At precisely eight o'clock the next morning, Ash's buzzer rang and she pressed the button on the little box by the door, letting the driver know they'd be right down. She'd been up since five, unable to sleep. She was excited, but at the same time nervous as hell. Chaz had risen early as well and was showered and dressed by seven. Ash still couldn't believe that he felt the same way she did. While she was in the meeting, he would be taken to a waiting area that had a television and video games for him to occupy himself with. They hurried out of the loft, locking the door and taking the stairs down to the waiting car. Again, Ash almost had to bite her lip to keep from gasping when she saw the limo. It was a white stretch model, the interior a plush, tan leather. There was room enough for ten people inside and she just stared as Chaz curiously pushed buttons and opened hidden consoles. They arrived at the office not more than fifteen minutes later and the driver let them out saying he'd be waiting when they were ready to go. Ash nodded, not sure of what else to say and she pushed through the glass doors, Chaz following close behind.
The lobby was huge, the marble floors gleaming with fresh wax. The decor was definitely expensive, yet not cold and uninviting. The woman at the front desk gave her directions to Mark's office and she and Chaz got on the elevator. Once inside, Ash took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to steady her nerves. She hadn't been told much about the guys she would be meeting today and didn't really know what to expect. She knew Chris was one of them and she'd already met him, but the prospect of meeting four more and then working so closely with them just unnerved her. She'd worked with men before at her studio in Ohio, but never people of this magnitude. She was going to choreograph for a world renowned group and the task in itself was daunting enough. The elevator chimed, signaling their floor and they stepped off, turning right as the woman had instructed her. The office was straight ahead, at the end of the hallway and she opened the door, stepping up to a desk where another woman told them to have a seat and she'd let them know she was there. After she informed Mark of their arrival, the petite woman smiled and got up from the desk. She told Chaz she'd take him to the waiting room and he got up, nodded to his mom, flashed his toothy smile and followed her out the door. Before Ash had even turned her head back around, the door to Mark's office opened and he greeted her warmly. Ash shoved her uneasiness aside and stood, following him into the room.
When she stepped inside, she immediately noticed the men sitting at a long table, through another set of doors. She recognized Chris immediately and smiled when he nodded at her and winked. At his movement, the other four turned to stare at Ash. The man directly to Chris's left was younger than all of them. That was easily noticed. There was a maturity in his eyes though that Ash noted curiously. He had short, light brown hair and an easy smile that lit up his whole face. Across from them was the other three. The one sitting the farthest away had shoulder-length, curly brown hair and looked to be the most serious of them. He had glasses perched on his face and after giving her a quick perusal; he turned his attention back to the papers in front of him. The one immediately to his left gazed at her with interest, a huge smile playing on his lips. I'll make sure to stay away from that one, Ash thought. He looked like he could charm the stripes off a zebra. Ash's eyes moved to the last one and she could only stare at his eyes. They were an amazing shade of green and they shimmered like emeralds. Mark pushed open the door, letting her enter in front of him.
As he introduced them, she learned that the younger one was Justin, the serious one was JC, the flirty-looking one was Joey and the one on the end was Lance. His deep voice caused her to raise her eyebrow. He certainly didn't look like he had such a smooth, deep timber, but to hear it, she guessed that many a woman had fallen head over heels for just that reason. Ash took a seat at one end of the table and Mark took the seat opposite her.
"Guys, you already know why Ash is here," Mark started, "You also know that we have to start on this immediately. We only have a short time before we have to start rehearsing." Mark looked at Ash pointedly and continued, "I know this places a strain on you, but you understand our need for a tight schedule."
"I'm sure she'll be able to pull it off," Chris grinned, his look mischievous, "And if she doesn't, we can always torture her."
"And how would we do that," Justin questioned, eyeing Ash. She smiled uncertainly, not sure what to think of how this discussion was moving.
"Well, we could always lock her in a room with Joey," Lance offered and Joey wiggled his eyebrows.
"I'm sure she wouldn't find that torture for too long," he said, winking at Ash. She snorted and shook her head. Mark watched with interest, wondering how Ash would deal with them. One of the problems with keeping a choreographer was finding someone who could handle their sense of humor and pranks. He'd had plenty of people walk out after something these guys had done in jest and he needed to see if Ash had an open enough mind so she wouldn't run the first time they turned it on her. Turns out, he needn't have worried though.
