The Proposition (2 page)

The protective side of Aidan stirred at the
woman’s tone, sending him barreling around the corner. “Hey! Get
your damn hands off her!” he bellowed.

The couple startled at the sight of him. The
woman’s tear stained face flushed crimson, and she ducked her head
to avoid Aidan’s intense gaze. Immediately, he recognized her—Emma
Harrison, 4
^th
floor advertising, and the woman he’d
tried unsuccessfully to take home from the company’s Christmas
Party. From the way she refused to meet his eye, he knew she
recognized him as well.

Aidan turned his attention to the guy,
Connor, whose eyes were wide with fear. He hastily dropped his
hands from Emma’s shoulders and took several steps back. Connor
looked like he was ready to bolt out the nearest exit. Aidan then
realized how intimidating he must appear with his fists clenched at
his side, his jaw hard set. He tried relaxing his stance, but his
blood still pumped so hard in his ears he couldn’t.

Connor held up his hands in surrender. “I’m
not sure what you think was going on, but we were just
talking.”

Aidan narrowed his eyes. “I think from the
way she was crying and begging you to stop touching her, it was a
lot more than
talking
.” He started to ask Emma if she was
all right, but she blew past him and escaped into the restroom. He
glared at Connor.

“Look man, you’ve got it all wrong. I—”

“What’s not to get? You obviously can’t let
your ex-girlfriend or ex-wife or whatever she is go, even though
she can’t stand for you to touch her!”

Nervous laughter erupted from Connor. He
silenced it the minute Aidan cocked his eyebrows at him and took a
step forward. “Trust me, you’re so very, very wrong. Emma’s not my
ex.”

“Then what’s the deal?”

Connor cleared his throat. “Fine, you want
the truth? Here it is. I’m gay, and Emma’s been my best friend
since middle school.”

Aidan’s mouth dropped open. “Seriously?”

“Yep.”

“Huh…then I stand corrected. Sorry about
that.”

Connor shrugged. “It’s okay. I probably
would’ve done the same thing if I thought some asshole was hassling
a woman. Well, I probably wouldn’t if he was twice my size like
you.” He glanced past Aidan to the bathroom and grimaced. “Dammit,
I hate when she’s mad at me. I don’t think she’s ever been so angry
and so hurt. I just don’t know what to do to make it right, ya
know?”

Aidan shifted on his feet, sensing the
conversation was headed into emotional territory, which was
somewhere he tried avoiding at all costs. He held one hand up. “Hey
man, it’s really none of my business.” But the moment the words
left his lips, he was sure they had fallen on deaf ears. The
anguished expression on Connor’s face told him he wouldn’t be
getting away without hearing the full, dramatic story, unless he
literally tried to out run him.

With a sigh, Connor ran his hand through his
dark hair. In a low voice, he said, “She’s crazy about kids, and
her biological clock is all in a snit to have baby for like the
last two years. Loving her the way I do, I’d promised her I’d be
the father and donate to the cause.”

Okay, so maybe that wasn’t the story Aidan
had expected. “Don’t tell me. You chickened out when it came down
to doing the deed?”

Connor scowled at him. “Ha, ha, asshole, real
funny. For your information, it was going to be done in a
clinic.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Aidan mused, with
a sly smile.

“Dude, gay, remember?” “Sorry.” For reasons
he couldn’t possibly fathom, Aidan was so intrigued by the story he
felt the need to prompt Connor to continue. “So what happened?”

“My partner isn’t ready to have children. I
promised him that Emma didn’t necessarily want me involved, but he
won’t budge. It’s been hell choosing between the man I love and my
best friend.”

“Why can’t she just go to a sperm bank or
something?”

Connor chuckled. “Emma has it in her mind
there will be this horrible mix-up where her choice of a prime
donor’s sample was swapped with some serial killer’s.”

Aidan grinned. “I guess I can see her
point.”

A buzz went off in Connor’s pocket. He dug it
out and then groaned at the ID. “Shit, it’s Jeff. He’ll have my ass
for coming here and trying to talk to Emma. I really,
really
have to go.” His gaze once again went to the bathroom. “I hate to
leave her though…”

“You go on. I’ll see she gets to her car
okay.”

“Really? That would be awesome.” He thrust
out his hand. “It was nice meeting you…”

“Aidan. Aidan Fitzgerald.”

