"Oh my God!" Justin Timberlake stopped in his tracks, causing the man behind
him to run into him.
"Damn, Justin, how 'bout a little bit of warning
before you slam on the brakes?" Chris Kirkpatrick took a step back and tweaked
his nose with his fingers to make sure that everything was OK.
"That's
Madison Morse."
For once, the teen heartthrob sounded star-struck. With
good reason. At only 18, Maddie Morse had turned the entertainment industry
upside down when she'd released her genre-crossing debut album earlier that
year. Her fresh-faced, girl-next-door, sexy-without-even-trying aura only added
to her appeal.
"Hey guys, wuz up?" Joey Fatone and JC Chasez joined
their band mates in surveying all the glitter and dazzle that abounded at the
gala event.
"Oh nothing. Justin's having a Madison Attack, that's all,"
Chris nonchalantly informed his friends.
JC smirked. "Again?"
"Remember that MTV party when he wouldn't even go talk to her?" Joey
grimaced. "And she was RIGHT THERE!"
Madison had revealed in an
interview once that when she was younger, she'd had a fantasy that she'd marry a
guy with curly hair and eyes the color of the sea. Joey thought that Justin fit
the bill perfectly and encouraged his friend to make a play for her; he was
disappointed and somewhat confused by his friend's reluctance to approach this
female.
"So, what, are we just gonna stand here all night while Justin
stares at her from afar?"
"Hell no! Let's go mingle," Joey implored.
"See ya later, lover boy." JC patted Justin consolingly on the shoulder.
"Yeah...whatever," Justin absently waved them off, his eyes never
straying from the figure in maroon posing on the red carpet for the
photographers. Her ebony tresses were pulled up into a cascade of curls piled at
the crown of her head. Miniature roses, dyed maroon to match her dress, were
strategically placed in her curls, giving her an impish yet sexy look.
Because of the distance, Justin couldn't see her face very well, but he
knew that her blue-ringed-by-gray eyes were wide and sparkling. He watched as
she made her way towards the banquet hall, stopping not only to sign autographs
for the fans lining the carpeted walkway, but to engage in conversations with
them as well. He saw Carson Daly, camera and soundmen in tow, approach her. His
heart constricted strangely when he was the wide smile and enthusiastic hug she
gave the VJ. Justin frowned.
'If I didn't know any better, I'd think I
was almost jealous. Yeah right,' he laughed silently at himself.
"Justin!" Bounce's voice interrupted his musings. "Johnny's asking for
ya."
Justin turned back for one last look at Madison, but she had
disappeared, lost in the crowd.
"OK, I'm coming." He turned to follow
the bodyguard.