Ashley then grabbed my arm rather painfully and pulled me back into her bedroom. ‘What the hell is the matter with you? Do you not realize what you ...re saying? You see if I lost you I would have no more reason to continue to live. And I have lived a very long life. Yes I have found love but not like that for which I have for you. Have you no idea what losing you would do to me.’ She scolded me. Though I was going to fight to make my point clear. ‘Yes Ashley I do know what losing me would do to. You weren’t trying to hide from me, were you?” he said with a sly grin. He surprised me by wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing me passionately. I reluctantly pulled away. “What are you doing, everyone will be here any second now!” “No they won’t. It’s just the two of us, I called Pete and told him everything was so slow because of the holiday and that we should give the rest of the staff the day off. He agreed and said he’d make the calls. I of course told him I’d need you here today. She’d been putting him off. He was probably calling to nag her some more about it. She hit the pre-saved icon for him on her smartphone and waiting for him to pick up. Instead of his voice, all she got was an “All circuits are busy,” notice. Annoyed, she picked up the nurses’ station land line phone and dialed his number manually. He answered on the second ring. “What do you want?” she immediately demanded. “You…haven’t heard from Janet have you?” “No, can’t say she has a habit of calling. All right," he whispered at last.Eflo knew what she would do for him. She would work him up slowly. She lay down at his side and closed his eyes again with her fingers, stroking the contours of his tense, handsome white face until the firm lines melted. Then she kissed him sensually on the mouth, running her black fingers through his thick sandy brown hair and kissing him hard until he opened for her just as she had for him. All thoughts of Prudence or of being married or of being taken hostage.