Life Is Good

By: Cindy

“Hey, where is everybody?” Chris asked.

“They’ll be here in a minute, just chill out.” Tammi answered, kissing him sweetly on the mouth.

“I don’t chill? What the hell is ‘chill’?” He smirked at her.

“I know, baby, but you’ll just have to deal.” She smacked him on the ass as she walked over to the bar area of the conference room. Chris watched her body move to the music as she spoke to the bartender.

“Let’s get this party staaaaaaaaaaarted!” Justin sang along with Pink as he danced into the room dragging Britney behind him. He spun her around and ground his body to hers.

“Oh, God, this already!” Lance rolled his eyes as he walked past them over to Chris. “They should’ve just stayed in the room.” He chuckled and Chris joined in. “So, where are Joe and Kelly? If they miss the fucking surprise…”

“Hell if I know. Probably fucking in some linen closet somewhere. Where’s Cindy?”

“She’s still in the room. She’s supposed to hang back and alert us when they’re coming. And she said she had to try to be more beautiful or something. Like that’s possible.” He blushed when he said it.

“You’re so whipped, Bass. It’s fucking pitiful, actually.” Chris patted him on the shoulder as if consoling him.

“You’re just jealous.” Lance grinned.

“Yeah, well there is that.” He sniffed. “Tammi’s great, but I just don’t LOVE her, ya know? Wish I did. I wanna feel that again. I want what you have, what JC and Lara have.”

“You’ll find it, bud, I promise you. Now, where do I get a drink in this establishment?” Chris pointed over to Tammi who was still talking to the bartender.

The room was slowly filling up with people. Body guards, dancers, crew members, management, and other friends, famous and not. This was the biggest conference room located in the four-star hotel, but it looked as if it would be bursting at the seams before long. Hopefully the surprise had not been ruined by anyone.

Cindy entered the room and closed the doors quickly. She flipped the light switches and the DJ turned down the music.

“Hey, they’re coming! Everybody be quiet!” Lance walked over and wrapped his arms around Cindy. He kissed her bare shoulder and whispered into her ear.

“God, you’re beautiful.”

“Shhhh.” She smiled up at him over her shoulder. They could hear voices outside the room.

“Come on, honey, I’m ready to dance with you.” Was heard as the door opened. “No music, wha…”

The lights came on and everyone screamed. “SURPRISE!”

“Oh My God!” Lara’s hands clasped over her mouth as she looked around the huge room. A huge banner hung across the back wall that read “JC and Lara Forever”. She felt JC’s arms wrap around her as he smiled at his friends.

“Man, you guys are too much.” He grinned and kissed Lara’s head.

“I’m at a loss for words for once.” Lara shook her head.

“Awwww, c’mon ya’ll, let’s kick this thing into high gear.” Cindy hugged Lara and JC, then took Lance’s hand. She motioned to the DJ to start the music up again.

“Okay, so where are the pink fuzzy-tailed bunnies?” Chris asked.

“Hey!” Tammi appeared at his side. “I told you this is a co-ed bachelor/bachelorette party. There will be NO strippers!”

“But, baby…” He whined.

“Let me have a couple more drinks and I’ll strip for everyone.” She eyed him devilishly.

“The hell you will.” He pulled her to him and swayed to the music.

“Bunnies? Did I hear someone mention bunnies?” Joey appeared next to them followed by Kelly. They both looked a little disheveled.

“God, Joe, you missed the fucking surprise. Can’t you two hold out for one second? Ya’ll miss all the good stuff.” Lance scolded.

“I wouldn’t exactly say that.” He winked at Kelly and she blushed. “I think what we were doing was pretty good stuff, how ‘bout you, babe?” She punched him in the stomach and wandered toward the bar.

Everyone danced and drank and enjoyed each other’s company. They had no show tonight and decided it would be the best time for a party. Lara and JC were getting married in two weeks. They were in Philadelphia so they knew Lara would be there. It was hard getting everyone together like this. The guys sent out secret invites to their family and friends. The guests were a veritable who’s who of the music industry.

After an hour or so Cindy once again took charge of the crowd. The music quieted and everyone turned to look at her.

“It’s time for presents!” She squealed. “Lara, JC, come up here.”

“Oh, God, this could be bad.” Lara shook her head.

“Ya scared?” Chris wiggled his eyebrows.

“Nope, just bracing myself.” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Okay, bring it on!” She rubbed her hands together. They started bringing up the presents and she was amazed.

“Josh, honey, look at all this stuff.” They sat down side by side and each grabbed a present. Lara was gently opening the card from her small package while JC ripped savagely at the wrapping paper on his with his tongue hanging out. “Josh, did you even see who that was from first?” She looked at him quizzically.