"Oh Lord," Ash rolled her eyes, "Okay, where's the plane, I've got to go."
The guys, including Mark, howled with laughter as Ash made as if to get up and leave. Joey laughed too and they all nodded, catching each other's eyes. She was the one. Chris wiped the tears from his eyes and grinned at Ash. When she smiled back at him and winked, it was as if he'd been sucker-punched. His breath hitched in his throat and his smile faded. He watched her as she began talking with them about the upcoming performances and what would be expected. He'd noticed that she was pretty when he'd first met her, but he hadn't realized she was beautiful. Her long hair was pulled up loosely again, framing her cherub-like features. As she talked, he watched the way her lips moved and her voice, husky and low, caressed his senses. While Mark was outlining some of the details, she caught him watching her and flashed a smile at him. He smiled back and pulled his eyes away slowly, making himself pay attention. He had to quit thinking like that. She was off limits to him. First of all, because she was their choreographer, and second, because she was way out of his league. She'd be more suited for Justin or Lance. With Lance taken, that left Justin and he'd be sitting on the sidelines as usual, watching everyone else get what he desired.
~*~
Ash tried to listen as Mark and the guys were offering suggestions and discussing the shows, but her eyes kept sneaking quick glances at Chris. She'd seen him watching her, the look on his face undeniable. He was interested. He looked at her as if she were a rare gem on display, beautiful, but untouchable. She glanced at him again only to find him turning his eyes quickly away. Ash felt her face get hot and knew that if she didn't quit, she'd be as red as a firecracker. She had never been able to hide her emotions or feelings. She wore them plainly on her face, which was great when she danced, but sucked when it came to people. They could always tell what she was thinking. As the meeting wrapped up, they all sat and chatted about inconsequential things. She watched the banter between the five men and could see that even though they had their differences, they loved each other like brothers. She thought it was interesting to see their different personalities meshing so well and decided that she liked them. She knew it would be tough, given their seemingly endless energy and humor, but she welcomed the challenge, knowing that she wouldn't be so easily caught with her guard down. They adjourned the meeting, giving Ash two weeks to present them with the choreography for the first awards show. It was going to be a remix of three different songs and she had the cd of that to work with. All the guys lined up to hug her before they left. Each of them pulled her in tightly, Joey pressing a quick kiss to her cheek. When she got to Chris though, he seemed shy and was actually blushing. He hugged her quickly, ducking his head down as he walked past her. Ash shook her head after him and walked with Mark to the waiting room to pick up Chaz.
~*~
"How was the meeting mom," Chaz asked excitedly, "Are they cool?"
Ash caught sight of the guys exiting the building and grinned, putting her arm over Chaz's shoulder. Chris glanced up and she could see his eyes take her in again. He gave a short wave and stepped through the door.
"Yeah," she answered Chaz, "I think they're pretty cool."
~**~
"So, whaddya think of her," Justin asked the other guys. They were in his Escalade, heading to their favorite restaurant for lunch.
"She seems cool to me," Lance shrugged.
"Shit, if she can put up with us, I'm all for it. Besides, she's definitely easy on the eyes," They all rolled their eyes at Joey. He was devoted to Shay, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate a beautiful woman when he saw one and he grinned, wiggling his eyebrows.
"I think she'll work," JC offered, "It didn't seem to matter who we were. She was more interested in the actual job than our status." They all nodded and Justin agreed with him. Joey noticed that Chris hadn't said a word and he nudged him.
"What do you think Chris?"
Chris mumbled something and Joey asked him to repeat himself. Chris rolled his eyes at Joey and looked out the window again.
"I said she's fine." In more ways than one, he thought.
The guys just shrugged their shoulders at his indifference and went back to laughing at a story that Joey was telling about Shay and him when they were younger. Chris watched the cars pass by for a few minutes before closing his eyes and pressing his forehead against the cool glass. He sighed and opened his eyes again. He wanted what everyone else seemed to have. Someone to love, who would love him back. He was tired of all the groupies and the busty, gropey women that would do anything just to say they had been with someone famous. He wanted someone to come home to every night. Someone to share his dreams and laughter with, someone to hold at night. Chris laid his head back on the seat, blocking out the chatter. He tried to block those thoughts from his head as well. He knew that the more he thought about it, the more depressing it was, especially when it was Ashtyn that he kept seeing as the woman his arms were holding.