Tessa gave Blaire a sleepy little smile, opening the door wide enough that her uninvited visitor could see where her camisole, Ian’s shirt, one of her shoes, had landed during their frantic interlude. “Mmm, he, ah, is staying here,” she murmured, intentionally lending her voice a dreamy, almost dazed quality. “We’re, um, here together actually.”
Blaire looked as though she’d just been slapped. “You’re kidding. I mean, you’re engaged, right? You just told me that a couple of hours ago.”
Tessa gave a little shrug, causing the robe to slip even further off her shoulder, until it was very obvious that she was naked underneath. “I am engaged, yes. To Mr. Gregson. He’s my fiancé. I’m sorry, I suppose I forgot to mention that. We, ah, tend to keep our private lives private at the workplace. Was there something I could help you with, Blaire?”
Blaire’s complexion had gone pale beneath the thick layers of makeup she’d caked on, and her hand was shaking a little as she held out the manila envelope. “I, uh, wanted to bring by those reports and other files you asked me for. I, um, felt badly that I didn’t have them ready for Mr. Gregson when he needed them. I hope he wasn’t too upset.”
Tessa took the proffered envelope. “He isn’t aware, actually. And the reports are technically for me, for a spreadsheet that I keep updated for him. Thank you for bringing these by, Blaire, though the morning would have been fine. I, ah, don’t plan on doing any more work this evening.”
“I can see that,” muttered Blaire crossly as she gazed down uncomfortably at her feet.
Tessa smiled brightly, forcing a cheerfulness into her voice. “Well, I don’t want to delay you any longer, Blaire. I’m sure you don’t want to keep your date waiting, after all.”
“My date?” Blaire looked confused.
Tessa arched a dainty brow. “You are going out tonight, aren’t you? I mean, why else would you be so dressed up? And he must be someone special to rate an outfit like that. Where’s he taking you?”
Blaire stammered a bit, clearly having been taken off guard. “I, ah, don’t - he’s, um, surprising me. So, yes, yes. I’d better head out so I’m not late. See you in the morning, Tessa. And, ah, sorry if I disturbed you.”
Tessa shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Not in the least. Though I’d better think about ordering room service very soon. Ian has worked up quite an appetite, after all. All those calories he just burned.” She gave Blaire a knowing wink.
Blaire looked like she was going to be sick. “Uh, huh. Well, enjoy your - your dinner.”
“I do have one question, come to think of it,” mused Tessa. “How did you even gain access to this floor? As far as I know, you need a special card key for the elevator to stop here.”
“Oh. Well,” admitted Blaire reluctantly, “the butler - Zack - is a friend of mine. We, um, used to date awhile back. When I explained to him about the situation with the reports, he arranged for me to have access.”
“I see,” replied Tessa casually. “Well, yet another item to add to the list of things that have to be tightened up around here. I hope your friend isn’t too upset with you when he’s being reminded that no one is allowed access to this floor without the consent of the occupant. Enjoy your date, Blaire.”
Tessa could barely contain her mirth as she shut the door firmly in the face of the enraged PA, and was giggling with glee by the time she returned to the bedroom. Ian had finished his call by then, and looked at her curiously.
In between bouts of laughter, she told him all about Blaire and the not-so-subtle innuendoes she’d been firing all day. Ian’s expression grew stormy when he heard about how uncooperative and downright rude Blaire had been to Tessa, but then couldn’t help himself from chuckling right along with her when she related the well-deserved comeuppance she’d just given the other woman.
He grinned as he pulled her to sit astride him, his back propped up against a mound of pillows. “You, my love, are becoming a very naughty girl as well as a tigress. A lethal combination if I ever saw one.”
“Hmm, naughty and ferocious. Not exactly your type, is it?” she teased. “As I recall, you prefer sweet and docile.”
