Chapter 15 - Pride and Prejudice

Tuesday, September 28th, 2004.
Ellie awoke at 4:07 in the morning. It took her a moment to realise that she was in the Los Angeles hotel room she had booked herself into the afternoon before and not in her bed in New York with her cat, Linus. She tossed and turned for around an hour before she continued reading her well worn copy of Pride & Prejudice. "Why can't I meet a man as good as Mr. Darcy?" she wondered to herself.

Just after 7:00, she went downstairs for a bowl of oatmeal in the hotel restaurant, and then went for a hike along the trails behind the hotel, killing off time before her assignment at noon. She went back to her room at 8:30, changed out of her yellow tank top, sneakers and gym shorts, showered and nervously sat on the hotel bed watching TV until she had to leave for the studio lot at 11:00am.

Just after 11:00, she tied her hair back into a bun for the fifth time. "It's OK, Ellie," she said to herself as she tried to steady her nerves, "you're not going to have any more hair if you keep trying to fix it." She smoothed down her white v-neck t-shirt and jeans and took a deep breath as she looked in the mirror. "OK, I know this is your first assignment. Your first interview for your first column, but you need to do this. If you want to progress above copy editor, you need to learn how to interview celebrities. It's not any different from interviewing teachers and science fair winners and...you're not going to throw up..."

She arrived at the studio lot just after 12:00. She anxiously showed the guard her press pass and walked through the gates. She was met by a tall, sandy blond man with a muscular build wearing a polo shirt and khakis. He introduced himself with a handshake.
"Eric Ford, I'm JC's manager."
"Hi. Elizabeth Argyle, Clefnotes Magazine." She paused as she tried to get out the line Maurice had told her to say. "Um...thank you for granting us this interview."
"I'm sorry if JC seems a bit distant this morning. He's a bit jet-lagged and hungover." He placed his hand on her back to guide her to his client's trailer, feeling her tense up. "Whereabouts down South are you from?"
She tried to step away from his reach but couldn't, the set crowded with crewmen and equipment. "Um...Baton...Baton Rouge..."

They came to a stop at the clearing where JC's trailer was. "Well, there he is." A tall man in a black v-neck and jeans stared up at the sky through sunglasses. "JC, you're going to ruin your eyesight if you keep doing that." Eric walked off leaving the two alone.
Fuck, she thought to herself. She fought the instinct to run in the other direction as she approached him. She jumped back as a short, Latino man brushed past her. "Sorry," she squeaked out.
"It's OK," he reassured her with a smile. "I won't bite. Carlos." He extended his hand out.
She shook it. "Is he OK?" she asked, pointing to JC. "He seems a little...off."
"Some shit went down over the weekend. One of those epic highs followed by a hard crash. Don't worry though, he's nothing but professional."

Ellie inched towards the two chairs where JC was sitting. She sat across from him and tried to calm her breathing, becoming mute at her own anxiety and the thought of running her fingers through his thick, long, dark curls. Every time she tried to center her thoughts, her mind would flash images of him fucking her. He's depressed. She tried to force those thoughts out of her head, trying to force herself into a professional mindset as she wondered what his sweat smelled like, what his stubble felt like on her neck, his plump lips kissing her pussy. I'm not fit for this, she thought to herself before she finally squeaked out a greeting after fifteen minutes of silence and impure thoughts.

That evening, JC stopped in front of the hotel's main entrance, reaching over to try to comfort Ellie. She had been sniffling the whole drive back, quietly crying to herself.
"Um...are you going to be OK? Is there anything you want me to do?"
She shook her head. The awkward air in the car was suddenly broken by a huge waves of flashbulbs.
"You didn't tip the paparazzi off, did you?"
"No...how would I have been able to do that anyway? I've been quiet the whole ride back."
"Then, how do they know that I'm here? Huh?"
"Paris Hilton's here. I was supposed to interview her this afternoon, but I stayed on set with you. They must have followed her here, then recognised you." She tried to open her door. He reached over to open the door for her. She took in a large breath as she felt his erection brush against her leg.
"Are you sure you'll be OK?" he whispered as his lips hovered over hers.
No, she thought to herself, kiss me again, take me upstairs and fuck me, ram your giant cock into my cunt...stop, don't think such words. "I'll be OK. Thanks for the ride home."
"Um...have a good night." He lightly touched her thigh before he sat back down in the driver's seat. He turned the car back on as she got out, letting out a long breath through his nose as he wondered to himself what her ass looked like underneath those jeans. "Don't forget your bag." He attentively watched her as she bent back into the vehicle to get her purse, taking note of the small hint of rose pink lace on her bra as he caught one last glimpse of her cleavage.

