I laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, listening to the rain fall outside my window.

It’s a beautiful day

Don’t let it get away

It’s a beautiful day….

I rolled over to turn off my alarm, noting the dark, gloomy rain clouds that almost blocked out the rising sun. It’s as if God was sending me a hint for the horrible day to come. Truth be told, I don’t know how much lower my day could sink. In a matter of hours I’ll have to voluntarily humiliate myself in front of a man who’d probably think I was some crazy goldigger. In reality however, I’d be smiling to his face and stabbing him in the back, recording his every move and searching through his stuff to prove what I already knew.

 I sighed and sat up, putting my head in my hands.

 Despite everything, the only thing I could think of was Jen and how she didn’t come home last night. Even though I know she was probably laying low somewhere, my mind kept up conjuring images of her being in the back of a flashing squad car speeding straight for state penitentiary or outrunning the cops Bonnie and Clyde style on her way to Fiji. I mean, would it have killed her to at least call to say she was ok, although I’m not sure if I would have yelled or cried when I heard her voice….actually, who am I kidding, I love her, but I would have cussed her out as soon as she said ‘Hello’ then demanded an explanation. I closed my eyes as my mind involuntarily conjured up yesterday’s events for what must have been the hundredth time.

I left Klein’s office to find all my personal effects in a box on my desk (presumably packed by my buxom blonde replacement sitting behind it), then  I raced home and tore through Jennifer’s filthy room, looking for evidence. After an hour of searching, I found it under her bed packed into old grocery bags.

Gucci, Christian Dior, Versace. Dresses and handbags and shoes and scarves. Thousands of dollars worth of clothing all stuffed into innocent brown paper bags that no one would think to look through. I threw everything into a pile in the middle of the living room floor before stalking into the kitchen to pour myself some wine. My glass filled to the brim, I went to the living room and waiting, fuming.

After an hour, the door swung open to reveal an unkempt James, his tie loose around his neck and his hair disheveled.

‘Oh my God, Emma. Is it – it can’t be true, right? Jen would never - ’

He froze, staring at the pile of silks, leather, and furs in the middle of the floor. He walked forward as if in a trance and picked up the beautiful blue Hermes scarf laying on top of the pile.

After a full thirty seconds, he whispered,‘ Jesus.  I didn’t believe – I just…I heard from one of the temps about the letter….and they said… I just couldn’t believe it.’

I snorted and giggled, ‘You know, if you drink enough, this whole situation become quite hilarious.’

My giggles turned into a full, throated laugh.

 ‘I mean, think about it. We’re a month behind on rent, all we can afford to buy is wine and Captain Crunch, and all along, we’ve been living with a thief! The woman who always asks me for money for bus fare is buying two thousand dollar purses! It’s comical really.’

James quietly came over and took the empty glass from my hand before giving me a hug as my laughter turned to sobs.

 ‘Ssshhh… it’s okay. We’re gonna get a good lawyer to handle her case and she’ll make it out fine. Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay.’

As my sobs faded into sniffles, I whispered, ‘She won’t need one.’

James pulled back and looked me in the face, ‘What do you mean?’

I lowered my head and told him all about my deal with Satan.

Ten minutes later, a shell-shocked James flopped down onto the floor.

I poured some wine into my glass and handed it to him.

Without looking at me, he took the glass and gulped it all down.

‘Em, you can’t do this. It’s wrong, it’s just…wrong.’

I jumped up off the couch then paused as my world spun. Eyes closed I answered,

‘Well what do you expect me to do, James? I can’t just let her go to jail! She’s our friend for Christ’s sake!’

‘Em, you know I love her like a sister, but she STOLE! She stole to get clothes! I’m not having you violate those pretty little morals you have for someone who broke the law for a pair of Prada pumps!’

I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair,

‘Well it’s done now, James. I signed the papers and if I break my agreement she’s going to jail and we’ll be out on the street. I’m not going to let that happen. Now, Klein’s new bimbo is going to send over some files on my new employer and by tomorrow morning I need to know how many times a day he scratches his ass, so I’ll be in my room studying.’

And with that I turned and left, ignoring the heavy tension between James and myself, where I stayed for the rest of the day alternating between determination, self loathing, and worry.

