Little Secrets: The Baby Merger. Yvonne Lindsay

happen again. I’m sure we can be grown-up about it all and put it very firmly in the past. It doesn’t have to affect our working relationship, such as it will be, and I’d prefer we just forget about it entirely.”

      She ran out of breath. Kirk eyed her from across the table.

      “Are you quite finished?”

      “Finished?”

      “Your commendable little speech.”

      “Oh, that. Yes, I’m done.”

      “Great. I’d like to agree with you. However, we have a problem.”

      Sally looked at him in confusion. Did he think he couldn’t work with her? She knew he’d mentioned redundancies in his announcement today. Surely he didn’t mean to dismiss her from her job? Could he even do that? Was that what this dinner was about? Cold fingers of fear squeezed her throat shut.

      “A problem?” she repeated.

      “The condom broke.”

       Five

      Of all the things he could have said, that was the last she’d expected. Sally felt the tension inside her coil up a few more notches. The condom broke? It kind of put her fear of redundancy in the shade, didn’t it? She became aware that Kirk was watching her intently, waiting for her reaction. She forced herself into some semblance of composure. He’d seen her at her absolute worst already today—she couldn’t afford to appear that weak to him again.

      “Is that all?” She smiled tightly. “For a second there, I thought you were about to give me notice that you were terminating my job.”

      “You thought I was going to terminate you? Hell, no. But seriously, Sally—the condom. You have to let me know if—”

      “You really have nothing to worry about,” she interrupted him. She didn’t want to hear him verbalize the words that were on the tip of his tongue. Didn’t want to believe that pregnancy was a possibility, even though children were something she’d always desperately wanted. But not until it was the right time and, more importantly, with the right man. Certainly not with a man who would hide his identity and sleep with her while knowing exactly who she was.

      “I’m on the Pill,” she continued. “We’re fine. Absolutely, totally and utterly fine.”