Riley waited backstage in a small dressing room. One song left according to her timing. 

She reached into the small fridge to grab a bottle of water, hum-singing to herself mindlessly…

“..Tell me where you’re from, what you do, what you like, Let me get your brain, girl…”

“...And tell me how they got that pretty little face on that pretty little fr-”

Riley spun around startled, and Justin stopped short, speechless. He had been so focused earlier, he hadn’t noticed what she had been wearing, but he could have sworn it was NOT this...

“Wow...Um...Riley…”

He stared at her. The simple black dress fit her perfectly, and the lace trim was just enough. The thin leather straps sat perfectly on her collarbone.. Her hair had been perfectly curled at the ends into soft waves that fell naturally around her shoulders. She was glowing. 

Her eyes were just slightly shaded and the highlight on her cheeks made her look like something out of a movie.

“Show over already…,” she broke the silence. 

“Uh huh... You look. Incredible.”

Riley blushed, but deflected. “You’re all sweaty...Go shower so we can get to the party…”

“Right...Right...the uh…” he stammered. “What did you think of the show?”

“UNREAL as usual…” Riley responded, swallowing before asking the question she knew she needed to.

“Uh...That extra song… Were you...I mean was that -”

“Yeah…” He smiled softly, answering her question in one look. “‘I mean it’s...not new, but…”

“Right,” she breathed “Um...Thank you…”

Justin sighed, sincerity in his eyes as he grabbed her hand “He’s still a dick, Marin... You need someone who appreciates you. You’re...YOU…”

Riley looked down “I don’t...Thank you, Justin…”  She felt a warmth with his hand on hers. It was a feeling she didn’t know what to do with.

Sensing her nerves, he changed the subject.

“Katie and Emi have fun?”

Riley giggled “Well...You almost killed Katie, but yeah…”

He laughed “She liked that, huh?”

“You could say that,” Riley laughed. 

Her hand was still in his, and she looked up to meet his eyes. “I liked it too…”

He smiled. “I’m gonna go get ready.”

Riley watched him leave, her heart having picked up speed. 

“Shit…” she whispered to herself.

****

Riley slowly sipped her seltzer and lemon as she scanned the room. Everyone seemed to be having a great time at the party, and Justin was in rare form, laughing and dancing around more than she had ever seen him do. It was probably all the liquid happy he had ingested. She had made it her personal mission to keep him hydrated between drinks, but he was giving her a run for her money. 

Justin’s childhood friend Eytan walked over to her, smiling. “He’s almost here. Ready for the big reveal?” he asked.

“I am..IS HE?” she laughed. Eytan and Trace had arranged for Justin’s favorite rapper, Mase, to make an appearance. Justin had no idea, and Riley had a feeling she might have to do some damage control. 

Eytan laughed back at her “We shall see. Anyway, I’ll text you when he gets here. Think you can distract him while we sneak him inside?”

“I think I can handle that,” Riley smirked. She was REALLY looking forward to watching Justin caught off guard.

Eytan made his way to the dance floor, and Riley felt a tug on her arm a few minutes later.

“Hey you! What are you doing over here by yourself…” Justin grinned at her.

“Hey birthday boy...Making sure you make it out of this night alive…” she teased. 

“Riley Riley Riley...You need to relax a little…”

“I’m working, BOSS…”

He rolled his eyes. “Party is GREAT. You nailed it. Take the rest of the night off!”

“Justin…” she gave him a look.

“Riley…” he mimicked her. “It’s my birthday...and you know what I want for my birthday?”

Riley laughed. He was slurring a little, but not beyond hope yet. “What’s that?”

“I...want YOU...to have FUUNNNNNN….” he purred at her. 

Geezus. Why was he so charming?

The smile Riley was fighting snuck onto her face. “One drink, Justin...ONE…”

“AYYYYYYYEEE….” he cheered and lifted his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “Can we get a round of espolon over here?”

Riley noted the specific order. “A round..?”

Justin shrugged. “Open to interpretation…”

Riley shook her head. A few moments later, the bartender placed 4 overflowing shots of tequila before them. 

“Bottoms up, Marin…” Justin handed her one. 

“Justin...There had better be two other people coming over…”

“Just you and me,  chief…”

“I said ONE, Justin…”

“Fine.” he downed his shot, waiting for her.

She sighed. “Happy Birthday, Timberlake…” she knocked back the shot with ease. 

