My name is Robyne Gallagher and Murphy’s Law is out to get me.

Yeah okay, I make it sound like my life is so rough and that I’m whining like a baby. Honestly though, if someone had told me ten years ago that my life would be like this, I’d have been the first one dropping them off at the loony bin.

Maybe to understand it better I need to tell you more about myself.

By day I work for a cosmetics company selling and applying cosmetics to women of all ages. My customers range from thirteen year olds who wear way too much foundation to sixty year old women who haven’t changed their eye shadow since the sixties. You know, the ones that walk around with the same color on their eyes (sometimes a horrible blue) and are desperate for that miracle cure that will make their lines and wrinkles disappear.

At night, I’m a coat check girl at a local club.

That’s right…coat check girl.

I'm not a bartender, or a shooter girl or even one of those girls that walks around with the trays. I sit at the door taking money, checking off names on the guest lists and handing out coats. It's as exciting as it sounds, though I have to admit there are some perks. Watching the people who get kicked out by the bouncers is always a favourite past time. And the tips can be amazing! Sometimes I make more in one night at the bar then I make in two weeks at my day job.

Take for example this one night a few months ago.
 
Paris Hilton had decided to throw a "Knickers n' Lace" party, basically a fancy name for everyone to show up in their underwear. She had brought her dog Tinkerbelle with her. I know, who brings a dog to a Nightclub right? Well Tinkerbelle got left with me. Yeah okay, I may hate Paris Hilton, but her dog is damn cute. Well the money that I made that night from Paris's entourage paid for my car, the money that Paris tipped me paid my mortgage for three months, and trust me my mortgage is the reason why I have this job in the first place.
 
The other perk has to be my boss, granted I don't really see him that much. The club I work at is called Onyx and it's owned by Justin Timberlake. 
 
Now you're probably wondering why I say Murphy’s Law is out to get me, but I'm getting to that.
 
I'm 23 years old for starters.
 
Most people seem to think that I got my job by going to Onyx a lot, but really I didn't. I hadn't even heard of the club until the job was offered to me. I know, that sounds really weird, to have not heard of a famous person opening a club. Well to tell you the truth, I don't really read magazines (unless you count video game magazines), I don't watch much TV (I prefer movies) and I listen to my I-Pod more then the radio. Now if you were to ask my friend Liz, she could name off which clubs are opening up this week and who owns them. But really, I got my job thanks to a friend of Justin's.
 
I had done her make-up for a wedding and she seemed to really like it. A few weeks later she phoned me and asked if I would mind doing her friend's make up for Onyx's club opening. They were going with a masquerade theme and apparently the girls over exuberant puppy had eaten her mask. I packed up my supplies and drove to the club to do her makeup for her in the form of a mask. Well one girl turned into five and Justin had walked in and saw my handy work. He quickly sat down and asked if I would mind doing the same for him.
 
What was I going to say? "Oh I'm sorry Mr. Timberlake, but I couldn't possibly touch that gorgeous face of yours!" Yeah right, I'm a geek, not stupid.
 
Well he asked me to return several times to do make up for the staff for different themes he came up with for the last weekend of the month. After awhile he offered me the position working at the door. I think it's so that he could stop paying me for putting make up on everyone.

Now you probably figure I got the door position because it was the only one left, it wasn't, I'm just not the right girl for the other jobs. 
 
I'm 5'11", which is damn tall for a girl; apparently I'm just shy of six feet. For my height I guess my weight is okay. I'm not toned, but I'm not fat either. Justin called it soft and feminine one day, God bless him. I personally call it having a spare tire, not much of one, but I notice it in the mirror. That's not to say I hate my body, personally I love it. My legs are long and definitely sexy, well at least the calves are, I have a pretty nice rack going for me if I do say so, and I'm told that I have a gorgeous smile. I was once asked by an actress if she could take my picture so that she could show her plastic surgeon how she wanted her lips to look, I took that as a compliment. My face is round, but I have what people refer to as "the most adorable dimples".
 
My hair is cut short in a pretty stylish bob, another perk of my job. I met Nick Aroojo a few weeks back when Justin treated the staff of Onyx to a day in his Salon in New York. Nothing like your boss paying one of the top stylists to cut and color your hair. It's a chocolate brown with panels of white blonde, kinda like the girl in Hairspray at the end of the movie, only shorter. I sound like I know what I'm talking about, but really I don't.
 
Again I know you're thinking "She's complaining about her life when she gets all these perks?"
 
Well if you've seen his friend JC Chasez, you'll understand.   

JC is one of those men that you want to thank his parents for creating such an amazing specimen of human flesh.

When I first met him, I managed to knock over my tip jar and all the change that I had just separated for the night. Smooth, I know. Luckily he was nice enough to help me pick everything up while Justin stood there and laughed at me. Asshole.

The second time I met him, he caught me spinning in my chair, throwing sharpened pencils up at the ceiling like darts. Of course the minute he said hello my aim was thrown off and I knocked five of them out and onto my head.

Sometimes JC will come and sit with me in my little area to keep me company. He’s fun to talk to and he seems to enjoy my sarcastic humour and the way I harass Justin and my co-workers.

One night he came and sat with me after a fight with his flame at the time. Me wanting him to like me even more was stupid enough to have our resident flower guy give some to her on JC’s behalf.

They of course made up after that and I spent the rest of the night calling myself every name that I could think of that was related to idiot. I was actually debating on going and raiding Justin's office for a Thesaurus when I ran out of name when JC arrived with a rose in hand and kissed my cheek in thanks. I became a blushing, stuttering fan girl in a second because of that.

Of course that made my tiny appreciation for the man turn into a full blown crush. Damn Murphy and his stupid laws.

Because of that little incident I've now become the one that JC comes to when he has women problems, I'm his "friend".

Damn you Murphy, you've screwed my life horribly!

Have I mentioned that I hate cell phones?
 
For once I have a Friday and Saturday off from both my jobs, granted I asked for them so that I could actually celebrate my birthday instead of work on it. Here I thought I was being smart, I turned off the ringer of my house phone, put my cell phone on silent before plugging it in to charge and climbing into bed. I was so excited to actually sleep in for once when the annoying blast of 'Sexy Back' burst in my ear. I forgot to make sure the ringer had stayed on silent after I plugged it in. I grabbed my phone and squinted through the morning blurriness to see who was calling. Yep just what I  thought....Justin. Yes I have "Sexy Back" as a ring tone for Justin, I couldn't resist.
 
"Justin, it's my day off, why are you phoning me at the ungodly hour of," I sat up to look at my clock, "Holy shit, is it really 1:30?"
 
Justin's smooth laugh filled my ear, "Have I mentioned you're nasty in the morning, well in this case afternoon?"
 

I shrugged my shoulders even though I knew he couldn't see me, "I never claimed to be Mary Sunshine when I wake up."

"You're Mary Sunshine every other time of the day?" Justin shot back.

"Bite me hip thruster."
 
"You're so lady like."  

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “Does this have a point other then to have woken me up from a damn good dream involving ice cream and J-Josh Hartnett as my personal Sundae bowl?”

“Josh Hartnett?” Justin asked, “Wait you were going to say JC, weren’t you?”

I hate how perceptive that man can be. “No, Josh Hartnett.”

“You hate Josh Hartnett.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t have ice cream fantasies about him.” Oh, I’m good.

“Yeah right.” Justin muttered, “JC’s into kinky shit like that, I’m sure you could convince him to let you lick chocolate sauce off of him.”

Thanks for the visual jerk-face.

“Justin you have five seconds to tell me what you want before I hang up and turn my cell phone off.”

“I need you to work tonight.”

That made me sit up, “What?!”

“Tasha is sick and Candice is in Milan.”

“But it’s my birthday!” Okay that was a low blow, but I really didn’t want to work.

“I’m sorry, I forgot all about that!” Justin sighed, “Your plans are probably all set huh?”

Not unless you count watching Brad Pitt movies while eating Ben and Jerry’s.

“No,” I sighed, “I wasn’t going out until tomorrow night anyway.”

“So you can come in?”

Fuck you Murphy.
 
"Yes Justin, I can come in."
 
"Awesome, come in for six, I want to have a staff meeting." Justin told me, "And dress sexy, I'll take you to an after hours spot at the end of the night."
 
I stared at my phone as he hung up. Dress sexy? Did he not remember who he was talking to?
 
