He paused at the foot of the staircase that would take him back up to the ballroom, where the party was still in full swing, reluctant to be around so many people right now. He badly needed a few minutes alone to ponder the startling news he’d just received, so he made his way to the small, intimate bar tucked in a back corner of the hotel. The bar was rarely ever crowded, and most patrons didn’t even know it existed, but it definitely suited his needs at this particular moment.
Ian ordered a snifter of brandy from the very attentive bartender, who apparently recognized him, his greeting a respectful “Good evening, sir.” He was grateful to see that the bar was nearly empty, and settled himself into a small, darkened corner of the room where he could be alone with his chaotic thoughts for a bit.
God, he had feared for so long that this day, this opportunity, would never come along. He wasn’t enough of a bastard to have actively wished that Tessa’s marriage would one day be in trouble, or that she and her husband would decide to part ways. And there was no way – no possible way – that he would have ever tried to seduce her away from her husband. But now he couldn’t deny his joy at knowing she was unattached, and finally within his grasp. However, the tricky part was just beginning – figuring out how to pursue her without scaring her off or coming on too strong.
Ian sipped the fine brandy slowly, savoring the taste on his tongue and the way the expensive liquor warmed his throat. As he did so, he considered all of the obstacles still in his way at this point and how to navigate around them. He was fairly certain that Tessa hadn’t already begun seeing other men, based on the facts that she had attended tonight’s party alone, and then wisely declined to accompany her inebriated co-workers to some club. Tessa was also too fine, too loyal, to enter into another relationship so soon after her marriage ended. She had seemed sad tonight, especially when she’d quietly admitted that she and her husband had split, and Ian guessed she was having a difficult time in getting over the breakup.
She was still far too young for him, of course, the age difference between them a good fifteen years. But Tessa was very mature and composed for her age, not seeming in the least bit frivolous or silly like the other girls on the team. As for himself, he was just a few months from his fortieth birthday but thought he didn’t look half bad for his age. He worked out frequently and with even more intensity that he had a decade ago; ate a healthy diet and didn’t overindulge in alcohol; and generally took excellent care of himself. He had never been vain or egotistical – not like that horny bastard Jason – but at the same time he didn’t miss the interested, assessing looks he received from women wherever he went.
And perhaps it was wishful thinking on his part, but he didn’t believe Tessa was completely immune to him as a man. She was so sweetly, adorably shy that he couldn’t picture her ever trying to flirt with him or attract his attention – not like that very obvious and annoying pair Gina and Alicia. But there had definitely been times when he’d caught Tessa’s very blue, wide-eyed gaze upon him and he could swear there had been something there – awareness, attraction, adoration. It had given him hope that one day those discreet little glances might deepen into something far more serious.
His cock hardened immediately as he recalled how beautiful and utterly tempting she’d looked this evening. Her dress and shoes were obviously inexpensive, especially when compared to so many of the other women at the party who’d been garbed in designer clothing. But Tessa had still managed to outshine every other female present tonight. The sapphire blue color of her dress had been perfect for her gleaming ivory skin and thick golden hair, a fact that he stored away for future reference. The strapless bodice of the dress had bared a delectable amount of cleavage, just enough to let his rather filthy imagination run rampant. His hands had itched to plunge inside the neckline of her dress and cup her full, lush breasts, to see for himself if they were as firm and round as they looked.
Ian had felt badly for her when he’d noticed she was at the party alone, never having imagined at the time that she and her husband were divorcing. He had wanted nothing more than to approach her on multiple occasions this evening and ask her to dance, to luxuriate in the rare opportunity to hold her closely against his body and be able to touch her. But he’d had to restrain himself, knowing full well how it would look for him to single out one of his employees. The only women he’d dared to dance with this evening had been Rebecca, his mother, and his cousin Charlotte.
Thank God Rebecca wouldn’t be a problem when he began his pursuit of Tessa in earnest. The lovely brunette banker was an old friend and business associate, and any romantic involvement between them existed only in the gossip columns. Ian was one of the very, very few people who knew that Rebecca had been carrying on a secret affair for almost a dozen years with a very prominent – and very married – member of the U.S. Congress. Ian had never judged her, or attempted to offer his advice, but had always thought it foolish and naïve for a woman as beautiful, intelligent and accomplished as Rebecca to waste her best years on a man she could never be seen with in public. They rarely discussed her affair with the man, but Ian knew she was hopelessly in love, and hadn’t given up hope that the politician would eventually divorce his wife upon retiring from public office one day. Personally, Ian found Rebecca’s choice to not only be morally wrong but also tragically sad.