Intimate Negotiations--A workplace surprise pregnancy romance

by Nicki Night

  “Just this one night,” she said, convinced that was all she needed to quench the hunger she held for him.

  “Just this one night,” Ethan repeated.

  “That’s it,” she confirmed.

  “If that’s what you want.”

  Instead of a verbal response, Zoe placed both hands on either side of his face and pulled him to her. After another passionate kiss, she lifted her shirt over her head. Ethan helped her out of the rest of her clothes and she helped him in the same way.

  Fully naked, they admired each other, feeling and touching as if they were handling exquisite works of art. Taking their time, they held each other close, skin to searing skin.

  Ethan explored every crevice of her body with adoration, kissing her here and there. She was sure that the moisture from each kiss evaporated immediately from the heat of her body. The more he took his time getting to know her body, the more she wanted to feel him inside of her.

  He lifted her from the couch and carried her to the large kitchen island. There, he laid her on her back, kissed and caressed her some more, then buried his face between her thighs and took her into his mouth.

  The sensation of his warm tongue made her arch her back, and a moan rose from her core and up her throat. Zoe clawed the smooth surface of the granite countertop, unable to actually grasp anything. She writhed. The pleasure was intense, almost too much to handle but far too good to stop. Her body began convulsing. She grabbed the back of his head, pulled him closer to her. The rhythm of his tongue quickened. She wriggled against his skillful licks, strategic nibbles and powerful sucking as he coaxed the orgasm from her.

  Her release was explosive, matching the magnitude of an earthquake, the highest possible rating on the Richter scale. Her back came off the cool countertop, and she heard herself howl. Her muscles clenched, and Ethan cajoled the rest of her climax out of her, suckling and teasing.

  She relished the powerful force until she could stand it no longer. She pushed him away, aftershocks rippling through her, and lay in a fetal position until the delectable spasms subsided.

  Ethan planted sweet kisses along her side until her body calmed. Then he kissed her, letting Zoe taste herself.

  Before she could fully catch her breath, he pulled himself away from her long enough to shield himself with protection. Picking her up from the counter, he carried her to the nearest wall and set her on his erection. Zoe’s eyes squeezed shut when he filled her. He grunted beneath her, and she lifted her head to the ceiling with an answering groan. Ethan nibbled at her exposed neck as he plunged in and out of her. Zoe braced against the wall, matching his pace.

  She couldn’t remember being made love to with such intensity. She opened her eyes; she had to see Ethan in this moment.

  He must have felt her looking at him. His eyes opened, and his expression was one of sincere delight. Their gazes locked without breaking their rhythm, hearts pounding, breathing heavy, eyes penetrating. Zoe licked her lips; the deep eye contact intensified the sensations.

  She groaned again, helpless, as another climax rose within her, and her head rolled back. She felt herself tighten around him. Ethan moaned and his rhythm quickened.

  They moved together, faster and faster, and Zoe’s body gave in to the pleasure. Shock waves spread through her, reaching every extremity. She hummed through her release.

  Ethan growled, and then his body shook against hers. Wrapping his arms around her, he held on tight as if he would drift away otherwise. They stayed that way with her back against the wall until he was soft enough to slip from her.

  Ethan carried her to the bedroom. Gently, he laid her across the bed, climbed in and spooned himself against her back, his arm around her waist. The only noise in the dark room was their breathing slowly returning to a normal pace.

  After a while, he asked softly, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Instead of allowing an elephant to join them in the room, Zoe decided to head it off. “Thank you for tonight.” She pondered how to express what she was thinking. “I mean, for everything. Thank you for everything... For yesterday and especially tonight.” She chuckled. “And please, don’t worry. I’m not the clingy type. I knew what I was doing here. I have no expectations. I wanted you just as bad as you wanted me. Monday morning, it will be business as usual. Cool?”

  “What if I didn’t want business as usual?”