Don't get me wrong, I have my clubbing outfits, but they tend to go more towards the classy side then "sexy". The way I see it, sexy involves showing things that I wouldn't want to see, mainly my little spare tire. 
 
My cell phone rang again, making me jump. I checked the caller id and answered it warily when I didn't recognize the number.
 
"Hello?"
 
"Happy Birthday!"
 
I knew that voice, in fact my heart started pounding so hard I thought it might pull an Aliens and burst out of my chest. "JC?"

"How'd you guess?" JC laughed.
 
Can your legs go weak when you're lying down? "Well I do spend most my nights counselling you, I should know your voice by now."
 
"Yeah I guess you're used to me whispering sweet nothings in your ear."
 
"I'd hardly call screaming over the music to be whispering sweet nothings." I muttered.
 
JC laughed and it actually sent a shiver down my spine, "So I imagine you're pampering yourself today and then partying tonight?"
 
"Your imagination sounds like more fun then the reality." I sighed, "Justin needs me to work tonight."
 
"What?" JC shrieked and I was amazed that he could hit that level when he wasn't singing, "That asshole is actually making you work on your birthday?"
 
"Such is life I'm afraid." I told him, "The real problem is that he wants me to dress sexy so he can take me to an after hours when we're done."
 
"Well that'll be fun."
 
"Uh JC, when have you ever seen me do 'sexy'?"
 
I could practically hear his brain working. "Okay, you're right. But you could always go shopping."
 
"Right, all my girlfriends are working and I wouldn't have the first clue about sexy." I told him, "I'm sure I can pull something together."
 
"Well, I'm not doing anything." JC told her, "How about I take you shopping?"
 
Hello floor, meet my jaw. "You want to go shopping with me?"
 
"Sure, why not?" JC said, "Who better to go shopping for something sexy with then a guy."

"Sure." Damn my mouth for working faster then my brain, "Give me an hour to get ready and I'll meet you at the mall."
 
"I'll come pick you up." He offered.
 
"Uh, alright."
 
I quickly gave him my address and told him just to let himself in before hanging up. I sat there for a few minutes and let it hit me before dashing for my phone to call Liz.

"JC Chasez is taking me shopping for something sexy." I practically screamed at her when I heard her voice.
 
"That's awesome; did you have to burst my ear drums though?" She teased.
 
"Sorry." I muttered as I climbed out of bed and wandered over to my closet, "What do I do?"
 
"Aside from pull him into the fitting room with you and work out some of those 100 ways he talked about in that song?" Got to love this girl, "What kind of sexy are we talking about here?"
 
"I don't know, Justin told me to dress sexy tonight when I go into work."
 
"You have to work?" She asked, "I thought you booked this weekend off."
 
"I did." I told her as I tossed a pair of jeans and a shirt on my bed, "Unfortunately one of the girls called in sick and her backup is in Milan."

"So you're working on your birthday, again I might add, your boss told you to dress sexy and the man you have had a crush on for the past six months is taking you shopping to find said sexy clothes."

"Sounds about right." I told her as I grabbed some underwear and wandered into my room to turn on my flat iron.
 
"I say we go for some Closer appeal here."
 
That's Liz for you. Her answer to every question relates to a song, in this case Closer by Nine Inch Nails. You know the one where he sings "I want to fuck you like an animal"; hmm JC and that song make an interesting combination. Snap out of it Robyne, last thing JC would want is you jumping him the minute you walk downstairs.
 
"Robyne are you listening to me?" Damn I got busted.
 
"Sorry I got distracted."
 
"Look, go for a sexy black dress and a good pair of heels." She told me. "That way you can keep to your classy style."
 
I love this woman, seriously if she asks for babies I'll gladly have some for her. "Thanks Liz."
 
"That's what I'm here for love. And if you get freaky with the boy make sure to ask for a security tape so that I can see how the man performs."
 
"Good bye Liz." I laughed.
 
Ok, so I was going shopping with JC, I could handle that right? Just don't be a bastard today Murphy.

I was a little surprised to find JC sitting on my couch when I came downstairs. I hadn’t heard the door open and yet there he was, sitting on my couch, flipping through one of my many photo albums.

“Enjoying yourself?”

JC looked over his shoulder at me and grinned. “You look cute.”

I seriously despise that word.

“Uh thanks.” I muttered, zipping up my hoodie to cover the t-shirt I was wearing, “Ready to go?”

“You bet.” JC said, snapping the album closed. I saw the cover and hoped it wasn’t the one I thought it was. “You were a really cute kid.”

I wonder if Murphy would take bribes.

“I know, what happened right?”

“Actually I think you’re beautiful.”

I think I just proved that you can actually swallow your tongue when shocked. “Were you drinking while you were waiting for me?”

JC laughed and held open the car door for me, “Come on, birthday girl.”

I found myself nervously playing with my necklace as we talked. It had been a habit I had ever since I started wearing necklaces. I think I’ve broken at least seven of them since I met JC.

“You do that a lot.” JC said as we pulled up to a small boutique.

My hand paused and dropped to my lap, “Yeah, nervous habit.” I told him.

“There’s no need to be nervous around me.”

Oh God, JC Chasez was holding my hand. And he says there’s no need to be nervous around him, right and there really is a Santa Claus.

“So are we going to go into the shop or are we just hoping the right dress will come flying out to me?”

JC leaned his head back against the head rest and turned it slightly to look at me, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress.”

“Very few people have.” I admitted, “Actually I wonder if it’s really a good idea.”

For some reason JC sat up, as if what I was about to say was going to insult him.

“What do you mean?”

“Well the fact that my legs haven’t seen sunlight for about two years could have something to do with it.”

I wasn’t kidding either. I very rarely wear skirts, I never wear shorts and when I do wear capris I’m never outside long enough for the sun to give me any color. Pretty pathetic for someone who lives in LA but I’d rather be pale white then lobster red.

“Pasty?” JC asked me.

“Blinding.”

I have no idea what possessed me to rest my foot on the dashboard but I did it. I grabbed my pant leg and pulled it up. Good thing I took the time to shave this morning.

“Hang on; let me grab my sunglasses to cut down on the glare.”

I laughed and smacked him on the arm lightly, “You jerk.”

I turned my leg to pull my pant leg back down and gasped when JC leaned over and grabbed my leg.

“You have a tattoo?”

Oh boy here we go. I have nine tattoos on various places of my body. Four of them are on my back. People tend to judge me on the ones that can be seen. I’m not saying that I have a naked pin-up girl, actually I do have a pin-up but its Bettie Page, and believe me, and it’s not visible unless I want it to be.

Back on track though, people tend to find women with tattoos to be trashy or freaks. I get lots of rude comments and people staring at me, which is something that I can’t figure out. I don’t have sleeves like Kat Von D, in fact all of my tattoo’s can be hidden, but I guess a lot of people find it offensive or something.

“Yeah, I have nine.” I said, moving my leg so I could adjust my pant leg.

“Nine?” JC asked, “Where?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I giggled as I stepped out of the car.

I glanced at JC and could see him staring at me. I smirked at him, liking the fact that I just shocked the hell out of him.

“Is that a challenge?”

“Better believe it, bub.”

I closed the car door and walked into the store. I took one look at the sales women and knew that I wouldn’t be able to afford a pair of socks in here, let alone a dress.

I started to back out, only to be blocked by JC’s body.

“Where are you going?”

“I can’t afford anything in here.”

JC stepped past me, grabbing my hand on the way, “That’s why I’m here.”

I stopped and yanked hard on his arm, making him stumble backwards slightly. “Excuse you?”

“Come on honey, don’t make a scene.”

I was going to strangle him with the Versace purse that was on the shelf behind him. Before I could give everyone in the shop a live view of how CSI really worked, a sales woman came over to us.

“May I help you two?”

Yeah, you can hold him down while I smother him with a few dozen cashmere sweaters. Oh and while I’m at stick those six inch pumps somewhere very unpleasant.

“We need a dress that is elegant, sexy and perfect for clubbing.” JC told the girl.

That Calvin Klein belt looks like it could be a good gag.

“I don’t think that anything here will fit me dear.” Oh yeah, sometimes being a size sixteen is a good thing. Okay, maybe sixteen is exaggerating since that’s only with certain styles of pants and it was only one time.

