The Proposition

by Katie Ashley

  Casey sighed. “Okay, Em, let’s forget all about the sex pressure and about what kind of man Aidan is. Just for one moment think of nothing else but what it would feel like this time next year to hold your very own baby in your arms.”

  Tears stung Emma’s eyes at the thought, and it took her back to what Aidan had said to her last night. A baby—that was the bottom line. Sure, Aidan was practically a stranger to her, but it would be the same thing, if not worse, if she used a sperm donor. She had the opportunity to get to know her baby’s father live and in the flesh where she never would if she went to a clinic. She hadn’t been left with a whole lot of options, so if she was going to have a baby, this plan made the most sense.

  She drew in a ragged breath and then exhaled it noisily. Casey had managed to break down what little resolve she had left. “Once again you’ve proven you belong in advertising because you’ve just sold me on taking Aidan’s proposition.”

  Casey squealed as she came around the side of the desk. Throwing her arms around Emma’s neck, she grinned wickedly. “Oh Em, just think about the beautiful child you and Aidan are going to make together. He or she will be a hell of a heartbreaker one day!”

  Emma smiled. An image flickered in her mind of a baby with her piercing green eyes and Aidan’s sandy hair. She was about to make her dreams come true.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  A few days later when Emma glanced up, Aidan stood framed in her doorway. Cupping her hand over the phone, she motioned him in. As he swept into her office, her attention was reluctantly drawn away from his handsome features and back to the voice on the line. “Yes, I’ll set that up. Thanks again.” She hung up and penciled in the appointment. Once she was finished, she smiled at him. “I’m glad you could see me today.”

  “I’m always happy to make time for you Emma.” It irked her when he smiled at the warmth tingeing her cheeks. “I’m assuming since you called me down here you’re ready to take me up on my offer.” He leaned in, resting his palms on her desk. His face was mere inches from hers. “I’m sure you’ve thought about it long and hard, weighed your options.”

  “Yes,” she murmured, as her body was becoming all too aware of the closeness of his. She hated he had that much effect on her.

  “Was it the thought of seeing me naked that finally sealed the deal?”

  At his impish grin, Emma rolled her eyes. “Do you think you could muster just an ounce of maturity considering the seriousness of the situation?”

  Aidan chuckled and plopped down in the chair across from her. “Fine, I’ll try.”

  “It would be in both of our best interests to enter into this arrangement from a business standpoint. First, we need to submit to blood tests to ensure there are no chances for STD’s or other health issues.”

  “I can assure you I’m clean, but I’ll be happy to submit.”

  “Thank you.” Emma passed a manila folder over to him. “I also had my lawyer draw this up.”

  He eyed it before bringing his gaze back to hers. “A contract, huh?” He leaned back in his chair and flipped the folder open. “Is this one of those contracts like in that kinky book where we outline what we’re willing to do or not do during sex? Like our hard limits and safe words?”

  Emma felt a wildfire of embarrassment spreading through her cheeks. “Absolutely not!”

  Aidan laughed. “Glad to hear it. Just so you know, I don’t go in for freaky shit like whips and chains.”

  “That’s so good to hear! Now can you please take this seriously?” Emma huffed. She rose out of her chair and came around the side of the desk. “This contract outlines what is expected, or I suppose I should say, what is not expected of you in regards to what happens after you father my child.” As Aidan skimmed over the first few paragraphs, she continued. “Honestly what it boils down to is protection for you. It ensures I can never try to hold you to any financial obligations, such as child support or paternity settlements.”

  “Section Five doesn’t seem to have anything to do with finances,” Aidan replied, holding out the contract.

  Emma didn’t have to look at the paperwork. She knew exactly what the paragraph entailed. “Section Five protects me in case you ever try to sue me for custody or try to take the child.”

  “You think I would do something like that?”

  “Well no. It’s just my attorney said—”

  Aidan’s eyes darkened. “This paragraph says I can never have verbal or physical contact with my child.”