I opened my eyes and slowly got out of the bed to go face the music.

At 8am, I opened my umbrella and stepped out onto the sidewalk in a pair of sensible black heels that matched my conservative black business skirt and pale blue pinstripe button down. I reached up to tuck a rogue lock of hair behind my hair that, due to the damp weather, took twice as long to straighten and tuck into a tight bun on the back of my head. I topped it off with tiny silver studs and black frames which, though the lenses were ordinary glass and didn’t actually help my vision, gave me a distinguished, no nonsense look. I’d even opted for my faux leather attaché case to prove to anyone who looked that I meant business.

After about thirty seconds, a blue Prius pulled up blasting loud…was that Spice Girls? The pinched redhead assistant from before waved out of the window, but I was too shocked to wave back. Gone was the boring drone that’d followed silently in the office, in her place was a vibrant young woman wearing bright colors and a smile.

I opened the door to be hit by, ‘SSSSSSOOOOO I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want - ’

She quickly leaned over to turn it down, face reddening.

‘Sorry, it’s my guilty pleasure. I never really stopped liking Posh Spice.’

I smiled and shut the door, ‘It’s okay. I was always a Scary Spice girl myself.’

I turned around to throw my attaché in the back, but saw empty Monster cans and shoes and magazines covering every square inch of the backseat.

Following my gaze, her face reddened ever further, ‘Sorry about the mess too. Normally, I don’t do this type of thing.’

My brow furrowed as she began to drive towards downtown, ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, normally new assistants are shown the ropes for a couple days with the old PA, but as Nikki…left… in a hurry, I’m supposed to give you a quick overview on the way to his office and let you do your thing.’

‘Wait, so he doesn’t know I’m coming.’

Oh fuck…

‘No, Jess said you’re supposed to be a surprise.’

Oh he’s gonna be surprised alright. Eventually so is she…

My face must of looked shocked because she rushed ahead, ‘But you know, it’s not really that big a deal. Justin’s cool. He’ll think it’s funny.’

I stared at her as an uncomfortable silence settled over us. She looked at me, probably wondering why I was freaking out, before awkwardly changing the subject.

‘Oh my gosh, I’m so stupid, I’m Amanda, by the way. I’m Jessica’s personal assistant.’

‘Um, hey, I’m Emma…Emma Porter’

‘Hi Emma! Sooooo where ya from?’

‘Oh uh, Atlanta actually.’

‘Really? What brought you all the way out here?’

The face of my ex-fiancée involuntarily flashed though my mind before I could push it away.

‘Um, I just needed a change. Things were…complicated back home and I just decided to go explore and I dunno, just figure out who I am.’

She nodded, ‘Cool, cool. I moved out here five years ago to be a famous actress, now I work for one. How ironic right?’

Though she kept smiling, her disappointment at her situation was almost tangible. I just nodded.

Yet another uncomfortable silence came over the car. God, kill me now…

‘So, going from a law office to a PA so quickly must be a big change right?’

My voice flew up two octaves,  ‘What? What do you mean?’

Oh shit, she knew. The packet Klein sent had said only he, Jessica, and I knew what was going on, but if Amanda knew then I was fucked. For all I know she could sell me out to Justin for some bit part in an SNL skit or worse she could rat me out to the tabloids and I’d be on the front of Star before I could blink.

Amanda turned to look at me, a strange combination of worry and ‘is she crazy?’ on her face, ‘Oh no, I meant nothing by it. I’m sorry, I just….well, I thought it must be so different working in a stuffy old law office than running around with a celebrity that’s all…’

I heaved a huge silent sigh of relief and smiled.

‘Oh! I’m just thankful I got another job so soon after the firm let me go… cutbacks you know. But yeah, I mean it wasn’t all boring in the office, trust me. You’d be surprised how interesting things get in divorce cases. Like when – oh, but you don’t want to hear about that stuff.’

‘Are you kidding me? You’d be amazed how boring celebrity lives really are. I’m dying for some good gossip !’

