Covet (Splendor Book 1)

by Janet Nissenson

  It would have been oh, so easy without the unexpected and inconvenient complication of her marital status. Had she been a single woman, the first thing he’d do would be to find her a job of equal pay and rank at another luxury hotel in San Francisco. Ian held himself to extremely high standards when it came to the company policy forbidding managers and executives from dating their subordinates. The company, in fact, frowned on employees in general dating each other. After ensuring that Tessa was safely employed elsewhere, he would have pulled out all the stops to make her his own.

  Ian had rarely courted or seduced a woman before, for he’d never really had to make the effort. From the time he’d reached his teens, women had flocked to his side, attracted not only by his looks but by his money, his well-bred British family who could trace their roots back several centuries, and by his high-powered position in arguably the top luxury hotel chain in the world. He could at any given time have his pick of gorgeous women – executives, socialites, celebrities, models.

  But Ian was picky and somewhat fastidious about his taste in women, unlike his brothers. Hugh had married his longtime sweetheart, a girl he’d met at university, and they’d been happily wed for years, parents to four children. Colin had finally given up his notorious playboy lifestyle and settled down two years ago. He was married to a strikingly beautiful Eurasian woman from Hong Kong, and they were expecting their first child in a few months.

  That left Ian as the only bachelor among his siblings, and he didn’t envision that status changing anytime soon. Since his failed engagement to Davina a few years ago, he’d kept far too busy with work to even think about settling down.

  That is, until a ridiculously young, breathtakingly beautiful woman had tentatively walked into his office a short time ago. He’d known – just known somehow – that she had been made for him, that she was the one he’d been waiting for all these years but had never quite believed actually existed. It had been the biggest shock of his life to realize that she’d already been claimed by another man.

  And now, he was going to have to man up and find some way to keep his wayward emotions under control in her presence. Transferring her out of the team at this point would raise too many red flags, especially given her level of competency and the shockingly glowing recommendation from Mrs. C. Ian knew he’d have to call on every ounce of self-control he possessed to treat young Tessa in a professional but impersonal manner, to keep her and his rampaging desire for her at arm’s length at all times, and to remind himself constantly that she was strictly forbidden to him for more reasons than he wanted to count.

  ‘Damn it,’ he cursed beneath his breath. ‘What in hell was Mrs. C. thinking of sending her my way? If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that old witch was still trying to let me know who’s really in charge around here.’

  Chapter Twelve

  Tessa sat down on her desk chair, somewhat disturbed to realize that she didn’t remember a single step of the walk she’d just made back here from Mr. Gregson’s office. Fortunately the rest of the team didn’t pay her any heed, since everyone was already hard at work with the assignments Andrew had doled out first thing this morning. She was grateful to have just a couple of minutes to regain her badly shaken composure, hoping that none of the others – especially the very nosy Kevin – noticed how affected she was by what had just occurred.

  She ought to have been prepared, she told herself sternly. After all, she’d heard plenty about the formidable Ian Gregson over the past two weeks, and not just from her co-workers. Tessa had overheard some of the other managers and their PA’s discussing their boss, and everything they had said about him should have been more than enough warning.

  But nothing – nothing – could have properly prepared her for meeting a man like him. Tessa had known from staring at his photo on the corporate website for untold hours that he was handsome, but there was absolutely no way any photo – no matter how detailed or professionally done – could do him justice. In person he was simply – well, splendid was the word that came to mind. Several inches taller than she had imagined, Ian Gregson was also far more muscular and almost intimidatingly strong than she would have guessed. His wide-shouldered, broad-chested frame had taken up a great deal of room in his spacious, well appointed office, and for perhaps the first time since her teens Tessa had felt small and dainty standing beside a man.

  But it hadn’t been simply his physical presence that had overwhelmed her – though that of course had been far more than enough. He had an aura about him, something she couldn’t precisely put her finger on, but he positively oozed power, charisma, and authority, and she guessed that nearly everyone who met him – male or female - experienced a similar sort of reaction their first time in his presence .

