Covet (33 page)

“What?” She stared at Kevin in alarm. “You’ve got to be joking.”

Kevin shook his head. “Nope. See, here’s the little logo. And, hang on a sec.” He quickly tapped some data into his smartphone and then triumphantly showed her a picture of what looked like the exact same vase. “Told you. Only my estimate was a bit off. It actually costs three hundred.”

Tessa ran a finger over the gleaming crystal, wondering who in the world could have sent her something like this. She knew, just
knew
, that it hadn’t been Peter. There was no way he would have spent that sort of money on two dozen hothouse roses, much less a horrendously expensive crystal vase. She wondered briefly if it could have been Kevin, but based on his startled reaction it was extremely doubtful. Did this mean she had a secret admirer somewhere that she was unaware of? The thought made her feel more than a little uneasy, especially when she wondered if perhaps the odious Jason Baldwin might have sent these to her.

Tessa shuddered at the thought, but sending her an expensive gift didn’t really seem to be Jason’s style. Instead, he tended to murmur suggestive, semi-obscene things in her ear, only to hurry away when he noticed Andrew approaching.

Just last week Jason had cornered her in the hallway as she was returning to her desk from the copy room, sliding an arm around her waist and whispering to her in a deliberately suggestive voice, “Every time you walk past my office all I can think about is bending you over my desk and shoving my cock inside your cunt, and then fucking you for a couple of hours. I get hard just thinking about it. And I’ll bet the idea is making you nice and wet, isn’t it, honey?
”

Tessa had cringed in embarrassment at his crudity, and had very firmly removed his arm. “Please, Mr. Baldwin. You know this isn’t appropriate. I – I don’t want to file a complaint but I will if you keep saying those sort of things
.”

It had taken all of her courage to work up the nerve to say something like that, but she was growing weary of his persistent attempts to flirt with her and repelled at the nastier comments he made
.

But rather than react angrily, Jason had only hooted with laughter. “Complain to who, sweet thing? I’m one of the family, after all, and no one is going to give a bloody damn about anything an inconsequential little secretary has to say. So I’d advise you to keep your pretty little mouth shut, Tessa, because if you dare to complain I’ll see to it personally that you either get demoted or fired
.”

She’d felt tears begin to well in her eyes, feeling both powerless and furious. But before she could think of a suitable retort, Andrew had thankfully come striding down the hallway, a rather fearsome scowl on his face
.

“
Jason, aren’t you supposed to be at the two o’clock meeting?” he’d asked haughtily. “Mr. Gregson was very insistent that everyone arrive exactly on time today since there’s a very lengthy agenda
.”

Jason had rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I’ll bet he was,” he’d muttered darkly. “But the old chap can cool his heels for a minute longer
.”

Andrew had looked down from his superior height at the other man. “Shall I pass that message along to him? Or would you prefer to deliver it in person? Tessa, when can I expect to receive that spreadsheet I asked you to update?
”

Silently blessing her supervisor for unwittingly rescuing her from a very uncomfortable situation, Tessa had assured him that she would have it finished within the next half hour, and took the opportunity to practically scurry back to her desk. She’d vowed to be extra diligent when she was away from her desk in the future, and made a mental note to never walk past Jason’s office again, even if it meant taking the long way around each time
.

Tessa took a quick peek at the master calendar – the one Marisol updated on a regular basis and showed at a glance where each member of the executive staff was on any given day. She breathed a little sigh of relief to notice that Jason had evidently been on vacation this entire week, and was not due back to the office until next Wednesday. It was highly unlikely, therefore, that he would have taken the time out of his holiday to order such an expensive gift for her. And he was such an arrogant ass that surely he would have happily taken credit for the act, instead of sending an anonymous, untraceable present. With his egotistical mindset, Jason would have assumed that she would owe him something in return – the something quite obviously being the gift of her body.

Tessa shuddered in revulsion as she recalled some of the ugly, nasty things he’d whispered to her, and she longed to work up the nerve to confide in Andrew about the whole sordid mess. She honestly didn’t think someone as prim and proper as her supervisor would side with Jason, especially since the two men seemed to be constantly at odds with each other. But she couldn’t take the chance, couldn’t risk losing her job when it was the only dependable means of support she and Peter had. So she decided to keep her mouth shut for the time being, and simply renew her efforts to avoid Jason like the plague that he was.

But making that resolution didn’t give her any clearer idea of who might have sent her such an exquisite bouquet. Had it possibly been Andrew? Had he detected that she was the only one of the team without flowers? It was certainly something he would have noticed, as he never missed a trick, and Tessa often swore he had eyes in the back of his head. But Andrew was also not especially emotional, and definitely not the least bit romantic, so it was hard for her to believe he had sent the flowers.

One other person who could have possibly sent the bouquet was her very formal, very standoffish boss. He could certainly afford the cost of such an extravagant gift, and the elegant vase and hothouse roses practically shrieked class – just like Mr. Gregson did.

But even as such a thought popped into Tessa’s head she dismissed it automatically. After all, Ian Gregson barely acknowledged her from day to day, and she wondered sometimes if he even remembered her name. There was no possible way he would have sent her a gift like this – not when he didn’t even know she existed.

“Bad day at the office, Ian? It’s not like you to drink at this hour.”

Ian offered up a small shrug and an apologetic smile to Matthew Bennett, who sat across the table from him. “Not exactly a bad day, Matthew. Just – well, a way to forget what day this is.”

Ian very seldom drank alcohol before the cocktail hour, so ordering a glass of merlot with his lunch today had been out of character. He and his good friend Matthew tried to meet for lunch at least once a month, something that wasn’t always possible given their equally hectic schedules. Matthew didn’t have to travel nearly as much as Ian did, but did have an enormous amount of responsibility on his shoulders as the CEO of a billion dollar software company that he’d taken public just a few years ago.

