Living In Sin

By:  Lara

 

Lara finished arranging the last vase of wildflowers just as the buzzer went off on the dryer.  She ran to the laundry room and pulled out the fluffy blue and white towels.  She hung them in the master bathroom, then went down to finish making the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing.  When she finally sank into an apple-scented bubble bath hours later, she almost fell asleep.

Ariana applied one last coat of red nail polish as she watched the moving men carry out her furniture.  “Watch!”  She yelled as they stumbled through the door with her sofa.  “People are BUYING that!  It has to look like it did when they came here to make an offer!”

She walked back into the bedroom, blowing on her nails.  When the quick dry polish finally dried, she hurriedly began packing.  She would be leaving in a few hours, and she had to be ready when the car came for her.

Lara paced by the door in her long blue sundress.  Her long dark hair was curled around her shoulders.  Everything in the house was perfect, her hair was perfect, the dinner that was simmering in the kitchen would be perfect.

                A car pulled into the driveway and she ran out in bare feet to meet him.  “Lance!” She shouted, throwing himself in her arms.  He whirled her around and then pulled back to look at her.

“Oh…Lara…baby…you look good enough to EAT!” Lance Bass growled, playfully nipping at her neck.  She giggled and snuggled next to him as they went back into his huge beach house.  He sniffed appreciatively.  “Is that what I think it is?”

She nodded.  “Yep…your favorite.  Stuffed pork chops, mashed potatoes and corn right off the cob.”  She kissed his cheek.  “With a surprise for dessert.”

“Chocolate cake with peanut butter icing?”  She nodded and he gave her a big hug.  “Now I know why I was in such a hurry to get home.  You spoil me.”  He looked around the foyer.  His favorite wildflowers were everywhere, and the house was spotless.  “Everything looks wonderful, baby…smells wonderful, too.  Do I have time to clean up?”

“Of course.  I’ll go make you your drink and everything will be all ready by the time you get back down.”  Lance gave Lara a long sensuous kiss before walking up the staircase.

“I have to make a quick call but I promise it will be short,” he called down to her.

Lance began to peel off his clothes as he dialed his cellphone.  “Hey.  It’s me.  Is the car on its way?  Left already?  Excellent.  Do you have the address?  Good.  See you then.”

An hour later, Lance leaned back from the table, sighing with satisfaction.  “Lara, you really outdid yourself this time.”

“Sweetie, it’s just like I always make it,” she teased, standing to clear the table.  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his lap.

“I missed you so much,” he murmured against her hair.  His hand began to slide up her thigh as the doorbell rang.  “Oh!  There’s your surprise!”  He pushed her to her feet and then got up to go to the door.

“What surprise?”  Lara asked, following at his heels like a puppy.  Lance opened the door.

“Lancers!”  A woman squealed, falling into his arms.  To Lara’s surprise, Lance hugged the woman just as tightly, kissing her hard on the mouth.

“I’ve been waiting all night for you,” Lance told the woman.

“The ride up here was agony, but here I am!”  The woman said cheerfully.  She moved from the foyer into the living room.  “Everything you said about this place was true, Lancers.  It’s beautiful!”

“Lance?”  Lara said uncertainly, taking a step towards him.  The woman looked her over.

“Oh…is this your housekeeper?  Hi, I’m Ari.”  The woman walked towards Lara, her hand outstretched.  Lara ignored her.

“LANCE,” Lara said with more firmness.  Lance put an arm around her. 

“No, Ari, this isn’t the housekeeper.  This is Lara.  Lara, this is Ari.  Ari’s gonna live with us now.”  He kissed the tip of Lara’s nose.  She stared at him, as did Ari.

“What?” Lara stammered.

“She lives here too?  You didn’t say anything about…” Ari began.

“She’s gonna live here with us?  Whoa…wait a minute,” Lara added. 

“I couldn’t bear being without my favorite girls a minute longer, so I thought we could all live here…together.”

“Wait a minute.”  Lara took a long look at Lance.  “Just how long have you been seeing her?”

“Six months,” Ari answered before Lance could open his mouth.  “How about you?”

“I’ve lived here for seven months but we’ve been together for a year,” Lara answered softly.  Her blue eyes filled with tears.  “You’ve been seeing her for six months?”  Lance started to reply but Lara held a hand up to stop him.  “I’ll fix up the lilac guest room,” she said quietly.  Holding up her long skirt so she wouldn’t stumble on it, she gracefully walked up the staircase.  She made it to the purple guestroom before collapsing on the bed in tears.

“Lance, you NEVER mentioned anything about another girlfriend!”  Ari snapped as Lance tried to embrace her.

“She’s not my girlfriend, baby.  She’s just a friend…”

“A friend who you’ve been seeing regularly for a year and that you’ve been living with for over half a year.  I’d say that’s a girlfriend!”  Ari shouted, wriggling out of his arms.  “I don’t believe this!”

“Sweetie…it will be great. Trust me.  I have the best of both worlds here…someone to cater to my every whim around the house…and someone to play with otherwise.”  He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he wormed his arms around her.  His teeth nipped at her earlobe.  “I really missed you, baby.”

“Lance, stop it.  I am furious with you,” Ari told him, though her defenses were coming down.  He began to back her towards the large couch as his hands moved over her halter-top.

“Please forgive me?”  His fingers crept under the top and caressed her breasts.  Ari moaned as they toppled onto the couch.

“Lance…not here…she’ll hear us!”  Ari whispered.

“Well…you’ll just have to be quiet for once then…” his hand unbuttoned her shorts as his mouth claimed hers.

Lara straightened up the guestroom and even put fresh sheets on the bed.  She made sure clean towels were in the adjoining bathroom, and then went back to the master suite.  She yanked out her favorite blue swimming suit and put it on.  When she finally returned to the first floor, Ari and Lance were in the kitchen.  Ari was at the table and Lance was reheating her some of the dinner for her.

“Sit down with us, baby.  You two didn’t get a chance to get acquainted.”

“No, thank you.”  Lara strode past him to the sliding glass door.  “I’m going to do laps.”  The door slammed behind her.  She dove into the pool and began to furiously do laps. 

“I’d better go talk to her,” Lance said as he sat a plate down in front of Ari.  “Why don’t you eat this and then go get settled in.”

“Whatever,” Ari sighed.  “And why am I stuck in a guestroom?  I want to sleep with you!”

Lance chucked her under the chin.  “She was here first, baby.  Besides…I’ll be paying more then enough visits down the hall to you.  And maybe someday we can all share.  My bed is big enough for both of you.”

“Obviously,” Ari retorted.  She picked up the plate and headed upstairs.

Lara shrieked as someone grabbed her feet.  She kicked until she got away.  “Hi, beautiful,” Lance said, smiling.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” she growled, swimming away.

“Oh, what LANGUAGE!  Baby, I didn’t know you even KNEW that word,” Lance teased.  He swam towards her until she was cornered by the diving board.

“Lance, who IS she?  And how could you bring her into our home?  How could you?”  Lara asked tearfully.

“First of all, this is MY home.  I can bring anyone I want to stay here,” he reminded her, his blue eyes stormy.  He lightly traced a finger down Lara’s cheek.  “I can’t help it.  I want you both.  She is wild and unpredictable.”  He kissed her nose…her cheek…her lips.  “You are my sweet little kitten who always does what I say…who likes to do EXACTLY what I say.”  He pressed his body up against her and she realized that he was naked. 

“Don’t.”  She shoved at his chest to push him away.  “I don’t want her seconds.”

“Honey…I’ll always go to her first.”  Lara gasped, hurt.  “Because I can get it quick and hard with her.  With you I get to take my time…slow…sweet…” he murmured against her ear.  His hand reached to stroke between her legs.  “I can make you scream just by ravaging your sweet body...”

“Stop,” she whispered, but before she knew it he had her legs wrapped around his waist and he was thrusting inside of her.

Ari stumbled out of bed at eleven the next morning.  She threw on a robe and made her way downstairs to the kitchen, where she smelled coffee brewing.  Lara was at the sink washing dishes, dressed neatly in a turquoise tank top and white shorts.

“Hello,” Lara said coldly.

“Coffee,” Ari said simply.  Lara glared at her.

“There’s the pot, and the mugs are in the last cupboard on the right.  Get it yourself.” 

Ari scowled but went and pulled out a mug.  She poured herself coffee.  Lara slammed cream and sugar down on the table.  “Look, there’s no reason for you to be a bitch,” Ari snapped.

“Oh, I should say there is.  You come marching in here, call me the housekeeper, and then expect to be waited on hand and foot.  You may be Lance’s little slut on the side but I’m not going to be your Cinderella.”

“Slut on the side?  Hardly,” Ari retorted.

“Okay, who is the one Lance has been living with for months?  Not you!”

“Yeah, well, who’s the one he’s been living with but obviously got so tired of he had to find someone else?”  Ari snapped back.  Lara’s blue eyes filled with tears.

“I’m going to do laundry. Try not to make too much of a mess, okay?”  Lara darted off down the hall towards the laundry room. 

Ari sighed and drank her coffee.  She hadn’t meant to say something so rude, but little Miss Perfect had no right to call her a slut.  It wasn’t HER fault Lance had asked her out that night at the club.  She absentmindedly let her eyes wander around the room.  She froze as she saw the note on the refrigerator addressed to her in Lance’s writing.  She hurried over and grabbed it.

“Sorry I couldn’t be there to kiss you good morning.  I had an early meeting with the guys and management.  We’ll all be back to the house for an early dinner tonight.  Let Lara know, okay?  Kisses…Lance.” 

Ari crumpled the note in her hands and smiled with satisfaction.  “Lara?”  She yelled down the hall.

“What?”  She yelled back.

“Did you read this note from Lance?”  Ari followed Lara’s voice down the hall to the laundry room.

“No…it was addressed to YOU.  I have no interest in anything he has to say to you,” Lara said haughtily, slamming the washing machine door with a loud bang.

“He wants me to tell you to make dinner for the three of us tonight…anything is fine,” Ari said sweetly.

“I’m glad I have your permission to cook what I want,” Lara said.  “Do you want to make yourself useful or is that asking too much?”

“Well, I have nothing else to do,” Ari sighed, as if any kind of chore was enough to send her back to bed.

“The florist’s number is on the side of the fridge.  Lance likes fresh wildflowers.  They’ll know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure…no problem.”  Ari went back down the hall, whistling cheerfully.

Lara shook her head and went upstairs to make the bed.

“Yes…I’m calling from Lance Bass’ house?”  Ari said when the florist answered.  “I’d like to order some flowers for tonight…no…not the usual…we’re looking for something new and different.”

 

“Did Lance say what time they’d be home?” Lara asked a few hours later.  Ari was in the living room changing channels on the TV.

“Um…not really.  He just said early dinner.”

“I’d better call his cellphone to make sure,” Lara said, reaching for the cordless.

“NO!  I mean…you’re obviously busy.  Let me do it,” Ari said with what she hoped was a friendly smile.  Lara stared at her, then slowly moved her hand.

“Okay…thanks…I’m…uh…gonna go iron his shirts,” Lara said softly.

“Why do you do all this for him?  Why don’t you make him hire a housekeeper?” Ari asked.  Lara froze.

“I do it because I love him.  I like doing things to make him happy and comfortable,” she said finally.  Ari shook her head.

“Well, I think that’s a waste of time.  Obviously it wasn’t making him happy and comfortable enough.”

“Go to hell,” Lara snapped.  “I could care less what you think.”  She stomped up the steps to the bedroom.

“I have a surprise for you guys,” Lance said as they pulled into the beach house driveway.

“I hope it’s another one of Lara’s fantastic desserts.  Man, I had three pieces of that chocolate cream pie she made last time,” Justin said, rubbing his flat stomach and groaning at the memory.

“That girl can COOK,” Joey said in affirmation.  “And she’s cute, too.”

“Yeah, she’s not bad,” Lance said absentmindedly, wondering what they would say when they met Ari.  Justin was the only one who knew about Ari, and he thought it was an interesting situation to say the least.  What he didn’t know, however, was that Ari had moved in.

“He’s back!”  Lara squealed to herself.  She checked herself in the mirror one last time and left the bedroom.  She had bought a new outfit the week before and was dying for Lance to see her in it.  It was a dark blue button-up sleeveless shirt with matching short shorts.  Her hair was pulled back in a bouncy ponytail and she was almost satisfied with the way she looked.  She got to the bottom of the steps and froze.  “What the hell is this?”  She screamed.

“What?”  Ari said innocently, following her down the steps.  Lara took one look at Ari’s purple minidress and went back to the issue at hand.

“I told you wildflowers!  Can’t you do anything right?”

“Oh!”  Ari gasped in pretend horror.  “I’m POSITIVE you said to change the order to roses.”

“I did not!” Lara wailed as she looked at the five vases of pink and white roses.  “Lance hates roses!”

The door opened and Lara was shocked even more as she watched the four other members of Nsync file in after Lance.  “Hey, baby,” Lance said, giving her a smacking kiss on the cheek.  “New outfit?  I like the skirts better, baby.”

“Wha…what are they doing here?”  Lara said quietly.

“I told you they were coming for dinner,” Lance said, winking over her shoulder at Ari.

“No…no you didn’t,” Lara gasped, feeling faint.

“I told her exactly what your note said, Lance.  You said that you were bringing the guys back and…” Ari began.

“That’s right.  And what’s with the roses?”  Lance wrinkled his nose and looked at Lara in disapproval.  She was almost in tears.  She turned on Ari with a vengeance.

