"JC, no.  No more.  I'm cutting you off."

Caroline pulled JC's arm down as he tried to flag the stewardess.  "I'm serious!"

"This is only my second cup," JC pointed out, motioning at the stack of empty Styrofoam on his tray table.

"Yes, but we've only been on the plane for fifteen minutes," Caroline whispered, aware that they were attracting attention of the couple sitting across the aisle from them.  "No.  More."

JC sighed dramatically.  "I told you, flying makes me nervous."

"Well, you have 45 minutes to get over it," Caroline said, wishing first class wasn't so quiet.  She felt like everyone in the front cabin of the plane could hear every word of their conversation.  "Aren't you used to flying by now?"

"No," he replied flatly.  "I've always hated it."

"Maybe you should try Dramamine like a normal person," she suggested.  "I don't see how getting hyped up on caffeine is doing anybody any favors."

JC just grumbled and picked up the SkyMall magazine.  Caroline took a deep breath and returned to studying the weekend's schedule that Justin's manager had faxed over to her that morning.  They would make it to Vegas just in time to check in at the hotel, and then head over to the "VIP Kickoff Party", whatever the hell that was.  It seemed that the major festivities didn't start until Saturday afternoon, however.  First, there was the grand opening of a new Shriner's-funded mini-amusement park, just outside of the strip.  Saturday night was the big benefit concert itself, followed off by a thank-you brunch and press conference Sunday morning. 

As busy as it looked, Caroline had to admit that the weekend itself was a great idea.  Celebrities and professional athletes galore would be attending in droves, and the concert had sold out in a matter of minutes, with all the proceeds going directly to The Children's Hospital.  Surely, the outcome would be millions.

Caroline replaced her tray table and slipped the schedule back into her bag with a sigh.  First class may have been oddly quiet, but the seats were a hell of a lot more roomy than the coach accommodations she was used to.  She shifted until she was comfortable, then closed her eyes, resting her head against the back of the seat.

Tap, tap, tap. Tap, tap, tap.  Tap, tap.  Tap, tap, tap.

Caroline's eyes shot open.  "JC, what the hell?"

He stared at her.  "What?"

"Why are you tapping the armrest like that?" she asked, pushing his hand off of their shared armrest. 

"Because I'm nervous, and someone won't let me have any more coffee," he shot back. 

Caroline struggled to keep her cool as she glanced at her watch.  LA to Las Vegas was quite possibly one of the shortest flights ever, but right now, it was threatening to stretch out into epic proportions.

"Can I get you two anything?" the flight attendant asked, appearing over JC's shoulder.  He smiled up at her winningly.

"Do you have any...adult beverages?" he asked, and Caroline hid her face in embarrassment.  The flight attendant offered a placating smile.

"I can offer you champagne and orange juice," she said, and JC nodded enthusiastically.

"Great.  Two, please."

Caroline rolled her eyes, but as it turned out, the drink calmed JC down considerably.  He drained it in about two gulps, and Caroline offered him the remainder of hers.

"You don't like it?" he asked, taking the glass out of her hand.  Caroline shrugged.

"I didn't eat much lunch," she admitted.  "I don't want to get drunk."

"Drunk?  On four ounces of champagne?"  JC shook his head.  "Lightweight."

"So sorry if I don't go out bar crawling every other night."

JC signaled the flight attendant to take away the empty glasses.  "What do you do for fun then?"

Caroline shrugged.  "We do okay."

"Does Brandon drink?"

"No."

JC cocked his head.  "No?  Not at all?  Ever?"

"Not in three years," Caroline replied, glancing out the window at the bare landscape below. 

"Why?" JC prompted.  Caroline frowned at him.

"You're nosy today." 

JC just grinned.  "The alcohol lowers my inhibitions."

Caroline ignored his statement.  "For your information, alcoholism runs in Brandon's family, so he made the responsible decision to just...stay away from it." 

"Oh."  JC leaned back in his seat.  "Where did you two meet?"

Caroline rubbed her eyes.  There went her relaxing first class experience.

"Why are you asking me this?"

"Just making conversation."  He leaned over the armrest.  "Well?"

"We met in college."

"Brandon went to college?" JC asked, shrugging when Caroline shot him a look.  "Come on, he's a mechanic."

"He never graduated," Caroline said.  "It's...kind of a long story."

