Tessa couldn’t help laughing along with him. “I think those kickboxing classes I’ve been taking have brought out my protective side. You told me once that you always look out for what’s yours. You’ve got to know that it’s the same for me.” She kissed his cheek before adding softly, “You’re mine, Ian, and no other woman can ever have you.”

Ian’s fingers bit into her waist and she could feel the outline of his erection through the fragile fabric of her gown. “Christ, I wish like hell there weren’t hundreds of people here right now. Because I have the card key for the owner’s suite in my pocket, and I’d love nothing better than to quietly disappear with you and lock ourselves in for a few hours.”

She smiled at him in a deliberately provocative manner. “I wouldn’t say no to that idea. Maybe another time, hmm?”

He gave her a lingering kiss on the mouth, evidently not giving a damn how many people were watching. “It’s a date, love.”

***

Alicia was seething, her barely controlled temper ready to snap at a moment’s notice. She couldn’t recall a time in her twenty-nine years when she’d been this angry, or so in need to throw something. Or, better yet, kick someone. Especially if that someone was a certain blonde tramp who had effectively managed to ruin Alicia’s entire evening. No, make that her entire life.

“Hey, everything okay?” asked Ross, who was seated to her right.

Alicia glared at her date, who she was this close to dumping for good. She had never considered him good enough for her, and wasn’t at all sure why she was still dating such a loser. And seeing him here tonight among all of these rich, successful men only served to emphasize his shortcomings.

“Fine, yes. Why do you keep asking?” she snapped. This was at least the third time he’d inquired about her rather obvious agitation.

Ross shrugged. “Maybe because you’ve been hitting the booze pretty hard tonight. Not to mention being a little, uh, testy.”

Her voice was dripping with ice as she replied, “If I need a lecture, my parents are seated just across the table from us.”

Ross threw his hands up in frustration. “Suit yourself, Alicia. I’m just concerned about you, okay? But as usual, you snap my head off whenever I try to do something nice. I’ll keep my mouth shut for the rest of the evening.”

Alicia defiantly drained her wine glass. She had been drinking rather heavily this evening, but who could blame her? After the shock she’d suffered earlier, it was small wonder she wasn’t trying to drown herself in booze right now.

When she’d continued to hear the increasing rumors about Ian and his new blonde girlfriend, she never in a million years would have suspected that woman to be Tessa. Alicia had been stunned speechless to recognize her former co-worker clinging to Ian’s arm and looking like some sort of fucking princess. It was a joke, really, that the naïve, somewhat awkward girl who’d dressed in discount store clothes and clearance rack shoes would be here tonight wearing that regal Marchesa gown, with real sapphires at her throat and ears. Alicia grudgingly conceded that Tessa had always been pretty, but now, tonight, in the right clothes and her hair done up, she was striking. Enough so that Ian Gregson hadn’t allowed her to leave his side all night, or been able to tear his eyes from her for more than a minute at a time.

Alicia wondered wildly how and when they had started seeing each other, and why it had been Tessa of all people who’d finally managed to snag the attention of the elusive Brit. She clenched her fists as she thought of all the times she and Gina and the others had gossiped freely about their boss, speculating on who he might be dating or banging, and joking bawdily about Alicia’s potential chances with him one day. And all that time Miss Goody Two-Shoes Tessa had never said one word or even blinked an eyelash, keeping her nose to the grindstone as she always did, and refusing to participate in any gossip. Tessa had never once betrayed any interest in Ian, and certainly their standoffish employer had always kept his distance from the support staff.

Had they been seeing each other in secret all this time, since Tessa had begun working at the office? But no, Alicia truly didn’t think Mr. Prim and Proper would fuck a married woman, so this little fling of theirs had begun more recently. And the more she stewed over the matter, the more it was that certain things started to become clear.

Like why Tessa had suddenly been appointed to fill in for Andrew when that had never happened in the past. And why Ian had rather abruptly stopped being seen in public with any of his usual escorts, and then stopped attending certain events altogether. The wheels kept spinning as she realized the “hot blonde” her parents had seen Ian dining with must have been Tessa, and that the “friend” the bitch had stayed with after the fire at her apartment was most likely Ian.

And it would certainly explain why she’d quit her job, a question the whole team had puzzled over for weeks. No one had been able to figure out where she was getting the money to travel or take an extended break, though Kevin had half-jokingly guessed she had some rich new boyfriend taking care of her. Alicia had dismissed his theory as ridiculous, but now it all made horrible, awful sense.

Tessa had left the company because she’d been fucking the boss. Now wouldn’t that make for some really, really juicy gossip. Except, thought Alicia with a snarl, it would be humiliating beyond belief to admit to her co-workers - and especially her roommate, best friend, and staunch supporter Gina - that the man she’d salivated over for the past four and a half years had chosen a slut like Tessa over her.

And any thoughts she might have of causing trouble for Ian were swiftly abandoned. First, she couldn’t prove a damned thing, especially since Tessa had already quit. Alicia was willing to bet that righteous prick Andrew knew everything, but trying to pry any information out of him was a complete waste of time. If Alicia was foolish enough to ask him anything the least bit personal about Ian, Andrew would merely give her a scathing look and tell her to get back to work.

And that was yet another problem. Admittedly, she’d been slacking off a bit on the job lately, though no more so than any of the others. Andrew, however, had chosen to make some sort of example of her, calling her under the carpet for a variety of grievances - tardiness, taking too many breaks, sending personal emails (which the bastard had actually had the balls to read), and screwing up on some travel arrangements she’d made for several of the managers. Andrew had let her off with a warning, but the dickwad had actually threatened her with formal probation next time.