“You fucking BITCH!” She screamed.  She lunged at Ari and Lance had to hold her back.  “You told the florists to deliver roses on PURPOSE, just to make me look bad.  And whatever Lance told you in that note is NOT what you told me!”

“Lance, I don’t know what she’s talking about.  I did just what she told me to!” Ari said, her eyes large and innocent.

“LIAR!”  Lara screamed.  “Let me go, Lance!  Let me claw your little slut’s eyes out!”

“Lara, ENOUGH!”  Lance growled.  Lara quieted instantly at the tone of his voice. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

“I told her to order wildflowers, Lancey…and she told me it would just be the three of us for dinner.  I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine.  We’ll go out for dinner.  Guys, this is Ari.  Ari, these are the guys.  Let’s go.”  Lance let go of Lara and turned on his heel.  Ari strode by Lara triumphantly.  Chris, Joey, and JC uncertainly followed.  Justin turned to Lara.

“Are you coming?”

She shook her head.  “I have dinner for three to put away.  Have a nice time.”  She turned and went into the kitchen.  She heard the front door close and finally broke down and sobbed.  She heard footsteps and felt arms go around her.  She didn’t care who it was.  She cried on the shoulder offered to her.  When she finally looked up, she was surprised to see Chris Kirkpatrick.  “What are you doing here?”

“I couldn’t go.  Not after what went on in there.  I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Lara sniffed and stared at him.  She and Chris had never really talked much, and it surprised her that he had stayed behind. “So…what’s for dinner?”

“Um…just fish and pasta.”

“Excellent,” Chris sat down at the table and looked up at her expectantly.  She gaped at him. “Well?  I gave up a good restaurant meal for this.”  He slapped his palms on the table and Lara laughed.  She quickly made sure the food was still warm and prepared two plates.  Chris dug in immediately.  “This is much better then anything I woulda got at the restaurant,” he told her.  “Is there dessert?”

“Just cherry cheesecake,” she said shyly. 

“JUST cherry cheesecake, she says,” Chris said, rolling his eyes.  He emptied his plate twice and had two pieces of cheesecake.  Lara poured them coffee and they went into the living room.

“Thank you for staying,” Lara said shyly.  “I’m sure Lance wasn’t too happy about you doing it, though.”

“I’m afraid he didn’t really notice,” Chris said carefully.  It was true.  Lance had only had eyes for his new friend.  “Who is she, Lara?”

“I don’t know,” Lara whispered miserably.  “He brought her here yesterday.  He’s been seeing her for six months.”

“Oh…damn…” Chris moved to sit next to her on the sofa.  “You had no clue?”

She shook her head.  “I guess I’m the comfortable one and she’s the wild sexy one.”

“You shouldn’t stand for something like this,” he told her.  “You should haul your ass out of here.”

“I can’t.  I really love Lance.  It was so wonderful…at least I thought it was,” Lara sighed.  “I’ve done everything I can to make him love me.  I’ve worn dresses he liked, cooked his favorite foods, bought his favorite flowers, kept his house nice…I thought it was enough.  I even tried something sexy to keep him interested…but then SHE came along and blew my idea of sexy out of the water,” Lara said with a sigh.

“You are sexy,” Chris told her.  She blushed.  “No, really.  I never knew you even HAD legs.”  Lara laughed.  Chris stood and held out her hand.  “Come on.  Let’s go for a walk.”

“I…I don’t know.  What if Lance comes back?”

“Then he comes back.  It’s his house, right?  Let’s go.”

She hesitated, then took his hand.

As soon as Ari left the table to use the ladies’ room, JC and Joey pounced on Lance. 

“Lance, what the hell is going on?”  Joey asked.

“Who is this girl?  What about Lara?” JC demanded.

“He’s been seeing them both for a while,” Justin answered before Lance could open his mouth.  He looked at his friend.  “I never thought you’d do something like this, though, Lance.  This is cold.”

“Not that Ari isn’t hot and everything,” JC was quick to say, “but in Lara you have it all!  She’s cute, she’s sweet, she is one HELL of a cook…”

“I needed some excitement, that’s all,” Lance replied.  “It’s really none of your business, anyway.”

“I just feel bad for Lara, ya know?  I mean, you totally dissed her,” Justin said.  “You didn’t care if she came along or not.”

“I ask her to do a few simple things, and she gets them all wrong,” Lance said angrily.

“Did you ever think about what Ari feels in all this?”  JC asked.  “I bet she was less then thrilled to find out you were already living with someone.”

“And maybe she DID sabotage Lara, to make Lara look bad,” Justin suggested.  Lance held up a hand.

“They’re fine with this, okay?  They don’t have a problem with it!”

The guys eyed him skeptically.  “Did you actually ask them about it?” JC asked.

“No…not yet…I’m sure they’re fine, though.  They know if they AREN’T fine with it, they can leave,” Lance said simply.  The guys shook their heads, but said nothing as Ari returned to the table.

“I’m telling you, I saw a sea monster,” Chris insisted as he and Lara came back into the house.  “Didn’t you see the head?  Three horns…I’m telling you!”

“I think you had one too many pieces of cheesecake,” Lara said, laughing.  They stopped short as they entered the living room.  Everyone was seated around the room, and the conversation came to a stop.

“Hey…how was dinner?”  Chris asked cheerfully.  Lara took a step back, standing meekly behind him.  He turned to look at her.  The laughing girl he had walked on the beach with had disappeared.

“Good, but I’m sure you’re dinner was MUCH better,” Justin said, giving Lara a friendly smile.

“D-do you guys want coffee or dessert?  There’s a lot left,” Lara offered, glancing at Lance.  He was seated on the sofa with his arm around Ari, who gave Lara a smirk.

“No…no thanks.  We should be going anyway,” JC said, hopping to his feet.  Joey and Justin followed suit.

Chris gave Lara a hug.  “You need ANYTHING, you call, okay?”  She nodded but didn’t answer. 

“I’m gonna drive them home.  I’ll be back in a bit,” Lance said.  Ari and Lara nodded.  Lara went out to the kitchen to clean up.

“So, Mouse, have a nice time with Chris?”  Ari sauntered into the kitchen.

“Do NOT fucking talk to me, okay?  Don’t speak to me, don’t look at me, don’t TALK to me,” Lara said calmly without even looking at Ari.

“What?”  Ari said, totally innocent.

Lara stopped washing dishes and turned to look at Ari.  Her eyes were steel.  “For Lance’s sake, I was going to try to be civil to you.  You had to go and be a bitch, didn’t you?  Well, all I have to say is that revenge is hell.”  She turned back to her dishes.

“What could you possibly do to me, Mouse?”  Ari sneered.  “If I remember correctly, you can’t even keep your man at home, can you?”

“Well, I’m the one he’s been living with all this time, hasn’t he?  He wanted two women in his bed in the same house, that’s the ONLY reason you’re here,” Lara said, realizing it herself as she said it out loud.  Ari frowned.  “I do things to keep him happy.  You must fuck very well, Ari, and that’s why he wants you here.  Otherwise you’re nothing but a showpiece, like the art on the walls.  Now, if you’re not gonna help out here, get your ass out of the kitchen and up to bed where you’re obviously a lot more at home.”

Ari turned on her heel and stomped up the steps, absolutely furious.  Lara smiled as she finished cleaning.  She poured herself a glass of wine and went out to sit on the back porch.

When Lance came home the house was quiet…too quiet.  He went to the spotless kitchen and noticed that the screen door from the kitchen to the porch was open.  Lara was sitting in the dark.

“Everyone get home okay?”  She said.  He sat in a chair next to her.

“Yeah,” he said, trying to control his temper.  “What the hell happened tonight, Lara?”

“Obviously you won’t believe me, but Ari offered to help so I asked her to order flowers.  Either she’s a complete moron or she told them to change the order.  She came to me with a message from you, saying you wanted a quiet dinner for three, and that’s what I cooked.”  Lara refused to look at him.

“I can’t believe she’d lie,” Lance began.  Lara turned on him.

“I slave my ASS off here for you, because I LOVE you, Lance.  Because of this love, I ignore the fact that you’ve been screwing that slut behind my back all these months, and I also don’t say a word about her living here.”

“Like I told you, Lara, it’s my house.  I can invite anyone I want to live here.  And don’t call her a slut,” Lance said angrily.

“Fine…fine…” Lara said wearily.  She stood.  “I’m going to bed.  Don’t expect me to wait on her, okay?  I’m no one’s slave.”

“Not even mine?  Or how about Kirkpatrick’s?” 

Lara froze at the door.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You two looked all cozy and sweet tonight.”  Lance stood also.

“Lance, I’M not the kind of person who cheats,” she snapped.  He grabbed her arm.

“Maybe I cheated because I wasn’t getting the kind of loving I needed here at home,” he growled. Her eyes filled with tears and he softened.  “Oh, baby, I’m sorry.  I just want you to get along with her.”  He pulled her into his arms and she tried to fight against the love that washed over her.

“Lance, what did you expect?  That we’d become best friends?”

“Just that you’d get along…and maybe some day the three of us could…”

She yanked her body away.  “Don’t count on it!” Lara snapped.  “I’ll be civil, and that’s as far as it goes.  And as for bed tonight…please go sleep with her.  She can make you happier than I can tonight, obviously.”  She slammed the screen door behind her.

Lance crawled out of Ari’s bed the next morning and tiptoed down the hall.  He had gotten an icy reception when he had entered Ari’s room the night before, because he had questioned the events of the night before.  Ari had ranted and raved for a while, and he had barely gotten her calmed down enough to let him sleep beside her in the bed.

He slowly opened the door to the master bedroom, ready to sneak in and kiss Lara awake.  He felt guilty for how he had treated her the night before.  She always made him so proud to bring people over, and the night before had been a disaster.  He was shocked to see the bed empty.  He glanced at the clock.  Eight thirty.  He knew Lara usually got up early but this was kinda strange.  He went downstairs.

“Good morning, sweetheart!”  Lara said cheerfully.  She gave him a big hug and a smacking kiss.  “What would you guys like for breakfast?”  She pushed start on the coffeemaker and opened the fridge.  “Eggs?  Omelets?  Pancakes?  Oohh…Belgian waffles?  I haven’t gotten to use that waffle iron yet…”

“Um…whatever you want.  I guess I’ll go waken Ari,” Lance said, staring at her warily.  He had never seen her lose her temper like she had the night before, and he was beginning to realize that his sweet Lara wasn’t as sweet as she let on.

“You could let her sleep if you wanted to.  I could do laundry or something and then make breakfast,” she suggested.  “Why don’t you set the table out back for breakfast…do you mind?”

“No…of course not.”  A cocky smile crossed his face as he approached her.  “She’ll probably sleep for hours, you know.”

“That’s fine…I have sheets to wash and…” she gasped as he lifted her up onto the kitchen counter and untied her robe.  “Lance!”  She giggled.

“I want you to forgive me…I was a prick last night,” he mumbled against her neck as his hand snuck up to pull her nightshirt up around her waist.

“Of course I forgive you, Lancey.  I just…oh…damn…” she whispered as he bent down to kiss up the inside of her thighs.  When his fingers found their way inside of her, Lara screamed.

“Shhh,” Lance said, laughing.

“This house is huge…no one can hear me,” she moaned as he moved his fingers in and out of her.  “Lancey…please…” she begged.  “I want you inside of me.”

“Nope…we’re doing this my way,” Lance murmured.  He knelt before her and placed her legs on his shoulder.  He licked lines up and down, and finally took her clit in his mouth.  When he did this, Lara arched her back and yelled out his name.  Her fingers clutched at his hair as he worked on her.  It didn’t take long before she was panting and calling his name again and again.  He gave up trying to make her keep quiet, and the sound of her voice made him harder and harder. 

Lance finally stood and yanked down his sweatpants.  He picked Lara up and sat down with her on a kitchen chair, thrusting up into her as he sat her on his lap.  She moaned as she moved against him.  He whispered sweet words in her ear, and his deep sexy voice brought her to a screaming orgasm.  He pulled her down onto him one last time before cumming as well.  They were both panting for breath.

“Honey…I didn’t know you could GET loud like that,” Lance gasped, kissing her hard on the mouth.

“Is it a problem?”  Lara asked.

“Oh…no…” he said.  She carefully got up and went into the bathroom to clean herself off.  Lance was standing and retying his sweatpants when Ari wandered into the kitchen.  “Oh…hi…” he said, blushing a furious red.  As soon as Lara came out of the bathroom, he hurried in.

“Oh, hi,” Lara said nonchalantly.  She gave Ari a friendly smile, but her eyes said it all: you’re not the only one who can get him off.  “Coffee?”

“Please,” Ari snapped, sitting down at the table.

“Any preferences for breakfast?  Eggs?  Waffles?”

“Whatever,” Ari replied.

“What did you decide on for breakfast, Lancey?”  Lara said when Lance returned.

“Um...waffles are fine,” he said.  “Maybe with fruit on them or something.”  As soon as Lara’s back was turned, he gave Ari a kiss.

“You don’t have to hide that, Lance,” Lara said without turning around.  “If you want to kiss her, that’s fine.  If you want to take her upstairs and screw the hell out of her that’s fine, too.  Just tell me so I don’t waste a good breakfast.”

Lance’s mouth dropped open, and he glanced at Ari, who looked at him expectantly.  “I think I’ll go set the table.”  He ran out of the kitchen.

Lara smiled to herself as she dug through the fridge for ingredients.  “Anything I can do?”  Ari offered.  Lara turned around. 

“Um…no…unless you want to get any laundry of yours together.”

“Most of my things are dry clean only.  You WILL send them out, right?” Ari said coldly.

