Conklin's Blueprints

by Brooke Page

  “I’d love to!” Oops, maybe I said that too fast.

  Will nodded in gratitude and headed for the elevator. Once the elevator doors closed I jumped up and made a quick stop to the bathroom to check myself in the mirror. I fluffed my hair and re-glossed my lips and then anxiously got into the elevator. When I reached Tyler’s office the door was closed, and Cooper was absent from his station. I decided to see if the door was locked. The door clicked open when I turned the knob and tingles went up my spine. I was going to see Tyler and had a wonderful plan in mind for his homecoming.

  He was on the phone and looked up when I entered the room. He was wearing a dark brown dress shirt with an olive tie and looked as handsome as ever. His hair was its usual controlled mess, and I had the urge to run my hands through the dark brown locks.

  At first he looked annoyed, but when he saw it was me his lip quirked up and his eyes softened. I closed the door behind me and gently set the account sheets on his desk and sauntered over to him. I slowly dropped the white coat on one of the chairs, revealing my shoulders.

  I saw his jaw flex as his eyes were glued to me. A mischievous smile played across my face as I pushed his chair back so I could stand in front of him.

  “Yes, sorry I’m here. How much is the account in Miami supposed to accumulate?” he spoke into the phone, watching my every move.

  I bent down on my knees in front of him between him and his desk and started to rub his thighs. I traced circles from the top of his knee all the way to his belt buckle.

  “I will call her later this afternoon, and we can discuss it further.” His words were short and to the point as his eyes widened with my every move.

  I started to unbuckle his belt, and he squirmed. Hah, for once I was making him squirm! A large smile crossed my face as I unbuttoned his pants.

  “Yes, Jessica. I will call her later about it. A few hours aren’t going to make a-” He sucked in air when I put my hands down his pants, using my other hand to pull down his boxers and waistband.

  “Jessica I will take care of it! I have to go. Tell Nathan to chill out. Yes… bye.” He hung up the phone just as I freed him from his pants. His pupils were dilated.

  “What are you doing?” he rasped. His chest was heaving while his face was turning red.

  I pressed my lips to his sensitive skin. “I had to bring the account sheets up for Will.”

  He put his hands in my hair, his eyes scorching into mine as I slowly worked my lips onto him. “Becca, we are in my office-” He took a big gasp of air as I took him completely in my mouth.

  Then to my horror, I heard the door click open. Why didn’t I lock the door? Tyler’s body stiffened then his chair rolled forward, causing me to be completely under his desk, pushed to the edge. My shoes were hitting the back of the desk, and I was happy I had chosen to wear flats instead of heels.

  “Tyler, what the hell? You need to call Edna from Enterprise and confirm the account details. We can’t afford to play. This is our chance to expand. Getting our name out in Miami would be astounding!”

  Tyler pulled his chair as far under the desk as it would go. His hands grasped the top of the desk. “I told Jessica I would call her later,” he said sternly.

  “Well you can’t drag ass on this account, Tyler!”

  Tyler shifted in his chair. “I just heard about it this morning! I will do it this afternoon.”

  “Oh, and could you not be such a dick to my assistant? She is practically in tears because you were so short with her. God knows she is probably on the rag and the last thing I need is Jessica starting with the waterworks in the middle of the day,” Nathan snorted. I’m sure he was pacing the room like he normally did when he was all riled up and on a role about work.

  While Nathan was still talking, I started to gaze at Tyler’s fullness. It was only inches away, and I couldn’t help myself but to lay my hand on it again. Tyler twitched as I moved my fingertip from the base to the tip. My eyes went wide. I had never actually studied him before. Down here under the table he couldn’t watch me and see my reactions, and I felt braver. With Nathan’s voice still ranting in the background, I pushed my head closer into his lap, wrapping my hands around the back of his calves. He moved one hand down and quickly found my hair and gently pulled. He knew what I was thinking, and he had no way to stop me. I pushed my tongue out and traced his protruding vein. I heard him let out a grumbling into his hand.

