Conklin's Foundation (Conklin's Trilogy #2)

by Brooke Page

  I looked up in confusion. Why was Connor here? I know I had been ignoring his calls, but he never left any messages. I shook my head, trying to regain my thoughts.

  “I will be out there in a minute, thanks.”

  Will and I quickly found a stopping point, and I cautiously made my way to the front of the office.

  He was still a sight for sore eyes standing tall in his pinstripe Polo suit, his blond hair meticulously styled, blue eyes piercing. I let off a small smile as I approached him.

  “Becca, so nice to see you,” he said kindly.

  “Nice to see you too,” I said politely back.

  We stood in silence for a moment as Connor’s eyes found the receptionist.

  “Did you want to discuss something privately?” I asked, tilting my head towards the door.

  “Actually, I was hoping we could do lunch? I know it’s a little early, and I would understand if you already had plans,” he said rubbing the back of his neck. He looked nervous.

  I thought in my head, should I go to lunch with my ex? Tyler was sure spending a lot of time with his lately. Screw it, he could get over it. I put up with one too many occurrences with Margo, he sure could put up with me going for a friendly lunch.

  “All right. I have time.”

  ~

  We drove to The Chop House on Monroe Avenue and got a table for two. It felt weird sitting in a car next to Connor, and the entire time was filled with awkward small talk. Connor didn’t start really talking until we were seated at a table in the restaurant.

  “Becs I’ve tried to call you a few times,” he said clearing his throat.

  I raised an eyebrow at him. It was way more than a few times.

  Catching on to my subliminal message, he corrected himself. “Okay, so it’s been kind of a lot.”

  “Why didn’t you leave a message?” I asked.

  He stared at his folded hands then looked up at me, his bright blue eyes filled with anguish.

  “Becca I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I was a complete asshole, and I can’t believe I let Ashlynn ruin what we had,” he started to bounce his leg, a nervous habit he always had. It was rather annoying actually.

  “Connor…that was a really long time ago. I know I brought it up at my father’s Christmas party, but really, I’m over it,” I said sincerely. I didn’t feel the need to apologize to Connor. Between him and Ashlynn, they were the only ones I didn’t feel awful for spiting my fire in their direction.

  “I didn’t know Ashlynn planned for you to see us. I never wanted that. I honestly didn’t know what I wanted at the time,” he said, confusion written all over his face.

  “Ashlynn is manipulative, which I’m sure you have figured out. Or at least I hope you have figured out by now,” I snorted.

  “Yeah, we aren’t together anymore. Turns out Tyler wasn’t her first conquest when we were together,” he said quietly, pain in his eyes.

  He shook his head and focused again. “I hurt you so badly. I would do anything to take it all back.”

  “Thank you, for saying that, but Connor, I really am fine,” I said with a smile.

  He didn’t say anything for a few moments but just looked me over with a small smile.

  “You have really grown up, Becca.”

  I let out an awkward laughed. “Thanks?”

  He laughed with me. “I mean it. Looking at you now, you are so full of confidence. You truly are beaming. You have always been gorgeous, but you have really blossomed.”

  I furrowed my eyebrows at him. I was always gorgeous?

  “I mean it, Becca. I don’t want you to think you needed to lose weight. You always were beautiful. I’m sorry if I made you feel differently while we were dating. I should have told you more. I think that’s what went wrong with us. You hardly had any confidence in yourself back then, but now you are just radiating from it,” he said bemused.

  I scrunched my eyebrows in again, not sure if I should punch him in the face or thank him.

  “I didn’t have a whole lot of confidence back then, and honestly I still don’t. But I think I just know what I want now and what I need,” I said, really believing my own words.

  “You do, and it looks good on you. How are things at the Conklin building?”

  Thankful for the change of subject and our food arriving, I started to discuss with Connor where I had been the past five weeks and what I was up to. It was nice having a normal conversation with him.

  “So, are you and Tyler…” he hinted, picking at his salad.

