The Proposition

by Katie Ashley

  “No, as a matter of fact I didn’t.”

  Casey squealed and then flopped down in the chair. “Deets, Em! I desperately need deets!”

  “Then go be a good best friend and get me some coffee,” Emma moaned.

  With a huff, Casey rose out of her chair. “Fine. But you better give me every single, erotic detail when I get back!”

  As Casey stalked out the door, Emma sat her things down and turned on her computer. In the middle of reading her appointments for the day, her phone buzzed in her purse. She grabbed it out and scrolled through her texts. Seeing one from Aidan caused her heart to leap into her throat.

  Sorry I didn’t say good-bye. You looked too peaceful to wake up. Looking forward to Wednesday---A

  Emma couldn’t fight the goofy grin from filling her cheeks. He wasn’t such a huge asshole after all. He actually cared enough to send her a text to check on her.

  Quickly, her fingers flew over her keyboard. Thanks. I did sleep well last night…well, after everything. I’m looking forward to Wednesday too.

  Casey came in the door with a steaming mug of coffee and passed it over to Emma.

  As Emma blew little waves over the dark liquid, Casey’s lips turned downwards into a pout. “Em, I really am hurt you didn’t call me on the way home this morning. I mean, I’ve been dying all night and morning to hear from you! I drove Nate practically crazy last night wondering about how you were doing.”

  Emma shot out of her chair, sloshing coffee onto the floor. “You seriously told Nate about mine and Aidan’s hookup?”

  Casey rolled her yes. “Of course I did. Don’t you think he’d wonder what was up when you turned up pregnant out of the blue?”

  “I guess you have a point.”

  “I think by the end of the night, he was just as antsy to hear from you as well. I think his concern was more about making sure you were okay, and that Aidan hadn’t tied you up to subject you to some kinky shit or something.”

  Sweeping her hand to her hip, Emma gave Casey an exasperated look. “And what did you expect? Me to text you a blow by blow account of what was happening?”

  “That would have been interesting. I’m not sure how moans and groans translate in text speak.”

  “You’re impossible,” Emma muttered, gulping down some coffee. The warm liquid burned a welcoming caffeine trail down her throat and to her stomach.

  “So how was it?”

  A flashback of the previous night’s events flickered through Emma’s mind like an X-rated movie, and she couldn’t help blushing. “Amazing.”

  “So it was everything you thought it would be with him?”

  Emma nodded. “And more.”

  Relishing every detail, Casey leaned forward so far in her chair that she almost face-planted to the floor. “So how many times did you come?”

  “Casey!” Emma cried.

  “Oh come on, Em! With Nate’s crazy interning hours, I have to live vicariously through you,” Casey argued.

  Warmth flooded into Emma’s cheeks. “Okay, fine then. Four…No wait five. There was the time in the shower, too.”

  Casey’s dark eyes widened, and she clapped her hands gleefully. “Em, that’s fanfuckingtastic!!”

  “Only you would clap for orgasms!”

  “I can’t help it! I’m just so happy for you.”

  A dreamy sigh escaped Emma’s lips and then she told Casey some of the details that weren’t so mortifying. When she got to the part about Aidan staying the night, Casey’s eyebrows furrowed. “What’s wrong? Didn’t you think that was sweet?” Emma asked.

  “Yeah, it is but…”

  Emma twisted her hands frantically. “Would you just spit it out?”

  “I just want you to be careful, Em. You’ve slept with him once, and you’re already starting to invest too much emotionally.”

  “I am not!” Emma protested.

  “Yes, you are. You wigged out when he tried to leave last night, and you’re already giddy about him texting you this morning. I just don’t want to see you get hurt, okay?”

  Emma let her head fall back against the chair’s headrest and sighed. “You’re right. I am feeling too much.” She blew a strand of hair out of her face and gazed over at Casey. “Why does everything have to be so damn hard on me? Women everywhere can drop their panties and have mindless sex, but no, not me. I have to get emotionally invested in a douchenozzle who is only willing to knock me up for his own pleasure!”

