‘Yes, what is it?’ he calls impatiently.
Leo, the drummer, pokes his head in. ‘Paul says we’ve got a soundcheck and to be ready in ten.’
‘Another one?’ Tommy sounds annoyed. He strolls to the door and has a muttered conversation with Leo, who glances over at me with a smirk. Since Tommy’s back is turned, I take the chance to sidle to the bathroom door.
‘Ash!’ I hiss. ‘Get out here now.’
‘I’m finishing up,’ he calls out instantly. ‘Don’t come in. There’s no lock.’
‘I’m not coming in. Just move it!’
I return to the couch; and seconds later, to my relief, Ash emerges, rubbing at his nose. Thank God.
Conversation finished, Tommy saunters back, looking disgruntled.
‘Hey, guys, I’d love to stay and chat. But I have to get going—’ he says.
‘He has a soundcheck,’ I explain to Ash.
‘Ahhhh, right, right.’ Ash takes a step forward, then reaches out and grips the back of the sofa. A light sheen of sweat coats his face. Whathashe been doing in there?
‘Get everything you need, mate?’ asks Tommy, his mouth twisting in a grin.
Ash nods and smiles, but his eyes look really spacey.
Tommy walks over to the desk and pulls out a drawer. ‘I feel bad about taking off like this, but I’d like you both to come to our concert tomorrow night. As my guests.’
He hands me an envelope. ‘There are some tickets in there. Invite anyone else you want too. Those will also get you backstage after the gig. Don’t advertise the fact, though. Women would kill to have one of those in their hot little hands.’ He winks at me suggestively, and I cringe.
Daaaad, it’s me, Jade!I want to yell.Stop it!
I grab Ash by the arm and haul him across the room, eager to get the hell out of there. Something seems to be wrong with him, though, as his vocal cords have loosened and he’s talking nineteen to the dozen.
Tommy leans on the doorframe and taps me lightly on the ass as I leave. ‘See you tomorrow night, darling,’ he whispers in my ear.
I shudder. Not if I can help it.
Back at the office, I type up my press conference notes and attempt to make them sound readable, but it’s hard to concentrate. I keep making mistakes and having to Tipp-Ex them. It’s sweltering this afternoon despite two standing fans going full bore, one of which cools me down periodically when it blows on me. But then I start sweating again when it swivels away. Air conditioning seems to be a future thing.
I’m also trying to keep my mind off the tickets burning a hole in my desk drawer. Going to that concert is a bad idea, but I just know Ash will tell Danny, and he’ll insist I go. And this Wembley concertisiconic; it was the peak of Echo Ministry’s fame, before everything started sliding downhill. So I suppose I’m curious to witness this moment in history. But I’m definitely not going backstage. Not with my dad’s raging hormones on the loose!
Speaking of raging hormones, there seems to be something in the air this afternoon. Maybe it’s all this heat? Ash was flirtingoutrageously with me in the taxi to the point it was making me blush. But all I could think of was Sebastian and feeling hopeful that I’ll see him again tonight. And then worrying that I’mnotgoing to see him again tonight and feeling depressed. So Ash didn’t get much of a reaction from me.
When we got back, he flitted from desk to desk like a dragonfly, chatting and flirting with the other female journos, who weren’t responsive to his charms either. Now he’s taken himself off somewhere. I should probably check on him, but he’s not my responsibility, and I have this article to finish.
I’m midway through the article when a third journo with bloodshot eyes stumbles back from the toilets and rubs his nose. It’s enough to make me suspicious. This has Ash written all over it.
I leave my desk and head to the men’s loos. But when I knock tentatively and poke my head in, there’s no sign of Ash. Thankfully, no one’s taking a piss in the urinal. There’s a faint chemical smell in the air, but something tells me it’s not toilet cleaner.
The cubicle at the far end of the row of six is open a crack. When I look in, I discover Ash sprawled astride a closed toilet seat, seemingly asleep. His shirt is rumpled, and his black and blond-tipped hair is sticking up on end. I kick his foot, and he jerks awake, rubbing bloodshot eyes.
‘Ah, Jade, I was having a little nap...’
‘What the fuck, Ash!’ I hiss. ‘Are you doling out drugs to the office?’
‘Shhh.’ Ash reaches around me and locks the cubicle door, so I’m now effectively trapped in there with him. ‘Not so loud, or everyone will want some. And I only have a limited supply, thanks to Tommy Rains.’
He swings a plastic baggie of white powder in front of my nose, and I make a grab for it. Despite coming off a cocaine high, his reflexes are still intact, and he swipes it out of my reach.