“Connor Montgomery.” After they shook hands,
Connor smiled. “Thanks for all your help and for totally misreading
the entire situation.”

Aidan laughed. “It was a pleasure almost
kicking your ass.”

“Hey now,” Connor replied. When his phone
rang, he winced and gave a short wave before bringing it to his
ear. “Babe, yeah, sorry I missed your texts. I’m on my way home
now.” He pushed through the glass doors and disappeared into the
night.

With a shake of his head, Aidan started
across the lobby to the bathroom. He rapped on the door. In a
shrill voice, Emma shouted, “Go away, Connor! I have nothing else
to say to you! Not to mention, you just embarrassed the hell out of
me in front of one of the biggest assholes in the company!”

“Biggest asshole, huh?” he murmured under his
breath. Not exactly a title he was proud of, especially coming from
a woman. He was used to hearing much more flattering descriptions
of himself from them. Well, at least in the beginning before he
walked away. After that, things usually took a nasty turn.

“I’m not leaving this bathroom until I know
you’re gone!”

Aidan sighed. She was a determined one that
was for sure not to mention stubborn as hell. His mind flashed back
to how beautiful and sexy she’d looked at the Christmas party—how
the slinky green dress she’d worn flowed over her curves making her
irresistible. When he’d seen her across the room with some
girlfriends, he had been determined to spend the night with her.
Her shy smiles and glances up at him through her eyelashes had
spurned him on to close the small space between them. Of course, by
the time he’d arrived at her side, her interfering friends had
already informed her of his dubious reputation as a heartbreaker
and serial womanizer.

“Women,” he muttered under his breath as he
pushed through the bathroom door. Emma sprawled out on the tapestry
settee with a wet paper towel over her eyes. On one side, her skirt
was jacked halfway up her hip, giving him a fabulous view of legs
and thighs. At the sound of footsteps, she gave a frustrated grunt.
She stabbed the air in front of her with her index finger. “I swear
if you don’t leave me alone, I’m going to kick you so hard in the
balls there will no longer be any question about whether you can
father my children!”

Aidan chuckled. Her deep auburn hair so
foretold her fiery personality—one she’d showed him at the
Christmas party. All her bashfulness had evaporated in an instant
when she told him in no uncertain terms that she had no desires to
be one of his conquests or one night stands.

“Actually, it isn’t Connor.”

At the sound of a stranger’s voice, Emma
snatched the towel away from her eyes. Horror washed over her face
at the sight of Aidan standing before her. Quickly, she jerked her
skirt down and ran a hand through her disheveled hair. “I didn’t
expect to see you, Mr. Fitzgerald,” she said, meekly.

A grin slunk across his face. “No, I imagine
you were expecting to get to castrate Connor.”

Emma’s cheeks and neck flushed the color of
her hair. “I’m sorry you had to hear that, and I’m so sorry you had
to get in the middle of our argument. As embarrassing as it was—it
is
—I appreciate what you tried to do.”

He shrugged. “I was happy to help.”

“Well, I am grateful. And I’m sorry for
ruining your evening.”

Never one to forgo an opportunity, Aidan
grinned. “You haven’t ruined my evening. In fact, the night is
still young, so why don’t you let me buy you a drink?”

She twisted the paper towel in her hands
before tossing it into the trashcan. “Um, that’s nice of you to
offer, but it’s been a long day. I should probably get home.”

“We could walk right across the street to
O’Malley’s.” At her continued hesitation, he laughed. “I promise
it’s not an offer to try to ply you with alcohol in your weakened
emotional state to get you to come home with me.” Secretly, he
hoped a drink or two might be able to thaw her icy veneer and give
him a chance to move in for the kill.

He wasn’t too surprised when shock flooded
Emma’s face. “Really?”

He crossed his fingers over his heart.
“Scout’s Honor,” he lied.

The corners of her lips quirked up like she
was fighting a smile. “Okay then. After the day I’ve had, I could
sure use one.” She glanced back at the mirror. “Oh, I’m a mess.
Could you give me a few minutes to freshen up?”

“Of course. I’ll be right outside.”

