Conklin's Corruption

by Brooke Page

  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.

  “I love you; enjoy your meetings. I can’t wait to see you tonight,” he said, his voice filled with so much promise. I couldn’t help but feel my pulse increase.

  Just as I hung up my cell, my work phone rang. My first meeting had arrived. I picked up my iPad and headed to meet with Lauren.

  I graduated from high school with Lauren. We were always acquaintances and took similar classes. She was a curator for the art museum and happened to be very involved with ArtPrize. ArtPrize is one of the biggest festivities the city held each year. Artists and people from all over the world participate. They bring in their artwork and fill the city with any type of art ranging from huge sculptures that are placed outside on the streets to small paintings that are put on display inside various buildings. Art literally covers the city. My father is always a great contributor. He hosts many artists in his buildings and is a big benefactor to the winners. He loves seeing the city thriving with activity, and ArtPrize does
exactly that.

  Conklin Architecture, Construction, and Design sponsored an artist this year to participate in the city’s festivities. Jamie had actually introduced the idea, encouraging Nathan to go along with the local support. She was meeting with Lauren and the artist. I was only attending because of my contact with Lauren.

  I greeted Lauren with a hug then led her to the elevator. We were going to meet Jamie in the conference room on her floor.

  “Becca you’re going to love the artist. He’s totally eccentric,” Lauren said with excitement. I smiled warmly at her, enjoying her enthusiasm for the project. “Along with being eccentric, he’s a touch scatter brained and thought the meeting was at 9:45am, not 9:30am. Sorry.”

  I shrugged my shoulders. Fifteen minutes could be made up easily throughout the day.

  The elevator doors opened, and we made our way into the conference room.

  “Hi Becca,” Jamie said, standing from her seat at the conference table. “You must be Lauren. It’s nice to meet you.”

  Lauren reached to take Jamie’s hand.

  “Thank you so much for participating in ArtPrize. We love when buildings hire local artists. I was just telling Becca you’re going to love Louis Putters. He’s an extraordinary man!”

  “Great!” Jamie smiled then looked over our shoulders. “Where is he?” Lauren offered an apologetic smile as she told Jamie about his punctuality. We all sat down and started to discuss the location of the art. It was kind of hard to pinpoint anything without Louis being present.

  Approximately 20 minutes later, Louis walked through the door with one of the receptionists. She looked uncomfortable, and I couldn’t help but smirk at her uneasy look.

  Louis was a medium size man in his 60s. His hair was long and unkempt, salt and peppery down to his shoulders. His skin was tanned but leathery. He was dressed in worn jeans that had holes and cement or paint with a basic white t-shirt. He gave a crooked smile as he walked through the door.

  “Ms. Stine and Ms. Rae, Mr. Putters is here to see you,” the receptionist said flustered.

  I thanked her and stood to greet Louis. Lauren introduced us, and she was totally right. He was quirky and artsy.

  “So Mr. Putters, we’d love to hear your ideas,” Jamie said while taking a seat after shaking his hand.

  “Please call me Louis or Lou. Whatever is easiest for you to remember,” he said blandly. He set a stack of mismatched size papers on the table as he took a seat next to Lauren.

  “Okay, Lou,” Jamie said slowly, puzzled by his lack of organization. “What were you thinking?”

  He raised a brow at Jamie then started to place his papers throughout the table in front of him. We all looked curiously at the intricate designs on the mismatched pieces of paper.

  “I was figuring on making sculptures. Different miniature houses. I haven’t decided what materials would work best. I typically work with metal, but as houses are different, I figure so should the pieces of art.”

  I reached for one of the pieces of paper, but Louis’ hand flew out to stop me slapping his hand on the desk to keep the paper in place. “Don’t move them. You must look from my angle to get the full spectrum of my plan.”

  I moved my eyes to meet Jamie’s briefly, but she was too busy blinking at Louis. This guy was odd. Lauren was looking at him in awe. Jamie finally met my eyes then slowly stood so we could go stand behind Louis and see his “vision”. When we finally made our way behind him, we both looked confused.

  “Can’t you see it?” he said in frustration. “It will be a masterpiece. I will need at least 18 spaces throughout the city.”

  Jamie looked at Lauren. “I thought we agreed on each corner of the building and the main lobby, five locations total.”

  Lauren shrugged her shoulders and looked pleading. Louis started to shake his head as he raised his hand in the air. “This is the vision. It must be completed. It will be a masterpiece. Top ten, no less,” he said sternly. Jamie and I looked at each other then started to head back to our seats.

  “Eighteen sculptures weren’t in the budget, Louis. We’ll have to renegotiate your wages, and Lauren might have a problem getting that many sites this late in the game.”

  Lauren bit her lip. “Actually, Louis told me it was going to be 18 sites. I have the spaces reserved.”