“I’m not an IDIOT,” Lara retorted, forgetting her vow to be sickeningly sweet to Ari.  “At least I know how to run a washing machine.”

“I’ll get them together.”  Ari marched from the room.

Lance poked his head in the door.  “Where’d Ari go?” 

“She decided to actually be useful and gather her laundry for me,” Lara said.

“When are you gonna get along with her?”  Lance asked.

“When she tries to get along with me,” Lara said.  “I only want to be treated the way I treat others…with respect.”

“I’ll talk to her, honey.  She just kinda has a temper,” Lance said.  Lara thought, and so do I, but said nothing.  “Oh…and I think she may be allergic to some kind of fruit…what were you thinking of using?”

“Um…I have cherries, strawberries, and blueberries.  I was gonna put them in the batter,” Lara said.

“I think it’s…strawberries…but I’m not sure.  Let me go ask her.”

“No…honey…I’m sure you know her well enough,” Lara said slyly.

“I’m gonna go shower,” Lance said.  Lara knew he was on his way up to Ari.  She had never figured Lance to be such a nympho, and the fact that he could jump from her to Ari hurt, but she tried not to show it.

“Okay, honey.”  She smiled as he came over to kiss her cheek before running upstairs.  Lara grabbed her handblender and began to puree the strawberries, whistling cheerfully.

“These look great!”  Ari said enthusiastically, bouncing to her seat at the outside table.  Lara rolled her eyes.  She knew exactly WHY Ari was so bouncy, though Lance looked as if pleasing two women was already wearing him out.  Ari grabbed a waffle and smothered it with syrup.  Lara sliced an orange for herself.

“You’re not eating?”  Lance asked her.

“I thought it’s about time I started dieting,” Lara told him, smiling sweetly.  She had spent most of the night before taking mental inventory of all the things Lance had to be finding fault with, and decided that her physical appearance was the first thing to change.  He liked her to wear long dresses…therefore he must be ashamed of her body.

“Um…okay,” he said, digging into a waffle.  About five minutes later, Ari started scratching at her arms absentmindedly.  She did it more and more, until she glanced down at her arms and screamed.  Lara and Lance jumped.  “What?  What is it?”  Lance shouted.

“Look!  Look at the hives!”  She glared at Lara and then ran into the house.  She came back with a tiny green strawberry basket. “Are you trying to fucking poison me?”

“What?”  Lara asked innocently.  “Lance said you were allergic to fruit and I said which one could I use and he said strawberries.”

“I meant she was ALLERGIC to strawberries,” Lance said in alarm.

“Oh…jeez…I’m sorry.  Do I need to call an ambulance?”  Lara said, standing up.

“No,” Ari growled.  “I just need to go take my medicine.  I’ll be right back.”  Ari ran into the house.

Lara sat back down and calmly resumed eating her orange.  Lance stared at his plate, then stared at the ocean.  “Maybe you should check on her.  We wouldn’t want her to overdose on her medicine or anything,” she said hopefully.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine,” he said, looking at her intensely.  “I DID say she was allergic, didn’t I?”

“I coulda sworn you said she WASN’T allergic to strawberries, but I COULD be mistaken,” Lara said thoughtfully.  Ari returned to the porch a few moments later. “I totally swear he said you weren’t allergic to strawberries.  I apologize,” Lara said, without an ounce of apology in her voice.

“No problem,” Ari muttered, carefully staring at her coffee before drinking some.

“Ari and I were gonna go downtown shopping.  Would you like to come along?”  Lance asked Lara.

“I have so much to do around here, plus I need to run to the market and the dry cleaners.”  Lara spat the words.  “You kids go have fun.  Is anyone coming for dinner that I should know about?”

“No,” Lance said carefully.  “Tonight it really will be the three of us.”

“Okay.”  Lara stood and went to the door.  “Have a great day!” She said cheerfully.  Ari and Lance looked at each other but said nothing.

As soon as Lance and Ari were out of the house, Lara made a shopping list and headed out to the market.  She filled her basket with fresh fruits and vegetables for herself, and all kinds of junk food for Lance and Ari.  She knew Lance’s weakness for sweet things, and she had seen the way Ari had snacked around the house.  She debated accidentally losing Ari’s dry cleaning, then decided that was a little TOO bitchy.  She quickly finished her errands and then returned to the house.

It was around noon, and Ari and Lance weren’t back yet.  Lara figured he was showing her the sights of the tiny town, just like he had eagerly shown them to her so many months before.  She tried not to think about it as she put away her groceries and cleaned the house, but when she went for a walk after lunch, she finally let go.  She sat down on a sand dune near the house and sobbed.  She had no clue what she had done to make Lance look somewhere else.  She and Ari were as different as night and day, and all she could come up with was that maybe he had gotten so bored of her that he needed to find someone TOTALLY different.  It never entered her mind that it wasn’t her fault…it wasn’t in Lara to blame anyone but herself first when things went wrong.

Her eyes narrowed as she thought of this Ari girl.  Okay, she was what SOME people might call pretty.  She had an interesting spark to her eyes, and her laugh was contagious. In some other circumstance, they might even have become friends.  That thought made Lara smile to herself.  She could not believe that Lance had hoped they might somehow get along.  He probably assumed that they should be thankful for the fact that he was willing to give himself to both of them.  This thought made her frown.  She had always seen a side of Lance that was sweet and generous and kind…she had never seen the temper or the narrow-minded selfishness that she had discovered recently.

“Penny for your thoughts,” a voice said behind her. Lara jumped.

“Oh…Justin…what are you doing here?”

“I came to see you.”

“Me?”  Lara was amazed.  She didn’t know any of the guys well, but she had probably talked to Justin the most.  It still shocked her that he had come looking for her.  He was quite the ladies’ man, and she was pretty shy around him.  “What do you want me for?”

“Just to talk.”  He sat down beside her and stared out at the water.  “You guys are so lucky.  This beach is a LOT better than the one at my house.”

“It is beautiful,” she agreed.  They sat in silence for a moment.

“Where’s Lance?”  Justin asked finally.

“He and Ari are downtown, I think,” she said.  “They’ll be back for dinner, I’m sure.  You’re welcome to stay,” she said suddenly.

“I don’t want to impose.”

“Believe me, you’re NOT imposing,” she said, remembering Lance’s request for dinner for three.  “I would love for you to stay,” Lara added, placing a hand on Justin’s knee impulsively.

“Lara…I have to be honest with you about something,” Justin said, unable to stand the sadness in her blue eyes.  “I need to tell you…I knew about Ari.”

“You WHAT?”  Lara snatched her hand back.

“I knew he was seeing her.  I thought it was just a sex thing…you know…someone different from you.  I thought he truly loved you and only saw Ari as a piece on the side.”  Justin grabbed her hands in his and wouldn’t let go.  “I never EVER thought he’d ask her to live here, Lara.  I never thought he’d do something this crazy.”

“Neither did I!”  Lara said, and broke into tears.  Justin pulled her into his arms and held her, gently rocking her from side to side.

“Why are you even staying here, then?”  He asked finally.

“You sound like Chris,” Lara sniffed.  “And I’ll tell you what I told him.  I have nowhere to go, Justin.  No job, no family…nothing.  All I have is Lance, and I love him.”

“You could come stay with me,” Justin suggested.

“You just want me to cook for you,” she teased.

“Yeah…that too,” he said, smiling his gorgeous smile.  “And I wouldn’t mind having a pretty girl around to clean up after me, either.” She shoved him.  “Lara, seriously, you should get out of this.  If he can do this to you, do you really think he loves you?”

She shook her head violently.  “I am not gonna think about that now.”  She stood.  “Come on.  Let’s go back and jump into the pool.  You can borrow one of his suits.  And you MUST stay for dinner…please…don’t let me alone with them,” she begged.  Justin took one look into her eyes and melted.

“Okay.  I’ll stay.”

“Can we PLEASE go back to the car now?” Lance whined as he struggled with the six shopping bags.  Ari sighed.

“Okay…okay.”  She grabbed two of the bags and started back in the direction of the car.  “You DID say I could have anything I wanted,” she reminded him.

“I didn’t mean in EVERY store!” Lance snapped back. 

“You could have said no,” she retorted.

“You know I can’t say no to you,” Lance said softly.  He looked over his shoulder, then pulled her into a dark corner behind a fruit stand.

“Lance!”  Ari gasped, giggling.  He dropped the bags and pulled her into his arms.  He took little bites at her neck. 

“I can never say no to you, Ari. You drive me crazy,” he growled as his hand roughly grabbed at her breast.

“Ow!”  She yelled as he grabbed too hard.  “Take it easy, Lancers!”

“Sorry,” he quickly apologized, bending his head down to kiss the sore area.  Ari moaned quietly.  “I didn’t mean it.  You know I don’t like that rough stuff.”

“It’s okay,” she said softly.  “Let’s go home and finish this.”

Lance picked up the bags and they walked the three blocks to the car.  “We might have to…uh…finish this later,” he said to her as he started the ignition.

“Oh, yeah, right…Little Miss Perfect might get upset,” Ari grumbled.

“Ari, don’t start,” Lance said tiredly.  Ari turned in her seat to glare at him.

“Lance Bass, what the HELL did you expect?  Did you expect we’d all get along like one big happy Jerry Springer family?  I don’t think so!  Did you think we’d get along so well that you’d talk us into bed with you TOGETHER some time?  I don’t think so!”  Her voice raised to a yell.  “I really like you, Lance, and I’ve enjoyed our months together.  When you asked me to move in with you I was SO excited.  Then I come all the way down here, and find you have been seeing someone seriously for months…I can’t even IMAGINE what the sight of me must’ve done to HER.”  Ari stopped.  She hadn’t thought about that.  She had only thought about how to get Lara OUT of the house…she hadn’t thought about how Lara probably considered it HER house, too.  “That was really selfish of you, Lancers.”

“Any time you’re ready to go, you know where the door is, honey,” Lance said angrily. 

“Yeah…okay…I let my apartment go, I sold all my furniture…why don’t I just walk out the door today,” Ari said sarcastically.  “No way, Lance.  You’re stuck with me now.  And if little Miss Perfect knows what’s good for her, she’ll haul her ass out of there.”

“Ari…I do care about her…would you please try not to be such a bitch?”  Lance said, his eyes narrowing.

“Me?  SHE’S the one that tried to poison me!” Ari exclaimed as they squealed into the driveway.  Lance noticed Justin’s car in the driveway but said nothing.

“That was MY fault,” Lance reminded her.  “I told her the wrong thing.”

“Whatever,” Ari mumbled, slamming the car door.  Lance grabbed her hand and pulled her against him.

“Looks like Justin’s here.  He probably has Lara occupied.  Why don’t we go upstairs quick…”

“No,” Ari said sharply.  Lance flicked his tongue over her earlobe.

“Sure?”

“Um…no…” Ari said, her resolve wavering.  He dropped the bags by the side of the car.

“We’re going upstairs.”  He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the house.

“I’m gonna get a soda.  You want anything?”  Lara dragged herself out of the pool.

“No…I’m cool,” Justin replied.

Lara dried herself off some before going into the house.  She froze as she heard voices in the foyer.

“Let’s try something new…I could tie you to the bed,” she heard Ari say as they giggled their way upstairs.  Lara frowned.

“No way…you know how I feel about that shit, Ari,” Lance replied.

“Aw, darn.  Guess I’ll have to send those whips and chains back,” Ari said in a teasing voice.

“Guess so,” Lance said, his voice low and sexy.

“But I have a surprise for you for later tonight, and I’m sure that will be just as fun.”

Lara grabbed a drink from the fridge and started back out to the deck.  Her mind was racing.  “Hey…Justin?  Do you think you could drive me into town in a little while?”

 

“Do I want to know why you made me wait in the car?”  Justin pouted later.

“No.”  Lara leaned over and gave him a smacking kiss on the cheek.  “Thank you for driving me in here.”

“Where did you go?”

“Nope.  Not telling.  Just drive.  I have to start dinner, and inform Lance that his quiet little dinner for three is now for four.”

“You told me I wouldn’t be imposing,” Justin said.

“You’re not!  At least I don’t think you are,” Lara said cheerfully.

When they returned to the house, Ari and Lance were sitting on the back deck.  “Hey, Justin, I thought I saw your car earlier,” Lance said, looking at Lara and Justin strangely.  “Where’d you two jet off two?”

“I needed to pick up a few things I forgot today,” Lara said.  She sweetly kissed his cheek.  “Hello, Ari.”

“Hi,” Ari replied, staring at her.

“I need to go put these things away.  Can the two of you entertain Justin while I get things done?”  Lara asked. “Lance, I hope you don’t mind that I invited him to dinner.”

“No…uh…of course not,” Lance answered.  Lara bounced up the stairs.

She went to the room she shared with Lance and dumped the contents of the bags onto the bed.  She tore off price tags and unwrapped plastic holders.  Holding her breath, she snuck down to the guestroom and quietly opened the door.  As usual, it was a wreck.  Ari had been there barely a few days and she had hit the room like a hurricane.  Lara opened the closet door.  She stored spare blankets and pillows in this closet, but the usually neat pile was torn to bits.  Ari’s clothing was strewn about in the closet, and Lara carefully buried her purchases under a few pair of Ari’s pants.

She came bouncing down the stairs a few moments later.  “Okay…who’s hungry?”

“Lara…please invite me to dinner more often,” Justin said, leaning back in his chair with a sigh.  “That was out of this world.”

Lara beamed at him.  “I’m so glad you liked it.” She stood and began to gather the plates. 