  Casey laughed. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. Even I have to admit that the douchenozzle, as you call him, does have some serious seductive game. Hell, I might’ve even been tempted to feel a little more with the fact he took me to dinner, gave me lingerie, and stayed the night.”

  “I need a new strategy. I’m going to have to keep it purely physical from now on out. I’ll go in, do the deed, and get the hell out of there.”

  “That’s my girl.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  On Wednesday when Emma stepped into Aidan’s office, he glanced up from his paperwork and drank in every aspect of her appearance. She knew she appeared so different than how he left her the other morning—practically naked under the sheets with her long auburn hair splayed across the pillow. Today she appeared every bit the seasoned professional woman in her pencil thin grey skirt, black frilly blouse, and heels. She’d also swept her hair into a loose knot. But even as finely dressed as she was, she might as well have been naked from the way he was staring at her.

  Get in and get out quickly, and you don’t get hurt she tried reminding herself. She met Aidan’s hooded eyes and blushed. “Hi,” she said, shyly.

  “Hello. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you?”

  Deep breath, Em. You can do this. All he can do is say no…and then potentially embarrass the hell out of you for suggesting such a thing in the middle of the day. Not to mention he could potentially file a sexual harassment charge. She glanced around. “Um, you aren’t busy right at the moment, are you?”

  “No, I’m in between meetings. Why?”

  She chewed her lip Once again, she was unsure if she could actually approach him like this. From the moment she took her ovulation test in the bathroom, her mind screamed how crazy she was to even think of propositioning Aidan while they were at work. The entire elevator ride up, her conscious worked in overdrive to call her a brazen slut for even considering a booty call in the middle of the day.

  She tuned the voices in her head out. “Well, you see, my temperature spiked a little while ago.”

  Aiden’s brows furrowed. “You came up here to tell me you’re sick?”

  With a nervous laugh, Emma replied, “No, no, it’s nothing like that. It’s just…” She drew in a breath, trying to still her nerves. It did little to help her shaking knees. Especially since she was going to have to talk about more alleged unmentionables again. “You see I’ve been taking these tests to tell when I’m ovulating and when I’m most fertile. And well…it’s now.”

  He stared at her, unblinking and barely breathing, for a moment before a smirk curved on his lips. “Oh, so you came up here for a fuck?”

  Emma cringed. “Do you always have to be so crude?”

  He chuckled. “I’m sorry. Would you prefer I call it an afternoon delight?” he teased, seeming to enjoy the fact she was now squirming in her heels.

  “Please stop,” she murmured. Testing her courage, she stepped closer to his desk. Miraculously, the legs that felt rubbery actually supported her. With him acting like such a sex crazed ass, she didn’t have to worry about not feeling anything for him. This was the despicable Aidan she remembered from the Christmas party, not the one who had spooned with her the other night. She realized she needed to file away his behavior in her mind for whenever she started slipping into the emotional land mine of feeling more for him.

  Drawing on more willpower caused her to inch around the side of the desk. When she met Aidan’s leering gaze, she sighed. “Could you please act the way you did th
e other night?”

  “And how was that?”

  She ducked her head. “I don’t know…just not like this.”

  “I’m sorry, Em. It’s just I’m not used to being made to feel like a piece of meat in the middle of the day.”

  She met his amused gaze. “I’m sorry if I made you feel like that. I would much rather have waited for tonight. You can’t imagine how hard this is for me. To come up here and proposition you like this is absolutely terrifying, not to mention mortifying. But as much as I hate it, I need you to help me conceive. And I need you now.”

  Aidan shifted in his chair, and Emma could tell her plea was having an effect on him. “I have to admit that you needing me like this is one hell of a turn on, Em,” he mused. Motioning to the door, he instructed, “Lock it.”

  Emma scurried to ensure nobody would interrupt them. When she returned to his side, Aidan pressed the button on his phone. His secretary’s voice came over the speaker. “Yes, Mr. Fitzgerald?”