We spent the rest of the car ride in tears as I recalled the top 10 most hilarious divorce proceedings including some software mogul’s crazy ex-wife who threw her poodle at him after he brought out the prenup she thought she’d shredded and the Forbes’ 500 billionaire who literally had a heart attack after finding out his mistress was actually his wife’s lover too. Ahh, the ol’ good days…

Finally we pulled up in front of a brand new glass high rise that shined like the top of the Chrysler Building.

‘Ok, here we are. Come on.’

Amanda got out and gave her keys to the valet attendant, then turned paused as she realized I hadn’t left the car yet. I hadn’t even removed my seat belt yet. Instead, I just sat there, clutching my attaché for dear life, hyperventilating as I went over my story over and over again in my head.

Ok, Emma Elizabeth Porter, you can do this, now what are you? I am a temp provided by an exclusive firm that Jessica contacted last week. I am well qualified and always prepared. I had no idea I was working for the man who rocked my world (well, I assume he did) less than three weeks ago.

Amanda came up to knock on the window with a smile,

‘It’s okay Emma. You’re gonna kick ass.’

I blinked then nodded before releasing my poor attaché from my death grip and opening the door.

The next five minutes were a blur as I focused on trying to breathe as we headed up to the 25th floor.

As we stepped out of the elevators, my heart went into overdrive, beating so fast I thought I was going into cardiac arrest. We took two steps before the elevator next to us dinged and Jessica stepped out, looking like the pretty girl next door in a flannel shirt and jeans.

‘Hey Amanda! Hi, you must be Emma. I’m Jessica, nice to meet you’

She stuck out her hand, her face the perfect picture of innocence and excitement. Oh yeah, she was good.

I took it her thin, cool hand in my warm, clammy one briefly before letting go.

‘Nice to meet you too.’

‘Oh don’t be so nervous, we’re all like family here. Mandy, could you go in and see if he’s busy please? Thanks.’

Amanda smiled and nodded, walking quickly into the glass doors halfway up the hall on the right.

Though she never lost her smile, Jessica’s eyes seemed to change as soon as Amanda went into the office.

‘Ok, you know what you’re supposed to do, right?

I nodded solemnly.

‘If he meets with anyone I want you to be there and write it down, do you understand me? And if you have the slightly inkling that something is going on with him and some other bitch, you come straight to me, not to Klein, to me. And so help me, if you even get within 500 feet of a camera and microphone, I will personally see to it that -  ’

Thankfully, Amanda poked her head back out into the hallway.

‘Jess, he’s ready for you.’

She turned and nodded, giving me one last meaningful look before walking towards his office.

Sweet Mary and Joseph, that woman is out of her fucking skull. I gave a deep sigh before following her into hell.

In reality, hell turned out to be large, modern-looking office, much like that of Bender Klein and Associates. We passed a receptionist desk, manned by a kind older woman who gave me an encouraging smile as I passed, before winding through a maze of large cubicles filled with young, trendy employees on cell phones. At the end of the hall stood two wooden doors that opened to small waiting room decorated in beiges and brown leather.

Jessica turned around, motioning for me to sit on the comfy looking couch next to Amanda.

‘I’ll be right back’

And with that she passed into another set of expensive looking wooden doors, closing silently behind her.

Amanda turned to me, eyes lit with excitement, ‘Here comes my favorite part.’

I gave her a puzzling look before quickly turning back to the door as a muffled ‘WHAT?!?’ filtered through the thick piece of wood. The voices inside slowly began to raise as they started to argue.

Amanda scoffed, ‘You know they go to marriage counseling twice week. They pay thousands of dollars to meet with this guy for an hour and they’re still at each others throats. It’s ridiculous. Oh just a helpful hint, try to schedule something relaxing for him after the counseling session. They tend to be quite pissy afterwards and they’ll make your life hell. Her Highness likes to go to the spa, but you should try to book him a couple hours on the driving range or something.’

I nodded and took out the tiny, blue notebook I’d found last night to fill with certain things to remember about Justin. ‘Book golf time after counseling sessions’ went right under ‘Justin hates coconuts’ on the C's page in the book.

I finished writing just as Jessica screamed from the other side of the door.

‘Oh my God, Justin! WHY are you so afraid of fucking change? It’s ridiculous!!’

‘Oh stop with that already! It’s bullshit and you know it!’