“I’LL do them,” Ari said quickly, snatching the dishes out of Lara’s hands.  “I mean, since you refused to let me help with dinner.”

“I don’t really remember you offering,” Lara said.  “Thanks though.”

Ari wanted to throw the dishes into the sink and scream at the top of her lungs, but she didn’t.  The night had been a disaster.  Lara had made another excellent meal, and Justin sang her praises the entire time.  Lance finally seemed to get jealous, and it was if the two men were vying for Lara’s favors.  Ari had to give Lara credit, though.  She sat there and modestly took their compliments, saying it was nothing, she just followed the directions, and anyone could have done it.  Ari felt exactly like what Lara had said she was: nothing but ornamentation. 

“The night is still warm,” Lara said.  “Let’s sit out on the deck.” She went out the screen door and Justin was quick to follow.  Lance glared at his friend’s back.

“Sweetie, why don’t you stay in and help me?”  Ari suggested.  “You could dry.”

Lance silently came to stand next to her and brooded as he dried the dishes.  “I TOLD her that I wanted a quiet dinner for just the three of us,” he said finally.

“I think she’s not the sweet little Mouse you thought she was,” Ari pointed out.  “People change.”

“She’s MY girlfriend,” Lance grumbled.  Ari stared at him.

“I thought you said she was JUST a friend!”

“Oh…right…” Lance said quickly.  He gave her a sexy smile.  “So…what’s my surprise?”

Ari smiled devilishly.  “Nope.  You’ll have to wait and see.  I have it hidden away in my room.  I brought it with me just for you.”

“Lance?”  Lara called from outside.  “Justin is gonna stay over here tonight…could you go make up the bed in the other guestroom?”

Lance and Ari looked at each other.  “Why in the world is he staying here?”  Lance wondered.

“Because she’s too chicken to deal with the idea of you and I,” Ari snapped.  Lance rolled his eyes and said nothing.

“Okay,” Lance called back.  He ran upstairs.

“Why are you smiling like that?”  Justin asked Lara.  He couldn’t help but smile back when he saw the mischief in her eyes.

“Like what?”  She said innocently.  If she didn’t love Lance so much, she could have definitely fallen for Justin Timberlake’s smile.

“Like you’re the cat that ate the canary.”

“I’m just enjoying the company,” she flirted, winking at him.

“ARI?  What the FUCK is this?”  Lance yelled, thumping back downstairs.

“You found your surprise?  I was hoping to show it to you later and…” Ari stopped in midsentence at the absolute fury on Lance’s face.  Lara and Justin sauntered in.

“What’s going on?”  Justin asked.

“That’s what I want to know!” Lance said angrily.  In his hands were two sets of handcuffs, a few silk scarves, and a long black whip.  Lara’s eyes grew big.

“Lance…you told me you hated that stuff!”

“I DO,” Lance snapped.  “I found it in ARI’s room.”

“Lancers, those aren’t mine!” Ari’s green eyes were big.  “I’ve never seen those things before in my life!”

“This is sick, Ariana…really really sick,” Lance snarled.  “You know how I feel about this kinda thing…animals get tied up, NOT people.”

“It isn’t mine, Lancers…please believe me!”  Ari wailed.  Lara almost felt sorry for her, but she managed to keep the look of disgust on her face.

“It IS kinda disgusting,” Lara said to Justin in a low voice.

“You stay out of this!” Ari screamed.

Lara smiled sweetly at Lance.  “I’ll let you two deal with this on your own.  I’m going to bed.”

“I’ll go with you… I mean, I’ll come upstairs, too,” Justin said, catching himself quickly.  Lara kissed Lance’s cheek as she passed him.

“You know where I’ll be if you want me,” she whispered in his ear.  She jogged up the stairs with Justin right behind her.  “I’m sure he never got around to fixing up the bed, so…” Lara stopped at Ari’s room and grabbed the clean sheets.  As soon as they were in the second guestroom, Justin grabbed her arm.

“You set her up, didn’t you?”

“Who…ME?”  Lara asked innocently as she tugged the pillows into clean pillowcases.  Justin stared at her for a moment, and then a sly smile crossed his face.

“I think I underestimated you.  You’re not the…”

“Mouse?”  Lara finished for him.  “No…I’m not.   I did what I thought would make Lance happy.  Obviously I didn’t do enough.”

“Oh…God…Lara…no.  Don’t think that way.”  Justin took Lara’s hand and pulled until she sat down next to him on the bed.  “This has nothing to do with you.”

“This has EVERYTHING to do with me,” she replied.  “If I had been what he needed, he would have NEVER looked somewhere else.”

“If he had needs you weren’t satisfying, then he shoulda said something to you,” Justin said.  “Don’t beat yourself down like that.”  He smiled at her.  “I can’t imagine you not being able to satisfy him.”

Lara blushed furiously and got up.  “Quit teasing me like that, Justin.  I’m not in the mood.”

“I’m not teasing.” Justin looked at her for a long moment.  “I don’t think Lance knows what he has.”

“Well, now he has two of it, whatever he wants,” Lara said lightly.  “I think you’re a big boy and you can finish this all by yourself.  I’m gonna go relax in the tub.”  Lara dropped the sheets on the bed and began to walk to the door.  “Good night.” Before she knew what was happening, Justin grabbed her and pulled her into his arms.  “Justin!  What…”

Justin silenced Lara with a passionate kiss.  After a good long moment, he let her up for air.  “Did you enjoy that?”

“N-no…” she retorted, thought the color in her cheeks said otherwise.

“Maybe that will make you think your situation through,” he told her, lightly caressing her cheek.  “Lance isn’t the only man in the world who would want you, Lara.”

“You just want…”

“You don’t know me well enough to tell me what I want, so don’t even try.”  Justin gently kissed her cheek.  “Sweet dreams.”

Lara blindly stumbled to the door, leaning on it after she closed it behind her.

Lara was soaking in her favorite green apple bubble bath when Lance stormed into their bedroom thirty minutes later. Her eyes were closed, and she was humming along to the dark melody of a Chopin nocturne that floated from the CD player.

“I don’t believe this.”  Lance came into the bathroom and started to pace back and forth.  “This is ridiculous.  She KNEW I hate that kind of stuff. I mean…why in the world would you ever wanna be tied up like that?”

“You should be more open-minded,” Lara said calmly, keeping her eyes closed.  “You need to try new things.”

“I don’t like new things,” he grumbled. “I like to keep things just the way they are.”  Lara opened one eye and raised her eyebrow, but he didn’t notice.  “I can’t believe she’s into something like that!  Just when you think you know someone…”

“Yeah…just when you think you know someone,” Lara repeated, glaring at him as she stood.  He handed her a fluffy towel and she wrapped herself in it.

“Not tonight, please, Lara.  I don’t need it.”

“You know what, Lance?  I really don’t care what you need or don’t need!”  Lara snapped.  She dried off and pulled on her short blue kimono.  “It is obvious I don’t know you at all.  I never would have thought that you would cheat on me.  I also never would have thought that you would ask someone that you obviously hardly even know to move in here with us, and that you would expect us to get along!” Her voice rose to a shout.  Lance just stared at her.  He had never seen Lara show any kind of bad temper.  “I love you, Lance.  Even through all this I still love you.  But if you think I’m just gonna let you walk all over me with that slut down the hall, you can just guess again.  You need to make a choice.  You need to decide which kind of girl is the kind for you.  Until then, I will share this bed with you only to sleep.  Do not even think of touching me.  Understand?”

Lance’s mouth fell open.  “But, baby, I…”

“Obviously the sex you were getting from me wasn’t good enough for you.  If she’s what you want, then you can continue to get it from her.”  Lara tried not to look into his beautiful eyes.

“Lara…baby…don’t do this!”  Lance put his arms around her, but she stood still.  “You know how I feel about you.”

She pulled back to look into the face that she loved.  “No, Lance…I don’t.  And you don’t have to be the one to leave tonight.  I’ll go sleep somewhere else.”  Lara pulled away from him and left the room, loudly closing the door behind her.

She padded down the hall to Justin’s room and knocked on the door.

Ari stormed as she packed her bags.  She couldn’t believe this.  That little…mouse…had gotten her into trouble with Lance.  He was absolutely furious with her, and there was nothing she could do.  There was no way she could prove that Lara had planted those things in her room.  She was sure all the incriminating evidence was quickly disposed of.  Ari wasn’t going to stand for it a minute longer.  She was going to march down the hall and…

“Ari?”  She heard Lance’s voice through the door. She went over and flung it open.  Lance looked at her with the sweetest pout on his face.  “Will you let me in?”  She silently moved aside so he could come in.  “Honey, I’m sorry I got so mad earlier.  It was stupid of me to overreact like that.  Can you forgive me?”

Ari opened her mouth but nothing came out immediately.  “Um…of course, Lancers.  I forgive you.”

“Good.”  He smiled his beautiful smile and pulled her into his arms.  As he looked over her shoulder, he saw her bags.  “You were gonna leave?”

“I was upset,” Ari said.

Lance nodded.  “I understand.”  He cupped her face in his hands.  “Will you stay?”  She nodded.  “Great!  I think I’m gonna move down here with you for a while…do you mind?”

“No!”  Ari exclaimed, her face lighting up.

“Excellent.  Let’s get you unpacked.”

“Justin?”  Lara called softly.  Justin opened the door, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.  She swallowed deeply. 

“Lara! Are you okay?”  Justin moved aside so she could come in.

“Um…yeah…I’m fine.”  Lara made her eyes keep away from the site of his naked stomach and chest.  “I…uh…I need to bum one of the blankets I gave you.  I’m gonna sleep on the deck, and I refuse to go to Ari’s room and get more.”

“On the DECK?”  Justin stared at her.

“I…uh…pretty much cut Lance off, and I just couldn’t sleep in there with him tonight. We only have two guestrooms, and the weather is nice tonight, so I thought I’d go out on the hammock.”

“Sleep in here.  I’LL go out on the hammock,” Justin insisted as he yanked the covers off of the bed.

“No, really, it’s fine.  I always wanted to sleep out under the stars, but Lance never wanted to.”

“Then I’m going out there with you.”

“Justin, you’re a guest. I…”

“You never know what kind of weirdo might climb up on the deck in the middle of the night,” he told her.  He grabbed pillows and blankets and walked out of the room.  She hurried after him.

“That sounds like something Chris would say,” she told him.

“EXACTLY the kind of weirdo you need to worry about,” he said with a smile. Lara got settled on the hammock while Justin made himself comfortable on one of the cushions from the porch swing.  He looked up at the sky and sighed.  “You’re right.  This is wonderful.”

“I have wanted to do this ever since I moved in this house.  It has always been a dream of mine to fall asleep with the sound of waves crashing in the distance.  I always wanted a beach house, so living here has been like a dream come true.”

“You could get a house of your own,” Justin suggested gently.  “You don’t need a man to buy it for you.”

“I know,” she sighed.  “But where could I get that kind of money?”

“I’m telling you…you should open a restaurant…or write a cookbook or something,” Justin insisted.  “It would be a best seller!”

“I don’t know anything about cookbooks,” she told him.

“You’re better than Martha Stewart when it comes to things like that, and you’re a LOT cuter,” he said.  She started to laugh.

“You’re crazy,” she said.  She closed her eyes and sighed.

Justin was quiet for a moment.  “Did you really cut him off?”

“You bet your ass I did,” she said.  Justin started to laugh, and she couldn’t help but laugh with him.  “You should have SEEN the look on his face,” Lara added.  “He was in shock.”

“I’m sure he’s very upset right now at what he’s missing.”  Justin leaned up on one elbow to look at her.  In the dim light from the kitchen window, he could just make out Lara’s face, and he smiled as he saw her blush.

“Good night, Justin.”  Lara rolled over so her back was to him.

“Good night, Lara.”

When Lara woke up early the next morning, the first thing she smelled was coffee.  Her eyes fluttered open, and she saw Justin sitting on a bench near the hammock, sipping on a cup of coffee.  Another cup sat on a small table nearby.  Lara stretched and he looked over at her.

“Hey,” he said softly.  “I hope you don’t mind but I made coffee.  One of my many culinary talents no one knows about,” he said with a snotty look.  She laughed.

“I’m impressed.”  She started to unwind from her blankets, then shivered.

“Stay there.  I’ll bring it to you.”  Justin stood.

“No.  I need to get up. My muscles are all stiff.”

In response Justin came over and picked her up, blankets and all, and sat her on the bench where he had been sitting.  He brought her the cup of coffee he had prepared for her, then sat down beside her.  She was amazed that he could even pick her up; he didn’t look that strong.  She took one sip of the coffee and almost gagged.

“Justin…um…” Lara searched for a polite thing to say.  “Thanks for going to all the trouble.”

“No problem,” he said, smiling.  He caught sight of her nauseated expression.  “I guess I’m not as good as I thought, huh?”

“Um…you tried,” she said helpfully.  He laughed and put her mug aside.  He slung an arm around her and pulled her close. 

“Are you gonna be okay?  I think you really should make him choose,” he told her.  Lara allowed his arm to hold her close for a moment, then pulled away. 

“No.  I don’t want to ‘make’ him do anything.  He will choose on his own.  And if he chooses her, oh well.”  She stood.  “Maybe this is a good thing…it’s teaching me what I want.”

Justin stood as well.  He didn’t speak for a moment, just stared down at her.  Lara took a deep breath as the blankets slid from her shoulders.  Suddenly she wasn’t so cold.  “What do you want?”  He said softly, in a voice that seemed to caress her ears.