  I smiled down into my plate, blushing for the first time all lunch. “Yes. We are.” I left out his ex constantly being around though.

  Connor gave me another sincere smile, but then looked down at his plate again. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but how much do you know about him?”

  “Why do you ask?” I said, feeling defensive.

  “I’ve just seen him having lunch and dinner meetings with a certain figure that has a bad rep in the city.” He set his fork down and looked me right in the eyes. “I don’t know what they were talking about, but if Conklin is doing business with this guy, it’s probably bad news.”

  “Business with who?” I questioned.

  Connor sighed and leaned back in his seat. “His name is Lee Chino. I ran across dozens of cases during my internship that all pointed to him and his following.”

  So Chino was up to no good, and Tyler had been meeting with him. I wondered now how many times he was meeting with Chino versus Margo, and if he were more afraid of me finding out he had really been meeting with him more than her.

  “He is a friend of my father from when they were younger. What is he into?” I asked, now curious to finally get some answers about this guy.

  Connor looked around nervously. “Mainly narcotics, but Becs, he is smooth. There is a reason why he isn’t sitting in a jail cell yet. Tyler needs to be careful around him.”

  “Tyler wouldn’t mix up in that kind of business,” I said earnestly. “If anything, Tyler is probably trying to push him away gently.”

  Connor’s mouth twisted. “I don’t think you can push him away gently. This guy seems to go out with a bang. Just be careful, okay?”

  I nodded my head and changed the subject. I had heard enough about Chino for now, and I was going to have to dig deeper with Tyler. Maybe I would wait until Margo wasn’t hovering over our heads.

  ~

  Connor walked me into my building, which happened to be only a few blocks from his new office. I was glad to hear he could find a job outside of Ashlynn’s father’s company. Connor was good at what he did but unfortunately in this city it was all about who you knew.

  “Thank you for lunch. You really didn’t have to pay,” I said to Connor as I walked through the entry way to the lobby.

  “It was a pleasure. Without sounding cliché, I’m just around the corner if you ever need anything,” he said sincerely. He reached to give me a hug that felt more intimate than the times before, and I felt uncomfortable. Even though Connor’s arms and expensive cologne were vaguely familiar, they weren’t Tyler’s, and I didn’t like how close his lips were to my cheek.

  “Don’t be afraid to call. I meant what I said earlier at lunch,” he murmured against my cheek.

  I quickly pulled away and said goodbye, wanting to get out of his uncomfortable embrace. It felt good to hear Connor say nice things about me and truthfully apologize and recognize what he did was wrong and hurtful. It felt like closure, maybe more so for him than me, but the outcome was pleasant.

  Being in Connor’s arms for the slightest second made me miss Tyler. As mad as I was at him last night and this morning, my love for him always conquered, and I wanted to see him.

  With a hopeful heart, I skipped past my floor and headed to the top where Tyler’s office was. Hopefully he hadn’t left to help Margo and her father and was working alone in his office.

  I walked past Nathan’s empty office. He was in Miami for the weekend with Jamie
, and was actually going to share the condo with her from now on since I moved out. I was happy they got along so well. It made me not feel as guilty for spending so much time with Tyler instead of Jamie.

  I walked down the hall and saw Cooper’s eyes go wide when I came to his desk. “Is Tyler here still?” I asked with a smile.

  Cooper didn’t say anything for a second as though he was trying to think quickly on his feet. Then I heard a female laugh. My eyes narrowed and Cooper looked uncomfortable. I turned on my heel and stomped to his door. I wasn’t going to eavesdrop this time. I had learned my lesson from the last time I sat outside Tyler’s office and listened to his conversations.

  There was one of two ways I could handle this situation. Either I storm in in complete bitch mode, or I go in possessively, claiming my man like a lioness.

  When I opened the door, I saw Margo’s big blob of fiery red curls moving as she let out another laugh. I wanted to rip her hair right off and throw her out with Cooper. What pissed me off even more was Tyler’s slow smile sneaking up from the paperwork he was jotting notes on. He moved his eyes from her to me, filled with surprise, then happiness.