"Thanks." She closed the door and waited on the steps for him to leave, giving a small wave as he looked at her through the car window. He waved back, watching her as she turned to enter the hotel. He sped off after he saw her enter the elevator, watching her take one more look outside to see if he had left yet. She went upstairs to her room, collapsed onto the bed and violently started crying. Her career was over. She would never be a proper journalist. Her parents had wasted all of that money supporting her through college. Maurice would never give her another chance. She would never be good enough for him. JC was probably turned off by her awkwardness, all of the stupid things she had said.

She bucked her jeans off and took off her bra, going into the bathroom to wash her makeup off as she finally stopped crying. She let her hair down and took an aspirin for the immense headache she had developed. She got back under the covers and stared up at the ceiling. Without noticing, she let her mind wonder back to JC. She smiled as she remembered the small glimpses when she thought she saw that he might be interested in her. The quick but tender moments when she thought that she might have made him smile. The little moments when he would brush his hand against hers, but instead of quickly taking it away, he would hold it there, almost taking as much contentment out of being able to touch her as she did him.

For one final moment, she allowed herself to nurse the idea that she liked him, allowing herself to have a crush on him. She let herself have a short fantasy of spending the rest of her life with him, the beach wedding, the possible children, the epically amazing sex. She slowly reached down into her panties and felt her wetness, gasping as she touched herself. Her mind wandered to how hard he felt, how big he must be. She bit her lip as she imagined how he must feel inside of her, the irresistible pain of him being a little too big for her. She let out a silent cry as she came, a slideshow of images of missed opportunities, of acts they would never commit together.

She turned over, falling asleep to dream of him for only one night, returning to her normal life the next morning. Back to New York, her cat and her loneliness, unaware that across the city he was finally steering his car into his garage, bounding up the stairs two at a time. He removed all but his briefs, flinging himself onto the bed before he reached in his pants and started to masturbate. With his knee outstretched in front of him as he lay on his side, he drew a pillow near to steady himself, biting it as he spurt his cum across the bed as he imagined coming on her tits.

Monday, August 8th, 2005.
On the third of that month, JC scratched his signature into the transfer documents of the apartment, took the keys from the previous owner's attorney, and swept Ellie up into a kiss.
"We have a home now," she whispered as he lifted her off the floor.

They moved all of Ellie's belongings out of storage that afternoon, ate waffles on the kitchen floor that night and made love in Ellie's bed for the first time since early June. Over the next five days, they were joined by Linus and the furniture that would help them create their first true home together.

Ellie woke JC up with a kiss on the morning of the eighth. "Happy Birthday."
He silently chuckled as he covered his eyes with his forearm. She leaned down to kiss him again as he wrapped his arms around her. "If I'm going to wake up to that everyday, I just might start liking getting up in the morning a little more."
"How does it feel to be 29?"
"Right now? Awesome." He swept a lock of hair behind her ear. "You look very beautiful."
"So do you."
"When do you have to be at work?"
"I told Maurice that your mom was flying in for the day and how important it was that I spend some time with her. He's pretty much given me the day off." She got out of bed and stretched. She followed Linus downstairs for his morning feed as JC curled up as he stretched.