“Um, no.” He pouted.

“It’s from me and Brit, Jayce.” Justin spoke up. He was grinning from ear to ear.

“And this one is from Johnny.” Lara said. She scanned the crowd for Johnny and smiled sweetly at him.

“I’m writing them down for you.” Tammi announced.

“Thanks!” Lara smiled at her friend.

JC made it inside his present quickly. “Whoa!” He muttered. Lara looked over at him. He held it up to her.

“Ooooh!” She squealed. “You two are too much!” She ran her hand across the matching silver bracelets.

“Look at the inscriptions.” Britney told them. They each took their bracelets out of the box.

“Lara and Josh 2/16/02.” Lara said aloud. There was a collective ‘awwwww’ from the crowd. “Justin, Brit, these are beautiful, thank you so much.”

“Yeah, man, cool. I’m putting mine on, help me, honey.” They put on their bracelets and Lara went back to opening her gift from Johnny. She gasped when she peeled back the tissue paper. Inside were a pair of 24 carat gold plated champagne flutes. Each was inscribed with a name and the wedding date.

“Johnny, oh my God! These are amazing! I’ve been looking for crystal for the wedding.”

“I know, sweetie.” He winked at her. “Glad you like them.”

“They’re perfect.”

JC had finally convinced Lara it was okay to tear into the presents. She was now racing him with every package they opened. Their loot was stacked haphazardly behind them. Lance brought a huge basket to them. It was wrapped in bright red cellophane. “Last one.” He said.

“That one’s from me and Tam.” Chris grinned.

“God help us.” JC sighed. They peeled away the layers of cellophane to reveal the contents. Lara hooked her finger around satiny fabric and pulled out a red lace thong. Her face turned as red as the satin. JC grinned evilly at her.

“Oh, it gets better.” Tammi giggled. JC pulled out a matching teddy and ran the soft fabric across Lara’s cheek.

“Woohoo!” Justin cheered. This was followed by screams from the rest of the crowd.

Lara wrapped her hand around a huge dildo and held it up to show the crowd. She couldn’t keep a straight face. She licked her lips and wiggled her eyebrows at JC. His eyes twinkled as he looked at her. They continued to pull out more sex paraphernalia. Pink fuzzy handcuffs, candles, flavored lotions, glow-in-the- dark condoms, satin covered ropes, chocolate syrup, various vibrating things, the works. JC found a red satin man’s thong for himself.

“Hell yeah! You gonna model that for us, Jayce?” Tammi yelled. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about.”

Lara found a Polaroid camera and several packs of film in the bottom of the basket. “Hmmmmm, the thoughts that are running through my head right now…”

“How much longer ‘til this party is over?” JC asked, to no one in particular. He was met with flying debris. They stacked all the items back into the basket and stood up, hand in hand. “Thank you all sooo much for the gifts, but mostly for being here and supporting us. We’ve already started a wonderful life together and it’s only going to get better. You have all been great and I love you guys very much.” Everyone applauded, then Lara began to speak.

“I also want to thank each and every one of you for making me feel welcome and like a part of this big family. I didn’t really know what family was before I met Josh, but now I know what it feels like. Tammi, Cindy, Kelly, and Brit, you are all like the sisters I never had. I love ya’ll so much.” A tear slid down her cheek. She cleared her throat. “Um, okay, enough with the sentimental shit, let’s dance!” She tugged on JC’s hand and the music got louder. “Conga” by Gloria Estefan began playing.

“OOOH, conga line!” Chris shouted. He pulled Tammi to her feet and she placed her hands on his hips. Brit and Justin fell in behind them. Before long, the entire party was in a line weaving around the room.

When that song was over, a familiar tune filled the air. “Oh, God, who told this DJ what to play?” Cindy groaned.

“I did!” Chris danced past her, Tammi in tow. She shrugged at her friend as she went by.

“He’s an idiot!” Cindy laughed.

“Come on, baby, it’s just the Chicken Dance. Just do it!” Lance began doing the motions of the silly dance. Cindy noticed all five guys were standing next to each other doing it perfectly in synch.

“Maybe ya’ll should put this in the show.” She said to them. The looked around and realized what they were doing and busted out laughing. It was priceless. Luckily Steve was there videotaping the entire thing for posterity. What were the odds that would make it onto a behind-the-scenes video?

Cindy was relieved the next song was a slow one. An oldie but a goodie from the 80’s. She walked over to Lance and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love this song.” She smiled up at him.

“I love you.” He kissed her softly. He began to sing the words in her ear.

