“SALUD!” Alex called as he clinked shot glasses with his little sister.
Riley knocked back hers and smiled. “I can’t believe you got to come!” she spoke loudly over the music.
Alex hugged her “It’s your birthday! Can’t stay out too late, though. The kids might kill Amy…” he laughed.
“Plus you’re kinda old to be out late…” she teased.
“Hey hey hey...You’re catching up, young lady!” Alex joked back.
Riley was in the sweet spot, enjoying the night with Katie, Emi, Diego, Alex, and the new guy Katie was seeing. Katie’s new guy was cute, but Riley had teased her that he looked more like JC than Justin.
The bar had a great playlist going, and the crowd was playful and fun. They were all having a great time.
Riley had had just enough tequila to let loose, dancing with Katie and Emi, as they talked.
“My cousin thinks you’re an angel!” Katie beamed.
“His book is REALLY good...It’s been easy…” Riley shrugged.
Katie shook her head “Not easy...You’re GOOD, Ry…”
Riley smiled “Stawwwwp…”
“You’re empty, sis...Here!” Diego joined them, handing Riley a drink.
“You are all trying to kill me..” she laughed, taking it from him.
Emi giggled, tipsy herself “We’re goin’ down with you, birthday girl!” she raised her own glass.
The song changed and Riley heard a synthesizer intro into a voice that sounded very familiar to her.
Stopping to listen more closely, Katie noticed. “You ok..?”
Riley looked at her… “Yeah...I...What is this?” she spoke up, pointing above her head to indicate the music.
Katie laughed at her “...Riley..Really?”
Diego spoke up “It’s that new song…”
“...Wait is this…?”
“Yolanda…” Katie nodded her head.
“I knew it! I like it!” They continued dancing as the verse continued.
That smile got me spinning, like I had too much 901...
It’s not on the schedule, but I think it could be fun...
You said to keep it on ice, but we’ve only just begun…
Katie shrieked. “Ahh! 901!...RILEY...Didn’t you say Justin worked with her?”
Riley frowned at her friend “Yeah…”
“Did he write this?”
“Um. Maybe?..”
Katie’s eyes went wide “ANOTHER SHOT OF YOU...TEQUILA… SCHEDULE...RI-LEYYYY”
“What…?”
“Oh COME ON..”
Riley laughed and rolled her eyes “KATIE...No!”
“I’m JUST saying…” she sipped her drink.
Riley shook her head. It HAD to be a coincidence….or did it?
***
Riley smiled to herself as she left the studio. The NYC air hit her nose and she took a deep breath, realizing that this time was different. She was doing things on her terms, and for once, she held the upper hand in her own life.
She was in final talks with her second client: a singer-songwriter who needed help with branding, promotion, and listening parties. The meeting had gone well, and all that was left to seal the deal was a couple signatures. It could still fall through, but she was hopeful.
Hopeful. Something she hadn’t truly been in awhile.
Every other time in her life she had taken a risk, the other shoe had dropped. Her world had bottomed out from under her. She craved control. It was her safe space.
She was learning, though, that “control” had more than one meaning, and taking chances paid off sometimes.
Climbing into the back seat of her Uber, her phone started ringing. Glancing at it, she stared in confusion.
“Hello?”
“Riley?”
“Uh...yeah...Hey..Wow. Long time...How have you been?”
“I’m good! Hope you are, as well...Listen...I’m in a tight spot…”
Riley stared at her phone after the call. What did she just do?
She should have said no. She had so much going on, and was in such a good place.
Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she wondered if it would be a huge mistake.
Spotting the new contract she had just presented as she put her phone in her bag, she smiled to herself.
A mistake...or a chance? ...Guess I’ll find out… she thought to herself
***
Justin watched the city roll by through tinted windows. He was late.
Everything was different since she had quit. His schedule seemed stressful again. Everything felt rushed. His new assistant had been on the job a month, so he couldn’t expect him to pick up everything right away...Not like she had.
He knew he had fucked up. He knew it was his fault she left.
Contemporary Icon.