He trotted down the stairs after a shower to find Ellie making scrambled eggs. He sat down at the large dining table by the kitchen counters. She placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of him, kissing him before bringing her breakfast to the table.
"I'm sorry it's such a heavy breakfast today. I've been craving proper scrambled eggs for God knows how long and I'm just working through every meal I've been denied of since I moved out of a place with a full kitchen."
"It's fine. I love your cooking. This looks amazing." He took a bite. "It's very good. Any ideas on what you're making tonight?"
"I was thinking maybe a pot roast or something. I really want to show your mom that I can take good care of you."
"You don't need to do that."
"Pfft, I have the day off. I've got plenty of time to. Anyway, I want to make you something nice for your birthday. Speaking of birthdays." She reached behind her and got a white envelope off the counter. "I got you a little something."

He opened the envelope to find a card and a small, flat package wrapped in light blue tissue paper.
"Read the card first," she said as he opened the homemade card with a picture of an elephant drawn in black marker on the front. Inside it read: "My dearest Joshua, Words cannot express the happiness you have brought into my life. Until we met, I had no idea the capacity my heart had for either happiness or love. Just to give a basic idea, if you counted every star in the sky and every grain of sand twice, you would know how much I love you. I'm possibly over exaggerating here, but I mean it. Being able to wake up next to you every morning and fall asleep in your arms has made me the luckiest woman on this Earth. I hope you have a wonderful birthday and I look forward to everyone I will spend with you as your wife for the rest of my days. You truly are the love of my life and if I had to move every star in the sky to thank God for bringing you to me, it would never be enough thanks. Love, your corny ass fiancé, Elizabeth."

"Do you like it?"
"It's lovely." He placed the card on the table and opened the parcel. Inside was a silver, military style dog tag with their names, "JOSH & ELLIE," plus three dates pressed into the metal, 92804, 21305, and finally, 41306. He recognised the last two dates, but didn't understand the first.
"What does the 28th of last September mean?"
"It's the day that we met. The 28th of September was the day we met, the 13th of February was the day we hooked up, and I know I'm being a little optimistic here, but the 13th of April will hopefully be our wedding anniversary."
"No, it's great that you're being optimistic. It's a great present." He put Linus on the floor after he had jumped onto the table. "Thanks." He leaned over and kissed her. He stood up after they had finished breakfast. "Well, I've got to go pick up Mom." He kissed her goodbye.

JC led his mother through the front door. "That's the office through there. We're thinking of maybe putting a home studio in there. The downstairs bathroom's opposite." He came to a stop at the entrance of the living area. "What the fuck is that?"
He had come home to find Ellie in a sundress standing in front of a large object covered in a white sheet. Linus was on top of it, sniffing around.
"I think it's a cat." Catherine, an average-height woman rendered petite in comparison to her eldest son, bore her son's eyes, nose, cheekbones and thick, black curls. "You know what a cat is, baby."
"Is that a fucking piano?" He moved past Ellie and scooped Linus off the top of the covered object. He pulled off the white sheet to reveal an onyx black grand piano. "Did you buy me a fucking grand piano for my birthday?"
"Do you like it?"
He looked back at Ellie in surprise. "I just...I was not at all expecting this."
Ellie stepped forward and greeted Catherine. "Hi, Ellie, I mean Elizabeth."
"Nice to meet you. Catherine, Kit for short."
"Oh! Like Kitty Bennet from Pride & Prejudice?"
"Yeah, I was named after my grandmother. Everyone in the family called me Kit instead, though."
A squeak came out of JC.
"Are you crying?" Ellie asked.
"No."

JC and Catherine sat in the waiting bay just outside the terminal for her flight back to D.C. "Are you sure you're going to be OK flying home alone?"
"Yeah, Simon's picking me up straight from the airport." Catherine looked at her watch. "Knowing my husband, he's probably there now."
"What do you think of Ellie?"
"She's a nice girl. I'm very happy for you. You two seem very much in love."
"You don't think...?"
"Joshua, we both know that I am too far removed from the situation to even consider judging it. I can only wish you the best for the future."

