Chapter Eleven
The kiss on her cheek as she entered his penthouse was as unexpected to Melanie as the smile on Aiden’s face as he opened the door and ushered her inside. He then took her coat and hung it up for her, before placing his hand on the small of her back, almost protectively. There was an energy surrounding him that was unfamiliar to Melanie and it immediately softened her, despite the fact that she had been resolute to act as coldly and aloofly as he had that morning. (It had been a petty plan, to be sure, but she felt that he deserved it, for the way he had treated her. No matter, it all went to hell as soon as she saw that delicious smile of his.)
“I’ve found a few more investment opportunities for us,” he told her, almost excitedly, as he pulled out her chair for her and invited her to sit down at a beautifully laid table. There was a basket of bread in the center, between two plates of freshly made salad (with the dressing on the side) and a bottle of red, breathing next to a few lit candles.
“Am I here to talk business?” Melanie asked. “Because this doesn’t look very much like a business meeting to me.”
“No, no,” Aiden chuckled, “far from it, actually. I just wanted to tell you about the investments; they’re time sensitive and I just wanted to get your input on them, since we did so well with Vet Robotics.”
“Oh, okay,” Melanie said, reaching for a piece of bread and dipping it into her salad dressing. “Well, in that case, I have a few ideas of my own.”
“Hold that thought,” Aiden said, turning and shuffling into the kitchen. He reached into the oven and pulled out two foil wrapped plates of something that smelled absolutely amazing, before setting them down on the counter and removing the foil. Melanie couldn’t see what the plates contained—not from her vantage point—but the smell alone was making her stomach grumble in anticipation. She took a deep breath as she waited for him to return to the table, trying not to let the scent distract her from the words she had rehearsed all the way there.
However, the second he set down the plate of veal parmigiana in front of her, Melanie’s mind went blank and all she could think about was how much she wanted to dig into the tender meal. She inhaled deeply and smiled to herself. Her father had made veal on a few special occasions (she was certain it was the only thing he could cook) and this was beginning to remind her of the last birthday she had spent with him, as a teenager. He had given her the tenderest piece of veal and doused it in mozzarella, just the way she loved. He’d even given her half a glass of his special expensive wine and cut her a large piece of the most delicious cake she had ever tasted for dessert.
It was her favorite memory, because he held her mother’s hand the entire meal. For once, he actually looked at ease with his family at his side and no work to distract him. He was like a different man entirely.
Melanie wondered, as she cut the first piece of veal, if this was her father’s recipe. One delightful taste told her that, indeed, it was. She moaned low in her throat and closed her eyes in ecstasy as she chewed and swallowed that first bite. When her eyes opened, she blushed at the hunger in her dinner mate’s eyes from across the table. She cleared her throat and dabbed at her lips.
“Sorry,” she said, clearing her throat. “I just…I haven’t had veal in a long time. It’s good. You really know how to cook.”
“Thank you,” Aiden chuckled. “Actually, your father taught me how. I think this is the only thing he could make without setting the oven aflame.”
“That’s the truth,” Melanie agreed, reaching for the bottle of wine and pouring herself a glass, and then Aiden, who thanked her with a soft grin. “So, which companies were you thinking about investing in?”
“Oh, well there are few,” Aiden sat, sitting straight in his chair; making a drastic change from the debonair bachelor to a successful businessman in a matter of seconds. He steepled his hands in front of him on the table. “A lot of them are rather charitable, like Vet Robotics, but they have a good margin of profit and I predict that with our help, they could grow even larger. They’re low-risk investments, also like Vet, but they’re perfect for somebody just starting out, such as yourself. I’ll give you the list of names after dinner, but there’s one that I’m particularly interested in.”
“Tell me more,” Melanie said, taking a bite of the spaghetti on the side.
“It’s another tech company,” Aiden informed her. “But this one deals more with computer technology. It’s supposed to be helpful for people with disabilities having to do with their hands. They build special keyboards and take dictation through vocal recognition. A lot of writers and stenographers develop arthritis, so being able to speak into a microphone and have the words appear right before your eyes is very helpful. It’s even better for people who don’t have these limbs, but need to use computers. The tech is affordable and they’re even working on a mouse that should be easier to use than the ones already on the market. It would be a shame if they failed just because they couldn’t get the simple start-up funds, don’t you think?”
“Um, yes,” Melanie said, feeling her heart start to pound. “I think I’ve heard about this company. Is it, by any chance, called Shakespeare?”
“Yes, that’s it!” Aiden confirmed. “It’s named after the writer, obviously. We might have to work on that, but it seems like a good investment.” He cut a piece of veal and took a bite.
