Like I Love You

Chapter 4.  

Justin made sure he was awake bright and early the next morning, wanting to do what he could to avoid putting Brynn in a bad mood before their day even got started. He even startled her by opening the door to his hotel room before she could knock. He smiled brightly at her, laughing at her confused expression. 

“Morning sunshine.” He said, greeting his assistant.

“You’re on time.” She voiced, looking back at him dumbfounded.

“Alarm clocks are beautiful.” Justin smirked as they continued down the hallway once again towards the elevator.

“You don’t say?” Brynn eyed him, her lips turning up in half a smile.

Justin eyed her up and down trying to be not so obvious as he took in her new attire for the day. Gone were her high heels but instead they were replaced by a pair of ballet flats. Her dress slacks were substituted by a pair of dark form fitting jeans and a casual lavender polo shirt. He smiled, realizing her hair had been left down as it had the a few short weeks ago, looking soft and wavy and he fought the urge to reach out and touch it. She looked good. Casual suited her and even tamed down her image a little. She looked not so intimidating for a change.

“So I see you traded in the heels.” Justin said as they stepped outside into the awaiting SUV.

Brynn shrugged. “You’re just rehearsing and stuff today. They didn’t seem practical.”

“It had nothing to do with the fact that they hurt your feet at all?” He asked, raising a brow in question.

“Nope. Nobody ever said it was pain free to look nice.”

He laughed at that. “I will never understand women and their beauty drama.”

“Well we can’t all just roll out of bed and call it a day.”  She sassed back.

Justin laughed again, shrugging his shoulders cockily. “Not everyone can be blessed with my good looks.”

Brynn rolled her eyes, trying her best not to smile but it quickly broke through.

“It’s too bad you don’t have a big ego or anything.”

He elbowed her softly, his arm brushing hers as he tried not to notice how soft her skin was.

“Lighten up, Brynn. I was just joking around.”

She nodded as silence slowly ticked on between them in the car. “So you’ve got rehearsals today and then you’re going to meet with the director and finalize the concept for your music video,”

Justin looked at her as she scrolled through her blackberry, giving him the itinerary once again as if he’d forgot. It was in his mind to snap at her, not wanted a run down but the words died on his tongue. Instead he focused on how cute she looked, her ‘boss lady’ mode taking over.

“... Then tomorrow your first single will be released on the radio. Which reminds me, I have to e-mail Johnny airplay results by the end of the day. Then you’ll be shooting the video for ‘Like I Love You’ and then we’ve gotta prepare for the VMA’s.”

Laughing, Justin raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to take a breath. When he said nothing for several seconds after she stopped her rant, she turned to him, noting the expression on his face and her cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

“Anything else?”

She bit her lip, letting out the briefest laugh. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay Boss Lady,” Justin voiced winking at her which only caused Brynn to blush again. “I know your day just wouldn’t be the same if you couldn’t ramble off the schedule.”

“Pshh. Whatever Timberlake. It’s my job to keep you in line.”

He shook his head and winked at her once again just as they pulled up to the dance studio.

“Oh I’m sure you will, Brynn.” Justin said as he winked before giving her one of his award winning smiles.

She let out a shaky breath as she followed him out of the SUV, trying to ignore the feeling she got when he looked at her that way. Apparently it had been way too long since she had been in close quarters with a male. Way too long.

**

Brynn watched from the corner as Justin sat on the floor, legs out in front of him as he stretched, getting ready to begin rehearsing with his Choreographer. She tried to do a mental run through, thinking of everything that needed to be accomplished for the day. It was amazing what it took to promote an album. So many specifications, so much work, so many technicalities. All for one person.

Biting her lip in indecision, she debated on leaving for a short while, figuring it would be pointless to just stand around and watch Justin practice when there was other things she could be doing. She had phone calls to make, functions that needed to be confirmed and daily reports to e-mail to Johnny. She tired just thinking about it all but Brynn was a professional so she’d see through that it all got done and it was done right.

“I’ll be back.” She called to Justin, who sat on the floor a few feet from her. Turning on her heels, she made to leave before his voice caught her.

“You’re not staying?” He questioned, craning his neck in her direction.

“I’ve some things to do but it shouldn’t take long. I’m sure you can manage without me for a while.”

He smirked back at her as he stood up and jogged the few steps to stand in front of the mirror.  “I don’t know,” He voiced licking his lips. “I may need another schedule run down.”

Brynn glared at him steadily as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Smartass.”

Justin chuckled, a deep down genuine laugh as he took the few short steps to stand in front of her. “I was just kidding. Lighten up, girl.”

“Whatever. I’ll be back. Don’t do anything stupid now.”

“I’ll be on my best behaviour.” He mocked back in a funny voice.

