“AREN’T YOU IN A good mood.”
Kennedy, who was at the copy machine, looked up to find Adelia standing there and smiled. Her friend had taken Monday off to accompany her son on a field trip with his school. “Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Umm, no reason. How was your date Saturday night?” Adelia asked her.
She knew the only reason Adelia had asked was because there was no one else around. Although it wouldn’t bother her if word got out that she and Haddison were seeing each other, she didn’t want to give people anything to talk about. “It was great,” she said, gathering her documents as she and Adelia began walking back toward her office. “He was the perfect gentleman.”
“He sounds pretty boring to me.”
Kennedy couldn’t help but laugh. “Trust me, he wasn’t boring.”
Adelia glanced at her watch. “If you say so. But you have to tell me about it later. I have that report to finish. When is Mr. Matthews going to announce to everyone that you’re leaving?”
Kennedy was surprised he hadn’t told anyone about it yet, especially Adelia, who was the best candidate to take Kennedy’s position of senior marketing analyst when she left. There was no one else better qualified, with or without a degree. She’d mentioned that fact to Mr. Matthews when she’d met with him on Friday. She thought he’d acted rather strange. It almost seemed as if he was ignoring the fact she would be leaving in a few weeks. Oh well, it wasn’t her problem.
“Okay, I hope to see you at lunch.”
A couple of hours later, Kennedy was back at her desk and had just ended a call with one of her clients when her in-office phone rang. “Yes?”
“Ms. Bennett, this is Millie Crawford, personal assistant to Haddison B. Wolf. He would like to see you in his office, if you have a moment.”
Kennedy raised a brow. “Yes, I’m free right now. I’m on my way.”
“I’ll let him know. He asked that you bring the McConnell file with you.”
She hung up the phone, wondering why she was being summoned to the head of security’s office? And what did it have to do with the McConnell file.
Still, there was nothing to be worried about. It wasn’t unusual for the head of security to question senior analysts about the security regarding a particular client, especially one that was a well-known technology firm. It was important that information about their business remained confidential and secure.
She hadn’t seen Haddison since their date Saturday night. But they had talked on the phone every night since then. Kennedy enjoyed listening to his sexy phone voice. He had called her Sunday night right after she’d gotten out of the shower and ready for bed. He’d told her about his day, cycling in the morning, and playing tennis with a friend later that day. He hadn’t said whether that friend was male or female, and she knew she didn’t have a right to ask.
He did tell her how much he had enjoyed going to the movies, and wanted to do it again. So they’d made another movie date for this weekend. Before they’d ended the call, he’d told her that he would be out of the office on Monday but would return to work on Tuesday. She’d had no reason to think she would see him today, but was glad she would.
When she stepped off the elevator on the fourth floor, she ran into Larry Matthews. He’d been waiting to get on the elevator and seemed surprised to see her. He lifted a brow. “Did we have a meeting?”
“No. I’m here to see Mr. Wolf.”
“Oh,” he said, nodding…and barely hiding a smirk? She wondered what that was about? “Nothing is wrong, I hope,” he said.
Why would he think that? “I’m sure nothing is wrong. He wants to see me about the McConnell firm.”
“That makes sense. No one is more knowledgeable about that account than you.”
She didn’t know whether he meant that as a compliment or not. Besides, as her manager, he should be just as knowledgeable as she was about any of the accounts. “Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Don’t let me keep you. I’m leaving and will be gone for the rest of the day,” he said.
That was his usual routine on Tuesdays. She’d heard that he and Mr. Whitworth left the office to play tennis every Tuesday after lunch. “I know. Enjoy your tennis game.”
He frowned at her. Why? Was his weekly tennis game on company time with Mr. Whitworth supposed to be some kind of a secret? If so, then she hated to tell him that everyone knew about it. God, she couldn’t wait to get out from under his thumb.
It was a shame, really. She had enjoyed working here — before Larry. And she knew she’d miss the people she’d come to know over the past five years, as well as working with certain accounts. But everyone deserved to feel appreciated. And Larry Matthews’s M.O. was to work her to death and take all the credit, giving her no recognition for the work she did.
The raise he’d given her three months ago was pitiful and the rating of ‘Expected’ he’d put on her progress report had been the last straw. She did much more than what was expected, and they both knew it. It was only when she refused to sign the evaluation and threatened to make a fuss that he’d changed it.
She figured that he must have some sort of plan in place for when she left, because he’d yet to tell her who would take her place so she could train them. The clients she handled were used to the way she did things and she needed to make sure her replacement knew which ones were to be handled with kid gloves.
Larry Matthews got on the elevator without saying anything else, and she headed toward the desk where Millie Crawford sat. The older woman glanced up and smiled at her. “Mr. Wolf is expecting you. Please, go right in.”
“Thanks.”
Kennedy walked over and knocked on the door. When a deep, husky voice said, “Come in,” she opened it and walked in, hoping like hell that Larry didn’t know something she didn’t.
Haddison turned from the window the moment Kennedy walked in. Knowing she was on her way up to his office, he hadn’t been able to just sit at his desk, but instead had to stand. Now she was here, and as he’d expected, she looked beautiful and professional in her business suit.
