The following morning, the girls plus Liz and Lynn were eating in the hotel restaurant and discussing the past night's events. The girls were very excited about their radio interview they were about to do and had to hurry up with their breakfast or they would be late.
"Lizzy B, are you sure you won't come with us today?" Danay asked as she picked the last piece of cantaloupe off her plate and popped it into her mouth. The moist fruit caused a trail of juice to begin its descent down her chin.
Liz handed her a napkin off the table before giving her an answer. "Day, I'd love to go with you guys but I think I really need to stay and…"
"DO SOME WORK!" The other four members of the group said at once.
Liz just rolled her eyes at the group and looked over at her boss for some relief. Lynn shook her head while wiping her mouth off so the sticky syrup that adorned her pancakes only moments before wouldn't remain on her lips after they left for the interview.
"Elizabeth, I can't help you out on this one. They know you far too well." She said, smiling to her young assistant.
The girls started giggling at Liz when she became frustrated. No one was going to help her out but she didn't want to explain exactly why she wasn't going with them. She had other plans but used work as an excuse so they wouldn't find out.
Her secrecy was ruined when the door to the private room the girls were eating at, swung open. One grinning young man and an overly tired one wandered inside and both walked right up to the ladies.
"I can't believe you guys are up so earlier. Did you sleep okay, honey?" Lynn asked the young man who merely walked over to her and gave her a gentle hug from behind.
He smiled evilly at the girls around the table before answering his mother. "Yeah, I slept fine. How about you?" He asked, as he flicked his tongue out at Veronica then leaned in to give his mother a kiss.
Lynn was oblivious to the actions her son was taking at that moment. She took the last remaining sip of her coffee, wiped her mouth clean once again and began to stand. "Slept like a baby. So, what are you two doing down here anyway? I thought you had the morning off." She asked as she motioned for the girls to finish themselves so they could make the radio interview.
Justin just shrugged his shoulders and pointed to his companion for the answer.
JC gave him a tired look before walking up to the table and putting his hands on either side of Liz's shoulders. "Well, WE have the morning off but the other guys have to get a fitting. Their costumes needed to be altered, and Chris broke the hem in two pairs of pants so they have to get those fixed. We'll meet them after lunch but until then…" He began as he tightened his hold on Liz's thin shoulders. "This young lady is hanging out with us!"
The whole room grew quiet. The girls all turned to look at a now blushing Liz. She had been caught. They were going to give her a hard time for not telling them but Lynn stepped in. "Well, that sounds like fun. Elizabeth, you have yourself a great time and we will see you when we get back…by 1:00, okay?"
Liz could feel the weight of the world lifted off her shoulders. She had worried all night about spending the morning with the guys and wondered what Lynn would think about it. She had to watch herself around them and worried Lynn wouldn't like her hanging out with the guys but she seemed okay with it.
Justin had called her after being settled in his and JC's room last night. He found out from JC that they had the morning off and immediately called Liz up to see if she wanted to hang out with them.
She started to decline the invitation. She really wanted to go with the girls to the radio interview but when JC snatched the phone away from Justin, he told Liz that she had actually 5 seconds to say 'yes' or he'd make her regret it, Liz obliged. JC wanted sleep and didn't want to hear Justin whine to Liz any longer.
The girls all gave Liz one last glare, they would find out later why she didn't say anything to them, before they said their good-byes and headed out the door.
Liz let out a deep breath of air then quickly wiped her mouth clean and stood herself. She pushed JC back a little with her sudden movement and immediately apologized to him.
The two were chuckling to each other when Justin finally interrupted the pair. "Ahem…can we get going already? We only have…" He looked at his watch then lifted his head towards the ceiling and squinted his eyes to figure out how much time they had until they had to meet the rest of the guys.
JC just rolled his eyes at his friend's attempt to count backwards and answered for him. "Four hours, dork. Gees and you even made good grades in school. What happened?"