Brynn shook her head as she gathered her things and walked out the door. She wondered where this joking between the two of them had come from today but  she wasn’t about to complain. It made for a stress free day for the time being and Justin in a good mood made things a lot easier to handle. She only hoped it could last.

**
Returning an hour later, Brynn crept quietly into the studio as Justin’s voice loudly flowed throughout the speakers in the building as Like I Love You played. She stood in the corner for a moment, out of vision as she watched slightly mesmerized as Justin moved gracefully along side his Choreographer. His body seemed to anticipate every move, moving as if it were effortless and he had been born to do it.

She tried not to bob her head to the catchy beat of his first single but the rhythm got the best of her and Brynn found herself singing along. No matter how much she wanted to dislike his music, she couldn’t. It was catchy, up beat and the his voice wasn’t that bad either but she’d never admit that to him.

When the song finally ended, she stepped a little further into the room as Justin caught her eye in the mirror in front of him and smiled.

“You made it back in once piece.” He quipped.

“And I see you survived without me.” She spit back.

“Hardly.” He grinned as he pulled the blue knit beanie from his head, gratefully taking the bottle of water she handed him.

Brynn tried to move her feet but they stayed glued to the floor beneath her as she watched a small bead of sweat zigzag down the side of his face. She cleared her throat as he lifted his t-shirt to wipe it off, exposing his tanned and toned stomach as her heart skipped a beat. Why did she suddenly feel so nervous?

“I um, brought you lunch.” She said filling the sudden tension as she handed him the plastic bag in her right hand.

“Subway! You’re the best. I’m starving.” His eyes widened as he reached for the bag and smiled, startling her even more as he leaned forward placing a casual kiss on her forehead.

Her breath hitched ever so slightly as the scent of him enveloped her unlike anything she had expected. His sweat mixed together with just a hint of aftershave creating something masculine and forbidden.

Brynn stood still shocked by the gesture even though he did it so mindless, all for a sandwich? She was surprised how he didn’t seem to hold any kind of grudge against her even though she had been less then nice to him. In fact, he seemed pressed on getting her to loosen up and let a little bit of her professionalism go. She couldn’t though. This was business and she was working for him. Things had to go right in order for her to prove to Johnny that she was able to handle something bigger down the road. She’s never be in charge of her own tour if she let her guard down and everything went to hell. She wouldn’t let it happen.

“You- you’re welcome.” She stuttered. “I didn’t know if you guys would be ready for a break yet or not.”

“We were just about to take one so your timing couldn’t have been more perfect.” Justin smiled once again before taking his sub out and digging in.

“Good.” She tried to smile back but an uneasy feeling settled over her.

“Did you get something to eat?” He asked as walked across the studio and slid down on the floor.

“Yeah, I grabbed something before I came back.” She replied dismissively before she slid down next to him but tried to keep her distance. She didn’t exactly have anywhere else to go.

“You sure?”

Brynn rolled her eyes at the worried look he gave her. “Yes, Dad.”

He laughed before the only sounds that could be heard was was his chewing.

“Just checking dear.”

Shaking her head, Brynn pulled a magazine out of her messenger bag and began flipping through the pages hoping to keep her mind occupied while Justin finished his lunch.

**

Thirty minutes later, Brynn watched Justin go through the moves once again, stopping every once and a while to correct then beginning again. She was amazed how he easily he took direction, doing his best to get the moves just right.

The way he moved.. She tried to keep her mind filled with her dislike for this job and how easy it would be to keep up a cold front towards Justin, keeping him at bay.. keeping him far away from her heart. But not matter how hard she tried, Brynn was quickly running out of reasons to dislike him. It had only been a few days but he was trying to get her to drop the professional act and see the real him. Maybe she didn’t know the real him just yet but what she did see was hard not to like. He had a certain energy about him, a charm almost.

Her thoughts were quickly averted as she heard Justin groan just before she looked up to see him twist his body unnaturally and fall. On her feet in seconds flat, she joined Marty and was by his side quickly.

“Are you okay?” She asked frantically as she knelt down beside him.

“Shit.” Just moaned between gritted teeth as he tried to move, holding his left foot.

“I’ll go get you some ice.” Marty said, quickly standing.

“Where does it hurt?” Brynn asked, as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s my ankle.” Justin said in as he took deep breaths. “I landed on it wrong.”

“Do you think you can stand?” Marty asked, coming back with a bag of ice as somebody brought a chair into the room.

“Yeah, just give me a few.”  He said, slowly stretching his foot.

Marty reached his hand out and Justin took it as Brynn wrapped her hand around his bicep, trying to help.

“Easy does it, Justin.” She crooned, helping him stand and then balancing him into the chair.

Reaching down, she helped him untie his shoe before pulling his sock down to get a better look. Placing the ice of top of his swelling foot, she took in the expression on his face. He was really in pain.

