Love Me Like I Love You

by Willow Winters

  “What’s Sophia’s role in this joyful transaction?”

  “I don’t know,” I answer. “Pierce and Vance said it well earlier. She deserves better than an Aldridge. Maybe I should just leave her alone.”

  “Henry, I don’t think anyone would care for her the way you do. I don’t dare to say the L-word because I think you need to learn the real meaning of it. What you’re doing isn’t exactly love.”

  He blows some air and scrubs his face.

  “Marrying because it’s convenient though…that’s fucked up,” he states. “When did you give up on reaching for what you want from life?”

  I haven’t but… “Have you been listening to me? I’m pre-engaged, emotionally incapacitated, and the woman I…”

  It’s hard to finish the sentence because I’m not even sure what I feel for her so I just say, “Sophia hates me.”

  “I don’t think your problem is that you’re pre-engaged. Ten million dollars is spare change for you,” he glances at me. “If I were you, I’d be getting rid of Martina and your arrangement before you complicate this even more. Now, the real issue is that Sophia might have a hard time seeing past the shit you’re pulling right now which is completely due to your emotional constipation.”

  Resting my arms on my thighs, I take a few deep breaths as I look at the grass. “What do I do?”

  “Try to behave less like a robotic asshole and more like a human,” he suggests and laughs.

  “Fucker,” I complain.

  “Follow your gut. Lead your life by what you feel and not some plan fabricated by your dead ancestors because they didn’t know better or didn’t care about forming any real bonds with people. I know it’s not the way you were raised, but that’s not the only way to be successful. Your business might be an empire, but there’s more than just financial power. Relax and be mindful of others. You might find what you always wanted.”

  “What is that?” I ask, because I don’t even know what I want.

  “A family,” he answers. “People who care about you.”

  I turn to the main house and swallow. “They all hate me.”

  “They don’t understand you, and you are harsh with them,” he says, using his serious, yet understanding voice. “It’s easier to mock you than to get upset at you every time you—well, all the time, because you don’t know better. I get it. It’s hard to learn new tricks. Henry Merkel grew up as an only child in some ivory tower surrounded by servants. This is different, yet familiar because we spent summers together. You’re fighting it because every summer, once our time was over, you went back to school and that was it. We never saw each other until the next year. This isn’t much different, and yet it seems permanent. You don’t know what’s going to happen after the eighteen months are over. Will you go back to New York and never see us? What’s the point to bond when you have experienced the end result too many times?”

  “It’s not just that,” I tell him.

  “You’re worried that one of these idiots is going to do something stupid and fuck the town. It’s hard to trust us,” he states, and I bob my head in agreement. “Faith is invisible, but it is there. You just have to keep reminding yourself that trusting goes both ways. Give them what you want from them.”

  “Why do you always sound like the oldest brother?”

  “Blaire says it’s because I was an older brother to Carter,” he explains. “I have practice, and you were an only child raised in a boarding school. It’s a different experience. Also, you’re not that much older than I am.”

  We stay in silence for a few moments and then, he asks, “What are you going to do?”

  There are only a few things I hate, and the biggest one is not being in control. I always know my next move. I try never to take a step without planning ahead and having contingency plans. Since my father died, everything that’s happening to me is unregulated and difficult to handle. I’m not sure what to do next, and following what Hayes just told me, I think it’s time to confide in him. Maybe he doesn’t have the answers, but talking this out loud might give me an idea or two.

  “I kissed her,” I confess. “Twice. The first time was on the rooftop while I was losing my shit because…well, my father died, and he was screwing with my head and my future.”

  Closing my eyes, I pull that memory I’ve been repressing for weeks and just let it play as I remember it. Her soft hands on my face, my hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer to me and then our mouths fusing. It was the first time in a very long time that I kissed someone spontaneously. I slid my tongue to hers while I pressed her close to me, letting myself just feel, and I felt so fucking much that I wanted to run.

  It scared me.

  That moment when I realized she wasn’t just my right hand was cathartic. Yet, I can’t explain what she means to me.

  I tell Hayes what happened. Not the version that Vance and Pierce know which, let’s get real, is close to nothing.

  Saturday’s kiss was…it was a lot more than just a passionate kiss in the elevator. It was me willingly diving off a cliff trying to reach her. To surrender. I wanted to get lost in her, figure out why is it that she makes me feel so alive. She unravels me. But the moment I touched her, I became undone.

  I doubt I’ll ever be the same after that kiss. Every situation that I’ve experienced with her has been transforming, breathtakingly powerful, and unique.

  With her I feel a connection. Even when we don’t touch, I feel as if she’s a part of me. When she’s not around, I miss that bond. She shouldn’t fit in my world, but most of the time I think she’s the part of myself that I’ve been missing all along.

  Sophia creates chaos in my perfectly planned life, and it frightens me that I prefer to live in the anarchy of her presence than continue living what is now a miserable existence.

  “Good, at least you are aware of what’s happening. We thought you were oblivious to that ownership you claim to have over her,” Hayes says once I finish talking. “More like she owns you, and you pretend it’s the other way around. This might sound contradictory, but you need a plan if you want to get the woman.”