“I-I’m not sure,” she replied, telling herself that she REALLY needed to just turn around and walk back in the house.

“Well well well…isn’t this cozy?”  Ari smirked from the doorway.  Justin took a step back.  “Did we sleep out here last night since Lance left us all alone?”

Lara opened her mouth and then closed it.  It was obvious that Lance would never admit to Ari that Lara had kicked HIM out and not vice versa, so she said nothing.  “I’m gonna go change and make breakfast.  Any requests?”

“Anything you make is good,” Justin said, resuming his seat on the bench.

“Yeah…whatever,” Ari replied, taking Lara’s place on the hammock.  Lara gritted her teeth but went inside.

She threw on an old t-shirt of Lance’s and a pair of denim shorts.  She peeked in Ari’s doorway.  Lance was sprawled out across the bed, wearing only a pair of boxers.  Lara sighed and quietly closed the door.

 

“So…you slept out here, too, huh?” Ari asked Justin.

“Yeah,” he replied.

“Did you share the hammock, or…”

“Shut the hell up, okay?”  Justin snapped at Ari.  “Nothing happened out here and you know it.  Lara loves Lance, though I can’t quite figure out why.”

“Calm down, Curly,” Ari said with a sly smile. “I was just making conversation.”

“Make it with someone else.”  Justin stood and went into the kitchen, where Lara was making omelets.  “Need any help?”

“No…but I could instruct you in the fine art of making decent coffee,” she teased.

Ari stayed on the hammock, brooding.  She was getting nowhere fast it seemed. Sure, it was a minor victory that Lance had officially moved from Lara’s bed to hers, but Lara didn’t seem real upset about it.  She’d have to find a way to get Lance’s attention and keep it…whatever it took.

Lance stumbled downstairs as Justin was setting the table.  His mouth dropped open.  Justin didn’t even wash his own dishes, so the fact that he was setting a table scared the hell out of Lance.

“Did she poison you?”  Lance gasped.  Justin looked at him in confusion.  “I mean…you’re setting the table.”

“Well, your little friend out there didn’t offer to lift a finger, so I thought I’d help,” Justin said simply.  “Besides, not only did I learn how to make coffee, but I learned how to crack eggs with one hand,” he finished proudly.

“Amazing,” Lance said, and went out onto the deck.  He bent down and kissed Ari’s forehead.  “It’s almost time to eat. Are you sure you don’t want to go up and change?”

She looked down at her sports bra and Daisy Duke shorts.  “Um…no…I’m comfortable the way I am.  Why…think Brillohead is gonna get an eyeful or something?”

“Um…no…dress as you please.”  Lance took her hand and helped her out of the hammock.

Justin was sitting down next to Lara at the table as they walked in.  Lara said nothing to Lance, just smiled at him as she poured coffee for everyone.  “This looks great!” Justin said.  He glanced at Lara’s plate, which held a mixture of fresh fruit.  “You’re not eating anything else?”

She shook her head.  “I don’t like eggs much.”

“You don’t like eggs?”  Lance asked.  “You eat them all the time.”

“Because YOU like eggs,” she said in a cold tone.

“So, what’s up for today?” Ari decided to make her presence known.  “I thought it would be fun to go to the beach or something.”

“Well, there’s that thing…” Justin began, then stopped short.

“What thing?” Lance asked.

“Um…nothing.  You have a great time at the beach.”  Justin turned to Lara.  “Are you busy this afternoon?”

Before Lara could answer, the phone rang.  Lance picked up the cordless.  “Hey, Chris, what’s up?”  He listened for a moment, then said, “Hold on.”  He handed the phone to Lara.  “He wants to talk to YOU,” Lance said, as if it was a miracle.

“Me?”  Lara took the phone.  “Hey, Chris.”  She listened for a moment.  “Whoa…slow down.  You want me to what?  When?  By six tonight?  Chris, that’s…there’s no way…no…I can’t…Chris, don’t use that tone…oh…okay.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  She hung up.  Everyone looked at her.

“What did HE want?”  Lance asked.

“He’s having some kind of shindig today at his house, and his caterer broke her leg, so he is just POSITIVE he can’t find anyone else, so he wants me to throw something together.”  She looked horrified.  “I can’t do this.  I know nothing about catering.”

“You’ll be fine,” Justin said reassuringly.  “We’ll help you.”

“Wait a minute.  He didn’t say anything to ME about a shindig.”  Lance glared at Justin.  “Did YOU know about this?”

“Well, it’s nothing, really.”  Justin shifted uncomfortably in his chair.  “I mean, it’s just like, you know, a cookout.”

“He wouldn’t need a caterer for a cookout,” Ari pointed out.

Justin glared at her.  “He was afraid it would be really weird if the…uh…THREE of you came together, so he just didn’t invite you.”  He turned to Lara shyly.  “I was going to ask if you wanted to go with me.”

“Hold up.  She’s MY girlfriend,” Lance said angrily.  “She would be going with me, except my own bandmate didn’t fucking invite me!”

“I wonder WHY, Lansten!  Maybe because you’ve turned into some nympho freak that none of us know anymore!” Justin yelled before he thought.  Lance’s face turned crimson.

“You are NOT going over to that asshole’s house,” he said to Lara.  “You’re staying right here and taking care of me and my house…not his.”

“The hell I am!” Lara stood up, kicking her chair back. “He asked me to do him a favor, and I’m going to do it.  You pretty much have controlled who I see and when I see them, therefore I have NO friends.  Chris has always been nice to me, and I’m going to help him out!” 

“And just HOW will you get there?  You don’t have a car, and you’re sure as hell not driving MINE,” Lance snapped. Everyone stared at him, amazed by this burst of childish temper.

“I’ll drive you.  Come on, we’re getting out of here.”  Justin grabbed Lara’s hand and began to lead her out of the kitchen.

“Lara, don’t you DARE leave this house, or you will find yourself in deep shit,” Lance said, grabbing her other arm.  Lara looked up into his green eyes, and her resolve wavered.

“Lancey, I just want to do him a favor.  I want to help him.”

“Your place is here, taking care of me, not at his house where we weren’t welcome,” he said in a quiet voice.  Lance caressed her cheek and she swallowed deeply.

“No…YOU weren’t welcome, Lance.”  Justin tugged on Lara’s arm.  “Let’s go.”

Lance grabbed Lara’s arm until she gasped in pain.  “Don’t…go…out…that…door.”

Justin smacked Lance’s hand away.  “Knock it off, Lance.  Go cool off somewhere and quit acting like a fucking tyrant.”  Before Lara could say another word, he dragged her out the door.

Ari looked at Lance, who was staring after them in shock.  “Wait!  I want to come with you.”

“What?”  Lara and Lance said at the same time.

“Yes…if this is as big as you said you’ll need all the help you can get.”  She hurried after Lara and Justin and jumped into Justin’s backseat before they could say a word. “Just drive.  NOW.”

Justin peeled out of Lance’s driveway and sped his red Porsche up the road.  Lara turned to stare at Ari.  “What the hell are you doing?”

“Coming along to help, like I said,” Ari replied calmly.  “Shit…wish I woulda thought to grab my sunglasses.  I don’t have my purse, either.”  She shaded her eyes from the sun.  “Lance is in one of his pissy moods, and I don’t think it’s wise to be around him right now.  Is that a problem?  I mean, I know you want me dead and all, but I would rather stay living.”

“I don’t want you dead!”  Lara said in horror.

“Okay, then why did you try to poison me with the strawberries?”  Ari retorted.

“I didn’t try to POISON you…I was just trying to make you sick enough that you’d have to leave,” Lara replied softly.

“Whatever,” Ari said, but she didn’t say anything more.  When they pulled into Chris’ driveway, Justin glanced at Lara.

“Do you realize that you didn’t put shoes on?”

“You didn’t give me time,” she reminded him.  “Oh well…I’ll be fine.”

Chris, JC, and Joey came running out of the house.  “Oh, thank GOD!”  JC exclaimed.  “I am about to kill him.  He has done nothing but whine since the caterer called.”

“This was supposed to be my kickass party of the summer!” Chris said.

“You only started planning it yesterday,” Joey reminded him.  “You’re lucky any caterer at ALL would take the job on such short notice.”  He opened Lara’s door.  “Lara, honey, help him PLEASE!”

“How many people are you having?”  Lara asked.

“Like fifty,” Chris replied, giving her a big hug and swinging her around.

“Fifty?”  Lara replied, feeling faint.

“I know…who throws an impromptu barbecue for fifty people?”  JC said, giving her a big hug as well.  “Um…do you know you don’t have shoes on?”

Joey helped Ari out of the backseat but didn’t say anything to her.  The other guys didn’t even seem to notice her presence.  “Long story,” Lara replied.  “Okay…I need a list of what you want, and some money to go get it,” she told Chris.  He ran into the house.

“You also need some shoes and something else to wear,” Justin said, observing her outfit.

“I’m covered.  I’m fine.  You might want to get a shirt for Ari, though, she’s shivering,” Lara said, glancing at Ari’s outfit.

“Here.”  JC handed her his button-down blue shirt.  She smiled gratefully but he turned away.  He easily picked Lara up and threw her over his shoulder.  She shrieked with laughter as he carried her into the house.

Justin took pity on Ari and walked beside her as they followed Joey into the house.  “They’ve known her longer,” he explained.  She sighed.

“No, that’s not it.  They see me as the trespasser or something.  I’ll get over it.”  In all truth, Ari was really hurt.  No one had said hello to her, and no one seemed at all glad to see her.  Lara, of course, was here to save the day, but they still treated her with brotherly respect.  She sighed.  Suddenly her situation wasn’t looking as good as it had earlier.

JC stopped them as they entered the foyer of Chris’ large home.  “What exactly happened?”

Justin and Ari looked at each other, and Justin nodded for Ari to speak.  “Lance went mental because Lara wanted to come over here and help Chris.  I think he’s really really jealous.  He wanted the two of us under HIS rules, and now it’s starting to fall apart.”

JC stared at her, amazed by the bitterness in her voice.  “So you came along too?”

“I didn’t want him wiping the living room with MY ass,” she said wryly.  “Besides, I wanted to help, too.” JC gave her an appraising look, as if he hadn’t really looked at her before. 

“All have for you is an old pair of flip-flops,” Chris was saying as he followed Lara to the front door.  “Are you sure they’re okay?”

“They’re FINE, Chris.  I’ll stop at the house and pick up a decent outfit on our way back.”

“No, you won’t,” Justin said.  “Tell me what you want and I’LL go back there with Joey.  You and Ari aren’t stepping foot in that house until our so-called friend has calmed down.”

Ari and Lara looked at each other.  “I’m sure we’ll be fine, Bril…I mean, Justin,” Ari said.

“No way,” Joey added.  “Tell us what you want and we’ll pick it up.”

The girls sighed and gave brief descriptions of some clothes and where they could be found.  Lara turned to Chris.  “I’ll need your car.”

“Sure.  No problem.  I’ll go get you the shoes.”  He bounded up the steps.  Lara turned to Ari.

“Do you want to stay and help set up or come with me to the store?”

“Go with you,” Ari said immediately.  Justin stared at her but said nothing.  He didn’t trust her, but Lara seemed okay with it, so he remained silent.  Chris came hurrying down with a pair of battered flip-flops.  Lara slipped them on, then reached up to kiss his cheek.

“Everything will be okay,” she told him.  “We have it all under control, okay?”  Chris nodded, worried.

“It’s just a party, Chris, calm down,” JC said, still annoyed at Chris’ constant whining.

“But everyone says I throw the BEST parties!  It would ruin my rep!”

“Whatever.”  JC rolled his eyes.

“Come on, Ari,” Lara said.  They hurried out to Chris’ car and sped out of the driveway.  “What’s all on the list?”  She handed it to Ari.  Ari read it off.  “I think we can do that…just basic barbecue stuff,” Lara said when Ari finished.  “Except for some kind of salad.  What do you think of a pasta salad…maybe with some kind of Italian dressing?”

“I can make a killer Caesar salad,” Ari said finally.  Lara glanced at her.

“Are you serious?  Because you making me look bad will only make Chris look bad, and I can’t take that,” Lara snapped.  “He’s a wonderful guy and I don’t want him embarrassed.”

“Yes, I’m fucking serious!”  Ari snapped back. “I’m not ALWAYS a bitch.  My mom taught me a recipe for an excellent Caesar salad, and it will be easy to make more if we run out.”

Lara looked at Ari for a long moment as they stopped at a red light.  “Okay…thank you.”

 

Two hours later they were back in the car.  The backseat was full of groceries, and Lara was already exhausted.  They drove in silence until Ari said, “I really didn’t know about you.  I had no clue he was seeing someone.”

“I know,” Lara said finally.  “I could tell as soon as you walked in the door.”

“He always acted like he just wanted a good time and nothing more.  We went out to clubs, partied every night…”

“He never took me out,” Lara said wistfully.  “He said he preferred staying at home with me.”

“He never wanted to stay home with me,” Ari told her.  “I offered to cook for him once and he laughed.  He said that I wasn’t made to be behind a stove…I was supposed to be on his arm, out in public, where he could show how proud he was to be seen with me.”  Her voice caught in a sob.  “I guess you’re right…I was nothing more than an ornament.”

Lara pulled over to the side of the highway.  “Ari…I said a lot of mean things that weren’t true.  You’re not just an ornament.  He screwed us both.  Lance told us a lot of lies, and why wouldn’t we believe him?  I mean, I was dumb enough to think he might want to marry me.”  She blinked hard so the tears wouldn’t fall.  “We were both fools for him.”

