"Justin, you have to get up. You're late." He has slept in and has a meeting at the William Rast offices in twenty minutes. "Shit, where the fuck is Mandy? She was supposed to meet me here forty-five minutes ago to go over the schedule before we leave tomorrow."

"I tried to call her. She hasn't answered any of my phone calls."

"She better have a good excuse. This is the third time she has been late this week."

"Maybe it's time to replace her."

"Trust me I have thought about it. If I didn't have to train someone else with the tour right now, I would have someone else in that job today."

"You could always hire a second one and train them?"

"That's a thought."

"Let me talk to Mandy and see what the issue is.  She doesn't work for me but I might be able to get her to realize this can't go on."

Thirty-five minutes later we both arrive at the office. Something has happened and the meeting is running late. Everyone except Trace is in the conference room. There are new designs on the table and sketches for some ideas they have been thinking about. I wonder if any of the people that were designing this stuff ever really thinks of the customer they are attempting to go after. Yes, the jeans make your ass look amazing however jeans are not practical for a working environment.

Finally Trace arrives, looking pretty rough. "Late night Trace?" Justin seems a little ticked off but is playing it off because he was late himself. "I don't even want to talk about it right now." Trace does not want to be at this meeting at all. Ten minutes later Mandy arrives at the office looking just as rough as Trace does. I wonder if they were out together. I hope Trace wouldn't do something stupid with Justin's assistant. I was sure that he and Anabelle were still together, not that makes any difference.

"Mandy, could I speak to you in Justin's office please."

"Sure." She looks a little scared and guilty.

 "Are you feeling ok? You don't look so well." We walk into his office and I shut the door behind us.

"I am ok. I slept in this morning that's all."

‘Tell me something. Were you out with Trace last night?"

"No, I was out with... um some friends that I met me here in the city?"

"I thought you were born and raised in California?"

"I was. These are friends I met yesterday. They are um... " she was fidgeting with her hands, I knew she was lying.

"You can stop now. I know you are lying. You are a bad liar. "

"I made a huge mistake last night. I don't want to even think about it."

"You know that Trace has a girlfriend, right?"

"Yes." Her head falls to the ground. She was not only guilty, she was caught.

"I am not going to get involved in your personal life but you need to have that straighten out because you can't be having an affair with your boss's best friend and business partner. The press would have a field day with that. Speaking of your boss, Justin has some concerns..." It hit me just then. She has been with Trace the whole time we have been in New York. This is why she was late to things. Trace hated alarm clocks, he hated the beeping noise, and he didn't have one at all. Anabelle was in L.A. working and he was sleeping with Mandy while here.

"What is Justin's issue?"

"Well considering I just figured it all out. I think you need to make a choice right now to either be Justin's assistant or Trace's fling. The fact that you have been spending all your nights with Trace, it has been causing Justin to think you are not right for the job anymore. He has concerns about your commitment to the job."

"I have been with Justin for well over a year. I think that is a commitment."

"However staying out at all hours of the night, sleeping in and not doing your job properly is a concern. You knew Justin had to be at this meeting this morning at 9:00 sharp. If you knew Justin had to be here then you had to know that Trace had to be here the same time."

"You have only been dating Justin for what ... a couple months?"

I interrupted her. "This has nothing to do with my relationship with Justin. This has to do with you not doing your job."

"Exactly my point. How would you know what my job entitles since you have only been in his life for a couple months?"

"Justin has the issue with you not doing your job correctly, not me. You are right, I don't know exactly what your job entitles so I don't know what you are doing or not doing. But Justin does."

"Are you telling me I am fired?"

"No, I actually asked Justin if I could talk to you first because I thought maybe there was something going on that we weren't aware of and it might be the reason you have been slipping this week, little did we know there was something major going on. He wants to keep you but you have to step it up. With the tour kicked off, it's going to be difficult to keep things straight from the road."

"I'm sorry I was so defensive. I want to keep my job. I promise I will deal with the Trace issue and everything else."

"Thank you."

"Are you going to say anything to Anabelle?"

"I think that information needs to come from Trace. But if I am asked by Anabelle, I will not hesitate to tell her. I will not lie to anyone for the two you."

"And Justin?"

"Again I think that needs to come from you or Trace. I will not lie to Justin either."

"Okay. After the meeting today I will talk to Trace."

