Crave (Splendor Book 2)

by Janet Nissenson

  And, of course, there was the other perk of working for him - that of being in regular proximity of the handsomest man she’d ever seen. She hadn’t been able to keep her pulse rate from accelerating any time she was near Ian, or all the other ways her body reacted to him involuntarily. Earlier today she’d cursed beneath her breath to realize her nipples were hard and poking very noticeably against the thin fabric of her blouse. And, unfortunately, she was pretty sure he had noticed, too, since she’d been placing a steaming mug of tea on his desk at the time. She had made a hasty exit, and had struggled to control the reactions of her treacherous body for the rest of the day.

  It was nice to be away from the rest of the team this week, to have all this space and privacy, and to finally know what it felt like to work at the top level of this company. Tessa didn’t miss all of the chatter and gossip that went on almost constantly among her co-workers, and she could only imagine some of the nastier things Gina and Alicia had been saying about her during her absence. When she’d first announced the news to all of them that she’d be filling in for Andrew this week, Alicia’s reaction in particular had been downright catty, wondering out loud how Tessa could possibly handle such a high-profile assignment, given her lack of a college degree and no experience working at that level.

  The fact that she’d done so well, at least as far as Mr. Gregson was concerned, filled Tessa with a rather smug sense of satisfaction, and she wished she had the nerve to lord it over the haughty Alicia for once. But she wasn’t about to repeat any of the things Mr. Gregson had told her, not to anyone. His praise, all of the numerous compliments, had felt - well, personal to Tessa, as though he had never said such things to anyone but her. And she would certainly cherish every memory of this too-short week, would remember every single one of his words or smiles.

  ‘The ball is almost over, Cinderella,’ she chided herself half-jokingly. ‘Nearly time to scurry back to your little corner and hide away. Except that you won’t have a glass slipper to keep as a memento.’

  Cinderella had been her very favorite fairytale as a child, the one she’d always begged her mother to read to her again and again. But Tessa had stopped believing in fairytales a long time ago, once she’d been old enough to realize how hard life really was, and that in the long run she would only ever be able to count on herself and not some imaginary prince. She’d thought - hoped - for a long time that Peter would be the one to save her, to slay all of the dragons that stalked her, but he’d been too wrapped up in fighting his own demons to be her knight in shining armor. And now she was back to being on her own, coping with her fears and insecurities, and fighting off the bouts of depression that always seemed to be hovering in the background, threatening to pull her under.

  Though during these past few days, Ian Gregson had seemed at times to play the part of the knight or prince who’d vowed to rescue the damsel in distress. Tessa smiled involuntarily as she thought of all the little ways he’d looked out for her wellbeing, or made sure he wasn’t working her too hard. True to his word, there had been a private hire car waiting at the curb to take her home each evening. And it hadn’t been a taxi or even a service like Uber. No, it had been a sleek, black vehicle manned by a uniformed driver, and the car had brought her right up to the sidewalk outside of her apartment building, with the driver escorting to her the entrance. Tessa had felt like a celebrity, or some other type of VIP, but had cautioned herself not to get used to such a luxury.

  And she would be willing to bet that Mr. Gregson had never gone to such trouble for any of the other team members when they had filled in for Andrew. She knew without having to ask that he wouldn’t have called a car service for them, or worried about them getting home safely. What she didn’t know was why Mr. Gregson was so protective of her, why she was receiving special attention when none of the others did. It was probably because he felt sorry for her, knowing that she was going through a difficult divorce, and he was simply being kind. There couldn’t be any other reasonable explanation, she told herself. It certainly wasn’t because he had - well, feelings for her, even though there had been more than a few times over the past days when she had wondered if he might possibly be attracted to her. He had been a perfect gentleman, of course, as he always was, but his frequent smiles, not to mention his lighthearted, almost flirtatious teasing, had been completely at odds with the austere personality he normally exhibited.

  Tessa pushed aside those thoughts, concentrating instead on finishing up a spreadsheet that Mr. Gregson needed for a late afternoon meeting. She printed several copies of the document, scowling a bit as she noticed the printer flashing a low ink warning. Since she had a slew of reports to print out first thing in the morning, it seemed that she would need to change the printer cartridge before leaving for the day.

  Tessa had just finished collating and stapling a dozen copies of the spreadsheet when Ian emerged from his office, shrugging into his suit jacket.

  “The copies are all ready, Mr. Gregson. Just let me put them in a folder for you.”

  She reached into a file drawer and extracted an empty folder, then neatly slipped the papers inside.

  Ian took the folder and slid it into his leather briefcase. “Thank you, Tessa. An excellent job as always,” he told her with a warm smile.

  She smiled back, the pleasure of his compliment making her feel like the most special girl in the world. “I hope the meeting goes well, sir. And the dinner reservations are all set. I just called the restaurant a few minutes ago to confirm everything again.”

  He reached across the desk and gave her a light squeeze on the shoulder. “You’ve been doing such a marvelous job filling in for Andrew that I’ve barely noticed he’s gone. Except,” he added with a wink, “you look far better sitting behind that desk than he does.”

  Tessa stared up at him, too flustered by his teasing to think of an intelligent reply. “Um, thanks” was all she could think of to mumble.