He was being recognized as an Icon by the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Not just for his voice or his dancing, but for songwriting. For making music. For living his passion. He was humbled. He was nervous.
His mom and his best friend would be there, but for the moment, he was alone. Just him, his bodyguard, and the driver. His new assistant had had a family emergency, and he would be meeting a last minute replacement for the day at the red carpet.
He took a deep breath as the black SUV approached the entrance to the red carpet, the sidewalk already flanked with fans and paparazzi. Hearing the screams before he even opened the door, he felt himself stiffen up a bit, unsure he even wanted to get out of the car.
Before he could talk himself out of it, the door opened, and he thought he was dreaming.
Was this real?
“Mr. Timberlake…” she smiled, gesturing toward the cleared path onto the curb.
His eyes went wide as he looked at her, focusing on her face instead of his own name being shouted at him from the street.
“RILEY?!” he stared.
“You’re late, Justin...Come on…” she smirked.
He held back a smile and hopped out of the car.
“This way…” Riley guided him, pointing toward the red carpet a few feet away.
He stopped, swallowing as he straightened out his suit jacket and nodded at the flashes around him. His eyes looked unsure.
“You’ve got this….” she mouthed at him, smiling knowingly “Knock it off…”
A small smile found its way onto his face as he looked at her before making his way through the crowd.
Following the red carpet, Justin met Riley at the entrance to the main ballroom.
“What are you doing here…?” he smiled.
“Johnny called in a favor...Sounded like he was in a bind, so…”
“Thank you…” Justin answered.
“Thank Johnny...I’m doing this for him.”
Justin nodded. Stubborn. She was so stubborn sometimes. He had no room to talk.
He followed her into the room to his seat.
“I’ll come get you when it’s your cue...If you need anything before then…” Riley nodded.
Justin smiled “...I know how to find you…”
The evening went well, Riley staying mostly on the sidelines. It was an easy assignment. A calm night.
Justin made the rounds around the room after his speech, mingling and networking. Lynn was beaming and Trace seemed happy once again to support his friend.
As the event winded down, Justin found her, standing near a door, and made his way over to her.
“You look pretty official tonight…” he looked her up and down. She was dressed in a chic black pantsuit with her hair swept back. Simple diamond studs. Modest, but stylish blue heels.
“Johnny said it was a formal event. I did what I could.”
“It really works…”
“Well...Thanks..”
He smiled. “Riley...I’m...really sorry. What I said. I...I was a dick....”
“Yes ...You were…”
“I can’t believe you came today…”
“It’s fine, Justin. The whole thing was just...crazy anyway, right?”
“Uh. Right.” He stared at her for a beat before speaking again “Riley...Come back? I need you.”
Riley smirked. “I’m sorry. I’m not available, Mr. Timberlake…” She reached into her bag, handing him a business card.
Marin Productions
Riley Marin
Founder and President
Justin’s mouth dropped open, his eyes dancing as he looked back up at her “What’s this…?”
“You weren’t...entirely wrong. EASY isn’t who I am.”
“Riley, this is ...Wow.”
“Don’t look so impressed. I have one client…”
“So far…” he smiled. “Can I hire you, then…?”
Riley looked down and sighed.
“No...But...You can buy me dinner and apologize for being an ass…”
Justin grinned. “Tomorrow at 7?”
Riley smiled. “I should be free. Something expensive…”
**
Riley walked to the private room she had been directed to by the host. She took a deep breath, brushing a loose hair back behind her ear before stepping inside.
She spotted him almost immediately, one of only 3 occupied tables.
He watched her walk over.
He noted the effort she had put into her outfit. Black short sleeved jumpsuit. V-neck plunge in the front. Purplish pink heeled booties. Tassel earrings. Her hair was pulled back and smoothed down. She was dressed to make an impression. A lazy smile found the corners of his mouth.
Riley sat down before he could stand up.
“Justin…” She nodded at him as a waiter came over to take her drink order.
“I’ll have the Ardbeg single malt, please…Neat”
The waiter nodded, leaving them alone.
