THE BENNETTS' WEDDING (The Bennett Family and the Masters Family Book 5)

by Brenda Jackson

  “I am leaving. I start my new job next month,” she said. The truth was, she didn’t have another job lined up yet, but he didn’t have to know that. She’d sent out resumes to several companies. So far, the only interest had come from a relatively new agency. The starting salary was a lot less than she was making here, but at this point, money didn’t matter. She had enough in her savings to tide her over for a while.

  Thankfully, the bank had quickly gotten the error corrected in that credit report and had financed a new car, so she had dependable transportation. Her father had even suggested that she open her own advertising company, even offering to come on board as an investor. She appreciated him believing in her abilities.

  “Where will you be going when you leave here?”

  As far as she was concerned, that was none of his business. All he needed to know was that she was leaving Rivers. “It doesn’t really matter where I’ll be working, Mr. Matthews. All you need to know is I won’t be here.” Standing, Kennedy added, “Now, if you will excuse me, I have to get back to work.” She turned to leave.

  “I expect all your projects completed before your resignation date.”

  He’d assigned five projects to her, and there was no way she could finish all of them before leaving. For her to even try meant she’d be working day and night. They both knew that. She turned back to him, coming close to telling him where he could shove those projects. But she didn’t.

  Instead, in a very professional tone, she said, “That’s why I’m giving you four weeks’ notice instead of the customary two weeks’, Mr. Matthews. I will finish the Mayer project since it is due before my last day. However, I suggest you reassign the others.”

  He glared at her for a long time and then asked, as if grudgingly, “Is there any way I can get you to extend your time? At least until all the projects are finalized? You have a very good relationship with those clients. Most want to work with you and no one else.”

  “I feel certain they will accept whoever takes my place. And there is no way I will extend my time. Good day.” Without saying anything else, she walked out of his office, relieved that her days working here were limited.

  As she rounded a corner, she bumped into what felt like a solid wall. She dropped the folder in her hand, and her papers went scattering to the floor. “Sorry about that, miss,” a deep male voice said, before a masculine body stooped down to gather her papers.

  “That’s okay. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she said, staring down at a broad back covered in a nice business suit.

  “Neither was I.”

  The man stood, and when she looked into his eyes, she suddenly felt dizzy. He had “his” eyes — the eyes of the bank robber she thought about a little too often. “Here you are,” he said, handing her back the folder.

  When she continued to stare at him, he asked, “Are you okay?”

  She blinked, trying to clear her head. “Sorry, you remind me of someone…it’s your eyes.”

  He lifted a brow. “My eyes?”

  “Yes, I know that sounds crazy but…” She thought it best to stop while she was ahead. It did sound crazy. A lot of people had dark brown eyes, so why had this man’s reminded her of the robber she hadn’t been able to forget.

  “Nothing sounds crazy these days,” he said, offering her his hand. “I’m Haddison B. Wolf, head of security here at Rivers.”

  She nodded. So, this was the guy all the women had been whispering about, the new guy to head security. It seemed the whispers claiming he was an extra dose of eye candy were true. He was tall, definitely well-built, looked good in his business suit, and was undeniably sexy.

  His features were sharp and accentuated his smooth mahogany-colored skin. And she definitely liked his neatly trimmed beard. It seemed to make his lips that much more pronounced…and tempting.

  Jesus, how could she think such a thing! She quickly glanced at his hand. When she didn’t see a wedding band, she breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn’t been fantasizing about some woman’s husband.

  She took the hand he offered and did her best to ignore the feel of blood surging through her veins when their hands touched. “Nice to meet you, Haddison B. Wolf. I’m Kennedy Bennett. I’d heard Theo was retiring. We’re going to miss him around here. He’s such a nice man.”

  “Yes, Theo will be a hard act to follow, but I intend to do my best.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do fine.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now, if you will excuse me, I’m on my way to a meeting. Again, I’m sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going,” he said.

  “I’m to blame, as well. No harm done. Thanks for gathering up my papers for me.”

  “No problem. I hope to see you around, Ms. Bennett.”

  He then quickly walked off. Kennedy couldn’t help but turn to study him as he went. He even had a purely sexy walk and looked even more imposing from behind. Now she understood why the women were calling him “Mr. Sexy-on-Legs” behind his back. He was definitely one impressive-looking man.

  And he had “his” eyes.

  She’d become physically turned on by them. There was no denying it. The moment she’d looked into Haddison B. Wolf’s eyes, she’d felt something immediate and spontaneous. Just like she’d done with that bank robber. Was her body programmed to come alive whenever men with that particular eye coloring looked at her? That couldn’t be the case — she knew other men with dark brown eyes. Nothing happened when she looked into them. What was so unique about this guy’s eyes, and those of that bank robber’s?

  She drew in a deep breath as she continued to walk toward the elevator. For some reason, she still couldn’t forget that thief, the one who’d been killed…the one she’d kissed. Other than the eyes, there was no other resemblance between him and the new chief of security. The two men didn’t even talk alike. But looking into Haddison B. Wolf’s eyes had immediately reminded her of him.