They stood up as the first page for her flight was called. "But everyone thinks that-"
She cut him off. "Shhh, don't think that way. It's bad luck." She reached up and hugged him, bending his head down to kiss his forehead.
"I just want you to be proud of me."
"Baby, I am. I'm extremely proud of you. But you need to remember that you're only human. You're allowed to make mistakes, you're allowed to not be perfect all the time." She took him in for a final hug. "You don't need to overthink everything. It's OK if you want to follow your gut from time to time. You know what's best for you, no one else. I need to get going. I'm going to miss my flight."
"I love you."
"I love you too, baby. Be a good boy, get home safe."
"Bye, Mom."
"Bye." He watched as she went went through the security point and turned back around to wave goodbye. He stayed until she had disappeared out of view to board the plane.

JC was greeted home by Linus, meowing as he ran down the stairs. He placed his keys on the counter and snuck up the staircase to find Ellie sleeping in that day's clothes. He got ready for bed and lay down next to her.

She stirred awake. "Baby..."
"It's OK, I'm here. You can go back to sleep."
"But I had this thing planned. I bought this little purple thing."
"It's fine. We'll do it another time."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah." He curled up behind her, spooning her. "I don't really feel like it right now."
"Are you OK?"
"Yeah...it's just that I miss her, you know? You're very alike, you know? Not only you and Catherine but Karen as well. The three of you are very emotionally intuitive or something."
"I think you're mistaking emotional intuitiveness for sensitivity."
"I don't know." He intertwined his fingers in hers. "She says she's happy for us."
"Do you think she is?"
"Maybe."

Friday, August 19th, 2005.
Ellie sat on the floor of her and JC's Chicago hotel room tracing the number 28 in red puffy paint onto a white t-shirt. She was wearing a yellow camisole and denim cut-offs. JC passed by her as he put a blue shirt on with his khakis.
"You don't need to do that," JC said as he went to open the door.
"I want to. I swear, it only cost me $13."

JC and Ellie had travelled west for the weekend for what was to be the final Challenge for the Children charity event and game. JC's mother, Karen, had also made the trip for the festivities. Karen followed JC into the room after he hugged her.
"Hi. What are you doing there?" Karen asked Ellie as she sat on the edge of the bed, smoothing down her cream polo shirt and jeans.
"Oh, I'm just making a t-shirt with Josh's number on it for the game tomorrow." Ellie looked up at Karen, the bun on top of her head flopping back as she lifted her head.
"That's nice."
"Yeah, we used to do this back home, make t-shirts with our boyfriend's number on them to wear to games and rallies. Josh thinks it might be a cool idea if we get everyone to sign it, then auction it off, but I don't know. I kind of want to keep it."
Karen paused trying to make conversation. "OK. What was your number, I mean your boyfriend's number back then?"
"Seventeen. Miles was the smallest on the team and it was the only jersey that fit him."
"OK. What position did he play?"
"Safety, wasn't good at it though. Dipshit couldn't even catch the ball. He was only on the team because his daddy donated a few thousand towards the ‘95-96 season. It was one of worst seasons Breckinridge Prep had ever seen."
"OK...was this the fiancé?"
"Yeah." Ellie repositioned herself, twisting the cap back on the paint bottle. "I bet you have lots of stories and things from all the boys you dated in high school."
"Roy was the first boy I courted. My father wouldn't let me date in high school."
"Oh...OK. Doesn't matter though. Anyway, I burnt most of what Miles gave me, except the ring and the George Harrison records. I pawned it for 2 pints of malt liquor. Well, the ring anyway." She awkwardly laughed. "That was a fun night. Let me tell you, a little bit of your soul dies when you've seen a pink Valentine's bear go up in flames."
"I swear, Mom, she's not as psychotic as she sounds right now," JC said from his perch at the dining table near the window.

Karen sat with her lips pursed, unable to completely process the information she had just learned. "Catherine told me that she spent your birthday with you. She said she thinks that Ellie's a nice girl."
"She is," JC tried to reassure her. "That whole burning bear thing isn't what she's like all the time. You know they were engaged; he was cheating on her. You would've done the same in her situation."
"It's not that. I agree with Catherine. She's a nice girl."
"I'm right here."
"We know." Karen sighed. "Everything's just moving very fast with you two."
"We know. It's just the way that we're doing it. We're still thinking everything through and such. We just rather do everything sooner rather than later."
"I get it, but what if...I don't know. Sometimes you forget things when you're in a hurry to do everything."
JC leaned on his hand with his elbow resting on the table. He let out a resigned breath. "OK...we need to start getting ready for the opening event thing."
Karen got off the bed and started to the door. "Bowling? Right?"
"Yeah."
"Are you OK with that, Ellie? Have you played before?"
"Yeah, all the time. I'm cool with playing if they let me. It doesn't matter if they don't, open bar, free beer...wooo!"
"Great. I'll see you two later."

