****

After making the necessary stops along the long line of press outside the venue, posing for photographers and politely answering the same handful of questions repeatedly for the various television, radio, and print journalists, the men of *NSYNC and their companions were currently being lead to their seats by an MTV production assistant. Stopping at the designated row, the usher removed the pair of white cardboard seat markers as the large group of friends filtered down the isle of velvet covered chairs. Leaving three spaces empty at the end of the row, Justin took his seat.

“Wow, these are prime seats. You guys must be kind of popular huh?” Sam quipped, sitting beside Justin with Lance seated to her right.

“I guess so,” Lance shrugged playing along. “I mean they gave us a whole row and everything,” he motioned down to the rest of the group scattered across the string of red chairs.

“Well almost the whole row,” Sam corrected, contorting her body in order to see around Justin and view the piece of cardboard beside him indicating the celebrity they’d been placed with. “You shit!” she exclaimed looking at the black and white photo of Miss Spears as Justin flashed her an innocent smile. “You didn’t tell me that you guys were coming out publicly!” Sam said smacking his arm.

“I’m coming out… I want the world to know… got to let it show,” the blue-eyed man sang a few bars of the classic Diana Ross song while giddily dancing about in his seat. Laughing as he halted his impromptu performance, Justin responded to his surprised friend. “We just figured if we were really gonna be together we should do it all the way, no more denying,” he shrugged in his explanation just as Britney and her mother approached, escorted by her brother. The small group took their seats as the house lights blinked signaling the start of the show.

The first hour of the broadcast was relatively uneventful, due in large to the fact that the guys had lost the first two categories they were nominated in, Best Group and Best Dance Video, bowing out to Blink-182 and Jennifer Lopez respectively. The majority of the large bunch of friends anxiously awaited Britney’s impending performance, hoping it would offer some excitement in contrast to the so far drab presentations.

The blonde pop star began her routine singing a portion of her remake of “Satisfaction” before shedding the black suit and hat, revealing her flesh-colored, sparkled ensemble and moving into a remixed and re-choreographed version of her hit, “Oops, I Did It Again.” Exiting to a rousing applause after her provocative production, Britney disappeared backstage.

Sam glanced at Jen, who was sitting to the other side of Lance, and the two women shared a look before bursting into mischievous giggles and squirming about in their chairs. Taking his seat once again after offering his proud support of his girlfriend, Justin turned to Lance.

“What are these loons laughing about?” he asked his bandmate.

“I have no idea,” Lance shrugged, turning to JC who sat next to Jen. “You got any clues?” he questioned the older man as the girls continued their laughter.

“I think it has something to do with the underwear,” JC speculated, motioning towards the adjustments the two friends had made to their attire.

“Oh, very cute ladies,” Justin praised with a chuckle after noticing the change JC had mentioned.

“Yes, but let’s put the panties back where they belong, shall we?” Lance reprimanded playfully.

“Aww, come on! It’s the new trend,” Jen whined. She and Sam had pulled the waistbands of their undergarments out from their clothing in a mocking tribute to the style of Britney’s performance outfit.

“Really,” Sam added. “I got the hair, why not the wardrobe?” she laughed.

Seated down at the opposite end of the row, Mel wasn’t sharing her friends’ jovial mood. “I try to like the girl, I swear I do, but then she does shit like this,” the brunette hissed through a clenched jaw.

“Mel, please breathe,” Joey urged as she squeezed his arm fiercely in attempts to keep the very strong opinions consuming her thoughts to herself.

As a precaution, Joey had discretely moved himself and his date as far away from Britney as possible upon learning of the seating arrangements. He was the only one of the five men that knew the true extent of her dislike for Justin’s girlfriend and it was clearly a wise move on his part as Mel sat with disgust looming over her pretty features.

“Let’s go get some air for a minute… ” Joey insisted as he stood and pulled her up by the elbow. “Or two…” he added with a small chuckle.

“Good idea. The air in here feels polluted and dirty now,” Mel stated, exhaling deeply as Joey lead her down the isle while Sam and Jen continued their light-hearted conversation.

“Seriously though, that was a great performance,” Sam praised, tucking her undergarment back into her skirt as Jen did the same with her own. “That girl’s been working out. She looks amazing!”