            Sitting in Justin's office I notice that his OCD continues with this office. He may be in this office once a month but it is perfectly organized. There is a computer monitor on the right and an empty desk on the left. There is a photo of Justin, Lynn, and Paul at the opening of the Mirimichi golf course; I love his relationship with his mother. I know that a lot of women would be apprehensive about a mother/son relationship like theirs but I think it speaks highly of who he is. There's a black and white photo of Buckley and Brennan, it looks like it was taken in his house in L.A. Then there's a photo of Justin and me in Cancun, the one that Lonnie took. I am smiling like a child on Christmas morning. It's a simple gesture but it feels amazing to know that he put that picture there and he was simply thinking of me. I have that cheesy smile on my face when he walks through the door.

"What is so great that you are smiling from ear to ear?"

"You have our picture on your desk."

"Of course I do. You are surprised?"

"I guess I'm not surprised but it the simple things that I love... Anyways what's up?"

"I want you to sit in on the design part of this meeting? Are you interested?"

"Sure, is there something I am supposed to be doing?"

"No, I do want someone outside of the L.A., NYC limelight to listen to some of their thoughts."

"Okay, sounds good."

            For twenty minutes I listen to this woman from the back of the room, which is more than likely my age, ramble on about the high fashion that needs to be brought into the line. They need to get more formal pieces and broaden the line a little. She thinks that they need to up the prices and go for the higher end of the fashion world.

The room had got quiet. They were waiting to see if Justin or Trace liked the idea. Finally Trace breaks the silence "What do you think about the high fashion line for William Rast, Melissa?"

"I think that the audience the normally buys William Rast doesn't want to spend $170 on a tank top that has to be dry cleaned every time it is worn." I am getting the worst evil look from this woman now.

"What do you think we should introduce into the line?"

"I think you need a universal line. Something that can be worn in the office but could also is worn outside of the office to an event or a dinner party. William Rast is very well known for jeans. That is their signature product, but what if you added an addition line to the brand, maybe calling it William Rast Couture or something to draw in that attention. Have it affordable, but also have it be wearable. There could be sexy business suits to a sexy dress that fits a woman in all the right places."

Trace looks surprised, "I actually like that idea. What do you think Justin?"

Justin gives a smirk and looks at Trace. "I think Melissa has impeccable taste and I think I may have just lost my personal stylist."

Trace nods his head, "I think that we have found the new head designer of the William Rast Couture Line. Melissa would you like the job?

"What?" I think I just heard him but I couldn't have.

"Would you like the job? I know that you have a lot on your plate right now but I think that if this line is going to be successful it is going to need you to control of every detail."

            What just happened? I think I was just offered a job, as head designer at a company that has been beyond successful for the last six years. Designing my own line of clothing that would be part of William Rast is a crazy thought. I must have been daydreaming again.

"Mel, are you interested in leading this line?"

"Oh, you're serious..."

"Well of course I am."

"Yes. Of course I would love the job."

"Well that settles it. Melissa will be handling the Couture line and we have a lot of work to do. I would like to debut it fashion week in NYC this year."

"Wait, isn't fashion week in September?" I was really confused now.

"Yes."

"Like two months from now?"

"Yes, a little over two months from now. It's going to be a very busy couple of months but if we want to get this line the attention it deserves it has to be in that fashion show."

            How was I possibly going to get an entire collection done in a couple months? How did Trace or even Justin for that matter know that I could handle this? How could they want to give something this big to me?

"If that is everything on the agenda today let's get to work, we have a lot to do."

"Trace, Justin could we talk for a minute."

            The room cleared pretty quickly. I had to ask him questions that maybe would not speak a whole lot for my character but I needed some kind of answers. Justin is the first to ask what was wrong. I informed them there was nothing wrong. I had some questions and some concerns. Justin and Trace both pull up a chair and have a seat again. I take a deep breath and just ask them. I look at Justin.

"Am I being offered this job because I am your girlfriend?"

"Why would you even think that?"

"Neither of you have ever seen what I can do with clothing but yet you offer me a position so high in this company that I can't even think about turning down the offer."

Trace is shaking his head, "Did you want to turn it down?"

"No, that is not what I am saying..." I can't put the right words into what I want to tell them. "I don't want the job if that is why it was offered to me. I want to earn my keep and I saw the way all those people looked at me when you said the job was mine. They think that I was offered the job because I am Justin's girlfriend."