  “Tyler, are you even listening to me?” Nathan stopped in his tracks and shouted.

  Tyler huffed. “Yes, and the sooner you leave me alone, the sooner I can take care of the account.” he said through gritted teeth.

  Nathan started to rant again, and I got lost in Tyler. I moved my mouth to cover him, and was very careful to be quiet. His hand gripped my hair tighter as he squirmed more in his chair. He was leaning over his desk as though Nathan could see me. I gripped his calves tighter, and I could feel his blood pumping through his entire body.

  “Tyler, would you pull your head out of your ass please! This shit is important!” Nathans voice rose again. Then he was silent. “You know what, let me know when you talk to her… I’ll close the door on my way out.” His voice seemed calmer as he left.

  The door closed and Tyler rolled his chair backwards causing me to jerk forward. He moved his hand that was on top of his desk down to my cheek, still keeping a fist in my hair.

  “Good God, Becca…” he gasped, trying to not interfere with how I was moving with his hands.

  I moved my hand up and down his length and sucked on the tip. I knew this would pull him over the edge.

  “Becca, I’m going to-”

  Then the warmth hit my mouth. It caught me off guard; he could have warned me earlier! I quickly swallowed then gave him a gentle kiss before I came up from the floor. My knees were hurting and my leg fell asleep, but it was worth it to see the shocked and bewildered look on his face. His breath was still hard as his head rested back on the headrest of his chair. He pulled me on his lap and held me close, resting his head in the crook of my neck.

  “Jesus, Becca,” was all he could manage to say. A smile crept across my face. Ha! I had just un-raveled him in his office with his brother in the room. How secretive and hot was that! It was so unlike me, but it felt so raw and real.

  “Was it good?”

  A low grumble came from his throat. His lips started to graze my neck. “I think you know the answer to that.”

  I giggled as his scruff ran across my neck. He must not have shaved this morning because it was thicker than usual. He pulled his head up from my neck and stared into my eyes. “You just shocked the hell out of me.”

  I gave him an innocent look, “I just missed you, that’s all.”

  He laughed under his breath and kissed me. “Sorry I didn’t give you much warning. It kind of snuck up on me…” he said biting his lip.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “Just don’t let it happen again,” I teased.

  His eyebrows lifted, “So there will be a next time?”

  I bobbed my head back and forth as if contemplating his question. Before I could tease him more he squeezed me tighter to him. He looked deep into my eyes with warmth and gratitude. Then I felt his hand move from my back to my thigh, creeping up my dress. I quickly put my hand on his wrist.

  “I think I have jeopardized enough of your time, Mr. Conklin,” I scolded.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “That you have and with my brother in the room. You are becoming more adventurous. Won’t you let me return the favor?” he said, trying to bring his hand up higher on my leg.

  “You can think of some way to woo me this evening,” I said as his lips went back to grazing my neck. While enjoying the feeling of his lips on my neck I remembered running into Lauren. “Oh, and I wanted to ask you if you wanted to go to McFadden’s with me tonight. I guess a bunch of kids I graduated from high school with are going.”

  His mouth stopped moving and his eyes searched mine.

  “
I thought we were going to go to your place tonight?” he asked.

  “We still can.”

  He let out a sigh and kept his eyes on me. “Baby I don’t think I’m going to be done until late tonight. Maybe you should go without me and I will just meet you at your place? Or I could pick you up on my way over?”

  I nodded my head, trying not to look disappointed. I knew it wasn’t just because he had to work late, but because he didn’t want anyone seeing us mingling together and probably didn’t want me to introduce him as my boyfriend.

  “Please don’t take it the wrong way,” he whispered in my ear, letting his mouth linger on my earlobe.

  I sighed, “I know, I know…”

  He nuzzled my neck with his fresh scruff, knowing it would cause me to giggle.

  He pulled his head back so he could look at me. “I will text you when I’m done, okay?” I nodded my head and leaned in to give him a chaste kiss.