  She wondered if there would ever be a time when she was able to put that terrifying — and confusing — day from her mind. She’d been checking the news periodically, but it looked as if the trial hadn’t begun yet. The two other men in the car had been sent to Texas to face charges there. If convicted, they could serve more than forty years. She was glad. Men like that deserved to be locked up.

  Her mind flashed an image of light brown eyes. She shook her head. It was over. He was gone. And nothing would bring him back.

  HADDISON NODDED TO HIS personal assistant before going into his office. Removing his jacket, he hung it up and then moved to the chair behind his desk, almost on autopilot. His mind was filled with thoughts of the woman he’d bumped into in the hall.

  He’d recognized her.

  What were the chances of their paths crossing again, and here, of all places? Everything about Kennedy Bennett was the same, her scent, the professional dress, and the striking good looks. And something else that hadn’t changed was his attraction to her.

  She’d almost recognized him. At least, she’d said there was something familiar about his eyes. He drew in a deep breath, glad she hadn’t recognized anything else. Hopefully, by the time he’d walked away, she’d have decided it had been a case of mistaken identity. There was no reason for her to think anything else.

  And she was leaving the company…

  One advantage of being an FBI agent was the ability to discern things at a moment’s glance. When he’d stooped to pick up the documents that had fallen out of her folder, he’d noticed a copy of a resignation letter dated for today, with an effective date four weeks from now.

  Booting up the computer, he used the necessary code to get into her employee file. He nodded, not surprised to see the high job-performance evaluations she’d gotten. Excellent ratings during the years she’d worked here, straight out of college. Yet she’d been overlooked for a promotion around seven months ago — a promotion that would have made her manager of her team.

  He then pulled up information on the person who�
��d gotten the job ahead of her — a man named Larry Matthews, who’d only been with the company eighteen months. Looking through the file, he couldn’t see anything exceptional about Matthews’s job performance. So why had he won the promotion?

  Haddison spent the next thirty minutes comparing the two employees’ work records. He couldn’t find any reason Matthews had been promoted over Kennedy Bennett…other than the obvious. And the obvious wouldn’t look good for Rivers if Kennedy Bennett filed a sexual discrimination lawsuit. Especially if the courts subpoenaed these employment records. How had his uncle signed off on this?

  He dug a bit deeper and discovered that his uncle hadn’t signed off, thank God. The promotion had been processed by his uncle’s junior executive over the marketing department, Nelson Whitworth.

  He got up from the computer to stretch his legs, wondering what to do. Haddison knew that his interest in a possible sexual discrimination lawsuit would not be within the scope of his duties as head of security. But he had a personal stake in the company…which gave him reason to check out anything he considered suspect.

  Unfortunately, that meant he’d be dealing with Kennedy, something he’d wanted to avoid. Because it was obvious that he was still attracted to her. That had been crystal clear the moment he’d bumped into her and their bodies had touched. Even before looking up into her face, he’d known it was her. No other woman had ever affected him the way she did.

  Returning to sit at his desk, he picked up the phone to call his uncle’s cell phone. Maceo was out of the office today; somehow Lydia had convinced him to play hooky with her. She was an attorney who was tied up in court on most days, but she must have had a free day and wanted him to spend it with her. Haddison couldn’t help but appreciate Lydia for realizing that Maceo would never take a break from working unless one was forced on him.

  “Yes, Haddison? Is everything alright?”

  “I need to run something by you that might not be within the scope of my job duties. However, there’s a chance it’ll save the company from a possible lawsuit.”

  “I’m listening.”

  Knowing he had his uncle’s full attention, he provided what he knew so far, deciding there was no reason to mention he’d once met Kennedy Bennett while working undercover. As far as he was concerned, the two were mutually exclusive.

  After he’d given his uncle the rundown, Maceo added, “I’ve met Kennedy Bennett. She’s participated in a few meetings I’ve held. She’s sharp mentally and physically.”

  Haddison lifted a brow. “Physically?”

  “Yes, she’s a smart dresser. I’m old school and appreciate employees who still dress for success and not for relaxation. Although I’ve eased up on the dress code as a result of employees’ opinion surveys, it’s good to see some people still like to dress professionally.”

  Maceo paused a minute, as if thinking. Then he offered, “As far as her being passed up for that promotion, I recall being told the person being considered was the best candidate. If you believe otherwise, Haddison, then I’d like to know why Whitworth lied about it.”

  Haddison was interested in knowing that, as well. “The last thing Rivers needs is to lose good employees.”

  “I agree,” his uncle said.

  “I’ll keep you posted. Enjoy your day off,” Haddison said before clicking off the phone. He leaned back in his chair, remembering how Kennedy Bennett had looked at him while staring deep into his eyes. She must have been pretty focused on his eyes through the ski mask if she could recall how his eyes looked. And there had been that quick moment when she’d snatched off his mask. Were there other things she remembered about him, the way he thought about her? Considering the role he’d played that day, he couldn’t imagine anything about him being worth remembering. And yet, in the end, she had kissed him. He’d thought he’d understood her reasons for doing it — a hard case of fear would make a person do just about anything. But now, he wasn’t so sure.