But I want you to know. If I could fly, I’d pick you up. I’d take you into the night, and show you a love like you’ve never seen…

He didn’t sing the sadder parts of the song, only the parts that meant something to him.

I would wait ‘til the end of time for you and do it again, it’s true. I can’t measure my love. There’s nothing to compare it to.

“Come outside with me.” Lance whispered into her ear.

“But…” She tried to protest.

“They won’t miss us.” His green eyes pleaded. It was already 2:00 in the morning. The rest of the hotel was deserted. They walked past the indoor pool and the gym. The gym had windows all the way across the front and they laughed hysterically when they saw a huge man running on the treadmill.

“It’s 2:00 a.m. What the hell is he doing? What if he kills over? Nobody would find him ‘til morning.” Cindy was concerned, but the hilarity of it more than outweighed the worry for the poor man.

“Hey, at least he’s trying. He probably doesn’t want to work out when everybody else is in there.”

When they reached the doors to the outside pool area they saw lightning flashing across the sky.

“When did this bad weather come up?” Cindy flinched as the thunder crashed.

“Dunno. Come on, we’re making a run for it.”

“Uh, what? We’ll be soaked and the party…”

“Come on. I know you’re sweet, but you won’t melt in a little ole thunderstorm.” He tugged on her hand and sprinted into the pouring rain.

“Laaaaaaance, God!” She was being dragged along behind him. He stopped under an outdoor gazebo. The roof wasn’t solid so rain still leaked in onto them. “Lance, have you lost your mind?”

“I thought you liked the rain.” He pulled her close to him.

“I…do…but…” He covered her wet mouth with his in a heated kiss.

“But what?” He said as he broke the kiss.

“Nothing.” She whispered before pulling his mouth back down to hers. “Mmmm, I wish this wasn’t a public place. I want you so bad right now.”

“That’s it. I’m building a gazebo in the backyard of the house. You know how much it rains at home.” He said into her neck as he sucked on her wet skin. “We could make love out there every time it rains.”

“Oh, God, Lance. We need to go inside.” She tried to pull away from him.

“No, not yet. I came out here for a reason.”

“Okay.”

“Lara and JC are great together, don’t you think?” He said, turning serious all of the sudden.

“Of course.”

“You think they’re gonna make it?”

“Absolutely.”

“You think we’re gonna make it?”

“Well…I hope so. What’s going on?” She gazed intently into his green eyes.

“I just want what they have.”

“I thought we already HAD what they have.”

“I mean all of it.” She frowned up at him.

“Baby, what are you trying to say?”

His brain fumbled for the words. He was usually good at speaking his mind but tonight the words eluded him. “I…uh…shit…”

“You’re freaking me out here, baby.”

“I’m sorry. Don’t freak. I love you so much. I just wanted to tell you that.”

“Baby, you could’ve told me you loved me inside where it’s dry.” She giggled.

“But I didn’t want to ask you to marry me in a room full of people.” He blurted out.

“What?!”

“Shit, okay, so much for the romantic, memorable proposal.” He fished a small velvet box out of his pocket and got down on one knee. “I want, no I need you to be my wife. Please say you can look past my crazy life and love me enough to marry me. I love you more than anything in this world. I’d die for you, I really would. I know I really screwed this up. I can’t manage to say this how I want to say it. Just know I love you and I’ll always be there for you.” He opened the ring box and the diamonds glistened as lightning flashed above them.

Liquid ran down streaking her face. Lance couldn’t tell if it was rain or tears. She sniffed and he knew tears were in there. “Lance, nothing would make me happier than to be your wife. I know life would be insane, but I’d risk anything to be with you. Besides, it can’t stay this crazy forever, right? Eventually you’ll be too old for teenyboppers to stalk you, I hope.”

“Me, too.” He smiled. He took the ring out of the box. “So, will you be my wife, Cindy?”

“Yes, Lance, I want to be your wife. I love you so much.” Tears began to flow heavily as he slid the ring onto her finger. She tried to look at it but couldn’t see through the tears and rain. She fell to her knees and kissed him passionately, sealing their engagement.

“I know it won’t be exactly the same as doing it in the rain, but let’s go to the room. I want to make love to my fiance’.” His green eyes shone with lust.

“I like the sound of that.”

“Let’s not tell anyone about the engagement, okay? I want to see how long it takes them to notice the ring.”

“K.”

“Besides, it was JC and Lara’s day. Don’t want to interfere but I wasn’t about to wait another day to do this.” He brought her left hand to his lips and kissed it right below the ring. “It looks beautiful on you.”

“So do you, so come on, let’s get this party started.”

The End

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