Back and forth.  Back and forth.  She paced frantically around the hotel room.  The knot in her stomach was almost too much and she could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead.  She listened intently to the voice on the other end of her Blackberry without saying a word in response.  One more round of circling around the room and she finally stopped and leaned against the bathroom door. 

“I’m ready to move on,” she said decidedly.  She then shook her head, nodding in response to the words she had just uttered, as if to convince herself. 

“Alright, I’ll see what I can come up with for a new assignment.  You are on tour for about two more weeks, right?  So that gives us a tight window.  I’ll make some more calls and leave you a message once I receive some offers.  We’ll look to get you started in about three weeks from today.  That plenty of time?”

“That sounds like a plan, thanks so much for your help with this Brad,” she said.

“Anytime Whitney.  Now take care of yourself and we’ll be in touch,” he said.

She slid down, sitting on the bathroom floor.  What had she just done?   She looked at the time and stood up, rushing to fix her makeup in the bathroom mirror.  It would be call-time soon and she needed to ensure that she stay on top of her work until she heard any word on a reassignment. 

**

JC woke up and looked around the unfamiliar bedroom.  It took some time for him to remember that he was in the hospital as his vision refocused. 

A nurse came in.  “Mr. Chasez, there’s a phone call for you on the line.”  She handed him the phone so he didn’t have to sit upright in bed. 

“Thank you,” he said weakly as he picked up the receiver.  “Hello?”

“JC!  Are you alright?” his manager sounded panicked, but kept rambling without JC having a chance to respond.  “Overexhaustion?  Sleep deprivation?  Stress?  This cannot go on like this anymore!  You have a busy schedule and you obviously cannot take care of yourself so we are going to find someone to take care of everything for you!”

“Oh, no you don’t!” JC was worked up now, “I like my privacy.  I do not want someone involved in my personal business.  I have a manager and a publicist, what more do I need?  I do not need someone else acting as my shadow.” He was so against the idea of having someone with him all the time.  He preferred to be alone, especially when it came to being at home. 

 “It’s not really up for discussion, JC.  I’m making some calls and we’ll get the best assistant we can for you.  Right now I need you getting better and gearing up for a busy press schedule.  So drink plenty of fluids, watch some television and take a nap and I’ll be meeting with you in a few days!”  His manager hung up before JC could continue to argue. 

A personal assistant?  He sighed.  Almost everyone he knew had one, but he still did not like the idea.  He was going to have to lay out some ground rules.

**

Whitney was sitting at the desk on the tour bus typing furiously on her laptop.  With just a little less than two weeks left on the tour, there was plenty of work to be done.  The bus was parked at the hotel and it was surprisingly quiet so she had stayed on to get the work done, rather than heading into the newest hotel just yet.  She was busy mapping out scheduling for the weekend when she decided to get up for a moment and get a glass of water.  As she put her arm on the counter she felt a tight grip on her wrist and he yanked her away from the sink. 

“Charlie -,” she started softly, but he put his finger on her lips.  He pushed her against the wall and placed his hand on the wall above her shoulder, leaning in.

“You’ve been avoidin’ me,” he said in his husky Southern drawl.

“I’ve just been busy working.  You know, making schedules, planning appointments, managing your tour,” she said, trying to make excuses.  The truth was even hearing his voice made her knees weak and dizzied her mind. 

“Sounds like you’re workin’ a lil’ too hard.  We oughtta get you your own assistant so you have a lil’ more time on your hands,” he smirked as he leaned in to kiss her.

“Not here,” she said quietly, her eyes shifting from one end of the bus to the other.  He slowly turned away from her and walked towards the exit of the bus.  She was slightly relieved that he had chosen to walk away.  When he reached the door, he quickly locked it and suddenly walked back towards her, his smirk resurfacing. 

He interlaced his fingers with hers and then gestured to the sofa in the back.  “M’lady?”

She followed him and then stood watching him as he settled down on the sofa, patting the seat next to him.  She ignored his gesture and settled herself on his lap.  He slid his hands on her behind to hold her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, sliding her tongue into his mouth.  He responded by unzipping the fly of her jeans and slowly sliding them down, reaching his hands up her thighs. 

“Mmmm, Charlie,” she moaned as he nipped at her neck, gently grazing her with his teeth. 

“Workin’ so hard,” he whispered to her.

In the heat of the moment, she did not even hear her Blackberry ringing in the background.

**