Justin kept his head up for another second before lowering it and looking JC in the eyes. "For your information, we have exactly three hours, fifty-seven minutes and…" He glanced back at his watch once more. "Forty-five seconds." Content with his answer, he smiled the brightest smile his face would allow.
"Whatever. You know you are such a smartass sometimes." JC said as he grabbed Liz's hand and began leading her out of the room. If they only had three hours, fifty-seven minutes and now, twenty-five seconds, then they better get started on their morning together.
Liz could only giggle at the pair as she was being lead away by JC. She looked over her shoulder at Justin who had a disgruntled looking face on and gave him a smile. He shook his head a couple of times before taking a deep breath and catching up with Liz and JC.
The trio were lounging in Liz's room watching Nickelodeon on the hotel television. They had just finished with 'Little Bear' and now 'Blues Clues' was set to come on.
The group had tried to go out to look around Ft. Lauderdale but were caught at the front door of the hotel by screaming girls just wanting a glimpse of the guys. Liz said that she was okay with staying in for the morning if the guys were. So, they all agreed to go up to her room and just relax.
They had talked a little about how the shows were coming along and even discussed plans to meet up this summer to catch Liz again at one of Britney's shows. Liz was really looking forward to seeing them again. In a matter of three days, they would be off again continuing their tour and she would leave with the girls to begin preparations for Brit's.
In such a short time, Liz had grown to like the guys. They were a lot of fun to be around and for the first time in a long time, she could talk to a guy, other than her father, and didn't feel like she had to prove herself to them. They treated her like a friend and Liz felt wonderful about it.
"Oh, oh, oh…I know this one. Blues' favorite story is 'The Three Little Pigs'." Justin blurted out when Steve asked the question of the day on the show.
Liz's hand immediately smacked him in the mouth. "Shhhhh. JC's asleep. And besides, I DID want to figure it out for myself, hotshot." She said as he rubbed the place on his lips that she just injured.
"Damn, sorry I said anything but again, DAMN you didn't have to hit me in the mouth. Am I bleeding?" He whimpered to her.
She looked over at the other bed that JC lay on and noticed him still sound asleep. He had only laid down a short time ago but had fallen fast asleep with in seconds.
She looked back over at Justin who was sitting beside her on the same bed. She smiled sympathetically at him. She really didn't mean to smack him that hard. She scooted a little closer to him, brought both hands up to his face, and placed them on either side of his cheeks.
She leaned her head in and tilted it a little to examine his mouth. She parted her lips just a tad as she continued to look at his. She had to shake her head to clear her thoughts when she noticed the adorable pout he was giving her. He was just too cute at that moment…and that was dangerous.
Liz licked her lips before sitting back to her original place on the bed. "Um…no, it's not bleeding. I, um…I'm sorry I hit you. I just…um didn't want you to…um wake JC up." She stuttered out.
Justin tried his hardest to contain his chuckle that was itching to escape his lips. Liz was far too innocent looking right now and he felt like patting himself on the back for using his charm to get to her. Maybe she's coming around, he thought to himself.
Liz had to turn her attention back to the TV set when Justin just stared at her. His eyes were penetrating into her skin and she could feel them on her although she didn't dare to look at him. Think about Blue. Sweet innocent Blue. Cute puppy with long ears and perfect pouty juicy sexy pink lips and…NO not Justin, think Blue. She tried telling herself.
Justin noticed her concentrating on the TV screen and couldn't hold his laughter in any longer. Liz turned her head sharply when she heard the chuckling pop star beside her. She knew her face was red now. He had to have seen what a fool she was making of herself in front of him. Swooning over him like she was a teenager again.
Liz began to open her mouth and say something but he started first. He flung his long body across the bed, putting his head at the end of it and his feet at the head. He propped his elbows up and placed his head in the confines of his hands. He smiled up to Liz before speaking.
"Don't be embarrassed. I have that effect on ALL the ladies." He said as he turned his head back to the TV and laughed at something Steve said to Blue.
