The Proposition (6 page)

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 burning 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?”

“No, it’s nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?” he demanded.

“I’m afraid of being a disappointment.”

His mouth fell open in disbelief. “How could
you possibly think that?”

She shrugged. “Because you’ve been with a lot
of women…I don’t have the experience. I’ve only been with one man,
and outside of him, I don’t know what men want.”

“First of all, despite what the rumor mill
says my number is relatively low, Emma. It’s not like I’ve fucked
half of the city, or I’m Gene Simmons from Kiss. And second, sex is
basically the same premise no matter who you’re with. Different
people bring different likes and desires to the table.”

She toyed with the straw in her drink. “I
guess I’m afraid once you’ve been with me, you won’t want to follow
through with our bargain.”

“Like I’d be so turned off by the experience
I’d never want to sleep with you again?”

“Yes,” she murmured. When Aidan threw his
head back and roared with laughter, her lip trembled slightly.
“It’s not funny.”

His amusement quickly faded. “Oh Em, I’m
sorry if I hurt your feelings. It’s just I couldn’t imagine you
would actually believe something like that.”

“Well, I did.” She sighed. “I
do
.”

He held up his index finger. “Let me make
this abundantly clear. There is no way in hell you could ever
disappoint me to where I wouldn’t want you.” He drew closer to
her—his fiery breath singed the sensitive skin on her earlobe. “I
get hard just looking at you.”

Emma’s cheeks flushed at his words. “I can’t
believe you just said that!”

Aidan grinned. “It’s the truth. The moment I
saw you tonight I wanted to sweep you upstairs.” Taking her hand,
he ducked it under the tablecloth and brought it to his lap. “See
what you do to me?”

Emma’s mouth ran dry at his words, and the
fact he was already at half-mast just like Casey had wanted. She
ran her tongue over her lips. The way he was staring at her made
her body tingle from head to toe, especially between her legs. God,
he was so sexy—a little too sexy for her liking. If he was able to
get her so hot and bothered just sitting at the table, she couldn’t
imagine what it would be like in bed with him. In that moment, her
anticipation won out over her nerves. “I think I’m ready to go
upstairs if you are.”

Aidan’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Even
without dinner?”

She bobbed her head.

“Let me guess. You’re afraid you’ll lose your
nerve?” he asked.

With the ridiculous amount of alcohol pumping
through her system, she gave him a sultry smile. “No, I’m just
ready for you to fuck me.” The moment the words escaped her lips,
she gasped and ducked her head. “Oh my God, did I actually just say
that?”

“You keep talking dirty, and I won’t be able
to walk upstairs without giving away my condition to the whole
room.” He quickly signaled the waiter for the check.

Once he had paid, Emma shot out of her chair,
sending the room spinning around her. “Oh shit, I’m dizzy.”

Aidan grabbed her shoulders to steady her.
“Are you going to be able to walk?”

“I think so. But whether or not I ever drink
again is debatable.”

He chuckled as he wrapped his arm around her
waist and led her out of the restaurant. Emma leaned her head
against his chest, enjoying the woodsy smell of his cologne. When
he started for the elevators, she glanced up and asked, “Don’t we
need to check-in?”

He fished the room key out of his jacket
pocket and waved it at her. “All taken care of.”

“Aren’t you just the man with the plan,” she
replied, and then giggled like it was the funniest thing she had
ever said. When Aidan glanced down at her in amusement, she shook
her head. “Seriously, never,
ever
drinking again.”

“Nah, you’re pretty cute when you’re tipsy,”
he said, punching the elevator button.

The doors opened, and they stepped inside.
The car’s jolt upward made Emma’s legs feel rubbery, and she clung
to Aidan tighter. The elevator dinged when they reached their
floor. “After you,” Aidan insisted when the doors opened.

“Thank you.” But when she stepped out, she
turned right and then left, unsure of which way to go.

“This way,” Aidan instructed, taking her by
the arm.

When they reached their room, Emma’s gaze
caught the brass nameplate on the door, and she grabbed Aidan’s
suit sleeve. “What are we doing here? This is a Honeymoon
suite.”