  Ian chuckled. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Or blush. But it seems I’ve managed to do both, so I’d best head out before I say anything else. Have a pleasant evening, Tessa, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Good night, sir.”

  She groaned softly after he left, burying her face in her hands in mortification. God, could she be any more of an idiot when he was around? It was obvious that her shyness and tendency to blush at the drop of a hat amused him, and she guessed her very perceptive boss was aware of her silly crush on him. She was going to have to do a much better job of managing her reactions to him.

  But that was proving to be extremely difficult, given how closely they’d been working together this week. Tessa had seen facets of both his work and private persona that she had never before been given the opportunity to observe. She’d already known that he was a man who was always in complete control, who commanded and received respect from everyone around him, but who also treated each person fairly and with the same amount of respect they gave him. But she had never seen him like this – like a king managing his vast empire, dealing smoothly and efficiently with telephone calls, meetings, and correspondence without missing a beat. He was precise, organized, and highly efficient, and the sheer amount of work he managed to get through each day was staggering. Ian was not a man content to rest on his laurels, or rely solely on others to take care of things for him. He worked harder than anyone else in this office, even though he could have easily delegated a great deal of his responsibilities to his very qualified management team. Tessa was in awe of his strict work ethic, and how he refused to take advantage of his family’s name and prestige by shirking his duties.

  After Mr. Gregson left, she took a quick break to make herself a cup of tea and check her email, something she’d been too busy to think about all week. Not that she got a lot of email, of course, but she hadn’t quite been able to shake the habit of checking for messages from Peter. The last time he’d contacted her had been on Christmas Day, and it had been only a brief, casual greeting
to wish her a happy holiday. Tessa knew this deliberate lack of communication was his way of cutting her loose for good, for giving her that much needed push to stand on her own and not depend on anyone else to take care of her.

  But the loneliness had been especially hard to deal with over the holidays, and she’d had herself a little cry on Christmas Day, not able to completely resist feeling sorry for herself. No amount of comfort food, mimosas, or DVD’s of her favorite rom-coms had been a substitute for being alone that day, and it had almost been a relief to go back to work the next day.

  New Year’s Eve hadn’t been much better, even though it had been entirely her choice to be alone. Kevin and his live-in boyfriend Terence had thrown a big party at their house, and they had both urged Tessa to join in the fun. But she simply hadn’t been in the mood to celebrate with a huge group of rowdy, half-drunk strangers, and had spent the evening quietly at home instead. She’d taken a few minutes to write down a handful of New Year’s Resolutions, among them possibly getting her college degree, taking more yoga classes, and simply being happy.

  Another, less pleasurable resolutioninvolved finding a new place to live before the lease on her apartment was up in April. Despite the fact that the place was small, rundown, and in a dubious neighborhood, the rent was still more than she could afford on her own. And since she couldn’t count on Peter to keep contributing after their divorce was final next month, Tessa knew she would have to move. Rents were scary expensive in San Francisco right now, and unless she got very, very lucky, there was no way she’d be able to live alone after April. She would have to find a shared rental, probably with two or more roommates, or move out of the city and commute.

  But she still had a little time left before she needed to get serious about finding a place, so Tessa didn’t allow herself to dwell on the matter any further, focusing instead on the remaining tasks she needed to complete before calling it a day.

  It was drawing close to five-thirty before she finished, and began shutting down the computer and tidying up. And then she remembered about needing to change the ink cartridge for the printer and groaned. The printer that Andrew and Mr. Gregson used was a much more expensive, high-tech one than she was used to, and she’d kept her fingers crossed all week that nothing would go amiss with it.

  Fortunately the directions on the package for the replacement cartridge were fairly straightforward, and she was able to install it without much trouble. But then, as she went to dispose of the old cartridge, she realized it had leaked and that she now had black printer ink smudged all over her hands and on her blouse as well.

  “Oh, damn!” she muttered loudly, grateful that no one else was around to hear her outburst.

  Almost without thinking, Tessa dashed into the private bathroom in Mr. Gregson’s office. She doubted he would mind, especially since she didn’t want to risk getting ink on any other surfaces in the office. She scrubbed her hands thoroughly, relieved to see the ink had all washed off. Then she turned her attention to her badly stained blouse.

  ‘Oh, no!’ she thought in dismay as she saw the black blotch that covered far more of the fabric than she’d initially noticed. Not only was this silvery gray blouse one of her favorites, but she’d just recently had to discard two other items from her already limited wardrobe - a sweater that she’d snagged on something and torn an irreparable hole in, and a blouse that had simply become worn and frayed from so many washings. She’d stretched her budget far too thin after buying the dress and shoes for last month’s Christmas party, and certainly couldn’t afford to buy anything new for some time to come.

  Tessa bit her lip uncertainly, for the stain would be almost impossible to get out, especially given its location along the side of her torso. How the ink had landed in that particular spot was something of a mystery, but if she had any chance at all to salvage the blouse she was going to have to do some serious - and swift - scrubbing.

