Taking a deep breath, calming herself as best she could beforetapping on her phone, Ashley answered in a whisper and said she couldn't talk long.
"Are you Okay?!" The raspy voice demanded. Whispering back a 'yes', she was hit with an immediate.. 'You need to get the Hell away from HIM!'
"Yes I am okay, Colby got mad because he had to come back to work early, he threw his phone, it hit the car wall, bounced and hit me. He's in a mood because Paul called him. I'll be okay. I'll message you later." There was a grunt of an 'okay'.
"I have to go, Colby can get off of his cell and come out of his room at any minute." They hung up and she hid all the evidence of communicating with Jon and worked on the various tasks Colby had asked her to take care of.
Twenty minutes later, a very stressed out looking Colby came from his bedroom, dressed in workout clothes. Ashley had his energy shake ready, to fortify him before he left. He had said he wanted to go to the gym today, she was hoping he would. He was dressed for it, but he was moving so slowly, and he seemed to be lost in thought. Pacing around the room, slowly drinking his shake, while Ashley watched as calmly as she could. She didn't want to disturb him but Ashley needed to ask a question, the only thing he'd said since he left his room was a mumbled 'thanks'.
Retreating to take care of something that was of a personal nature, Ashley returned happier than she had ever been, in regards to her impending visit with Mother Nature. Her stomach had been feeling off, it was a bit upset this morning, and she was ready to blame Colby, and the stress he was causing her. Saying Colby's name, then a little louder, twice more, Ashley was surprised he acted so startled when he did react, he almost knocked her over when he spun around.
"Wha..What? Yeah?" Ashley backed up from the freaked out, sputtering man.
"Sorry! I was just going to say that I need to dash off this morning to get something for 'personal needs', and I had better get some cover up make-up to hide this..." She motioned her hand at her face. Colby nodded quickly.
"Yeah, Yeah...go ahead. I will be going to the gym. There's places around the corner," Colby motioned with a sweep of his arm. "You can walk there in like three minutes, or you can wait until I get back to use the car. Or is it something you need right now? Because you can go ahead…." He motioned toward the counter where his keys lay. He was almost babbling. Ashley liked this very cooperative and much nicer Colby.
"No, I'll just walk. Do you want me to go with you to the gym? Or get anything from the store?" Colby almost choked on the next swallow.
"Um, no, no thanks. You go ahead and do what you have to do. I'll be back right before lunch. I'll bring something back for us to eat, don't worry about that." Colby finished his drink then was gone within 15 minutes, leaving some cash for Ashley to use. He said he would bring her the remainder of her first weeks 'salary', when he returned. Giving Ashley an extra house key, Colby was gone as quickly as he could leave, already tapping away at his phone.
After processing their laundry, Ashley locked up and took off, heading to the drugstore around the corner. Looking around after she had purchased the needed items, she noticed a lovely looking store a couple doors down that advertised Natural and Organic foods, and Teas. The little shop was very well stocked with all sorts of things and Ashley was drawn to the large selection of Teas once she spotted them. Looking carefully at the smuggled sample of Colby's tea and smelling it again, she went through the loose teas until she found one she was pretty sure would pass for the one she had been drinking.
Happily buying a large bag of the chosen tea, Ashley almost skipped back to Colby's in delight. She had only been gone 30 minutes, there was no way Colby could be done yet! On the way back she had contemplated switching the tea bit by bit so it wouldn't be noticed, although it was doubtful Colby would notice the way he was staring at that phone so much the past 36 hours! Checking the laundry first, Ashley reached into Colby's luggage for his tea setup and the container of evil tea to start switching it out.
Son of a...! The damned container was gone! Looking around in Colby's room carefully without snooping too invasively. Moving things slowly and deliberately in her search and carefully replacing them, Ashley almost collapsed in relief when she found the container in Colby's closet, up on a shelf in a box, next to a brown paper bag that had the word 'Seduction' written in pencil on it. Why that Bastard..! From the size of that bag, he had a lot of evil on his mind! Screw switching it out bit by bit! Ashley carefully emptied both the bag and the container out down to less than a quarter and mixed the new tea in with that and put things back as she found them.
The discarded tea was flushed down the toilet in the bathroom she used after photographing everything. Texting Jon, she told him Colby had gone to the gym and all was well. Almost immediately Ashley's phone rang.
"Ashley, are you okay? Really okay?" Smiling at the obvious concern, she responded.
"Yes, I promise, I'm okay, annoyed as all get out with Colby, but I'm fine."