“I think he really does love you,” Ari admitted finally.  “I see something on his face when he looks at you that isn’t on his face when he looks at me.”

“Well, he wants you a helluva lot more than he wants me.  I mean, he drools every time you walk into the room!” Lara exclaimed.  Ari laughed at the mental picture.

“He puts us together and he has his perfect woman,” she said finally. “But he can’t do that…he’s not putting us together.”

“As soon as I get my life in focus, I’m getting out of there,” Lara told her, taking a deep breath.  “I mean, I already told him no more sex…I’m pretty much just working for my room and board now, but I can’t bring myself to leave yet.”

“You told him…” Ari gasped.  “He told me that he…that you weren’t…that he didn’t want…”

“Of course he did.”  Lara pulled out into traffic again.

“Are we becoming friends?”  Ari asked.  Lara slowly nodded.

“I think so.  I hope so.  I want us to be.  I need you to be my friend so you can help me get him back.”

Ari smiled.  “I like your way of thinking, Lara.”

“And thaaaat makes you laarrrrrger than life!” Ari sang at the top of her lungs as she shredded up the greens for the Caesar salad.

“That AJ is so damn hot,” Lara said as she sliced up fruit for a fruit platter.

“Oh, tell me about it.  We met him at a club one night.”

Lara slammed her knife down.  “Oh…no…you…didn’t!”

“Yes we did,” Ari said, smiling in satisfaction.  “He had on sunglasses, of course, and this short sleeved sheer shirt, and black baggy pants.  Daymn…” she lost herself in the memory.

“I would love to shake the hand of the person who invented the sheer shirt,” Lara said. 

“Especially when you see AJ McLean shaking his booty in one,” Ari said.  “You could see his tattoos and…”

“…all you wanted to do was just trace them with your tongue,” Lara finished, just as Chris and JC walked in.

“What are you tracing with your tongue?”  JC asked.

“Fruit,” Ari said quickly, popping a strawberry in her mouth.  When the guys looked confused, Lara slowly traced the outline of a strawberry with her tongue before biting into it.  JC cleared his throat and Chris tried not to let his mouth drop open.

“Well…uh…we have a lot to do!  Later!”  Chris hurried out of the kitchen, with JC close behind.  Ari and Lara giggled.

The radio was doing double shots of every artist that it played, and “All I Have to Give” came on after “Larger Than Life.”  “Oh, I love this song,” Lara sighed.  “It’s my favorite Backstreet Boys song.”

“It isn’t bad,” Ari agreed. “There.  All done.”  She covered the salad bowl with plastic-wrap and put it in Chris’ huge fridge.

“I could definitely be creative with that Nick Carter,” Lara said, eating another strawberry.  “Have you seen his LIPS?”

“He’s okay,” Ari said nonchalantly.  Lara turned on her.

“You mean you’re telling me that if he walked up to you and said, ‘Would you mind if I carried you off to my apartment and fucked the hell out of you’ you’d say no?”

“Um…well…if he worded it like THAT,” Ari replied.

“Sounds like we got here at JUST the right time,” Joey said.  He and Justin walked into the kitchen carrying two small duffel bags.  Lara blushed furiously.

“And just WHO is fucking the hell out of you?”  Justin asked her.

“All five Backstreet Boys,” Ari said quickly.  Lara threw a piece of cantaloupe at her.  Joey rolled his eyes.

“Oh puhleeze.”  He handed Lara a bag.  “There’s what you asked for.  I hope we found the right things.”

Ari pawed through her bag.  “This is great. Thanks a lot, guys.”

“No problem.”  Justin looked from Ari to Lara and back again.  “Are you guys getting along or something?”

Ari smiled at him and nodded.  “We kinda realized we are basically on the same side in all this.”

Lara swallowed deeply.  “Was…uh…was he there?”

“Yes…he was.  He was hitting the whiskey bottle pretty hard, so we just left him alone,” Joey said sadly.  Lara’s eyes widened.

“He hates whisky!”

“Um, no he doesn’t,” Ari told her.  “He drinks it every time we go out.”

“I didn’t even know we had whiskey in the house,” Lara said softly.  She looked at Ari.  “Can you hold things down in here for a second?  I need some fresh air.”

“Sure,” Ari said.

“We’ll help her,” Joey said quickly.  Lara nodded briefly then ran out onto the back deck.  She took the steps two at a time and bounded down onto the private beach behind Chris’ house.  He and JC were setting up a tent and long tables.

“Lara, where are you going?”  JC yelled.

Lara ignored him and kept running until she reached a small jetty of rocks.  She went out to the very last rock and sat down, letting the waves crash up onto her knees.  She heard footsteps behind her.  “Go away, please.  I’d like to be alone, Justin.”

“Number one, I don’t want you to be alone, and number two, I’m not Justin.”  Chris sat down beside her.  “Mind if I just sit here?”

“No, it’s a free rock,” she snapped.  She stared down at the water.

“Thanks for all your help.  You and Ari have been lifesavers today,” he told her.  She nodded.

“I just keep finding out more and more lies,” she said finally, tears streaming down her cheeks.  “He’s been lying to me all along, and lying to Ari, too.  All I’ve done is try to make him happy, and it just hasn’t been good enough.”

“You have done way more then he deserves,” Chris told her.  He tugged at her shoulder until she was snuggled against him with her head on his chest.  He stroked her bare arm.  “He’s been lying to all of us, Lara.  I don’t know this Lance Bass.  I have no clue what he’s all about.  All I know is that he’s turning into a real jerk, and you deserve better.” He kissed her forehead.  “There are lots of guys who would die to take you off his hands.”

“Name two,” Lara sniffled.

“Me and Justin.”

Lara sat up quickly.  “Wh-what?”

“You heard me.”  His eyes smiled at her.  “You are really something, Lara, inside and out.  More than anything I want to be your friend, because I think that’s what you need right now, but I just want you to know how special I think you are.”  She swallowed deeply, and started to speak.  He placed a finger over her mouth.  “Don’t say anything, okay?  Just remember that you deserve better then someone who would lie and walk all over you.”  He bent his head down and lightly touched his lips to hers.  “And remember that I care about you.”  He stood and helped her up.  “Now get your ass back to the house and get my party ready!”

“I love you I love you I love you!”  Chris yelled, swinging Lara around in his arms.  She giggled and shrieked.

“Put me down and go back to your grill, you big oaf!”  She yelled.  He finally set her down, but followed one last hug with a big kiss on the mouth.  She gaped at him in shock.

“Thank you…thank you for saving my party,” he said, smiling at her.  He kissed her cheek, then returned to grilling burgers and steaks for the forty or more people milling around on the beach.

Ari walked over to Lara, carrying two wine coolers.  She handed one to Lara.  “Did Chris just kiss you?”

“Uh…yeah,” Lara mumbled.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Um…yeah,” Lara stammered, feeling as if her feet were rooted to the sand.  Ari shook her head. 

“What about Curly?”

“Who?  Oh…Justin…we’re simply friends.”

“SURE you are,” Ari teased, taking a big swallow of her wine cooler.  “What about Lance?”

“I should ask you the same thing,” Lara retorted.  “You seem to be getting pretty cozy with JC.”

Ari blushed slightly.  “Is it MY fault he suddenly finds me fascinating?  No, I don’t think so.”

“Great…an Ari Groupie,” Lara muttered.  Ari smacked her.  “Keep it up and I’ll feed you strawberries for dessert tonight,” Lara warned.  Ari opened her mouth to stay something smart, but instead she grabbed Lara’s arm.

“Oh…my…God,” Ari whispered.  She turned so she was facing Lara.  “How do I look?”

Lara looked Ari over from her sandals to her green mini-dress.  “Um…fine?  Why?”

“There is AJ MCLEAN!” Ari screeched in a whisper.

“No it’s not!  You’re crazy.  That’s…” Lara’s mouth dropped open.  “AJ McLean…with Brian Littrell and…Nick Carter?  Oh my God.”  She looked down at her midnight blue short sundress.  “Oh…I look awful!”

“Lara…calm down.  You look fine.  WE look fine.”  Ari grabbed her by the shoulders.  “We are so fine that Lance Bass couldn’t decide between us and tried to have us both.  We are so fine that no man here tonight is gonna know what hit them.”  She smiled.  “Let yourself go for once.”

Lara swallowed deeply as Chris walked over with Justin, Nick, AJ, and Brian.  “This is her.  This is the one who saved my ass tonight.  Lara, this is AJ McLean, Brian Littrell, and Nick Carter.  This is Lara.”

“Hi there,” Brian said kindly, holding out his hand.  Lara took it, trying not to drool.  AJ smiled at her and said hi, and then Nick reached for her hand.

“Great party,” he said.  Lara tried to say something intelligent, but nothing made its way from her brain to her mouth, so she simply nodded.

AJ looked at Ari.  “You’re Lance Bass’ girl, aren’t you?”

Ari glanced at Lara, who looked hurt.  “Actually, we both are.  I just moved in with them, but I think it’s a temporary situation.  For BOTH of us,” Ari said.  Lara blushed, then smiled at Ari gratefully.

“Can I get you guys something to eat?”

“I’m fine,” AJ said.  Brian said he was fine also, but Nick said he was starving.

“Lead the way to the food,” he said, placing his hand on Lara’s elbow.  She led him to the buffet table.

“I didn’t know you guys were all friends,” she said.  “I thought you all hated each other.”

“Nah…we hang out all the time,” Nick said.  “I’ve seen that Ari girl with Lance before, though.  How comes I never saw you?”

“I…uh…Lance pretty much kept me busy at home,” she stammered.

“If you were MY girl, I’d keep you safe at home, too,” Nick said with his killer smile.  Lara’s bare toes curled into the sand.

“So…where is Lance, anyway?”  AJ asked Ari.

“Home drunk off his ass, probably,” she replied. “He wasn’t happy that we came along to help Chris today.”

“Exactly what’s the situation?”  AJ asked.  “I mean, it’s none of my business but…”

“Lara has lived with Lance for seven months, and he’s been seeing me for six.  He asked me to move in with them, but neither of us knew about the other,” she explained quickly.  AJ’s mouth dropped open.

“Daymn…I didn’t know Lance had it in him.”

“Neither did we,” Ari said softly.

“Everyone!  Can you guys shut up a minute?”  Chris yelled.  Everyone quieted down.  “First of all, thank you to everyone for coming on such short notice.  Secondly and most important, thank you to my sweetie Lara for pulling this all together, with some help from our new pal Ari.”  The girls blushed as everyone applauded.  “Now…keep having fun, but I’m asking you all to deposit your keys in that basket over there if you plan on drinking any more tonight.  I don’t want anyone trying to drive.”  He motioned to a basket near the buffet table.  He went over to a small stereo and popped in a few CDs.  After hitting the shuffle button, he ran over and grabbed Lara’s hand.  “Dance with me.”

“Oh…Chris…no…I’m busy here and…”

“It’s my party and I order you to dance with me,” he said, pouting like a little boy.  Lara laughed, then grew serious.

“I…I really can’t, Chris.  I don’t know how to dance to this kind of music.”

“Well, you’ll just have to learn then.”  He dragged her out onto the makeshift sand dance floor, but she blushed and refused to move.  He made her laugh, but he could not talk her into dancing.

“I think she needs someone to teach her how to dance,” Nick said.  He, Ari, Brian, and AJ were standing near the dance area.  AJ and Brian rolled their eyes.

“Frack, I love ya, but you so cannot dance,” Brian told him.  Nick looked hurt but smiled as the others laughed.

“Chris, I think I’ll just stand over there and watch you,” Lara said finally as a song with a kicking bass groove blasted through the speakers.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” he said.  She told him he hadn’t, and took a spot in a dark corner of the tented area.

“You just need the right teacher,” a voice said behind her.  She tried to turn around but the voice said, “No.  Just feel.  Don’t look…don’t think…”

“Justin?  Joey?  Or is it Nick?”  Lara asked, giggling.

“Shhhh,” he said.  His hands rested lightly on her hips as he pressed against her back.  “Just feel me.”

Lara closed her eyes, moaning softly as she felt this mystery person’s hips grind against her.  She couldn’t help but move with him, and suddenly dancing seemed very easy.  His hands slid up and down her sides, so warm that she felt as if there was no material between her skin and his hands.  She opened her eyes and looked around.  Ari was in an AJ and JC sandwich on the dance floor, and looked as if she were in heaven.  Lara’s eyes closed again as the hands moved up to settle just below her breasts.  She could feel a hardening erection against her and she moaned again.

“Okay…party is OVER!”  A voice yelled.  Someone turned off the music.

“What the hell?”  Chris yelled.  “Oh, shit,” he groaned. 

“I’m here to pick up my girls.  It’s their BED time,” Lance slurred, carefully picking his way across the sand. 

“Fucking asshole,” the person behind Lara muttered.  She whirled around to see Justin angrily glaring at Lance.

“Ah…THERE you are.”  Lance strode towards Lara.  “Time to go.”

“She’s not going anywhere with you, Lance,” Justin said angrily.  “For all we know you’ll take her home and beat the shit out of her or something.”

“I’d never do that,” Lance replied, smiling sweetly at Lara as he stumbled towards her.  “I’ve never hit you, have I, baby?”

“N-no,” she whispered, saddened by his drunken state.  “Lance, how in the world did you get here?”

“I drove,” he said, as if she were an idiot.  “Where’s Ari?”

Ari stepped out from behind AJ and JC, who had immediately jumped in front of her when Lance arrived.  “Here I am, Lance.”

“Come on.  We’re going home.”

“No way.  The girls are staying here tonight,” Chris told him.  Lara put a hand on Lance’s arm.