“I know,” Jen agreed. “Did you see her abs of steel? Good lord!” the brunette shouted. “I wish I…” Jen paused, suddenly realizing that the three men surrounding them were focused intently on their conversation.

“Oh, don’t stop on our account,” Justin smirked.

“Yes, please carry on,” JC concurred.

“I think we should explore this subject even deeper in fact,” Lance finished with an eager nod of his head.

“Get your minds out of the gutter,” Sam scolded rolling her brown eyes just as they were all distracted by the commotion on the stage in front of them.

Almost another full hour passed before the guys left to prepare for their performance. The night was starting to get exciting as they had already been awarded the trophy for Best Pop Video. Mel had calmed down considerably after Joey had been kind enough to let her rant and rave to him for a few minutes and get it out of her system. Once she had vocalized her opinions she felt a relief and was able to put it out of her mind and enjoy herself again. After all, that’s what the night was supposed to be about. The five women shuffled down to the end of the row to get the best view of the stage as the hosts introduced Aaliyah and Ananda Lewis who would be presenting *NSYNC’s performance.

“Oh just shut your traps and bring out my goofy little man would ya!” Dani grumbled as all the girls sat on the edge of their seats, impatiently waiting for the first glimpse of the five men.

The R&B singing star and the MTV host finally finished their scripted banter and the first notes of “This I Promise You” played through the massive sounds system as the group of men rose slowly from beneath the stage. Dressed in white, rhinestoned ensembles they sang the smooth harmony of their newest single perched atop a set of wooden stools.

“They better get rid of those cheesy outfits and get their butts off those stools soon or else this is gonna be a boring ass four minutes,” Jen commented dryly.

Almost as soon as the words left her lips, the guys moved to their feet tearing off the coordinating outfits as five television screens lowered from the ceiling. The band moved into a technologically impressive update of their smash hit “Bye, Bye, Bye”, dancing in synch with the pre-recorded head shots of themselves on the monitors.

The five female companions sat speechless, in awe of the musical group’s mesmerizing performance as the men jumped into full view, the screens spouting off bright streams of pyro as they rose back to the rafters of Radio City Music Hall behind them. The music switched to a hip-hop influenced beat as the guys began a spirited chant, playing on the title of their more recent hit single.

One, two, three, to the four,
I think it’s time we get on the floor.
If you’re lookin’ for a hot boy to freak,
I’m tellin’ you girl, it’s gonna be me.

The five men made their way down the catwalks and to the outer rim of the stage still chorusing the funky, rap-like tune as a plethora of dancers filtered out from several locations offstage. Two female dancers sandwiched each of the guys and the small groups began grinding provocatively to the heavy dance beat. The boys eventually sang an extremely up-tempo remix of the already fast song, “It’s Gonna Be Me”, all the while dancing vigorously to the fierce track, the routine completely brand new. They even added their trademark element of humor, having Joey halt the number momentarily, panting for breath as if the performance was too demanding for him to keep up with. The bunch of dancers surrounded the guys at the center of the stage, the large group of performers striking a final pose as puffs of smoke exploded behind them, perfectly synchronized with the last note of the song, signifying the end of the production.

The women around Sam and Jen quickly rose to their feet clapping and cheering enthusiastically. Mel and Dani bore proud smiles as Joey and Chris winked and waved at them from the stage. Britney looked down at the two friends still seated beside her, expressions of total astonishment plastered on their faces as they sat with their jaws dropped, utterly stunned by the show they had just witnessed.

“Girl, get up!” she ordered excitedly, a southern twang heavy in her giddy tone as she grabbed Sam by the elbow. “I told you it was fucking awesome!” Britney exclaimed, repeating the vague preview she’d given Sam earlier in the day.

Lance smiled widely as he finally saw his girlfriend rise to her feet applauding. Jen also awoke from her shocked state and stood along with the rest of her friends, locking her hazel eyes with the crystal blue of JC’s just before the pop group turned to make their exit from the stage amidst thunderous audience applause.