Liz sat there looking at him in shock. What a conceited jerk. I can't believe I actually thought…
He let his eyes glance back up at her and when he saw the anger on her face, his chuckle turned to pure all out laughter. "Ebby, I was just kidding. Girl, take a joke."
He didn't see her reaction because he replaced his view of her with that of the TV again. She didn't say anything but chose to show her disgust with what he had just said in another way.
She leaned back towards the head of the bed and slowly grabbed a hold of a large soft rectangular object without Justin's knowledge. She pulled it up over her head and then slammed it down on Justin's back.
He flinched when the pillow came in contact with his body. He tried to turn over to defend himself but Liz kept at him, hitting him repeatedly with the pillow. He was able to shield his face from the hardest blow she gave and when her laughter took over, he saw this as his opportunity to attack.
She was giggling to herself so much that she didn't notice Justin start to move towards her. He immediately grabbed the pillow out of her hands and smacked her in the shoulder with it. Now, his smacks were a lot harder than hers had been and she went sailing off the edge of the bed and landed on the floor with a 'thump'.
"Now this seems familiar." Justin started as he stuck his head over the side of the bed and looked down at Liz.
She could only continue to laugh. Her giggles were contagious and soon Justin began laughing with her. He reached his hand down to help her up. She looked at it for a second, giving his hand an inspection to see if it was wired or anything. She was slowly realizing that with Justin, anything was possible.
He just rolled his eyes at her hesitancy and reached down to grab her arm anyway. "I won't bite…" He started as she got on her feet then sat down on the bed beside him again. "Hard." He finished in his best Austin Powers accent.
Liz started laughing again but he put his hand up to her face. "Please no more laughing. My sides hurt already and it's only 11:30 in the morning."
That only made her laugh harder but she saw the anguish in his face and him grab his stomach when he began laughing himself. She quieted herself down and coughed a few times to regain her composure. "Oh, sorry about that, Justin, I just get carried away sometimes. Really, I'll be good, I promise. No more laughing from me." She said smiling innocently to him.
He shook his head at her. "Yeah right. Anyway, I can't believe Sleeping Beauty over there didn't wake up with all the noise we made." He started as the two looked over onto the other bed, saw the content look across JC's face, and heard the slight snore coming through his nose.
Liz began to chuckle but when Justin's head sharply turned to shoot her an evil look, she immediately stopped.
"Ahem, anyway…so changing the subject, I was wondering something Justin…" She started as she moved up towards the top of the bed and rested her back against the frame. "Why did you stick your tongue out at Veronica? You know that was really mean of you."
Justin scooted closer to her on the bed but instead of sitting beside her, he faced her. He sat Indian-style right in front of her and when she pulled her knees up towards her body to give him room, he grabbed her legs and wrapped his arms around them. He placed his head on her knees and smiled sinisterly at her.
"I stuck my tongue out at her to show her what she's missing out on." He started as Liz's eyes grew wider. She began to say something to him but he continued. "I know she was the one who told you about me and my best friend here…" He said as he stuck his tongue back out at Liz. "She blew it big time and I like to rub it in, that's all." He said giving her a smirk. He finished and sat back up.
He heard JC stir and hopped off the bed to wake his friend up. He was feeling antsy and wanted to go for a swim, anything to burn some energy off.
JC woke up shortly there after by the hands…or rather, feet of Justin. He jumped on the bed and began causing a wave action throughout it. JC groaned loudly as Justin came crashing down beside him. "Man, get your skinny ass off me." JC yelled as Justin's hip dug into JC's thigh.
"Skinny ass? Man, have YOU looked at yourself. I'm not anywhere as bony as you and…" He began but grew quiet when he glanced over at Liz on the other bed.
JC noticed it too and pushed Justin out of the way so he could sit up.
Liz was just staring at her knees and rubbing them back and forth with her hands. She looked like she was completely lost in thought.
The guys gave one another a questioning look then simultaneously got off the bed and slid onto hers.