  “I didn’t think you wanted to. You said before you never really wanted children or the responsibility,” she argued.

  “That’s true, but what if I change my mind? Say years from now, I want to see how he or she turned out? And what if the kid wanted to see me one day?”

  “I don’t know.” She hung her head and leaned back against the desk. “When it was Connor fathering the baby, I had all the answers. We’d known and loved each other since we were twelve. His parents wanted grandchildren, so I knew he would be involved in some way, regardless of what Jeff wanted.” She raised her head to meet Aidan’s expectant gaze. “With you, everything’s up in the air.”

  They stared at each other for a moment. Aidan reached in his suit pocket and took out a pen. “Fine. We’ll do it your way.” He started to scrawl his signature across the contract.

  “Wait!” she cried.

  He glanced up at her in surprise. “What is it?”

  She drew in a deep breath before exhaling loudly. “If you’re truly serious about seeing the baby, we can renegotiate.”

  “Okay. But just amend the part about being able to see the child. I don’t want any part of changing diapers or middle of the night feedings, got it?”

  She smiled. “I understand.”

  “So how do we proceed?”

  “Actually, I was hoping as soon as possible—well, as soon as our test results come back. I should be ovulating then.”

  “Huh?”

  She flushed. “It’s the time when it’s easiest for me to get pregnant.”

  “So we won’t be banging 24-7?” Aidan asked with a grin.

  “No. That’s not how conceiving works.”

  “What a pity,” he mused.

  Emma went back around her desk to glance at her calendar. “Would a week from Monday be okay?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  Chewing on her lip, she hesitated before outlining for him the rest of her baby-making demands. She was embarrassed to talk about some of it in front of him.

  “Spit it out, Em,” Aidan ordered, his tone laced with amusement. She momentarily narrowed her eyes at him since he was all too good at reading her body language.

  “Okay, so here’s the deal. It’s best if we have sex every other day during my fertile period. Having sex everyday can be counterproductive for conceiving. So would you be willing to meet me again on Wednesday and potentially Friday?”

  “A MWF sex schedule? How efficient,” he mused.

  “Please be serious.”

  A wicked grin flashed on his face. “Fine, pencil me in. I’ll be ready and erect whenever you need me.”

  “Thank you,” she replied, with a tight smile. “Now that’s taken care of, where should we meet?”

  “I’m thinking you want to keep this as businesslike as possible, so it’s probably best we use some neutral ground like a hotel room, rather than one of our homes.”

  She nodded. “That sounds good.”

  “Why don’t I make us a reservation at the Grand Hyatt?”

  Emma’s mouth dropped open. “The Grand Hyatt?” she repeated.

  Aidan chuckled. “I’m not a Best Western/Holiday Inn sort of guy, Em.”

  “Oh, no, that’s fine. It’s just I thought since you were helping me out and all, I would take care of the hotel fee, and several nights at the Hyatt is a little out of my budget.”

  Aidan shook his head. “No, I’ll take care of it.”

  “But—”

  “I think it’s
safe to say I make a lot more money than you, so let me take care of this.” At her sharp intake of breath, he held up his hands. “Besides, you need to be saving your money to take care of the kid.”

  Even though she didn’t like his salary reference, she realized he had a point. “Fine then. You can pay.”

  “Thank you.”

  “So Monday night at seven?” she asked.

  “It’s a date.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  At the sound of the doorbell, Emma threw on her robe and hurried down the hallway to let Casey in. She barely cracked open the door when Casey demanded, “How are you holding up?”

  Emma groaned. “I’m supposed to meet Aidan in an hour, and I feel like I’m going to puke at any moment. I may need a Xanax to make it through the night!”

  “I imagined as much,” Casey replied as she stepped into the foyer. “Never fear. I’m here now to talk you down from the ledge and to ensure you’re looking fabulous.”