“Oh no, some of our dresses go up to size twenty.”

Bitch, she must work with Murphy on weekends.

“Oh, that’s wonderful.” I muttered through clenched teeth.

“Here, let me show you some styles.”

And end up in some pink frilly thing, I don’t think so.

“I’d rather take a look around first.” I told her, not like she was really listening to me anyway since she was eyeballing JC like a piece of meat.

I sighed and wandered away from her, wondering for probably the hundredth time just what I had gotten myself into. I passed JC and saw that he was holding something up. It was red and looked like it was made of spandex. That thing wouldn’t have fit around my thigh let alone the rest of my body.

“Oh, you’re funny.”

“It’s sexy.”

“If I was Paris Hilton.” I muttered, “I thought you said elegant.”

JC laughed and thankfully put that scrap of clothing back. JC flipped through the racks on the other side of me, every once in a while he would hold up some monstrosity that made me wonder how the man dressed himself in the morning.

“Found it!” JC exclaimed, making me jump slightly.

“What, go-go boots to match the last dress?” I teased, looking up at him.

I’ll admit it, my jaw dropped. He was holding up a halter dress with a poofy skirt, so sue me, I don’t follow fashion so I have no idea what it would be called. Let’s just say it was a fabulous pin up girl dress. We’re talking Marilyn Monroe’s white dress in that infamous scene where the wind from the subway grate catches the skirt of in The Seven Year Itch.  

Of course this was more Bettie Page then Marilyn Monroe. I practically ran around the rack and grabbed the skirt to look at it more closely.

I loved it; there was no other word for it then that.

It was solid black except for a red ribbon that was just under the bust line.

Unfortunately Murphy came running along and showed me the price tag. I sighed and took it from JC and shoved it into the rack.

“What are you doing?” JC asked.

“That’s one weeks pay from my makeup job alone.” I sighed.

“Try it on.” JC said motioning for the sales girl to come over.

“JC I can’t afford it and trying it on will only make me want it more.”

“So what, I told you I’d get it for you.” JC said, “What size are you?”

I crossed my arms over my chest, “Big.”

“Don’t be cute.” JC said, “What size are you?”

“There are three numbers you never ask a woman JC.” I snapped, “Her age, her bra size and her dress size.”

“Then tell her and I won’t listen.”

“They won’t have it.” I insisted.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I’m like extremely overweight or anything, I just happen to know that if someone shorter then me were to weigh the same, they probably would be a lot bigger then a size fourteen or sixteen. The problem with being on the bigger side of “none plus size” clothing is that everything tends to go rather quickly.

“What size do you need?” The girl asked sweetly, again looking at JC instead of me.

I was tempted to say something smart, but instead I opted to roll my eyes as JC stuck his fingers in his ears and started to hum.

“Fourteen.”

“No problem, I’ll put it in dressing room three for you.”

My jaw dropped, I couldn’t believe that for once Murphy got smacked back home. I didn’t feel like pressing my luck so I went to the fitting room to try it on.

“JC?” I called softly as I got the dress mostly on.

“Yeah?”

I stepped out, holding the dress closed as best as I could.

“Would you mind zipping me up?”

JC stepped behind me to close the zipper. I could feel his breath on my neck and I jumped when his fingers brushed the tattoo on my lower back.

For some reason the skin of my tattoos is really sensitive to touch and the right person touching them the right way can make me feel like jell-o. Apparently JC had that effect on me.

“So we’re up to five now.” He said in my ear.

“Huh?” Oh score points for all those English courses I took in college.

“Your tattoos.” He said, touching the three that went across my shoulder blades, “You’ve got the four on your back and one on your calf, so that means I have five more to find.”

The man could count freckles for all I cared as long as he kept touching me.

“So what do you think?” The sales girl asked.

That you have incredibly bad timing.

I tore my thoughts away from what I would like JC to do with his hands and studied myself in the mirror. The dress looked like it was made for me. The top hugged my chest and the skirt flowed away from all my problem areas.

JC leaned forward and snapped the price tag off. “I’ll go pay for this while you get changed.”

I just nodded, knowing it was pointless to argue with him. He unzipped the dress before disappearing to the front of the store. I changed quickly and brought the dress out to be put into a bag.

I sighed and shook my head as JC accepted a piece of paper that definitely wasn’t a receipt and slipped it into his pocket.

I should have known that Murphy couldn’t give me one damn day.

I stepped up and stared at the counter as they chatted and she wrapped the dress up. JC snatched it away before I could even reach for the bag. I rolled my eyes at him and left the store, listening to the girl tell JC to “have an amazing day”. Gag me.

“I think shoes are next.” JC said, pulling the paper from his pocket, crumpling it up and tossing it behind him.

I stared at the paper as it bounced off the back seat.
 
"Not going to call her?"
 
"If I wanted to date someone named Bambi I'd go to Strip-o-rama." JC muttered as we pulled out.
 
I  had to bite my lip to keep from giggling, "She seemed...nice." 
 
JC scoffed as he pulled up to a shoe store, why we didn't just walk since it was like a block away is beyond me. "Girls like her are all the same. They want to be on the arm of someone who will give them that fifteen minutes of fame thing. Her photo will be online, in tabloids and my fans will be tearing her apart for the next few months. To be honest, I don't know why anyone would want to put up with it."
 
I could feel myself shrugging, "I guess if you're with the right person you learn to deal with it." Yes, for once that switch thing worked, "I think you'd be worth it."
 
Scratch that.
 
You know how you've got that little voice that tells you when something isn't a good thing to say and it flicks a little switch that somehow cuts off the words before they reach your vocal chords? Yeah, I apparently don't have that switch.
 
"You do huh?"
 
I climbed out of the car and made my way to the store, "Sure, you're one of the sweetest guys I know. Dumb sometimes, but sweet."
 
I laughed as JC poked me in the side and made my way towards a pair of black shoes that caught my eye. "Don't even think about getting flats!" 
 
"JC, I'm practically six feet tall, why on earth would I wear heels?"  

"They don't have to be big heels, just no flats."
 
I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. Believe me, Justin's glare has got nothing on mine. "JC." 
 
"Don't glare at me." He said, imitating my stance, "Look at those ones right there."
 
I glanced over my shoulder at the small Mary-Jane styled shoes with a kitten heel. They were solid black except for a bit of red around the edges, they went with the dress perfectly. 
 
"I'm starting to think this was planned."

“It’s just because we’re having extremely good luck.” JC told me, “Hey, do you need accessories?”

I looked back at him after asking for my size, “No, I actually have the perfect necklace and earrings for the dress.”

I slipped my shoes and socks off as the girl returned and spotted JC staring at my right foot.

“There’s number six.”

I laughed and slipped the shoes on. “Are you intent on finding all my tattoo’s in one day?”

“Better believe it.”

I stood up and took a few steps, amazed at how comfortable the shoes were.

“Well I can guarantee you’ll probably never see two of them.” I said, slipping the shoes off and handing them to the girl.

“Why’s that?”

“Because, you’d have to know me intimately.” I told him as I paid for my shoes.

I stared at myself in the mirror and began to wonder if I could really pull this off. The mirrors in the store had made the dress seem much more flattering, then again this mirror could pretty much make JC look like he weighed two-hundred pounds if he looked in it the right way. I should really get a new one. Doesn’t Cosmo always say to have a mirror that makes you look really thin?
 
I adjusted the hair that was hanging over my eye, yeah I do the whole emo hair, it cuts down on the roundness of my face and touched the red lipstick I was wearing to make sure my lip sealant was holding it in place.
 
"You look amazing."
 
I jumped a little when I heard JC's voice behind me. He had offered to drive me to work so that I wouldn't have to worry about my car. He was dressed in a pair of dark denim jeans and a black t-shirt that clung in all the right places, and I do mean all.

"You're looking pretty sexy your self there stud."
 
Oh crap, I'm actually blushing.
 
"Who's that pin-up model you like?" JC asked as he stepped closer, "Bettie Page right?"
 
"Yeah."
 
"You're definitely giving her a run for her money."
 
I rolled my eyes but thanked him anyway. If there's one thing that I've learned about JC he hates to hear someone argue against him or put themselves down. He's one of those men that can make you feel gorgeous on your worst days.
 
"Thanks." I said, noticing that he was hiding something behind his back, "Whatcha got?"
 