She didn't even realize their presence near her. She was too lost inside to notice an earthquake, much less two guys sitting beside her. The only image she concentrated on was that of Justin and the feeling of him hugging her knees. The pure sexual aura of one Justin Timberlake was consuming her mind and body. That made him beyond dangerous now.
JC looked at Justin and punched him in the arm. "Great, I fall asleep and when I wake up, she's a zombie. What the hell did you do to her?"
Justin merely shrugged his shoulders at his friend. He had no idea what was going on with her. One minute they were laughing then the next he was telling her why he was mean to Veronica and… "Oh, not again." He said.
JC looked at him and crossed his eyebrows. "What?" He asked.
Justin had a slight grin to his face when he turned to look at JC. The grin spread up to his eyes when reality hit him and he knew why Liz was spaced out.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said as he waved JC off and scooted closer to Liz. He leaned up to her ear and whispered to her. "I told you I have that effect on women."
She immediately snapped out of her daze and pushed Justin away from her ear. She glared at him for a moment but noticed JC sitting near her. "Oh, JC, you're awake. Did you sleep okay?" She asked, hoping to get the attention off herself.
JC shook his head at the pair. They were acting awfully strange. "Yeah, I did. What exactly happened while I was asleep, anyway?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and awaited an answer.
Liz looked nervously at him but Justin was the one to speak up first. "Nothing. We just watched a little TV that's all. Right Ebby?" He asked as he opened his mouth again and started to stick his tongue out and wiggle it to tease her.
She turned her face to look at JC so she wouldn't see Justin. He was being so mean right now. She realized that he knew why she was spacey today and was just using that against her.
She stuck a hand up towards Justin's face and spoke to JC herself. "Anyway, yeah we just watched TV, that's all. I just spaced out there for a minute. I have a lot on my mind with work and…don't say a word Justin…" She began as she pushed her hand over to his mouth to keep him from speaking. "But I think I really need to get going. I have a few more things to check on before the girls get back. So, I need to…"
She suddenly felt something wet and warm on her palm. She shot her head in the direction of Justin and saw him smile against her hand. She knew he was licking her palm and although it felt wonderful, she passed that feeling off and got an idea of her own.
Without hesitation, she took her palm and began rubbing it up and down his face to get his own saliva on his nose, forehead and even down to his chin. He snapped back when she did this.
He gave her a shocked look but grabbed her arm and pulled her over to him. While one arm was around her waist to hold her in place, he took the other and pulled the bottom of her shirt up a little to wipe off the spit on his face.
She could only squeal against his chest. Her face was smashed up against the collar of his shirt and her nose felt like it was about to break. JC saw her struggle against Justin and tried to shove him away from her.
This only made Justin hold tighter on Liz and she laughed even harder.
JC jumped on Justin, causing all three of them to go hurling backwards but they didn't fall off the bed. Instead, Justin caught all three of them as his upper body went sliding off towards the ground.
He lay with his body half off and half on the bed as Liz lay on top of his chest. JC kept her from moving away because his body was pressed up against Liz's back. The three were sandwich together but no one seemed to move.
Liz was in hell at that moment. She could feel the warm breath of JC breathing in her ear as he tried to get his balance back. Then below her, she could feel the tightness of Justin's stomach muscles holding them in place. She slowly raised her head ever so slightly and looked at Justin.
His face was strained but a small grin spread across his face when her eyes met his. "It's a good thing you're so well built to hold us up and…" Liz began to whisper to him but cut her words short when she realized she was gazing into Justin's eyes rather than merely looking at him.
Luckily for her, JC regained his balance, pushed himself off Liz and then grabbed around her waist to help her off Justin. Her eyes never left Justin's as JC pulled her back up. Justin must have been in the same trance that she was in because as her body slid off his, he was pushed off the edge of the bed and landed on the ground.
