The subject of her marriage was always an awkward one for Tessa to discuss, and now was no exception. “I’m, um, twenty-four. I was seventeen when Peter married me.”
“Seventeen!” Julia was visibly shocked. “God, you were just a child. Is that why – Jesus, never mind. I can’t believe I’m asking you stuff like this.”
“It’s okay. And no, it wasn’t because I got pregnant. It’s – complicated.”
“And none of my business,” declared Julia. “I honestly don’t mean to pry, Tessa. I’m just concerned is all. And it sounds like you could really use a friend right now, so please know that I’m here for you whenever you need me, okay?”
Tessa forced a teary smile. “You’re so nice, Julia. I can see why Mr. Atwood fell in love with you.”
Julia gave her a wink. “Well, it was definitely mutual – love at first sight and all that mushy stuff. Ah, here’s our dessert. Nothing like a big old sugar rush to make you feel better.”
The desserts came in huge portions, so they had agreed to split the towering slice of black forest torte. Julia dug into the cake with gusto while Tessa merely picked at it, her appetite having waned abruptly after the discussion about her impeding divorce.
“Come on, don’t make me be a pig and eat all of this myself,” urged Julia. “Nathan already teases me about my ass getting bigger.”
Tessa gave her a small smile and obediently ate a forkful. “It’s really good. Thanks for this. Not just lunch but - well, for being so kind to me.”
“It’s easy to be nice to nice people,” assured Julia. “And you’ve always been so sweet to me every time I’m over for a meeting. Not like those bitches you work with. I’m not sure which one I dislike more – Gina or Alicia.”
Tessa sipped her tea. “They’re practically joined at the hip so take your pick. And they’re roommates to boot.”
“Figures. Though if I had to pick the nastier one it would be that sneaky little witch Gina. She tries to flirt with Nathan every time we’re in the office, even though it’s very obvious he’s with me now. At least Alicia keeps her distance.”
“That’s because she’s got her sights fixed on Mr. Gregson instead,” Tessa blurted out. “But he never dates employees so she’s out of luck.”
Julia smiled mysteriously. “Hmm, bet I know of one employee he’d be willing to bend that rule for. Does Ian know you’re getting a divorce?”
Tessa shook her head, frowning. “No, of course not. I haven’t told anyone in the office yet. My co-workers tend to gossip a lot so I try not to discuss my personal life with them.”
“Wise move. I wouldn’t trust those two evil bitches for twenty seconds. And I know how fast office gossip can spread. My boss is a huge blabbermouth, I can’t tell him anything really confidential or it would be all over the place within five minutes.”
Tessa paused before asking her next question. “What did you mean about Mr. Gregson? The part about him making an exception to his rule.”
“You really have no idea?” Julia regarded her curiously. “Well, our Mr. Gregson would deny it, of course, being that he’s so prim and proper and always plays by the rules. But I’ve caught him more than a few times looking your way when you didn’t notice and – well, let’s just say I think he’d be very interested to know you’re going to be a single lady soon.”
Tessa stared at Julia in shock, her mouth hanging open in surprise. Slowly, she shook her head. “You’ve got to be mistaken. Badly. Mr. Gregson barely even speaks to me. And he is definitely not attracted to me.”
Julia took a sip of her coffee and grinned wickedly. “If you say so. But I’d be willing to bet he’d speak to you a whole lot more if he got wind of your impending divorce.”
“Please don’t tell him,” pleaded Tessa. “Not just him but anyone in the office. I’ll tell them when the time is right but – well, it’s just hard for me to confide in people. And even harder to talk about something as painful as this.”
“I get it. And I won’t say anything, even to Nathan. I swear, sometimes I think men are even worse gossips than women.”
Tessa offered to split the check, but Julia was adamant that this was her treat, plunking down a credit card casually.
“Thank you, Julia. Not just for lunch but for letting me cry on your shoulder. Not literally, of course,” added Tessa with a little smile.
