Intimate Negotiations--A workplace surprise pregnancy romance

by Nicki Night

  When Zoe saw Ethan’s number light up her cell phone again, she hesitated. He had been calling all afternoon and evening and she’d refused to answer. She’d figured a good night’s sleep would help her find the words and strength to deal with what was coming but she woke in the morning feeling just as bad.

  With a coffee cup in one hand and her cell phone in the other, she paced circles around her small kitchen. Finally, she paused and groaned. This was really happening. Why had she allowed it to go so far? Why had she fallen for him? She cursed the day she’d gone back to his apartment during the big storm. But she hadn’t had a choice. Or had she?

  Zoe grunted and put the phone down. She needed more time before she could speak to Ethan. He wasn’t due to come to the office today so that would give her more time. Delaying the inevitable, she put her phone on vibrate. They had agreed that they would enjoy each other’s company as long as it was possible. It had been easy to say and even easier to do. The hard part was now here—ending it all.

  She had dated casually before, and when the novelty wore off, she and her former prospects had gone their own ways with no hard feelings. This was different. It felt different. Ethan was different.

  Zoe knew it was time to walk away. She wondered if she actually could. She knew she didn’t want to. What would it be like to work for Ethan now? And Bill. She’d heard what he’d said about her. She wasn’t on their level. She already knew that. His family would never accept her. But Bill’s words angered her. Who did he think he was?

  Zoe plopped down in a kitchen chair and held her head in both hands. Where had she and Ethan gone wrong? They’d been careful. Had they become too familiar with one another in front of people? This had been a bad idea from the start and now her heart was stirred into the mix. She hadn’t spoken to Ethan yet, so nothing was official, but she already felt her heart breaking.

  Sleep had evaded her the night before. Tossing and turning, she’d finally just gotten out of bed and showered. She still had at least two hours before she needed to be at work and her drive was no more than fifteen minutes.

  With the extra time, despite the lack of any real appetite, she decided to fix some breakfast. Taking eggs, butter and bread from the refrigerator, she placed everything on the counter and pulled out a small frying pan. One egg and a slice of toast would do. She just needed something in her stomach. She heated the frying pan and added a pat of butter. She pulled out a slice of multigrain toast and placed it in the toaster. When she cracked the egg on the hot skillet, the scent of it rose to her nostrils and her stomach lurched.

  “Ew! That egg must be bad,” Zoe said to the empty room. She tossed it in the trash, cleaned the pan out and added more butter. She cracked a second egg into the pan, but immediately the scent made her gag. A wave of nausea came over her. She instinctively covered her mouth. “Ugh! That whole carton must be bad.”

  Zoe tossed the entire carton. Fortunately she had a new, fresh dozen. Again, she cleaned the frying pan and cracked another egg. Again, the scent assaulted her. She wretched, covered her mouth and ran to the bathroom just in time to vomit without making a complete mess.

  Zoe cleaned herself up, brushed her teeth and went back to the kitchen. She tossed the second carton of eggs out and tried to remember how long ago she’d purchased them. That last carton wasn’t a week old, there was no reason the eggs should have gone bad in that short amount of time. Suddenly she wished she hadn’t thrown them all out; she could have taken them back to the supermarket.

  She put away the butter and pulled out milk and cereal and grabbed a bowl from the cabinet. Out of habit, Zoe opened the carton of milk and sniffed. Immediately the scent turned her stomach. This time she couldn’t make it to the bathroom. She threw up in the kitchen sink.

  “What the hell!” She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Zoe washed her hands and headed back to the bathroom to brush her teeth again. She glanced in the mirror and the possibility hit her. Slowly, she lowered the toothbrush.

  “ Could I be pregnant?” she wondered in disbelief. “I can’t. Get.” Her mouth fell open. She stood unmoving for several moments. “Pregnant,” she finally finished.

