Conklin's Corruption (#3) (Conklin's Trilogy) (2 page)

“I said ENOUGH!  If we get any more blood on the carpet I’ll have to have Sawla come and redecorate.  I know how well that will go down,” Nathan said with a threatening tone.  I rolled my eyes.  I couldn’t stand Sawla, but I had my reasons why I stayed away from that crazy bitch.

Nathan turned his stern expression towards Mitch. “Where did you get the cocaine, Mitch?”  He held up his finger and clenched his teeth.  “And don’t fucking lie to me.”

Mitch took a few deep breaths, his eyes staring intently at Nathan.  “It’s a side job.  It doesn’t have anything to do with the company.”

“Bullshit,” I sneered, shrugging from Cooper’s hold.  Mitch’s glare turned to me, eyes turning hard.  I shook my head at him and wandered back behind my desk.  “How many side jobs do you have with Chino, Mitch?”

“It’s none of your business,” he said arrogantly.

I turned and slammed my hands on my desk.  “It is my business!  It’s all over my fucking house!”

Mitch winced and turned his head towards the floor.

Nathan flashed a look my way then looked back at Mitch, his demeanor calmer.  “How many Mitch?”

“You don’t need to worry about it,” Mitch murmured. 

Nathan and Mitch stared at each other for a moment before Nathan spoke.  “Get it off Tyler’s property.   And if there’s any hidden anywhere near a Conklin building, it better be gone by tomorrow.”

Mitch scowled at Nathan with a clenched jaw then brought his eyes to me.  My chest was still erratically rising up and down with anger.  Mitch did a subtle nod then bumped Nathan’s shoulder as he walked out the door.  Cooper raised his brow as Mitch left then gave me a nod as he turned to follow Mitch out of my office, closing the door behind him.

“Way to stay calm,” Nathan chastised.  I clenched my jaw and plopped down in my chair, running my hands through my hair.  Nathan let out a slight laugh as he went to find his tumbler of liquid.

“How much do you think he’s helped Chino hide?” I asked Nathan.

“I’m not sure.  But we’re going to have to find out.  I wonder if RJ knows.”

“Of course RJ knows,” I snorted.  “He probably put Mitch up to it.”

Nathan sighed.  “You don’t know that.”

I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms.  “I know enough.  RJ is the most money-hungry man on the planet.  If Mitch could easily hide $100,000 throughout my house, just think what damage he could do on a commercial site.”

Nathan walked over to the window holding his nearly empty glass to his lips.  “We’re just going to have to believe he will get rid of it.”

“Nathan, he isn’t going to get rid of it,” I practically shouted.

“Have a little faith.  I told him to do it. Unlike you, he listens to me… most of the time.”

I snorted and put my hands on my face.  If Mitch were hiding drugs on Conklin properties, it would make our business complicated and far more corrupt than any other multi-million dollar company.

“So she said yes?”  Nathan said calmly, trying to lighten the conversation.

I ran my hands along my face as I nodded my head.  “Yes.”

He turned and smiled at me.  “Set a date?”

I blew out air, not really in the mood to discuss wedding plans.  “Um… Becca was thinking October.”

Nathan laughed. “How are you going to plan a wedding in six months?”

I furrowed my brows at him.  “She wants a small wedding.”

“You’re not going to get away with that.  Have you met Missy Stine?  Have you met our mother?” He laughed.

“Mother will not have a say,” I said through clenched teeth.  I wasn’t going to let her cause havoc on Becca; she was going to have to deal with enough from her own mother.

“Whatever you say.  Becca will accept her help.”

I rolled my eyes and ticked my jaw.  Nathan was right. Becca actually liked my crazy, hair-brained mother.  But Becca wanted a small wedding, and Mary Conklin didn’t do small. 

Nathan finished his drink and set it on the table next to the other tumblers.  “Don’t worry about this ordeal with Mitch.  It’ll get taken care of, okay?”  I took a deep breath and stared at my screen saver of Becca and me kissing at Christmas.  “I mean it Tyler.  Don’t dwell on this.”

