Whitney climbed the short staircase to her apartment door, lugging her bags behind her.  She was exhausted and the heat was definitely getting to her.  As she unlocked the front door, she smiled and let out a long sigh.  After being on the road with the tour for months it felt so good to return home.  She opened the windows to get some fresh air in and started on unpacking. 

**

JC woke up early before his alarm had a chance to go off.  Normally he took any chance he had to sleep in, not being much of a morning person.  But today was different and he wanted to ensure everything was ready for her arrival.  He had stayed up late last night until the house was immaculate and meticulously organized.  He had also pulled anything and everything he could find that would be of use:  his travel schedules, appointments, contacts, finances, property information. 

He opened the French doors in his bedroom that lead to the balcony and inhaled the fresh air as the sunlight streamed into his room.  He threw on jeans and a t-shirt before heading downstairs to the coffeemaker.  As the coffee brewed he looked into the foyer mirror, running his hand through his hair nervously. 

**

Whitney felt her stomach in knots as she parked in his driveway.  Inhale.  Exhale.  Inhale.  Exhale.  Starting a new job was a nerve-wracking experience anyway, but the stress level of meeting her new celebrity boss was reaching all time highs as she opened the car door and took in a view of his home.  She eyed the front door, took one more deep breath and walked quickly before she could psych herself out. 

**

Very few things made him nervous.  He was normally a very calm and reserved person.  This whole experience, however, was working him up.  The woman he was about to meet would be with him 24/7 and he was worried about having to spend that much time with a stranger, letting them in on all of the details of his private life.  He took a deep breath as he heard the doorbell ring and headed to open the front door. 

**

She felt her heart beating faster and faster while she waited.  She heard the lock click on the door and her eyes widened as the door opened and she saw him.  His eyes met hers and he froze for a moment. 

She hesitated for a moment, taking him in.  He was attractive, incredibly attractive.  She knew he was good looking, but she hadn’t expected this.  A kind of stop-in-your-tracks but remember-to-breathe attractive.  She felt his blue eyes lock onto hers and she snapped out of it for a moment.

“Hi, I’m Whitney,” she said, trying to steady her hand as she reached it out to shake his.  She smiled with more excitement then she had intended to reveal and then felt herself blush a little in response. 

**

In all of his over-thinking, it had not even occurred to him that she would be attractive.  He had been so caught up in the title of personal assistant and the workload he would have to create; the idea had not even crossed his mind.  But here she was and he was taken aback by seeing her.  She was much younger than he had pictured and much more attractive than he would have ever imagined.  The twenty-something brunette locked her blue eyes on his as she extended her hand to him.  Snap out of it.

“I’m JC,” he said in a very slow serious tone.  His hand, however, eagerly shook hers as his pulse quickened a little as he discreetly eyed her up and down.  He realized that he had sounded a little cold and said, “Nice to meet you,” with a small smile to try to recover. 

She followed him inside the foyer of his home and took it all in.  His house was the same typical West Hollywood area type-home, but it had a nice open floor plan.  His furniture was clean and simple, but still elegant.  Rich blues, creams and browns were the main palette of his living room. 

“Did you want some coffee?” he asked, smelling the waft of coffee through the room had reminded him of the pot he had started earlier. 

“Oh no thanks, I don’t drink coffee,” she said politely.

“In this industry?  In L.A.?  You might be the only one,” he said with a slight chuckle.  She followed him into the kitchen as he poured himself a mug.  He clicked his fingers together as if remembering something and looked at the time.  He went over to the sink and opened a pill bottle, quickly popping one in his mouth and then returned to her. 

“Alright, so I guess the first thing would be to discuss what you need from me as your assistant and then we can start working on a schedule,” she said, as she pulled her laptop from her tote bag. 

“Okay, I came prepared,” he said, motioning to the large stack of papers he had placed on the dining table, “but I have to admit I have never had my own personal assistant before.”

She smiled at him, “I’ll take it easy on you, then.”  With that, she pulled out a large stack of folders she had brought from her tote and started taking his papers and filing them accordingly. 

He was impressed with how organized she was, a little obsessive-compulsive, just like him.  Maybe it would be easier than he thought it would be.  It had only taken him about twenty minutes to feel comfortable with her and he was sure it would be pleasant to have her company 24/7. 

“Oh, and hand me that prescription bottle?  I’ll put that into the schedule so you don’t miss taking another pill,” she said, typing furiously away.

He smiled a little broader as he handed it over.

**