“But the deal went through primarily because everyone believed a healthy Connor Albright was at the helm, not a weakened one. You were the one who taught me that image and perception is everything in this business. Speaking of which….” Dan rose. “We probably should get back to the boardroom before our lengthy absence gets noticed and everyone starts forming their own perceptions about it.”
Connor followed Dan, feeling a little lighter after their talk. However, he still remained unconvinced that things had to turn out the way they did. There should have been a way he could have had Tim and completed the deal.
As they passed by a receptionist’s desk, an idea occurred to Connor as to how he could get things back on track with Tim. It probably wouldn’t work, but he was desperate to do anything that would bring Tim back into his life. With a little luck, maybe this plan would do just that.
Chapter Nine
“Hey, have you seen this?”
“Seen what?” Tim asked, spinning in his chair so he could face Matt, who leaned against the edge of his cubicle.
Matt handed him a thick, glossy portfolio with a purple and yellow cover. “It’s a new proposal from the Albright Software Media Corporation Foundation. Apparently, they are spearheading a new fifty-million-dollar community-service initiative that’s going to provide computers and software for the schools in Philadelphia’s poorest districts.”
Just hearing the name Albright still dredged up bitter memories for Tim. Even though nearly four months had passed since his profile on Connor got canceled, he still hadn’t been able to let go of all the resentment.
As if sensing his thoughts, Matt said, “Don’t tell me you’re still holding a grudge after all this time.”
“Of course not,” Tim said, with a smile as fake as the cheerfulness of his tone. “It’s all water under the bridge.”
“Bullshit.” Matt pulled a chair from another cubicle into Tim’s, so when he sat in it, they were almost knee to knee. “I don’t understand why you’re still angry. You got a promotion and a raise out of it, didn’t you?”
“Yeah,” Tim admitted grudgingly. The bump up to senior reporter and the accompanying increase in salary were the only reasons he’d remained at the Chronicle. After his fight with Connor, Tim’s initial instinct had been to resign from the paper. A week later, he was still weighing his options when Shelby offered the raise and the promotion in order to stay.
“I know you’re still upset about your Connor Albright profile not being published, which is understandable,” Shelby had said. “But before you do something hasty, like quit, I want you to know just how much your work and contribution are valued here. If you extend your contract with us, I’ll promote you to senior reporter, which means you’ll have more flexibility in your assignments. And there will also be a very generous increase in salary.”
As angry as he’d been with Shelby, Tim found the offer too tempting to resist. Besides, journalism prospects were few and far between. He knew if he quit, it would be some time, maybe even years, before he found another job as a reporter. Tim signed the contract extension before his pride took over and convinced him to do something foolish.
Matt’s voice dragged him back to the present. “This is a great way to show there are no hard feelings. If you could get ten thousand words to me by Wednesday, this story might have a shot at being a Sunday feature.”
“Huh?” Tim struggled to catch up, and he lifted the portfolio. “You want me to do a story on this?”
“Isn’t that what I just spent the last five minutes explaining? Try to keep up, McInerny.” Matt’s smile took the edge off his words.
“Why assign this to me? I thought being a senior reporter meant I could pick and choose my assignments.”
“I thought you would want to do it.” Matt raised his eyebrows. “Shelby has already committed to making this a Sunday feature, and the Foundation has already indicated that Connor Albright would be willing to do an interview. Wouldn’t you like another bite at the apple?”
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. The well-worn cliché floated through Tim’s head, but he dismissed the thought as quickly as it had appeared. If he didn’t do this story, there were other senior reporters who would. A chance at a Sunday feature, with its high profile, was a coveted opportunity. Tim wouldn’t pass it up, despite the potential awkwardness of seeing and interviewing Connor again.
“I’ll do it,” he told Matt, who nodded like he hadn’t expected any other answer.
“Think you could get this done by Wednesday? The features editor was just telling me how they have space in this weekend’s edition.”
“I’ll have it done,” Tim answered with more confidence than he actually felt. Seeing Connor again would be difficult. But for the sake of advancing his career, Tim was willing to face the man he’d fallen for so hard and who had hurt him so badly.
****
Working with the approval and cooperation of the Albright Software Media Foundation allowed Tim to conduct the interviews in fairly short order. Within forty-eight hours, he’d talked to Philadelphia’s mayor, the superintendent of schools, the Foundation’s president, and several of the beneficiaries of the donation, including grateful teachers and students. There was only one major figure Tim hadn’t interviewed, and he’d hoped he’d be able to write the story without doing so.
However, the Albright Software Media Foundation president disabused him of that notion near the end of their interview. “As much as I’d love to take credit for coming up with this initiative,” she’d said, “this actually is the brainchild of Connor Albright, the CEO and founder of our parent company.”
“Is that so?” Tim asked, more than a little surprised by the news.
The woman nodded. “I know for a fact that he’s eager to discuss how he formulated this educational initiative and why he thinks it’s so vital to Philadelphia’s future.”
“Great, I’ve love to talk to him. I’m sure the Chronicle’s readers would love to hear from one of the country’s most prominent citizens,” Tim said through gritted teeth.
