Covet (47 page)

But Jason wasn’t quite through, and a mischievous smirk turned his mouth up at the corners. “I get it now. The real reason you’re sticking up for Tessa is because you fancy her for yourself. You’re pushing me out because I dared to put my hands on her when you want to do the exact same thing. Is that it, mate? You’re getting the competition out of the way so you can shag the hot little bitch to your heart’s content?”

The grin on his face was abruptly replaced with a grimace of pain as Ian twisted his arm behind his back and held it pinned in an iron grip. Ian brought his face so close that Jason could have counted his eyelashes if he had been so inclined.

“First of all,” began Ian in a not so pleasant voice, “you would never be competition for me in any way, and especially not with a woman. Second, you are beyond offensive, beyond reprehensible. Tessa is a married woman, and unlike most of the others in this office – like your little fuck buddy Morgan – she’s also a lady. Lastly, if I ever see you speak to her or – God forbid – touch her again, or even hear that you’ve done so, I’ll break your jaw, all ten fingers, and kick you so hard in the balls you won’t be able to fuck anything for a year. And if you think I’m not capable of all of those things, don’t forget I was the heavyweight champion at Oxford for three years in a row. Now get out of my sight, you miserable piece of shit.”

As Jason made a swift exit, Ian paced furiously around his office, finally stopping in front of the wet bar in one corner. He poured himself three fingers of a very rare single malt Scotch and bolted it down in two gulps.

He was on his third drink – which he was now sipping – before he felt the rage begin to subside. He had never come close to displaying this sort of anger before, to losing control of his ironclad emotions. But then he’d never felt this way about a woman before, and every protective instinct in his body had risen up automatically when Jason had tried to accost Tessa.

‘I should have broken the slimy bastard’s wrist,’ Ian thought furiously. ‘For starters.’

There had been no question in his mind – and zero delay in making it happen – that Jason simply had to go. Ian knew his uncle wouldn’t be pleased but it was just tough shit. The family had stuck Ian with the horny little prick when he’d been appointed to this post, so it ought to be completely his decision on how to manage him. If it meant Jason now had an hour’s commute each way to his job, then in Ian’s opinion it was nothing less than he deserved. When Ian thought of how frightened Tessa had looked when he’d been fortunate enough to walk by the fitness room at the right time, he wanted to drag Jason back into this office and use him like a punching bag.

Christ, she had looked delectable – and very, very fuckable – in those tiny little shorts that had bared the long, streamlined length of her shapely legs. And that top she was wearing – more like a longer length exercise bra – had been molded to her lush breasts like a second skin. He hadn’t missed the way her nipples had pressed against the Lycra fabric, either, and hadn’t been able to resist ogling them for several seconds. He’d never seen her so scantily attired, and he knew the image of her toned, curvy figure would be impossible to dismiss.

And under different circumstances, he would have found it very, very difficult to resist stripping that snug fitting top off her body, baring those sumptuous breasts to his searing gaze. He wondered what size and color her nipples were, if she preferred to have them sucked or licked or both. Were her breasts as firm and high and round as they looked, or had her exercise bra just made them look that way? Was her ivory skin as soft all over as her arm had felt from that all too brief touch? Did she -

‘Damn it!’ He cursed softly to realize he was hard and throbbing, no better than that rutting rake Jason. But unlike his amorous cousin-in-law, Ian would never, ever harass Tessa or even give her the slightest hint that he was attracted to her. Not while she still belonged to another man.

He cursed again, for attracted was far too mild a term to describe what he felt for the beautiful girl who could never be his. Obsession was more like it, and he wondered in near desperation how much longer he could keep his hands off of her.

Tessa’s nerves were still in something of a shambles when she arrived at the office the next morning. The troubling scene with Jason Baldwin, followed by the very timely arrival of Ian Gregson, had continued to play out in her mind throughout the rest of the evening. She’d been so shaken up by the incident that the very thought of eating dinner had made her stomach churn, and all she had been able to keep down had been a cup of hot tea and some cinnamon toast.

She’d been alternately distressed by the ugly encounter with Jason, and deeply touched by the kindness and concern that Mr. Gregson had shown her. She would never have imagined someone as cool, calm, and controlled as he always was could exhibit that sort of raw emotion. She shivered a bit as she pictured the fiery rage in his eyes as he’d dealt with Jason, rage that had instantly softened when he’d directed his gaze on her. With her he had been uncharacteristically gentle, soothing, and, well, almost
passionate
– at least in his declaration to look out for her. No one had ever said anything like that to her before, not even Peter, and she had never, ever felt as safe and protected as she had during those few brief minutes in his presence. She sensed that he would defend those he loved the most with his very life, and she envied the woman who would one day claim him for her own.
That
woman would be the absolute luckiest female ever born to have a man like him to take care of her.

‘I wish - ‘ Tessa shook her head firmly before even allowing herself to complete such a foolish and pointless thought. Just because Mr. Gregson had taken her part last night certainly didn’t mean he was attracted to her. He’d only stepped in to prevent Jason from causing trouble, to make sure there weren’t any further harassment incidences. She was willing to bet that the next time she saw him – probably within the next hour or so – he would be as cool and distant as ever, as though the incident in the fitness room had never happened.

But she couldn’t help feeling a little thrill as she recalled the way he had looked at her in those brief, clingy workout clothes. He might be her boss, and someone who was a master at keeping his emotions and reactions in firm check, but he was also very much a man. And while Tessa had never been vain or conceited, she also knew that men generally found her attractive. She had a good body, especially after all of the workouts she’d been putting herself through lately, and she gave a tiny smile of satisfaction to realize that Ian Gregson evidently thought so, too.