  She closed her eyes for a brief moment, recalling that heart-stopping moment when their gazes had met and she’d felt spellbound by those intelligent, all-knowing hazel eyes. Her hand still tingled a bit from where he’d clasped it all too briefly, his skin warm and firm to the touch. He was by far the handsomest man she’d ever seen, with his expertly cut dark hair, lightly tanned skin, and strong but aristocratic features. He was elegant and sophisticated, wearing his charcoal gray pinstriped suit and conservatively patterned tie with an air that fairly shrieked class and privilege.

  And yet, in those few brief moments when she’d stared into his eyes – nearly swooning in reaction as she’d done so – Tessa had caught a glimpse of another side of the debonair Ian Gregson. She sensed that beneath the expensive designer suit and suave, gentlemanly mannerisms there existed a wilder, more primitive facet of his personality – one that he rarely if ever allowed anyone to see.

  Almost without being aware of her actions, she lifted the hand he had held clasped in his and brought it to her face. If she concentrated hard enough she could still feel his much larger and more powerful hand holding hers, and how warm his skin had felt. And if she focused her attention just so she could recall the way he had smelled – a clean, fleeting scent of soap or a discrete aftershave. The smell had been deliciously arousing, and she had to stifle a tiny groan as she realized that being in his presence for less than five minutes had turned her into a quivering puddle of goo.

  “You doing okay there, sweetie pie? You, uh, look a little flushed to me. Not coming down with something, are you? I told you not to work so hard.”

  Tessa was startled out of her reverie at the sound of Kevin’s concerned voice to her left. She gave a hasty shake of her head. “No, no. I’m fine, thanks. I just need a drink of water is all.”

  She reached somewhat clumsily for the reusable bottle she kept on her desk, and drank thirstily. Kevin continued to regard her with an odd expression on his face, and then a knowing grin split his features.

  “Betcha I know what’s got you all hot and bothered,” he chuckled. “Didn’t you have an audience with His Hotness just a few minutes ago? Believe me, that’s enough to raise anyone’s body temperature a dozen degrees or so.”

  Tessa cursed beneath her breath as she felt her cheeks pinken. “I – I did meet him just now, yes. He, um, was very nice, very polite.”

  Kevin hooted with laughter. “Nice? Well, I guess he can be when the occasion calls for it. Mostly though he’s cool and detached, especially with the admin staff. Very British, and some people would go so far as to call him a snob. I’ve heard that even when he loses his cool he never really raises his voice or swears. Doesn’t have to. One disapproving look from him is enough to make most people pee their pants.”

  She merely nodded in response and forced herself to return her focus to the rather intimidating pile of work on her desk. But Kevin – unfortunately – wasn’t quite finished fishing for details as yet.

  “So, what did you think?” he persisted. “Isn’t he the most drop dead gorgeous hunk of man you’ve ever laid eyes on? Even if he is a cold fish.”

  “He’s a very good looking man,” agreed Tessa in what she hoped was a neutral voice. “But also extreme
ly businesslike, like you said. I think I was in and out of his office in less than five minutes. I expect he’s very busy, especially since he just returned from a trip.”

  “The boss man does work hard,” acknowledged Kevin. “Not like some of these CEO’s or executives who are more or less figureheads and let everyone else do their job for them. His Hotness actually works for a living, unlike a couple of other managers around here. I guarantee you that if that lazy sod Jason Baldwin hadn’t married into the Gregson family there’s no way he’d have a cushy job like this one. Betcha the boss man wishes he could fire Jason’s sorry ass.”