  Emma gave Casey a quick hug. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”

  “Don’t mention it.” She patted Emma’s back. “Besides, you’ve put up with a lot of my relationship bullshit over the years. I figured I owed you!”

  They strode down the hallway and into Emma’s bedroom. “So what are you wearing?” Casey asked.

  Emma motioned to a rather demure black dress hanging on the closet door. Casey shook her head. “No, no, no! That one is way too understated for something like tonight!”

  “Honestly, Case, he knows I’m a sure thing. Why does it matter what I have on? It’s not like I’ll be wearing it long.”

  Casey rolled her eyes. “Don’t be silly, Em. Men are so visual. You’ve got to get him raring to rip your clothes off and ravish you the moment he sees you.”

  “But we’re having dinner first,” Emma protested as Casey barreled into the closet and flicked on the light.

  “Good, let him be at half-mast the entire time and wanting to eat you for dessert!”

  “I seriously cannot believe you thought that, let alone said it!”

  Casey gave a contemptuous snort. “Well, one of us has to think of these things.”

  Emma ignored her and went back to the bathroom to start on her make-up. She slid rose-colored blush across her ivory cheeks when Casey finally burst through the door. “Ooh, this one!” She thrust out a short, strapless emerald chiffon dress.

  The lilac colored walls of the bathroom suddenly began to close in on Emma. She shook her head wildly at Casey. “No, I can’t wear that.”

  “Why not? It’s sexy, but not slutty, and it’s his favorite color on you. Plus, it’ll show off that fabulous rack of yours!”

  A slow, emotional burn radiated through her chest, and for a moment, she was so overcome she couldn’t speak. When she finally did, her voice was strained with emotion. “That’s the dress I wore to mine and Travis’s engagement party.”

  Casey’s beaming expression momentarily faltered, but then she quickly plastered back on a smile. “You should totally wear it again. That was a happy night, and tonight is a happy one because it starts a new chapter of your life, the one where you become a mom.”

  Emma stared at the dress for a moment. A crystal clear image cut through her mind of her mother, clutching her heart, and smiling broadly. Her mother’s voice echoed through her mind the same as it had that day in the store. Oh Em, honey, that dress is to die for! You’ll take Travis’s breath away. She closed her eyes, trying both to savor the memory and keep her emotions in check. When she was sure she wouldn’t cry, she opened her eyes and smiled at Casey. “You’re right. It needs some more wear and some more memories with it.”

  “That’s the spirit!” Wrapping her arms around Emma, Casey squeezed her tight. “Damn, I’m proud to call you my best friend. You’re so strong and resilient with all you’ve been through, and then deciding to have a baby on your own like this. You’re my own little Steel Magnolia!”

  Emma grinned. “Who knew it would take casual sex to get you so sentimental.”

  “I’m just so happy for you, and that I’ll get to be an auntie.”

  “Godmother, remember?”

  Casey wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know if I want all the moral and ethical responsibility that comes with being a godmother. I’m more the naughty aunt who sneaks them into R rated movies and buys them booze when they’re underage.”

  Emma giggled. “We’re going to have to work on that mentality, especially before you become a mom!”

  “Bite your tongue on that one, missy. We’ve got to get Nate through his internship before we even think of kids.”

  Emma went back to working on her make-up while Casey started in on her hair.

  “What do you think? A lose knot?”

  “No, Aidan likes my hair down and wavy,” Emma replied as she applied some eye-shadow.”

  “Ah, there’s my girl thinking of what Aidan wants. You’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in no time!”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Why do I feel like Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind all the sudden when she bemoans why women have to act so silly to catch a husband?”

  “Well, technically you’re not doing all this for a husband—you just want Aidan to spring an erection…or two.”

  Emma’s body shook with laughter, sending her eyeliner arching up her temple. “Case, dammit, look what you made me do!” she said when she finally caught her breath.

  “Me? I didn’t do anything but state facts.”