I know why Nathan wanted me to forget about it.  The entire scheme was something he was still on the fence about.  Nathan had one too many of the same genes as RJ, and the money was way too tempting. 
We could make this a billion dollar company
Chino said at our last meeting.  I couldn’t help but notice Nathan’s and RJ’s eyes widen for a slight second.  I had to be the one to say the firm no first then Nathan and RJ reluctantly agreed.

“I’m finally happy Nathan.  I don’t want any more bombs to explode,” I sighed.

He gave me a soft smile, his gentle blue eyes exuding happiness for me.  “Nothing is going to explode, Tyler.”  I looked up from my desk, giving him a wry smile, worried gun powder was hiding everywhere in my life, just waiting for a match to fall.

Chapter 1

Becca

I was livid.  Absolutely furious.

I was sitting at my desk on the edge of my seat, staring down at the
Grand Rapids Press
, my eyes glued to the headline.

Maxwell Stine’s eldest daughter to wed Conklin Architecture’s CO-VP
.

There I was, smack dab on the front page.  A very intimate picture of Tyler and me on the Blue Bridge.  He had his arms wrapped around me, practically nuzzling my neck, my eyes closed with a shy smile.

Why on earth would my mother do this?

I knew she sent the picture to the tabloid; she all but begged me to even get the stupid engagement photos.  Tyler didn’t help.  After hearing my complaints about how I didn’t want to get them taken at a family dinner, he made the brilliant choice to confess he wouldn’t mind a few professional pictures of the two of us.  It was all my mother needed to conveniently call the photographer and practically make the arrangements.

I even said,
these pictures are for family and no one else, but she did it anyway. 
I didn’t like the attention.

After Tyler’s extremely romantic proposal in the dream house he built for me, for us, I couldn’t wait to start making wedding preparations.  Something small, personal, a day we wouldn’t forget.  We didn’t need engagement photos.  We planned to be married in October, only a six month engagement.  We didn’t need to send out save the dates.  The wedding list wasn’t going to be that big. Boy, did I get an unpleasant earful at family dinner when I announced our plans.

“Becca, how could we possibly keep the invite list to only 100 people, including the wedding party?  We have at least 300 people we must invite.  I am sure Tyler’s family has just as many!” my mother scolded, leaning forward in her chair.  “Heather had a guest list of 750!”

I rolled my eyes.  “Mom, I don’t want a big wedding like Heather and Ray’s.  I just want something small and personal.”

“Becca, it
will
be personal.  It’s your wedding day!” she tried to reason. 

Missy Stine had that firm look on her face.  She wasn’t going to back down on this, and it irritated the hell out of me.  “Besides, we have to include your father’s business associates.  It would be a poor decision business wise to not do so, same for Tyler’s.  I’m sure your parents have a large list of clients that attend functions,” my mother said, turning to face Tyler.  He gave her a tight smile and nodded.  He chanced a glance at me, holding my gaze long enough to know I wasn’t happy with his response to my mother.  “See, Becca?  You must have a bigger wedding,” she said matter of factly.

I huffed and leaned back in my chair while crossing my arms.

“Sorry sweetie, but that’s the way our world works,” my father shrugged.

Needless to say, that day I knew I wouldn’t be the one to plan my wedding.  As my family said, that was the way our world worked.  So I have been putting up with my mother’s outlandish wedding plans.  Even though my mother would try to influence my every decision, she wouldn’t push my final choices.  I was thankful and shocked.  To be completely honest, I had no idea how to go about planning a wedding with the caliber that Tyler and I had to meet.  But sending the engagement photos to the press was one step too far.

I picked up my phone, swiping Tyler’s name on the screen.

“Hey,” he answered on the second ring.  “Are you having a good morn-”

“Have you looked at the newspaper?  Or MLIVE?” I whispered harshly into the phone, cutting off Tyler’s greeting.