JC walked Karen to the elevator. "If it concerns you, her drinking is as bad as mine."
"It doesn't matter."
"You sure?"
"Yeah." Karen dug the toe of her shoe into the carpet. "Catherine said you had a nice time together."
"Yeah."
"It's nice hearing that everything's good with her."
"What wrong, Mom?"
"Nothing."
"You sure?"
Karen looked up at her eldest son. "I'm worried about you."
"What about?"
"I just...I thought I would have a better relationship with the woman you decided to marry. I like Ellie, but I feel like I barely know her. Is she a good girl? Does she treat you right? Does she come from a good family? I mean, your father and I haven't even met her parents."
"Do you want to meet them?"
"Well, yeah. But I don't know when it would be a convenient time for all four of us. We could go see them in Louisiana or something, take a weekend trip up. Maybe spend Thanksgiving together."
"We'll arrange something. I'll ask Ellie to maybe hook you and her mom up."
"OK." They hugged as the elevator door opened. "I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you too, Mom."
"Ellie must have been real angry to have burnt that bear."
"She was."

JC watched the door close. He went back to the room to find Ellie changing into a pair of jeans. "You didn't need to change."
"Eh, I wanted to. It might get cold later." Ellie retied her hair into a neater bun. "Is your mom OK?"
"Yeah. She's just worried about how fast everything's going. She'll be OK once she gets to know you and your family a little better." He collected his cell phone off the table and put it into his pocket. "We probably should get going."
"You're not going to change?"
"Why? I look fine."
Ellie looked down at his trousers. "You're wearing a pair of baggy three-quarter khakis."
"Sooo?"
"Can you just..."
"What?"
"...nothing? Let's get going." She followed him out of the room to the elevator mumbling, "I hate men's fashion," under her breath as the doors closed.

Saturday, August 20th, 2005.
Ellie clung onto the back of JC's red and white tracksuit. They weaved through the maze of corridors and doorways until they were in the underground car park, waiting to be picked up for the game.
"You don't have to hold on to me so tightly. Nothing bad is going to happen to you."
"I know. It's just that I'm really nervous."
"You have nothing to be nervous about. Everything will be fine." He lightly kissed her on the forehead.

A signal was given and he was pulled away from her, someone on Justin's team hastily guiding him into an awaiting SUV. Before either of them could process what was happening, the car was leaving the parking garage and Ellie was left alone by the service elevator. Ellie flinched as Karen placed a reassuring hand on Ellie's back.
"It's *NSYNC policy for loved ones to travel separate from the boys."
Ellie turned to look at the group that had gathered around her. "What?"
"At big events like this, we usually travel separate from the boys. It's for security reasons."
Ellie surveyed the faces in the group. She had been introduced to most of them over the last day or so. She instantly knew that no one tied to Justin was in the group. A ball of resentment formed along with the ball of anxiety in her gut as she realised that Justin's mother was most likely in the car JC was in. "It's fine," she lied. "I'm just not used to everything. I'm new here."

Ellie was lucky enough to sit in between Karen and Kelly on the car ride over. "This is going to sound weird," Ellie whispered to Kelly, "but has Justin always gotten preferential treatment over the other four? I don't mean just recently, but always."
"Why?"
"I was just wondering why Justin's mom is travelling with Justin and JC whilst we're in a separate vehicle?"
"It's always been like that. Lynn always travels with Justin. I know that this might be one of the last official *NSYNC events ever, but if I were you, I wouldn't try too hard to rock the boat," Kelly advised her.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm just saying, you're only new here. You don't know how things are done around here."