  Zoe knew it was supposed to be impossible. That’s what her doctor had told her and her mother when she was just a freshman in college and suffered severe pelvic pains. She’d missed half a semester of school after having to get emergency surgery. Her condition had been described as some kind of common polycystic issue. The final blow had been delivered when the doctor had said that she would probably never be able to have children. Though she hadn’t been ready to be a mother then, she’d cried for days over the inability to bear future children.

  Zoe stood staring in the mirror, turning the question over and over in her mind. Could she be pregnant?

  She finished up in the bathroom and emailed both Ethan and her office manager to let them know she would be late. She put this one on her sick mother. No one would question that. At first she thought of going to the local pharmacy to get a test, but thought better of that. She needed to know for sure. Zoe waited until her doctor’s office opened and called to ask if she could come right away.

  By ten that morning, Zoe heard words she never thought she’d ever hear in her entire life. “Ms. Baldwin. Congratulations. You’re pregnant!”

  Congratulations! The word rang in her ears. She couldn’t find a response.

  The smile fell from the doctor’s face. “There are options, Ms. B—”

  “No. Um. Thank you. I won’t be needing those options.”

  “Okay.” The doctor sounded uncertain.

  “I’m sorry. Dr. Brown. This is just a little unexpected, that’s all. You know with my condition and all.”

  “Yes, I understand. But you know that the man upstairs always gets the final say.”

  Zoe offered up a weak smile. “Yes. He does.” She cleared her throat before asking, “Um, how far am I?”

  “Nine weeks. We’re going to need to monitor this pregnancy very closely. We already know the potential for it being high risk. As you get further along, we’ll see if you need to be placed on bed rest. Let’s get you in for an appointment within the next week or so. Okay?” Dr. Brown’s voice soothed her.

  “Sure,” Zoe said.

  Dr. Brown patted her on her shoulder. “You’ll be fine, Ms. Baldwin.” She typed something in her tablet. “I’m sending over some prenatal vitamins to your pharmacy. Start taking them right away.”

  “Thanks, Doctor. I will.”

  “See you soon.”

  Zoe left Dr. Brown’s office moving like a zombie. This was never supposed to happen. Yes, Ethan and she had gotten comfortable, or should she just call it careless. It only happened a time...or two. Most of the time they used protection. They’d never established themselves as being in a committed relationship. That was never the intention. But they knew they were only seeing each other.

  Pregnant. The word played over and over in her mind.

  A barrage of emotions fought to overshadow others. She felt confused, angry, hurt, overwhelmed and, of all things, excited. Excited because she was going to actually have a baby. A baby that she had been told would never be possible. And because it was likely that it might never happen again, she had no choice. She had to have Ethan’s baby.

  Twenty

  “Ethan! What are you doing here?” Zoe scanned the block and then stepped back to let him inside her town house.

  “You won’t answer my calls or texts.” Ethan brushed past her. He looked around her house as if he’d find clues to the questions that had been flooding his mind for the past three days. “Are you okay? Is your family all right?”

  “I emailed you.”

  “About work.” He breathed in slowly and let it out. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days. What’s really going on, Zoe? I know you heard what my father said.”
/>   “My family is fine.” Zoe turned around and headed to her kitchen. Ethan followed. “Thanks for asking.”

  “This is about my father, isn’t it? I know. I’m sorry about that. He was wrong.”

  Zoe reached the counter and turned around. She shrugged. “We said we’d stay on this ride until it was no longer fun, right? Well, the ride is over, Ethan.”

  “That’s it?” Ethan asked, feeling himself becoming agitated. He didn’t like her nonchalance. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.” She threw her hands up and let them fall against her sides. “What are we supposed to do? Ugh. We knew this would happen eventually.”

  He huffed, closed his eyes and took a moment to calm himself. “Is this what you really want?”

  She looked away. “I don’t have a choice, do I?” She held her hands up in surrender.

  “Listen.” Ethan massaged his temples. “I apologize for my father. He shouldn’t have said those things. He’s just worried about our company being dragged through the mud on possible harassment charges. He’s disappointed in me, not you.”

