Firefighter's Virgin

“I don’t want you to think I’m the sort of person who sleeps around with her boss,” I said, even though that’s exactly what I was. “It was a mistake. He just seemed so . . . interested in me, and I’ve never had a guy like that show any interest in me before. Aside from my crazy stalker, I don’t think any guy has ever really had an interest in me at all.”

“That’s not true,” Jonathan said, a pained expression on his face. He looked really caught off-guard that Ian had been sleeping with Annie, and I felt bad that I’d been the one to break the news to him. “Have you . . . slept with Ian, too?”

“Yes,” I said. “I didn’t realize that was his M.O.; sleeping with his secretaries. I’m not going to do it again, though. Really, I should just quit and get another job, but I had no luck after I got fired from the salon, until you got me this interview. And I know that you probably played a big role in me getting hired, so I appreciate it, and I don’t want to do anything else to mess that up.”

“Of course not,” he said. He took a deep breath, his shoulders going almost all the way up to his ears before he exhaled loudly and they relaxed again.

“And listen . . . maybe you don’t have to mention to Ian that I told you any of this. I’d just like to forget all about it. I’m going to focus on my job, and I’ll probably start looking for work somewhere else, but in the meantime . . .”

Jonathan’s expression was still hard to read. I wondered if he thought Annie had been fired for a different reason, or if he was now looking down on me because he knew that I had slept with Ian, too.

Chapter Twenty-One

Ian

I’d been sleeping like shit ever since Annie told me her news, plagued by these dreams where I was being chased around by an infant the size of Godzilla. I didn’t stand a chance against the thing. At work, I tried to just go about my day like nothing was amiss, but I knew I was giving off some pretty tense vibes; everyone else could sense it, too. I told Daisy I was sorry I had been so late the other night to meet up with her, but that I’d sent a few texts once I got down there. She nodded but didn’t really say anything about getting the texts or why she hadn’t bothered to respond. Another day that sort of thing might have annoyed the hell out of me, but I was too preoccupied with my thoughts to really be fazed by it. As the day wore on, though, I noticed that Daisy was steering clear of me, and Jonathan couldn’t seem to wait to get out of my office after he came in to talk about Martin’s upcoming boat extravaganza. I went into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face. The mirror reflected back a tired-looking face that needed a shave. Or a good stiff drink.

Daisy was quick to rush off right at five o’clock, barely even saying goodbye, saying something about having to go meet up with that friend of hers, Caroline. Hanging out with Daisy was probably the one thing that might have had a chance at improving my mood, but I couldn’t blame her for not wanting to be around me right now; I didn’t even want to be around me. I’d leave here and go for a run—obliteration of thoughts through exercise seemed to be the only hope I had now for a good night’s sleep.

But I’d kept catching Jonathan throwing me these weird looks all day, and I knew he was wondering what the hell was going on with me. Normally, I wouldn’t be one to share my problems like some teenage girl, but I hadn’t told anyone yet and maybe talking about it would help.

“You’re not going to fucking believe this,” I said to him as I came out of my office. “I’m not looking for sympathy or anything, but I’m telling you because I want you to hear it from me, not her.”

“Sure,” Jonathan said. “What’s up?”

“Annie’s pregnant.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Really? Is it yours?”

“No, it’s some other guy’s, but I thought we could pool our resources and throw her a baby shower . . .Of course it’s mine. Well, that’s what she’s saying, anyway. That’s not a surprise to you, is it, Jonathan? You knew, right?” We hadn’t talked about it by the water cooler or anything, but I’d always assumed that Jonathan had known that I was banging Annie; it wasn’t the sort of thing that she would be quiet about.

“Of course I knew,” he said. “Anyone walking into this office could tell that. So she’s pregnant?”

“Yeah.”

“And she’s keeping it?”

“I tried to convince her otherwise, but . . .”

“You tried to convince her to get an abortion?” he asked skeptically.

“I don’t think she’s really ready to be a mother, to be completely honest. I sure as hell am not interested in being a father. Nor am I interested in getting together with her, as I’m sure she was initially hoping. Pregnancy is not a cure-all for any relationship woes, and we weren’t even in a relationship.”

Jonathan pressed his lips together. “Yeah,” he said. “I’ll say. Well . . . what are you going to do?”

“Pay child support, I guess. Be involved when I can. But if she thinks that we’re going to be going to the playground together and holding hands while we push Junior on the swing, she’s got another thing coming to her.”

“Is she going to take you to court? For child support?”

I stared at him. “Why would she do that?”

“Sometimes that’s how it happens. Some people want to get everything drawn up legally, so there’s no gray areas. Court can be expensive.”

“I’m aware.”

“My cousin went through something similar. They were married though. Dan, remember him?”

“Not really.”