  Tessa silently wished the same thing, but realized that wasn’t likely to happen. She wondered vaguely if Mr. Gregson was aware of how much his cousin-in-law flirted openly with the women around here, or had overheard some of the very suggestive comments Jason had made. She knew instinctively that a refined gentleman like Ian Gregson would never act in such a manner, whether it was here at the office or anyplace else. He was such an overwhelmingly attractive man that women would automatically flock to him like bees to honey, and he undoubtedly could have his pick anytime he chose of the most beautiful, desirable woman in the room. He wouldn’t have to resort to tired pick-up lines or clever innuendoes to attract a woman. All he would have to do, thought Tessa with a dreamy little sigh, would be to simply walk inside a room, stand there, and let nature take its course. And whatever he might say – in that deep, cultured and oh so sexy British accent – would virtually melt a woman’s panties off, along with the rest of her clothes.

  She resisted the urge to squirm on her chair now, belatedly aware that her own panties were wet, as were the inside of her thighs. She felt embarrassed, ashamed, and more than a little guilty to be thinking such thoughts about a man who wasn’t her husband, even though she’d been having sporadic erotic dreams about the very same man for more than two years. Meeting him in person, though, was far more potent than dreaming about him occasionally, and she couldn’t help feeling as though she’d been run over by a steamroller as a result.

  Tessa took a deep breath, shaking herself out of her trancelike state and forcing her attention back to her work. Little point, she told herself firmly, in daydreaming about a man like Ian Gregson. Even if she wasn’t a married woman – one who had no business even looking at another man – there was no possible way her gorgeous boss would even give someone like her a second glance. She was too young and gauche, without the tiniest bit of sophistication, and knew virtually nothing about the sort of privileged world someone like Ian lived in. Tessa was willing to bet that the cost of her entire outfit – underwear included – was still less than the price of just his silk tie.

  ‘No’, she thought regretfully. ‘He probably doesn’t even remember your name right now, you silly girl. And it’s a sure bet that he hasn’t given you a moment’s thought since you left his office. So stop thinking about him, would you? A man like him is so far out of your reach, Tessa, that you might as well wish for the moon. Or fifty million dollars. Or – or – something else equally ludicrous.’

  After her little mental pep-talk, she was able to return her focus to the pile of work on her desk and plowed through it diligently over the next few hours. She had just convinced herself that she was well and truly over her startling reaction to Mr. Gregson when she happened to glance up and see him striding authoritatively past her cubicle on his way to the elevators. He didn’t glance her way, or look around, keeping his laser beam-like focus directly in front of him. And just like that, with the briefest of sightings, she was right back where she’d begun earlier this morning – starstruck over a man that she could never possibly hope to attract. And, more importantly, that she had absolutely no business thinking about that way, given the gold band on the third finger of her left hand.

  ‘You are so screwed, Tessa,’ she told herself helplessly. ‘If you have this sort of reaction just from seeing him walk by, what in the world are you going to do when you actually have to talk to him?’

  Six Weeks Later

  Ian entered the conference room somewhat warily, knowing from the schedule he’d consulted earlier this morning that the newest member of his support team was overseeing today’s meeting. He’d briefly questioned Andrew on the matter, expressing his concern that Tessa perhaps wasn’t quite ready to handle the task on her own. His PA had given him a look of mingled bewilderment and annoyance, though of course Andrew’s tone of voice had been as polite and respectful as always.

  “She’ll be fine, sir,” he’d replied a bit haughtily. “After all, she’s already assisted one of the other team members at least four or five times with the meeting set-up. Plus, she was in charge of coordinating all the staff meetings at the Tucson property so she has experience with this sort of thing. And,” he’d added with a touch of irony, “making sure the caterers have set up the food service and that the A/V equipment is ready to go doesn’t exactly require a PhD.”

  Ian was confident that Andrew would not have left Tessa in charge of this morning’s meeting if he hadn’t been assured of her capabilities. Unfortunately, Ian was not quite so confident in his own ability to conduct the meeting without being constantly distracted by the girl who’d been haunting his every waking thought for the last month and a half.

