Conquest of the Heart

by R. J. Dillon

  Faith sighed. ‘We should have been more careful,’ she thought. “It’s none of your business, Carter.”

  Carter shuffled his feet for a moment, thinking of what to say next. He wasn’t in the mood to be nice. Leaning over, he quietly said, “So when did you do him? Is that why he stopped seeing Chandler? Can I be next?”

  Faith snapped around and shot a look at him that could kill. “Really? It is too early in the morning for you to be a smartass. Then again, maybe you’re an ass no matter what time of day it is.”

  “You didn’t answer my question,” he scoffed.

  “I don’t have to. You know, I hoped to have a pleasant week with you, but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. Nice going,” she replied. Faith sat back and put her earbuds in, shutting out any other comments he might have.

  Gavin was not looking forward to a week of boring meetings with the board members. He managed to make it through one full day without worrying about, or calling, Faith. That didn’t last.

  Gavin sat in a morning meeting, fidgeting and playing with his phone. He kept sending text messages to Faith, paying little to no attention to what Adrian was saying. Occasionally, as he was speaking, Adrian raised his eyes over his glasses and glanced at him. His actions were like that of a child who couldn’t focus or keep still. His phone vibrated in his hand.

  “What are you doing? You’ve sent me numerous texts,” replied Faith.

  Gavin’s fingers moved with swiftness over his keyboard, as he continued to ignore Adrian.

  “I just wanted to see how you were doing.” His phone confirmed the message was sent.

  He sat tapping his fingers on the table, waiting for a reply.

  Vibration shook his hand alive. He quickly looked to see what she had to say.

  “I’m in a meeting, as you should be. Will talk to you later.” Gavin didn’t like that response. His phone remained stationary for the next half hour. He decided that listening to Adrian would be a nice distraction. It wasn’t long before his fingers began to key in more words on his phone.

  “What are you doing now?” he asked, pushing send as he finished.

  His phone once again pulsated in his hand.

  “Still in a meeting. I will call you later,” Faith texted back.

  Just as Gavin finished reading his text, Adrian said, “Let’s take a short break.”

  Gavin jumped out his seat and bolted toward the door. He quickly went down the hall and called Faith. She was in the middle of a luncheon with community organizers when her phone rang. She looked to see who it was and hit ignore. She continued to smile, listening to the conversation. Not even a minute later, her phone rang once more. It was Gavin again.

  Faith graciously smiled and said, “Would you please excuse me?” She got up and went to the restroom and phone area of the restaurant they were in and answered.

  “Gavin! What are you doing? You’ve been texting and calling me all day. What is wrong with you?” she asked sharply.

  “You wouldn’t call me back. I just wanted to say hi,” he said innocently.

  “I thought you were in a meeting,” she said.

  “We’re taking a break. I wanted to hear your voice,” replied Gavin.

  “Ugh, if you weren’t so sweet and sexy, I’d kill you right now. Stop calling me. Give your fingers a rest. Pay attention to Adrian. I’ll call you tonight.”

  “I want to talk now. I have fifteen minutes. How are you doing?”

  “I don’t have time. Tonight, Gavin. If you call or text me again before five, I’m turning my phone off,” she insisted.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

  As they hung up, Adrian walked up to Gavin with a stern look on his face.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Adrian asked.

  “What are you talking about? Nothing is wrong with me.”

  “You’re fidgety, and you haven’t put your phone down since we started our meeting. I’ll ask again. What’s wrong with you?”

  Gavin looked down at the floor, not answering right away. Finally he said, “I miss her. I, I had to talk to her.”

  Adrian let out a laugh from the bottom of his belly.

  “Why is that funny?” asked Gavin, confused.

  “I understand, Gavin,” he said, nodding his head. “Look, I need you to focus. You’ll see Faith in a few days. Right now, I need you here. Can you do that for me?”

  “Yes, I think so. I’m sorry.”

  “If you can’t, I’ll take that phone from you,” Adrian threatened.

  “I’ll be fine. Don’t touch the phone,” chuckled Gavin.

  “I need to make a quick call. I’ll join you in a minute,” said Adrian.

  “Alright,” Gavin said, returning to the boardroom.

  Adrian walked out of Gavin’s earshot and made a call of his own.

  “Good afternoon. How are you? …. I have news …. It’s happening …. I believe so, yes. I’ll know more in a couple of weeks …. It is exciting. I thought it would take longer, but I’m grateful that it’s not …. Yes, of course. We’ll talk soon. Take care.”

  Adrian joined the rest of the board members and finished the meeting.

  In Denver, Faith was doing as Gavin asked her. Outside of meetings and luncheons, she steered clear of Carter. Carter, however, did not stay clear of her. He managed to follow her everywhere without her noticing, creeping in and out of shadows. He watched her as she worked out in the mornings, trailed her on shopping excursions or evening walks, and kept track of when she was in and out of her room.

  Early one evening, Faith went for a walk on Sixteenth Street Mall. She couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was following her, but never did see anyone. It made her feel uneasy. She briefly stepped inside one of the souvenir shops. As she was walking back out, not paying attention, she bumped into Carter.