JC busted out laughing at his friend's predicament but Liz merely coughed nervously and hopped off the bed. She walked around the side of the bed, stepped over Justin who was now trying to watch TV upside-down, and made her way towards the door.
"Guys, I hate to break this party up but I really do need to get some work done, so I'll see you later." She said as she grabbed her bag and headed out the door.
Justin sat back up, leaned his elbows against the edge of the bed, and looked at JC. "Five. Four. Three. Two…" He didn't finish counting but put one finger up to signal to JC that within one second, Liz would be back.
Just then, the door opened back up and Liz came walking in. She glanced at the two smiling young men before speaking to them. "Okay, so I knew this was my room. I just needed some air first." She said as she heard the chuckles of the other two.
JC was the first to stand up and approach her. He motioned Justin to get up too then put his hand on Liz's shoulder. "Girl, you're losing it. Don't do any work, just relax for awhile okay." He said as he tried to hide his smile.
She just rolled her eyes at his weak attempt but thanked him for his concern. "I'll try." She said as he gave up his struggle and started laughing at her. She really needed to let loose now.
He gave her a quick hug before turning back to see Justin standing up and coming towards them. "Lizzy, we'll see you later tonight." He started out the door thinking Justin would follow.
Justin had something else in mind. He slammed the door behind JC and left him out in the hallway alone. Liz looked at him when he turned around to give her an evil grin. She wasn't sure she wanted to be alone with Justin right at that moment. Too many thoughts were clouding her mind about him as it was and having his back grazing her body was beyond torture now.
She stepped back to give them room and started to speak but Justin took that step back towards her and grabbed a hold of her waist with one hand. The other, he put up to her mouth and told her to remain quiet. "Shhhh. Let's see how long it takes him to notice I'm not with him." He said smiling yet again.
She gave him a strange look by crossing her eyebrows at him but nodded her head. She thought he would let her go but he didn't. He grew closer to her and leaned his head beside hers. He told her to listen to hear for JC. She kept her eyes on Justin and knew if she didn't get out of this situation soon, she would regret the actions she wanted to take.
She tried to break free of Justin, but when she did, he merely held onto her tighter. He turned his head to face her and tell her to keep quiet but when his face turned, he realized they were a lot closer than either one expected. She could feel the tip of his nose on hers and she slowly closed her eyes. She couldn't bare to look at him any longer. She was in agony and didn't know how to get out of it.
Justin smiled again at the sight before him. Number three. I must be on a roll here, today. He thought to himself.
He thought about his next move for all of a second before he went for it. He lowered his hand away from her mouth and as his hand slid down her face, she opened her eyes and stared back at him.
She felt herself drawn towards his mouth and even glanced between his eyes and lips several times before finally landing her sight on his eyes. They were hypnotizing her and she knew without a doubt that nothing but a miracle could save her now. This was WAY too much for her to deal with. She needed to think this one through but unfortunately, she wasn't given a chance.
She could see the twinkle in Justin's eyes slowly getting brighter as he closed in on her and right as the warm feel of his lips tingled her own…
"HEY! THAT WAS SO NOT FUNNY!" JC yelled from behind the door.
His outburst caused Liz to pull back from Justin and this time, he let go. She immediately pulled her hands up to her hair and began running them through it as if to get the imaginary tangles out.
Justin noticed the nervous look on her face and could only shrug his shoulders at her. "JC's got some kind of timing, huh?" He asked. His dry lips were waiting to be moistened by Liz's but he realized that wouldn't be happening so he licked them himself, gave her a wink, then opened the door only to be dragged out by a raving lunatic of a roommate.
Liz heard JC playfully yelling and chasing Justin down the hall and towards their room.
She sighed as she closed the door behind them then returned to her bed. She hit the off button on the remote and plopped down on the bed to get the rest JC had said she needed. Her mind was all messed up now and she needed a few minutes to just not think about anything or anyone.
You can't fall for him, Elizabeth. Remember that he's not part of the plan. She said to herself before drifting off into the darkened world of sleep.