“You wanted to see me, Haddison?”
He wanted to do more than just see her but kept himself from expressing that fact. “Yes, Kennedy, please have a seat.”
He watched her sit down in the chair on the other side of his desk and felt heat settle in his mid-section when she crossed her legs. He couldn’t stop himself from looking. Nor could he stop the desire that drummed through him. When she met his gaze, deep longing thickened the blood in his veins. His intense stare was obviously making her nervous. When she licked her bottom lip with the tip of her tongue, his gut clenched.
“I brought the McConnell file, as you asked.”
He pulled his chair out to sit down at his desk. “Thanks.” He reached for the file and their hands touched. The air around them shimmered and he had the feeling that she felt it, too. Their gazes met again, and he saw her pulse throbbing at the base of her throat.
Reluctantly, he lowered his head to glance down at the folder on his desk and opened it, knowing he’d used it as a ruse to get her here because he’d wanted to see her. He’d needed to see her.
He wasn’t sure how many minutes passed while he studied the papers in front of him. Seeing them and not seeing them. His concentration was focused on how her very feminine scent filled his office. He fought the urge not to glance up and look at her.
“What’s the real reason I’m here, Haddison?”
He had no reason to lie. “I wanted to see you.”
She slowly nodded, then got up. Would she walk out the door? Then a smile touched her lips. “Now you see me, Haddison.”
Yes, he saw her, and she looked good. “Yes, I see you.”
“Is that all you wanted to do was to see me?”
Was she deliberately tempting him? There was only one way to find out. He stood and slowly walked around his desk toward her. “No.” Upon reaching her, he picked up a remote off his desk and
locked his door.
Putting the remote down, he looked at her. “There’s a lot I want to do, Kennedy. I had to see you again.”
She looked intrigued. “Why?”
He honestly wished he had an answer to her question. Hopefully, he could explain. “I honestly don’t know. All I know is since being with you Saturday night and holding you in my arms, I’ve ached to be with you.”
He paused and glanced down at the carpet beneath their feet, knowing he wasn’t making sense, but was unable to explain it any better.
Ever since he’d become an FBI agent, he’d never had a woman in his life. His attention had been directed elsewhere, and he’d pretty much given up his life in an effort to make this world a safer place to live. One that was free of hardened criminals who would kill just for the thrill of it.
While working undercover, he had constantly lived with people like that, been surrounded by such filth, while fighting hard not to get consumed by them. He’d never wavered and had the scars to prove it — the one on his cheek was just the beginning. He considered it a battle scar, one he would never forget or regret having. For years, it had been his lifeline, keeping him from crossing the line between good and evil.
Knowing Kennedy was waiting for an answer, he lifted his head…and looked into the most beautiful eyes he’d ever seen. “I don’t know what’s going on with me. All I know is while I was an agent, I was consumed with my work and the cases I had been assigned, so I put women on the back burner. Now that I have time for a life, I want one.”
He could tell by her frown that his words hadn’t come across the way he’d wanted. He’d told her before of his desire for a social life. But now he wanted more. He wanted her.
“So, am I merely a convenience, Haddison? A way to ease back into that normal life you’ve done without for years? To help you reconnect with your life as a bachelor, a single man, a—”
“No,” he said, refusing to let her continue. “It’s more than that. Even when I did date, I was never a womanizer. I did have a real relationship once, with a woman I loved and wanted to marry.”
“What happened?”
He could tell her it was none of her business. But then he remembered her sharing details of her breakup with that asshole she’d found in bed with another woman. “I decided to stop being a cop and became an FBI agent. Chelsea didn’t like that and gave me an ultimatum. It was either her or the Bureau.”
He paused, then added, “She wasn’t the only one who wasn’t happy with my decision. After losing my dad the way we did, Mom had never wanted me to go into law enforcement. And even though she was gone by then, I remembered her disapproval. The uncle who raised me wasn’t impressed either. But it was my life, and the decision was up to me. I felt that if Chelsea had truly loved me, she would have understood.”
Kennedy didn’t say anything for a minute, then asked, “Since you’re no longer with the FBI, have you tried looking her up, to see if the two of you could rekindle what you once had?”
“No. It was over eleven years ago. I’ve moved on, and so has she. She had her dreams and I had mine.”
He paused, then said softly, “I need you to know that my desire for you is not one of those ‘one and done’ things, Kennedy. You stir a restlessness in me that I’ve never felt before. I see you and I want you. I don’t see you and I want you. I think of you all the time. And you were right. I called you here to do more than see you. I desperately need this.”
And then he pulled her into his arms.
HADDISON B. WOLF WAS A master kisser. Desire that she only felt when her lips were connected with his, whenever their tongues mingled, was heating her skin and rushing blood through her veins. He kissed her like he had all the time in the world. Even if it meant making that time.
Sensations were stirring inside of her, making her crave things she hadn’t had in quite a while, like a roll between the sheets, a night of passion…being sexually possessed by this magnificent man.