Justin smiled, intrigued “Since when do you drink scotch…”
Riley shrugged “You don’t know everything about me…”
He smirked “I guess not...You look nice…” Justin looked at her.
“Well...Nice place.” She was playing it cool.
“Riley...I have no right to ask this, but...Can you stop?”
She looked up from the menu in front of her, her eyes drilling into him.
“Stop what…”
“Stop acting like this is a business meeting…”
“Isn’t it?” she replied in a cool tone. “I mean...It’s really a formality, right…”
Justin sighed “I deserve that. I do. Can you talk to me, though, please?”
Riley’s drink had arrived, and she took a sip as she considered his request. “Fine. About what?”
“...About...how you’ve been...Your new agency...How you’ve trained Benji to attack the tv any time my face appears…”
Riley cracked a smile, attempting to hide it with a sip of scotch. “ I don’t have much time for tv these days…”
Nothing got past her. Sarcasm. It was a good sign.
“Fair enough. What about how I’m an idiot? How I am going to sit here and tell you how sorry I am, but it doesn’t change anything I said or did…”
“Sounds like a good topic of conversation to me…” she smirked.
“That’s better…” he smiled.
“I wasn’t running. I wasn’t going anywhere, Justin…”
‘I know that...and I’m not going to feed you bullshit like ‘I was afraid of losing you,’ no matter how true it is. That’s not fair…”
Riley sighed. “Good...So what ARE you going to tell me?”
“That my life is stupid without you in it…” he shrugged.
Riley smiled into her glass. “Stupid?”
“Yeah…stupid…”
Riley shook her head. “How’s your new assistant?”
“He’s...He’ll be ok, I think. You set a pretty high standard, Marin..” He took a sip of his drink.
Riley smiled “Turn off the charm…”
“Only if you turn off the attitude…” he smiled back.
The rest of dinner went well. The food was delicious, and they found their way back to a modified version of their usual banter.
Making their way outside, they turned to face each other.
“Thank you for dinner, Justin...and...your apology.”
“Thank you for talking to me,” he replied.
Riley took a breath, taking yet another chance…”Thank you for the song…” she looked at him.
Justin smiled “...You heard it?”
Confirmed. Katie was right!
“I mean...It’s all over, yeah..It’s really good. She’s really good…”
Justin nodded. “Yeah...”
There was an awkward beat, neither of them moving.
Riley let out a frustrated breath.
“Geezus, Justin! Would you just kiss me already?! You’ve been staring all night…”
Justin laughed. “You really are the most frustrating woman on the planet…” he pressed his lips against hers.
“...So I’ve been told..” she mumbled against him.
The kiss lasted a few minutes, Justin eventually pulling back.
“Come over this weekend…?” he asked.
Riley smiled, noting his discretion “Yeah...Ok…”
His hand caught hers and squeezed as he kissed her cheek. “Get home safe, Marin…”
**
3 Months later
‘I’m coming…” Riley huffed. “Hold on…”
She was answered with barking.
“Hey! You’ve been running your whole life, dude...You’re a dog…” she teased Benji.
She caught up and bent over to place her hands on her knees. She hated running. She didn’t know why she had agreed to this. Benji had done just fine with walks his whole life.
She looked down to see Benji spinning circles, excitedly pouncing on a leaf, tugging at his leash to keep going. Maybe she was wrong…
“Let’s go, Riley...He’s the boss…”
“I have smaller legs than you! This is unfair!” she pouted.
“Take the leash...He’ll help you…”
‘He’s trying to kill me …” she laughed.
She was answered with a laugh back “You aren’t dying...come on…”
Riley stood up and caught something in the distance out of the corner of her eye.
“We have company…” she nodded her head. “Here...Give me the leash...We can take that other path…There’s more trees”
He smiled, staring at the camera in the distance “No…”
Guiding Benji along with him, he leaned into her.
“Justin...What are you doing…” she smiled.
“Not hiding anymore…” he smirked as he kissed her.
Riley laughed. “Show off…”
He grinned as he pulled away slowly “...Is that a bad thing?”
“Not at all…” Riley smiled.
THE END.