  Ethan’s words shocked her. She turned to look at his face. He seemed serious. She formed her mouth to respond but nothing came out. For once in her life, Zoe wasn’t sure what to say next.

  Fourteen

  Ethan opened and closed all the cabinets and the refrigerator several times. He and Zoe had eaten most of the snacks. Now they were down to the condiments and the few frozen items left in his freezer, which did him no good this morning. After an unbelievable weekend of constant lovemaking, he was famished and was sure Zoe would wake up feeling the same way.

  The last thing on their minds after the first time they’d made love was food. They’d satisfied each other’s hunger in more delectable ways.

  Finally he pulled half a loaf of bread from the refrigerator along with peanut butter and jelly. He knew Zoe didn’t have nut allergies because she often kept some around her office to snack on. He toasted the bread a bit and made both of them sandwiches and then prepared two cups of coffee.

  He returned to the bedroom to find the bed empty. He heard water running in the bathroom sink, so he placed the tray on one of the side tables and walked over to the window to take in the landscape. The view from the bedroom overlooking the East River was by far the best in the entire apartment.

  Moments later, he heard the bathroom doorknob click. Zoe emerged, looking sex-worn and gorgeous as hell. She’d attempted to finger-comb her hair into place and was wearing nothing but her panties and one of his T-shirts. He was still in his underwear, as well. He sat on the side of the bed and patted the empty space next to him.

  “I made breakfast,” he said, pointing to the sandwiches.

  “Peanut butter and jelly! How did you know?” Zoe laughed.

  “Well, it was all we had left.” His own words gave him pause. He’d said we. It came out comfortable and familiar, as if they’d been existing as we all along.

  “Perfect! I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.”

  “Good. Shall we?” he asked. He picked up one plate and handed it to Zoe before taking his own sandwich in his hands.

  He turned on the television as they ate. The news updated them on the latest since the storm hit on Friday. It was now Monday and many homes and businesses were still out of power. The bridges and tunnels were back in service, as well as a few subway lines. Others remained shut down due to flooding.

  “I can finally get home and assess any damage,” Zoe said. “My neighbor has been keeping me posted. The power is back on in some parts of the neighborhood, but it was still hard to get around because so many trees are down. Luckily my mom and sister are okay.”

  Ethan’s phone rang. “Speaking of which. Excuse me, please.” He stood and carried his phone conversation to the living room. It was Carter, and Ethan wasn’t ready to reveal any details about his weekend with Zoe. “What’s up?”

  “It’s all good,” Carter said. “Did you see the email Dad sent? He wants to open up the offices on Wednesday.”

  “That’s good. We have quite a bit of staff affected by the storm. This will give them a little time to get things in order before returning to work,” Ethan said. “I’m going to ride out and check out my branches today. I hope we have power. I understand there are lots of trees down across Long Island. It got hit pretty hard. How are your locations?”

  “Fortunately not too bad. Power outages are the worst of what we’ve seen.”

  “Good.”

  “You’re still in the city?”

  “Yeah. Like I said
earlier, I’m heading back to Long Island today.”

  “How’s your staff?”

  Ethan looked back toward his bedroom. “Fine.” He smiled. “I’ve been in touch with them. Some doing better than others but no major problems overall.”

  “Good. Mine, too.”

  Zoe sneezed and Ethan covered his phone, hoping Carter hadn’t heard anything. “Okay, big brother,” he said. “I’m going to jump in the shower and head to the island. I’ll catch up with you later.”

  “Late start, huh?”

  “Uh. Yeah.” Ethan didn’t offer an explanation. “Call me later?”

  “Cool.”

  Ethan ended the call before Carter could say another word. He returned to the bedroom to find Zoe sitting where he’d left her. It appeared that she was on the phone with her mother. He picked up their empty plates and cups, taking them to the kitchen and giving her privacy for her conversation. He came back when he heard her say goodbye. He was hoping he could make love to her one more time before they both had to leave.

  “Hey,” he said, leaning on the door frame.