JC grinned and produced a bouquet of Lilies from his back. I had a feeling that he could probably see my molars because my smile was so big. I loved lilies, actually I like any flowers, but lilies are my favourite.
 
"I remembered you said that roses tended to be over done."
 
This man is amazing.
 
"Thank you JC, you didn't have to do that." I said as I took them from him and went in search for a vase.

"Well it is your birthday!" He laughed as he followed me.

"Yeah but you already bought me the dress." I told him as I filled my vase with water and began to fuss with the flowers.
 
"When was this taken?"
 
I turned away from the vase and looked at the picture he was holding up. It was of me and Justin and we were both making kissy faces at the camera. "Oh man, probably a few months ago. We have a lot like that."
 
"Yeah I noticed that you have a lot of pictures of Justin around."
 
Alright, there was a tone there.  

“What’s with the tone?”

“What tone?” JC said, putting the picture back on my fridge. “There’s no tone.”

“There was too.” Why did I suddenly feel like I was arguing with my niece and nephew?

“You’re hearing things.”

I rolled my eyes, scratch that, my niece and nephew are more mature. “Fine, let’s get going.”

JC waited while I grabbed my purse and slipped my shoes on. He took my keys and locked my door for me before leading me down to his car and holding the door open. Isn’t he a gentleman?

We made small talk on the way to the bar. JC was still irritated and I was a little annoyed that he was acting the way he was.

“Did Justin say what the meeting was about?” JC asked as we pulled up to Onyx.

Oh, now he was going to be civil. “No, he’s probably going of tour or recording or something. He tends to call a meeting like this when he’s handing the reins over to Jessica or Trace.”

I was really hoping it was going to be Trace. The only problem is that since Trace is Justin’s personal assistant he hardly ever took care of the bar. Don’t get me wrong, Jessica is really cool, but the last time she was left in charge Onyx turned into a gong show. That was the reason Justin put me in charge of guest lists when he’s away. Last time Jessica made up a guest list there were too many celebrity parties booked and we got a fine for being over capacity.

I sighed as I stared up at the building, “Is it wrong that I want to throttle Justin for this?”

JC laughed and began climbing out of the car. I watched him as he came around to open my door and let him pull me out of the car.

“It’s a very natural feeling, believe me.” JC laughed, “The bodyguards used to want to do that on a regular basis.”

"Well at least I have plenty of people that I can point the finger at after I do it." I sighed.

"Hey cheer up, you only have to work for a few hours and then you get to party with your boss's credit card."

I hadn't thought of it that way. We stepped into the bar and as I was about to say some smart ass comment to JC everyone jumped out at me and screamed surprise.

I have to admit, I am one of the easiest people to scare like that. Justin sneaks up on me all the time and slowly brings his face into my line of vision and it scares the crap out of me every time he does it. So when all of my co-workers and several of my friends screamed surprise I felt like I jumped out of my skin. I could hear JC snort beside me after I jumped and shot him a look.

"It's not funny."
 
"If you had seen your face you'd be laughing too." Justin said as he came towards me.
 
"Get away from me you bastard love child of Satan and a brillo pad." I muttered, pushing at his chest as he tried to hug me.
 
I'm sure you've started to notice that I have a lot of names for Justin. My favourite is Chia-Pet, but that unfortunately only works when his curls are growing in. You see when his curls start to come back, it happens every couple months because he thinks he misses them, his head gets really frizzy. Well if they get wet they easily double in size and it's like watching a Chia-pet grow.
 
"You just had to go for the curls didn't you?" He muttered as he stood back.
 
Truth be told, I hated Justin's hair the way it was right now. He's going for the faux-hawk again, don't ask me why since I was really hoping that they had died out. His hair is in that stage of being in-between curly and shaved so it's really just a styled frizz and he hasn't shaved so he looks like a hermit.
 
"Justin you look like you belong in a cabin in the woods."
 
I really need to get that switch fixed before I get myself fired or something.
 
"You know it's not nice to make fun of the person who went through all this trouble to throwing you a birthday party." Justin said, his bottom lip sliding out.
 
I rolled my eyes, "Put the lip away before you trip on it."
 
Justin laughed and grabbed my arm, finally hugging me and dropping a kiss on the top of my head. "Come here, I have a present for you."
 
"I swear if it's your dick in a box I will smack you."
 
I could feel everyone's eyes on me, looking at me curiously, JC and Justin's among them.
 
"I can't believe you said that." Justin said, his cheeks actually turning pink.
 
"I can't believe you didn't expect it when you agreed to sing that song." I shot back.
 
"I'm going to remember that at Christmas." Justin muttered handing me a large envelope.
 
"Okay, I know that you suck at wrapping presents and all, but come on man, you could have at least put a bow on it." I teased.
 
"Shut up and open it smart ass." Justin snapped.
 
I ripped open the top and slid my hand in, grabbing the first thing my fingers came into contact with. I dangled the lanyard from my fingers and looked up at Justin.
 
"A backstage pass to your concert." I said dryly, "You're such a big spender."
 
"Would you read what it says?" Justin sighed with a grin.

That wasn't a good sign, the Timbergrin never ended well.
 
"Crew pass?" I asked looking up at him, "I don't get it."
 
Justin motioned for me to follow him away from the prying eyes of my co-workers. I sat down on the corner of his desk and took the papers he handed to me.
 
"I need a new make-up artist for my next tour." Justin said, "And I think you'd be perfect for it. What you're looking at is a contract for this tour with an offer to do any future work for me should I decide to keep you."

I knew that I was staring at him like another head had burst from his shoulder, but I really couldn't help it, I was in shock. Here was a man who had known me for a little under a year and he was handing me an opportunity that would open doors that I never dreamt would be open for me. I felt the papers fall from my fingers as I practically launched off the desk, hugging him tightly. Yeah okay, it wasn't the most professional thing to do but I
couldn't help it.
 
This was something that I was desperately ready for. Not only would I be making a lot more money and seeing places that I had no hope of seeing except in movies, but it would give me a chance to get away from JC and figure out my feelings for him.
 
"I take it she said yes?"
 
I released Justin and turned to look at JC, "You knew about all of this?"
 
"Of course, I don't trust just anyone to make me look pretty on stage."
 
Wait, what?
 
"Huh?" Oh brilliant Robyne.
 
"See not only do you get to deal with my pretty face, you have to deal with JC's ugly one."
 
Oh, great, so much for the time away from JC to figure out my feelings.
 
"It'll be fun." JC said, hugging me tightly.

"Yeah, sounds like a party.” I said, pulling away from JC.

“You don’t sound too happy.” Justin said.

“I’m just in shock.” I told him, “Wait, does this mean I don’t actually have to work tonight?”

Justin laughed, “No, I figured that telling you that you had to work was the only way to get you down here. But I have set up a bar tab for you at each of the bars, it’s pretty much unlimited.”

“Sweet, let’s party!” I said, making the boys laugh.

Oh tonight could be interesting.

I am drunk. Wait, I think I’m beyond drunk, I’m starting to see multiples of JC, okay, that’s not really a bad thing.

“How are you feeling?” JC asked.

“I can’t tell if I have to puke or pee.” I told him.

Ha-ha, ten points for making JC Chasez spit beer all over himself.

“Oh that’s hott.” JC laughed.

“I do what I can, Paris.” I told him.

I earned the Chasez glare. He hates the fact that Paris Hilton includes him on her guest lists to all her parties and events. It’s not that he has a serious dislike for her, it more the fact that she uses him to get back at girls that she doesn’t like by flirting with him. That and JC and Nikki Hilton do not get along at all. Now whenever we tease him for using any Paris-slang, he tends to get pissed off at us.

“So how come you haven’t danced?”

The man is good at changing the subject and he also apparently thinks that he’s funny. Liz showed up like an hour ago and there is no way I’m even going to try dancing. You know how there’s always that one person who looks like a complete moron in a group of people dancing? I’m that moron.

“I don’t dance.” I told him, “The music I listen to isn’t of the dancing nature.”

That wasn’t a complete lie. My music is meant to be jumped to, screamed to, head banged to. Sure you can dance to it, but you kind of thrash instead of move to a rhythm. Now that’s not to say I don’t have “normal” music as Justin calls it. My I-Pod is a good collection of all types of music. It ranges from Justin’s music to Slayer…see it’s eclectic.