After a tedious amount of time, the men emerged from backstage to rejoin their female companions. As Lance approached, Sam folded her arms over her chest and crossed one leg over the other, her facial expression feigning anger while tapping her foot against the seatback in front of her as the blonde man took his seat beside her. She hoped he would ask her opinion soon, as she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep her true feelings masked for much longer.

“So? What’d you think?” he asked, an air of caution in his voice as a result of her guarded demeanor.

“First of all,” the brunette said harshly, turning to Justin. “Did that girl grab your…?” Sam trailed off trusting that he would know what body part she was referring to.

“Well I would say she more like grazed the general area,” Justin chuckled. “But yeah. Why?”

“I just wanted to make sure of what I thought I saw,” Sam replied curtly, keeping up her act as she turned back to Lance. “And you,” she started, unable to hide her honest thoughts any longer as a bright smile slid over her lips. “You were just great!” she praised energetically. “Of course now I realized that the dancers had something to do with why you didn’t want me to come to rehearsals,” she teased.

“That was part of the reason,” Lance admitted reluctantly. “I was a little bit leery of how you would react, and I have to say I was worried for a second there when you just sat here at the end of the performance.”

“I was just dumfounded. But seriously, it was SO unbelievably GOOD! And so incredibly, freaking HOT!” Sam shouted.

“Really?” he asked slightly taken aback by her reaction.

“Duh! Yes!” she reiterated. “Don’t act like you don’t know about all the sexual energy you guys were exuding up there.”

Mindful of the cameras there were no doubt focused on her boyfriend and his four bandmates, Sam resisted the overwhelming desire she currently possessed that was urging her to kiss him deeply and instead offered further praise.

“I absolutely loved it, every single second of it. In fact I think it’s my now my favorite all-time performance. Honestly, it was just… ah… it was just great,” she sighed.

“Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it so much,” Lance grinned vibrantly. “After all, it’s all about pleasing the fans.”

“Yes, speaking of pleasure,” Sam said lowering her voice to a more private tone. “Do you remember that request you made earlier involving this necklace?” she asked, suggestively running her fingers down the smooth metal chain as it dipped into her cleavage. Lance nodded a yes while following her hand with his eyes. “Well your wish has just been granted. As a matter of fact, I think you’re gonna get to see just about anything you want to tonight,” she laughed flirtatiously as his green eyes widened in response to her statement.

As Jen sat next to a squirming Lance, she turned her focus to JC. Speaking in a hushed tone so no one would overhear, the brunette offered her thoughts. “I just have one thing to say to you,” she began, her hazel eyes dancing as JC leaned in closer. “I’ve found my hot boy, and it is SO gonna be you,” Jen quipped, her voice seductive. “Do you still have access to a dressing room? A bathroom… a dark closet… empty stairwell… whatever?”

JC threw his head back in a soft laughter before responding in the same whisper. “As much as I’d love to take you up on that offer, and believe me, I would,” he insisted adamantly, his sapphire eyes piercing in their gaze as he continued. “I should probably stay out here for appearance’s sake, and of course there’s always a slight chance we may win another of those silly moonmen,” he joked. “It might seem a bit suspicious if I came running from backstage tucking in my shirt.”

“I suppose,” she sighed, rolling her eyes mockingly. “Rain check?” Jen proposed.

“Oh you better believe it,” JC smirked mischievously. “We’ll make an appearance at the after-party, make our excuses and get out of there, and then get on with our private celebration,” the dark-haired man explained, nudging her knee with his own.

“Yes, great plan,” Jen agreed returning his smile. “Now how much longer is this damn show?” she laughed huskily while gazing down at the slim silver watch on her wrist.

Chris was now sitting beside JC, Dani and Mel between him and Joey at the end of the row, impatiently waiting for a reaction from his girlfriend. Deciding he’d given her enough time on her own, Chris spoke. “Any comments… thoughts… questions you’d care to share with me?” he prodded.

“Yeah, what’d you think?” Joey inquired of pretty brunette beside him.

“You were so cute,” Dani cooed.

“I was so proud of you,” Mel praised.

“Cute? You thought I was cute?” Chris scoffed.

“Proud? You didn’t find anything at all sexy about it?” Joey pushed.

“Yes, you were adorable,” the blonde giggled. “Maybe a little hot in your own weird way.”

