Page 26 of Dirty Desires
Chapter Eleven
Nina
One solid week passed without me seeing Ashton at all. It was as if he’d turned into a ghost at the station. His work got done, but no one saw him doing it.
The ride home that Sunday evening after our wonderful weekend was a quiet one. Ashton claimed he was just tired and that was why he was being so quiet. He had the driver drop him off first, leaving me with Lila and Duke.
When I asked Duke if Ashton had said anything to him about being upset about something, he told me there was nothing. So, I took Ashton at his word, thinking he was really tired.
Monday came, and I fully expected to see Ashton all chipper after a good night’s rest. But I never saw him at all. And the door to his office was closed and locked. I knew that because I tried to open it.
I let it go that first day, thinking that maybe he was sick. Then Tuesday came, and the same thing happened, door closed and locked, Ashton nowhere to be seen by anyone.
At the daily coffee breaks with Lila and Julia, I asked them both to see what they could find out about the suddenly elusive man.
I’d thought we were headed in the right direction. He had almost kissed me, after all. His actions now made no sense to me.
The only information that I got was from Julia, telling me that he was actually at the station. He was doing his work from his office and watching the newscasts from there too, directing the cameramen through an earpiece from his desk.
I wondered what he was doing for lunch all those days. Lila told me she saw food being delivered a couple of times. He was eating in his office as well.
It wasn’t like Ashton Lange to keep to himself the way he was doing. He was a social person. And I was getting worried about the man.
If he’d changed his mind about us, all he would’ve had to do was tell me that. I would understand. It would hurt, but I would get it.
I didn’t get what he was doing by becoming a recluse right there at work. If he wasn’t socializing at work or home, then when was he talking to people?
I headed up to see Artimus and Duke, hoping to get some answers. I had a feeling they were being tight-lipped with their wives about Ashton’s behavior. Maybe their wives weren’t being as demanding as I could be.
Heading up to their offices on the top floor, I got off the elevator and saw Brady, the receptionist, working with his intern, Veronica. She was the newest addition to our coffee meetings, but she’d missed it that morning. Brady had her busy elsewhere, but where exactly that was, none of us knew. When I’d asked that morning, he’d simply said that she was indisposed at the moment and wouldn’t be joining us for coffee.
As Brady was busily cleaning the chairs in the lobby, I took a moment to talk to Veronica. Leaning on the desk she was dusting, I asked, “So, what were you up to that you couldn’t have coffee with us this morning, Veronica?”
When her cheeks blushed immediately, I had my answer. Not that she gave much away, but I’d already had my suspicions. “Oh, I had to clean out the closet with the office supplies in it. It took me most of the morning.”
Looking over my shoulder at Brady’s back, I smiled as I saw the way he’d gone stiff. He and she had a thing going on. We all knew it, even though they tried to pretend their relationship was completely professional.
“Is that so?” I asked. “You know, we have an excellent maintenance and janitorial staff that takes care of things like that. Don’t let the boss-man make you do unnecessary chores.”
Suddenly Brady was right behind me. “I’m training her to be the best receptionist there is. Merely standing at a desk looking pretty won’t cut it in this busy.” He pointed at Artimus’ office. “He and Duke are waiting for you, since you called this impromptu meeting. You should hurry. They don’t have all the time in the world, you know.”
Veronica turned away to get busy with something else. “See you later, Nina.”
“Yeah, later.” I walked to the door to Artimus’ office and gave a quick knock. “It’s Nina.”
The door opened, Artimus using the button under his desk so neither of them would have to get up. I found Duke and him talking away about the football game that’d been on the night before. “And the yardage he made was impressive too,” Duke said, before they turned their attention to me. “Hey, Nina. What’s up?”
“I’ve got questions.” I took a seat in front of the desk, next to the one Duke occupied.
Artimus steepled his fingers as he sat in his chair behind the desk. “Shoot.”
“I want to know what the hell is wrong with Ashton. And I know you two know what it is.” I leaned forward, placing my palms on the desk. “And I’m not leaving here without an answer. So, fess up, guys.”
I watched the men as they eyed each other, then Duke looked at me. “Nina, we have to be respectful of our friend. We’re not about to be telling tales he’s asked us to keep quiet about. Not even to you.”
Now I knew for sure that they knew what was going on. “Did he tell you not to tell me?”
Artimus shook his head. “He didn’t have to. We know Ashton pretty well by now. If he wanted you to know, he would’ve told you about it himself. And the fact that he’s virtually gone into hiding says he doesn’t want to talk about this with anyone. Not even us. And we won’t push him to do something he doesn’t want to do.”