  “Hey.” She turned to face him and crossed her arms across her chest.

  “Can we talk for a second?”

  “Sure.”

  He sat on the bed next to her. “I enjoyed my time with you this weekend and I want you to know that I’d love to continue seeing you. I don’t want this to get awkward. We don’t have to make it anything serious and we can certainly keep this to ourselves. It was fun. You’re fun. We had a good time together.”

  “Fun is one way of putting it,” Zoe said. That made both of them laugh. “I don’t want you to feel pressure to make sure that I’m okay. I’m a big girl. We knew what we were doing. We enjoyed it. We don’t have to continue something we know can’t work.”

  That stung. Ethan swallowed. He wasn’t used to rejection of any kind. But he wasn’t ready to let Zoe walk away. He searched his mind for the right words. “I like you. A lot. If I tell the whole truth, I’ve been attracted to you from the day you stepped foot into my office for your first interview. I’ve pushed that aside to remain professional, but after this weekend... I realize I don’t want this to be over so soon.”

  Zoe blinked a few times. “Ethan.” Her shoulders deflated. “You’re my boss... I mean, don’t get me wrong. You’re incredibly attractive, which by the way, I noticed from that first interview, as well, but I wouldn’t want to jeopardize anything. I like you, too, but I love my job. I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to lose the respect of my colleagues. I mean... I—”

  Ethan put a hand to her lips. “Let’s just have fun. That’s all I ask. When it no longer feels like fun, we stop. That’s all. Like you said. We’re adults. We set the boundaries. We stick to them. We enjoy ourselves in the meantime. And it would be our secret. I would never want to do anything to jeopardize your career or mine anyway.” He looked at the crumpled sheets and then back at her. “You’re gonna tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself this weekend? Can you honestly say you don’t want this?” His lips eased into a smirk.

  Zoe chuckled, then sighed. “You’re so bad, Ethan.”

  He raised his brow. “You want it?” He felt himself warming for her.

  “Ethan! You’re making this so hard.”

  “It doesn’t have to be. It will be just between us. When the wheels fall off, we go back to the way things were. We are two mature, consenting adults. So what’s it going to be?”

  She drew in a long breath. She let it out slowly. Ethan knew the gears were churning inside her head, turning over all the possibilities, both good and bad. He held his breath, awaiting her response.

  Zoe groaned. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to continue seeing you. I enjoy our time together.” Zoe closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath. “I mean I really enjoy being with you. I just—I didn’t want any of this to reflect on either of us in a bad way. My career is important to me...” Zoe paused again. She sighed. “Okay. Yes, I want this—”

  “Shh.” That was all Ethan needed to hear. She wanted this just as much as he did. He vowed to enjoy his time with her as much as possible, knowing that when it was over, their memories would be all they would have to hold on to.

  He kissed her, deep, hard and long. Ethan felt his erection rise and he rolled on top of her so she could feel it, too. She slipped her hand into his underwear and massaged him to his fullness.

  He moaned but ended their kiss with several soft pecks on her lips, then got up to retrieve protection from the nightstand drawer.

  Zoe took it from him, tore it open and slowly rolled it over his erection. Ethan was more rigid than a rock. Climbing over her, he teased her with licks and pecks from her lips to her center until Zoe demanded he enter her. When he did, their eyes rolled back from sheer delight. Together they entertained several positions and rhythms, pleasing one another in all the ways they’d learned from each other in the past forty-eight hours.

  Ethan had discovered the ways she liked to be touched and held. By now, he knew how to make her moan. Speaking sweetness in her ear made her moist, and he told her she was beautiful, used soft words to express how she made him feel. She talked back to him. Told him how good he felt to her, inside and out.

  Ethan knew when she was getting close to climax. He could feel its ascent, knew how to ride her toward a powerful, body-trembling peak. Since he wasn’t sure when he’d get to have her to himself again, he decided to prolong her pleasure.