JC glanced at his watch.  "We have 32 minutes."

He had her captive there on the plane, and Caroline knew it.  "Fine.  He was in the pre-law program at USC, but he dropped out a year before he was supposed to finish."

"Why?"

"His dad is a lawyer and wanted Brandon to be one, too," she said.  "But it wasn't his dream.  So he gave it up."

"To become a rock star," JC interjected.

"Shouldn't you be a little less condescending?" Caroline pointed out.  "Did you go to college?"

"No," JC said.  "But if I had, I would have finished."

"Well, good for you."  Caroline smoothed her hands over the non-existent wrinkles in her skirt.  "It was the right decision for Brandon, and I supported him completely.  I still do."

"And now you support him financially, too," JC quipped with a smirk.  Caroline clenched her fists.

"Okay, number one, Brandon supported me for two years while I finished my degree and looked for a job," she said, her voice quiet but heated.  "Number two, you're starting to cross a line from being smug to being presumptuous, and I don't appreciate it."

It took extreme care for her to respond to JC as politely as she did, and he took note, leaning back in his seat with slightly raised eyebrows.  "You're right.  I'm sorry."

Caroline didn't reply, just turned back to the window. 

JC left her alone for the remainder of the flight, and Caroline savored her twenty minutes of silence, knowing that she might not have another moment to herself for the rest of the weekend.  When the plane landed, they disembarked without any problems.  Caroline was pleased that JC's usual airport disguise of a hat and glasses deterred anyone from stopping them on their way through the terminal.  Thanks to that, their carry-on luggage, and the car service waiting at the arrival gate as she'd arranged, they were in and out of the airport in ten minutes flat.

Caroline pulled out her Blackberry to text Rob once they were in the backseat of the black SUV.  JC's publicist had arranged to meet them at the hotel before the party - as it turned out, he had a couple other clients scheduled to be at the benefit as well.  Caroline was quickly learning that Rob liked to have all of his fingers in the pie whenever possible.  As annoying as he could be, he was a nice guy deep down, though Caroline got the feeling that JC didn't care for him much.

"Rob said he's at the hotel already," Caroline announced, responding to him that they'd be there in ten minutes.  JC took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.

"Great.  How long do you think it will take to lose him tonight?"

"Probably not long."  Caroline tucked her phone away and glanced at her watch.  It was 5:30, and they would have just enough time to get to the hotel and change before needing to get to the party at the Luxor by 7. 

Of course, JC had requested that Caroline make arrangements for them to stay at one of the most expensive hotels on the strip - the Wynn.  The rates for the suites he'd requested had been exorbitant, but Caroline had to admit that even the lobby was breathtaking.  Rob was waiting for them at the base of an elaborate red-carpeted staircase, next to an ornate marble fountain.

"Hey!"  He waved them over.  "You made it!  How was the flight?  You gotta see these rooms, they are off the hook!"  Typical Rob, going a mile a minute.  Caroline left him with JC and made her way to the front desk to check in.

As overwhelming as he could be, Rob wasn't kidding about the rooms.  Caroline's suite was across the hall from JC's, and she had to work hard to keep her jaw from dropping as she stepped inside.  The room was more than lavish, with a separate sitting room and small kitchen area.  Everything was gorgeously modern, white furniture with touches of gold, and a huge picture window supplying a backdrop of the Las Vegas sunset in the distance, the lights of the strip sparkling some twenty floors below. 

"Holy shit," Caroline murmured, looking her fill in the sitting room before continuing onto the bedroom.  The accommodations were just as immaculate, and the bed looked so comfortable that she had a hard time reminding herself that she had a very long night before she could enjoy it. 

Her watch did all the reminding for her, flashing 5:52 as she dropped her bag on the bed and sat down for a moment.  She still needed to shower and get dressed, but first things first.

"Hello?"

"Hey!"  Caroline laid back on the bed, comforted by Brandon's voice on the other end of the phone.

"Hey, jetsetter.  How's Vegas?" he asked.  Caroline smiled.

"So far it's okay.  Brandon, you should see this hotel.  It's...insane."

"I'll bet," he replied.  "Worth $500 a night?"

"I'll let you know after I get to sleep in this bed."  She stretched her free arm out on top of the down comforter.  "Right now, I'm leaning towards yes."

"That's good."  Brandon sighed.  "I miss you."

