Shannon McCormick pulled her headset off and stretched, yawning as she glanced around the office where she worked. The ceiling fan moved in lazy circles, doing little to dispel the heat of a late July morning in New York. Shannon glanced at her watch, groaning when she realized she still had seven hours to go before she was off and could escape the polyester blouse and wool vest and skirt that was her work uniform.
It wasn't that Shannon hated her job - quite the opposite. She loved her job, working at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel as the manager of the phone center was fantastic, and she loved living in New York City, which was quite a change from the sleepy Maryland town where she had grown up. But it was a special day for Shannon - her younger brother, Colin, was due to arrive any minute for his first visit to see his 'big' sister. The hotel was also not very full, only one large group was arriving that day, so there wasn't very much to keep Shannon occupied.
She looked up from her daydreaming when realized her best friend was standing next to her.
"Earth to Shannon! Where the hell did you go there?" Destiny Sutton laughed.
"Sorry - just zoning. What's up?" Shannon asked as she pulled her long auburn hair off of her neck in an attempt to cool off.
"Nothing, that's the problem. I'm bored, there's nothing to do at the front desk." Destiny complained, pulling off her wool blazer. "And this damn blazer is murder ... I think I've lost about ten pounds this week in sweat alone."
"I'm just as hot as you are," Shannon commented, fanning herself for emphasis.
"Are you guys bitching again?" Michelle Hollywell, their roommate, laughed. "We're all hot - not just you two - so shut up about it!" Destiny stuck her tongue out at Michelle and Shannon checked her watch again.
"Are we keeping you away from an important appointment?" Destiny asked Shannon, her eyebrow raised.
"No, Colin should be arriving at the airport soon - as long as his plane was on time." Shannon sighed, wishing she could've gotten the day off. But her manager had insisted she work that day, as a very important group of guests was due to arrive that day - and their identity was a huge, well-guarded secret.
"So, did you turn up anything about our top-secret VIP's that are arriving today?" Michelle asked Destiny curiously.
"Not a thing. Management won't tell us anything, and neither will security - I tried everything. I even wasted my time flirting with the valets - and still nothing." Destiny shook her head.
"Oh well, I guess we'll find out soon enough, they'll be here around noon. Come on, let's go out to the lobby and see if Colin's arrived yet." Shannon suggested.
"So what's your brother going to do all day while you're at work?" Michelle wondered.
"I don't know. He's never been to NYC, though, so he's really looking forward to just wandering around. He'll keep himself entertained, I'm sure." Shannon grinned.
********
Colin McCormick looked around Times Square and down Broadway, not sure where to go first. He had called his sister to let her know he had arrived safely, and they had arranged to have lunch later at one of the restaurants at the hotel, but that was an hour away, leaving him plenty of time to explore New York City. He noticed the Virgin Megastore across from the MTV studios that he had seen so many times on television and decided to go in and see if it lived up to all the hype. Upon entering, Colin quickly admitted it did. It was easily the biggest record store he had ever been in, and he was in heaven. Music was his passion. He and several of his friends back home had a band of their own and spent many weekends playing in his parent's basement. Colin passed the rack of the latest singles and Top Ten records, making a face when he saw some of the artists. Curiosity made him pick up *N SYNC's latest single, and he made a face as he looked at the cover. What makes these guys so special? Sure, they could sing, but what was it that made all the girls scream for them night after night? Shrugging, Colin set the CD back in the rack and headed for the alternative section, his favorite. He was so busy looking for a certain CD that he bumped into another guy, knocking their CDs to the floor.
"Oh man, I'm sorry," Colin apologized, crouching down to retrieve the pile of CDs.
"No problem. I get lost in record stores, too. It's just as much my fault."
Colin handed over the CDs that weren't his, looking the other guy in the face for the first time. He looked vaguely familiar, though Colin couldn't quite place him.
"Hey ... we picked out the same CD ... you like Five For Fighting, too?" The guy asked Colin, pointing out that they had, in fact, picked up the same CD.
"I love Five For Fighting - not a lot of people have heard of them. I'm Colin, by the way." He replied, holding out his hand.
"Justin, nice to meet you."
Colin took a deep breath; he realized why he had thought this guy looked familiar. "Hey ... aren't you ...?"
"Uh ... yeah, but could you keep it on the down-low, please ..." Justin looked slightly panicked.
