‘I wish - ‘ Tessa shook her head firmly before even allowing herself to complete such a foolish and pointless thought. Just because Mr. Gregson had taken her part last night certainly didn’t mean he was attracted to her. He’d only stepped in to prevent Jason from causing trouble, to make sure there weren’t any further harassment incidences. She was willing to bet that the next time she saw him – probably within the next hour or so – he would be as cool and distant as ever, as though the incident in the fitness room had never happened.

But she couldn’t help feeling a little thrill as she recalled the way he had looked at her in those brief, clingy workout clothes. He might be her boss, and someone who was a master at keeping his emotions and reactions in firm check, but he was also very much a man. And while Tessa had never been vain or conceited, she also knew that men generally found her attractive. She had a good body, especially after all of the workouts she’d been putting herself through lately, and she gave a tiny smile of satisfaction to realize that Ian Gregson evidently thought so, too.

Tessa had to work harder than usual to maintain her focus this morning, and couldn’t help glancing up nervously each time someone arrived on the floor. She dreaded, positively dreaded, seeing Jason again, even from a distance, and could only hope that whatever Mr. Gregson had said to him last night would ensure he stayed far, far away from her in future.

As more and more people began to arrive into work, Tessa gradually became aware of some sort of buzz going on around her. Here and there she would see three or four employees clustered together speaking in hushed tones, or notice the startled expression on someone’s face, and she wondered what was going on. As it turned out, she didn’t have to wait very long at all to learn the news, since the biggest gossip hound of the entire office sat right beside her.

“Omigod,” gushed Kevin as he addressed the rest of the team. “Have you girls heard the news? Jason Baldwin has been transferred – effective immediately – to the hotel down in Silicon Valley. Though it’s probably more like demoted. His office has been cleaned out, down to the name plate on his desk. I am dying to find out what provoked a move like that!”

“Humph.” Gina made a little sound of disgust. “Betcha I can guess that one. He grabbed one ass too many and someone actually had the guts – or common sense – to file a complaint about him. And it’s about damned time, that’s all I can say.”

“I agree,” replied Alicia coolly. “Let’s face it. If his father-in-law wasn’t one of the co-CEO’s of this company he would have been fired a long, long time ago. But I guess the old man isn’t going to let the father of his grandchildren go without a job. At least he’s out of our hair.”

Kevin grinned. “I’ll bet Petra is doing cartwheels right about now. She hates his guts, you know, especially since he dumps ninety percent of his workload on her and never offers to pay her a dime of overtime. And she told me once that he also expected her to cover for him whenever his wife called and he was – ahem - out at a quote unquote “business lunch”.”

Petra was – or, more accurately, had been – Jason’s long suffering PA. She wasn’t a particularly attractive woman, somewhat on the plump, frowsy side, one of the reasons she had likely been chosen as Jason’s PA. Tessa had always felt sorry for her, even though the rather stuffy older woman – with her upper crust British accent and snooty mannerisms – had seldom even acknowledged Tessa’s attempts to say hello. But anyone who was tasked with working for Jason merited Tessa’s sympathy, and she was certain that Petra was greatly relieved that her swine of a boss had been transferred.

‘And she’s not the only one,’ thought Tessa in relief. The realization that she wouldn’t have to see her tormentor any longer was like a huge weight being lifted off her chest.

And she knew, just knew, that Ian had been behind this extremely sudden move. That he hadn’t hesitated for very long at all to make good on the promise he’d made her yesterday – that Jason wouldn’t be permitted to harass her again and would be taken care of swiftly. The matter had been taken care of so swiftly, in fact, that Tessa’s head was spinning in reaction.

She was overwhelmingly grateful to Mr. Gregson for what he had done, and wished that she could thank him personally. But Tessa dismissed that thought as quickly as it had come to her, knowing that he would never actually admit what he’d done – or that it had been for her benefit. Mr. Gregson was too prim and proper, too intent on following all the rules and adhering to company policy, to ever let his guard down enough to acknowledge that such actions had been deliberate.

And when he arrived in the office a short time later, her earlier instincts had been entirely correct, for he walked past their cubicles as briskly and authoritatively as always, barely sparing the team a brief glance and an almost brusquely murmured “good morning”. But even the realization that he had returned to his usual formal self didn’t diminish the joy Tessa felt at knowing he’d thought enough of her feelings to engineer Jason’s overnight transfer from San Francisco.

He was wearing her favorite suit today, she thought dreamily, the black pinstriped one that made his broad shoulders appear even wider than usual. With it he wore another of those crisp white dress shirts that probably never got even one tiny wrinkle, and a perfectly knotted silvery gray tie. His thick, dark hair was neatly styled, his ruggedly handsome face clean shaven. As always, he was suave and elegant and perfectly put together, though Tessa doubted he ever fussed over his appearance. It would be something that came naturally to him, just like being able to speak several languages fluently, or knowing as much as he did about finance and business and marketing.

A soft smile played at the corners of her lips as she thought of how different he had looked in the dream she’d had of him last month. The suit jacket and tie had been missing, with the pristine shirt unbuttoned nearly halfway down his powerful chest. A five o’clock shadow had darkened his chin and cheeks, and his normally perfect hair had been slightly mussed. His typically cool and collected façade had been absent, replaced by the passionate, seductive lover she sensed was lurking just beneath the surface. How she wished –

“Whatcha thinking about, sweet pea? Must be something good given the look on your face. Ah, I bet I know what it is! Hubby must be flying home today, and you’re thinking about the welcome home gift you’re going to give him.”