  “She’s not coming for almost two weeks,” I inform him. “She needs time. I think I came on too strong Saturday, and we couldn’t discuss any of it the next morning because she ran away. This isn’t a conversation we should have over the phone. While she’s away, I plan on focusing my energy on fixing Merkel. In that way when she’s back, she can concentrate on her parents and Aldry’s Sweets.”

  “Sounds like a smart move,” he agrees with me. “Speaking about Mr. and Mrs. Aragon, we spoke with her mother’s doctor earlier today. We all decided that the change of atmosphere might help with her depression. There are plenty of clubs she can join around town. You might have to fly Mrs. Aragon to Portland because the therapists won’t come all the way to Baker’s Creek, but we’ll try our best.”

  “Thank you for doing this for me.”

  “I won’t lie to you. Blaire is doing it for Sophia, not for you. Grovel so she’ll forgive you, because if my woman is upset, I’m not going to be happy either. Also, her being unhappy with the Aldridge boys is making it harder for me to convince her to marry me now.”

  “What are they doing to her?” I understand my part on this whole I hate your brothers, but apparently, I’m not the only one.

  “Pierce is on her shit list because of Leyla, Vance doesn’t want to tell her anything about Crawford, and you are an asshole. That’s enough to hate us as a unit.”

  “She adores you,” I remind him.

  “But my brothers are infuriating.” He takes two more beers out of the case just as Pierce makes his way to us.

  “Am I allowed to sit with you?” He shows us a bottle of single malt that he’s carrying along with three tumbler glasses.

  Hayes and I nod, and we change the subject. I try to concentrate on the conversation, but my thoughts go back to Sophia. Her shallow breathing after kissing her in the elevator. Her pupils dilati
ng as I buried my finger inside her. And the poisonous thought that keeps pushing its way through my head when I think that maybe, just maybe, she could learn to love me.

  Who the fuck are you kidding, Henry Aldridge? You have to force a woman to be your wife. Your mother couldn’t be bothered with you when she realized her boyfriend was never going to become her husband. No one has ever been with you because of you, but because of your value. The only reason Sophia tolerates you is because you pay her well. If she had it all, she wouldn’t give a fuck if you live or die.

  Would she?

  Sophia

  I’m not that different from Henry Aldridge. We both like to peer over the horizon and ponder about the future. Believe me, it’s easier to look at the future than try to fix the present. Maybe it’s a way to escape, or just the way my brain is wired. I’ve always said, if you can’t control your present, at least create something new for your future.

  Though it’s a great motto, I don’t use it much in my personal life. I focus mostly on work. Sometimes I get lost inside my head while planning a better product, a better campaign, and a better…world. Concentrating all my energy on one single problem can keep me in the zone for hours.

  To my despair, at the moment I can’t focus on anything that has to do with work.

  Why am I obsessing about my boss?

  I touch my lips and close my eyes thinking about the kiss. Sliding my hand down, it travels between my legs. I recall his long finger dipping inside me as his heel brushed my mound and almost made me come. I let out a loud sigh and open my eyes. This isn’t happening. I refuse be attracted to a man who is making me uproot my life just because he can.

  I focus my energy into something else. But I can’t. My mind goes back to the elevator and the things we could have done if… No, I refuse to fantasize on my desires. Staring at the ceiling I begin to find ways on how I’m going to make Henry pay for making me move to Baker’s Creek.

  What’s the point?

  Well, it’s not as worthless as wishing I was resting my head on top of his naked, broad, muscular chest, sleeping after hours of making love. I should be meditating. That might be the best way to get some needed sleep. It’s around four in the morning when the notifications on my phone start going off.

  I’m hoping it’s Henry because I could use an excuse to get mad at him and stop thinking about his taut body and imagining the ways we could fuck. When I read the headline, I grunt.

  What did you do, Henry Aldridge?

  There are several articles about Merkel. The hotel conglomerate firing not one but several of its top executives late Wednesday night. I click the link to our website where they posted a news release signed by him. Wait—why didn’t he tell me about this?

  He apologizes to all his employees and those directly affected by his oversight. His vision for the company is to have a safe environment for not only his guests but those who work for him. He ends the speech saying that we are all a family, and he assures them that it won’t happen again. I get out of bed and check my computer to see if there’s any email from him. There’s nothing. Who did he fire, and why wasn’t I informed about any of this?

  Sophia: Why am I not a part of this press release?

  Henry: You were asleep. Pierce, the public relations department, and I took care of it.

  “I could’ve used this as an excuse to work instead of thinking about you all night, you selfish prick!” I whisper shout to myself.

  Sophia: It’s never stopped you before.

  Henry: Leyla stopped me.

  I smirk. Of course she did. I calm down because it wasn’t intentional. She doesn’t know about my toss-and-turn-restless night.

  Sophia: Who did you fire?

  Henry: I’ll email you the list.

  “There’s a list? I leave you alone for a few hours and you fired people. I can’t with you, Henry Aldridge!”

