The Boss's Baby Mistake

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“All right.”

She hung up and stared at the telephone. His strategy had worked, she realized. There was a sense of warmth where a few moments before there had only been emptiness.

“He’s just trying to charm me into doing things his way,” she reminded herself out loud. But it didn’t dim the warmth. Still smiling, she went to bed. She needed rest. Tomorrow she would be starting a new job, if there was any luck left in the world. And once she had that foundation of security, she would feel stronger. Maybe even strong enough to tell Jack Marin that he had to stay out of her life.

Chapter Four

“Oh Mikey, baby, please. Not now.”

Wincing, Gayle gently patted the bulge where her baby was stretching his legs. She was sitting stiffly at the computer in a glass-enclosed room on the third floor of Earth Matters, Incorporated, trying to get a feel for the job Top Techs had sent her on. They hadn’t given her much to go on, but the firm seemed to be involved in environmental impact research or something close to it. There were about twenty employees, including three software engineers and a pool of five secretaries. The rest were mainly scientists and lab workers. The building was beautifully landscaped and modern, of dark brick and tinted glass. The people she’d met so far were perfectly nice and friendly, and the entire situation seemed promising, but it was always a little nerve-wracking getting used to a new job.

Top Techs had called her first thing in the morning and given her the information about this temporary opening, and she’d hurried over after a quick breakfast. Rio de Oro wasn’t a very large town and there weren’t likely to be too many temporary opportunities for the sort of work she did, so she had jumped at it. Phyllis Vernon, a warm older woman who was head of human resources for the company, had greeted her and showed her to the office she would be using.

“The boss wants to meet with you at ten-thirty. I’ll show you to his office then.” She glanced at her watch. “Can I get you anything? Do you have everything you need to get started?”

Gayle nodded. “I’ll go over some of your most recent pamphlets to get a feel for what you value most in your work here—the sort of image you’re trying to project. Then I can get some input from Mr….” She frowned, realizing she didn’t know the boss’s name, but Phyllis had already taken off in a new direction.

“The biggest thing on our agenda right now is the contract we’re bidding on with TriTerraCorp. If we get that, we’ll be secure for a good two years.”

“TriTerraCorp?” Gayle said brightly. “I used to work there.”

“No kidding? I hear they are a great place to work.”

Gayle nodded. “They are. A lot of deadline pressure, but the people are great… So, what’s he like?” she asked.

“The boss?” Phyllis shrugged, then grinned. “He’s a sweetie. You’ll like him.” She started out the door, then had a thought and looked back in. “He may seem a little goofy at first. He’s into elephant jokes this week. But if you can get beyond that, he’s super. I’ll come back to get you at ten-thirty and take you to meet the big guy.”

And she disappeared into the hallway.

Gayle sat very still, staring after her. Elephant jokes? No. It couldn’t be.

But she knew right away that it was, and her heart started to thump loudly in her chest.

“Jack Marin.” She said the name with involuntary acidity. Grabbing one of the company pamphlets, she flipped it open and searched the title page. There it was: Jack Marin, company president. “Oh!”

She sat very still, a feeling of doom settling over her. She knew this was no coincidence. Jack had planned this and pulled it off at a few hours notice. He’d contacted the temp agency and set it up. He probably knew people there, just as he knew people at the fertility lab. And whom did she know? She bit her lip. No one much. Suddenly she felt very vulnerable.

She rose unsteadily, feeling slightly dizzy. She was going to leave before Jack found out she knew about his trap. Steadying herself, she took a deep breath and started for the lobby.

“Hey,” said a voice from down the hall. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She didn’t have to turn to know who it was, but she did anyway. She spun and glared at Jack as he came strolling toward her, looking very sure of himself.

“Home,” she said defiantly as he came to a stop a few feet from her. But at the same time, she couldn’t help but think that spurning him and his job would be much easier if he weren’t so handsome, standing there in his crisp tan suit with a smile that reminded her of a certain cocky film star. She set her jaw and put more effort into it. “This won’t work, Jack.” Turning on her heel, she set off toward the glass doorway to the parking lot. “I need a real job,” she called back over her shoulder.

He managed to beat her to the corner, blocking her way. “And I need a real Web designer. We’re a perfect match.”

She took another look at that devastating smile and suddenly felt paralyzed. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “We’re not. I’m not…” She looked toward the glass door, but it was no use. Her knees were buckling and her head was spinning.

“Gayle!”

He caught her in his arms before she fell, looking down into her face with real concern. She blinked up at him. The room was still slightly askew.