"I've seen you dance."

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. What JC saw was me on a very drunk night dancing next to Liz on the speakers. Justin has yet to let me live it down, mostly because I was on the speakers dancing to Sexy Back.
 
"That wasn't dancing, that was a momentary lapse in good and sober judgement." I told him.

"Come on, come and dance with me."
 
"You're hilarious."
 
"Come on Robyne!" JC said, leaning forward so that I could see the pout he had on his face.
 
I know it's crazy to try and turn down dancing with this man, but I'm completely blitzed and I haven’t danced with a guy for at least a year.

"JC, no."
 
JC crossed his arms over his chest and his lip came out further, "Fine." 
 
Whew, crisis averted. I looked up at the projection screens as screaming and cheering filled the club. "Justin's going to kill someone." 
 
Ayo Technology was playing, a big no-no in the club. There was an unspoken rule that Justin's songs weren't to be played when he was there, he thought it was embarrassing and hated seeing his videos playing. Granted the odd one has slipped through, usually only if there were a lot of requests or Justin was in a mood to show off.
 
"Nah, he's letting them play what they want tonight since it's your birthday and he knows you like some of his songs."
 
I watched the video playing on the screen since I hadn't really seen the video yet. I sighed and sat back as Justin approached the doorframe and slowly ran his fingers down it.
 
"What I wouldn't give to be that doorframe right now."
 
Okay so not the smartest thing to say about your boss while sitting next to the man that you would give your left arm to be with, but come on! Justin being my boss aside, he is a sexy man. Between the good looks the amazing body and the way he knows how to use his body language, it's enough to make any girl want to be with him. He's that clichéd, women want to be with him and men want to be him.
 
I glanced at JC and he was giving me a look that sober I would have brushed off, but since I was in the condition I was in, he was getting called on it.
 
"What?"
 
"What do you mean what?"
 
"What's with the look?" I demanded, "And don't tell me nothing."
 
"You're just drunk."
 
Alright, that pissed me off, "You know what JC, fuck you."
 
He looked shocked, can't figure out why, he's heard me say that to Justin hundreds of times. Then again it could be because it was directed at him. 
 
"What the hell?" JC snapped, "What was that for?"
 
"Because I'm tired of this. I talk to Justin, I make a comment about Justin or you see pictures of me and Justin and you act like I'm ripping your heart out. Justin's my friend and I can't thank him enough for everything that he has done for me so as of this point he's pretty damn important to me."

Okay the drunken babbling was starting, what did Lindsay Lohan call it in Mean Girls, word vomit? Yeah that's what was happening right now.

"Every time I see you I have to watch you with other women and I have to help you figure out how to fix it when you screw up, but then the minute I show interest in any guy aside from you, you start getting pissy and I'm sick of it because you have no right to!"
 
JC grabbed my hand and I realized I had been poking him in the chest the whole time I was telling him off.
 
"Are you done trying to bruise my chest?"
 
"Trust me JC if I wanted to leave bruises on you I'd be making sure they were visible."
 
I swivelled my chair and hopped off of it. This whole storming away thing would have been more effective if my skirt hadn't gotten caught in the chair. Having to stop and detangle yourself isn't dignified and the fact that I could see JC trying not to laugh was irritating me even more. 
 
"Problems?"
 
Oh wonderful, now I had to deal with both of them. "I'm fine Justin."
 
"How much has she had to drink?" He asked, looking over my shoulder at JC.
 
"I'm standing right here Justin, and I haven't had much."
 
"She's had about twelve doubles." JC told him, "And lord only knows how many shots."
 
Wow was it that many? No wonder I could barely stand. 
 
Justin's finger lifted my chin as his free hand got my skirt untangled from the chair. "What's wrong?"
 
"Nothing." I muttered, looking away from him.
 
"Robyne, don't bullshit me."
 
"Just leave it alone Justin." I told him, "JC and I had a bit of a disagreement."
 
I watched Justin look over my shoulder and shoot a glare at JC. "Come on, let's go dance."
 
Why did everyone want me to do that? "I don't dance."
 
Justin grabbed my hand and started dragging me to the dance floor, "And I say that you do."
 
I rolled my eyes, he could drag me out there all he wanted, didn't mean that I had to move. I made a face as he dragged me into the crowd of bodies, he knew that if given the chance I'd run as fast as possible so he was making sure I couldn't escape. I arched my eyebrow at him as he wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled my body close to his.
 
"This isn't funny Justin." I told him, "Whatever point you're trying to prove, I think you've done it."

“I just want you to have a good time on your birthday, that’s all.” Justin told me, his breath warm against my ear.

“Then let me go back to not dancing.” I told him.

“I don’t think so.” Justin said, his lips now right against my ear.

“Justin that’s my ear.” I told him as his lips actually pressed against my ear.

I gasped as his lips moved along my jaw, down to my neck, resting against my pulse point. I knew he was saying something since I could feel his lips moving against my neck. Alright this was crazy. I was either passed out on the floor of the bathroom and having drunken delusions or he was really drunk.

I pushed Justin away from me, which was quite a feat since he’s a lot stronger then I am and he was holding tight. I looked around Justin and could see JC standing at the edge of the floor. He was being bumped and jostled by people coming and going from the floor. I looked at him pleadingly and felt my heart drop to my stomach when he walked away.

“Justin, please stop.” I said, pushing at his chest. “I need to get some water.”

Justin looked down at me, and oh boy was he drunk. I’m not just saying that because I’m plastered off my tree, but I know what Justin looks like when he’s hit the booze too much, I’m usually the lucky one who has to take him home and throw him on his bed, take off his shoes and make sure that he won’t choke on his own vomit. Oh how I love my job.

“I think you need some too.” I muttered to myself.

“Come on Justin, let her go.” I heard JC shout over the music. “Let’s get you some water J.”

I took the opportunity to get away from both men and make my way to the bathroom. I groaned as I saw Liz hop of the speakers where she had been dancing. I stepped up to an empty sink, listening to the arguments and conversations of the women behind me. I heard a low moan from the stall behind me followed by a higher one and rolled my eyes. At least someone was getting a piece of ass on my birthday.

“So, you going to tell me what that was all about?” Liz asked as she entered the bathroom.

“Which part of it?”

“Well for starters, why you ran away.” Liz said, “Cause Lord knows that if I had Justin Timberlake make a meal out of my pulse point I sure as hell wouldn’t be pushing him away.”

“He was drunk Liz, he didn’t know what he was doing.”

Uh oh, Liz is giving me the look o’ doom. It’s the one that means she’s either going to be hoarse after this and I’ll be really mad at her or I’ll be kicking myself when I realize that she’s right.

I groaned as Liz grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the bathroom and towards the back. Some of the bouncers smirked, thoroughly enjoying the fact that I could actually be ordered around.

“May I point out that you have had the opportunity of a lifetime handed to you today, then you have not one, but two of the most eligible bachelors of the world treating you on your birthday and showering you with attention and you’re having the biggest pity party of your life.”

Ladies and Gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that Liz Hassain, Expert Guilt Tripper, has entered the building. Seriously, mothers could take lessons from this woman.

“You are in a position that most women, including myself, would kill to be in Robyne!” Liz said as I tried to tune her out, “Don’t throw it away because you’re insecure.”

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, congratulations Liz, you have just pissed me off.

“I don’t need this.” I snapped, shoving past her.

“Where are you going?”

“As far away from you and your perfect life as I can get right now.” I shouted back, practically kicking the door open.

I felt ill, and as much as I knew that Liz was just trying to look out for me, I really didn’t feel like listening to another one of her lectures. I was drunk, I was pissed off and all I wanted right now was my bed, unfortunately, Liz was my way home.

“You alright?”

I jumped as JC’s voice sounded in my ear. I hadn’t even realized that I had stopped just outside of the staff entrance since I was so busy ranting about things in my head.

“Could you help me get a cab?”

JC was studying me, and I couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. “What happened?”

“Nothing, I’ve just had way too much to drink and it’s catching up with me.” I told him, it wasn’t exactly a lie, “And on top of that I just had a fight with Liz so I don’t really have any way of getting home.”

JC held out his hand, “Well I’ve arranged for Justin to get home, so I’ll catch a cab with you, I’ve had more to drink then I planned on it and I don’t want to risk getting into an accident or something.”

