Riley took another sip from her coffee as she listened to a tentative schedule of events and business she would need to handle in the next few months. 

She was so annoyed and yet nervous that she had taken it black. She hated black coffee…

Look alive, girl…

She had already been given a binder of important information. Emergency contacts, passwords, locations, restaurants, etc. It was daunting. Being an internationally known popstar was complicated…

She had noted as she did an initial flip through that his mom was listed as an emergency contact..

Ha! The rumors were true…TOTAL mama’s boy…

“You will also need to check in on my place when I am not there. Obviously, discretion and privacy is really important here. Please don’t let anyone know you have this access, and please make sure when you are there, it is alone…”

Geez, did he think she was a child? She didn’t even look forward to the idea of having to play housekeeper for him, let alone inviting others to do it with her.

“Absolutely. No worries there. I understand.”

“Great, so do you have any questions so far…,” Justin’s manager, Johnny asked her.

“No sir, not as yet, but I will be sure to keep open communication, and ask anything I need to get the job done.”

Johnny smiled. “I’m sure you will. I won’t lie to you, this isn’t gonna be a straight path. This guy’s life is…interesting…”

Justin let out a little laugh “…Hey now…Don’t scare her away…”

Was that a challenge? Oh she could handle a challenge. Cocky bastard….

“Well…Mine has been, too…You’d be surprised…” she smiled.

Johnny laughed and she noticed Justin’s face shift. There was a weird expression in his eyes…intrigued, thrown off.

She didn’t like it.

“Then I’ll make sure to keep you busy…” he said quietly.

“SO…First order of business…” Johnny pulled out a folder and handed it to Riley.

“Going forward, any travel arrangements and documentation can be handled digitally, but to get your feet wet, let’s go old school with this one…Justin will be in town through the end of the month to handle some album and tour business. We want you to focus on getting settled in and getting to know the basics, but he will need some help coordinating his trip to Minnesota for the Suoerbowl Halftime…”

Riley skimmed the itinerary in the folder. “Looks straightforward enough. Direct flight. Any standing flight requests I should be aware of, Mr. Timberlake?”  She looked up to address him directly.

He smirked. “…Justin…You can call me Justin…and we can discuss that closer to the flight date. Johnny knows me. Nothing too crazy, but he will get you the list…”

“Fair enough…I assume I will need to check in on the apartment while you are away?”

“You pick things up fast…”

“Justin…” Johnny interjected.

Justin cleared his throat. “We will get you a set of keys. Johnny’s team will call you with the details. Really you will just need to make sure everything is where it’s supposed to be, and coordinate the monthly cleanings. I’m not a plant guy, so you won’t have to water any succulents or anything…”

Sarcasm. He has no idea who he is dealing with…

“Can do. Johnny, I will follow up with your team, then” Riley replied.

“So that’s it for now, then. Ms. Marin, I will be in contact. Glad to have you aboard. I think you are going to do just fine…” Johnny reached out to shake her hand.

“Thank you, sir,” she returned his reach and shook his hand.

“Justin,” she looked at him to repeat the handshake.

He stood up and took her hand, his amused expression replaced by straightforward businessman.

“Ms. Marin…We’ll talk soon.”

What was this dude’s deal?? On and off with the moods? She was gonna need to stock up on wine…

**

Riley had spent the rest of that week catching up on the “Wonderful World of Timberlake.”

She had read and re-read that binder 4 times, making notes of her own and double-checking contact information of the locations and restaurants listed.

Driven by the desire to cut off any of his sarcasm ahead of time, she had even called a few of the more significant places to introduce herself to the manager. She had called the housecleaner to confirm his cleaning, and a messenger had dropped off her set of keys.

She had yet to hear from Justin himself again, but had spoken to Johnny’s team a couple times to verify his upcoming travel details, and orient herself with who her key contacts would be.

She was already exhausted. She felt herself doing too much, but that had always been who she was. She needed to cover all bases, and needed to do an amazing job before anyone could point out her mistakes. Riley Marin had NEVER liked being still for too long, and relaxing for any period of time made her uncomfortable.

