she said to Judith and Renie, “Barry heard
assistants usually do. And he had this most ingenious way
about him. If he had an interesting piece of news—”
“Gossip,” Ava interjected.
“If you like.” Nadia darted Ava an amused glance. “Anyway, when he heard something truly interesting, he’d
call around and ask if whoever he was speaking to had any
recent tidbit. If that person—”
“You,” put in Ava.
“Possibly,” Nadia agreed, “but by no means just me. If
you—”
“He never called me with gossip,” Ava asserted.
“You know what I mean.” Nadia was growing impatient
at the interruptions. “If you had something worthwhile to
tell, then he’d reveal what he knew. It was like a game.”
A
“From what I’ve heard,” Ava said, nibbling at one of the
leftover strawberries, “most of his so-called news was about
who used the Cloud Room.”
“The Cloud Room?” Judith echoed.
“Now, Ava,” Nadia began with a reproachful expression.
“Don’t go telling tales out…”
“Come on, Nadia, you started it.” Ava waved a contemptuous hand. “I don’t think so-called Cloud Rooms are exclusive to OTIOSE these days. In this case, there are actually
two of them, the men’s and women’s rest rooms on the
twenty-ninth floor. It’s where employees go to do cocaine.”
“Oh!” Judith was shocked, even though she knew she
shouldn’t have been. Joe constantly railed against the onslaught of drug traffic in the city. “Is this a big problem?”
“That depends on the individual,” Ava replied, despite a
warning glare from Nadia. “In some cases, it doesn’t appear
to affect a person’s work. In others, it’s ruinous. I had to recommend the firing of two people in the past year, and authorize rehab for another half dozen. OTIOSE contracts out
with a firm that deals in addiction among corporate employees.”
Leaning against the counter, Renie nodded. “Newer Resolutions, isn’t it? I did some design work for them two years
ago. As I recall, in most companies, it’s a three-strikes-andyou’re-out program.”
“That’s right,” Ava agreed. “At least it is with OTIOSE.
The company will pay for two rehab sessions, but after that,
you’re gone and on your own.”
“Why,” Judith asked, “can’t they nip it in the bud? That
is, if they know where employees go—to this so-called Cloud
Room—why don’t they stop the drug use right there?”
“Because,” Ava answered, “they’d simply go somewhere
else. Our headquarters is a thirty-story building. There are
lots and lots of places to do drugs. And that’s just during
office hours.”
“Sad,” Judith murmured.
“But true.” Ava gave Nadia a gentle shove. “Let’s go, we’re
holding up progress. Frank wants to start the meeting in ten