  “Which is why we have no choice but to end this.”

  “I don’t want this to end!” There. He’d said it.

  Zoe sat down, lifted her head toward the ceiling and groaned. “Ethan,” she said quietly. “We don’t have a choice. I’d never do anything to jeopardize Blackwell. It’s been the best work experience of my career. I love the team. I love the work. But...”

  Ethan went to her. “But what?”

  “This is not good.” She looked up at him and shook her head. “I want to be respected by my colleagues for what I bring to the table. Not because I’m the boss’s girlfriend. I want the respect of my boss and my boss’s boss. Look how weird things have been since the meeting. If he knows about us, then who else knows? It will only be a matter of time before everyone knows. I don’t want to be the subject of the juicy office gossip. I don’t want to be the one everyone’s talking about behind my back. I’ve worked so hard to prove myself in this industry. I can’t believe I put all of that at risk.”

  “We’ll be more careful and I’ll deal with my father,” Ethan promised. “Eventually he’ll come around. I know what I want. Even he can’t stand in the way of that.”

  “It’s not the same. Your father was right.” She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “We’re two different people from two different worlds. It will be no big deal for you, but for me, this will always be associated with scandal. We knew what we were getting into. Now we have to deal with the consequences. We knew this day would come. Let’s just cut our losses. Give me some time and I’ll find another position.”

  “What? Now you want to quit?” Ethan took to pacing.

  “Ethan!”

  “No. Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

  “Ugh! You don’t get it, do you?”

  He stopped pacing abruptly. “Then tell me what I’m missing. So people found out that we were seeing each other. We’re two consenting adults.” His arms flailed.

  “It was an affair. There’s a difference.”

  “An affair?” he yelled. “Neither of us are married. There was no cheating involved.”

  “Then why were we hiding it? It was an office affair and no matter how you look at this, others will view it with a measure of scandal. I was screwing my boss!”

  “Who cares what people think?”

  Zoe shot to her feet. “I do! My last name isn’t Blackwell. I won’t get any pardons. My career path isn’t guaranteed. My parents don’t own the business. My career is on the line here,” she said in a lower tone. “My reputation. My job. How I’m viewed by the executive officers will be shaped by this.” She sat back down. “I can’t believe I let this happen.”

  Ethan lowered to his knees so he could be face-to-face with her. “I understand. I’m sorry. But we shouldn’t stop seeing each other because of what people might think. I care about what we think—about each other. I realize I have an advantage. I get that. But I still want to be with you.”

  Zoe shook her head. “I’m sorry, Ethan. There’s more at stake here than you even know.”

  Ethan closed his eyes and inhaled.

  Zoe’s cell phone rang. He lifted himself from his knees and began pacing again while she went over to the counter where she’d left the phone.

  “It’s my mother. I have to take this.” She answered, “Hey, Ma.”

  Ethan heard her gasp and paused to look at her.

  “Oh, my God! Call 911, I’ll meet you at the hospital. I’m on my way,” Zoe said frantically. “Sorry, Ethan. I have to go.” Worry covered her face, and she scurried to the front of the house.

  Ethan wanted to ask what happened, but it wasn’t his place. He wanted to offer his help but knew she’d refuse it. “Everything okay? Is there anything I can help you with?” he asked anyway, following her.

  “No. But thanks.” Zoe grabbed her keys, opened the door and turned to him. “Ethan...” She stared into his eyes for a few beats. “I do care. But I can’t do this. At least not this way. I’m sorry.” She kissed his lips, closed her eyes. The kiss was soft. Slow. Final. She rested her cheek against his for just a moment. It felt like goodbye.

  Ethan stepped out the front door and behind him Zoe locked up, then ran past him, got into her car and sped off. He watched her race down to the stop sign at the corner, pause for a brief moment and take off.

  He was at a loss.

  He was spoiled. Used to getting what he wanted. And he wanted Zoe.