“But pretty close, huh? It was my pleasure. Look, I want to give you my cell number, okay? And I really do want you to call me if you ever need to talk or want to hang out. We can go have coffee or get a drink or just take a long walk. Do you like yoga?”
Tessa took the business card Julia handed her, the cell number written on the back. “I love yoga. I can’t really afford it, though, so I mostly look for places that offer free or demo classes. What about you?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of my obsession. I go to class almost every day. You should come to my studio with me some weekend soon. My weekend teacher Sasha is awesome. She kicks my ass every single time I take her class. I can get you a complimentary pass if you’d like.”
“I’d love that,” beamed Tessa. “I, um, don’t really have any girlfriends so I appreciate your offer to – you, know, hang out.”
“Well, I don’t have very many myself,” confessed Julia. “So I’d really, really like to call you my friend. Okay?”
Tessa felt just a little bit less lonely – and alone - as she smiled at her new friend. “Okay.”
Chapter Twenty-One
November
Despite the fact that her abs were already quivering in protest, Tessa forced herself to do another set of crunches on top of the hundred she’d already completed. She was using the slant board today, which was always tougher for her than the fitness ball, and thus had to push herself hard to finish the grueling workout. Besides the core work, she’d done an hour of cardio, split between the stationary bike and the elliptical machine, then lifted weights, focusing today on her biceps and shoulders.
She had been especially diligent these past couple of months about her workouts, rarely missing a day, and often spending close to two hours here in the employee fitness room. The extra training hadn’t been to get herself in better shape, or lose a few pounds. If anything, she was probably a little on the thin side right now, having unintentionally dropped some weight by skipping meals and working so many hours. The additional hours she’d spent working out had helped some to fill the otherwise lonely hours back at the apartment, had meant that much less time she had to spend there and be constantly reminded that she was now very much on her own.
Peter had gradually begun to contact her less frequently, his emails now only arriving once a week or less, and becoming shorter and shorter in length. Tessa knew that was his subtle way of letting her down gently, of forcing her to accept that he wasn’t a part of her life any longer, and that she needed to get on with things.
She finished her crunches, too wiped out now to consider doing even one more, and reached for a towel to wipe the sweat off her face and neck. As she drank from her water bottle, Tessa knew deep down that she was happy for Peter – happy that he was finally getting to live his dream – and she was really trying hard not to resent him for it. She couldn’t be Peter’s responsibility any longer, the weight that dragged him down, and was determined to finally grow strong enough to stand on her own two feet and not depend on anyone else to take care of her. It was hard, the toughest thing she’d ever had to do in a life that had been filled with hardships, but she was getting through it a day at a time.
The nights were by far the worst, the times when she was all alone in her tiny apartment with no one to talk to or hang out with. Julia had been wonderful, calling several times a week to chat, and they’d met for coffee a few times already. But at present Julia was still recovering from a near-tragic assault she’d suffered at the hands of Nathan’s jealous – and emotionally unhinged - ex-fiancée. Tessa had thought about dropping by her new friend’s flat for a visit but hadn’t wa
nted to intrude, especially since Julia’s parents had just arrived for a visit.
And now Thanksgiving was only about ten days away, and she knew Julia was flying to Michigan to spend the holiday with Nathan’s family. Tessa hadn’t even begun to think about what she might do herself, since she’d always spent holidays with Peter. The last couple of years they had gone to dinner at the home of one of his former co-workers at the news agency, but this year everything was different. She would most likely be alone on Thanksgiving, just as she was every day now.
As usual, she’d had the fitness room pretty much to herself at this time of the day. One of the women from Accounting had been here when she’d arrived, walking on the treadmill, and then two geeky IT guys had stopped in to use the weight machines for a few minutes. The room had been empty for the last forty-five minutes, the only audible noise coming through the earbuds of her tiny iPod shuffle. Peter had bought the device in Japan for her last birthday, and had loaded a bunch of songs on it that he knew she liked. It was one of her most cherished possessions, despite the fact it was really only worth about fifty dollars. Even now as she was cooling down before heading off to take a shower, she was tempted to sing and dance along with the throbbing beat of Bruno Mars’s Locked Out of Heaven.
