Covet (Splendor Book 1)

by Janet Nissenson

“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 – that she wore the same things over and over. Unlike Gina and Alicia who were frequently sporting new clothes or shoes, or showing off the handbag or lipstick or pair of earrings that they had bought over the weekend.

  Unlike Tessa, however, the two of them had plenty of extra cash to spend on luxuries and indulgences like getting their nails done, having facials and massages, and belonging to a top notch gym. The condo that the two women lived in was owned by Alicia’s parents so that they didn’t have to pay rent, and Kevin had once whispered to Tessa that Mr. and Mrs. Spencer also paid for the utilities and upkeep on the unit. That meant Alicia could spend her entire salary – plus her generous trust fund stipends – on whatever she liked. She would never have to do something as bourgeois as clipping coupons to save money on groceries, or getting her hair cut at Super Cuts, or doing her own nails – just a few of the many things Tessa did to stretch her modest budget.

  Kevin, as usual, was the last one of the team to arrive, more than fifteen minutes late. But he didn’t seem in the least bit concerned about his tardiness, and Tessa wondered if he could possibly be naïve enough to think that he had managed to sneak in without Andrew being aware. Andrew never missed a thing around here, even if he wasn’t in the same room at the time, and Tessa figured that it wouldn’t take long for him to rake Kevin over the coals about his late arrival.

  Kevin leisurely 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 last night at the Vietnamese restaurant she’d recommended to him. He came over 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 – something she was especially grateful for today with all of those unsettled feelings still rumbling in her tummy.

  “I’m good, thanks. Peter’s due home later today, so that always makes it a good day,” 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 a very long time.

  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 huge 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 Kevin had bestowed upon their boss, and that the others used far too frequently.

  “Not yet,” offered Marisol. “He’s addressing a group at the Convention and Visitors Bureau this morning.”

  “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 Museum of Modern Art last night.”

  “Oooh, and what very lucky lady was he escorting?” 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. But Tessa knew that, despite her co-worker’s feigned indifference, Alicia was actually very interested in who Mr. Gregson dated. She continued to hold out hope that one of these days she would be the woman on his arm. And while Tessa had never observed Alicia outright flirting 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 about not dating employees that 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. “Have you given more thought to 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 still 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 overh
ear 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. She doubted any of her co-workers 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 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.

  She shuddered at the very thought of her tormentor, and forced his smirking image from her mind. Fortunately, she hadn’t presented him with the opportunity to harass her as of late, making sure she stayed out of his path. And somehow, as though he had radar, Andrew always seemed to appear whenever Jason was being especially obnoxious, leaving Jason to mutter something like “here’s your guard dog again” before slinking off.

  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.

  “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 five thousand dollar suits. Unfortunately, most of us are doomed to shop at Banana Republic for the rest of our lives.”

  The mere thought of spending so much money on just one suit was so far beyond Tessa’s 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. 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 of 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 expansive 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 immediately 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 got within a few feet of him, and she felt her cheeks flush, hoping wildly that she wouldn’t say something stupid.

  “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 for perhaps the hundredth time that no one had ever smelled as good as Ian Gregson did. It was an irresistible combination of soap, aftershave, and pure male, and she was tempted anew 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 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 now that you’ve identified the discrepancy, it should be simple enough to adjust the spreadsheet. It will only take me 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 di
dn’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 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.

  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 had always been. 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 surmised, 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.’