  “Marilyn, please push back my 3:00 meeting. I’ve had something unexpectedly come up.” He winked at Emma.

  “Yes sir.”

  “And please make sure I’m not disturbed for the next thirty minutes.”

  “I certainly will.

  Once Emma was sure he had hung up, she shook her head. “Half an hour? Someone sure thinks highly of himself and his stamina.”

  Aidan laughed. “Never doubt my stamina.” Rolling his chair back, he swiveled around to where his knees knocked into hers. Desire burned in his eyes as he brought his hands up and laced his fingers around the back of his head. “Okay then. I’m all yours, babe. All you have to do is take me.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “But aren’t you…” she trailed off, her gaze flickering over to the leather couch.

  He slowly shook his head back and forth. “You’re the one who needs me. The ball’s in your court.”

  Mortification and anger rocketed through her. He would make this harder on her than it had to be. “Fine,” she huffed. Without taking her eyes off of his, she jerked her straight skirt up to her hips.

  Aidan sucked in a breath when she flashed him a view of her lacy thigh highs. “Damn, those are sexy,” he murmured.

  After she slipped off her panties, Emma eased her skirt back down a little and stepped over to him. She would have loved to smack the smirk right off of his handsome face. The amused glint in his blue eyes told her he was enjoying her embarrassment way too much. With more force than she needed, she knocked his legs apart with one of her knees. She then bent over him, bringing her fingers to his belt. His erection already tented his pants. After quickly unzipping him, she started to ease down onto his lap.

  “What no foreplay?” Aidan asked, his voice vibrating with humor.

  She scowled at him. “This isn’t about getting off. It’s about getting what I want,” she countered, her hand slipping into his underwear to grip him around her fingers.

  “Sorry babe. But if I don’t get off, you don’t get what you want.”

  Rolling her eyes, she guided his erection between her thighs. As she slid slowly and deliciously down the length of him, Aidan groaned and brought his lips to her neck. Once he was all the way inside her, he licked a moist trail up to her ear, sucking on her earlobe. “Hmm, someone’s so wet and ready for me without even a touch. I must have some effect on you, babe.”

  Emma ran her fingers through his hair, jerking his head up to meet her gaze. With a smile, she said, “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s clearly biology. It’s the hormones and estrogen, not you, that’s got me this…”

  He gripped her hips tight, his fingers splaying into her flesh. “Say it.”

  She hesitated before whispering, “Wet.”

  Aidan growled and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Emma shifted her rhythm to ride him faster. His hands eased from her hips to the waistband of her skirt. After he untucked her shirt, his determined fingers worked their way down the row of tiny pearl buttons.

  Emma bit her lip when his hand slipped inside the lacy cup of her bra to caress one of her breasts. As his thumb pinched her nipple, she couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips. She hated herself even more when Aidan smiled triumphantly up at her. He was determined she would want him for more than just procreating, and it pissed her off she had given in to him. Anger pushed her to rock harder against him, hoping to finish him off quicker.

  But Aidan must have anticipated her. He gripped both sides of her buttocks firmly in his hands and then scooted to the chair edge. Emma squealed and gripped her legs around his waist to keep from falling. “Hold on,” Aidan said. In one sweeping movement, he was on his feet, sending Emma’s arms tight around his neck. His chuckle warmed her ear. “Ease up a bit, babe. I’d still like to breathe.”

  “Sorry,” she whimpered.

  He gently eased her down on the edge of his desk, and then brought his lips to hers. Kissing her hungrily, he pushed her onto her back. She shifted her hips and once again wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing him in even deeper. They both groaned against each other’s lips at the sensation. “Fuck, Emma,” he murmured as he thrust into her.

  Keeping a steady pace, he tore his lips from hers to start kissing down her neck. His mouth replaced where his hand had been earlier, tonguing and sucking on her nipple. Emma closed her eyes. Her resolve not to feel anything faded as she panted and pushed herself further into his mouth. When he moved to the other breast, she knew she was close to the edge of coming. “Aidan,” she panted.