  “Hey, I was just going to call you and see if you wanted to grab lunch,” Tyler said, standing from his desk.

  Straightening my dress and raising my chin, I slowly walked over to him.

  The lioness version won.

  I put my hands on his waist and pulled him into me, standing on my tip toes to give him a lingering kiss. He froze at first, but quickly warmed to my affection, snaking one arm around my waist. I put my hand on his chest and turned to see Margo as Tyler kissed my temple.

  “Oh, hi. Margo… right?” I said overly sweet, enthused with Tyler’s reaction to my visit.

  A smirk played on her lips as she slowly stood.

  Why did she have to be so tall and skinny?

  “Yes. You must be the lovely Becca. Tyler doesn’t stop talking about you. It’s nice to see you again,” she said with humor in her eyes.

  Did she know what game I was playing? I squeezed my arm around Tyler, moving my hand downward so I could slip a few fingers in his back pocket. He smirked down at me, clearly loving my approach to the situation.

  “So you will meet me at the hospital in an hour?” she asked Tyler. He gave her a curt nod as both her answer and dismissal.

  She smiled back, then met my eyes, fire lit behind her irises. I rubbed my fingers along Tyler’s firm chest, resting my head on his shoulder while I met her eyes.

  Hah! See? He is mine. Back off!

  “Have a good afternoon,” I said as pleasantly as I could, enjoying seeing Margo’s eyes planted on Tyler’s hand that happened to be firmly set on my lower back.

  She gave me a nod and actually looked sad. I felt a little bad for not telling her I was sorry about her father. No one deserved to deal with a family member suffering.

  Once Margo left, Tyler’s hand crept down my behind, cupping me and pulling my pelvis into his.

  “Why Miss Stine, that was quite the show,” he flirted.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” I said innocently.

  “Yeah, right,” he said knowingly. His other hand reached to my other cheek, giving me a gentle squeeze. I felt my breath catch as he massaged my behind. Why did I deny him last night again?

  “So… about lunch?” he said slowly, rotating me so my back was leaning against his desk.

  A lump formed in my throat. How was I going to tell him I already ate lunch, and I willingly went with Connor?

  “We could go get something… or order in…” Before I knew what was happening, he lifted me onto his desk, and I squealed.

  “Although what I am hungry for is already here,” he murmured, running his hands up my thighs and under my dress.

  I gulped again, guilt filling my body.

  Tyler cocked his head at my expression. “What’s wrong? Are you still mad at me?”

  I shook my head no, forgetting how upset I was with him earlier.

  “I already ate lunch,” I said quietly.

  Tyler’s grin became wider as he hiked my skirt up more. “Then I will help myself to what’s on my desk,” he smirked, his hands finding my panties.

  I wiggled and grabbed his arms. He looked at me confused.

  “I had lunch with Connor,” I said with caution.

  Tyler scrunched his eyebrows. “What do you mean you had lunch with Connor?” His voice became low and felt like a warning.

  I bit my lip then spoke. “He came into my office wanting to get lunch. So I told him we could.”

  Tyler’s jaw ticked as he looked over my blank expression. “Why would you want to have lunch with him?”

  “He called me a lot while I was in Miami and wanted-”

  “He called you in Miami? And you didn’t feel the need to tell me?” Tyler roared.

  My tongue was caught in my throat. I didn’t think it was a big deal.

  “Tyler, I never answered, and he never left any messages. I didn’t think anything of it,” I said simply.

  Tyler stepped back and put his hands on his hips. “So you give me hell for my ex calling and asking for help with her sick father but don’t even bother to tell me Connor was trying to contact you?”

  I hadn’t thought of it that way.

  “I didn’t think it was a big deal,” I said quietly.

  “Becca, do you know how hypocritical you sound?” he practically shouted, his face turning red. “What the hell did he want?”

  I jumped down from his desk and filled the space between us. “He apologized. I think he needed closure. That’s different,” I said.

  “How is that different? Becca, did he ask if we were dating?”