He called Connor’s executive assistant, expecting to get the brush-off. Instead, the woman made an appointment for the next evening. Even now as he stood on the top floor of Albright Software Media’s building in Connor’s corner office, Tim still had a hard time believing they were about to come face to face once again.
You’re here only for an interview. Leave the past in the past.
But the moment Connor walked into the office, all thoughts of objectivity flew out the window. In an instant, Tim’s mind flashed back to what it had been like in Connor’s arms, to feel Connor’s tongue in his mouth and his cock deep in his ass.
Tim rose from the chair, forcing himself out of the sexual trance, though Connor’s warm smile did nothing to help ease his sense of longing.
“Hi. I apologize for keeping you waiting. Seems like I’m always telling you that,” Connor said, letting out brief chuckle. “I had a board meeting that went longer than expected. Is this too late for you? We can reschedule if you have other plans.”
Tim didn’t have anything planned for that night, or any other night that week. Yet he still made a show of consulting his watch anyway. “I was supposed to meet some friends at a jazz club, but I’ll catch up with them later. This interview with you is my priority right now.”
Connor’s enigmatic smile made Tim think he had seen through his bullshit. Connor sat behind his desk and said, “Since I’ve already held you up, let’s get started so I don’t delay you any further.”
That was just what Tim wanted to hear. The sooner he got this interview over with, the sooner he’d be out of Connor’s presence and away from the memories it evoked. With pen and notepad already in hand, he pulled his tape recorder out of his pocked and turned it on. “I’d like to start by asking you what initially inspired you to give a fifty-million-dollar donation to fund this education initiative.”
For the next twenty minut
es, the two men went back and forth, with Tim using Connor’s answers to fill in some of the gaps that still remained in his article. Like the first time he interviewed Connor, Tim found him honest, candid, and surprisingly humble for someone funding an educational enterprise of this size. “It’s unusual for someone in your position, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, to not only initiate a public effort such as this, but to pledge continued involvement to ensure its success.”
Connor leaned back in his chair, a pensive expression on his face. “Suffering a heart attack and undergoing quadruple bypass surgery has caused me to reexamine my priorities.”
Though startled by the mention of his health issues, Tim didn’t interrupt as Connor continued.
“While maintaining Albright Software Media’s commitment to growth and innovation, I realized that there needed to be an equal emphasis on developing the talents of future generations. The doctors who performed my surgery were among the best in their field. I want to do what I can to make sure the future doctors in the next generation have what they need.”
Tim knew asking Connor about his health might put him on thin ice, but he decided to go for it anyway. “How are you feeling? You certainly look better than the last time I saw you.”
Connor paused, hesitation clouded his face. “I’m fine,” he finally said.
“Okay, then.” Tim clicked off the recorder. “I think I’ve got what I need here. Thanks so much for your―”
“That’s it?” Connor’s eyes widened and he sat up straight in his chair. “Don’t you want to ask me some more questions about how my recovery is going?”
Tim shook his head. “I don’t want the rug yanked out from under me again. I didn’t mean to bring it up, but my curiosity got the better of me. Anyway, it has nothing to do with this article, so it won’t get mentioned.”
“You don’t have anything to worry about, at least not on our end. There won’t be any interference with your article this time. The public already knows about my heart attack and surgery, so there’s no need for the same level of secrecy as last time.”
“Yeah, I saw the profile on you in The Wall Street Journal. It was a good article,” Tim admitted grudgingly.
“Actually, I preferred the questions you asked me. They were a lot more incisive and probably would have made for a better read.”
We’ll never know, Tim wanted to say, but he held his tongue. “I’m sort of glad things wound up the way they did. If you hadn’t gotten my first article canned, I might not be here now doing this particular interview. In the long run, this feature on your donation to fund the new educational initiative is a lot more important and meaningful. So, I guess I owe you a thank you.”
“And I owe you an apology.” Connor stood and walked over to the chair adjacent to Tim’s. As he sat, he said, “The last time we saw each other, I said a lot of terrible things I didn’t mean. I know that I hurt you, and I’m sorry. Requesting you do a story on my company’s new charitable venture doesn’t make up for interfering with your last article on me. But I wanted to prove to you that I believe in your talent and trust in your ability.”
Tim’s heart beat so fast, it felt like it would burst out of his chest. Although he’d wanted Connor to apologize, he never imagined it would actually happen. With a deep breath, he said, “I owe you an apology too.”
“No, you don’t. I―”
Tim shook his head and leaned forward. “If you’re brave enough to say you’re sorry, then I can do the same. I acted like a spoiled brat. Articles get canceled all the time, usually with no explanation whatsoever. I confused our personal relationship with our professional one, and I should have done a better job of keeping the two separate.”
“You’re not the only one who had difficulty maintaining the personal and professional boundaries.” The small smile on Connor’s face vanished as he added, “I think both of our egos got the better of us. I’m sorry we weren’t able to overcome those differences and try to work things out between us.”
“Me too.” Tim’s pain echoed in his voice.
They sat in silence for several moments before Connor said, “And now you’re involved with someone else. Is he among the friends you’re meeting at this jazz club?”
