Part I

“Something wrong Charli?” Justin snapped at his assistant for what had to be the tenth time today, slamming his body down onto the couch, pulling out his phone. He was waiting for her response, not that he deserve one but he felt entitled to one.

Charli was a patient person. She was after all a personal assistant to a celebrity. She could handle nearly anyone that was pushy or overbearing, but when Justin got in this mood, he was stuck in it for weeks. She had enough to worry about with this god forsaken holiday and her family and everything else that goes along with it. She didn’t need his bitchiness right now. Her nostrils flared and she snapped back at him forcing the words through her teeth. “You’re being an ass, again.”

Justin looked up from his phone and over at his assistant of nearly four years. He was stunned.  It was out of character for her to be rude in any sort of the way.

She stared back at him, wide eyed ready for whatever he was about to spit out at her.

“I… I…” Justin stuttered. “I… am not.”

Charli grabbed her keys from her desk drawer, stood and headed straight for the door.

“Where do you think you’re going? We have to finish this promotional rollout for my New Years Eve concert.”

“The show sold out in seconds. It doesn’t really need a promotional rollout.”

“What exactly do I pay you to do?” Justin fired back at her.

“I think you need to go home to your wife… make her give you some and only then should you return to the office in a much better mood.” She opened the door back enough to peak her head back in, “Or call one of those services in the yellow pages. You need laid.” She slammed the door behind.

“My wife…” Justin mumbled as he forcefully dropped to his chair. His enormous, very expensive, very uncomfortable chair his wife insisted he purchase when he leased this office space, just so he could be out of his house when he was home from the road. Running his hands over his scalp, he grabbed a hold of his newly returned curls and tugged them, staring at the dark cherry grain of his desk.

Charli plopped herself down on the wooden stool, raising her hand up at the bartender, who knows her quite well these days. He nodded at her and reached for the bottle of clear liquid. Looking down at her phone buzzing off the table she sees it’s her sister again, fourth time today. Dealing with egotistical Justin was more than enough for her at the moment. She didn’t need the negativity from her sister and her perfect well put together life.  

“Rough day?” The bartender asked as he slid the glass her way.

“Rough year Darren… rough year.”

She tipped back the glass and took a large swig of the ice cold goodness. Charli never used to be a big drinker, but lately it has become her saving grace. She now understood how someone can have their lives together one moment, and in pieces the next, leaving them with an addiction to this ice cold goodness. If it were completely up to her, she would be a full fledge addict with no turning back.

Darren looked at her with surprise and nodded his head towards the closing door. “Looks like your boss is joining you today...”

Charli turned quickly to see Justin walking across the bar and headed straight towards her. She could hear several patrons gasp and start to whisper. The scene that her boss was about to cause in this little dive bar was going to ruin the down home feeling it had for her. She had found this bar a few months earlier, after a long stress-filled day. It was exactly three blocks from the office, it was convenient, and she wanted it to remain a dive bar.

“I’m an ass.” Justin admitted. “I don’t mean to be… but I am. I’m taking my problems at home out on you. That’s not fair.”

She slid a drink his way, “Bottoms up.”

Just as Justin tipped back the drink, another was waiting for the both of them.