Page 11 of Catching a Con Man

Ade: Hi, long time no talk. How are things?

I watched as Tyler took his phone out of his pocket in between stacking shelves. And then…he smiled at it. And my stomach flipped all over again. I watched him type out his reply, then my phone buzzed in my hand.

Tyler: Good, thanks. Hope you’re OK.

Ade: I haven’t heard from you about your proposal. I hope things are progressing well.

I watched him pause before replying. This felt so deeply, deeply wrong.

Tyler: I’ll get back to you. I don’t know that it’s worth pursuing. Too much legal stuff.

It was my turn to pause. Had he found another mark? Decided I wasn’t worth it? Or did he know I was on to him?

Ade: What are you doingrn?

Tyler looked around and smirked before replying. I loved seeing him so unguarded.

Tyler: Living my life of leisure on granddaddy’s dime.

Ade: Bored?

Tyler: A little.

I hesitated before replying. I wanted to see him again. I knew I shouldn’t, and he’d given me the perfect out by dropping his proposal. But…the need won out.

Ade: Wanna come and see me at work? I’ll show you how a real boardroom dragon operates.

Tyler smiled down at his phone again, then reached up to brush his fringe out of the way.

Tyler: Sure. I’ll be done in the spa at midday.

* * *

I paced the office, unable to settle down. I’d stayed outside of the shop for as long as I dared, feeling like more and more of an idiot as I fell for the man behind the glass. A real Tyler I wasn’t even sure if I knew. I’d only left when we got closer to midday and we knew there was a chance he might finish work and see me sat outside like a peeping Tom.

It was just past one and I had a meeting in a quarter of an hour with the board of Electro. I’d kept the company a limited one specifically so that we didn’t have to answer to public shareholders or maximise the value of every penny invested in monetary terms, but I knew there were rumblings of dissent over my desire to sell the Electro Family at a price cheaper than originally anticipated. Apparently, a billion in revenue per year wasn’t enough for some of my board members.

The voice of my secretary came through the intercom. “Excuse me, Mr Crane. There’s a gentleman here to see you, Tyler Holden. But he doesn’t seem to have any ID.”

“Send him in, Stacey,” I said. My heart felt like it was beating visibly through my shirt. I didn’t know why Tyler had my back up like this. I didn’t know how to feel around him. And I didn’t know why I wanted him to stay around. With the evidence we had on him, we could have him arrested. But I kept telling my father to wait. I needed more time.

And that wasn’t a lie. I needed more time with him, to unlock the puzzle that was Tyler Bevan.

Tyler walked into my room, hair slicked back and in another expensive jacket. I had no idea where he was getting them. Was he stealing them from somewhere? I doubted it, somehow. But the Rolex on his wrist…I just didn’t know.

His face split into a grin when he saw me, and I couldn’t stop my lips lifting either. What was it about this man? He held out his hand for a handshake and I impulsively pulled him in for a hug, I got a whiff ofoldon his jacket and realised it was probably a charity find. But he smelled wonderful as always, just so fresh and clean and clear of the usual expensive perfume that rich people tended to douse themselves in.

“So good to see you,” I said into his ear, and he actually shivered. Fuck, I could get used to holding this man close. But I had to let him go at some point. My office was glass all the way around, and I didn’t want anyone thinking there was anything improper going on. I wanted something improper going on, though.

“Your office is…wow,” Tyler whistled as he looked around. “Is that an original Picasso?”

“Uh…yeah.” I didn’t normally feel nervous showing people my office. I’d put a lot of thought and money into it, and it was designed to impress. I had a mahogany desk almost as big as the boardroom table, a seating area with vintage 60s furniture and a standing lamp that cost as much as some houses in Cardiff. But having watched Tyler at work, helping people directly and never once letting it get him down, I felt like this was just showing off. Why had I bought a Picasso instead of donating those hundreds of thousands to a local cause? The answer was, of course, that I’d done both. That no matter much money I spent on a Picasso, I’d still have billions to do good with.

“Nice views, too,” said Tyler. He stood by the window, which gave us an unobstructed view of the capital. I couldn’t help but place my hand on the small of his back as I joined him to look over the view. My father had lived in Cardiff for years but based his business in the financial capitals of the world. London, New York, Beijing. When Electro made its first billion, I’d decided to build my headquarters in the place that had raised me.

Tyler leaned into my touch. I knew it was stupidly possessive of me to touch him the way I was, but I loved how he didn’t want to move away. “I’ve got a meeting coming up, but I’d like you to sit in. As an independent pair of eyes,” I said. “I’m butting up against my board at the moment, and though I own a plurality of the company, I don’t own a majority.”

“…sure,” said Tyler. “Though I don’t know how qualified I am…”

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