The numbers above the my head lit up indicating the floor on which the elevator was. I sighed and murmured to myself again.

"I need a break."

Had it not been enough that my last assignment had taken me three and a half months to finish and still the rich couple had not been satisfied? Had I not pleaded to my employer Daryl about my need for a vacation three jobs ago? Had he not promised me that the last one, would be my last assignment and then I could say aloha to some tropical region. Or maybe I had been dreaming, maybe it had all been a dream...

Well it must have been a dream I thought, for if it had not been I would not be stepping through the steel elevator doors and pushing the buttons to a penthouse apartment.

"This assignment is really important!"Daryl had said trying to get me excited about my new job. I had just glared at him and too tired for a another fight taken the paper work and immediatley began to prepare a visit to survey my new assignment.

As the elevator doors opened and I stepped out onto the top floor of the building I decided I would be turning in my resignation after this job. I had worked and paid my own way into one of the finest design schools, not to work like a dog but to work and actually enjoy my work. It wasn't that I couldn't take the pressure, it was just that everything was always the same. There were no real challenge. Everything I wanted to do was fresh and exciting, and the home owners only seemed to want dull colors and furniture that any mediocre interior designer could do for them.

I pulled the key to the penthouse apartment out and slid it into the keyhole of condo 416.

"You have to take this job!" Daryl had pleaded even before I started to protest, "This is JC Chasez... its not everyday we get celebrities calling for business. And you are our best designer Vanessa." Did he actually think by telling me that I would get any more excited?

I sighed, celebrity or no celebrity this job would be no different....

I turned the door knob and pulled it open, and stepped into the apartment. I had been there the day before to begin making plans of the room, Mr. Chasez had not been there. Nor was I surprised, he was a celebrity, this was probably just one of his retreats. I let herself in the rest of the way and shut the door behind myself.

I stepped into the living room and opened my breif case looking for the plans I had begun to make. The workers would be there in a half an hour, in the mean time I would take the time to get a feel for the condo , and work out other touches I would make to the place later on. I began walking through the condo stopping in each room to figure out how I could put the entire place together so each room did not seem completely out of place with the rest of the house.

"Red..."I muttered to myself admiring the plans I had already set up for the extra living room,"Red...I hope he likes red."

"Red! Red! What the hell are you doing to my house!" a scream broke through the silence.

My heart seemed to leap out of my chest in shock of the sudden outburst. I looked up from plans I had been making and looked up into the hall at one of the painters in the hallway. The man with the roller covered in red paint looked away from his wall and looked at the man who had just entered the room. He just stood there in shock, not knowing whether or not to continue painting, stop, or just continue to stand there in shock.

"Hello!" the man cried again,"Why the hell are you painting my wall red? Ya know what forget this... who is responsible for this?"

The man with the roller looked behind him nervously. I ran out of the living room, to intervene and save the painter.

"Hello, what seems to be the problem?" I asked as politely as I could, trying to regain the calm composure that the room had lost with the sudden appearance of the tall brunette who stood before me.

The man in the doorway laughed,"What? Are you responsible for this desecration of my wall?"

I just stared back at him in amazement,"You must be Mr.Chasez," I said gingerly.

"Yeah, that's me, and what the hell are you doing to my wall?" he screamed stepping closer to me. I could smell his cologne and it was intoxicating but warm and welcoming, while the man before me, certainly was not.

"Well, Mr. Chasez, I'm Vanessa Lynn, the interior designer you hired, to redecorate and remodel your condo." I tried to explain even with him breathing down on me, with that menacing look on his face... Such incredible blue eyes.,"You did hire us to do your home, did you not?"

He just looked back at the wall,"Yes, I hired The Northern--" then he suddenly stopped and really turned back to look at me, "You're the designer?... may I see your card?" he asked, his voice becoming less agressive, perhaps realizing how crude his behavior had been?

"Sure, "I said, still confused and angry with his hesteria over the color of his room, and handed him my card that read my name, and the company I worked for.

He stared down at my card, and then glanced back up at me,"Doesn't your company contact its costumers and see if they actually approve of what you are doing.

I cocked and eyebrow at him,"But Mr. Chasez... we did contact you and you did agree to these colors." I said.

"Excuse me... your company did no such thing... do you really believe I would approve of this hideous work." he shot at me.

I felt like he had just slapped me across the face. It wasn't so bad that he didn't like it... but now he had jsut completely offended me. This was my art, my vision.

I wanted to scream at him, tell him what a jerk he was. But of course that would be wrong, and Daryl would kill me.

"Mr. Chasez, there was some approval of these designs, the were faxed to... whom ever handles your affairs. It was approved I assure you, there must have been some mistake, because our company does not do anything without the approval of the client." I tried to explain to this man who was burning his fiery cruel blue eyes into me, "I'm sorry..."

"Well its about time that came out!" he scoffed.

I bit my bottom lip hard, damn him! I would have rather ripped out my tongue than to apologize to that man, but I didn't respond to him in away, I knew if I did it would have not been appropiate.

"Guys... pack up... Carl" I shooted to the man in charge of the painting,"I'm going to need enough primer to cover up all of today's work." I began to give orders to my small team.

JC brushed past me an into the living room that was now a crimson red. He just stared ahead of him, allowing me to burn my eyes into his back.

Then suddenly his voice interrupted the orders I had begun to give, "Leave it." He said in a controlled, calm, and commanding voice, "I think I might like it."

I almost doubled back in shock. Inside I boiled with rage. Leave it? After he had just completely driven me into the ground, the audacity of the man! I had never felt so humiliated, degraded, embarassed, offended and completely emotionally shattered as I I did. The lump that had formed in my throat stopped me from being able to breath, damn that man.

Then as I countinued to stare at him, it was then that I vowed that no matter what I would loath the name and being of JC Chasez.

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