“I prefer you,” he corrected, untying the belt of her robe and pushing it off her shoulders. “Whether it’s naughty or nice, sugar or spice, or however that old saying goes. You’re all of those things, and more, Tessa. And while I love it when you’re sweet and loving and affectionate, I’m also very, very happy to see you assert yourself when the occasion calls for it. And I’m particularly pleased that you put that little witch firmly in her place. You’re going to be a member of the family soon, love, and nobody will dare to treat you disrespectfully.” He threaded a hand into her hair, bringing her face down to his for a deep kiss.
“I told you months ago that I planned to treat you like a queen from here on end,” he reminded her. “And I fully intend for everyone in this company to do the same. You aren’t simply going to be my wife, Tessa, but my partner as well.”
She cuddled up against his side, wrapping her arms around his neck as she whispered, “I’ll work on being a queen some other day. Right now I just want to be your lover.”
Ian smiled wickedly, tumbling her onto her back as he rose above her. “I think we can arrange that very easily, my love.”
Chapter Five
“Maddy, I’ve got an Ian Gregson holding for you. He said he only needs a few minutes if you could spare the time. Would you rather I took a message?”
Madelyn Benoit immediately depressed the intercom button on her phone. “No, please put him right through, Christina. I’m sure it will be a quick call.”
Her schedule for the next two weeks was so tightly packed that she was being extremely selective about whom she accepted calls from right now. These weeks right before Thanksgiving, and therefore the official start of the holiday shopping season, were the absolute busiest time in the retail fashion industry. And with her very demanding job as the head buyer of Bergdorf Goodman, New York City’s most exclusive department store, Madelyn hardly had time for a bathroom break nowadays.
But she knew there wouldn’t be many more seasons like this one, given the promise she’d made very recently to the man in her life. She and James had spent too many years apart already, and both of them were anxious to travel and enjoy their lives, and try to make up for all of the lost time. She would be retiring from this job, this business, that she loved so dearly, though not for a few more years. James understood what this job meant to her, and was willing to let her make the transition gradually.
And it was in part due to the man waiting to speak to her on the phone that she and James had managed to find each other again, after more than two decades apart. She owed Ian Gregson a real debt of gratitude, which was why his was one of the very few calls she’d allowed her assistant to put through to her this morning.
“Good morning, Ian,” she greeted cheerfully. “And a very early start to your day, isn’t it? It’s barely seven a.m. out in San Francisco by my calculations. Assuming that’s where you are at the moment, that is.”
“Good morning to you as well, Madelyn,” replied Ian in a crisp British accent that was so similar to James’s. “And, yes, we’re in California, just back from a rather horrendous trip to Chicago. Not that I dislike the city, by any means, but we had a difficult situation to contend with there. Now, I know without having to ask how insanely busy you must be, but I wondered if I could ask a small favor of you.”
“Of course you can,” she agreed instantly. “I do owe you big time, Ian, so please ask away.”
“Not at all,” he assured her gallantly. “All I did was to make a phone call or two, and put James in touch with your very persistent niece Lauren. She did the rest. Though I am very happy to hear that everything turned out so well. I’ve known James for a long while, and he’s one of the finest men I’ve ever met. The two of you seem very well suited, and I wish you every happiness.”
“Thank you, Ian. Now, how may I be of service?”
“Tessa and I will be in New York in less than two weeks time,” he replied. “The company has three hotels in Manhattan, and we’ll be doing our regular visits to each one. Afterwards, we’ll be spending Thanksgiving in the city, doing all of the traditional things like seeing the Macy’s parade, watching the tree lighting at Rockefeller Center, browsing the shops. And while we’re in town I was hoping I could bring Tessa by the store to try on some evening gowns. With the holidays coming up, there are two occasions in particular that she’ll need something special for.”
Madelyn nodded, making sure she had pen and paper handy. “Of course, Ian. I’ll make sure I’m here to take care of the situation personally. What sort of gowns were you thinking of so that I can get a selection ready for Tessa to try on?”