“If we go with you…can Ari or I drive?”

“Sure!  I’m kinda tired anyway,” Lance said, swaying on his feet.

Lara turned to Justin.  “Can you and Chris get him into the car?”

“You’re not going with him!”  Justin exclaimed.

“Yes, we are,” Ari said.  “He’ll listen to us a lot quicker than he’ll listen to you.”

Justin started grumbling, but he, JC, and Chris began heading Lance to his car.  Nick walked over to Lara.  “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“I’ll be fine.  There are two of us, anyway,” she replied, motioning to Ari.

“I can’t give you my number, for obvious reasons, but I’ll call YOU,” Ari was saying to AJ.  He kissed her cheek, but it was obvious how much he didn’t want her going home with Lance.  Lara walked over to Ari.

“You mind driving?”

Ari shook her head.  “Nope.”  Lara handed her Lance’s keys, and Ari got into the driver’s seat.

“He’s asleep already,” JC said in disgust. 

“Lara…I don’t think you should…” Justin began.  She shushed him with a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll be fine.  Worst comes to worst, we let him in the car to sleep it off.”  She turned to Chris.  “Sorry we ruined your party.”

“You MADE my party, remember?”  He gave her a big hug, and a soft kiss on the neck that made her shiver.  “Call when you’re safely home, okay?”

“We’re only a few miles away,” she reminded him.

“CALL,” JC ordered as he said goodbye to Ari.  Lara sighed and nodded.  She climbed into the passenger seat and Ari sped off.

"So, do you think we should just let him sleep here, or try to help him

into the house?"  Ari asked Lara as they pulled into the driveway of the beach house.

Lara turned to look at Lance, who was peacefully sleeping in the backseat.  "Um…let's at least attempt it.  I feel kinda bad, leaving him out here.  We'll just dump him on the sofa."

Ari opened the back door closest to Lance's head.  "Lance…Lancers," she called softly.  Lance mumbled something but did not wake up.  "Lance!  Wake the hell up!"  Ari slapped him across the face.

"Ari!"  Lara gasped.  "Don't!"

"Well, I'm sick of taking care of his drunk ass!"  Ari snapped.

"You've done it before?"  Lara asked her.

"Um…yeah…once or twice," Ari said vaguely.  It was obvious that it had happened a lot more than once or twice.

"Lance…Lancey…wake up," Lara said, stroking his cheek.  His beautiful green eyes fluttered open.

"Hey, baby…are we home?"

"Yes, sweetie…time for bed."  She helped him slowly sit up and get out of the car. He smiled sweetly at Ari.

"Hey, Ari."  He tried to hug her but she moved out of the way.

"Come on, Lancers, time for bed, just like Lara said."

"You mean all of us?"  His eyes were hopeful.  The girls' eyes met over his head.

"Yes, of course…all of us," Ari said.

"In which bed?"  Lance asked eagerly as they stumbled up the front steps.

"Not bed, Lance.  I think we should just crash on the sofa for tonight," Lara answered as she opened the front door.  Lance walked into the living room and stopped short, staring at the sofa.

"We can't all sleep on that," he said skeptically.  Ari looked at Lara, not knowing what to say.  She was amazed by his logic, even in his drunken state.

"Sure we can, Lancey," Lara cooed, snuggling up against him.  She tried not to gag at the whiskey stench that surrounded him.  "We'll just have to sleep all tight and close together."

"Right," he said, a happy smile crossing his face.  Lara helped him out of his shirt.

"Tramp," Ari muttered as she untied his shoes and slid his shorts down.

"I learned from watching you," Lara said sweetly as she helped Lance lay down.  She tried not to look at the fact that he was clad only in black boxers, because even though he had been such a prick as of late, she still found him VERY attractive.

"Hurry back," Lance said, yawning.  "I'm just gonna doze until you get here."

"Okay," Lara said as she and Ari left the room.  Before they were into the kitchen, they could hear him snoring.

"We could go back to the party," Ari suggested.  "We could take his car."

"No.  I don't want to leave him here alone like this.  He may need us," Lara said.  She looked at the clock.  "It's ten o'clock anyway.  The party would probably soon wind down and…"

"It would NOT wind down," Ari interrupted.  "Everyone dropped their keys in that basket.  No one was gonna be leaving any time soon."

"You can go back if you want to.  I'm staying here," Lara told her.  "And I think…"  She was interrupted by a knock at the door.  They quickly rushed into the hallway so Lance wouldn't wake up.

"JC?"  Ari gasped as she opened the door.

"What are you doing here?"  Lara asked in a whisper as JC and Justin came through the door.

"We wanted to check…" Justin began.

"Shhh!"  Lara said.  She motioned to the living room and put her finger over her mouth.  The girls led the guys into the kitchen.

"We wanted to check and make sure you were okay.  You didn't call," Justin said accusingly.

"We've been here all of ten minutes," Ari told him.  "It takes a while to lead and undress a drunken man."

"We were worried," JC said to her.  Ari blushed.  "Come back to the party. He's fine here."

"That's what I wanted to do but someone else feels sorry for him and wants to stay here in case he NEEDS her," Ari said, glaring at Lara.

Justin looked at Lara in dismay, wondering how she could still love Lance after all the things he had put her through.  "You're not coming back?"

"No," she said, shaking her head.  "I just can't.  Tell Chris I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, sure," Justin said.  "You coming, Ari?"

"Yes," Ari said.  "Let me grab my sweatshirt."  She ran upstairs.  JC said goodbye to Lara and went to wait in the car.

"You are so dumb!"  Justin snapped at Lara.  "Why do you let him do this to you…run your life this way?"

"I've been stupid enough to let him do it for almost a year…why should I stop being stupid now?"  Lara yelled, forgetting Lance was asleep in the other room.  "Go back to your party, Justin.  Get drunk, get laid, whatever you pop star men do while you're girlfriend is sitting home alone waiting for you!"  She whirled around and went out to the deck, slamming the door.

A few moments later, she heard a car speed down the street.  She sighed, finally allowing the long day to catch up with her as she cried.  She jumped as she heard the door open behind her, and before she could turn to look, she felt hands massaging her shoulders.

"I'm sorry.  Really sorry," Justin said, his thumbs lightly caressing her neck as his fingers worked on her tired muscles.  "You are not dumb.  I also have no room to judge you or what you feel."

"I'm sorry I said what I said," Lara replied, hanging her head as he massaged her neck.  “Oh, God, that feels good.  What a day."

"Go get your suit.  We'll jump in the hot tub.  I'll give you a massage." Lara turned to look at him.  "Totally innocent, I swear.  You look like you could use a hot soak and a massage."

"Okay.  You know where Lance's suits are."  She hurried upstairs and dug around for her suit.  All she could find was a dark blue bikini she had bought a few weeks back but had never had the nerve to wear in front of Lance.  She started to put it away, then smiled.  Why the hell not?

When she came back down with her towel wrapped around her, Justin was already in the tub with the water going full blast. Lara unwrapped the towel and began to daintily step down into the water.  Justin's mouth fell open.

"Where did that come from?"

"What?"  Lara replied, regretting her decision to wear the suit.

"That body.  Where did you get that and why haven't I seen it before?"

Lara giggled as she slipped into the water.  "Damn…this is incredible."

"Come here," he ordered, pulling her towards him. He turned her around and sat her on his lap so he could continue his massage.

Lara stifled moans as his hands worked magic on her tired muscles, but soon the moans were created from more than the massage.  She felt as if his hands were sending sparks through her skin, and she could only remember how they had danced earlier.  She found herself unconsciously moving back further and further, until her back was pressed against his chest.  His hands lingered at her neck.

"I can't massage your back like this," he whispered very close to her ear.

"I know," she whispered back, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I'll have to find something else to do with my hands," he warned, sounding as if he relished all the possibilities.

"I know," she whispered again, reaching a hand back to push his head towards her neck.  With a groan he began to bite and kiss her neck as his hands reached down to caress her breasts.

"Oh…God…Lara…I've wanted to do this all day," he gasped.  She turned so she was on his lap facing him.

"I know that too."  Her mouth met his in a feverish kiss.  "And I just now realized that I wanted it, too."

He kissed her passionately, his hands wandering over her body as her fingers tangled in his hair.  He finally pulled away.  "Not here.  Not like this."  He struggled to think of a place to go.

"I have an idea."  She got out of the tub, wrapping her towel around her body.  "Come on."

"We're not gonna go up to your…I mean his bed, are we?"  Justin asked, taking her hand to stop her.

"No!"  Lara exclaimed, like she was insulted by the mere thought.  "Just wait here."  She pushed him onto the hammock and went inside.  She came back out with two pillows and a blanket.  She then tugged down the seat cushion that he had slept on the other night when they had slept outside.  She quickly made up a makeshift bed, then provocatively stretched out on the cushion.  "Care to join me?"

Lance woke up around noon the next day with a splitting headache.  He slowly sat up, feeling as if a boxer had practiced on his head.  He needed coffee…lots of coffee…he tried to stand up and the world spun.  “Lara!” He yelled, moaning in pain as the sound reverberated in his head.  “Lara…BABY?”  He called again.

Lara’s eyes fluttered open.  She was pressed against Justin’s naked body in the bed in the guestroom.  Something had brought her out of a sound sleep and she couldn’t figure out what it was.  Justin mumbled something in his sleep and pulled her closer.

“BABY?  Where are you?” Lara heard Lance call.  She groaned and slowly sat up, trying not to disturb Justin.  She sat and looked at him for a long moment.  What had she done?  She smiled at his sleeping face and tenderly brushed some curls from his forehead.  She bent down and kissed Justin’s cheek, then carefully got out of bed.  She tiptoed down to the master bedroom and pulled on a robe.

“Here I am, Lance,” she called softly as she hurried down the stairs.  “Try to stay quiet.  Justin is upstairs sleeping.  He helped me bring you home last night.”

“’Morning, baby,” he said, pulling her down into a passionate kiss.

“Yuck,” she said, pulling away.  “Booze breath doesn’t become you, Lancey.  I thought you told me once you hated when guys got so drunk they couldn’t stand up.”

“Don’t tell me what I said,” Lance snapped.   “I need coffee.  Help me into the kitchen, please.”  Lara helped him stand and they started into the kitchen.  Lance took a quick look at her and stopped short.  “What’s that?”

“What?”

“That mark on your neck…is that a hickey?”

Lara’s hand reached up and shaking fingers touched her neck.  “A…hickey?”

“Who gave you a hickey?” Lance demanded, glaring at her.

“Um…gosh, Lance, don’t you even remember?  Guess I know now why you went running to Ari, if you can’t even remember great sex with ME!” Lara pouted, dumping him onto a kitchen chair.

“I gave you that?”  Lance looked at her, trying to remember.

“You sure did,” Lara said cheerfully, measuring out the coffee.  “It was awesome…best sex I’ve had in months,” she said truthfully, trying not to limp around the kitchen.  She and Justin had made love for hours outside, then came inside to the bedroom. They had finally fallen asleep as the sun was coming up.

“Wow…” Lance said, a smile slowly crossing his face.  Lara turned her back on him and rolled her eyes.  Men and their egos…“Where’s Ari?”  Lance asked suddenly.

“She stayed at the party.  Justin and I could handle bringing you home, and she was having fun, so…”

“Her place is here, not there,” he grumbled, but said nothing more.  He slowly stood and made his way over to her.  His tongue flicked out and traced over the hickey on her neck.  “Best sex in months, huh?”  Lara nodded, her eyes widening as Justin stumbled into the kitchen.  “Hey, Justin, morning!  Looks like I drank more than I thought, if I don’t remember giving Lara this, huh?”  Lance swept her hair aside to flash her neck at Justin, while she blushed furiously.

“Yeah, guess so,” Justin said, disappointment filling his eyes.  He wanted her away from Lance, and it was obvious she couldn’t let go.

“She said last night she had the best sex she’s had in months,” Lance continued.  Justin hid a smile at that…he couldn’t help it.

“Lance, enough,” Lara said finally.  “He doesn’t want to hear all that.”

“Oh, we tell each other about all the girls, don’t we, Justin?”  Lance made his way back to the table and sat next to his friend.  Lara stared at them. 

“ALL the girls?  Just how many were there, Lance?”  She slammed down three coffee mugs.  “How many besides me and Ari, huh?”

“I didn’t mean me, baby, I meant Justin here.  He’s quite the playboy,” Lance said, playfully punching Justin in the arm.  “A different girl every night, I swear to God.”

Lara’s eyes filled with tears.  “I need to go get dressed.  I’m sure the coffee will be ready in a minute.”  She ran out of the room as Justin jumped to his feet, calling her name.

She stood under the streaming hot water of the shower, telling herself it was that water on her face, not tears. She couldn’t believe she had allowed herself to be lured into bed by Justin Timberlake.  She rolled her eyes.  He hadn’t led her anywhere…she had practically dragged him there.  She was probably just another notch in his bedpost.

She wrapped a towel around herself and walked from the master bathroom into the master bedroom and let out a short scream.  “Justin! God…what are you doing in here?  If Lance finds you here he’ll kill you!”

“He’s drinking his coffee on the deck.”  Justin took a step towards her.  “Lara…I swear, last night wasn’t just a fling.”

“Whatever,” she replied.  “Please get out of here.”