  Tyler fixed himself and stood up along with me, buckling his belt. He reached for me and pulled me into his embrace once he was done. His lips plundered mine passionately. I allowed his tongue access as I hooked my arms around his neck, enjoying the brief moment together in his office after being apart all weekend. He slowed the kiss and rubbed his nose against mine.

  “I plan on wooing you to the moon this evening, baby doll.”

  A blush crept across my cheeks.

  Tyler laughed. “Now you are going to blush?” I scowled at him, and he laughed further. He started to fuss with my hair, as though trying to put it back together from where he gripped it so tight.

  “Does it look bad?” I asked.

  He cocked his head to the side and studied it. “Depends on what you consider bad? I think it is sexy as hell, but then again, I know why it looks the way it does,” he smirked.

  I rolled my eyes and walked over to where he had a large mirror hanging on the wall to try and fix the tangled mess he created.

  Tyler helped me put on my white jacket once I was done fussing with my hair.

  “Thank you for bringing me the account sheets,” he said, kissing the back of my neck. A shiver went down my spine as his lips grazed my skin. “Don’t have too much fun tonight. I would like to get lost in you when I get home since I won’t see you for a couple of days.” A slow smirk spread across my face. He turned me to face him, pulling me into a tight embrace, kissing me passionately.

  Tyler walked me out of his office politely and professionally and then closed his office door.

  I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face as I went to the elevator. I passed by Nathan’s office where he was leaning on the tall part of Jessica’s desk, clearly discussing something with her. He flashed his eyes at me and gave me a huge grin.

  “Hey Becca. Have any plans for Thanksgiving?” he asked.

  “Yes, I will be going to my family’s house, you?” I asked, even though I knew he would be in Chicago with Tyler.

  “Oh just spending time with family. By the way, I love your shoes, red suits you, and the jacket is nice too.” He stated while looking over paperwork that Jessica had handed him.

  Funny, I don’t remember him looking at my shoes? “Um, thanks… have a good rest of your day.”

  “You too,” he said while smirking at his paperwork.

  Chapter 19

  I called Lauren to see if she would be willing to pick me up on her way. It was bitter cold outside, and I didn’t feel like walking. She was delighted and picked me up at quarter to 7:00pm.

  “I’m so glad you decided to come out tonight Becca! So what have you been up to since high school? I know you went to Florida. What happened there?” she asked, her sapphire eyes sparkling.

  “Oh, just got my Master’s from FSU, met some people, nothing too crazy.” What a lie. My whole life in Florida was one big cluster fuck.

  “Yeah, I stayed home and went to Kendall. Had a few relationships, never really went anywhere. What about you? Did you find any love in Florida?”

  Wow, I guess no one told her about my messed up love life. Ashlynn never talked to Lauren and Lauren never cared about the popular loop, so it figures she would be clueless. Hmm… I could see myself hanging out with her more now that I was back in town. This thought made me wonder which crowd was going to be at McFadden’s.

  “Yeah, I found love. It was good, then it was bad, then it was over,” I shrugged.

  She laughed at my expression. By the time we got to McFadden’s, I had heard all about how Lauren lived with a roommate on Heritage Hill and was dating a tattoo artist who was getting his fine arts degree at Kendall. She was sad because he was from up north and left to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

  We walked out of the car and into the busy bar. I had dressed very casual, in simple worn boot cut jeans and a fitted light blue and white flannel shirt. I re-did my hair in curls and freshened my makeup. Lauren was wearing skinny jeans with holes and a very tight black top. Her black hair was long and blew wildly in the early winter wind. We walked past the long line of people waiting to get in.

  “Don’t we have to wait in line?” I asked Lauren.

  A sly grin spread across her face. “I know the doorman. Come on!” She said looping her arm with mine. It was different going out with Lauren versus Jamie. Lauren was giddy and school girlish while Jamie was confident and beat to her own drum.

  We walked up to the doorman who gave Lauren a huge smile and a hug then waved us in.