“Um, no I haven’t.  I’m walking into the office now.  Why?” he asked.

“She sent in our pictures.  I told her not to!  You heard me, I said I didn’t want those pictures to be for anyone besides family!” I hastily whispered into the phone.  My eyes left the newspaper on my desk to peek at my office door.

Yes, my office door.  I no longer worked in a cubicle.  I was now Will’s assistant.  Since Corey did such an awesome job with the prints for Edna Enterprise in Miami, he got offered a promotion.  Nathan and Jamie marketed Conklin Architecture so well while in Miami that the company needed a permanent architect on staff.  Corey was more than happy to take the job. 

I knew I’d get offered the promotion to fill Corey’s spot.  I could practically feel the whispering behind my back about how I only got the job because of my relationship with Tyler.  I’m sure once our engagement photo popped up on everyone’s news site on their computer screens it would confirm their accusations. Becca Stine only got the promotion because she’s screwing the boss. 

Whatever, I’m over it.  I busted my ass at this job.  I didn’t need to worry about what everyone else thought.

“Is it a good picture?”

“Tyler!” I scolded, stomping across my office to close the door. “It doesn’t matter what pictures!  Everyone in Grand Rapids is going to see them!”

I sank back into my chair and went to search MLIVE, the state’s website, to see exactly how many pictures my mother had sent to the paper.  Sure enough, there were six photos total on the website.  Now everyone in Michigan was going to see.

“She sent in one of each outfit change, damn it!” I whined.

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” Tyler said.  I heard leather moving as though he were taking a seat at his desk.  He was in Chicago and had been the past three days. 

I heard clicking of his computer mouse. 

“When is she going to learn?  I’m going to say something to her tonight,” I seethed. “We’re going to meet with a florist.”

“That will be fun,” Tyler commented.  Then I heard him suck in a breath.  “Wow, you weren’t kidding.”

He must have seen the photos on the web page.

“At least she picked good ones.”

“That’s not the point!  Oh my God, she gave them one where we are kissing!” I practically shouted.  The last photo on the page was of the two of us sitting from behind on the pier in Grand Haven, our feet dangling off the edge and kissing.  It was adorable.  One of my favorites, and it was a picture I didn’t want Grand Rapids, or all of Michigan, to see.

“They have that photo on MLIVE?” Tyler asked.

I rubbed my face with my free hand.  “Yes, what site are you on?” I questioned.  I had assumed he was looking on MLIVE just as I was.

He didn’t say anything.

“Tyler… what website?” I asked, dragging out my words, terrified of what he might say.

I heard him take a deep breath and sigh.  “I’m on the
Tribune’
s website.”

I audibly gasped.  “No!”

Tyler still didn’t say anything.

“So you’re telling me our engagement photos are all over Chicago’s newspaper, too?”

“Well, they are on the website.  I haven’t seen the printed newspaper yet today,” he said quietly.

I threw my hands to my head and slumped at my desk.  I didn’t want this kind of attention.  I know Tyler’s name is big in Chicago, but why would my mother send the pictures there as well?  My father periodically did work in Chicago but mainly stayed near Grand Rapids.

“Becs it’s not that big of a deal.  People will probably skip past the photos anyway.”

I groaned into the phone.  “I am so close to saying screw it and taking off to Vegas.”

Tyler laughed.  “I promise the wedding will be private; no photographers allowed besides who we hire.  No photos will get out to the public, okay?  I won’t let them post or print any pictures of my beautiful bride.  No one except for me is allowed to ogle you in your white wedding dress.”

I leaned back in my chair and let out a slight smile, feeling a touch of relief from his possessive comment.  “How do you know it’ll be white?” I teased.

“I have an inkling,” he flirted.

“You do?”

“Yes.  Now get back to work and stop surfing the internet,” he scolded, although amusement was laced in his words.

“Don’t worry, I have back to back meetings all day since Will is off with his wife and new baby.  No more staring at your handsome face,” I laughed.