At halftime, Ellie watched attentively as JC joked around on court with his teammates.
"Hey." Justin pulled the towel off his head as he stopped to talk to her.
"Oh, hi."
"You having a good time? That's a cute shirt you're wearing."
Ellie looked down at the 28 written on her t-shirt. "Um, thanks."
"Kinda makes me wish I had a girl who would do something like that for me."
"Yeah. Isn't Cameron on your team?"
"Yeah."
"Well, isn't that cooler? Being able to play with your girlfriend instead of her just supporting from the sidelines." Ellie picked at the seam on the pocket of her jeans. "I mean, it's a celebrity basketball game, so only celebrities can play. I guess that's one of the perks of dating an A-list actress."
"What the fuck is your problem with me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Kelly told Joey what you asked her in the car. We do that so none of you get hurt."
"Then why does your mom travel with you?"
"She just does. Stop acting like it's some kind of special treatment."
"But it is. We're supposedly so precious that we ride three cars back, but if you go down, your mom's going down with you?"
"You're not making any sense." He reached over and grabbed her shoulder. "Look, I'm just trying to be friendly and ask you how you're doing. You don't have to make some big scene."
She rolled her shoulder, stepping away from him. "Don't fucking touch me!"
"What the fuck is your problem?! Did your daddy rape you or something?!"

With a swift motion, Ellie punched Justin, knocking him to the floor. "LOOK, YOU PIECE OF SHIT, I DON'T LIKE YOU. I DON'T HAVE TO LIKE YOU. DO YOU KNOW HOW INCREDIBLY CONDESCENDING OUR FIRST CONVERSATION WAS? DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S THREE YEARS YOUNGER THAN YOU IMPLY THAT HE NEEDS TO TAKE CARE OF YOU? I'M NOT SOME DUMB BITCH SOUTHERN BELLE WHO NEEDS TO BE PROTECTED FROM YANKEES, OK? I KNOW GUYS LIKE YOU. I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE LIFE AROUND REDNECK SHITS LIKE YOU, WHO THINK JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE BORN ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE MASON-DIXON LINE THAT THEY KNOW WHAT'S BEST FOR ALL SOUTHERN WOMEN. WHEN IN TRUTH, THE ONLY THING WE NEED TO BE PROTECTED FROM ARE SHITS LIKE YOU! I'VE ONLY SPOKEN TO YOU FOUR, FIVE FUCKING TIMES AND EACH TIME YOU HAVE QUESTIONED MY TASTE IN MEN, INVADED MY PERSONAL SPACE, COMPLETELY DISREGARDED MY REQUESTS FOR YOU TO RESPECT MY PERSONAL SPACE AND NOW..." She paused, grinding her teeth as she tried to repeat what he had said. "Now, you accuse my father of sexually abusing me."

He got up off the floor and grabbed her wrists, pulling her close enough so he was towering over her. "Look, you little bitch," he hissed. "You're only here because JC's fucked you a few times. You're not here because you're talented or important enough to be here. You aren't even here because you're a member of the fucking press. You're just here because you're JC's little whore and he doesn't want to leave you alone in the hotel room. You think you're so important now that you've tricked him into marrying you? Well, you're not. You're nobody. You're nothing and when he finally gets rid of you, you'll still be nobody-"

She released herself from his grasp. "Just like when Britney dumped you? Huh? I know all of your shit. I know every little trick, every little thing you've done to get you where you are. You're just some mama's boy who fucked over the right girl to get himself enough cash so he could start paying people to treat him like he's important. I know boys like you. I know your game and I know that that no matter how many Grammys or number one hits you buy, you'll never be as talented as you want to be, your dick will never big enough and your daddy will always think that he should have beaten your mama hard enough for her to lose you. You're fucking nothing."

She turned away from him and quickly made her exit. Never turning back, she locked herself in the ladies' bathroom to not only stop him from getting to her, but to remove herself from the situation. She took a few deep breaths and checked her phone, returning Maurice's call.

