“Good morning, Kaitie,” Charlotte sighs as steps into the office on a frigid and drizzly Tuesday morning.
For the past two weeks every morning has been the same. Come in at seven-thirty. Greet Kaitie. Brew the coffee. Review Amelia’s schedule. Find any faxes, memos, or other paper work needed for meetings and business lunches. It’s a nice morning routine and that’s been about the only thing routine about this job. Charlotte quickly learned that everything had a tendency to fall to hell when Amelia walked through the door.
“Felicity called in,” Kaitie responds by way of greeting her eyes not leaving the magazine spread out in front of her.
Charlotte rolls her eyes. Felicity. Justin’s assistant. Charlotte had become quite well acquainted with the young and giggly girl that was somehow in charge of Justin’s office. It was a miracle the building was still standing. The very first day Charlotte had met her she was on the phone, popping her gum noisily as she said “No, Mr. Timberlake isn’t in right now. Um he’s out…busy. Like…doing stuff for the label. Yeah. I’ll tell him you called. What’s your name again? Al… Green? Like the color? Okay I’ll tell him you called.” She had hung up, letting out an irritated sigh, and it was then her water blue eyes fell on Charlotte and she had smiled, revealing two perfect rows of white teeth.
“So you’re like…Amelia’s new assistant?” she asked, leaning back in her chair and nodding her head, a piece of her coppery hair falling gracefully into her eyes, scrutinizing Charlotte thoroughly as she smacked her gum. “Cool.”
You could say it was all down hill from there.
Kaitie sighs not even looking up from her magazine. “You have to go open Justin’s office.”
Charlotte freezes, her hand still on her jacket that she was hanging on the . She’s barely even gotten her jacket off and already her morning has been thrown from quiet routine to the uncomfortable unknown. Justin…is interesting to say the least. He was always smiling, always joking around and getting into messes. Just yesterday he’d somehow managed to staple his tie to someone’s record contract. Goofy yet graceful. He took everything in stride, doing things mostly for himself since Felicity was utterly useless.
“I’m sorry,” Charlotte says, shaking her and laughing slightly. “I have to go open Justin’s office? Doesn’t he have another assistant?”
Kaitie raises her head giving her a withered look. “Well, I suppose I could call his stylist but he doesn’t know much about Justin’s filing system.”
Charlotte fights the urge to roll her eyes. It’s a love/hate thing with her and Kaitie. Kaitie loves giving Charlotte all the jobs she hates to do herself. Kaitie sighs, leaning back in her chair and pulling out a set of keys from her middle desk drawer. She stands, holding them out to Charlotte, dangling from one dainty, perfectly lacquered finger.
“You just open the office. Just like you do here for Amelia,” Kaitie says in a way that Charlotte is sure is meant to be encouraging but comes off more as condescending. “In fact, I’m pretty sure Felicity still has as list of things to do taped to her desk.”
“What about Amelia?” Charlotte asks apprehensively, eyeing the door to the office.
“I’ll take care of that,” Kaitie says, pressing the keys into Charlotte’s hand. “You better get going. Traffic at this hour is a bitch.”
It takes Charlotte forty-five minutes to get to Justin’s office, most of which is spent stuck in gridlock, taxis and town cars lining the street as far as the eye can see, inching along 5th Avenue at a snails pace. When she’s three blocks from his building she finally gives in and pays the cabbie, stepping out into the bitter November chill and walking the rest of the way. Her hands are still like ice even after the elevator ride to the thirty-fifth floor as she fumbles with the key, finally letting herself into his offices and flicking on the light.
Her first stop is at the thermostat, turning up the heat and relishing in the blast of warm air that comes from the ceiling vent as the furnace kicks in. She moves around behind the small oak desk and sure enough a list of “open office duties” is taped haphazardly to the desk directly onto the wood. Charlotte squints, struggling to read Felicity’s loopy handwriting.
1. Turn on Lights.
Charlotte looks around amusedly, wondering briefly if she is being watched. She shakes her head, shrugging her coat off as she reads the next line.
2. Open Blinds…
Charlotte goes through all twelve items on the list, opening all the blinds, starting the coffee maker, checking the mail and separating it into neat piles, gathering the newspapers from outside the door and fanning them out neatly on Justin’s desk.
“Well, what do we have here?”
Charlotte nearly jumps out of her skin, reeling back from the desk and clutching at her chest, panic seizing her. She relaxes when she sees that it’s only Justin, standing in the doorway, holding his coat and grinning.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he says good naturedly, tossing his coat on one of the rugged leather chairs. “Fee call in?”
“Yeah,” Charlotte says, her heart finally starting to slow as he swaggers in, hands in his pockets, looking around.
“You follow the list?” he asks, smiling, and Charlotte feels her face heat up as she nods. “’Turn on the lights’ is my favorite.” He grins and then pulls his face into a look of mock contemplation, crossing his arms and tapping his chin, the picture of the thinking man, “But how can one read to turn on the lights in the dark?” He shrugs sighing. “It’s a mystery.”