“You did such a good job!” the raven-haired woman stressed. “That whole stop thing you did… it was a very impressive performance.”

The two men grumbled something incoherent while Mel and Dani shared a laugh before Lance caught the attention of the entire row of friends. He turned his head sharply towards Sam just after jumping inches off his seat and gasping loudly.

The young woman looked to her startled boyfriend, offering a sweet smile as her only explanation before turning her focus back to the stage, her small hand resting comfortably against the inside of his extreme upper thigh area.

****

“Will you stop that!” Lance ordered playfully, removing Sam’s hands from his backside and pulling her arms around his waist as she walked behind him through the club.

The large group of friends had arrived at their exclusive after-party only minutes earlier. The occasion was an especially joyous one for all of them after capping off the VMAs by winning the coveted Viewer’s Choice Award, as well as the Best Choreography trophy they had learned during the course of the post-show interviews, as it wasn’t one of the televised categories.

“Now who’s all hormonal and grabby?” he teased.

“It’s your fault, you and all your hot boy, freak nasty dancing,” Sam explained. “Who would’ve thought that seeing you dancing up on some scantily clad women would do it for me?” she chuckled.

“Certainly not me,” Lance laughed, his deep voice vibrating through her chest as she leaned against his back. “So is this temperament of yours something that’s going to be around for awhile, or should we go back to the hotel and make good use of it now?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows as he arched his head enabling him to see her face.

“I don’t think it’s a passing fad,” she smirked, resting her chin on his shoulder as she slipped her hands under his shirt and over the warm skin of his stomach and chest.

“I’m glad to hear that, now on to my next question,” the blonde man paused momentarily to retrieve her wandering hands, gripping them tightly in his own. “Do you think you could behave yourself for a few minutes? There are some people I want to introduce you to.”

Sam sighed over dramatically. “I’ll try,” she giggled before quickly kissing his neck.

****

“JC don’t,” Jen said, rebuffing his gesture and pushing his hand away from her face as they stood on the opposite side of the large room.

“Sorry,” he snapped. “You had a piece of hair about to fall in your eyes, next time I’ll just let it poke your eye out,” the blue-eyed man exaggerated.

Jen flashed him an amused smile. “Thank you for wanting to protect my eyesight, but if you keep touching me like that in public people are gonna start talking.”

“So let them talk,” JC replied, his frustration with their situation evident in his tone as he continued. “We should just tell them anyway. Joey damn near caught us the other morning… Sam is starting to get suspicious, which means if she hasn’t already; she’ll undoubtedly share her suspicions with Lance… And I’m sure he’s wondering himself after the scene you put on the other night… Chris and Mel already know… and that only leaves Justin, and what will he care?”

“It leaves Johnny,” Jen reminded firmly. “Not to mention, Joey has no idea who was with you in that room… Sam will let it go because nobody in their right mind would think that we would make a good match on paper… plus she’ll figure that even if there was something going on, I would tell her about it, and since I haven’t, then there must not be anything to tell… and as for the other night, they all just think that I’m a slobbery drunk that can’t control her actions,” the tall brunette dismissed his reasons swiftly. “Do we have to talk about this right now? I thought tonight was supposed to be about having fun.”

“Fine,” JC relented, settling once again for what she was willing to give of herself. It was better than the alternative of having nothing of her at all he reminded himself time and time again. “But if I can’t touch you in public then I think it’s time we made our getaway so I can touch you… in private,” he finished, a devilish grin sliding across his full lips.

“I’m ready whenever you are. These damn shoes are killing my feet anyway,” she complained bending over to adjust one of the straps on the spiked red heels. “I can’t wait to take them off.”

“Well I hate to burst your bubble baby, everything else can come off, and will, but the shoes…” JC trailed off glancing down at the crimson adorning her feet. “The shoes are staying on,” he informed suggestively arching his brow.

“AH! You freak!” Jen exclaimed feigning disgust before her rosy lips curled into a wide grin. “Let’s go,” she laughed.

“Where’s the fire?” he teased following behind her as she zipped through the crowded club.

“After the show you put on earlier, I’m ready for a repeat performance,” she retorted.