The pit of Caroline's stomach warmed.  "I miss you, too.  How was work?"

They chatted about their days for a few minutes before Caroline glanced at her watch again.

"Damn it, I really have to get going, babe."  She sat up and ran her hand through her hair.  "It'll probably be a late night tonight, but I'll try to give you a call tomorrow sometime."

"Okay.  Have fun living the life," Brandon replied.  "Don't get too drunk."

"I won't.  I love you."

"Love you, too.  Bye."

Caroline rushed through her shower and putting on the new dress she'd bought for the event.  Much to Brandon's amusement, she'd given in to temptation and gone shopping the week before, though she was hoping no one at the party would be able to tell that she'd spent her money at a designer outlet rather than Rodeo Drive.

She was putting earrings on when someone knocked on her door.

JC was on the other side, hands on his hips.  "I need your opinion."  He motioned for Caroline to follow him across the hall to his room, and brought her to a stop in front of several different shirts that he'd laid out on the back of the couch in the sitting area.

"Well?" he asked, hands still on his hips.  "Which one?"

Caroline frowned, considering all four of the shirts.  As far as she was concerned, they were all ugly, and probably had the combined total cost of a used sports car.

"I'm...not really a fan of any of them," she admitted, and when JC frowned, picked up the least of the evils.  "Maybe this one."

JC snatched the shirt from her, and to Caroline's horror, pulled off the long-sleeved t-shirt he was already wearing.  "JC!"

"What?"  He slipped the button-down shirt over his shoulders, raising his eyebrows when Caroline covered her face.  "Are you embarrassed?"

"When my boss strips naked in front of me, yes."  Caroline peeked around her hands, only to see that JC had yet to button up the shirt and was standing in front of the full length mirror on the back of the bedroom door.  "Are you gonna wear it like that?"

"Maybe."  He scrutinized his reflection for a moment longer.  "I don't think this goes with the jeans."

Caroline sighed as JC took the shirt off and held his hand out for another.  Picking up one at random, she tossed it to him and made  conscious effort not to watch as he put it on. 

"Yeah?"  JC turned to her, the checkered shirt fully buttoned.  "What do you think?"

"I think your pants are really tight," she said.  JC looked down.

"Does that bother you?"

She shook her head, doing her best to look uninterested.  "You're the fashionista, not me."

JC made a show of looking her up and down, and Caroline crossed her arms over her waist self-consciously.  "I don't know, you look pretty in-vogue tonight.  What is that, Donna Karan?"

Caroline scoffed.  "You are so gay for knowing that."

Instead of getting offended, JC just smirked.  "Oh, trust me, honey.  My knowledge of women's dresses is the very furthest thing from gay."

An inexplicable blush spread over Caroline's cheeks, and she looked down for lack of a snappy comeback.  Thankfully, she was saved by a knock at the door.  Rob was on the other side, dressed in a nicely pressed gray suit and bright fuchsia tie. 

"Oh good.  You're both ready."  He tapped the face of his huge, flashy Rolex.  "Let's go!"

The Luxor was just a quick trip down to the other end of the strip, but the car service waited on the curb to pick them up.  Caroline found herself crammed in the backseat in between JC and Rob, both of whom had their phones out and were texting away. 

The party itself was in the trendiest, most elegant club that the Luxor had to offer, which was packed to the gills with every sort of famous person imaginable.  People that Caroline wouldn't have recognized three months ago filtered through the club in every which direction.  JC made a beeline for the bar as soon as they entered the building, and Caroline had no choice but to follow. 

After JC had a glass of scotch and soda in hand, Caroline was surprised to see him take a seat at the bar instead of choosing to mingle around.  He caught her staring at him and raised his eyebrows.

"What?"

"Shouldn't you be..." She twirled her finger around in the air. "Networking?"

JC rolled his eyes.  "I'll let Rob handle that gambit tonight."

Caroline ordered her own drink, and surprised herself by choosing to walk around the club.  It was a beautiful place, with fountains, life-size sculptures, and strange lighting arrangements galore.  She passed Rob more than a couple times, who was indeed hobnobbing his ass off. 

"Hey! Caroline, right?"

Caroline turned away from the sculpture she'd been examining to see her old buddy, Mario Lopez.  Now fully knowing who he was, Caroline had to remind herself not to get starstruck.