Justin clapped his hands together. “ONE DOWN…”

Riley laughed “And ONLY one, Justin…”

He smirked like a kid plotting a prank “I changed my mind. I need one last favor...and its a direct order…”

“Justin…”

“I NEED you to take another shot, Riley. As your boss…” 

“You are a child, you know that…”

She knew she didn’t have to take the shot. She knew she should probably let go a little. She also knew EXACTLY how she was feeling sober and it scared the hell out of her… but she was tired of being scared. She was tired of her life being stuck in neutral. 

“Fine.” she smirked and downed her second shot as he picked up the last one. 

“Nuh uh... “ she grabbed it from him. “You got a head start…” 

Justin raised his eyebrows in amusement as she finished the last shot.

“There you are...Come on, badass…” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the dance floor.

Riley followed Justin as he continued to mingle and they danced a little with the tour crew. 

Justin’s eyes settled on her as she swayed her hips. She could move. More importantly, he had never seen her this playful. It was hott.

She had to admit it was nice to have a real night out. It had been quite awhile. Lost for a minute in the festivities, she felt her phone buzz and quickly grabbed it, waiting until Justin was busy talking to someone to check the message.

“All set. M is here. Get him to the center of the room,” Eytan’s text read.

Riley threw the phone back in her crossbody and got Justin’s attention. “Sorry to interrupt. Justin uh..Johnny needs you…”

Justin frowned a little “No work, Riley…”

She shrugged. “He said it’s important.” Riley pointed to the center of the room. Justin excused himself and made his way over, Riley following close behind. 

As they made it to the edge of the small dancing space, a voice came over the speaker. 

“Ok  we need you to clear the dance floor. The birthday boy’s friends have a special message…LADIES AND GENTLEMEN”

The crowd parted and waited on baited breath as the track started and a yellow jacket appeared. 

The rap started, and Justin’s jaw dropped. Taking a step forward, the shock (or the tequila) set in and he collapsed to the floor. 

Riley could not hold back her deep laughter as he got up and started dancing with the enthusiasm of a 14 year old girl at a One Direction concert. 

GOT HIM, she thought…

This was pure joy. This was fanboy. He was living his best life, and it was infectious. It was adorable. 

It was...hott?

Riley fought herself as she watched him, eyes lit up as he processed what was happening. She needed a distraction. She slipped away to the bar to get a drink. Her thoughts drifted to the last few months of her life and how drastically her world had changed in a year. 

“Espolon and seltzer. Extra lime.” the bartender smiled at her. “THANK YOU” she smiled and left a tip on the bar. 

A set of arms wrapped around her from behind. “RILEY YOU KNEW?” he beamed in her ear.

“Surprised?” she craned her neck to look back at him. 

“Ya think?” he laughed.  She laughed back and his face changed. His eyes scanning her face, his mouth fell into a bashful smile and as she opened her mouth to speak again he caught it quickly with his lips. She pulled back suddenly, looking around. 

“Justin-” her eyes warned. He looked back at her. She was right.

“Follow me” he said quietly as he grabbed her hand under the bar and glanced toward an empty nook near the restrooms. He turned and started to walk.

Riley froze for a  brief second, downing two long sips of her drink. A quick glance of the room reassured her that no one had been paying attention. One last chug of tequila,, she made her way to him. 

“Hey,” he smiled as she snuck into the darkness with him. It wasn’t lost on her that this was a pretty random area of the venue. Had it been designed specifically for moments like this? 

“Hi…” 

He leaned down to kiss her, parting her lips with his tongue as she returned the gesture. He took her hand to pull her closer. 

“Justin...” she breathed, arms reaching up around his neck.

“My Riley,” he whispered against her ear before raining kisses down her neck.

She kissed her way back to his lips, letting her hands roam his back before taking a minute to pull 

back and catch her breath. 

If they were caught, this would be the end of her employment. 

It was honestly kind of thrilling. 

"What's wrong..." he breathed.

"Nothing...nothing I just... Feel all...sparkly..." 

"Sparkly?" He raised his eyebrows. "I think that's the tequila..." 

She smirked as she leaned back in "No it isn't..." 

Smiling ear to ear, he wrapped his arms around her “You wanna get out of here?”

She giggled instinctively “Did you really just say that?”

He giggled a little.  “ Yeah… yeah sorry… “ he made a face “...But do you?

Riley bit her lip, tired of lying to herself . “Yeah, Yeah I do…”

“Get a car…” 

Riley walked out first, smoothing her hair down as she made her way back into the party. 