"What in the Hell happened? Tell me!" Jon sounded so fired up that Ashley gave him a moment to calm down, then relayed the entire incident. Jon sounded really pissed off at the end.
"Why do I have a feeling that there's more going on than you've told me?" Damn! Jon's saying that provoked a funny noise from escaping Ashley, involuntarily.
"What did he do? The Ohioan sounded mad as Hell. Admitting she had seen Colby with another woman, and had been calling and texting with multiple women after (This was the hardest to admit) Colby had told led her to believe that they had something special, and she was the only one he had at the moment, he had actually said that last bit, more than once! There was a very ugly sound from Jon that turned into a growl. Somehow talking with him, though she hardly knew him, made her feel so much better.
"Oh!" Ashley giggled. "I found Colby's stash of 'special' tea, that garbage was labeled as 'Seduction!" Now Jon was cursing. Telling him softly to relax, she almost laughed when he barked out, 'throw that shit out!' She waited for Jon to stop snarling and cursing to tell him what she had done. Cackling loudly in laughter, Jon loved what she had done and said it was a well deserved strike at Colby! Spending only a few more minutes on the phone, Ashley thanked Jon for being kind an looking out for her.
By the time Colby had returned, his laundry was done, neatly folded and set into his luggage as requested. All tasks were done and Ashley was lying down. The not-so-soft slam of the front door woke her up, disoriented she glanced at the clock. DAMN! She'd been asleep for an hour! Getting up quickly to find that Colby had just hurried past the room she was in and was now closing his door, either mumbling to himself or on a call. What the...?
Once his door was shut and locked, Ashley realized that Colby was on the phone, his voice too muffled to understand. Sighing heavily, she left 'her' room to see what had been brought in for lunch and to her dismay found nothing, and it was after 1'o'clock. Either Colby had forgotten he had said he would bring something back, or flat out decided not to. There was only a few small things in each fridge and freezer. Tummy rumbling, Ashley went to her suitcase to dig out one of the little snacks she had tucked away from her earlier outing, to calm her hunger.
Stretching back out on the bed, she stared at the lime green wall, bored silly, Ashley wondered if Colby had eaten already. About 20 minutes later Colby exited his room and headed for the kitchen, immediately she heard a volley of cursing. What the Hell was wrong now? A minute later there was a tap at the door. Up quickly, Ashley opened the door and tried to look sleepy.
"Hi, sorry, I guess I fell asleep...Do you wan..." Colby waved away her question.
"I decided to order something to be delivered. It will be here in 25 minutes." Ashley nodded, looking closely at Colby. He looked very stressed out. As the day wore on, his temperament and nervous behavior only got worse. Tolerating him and his actions to just get the Hell out of there, Ashley was beyond irritated with the man she had been so crazy about just days ago. Colby was acting like a spoiled brat who couldn't have his way. He wouldn't tell her if there was anything she could do that would help, he just got grouchier and grouchier. Ashley did her best to ignore him, but he was making it very difficult.
Once she was out of here, Ashley was sure (Very damned sure!), that there was no way she would be coming back with Colby, not to stay with him. Remaining working with him was a possibility, if he would still want her to, IF, and only if, his mood improved. Hoping that being on the road again would allow some space to form between them, Ashley said a prayer that Jon could lend a hand or at least some suggestions. She hoped he would.
Lunch, when it finally arrived, was eaten in silence. The delivery man knocked at the door an hour and fifteen minutes after the meal was ordered, adding anger to Colby's bad mood, making him worse than ever. Every time Colby's phone beeped with a message or a call coming in, he flew to his room and shut the door. Finishing her lunch alone, Ashley cleaned up the kitchen and dining area except for Colby's now very cold meal which she draped some plastic wrap over.
Heading in to go play with the cover up makeup, not sure how well it would work for her, she glanced at Colby's luggage, now open, stuff all over the living room. Shaking her head, she kept walking. Apparently she hadn't packed his things the way he liked them, while he waited for lunch to arrive he looked in the suitcase, and then tore it all apart. After lunch, he had said earlier, he would explain how he wanted his things packed. If he stopped playing with his phone long enough to finish his lunch that is.
The light in the bathroom was not that great but Ashley did her best to cover the bruise, ignoring how tender it was, until it was reasonably covered. She was just leaving the bathroom when Colby called out that he was dashing out to pick up something from the cleaners which he had almost forgotten. He'd be right back in no time! Muttering loudly that was one more place he'd have to show her, later, he was gone. Trying to decide if he was really going to get some laundry, lying and going to have a rendezvous or really going to make a call he didn't want to risk her hearing, Ashley decided she really didn't give a damn.
