“I have Archie’s laptop and phone for us to look at.”
Hadley smiled. “Excellent.”
“I want L’Orage found, Hadley. I won’t let him destroy my company and steal my gear.”
She heard anger in his voice, along with pure steel. He meant every word.
“Then let’s get to work,” she said.
* * *
Bennett watchedHadley charm all his senior managers. She played the part of smart, experienced Halle Atwood very well. She rarely poured that charm on him. In fact, she most often eyed him with suspicion.
A faint smile crossed his face. He got to see the real Hadley Lockwood, not the carefully curated façade.
She sure was something. A very tempting something.
The dress she wore clung to her curves. When she leaned over to look at something on his CFO’s computer, Bennett’s gaze dropped to her arse.
He stifled a groan. Never, not once, had he lusted after anyone in the office. He wasn’t a man to indulge his fantasies during work hours, especially not when that work was so important to him. But Hadley was stirring up his imagination.
Shit.
“Thank you.” Hadley smiled at Peter. “I look forward to learning more about Secura from you.”
Peter flushed a little. He was fifty-five, divorced, and he wasn’t exactly smooth around the ladies. Bennett knew a bunch of the twenty-something assistants were trying to get poor Peter into online dating.
“Cheers, Peter. I need to steal Halle away now.” Bennett took her arm. “We have a lot to discuss.”
Her blue eyes met his. “Sure thing, boss.”
Shit. His cock twitched.
He crossed the office, quickly introducing her to a few more people in some of the open-plan areas.
Then his assistant Maudie popped up from her desk. She had a cloud of short, curly, blonde hair, English Rose skin, and wore one of her usual vintage outfits—this one was a black skirt with some flare, and a stripy blouse, topped with a huge flower brooch.
“Good morning, Maudie,” he said.
His assistant shot him a grumpy look, then glared at Hadley. “This is the new manager?”
Hadley blinked at Maudie’s less-than-welcoming tone.
“Halle, this is my assistant, Maudie. She keeps us in line around here, and mostly, she charms us with her upbeat cheer and pleasant demeanor.”
That earned him another withering glance.
“Okay, just kidding. While she may not have a sunny personality, she’s a damn good assistant,” he said.
“Then I guess it’s nice to meet you, Maudie.” Hadley smiled. “I like your outfit.”
Maudie rolled her eyes. “I can tell designer when I see it.” Her gaze ran over Hadley’s dress. “I don’t think you’re into anything vintage.”
Hadley rolled her shoulder. “I have some vintage Chanel.”
Maudie just made an impatient sound. “Ben, here, is always late for meetings, and his phone calls always run too long. Keeping him to a schedule is nearly impossible. He forgets to sign the paperwork I give him, and generally is a pain in my ass.”
For about the millionth time, Bennett wondered why he kept Maudie around. Oh yes, because her fiancé had been in the military, and had been killed. She’d been desperate for work. He reminded himself that he admired her honesty.