“Maybe we should go get it checked out.” Brynn suggested, ready to call Johnny.

“No!” Justin voiced loudly. “It’ll be fine.”

“You sure man?” Marty asked, looking worried himself. “It wouldn’t hurt.”

“I said it’ll be fine. Just give me a damn minute.”

Brynn stepped back at his rough rough tone, not use to this side of him. She didn’t know exactly what to do. He said he was fine but something deep down told her he should at least get it checked out. There were way too many things coming up that he needed to be at a hundred percent for. They couldn’t afford to chance it.

Marty gave her a sympathetic look, as Brynn stepped back, letting him deal with Justin.

“I think we need to call it a day, Justin. Go get some rest and ice it. We can always come back and do it again with the dancers.  You’ve got the moves down though so I’m not worried.”

His shoulders went slack a little as he finally gave in. Maybe that was something Brynn was lacking. That guy to guy camaraderie. It didn’t matter though. Whatever it took for him to drop his macho attitude and be done for the day.

“Fine, whatever.”

“I’ll go find Lonnie and let him know we’re leaving.” Brynn said, relief in her voice as she turned to leave, hearing Justin let out a discouraged sigh as she parted.

*
Minutes later Brynn walked closely next to a hobbling Justin. She had grabbed his things, doing her best to make the short trip to the car easier.

When she had offered to help him, he had refused and that simple act shocked her a little. He had been in a bad mood ever since he fell. She just didn’t get it.

The ride back to the hotel was silent besides Brynn trying to convince Justin to go to the emergency room to get checked out. Once again he had brushed her off, reminding his assistant that he was fine. Even Lonnie could do no good. Justin had his mind made up. Gone was the teasing banter they’d had today all with the flip of a switch.  

“Why are we going back to the hotel? I’ve gotta finalize stuff for the video.” Justin voiced angrily.

“It’ll get done Justin. I arranged to have a conference call later today.”

“I’m not a damn invalid.”

Brynn looked back at him, her eyes wide once again. He had done a one eighty on her.

“I never said you were but you need to rest and ice your foot. You can’t afford to miss any of these events coming up.”

She made sure her tone was cool and firm, letting him know she was laying down the law if he liked it or not. The change in her voice seemed to silence him until they made it back to the hotel as Lonnie pulled around the back entrance. She didn’t need a mob of people running towards him in this condition.

When they finally made it to Justin’s room, Brynn gave him strict instructions to rest and ice his foot. Surprising him, she followed making sure he got settled. He watched silently from the couch as she went to retrieve a pillow from his bedroom and came and propped it under his ankle on the coffee table. Setting the bag of ice on it once again, she grabbed the hotels bucket made specifically for it and went down the hall to fill it. When she returned, Justin had flicked the television on and was leaning back against the couch looking annoyed.

“Need anything?” She asked, coming to stand by his side.

“No. I’m fine.” He stated, looking anywhere but at Brynn.

Silence lingered for a moment before she finally found her voice.

“Ok then, I’m going to get going.”

She turned to leave but he quickly reached out and grabbed her hand. “Brynn wait!” He said, his voice full of concern causing her to turn back around, looking into crystal blue eyes. “I’m sorry I’m being such an ass.”

She stood still, surprised by his sudden change in attitude but mostly how his soft hand still held on to hers.

“Will you please stay with me for a little bit?”

Brynn bit her lip in indecision, knowing it’d probably be smart if she left but still the caring part nagged deep down. So did the helplessness in his voice that interrupted her train of thought.

“Please? I don’t really wanna be alone right now.”

He began to rub slow circles against her palm with his thumb and Brynn’s first instinct was to pull away but she couldn’t. Something kept her feet planted on the floor, unable to move and her hand locked with his.

“Fine,” She answered, watching as his face relaxed. “But only for a little bit.”

“Thanks.” Justin smiled, moving to scoot over a little on the couch, making room for Brynn.

She looked between the sofa and the small chaise lounge across the room. Wouldn’t it be better to sit far away from him? Contemplating for a moment, Brynn couldn't dismiss the eager look Justin held, looking back at her, waiting for her to sit next to him.

It was in her brain to keep her professionalism- knowing deep down that this went beyond employee/assistant etiquette. Still, looking past all that,  she couldn’t help but see a lost and lonely boy inside of Justin. She had known who he was for years but was slowly getting to know the real him and something deep down told her that maybe he wasn’t all that bad.

Biting her lip in indecision, she took the small step and released her hand from Justin’s as she took a seat behind him. This was fine, neutral territory, she told herself, indicating the slight gap between them.

“So what are we watching?” She questioned, filling the silence as he flicked on the TV.