She nearly ran straight into Trace as he walked toward the bathroom. 

“Hey Riley...Great Party…” he smiled.

“Thanks, uh, gotta take care of something ..Excuse me.” She averted her eyes and kept walking as Justin slipped out of the darkness, shirt slightly wrinkled. 

Trace gave him a look, and a chuckle followed.

“Hey man...What?” Justin tried to act casual.

“So you’re gonna act like I didn’t just see Riley running away…”

Justin glanced back toward the bathrooms. “...From the ladies room?...”

“Yeah…” he laughed “Sure buddy...sure…” He slapped Justin’s shoulder and shook his head as he passed him. 

Riley tried to blend in and wrap up any remaining party business while Justin made his rounds saying goodnight to his guests. It was late enough that no one tried to keep him, but Riley wanted to make sure the venue had clear instructions as far as payment and when and how the party should end. Her head was a little cloudy, and she wasn’t sure if the slight dizziness she felt was the tequila or anticipation.

Fifteen minutes later, Riley politely interrupted Justin as he was talking to Eytan and Trace.

“Justin...Your car is here. You ready to go?”

He gave his friends one last hug and tried to appear professional as he turned back to her

“Thank you, Marin...Lead the way…”

Trace snuck a wink at Riley as they left. 

Crap… She thought. How did he know?

Outside, Riley waited until Justin was safely tucked away in the back seat before looking around her.  Justin scooted to crack open the door 

“No one saw us, Riley...Get in…” he smiled.

She slid in next to him, noting the tinted glass that separated them from the driver. 

Reading her mind, Justin spoke “He can’t see us, either…” 

Riley smiled as he leaned forward and kissed her, picking up where they had left off at the party.

*****

Riley shuffled backwards through the door, feeling like she was floating but safely held in his embrace. They crashed against the wall of the foyer, a blur of hands and kisses. His hands slid up her leg and under her dress, his breathing ragged. Her hands gripped his lower back and pulled him into her, losing herself in his touch.

She tore at his shirt, feeling the buttons pop as it slid down his arm, revealing his  flexed bicep as he made quick work of sliding her panties down. She slid his shirt down,leaving him in his fitted undershirt.

Justin lifted her up quickly from behind and her legs found their way around his waist. 

“Where are we going…” “ she asked.

“Wherever you wanna go…”

“..Surprise me…”

He smiled and deepened their kiss as he made his way to the couch. They stumbled as his legs buckled on the edge. Riley worked her way around him and pushed him backward onto the cushions. 

“My turn…” she smiled as she climbed on top of him.

His eyes danced looking up at her “Damn, Marin...Full of surprises.”

She kissed his neck and heard him groan softly, running her hand slowly back and forth under the waistband of his boxers.

”How long have you thought about this, Justin...about me?” she whispered in his ear.

Reaching up to cradle her butt with both hands, he answered “Too long…”

She smiled and made her way to his fly, unbuttoning and unzipping until she found 

what she was looking for. Running her hand across it, she stopped. 

“Good, she stood up. “So then show me…” She smirked and slowly walked toward his bedroom. 

Propping himself up on the couch to pull his jeans up around him, he called out to her “Uhhh….Riley…?” 

Peeking her head out of the doorway of the bedroom, she spoke softly “...Are you coming?”

A short chuckle escaping him, he stood up, sliding his pants down to the floor “...Oh. I’m coming, Marin…”

**

Justin entered the room, finding her on the bed, hands stretched behind her. 

“Hey…” Riley began to play with the strap of her dress, pulling it down slightly. Justin walked to her quickly, stopping her hand with his. 

“Leave that on…” Leaning down to kiss her shoulder, she fell back onto the bed as he kissed down between her chest, removing her bra when he got to her belly button. He pushed up her dress slowly and gently as he travelled.

She slid her hands into his hair until his head slid out of reach, his lips moving lower and lower until…

“Jusstiiinn…” It was a purr as his tongue found her, sending her to a different place entirely.

Riley gripped the bed as she felt  her back arch on its own. She felt a wave of dizziness ,as he made his way back up her body, crawling onto the bed next to her.

Riley’s breathing was ragged as she looked over at him and propped herself up. 

“Your turn?” she smiled at him. 

Justin reached over to guide her closer, as she slowly slid down his body. Making quick work of his jeans, she slid them down as he kicked them off. Sliding down his boxer briefs, she paused for a minute.

