Once they were in front of the door that would lead them into Emily's apartment, Ashley could not help but wonder again why Emily called Dave to help her. It was weird that a secretary was that close to her boss. There was no doubt that they had a relationship outside the office. And the fact that Dave punched in the door code without pausing was enough evidence.

Deciding to stay level-headed, Ashley walked into the house and Dave followed suit after he reached for the door and slammed it shut.

Emily's apartment was the modern type of abode that had most features of a house gathered into one room. The whole room was set in an orderly manner, and Ashley appreciated the work put into the room to make it look good and welcoming.

"Emily, where are you?" Dave asked as their collective steps walked further into the house.

After eyeing the numerous throw pillows that stared back at her from the only couch in the room, Ashley admired Emily's kitchen. The wall-installed microwave and oven were quite a sight as well as the polished counter.

"Dave?" A faint voice called from the depths of that space and the visitors followed the voice, the wooden floor creaking as they walked.

When they got to where Emily was, she was sprawled on a high platform bed that teddy bears of different sizes weirdly surrounded.

"Emily, are you fine?" Dave asked, his feet surprisingly not rushing toward the woman.

"No, silly." Her sort of shrill voice responded. "I am just tired. And, I think I broke something in the bathroom. Oh my..." Emily struggled to sit up as Ashley and Dave walked past the beaded curtains that shielded the bed from peeping eyes. "I am so glad you are here, my knight."

'Okay, this is getting weird,' Ashley thought.

"At least you sound okay." Dave engulfed her in a quick, friendly hug before sitting at the edge of the bed.

"Thank you for coming, Dave." While admiration clouded her eyes, Emily planted a huge smile on her thin lips.

"It is fine." He held the sides of her face, a worried frown on his forehead. "Are you sure you are okay?"

At that point, Ashley was invisible and greatly bothered. As she folded her arms and watched the scene in front of her, her mind started to have mixed thoughts about getting involved with Dave Scott. If there was something more to Dave's and Emily's relationship, a fresh heartache was indeed on its way to greet and live with Ashley. But, as she bit into her lower lip, Ashley decided to keep calm and observe things in the meantime.

She then went on to train her gaze on Emily who murmured some words before crashing her head against Dave's chest.

Ashley felt a pang in her chest in reaction to the increased closeness between the two. But the emotion she felt wasn't jealousy or something ridiculous. It was fury. Pure fury.

But she wasn't sure who she was angry at.

Not willing to watch any more of their contact, Ashley made to walk into the living room but a weird-looking teddy bear at the foot of the bed cried because she stepped on its chest.

Then, Ashley became visible.

"Miss Steve." Emily acknowledged her presence with that sharp greeting and she lifted her head off Dave's chest.

"Hello, Emily." Ashley's smile was cute on the surface but deadly to the core. "You can call me Ashley." She picked up the teddy bear and placed it on the bed. " I hope you are good."

"Yeah..." That perky voice became awfully calm. "I am fine."

Emily then began to dart her eyes between Dave and Ashley as though trying to make a connection out of an assumption. Without taking a break to reconsider how silly she was being, Emily fixed her gaze on Dave who was checking something on his phone. And the question she was yet to ask was so clear.

She wanted to know what Ashley was doing there.

And Dave realised that when he tore his gaze off his phone. After sparing Ashley a glance and his dashing smile, he said, "I was with Ashley when you called. I was afraid I would need an extra hand, so I asked her to come along. But you look fine. So..."

Immediately, Emily's chest started heaving in a way that couldn't be ignored, her eyes flickered here and there and she made the man's worry grow. "Dave..." she groaned, her hands crawling to meet his.

"What? What is it, Emily?"

"I suddenly feel hot. I..." Her slender hands began to fan her face as she attempted to get rid of the heat.

"Here," Dave got up and reached for the standing fan beside the bed, "let me adjust the fan for you. You should feel okay soon. You just need to sleep."

Her legs fighting the sheets on the bed, Emily's cries became worse. Her hands began to mercilessly rub the skin of her neck and her voice became strained.

"I feel like my skin is on fire. Ice... I... Dave, I need ice."

"Ice. Okay, okay." It was kind of cute that Dave was jittery about taking care of someone. But Ashley could call bullshit on what Emily was doing at that moment if she could. But she didn't want to be that bitch. Besides, there was a tiny chance that Emily wasn't faking that moment, but Ashley doubted that.

"Ashley, please, get some ice from the refrigerator," Dave pleaded, his hands stuck in the air because he was purely confused about what he was supposed to do.

"Sure."

"I want you to stay, Dave." Despite saying that statement in a low voice, Ashley heard what Emily said.

The woman shook her head and headed for the kitchen. While rummaging through the standing refrigerator that was placed adjacent to the oven, she listened carefully for more confessions from Emily, but all she got was Dave trying hard to keep the lady calm.

Seconds later, Ashley walked into the bedroom.

Emily was still struggling and the moment was starting to look serious. So serious that Ashley was almost feeling terrible for attempting to call bullshit.

"Here is the ice." Ashley handed the bag to Dave who dashed her an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Ashley." Dave leaned toward Emily. After flattening her body on the bed, he began to slowly massage the bag on her forehead.

Then Emily requested that he placed it on her chest even though a great deal of her skin was visible in that area. But Dave didn't appear to mind, he did as the woman asked without asking questions. He massaged her arms next, then the length of her legs.

"It seems you are feeling better," Dave commented when he decided he had done enough.

