Billy stood in the lobby and checked his watch. He and Phyllis had never been slaves to the clock, but she typically kept their dates or, at the very least, she'd call him to let him know she was running late. Today, he'd heard nothing from her. With everything going on at Jabot and the never ending power struggle between Jack and Ashley, he knew Phyllis felt caught in the middle, but he hated thinking that she being worked so hard.

He walked over to the elevator, sighing heavily as he stepped inside and pushed the button to get to the Jabot office floors. If Phyllis wouldn't come to meet him, he'd go drag her out of the office himself. The elevator door slid open and he caught a glance of Ashley as she rushed back into her office. He passed Phyllis' closed office door and headed towards Ashley.

"Hey Ash. Everything okay?" The question was a mere formality, her posture and facial expression telling him everything he needed to know about her mood and how her day had gone. There had been a meeting today and seeing her now, he could only imagine how it had gone. Maybe this was why Phyllis was holed up in her office and not down in the lobby meeting him for their planned romantic dinner.

"You want the short version, or the long version?" Ashley snapped, cutting her eyes at him before sitting behind her desk and slamming the stack of files in front of her.

"Go with the shortest possible version of the truth," he smiled. "I've got plans with Phyllis if I can track her down."

"Oh, Phyllis. I imagine she's plenty irritated after that meeting as well. Jack was in rare form, trying to insinuate himself into everyone's business."

Billy leaned back a bit, trying to make sense of her particular snide remark. "What does that mean? What did Jack do now?"

"What does he always do? He thinks his opinion is the only opinion worth considering. He thinks his thoughts are the only thoughts worth having and he thinks he's the only one that knows what's best for everybody else. He's doing it with the Fenmore marketing campaign. He's trying to micromanage everything with Jabot and, as I'm sure Phyllis will fill you in on, he's even trying to insinuate himself into her life now too."

The final comment was of particular interest. "Into Phyllis' life? Well, I mean they are friends and they'll always have a relationship. They were married and they'll always care about each other. I know that. I accept that."

"Well, then you're taking it better than she did, but then you can talk to her about all of this, I guess. Personally, I'd be happy not to have to say or hear the name Jack Abbot again today."

"Hang on though…" Billy stepped in front of her as she stood and moved towards the door. "Just tell me what went on between Phyllis and Jack. What did he do?"

Ashley smiled smugly. "I thought you accepted that they had a relationship and that they cared about each other?"

"Just answer the question, Ash."

"Apparently, Jack is convinced that Phyllis is working herself too hard. She was out of breath when she came into the meeting today. She said she hadn't been going to gym as much as she should and that taking the stairs wore her out but Jack, being the over bearing ass that you and I know he can be … He wouldn't take that for an answer. He just kept insisting that there was more to it and he finally irritated her to the point that she up and left the meeting before it was over."

"Phyllis left the meeting before it was over?" That was entirely unlike her. Even on her worst days, when she was in the midst of the ugliness post affair, she'd never allowed Jack to run her out of the office. He couldn't imagine what must have happened to finally push her to that point. He looked back up at Ashley, the satisfied look on her face only slightly less annoying that Jack's behavior. "You know, you're probably right. I should just talk about this with Phyllis."

Billy took a step towards his sister and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "I hope your day gets better." He flashed her a quick smile before exiting the office and walking quickly towards Phyllis' still closed office door. He knocked quickly, waiting for the expected rushed opening and onslaught of apologies for being late. After a few moments of hearing no movement and getting no reply, he slowly pulled open the office door.

Phyllis lay with her head on the desk, her face resting on her arm as her back rose and fell in a slow rhythm.

"Phyllis?" Billy's hand was warm on her back as he watched her eyes flutter open. He could see the realization rush over her as she glanced around the room.

"Billy." She drew in a sharp intake of breath as she quickly stood to her feet and grabbed the side of her desk for balance. "I'm so sorry," she breathed. "I must have fallen asleep and lost track of time." She glanced down at the clock on the computer. "Our dinner. Did we miss the reservations?"

His fingertips brushed over her lips lightly as his other hand gently brushed the hair from her face. "It's fine," he sighed. "Don't worry about the reservations. I'm not. What are you doing sleeping on your desk? That's not like you." He couldn't help but think about what Ashley had said. Could there be some validity to Jack's concerns. Should he be worried?

"It's crazy. I didn't sleep much last night. I was up late trying to get this powerpoint ready and then I got up early this morning to go over my notes. I just haven't been getting enough sleep. That's all." She looked up at him with a soft smile. "Thank you for being concerned, really, but you don't need to worry. Honest. I'm fine. The only thing I need is a good meal and a good night's sleep…preferably in the nice warm, strong arms of the man that I love."

Billy smiled as he pulled her in closer to him for a moment. His lips brushed against her forehead. "I think I can handle that," he sighed.

"Good. Just let me run to the ladies room and splash some water on my face and I'll be ready to head out, okay?"

He watched as she rushed from the room. She seemed fine, certainly not someone that was on the verge of a physical demise. There was total truth in what she said. She'd been working long hours, getting little sleep, and burning the candle at both ends. That would take its toil on anyone. The last thing she needed was Jack berating her and, if he had anything to say about it, today would be the last time she had to deal with that. He glanced towards the door before heading out and turning towards Jack's office.