  He’d find a way to deal with his father. He hated to disappoint Bill. For all that man had done for him, he deserved Ethan’s best. Torn, he fought between being faithful to his father and being faithful to his own heart.

  But what difference did it make now, especially if Zoe wasn’t willing to risk being with him?

  Twenty-One

  Shena had had a seizure. The doctor said it was a side effect of the new medication that had been prescribed for her bipolar disorder. Zoe felt terrible for pushing her to try the new meds. She only wanted her sister to feel better. Now, after a frantic night in the emergency room, Shena was finally resting peacefully in the hospital bed with her mother and Zoe at her side.

  Zoe hadn’t been back home since she’d run out on Ethan the night before. She tiptoed from the hospital room and headed to the family lounge so she could text him. Exhausted, she flopped into one of the chairs and pulled out her phone.

  Sorry I had to run out so quickly. It was a family emergency. All is well now, but I’ll need another day off to handle a few things.

  She hoped that would be enough. Next she texted the office manager, Bella, and told her about the family emergency. The only thing her coworkers knew was that Zoe had a sickly mother. Her true family dynamics weren’t any of their business.

  Her phone buzzed. She’d received a reply from Ethan.

  Sorry to hear that. Glad all is well now. Take the time you need. Anything I can do to help?

  Thanks and thanks for the offer. We will be fine.

  OK. I’m here if you need me.

  Zoe wasn’t used to the cordial tone they were using in this exchange. Their familiar, playful nature filled with sexual innuendo was gone. It hurt. Bad.

  But she knew she was making the right choice. She’d find a new job and raise her baby on her own. Neither she nor Ethan had signed up for that kind of commitment and she wasn’t going to stand by and let his family speak ill of her or her child.

  Zoe was no longer a nervous college student. She wasn’t going to sit by and allow herself to be scorned by Ethan’s parents for not growing up wealthy. She already knew how Bill felt about her. It would be one thing if it was just Ethan’s father, but Bill was also her boss’s boss. Work would become unbearable. If they found out about the pregnancy, their opinion of her would only get worse.
She wouldn’t subject herself to the Blackwells’ judgment of her.

  She’d never imagined being a single mom—or a mom at all. Her own mother had struggled all her life raising Zoe and Shena. With Zoe’s finance career, she’d manage much better than her mother had been able to on a modest blue-collar salary.

  And Zoe would cherish this baby like the miracle that he or she was. Of course, she would have preferred to raise a child under better circumstances.

  A new job. Zoe hated to have to look for one. She loved working for Blackwell Wealth Management. Not to mention, she made more money working for them than she had her entire career. Hopefully she’d find a job with a great boss like Ethan and nothing like Seth.

  Thinking about jobs made her go to LinkedIn. She checked her profile and noted changes she needed to make. She noticed that Robert Richford had just posted and remembered meeting him at the conference a few months back. She’d connected with him on the social media platform immediately afterward, of course, and with a few others from the conference, as well. His company, Richford Financial, did similar work to Blackwell, with a few different options as to what they offered their clients.

  Zoe went to his profile and wrote him a quick message about seeking opportunities with his firm. To her surprise, he responded right away.

  Hi, Zoe, of course I remember you. I’d be happy to speak with you about opportunities here at Richford. Can you come by the office? Or perhaps we can meet for coffee or lunch sometime this week.

  Zoe couldn’t believe her luck. If she could land a job at Richford Financial, she wouldn’t have to worry about hiding her pregnancy until something else came along. The sooner she could leave Blackwell, the better. She checked her work calendar on her phone.

  Great. This week works. I have the most flexibility today. Otherwise Wednesday or Thursday would work.

  Zoe hit Send and waited for his response. It didn’t come as fast as the previous one. She put her phone down, got up and walked over to the window.

  The family lounge looked out over the ambulance bay. Flashing lights colored the area. Zoe hugged herself against the coolness of the room and watched an emergency vehicle back up to the entrance. She couldn’t see much else since the building blocked the rest of her view. Instead, she stared at the bright lights.