  He slowed his pace—let her catch her breath. Removing himself, he tasted her, bringing her close to that delicious moment with his tongue, and then stopped.

  He entered her once more, taking slow, deliberate strokes, trying to give her ultimate bliss while keeping his own excitement at bay. It didn’t help. She felt too good.

  Grabbing his hips, Zoe pulled him deeper into her. She tightened her walls around his erection until he couldn’t stand the pressure anymore. Ethan exploded. So did she. His heart raced, and she panted. His skin tightened, and she held him tight. His muscles spasmed, and she trembled under him. He collapsed. She did, too.

  Spent. Happy. Ready for what was next, they lay in each other’s arms.

  Zoe had become his enchanting little secret. One he would hold on to as long as he could.

  Fifteen

  Since Zoe returned home, she’d been plowing through an endless list of to-dos. The first was to check in on her mother and sister. Laura had sounded quite tired when they’d spoken on the phone before Zoe left Ethan’s house, yet she had insisted that Zoe go and take care of her own home first. Fortunately the power was back on and Zoe wouldn’t have to navigate her town house without electricity.

  Ethan had taken her home and come inside briefly. The rank smell of her kitchen garbage had been an unpleasant greeting, having sat there since Friday morning and it now being Monday afternoon. Ethan helped her get rid of all the garbage and the spoiled food in her refrigerator. After that, he insisted on helping her with her car, but she convinced him that she would call roadside assistance, so Ethan eventually left.

  She spent the rest of her afternoon cleaning her house. Despite how much she had to do, thoughts of Ethan kept invading her mind.

  Despite the severity of the storm, being with him had felt like a vacation—an erotic fantasy lived out loud. Zoe remembered how good he’d made her feel and shivered involuntarily.

  That was just it. Ethan was like a fantasy. An indulgent, sensual fantasy. Being with him made her feel like she was starring in a silly romantic comedy or some fairy tale. He was a charming prince—wealthy, worldly and well-rounded. Zoe was the regular girl getting swept off her feet.

  But it was so much more than just an opportune moment brought on by being trapped in his apartment. She felt it. Zoe was smitten. Ethan was a man unlike anyone she’d ever dated before. They came from two totally different leagues.<
br />
  She shook her head as she stacked the last of her bottled waters from her pantry in her fridge. What was she thinking? She couldn’t date this man. He was her boss. Why had she agreed to continue seeing him? Now that he wasn’t around, she could think more clearly. There was no way she could go through with this.

  She thought back to when she’d dated Langston in college. He’d come from a wealthy family just like Ethan’s.

  One weekend, he’d brought Zoe home to attend a family function. From the moment she’d stepped foot on his family’s estate, she’d known she didn’t belong. His haughty mother had confirmed that by openly wearing her disdain from the moment she’d said hello. The woman had stared at Zoe through narrowed eyes. Her lips had turned up as if she’d smelled something bad. Both his parents had asked a barrage of questions about her family background. Clearly her modest upbringings hadn’t been good enough for their son. Before they’d left, Langston’s parents had pulled him aside and denigrated her as if she weren’t within earshot.

  From that point on, she’d stayed clear of wealthy men. And since she was so protective of her family, she vowed to keep information about them to herself, as well.

  She’d have to let Ethan know when he came into her branch this week. She both longed and dreaded to see him.

  “Ugh!” she grunted. This was an impossible situation, but she knew what she had to do.

  Zoe finished up at home and headed to her mother’s house. The moment Laura opened the door, Zoe knew something wasn’t right. Laura looked weary, and dark circles framed her eyes.

  Concern filled Zoe. “What’s wrong, Ma?” She didn’t give her time to answer before she made her way into the house. “Where’s Shena?” She looked around.

  Laura shook her head. “Not in a good place.”

  Zoe gave her mother a quick kiss on the cheek and went in search of her sister. “Shena,” she called.

  There was no answer, but she heard feet shuffling over her head.