JC stormed into the hotel room to find Ellie packing. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU SAY TO JUSTIN?!"
She gently folded a sweater and placed it in her suitcase. "We both said some incredibly shitty things to each other."
"Holy shit! Why is everything so dramatic with you two? You're not leaving because of it, are you?" He flung himself on the bed.
"No. The director of that new Pride & Prejudice adaptation is going to be in New York for a press junket tomorrow. Maurice thinks that because I know so much about the book, I would be the best reporter to interview him." She neatly placed the yellow tank top she was wearing the day before under a pair of jeans.
"How many yellow tank tops do you actually own?"
She grunted in disgust. "What's it to you? Huh? I'm not the one still dressing like a teenage boy at nearly thirty."
He leaned his head on his arm. "You don't have to get so pointed with me, OK?"
"I'm not getting pointed. I'm just pissed-"
"At what?" He cut her off. "What are you pissed at?"
She flung a pair of socks into her suitcase. "You know, Justin is exactly like Miles. Same condescending fucking tone, same manipulative bullshit. Oh, I'm not treating him like the king that he is? That means there's something wrong with me. That I'm stupid, that I'm not pretty enough, that I'm a fucking bitch." She stopped. "Huh? Well, maybe they're the fucking problem. Maybe your fucking entitled bullshit is the reason I'm such a fucking bitch to you? Huh?"

She looked at JC as he laid on the bed, rendered silent by her tirade. "What? You don't have anything to say?"
He got off the bed, and sighed. "Look, I'm too tired to humour your anger right now. If you need to fly out tonight, you can. Maybe it would be best if you did, gives you less chance of ripping Justin's trachea out." He took off his sweatsuit jacket and pulled his jersey off, dropping it on the floor.
"I fucking would, you know."
"I know." He lightly kissed her forehead. "That's one of the many reasons I love you. I'm going to take a shower. Goodbye if you leave before I get out." He pressed his lips to hers.

She moaned as she tasted the salt in his kiss, inhaling his scent before he slipped away from her into the bathroom. She picked his jersey off the floor, taking in the intoxicating aroma. She bit her lip, folding the jersey and placing it in her suitcase. She zipped it shut and collected the rest of her things, leaving a small note for him when he got out of the shower.

Monday, August 22nd, 2005.
Ellie awoke at 7:08am. She showered, blow-dried her hair and did her makeup. She put on one of JC's pink dress shirts and a grey pencil skirt. She fed Linus and had a cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast. She slipped on a pair of modest, black pumps and packed her briefcase. She was locking the door just as JC stepped out of the elevator. She dropped her briefcase and ran to him, jumping into his arms. He pressed her against the wall as they kissed passionately.
"Baby."
"I've missed you," she whispered as he stepped away from her. They stood apart for a moment, the silence of the hall broken by their heavy breathing. "Get the fuck back here." She gasped as he pinned her to the wall, arching her back as she felt his erection press against her clit.
"Fuck me," she whispered as she pulled his t-shirt up and dug her fingernails into his back, "I don't give a shit where, just fuck me."

He pulled her skirt up and lifted her leg. He pulled aside the delicate string of the white, lace thong she was wearing. She undid the buttons on the fly of his jeans and pulled his cock out of his underpants. "Has Daddy been missing me? Is that why you're so fucking hard right now?"
He grunted as he thrust himself into her. "It doesn't matter now. Daddy's home."

She wrapped her arm around his neck as he lifted her other leg, her shoe falling to the floor. She slipped her free hand in between them, rubbing her clit in sync with his slow but hard thrusts. She gave off a silent whimper.
"I want the whole fucking floor to hear you," he growled as he increased his speed and force behind his thrusts. Her cries, as well as their bodies banging against the wall, filled the hallway. She grabbed his back after she came, leaning her head against his shoulder as he finished.

He tenderly bit her, laughing as they steadied themselves. "You smell amazing."
"I should probably change my skirt."

Ellie walked into her office at 9:26, thirty-eight minutes later than her average. She placed her briefcase on her desk and slid her chair out.
"You're late today. Got stuck in traffic?"
Her smile widened as she replied to Craig, smoothing her skirt as she gracefully sat down. "Mr. Darcy has returned to Pemberly."
"Oh...ooh."