  “Excuse me,” she said, dropping her wristlet. She bent down to pick it up, and didn’t notice who she had run into until she stood back up. “Carter. I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

  “No worries. I was just out for a walk when I saw you go in here,” he said, motioning to the store with his head.

  “I was out doing the same.” Faith quickly looked at her watch, trying to change the subject to avoid the option of walking together. “I was just getting ready to go back and call it a night. This week has been long already, and it’s only Tuesday,” she smiled.

  “You’re right about that. I’m going to stay out for a little while. Have a good evening,” Carter said.

  “You too,” she said, walking away.

  Carter stared at her as she made her way across the street, going back towards the hotel. She looked back to see the creepy look on his face as he stood there. Forcing another smile, she waved, then turned and hurried back to her room.

  As the week drew to a close, Faith wanted to take advantage of the outdoor pool at the hotel. The sun was just starting to set, and there was a nice breeze. At home in France, Faith loved to go sit by the pool in the evenings, enjoying the cool breeze rising up from the water on her skin. She found a lounge chair with a good view of the Rocky Mountains. After adjusting it down a couple of notches, she sat down, closed her eyes, and relaxed. Carter had a good view of her from his room. She was conservatively dressed in a tank top bathing suit, with a wrap that touched just above her knees. He began to imagine her without any clothes on, becoming aroused. Soon, it was too much for him to handle and as he continued to look on, began to masturbate. This, along with the stalking, summed up his behavior for the week. He stayed in for the night since he was scheduled to leave so early the following morning.

  The earliest that Gavin could get into Denver was seven o’clock that evening. He checked into his room, and immediately called Faith’s room to see if she wanted to take a late walk. When he didn’t get an answer, he went to her room. She wasn’t there. Gavin went back to his room and was about to call her on her cell phone, when he looked out of his window. Faith was by th
e pool.

  Gavin walked down the stairs and outside to see her.

  “There you are, beautiful. I’ve been looking for you,” he said walking towards her. He pulled a lounge chair closer to hers, leaned down and kissed her cheek, then sat down.

  “You’re here. Why didn’t you call my cell?” she asked.

  “I was about to, but I saw you sitting out here. It’s nice here,” he said, looking towards the mountains. “How was your week?”

  “It’s been interesting. Carter saw us hugging at the airport. He made sure he let me know as soon as we got on the plane. I did as you asked and kept our contact limited to meetings and such. Outside of that, things went well.”

  “Did he try anything?” he asked.

  “No. It was pretty quiet. Maybe that’s because I stayed away from him,” she said.

  Gavin looked at the inviting water in the pool. “Why aren’t you in the water?”

  “I just like to relax and feel the cool breeze. I don’t swim that often. How was your week?”

  “It was long.” He looked at her and continued, “I missed you.”

  Faith cocked her head to the side and smiled, “I missed you, too.”

  “No. I really missed you. I couldn’t concentrate, my focus was off. Adrian threatened to take my phone. I was miserable without you there, and miserable for not being here. When I told you I wanted more, I meant it. I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”

  Faith sat quietly, speechless. She wasn’t expecting this.

  Gavin took a deep breath. “You’re the only one who has wanted to know who I really am. You allow me to be me. You know how much I love the company, and appreciate my intelligence. When I’m a complete ass, you’ve been able to handle it. You are the only one I want to spend time with, Faith. I want to know everything there is to know about you,” he said, keeping his eyes on her, waiting for a reaction. When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “You don’t have to respond right now. I just thought you should know.”

  He looked out towards the mountains again. “Would you like to take a walk with me?”

  Faith shook her head, as if trying to wake herself. She said, “It’s starting to get late. I think it’ll be better to wait until morning for a walk.” She was still stunned.

  “Can we go back to our rooms and talk, then? I just want to be with you.”

  “Sure,” she said, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of her chair. Gavin stood up and helped her stand. They walked back into the building together.

  Faith had to change, so they agreed to talk in her room. She walked into her bedroom closet and began to comb through her clothes to find something comfortable.

  “How were your board meetings?” she called out to Gavin.

  He didn’t answer, so she asked again.

  “Gavin, how were your board meetings?” she called out again. Again no answer. ‘Maybe he went to his room for something,’ she thought.

  Faith found something to change into. When she turned around, Gavin was standing right there. He grabbed and pulled her in close, planting a gentle and soft kiss on her lips. She had no warning. He playfully caressed her lips with his own. Faith slowly gave in, dropping the clothes she had in her hand, and responding to him. Pulling her in closer, he deepened the kiss. Her knees almost buckled as she reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. They continued to kiss a few more moments before Gavin broke it. He looked into Faith’s eyes, now glazed over, and smiled.

  “You never let me kiss you. I knew I would have to catch you off guard to get one,” he said, cupping her face and touching her lips with his thumb.

  “Make it count. This might be the only one you get for a while,” Faith said.

  Gavin pulled her in again, kissing her more passionately than before. He removed the sarong from around Faith’s waist. When he tried to reach underneath her tank top, Faith pulled away.

  “I should, you know, change,” she said picking up the clothes she dropped. “I think we should go in the living room.”