By Saturday, however, her body had made the choice for her. She settled in for a Netflix binge with Benji guarding her lap, and did not make it very long…

Just as Bradley Cooper was about to move in for the kill on their French Riviera balcony, Riley felt a mix of fur and tongue on her face. A chirpy melody disturbed her paradise, and she found herself crumpled on her couch, remote on the floor, and bowl of popcorn on a tray in front of her. She rubbed her eyes, and the ball of fluff in front her came into focus as Benji, prancing around in a circle.

She groaned awake, and reached for her phone to check the time.

12:30??? How had she slept so late?? And why was her alarm going off at 12:30 on a SUNDAY?

The phone flashed at her again, BRUNCH WITH THE CREW.

SHIT!

She had totally forgotten they had planned this weeks ago. Her friends had been worried about her, and wanted to get her out of her apartment for some fun. A great idea at the time, but now she had exactly an hour and a half to feed Benji, get ready and make it to the restaurant. In New York time, that was the equivalent of half an hour.

She picked up her phone to text Katie…

“Hey! Sorry…Slept in…Gonna be a little late…Order me a bloody ? :p”

Her phone flashed almost immediately after…

“UGH…Bitch! Lol…FINE…I can’t believe you drink that crap…”

Riley jog walked to the restaurant when she got off the train, silently praising herself for wearing sneakers. She was half awake, but had managed to make herself look at least human, though the messy bird’s nest on her head might disagree.

Her friends were seated near the front of the restaurant, so she had no time to settle in when she walked in…

“RY!” her older brother called when he saw her “…You made it!”

She walked over and sat in the only empty chair, noticing that Katie had actually ordered her a bloody mary. She was 20 minutes late, so the glass was sweating a little, but it was the thought that counts?

“I’m so sorry you guys! I set my alarm weeks ago…I don’t know what happened…”

Emi laughed. “Geez, Ry…This is new…”

“Yeah well, Enjoy it this time. I don’t like it.” she laughed “Did you guys order?”

“Nope, waiting for you, princess!” Katie joked. “Which meeeaaaans we are all on our second drink, so suck that thing down and catch up…” She winked as she gestured toward Riley’s drink. Katie was Riley’s best friend, and kept her on her toes. She was one of the sweetest people she had ever met, but was also afraid of absolutely nothing, and held very little back. She was kind of a free spirit, and brought out Riley’s fun side more than any of her other friends.

“Where’s Alex?” she asked. Her other older brother was supposed to be coming, and she hadn’t seen him in awhile.

“Amy wanted to come, too, but they couldn’t get a sitter, so he had to cancel last minute…He didn’t call you?” her brother Diego asked.

“Nope…I give it at least an hour. “ She and Diego looked at each other and laughed.

Riley’s brother Alex, or Alejandro legally, had just had his 3rd child with his wife Amy. Both siblings were pretty forgiving where he was concerned, understanding that family life kept him crazed. Diego was the middle child, and mostly unsettled. His last relationship had not worked out, but he got a gorgeous 2 year old little girl out of it, and was on good terms with her mother.

Riley was the odd one out of her family, which would not have been such a big deal if she wasn’t the only girl. Despite being the baby of the family, her Mexican-American family thought she would never have kids or settle down. She had gotten close at one point, and then subsequently broken her mother’s heart when it fell through. Nevermind that it wasn’t her fault…

“Well, I’m starving, so it’s better we don’t have to wait for him, too,” Emi said as she munched on a tortilla chip. Riley noticed the chip basket was almost empty, and looked down at her menu to try and make a quick decision.

“So….We are all pretty much caught up,” Katie said “..So what’s up with you? Out and about? We haven’t heard much from you lately…”

“Oh ..Ya know…Just…Moving on, figuring things out…” She kept it brief. She wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened yet, and wasn’t sure how to bring up…the Justin of it all. Katie and Emi were fans, and her brother would have a FIELD day.

“Come ON, Riley! Give us SOMETHING. Netflix and walking Benji can’t be ALL you are up to…” Emi pressed.

“Yeah, I mean…sleeping in. That’s not really you, even on a weekend…OH MY GOD DID YOU HAVE A DATE LAST NIGHT?” Katie seemed full of hope.

