Love Me Like You Do: Books That Keep You In Bed

by Fields, MJ

  “So, you have a man working for you? A new assistant?”

  My mother was never one to waste time getting to the point.

  “Ma,” I sighed as I tossed my head back and stared at the ceiling. “Please don’t make a big deal out of this. My work has become too much for Gia. She can’t manage her full-time job and help me, so I decided to hire someone.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “You don’t like what, Ma?”

  “He’s trying to take advantage of you. You are young and gorgeous. And single…right?”

  This woman made me groan more than getting a bikini wax.

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, I’m single. Thanks for pointing that out.”

  “Then that explains it.”

  “Explains what?” This conversation would go ’round and ’round without getting anywhere.

  “Why he’s interested in you. There aren’t male assistants, Madelynn. Come on. Could you see your father doing something like that?”

  The idea of my dad as an assistant made me want to laugh, but the look on my mother’s face stopped the giggle in my chest. “Mama, he really is an assistant—and a good one at that. I had my doubts in the beginning, too. In fact, I almost didn’t hire him simply because he’s a guy.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “He pleaded his case, and he had a very valid point, so I agreed to give him a try.”

  She tsked and shook her head, disapproval wafting off her like fragrance from a perfume shop. “You think because is a valid point. You’re too gullible most times. People take advantage of that, and I hate to say it, but I think that’s exactly what this guy is doing.”

  “He’s not. And while I realize that I tend to give everyone the benefit of the doubt, this time is different.” I had to admit that it was a little hard to defend him when I had no idea where we stood, but I did so anyway. Because in the end, I believed in Finn. “I heard him out, weighed my options, and decided to hire him, and it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made.”

  She stared at me, not saying a word, which meant she was either thinking of another argument or giving in. I hoped it was the latter. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep this up without her recognizing my mixed feelings.

  I put my hand on her arm. “I seriously can’t imagine what direction my career would’ve gone had Finn not stepped in. Trust me, Mama. This has been good for me.”

  After a few seconds, which felt way longer, she finally spoke. “I believe you.”

  I let out a breath.

  “But he still needs to meet your father.”

  “What?” My mouth fell open as I blinked rapidly at her. “What are you talking about?”

  “Madelynn Russo, you know how you’ve struggled in the past. You’ve overcome so many obstacles in your life, and with Gia helping you, I never had to worry. Now you have a man assisting you—a man we don’t know and have never met. How do we know he has your best interests at heart? This Finnigan character is a nobody to us, so we need to meet him. We need to see what his intentions are with our baby. You’ll understand when you’re a mother.”

  I rolled my eyes because I knew I wouldn’t get out of this. My only option was to stall. I could probably hold off on introducing him to my family for at least a few months. And by that time, we should already have our relationship defined. Whereas, if they met him now, it would look like I’d assumed things and wanted to take our relationship to the next level, which could potentially ruin everything.

  “This Saturday is Uncle Tony’s sixtieth birthday. Bring your friend. That way, everyone can meet him.” She was insane. Off her rocker. My mother had officially lost her damn mind.

  “No way! I’m not doing that, Ma. I refuse to ambush him that way.” I hopped off my stool and stood in the kitchen with my arms crossed.

  “Like the mom that I am, I have to do my job. Your father and I need to protect you, and we can’t do that if we don’t know the kinds of people you have managing your business. I can’t stand the thought of you losing your career because you trusted the wrong person.”

  “Ma, I’m twenty-five years old. When will you start trusting me to make my own decisions? I live on my own for heaven’s sake! I think I’m capable of taking care of myself…and my business.”

  “Your fridge was bare.”

  I could’ve pointed out that I’d gotten home late last night, after the grocery store had closed. Not to mention, I hadn’t been home in nearly a week. But I didn’t, because even that wouldn't make her concede. She was impossible sometimes—correction, most times.

  “You will bring him over on Saturday. End of discussion.”