  Sophia: It was going to be hard to search for a new VP of operations, now… Why would you do this?

  Henry: Pierce requested all the complaints we’ve received since my grandfather died and I became the CEO. The list is long, and they never took any action until you arrived. Needless to say, I let go of the director of human resources too.

  Sophia: Why would you do that without giving me a heads up?

  Henry: I have this under control.

  Sophia: Anything I can do to help?

  Henry: We need to replace all the executives that I let go. It’s an entire operation that should be done in about a week. I think we can do it, don’t you?

  Sophia: I could take on one of those positions.

  Henry: Though I know you are capable, I think we have to find someone permanent for that position. You have a lot on your plate.

  I stare at the phone dumbfounded because it doesn’t sound like him at all. He’s apologizing and giving me an explanation.

  Sophia: Blaire, is this you? Did Vance killed him, and you are taking over his company?

  I’m about to press send when he texts me again and leaves me even more confused.

  Henry: Please make sure to send me your plan on how we’ll be running Merkel from Baker’s Creek. If you don’t have it ready, prepare a proposal that I can look at when you arrive. It’s imperative that we have a handle on that front.

  Sophia: I’ll send you the draft I have, and I’ll start gathering resumés from our current employees. Plus, I’ll have human resources post the positions on our website.

  Henry: Sounds like a good start. I’ll have my phone next to me in case you need any help.

  Sophia: Are you feeling well?

  Henry: I could be better. Message me when you’re ready to work on the company’s restructure. Let me know how things go with your parents.

  Sophia: I just read your email. You let go of all your top executives. What happened?

  Henry: Well, after what happened with Morrell, I received a few calls from some very upset executives displeased by my out of character decision. They’ve worked for Merkel since my grandfather led the company and had never been treated with so little respect. After a long conversation with my brothers—and a bottle of single malt—I realized that we have different ideologies and it is best for my employees and the company to see them go.

  Sophia: That might cost you a lot.

  Henry: You don’t approve of what I did?

  I stare at the screen of my computer reading the list of people who are no longer part of the company, and I’m relieved that a few of them are gone. Henry was groomed by his grandfather who for what I’ve heard was a tyrant. Thankfully, Henry’s ideologies are set more into this century.

  Sophia: I have a solid list of people who can take over those positions.

  Henry: I have a feeling that you also wanted to fire some of those executives.

  Sophia: There’s that too. I’m just worried about the backlash and financial downfall that this might bring.

  Henry: They don’t get severance payment since their behavior goes against company policies. Everything we did was well thought of, and I had my legal advisor handle it so it won’t cost me more than it should.

  Sophia: What legal advisor?

  Henry: Pierce. :wink emoji:

  Sophia: We need a contingency plan. I can already feel the tension around the corporate offices, and I’m not even in the building. They’re going to wonder if you’re firing everyone.

  Henry: I’m open to your suggestions. Try to get some sleep. I didn’t mean to disrupt your night.

  Sophia: Next time, wake me up. I’d rather work with you than have to catch up like this.

  Henry: Let’s hope there’s not a next time because you’ll bring these issues to me, instead of trying to solve them on your own. Not that you did anything wrong, but we could’ve cut the problem from the root long ago.

  Sophia: I don’t know if you’re chiding me or giving me praise.

  Henry: Neither. Don’t analyze what I’m texting. Go back to sleep.

  “Like I could sleep wi
th this new turn of events, and I haven’t been able to sleep thanks to you.”

  Sophia: I’d rather start working. I’ll call you when I have something concrete.

  Henry

  A few minutes after her last text, Sophia sends me an email with a draft of her plan on how we can run the hotel conglomerate without having me, the CEO, in New York for the next eighteen months. I won’t lie, the ideas are unusual, but I think they can work. In her email, she states that even though what I did was in a way understandable, it’s out of character for someone like me.

  She’s right. I never make a decision without thinking about the consequences. However, after three beers and half a bottle of scotch, Pierce, Hayes, and I said fuck it. We’re not going to have assholes working for us. We went to the house, pulled out a computer, and started making calls.

  While we were in the zone, we cleaned Aldridge Enterprises too. Of course, it wasn’t until after we had the support of my other brothers and Blaire. I’ve never seen Beacon so excited about working for me. That kid is twisted. The interim CEO I placed in that company a few weeks back was more than happy to assist me on the task.

  At seven eastern time, Sophia and I are on a video conference going through each point of her plan and trying to define the parameters.

  While we do this, two things from my discussion with Hayes come into mind. One, he told me to learn how to relax. The second was that Sophia created chaos in my world. But as I watch her on the screen while she explains how we should reorganize the company, I realize that she is my calm.

  She might create havoc because she thrives on destroying my perfectly strategized plans, but even when she gets on my nerves, I ease up when she’s around me.

  Merkel is under fire after the media got ahold of the news about Morrell, the way he treated the people who reported to him, and that I fired my executives overnight. The news release that went out earlier today where I apologized to the current and former employees for what happened wasn’t enough.