She had the volume of the iPod cranked up so loud, in fact, that she didn’t hear the door to the fitness room open. It was only when she turned away from the water cooler that she realized someone else was in the room, and gulped in alarm when she saw who it was.
Jason Baldwin was smiling at her in what he likely thought was a seductive manner, but it more closely resembled a leer in Tessa’s mind. Reluctantly, she turned off her iPod and removed the earbuds, all too aware of how closely he was standing. A shiver of alarm traveled rapidly up her spine, and she instinctively took a step or two backwards.
But Jason wasn’t easily deterred and merely moved even closer, enough that she could smell the lingering scent of alcohol that clung to him. Tessa belatedly remembered that there had been some sort of cocktail reception on the schedule today, with most of the management team in attendance. In addition to the fitness room and showers, this floor held the employee lunch room, a few smaller conference rooms, and a large reception room complete with its own kitchen and bar that was used for entertaining clients and other such functions.
“Well, if I had known the most beautiful woman in the office was in here working out alone, I would have left that god-awful party a long time ago and joined you,” Jason told her in a very suggestive voice.
Tessa tried to brush past him without being too obvious. “I’ve actually just finished, Mr. Baldwin. If you’ll excuse me, please.”
He wrapped a restraining hand around her bare upper arm. “What’s the rush, sweet thing? You’re always running away from me when I’m just trying to be friendly. Or else that damned guard dog Andrew is hovering somewhere in the background like he’s your nanny or something.”
She attempted to pull her arm free but Jason’s grasp was unrelenting. “Please let me go, Mr. Baldwin. I – um, need to change clothes and then get home. My – husband will be expecting me.”
But he refused to release his grip, and instead raked her up and down with his heated gaze. She tried not to quiver in fear at the very obvious lust she saw in his eyes, and wished fervently that she hadn’t worn such skimpy workout attire – tiny gray terry gym shorts and a bright pink racerback tank that clung a little too closely to her breasts.
“You don’t have to change on my account, Tessa,” he told her in a husky voice. “In fact, I’m very much enjoying the view. Mmm, someone’s been working out hard, haven’t they?”
This time she couldn’t help the quiver of alarm that rippled through her entire body as Jason traced the beads of sweat that had gathered in the base of her throat down between her breasts. She gasped in outrage when his finger dipped into her cleavage before his thumb brushed over her nipple.
“I’d like to get you even sweatier.” He bent forward to murmur in her ear. “I’ve wanted to fuck this gorgeous body of yours since the first time I saw you. Why don’t I join you in the shower and we can have ourselves a real good time?”
Now Tessa was beginning to panic a little, and struggling to control her fear as she once again tried to break free. “Mr. Baldwin, this - this isn’t appropriate. Both of us are married and you shouldn’t be saying -”
Jason interrupted her with a hoot of laughter. “I don’t give a damn about that, sweet thing. All I care about is finally seeing this hot body of yours. Especially these nice big tits.”
She cried out in alarm as his hand closed over her breast, squeezing it painfully. And then she gasped in shock as a larger, stronger hand clamped forcefully over Jason’s wrist.
“Let go of her immediately, you fucking bastard.”
Tessa didn’t know whether to be greatly relieved or completely horrified at the sight and sound of an enraged Ian Gregson. He practically dwarfed the shorter and slighter Jason, and there was no question as to which man was more powerful – or more fearsome.
She had never seen or heard him this angry before. His hazel eyes were flashing, his cheeks flushed red, and his sinfully full mouth was compressed into a tight, narrow line. Tessa could see he was almost shaking with rage as he forcibly yanked Jason’s hand away from her breast.
Jason’s fear was obvious but he foolishly still tried to make light of the situation. “Aw, come on, Ian old chap. I was just having a bit of fun with the girl. No harm done, just a little innocent flirting. Isn’t that right, Tessa?”