  Fuck my life.

  How the hell was I supposed to tell Finn that he had to meet my entire Italian family?

  And more importantly, what would he think that meant?

  Twelve

  Finn

  An entire day—more than twenty-four hours—without hearing Mady’s voice was torture.

  I hadn’t heard from her since I’d dropped her off Sunday night, which wasn’t entirely her fault. I hadn’t called, either. Although, that wasn’t because I didn’t want to talk to her. There was actually a lot I’d wanted to say, but every time I picked up the phone, I managed to talk myself out of it. Asking how she was or if she slept well sounded lame, and telling her that I was thinking about her made me sound like a pussy. Even worse, saying that I missed her body made me sound like a pervert, so I’d decided to wait.

  Which wasn’t an easy thing to do.

  It made me regret working on the images and posts Sunday morning. Had we held off until we’d gotten home like we’d originally talked about, then I wouldn’t have had to go an entire day without her. Unfortunately, I hadn’t thought that far ahead.

  Hindsight…such bullshit.

  I didn’t have a lot of experience with relationships. The only real one I’d ever had ended in divorce because I wasn’t good enough for her. Those were her words, not mine. And they’d rung in my ears ever since the day she walked out. She’d left me devastated, to the point that I nearly swore off women entirely. Of course, that didn’t happen. But no matter how many hookups I’d had, nothing ever came from them.

  But Mady…she was different. So much so that it caused pains in my chest. I was convinced I’d die of a heart attack before Tuesday came, so now that I was here, in front of her house, I had no earthly idea what to do or what to say. I probably should’ve spent more time contemplating that instead of thinking of her legs wrapped around my waist.

  What was worse, I had no idea what she would say. I couldn’t even begin to guess what her expectations were. And considering I hadn’t heard from her, I couldn’t help but assume that she’d decided we should part ways, which would mean my job was over. Then what would I do? Granted, I still owned and operated my own business, but ever since taking on this project with Mady, I’d all but lost interest in what I was doing before. Working for Mady had provided me with more than she’d ever know.

  I could potentially lose everything, all because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants.

  I groaned as I opened the car door and began the long trek to her front door. The anticipation of how this would go filled me with dread and almost made me turn around and bolt. But I couldn’t do that…because Mady had seen me.

  She stood barefoot on her front porch, and I didn’t think I’d ever seen her look so cute. I fought the urge to grab her face and claim her mouth like I’d done so many times last week. God, I’d missed her.

  I needed help. I’d become addicted to her, and nothing else would do. But I knew in my heart that a romantic relationship with her would never work, because a girl like that would always want something I couldn’t offer. I had no doubt that I could be enough for someone, but not the likes of Mady Russo, internationally famed social media influencer.

  “Hey, Finn. How’s it going?” Mady called when I was half a dozen steps away.

  I stuck my hands in my
front pockets and awkwardly walked toward her. “Good. You?”

  “Good. I have some things to catch you up on. Come in.” She held open the door for me, and if I read her body language correctly, a hug was not in the cards.

  I fought the disappointment and tried to tell myself that this was a good thing. She was setting clear boundaries for us and our relationship. Except, I wasn’t sure if I wanted those lines drawn in the sand. I couldn’t help but imagine how great it would be if I had it all—the working relationship, the romantic relationship, and the friendship. And the more I thought about it, I didn’t see why we couldn’t I have it all. Or, at least, see if it were possible.

  “Do you want some coffee?” She glanced over her shoulder as she led me to the kitchen. Such a sexy sight. “I made a fresh pot.”

  “Sure. Thanks.” I sat at the bar and pulled my laptop from my bag.

  We sometimes worked here or at the kitchen table or in the living room. But never the bedroom. All I wanted was to work her over in the bedroom. I gritted my teeth as my dick responded to the memory of how she felt when I first sank into her. Now I’d have a hard-on to hide. Fantastic.