“Huh?” Then Tim remembered the lie he’d told earlier. “No, I just said that so I wouldn’t sound like a pathetic workaholic who had nothing to do but go back to an empty apartment and write this article.”
“So, no plans at the jazz club?”
“I don’t even like jazz. It sounded like something cool to say.” Tim let out a nervous laugh, but Connor’s face remained serious.
“No new boyfriend either?”
“No, no one since you.” Tim saw the unmistakable expression of relief wash over Connor’s face. “Someone told you I did?”
He watched Connor’s cheeks flush, making him look totally adorable. “One night, I sat in the coffee shop across the street from your apartment building and saw you go in with some guy about your height with dark hair. You two looked really friendly, so I just assumed you’d moved on.”
Tim racked his brain to figure out who Connor was talking about. When the answer finally came to him, he let out a big belly laugh. “You’ve got to be talking about my brother, Caleb. He came by my place one night to watch a Floyd Mayweather boxing match on my neighbor’s pay-per-view. My sister-in-law gives him grief about how stupid boxing is, so once he found out my neighbor was a boxing fan, he drops by whenever there’s a match he wants to see.”
Connor rolled his eyes up to the ceiling. “I feel stupid getting jealous over seeing you with your brother.”
Tim took Connor’s hands in his and squeezed. “If I’d seen you on the streets with another man, I’d have felt the same way. I tried to move on, but I couldn’t. I dreaded doing this interview because I knew it would hurt to see you again when I still felt so strongly about you.”
Connor lifted his hand and stroked Tim’s cheek. “I haven’t been able to get you off my mind. What we had felt like the start of something special. I want us to give it a second chance and see what develops.”
“I do too,” Tim whispered as he leaned forward to kiss Connor on the lips. Connor’s mouth opened slightly, and the two men’s tongues were entangled within seconds. Though he reveled in touching and tasting Connor again, Tim remembered where they were. He forced himself to break off the kiss and ask, “Is your door locked?”
“Let me double check.” He watched Connor get up and press a button on the underside of his desk. “It is now.”
“Good.” Tim stood and held open his arms, embracing Connor as he fell into them. “I’ve missed this.”
He kissed Connor once again, loosening the man’s tie and unbuttoning his shirt as he did. He caressed Connor’s bare chest with his hands, taking particular care around the spot of the surgical scar. He knew Connor still felt self-conscious about it, but to Tim, it was just a reminder of the flaws they both had, both internal and external.
Connor shied away from his touch, but Tim wouldn’t let go, drawing him closer. He planted three light kisses on the scar before lifting up his chin to kiss Connor on the lips again.
“Why did you do that?” Connor asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Because I wanted to show you that what you see as a sign of weakness is actually a part of you that is just as sexy and appealing as this….” Tim lowered his head to Connor’s nipples and licked one and then the other, until they’d both pebbled into erect nubs. “And definitely just as luscious as this….” Tim moved his lips to the nape of Connor’s neck, lightly biting and then sucking the skin there.
Connor ground his erect penis against Tim’s thigh, which Tim immediately started to caress.
“Of course, this is my favorite part of you.” Tim used his thumb to massage the bead of precum that had formed at the head of Connor’s dick over the length of the growing erection.
“I’m pretty fond of that part of you, myself.” Connor unzip
ped Tim’s pants and pulled his cock out of his briefs.
Tim groaned when Connor massaged his cock the same way he rubbed Connor’s.
Although tempted to surrender to the waves of desire that Connor’s touch always brought about, Tim remained determined to focus on what he’d already started. Connor’s dick swelled further and grew slicker with sticky precum, but Tim continued to stroke it until he could tell Connor was close to climaxing. He started to sink to his knees, eager to taste the unique salty muskiness of Connor’s semen, but Connor gripped his waist, preventing him from moving.
“I want to do something else this time,” Connor said, dropping to the floor and bringing Tim with him. After pulling off Tim’s pants, he laid Tim lengthwise and then stretched out in the opposite direction, so his crotch was mere inches from Tim’s face, and vice versa.
“Are you sure?” Tim managed before Connor licked the tip of his cock, causing sparks of pleasure to shoot directly into his brain. “Oh, fuck yeah!”
With Connor’s hot mouth taking more and more of him in, Tim had a hard time concentrating on returning the pleasure. He was lost in the sexual haze that Connor’s tongue created. But not wanting to be selfish or greedy, he forced himself to focus on licking and sucking Connor with as much skill as Connor was doing to him. However, Tim found it difficult to keep up with Connor’s pace, especially since Connor’s mouth kept taking him deeper and deeper, creating a vacuum that paralyzed Tim from doing anything else.
Unable to take it anymore, Tim yelled and released spurt after spurt of cum down Connor’s throat. He tried to withdraw so as not to shoot off his entire load, but Connor refused to let him and swallowed every last drop.
Though barely able to move, Tim managed to mumble, “You don’t how fantastic that felt.”
Connor’s mouth curved into a rueful grin. “If it’s even a fraction of what you do to me, then yeah, I have a pretty good idea.”
Secrets With the Billionaire Page 6