  Gavin pulled her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “You think that if we’re not in the bedroom, nothing will happen?”

  Faith wanted to say something, but found she didn’t have an answer.

  “No,” Gavin answered for her. “It doesn’t matter where we are, Faith. There’s always going to be a chance for more to happen. Even back at the office, there was a chance. The attraction between us is that strong. I’m not expecting anything. I just wanted to kiss you.

  “I’m going to let you change.” He moved close and kissed her cheek.

  Faith changed into the clothes that she had picked out. She walked to the living area and stopped, looking at Gavin. He glanced over at her as she stood there.

  He tipped his head to the side and asked, “Are you afraid to come near me now?”

  Faith shook her head and walked to the couch. He took her hand as she sat down, wondering whether he would be able to continue what he had started in the bedroom. Gavin leaned in to kiss her. Initially she turned away.

  “Mnm mnm,” he said. “You told me to make it count. I wasn’t done.” He turned her face toward him and kissed her gently. Faith slowly closed her eyes, getting butterflies in her stomach. They laid back on the couch, with Gavin resting partially on the couch and partially on her. He reached underneath her shirt and rubbed her stomach. When he was able to do this without resistance, he stopped and looked at her.

  “You should be speaking French by now? What happened?” he frowned, continuing to stroke her skin.

  Faith bashfully smiled and said, “I guess I’m not uncomfortable anymore.” She reached above her head to stretch, letting out a deep yawn. She returned her arms to his back, massaging it softly. It was getting late.

  “I’m tired, too. Let’s call it a night, although I would rather be here.”

  “You had a long day and a long trip. You need your rest,” she said, now playing with his hair.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” he said, standing up, and helping her up as well.

  They walked to the door hand in hand.

  He turned to face her, placing his arms around her. “Good night, beautiful.”

  “Good night.”

  He kissed her deeply on the lips, and almost couldn’t stop. Pulling away he said, “Mm. I better go.”

  Gavin opened the door and went to his room. Faith closed and locked the door. She took a shower before retiring for the evening.

  During the night, Gavin found it hard to sleep. He tossed and turned, unsuccessfully achieving the rest he needed so much. He couldn’t stop thinking about Faith and how wonderful it felt to finally kiss her. After about another half hour, he sat up, staring at the clock. It was two o’clock in the morning. He took a deep breath, swinging his legs around the side of the bed. Gavin reached for his t-shirt at the end of the bed and put it on. He grabbed his room key and slipped on a pair of sweats. He left and walked down the hall.

  Gavin didn’t like waking her, but he didn’t know what else to do as he knocked. It took a few moments for her to come to the door. She was completely out of it as she opened it.

  “I’m having a hard time getting to sleep. Can I stay with you?” he asked.

  Faith left the door open, as she turned around to go back to bed. Gavin entered, locked the door behind him, and walked to the bedroom. By the time he got there, she was already lying down, and appeared to be asleep. He slipped out of his sweats and t-shirt, leaving only his boxer briefs on, and laid next to her. He got as close as he could without waking her, slipped his arm around her, and quickly fell asleep himself.

  Waking early the next morning, Gavin was pleased to find that Faith had turned toward him at some point that night. He was still very tired, but was used to getting up at the crack of dawn. He laid there and watched Faith sleep for a few moments before kissing her on the forehead. He continued to gently kiss her randomly on her face, slowly bringing her out of her sleep.

  Faith sl
eepily opened her eyes. Seeing Gavin she said, “What are you doing here?”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I asked you if I could stay with you, remember?”

  Faith shook her head. “No. When I’m really tired, I sleep pretty deep. It’s hard for me to recollect things when I’m like that. Why didn’t you sleep on the couch?”

  “I wanted to be next to you,” said Gavin as he moved hair away from her face.

  Faith nodded, then thought about something. As she frowned, he could see she had a question. “Did we do anything?” She was still trying to wake up.

  Gavin quietly chuckled, “No. We didn’t. I fell asleep immediately.”

  “Last night would have been a good time to take advantage of me,” she smiled and said with her eyes closed.

  “Now you tell me. I’ll keep that in mind in the future.”

  “What time is it? It’s Saturday, right?” asked Faith.

  “Yes. It’s almost five,” said Gavin. “Time to get up.”

  “Do you always get up this early?” Faith asked, moaning as she rolled over on her back.

  “Yes. Habit. I usually go for a run around this time,” he said, kissing her shoulder.

  “I don’t run on the weekends. Why don’t you go, though?” she said, yawning.

  “I want to be with you.”

  “I’m going back to sleep. It’s too early. Maybe you can learn how to relax and sleep in,” she said, closing her eyes.

  Gavin watched her as she slipped back into her sleep coma. Unable to go to sleep again himself, he figured he’d enjoy the moment. Faith slept in a short and tank top pajama set. Gavin raised her top just enough to expose her stomach. He smiled deviously as he looked up at her. He gently kissed and licked her, glancing at her from time to time to see if he could get a response. She frowned a little bit and moaned.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. “You’re supposed to be going back to sleep.”

  “Can’t,” Gavin said in between kisses. “This will keep me busy.”