Secret Designs(24)

"Well, you always seem to attract them more than Trey or I do," Dylan commented dryly.

"I know! Why is that?"

"They must sniff you out, man. They smell you're an easy target."

"I'm such a loser," Adam lamented.

Dylan repressed a sigh. "Hey, come on. At least you've found out what Sandy's really like before you trusted her enough to give her the password to your riches."

"Hey, I'm never going to be as blind as you."

Dylan smirked self-deprecatingly. "I prefer to think that that woman—whose name shall never again be mentioned—was just a really good con artist. Makes me feel better about myself."

Adam looked at him with sympathy. "Dylan, it wasn't your fault. That woman really was a good con artist. Even Trey and I thought she was crazy for you."

"Yeah. You're lucky Sandy's a crap con."

"Yeah. Or I'd be in deep shit," Adam replied.

"Hey, I'd like you and Trey to put Ari through the ISAG," he said quietly.

"Holy smokes. I knew it. You like her!"

"It's just a precautionary measure."

"She seems like a nice girl," Adam commented. "But then again, that's what we all thought about that woman, didn't we?"

"Exactly. And that's what you originally thought about Sandy."

Adam shook his head. "Why do we have messed up love lives?"

"Don't know. Maybe because we are messed up."





*******



Dylan stared hard at his phone, willing for it to ring.

Why hadn't Ari called? It had been two days since he left a message.

"You're one to complain, you idiot," he muttered to himself.

He put the phone back in his pocket as he shook his head in disgust. He was acting like a lovesick teenager. Couldn't eat, couldn't rest, couldn't think—except think of Ari.

Fuck. At the rate he was going he might have to ask for a deadline extension for their project. Trey and Adam wouldn't be happy. He had to resolve this distraction quickly.

He got up, picked up his keys, and walked out the door.





*******



"Sorry, Ari doesn't work here anymore," the young receptionist said as she batted her eyelashes at Dylan.

"Oh, since when?" he asked in surprise.

"She finished up last Friday. Their whole department finished up last Friday."

"You mean the company closed their department?"

"Yes," the girl said. "Didn't you hear? Eros got sold off to a US company and they've made some positions redundant."

"No, I wasn't aware of that," he said.

"She was here about an hour ago, though. She went out to lunch with Henry."

"Henry?"

"Yes. Let me check if he's back."

The friendly receptionist pushed a button and spoke through the microphone attached to her headset.

"Hi Selina. Is Henry back?...Okay, thanks." She returned her attention to Dylan. "No, Henry's not back. I'm not sure if Ari's going to drop by here afterwards, though. If she does, would you like to leave a message for her?"

"No, thank you, it's fine. Thanks for your help."

He walked outside and crossed the road to get some lunch. He might as well pop by her apartment later instead. Somehow, he suspected that Ari would simply ignore any message he left for her.

He sat at a coffee shop opposite her building. With any luck, he might spy her walking back toward her old office.

He glanced outside and his heart skipped a beat. There was Ari and she was...laughing with some guy. They exchanged a few more words before they hugged, presumably a see-you-later hug. But the man—he must be Henry—was clearly reluctant to leave. His hand lingered on Ari's arm before he walked into the building, looking back a couple of times to wave to her.

Something sharp stabbed at his chest. Was that her new boyfriend?

Before he knew what he was doing, he was out of his chair and waving to attract her attention.

"Ari!"

Ari turned and her mouth dropped open.

He waited for a break in traffic and crossed the road.

"Hi," he said a little breathlessly.

"Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I came to visit you in your office. I didn't know you'd left."

"I was made redundant," she said dazedly. "You came to visit me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "We didn't really get to talk last Saturday at my parents'. I didn't know you were going to be there."

Ari stared at him, seemingly unsure of what to say next.

"Who was that?" he asked with a nod toward Eros' office building.

Ari turned to the direction of his gaze. "Who?" she asked with a confused look.

"The guy you were with earlier."

"Oh. That was Henry."