Covet (27 page)

Ian struggled mightily to keep his raging temper from boiling over. “Her name is Tessa,” he replied in a taut, strained voice. “And I would strongly advise both you and every other male in this office to treat her with the utmost respect. Not only is she a married woman, she’s also a member of my support team and I won’t stand for any of them to be harassed. Do I make myself clear, Keegan?”

Keegan gulped, visibly intimidated by both the icy tone of his boss’s voice and what Ian surmised must have been an equally stern expression on his face. “Of – of course, Ian. And I, ah, meant no disrespect, sir. It’s just – well, there’s no denying that she’s a beautiful woman. Every one of us envies that husband of hers.”

‘Including me,’ thought Ian sourly. ‘But give whoever the man is some credit for snatching up a prize like Tessa before someone else could. I just hope he realizes how lucky he is to have her, and that he treats her like a queen.’

If she was
his
, he would lavish her with anything and everything her heart desired – clothes, jewels, cars, luxurious vacations. She would be pampered and cherished, waited on hand and foot, and would certainly not have to clean up after other people as she was doing now.

But she wasn’t his, and for the first time in many years Ian felt helplessly out of control, realizing that his money and power and authority wouldn’t be enough to get him what he wanted. Always before he’d found a way to make things happen according to his plans, had never been denied what he wanted, and it was a frustrating, rather humbling experience at this point in his life to have reached such an insurmountable stumbling block.

He’d been back in his office for several minutes, going over some notes for an afternoon conference call, when there was a tentative rap on his office door. He glanced up, startled to see Tessa hovering uncertainly in the open doorway, a nervous expression on her face.

“Um, I’m s-sorry to disturb you, Mr. Gregson,” she said haltingly. “An-Andrew isn’t at his desk and I thought you might need this, sir. You – you left it behind in the conference room.”

She was holding out the black leather portfolio that he always carried with him. It had been a gift from his parents when he’d first begun working for the company right after graduating from university. The well-worn portfolio was embossed in gold with his initials, and held both a writing pad and the classic Montblanc fountain pen that was his favorite.

Ian stood and held out a hand as Tessa walked over to his desk. “My thanks, Tessa,” he replied smoothly. “I’m not normally so forgetful. I suppose I was just distracted when I left the meeting.”

He didn’t add, of course, that
she
was the reason he’d been so distracted, and likely why he had rushed out of the conference room willy-nilly.

Tessa nodded as she handed him the portfolio. “I expect you’re very busy, Mr. Gregson. Is – is there anything in particular I might be able to help with?”

Once again her offer was completely innocent – and genuine – and not some immature attempt to flirt with him. Ian wondered wryly if Tessa even knew the meaning of the term double entendre, much less how to use one. He gazed across his desk at her, taking a moment to fully appreciate her youthful beauty, to stare into the fathomless depths of her enormous blue eyes before dropping to the lush fullness of her glossy pink lips.

He wrenched his gaze away as he took the portfolio from her, shaking his head. “I appreciate the offer, Tessa, but there’s nothing at the moment. Which reminds me.” He hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I’ve been meaning to commend you on the very fine work you’ve done on all of the spreadsheets. Andrew and I had nearly given up hope that we would ever find someone capable of handling that particular job. The reports are a tremendous help to me, so thank you for your hard work.”

Predictably, Tessa blushed furiously and stared down at her feet shyly. “I’m, um, glad to be of help, Mr. Gregson. I’d, ah, better get back to work now, sir.”

She practically scurried off like a frightened rabbit, or the skittish fawn he’d compared her to earlier, and he wished like hell he had the nerve to call her back. He sunk into his oversized leather chair, leaning into the padded headrest, and closed his eyes as he imagined all of the naughty, dirty things he longed to do to her, right here in his office.

Tessa glanced over at the office door uncertainly. “Aren’t you afraid that someone will hear us? Or suspect what we’re doing?” she whispered
.

He smiled as he pulled her into his arms. “No, to both of your questions, love,” he purred, his hand rubbing her back soothingly. “The door is securely locked, which means no one will dare disturb us. And the way I’m feeling right now – as much as I want you – I think I’d try and kill anyone who even dares to knock on that damned door
.”

