He recalled now that just prior to his departure on this most recent business trip one of the team – Sarah – had requested an immediate transfer out of the regional headquarters, and a position at the hotel here in San Francisco had been found for her. Ian grimaced as he remembered the reason behind Sarah’s eagerness to be transferred – namely, the overly amorous attentions she’d received from one of his managers.
Unfortunately, it hadn’t been the first time that a female employee had caught the attention of Jason Baldwin, or the first time that upper management had been forced to smooth over the resulting fallout. With nearly any other employee – manager or not – such actions would have resulted in immediate termination. However, Jason had the extreme good fortune to be married to Ian’s cousin Charlotte, the only child of his Uncle Richard. Jason and Charlotte were parents to three very young children, and it was for this reason and this reason only that he hadn’t been canned some time ago. He was a decent enough employee but definitely expendable.
And Jason would most certainly be very attracted to the gorgeous, tempting girl who had just walked out of Ian’s office moments earlier. Ian somewhat vaguely recalled Sarah, Tessa’s predecessor, as a cute little brunette who tended to wear her skirts a bit too short and her blouses a bit too low to be appropriate for the type of office environment he insisted on maintaining. All in all, Sarah had been nothing remarkable and most assuredly had never caught his attention even for a moment. But if Jason had pursued her to the point where she’d felt the need to transfer immediately, Ian shuddered to imagine how his cousin’s reprehensible husband was going to react when he saw Tessa Lockwood for the first time.
The red sheath dress she’d worn had skimmed over a tall, curvy figure. A thin black patent leather belt encircled her slim waist, setting off the fuller curves of her breasts and hips. Ian knew without having to glance at the label that the dress was inexpensive, as were the plain black patent leather pumps on her feet. Ian had grown up among fashionable, well-dressed women – his mother, grandmothers, aunts, cousins – not to mention the countless number of women he’d met over the years in his business and social circles, all of whom dressed in expensive designer apparel. But it didn’t really matter that Tessa’s simple dress had likely been bought at a discount store or off a sale rack, for she had the sort of figure that would look stunning in anything she wore.
As if the lush curves of her body weren’t attraction enough, she also had a heartbreakingly beautiful face – high, sculpted cheekbones; big blue eyes framed by long, curly lashes; a full, kissable mouth; and the sort of flawless, porcelain complexion that only the very young or the very rich could boast of. And the cherry on top of the most delicious sundae he’d ever seen was the thick, lustrous fall of golden blonde hair that spilled over her shoulders and halfway down her back.
Tessa was stunning – young, ripe and sexy – and yet she somehow seemed to be unaware of how tempting she was. She had been shy and uncertain, and more than a little nervous when being introduced to him just a short time ago, behavior that was not in the least bit typical for a female who was supremely confident of her looks and sex appeal. It made him wonder anew just how young she was.
‘Too damned young for you, mate’ he told himself almost angrily. ‘You’re as bad as that bastard Jason, except at least you’re not a married father of three.’
Ian was pacing distractedly back and forth in front of his desk when Andrew returned, and the PA could only blink and stare in disbelief at his boss. Mr. Gregson was always cool and controlled, was never agitated or even the least bit anxious. The only person Andrew had ever known to be in better control of their emotions was his own self. So it was with some amazement that he observed his normally formal, restrained employer so clearly displaying agitation.
Ian glanced up, his mouth tightening as he brusquely motioned Andrew inside. “Close the door. And then you can explain why a teenager is working for me.”
Andrew suppressed the rather undignified urge to roll his eyes at his boss’ uncharacteristic sarcasm. “Of course, sir. And if you’re speaking of Tessa – which I assume you are – she is certainly young but not that young. She’s twenty-two, Mr. Gregson. More importantly, she’s been working for the company for three years already.”
Ian frowned. “Straight out of high school?”
“Not quite.” Andrew pulled some papers out of a dark blue folder, the sort used for employee files. “Apparently she was hired as a part-time employee after completing a year at community college. She transitioned to full-time a year later after earning an office technology certificate from said college.”