“The first event is our office holiday party. And since this will be the first official company event Tessa will be attending as my hostess, I want her to look - well, rather like a queen, if that makes any sense. And with her blonde hair, I’ve always thought of her as my golden girl. So I was thinking -”
“About dressing her in a gold gown,” finished Madelyn. “Perfect. And I know exactly what I would pick out for her, Ian. I’ve only met her the one time at Julia’s wedding, but I would guess that she’s a size six? Or perhaps a four?”
“No, a six. I would say that you have a good eye for this sort of thing, Madelyn, but I suppose that would be stating the obvious, hmm? Considering that you’ve spent how many years in this business?” asked Ian.
She laughed in agreement. “Too many, I think. So does James, which is why I’ll be starting to wind things down over the next few years. We want to spend as much time together as possible to make up for all the years we were apart. All right, then. Sounds like we’ve got some ideas for dress number one. What about the second one?”
Ian’s tone grew more serious. “That one would be for my brother’s pre-Christmas party in London. He and my sister-in-law go all out, very elegant, definitely black-tie. And while Tessa has already met a handful of my closest friends back home, there will be a much larger crowd to contend with this time. And, well, I suppose the look I’m thinking of for her would be - let’s call it unforgettable. I want every pair of eyes in the room glued to her when we walk in. Though not,” he added hastily, “because the gown is too revealing or shocking. It’s more a case of looking -”
“Like Cinderella arriving at the ball.” Madelyn finished his thought again. “Is that what you were thinking of?”
Ian breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes, that’s it exactly. It’s almost uncanny how we’re thinking alike on this. I don’t have a particular color or style in mind, so I’ll leave it up to you.”
“And once again I think I’ve got the exact dress in mind,” she replied excitedly. “I’m going to have a wonderful time helping your Tessa with all of this, Ian. I told you when we met at Julia’s wedding how much I’d enjoy the opportunity to dress her sometime, so I’m pleased you thought of me. And your fiancée has the perfect sort of figure - tall, and with those long legs and all those curves. Dressing my two nieces usually provides more of a challenge, since they’re both so petite. Julia, at least, is easy to please and simply loves clothes in general. Lauren, on the other hand - well, you’ve met my very opinionated and stubborn niece, so you know exactly what I have to deal with.”
Ian chuckled. “I do, yes. And you have my sympathies, Madelyn. I assure you that Tessa will be much easier to please. Now, what day and time work best for you? We’ll be happy to work around your schedule.”
They agreed to meet two days before Thanksgiving towards late afternoon, and Madelyn jotted down the information in her bulging day planner, and then quickly sent Christina an instant message to add the appointment to the master calendar. It would mean juggling a couple of other things around, but Madelyn figured it was the least she could do to repay Ian for his part in bringing her and James back together.
She smiled briefly to herself as she thought what a very lucky woman Tessa Lockwood was to have a man like Ian as her future husband. He was handsome, charming, rich, obviously over-protective, and not in the least bit hesitant to exert control when it came to taking care of her.
He was, thought Madelyn with a rather dreamy smile, very much like her James.
Tessa was positive her eyes must be as round as saucers, the exact same expression she saw reflected on the animated features of the five year old girl seated to her right. And she honestly wasn’t sure at this point who was more excited - she or the little girl.
She turned to Ian for probably the twentieth time this morning, clutching his arm as she pointed to the enormous balloon being paraded along 34th Street. “Snoopy has always been my favorite, ever since I was a child. I looked forward every year to watching him on TV. I never thought I’d actually get to see him in person, though.” She reached over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for bringing me here. This is so exciting, Ian!”
He grinned, giving her nose a playful tweak. “I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself, love. Even though the temperature this morning is close to freezing.”
But Tessa barely felt the cold weather, bundled up as she was in woolly tights, boots, knit cap, and fleece lined gloves, plus the beautiful new coat of charcoal gray cashmere that Ian had bought her two days ago at Bergdorf’s. After they had met Julia’s aunt Madelyn to try on the evening gowns she’d set aside for Tessa, Ian had gone on a mini-shopping spree, choosing more than a dozen different items that had caught his eye - the coat, a pair of ruby earrings, a gorgeous sweater dress of forest green, plus several things for himself. Tessa had learned by now not to argue with him when he was in an impulsive mood, and was left more than a little in awe at the impeccable fashion sense he possessed.