  After cleaning off her smudged eyeliner, Emma flicked her wrist over and glanced at her watch. “Shit! We have to get a move on, or I’m going to be late!

  ***

  Emma stared down at her phone for the millionth time. “Shit, shit, shit!” She was now fifteen minutes late, and her original text to Aidan had gone unanswered. She feared he was going to get pissed off and just leave. After all, he didn’t have to wait for women—they were usually willing and able at his slightest command. Her phone buzzed as her car eased up to the valet stand. Fumbling inside her purse, she dug it out.

  One glance down at the message and her heart stilled and then restarted. “You sure as hell better get here. Fast. Not settling for a cold shower tonight.”

  “Ma’am?” the valet asked.

  With her thoughts consumed by Aidan, she didn’t even realize her car door had opened and a young man now stared expectantly at her.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  Emma took the ticket from him and hurried into the hotel. Her gaze swept over the mass of strange faces in the lobby. When she didn’t see Aidan, she craned her neck, searching through the crowded room.

  Finally, her eyes met his, and she gave a tentative smile. He strode determinedly towards her. At his frustrated expression, she held up her hands. “Oh, Aidan, I’m so, so sorry I’m late. Traffic was a nightmare and –”

  He silenced her once again by crushing his lips to hers. He kept this kiss a lot more chaste than the night in the parking deck since they were in the middle of the teeming hotel lobby. When he pulled away, Emma smacked his arm.

  “You’ve really got to stop doing that!” she protested.

  “Kissing you?”

  “No, interrupting me.”

  “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t help myself. You’re like a fucking vision tonight.”

  She widened her eyes and then smiled. “Okay then, you’re forgiven.”

  Aidan grinned. “Glad to hear it. Are you hungry?”

  “A little,” she lied. The very thought of eating made her want to throw up. Her nerves were still too out of control.

  “Come on.” He rested his palm against the small of her back and guided her towards the hotel restaurant. A waiter outfitted in a tux sat them at a table with a gorgeous view of the sun setting over the city. He took their drink orders and then left.

  When she reached for the menu, her fingers grazed Aidan’s. He glanced up and gave her his signature drop dead sexy smile. A mixture of burni
ng longing coupled with crippling anxiety pulsed through her, and she shifted her gaze back to the menu. Breathe, Em. You can do this.

  “What sounds good?” he asked, breaking the silence.

  “Oh, I don’t know,” she murmured, keeping her eyes firmly on the menu. Food was the farthest thought from her mind. All she could think about was what was going to happen after dinner. What would it feel like to finally be intimate with someone else again? Most of all, she worried she could never live up to the expectations he had set for her.

  Emma was never more grateful when the waiter returned with her margarita. She tipped it up and took a long, fiery gulp, sucking half the glass down. She shuddered when the alcohol hit her stomach.

  By the time the waiter took their food order, she had guzzled the scorching tequila heavy drink and ordered another one.

  “I guess they make a pretty mean margarita here, huh?” Aidan asked with a tight smile.

  She bobbed her head enthusiastically. “Totally.”

  While Aidan launched into a conversation detailing his promotion to Vice President of marketing and how he was looking forward to all the traveling, Emma worked at draining her second margarita. She barely processed his ramblings about working overseas and within the country for business. Instead, she focused on slurping the liquid courage through the tiny straw. Without missing a beat, she waved the waiter over for another.

  Aidan cut himself off mid-sentence and quirked his blonde eyebrows. “Are you trying to get drunk off your ass so you can endure having sex with me?”

  “No, no, that’s not it at all!” she cried.

  He leaned in across the table. “You barely drank half of your margarita last week. Now you’re downing them like a lush fresh out of rehab.”

  Emma drew in a deep breath, deciding it was best to be honest with him. “It’s just…I’m nervous that’s all.”

  “About us sleeping together?”

  Emma nodded.

  Aidan’s brows creased. “Are you afraid I’m going to hurt you or make you do something you don’t want to?”