“Well I hope the audience approval is as high as it was the last time,” JC quipped, causing her to stop short just before they reached their table.

“You must know by now that I never have a problem enjoying your performances,” Jen asserted as she faced him, fully intending the many possible interpretations of her statement and leaving him stumbling for a response as she approached their friends at the table.

“Where’s everybody else?” Jen asked as Joey, Chris, Mel and Dani sat talking.

“I’m not really sure where Justin and Britney went, and Lance is out showing Sam off,” Chris explained garnering a strange look from the young woman. “Ya know, to refute the whole gay rumor,” the raven-haired man whispered comically.

“I see,” she said nodding her head amused.

“Well I’m gonna get out of here guys,” JC stepped into the conversation. “I’m beat,” he offered simply. He really didn’t need to say much else; it was a highly plausible excuse for him. He was, by far, not the party animal of the bunch.

“I’m heading back to the hotel too. I took care of all my partying yesterday and I have to work early tomorrow,” Jen added in her most casual tone.

“Well I hope both of you have a good night’s rest,” Mel snickered.

“Come dance with me,” Joey begged pulling the brunette from her chair.

“Hey we were just getting ready to go too. I’m on the red-eye back to L.A. again tomorrow,” Dani grumbled. “Do you guys wanna share a car?”

The two men shared a knowing look before answering simultaneously. “No,” they chorused before laughing heartily.

“Okay apparently Chris has it in his head that we’re going to be fulfilling some sort of teenage boy fantasy this evening,” the fair-haired woman rolled her eyes.

“Well with eight required hours of beauty sleep, when else do you expect to have your way with me?” he proposed.

“I never said I needed eight hours of sleep,” Dani smiled.

“I was talking about me woman! It takes work to look this suave and debonair,” Chris quipped, pursing his lips into a pouting model pose.

****

“One, two, three, to the four…” Mel sang animatedly dancing about as she stepped out of the elevator with Joey at her side, the early morning hour having no effect on her energy level.

“Gee I wonder why we were the last ones to leave tonight,” Joey said sarcastically as they walked down the hall of their hotel floor noticing the ‘Do Not Disturb’ signs hanging from the door handles of their friends’ rooms.

“Yes but no matter what they may be doing in there, they still didn’t out party us. It’s five in the morning!” Mel exclaimed proudly.

“Holy crap. Is it really?”

“Yes, but there’s still fun to be had,” the tall beauty said cryptically.

“And what would that be?” he asked curiously.

“Well not what you’re thinking you dirty boy,” she teased, snatching the sign off the door of Sam and Lance’s room. “Hmm, I think we’ll leave JC’s, I don’t wanna disturb his slumber,” Mel said choking on a laugh as she moved to the next room.

“I wouldn’t be so sure he’s just sleeping in there,” Joey mumbled under his breath.

“Did you say something?” she asked, her tone suspicious as she stopped her stroll once again to retrieve the small plastic object from Chris and Dani’s room as well.

“No. What are you doing?” the dark-haired man wondered as she took the privacy sign off of Justin’s door grumbling something about waiting for marriage and her ass.

“Okay, I’m leaving the sign on Steve’s door too because nobody deserves to see that,” Mel cracked pointing to his brother’s room as Joey followed her down the hallway where the group’s parents suites were located.

Joey’s brown eyes danced with laughter as he realized Mel’s plan. “I can just imagine how red Diane’s face will be tomorrow when she walks out and sees that hanging on her door,” he giggled as Mel placed one of the signs on the handle of Lance’s parents’ room before doing the same to the room Justin’s parents occupied.

“HA! Your parents already have one up!” Mel laughed standing in front of the door of the Fatones’ suite.

“That’s just depressing.”

“Aww, I think it’s sweet that they’re still so much in love,” she cooed.

“Yeah but my father is getting more action than I am,” Joey pouted. “Don’t you find that sad?”

“No, your father is a happily married man,” Mel reminded.

“You in the mood to get married tonight?” he proposed wiggling his eyebrows flirtatiously.

“Nah, I’m too tired,” Mel retorted slapping the plastic card against his chest, releasing from her grasp as he trapped it in his own hands. “I’m going to bed,” she said turning on her heal and heading back down the hall.