I nodded and took JC’s hand, at least I was so drunk that I didn’t get the tingles that I got almost every time I touched him. Of course being drunk allowed me to say things that I probably never would have had the balls to say to him if I was sober.

“Why don’t you just crash at my place, that way you won’t have to pay a small fortune to get home and I can bring you to your car tomorrow.”

Oh God, did I really just invite him back to my place? Say no JC, just say no.

“Sure that sounds awesome, let’s get out of here.”

Oh Murphy, one day I’ll hunt you down and either kill you or kiss you.

I'm conscious, I'm conscious, oh God I wish I was unconscious.  

My head is pounding, my mouth is dry and I'm shivering despite the warm blanket and the warm body beside me.  

Wait a minute.  

I glanced over my shoulder and saw that JC had quite happily wrapped himself around me. While normally I would practically be rejoicing over this, the fact that I could feel his legs pressed against mine, it made me completely panic.  

I lifted the blanket and looked down my body. I was wearing a tank top and a pair of underwear, my normal sleeping attire....when I sleep alone. Okay, I could deal with this, I just have to get out of bed and into some jogging pants or something and pray that he didn't see too much last night.

Step one was getting away from him without waking him up.

Alright, I'll admit it; I may have slightly over reacted when I practically threw myself into my closet.  

I turned and looked at him and I literally had to catch myself from falling back into my closet. The man looked far too tempting.  

JC was leaning on one elbow, his eyes were still droopy from sleep, his hair was messed and he was shirtless. If he still had his long hair I would have been violating him in the most sensuous ways by now. Oh crap he's sitting up and his boxers are riding low...hello thumb slots.  

Okay, Robyne....cold...shower...now!!!  

"I gotta go shower." I squeaked out and practically ran for my bathroom. 

Think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts. Why does that never work the way you want it to? 

I started my shower, peeled off my clothes and jumped in before the water temperature dropped. Nothing like cold water to jar those thoughts from your brain. 

I showered quickly since being in almost freezing water wasn't feeling too good. Once I was done I quickly pulled my sweats and tank top back on and squeezed the moisture from my hair. The smell of coffee was drifting up from the kitchen and I could hear pots and pans banging together. I quickly put on some foundation and mascara and made my way down stairs.  

My eyes widened at the sight of JC wearing his jeans low on his hips, mixing something in a large bowl. It almost distracted me from the fact that my kitchen looked like a hurricane had hit it.  

"Should I prepare my self for a notice from the city telling me that my kitchen is condemned?" I asked.  

JC shot a glare at me, "Most people have their kitchen set up in very similar fashions. Yours is fucked."  

I smirked at him and nodded, "I planned it like that just to confuse you."   

In all actuality my kitchen has an obscene amount of cupboard space so everything I have is well spread out and in no particular order. For me it's fine since I know where everything is, but everyone else hates cooking in it unless I'm there to grab everything for them.  

"I hope you like waffles." JC said as he measured out some milk.  

"Love them." I told him, "Do you want me to take anything out for you?"  

"No it's fine."  

"It could take you several hours to actually make them." I pointed out.  

"Would you let me do this?" JC snapped playfully.  

"Fine!" I laughed, "You can't say I didn't warn you though." 

I hopped up onto my counter and watched him as he made the batter. I ran conversation possibilities through my head, each time deciding that they were stupid and opting to stay silent.   

The problem with that is that I have this horrible habit of playing with the little roll of my stomach when I get bored or nervous. Justin's caught me thousands of times poking or shaking it in my hands. I don't know how it started or why I do it, but it's something that I try to control in front of company because, really, no one needs to see that. Problem was I caught JC staring at me out of the corner of his eye and realized that I was currently drumming on it and nodding my head to a beat that was playing for my ears alone.  

"Sorry, habit." I muttered, dropping my hands.  

"Why don't you put some music on?" JC suggested, motioning to my I-Pod doc.  

I nodded and reached over to turn it on. "If any of your songs come on, it's not my fault."  

JC laughed and continued measuring out his ingredients, "Can I ask you something?"  

Oh God, I hope he doesn't ask me about that horrible habit of playing with my belly, "Sure."  

"I've been trying to figure out my set list, luckily when I changed record companies I was able to take all of my songs with me, but I don't know which ones I want in there from Schizo."  

Okay, I was not expecting that.  

"You want my opinion?"  

JC shrugged, "Why not? I just can't figure out which ones fans would want to hear the most."  

"Yeah, but my opinion might be different from the general consensus." I reminded him.  

"Just give me five songs and stop being difficult."  I had to laugh at that. Here JC Chasez was in my kitchen, demanding I pick five songs for him to perform and he was standing with his hands on his hips and his face was covered flour. I almost wish I had my camera on me.  

"Fine, come to me, All day long, 100 ways, some girls and everything you want."  

JC stared at me and blinked, "That was fast.”

I laughed, “You asked my opinion on it, so I gave it. Those are the songs that I would want to see you perform.”  

"Fair enough." He said, "Justin said that you've never seen either one of us perform before."  

"Well I saw you once when NSYNC was still together." I told him, "I met you guys back stage once with my cousin."  

"Right, I remember Chris getting all excited when you told him that you were the 'fan girl'."  

Yeah, you know those teeny-boppers that we all used to see at concerts? The ones that were crying so hysterically that you had to wonder if they were even enjoying themselves. Or how about the ones that at 11 years old they were in outfits, hairstyles and make up that should be on a nineteen year old? Yeah I have an impression of those girls.  

When I met the boys back when I was a young impressionable girl of 18 who got all worked up over little hip thrusts, I performed my little skit. Chris had loved it and when he spotted me doing it to Justin one night at the club he got all excited and asked if I had been the one from the celebrity tour that had done that to him in the dressing room. I was embarrassed that Chris would remember that, but Justin assured me that he hadn't stopped talking about it for weeks after I had done it and would burst into fits of hysterical laughter when ever he saw one of the mentioned girls backstage.  

Before I could say anything back to him my favourite song came through the speaker. I sighed, I couldn't help it, this song was morbidly romantic.  

JC's eyes shifted to look at me, "What was that for?"  

I shrugged and hummed along with the song, "I love the lyrics."  

JC stayed silent as the song played, "I don't think I've ever heard that song before."  

I had zoned out listening to my song and it took me a minute to process what he had said. "That doesn't surprise me. The band is from Finland, and they're not exactly your type of music."  

"It was a good song, really deep lyrics."  

"It's one of my favourites." I said softly, "I would kill to have a guy sing this to me."  

I felt my eyes practically pop from my head as I realized what I had said. I wonder if hitting me over the head with a sledge hammer would get that switch to work for me.   

Luckily JC said nothing and continued on with his waffle batter. Maybe for once Murphy was working in my favour.  

"I'll have to keep that in mind."

Six Weeks.   

It's been six weeks since my birthday and I signed my soul over to Justin and JC.  

Five weeks since Liz apologized for being a bitch.  

Four weeks since I quit my make-up job.  

Three weeks since realization kicked in.  

Two weeks before I decided I should probably go to a psychiatrist and get a good dosage of Valium.  

One week since Justin told me I'd be taking part in a photo shoot for the promotional tour shots.  I could do this. After all I've been putting make up on women for years and sent them off to have graduation and wedding pictures done. This would be a piece of cake!  

"You all set?" Justin asked coming up behind me.  

A wave of nausea that shouldn't happen in the presence of a man this good looking hit me. I so can't do this.  

"I think I'm going to throw up." I admitted.  

"Why?" Justin asked, "It's just a promotional photo shoot, you've done stuff like this before."  

"I've done makeup for regular portraits, not something that's going to be seen by millions of people."

Oh God, I wasn't just going to throw up, I was going to hyperventilate.  

JC had at least been nice enough to let me figure out what make up suited his skin tone a few days ago; Justin on the other hand had cancelled twice, hence my panicking.  

"On top of all of this, some ass hole cancelled twice on me so now I have to set aside extra time to make sure I don't make him look too pale or orange." I snapped.  

I jumped when a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders. I glanced back and felt myself relax as JC's hands started to massage my tense shoulders.

"Here, this will probably help." JC said, slipping my headphones into my ears and handing me my mp3 player.  