"No!" Emily cried, her eyes bulging with anxiety.

"No?"

"Right here..." Emily's hands pulled the ends of her tee shirt and exposed a lot more than her lower abdomen. "I need to feel the ice on my stomach."

"Uh..." Dave looked at Ashley who had her arms folded in silence. "You can do that yourself, can't you?" he asked when he faced Emily again.

"But your touch is really effective."

"This will be the last thing I do for you today, Emily," Dave replied before he did as she asked.

"Dave, right there..." Emily sighed but it sounded like a moan.

"Right here?" Dave circled the bag around her belly button.

"Ohh..." A moan, without mistake, dropped from Emily's lips and Ashley's eyes widened. "Yes. Right there..." The secretary closed her eyes and soon, her lower body started to wiggle. "Keep going, Dave. Your touch is amazing..."

'What. The. Actual. Fuck.'

Ashley's eyes just had to squint as her mouth fell in surprise because of the drama playing out in front of her.

Emily kept giving unnecessary moans to the ice massages and Dave, well, kept at it with extreme seriousness and affection.

The insanity of that moment aside, Ashley quickly decided that she would ask Dave if there was something else between him and Emily. And she wasn't going to delay. She was going to ask him the very second they walk out of Emily's house. And she hoped that they would be leaving soon.

Ashley reached for her phone to check the time, and she was amused by what she saw. It had been a while since she was out till after eight p.m.

So, she was impressed. And, even though she was breaking records in the house of a possibly jealous and over-dramatic secretary, she was still impressed.

Apparently, Dave had noticed Ashley checking the time, so he put a stop to the massage.

"Okay Emily, you seem fine now. Ashley and I need to get going."

"Oh," Emily quietly said as she sat up and collected the bag of ice Dave extended to her.

"I am glad you are fine though. Tomorrow is a day I would like to be as perfect as possible. So if you can make it to the office, I will be glad."

Ashley did not miss the sadness in Emily's eyes. It was in contrast to the short smile on her lips.

"I will be in the office tomorrow. Thank you for taking care of me, Dave."

Emily stretched her right arm but things went south. Though it was uncertain if she intended to touch Dave's arm, the thing that was clear to Ashley at that moment was that Emily's hand was resting directly on Dave's groin. And it became a worse moment when she gave him a little squeeze, a glint of appreciation in her eyes.

"Emily!" Dave quickly took steps back and flung Emily's touch away. "What do you think you are doing?"

There was something wrong somewhere... And, Ashely could sense it. And it became clearer that she needed to establish certain things with Dave Scott before advancing with getting what she wanted from him.

"Oh my God,' Emily attempted to get up, "I am so sorry. I thought that was your arm..." Dave took one more step backward and Emily sat back, her hands running through her hair while she anxiously bit into her lip. "I am so sorry. I am just so dizzy, I..."

"Just don't stress yourself if you can't make it tomorrow." Dave's voice was curt. "Ashley, let's go."

"Take care of yourself, Emily." The sincerity of Ashley's smile was met with a sneer and Ashley just knew, for sure, that the woman was putting on an act.

On getting outside, Dave immediately turned to face Ashley, his eyes searching hers.

"I wasted your time by bringing you here, didn't I?"

"Well..." Ashley hunted her brain for a suitable way to answer the question without sounding too blunt. She couldn't find any. "I just want to know if I should stop getting involved with you."

"What?" His frown was deep.

"Is there something between you and Emily?"

"No," came his sharp response.

Ashley wanted to ask more but she walked away from that space because she felt something racing in her chest. The way Dave looked at her when he replied to her question was soothing but in a scary way. Her heart just couldn't stop itself and her head kept replaying the moment he answered her question with so much soul in his eyes.

The silence Ashley allowed between them followed the duo to the car and for a long time, that silence remained.

But, after a long ride that came with an amazing night breeze, Ashley finally said something.

"So, are you two friends? You two looked really close."

"We are college friends. I employed her to work in my company after we graduated. Ever since, our friendship has remained intact."

That explained a lot. But Ashley wasn't entirely convinced. And though that was the case, she decided not to pursue the topic anymore.

They were already driving close to her house and that reminded her that she already had enough thoughts to keep her awake at night. She didn't wish to add the doubtful relationship between Dave and his secretary to that list.

Sitting in a more relaxed way, Ashley asked, "Did you inherit your company?"

"Yes. From my uncle. And I expanded the business after a few years." His thick voice took a brief pause and he glanced in her direction, concern on his face. Then, he asked, " Do you smell something burning?"

Ashley sniffed the air. "No."

"I don't know... it is as though the whole atmosphere is filled with smoke," Dave said as he swerved his car and went down the path that led to Ashley's street.

Ashley was about to get concerned about her sense of smell when she perceived it. Looking at the sky, she saw how the smoke thickly formed in the air of the night sky, and she reasoned that there was a huge fire somewhere.

"I wonder what is going on," Ashley mumbled while she rolled down the window and looked around to ensure that the remaining windows were not closed.

"Ashley..." Dave called and the tone of his voice wasn't lively.

She tore her gaze off the opposite back seat window and looked at Dave who slowed his driving pace.

"What is it? Are you..." Something felt hot against her skin and that discomfort caused her to look toward the other side. When she did that, the side of her eyes caught the sight of raging flames. She looked up and saw how furious flames continuously engulfed a building. Eyes widened in slight fear, Ashley was about to feel pity for the owner of the house on fire when she finally noticed that it was her house that was on fire.