  I realized that I’d stopped paying attention to Mady, and I had no idea which direction she’d taken the conversation. I tried to play catch up so I wouldn’t look like the idiot I’d become, but it was difficult when I’d missed the first part of her conversation.

  “…he’s really interested in me. He said he always has been, but he’s just been waiting for the right time to hit me up. I think we’d be good together; you know what I mean?”

  I grunted. What in the actual fuck? Was she telling me about her next conquest? I wanted to punch him in the face and then fuck her hard, until she couldn’t remember his name and only mine would pass her lips.

  “Let me show you the sunglasses.” She momentarily left the room and came back with a box. “These are the ones he sent.”

  I opened the box and pretended to study the mirrored aviators. But in all actuality, I didn’t give two flying fucks about them. I wanted to hear more about this guy she’d be perfect with.

  “Mickey says that—”

  I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it. “Mickey, as in Mouse?” I laughed harder.

  “Grow up, Finn. It’s Mickey, as in Hamilton.” She must’ve read the blank look on my face. “As in…Hamilton Eyewear? He’s one of the biggest sunglasses’ designers out there. He could literally have anyone, and he chose me.”

  “Define have anyone…”

  She rolled her eyes and perched her hands on her hips, giving me that Mady attitude I loved so much. God, I loved it when she tried to be an alpha. “To promote him. He’s run ads with Jennifer Aniston, Anne Hathaway, and Gwen Stefani, just to name a few. Recently, he’s turned more to social media, teaming up with one of the Real Housewives and, I think, someone from Teen Mom. So the fact that he chose me is freaking huge.”

  I could’ve sat there all day and watched the excitement light up her face. But I couldn’t, because as her assistant—and whatever else I was to her—I had to make sure she wasn’t getting in over her head. “I know you’ve been gaining followers pretty steadily, and after launching the Urban Wear campaign, you’ve had a drastic spike, but how does this Mickey fucker know who you are?”

  I’d either offended her or pissed her off. Or both. Because she stared at me with pinched brows and a heavily creased forehead, narrowed eyes pinning me to my stool. “I’m not a nobody, you know. I’ve been doing this for a while now.”

  “That’s not what I meant. I was just wondering, if he can get all these super famous people to promote him, why he’d go after a smaller name. And before you take that the wrong way, I’m in no way dismissing your success. I have nothing but faith that you’ll, one day, be on top. But I guess I’m not understanding why he’d choose someone with two million followers when there are others with double or triple that.”

  I wanted to kick myself for saying any of that, because now, there wasn’t a hint of excitement on her face. Instead, she looked like a beaten puppy—a puppy I wanted to scoop up and cuddle.

  She sighed, her posture deflating. And in a soft, meek voice, she said, “I don’t know, Finn. He’s a very smart businessman, so I’m assuming he saw an opportunity for cheaper promotion. Or maybe he sees my potential and wants to get in before the queue gets too long.”

  “Okay. That makes sense.” Now that there was clearly no intention to date the mouse, I felt comfortable continuing the business side of things. “What are the terms?”

  “The terms?” She looked confused.

  “Of the contractual agreement. Has he sent you anything yet?”

  “Oh, that. Not yet.” When she shook her head, I got a whiff of her shampoo, which made me instantly hard once again. Dammit!

  “Okay, so what is he waiting for?”

  She shrugged. “I think he was wanting to wait until after we finished discussing everything. You know, to make sure he had both of our wishes covered in a contract. Why waste time writing one up only to go back in and have to revise it a bunch of times?”

  I highly doubted that, but arguing with her would only push her further away. And that was the last thing I wanted to do. So I decided to change the subject to something a little lighter and brighter. “Have you seen the attention you’re getting from the group pictures we posted? Your page is blowing up.”

  A forced smile lined her tight lips. It’d been forever since she’d worn that expression, and I had to admit that I hated it even more now than I did a month ago. “Yeah, it’s pretty exciting. I wonder how many people have used the code.”