“Yeah,” Melanie said. “Well, actually, I did have a few ideas of my own. I was doing some research and that came up, but I was also looking through my father’s notes and I remembered that he use to do something called streamlining. Do you know what that is?”
“Yes,” Aiden said, his voice suddenly hard. “But we’re not doing that.”
“Why not?” Melanie asked. “It seems like a great way to make a profit. I mean, isn’t that how my father made his first millions?”
“It is,” Aiden said. “But we’re not doing that. No offense to your father, but it’s not morally sound.”
“You are such a hypocrite,” Melanie huffed.
“What are you talking about?”
“I know you streamlined to make your fortune, as well,” she growled, setting down her fork and knife. “Who are you to judge me or my father for wanting to do the same?”
“Somebody who’s experienced the moral repercussions of doing just that,” Aiden shot back, before letting out a deep sigh. “Stay right there,” he said, placing his napkin on the table and standing up. He disappeared somewhere deep in the apartment and it took several moments for him to reappear. By that time, Melanie had already poured herself a second glass and finished half of her meal.
When Aiden returned to the table, he was holding an old, wrinkled newspaper clipping. He handed it to her over the table and Melanie’s eyes scanned the story, the print fading in some places already, although it was only a couple of years old.
The story focused on a young couple, who had met through their parents, who all worked for the same company. On one side was a photo of the couple with their parents, standing in front of a newly acquired home, all of them looking proud. The youngest woman in the picture was visibly pregnant and the caption read, “Mr. Dylan’s parents paid for half of their first home, as a wedding gift, and Mrs. Dylan’s father paid for the other half. It took six months of bargaining with the sellers of the house to finally close the deal and by that time, the younger Dylans were expecting their first child.” The second photo was of that same house, but with a large foreclosure sign on the front lawn. The same couple stood in front, in the same spot, with two young children at their feet and a third, infant-aged, in the mother’s arms. They were not smiling happily, though their lips were curved upward. The second caption read, “Mr. Dylan got a job at the same company just before the birth of his first child; making just enough for his growing family to get by and pay the taxes on their home, with help from their parents. He was up for a promotion when, quite suddenly, the entire family was let go in the first round of cuts after the business was acquired by a new owner, who wishes to remain anonymous. This was just months before the birth their third child. The Dylans have since found other work, but it was not enough to sustain them.”
Melanie looked up from the paper clipping. “This was because of you?” she asked.
“This was the company that made me my first million,” he said. “Anybody up for a promotion was immediately cut to save money and cheaper materials were used that made working conditions dangerous. Not long after I sold it, the entire thing went bankrupt, but I wasn’t responsible for any of it. Not technically.” Yet, he looked ashamed. “There are other ways to make money, Melanie. Bankrupting people—people like this couple, with three children—is not the way to do it. The money you make from that is drenched in their blood. It’s not worth it.”
“Then why did my father do it?” Melanie asked. “And why did he teach you to do it, if it’s so morally dubious?”
“I ask myself that every day,” Aiden admitted. “Your father wasn’t a bad man. He just let greed blind him. So did I. I will never stop feeling shame about that.”
“Is that why you’re so interested in charitable organizations like Vet Robotics and Shakespeare?”
“It’s one of the reasons,” Aiden confirmed. “But I also believe in these companies and they really are great investments. The charity they provide is a plus.”
“I agree,” Melanie said, softly. “You really are a good man, Aiden. No matter what you did in your past; you have a wonderful heart.”
Aiden swallowed thickly and Melanie felt his hand wrap around hers atop the table, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from his gaze.
“Melanie,” he said, “I never want to go back to being that man. I don’t want to be cold or aloof and hurt the ones I care about or even the ones that I don’t really know that well. I just want to make the world a better place and be with…with somebody who makes everything worthwhile.” He took a deep breath and suddenly Melanie could feel a lump forming in her throat. “Which is why,” he continued, “I can’t ignore what happened last night any longer.” Her heart skyrocketed into her throat.
“Melanie Brunswick,” he started, “I’ve thought a lot about you since the first day we met. I think your father saw that and maybe that’s why he brought me home for dinner so often.” He chuckled to himself. “I’ve always thought that you were one of—no, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life. I’m sorry that I acted so…ignorantly this morning. I didn’t mean to make you feel as though I don’t want you; because the truth is…I want you very much. So much that it’s actually causing me physical pain right now not to kiss you and carry you into my bedroom where you belong.”
Melanie spoke before she could even process his words.
“What’s stopping you?”
Before she knew what was happening, Aiden had swept her into his arms, his lips pressing insistently against hers as they moved swiftly in the direction of his bedroom, his step never faltering, his strong arms holding her as close to his body as humanly possible.
The door to the bedroom slammed closed behind them, so hard that the candles still burning on the dining room table went out with the swift gust of wind.
*****