Whitney shifted her weight to balance the package in her hands as she knocked on the apartment door.  Footsteps made their way to the door in response and he opened it with a wide grin on his face. 

“Well, well,” he leaned his tall-frame against the doorway as he surveyed her.  “You brought me somethin’?”

“Charlie, it’s not just something,” she laughed lightly as she handed the box over to him.  “It’s the cake.”  She closed the door behind her and they made their way into the living room of his loft apartment. 

His eyes lit up as he took the lid off the box.  “You made me 10-layer cake?  My favorite thing in the entire world!  What is the occasion, darlin’?”  His eyes were fixated on the cake as he set it down on the kitchen counter. 

“Can’t a girl just do something nice?  No strings attached?” she grinned slyly, as she pulled two forks from his silverware drawer, settling on a stool across from him at the counter. 

He chuckled, “No, definitely not.  You’re up to somethin’.  Don’t worry though, I’ll say yes.  I’d do anything for a bite of that cake.”

“I am so glad to hear you say that,” she grinned, slipping her fork into the thick butter cream frosting.  She tasted it with satisfaction and then handed him the other fork.  “I do have a small, teeny, tiny favor to ask of you.”

He dug his fork into the cake taking a heaping bite-full and then clapped his hands together.  “This is still the best dessert in the world!  I say yes, I’ll do whatever you want, darlin’.”  He went back to blissfully sampling the cake.

“Well, that’s perfect.  So, I was thinking you could meet with JC next week at some point to go over logistics.”

He cocked his head, “What?”

“JC is going to produce a song for your next album,” she smiled. 

“Whitney, I appreciate that you are tryin’ to promote your boss and everything, but he’s a bit of a has-been, don’t you think?”  He put his fork down and leaned against the kitchen counter.

“No, I don’t.  He’s really talented, Charlie.  He just needs to produce a radio hit to pick his career back up and you are the perfect band to do it.”  She put her right hand on her hip for emphasis.

“Well, I am gonna have to run this all by Hilary and Dave, but I’m sure we can all agree to meet with him and see what kind of ideas he’s playing around with.  I am heading back to Nashville Tuesday through the weekend, but we can see about something the following week.  Oh, and if it means I get to spend more time with you, all the better,” he leaned down and cupped her chin in his hand. 

**

Whitney sat back-stage in JC’s dressing room while they taped another episode of America’s Best Dance Crew.  She had gone straight to a production meeting in the morning to review his schedule for next week while he had gone into make-up so she hadn’t actually seen him yet to deliver the news.  She was still apprehensive about Charlie and JC spending time together, but this really could be the kind of break JC needed.  Eric had gotten his hopes up at the mention of Universal Music Group, but he hadn’t heard anything back from them yet and seemed to be growing restless.  She turned as the door opened, expecting to see JC.  Instead she saw Bianca.  Why was she here?

“Bianca?  Hi,” she said, forcing a smile.

“Oh, is he still in taping?” she asked, looking around the room.

“Yeah, I think he’s going to be in for at least another twenty minutes.  Is there something I can do for you?”

“I just thought it would be a good idea to see where my man spends his day-time.  Meet some of his co-workers, get a little face-time, that sort of thing…” she plopped down on the small loveseat opposite Whitney’s chair. 

Whitney nodded, “Oh, okay.”  Definitely not okay.  This relationship was starting to seriously blur the lines between reality and fiction.  The more time she was around Bianca the less she wanted to be around her.  Even though Bianca was never directly mean to her, there was some sort of underlying passive aggression that made Whitney uncomfortable.  Bianca had a pretty nasty reputation and had been unable to keep a personal assistant of her own for more than three weeks at a time before they’ would quit.  

“Well, since we’re going to be spending so much time together, I feel like I should get to know you better,” she continued, looking at Whitney curiously.

“Um, what did you want to know?”  Whitney glanced at the clock, hoping that JC would come backstage and end this torture. 

“Well, are you seeing someone?” she asked.  

Whitney hesitated.  She didn’t want to lie, but she also didn’t want to share the full truth.  “Nothing serious.”

“Aw, that’s too bad.  You’re such a nice girl.  JC always speaks so highly of you.  Mark’s pretty hot though, isn’t he?” 

“He’s attractive,” she looked away pretending to text something on her phone.  Anything to get out of this conversation. 

“Just attractive?”

Whitney sighed, “I guess he’s not really my type.”

Bianca smirked, “Oh, you have a type?  What’s your type, Whitney?”

Whitney fidgeted slightly, “I’m not sure.  Maybe someone less extroverted and a little more centered?”

Bianca leaned in and narrowed her eyes slightly, “Maybe someone like JC?”

Whitney’s cheeks reddened slightly.  She was about to respond when the door opened and JC entered the room.

“Ladies, what did I miss?” he asked.

**