Never had her cells felt so electrified, the area between her legs so stimulated, and all because of this man who had literally knocked her off her feet when they first met. And he was doing it again. Only she wasn’t expecting an apology for this. If she didn’t know better, she would think he was staking a claim. On her.
Kennedy wasn’t sure just how long they kissed before Haddison finally released her mouth. He continued to hold her around the waist, keeping her on her feet.
“I want another date,” he whispered against her lips.
She had to fight hard to regain her senses. “We have another date. Saturday night. To the movies.”
“I can’t wait until then.”
She couldn’t help wondering if they were talking about their movie date or something else. “To take me to the movies?” she decided to ask for clarification.
She could tell from the smile that curved his lips that the movies weren’t the only thing on his agenda.
“I’d like to share my way of watching movies with you tonight.”
“How?”
“By inviting you to a dinner and movie night. Both at my place.”
She had a feeling dinner and movies weren’t all he intended to share with her. It didn’t matter, she was all in. “I’d love to join you tonight, Haddison. What time?”
If her quickness in accepting his invitation surprised him, he didn’t show it. “Seven.”
She nodded. “I’m working late, so I’ll have to come straight there.”
“Umm, that’s even better.”
She lifted a brow. “How so?”
“Then I can add pampering you to the list.”
She doubted he knew how nice that sounded. She couldn’t recall ever being pampered by a man. “Sounds nice.”
“I intend to make it even nicer than it sounds.”
Kennedy didn’t say anything for a moment. Was she rushing into things with Haddison? After all, they’d only met a couple of weeks ago. But in that time, he had rocked her world. It had been instant attraction from the first moment, and they both knew it.
They were adults and could call it what it was. And right now, she was calling it intense sexual desire that needed to be taken care of in the most primal way. Being called to his office for a kiss was only putting a bandage on the real problem — they needed to take care of business, and she was willing to do that.
“When you get to my place, I hope you’re hungry.”
Oh, she still would be hungry all right, and she hoped whatever he was cooking wasn’t the only thing on the menu.
Because she was ready.
Haddison moved around his kitchen in his bare feet while checking on the chicken baking in the oven and the salad he’d slid in the refrigerator. It had been years since he’d had the opportunity to entertain a woman in his home. In the past, wherever he lived resembled nothing more than a warehouse with cheap furnishings and hidden cameras embedded in the walls and ceilings. That’s why when he’d decided to take the job at Rivers and make St. Paul his home, he’d been ready to purchase a place he could call home.
He’d liked this particular condo the moment he walked through the doors. It was spacious and not the box-sized places he’d gotten used to. He had left the furniture and décor up to Lydia, and was glad she’d known his taste in both. When his parents passed, his uncle had placed all of the insurance proceeds in a trust fund for him. He’d never used it until now.
Checking his watch, he saw he had a good two hours left and was glad he’d left work early to get a head start. When he’d invited Kennedy to dinner, he’d had no idea what he would serve. All he’d known was that he wanted her here, tonight. He had no worries about her crowding him. So far, she hadn’t contacted him once. All the phone calls had been initiated by him. She was letting him do the pursuing and he liked that.
Another thing he liked was that she wasn’t into playing games. Their attraction to each other was pretty damn obvious, and she wasn’t being coy about it or pretending she didn’t u
nderstand where it could lead.
He had a feeling that she was looking forward to tonight as much as he was. He could honestly say he’d never been so attracted to a woman in his life, and he was more than ready to explore that new aspect of their relationship.
And yes, they had a relationship. If she wasn’t sure about that, he would eliminate any doubt in her mind by the time she left here tonight.
When his cell phone rang, he recognized the ring tone. It was his uncle. He pulled his mobile phone from the back pocket of his jeans. “Yes, Maceo?”
“I haven’t talked to you since your return from St. Louis. I called to talk to you, but Millie said you’d left the office early. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
He could understand his uncle’s concern. He’d been working for the company a couple of months and hadn’t missed a day, or left before closing time. In fact, a couple of times he’d stayed well past quitting time.
Yesterday, though, he’d had to fly back to St. Louis. He’d never sold his parents’ home and he’d gotten a call from the property manager that a number of upgrades and repairs were needed. So he’d gone back to check on things. “I’m fine. I had a couple of stops to make before coming home to get a head start on dinner.”
“Dinner?”
Too late he realized he had given his uncle too much information. “Yes,” he said. “I invited someone to dinner.”
“Hmm, anyone I know?”
Haddison chuckled. “In fact, yes, you do. Kennedy Bennett. She works at Rivers.”
“Isn’t she the one you indicated was leaving, and felt there had been some funny business going on?”
“Yes, and I’m even more certain of it. I should have my full report to you by the end of next week. You might not like my recommendations.”
“I might not like them, but I trust your judgment. If Matthews and Whitworth have done something unethical, I want them out.”
Haddison knew that his uncle would fire the pair after reading his report. Maceo Rivers didn’t believe in micro-managing and wanted the people who worked for him to take care of business with honesty and integrity.
THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5) Page 9