  Jamie narrowed her eyes at Louis. “Finance will have to approve this. Don’t expect anything special,” she snapped.

  A crooked smile crossed Louis lips. “We’ll see, Ms. Rae.”

  Jamie attempted to contain her huff as we continued on with the details. He really did have some brilliant ideas once he finally explained what he was thinking. I was leery if he could actually finish 18 art pieces in three months. It was towards the end of June, and ArtPrize would begin in September. My head started to spin. That meant I only had four months until the wedding. Thank God my mother was organized in her crazy ways. Maybe her helping was a good thing after all.

  ***

  The last meeting of the day quickly approached. The client was interested in building warehouses. It was a first-time meeting, and I was a little flustered because Will didn’t give me any information about the client. I didn’t even know what his or her name was. I grabbed my drafting notebook and headed to the conference room where we normally met with our commercial clients.

  I took a seat, spreading out sheets of information neatly on the conference table. I stood and stared down at my handy work and felt I would come across as professional. This was a very first meeting after all. I would be mainly gathering information and giving whomever it was company policies and procedures. Just as I was about to take my seat again, a figure caught my eye and my breath got caught in my throat.

  “Becca, what a pleasant surprise. I had no idea RJ would give me the privilege to be working with his future daughter-in-law.” Lee Chino smoothly walked through the door and entered my space. He was too close, and I took a small step back, attempting to put on a smile.

  “Yes, what a lovely surprise,” I said in the most convincing tone I could. His pearly white teeth flashed me a smile, and I held my composure as I shook his hand. I gestured for him to take a seat. I was not prepared to handle Chino’s accounts. The last time I saw him was at Mary Conklin’s Valentine’s Day fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital, the same day I got locked in the bathroom with Tyler’s ex-pedo nanny and had tear gas infiltrate my system. A shudder went through my spine as I thought about the evening. Thank God my Ty was there to rescue me.

  “I must admit, your father told me you worked in the commercial department, but I doubted I’d get the privilege to be working with you personally, Becca,” he smiled.

  “Will’s out of the office; he’ll be the one to normally handle your account. I’m just filling in for him.” Thank God, I added in my head.

  Lee Chino gave me the creeps. Even though he was shorter and had a pleasant smile, there was something else hidden behind it, something darker. Detective Anderson had been asking to see the mock up drafts for the warehouses he was developing, and I couldn’t find them. I had assumed RJ was dealing with it, but apparently it hadn’t been handled yet.

  Relief washed over my body as Chino sat a chair away from me. I didn’t like when he was close. According to Connor, Chino was heavily into the narcotics scene but had never had enough hard evidence to put him away. I needed to pull myself together and get through this meeting.

  “So, Mr. Chino. I was told you were interested in building warehouses. What type of facility will they be utilized for? Storage? Manufacturing?”

  “Furniture construction. I’d love to bring back that aspect of Grand Rapids. It used to be the largest furniture distributor. Have you been to the museum? They have an entire exhibit.” Lee smiled, leaning closer to me.

  I had seen enough of the museum for the rest of my life. It happened to be located next to the Native American exhibit. No need to rehash that night.

  “That’s a great idea. How many were y
ou planning on building? Have you purchased the properties yet? We normally suggest a building inspector go on site to see what the land looks like.”

  Chino looked slightly puzzled. “We’ve purchased six old buildings and are remodeling them.”

  I flushed. This was the information I should have already known.

  “Of course. I apologize for my lack of knowledge on the projects. Bear with me.”

  Chino gave me a smug smile. It made my skin crawl.

  We discussed more of what his ideas were for the buildings. I was surprised with his visions; the man actually had a keen sense of structural design. Once we went over the original ideas and I had drawn up a few mock drawings, Lee felt satisfied with what we had accomplished. I even felt the meeting went smoother than I had expected it to when I first saw him walk through the door.

  “Mr. Chino, the next step is for you to schedule a meeting with the finance department. I’ll bring these drafts and ideas to them, and they’ll be contacting you shortly with the next procedures.”

  Chino leaned back in his chair, putting his hands on his knees and cocking his head to the side while looking at me. I couldn’t read his expression.

  “So I’ll be meeting with Tyler, I assume?”

  “Honestly, I’m not sure. Usually Tyler isn’t directly involved with these types of projects.”

  Lee’s eyes hardened. “I would prefer to work with Tyler. I’m sure you can put the request in the next time you see him.”

  I took a long swallow, surprised there was any saliva for me to get down because of his unnerving stare.

  “Of course. I’ll tell him you’d prefer to meet with him directly,” I said quietly. I didn’t like Chino talking to Tyler. I always had the feeling something was going on between the two of them, and that something wasn’t good. Breaking laws and criminal activity came to my mind when it came to Lee Chino, but his plans for these warehouses seemed to be legitimate. I didn’t pick up any fishy vibe from his ideas.