“That’s such a cute little dress, Tessa,” Gina told her in a phony voice. “Every time you wear it I think what a good color it is for you.”

Tessa merely smiled politely in response to Gina’s not-so-subtle dig – that she wore the same things over and over. Unlike Gina and Alicia who were frequently sporting new clothes or shoes, or showing off the handbag or lipstick or pair of earrings that they had bought over the weekend.

Unlike Tessa, however, the two of them had plenty of extra cash to spend on luxuries and indulgences like getting their nails done, having facials and massages, and belonging to a top notch gym. The condo that the two women lived in was owned by Alicia’s parents so that they didn’t have to pay rent, and Kevin had once whispered to Tessa that Mr. and Mrs. Spencer also paid for the utilities and upkeep on the unit. That meant Alicia could spend her entire salary – plus her generous trust fund stipends – on whatever she liked. She would never have to do something as bourgeois as clipping coupons to save money on groceries, or getting her hair cut at Super Cuts, or doing her own nails – just a few of the many things Tessa did to stretch her modest budget.

Kevin, as usual, was the last one of the team to arrive, more than fifteen minutes late. But he didn’t seem in the least bit concerned about his tardiness, and Tessa wondered if he could possibly be naïve enough to think that he had managed to sneak in without Andrew being aware. Andrew never missed a thing around here, even if he wasn’t in the same room at the time, and Tessa figured that it wouldn’t take long for him to rake Kevin over the coals about his late arrival.

Kevin leisurely made his rounds to each of the girl’s cubicles, air-kissing them in turn. He cooed over Gina’s new shoes, admired Alicia’s manicure, made a whispered comment to Shelby that caused her to make one of those chirpy little bird laughs, and told Marisol he’d had dinner last night at the Vietnamese restaurant she’d recommended to him. He came over to Tessa last since they sat next to each other.

He pressed his cheek to hers lightly, and she had to force herself not to recoil at the heavy scent of his cologne.

“Morning, sweet pea,” he grinned. “How’s my girl today?”

Tessa couldn’t help but return his smile. Kevin might be a promiscuous airhead with atrocious taste in clothes and cologne, but he was almost always cheerful and could usually put her in a good mood – something she was especially grateful for today with all of those unsettled feelings still rumbling in her tummy.

“I’m good, thanks. Peter’s due home later today, so that always makes it a good day,” she told him.

Kevin’s eyes twinkled mischievously. “Oooh, bet someone’s good and horny by now. You’ll be walking funny tomorrow morning after he’s through with you.”

Tessa felt her cheeks grow warm at his very straightforward innuendo. No matter how many ribald stories Kevin shared with them, she wasn’t sure she’d ever really get used to his very frank way of talking about sex. And, rather sadly, it was quite unlikely that Peter would be the least bit horny, despite the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in weeks. Or had sex for a very long time.

With everyone settled in at their cubicles, the noise level in this section of the office began to rise dramatically. The sounds of telephones ringing, keyboards clacking, and voices speaking all co-mingled and seemed to get a bit louder with each passing minute. Tessa sighed, wishing for perhaps the thousandth time that she had a more private space – a secluded cubicle or desk in front of one of the private executive offices. Fortunately, she’d honed her powers of concentration very well over the past two years, so she could block out nearly all of the distractions around her. Except, of course, when her very favorite topic of conversation was brought up, as it was nearly every day. Then she was all ears, even though she was painstakingly careful not to betray even the slightest interest in what was being said. All it would take would be the tiniest hint she was interested, and her gossipy co-workers would be spreading the news of her infatuation all over the office. And Tessa would be mortified – absolutely mortified - if anyone ever guessed that she had a huge crush on Ian Gregson.

“Any sign of His Hotness yet this morning?” asked Gina in the sly, sultry tone that for some reason really grated on Tessa’s nerves. She also hated the rather undignified nickname that Kevin had bestowed upon their boss, and that the others used far too frequently.

“Not yet,” offered Marisol. “He’s addressing a group at the Convention and Visitors Bureau this morning.”

“Mmm, guess we’ll have to wait a while longer to see what he’s wearing this morning,” lamented Gina. “He hasn’t worn the Dolce and Gabbana suit for a few weeks so maybe today will be the day.”

Tessa had zero idea how Gina and Alicia were able to identify which designer suit Mr. Gregson wore from one day to the next – and wondered why on earth they cared. She didn’t know an Armani from a Dior and it didn’t really matter, anyway – their gorgeous boss looked mouthwateringly handsome in whatever suit he wore, no matter the color, style or fabric.

“He was also out pretty late last night,” offered Alicia. “My mother texted me this morning that she saw him at a benefit dinner for the Museum of Modern Art last night.”

“Oooh, and what very lucky lady was he escorting?” asked Kevin, his pale blue eyes sparkling with interest. “Was it the bank president, the news anchor, or the ballerina?”

Alicia gave a shrug that was meant to seem careless. But Tessa knew that, despite her co-worker’s feigned indifference, Alicia was actually very interested in who Mr. Gregson dated. She continued to hold out hope that one of these days she would be the woman on his arm. And while Tessa had never observed Alicia outright flirting with Mr. Gregson, she always went out of her way to greet him with a very interested smile, making it quite plain that if he were to ever change his mind about not dating employees that she was ready, willing and available.

“I couldn’t say,” replied Alicia a little huffily. “My mother didn’t mention it and I didn’t care to ask. But he’s rarely seen with the same woman twice so whoever he escorted it can’t be too serious.”

“So that means there’s still hope for you, Ali,” teased Kevin. “Have you given more thought to finding another job so that he might actually ask you out? I mean, that way he wouldn’t have to worry about his hands off the employees rule.”