Ian took a slow sip of his wine, savoring the excellent vintage. “I know,” he replied soberly. “Being a bachelor is definitely not all that it’s cracked up to be. Particularly since I’m not the sort for hopping from one bed to the next, and definitely not a fan of singles bars or clubs.” He couldn’t repress the little shudder he gave at the latter thought.

Matthew grinned. “You know my offer stands anytime. Lindsey’s got a virtual hoard of single girlfriends she’s dying to set you up with. Not to mention the hundreds of available women who work for my firm. Though I imagine you’re more than capable of getting any woman you want without anyone’s help.”

Feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on – no doubt the result of too little sleep and far too much stress – Ian pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. “Not quite any woman,” he muttered gruffly.

Matthew arched a brow inquiringly. “Ah, so that’s the real crux of the matter. Not to mention difficult to believe. What woman in their right mind would turn down the dashing Ian Gregson?”

Ian was silent for several seconds as he stared into his wineglass. “One who’s all wrong for me for too damned many reasons. One,” he counted on his finger, “she’s far too young, not much older than a teenager. Two, she works for me – on my management support team, no less. And three – well, that’s the real non-negotiable. She happens to be a married woman.”

Matthew frowned. “You’re not having an affair with this woman, are you?”

“God, no,” denied Ian vehemently. “You know me better than that, Matthew. And if my younger brother was here at the moment, he’d be laughing hysterically at the very idea. Colin insists I’m the biggest stuffed shirt he’s ever met.”

“Hmm.” Matthew swallowed a bite of his steak sandwich. “Not to mention that there’s no way I could ever see you voluntarily taking the back seat to some other man. Does this woman know how you feel about her?”

Ian gave a caustic laugh. “Hardly. I’m sure as far as she’s concerned I don’t even know she exists. I’ve made it a point to keep my distance, to treat her impersonally. Otherwise, I would have little to no confidence in my acting skills, Matthew, and zero hope of keeping my feelings hidden.”

Matthew bit into a pomme frite. “Have you considered approaching her, telling her how you feel? Maybe she feels the same way for all you know. You’re an attractive dude, Ian, a real catch as Lindsey’s overly fond of saying.”

“No.” Ian shook his head. “I’m not about to try and come between her and her husband. I’m not a homewrecker, Matthew, nor would I ever try and seduce her into an affair. What I am is a blithering idiot, having this ridiculous crush on a girl I barely know. Even if she was free, she could in all likelihood turn out to be completely wrong for me.”

“Nah.” Matthew took a long drink of his iced tea. “Without knowing a thing about this girl, I’m convinced she’s perfect for you, Ian. Because out of all the people I’ve ever known or worked with, you have the best instincts of any of them. I’m guessing you took one look into this woman’s eyes and, well, just knew somehow that she was the one for you.”

Ian smiled wistfully. “That’s exactly how it happened, mate. For so long I was convinced I’d never meet anyone that I would have that sort of reaction to. Colin says I’m far too picky, that this dream woman doesn’t exist. But the moment I met Tessa – well, you hit the nail on the head. I just knew.”

“Tessa? Pretty name,” commented Matthew. “And I’ll just assume that she’s a knockout. You wouldn’t be in this sort of state if she wasn’t a real looker.”

“She’s beautiful,” said Ian quietly. “Perfect. I wouldn’t change one thing about her appearance. But it’s her inner beauty that makes her so attractive to me. She’s quiet and on the shy side, but also sweet and kind and genuine. And I know I haven’t spent any real time with her to make that sort of judgment, but it’s rather obvious.”

Matthew nodded. “You’re also the best judge of character I’ve ever known as well. That’s one of the many reasons I asked you to be one of my board members. Every single prospective employee I’ve asked you to vet has turned out to be top-notch. So if you say this woman is your soulmate then I’m willing to bet she is.”

“Except for one small problem, mate,” drawled Ian. “There’s apparently another man who feels the same way – the one she’s married to.”

“You need to forget about this woman, Ian,” advised Matthew. “Hey, you know I’m far from being the expert on women and relationships – Lindsey was my first serious girlfriend, after all, and we’ve been together almost twenty years. But you’re too nice a guy to be alone this way. You deserve a wife and kids of your own, the chance to have a happy family. And if you keep pining after someone else’s wife that’s never going to happen. So take my inexpert advice, will you? Until you find someone else who makes all the bells and whistles go off in your head, take a few women out on a date and then to bed. Some good, hot sex is probably just what you need to put this Tessa out of your mind.”

“You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you?” asked Ian wearily. “Believe me, mate, I’ve tried. Dated half a dozen or so different women, all of them beautiful, all of them willing. I even looked up a former flame when I was back in England over the holidays. And with every one of them – zilch. No passion, no connection, no – nothing. Frankly, I didn’t even try to get them into bed because I was more or less convinced I wouldn’t have been able to, er, you know.”

“Seriously?” Mathew gaped at his friend in disbelief. “You expect me to believe that a studly guy like you was afraid he’d develop a case of ED? You really do have it bad for this girl, don’t you?”

Ian emitted a long, drawn-out sigh. “I’m afraid so. And I’m beginning to think the only solution is to have her transferred. Not just from my team but from the entire building. Possibly to the Nob Hill hotel. Or get her a job at a different company altogether. Maybe you could do me a favor and hire her away from me,” he joked weakly.