Matthew grimaced. “Yeah, well, there’s no possible way Lindsey would ever let me forget that today is Valentine’s Day. She’s gone way beyond throwing hints, and actually gave me a list of what she expected from me today. So far I’ve sent her flowers, made dinner reservations at Le Mistral, got tickets for
Phantom of the Opera
, and bought her a
mucho
expensive set of emeralds.”

Ian let out a low whistle. “Quite impressive. She should be pleased with all of that, no?”

Matthew made a dismissive motion with his hand. “You’d think so, huh? And hopefully it will be enough to pacify her, considering what she really wanted to do was jet over to Paris for a long weekend. But there’s no possible way I can get away right now, not with the launch of a brand new product line in less than two weeks. Not to mention Casey’s basketball team is playing for the championship this weekend. Wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

Casey was Matthew’s son, and from what Ian recalled the boy was around ten years old. Matthew and his wife Lindsey also had a daughter who was a few years older.

“You’re a good father, Matthew,” assured Ian. “And Paris will always be there. I’m sure Lindsey understands that there are other priorities at the moment.”

Matthew sighed. “You’d like to hope, wouldn’t you? This was actually one of the developments I feared most when I decided to take the company public. I knew there’d be constant demands on my time, continual conflicts with my personal life and the family. But Lindsey just dismissed all of that, told me over and over again that we’d work it out, and that the important thing was being able to improve our quality of life. And now that it all turned out exactly as I figured she’s constantly nagging me about how little time we spend together. Go figure, huh?”

“Balancing work with one’s personal life is a constant struggle,” acknowledged Ian. “And having a wife and young children does tend to complicate matters that much further. At least I’m single, so there’s no one to complain if I work fourteen hour days, or travel three weeks out of every five.”

“But the drawback of that is the loneliness,” pointed out Matthew. “And I know that you must be lonely at times, Ian, even with your involvement in all those performing arts and charitable organizations. Friends and social acquaintances are no substitute for a family. Or even a special someone in your life. Especially on Valentine’s Day.”

Ian took a slow sip of his wine, savoring the excellent vintage. “I know,” he replied soberly. “Being a bachelor is definitely not all that it’s cracked up to be. Particularly since I’m not the sort for hopping from one bed to the next, and definitely not a fan of singles bars or clubs.” He couldn’t repress the little shudder he gave at the latter thought.

Matthew grinned. “You know my offer stands anytime. Lindsey’s got a virtual hoard of single girlfriends she’s dying to set you up with. Not to mention the hundreds of available women who work for my firm. Though I imagine you’re more than capable of getting any woman you want without anyone’s help.”

Feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on – no doubt the result of too little sleep and far too much stress – Ian pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Not quite any woman,” he muttered gruffly.

Matthew arched a brow inquiringly. “Ah, so that’s the real crux of the matter. Not to mention difficult to believe. What woman in their right mind would turn down the dashing Ian Gregson?”

Ian was silent for several seconds as he stared into his wineglass. “One who’s all wrong for me for too damned many reasons. One,” he counted on his finger, “she’s far too young, not much older than a teenager. Two, she works for me – on my management support team, no less. And three – well, that’s the real non-negotiable. She happens to be a married woman.”

Matthew frowned. “You’re not having an affair with this woman, are you?”

“God, no,” denied Ian vehemently. “You know me better than that, Matthew. And if my younger brother was here at the moment, he’d be laughing hysterically at the very idea. Colin insists I’m the biggest stuffed shirt he’s ever met.”

“Hmm.” Matthew swallowed a bite of his steak sandwich. “Not to mention that there’s no way I could ever see you voluntarily taking the back seat to some other man. Does this woman know how you feel about her?”

Ian gave a caustic laugh. “Hardly. I’m sure as far as she’s concerned I don’t even know she exists. I’ve made it a point to keep my distance, to treat her impersonally. Otherwise, I would have little to no confidence in my acting skills, Matthew, and zero hope of keeping my feelings hidden.”

Matthew bit into a
pomme frite
. “Have you considered approaching her, telling her how you feel? Maybe she feels the same way for all you know. You’re an attractive dude, Ian, a real catch as Lindsey’s overly fond of saying.”

“No.” Ian shook his head. “I’m not about to try and come between her and her husband. I’m not a homewrecker, Matthew, nor would I ever try and seduce her into an affair. What I
am
is a blithering idiot, having this ridiculous crush on a girl I barely know. Even if she was free, she could in all likelihood turn out to be completely wrong for me.”

“Nah.” Matthew took a long drink of his iced tea. “Without knowing a thing about this girl, I’m convinced she’s perfect for you, Ian. Because out of all the people I’ve ever known or worked with, you have the best instincts of any of them. I’m guessing you took one look into this woman’s eyes and, well, just
knew
somehow that she was the one for you.”

Ian smiled wistfully. “That’s exactly how it happened, mate. For so long I was convinced I’d never meet anyone that I would have that sort of reaction to. Colin says I’m far too picky, that this dream woman doesn’t exist. But the moment I met Tessa – well, you hit the nail on the head. I just knew.”

“Tessa? Pretty name,” commented Matthew. “And I’ll just assume that she’s a knockout. You wouldn’t be in this sort of state if she wasn’t a real looker.”

“She’s beautiful,” said Ian quietly. “Perfect. I wouldn’t change one thing about her appearance. But it’s her inner beauty that makes her so attractive to me. She’s quiet and on the shy side, but also sweet and kind and genuine. And I know I haven’t spent any real time with her to make that sort of judgment, but it’s rather obvious.”