  A quick, discreet glance towards the rear of the room where Tessa was busily rearranging some coffee cups was all he needed to take note of what she was wearing today. He’d seen her in this same outfit once or twice already – a black and white patterned wrap-front dress of some silky-looking fabric paired with plain black pumps. It was both discreet and professional, and Ian had guessed that the staunchly conservative Mrs. Carrington had made quite certain her young protégé followed the company dress code to the letter.

  But while the hem of the dress might have hit right at the knee, and the wrap-front did not reveal any cleavage, the garment still clung lovingly to the ripe swell of her breasts and hips, and revealed plenty of her long, shapely legs. All of that beautiful golden hair fell in glorious waves halfway down her back, and her glowing face was nearly makeup-free.

  Every time he caught a glimpse of her Ian thought she couldn’t possibly be real, that no mortal woman could truly be that exquisite. And each time he had to force himself not to stare at her or meet her gaze, and to coolly and deliberately ignore her presence. Unlike, he thought with a scowl, every other male seated around the table this morning, none of whom were even trying to be discreet as they stared at her with undisguised lust and admiration.

  Thank Christ that randy bastard Jason was not attending this particular meeting, he thought fervently. Once he had made the rather reluctant decision to keep Tessa on the team, Ian had taken the necessary steps to keep her out of Jason’s reach as much as possible. And if Andrew had looked at him a bit oddly after receiving those instructions, the PA was far too disciplined and well-mannered to question a thing.

  “No matter what the circumstances might be,” he’d told Andrew, “Tessa is not to be assigned to help Jason with any sort of project – understand?” At Andrew’s nod he’d continued rather ruthlessly. “Jason can beg, wheedle, threaten, or intimidate all he likes but the answer is always to be the same – no. You can tell the bastard that Tessa’s been assigned to work on a project for me, and that he’ll need to take it up with me personally if he continues to argue the matter.”

  “Mr. Baldwin does not intimidate me, sir,” Andrew had replied dryly. “And I would hope he’s wise enough not to threaten me, either. But you’ve made your point quite clearly, Mr. Gregson. Should Jason require assistance from one of the team members it’s to be anyone but Tessa who’s assigned.”

  Ian had nodded in satisfaction. “Excellent. Now, one other thing and this is perhaps a bit more – er, sensitive. I told you when I agreed to keep Tessa on the team that I wouldn’t tolerate a repeat of what happened with Sarah. And the mere fact that Tessa is a married woman isn’t going to stop Jason from trying to flirt with her – or worse
. I need you to – well, keep an eye on the situation, Andrew. I realize that you’re quite busy and can’t always be in two places at once, but I want you to do your damndest to make sure that weasel stays away from her.”

  Andrew had arched a brow, visibly puzzled. “I’m happy to do what I can, sir. However, this does seem a bit – ah, excessive? I mean, you’ve never made this sort of request for any of the other female employees.”

  Ian had silently cursed his extremely receptive PA for being quite so – receptive. “Yes, I’m aware of that, Andrew. But Tessa is a member of our personal team, and I’m not prepared to lose another of them because of Jason’s harassment. And, to be frank, Tessa is quite a bit younger than the others, and seems to be rather on the naïve side. There’s also the matter of her being married. The last thing I need is to have an irate husband marching in here because one of my employees has been hitting on his wife.”

  Andrew had seemed to accept his explanations, or at the very least hadn’t questioned him further as to his motives. Which was a very good thing, Ian thought now, because while all the reasons he’d given Andrew had been valid ones they certainly weren’t the only ones – and definitely not the most important ones. No, the real reason he had pulled out all the stops to keep Jason Baldwin away from Tessa was because of his own attraction to her. There was no possible way he was going to permit anyone to flirt with her, make suggestive comments, or – God forbid – to proposition her. She didn’t belong to him but that didn’t seem to matter in the least when it came to the possessive feelings he had about her. He might never be able to reveal his infatuation with her, but he would do everything within his power to keep her safe.