Beauty and the Tribal Chief

Never Really Started

Never Really Started

Ashanti sat backstage in Joe's locker room, mindlessly doodling in the sketchbook that Joe had gotten her for her birthday back in June. Joe's phone started ringing and Ashanti glanced over to see it light up from a picture of Galina on the screen.

Galina was calling. Picking up Joe's phone, Ashanti answered it. "Hey, G, Joe is busy at the moment. Can take a message?" Ashanti asked.

"Oh hey, A, and really? Okay, can you let him know that he needs to pick up the kids this weekend, it's his week with them," Galina responded.

Ashanti nods, making a mental note to let Joe know that it's his week with the kids and to pick them up from Galina's house.

"Yeah, I can do that," Ashanti said, ready to end the call after that but Galina spoke up.

"So, are you and Joe finally having sex?" Galina asked, teasingly.

Ashanti shakes her head with a chuckle.

"No, ma'am, all he does is stare at me when he thinks I'm not looking," Ashanti answered.

Galina giggled.

"He sucks at making the first move," Galina said.

Now if someone walked in and heard Ashanti and Galina having this conversation they would be confused about how they were able to talk like that when Galina and Joe only got divorced recently.

Ashanti has been Joe's assistant for two years now. She and Galina have a cool relationship so when Joe and Galina separated they decided to be friends.

Recently, Joe developed a crush on Ashanti. He thinks he keeps it pretty well hidden but his family and pretty much everyone knows about his feelings for Ashanti. Even Ashanti knows about his crush. She likes him too. She always sort of felt chemistry between her and Joe.

She hasn't said anything to him about it yet because she doesn't want to ruin their professional relationship. Besides it is not like Joe will ever act on his feelings for Ashanti.

"Yeah, I see that but maybe he doesn't want to ruin our dynamic," Ashanti said.

"You are the best assistant in the world," Galina said.

Ashanti smiled.

"Not for long though, I think I'm ready to take modeling seriously this time around," Ashanti said.

"Really?" Galina asked, surprised.

Ashanti started modeling when she was ten but she decided to focus on her education and attend Texas Southern University. She put her modeling career on hold. After, graduating from Texas Southern University, she took a job as Joe's assistant.

Recently she started modeling again and she realized that she missed it badly and wanted to do it full-time now so that meant having to move on from being Joe's assistant.

"Yeah, you know modeling has always been my passion. I can't be an assistant forever, girl," Ashanti answered.

"How are you going to tell Joe?" Galina asked, worried about how Joe would react to the news of Ashanti leaving his side for modeling.

"I'm going to sit him down and tell him as professionally as I can that I'm leaving my job as his assistant to pursue modeling again," Ashanti answered.

"Girl, maybe you should think about his feelings for you," Galina said.

Ashanti smacked her lips.

"The feelings that he hasn't admitted to having for me, Galina, I have to think about myself and my career," Ashanti said.