  The bar was packed with party goers and loud music was blaring. There wasn’t a dance floor but an array of tall cocktail tables. The walls were dark green with a dark wood railing. The back wall was a light brick, matching the outside of the building. Towards the back there was a pair of billiard tables. Lauren pulled me over to a pair of tables that were bunched together. Familiar faces were all over. I hadn’t really hung out with anyone who was there. I normally would only hang out with Ashlynn outside of school. The waitress came over and brought a round of shots. I passed, wanting to keep a clear head. I constantly checked my phone in between small talk with my past classmates.

  By 9:00pm I was constantly checking the door, hoping Tyler would magically show up and surprise me, but a different surprise came walking through the door. I felt a lump catch in my throat as I ducked behind the group of people I was talking to. I couldn’t handle seeing him right now, the only other man who could ever make my skin feel like it was on fire. Gage. There he stood in a short sleeve shirt and faded jeans with frayed holes. He was sporting a backwards Tigers hat, and I could see he had added a few tattoos to his forearms. He wasn’t overly tall or broad, but his muscles were toned. He looked older and more rugged. I closed my eyes, and I was brought back to the last time I was with him.

  You’re going to need a drink.

  No, I needed to get the hell out of here. I needed to get into the arms of the only man I wanted to be with and not deal with any temptations from my past. I stopped the waitress and ordered a round of shots for the people I had been talking to. They all looked at me like I had grown two heads by how I feverishly dove out of the conversation and hid behind them.

  By the time I looked back to where Gage was standing, he had moved and I didn’t know where he was. I kept an eye on my surroundings and continued chatting. The waitress came with our shots, and we all took them. Lauren counted to three, way too loudly, and I poured the burning liquid down my throat. A pang of ease spread through my body by the time the liquor hit my belly. The ease quickly faded when I felt a strong hand on my back. Chills went through me, afraid to see who it was. I wanted Tyler, but I knew it wasn’t his hand; that would have been too simple for my complicated life.

  The hand on my back reached for my wrist and swung me around. Gage’s big brown eyes were taking me in with an ear-to-ear smile plastered on his face. “Becca! What the hell are you doing here?” he exclaimed. He still had his dimples, and my mouth betrayed me by going into a full on Orbit gum smile.

  “I came with Lauren. I ran into her tod
ay.”

  “How long have you been in town?”

  I bit my lip, trying not to look so happy to see him. I just want to be home with Tyler, my heart kept saying. “Since the end of September. I work for Conklin.”

  “Why the fuck haven’t you called me!?” he said with excitement and shock.

  I shrugged my shoulders. I had thought about calling him numerous times before I had gotten involved with Tyler. But once Tyler and I started to hang out, thoughts of Gage went out the window.

  “Well, we need to hang out now that you are back. I miss hanging out with you Bs,” he said putting his arm around me and leading me away from the crowd of former classmates and to the bar.

  “Can I get two Three Wisemen shots, please!” Gage yelled across the bar to the bartender.

  “Whoa, whoa… I can’t do one of those shots, Gage! I’m not out to get drunk tonight,” I said, nudging myself out from under his arm.

  He scrunched his eyebrows and gave me a puzzled look. “Since when? I thought you were Miss Wild Thing out in Florida? At least you were when you came home to visit those few times,” he teased.

  I laughed, “I’m not that girl anymore.”

  Gage waved his hand, “Oh please, Bs! I will take you home. Don’t worry about it,” he smiled. Even though he laughed and sounded sincere, he had hidden meaning with his intentions.

  I stood up straight against the bar. “Gage, I don’t think that is such a good idea.”

  Gage stood up with me and leaned in close. I could smell his scent, a hint of fuel, cigarettes, and beer. Normally I would hate all three of those smells, but on Gage… it was far too tempting.

  “Why?” he simply asked with a grin. I hated that he could get to me, and I hated that I was smiling like an idiot back at him.

  “Because you and I know what happens when we hang out.”

  He cocked his head to the side and bit his lip, his dimples making an appearance. “I still don’t see what the problem is.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and I shook my head back and forth at him, trying not to grin. He had charm, that was for sure.