Charlotte can’t help the giggle that pulls from her throat at his antics and he smiles widely at her.
“Oh you forgot one,” Justin says and Charlotte looks at him wide eyed. “The radio,” he says, walking behind the desk to the large bookshelf, flicking on the small receiver and Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jetts” fills the room. Justin’s eyes widen and a goofy smile breaks out over his handsome face
“Oh but they're weird and they're wonderfuuuuuul. Oh Bennie she's-a really keeeeeeeeeen!!!!!!” he sings, his voice swelling, rising and falling over the notes.
Charlotte stands there stunned, eyes riveted on the man in front of her, marveling in how he goes from pleasantly content to rapturously joyful as he begins to sing. She giggles nervously, looking around almost as if she were checking to see if anyone else is around to witness his outburst. He throws his arms out screwing up his face as he belts:
“She's got electric boots!!!” he drums the air. “a mohair suit!!!” he shakes his head from side to side, wiggling his hips slightly as he drums the air again. “You know I read it in a magazaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiine ooooooooh oooooooooh,”
Charlotte breaks out in a full on grin as he takes a deep breath fully prepared to…
“BUH-BUH-BUH-BENNY AND THE-”
“JUSTIN!!!”
Charlotte and Justin both cringe, his voice dying away to nothing as Amelia storms into the office, trench coat billowing out behind her, her face pulled into a fierce look of discontent. Justin reaches to turn the radio down, grinning uncertainly at her.
“Hey baby,” he says, moving to walk around the desk to her but thinks better of it and sits behind the desk instead. Better to have a large heavy object between them if she’s going to rant and rave and by the looks of it, it was going to be a doozey. Charlotte stands awkwardly next to him, not exactly sure what to do with herself.
Amelia strides up to the desk and it’s then that Charlotte sees the newspaper in her hand. She throws it down onto the desk, Justin’s hands flying back as the papers ruffle and settle enough for him to see the headline “AMELIA’S BIG DAY” with the picture of a classic satin A-line gown with beaded lace on a tulle overlay and an empire bodice. The sleeves are capped with spray beading, very short and rounded, barely covering the top of the shoulder. It is elegant and beautiful.
“Do you see this?!” Amelia asks, her voice heated, fire in her eyes. “THIS WAS GOING TO BE MY WEDDING DRESS!!!!”
Justin merely blinks at her, not sure as of what to say, but she seems to be waiting for a response from him. He swallows hard. “It looks good babe,” he says, picking up the paper and examining it. “I like the…beading?” he squints, “the little flowery looking things all over it. Those are nice.”
He looks up at her smiling but the look that blooms on Amelia’s face causes him to press his lips together and duck his head, much like a little kid that has been caught saying a curse word. Amelia snatches the paper from him and he sighs, resting his arms against his desk.
“Was, Justin. It was going to be my wedding dress,” she replies condescendingly, her voice holding that barely controlled tone. She tosses the paper down again and her voice booms inside the near silent room, “BUT NOW, NOW, THAT IT’S ON PAGE SIX I HAVE TO PICK A NEW ONE!!!!” Amelia purses her lips in a pout as she throws her hands in the air. She glares at Justin adding, “All because your ass had to be Mister SexyBack.”
Charlotte stands there in complete and utter shock. Over the past several weeks she had seen Amelia perturbed. She had seen her irate and even pissed off, but she had never seen her seething quite like she was at this moment. Charlotte looks at Justin who is eying Amelia curiously and almost fears for his safely.
“Well, you’re pretty famous yourself, babe,” Justin grins widely back at her and Charlotte cringes. The man just doesn’t know when to shut up.
Amelia’s eyes flair and she opens her mouth to say something but she’s cut off by a cool, even voice from the doorway.
“Now, Amelia we can’t blame poor Justin for everything.”
Charlotte looks up and her eyes widen as a slim brunette saunters into the office. She’s tall, long legs accentuated by low-waisted, straight-leg trousers. Her waist cinches and rounds into her breasts under a fitted linen camp style shirt with cuffed half sleeves. Her chestnut hair tumbles onto her shoulders in soft waves.
Justin breaks into a wide grin. “Well, well, well, Ms. Patti Wombles but she does not fall!”
“Oh Justin,” Amelia scoffs under her breath, bringing her hand to her forehead and rubbing her temple.
“Justin, darling it’s a pleasure as always,” Patti responds smiling flirtily at him as she walks toward him.
Justin takes her hand and kisses it, grinning cheekily at her. Amelia glares at them both, clearly not in the mood for their usual flirtation. Patti smirks at him before turning back to Amelia who is still pouting, eying the dress on the cover of the paper.
