The Proposition (The Proposition #1) by Katie Ashley
CHAPTER ONE
Emma Harrison stood back to admire her hard work. A brief smile of satisfaction flickered on her face. Somehow she had managed to perform an almost miraculous undertaking of transforming the dingy 4th floor conference room into an exquisite pink dream. She was especially proud of herself considering decorating and party planning weren’t exactly her forte. Of course when it came to selling the image any mother-to-be would want in a baby shower, her position at one of the premiere advertising agencies in Atlanta helped a lot. Cocking her head, she noticed the It’s a Girl banner was hanging slightly to the left. After she fixed it, her fingertips smoothed over the pale pink tablecloth adorned with refreshments and colorfully wrapped presents for the upcoming arrival.
She blew an errant strand of auburn hair out of her face and tried smoothing it back into the knot at the base of her neck. Yes, this is exactly what I would want for my baby shower…if I ever get to have one. A stabbing pain entered her heart before crisscrossing its way through her chest. It was a feeling she was becoming all too familiar with as her thirtieth birthday loomed around the corner, hovering over her like a dark cloud, while motherhood, along with Mr. Right, still evaded her. Being husbandless and childless was all the more painful after her parents’ deaths. After losing her mother two years ago, she had sworn she would replace the love she had lost by finding a husband and having a child. Unfortunately, nothing in her life seemed to work out as well as she planned it in her head.
Struggling out of her thoughts, she flipped her watch—the one that had belonged to her late mother—over to read the time. Only fifteen minutes before the guests, mainly her coworkers, started arriving. Okay, Em, it’s time to get your game face on. The hostess of the shower can’t let the green eyed monster of jealousy consume her and cause her to go apeshit, flipping over tables and throwing gifts in a Hulk-like rage! Get a grip!
The pep talk did little to still the churning emotions coursing through her. She gripped the table until her knuckles turned white. As the silent tears streamed down her cheeks, she quickly wiped them away. Raising her deep green eyes to the ceiling, she thought, Please help me get through this.
“You know, I have a nail file in my desk drawer if you want to slit your wrists. It would be a hell of a lot quicker than what you’re doing now!”
Emma jumped and clutched her chest. She whirled around to see her best friend, Casey, smirking at her. She frantically swiped the remaining tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. “Jeez, Case, you scared the shit out of me!”
“Sorry. I guess you were just so lost in misery and self-loathing that you didn’t hear me say your name.”
Ducking her head, Emma replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just checking to make sure everything looked all right before everyone gets here.”
Casey rolled her eyes. “Em, what were you thinking agreeing to this? It’s slow emotional suicide.”
“How could I not? Therese is the one who got me the job here. She taught me everything I know. She’s gone through three rounds of In-Vitro Fertilization. If anyone deserves a baby shower, it’s her.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to be the one to throw it. I mean, she would have totally understood—especially with everything that’s happened lately with Connor.”
Emma’s phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at the ID and grimaced. “Speak of the devil.”
“Is he still calling and texting nonstop?” Casey asked.
“Yep. Lucky me.”
“Let me answer. I’ll tell that asshat you’re going to get a restraining order or something.”
“He’s harmless, Case.”
“You just need to tell him to man-up, grow a pair and give you some sperm.”
A giggle escaped Emma’s lips. “As tempting as that would be, I’d better pass. The whole sperm/baby thing is what started this whole mess to begin with.”
Casey gave a frustrated grunt. “The very fact you’re considering having someone donate sperm is ridiculous.” She placed her hands on Emma’s shoulders. “You are way too beautiful and sweet and amazing to give up on the dating world to have a kid.”
“Nice pitch there with the compliments. Have you ever thought of working in advertising?” Emma mused.
“Ha, ha, smartass. I wasn’t trying to sell you anything. It’s the damn truth. I don’t know when you’re finally going to believe it. Most of all, I want to know when the men around this city are going to get their heads out of their asses and see it too!”
Emma threw her hands up in exasperation. “Case, considering my biological clock is clanging, rather than ticking, I think it’s a little late for all that.”
“But you’re not even thirty,” Casey protested.
“I know that, but I’ve wanted a baby since I was twenty. I want—no I need—to have a family again. Losing my parents and not having brothers or sisters—” Her voice choked off with emotion.