Tessa was shaking so badly that she had to lean against a wall to steady herself. She felt the sheen of tears in her eyes, and bit down on her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. Speech was not something she felt capable of, so she merely shook her head vehemently in protest.
Ian’s hand tightened around Jason’s wrist until he yelped in protest. Even then Ian refused to release him, his voice icy cold and filled with barely restrained anger as he bit out, “Shut your foul mouth, Jason. I want to see you in my office at once. Get your sorry arse up there right away and wait for me.”
“But – but Charlotte is expecting me,” protested Jason weakly. “We have an event to attend.”
“Then you’d best call and let her know you’ve been unavoidably detained,” retorted Ian sharply. “And our conversation won’t take long. Now get out of here.”
Jason rubbed his abused wrist as he exited, wisely not looking back on his way out.
Ian turned to Tessa, his voice and facial expression taking a complete 360° turn as he did so.
“Are you all right, Tessa?” he asked in the gentlest, most compassionate manner she’d ever known him to exhibit.
She was instantly enthralled by the tenderness in his gaze, the obvious concern in his voice, and nodded. “Yes, sir. He didn’t hurt me. I was just scared.”
Ian grimaced. “Is this the first time he’s harassed you? And be honest, Tessa. That bastard doesn’t deserve to be defended.”
Tessa hesitated for a few brief seconds before replying. “It’s – the first time he’s ever – well, put his hands on me that way, sir. But, no, it certainly isn’t the first time he’s said – um, inappropriate things.”
“I surmised that.” The stormy look was back on his face but she knew it wasn’t directed at her. “Why didn’t you file a complaint about him with Human Resources? Or bring the matter to Andrew’s attention?”
She was startled at his question. “I never considered it, Mr. Gregson. I mean, he’s a manager. And part of your family. And I – well, I need my job, sir. I would never do anything to risk being dismissed.”
He stared at her in mingled surprise and alarm. “Good Lord, why on earth would you think you’d be fired for something like that? Especially when it’s common knowledge that this isn’t the first time that weasel has done something like this.” Ian’s expression softened, and she was taken aback by the almost tender look on his face, a look he h
ad certainly never directed her way before. “You’re my most valued employee other than Andrew, Tessa. I would never allow you to be dismissed just for speaking up for yourself. And I certainly won’t permit Jason Baldwin to put his stinking hands on you ever again, or utter one more inappropriate word. He’ll be taken care of swiftly, I assure you.”
She found herself speechless at the fervor in Ian’s voice and the ferocity of his features. She had no idea what to say in response save for a hastily stammered, “Um, thank you, sir.”
An awkward silence hung between them for several seconds, until Ian’s gaze flickered over her miniscule gym shorts and clingy workout top, and she cursed beneath her breath as she felt her nipples begin to peak. Whereas Jason’s amorous regard had made her skin crawl, her body evidently had no such problem with Ian Gregson looking at her in much the same way. Tessa just hoped he wouldn’t notice her rather obvious reaction to his proximity.
He gave her what looked like a knowing little smile before holding the door open. “You ought to go shower and change now, Tessa. You don’t want to catch a chill, after all.”
Her face flaming, she hurried past him out the door, ready to sprint for the shower room two doors down. But the almost imperceptible touch of his hand on her bare arm stopped her, and she gazed up at him quizzically. The utter kindness on his beautiful face caused something deep inside of her to ache unbearably.
“I’ll never let anyone in this office hurt you, Tessa,” he told her with complete seriousness. “I want you to come directly to me in future if anyone dares to say anything to upset you. Do you understand?”
All she could summon up in bewildered surprise was a nod, but it was enough for him to release her before striding briskly in the opposite direction.
Her legs felt like they were going to give out from under her, a condition that had nothing whatsoever to do with the grueling workout she’d just completed.
And as she stood under a hot shower a few minutes later, it belatedly occurred to her what day of the week this was – a Wednesday, of course.
Covet (Splendor Book 1) Page 34