He kissed her then, swallowing up any further protests she might have made beneath the firm pressure of his mouth. Her lips parted sweetly, and he didn’t hesitate to thrust his tongue boldly inside of her warm, wet mouth. His hands roamed freely up and down her back, then slid slower to squeeze the high, firm cheeks of her ass. Tessa groaned beneath the fierceness of his kiss, and he could hear the little gasp of surprise she made deep in her throat when he began to grind his enormously swollen erection against the hot, welcoming notch of her thighs
.

“
Like this,” he murmured huskily, turning her around and walking her over to the wide expanse of his mahogany desk. She didn’t resist as he bent her over the desk before unfastening her wrap dress and tossing it aside. He hissed sharply as the seductive curves of her body were revealed to his hot gaze – her big, round breasts spilling out of a low-cut bra of black lace, and her perfect derriere barely covered by a pair of sheer, lacy black panties
.

“
You’re even more beautiful than I imagined,” he whispered hotly in her ear, deftly unhooking her bra at the same time. His hands cupped her firm breasts, his fingers tugging on the hardened points of her nipples. “And I’ve imagined you many times, darling, exactly like this – willing, eager, and very, very aroused
.”

Tessa whimpered as he slid his entire palm inside the low-cut waistband of those sexy little panties, his fingers finding her wet and more than ready for him. He swore softly beneath his breath as she began to thrust her hips in conjunction with the slow, steady pump of his fingers deep inside her pussy, and with each back and forth motion her breathing grew more ragged
.

“
Please,” she begged in that high, breathy little voice that turned him on like crazy. “I need you, Ian. Please don’t make me wait any longer
.”

He nuzzled his face against the side of her neck. “Your wish is my command, darling,” he rasped. “And you aren’t the only one who can’t wait a moment longer
.”

He stripped his clothes off in record time, tossing each item heedlessly around his office until he was as naked as she was. His legs were unsteady, shaking a bit as he stepped directly behind her, and his cock was harder and thicker than it had ever been before. But then he had never coveted a woman the way he did now - the beautiful, sexy blonde bent over his desk in a most submissive posture, the tempting curve of her ass sticking straight up
.

Ian caressed her buttocks, savoring the feel of her soft, warm flesh, before slipping his hand between her legs. She moaned as he opened her, obediently spreading her legs a bit wider as he slowly began to work his cock inside of her body. He grit his teeth as she gradually took a bit more of him with each slow, careful thrust. God, she was tight, her sweet, slick pussy sucking him deeper inside of her until he was finally buried to the hilt, his achingly full balls slapping against her flesh each time he moved. Ian closed his eyes as he began to fuck her harder, the pleasure building and building until it was all he knew. He could hear Tessa’s unsteady breathing, the little gasps she made each time he rammed his cock a little deeper inside of her, and in some vague, shadowy corner of his brain he hoped that no one was walking past his office at this moment, that no one would overhear the sounds of their wild, frantic coupling. He was
–

“Mr. Gregson? Are you all right, sir?”

Ian started, his eyes flying open guiltily as he gazed over at Andrew. His PA was studying him with concern, and he was quick to reassure him.

“Fine, just fine, thank you,” he mumbled almost incoherently. “Just, ah, deep in concentration is all. I must have drifted off there for a moment.”

He shifted in his seat a bit awkwardly, the bulge at his crotch more than a little uncomfortable, and he was grateful that the lower half of his body was well hidden beneath his desk. He dealt with Andrew swiftly, sending the PA off rather brusquely.

It was only when Andrew had disappeared from sight that Ian buried his face in his hands, shaking his head in mild disgust.

‘Jesus, mate,’ he scolded himself. ‘You have damned well got to get control of this situation immediately. You’re too bloody old to be having wet dreams, and especially here at the office. No matter what it takes, you’ve got to stop salivating over that girl. She’s never going to be yours, so just man up and deal with it.’