He was right; my music always soothed my nerves. I know I said that I listen to mostly "alternative" music with the odd exception, but when I'm at work I have a special play list that doesn't involve any of my normal listening selections. It's mostly Broadway songs, classical and some trance music. It helps me to get into a groove that I can't find when I'm listening to my heavier stuff.  

Of course I would never admit this to the boys, not that I think that they'd make fun of me, cause really they used to be in a boy band, but I have an image to uphold damn it.  

I started setting out some colors that I thought would fit Justin's skin tone and set to work matching them up, blending for spots that I needed to cover any blemishes or redness. Justin startled me when he reached up and popped one of my ear buds out of my ears and placed it into his own.  

"I think JC gave you the wrong player." Justin said looking slightly shocked.  

"No, it's mine." I told him, finally grabbing the chord and ripping the bud from Justin's ear.  

"How can that be yours, that's not your music."   I was tempted to smack him, it's not like I wouldn't be able to cover the mark.

"I do listen to other music you know."  

"But that?"  

"It's called Broadway music, Les Miserables to be specific, excuse me for getting some culture in my life." I snapped.  

It was a pet peeve, I couldn't help it. Nothing irritates me more then when people assume things about me, especially people who don't know me that well. I can live with my close friends and my family making assumptions, because they have the experience to back them up.  

"What did you do?" JC's voice asked from my left as he sat down in the spare chair.  

"Why do you always assume that I did something?" Justin pouted.  

"Because when I left, Robyne was fine, she now looks like she's tempted to shove an eyeliner pencil up your nose."  

I popped my headphone back into my ear and set about finishing Justin's makeup. I could see him wincing and I knew that I was pressing harder then I had to, but at that point I was so pissed off I didn't really care.  

When I was finished I tossed down my sponge and stormed away, not really caring if I did a shitty job or if he was going to keep me on staff for either this or the bar.  

I stepped outside and took a deep breath of fresh air, well as fresh as you can get in LA. I clenched and unclenched my fists, a nicotine craving hitting me full force. I had quit smoking two years ago, but when I'm really stressed or really angry I get horrible cravings and have one to calm myself down.  

I screamed as a hand grabbed my arm and stopped my pacing. I had left my headphones in and had pumped the volume, going from Broadway to Korn to soothe my anger. JC had obviously followed me outside and I probably hadn't heard him calling me.  

"Jesus JC." I gasped, pulling my headphones from my ears.  

"Sorry, I called your name like five times." JC said, "Then again I doubt you would have heard me."  

"So am I fired?" I asked, wanting to quit this idle chit-chat and find out if I needed to start looking for a new job.  

"Why would you be fired?" JC asked me.  

"For practically being ready to kill Justin with a contour brush." I muttered.  

"He had it coming." JC shrugged, "He shouldn't have been teasing you."  

"Yeah, well I didn't have to over react either."  

"You're fine." JC laughed, "I would have smacked him."  

"Oh the temptation was there." I sighed, "I guess that was pretty unprofessional of me huh?"  

JC shrugged, "He made a hair stylist quit back in the old days. That's why bandannas became part of the costumes for him."  

I had to laugh at that, because I had no doubt that Justin could have done that. "I'm not really surprised."  

"Are you okay Robyne?" JC asked.  

"I'm fine I'm just irritated that he kept cancelling on me, then made fun of my -"  

"I'm not talking about today." JC said, "You've been, I dunno, different since your birthday."  

I had to frown at that, of course JC would notice when I start acting strange, we'd hung out almost everyday since my birthday. Believe me I'm not complaining about that, cause really how could you. The problem was that since I was now technically his employee I had been trying to distance myself from him, trying to get myself to get over the feelings I had for him. Where before I would flirt and joke around with him, I was trying to be serious. The few times we had cuddled on the couch watching movies, I would try to pull away and move to the other end of the couch.  

"I'm just stressed over everything that's going on." I sighed, "It's my biggest dream come true, and I don't know if I'm ready for it or if I can handle it."  

JC pulled me to him and hugged me tightly, crap my eyes are leaking now.  

"Robyne, you're going to be fine." He assured me, "You already have friends that are going to be with you and will support you."  

"I know; I'll be fine once I find my groove and am working a daily routine." I sighed, pulling away and wiping my eyes quickly.  

"Okay, so that part's settled, now are you going to tell me what I did wrong?" JC asked.  

"What do you mean?" This wasn't me playing dumb; I really had no clue what he was talking about.  

"Well, I just thought that since your birthday, we were, I don't know, closer." JC said, not looking me in the eye.  

This was a shock to me. JC always seems so sure of himself and confident. The shy act was throwing me off guard and making something inside me both panic and do a happy dance.  

"Well of course we're closer." I said, "You're becoming one of my best friends."  

JC looked up at me, his face blank, "Just friends?"  

Okay the happy dance just came to a screeching halt and full on panic has set in. I could feel my eyes widen as JC took a step closer to me, making me step back. This was becoming a game. Each time he approached me I would back up, until I felt my legs hit the picnic table that was apparently behind me. My knees buckled and I pretty much fell onto the bench of the table. I gasped as JC leaned forward and trapped me between his arms, his face inches from mine.  

"Y-yeah, just friends." I breathed out, watching his eyes drift down to my lips.  

JC leaned forward and my lungs stopped working as his lips brushed against my ear.  

"You know what I think?" JC whispered in my ear, sending shivers down my spine. "I think that you feel far too good in my arms for us to just be friends."  

"What do you mean?" I squeaked out, feeling my face burn and my body tingle.  

"We're not the platonic sort." He told me, placing a small kiss below my ear.   

Christ this man was going to be the death of me. Not only is he sex incarnate, now he's quoting my favourite line from Jane Eyre, I don't know if I should hit or kiss him. I think the second option is far more appealing. I could already feel my head turning on its own accord, bringing our lips closer together.  

"Robyne!" Justin's voice screamed out, "Where the hell are you, I need you to finish this!"  

I groaned and buried my face against JC's shoulder, listening to him growl in frustration.  

"I should go back in." I said so softly that I'm surprised JC heard me.  

JC nodded and pulled back, "I'll be in in a minute so that you can do me."  

Oh the way my mind just took that. Two seconds ago I was about to kiss him and now I have to put make up on him? You have got to be kidding me!  

"There you are!" Justin said as I approached the door. "Where did you go?"  

"To calm down before I gave you a clown face for being such an ass." I snapped.  

"I'm sorry; I didn't think that it would bother you that much." Justin said, pulling me into a hug and kissing my forehead.  

Right now I'm not sure who I want to kill more, Justin or Murphy. My life sucks balls.  

I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.  

"Can I help you find something?"  

"Nope, I'm fine on my own." For the thousandth time.  

If I made it through this tour I might just have to find a nice place to bury Justin. He's added eighteen shows to the roster and ten of them have themes. So now on top of having to pick up extra foundations and basics I have to pick up more eye and lip paints.

Luckily he gave me a company credit card to go nuts with, but the supplier was out of most of the things I needed. Fortunately most of the make up stores in the mall have some variety of what I needed and in colors that I can finally have a chance to play with. Unfortunately I've been so stressed out about the tour and trying to figure out JC that I'm cranky and pushy sales girls trying to get a good commission are starting to piss me off.  

I sighed and pulled my phone from my pocket as it started vibrating and groaned as I saw JC's number flash. I had been successfully avoiding him since the photo shoot, not that I wanted to, because my God if I had my way I'd have gotten through at least fifty of his one hundred ways. For now it was the best thing for both of us, at least as far as I was concerned. Plus add Justin to the mix and things were just getting way too complicated.  

A few days ago Justin showed up at my house to go over the themes that he had planned for the new shows. Normally I wouldn't think twice about that except that he asked if I wanted to go for dinner afterwards. Again nothing out of the ordinary, we had been going for business dinners since I started working at Onyx, mostly to plan the end of the month themes. At first it started with holding open doors and pushing my chair in at the posh restaurant he took me to. The doors and the chair I could blame on his southern upbringing, but this was definitely not the place for a business dinner.  

All around us were couples, dressed to the nines, holding hands and gazing adoringly at each other from across the table.

Then there was Justin and I.  

Justin was decked out in his jeans, a black button up and one of his sweater vests while I was in a baggy pair of jeans, a black and white tank top and a black hoodie displaying the name and logo of my favourite band. I have a feeling the only reason we were allowed in was because of Justin being who he is.  