Tossing the makeup into her carry-on, Ashley shook her head. To Hell with him if the bruise showed! Colby had dashed out so quick he left his finished meal and rubbish still on the table. Muttering a curse for his slovenly behavior now that he had her to clean up after him, Ashley started to clean up his mess, suddenly seeing something peeking from under the crumpled napkin. Lifting the paper, Ashley was stunned! Colby's Phone! Glancing over her shoulder, she ran to the door and went out onto the front porch to see in Colby's car was gone, it was! YES!
Hurrying back after locking the door, Ashley poked at the device right after it stopped buzzing. More shocking to her than the fact that Colby had forgotten his phone was the fact that it was unlocked! Using her phone to document numbers, calls and messages, she hid the evidence and put the phone back where she found it. Along with wicked 'sexting', there were very heated arguments with three women he was currently having! All over his 'assistant', her injury, and what 'services' was she providing? It sounded like they all knew him well!
Mad as Hell at Colby with even more proof of his fooling around on her after she had once asked about his status and was assured he had no one but her now! He had laughed, given her the 'starry-eyed' look and swore she was the only woman he was remotely interested. He said he had dreamed of her, that she was special, that they were meant to be. Liar! Liar! Ashley stormed to the bathroom to calm down as tears tried to escape in her sad and overwhelming frustrations and anger. She might need those pictures to protect herself if things got ugly, or if he tried to make her stay!
So without a doubt, Colby was so incredibly busted as a liar, and a cheater. It was now verified to the point of overkill. He had led her on, he had lied, he had other women, and he was using a drugged tea to get what he wanted from her. Now, what to do about this? Sitting on the couch and working on his I-pad until she heard the rapid steps heading to the door, Ashley set it aside, and got over to the table to pretend she was just cleaning up after his lunch. Picking up the plate as he came in, Ashley stood and looked at her boss, hopefully she had an expression of plausible confusion when she heard the wild cursing and major rattling of keys at the door. The look on his face was incredible!
"Colby?! Is everything okay?" He came in fast, hurled an armful of dry-cleaning at the couch and began to frantically look around. He hadn't answered her. She said his name again, he kept looking around, quite frantic now, looking on the verge of hysteria. He finally looked at her, his eyes were huge and bugged, his face looked pale.
"My phone! I lost my damned phone!" My god! He was almost as hysterical as a woman would be over losing track of their phone, then again, serious evidence was on it! It took a couple seconds before he raced into his room, she could hear loud clattering, he was going to destroy this place! Not immediately finding the small device had him acting like a nut! Uncovering the phone he himself had accidentally covered earlier, (or was it deliberate and he had forgotten it?) Ashley called out to him.
"Colby! It's here! I lifted up your lunch napkin and here it was!" So annoyed with him, she put him out of his misery for her sake. Colby raced in and grabbed it frantically. Tapping at the screen like a mad man as he slowly walked back to his room. Cleaning up his debris, walking around and doing things over again for something to do, Ashley waited for his return.
Hearing Colby making a call in his room, she let a curse slip out and reached to check his messages and E-mail and adding new stuff to the list she had made earlier. Taking great pleasure in the task, Ashley noted a particularly fiery message from a very angry woman, which was likely to set his shorts on fire and burn his ass if he wasn't careful! That message was an absolute delight! Why was he caught in a scandal with his new assistant, already? It was worth a good laugh.
Starting to head back to the guest room when Colby came back into the living room, calmer now, Ashley stopped and waited to see what he would do. Not addressing the former situation, Colby motioned to his belongings spread about.
"Okay, lets work on the packing of my suitcases." Colby began the lecture. Dutifully picking up a pad of paper and a pen, Ashley neatly wrote down all her instructions, occasionally drawing out said instruction. Colby was in a cocky 'Seth' attitude right now. (She was betting if he had lost that damned phone he wouldn't be acting like this!) Taking the detailed notes quietly as she watched, learning more of his preferences, Ashley was sure that Colby was the most up-tight person she had ever met! Her idea of packing was more efficient. Well shoot, he was the boss, but not for long if he kept acting like this!
The packing lecture was interrupted several times here and there as Colby responded to texts. When they were about finished, Colby's brother showed up to try to get him to go out to dinner with him. Begging off, happy to be away from him for a couple of hours. Ashley was seriously annoyed when he looked relieved that she would rather stay here and read, then go out. The time he was gone was nice, it gave her time to think and respond to two messages from Jon that she hadn't been able to answer earlier.