“Amelia,” Patti says, grabbing both of Amelia’s shoulders and looking her in the eye. “It’s going to be okay. A-line is so last season anyway! We’ll find you a fabulous dress and we’ll keep it under wraps,”
“Well, this dress was supposed to be under wraps,” Amelia whines but there’s a hard edge to her voice that makes her sound more ominous than pathetic.
“Darlin’ there are a million dresses out there,” Justin says, his voice soft and sympathetic. “You’ll find another one that’s even better.”
Amelia glares at him, folding her arms over her chest and scowling. Justin sighs, looking at her in a way that says he wishes he could help. He wishes he could change it and make it better, but he’s had his fill of dealing with the press and knows it’s better to just let it roll off your back. He’s been trying to convince Amelia of this for years but to no avail. His eyes fall on Patti and he smiles slowly, tilting his head to the side.
“Patti, does she really have to wear a dress?” he asks, his voice casual and all three women look at him like he’s lost his mind. “I mean it’s just gonna come off later…”
He grins and Amelia scoffs, throwing her hands in the air, Patti grins knowingly and Charlotte covers her mouth to suppress her giggle.
“Well, I’m not sure nude is the way to go on your wedding day,” Patti says, trying to suppress her smile as she looks at Amelia from the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to Justin. “But I’ve seen some really sexy options that are just fabulous.”
Justin raises his eyebrows, leaning on his elbows over his desk, eyeing Patti and grinning. “Oh really?”
“Oh yeah,” Patti says nodding. “I mean there are some backless numbers out right now that really accentuate…” Patti smirks at him. “your favorite part of the female form.”
Justin leans back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head and grinning, eyeing Amelia and licking his lips. “Oh really?”
Amelia glares at him but it doesn’t hold for long before she sighs, grabbing the paper again. She looks at the dress sadly and sighs again.
“Its just now we’re back to square one. I mean I’m going to need a completely different style-”
“Why?” Justin asks and Amelia glares at him.
“Because Justin,” Amelia sighs, throwing her hands in the air.
“Because why? You can just have a different dress but the same style,” he looks at Patti, “right?”
Patti looks at him for a moment. “Justin, if you were writing a song-”
“He doesn’t write songs anymore,” Amelia spats and Justin looks down, watching his hands smooth over the calendar on his desk.
“Yes but when you did,” Patti says giving Amelia a pointed look and Amelia silences. “When you did, if a song you wrote leaked three months before your album came out would you make it your first single?”
Justin narrows his eyes, thinking for a moment before pursing his lips, raising his eyebrows and nodding.
“No, I would pick something completely different.”
Patti grins. “Exactly! See,” Patti says, putting an arm around Amelia and giving her a squeeze, which Charlotte would never dream of doing no matter how long she’d known her. “Your fiancé is a smart man.”
Justin beams at this and nods. “See baby! I’m smart!”
Amelia gives him a wry smile and he grins brilliantly at her, pulling himself from his chair and walking around the desk. Amelia does not look at him, turning her head to the side and looking at the ceiling when he wraps his arms around her, nuzzling her neck affectionately. She tries to wiggle away but Justin is persistent, squeezing her tight and making small growling noises as he nuzzles against her throat.
“Okay, okay!” Amelia says, finally slapping his hands away and he stands there grinning down at her triumphantly. “New dress.”
“That’s my girl,” he says quietly, dropping a kiss on her forehead and Amelia smiles softly.
Amelia’s eyes fall on Charlotte who is still standing awkwardly next to Justin’s desk and she jumps, almost as if she completely forgot she was there. Charlotte shifts slightly from one foot to the other and Amelia takes a step back from Justin, adjusting her suit jacket. Justin steps back pursing his lips.
“I’m sorry,” Amelia says shaking her head, “Patti, this is Charlotte, my new assistant. Charlotte, this is Patti Wombles-”
“But she does not fall,” Justin says holding up a finger and Patti grins good naturedly. Amelia rolls her eyes.
“-my wedding planner.”
“Pleasure,” Patti says, reaching for Charlotte’s hand and Charlotte gives it a squeeze, nodding her head silently. “Okay Amelia, now lets talk about this new dress…I’m thinking tule…” Patti says, looking off into space as if envisioning it. She takes Amelia’s arm. “Lots and lots of tulle.”
“It’ll be fabulous,” Justin says, shaking his head from side to side as if shaking out a long mane of hair and Charlotte giggles.
“I’ll just…” Charlotte says motioning for the door and Amelia nods as she and Patti sit in the leather chairs, Justin moving to lean against the arm of Amelia’s chair.
He winks at Charlotte as she passes and she smiles at him unsurely. Sometimes she wonders how the hell someone like him wound up with someone like Amelia. Charlotte looks back as she’s about to leave the office, grabbing the door handle, and just as she’s about to close the it, she sees Justin’s hand settle on Amelia’s back and her shoulders relax, leaning into his touch slightly. Maybe they’ll work out after all.
Story Tags: fiancej desksex affair love hottubsex