“Looks like I don’t have much work to do here…” she teased. 

Sliding his hand through her hair and tugging her head back gently to look up at him, his voice was gravel “You never did, Riley…”

She dipped her head, returning his favor as she playfully made use of her tongue. 

“Fuckkk…” he growled. His grip on her head tightened slightly as he looked down to watch her. “Look at me…” he whispered.

Riley slowly opened her eyes and looked up, meeting his gaze. She felt him getting close, and slowed her rhythm. 

Gently pulling her off him, he lifted and spun her onto the bed. 

“Riley…” he slid himself up so he was hovering above her, gently pushing up the bottom of her dress. It was a question, one which he was pretty sure he knew the answer to.

“Yes, Justin...Yes…” she panted, reaching her hand up to grip his forearm. 

Letting out an appreciative breath, Justin leaned down to kiss her hard, as he slid under her dress and into her. Riley tilted up to meet him, their bodies moving together naturally. 

Her fingers dug into his back, urging him to go deeper. His reaction, a low chuckle, only made her grip harder, as she responded to his every motion. 

Letting herself go, she heard herself whimper as she felt his muscles start to tense up. 

“Wait for me…” he purred in her ear “Come with me, Riley…”

And mere moments later, she did.

**

Riley's eyes fluttered open to his scent. The sun seemed too bright for the winter morning, and she shielded her face from the light as her eyes adjusted to land on him. She was tired, REALLY tired, and there was a slight pulse in her head. Last night had been a rush, but she remembered everything. It struck her that she should be a little embarrassed, but she wasn’t. She was reminded of the nervous feeling she usually had around him, now gone.

He looked peaceful. Happy. Mouth slightly open. His lashes were unfair in this light.

Riley smiled to herself, not ready for the day to start,  and drifted back off, scooting carefully closer to him.

**

"Marin..." she heard a whisper and thought it was a dream.

She felt a light touch on the back of her head and shifted. Another on her shoulder and she turned her body slowly into a hand grazing her hair...

"Hmmmm....?" She squinted. "Hi..." It was almost a yawn.

"Morning..." he smiled. "Get up.."

"Mmnnnooo...Tired" She grabbed the pillow and sunk her head into it. 

Justin giggled "This is morning Riley, huh..."

"Mmhmmm shhhh....sleep"

"...But I got you something..."

Riley groaned a little and stretched to open her eyes "Ok what..."

He smiled. "I dunno go look..." He nodded his head toward the nightstand where a paper bag sat. Riley gave him a suspicious look and moved to grab the bag. 

"Why does this smell like..." She looked inside and couldn't help but laugh.  "...Tacos??"

"I told you...Tacos later..." he winked.

“How are you awake?” she smiled.

“I was hungry…” he shrugged “That and not being able to sleep in most of the time for the last 20ish years…”

Riley bit her lip. Justin was starting to catch on to what that meant.

“You good?” he asked. 

“Yeah...I’m good...Are...You..” she trailed off.

Justin chuckled “You gonna make this awkward, Marin?”

“I’m in last night’s dress...barely... in your bed...holding tacos. It’s awkward Justin…” Riley giggled. 

“...Not from where I’m sitting…” Justin shook his head. 

She smiled and handed him a taco, pulling the comforter away next to her. “Get in…”

He happily obliged, accidentally dropping taco onto her neck as he settled in. 

Laughing, Riley watched as he remedied the situation by moving his lips to her to clean it up.

Playfully slapping at him as she smiled, she scolded “Don’t interrupt tacos. Ever…”

Pulling away, his grin was adorable “I’ll make note of that…”

Riley shifted slightly to look at him “Uhhh...So…”

Justin looked back at her, mid bite “Yeah..?” he mumbled.

“I...I don’t wanna be ‘ that girl,’ but…”

He smiled “...But you’re Riley and you wanna know what last night meant?”

She blushed and bit her lip again. “Kinda…”

“What do you want it to mean…?”

“I don’t know…”

“Not so professional, I guess…”

“Not at all,” she looked away.

“Look...We can say we were drunk, and forget about it or…”

“Or…?”

“I like you, Marin… a lot…”

She took a breath and her voice was almost a whisper. “I like you, too, Justin…”

Justin smiled “Sooo...We can just...go from there…”

Riley smiled, until realization hit “Justin, my contract…”

“...Can be figured out. It’s fine…”

“But…”

Leaning over to kiss her, she was convinced. 

“...We can go from there…” she smiled.