He turned to face her, a small smile creeping across his lips. “Well, I don’t think The Price is Right is on right now..”

Brynn shook her head and let out a slight laugh. “Darn.” She was happy to see some of the humor was back in his voice.

“We could watch a movie?”

“Sounds good. I’m not picky.” Brynn said as she shrugged, bringing her legs up and under her, getting more comfortable as she felt her eyes quickly become heavy.

*
Forty-five minutes later

Blinking her eyes and slowly becoming awake, Brynn tried to guess where she was. Wherever she was, the room had become dark but what threw her off more was the solid, hard form beneath her. She was overwhelmed by light masculine scent surrounding her but more so by the arm draped warmly across her shoulders.

She pulled back slightly, her heart beating hard in her chest as her eyes came into focus and soft blue eyes shined back at her, a slight smile evident across his face.

“Justin?...” Brynn questioned, as she pulled back a little.

“Yeah?” He asked, the look on his face resembling nothing of what she was feeling. “Hi.” His eyes held hers for a moment, looking way beyond the deep chocolate brown color of her own.

“What....”

Just a word. She was clueless as to how she’d fallen asleep with her client. How could she have been so stupid? The question repeated itself in her head over and over.

Brynn watched as Justin licked his lips, his hand coming up to scrub across his face.

“I guess the movie was boring because we both fell asleep.” He smiled back at her, looking all rumpled and sleepy as his arm stayed slung behind her shoulders, very close to her back.

“I should go.” She expressed, regret heavy in the pit of her stomach.

He shook his head, sitting up a little more, careful not to hurt his ankle but his eyes stayed glued on hers.

“You don’t have to.”

Shaking her head, Brynn tucked her hair behind her ears nervously.

“I think it’s best that I do.” She voiced and Justin felt his heart sink slightly. “How’s your ankle feeling?”

He shrugged. “It’s fine.”

“Well then I best be going. Call me if you need anything.” She said kindly as she went to stand but her legs wouldn’t move.

“Brynn!” Justin said, his voice urgent, reaching out for her hand once more as she swung around to face him. “We just fell asleep. Chill out.” Justin could read her nervousness clear as day.

“I know.” She answered a little too quickly. “But still, I need to go.”

“Okay then.” His hand fell as she pulled back, sitting on the edge of the couch.

Time ticked on slowly but neither of them moved. Brynn couldn’t stop the pull as she looked back at Justin, his eyes doing something to her and making her feel something that she didn’t know how to question.

She watched as he licked his lips slowly, mesmerized by the simple yet seductive gesture. She didn’t have to look down between them to know his large hand was laying next to hurts, the heat of it evident.

Justin looked back into brown eyes, watching as the wheels in Brynn’s head turned slightly. He didn’t want her to leave. Something strong hit him directly in the chest, realizing that this was the first time in a while that he’d actually felt something for another woman. With each day that passed, he was slowly getting over the heartbreak of his last relationship and ever since he had bumped into Brynn Clarkson, his hormones seemed to be working properly.

If only she didn’t work for him.

Still, something inside of him pulled towards her, slowly, just maybe, possibly..

His head leaned forward slowly, inching closer to her face as he watched the wheels in her head turn, her brown eyes full of indecision and confusion. When her eyes fluttered shut, Justin saw this as his chance and just as the tips of his fingers touched her jaw, her eyes snapped open, the look of fear and shock evident, as she pulled back.

“I-um, I’ve gotta get going.” She voiced, standing quickly as panic masked everything else.

Justin let out the breath he’d been holding, scrubbing a hand over his face, suddenly embarrassed. Reluctantly he stood, hobbling on his bad ankle as he followed her to the door as quickly as his body would allow.

“Thanks for helping me out today. You know- with my ankle and everything.”

Brynn nodded quickly at him before reaching for the door. “You’re welcome Justin. Give me a call if you need anything."

Oh he needed something alright but was more than willing to bet that she wouldn’t be willing to comply. Running a hand through his hair, Justin could only watch as the empty feeling returned as she walked down the hallway.

*
Brynn tried to gather herself as she stepped inside the empty elevator and it closed. What had she just done? Falling asleep with a client. It was an accident but still, her self right got the best of her once again. She was trying to prove herself to Johnny. Let him know that she could handle things.. big things like being an assistant one of Jives biggest artists.

Letting out a deep breath, she tried desperately to shake the thoughts from her mind. She couldn’t figure out what she felt more guilty about. A momentary lapse of professionalism or how good it felt when she woke up in Justin’s arms and the way her heart hammered against her chest as Justin’s fingers touched her jaw creating havoc in her world. Thankfully, her mind was still alert enough to tell her to pull away, to resist, if only for the moment.

Either way, Brynn couldn’t help but feel like was royally screwed no matter what she did.

And this was only the beginning.