  I nodded my head in confusion.

  “He wants you again! How naïve are you?” he growled, taking a step away from me, facing the opposite wall.

  I was pissed he called me naïve. I didn’t let people take advantage of me anymore. “Don’t call me naïve,” I said sternly. “I won’t be going to lunch with him again. I’m not a repeat offender.”

  “For fuck’s sake Becca, I’m helping her Dad! Why do we have to run in circles about this?” he snapped.

  “Well your finish line keeps getting further away,” I said with irritation.

  He let out a loud groan and turned to me. “Here’s the deal, you need to pay me the same respect and tell me when you are going to see the dumbasses you dated, just as I have given the courtesy of doing so to you.” This was dominant Tyler, and I didn’t see it a whole lot, but whenever it came to me and other men, he always made an appearance.

  “You are right. I’m sorry.” I grabbed his tie and pulled him to me, his mouth inches from mine. “Take care of your old baggage. I’m sick of coming in second on your schedule. Don’t argue with me either,” I warned.

  Tyler swallowed, his scowl firmly placed on his face. I pulled his tie so his face was brought to mine and gave him a chaste kiss. Then I let go and walked to his door. Before leaving, I turned around and said, “I’m going back to work. Don’t tell me I will see you later tonight unless you mean it.”

  He sighed and cocked his head at me, a ‘don’t be like this’ pleading look on his face.

  “And Tyler?” I added.

  “Yes?”

  “Don’t ever fucking smirk at her like that again.”

  Chapter 28

  Margo’s neediness continued the rest of the week. Tyler being in the same city as her made it easier for her to call him. I could tell he was overly irritated, and he constantly cursed his phone whenever she would call. He kept counting down the days until Saturday when he was doing the final help job of moving her father to his permanent hospital residency in Chicago until he felt better. Margo knew people in Chicago and wouldn’t bother him. At least that was what Tyler said.

  It was hard being intimate with him when his mood was ambiguous. It felt like whenever we did have sex, it was pent up anger and tension,
not loving and connective. I know he was trying to appease me, and my annoyed and irritated mood wasn’t helping with his. I felt bad Thursday morning when I found a red rose on my chair with a note attached.

  I can’t wait for Saturday, my princess- Love, your Ty

  I loved how he kept referring himself as my Ty. I kept hoping Tyler would snap out of his mercurial mood once Saturday was here and would be my prince charming and take me to the ball. His note brought a little ease. As awful as Margo was, I wasn’t going to let her break us, no matter what.

  By the time Friday was here, I was thankful Tyler flew to Chicago with me and not with Margo and her father. I was almost positive she asked him, but he told her no. He knew her attention was taking a toll on me and was putting his foot down.

  “I have a few last and FINAL things to do with Margo tomorrow at the bank then I am all yours for Valentine’s Day,” Tyler said, holding my hand to his lips as we rode the short flight to Chicago.

  I pouted at him. He was supposed to spend all of Valentine’s Day with me not just the evening.

  “Don’t look at me like that. I’m going to my mother’s charity fundraiser instead of smothering you with my own Valentine’s Day surprises,” he grumbled into my hand before he kissed my knuckles.

  “I’m just jealous. I was hoping to snuggle in bed with you on Valentine’s Day and not have to share you.”

  “You never share me; I’m only yours,” he chided. “When you go off to do your girly thing with my mother, I will be doing business, and then we will have our own fairytale evening. Even if it will be spent with my family,” Tyler pouted.

  ~

  Unfortunately, both of our Saturdays started way earlier than either of us intended. I had to be at the spa with Mary at 8:00am, and Tyler was meeting with Margo at the bank at 9:00am.

  I don’t know why he was signing off on a loan with her. All that did was tie them together for a longer amount of time. At least she didn’t just ask him for money. I’d give her that much.

  “How are things going between you and Tyler?” Mary asked as we both sat in our massage chairs with our feet being pampered by water jets. Mary had a green mask on, but I passed on the seaweed treatment.