustration she was currently experiencing due to Peter’s long and frequent absences, she told herself fiercely. She was young and healthy and craved affection and physical contact, a perfectly normal state for a woman her age. Especially a woman who was alone as much as she was, and whose sexual relationship with her husband was as messed up as hers. It was only natural, Tessa assured herself with a confidence she didn’t really feel, that her body would react to a man as virile and physically appealing as Ian Gregson. From what she’d heard from gossip and such, most every woman he came in contact with had the same sort of reaction to his charm and extreme good looks, so she was far from the only one.
‘So it doesn’t mean a thing, silly,’ she told herself with a sense of relief. ‘It doesn’t mean that you don’t love Peter or that you’d ever think of cheating on him. Especially since Mr. Gregson certainly doesn’t think of you that way. I’m sure he hasn’t given you a single thought the entire day.’