"Yeah.  Nice to see you again."  They shook hands and Mario glanced around.

"JC here?"

Caroline nodded.  "He's somewhere."

"Still working for him, huh?" Mario asked with a smile.  "Going on three months, is it?"

"Three and half next week," Caroline corrected.

"Way to go!"  He tipped his glass in her direction.  "Hey, this is the longest he's had one assistant since I've known him."

Caroline raised her own glass and they toasted to her victory.  "I have to say that I can see why."

Mario just chuckled.  "You should come to a taping sometime," he suggested.  "We have fun."

Caroline had watched America's Best Dance Crew on MTV once.  She wouldn't say it was her idea of a fun time, per se.  "Yeah, maybe."

They chatted a bit more about the weekend and the benefit concert when Justin appeared out of nowhere, dressed to the nines in a fancy three-piece suit.

"Look who it is!  Sweet Caroline!" he shouted, pulling her into a crushing one-armed hug.  "Everybody having a good time?"

A flood of people seemed to follow Justin wherever he went, so Caroline quickly lost sight of Mario in the mass of people that suddenly surrounded them.  Justin snatched up her nearly empty glass. 

"Let's get you a refill!  Where's JC?"

As it turned out, Caroline didn't see much of JC at all for the rest of the night.  She returned to the bar a couple of times, but he was nowhere to be seen.  Figuring that he could handle the party on his own, she did an okay job of amusing herself, actually meeting quite a few people.  Justin was a helpful instrument in that department, as he seemed to pop up everywhere and make the necessary connections, always introducing her as "Caroline, assistant to the stars".

Caroline didn't even realize how late it was until she glanced at her Blackberry while she waited at the bar for her fourth (or was it fifth?) drink of the evening.  The phone announced to her that it was nearing midnight, and she yawned at the realization.  The crowd at the club had thinned slightly, but the party didn't look anywhere close to winding down.  Taking a seat on a barstool, she tried texting JC.  He didn't respond, so she moved onto Rob.

Where are you guys?  It's getting late. The bartended returned with her drink and she took a small sip as she set her phone down on the bar and waited for a reply.  She'd just fished the cherry out of her Seven and Seven when the phone vibrated.

It's not late.  Where are you?  was Rob's most unhelpful reply.  Caroline rolled her eyes, replied that she was at the bar, and elected to stay put.  She hadn't realized how tired her feet were from walking around in heels all night until this very moment.

She'd finished off her drink completely and was considering ordering another one when JC appeared.

"Are you drunk?" he demanded, not looking entirely sober himself.  Caroline shook her head.

"No.  Are you?"

JC sat down at the bar next to her, digging into a bowl of peanuts that sat nearby.  "No."

They sat in silence for a few moments, the only sounds coming from JC's mouth as he crunched through the entire bowl of peanuts. 

"I hate these things," he said finally, and Caroline glanced at the empty bowl.

"Why'd you eat them all, then?"

He sighed.  "No, I hate these...party things."

"Oh."  She leaned her chin on her hand and tried to focus her vision.  Maybe she was drunk after all.  "Why?"

"Everyone here is...doing something," JC replied, waving his hand around at the crowd that still filled the club.  "They're all known for something new, something right now.  And what am I doing?"  He pushed the empty peanut bowl away with a grimace.  "Jack shit."

"That's not true," Caroline pointed out.  "You're on a TV show."

"Ooh."  JC shook his head.  "Everyone in this club is probably wondering what the hell I'm doing here."

Caroline stared down at the chrome surface of the bar, not sure what to say. 

"Anyway."  JC wiped his salty hands on the front of his jeans.  "Ready to go?"

Caroline nodded slowly as she slipped her phone back into the clutch she'd brought with her.  JC pulled out his own Blackberry to call the car service.  As he was dialing, Caroline put her hand out and grabbed his wrist.  JC looked at her expectantly, but she wasn't sure exactly what she wanted to say.  She was too tipsy for this.

"Don't sell yourself short," was what came out, and Caroline was pleased to hear that she wasn't slurring any of her words.  "You're a talented person."

JC stared at her for a few seconds before carefully pulling out of her grip.  "That would mean more if you weren't wasted, but thanks all the same."

Caroline sighed.  "I'm not wasted.  And I do mean it."

JC didn't say anything, just called the car service and told them to be out front in five minutes.