“Hey, where’s my goodnight kiss?” Joey requested as they stopped in front of Mel’s suite.

“This wasn’t a date Joey,” she answered with a strange look.

“I picked you up at the door, I took you to a show, then out dancing, and now I’ve walked you to your door. Sounds like a pretty good date to me,” he reasoned before turning his face into a frown. “Please?”

“Oh you know I can’t resist the puppy dog eyes,” Mel sighed placing her hand on one side of his stubbled chin and pulling his face to hers. “Goodnight,” she said kissing his cheek softly.

“’Night,” he echoed turning for his room across the hall after watching her step inside her door, disappearing from his view as it shut behind her.

A few minutes later Joey stood in the bathroom of his hotel suite, steam still consuming the air as he ran a towel over his short brown locks. Hearing a light knock on the entrance door of the room, he quickly dressed in a pair of pajama pants and pulled a white tank over his head, leaving the towel draped around his neck as he walked out of the bathroom. A vibrant grin slid over his face as he gazed into the peephole at the woman standing in the hall.

“You took off the pants. I take back the proposal,” he joked opening the door and taking in her appearance. She had obviously just got out of the shower also, because her dark hair was still wet as it rested in a topknot on her head. Trading in her uncomfortable leather attire from earlier in the night, she was now wearing a cotton t-shirt and pair of comfy PJ bottoms.

“The pants were starting to stick. They’re in a ball on the bathroom floor if you really want them that bad,” she smiled.

“So what can I do for you madam?” Joey asked leaning on the doorframe.

“I can’t sleep,” Mel whined.

“And?” he prodded.

“And you’re all warm and squishy and I thought maybe…”

“Oh, you wanna stay the night with me do ya?” Joey smirked.

“Yes,” she confirmed with a shy smile.

“What’s the magic words?” he taunted.

“I’m not saying that,” Mel refused sternly.

“Say the words or sleep alone,” Joey chuckled.

“Fine,” she huffed, stomping back across the hallway and slamming the door behind her.

Joey stood staring blankly after her for a moment before shrugging and shutting his own door again.

Not more than ten minutes later the two bodyguards playing cards at a small table in the hallway laughed as they heard Joey’s door slowly creak open.

“You are so whipped,” Dre cracked, shuffling the deck in his hands. The group had been having trouble with a few persistent fans the past couple of days and just a precaution their security team had set up an all night watch to ensure the guys safety.

“Shut up,” Joey said as he treaded barefoot across the patterned carpet. “We’re not even dating.”

“Exactly,” Todd laughed as Joey knocked on the woman’s door.

“What’s the magic words?” Mel taunted as she opened the door, a hand on her hip.

“Joey Fatone is a god?” he shrugged.

“Nope, those are your magic words, not mine,” the statuesque brunette returned shaking her head.

“Screw this,” Joey said grabbing her hand that rested against the door as he bent down and wrapped his arm around tightly around the back of her thighs. “I don’t need magic words,” he stated defiantly as he picked her up from the floor and threw her over his broad shoulder.

“AH! Joey put me down!” Mel squealed with laughter as the door shut behind them.

“Okay,” he agreed, tossing her down onto the bed as he plopped beside her, a thoughtful look gracing his gentle features. “Well this is different.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t say I’ve ever had a girl laugh at me after I’ve carried her to bed,” Joey explained.

“Really?” Mel asked doubtful.

“Hey!” he protested.

“I’m kidding. I can’t help it though, you’re just all warm and squishy,” she giggled poking at his belly.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m warm and squishy, and you were proud of my performance, basically I’m just a big friendly teddy bear,” he pouted as wrapped his arms around her, a little surprised at his own disappointment with her reaction.

“You are,” Mel concurred, nestling herself into his body, inhaling the fresh scent of soap that still lingered on his skin. “Now are we going to keep discussing how adorable you are, or can we get some sleep?”

“I could do either,” he chuckled prompting a jab in the chest from his female friend. “Ugh, okay we’ll sleep,” Joey said kissing her forehead.

“What was that for?” Mel asked furrowing her brow.

“I just felt like it,” he shrugged pulling her closer.

Chapter 58