What had come of it was the realization of all his hopes and dreams over the past two and a quarter years – learning that the girl he’d become obsessed with was finally going to be a single woman and ripe for the plucking. And Ian was going to make very, very sure that he would be the only man who had the opportunity to do any sort of plucking.

Rebecca would be overjoyed for him, and offer up her full support and encouragement. Ian wondered a bit grimly if he could expect a similar type of understanding and acceptance from other friends and his family. His parents, for one, would be sure to think Tessa too young and too gauche, but he had rarely allowed their opinions to influence his important life choices, and he certainly wasn’t going to let that change now. Not when he was this close to finally snaring the girl of his dreams.

He would have to move slowly, he thought, to gradually let her know of his interest. He would also have to deal very soon with the added complication of her being his employee, especially given his very strict rules on that same subject. And particularly since he had just made a very emphatic point to Jason that he wouldn’t tolerate any form of sexual harassment in his office. The last thing Ian was prepared to do was give Jason even the tiniest bit of ammunition to protest his unwanted transfer out of regional headquarters. The bastard wouldn’t hesitate for a moment to call Ian the worst sort of hypocrite and demand that he, too, be disciplined for breaking the rules.

Ian almost snarled when he recalled the sight of Jason once again daring to put his filthy hands on Tessa this evening. He’d been keeping a close eye on his cousin’s husband all evening, not trusting the little shit to behave himself. And when he’d seen Jason sit down next to Tessa and start whispering in her ear, he’d had to exercise incredible self-control to stop from marching over there and breaking the scum’s jaw just as he’d promised he would. And because he simply couldn’t afford to make a scene in front of all these people – one that would have greatly upset his family and, more importantly, betrayed his attraction to Tessa – he’d been forced to send Andrew to handle the problem.

But he hadn’t been able to resist the opportunity to finally be alone with Tessa, even for a few minutes, when he’d spotted her leaving the party a short time ago. At Rebecca’s urging, he’d followed her discreetly from the ballroom, intending only to wish her a good night, but then she’d walloped him with the shocking news of her divorce. God, if he hadn’t been obliged to see Rebecca home – and if his parents weren’t staying at his house for the duration of their visit – Ian was not at all sure he could have resisted the urge to take Tessa home himself. Or, if she had been agreeable, taking her to his house and persuading her to spend the night. Fortunately, he’d remembered his obligations in time, not to mention the continued need for discretion among his employees.

No, he and Tessa were going to have to be very, very discreet, at least until he could persuade her to quit her job. Ian was fully prepared – and very much looking forward – to supporting Tessa and taking exquisite care of her.

He would start, he thought rather dourly, by getting rid of that appalling coat she’d been wearing this evening. He would gladly buy her a dozen others, ones that were far more worthy of her stunning beauty. And that was just for starters.

As he finished his brandy, Ian made a mental note of all the ways he planned to spoil and indulge Tessa once she was truly his. The first step, though, was going to be the slow seduction of his golden girl, treating her like a princess the whole while, and making her feel protected and cherished at every turn. With that in mind, he took his phone out and pressed the most frequently used number on the speed dial.

“It’s me,” he said when the call was answered after just one ring. “Yes, I’m on my way back up now, a small matter I had to attend to. Now, remind me please what dates in January you’ll be on vacation. All right, that’s what I thought. Make a note for Monday for us to discuss who’ll be filling in this time while you’re away. I have an idea and I don’t intend to be talked out of it.”

Ian ended the call, pocketing the phone. The very first step in what would be his extremely pleasurable wooing of Tessa had just been taken.

As he finished his brandy and prepared to head back to the party – the very last place he wanted to be right now – Ian vowed that at this time next year, the situation would be very, very different. Tessa would be here with him – as his guest, his hostess, his lover, and possibly even his fiancée. They would be looking forward to flying to England within the next week to spend the holidays with his family, and it would be the happiest, most joyous Christmas he’d ever known.

‘You’re going to be mine, Tessa,’ he vowed, unable to prevent the wide grin that lit up his handsome face at the idea. ‘After all this time, I’m finally going to be able to claim you for my own. And mark my words, darling – once I do, I will never let you go.”

The End