“Yes, I realized that when I booked it. I was
told it happens to be one of the nicest ones they have.” He
grinned. “Besides, I thought you might be more comfortable doing
what we have to do if it looked like we were married.”

She blinked in disbelief. “That’s so sweet.
You’ve thought of everything, didn’t you?”

“Anything to make you more comfortable.”

Her heart fluttered at his words. “Thank
you.”

Aidan unlocked the door. “After you.”

Emma walked into the suite and gasped. A
trail of intertwining pink and red rose petals led the way from the
living room into the bedroom. On the coffee table, a bottle of
champagne chilled in a silver bucket next to two champagne flutes.
An overflowing bowl of strawberries dipped in chocolate caused her
stomach to growl. She turned her gaze and then followed the rose
petals into the bedroom where rows of candles waited to be lit, and
a pink wrapped package sat on the bed.

She glanced back to Aidan who was shrugging
out of his suit jacket. “You did all this for me?”

“I’d like to take credit, but the staff did
all the fruity candle stuff and flowers,” he replied, tossing the
key card on the table. At her continued bewildered expression, he
chuckled. “What did you expect? A single bed and a quickie? I know
this is just about procreating, but give me a little credit.”

“No…but I just didn’t imagine this.” She
smiled shyly. “For what it’s worth, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“What’s in the box?” she asked, motioning to
the bed.

“Something for you.”

“Me?”

He nodded and handed her the package. “Before
you open it, let me say this. You already know you don’t need to do
anything but breathe to give me a raging hard-on—”

“Aidan!” she protested.

He laughed at her outrage. “Anyway, I’m kind
of a lingerie man, so I thought you might humor me and wear
it.”

She opened the lid on the box. After whisking
away the pink tissue paper, her eyes honed in on emerald green
satin. Her fingers trembled as she reached inside to pull out the
baby-doll nightie. The bodice had intricate green and gold beading
and embroidered flowers with sheer material that would reach her
thighs along with a matching thong.

“Is it okay?”

“It’s beautiful,” she murmured. The thought
of him shopping just for her was overwhelming. Did he do that for
all his conquests, or did they come with their own readymade
lingerie? “Thank you.”

Aidan’s face broke into a wide grin. “I don’t
know about
it
being beautiful. It’s more about how you’re so
fucking sexy when you’re in green. Just like that green dress at
the Christmas Party and the one you’re wearing tonight.” He
tenderly brushed a strand of her auburn hair out of her face. “That
color makes everything about you stand out from your hair to
eyes.”

“But how did you even know my size?”

“Casey helped me out with that one.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Why am I not
surprised? I’ll have to remember to thank her for that.”

Aidan laughed. “Well, if it makes you feel
any better, she swore she’d cut my balls off if I ruined this night
for you.”

“She didn’t?” Emma squeaked.

“Oh yeah, she did.”

“Between Connor and Casey, I can’t believe
you even want to go through with this!”

“It’s okay. I work well under pressure,”
Aidan joked. He motioned his head to the bathroom. “Now go get your
game face on and change.”

Emma giggled. “Okay, then.” She slipped into
the bathroom and shut the door, locking it for good measure. She
unzipped her dress, and it pooled into a whisper of chiffon on the
floor. After exchanging her panties for the thong, she whisked off
her bra and put on the nightie. There were no buttons or zippers,
just a satin bow to tie in the middle to keep it in place. When she
finished, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. “Oh my,” she
murmured. Somehow donning the nightie had morphed her into a
full-on sex kitten. She could practically hear Casey’s voice
ringing in her ear.
Go get him, babe!

As her hand hovered over the doorknob, she
took a few reassuring breaths before opening it. Aidan had his back
to her when she stepped out of the bathroom. The bedroom flickered
in candlelight and soft music played from an ihome in the corner.
She couldn’t believe he was going to all this trouble. In her mind,
she’d imagined him leading her upstairs like the Big Bad Wolf and
devouring her before she could get the door closed.