  “Well, I’m still waiting to hear back from Urban Wear. I emailed them a few hours ago to find out how it’s going on their end, so hopefully, they’ll get back to me soon.”

  Mady nodded and opened her laptop. After a couple clicks, she beamed like she’d just discovered she won the lotto. It was nice to see something other than a fake grin, but it sucked that I hadn’t caused it. “Oh! Mickey just sent over a new message. I wonder what he has to say.” She hit a button, and the computer began to play the message aloud.

  In a somewhat robotic British accent, it read: Hey, Mady. Thank you for your quick responses. I’m really excited to get the ball rolling on this, as I know you’ll be a perfect fit for our look. I can’t get over how amazing my glasses look on your beautiful face. People have always said that wearing my sunglasses makes them look good, but I’ve got to be honest, Mady…that’s not the case with you. You’re the one who makes the sunglasses improve. Anyway, I can’t wait to get some ideas for you to go over and then discuss what you think about them. This is going to be great both ways. Makes me wish I would’ve hit you up sooner. Speak soon, gorgeous. M Hamilton.

  When it finished playing, she closed her laptop and asked, “What do you think?”

  I had no idea why she always listened to her messages instead of reading them to herself, but it was beyond annoying. “I think he’s flirting with you.”

  Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink. “Yeah, but it’s harmless. Not to mention, I’m kind of used to it by now. Guys flirt with me, but I ignore it and move on. Well, unless I’m interested, of course.”

  “If you say so.” I shrugged and turned my attention back to my computer.

  “Are you jealous?”

  I refused to look at her. “No. I’m just doing my job and trying to keep you safe.”

  “Your job? So this”—she pointed at me and circled her finger in the air, indicating my attitude—“is only about your job and nothing else?”

  “That’s right. Absolutely nothing else.”

  “If you say so.” She mimicked me—including the shrug—and continued to move about her kitchen, talking about something else as if she’d been distracted by a shiny squirrel. “My mom stopped by yesterday to tell me about my uncle’s birthday party this weekend.”

  I was only half-listening, because the other part of my brain was coming u
p with ways to bash Mickey’s face in.

  “Anyway, she wants you to come, but you don’t have to. That’s a bit much, if you ask me.”

  “Come where?” I should really start paying more attention when she talked.

  She stared at me, likely confused why I’d ask when she’d obviously already explained that part. Oh well. “To my uncle’s sixtieth birthday party. Were you not listening?”

  “Uh, yeah. Of course I was. But I guess I’m a little confused as to why they’d invite me.”

  “My parents found out that I have a man working for me—thanks to Gia—and they’re concerned that you might be taking advantage of me. So they want to meet you…you know, to make sure you’re not going to rip me off or screw me over.”

  I chuckled. “Oh, sweetheart. Then you should tell them about Mickey Mouse.”

  She glared at me, clearly not finding me too funny at the moment.

  “Why do I have to go to your uncle’s party to meet your parents? Wouldn’t it make more sense to do that somewhere else? Maybe somewhere a little more private?”

  “Yes, Finn. It would. But my mother doesn’t seem to understand basic logic.”

  * * *

  I swung at the hanging bag with everything in me. All the pent-up emotions I’d pushed to the side, compartmentalizing it all like I always did, came out in heated waves of aggression. This poor punching bag would never be the same.

  “Hey, dude. Go easy on it!” Kyle patted me on the back.

  I dropped my arms and let the heavy bag swing, thankful for his interruption. I needed to be pulled from my thoughts before I ended up breaking something—or myself.

  “Can you spot me on weights?” he asked as he headed for the bench along the wall.

  I rarely came to the gym, but Kyle had been after me lately, so I’d decided to give it a whirl. Working out had never been my thing. I preferred hiking or biking or just plain old walking—anything that didn’t feel like exercise. But today had been different. I needed the release, and this punching bag made the perfect target.