“Uh…No. Not that lucky,” Riley quipped, taking a long sip of her bloody mary. “Just…Kind of a late night. Netflix got juicy…”

“Ry…” Diego gave her a knowing look. She wasn’t fooling anyone. They all knew that aside from applying for jobs and hanging out with Benji, she hadn’t done much of anything since, well, since it all happened. Since her life had been turned upside down. They were concerned, and prepared to intervene, if necessary.

She sighed, three expectant sets of eyes on her, desperate for ANY progress, ANY signs of life.

“Well…Um…I sort of got a job…”

“WHAT? OH MY GOD Why didn’t you tell us?” Katie exclaimed.

“It’s VERY new. Actually I have been trying to get my bearings all week. Been kind of caught up and, well, still sorting out the details, ya know.”

“Well where is it? What are you doing?” Emi asked.

“Uh, actually um…” She took a gulp of her drink that almost left her unable to speak. “Personal assistant. It’s a personal assistant role.”

Diego gave her a confused look “Really?! A PA…So you are gonna be someone’s bitch?”

Riley almost choked. “No! It’s not like that. It’s…Well It will be a great opportunity. Make contacts. Network, learn the industry and all that. High profile stuff.”

“What industry?” Katie asked

“Music.”

“Oh, well that’s a great fit, Ry! Congratulations. Right up your alley.” Thank God for Emi.

“Who’s your boss?” Alex asked.

Damn it.

“What?” Riley stalled.

“Your boss. You said personal assistant. To who?”

“Oh it’s confidential. Not sure I can really say yet.”

Keep stalling, Riley. Where the hell is our waiter??

“Well is it a singer?” Katie asked.

“Yes. Among other things, yes.”

‘Among other things?’ Stop talking, Riley.

“Wait. You are being really weird about this. Who is it?”

“Guys. Really. It’s not a big deal. Is our waiter coming back? We should really order.”

“You said it was high profile. That’s a big deal.” Emi reminded her.

“Oh, well, I mean I will only be handling his New York business so, I am not even sure how much I will see of him, and-“

“HIM?” Katie asked “Ok now we are getting somewhere…”

“Listen, guys. Chill. It’s a privacy thing. I really can’t-“

“What color hair?” Emi added.

Diego was quietly finishing the basket of chips and sitting back. Watching his sister fidget was really funny.

“It’s…I don’t know. Brown? Can we drop this?”

“Hmm. Eyes?” Katie continued.

“Light.”

“LIGHT? That tells us NOTHING, Ry!” Emi whined.

“Ok is he like...Old, young? What kind of music? OH MY GOD Is it a rapper?” Katie worked herself up.

Riley was dying inside. Emi and Katie started to throw out guesses, all of which Riley denied.

“It’s not Justin Bieber, is it? That would be kind of weird, because I mean-“

“TIMBERLAKE!” Riley had cracked. They were driving her insane.

The table went dead silent.

“Wh-what…” Katie looked like she had seen a ghost. Clearly, she was messing with them.

“I SAID…Timberlake. Justin. Timberlake.” Riley said just above a whisper.

“You. You got a job- You’re working for…Justin…” Emi could barely get the words out.

Riley paused a second before speaking again and took a deep breath.

“Yes. I will be assisting him with New York business.”

“Riley …If you are kidding, I will kill you…” Katie said, eyes wide and breath uneven.

“I’m not kidding.” She felt like the room was 150 degrees, and could feel her stomach in her feet.

Diego was the first to break the silence, letting out a laugh that sounded almost like a squeal.

“OH MY GOD That’s perfect…” He could not contain himself. He had watched his sister stand in front of the tv for hours, learning every move to “Bye, Bye, Bye” and later ripping up anything she could that had Justin’s face on it.

“D…Shut up…” Riley complained.

“I guess he apologized,” he said through his laughter.

“Diego, seriously, stop.”

She looked at her two friends, who had a familiar look on their face. A look eleven year old Riley got often. Fangirl.

“No…You guys…NO!”

“RILEEEYYYYYYYYY,” Katie squeaked.

“Katie…Not now…”

“But you hate him,” Emi marveled.

“Yeah, well…”

They were broken. She had broken her friends. Diego was still laughing.

What a time for their waiter to show up.

MY HERO, Riley thought.

“Sorry for the wait, folks. We all here and ready to order?”

Riley DEFINITELY was.