"Speaking for myself here and I am sure that Trace agrees, I would never put someone in charge of my multimillion dollar profiting clothing line if I didn't think they would succeed. I saw the work you have done with the tour wardrobe and all the things you have designed for yourself to do promotion with me. So I know you have the talent, and I have faith in you."

"I completely agree with Justin. I brought up bringing you on in the company to Justin about a month ago because I thought you had this thing with fashion that was amazing and we both were on the same page. We believe that William Rast needs a fresh mind with talent to bring to the table. That person is you. Why do you think we would ask you to sit in on a closed design meeting?"

I was stunned but his reaction. I guess it was my own insecurities that were the issue. "Well, thank you. I needed to hear that. I am going to work on some sketches and some ideas maybe we could get a meeting set up for this afternoon before we leave tonight?"

"I will have it arranged as well as getting your company email set up and your office. It's going to be a little difficult to get this done while on the road with Justin but I think we can handle it. I will be spending most of my time here in NYC for the next month so I will help as much as I can."

"You're going to stay here in NYC?"

"Yes?"

"You are not going home to Anabelle?" It was my instant reaction because of the conversation I just had with Mandy.

"She is working so much right now that it won't matter if I am home or not."

"Oh... I just thought you guys were happy."

"We were... I mean we are. We are both busy right now."

"Okay" I must have said that in a tone that caught Justin's attention.

"What is going on? Is there something going on that I am not aware of?" He isn't curious he is kind of pissed.

"I was just asking what was going on, that's all. I am trying to piece some things together." I hadn't lied to him. I was trying to give Mandy the chance to redeem herself. But by the end of the day Justin will know what is going on. I hoped it would come from Trace or Mandy but if it had to be me, I would tell him.

            I had settled into Justin's office with a sketch book attempting to come up with something before I left today. I couldn't have been in there more than twenty minutes and I heard the door open and shut. I had assumed it was Justin so I continued what I was doing. But I was wrong.

It was Trace attempting to use his mean voice. "What do you know?"

"I know nothing." I said sarcastically.

"Seriously, nothing? You know nothing? What was that all just about in there?"

"Is there something you need to fess up to Trace, are you guilty of something?"

He sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands. He had no idea that I knew the details. "I...I made a huge mistake. I have done something that is more than likely going to ruin my entire relationship with Anabelle and there is no one to blame except me. But I am guessing by your reaction early you already know that I screwed up."

"Yes, I do already know. The pieces were all there, I just had to put the pieces together. And actually it takes two. She is not innocent in this."

"I was so drunk..."

"That is no excuse. Don't give me that crap. I love you like a brother but alcohol is never an excuse. You still know right from wrong when you're drunk."

"I know that but I wasn't thinking clearly."

"You were thinking clearly three nights this week? If that is the problem then I think you need some professional help."

            His eyes were now huge with a very distinctive shocked look across his face. I guess he didn't realize that I had figured out more than he was leaning towards. "I... I..."

"There is no point in lying to me Trace, I know everything."

"You know nothing."

"I know that you have been sleeping with Justin's assistant." He has this shocked look on his face. "I know that it happened at least three times while here in NYC. I am not sure however if this was going on in LA. But it sure explains a lot now."

Picking up his jaw from the floor, "How do you know anything?"

"If you haven't noticed I see everything. I know everything. The real question now is how are you going to tell Justin or more than anything how you are going to shatter Anabelle's life?"

"I can't tell her. I don't want to hurt her like that."

"But you already have hurt her. She deserves to know the truth."

"I never meant for any of this to happen. I did hook up with Mandy in L.A once. It was before I met Anabelle. So when she was here in New York and I was alone and drunk and she was flirting with me, it felt ok. We had done it before, it was no big deal" He is a mess now. He knows that he may have lost the one person he cares about most in the world.

"So you decide that sleeping with her multiple times this week was the answer?"

"Well No, but I had already done it. Does it matter if it was once or five times?"

"FIVE??"

"I was exaggeration.  It was three times."

"You have to tell Anabelle."

"I can't"

"I love you Trace, but if you don't I will. She deserves to know the truth and have the option to make a choice. She loves you. You love her. If this is going to work out it will. You are going to have to do a lot of ass kissing for a long time."

"I will tell her. I will fly home this weekend and tell her. I guess me being away for a month could be good for us."