After a few long, painful minutes, his throbbing erection finally subsided to the point where he could concentrate again. But Ian feared it would take a great deal longer to completely banish his foolish obsession with young Tessa Lockwood.

Tess
,

Just found out that the airport over here in Bangkok is staging a forty-eight hour mechanic’s strike. Almost every flight is grounded, including mine. I’m trying to figure out another way to get back to California, but it’s not looking good right now. So, unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though I’ll be home until Saturday night at the earliest. Sorry, Tess, I know we’d made plans to go for a hike together. If I get home on time maybe we can still try and make it for Sunday. Hope you’re doing okay and not working too hard. I’ll keep you updated
.

Take care
,

Tessa impatiently brushed tears away as she read Peter’s email over a second time. She knew it wasn’t his fault, of course, knew that he’d be flying home tonight as scheduled if things were up to him. But this news was the absolute last thing she needed after the truly awful day she’d had, and the urge to break down and weep – or curl up in a little ball – was becoming very hard to resist.

She’d woken up early this morning after a restless night to find that her period had started. Her cycles were always difficult, due in large part to the IUD device she used for birth control. She’d been cautioned by the nurse at the free clinic about the various side effects of the device – heavy bleeding, painful cramps, unpredictable cycles, headaches – but had opted to have the thing inserted anyway. She had developed severe allergies to three different brands of birth control pills – migraines, rashes, nausea – and had consulted with the clinic nurse for alternatives. The IUD had seemed the least complicated at the time, despite all of the unpleasant side effects.

Tessa hadn’t been in the least surprised to realize that today was a Wednesday, and as the day unfolded her misfortunes continued to pile up. The bus she’d caught to work had broken down, and by the time another one drove by it was packed with other riders and she’d had to squeeze herself in. She had been ten minutes late for work by then – though Kevin had
still
arrived a few minutes after she had – and while Andrew hadn’t chastised her, she knew he’d been displeased by her tardiness.

She’d spilled hot tea on her hand, causing a painful little blister to form. The assignment she was working on for another of the managers had baffled her, and she’d been forced to ask his very haughty PA several questions about the project. Tessa had been made to feel like an idiot after the condescending way the PA had spoken to her, but at least she had managed to complete the assignment after that.

After arriving in late, she hadn’t dared take more than a few minutes for her lunch break, and when she’d returned to her cubicle she had overheard Gina and Alicia making snide comments about her – more specifically, about what she was wearing today.

“I asked her where she bought that sweater, and she was actually naïve enough to admit it was from Ross Dress for Less,” Alicia had sniffed in disdain. “I wouldn’t dream of setting foot in a place like that, much less buying anything there
.”

“
Her tights have a bunch of little snags in them, too,” chimed in Gina. “And don’t get me started on those shoes. I’m surprised the heel hasn’t fallen off yet they’re so worn down
.”

“
That ugly sweater looks like it’s a size too small for her. But maybe she likes it that way, so that she can show off those big boobs. Ugh, it’s rather vulgar, don’t you think?
”

Tessa had forced herself to bite her tongue, though it had been mighty tempting to let both of the gossipy bitches know that she’d heard every hurtful word out of their spiteful mouths. She’d given a little cough as she approached so that they were aware of her presence, and it had made her stomach churn a little in revolt as the two-faced cats smiled at her with almost sickening sweetness.

The rest of the work day had passed with relative calm, except for the fact that she felt awful from her period. The heavy bleeding made her feel lightheaded and chilled, and the painful cramps were nauseating. No matter how much herbal tea she sipped it did little to ease her distress, and for once she left the office on time, longing to curl up on the sofa, watch TV, and eat comfort food.

The bus, of course, was late and it had begun to rain hard, so that by the time she stumbled into her drafty apartment she was cold, exhausted, and hungry. She took a shower, hoping it would penetrate her chilled bones, but the tepid water and barely existent flow only made her feel colder. Tessa bundled into her warmest sweats, turned up the heat – though the ancient radiator didn’t do a whole lot to raise the temperature in the apartment – and heated up some leftover white cheddar macaroni and cheese.