When the door closed behind Aidan, Emma
released the breath she had been holding in a long, exaggerated
whoosh. Deflated, she leaned against the bathroom counter.
Drinks with Aidan Fitzgerald, are you insane?
Every woman in
the building knew his reputation of screw-em-and-leave-em, and
unless you wanted your heart broken, you steered clear of him.
Thoughts of their encounter at the Christmas party flashed like a
lightning storm through her mind.

Being new at the company, she had her eye out
for any potential single men. After catching him staring at her
several times, she’d innocently questioned Casey about who he was.
She had shaken her head so fast Emma was sure she was going to get
whiplash. “He’s a sex on a stick, Em, so you need to stay the hell
away from him unless you wanna get used!” she had replied.

The other ladies chimed in with very detailed
descriptions of some of Aidan’s infamous exploits with different
women at the company. So when he came sauntering over with his
bedroom eyes and swagger, she sent him on his way, tail between his
legs with her hard rejection.

She dug her make-up bag out of purse. Gazing
in the mirror, she reapplied some loose powder on her face. Her
tear-stained eyes needed the works of new eyeliner, mascara, and
eye-shadow. As a finishing touch, she rolled a tube of rose colored
lipstick across her lips.

Emma surveyed her reflection and groaned.
Why are you even bothering with your face? All he cares about is
what you look like from the neck down, preferably the waist!
God, of all the men in the building, it had to be Aidan that came
to her rescue. Mr. Manwhore Fitzgerald himself. He was the type of
man who wasn’t used to ever getting rejected, so he must have a
score to settle with her.

She tossed her makeup bag back in her purse.
With a deep breath, she headed outside. True to his word, Aidan sat
on one of the benches outside the bathroom. He shot up the moment
he saw her. “Ready?”

“Sure.”

They pushed through the revolving doors and
stepped out onto the sidewalk. Emma’s heels clicked along the
pavement. The warm air from the heavy traffic rushing past them
ruffled the bottom of her short skirt, and she fought to keep from
having a Marilyn Monroe
Seven Year Itch
moment. “You go to
O’Malley’s often?” she asked, trying to make conversation.

Aidan nodded. “A couple of nights a week me
and some of the guys from my department have a beer. Maybe catch
the latest game.” He punched the crosswalk button. “What about
you?”

Emma wrinkled her nose as they started across
the street. “Not really. I’m not much on the atmosphere.” When he
raised an eyebrow at her, she quickly said, “I mean, it’s fine
going with you tonight. It’s just not some place my girlfriends and
I like to hang out.”

With his signature cocky grin, Aidan held the
door to O’Malley’s open for her. “Let me guess. Since you’re with
me, you won’t have to worry about a bunch of drunken assholes
hitting on you.”

“Exactly. Well, maybe just one drunken
asshole.” She glanced up at him. “Depending on how much you
drink.”

Aidan’s eyes widened before he laughed. “I’ll
try to watch myself.”

A young blonde stood at the hostess stand.
She beamed at the sight of Aidan and adjusted her shirt to give him
a better view of her cleavage. He rewarded her efforts with a
smile. “Can we get a booth, Jenny?”

“Sure, Aidan. Follow me.”

As Jenny sashayed her hips in front of them,
Emma rolled her eyes at Aidan to which he winked in response. Jenny
sat them at a dimly lit table in the back of the bar. She handed
them a menu, and then stared directly at Aidan. “See ya later!”

He gave a brief wave and then turned his
attention to the menu. Feeling Emma’s heated gaze, he looked back
up. “What?”

“Nothing,” she murmured.

“If your
nothing
is about Jenny, I
told you I came here a lot.”

“I didn’t say anything,” she countered.

“You didn’t have to. The death glare you were
giving me was enough.” He smirked at her. “Since I know you want to
ask, Jenny is not one of my conquests, and I’ve never seen her
anywhere outside of O’Malley’s. Besides, her dad owns this place,
and he wouldn’t hesitate to kick my ass!”

For some reason, Emma found that statement
comforting. Still, she managed to keep her best poker face on and
shrugged her shoulders. “It’s none of my business.”

He only chuckled as a waiter came up the
table. “What can I get you two this evening?”

Aidan nodded at Emma. “I’ll have a margarita
on the rocks with no salt, please,” she said.

“Heineken in a bottle.”

The waiter jotted their order down on a
napkin and then headed over to the bar. Emma rested her elbows onto
the table and put her head in her hands. A long, exasperated sigh
escaped her lips.