Tessa had to work harder than usual to maintain her focus this morning, and couldn’t help glancing up nervously each time someone arrived on the floor. She dreaded, positively
dreaded
, seeing Jason again, even from a distance, and could only hope that whatever Mr. Gregson had said to him last night would ensure he stayed far, far away from her in future.

As more and more people began to arrive into work, Tessa gradually became aware of some sort of buzz going on around her. Here and there she would see three or four employees clustered together speaking in hushed tones, or notice the startled expression on someone’s face, and she wondered what was going on. As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait very long at all to learn the news, since the biggest gossip hound of the entire office sat right beside her.

“Omigod,” gushed Kevin as he addressed the rest of the team. “Have you girls heard the news? Jason Baldwin has been transferred – effective
immediately
– to the hotel down in Silicon Valley. Though it’s probably more like
demoted
. His office has been cleaned out, down to the name plate on his desk. I am
dying
to find out what provoked a move like that!”

“Humph.” Gina made a little sound of disgust. “Betcha I can guess that one. He grabbed one ass too many and someone actually had the guts – or common sense – to file a complaint about him. And it’s about damned time, that’s all I can say.”

“I agree,” replied Alicia coolly. “Let’s face it. If his father-in-law wasn’t one of the co-CEO’s of this company he would have been fired a long, long time ago. But I guess the old man isn’t going to let the father of his grandchildren go without a job. At least he’s out of our hair.”

Kevin grinned. “I’ll bet Petra is doing cartwheels right about now. She hates his guts, you know, especially since he dumps ninety percent of his workload on her and never offers to pay her a dime of overtime. And she told me once that he also expected her to cover for him whenever his wife called and he was –
ahem -
out at a quote unquote “business lunch”.”

Petra was – or, more accurately,
had
been – Jason’s long suffering PA. She wasn’t a particularly attractive woman, somewhat on the plump, frowsy side, one of the reasons she had likely been chosen as Jason’s PA. Tessa had always felt sorry for her, even though the rather stuffy older woman – with her upper crust British accent and snooty mannerisms – had seldom even acknowledged Tessa’s attempts to say hello. But anyone who was tasked with working for Jason merited Tessa’s sympathy, and she was certain that Petra was greatly relieved that her swine of a boss had been transferred.

‘And she’s not the only one,’ thought Tessa in relief. The realization that she wouldn’t have to see her tormentor any longer was like a huge weight being lifted off her chest.

And she knew, just
knew
, that Ian had been behind this extremely sudden move. That he hadn’t hesitated for very long at all to make good on the promise he’d made her yesterday – that Jason wouldn’t be permitted to harass her again and would be taken care of swiftly. The matter had been taken care of so swiftly, in fact, that Tessa’s head was spinning in reaction.

She was overwhelmingly grateful to Mr. Gregson for what he had done, and wished that she could thank him personally. But Tessa dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come to her, knowing that he would never actually admit what he’d done – or that it had been for her benefit. Mr. Gregson was too prim and proper, too intent on following all the rules and adhering to company policy, to ever let his guard down enough to acknowledge that such actions had been deliberate.

And when he arrived in the office a short time later, her earlier instincts had been entirely correct, for he walked past their cubicles as briskly and authoritatively as always, barely sparing the team a brief glance and an almost brusquely murmured “good morning”. But even the realization that he had returned to his usual formal self didn’t diminish the joy Tessa felt at knowing he’d thought enough of her feelings to engineer Jason’s overnight transfer from San Francisco.

He was wearing her favorite suit today, she thought dreamily, the black pinstriped one that made his broad shoulders appear even wider than usual. With it he wore another of those crisp white dress shirts that probably never got even one tiny wrinkle, and a perfectly knotted silvery gray tie. His thick, dark hair was neatly styled, his ruggedly handsome face clean shaven. As always, he was suave and elegant and perfectly put together, though Tessa doubted he ever fussed over his appearance. It would be something that came naturally to him, just like being able to speak several languages fluently, or knowing as much as he did about finance and business and marketing.

A soft smile played at the corners of her lips as she thought of how different he had looked in the dream she’d had of him last month. The suit jacket and tie had been missing, with the pristine shirt unbuttoned nearly halfway down his powerful chest. A five o’clock shadow had darkened his chin and cheeks, and his normally perfect hair had been slightly mussed. His typically cool and collected façade had been absent, replaced by the passionate, seductive lover she sensed was lurking just beneath the surface. How she wished –

“Whatcha thinking about, sweet pea? Must be something good given the look on your face. Ah, I bet I know what it is! Hubby must be flying home today, and you’re thinking about the welcome home gift you’re going to give him.”

Tessa’s head swiveled abruptly to her left, shaken out of her daydream by Kevin’s teasing. He was grinning at her mischievously, his eyes twinkling, while her own eyes suddenly filled with tears.

She shook her head mutely before impatiently wiping away a tear. “Sorry. I – I was just spacing out there for a minute or two.”

Kevin’s grin faded at once and he placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey, what’s going on with you lately, Tess? I mean, you’re always quiet but these last couple of months you’ve seemed really down. And what are these tears about, hmm? Are you and Peter having problems?”

It was his kindness that was her undoing, that made the tears begin anew, and for her to choke out in a whispered tone, “I – I haven’t been able to talk about it, Kevin. It’s just been too hard, too painful. But I guess I can’t keep it a secret much longer. Peter and I are – are breaking up, I guess you could say. Getting a divorce.”