The Proposition (5 page)

“Case, please,” Emma moaned.

“Fine. Here’s the bottom line. Regardless of
whether you’re in love with the person or not, sex is all about
communicating. So just let him know what you want or don’t want. He
obviously wants you pretty bad if he’s willing to offer up his DNA
for a little roll in the hay, so I’m sure he’ll be more than
willing to do it your way.”

Images of Aidan’s fleeting kindness and
concern flashed in her mind. He wasn’t the total asshole she had
once thought he was. “I guess so…”

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.

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.”

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.”