  Still, she shouldn’t be able to connect him with Addison Bracey again. He didn’t sound like the same man and he didn’t look like him now, either, thanks to his beard. Of course, that meant he would always have to wear one around her, just in case she’d noticed the scar across his cheek. That would undoubtedly be a revealing moment for her.

  He glanced at his watch. It was lunch time and there was a café within walking distance. One of his men claimed it was a good place to grab a turkey sandwich, and he loved turkey.

  He stood and was about to go over to the rack to grab his jacket when his phone rang. He clicked on the desk phone. “Yes, Marsha?”

  “Nelson Whitworth is on the line.”

  Nelson Whitworth? This was definitely a coincidence. “Put him through.” Haddison eased back down in his chair.

  When the call connected, he said, “Mr. Whitworth? What can I do for you?” From the start, when he’d met with all the department heads at Rivers, Whitworth had come across as a straightforward man whose job was to protect the company. A plain-speaking man who didn’t deal with unnecessary BS.

  “I’m hoping it’s something we can do for you.”

  That made him lift his brow again. “I’m listening.”

  “I’d rather not speak about it over the phone. Is there a way you can meet me in my office in ten minutes? Larry Matthews, the Marketing Manager, will be joining us.”

  Haddison nodded. Another coincidence? “I’m on my way.”

  “You’re not eating lunch today?”

  Kennedy glanced up at the woman who’d stuck her head into her office. Adelia Powers was one of the first people who’d welcomed her to Rivers when Kennedy began her career with the company four years ago, and she’d become a good friend. Adelia was older than her by ten years and had worked for the company for around twelve. A divorcee and single mom, she was smart as a whip with more experience than the entire team combined. But because of company policy, she hadn’t ever been considered for management because she lacked a college degree.

  A couple of years ago, Kennedy had convinced Adelia to begin taking college classes online since her son was still young and she hadn’t wanted to leave him with a babysitter. Now Adelia was taking both online and night classes.

  “Not until later. I have a conference call with the Miller Foundation.” And because Adelia was one of the few people she fully trusted at the office, she said, “I turned in my resignation this morning.”

  Adelia nodded, smiling. “Good for you. I knew they’d messed up when they gave Larry that promotion. Mr. Whitworth was wrong about that. He knows what an awful employee Larry is.”

  “I blame Mr. Rivers for allowing it to happen. He owns the company,” Kennedy said.

  “He probably went along with whatever Whitworth suggested, trusting his executives to do the right thing.”

  Kennedy rolled her eyes. “Well, so much for that happening.” Deciding not to discuss her resignation any longer, she said, “Don’t worry — I’ll eat. I’ll go out and grab a sandwich after my conference call.”

  “Okay. See you later.”

  Once Adelia left, Kennedy turned her attention back to the file on her desk. At least, she tried to. However, she couldn’t stop thinking about her encounter this morning with the company’s new head of security, Haddison B. Wolf. She wondered what the B stood for. She could definitely come up with a number of possibilities, she thought smiling. Beautiful. Built. Beguiling. And because of the work he did, she would definitely have to add brains.

  The B could also stand for blood, since he definitely got hers rushing. In a way, that was a good thing. It meant that her work-overload hadn’t diminished her ability to get turned on by a man. Of course, there had been that one other time — when she’d been attracted to that bank robber — but that didn’t count. She was convinced she had pretty much lost her mind that day, when she feared she would also lose her life.

  She glanced at her watch. She was going home straight after work, regardless of her workload. Today was her cousin Victor
ia’s birthday, and Kennedy and her cousins would be taking her to dinner. Because of all their busy schedules, it was nice when all four cousins made time to spend together. Then they could eat, drink, and be merry while catching up on what was going on in each other’s lives.

  Sighing, she turned her attention back to the documents in front of her. And this time, she swore she would concentrate on them.

  Haddison studied the two men. Whitworth was sitting behind a huge oak desk, and Matthews was sitting in one of the chairs in front of it. “Come in,” Whitworth said, grinning broadly. “Glad you could meet with us on such short notice. Please, have a seat,” he said, gesturing to the empty chair next to Matthews. “You know Larry, right.”

  “Yes, we’ve met. What’s this meeting about?” he asked, taking the chair, deciding to let them know he wanted to get down to business.

  “It’s about this,” Matthews said, handing him a document.

  Haddison scanned it. Surprisingly, it was Kennedy Bennett’s resignation letter. After a brief moment, he glanced over at Matthews and then at Whitworth. “And how is this important? Employees resign from companies all the time.”

  “Yes, that might be the case, Mr. Wolf. But Ms. Bennett’s resignation raises concerns,” Matthews said.

  Haddison raised a brow. “What sort of concerns?”

  “If Kennedy Bennett leaves here, there’s a good chance she’ll take ten of our top clients with her. She indicated she had another job, and when I asked where, she refused to tell me.”

  Haddison didn’t say anything, but couldn’t help wondering if Matthews honestly thought Ms. Bennett’s new career path was any of his business. “And?”

  “And we can’t help wondering if she’s being hired by any of our competitors,” Whitworth chimed in to say. “Or starting her own company, and taking our clients with her. Since you’re our security person, I wanted to ask you to keep an eye on her.”