Tessa rested her head on his shoulder as she gave his gloved hand a squeeze. “I guess I hadn’t noticed,” she confessed. “I’ve been too busy enjoying the parade. I think this is just about the best surprise you could have given me, Ian. I’m not sure I’ve ever missed a year watching the parade on TV.”
He kissed the top of her head tenderly. “Then I’m very glad I was able to get us tickets. Even if it will take me an hour or so to thaw out after this.”
She laughed happily, snuggling against him as his arm wrapped around her shoulders. “It’s almost over, though. Snoopy is always one of the last balloons in the parade. Just a couple of more floats and then Santa Claus. We can head back to the hotel after that and warm up.”
“And I know just the way to do that,” he whispered suggestively in her ear.
She grinned at him teasingly. “Roaring fire? Hot cup of tea? Maybe a pitcher of mimosas?”
Ian shook his head, sliding his hand up beneath her skirt until he’d reached her thigh. “More like you and me. Naked. Big bed. Got the picture now, love?”
The shiver that rippled up her spine had nothing to do with the thirty-two degree temperature in Manhattan this morning. “Um, I think so. You, ah, might have to give me a hands-on demonstration, though.”
“If there weren’t so many people here, in particular small children, I’d be giving you a very hands-on demonstration right now,” he murmured suggestively. “Ah, speak of the old devil. Here’s Father Christmas now. Just in time, I’d say.”
But Ian didn’t argue when she wanted to stay and watch Santa Claus go by in his sleigh, and she couldn’t resist waving to him with the rest of the crowd. Surprising her with these front-row tickets to watch the famous parade had been just one of the many wonderful things he’d done for her this past week, and the holiday weekend was far from over.
They had arrived in New York City nearly a week ago, in the wee hours on Saturday morning. Ian had quite literally shown her the town last weekend, taking her to famous restaurants, the top of the Empire State Building (which had been an instrumental location in her favorite movie Sleepless in Seattle), to see a Broadway musical, and of course to shop at the famous department stores like Bloomingdales
, Barneys, and Bergdorf’s.
There were three Gregson properties located in Manhattan - a beautifully decorated boutique hotel on the Upper East Side; a newer, trendier place in the SoHo district; and the grand, ultra-luxurious high-rise on Park Avenue. They had visited all three hotels this week, and were staying in the owner’s suite at the Park Avenue property, admittedly one of the most lavish she had seen so far. Their plans called for remaining in New York City until Sunday morning, during which time Ian was taking her to see another Broadway play, to have dinner with an old friend of his from Oxford who now lived in town, and to see the fabulous tree lighting ceremony at Rockefeller Center. It would be a whirlwind of a holiday weekend, but Tessa was looking forward to every minute of it.
She’d loved their time together in New York, finding the big city exciting and full of life, despite the traffic and crowds and the hectic pace. She didn’t think she would actually be able to live in a place like this, though Julia had resided here for a few years after college and always spoke fondly of the time she’d spent in New York. But it was definitely a wonderful place to spend a few days or a week, especially at such a magical time of the year.
Ian had hired a town car to drive them back to the hotel, but with so much traffic it took quite some time to travel just a few miles. Tessa could sense his relief when the car pulled up outside of the hotel, and he whisked her through the crowded lobby to the private elevator that would bring them to the penthouse level, barely allowing her time to keep pace with him.
She wrapped her arms around his waist as the elevator began its rapid ascent upwards, gazing up at him teasingly. “You were in an awful hurry just now. Hungry for that brunch you ordered up for us?”
Ian cupped the back of her head in his hand, holding it still for his devouring kiss. “Hungry for you, to be precise,” he murmured huskily. “Though I suppose we should have a quick bite first. After all,” he added suggestively, “you’ll need the calories for what happens later.”
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