  He raised his head from her breast to watch her as she came. “Seeing you do that drives me crazy,” he said. He thrust a few more times and then he was done. “Christ!” he cried out.

  They lay motionless for a few seconds, both coming down off the shared high. Aidan raised his head and gave Emma a lazy grin. “As usual, that was pretty damn amazing.”

  “Yes, it was,” Emma replied, her breath still coming in heaving pants.

  “Any chance of your temperature spiking again today?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Damn.”

  She giggled. “Sorry.”

  Aidan kissed her before prying himself away. As he pulled up his pants, Emma slid off the desk. She readjusted her bra and then shimmied her skirt back down. “Oh, my panties!” she murmured, glancing around the floor.

  “I got them,” Aidan said, bending over beside the desk. He eyed the lacy black thong with the pink rosebuds before handing it over to Emma. “Too bad I didn’t get to see you in just that.”

  “There’s always next time,” she quipped with a smile.

  He laughed and started tucking his shirt in his pants. Emma slid up her panties and then smoothed down her hair. “Um, would you mind if I used your couch for a little while?”

  “For the boys?”

  She nodded.

  “Of course not. I need to head on down to my meeting anyway.”

  “So, see you Friday night?”

  Aidan winked and then smacked her ass. “See you then.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Two Weeks Later

  Emma tried with every fiber of her being not to eye the red circled date on her desk calendar for the hundredth time. Her period was late--two days, two sleepless nights, seventeen hours, and fifty-two minutes late to be precise. Since she had always been like clock-work, her frayed nerves were working in overdrive. Sure, it was physically possible for the first time to have been a charm. But was it also possible her body was so ready to be a mother and Aidan was such a sex God they had experienced immediate success?

  If the glaring circled date wasn’t enough to send her over the edge, there was always today’s heart encircled one. She wondered why she felt the need to mark it when there was no possible way she could ever forget its important. It had been seared and branded on her heart and soul.

  Today was the two year anniversary of her mother’s death.

  Just as anguished tears pricked her eyes, Casey popped her head in th
e door. “Come on, chick. I’m taking you to lunch.”

  Emma smiled. She didn’t bother hiding the fact she had been crying. Casey knew the importance of the day as well. Last year, she had plied Emma with alcohol and chocolate and then spent the night, holding her in bed as she wept uncontrollably. “That’s sweet of you to offer, but really, I don’t mind just staying here.”

  “And what kind of best friend would I be if I left you here alone on today of all days?”

  “The kind who recognizes how I shut-down emotionally during times of duress and withdraw from my family and friends?” Emma asked hopefully.

  Casey snorted. “Nope, it’s not happening. You need a bottomless margarita, some highly fattening food, and a dessert dripping in chocolate and calories. And I’m going to have the immense pleasure of supplying it.”

  Emma knew it was pointless to argue with Casey. Besides, she really did want to get out of the office and try to get her mind off things for a while. So she rose out of her chair and smiled. “Fine then. If you’re paying, then I’m going to eat, drink, and be merry!”

  “That’s my girl.”

  As they started down on the elevator, Casey asked, “You don’t mind if Nate joins us, do you?”

  “Of course not. I haven’t gotten to see him in forever.”

  “You and me both. Ugh, I think I’m going to have to start running over to the hospital on my lunch break for a quickie.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “You’re terrible.”

  When they arrived at the restaurant, Nate already had a booth waiting on them. He rose out of his seat to hug Emma. “How are you holding up, Emmie Lou?” he asked. She fought the urge to smile at hearing her granddaddy’s childhood nickname on Nate’s lips. It was one Travis loved to tease her with, and when Nate had overhead him, he thought it was hysterical and automatically adopted it.

  Thankfully, Emma knew his question related to her mother’s anniversary, not her late period. “I’m hanging in there. Some days are better than others.”

  He nodded and patted her back. As he resumed his seat, Casey nudged Emma to sit beside him. She knew Casey didn’t want her having to sit alone. “No, no, you guys hardly get to see each other,” Emma protested.