Half the food I couldn't pronounce let alone recognize. I'm a beer and pizza kind of girl, not these fancy places that require reservations six months in advance or high celebrity status. Add to the fact that people around us kept staring and whispering to each other, I was quite happy when our meal was over and we got the hell out of there.  

Unfortunately Justin decided that we needed to go for a drive before we went home.  

"Is everything okay?" Justin asked as he pulled the car to a stop.  

"Aside from the fact that we're on 'make out ridge'?" I asked, "We could have talked at my place."  

"Yeah but up here there's no distractions." He pointed out.    

"Or anyone to hear you scream."  

"Don't you mean to hear you scream?"  

"No I mean you, because I know I can kick your ass." I told him. "So what did you want to talk about?"  

"Just wanted to find out how you're settling into the idea of this new job." Justin said, turning and leaning back against his door. "JC said that you were pretty stressed."  

I shrugged and leaned back against my own door. Something in the back of my mind was screaming at me to keep my distance from him. "It's just because I don't feel like I'm really earning my pay. I'm not doing any makeup except for the shoot, you barely have me scheduled at Onyx, I feel like a mooch."  

"You aren't a mooch Robyne." Justin said softly, reaching out and putting his hand on my knee. "So what's going on with you and JC?"  

My brain honed in on the fact that Justin's thumb was slowly rubbing against my knee cap, and part of me didn't want him to stop. "Nothing, we're friends."  

"You've been spending a lot of time together."   

"That's what friends do Justin."  

Seriously what was going on here? Did something get slipped into the water that I don't know about?  

Justin sat up and began leaning towards me, "Robyne, do you know what I said to you on your birthday?"  

"Which part of it?" I asked, pressing back against my door.  

"I said to you that I-"   

We both jumped when my cell phone went off. I checked the caller ID and saw that it was the club and immediately handed the phone over to Justin.  

Never in my life have I been so happy to hear about a water main breaking then I was at that moment. If I wasn't confused enough about JC's sudden interest now I had Justin doing the same thing. Most women would be jumping for joy over this particular situation, but you're looking at a girl who's had two semi serious relationships in her life and has spent most of her time watching her best friend get hit on.  

I sighed and shoved my phone back into my pocket and made my way up to the cash register. I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it through this tour.  

"I thought that was you!"   

I felt my body tense at the sound of JC's voice coming from my right where the store entrance was. I watched out of the corner of my eye as he hugged a girl that was probably a few years older then me. From where I stood I couldn't tell who she was, but I had a feeling it was his sister since she was supposed to be in town this week. I pulled my hat down lower and stepped up to the counter, carefully placing the items down so that I wouldn't draw too much attention to myself.  

"Stocking up?" The cashier asked with a smile.  

"Something like that." I muttered, watching JC and the girl out of the corner of my eye.  

I breathed a sigh of relief when she turned and it was indeed Heather, though if he had been talking with a girl I could have at least used that against him.  

The cashier cleared her throat and I realized that she had finished ringing through all my items. I grimaced as I saw the total and handed over Justin's credit card. Once I had signed the slip and shoved my wallet back into my pocket I grabbed my bag and made my way out of the store. I glanced in JC's direction and saw a smile break out on his face as we made eye contact.  

"Robyne!" JC exclaimed.  

I slowly turned my head away and kept walking, pretending not to hear him, even as he followed me, calling my name. Most people would probably give up, thinking they had the wrong person, but apparently JC was positive that it was me. I finally managed to lose him when a group of loud teenage girls stepped between us and he had to slip into a store in case they recognized him. I increased my pace and got into my car before he managed to catch up once more.  

When I got home I sighed and tossed the bag of my supplies onto my bed, opting to take a shower before I sorted everything into my kit and started to work on some of the ideas I would need to have sketched out for the theme nights.  

I turned the water on as hot as possible before shedding my clothes and stepping under the stream. My body shudder from the feeling of the heat against my skin and I watched as my skin slowly turned a bright pink. My ex boyfriend used to complain if he'd try to join me in the shower since I like the water so hot. I had once described it to JC as slowly boiling myself.

I stood under the spray for a long time, contemplating everything that had been going on, wondering what the hell to do. I had never been in a situation like this before, and even Liz, with all her experience with men, wouldn't be able to help me out on this one.   

I finally got around to washing my hair and scrubbing off my body, feeling refreshed and creative when I stepped out. At least I would be able to focus on something artistic for awhile and blare some music to keep my mind off the guys.  I wrapped myself up in one of my towels and wandered down the hall to my room, stopping short, mouth dropping open to find JC sitting on the edge of my bed.  

"What in the hell are you doing here?" I snapped, momentarily forgetting my lack of clothing.   

"I came to see you." JC said calmly, though if the way he was holding his body rigid was any indication, he was anything but calm.  

"You could have called." I snapped.  

"I have been calling, you've been ignoring me."  

Damn it, forgot about that part.  

"How did you get in here?" I demanded.  

JC held up the house key I had given him in case of emergencies about a month ago and I made a mental note to kick my own ass later.  "Since I figured you wouldn't take my phone calls I came here."  

"Just because I gave you that key, doesn't give you the right to just come into my house." The sudden drop of water from my hair to my bare shoulder reminded me that I was still in nothing but a towel. "Would you mind getting your ass out of my room so that I can get dressed?"  

"Why so you can ignore me when I try and talk to you?" JC asked.  

"I don't know what you're talking about." I told him, walking over to my closet and began pulling clothes from it. If he wanted to be like that he could just sit there and watch me get dressed.  

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." JC said, his voice getting closer, which meant he was coming towards me.   

"Obviously not."  

I gasped as JC's body pressed me flush against the wall beside my closet and I could feel my towel slipping.   

"I called your name four times and followed you through the mall and you ignored me." JC's breath was hot against my ear. "And don't pretend you weren't there because the bag on your bed says otherwise."  

"I - I-"

I've apparently lost the ability to speak.  

"Why would you ignore me Robyne?" JC asked, his tongue flicking against my ear. "I know that you want me as much as I want you."  

Oh if he only knew.  

"JC." I breathed out, pressing back against his body.  

JC groaned as my towel slipped down and I could feel him shift behind me. I shivered as I felt the skin of his chest press against the skin of my back and his lips fell onto my shoulder and he rocked against me.  

"I've never wanted someone as bad as I want you right now Robyne." JC moaned against my shoulder.  

I felt his hands start to circle around to my belly and felt the immediate rush of self consciousness that made me grab for my towel that was trapped between us and pull it up.   

"JC, please, I can't." I whispered, sliding away from him.  

"What's wrong?" JC asked as I secured the towel and snatched up the clothes I had been reaching for.  

"I don't know what's going on with you JC." I muttered as I moved to get changed in the bathroom.  

Once I was dressed I opened the door and gasped when I found him standing on the other side.  

"What do you mean?" JC asked me.  

"Are you doing this so that you'll have a regular piece of ass on the tour?" Ugh, I need that damn switch!  

JC looked like I had slapped him across the face. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  

"JC, I've seen the women you've dated." I said to him, "They aren't like me."  

"Robyne, if I wanted someone like them, I'd be bringing one along." JC snapped, "How could you think that I'm so shallow?"  

"I just don't want all this if you think it's because it's something new to try." I sighed.  

"Something new?"  

"Yeah that over weight, tattooed freak." I snapped. "I've had enough guys treat me like that, I'm not letting it happen anymore."  

JC's expression softened, "I get it now."  

"Well La-De-Fucking-Da."  

I don't know why this conversation was making me so angry. Maybe it's because I expected him to be put off with my sudden lack of self esteem since he always talked about confidence being so sexy.  

"If it takes me forever to prove to you that I'm attracted to you because of who you are then I'll wait." JC said, running a hand through my damp hair, "But I want you to give me that chance to prove it to you."  

I sighed and stared at him, nodding once. This man had every capability of making me fall for him and fall for him hard, pretty sad considering I technically haven't even kissed the guy.  

"I'll give you the chance, but that doesn't mean anything more then you have a chance." I whispered.  

"That's all I need Robyne." JC said, kissing my head and pulling me against his body.  

"Fine, now go put your shirt on before I reconsider stopping you."  

JC laughed and pulled away from me, backing away down the hall, giving me every chance to ogle him. Oh this was going to be a long tour and it hadn't even started yet.