Free Conflict of Interest by Jayne Castle Page B

love with him when he dumped you?“
    „Dumped me! That’s a rather callous way of describing an engagement that was broken off!“ she protested.
    „He looked like a man capable of doing callous things. Cold.“
    Kali’s smoky eyes narrowed consideringly. „Do you think so? I never thought about it quite like that. Davis is very bright, very good at what he does…“
    „I’d be willing to bet he doesn’t have an ounce of honest passion in him, except whatever passion it takes to get to the top.“ The declaration was made with such absolute conviction that Kali didn’t quite know what to say.
    „You don’t even know him,“ she managed weakly.
    „You do. Are you going to contradict me? Do you look back on the period of your engagement as one laced with adventure and desire? Did the man make your blood race when he took you in his arms? Do you still lie awake at nights occasionally thinking of him?“
    „Good grief. That’s hardly any of your business!“
    „I spent half of last night lying awake thinking about the way you had felt in my arms, Kali,“ he murmured.
    „I can’t imagine why!“ she retorted roundly, unwilling to be put on the defensive again. „I certainly slept soundly enough myself!“
    That wasn’t precisely true, but then she’d had a lot on her mind.
    Business matters!
    „A little robot,“ he acknowledged blandly. „Except that, for a while, at least, you weren’t at all robotic. I really am sorry about all that Scotch, Kali,“ he went on sadly.
    „If I’d had a clearer head we could have found out just how unrobotic you really are.“

    „Mr. Sterling, if you’re going to sidetrack this conversation into purely personal areas…“
    „Do you love Davis Wakefield?“
    „No! But that, damn it, is none of your business!“
    „Were you ever in love with him or was it more a pact between two robots?“
    Kali found herself wanting to scream. Not for the world would she now admit to him that her relationship with Davis Wakefield had been disappointingly cool from the start, that he had treated their engagement as more of a business alliance. Which was exactly what it had turned out to be, she recalled raggedly.
    „You say you do not care to discuss business matters, Lang,“ she got out coldly. „I do not care to discuss personal ones. Is that clear?“
    He sighed. „Very. I suppose that means there’s nothing left to do but eat… Nalg?“ He called the robot’s name and there was a quiet little whirr of a motor as the creature rolled into view from the kitchen. „How are the potatoes doing?“
    „They are burning,“ the metallic voice announced politely.
    „Burning!“ Lang was on his feet, racing for the kitchen. Almost simultaneously Kali caught a whiff of burned potato. Curiously she rose to follow her suddenly exasperated host. Nalg rolled on into the kitchen behind the humans and watched with a dispassionate eye as Lang yanked the sizzling pot of potatoes off the stove and dumped out the contents.
    „Damn it, Nalg, you scrambled-circuit idiot, why didn’t you tell me they were burning?“
    „I informed you of the status of the potatoes as soon as you requested information on them.“
    „I don’t know what the hell you’re laughing at,“ Lang growled at Kali, who was shaking with silent humor. „You’re the one who will have to help me eat burned potatoes!“
    „I can’t help it! Nalg sounds so politely self-righteous and you look so disgusted with what is only a machine…“ She broke off as light dawned. And then a slow smile curved her mouth. „Nalg…
    Nalg… Oh, my goodness…!“
    Lang cast her a suspicious glance as he ran water into the singed pan.
    „Nalg is an anagram of Lang, isn’t it? You mixed up the letters of your own name and named your creation after yourself!“ Kali laughed. „Do you think of Nalg as a sort of son?“

    „Don’t be ridiculous!“
    But there was a red stain high on his cheekbones and Lang spent several moments