"Dude - relax. It's cool. It's nice to meet you. My sister loves your group, she talks about you all the time." Colin grinned, seeing Justin visibly relax.
"So, how old is she? Ten?" Justin laughed, liking this guy right away. He wasn't like a lot of the guys he met who recognized him. Most guys his age were either rude or indifferent, not even bothering to try and make polite conversation.
"Nah, she's twenty-four." Colin replied, rolling his eyes. "I keep telling her she's the oldest *N SYNC fan in the world, but she just laughs and says at least she's legal and old enough to actually stand a chance."
Justin laughed outloud, longer and harder than he had in weeks. "Man! Let me guess ... she's got the hots for JC?"
"Nope, she likes the little one ... what's his name ..." Colin furrowed his brow in thought.
"Chris?" Justin supplied, his eyebrows raised.
"That's it, Chris!" Colin laughed, as they headed for the checkout. "She's got pictures of him everywhere, you'd think her room belonged to a twelve-year-old, but no, she's twice that. I guess she's reliving her New Kids days."
"Oh man, wait 'til I tell Chris," Justin shook his head. "So, do you live around here?"
"No, I live in Maryland, I'm just up here visiting my big sis for the week, she lives on 62nd street. She actually works right down Broadway at the Marriott Marquis." Colin explained.
"Really? That's where we're staying while we're here." Justin said with surprise. "Small world, huh?"
"Are you headed there now? Cause I gotta meet her for lunch in twenty minutes, I could walk back there with you," Colin suggested, following Justin out the door.
"Why don't you let me give you a lift?" Justin pointed to the luxury van in front of them. "I just gotta wait for Joey, he's still inside."
"You sure? Thanks." Colin grinned, his eyes widening with surprise when a larger man tackled Justin, pushing him into the van. Colin wasn't sure what to do, until he noticed Justin laughing and shoving the larger man off of him.
"Dammit, Joey! You're a dork!" Justin playfully shoved his band-mate and best friend.
"Yeah, yeah, so you say. But I noticed quite a few more I love Joey signs last night in Philly than I love Justin signs. If I were you, I'd be worried, JuJu." Joey teased, rubbing Justin's newly-shorn head.
"You wish, Joe. Colin, this is Joey Fatone, Joey, Colin ..." Justin looked at him for a last name.
"Colin McCormick, nice to meet you." Colin shook Joey's hand.
"Nice to meet you, too, Colin. Can we drop you off somewhere?" Joey asked, getting into the van, where two beefy bodyguards were waiting.
"He's going the same place we are, his sister works at the hotel." Justin explained as the van entered traffic. "Did the other guys already check in?"
"Yeah, JC wanted to take a nap." Joey snickered at the old joke and looked at Colin. "See, JC's one of our group -"
"I know, my sister's a huge fan," Colin explained.
"Your sister? The same one that works at the hotel," Joey asked, his interest piqued.
"The one and the same," Colin replied.
"Is she pretty?" Joey grinned widely as Justin smacked his arm. "OW!"
"Ignore Joey. So what are you doing after you have lunch with your sister?" Justin asked Colin.
"Uh, nothing, why?" Colin laughed at Joey who had a pout on his face and was looking like a beaten puppy.
"I didn't know if you maybe wanted to hang out or something, we don't really have anything to do tonight." Justin looked at Joey who had begun sulking because he wasn't the center of attention and the bodyguards were ignoring his theatrics. "Right, Joey?"
"I'm not talking to you, you hit me." Joey huffed, his twinkling eyes revealing his playful demeanor.
"Oh Christ ... I'm so sorry I lightly tapped you." Justin rolled his eyes.
"Okay!" Joey sat up and bounced on the seat as the van pulled into the hotel loading dock. "So are you gonna hang out with us tonight?"
"Sure, sounds like fun. When do you want me to come up ... and how do I find you guys, anyway," Colin wondered.
"Just call my cell," Justin handed Colin a business card with several numbers and email addresses on it. "When will you be done lunch with your sister?"
"Probably around two or so. Want me to call you then?" Colin jumped out of the van, followed by Justin, Joey, and the two bodyguards. He followed them through the employee entrance and to the service elevators.
"Sure, I'm sure JC will be up by then, and if not - we'll make sure he's up." Justin grinnned evilly.
"See you then," Colin waved at his new friends and made his way through the hotel to find his sister.