  Quickly, she unbuttoned the blouse and stripped it off, shivering a little as she stood there in a pale gray lace bra and her navy skirt. She pumped some liquid hand soap directly onto the offending stain and dampened it before scrubbing the fabric almost desperately.

  “Darn it!” she cursed, as the ink stain seemed to be spreading rather than disappearing. Not willing to give up hope just yet, she applied more soap and continued trying to wash the stubborn blotch away. But after a third application of soap, Tessa had to regretfully admit defeat. The stupid ink stain wasn’t budging, and she was going to have to throw out the blouse. She could try to have it dry cleaned, of course, but that would likely cost almost as much as the bargain rack blouse was worth.

  She was wringing the water out of the garment since she still had to wear it home, stained or not, when she froze in horror at the sound of Ian’s deep voice as he walked inside his office.

  “Are you still here, Tessa? It’s well past time for you to have called it a day. What are you -”

  His voice trailed off abruptly as he caught sight of her framed in the doorway of his bathroom. Tessa felt like a deer trapped in a hunter’s scope, knowing she ought to move or look away, but felt far too shocked to do so. He stared at her in stunned disbelief, his gaze raking over her nearly nude torso, her full breasts almost spilling out of the fragile lace bra.

  Horrified, she clutched the damp blouse to her chest, her cheeks on fire as she glanced away and began to babble almost incoherently. “I’m - I’m so sorry, Mr. Gregson. I, ah, got printer ink on my blouse and I was just trying to rinse it out. I didn’t know you’d be returning and, oh, God, just let me put -”

  “Look at me.”

  Startled, she responded immediately to the commanding tone of his voice, one that didn’t allow for disobedience. She raised her gaze to his and gasped when she saw the barely controlled lust on his handsome face – eyes blazing, nostrils flaring, his cheeks darkly flushed. She was petrified and enthralled at the same time, and dimly became aware of how badly her legs were shaking.

  “Come here.”

  Another of those brief, succinct commands. He was a man of a few words but they were more than enough to make himself understood. Slowly, her gaze remaining transfixed on his, she walked across the office until she was standing a few inches away from him, still holding her ruined blouse up to cover as much of her breasts as possible.

  But Ian apparently had other ideas, for he clasped both of her wrists firmly, forcing her to release the blouse until it fluttered to the carpet. His eyes took in every inch of her bare skin, lingering on the heavy swell of her breasts, and Tessa closed her eyes in embarrassment as she felt her nipples harden in reaction.

  “No. Look at me. Open your eyes and look at me, Tessa.” Another command from him that she didn’t dare resist.

  She was starting to tremble all over as she forced herself to open her eyes and meet his intense, burning gaze. Without breaking eye contact, he backed her up against the closest wall, effectively trapping her between it and Ian’s tall, powerful body.

  He drew both of her arms above her head, pinning her wrists in place with just one of his big hands. He used his other hand to caress her cheek, his thumb brushing gently over her lips, causing her mouth to gape open in surprise. His hand continued its downward path, brushing over her collarbone and shoulder, traveling down her arm and the side of her ribcage and then, ever so slowly, back up her abdomen until it stopped just below her breasts.

  “Christ, look at you.”

  His voice was guttural, barely recognizable, and filled with so much raw need that Tessa was nearly swooning.

  “Ah, God.”

  That was her voice, more like a long, drawn out moan, as his hand cupped one swollen breast. His thumb expertly manipulated the taut bud of her nipple through the lace of her bra, and his touch was like an electric shock that pulsed through her entire body.

  With a low growl, Ian leaned into her, shoving her further back against the wall. His mouth descended towards hers, and her head fell back helplessly as his warm,
firm lips caressed a sensuous path from her temple to her flushed cheek to the soft spot just below her ear. His lips continued moving across her throat, to her chin, and then finally claimed her mouth in a blistering, domineering kiss.

  Tessa felt as though she’d been in a dreamlike sleep state for twenty four years, and was just now awakening into the real world. The few times she’d been kissed in her life had never come close to anything like this - this sensation of drowning, of being devoured - and she realized faintly that this was the first time she had ever truly been kissed. Ian’s mouth was hungry and demanding, his tongue parting her lips with ease and thrusting possessively inside her mouth.

  He released his grip on her wrists, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his body closer into hers, and silently urging him to take even deeper possession of her mouth. She was growing dizzy from the almost brutal demand of his kiss, and was only vaguely aware when he began to slide a bra strap off her shoulder. It wasn’t until his hand closed over the bare, warm flesh of her breast that she realized what he’d done, and by then she was far too overwhelmed with the pleasure his touch brought to care.

  “Ohhh. Oh, please, yes.”

  Tessa didn’t realize the high, desperate whimpers had come from her lips. Ian’s long fingers were splayed over her breast, the tips rolling her nipple, plucking it to an even harder peak. He swore softly beneath his breath but otherwise didn’t speak, his mouth nuzzling again at that tender spot beneath her ear. With one hand still fondling her breast, he used the other to lift her leg, wrapping it around his hip. This movement brought their bodies flush against the other, allowing Ian to nestle his immensely swollen cock into the juncture of her thighs. At the same time, he reclaimed her lips in another of those all-consuming kisses, his tongue now ravenous as it plundered her warm mouth.