Casey rubbed Emma’s arm sympathetically. “You’ve still got lots of time for babies. And the husband could still come along. ”
Rolling her eyes, Emma said, “Might I remind you of the idiot parade I have had the misfortune to go out with in the last six months?”
“Oh, come on, they weren’t that bad.”
“Are we grading on an extreme curve or something? First, there was Andy the,” she made air quotes with her fingers, “practically separated accountant whose wife tracked us down on our date and proceeded to go mental on him in the middle of the Cheesecake Factory.”
“Shit, I remember him now. Didn’t the cops get called?”
“Oh yes. I had to call Connor to come get me because they were both arrested for disrupting the peace!”
“So there was one bad seed in the mix,” Casey argued.
“Then there was the mortician who regaled me all during dinner about the ins and outs of embalming, not to mention I think he had a pretty unhealthy attachment to some of his dearly departed clients.”
Casey made a gagging noise. “Okay, I’ll admit that necrophilia could turn anyone off from dating for awhile.”
“Awhile? How about a freaking lifetime, Case?” Emma shuddered. “Thank God, it was one date, and he never touched me.”
“So two bad eggs. There’s a whole city of men out there, Em.”
Emma swept her hands to her hips. “And I guess you’re having selective amnesia about Barry, the dentist?”
Casey scrunched her face up as in pain. “Is he still in jail on those voyeurism charges?”
Emma bobbed her head. “Thankfully, the state is pretty tough on asshats who set up hidden cameras in the men’s locker-room at the gym!”
“Well, those are the extreme cases.”
“Frankly, some of the other girls in our department think I need to write a book on bad dating experiences!”
“Now wait a minute. You’ve gone out with some decent guys, too.”
Emma sighed. “And the instant they realized I wasn’t going to bed with them before the appetizer arrived, they bolted for the door. If we actually made it through dinner, then the stench of my marriage and baby desperation drove them away.”
Casey grinned. “See you’re going about this the wrong way. You need to give in to the idea of throwing caution to the wind and having mindless sex to conceive.”
“I don’t think so.” Emma shook her head. “Just because Connor bailed on the idea of sperm donation, doesn’t mean I’m giving up. Somehow, someway, I’m going to have a child to love.”
***
Aidan Fitzgerald rubbed his blurring blue eyes. He peeked through his fingers at the clock on the computer screen. Damn, it was already after seven. Even if he wanted to finish the project, his brain was too fried. He could barely make out the words in front of him. He turned off his computer, secure in the thought that his newly elevated promotion of Vice President of marketing meant he could wait until the morning and not have someone bitch at him for slacking off.
With a groan, Aidan rose out of his chair and stretched his arms over his head. He grabbed his bag and headed to the door. As he flipped off his office lights, his stomach rumbled. There was probably nothing at the house to eat, so he’d probably need to pick up something on the way. For a brief instant, he wished there was a woman waiting on him with a home-cooked meal. He quickly shrugged the thought away. A couple of meals weren’t worth the hassle of long-term relationships. In the end, he was much happier with begging dinners off one of his married sisters. At least until they launched into one of their tirades about how he couldn’t be a bachelor for the rest of his life, and at thirty-two, it was time for him to settle down and have a family.
“Bullshit,” he muttered under his breath at the thought. The attractive cleaning lady down the hall raised her head.
She then gave him an alluring smile. “Goodnight Mr. Fitzgerald.”
“Goodnight Paula,” he replied. He smacked the button for the elevator, fighting the urge to close the gap between them and strike up conversation. He raked a hand through his sandy blond hair and shook his head. Talking to Paula would most likely lead to some tryst in the storeroom closet, and as much as he would enjoy that, he was getting a little old for those kinds of hook-ups.
The elevator jolted him down to the first floor. Heated voices met Aidan the moment he stepped off, causing him to grunt in frustration. Damn, the last thing he needed after working late and being cock-teased by the cleaning lady was to come up on some domestic dispute. And from the tone of both a man and woman’s voice, that’s exactly what it was.
“Connor, I can’t believe you cornered me here at work!” a woman hissed.
“What was I supposed to do? You won’t answer my calls or emails. I had to see if you were all right.”
“I told you to leave me alone, and I meant it!”
“But I love you, Em. I don’t want to lose you.”
At the sound of scuffling, the woman’s voice raised an octave. “Stop! Don’t you dare touch me!”
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, 4th 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 a*shole 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, a*shole, 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 a*sholes in the company!”
“Biggest a*shole, 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.”