‘Really? Cause that’s exactly what Dr. Miller said! You’re a fucking control freak!! And when I try to do something for you, you always throw it back in my face.’

‘Really? REALLY?!?! So you did what you did for ME? You killed my -  ’

He broke off as Jessica choked back a huge sob.

I started at the sudden absence of shouting and turned to Amanda.

‘What? What happened? What did she kill?’

Amanda blanched and looked down as the door opened.

Jessica, eyes red, stepped out, whispering, ‘He’s ready to see you now.’

Amanda quickly jumped up, putting a comforting arm around Jessica shoulders and walked out with her, mouthing a ‘Good luck’ to me before she left.

I watched as the door closed with a soft click behind them, then turned to the ominous door ahead. Standing up, I straightened my suit and took a last look at myself in the reflection of the window.  

Ok, here goes….

I walked into the silent office, darting a glance at my plush surroundings before focusing on the large desk to my right. There he sat, his head resting in his arms, looking the picture of depression. For a second, I felt bad for him, knowing his day was only going to get worse.

Head still down, he finally broke the silence, ‘Please sit down.’

I took a couple steps towards the high backed chairs in front of his desk then stopped, thinking it’d be easier to run away if I weren’t sitting.

Hearing my hesitation, he looked up puzzled then froze, staring at me in abject horror.

I looked down, trying hard to keep myself from fidgeting under his scrutiny.

Another ten seconds of silence passed before he gave a booming, full-throated laugh of disbelief.

‘You have got be shitting me. You have got to be shitting me! What the fuck is this, Candid Cameras? Who put you up to it?’

I looked up, making myself seem confused. ‘I’m sorry?’

 ‘Was it Jess? Is she waiting behind the door or something? Waiting to see what I’ll do? Or wait, was it Trace? The little bastard, is he trying to teach me a lesson or something? Who do you work for?’

I frowned with my brows furrowed in an effort to keep up the charade of confusion.

‘I don’t work for anyone. Well, I do, but it’s a temp agency - ’

‘BULLSHIT! Now, I’m going to give you one chance before I call security to kick your trifling ass out of here. Who. Do. You. Work. For?’

My eyes widened as confusion melted into genuine anger.

‘Trifling? TRIFLING? Well excuse me Mr. Timberlake, but it takes two to tango does it not? And it’s not like I wanted to come here and humiliate myself in front of you.’

‘Well then LEAVE! Nothing’s stopping you.’

‘Trust me, I would love to, but I have to pay this thing called rent and I don’t work, I can’t do that.’

He scoffed, curling his lip in disgust, ‘Oh so, you want money. Figures.’

He pulled a checkbook out of his desk, scratching his name across the bottom before ripping it out and waving it at me.

‘Here, a blank check. Do with it what you will. Now get out of my office.’

I stared at him, wondering if I could smack him across the head with my attaché before security caught me. Wait no, if I did that, Jen and I would end up as cellmates in Rikers.

I forced myself to take two deep breathes before saying in a cold, controlled voice,

‘Look Mr. Timberlake, I understand that we have…a history of sorts, but I came here today to do my job because I am a professional and that is what professionals do. Now, you are free to call my agency and put in a  request for another replacement, but they will ask why you found my performance unsatisfactory after approximately an hour on the job and, should you choose not to answer, they will go on to launch an investigation that neither you nor I would benefit from. Now, I understand that as a celebrity, people are always trying to trick you and get something from you, but I am not one of those people. I just want to do my job and make enough money to pay my bills and if you are what I have to deal with to do so, then so be it.’

He leaned back in his chair, assessing me, before giving a slow nod.

‘Fine, it’s not like I won’t break you in a week anyway.’

A cold smile slowly spread across my face, ‘Well then, game on, Mr. Timberlake. Unlike some, I find that I can always rise to a challenge.’

I gave a quick, pointed look down towards his crotch before looking back up to his face, watching it turn a mottled red color.

Sure, I couldn’t remember if he could get it up or not, but he didn’t know that.

Hands shaking with fury, he reached in another drawer and threw what looked to be a list at me.

Glaring, he all but whispered, ‘I want all of it done by the end of the day. Now get the fuck out.’

Returning his glare, I sneered, ‘Gladly.’