The night was decent enough to start, until she started getting drunken texts from Colby who obviously was mixing her up with someone name 'Kelly'. Looking over the pictures she had taken of all the evidence she had, on his lack of fidelity and the serious lying bastard he was, Ashley was debating taking off the makeup she was wearing. Colby hadn't noticed that she was using something to cover up the bruise. She had done a pretty good job, she hadn't got any response from him.
It was impossible to not notice the way Colby's brother looking at her face, then looking relieved. He would probably go home and spread the word with family and friends that the rumors of her being hit by his brother were just that, rumors. The internet pictures had to have been photoshopped or something, he'd seen no evidence. Colby had been gone about an hour and a half when there was a loud knock at the door. Looking through the peep hole, Ashley saw a woman with garish makeup and clothing, a brunette.
"Who is it?" She called cautiously, pretty sure it was one of the three, or many.
"Open the f**king door, you f**king bitch! I'm Colby's fiance!" OUCH! Feeling a pain, dead center in her chest, Ashley looked horrified out the peephole at the woman there.. This was not the woman he had been with at the arena! She took a deep breath and spoke.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Lopez is not here right now, nor has he informed me I was to admit anyone into his home, (Where's your key? Hmmm?) I will not open the door to anybody without his direct orders. Now if you will excuse me I have work to do!"
"Open the damned door! I want to see what kind of ring rat he's passing off as an 'assistant'." That BITCH! If he wanted a woman like that Colby deserved her! Yelling out more that she wanted to see what kind of cheap slut was warming her 'baby's' bed when her back was turned, the horrid woman got into a fight with a neighbor who threatened to call the cops if she didn't shut up and go away when she began to pound wildly on the door. After a short and loud argument, she left.
Two hours after that, Colby's brother brought him back, VERY drunk. Mad as Hell at Colby, Ashley had washed all the makeup off of her face. As Colby's brother made his way back from dropping his brother off on his bed, laughing as he came down the hall, his eyes opened wide, he stopped laughing and his jaw fell as he saw Ashley's face.
"Oh My God! What...? How...?" Looking at the horrified man, she suggested he ask his brother when he sobered up. Locking the door behind him, Ashley sighed when she heard Colby calling her name. He better not want sex! There was no way in Hell he was getting ANYTHING from her tonight.
"Assssshhhhhh!" Looking in Colby's door way, looking her boss who was at least three sheets to the wind.
"Yes?" Colby was splayed across the bed, belly down, in his clothes, with a goofy grin on his face.
"Anybody call?" He giggled. Approaching him, she took the phone from his hand. It was dead.
"One, your phone is dead, I need to plug it in. Two, you had the phone with you, how would I know if anybody called, or if anyone messaged? I haven't a clue and I can't check. I myself had no calls or messages to give you." She said good night and turned to leave the room.
"Ash?" Colby called, mumbling something else after her name. He tried to prop himself up on his arms and immediately face planted on the covers.
"Yes Colby?" Ashley didn't like Colby like this one bit!
"Anybody come by for a visit?" He grinned like a maniac. Putting her hands on her hips, Ashley nodded.
"Yes, your fiance!" She turned again, grabbed the door knob and pulled the door shut, hearing a very startled...'WHAT?' Colby started to get up and fell back on his face. As the door clicked shut she heard a fairly loud thud and debated for almost minute before opening the door to check on Colby. Well crap! She almost laughed as she opened the door, and saw her boss, face down on the floor. Before she could panic, she heard his snore. She did check him, no bumps, cuts or blood showing. Good! Out cold on the floor, in stinky clothing, waking would not be pretty for him. Glancing at her watch she smirked.
"Wake up calls gonna be a bitch for you! We need to be out of here in 7 hours!" Closing his door after kindly adjusting the alarm on his phone to full volume to make sure he got up on time, Ashley went to set her own alarm to go off half an hour before Colby's. Smirking in the dark, she wondered how bad Colby's head was going to be hurting in the morning.
Too bad the Acetaminophen for his carry-on got put back into the medicine cabinet instead of where it belonged. Something he had done himself while talking to her, distracted by his phone. If he hadn't been such an ass today, she might have put it back in it's proper place. She had a bottle in her bag, just in case, meanness was not a trait of hers, but if Colby kept acting up, he might just need some comeuppance!
Thank you for reading :) xoxox