“Please.  You have to believe me!”  Justin said earnestly.  “I played around…sure…everyone does.  Last night was different though…I’ve been attracted to you for a few months now, but you were head over heels in love with Lance.  I wanted to tell you about Ari, too, but I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“Justin…leave…now!” Lara sobbed.  “If you had really cared about me, you would have told me.  But like you said, you were just attracted to me.  You got what you wanted so GET OUT!”  Lara shrieked.  Lance burst through the door.  He took in Lara in only a towel screaming at Justin, and a shocked Justin advancing on her.

“What’s going on up here?”  He demanded.

“Make him leave, Lancey…make him go away,” Lara said tearfully.  Lance took one step towards Justin, who held up his hands.

“I’m going…I’m going.  I’ll call a taxi and then I’m outta here.”  He looked at Lara.  “You have to believe me…and you have to choose.”  He went out the bedroom door, and a few moments later they heard the front door slam.

“Did he touch you?  Did he hurt you?”  Lance asked, coming over to her.

“No…I’m fine.”  Lara drew a ragged breath.  “I’m just gonna get dressed and go for a walk, okay?  Why don’t you take a shower and go back to bed.  You look like hell.”

“Thanks,” Lance said wryly.  He looked at her closely.  “You SURE you’re okay?”  Lara nodded.  He came over and kissed her cheek.  “Thanks for bringing me home last night, baby.  I’m really sorry about getting all plastered like that.  It won’t happen again.”

Lara looked up into his green eyes, and saw the Lance she had fallen in love with.  “It’s okay.  Go relax,” she whispered.  He smiled and left the bedroom.  Lara fell back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Ari wormed her way out of AJ’s embrace and tiptoed out of one of Chris’ guestrooms.  She had danced with AJ and JC until the sun started to come up, and she and AJ had finally fallen into one of the empty beds.  After a heavy makeout session, they had finally stopped themselves and had fallen asleep.  Not that she didn’t want AJ…damn she did…but there was something in JC’s eyes that intrigued her.  And she was tired of being someone’s piece just to fool around with.  She wanted something real.

She made her way down to the kitchen.  People were sleeping all over the place; someone was even sleeping on the circular staircase.  She glanced out the windows of the dining room, and saw Chris walking on the beach. 

“Hey,” she called as she made her way down the steps.

“Hey,” he said, looking around at the mess they had made.

“You can always tell the success of a party by the stuff you have to clean up the next day,” Ari told him.  He gave her a half-smile.

“Right.”  He stared out at the ocean.  “Justin stayed at your house last night, didn’t he?”

“I don’t know, Chris,” Ari said softly.  I left with JC, and Justin DID stay behind, but for all I know he coulda got a ride home somehow.”

“Doubtful.”  He continued to stare out at the ocean.  “Dammit!” Chris swore, slamming his fist against his leg.

“Just because he stayed there doesn’t mean anything…” Ari began.

“SURE it doesn’t,” he answered sarcastically.  “Have you SEEN the way Justin can turn on the charm?”

“Doesn’t work on me,” Ari was quick to say. 

“You’re in the minority, Ari.”

“Look, Chris, we’re both still trying to deal with this Lance thing.  I’m sure you’d still have some sort of chance with her, if you really WANTED to,” she said, thinking about how unattractive Lara seemed to make herself, because Lance liked it that way.  “Give it time.”

Chris sighed.  “Okay.  Do you need a ride home?”

“Yeah…if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Hey, Ari!” Lance said.  “Bout time you get your ass home!”

“You didn’t seem to care too much last night whether I was coming or going!” Ari snapped.  “Where’s Lara?”

“Out on the beach, I think,” Lance said vaguely from his seat in front of the living room TV.  “Tell her to get in here…I want lunch.”

“Were you always such an asshole?”  Ari asked.

“Only when my women start staying away all night and mouthing back to me,” Lance said, his green eyes narrowing.

“Whatever,” Ari replied, walking through the kitchen to the back doors.  She saw Lara down on the beach.  “Hey!”

“Hi,” Lara said sadly, staring at the waves.

“What is it with you people and staring at the ocean?”  Ari teased.  Lara looked at her in confusion.  “Never mind…is that a hickey on your neck?”

“Yes, and Lance thinks he made it so shut up about it,” Lara said sharply.

“Lance thinks…that means…Brillo?”  Ari gasped.

“Yes.  Big mistake.  Huge mistake.   A mistake I’d rather not talk about,” Lara said, turning to look at Ari.  Lara’s blue eyes were full of sorrow, and Ari let it drop.

“Come on. Our lord and master wants his lunch, and then I think we should go spend his money.”  She linked her arm through Lara’s as they walked back to the house.  “And I think we need to start planning our revenge.”

“We’re going shopping,” Ari announced as soon as they sat down for lunch.

“Don’t yell,” Lance moaned, holding his head in his hands.

“Honey, are you sure you want to eat?  I can just make you soup or something and then you could…” Lara began.

“I’m fine.  I’ll eat,” Lance snapped.

“No need to bite her head off, Lancers, she’s just looking out for you,” Ari said.  “God knows why,” she mumbled to her sandwich.

“Shut up, Ari,” Lance told her.  “I don’t need your mouth today.”

“That’s not what you were saying last week in my apartment,” Ari replied.  Lara stared at them, not wanting to hear this.

“Ari, I said shut up, okay?”  Lance glared at her, then smiled sweetly at Lara.  “Thank you for looking out for me, baby, but I’m fine.  I’ll go to bed later.  You guys want to go shopping?  I’ll nap then.”

Lara couldn’t believe the way he could go from the sweet Lance she had fallen in love with to a total stranger and then back again.  “O-okay, Lance.”

“What are you shopping for, anyway?  Don’t you have everything you need?”  He asked her.

“Well…y-yes, but I just thought…” she couldn’t believe how difficult it was for her to put a sentence together.  It was like she was scared of him or something.

“I think Lara needs some new clothes,” Ari told him.  “Those dresses and all are nice, but she needs something to bring out her good features.”

“All her features are good,” Lance said, and Lara blushed. “And I like those dresses.”

“Well, maybe she doesn’t.  Did you even think of that, Lancers, or were you too busy making her your slave?”

“I think sometimes she doesn’t mind doing what I tell her, do you, baby?” Lance asked Lara, his eyes lingering on the mark on her neck.

“Um…no…of course not.”  Lara jumped to her feet.  “I’m gonna go get dressed.”  She escaped before she got caught between the argument she knew would be occurring soon.

“Lance, why do you treat her like the hired help that you occasionally screw?”  Ari asked angrily.

“Since when are the two of you buddy buddy?”  Lance flared back. “I mean, when you first got here, you THOUGHT she was one of the help.”

“Well, things change,” Ari retorted.  “When I first got here I thought you were something special…things definitely change.”  She stood.  “We’re going shopping.  We might be back by dinner.  Then again, we might not.”

“You two damn well better be back for dinner, or you’re in deep shit.”  Lance slowly stood.

“Kick us out,” Ari said defiantly.  Lance didn’t say anything.  “Ah…I see.  You’re still enthralled by the fact that you have two women in your house, and you’re still hoping for the day when you’ll have two women in your bed.  Keep dreaming, Lancers…you never know when it may come true.”

“Woohoo!”  Ari yelled as they sped out of the driveway thirty minutes later.  “I am SO loving this car!”

“Put the top down,” Lara ordered as they sped around a corner.  Ari pushed a button and the convertible top of Lance’s black Porsche soon retreated behind their heads.

“Oh, I could get used to this,” Ari sighed.  “How many cars does he have?”

“Just this one, at least here at the house.  He has a Mercedes in town, I think.”

“Yes…I know,” Ari said softly.  “I just don’t remember this car being this hot when we drove home last night.”

“That’s because we were too worried about him hurling in the backseat,” Lara reminded her.  Ari laughed.

“So, how’d you meet Lance, anyway?”

“I was waitressing at a restaurant in town here, and he and Justin came in one day,” Lara said, barely faltering over Justin’s name.  “He asked me out and I said no.  He asked me out every day for a week and I finally said yes.”

“He’s nothing if not persistent,” Ari agreed. 

Lara directed Ari to a parking lot and they parked the Porsche, carefully locking it.  “I don’t know what you want me to buy,” Lara said as they went up the sidewalk to the shopping area.  “I do have everything I need.”

Ari stopped walking.  “No.  No, you don’t.  You have pretty clothes, but they reveal absolutely nothing about you.  You need short skirts and halter tops and shorts and babydoll t-shirts.”

“But Lance…”

“Fuck Lance.  We’re talking about you.  You need to get out from under his thumb, Lara.” Ari put a hand on Lara’s shoulder. “That’s the only way you’ll be brave enough to leave him.”

“Who says I want to leave him?”  Lara replied.

“We both want to…for some reason we just can’t,” Ari said with a sigh.  “Come on.  Let’s start here.”

“You’re sure about this,” Lara said doubtfully, staring at her reflection in the mirror.  She wore a pair of skin-tight dark blue capri pants, and what she called a string halter, since it was barely fastened behind her back by three sets of strings.  “I feel like…like…like I should be walking a street corner somewhere.”

“It looks good on you,” Ari said, circling her with a critical eye.  “You have a tan, which is good.  This shirt will make guys drool.”

“What guys?”  Lara asked sadly.  “Ari, you’ve made me buy all these skimpy clothes and I don’t know why.”

Ari grabbed Lara by the shoulders.  “Lara, you’re leaving him, okay?  You’re going to leave him.  I’m leaving him too.  When the time is right, we are SO outta there, and you need something to make you feel good about yourself.  What better then a new wardrobe to put a smile on your face?”

Lara had to laugh at Ari’s logic. “That and the fact that it’s Lance’s money that’s buying my new life.”

“Exactly.  That’s the spirit!” Ari said enthusiastically.  “Okay…one more shop and then let’s grab a snack or something.”

 

“Oh…this is it.  Ari, I NEED this outfit,” Lara gushed from across the shop. 

“What outfit?”  Ari asked, surprised at Lara’s enthusiasm.  She hadn’t volunteered an opinion on any of the outfits Ari had already showed her.  “Oh…MY,” Ari said.  Lara held up a two piece midnight-blue outfit, consisting of a top that wasn’t much more than a sports bra, and a short mini skirt.

“I was thinking the sheer smoke-grey shirt would look good over this,” Lara said.  “And it’s just my size.”  She flew into the dressing room.  Ari sighed and fell onto a chair, glad she didn’t shop with Lara often.  Lara soon came dancing back out.  “What do you think?”

The top, which fastened with a snap behind her neck, fit snuggly against the curves of her breasts, and the skirt swayed tantalizingly at her thighs.  “Oh, perfect,” Ari said with satisfaction.  “Totally completes the streetwalker look,” she teased.

“Fuck you,” Lara said over her shoulder as she returned to the dressing room, leaving Ari sitting with her mouth hanging open.

“Okay, it’s a shopping law that you have to get the GOOIEST sundae imaginable when you have a snack,” Ari told Lara as they were seated on the patio at the café.

“Oh, really,” Lara said, laughing.

“Definitely,” Ari said, looking over the dessert list they were given.  They told the waiter their orders and he walked away.

“I haven’t had such a nice afternoon since I can’t remember when,” Lara said shyly.  “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Ari said with a friendly smile.  “I’m just sorry we started out on such a bad foot.”

“And who’s fault is that?”  Lara said, rolling her eyes.  “I still love him, and those eyes still turn my body to oatmeal, but I can’t believe I misjudged him so much.”

“You’re not the only one,” Ari reminded her.  She gasped as she looked over her sunglasses.  “How do I look?”

“Um…fine,” Lara said, staring at her.  “What is it…oh my.” She looked where Ari was looking and saw Chris Kirkpatrick and JC Chasez strolling towards them.

“I’d better warn you…Chris has it for you bad,” Ari murmured to Lara as the men drew closer.

“Oh, great,” Lara said faintly.

“You said Gone with the Wind is one of your favorite movies?  Well, do Scarlett for all it’s worth, honey.  You’re soon to be a free woman,” Ari said, smiling as JC stood at the gate surrounding the patio.  “Hi, JC!”

“Hey, Ari…Lara,” JC said, smiling his sweet smile.  “Room for two more?”

“We wouldn’t want to impose,” Chris began, glaring at JC.

“You’re not.  Get your cute butt in here,” Lara said, causing even Ari to stare at her.

“Cool!”  JC shoved Chris in the direction of the door.

“What?” Lara asked as Ari stared at her.  “You said to…”

“Fine…whatever…just don’t turn it on JC,” Ari grumbled.

JC and Chris sat at the two empty seats.  “What are you two up to today?  Where’s your little friend?”  JC asked.

“We went shopping.  He is home sleeping off a massive hangover,” Ari told him.  “We figured the least we could do for him was unload some of his money.”

Chris and JC exchanged glances, and JC made a face that said, “Well, go on!”  Chris cleared his throat and said, “Well, we didn’t know…I mean…we weren’t sure what the whole situation was with Lance and all, but we were gonna go out clubbing tonight in the city and wanted to know if you were interested in coming along.” 

“We’d love to!” Ari said before Lara could open her mouth.

“But we really need to ask Lance if he wants to come along,” Lara said quickly, watching the faces of the other two men fall.  “I mean, I know he’s been a jerk lately, but we do live with him and everything, and technically, I guess we’re still “with” him.”

“Who all is coming?”  Ari asked.

“Well, me and Chris, and Justin and Joey,” JC told her.  Lara gripped the edge of the table.

“Uh…Justin?”  She asked lightly.

“Yeah…I think he has a date or something, and they’re gonna meet us there,” Chris told her.  Lara’s face turned white.  “Are you okay?”

“Fine…fine, Chris.”  She gave him a weak smile.  “So…what time should we be there?”

“Sorry sorry sorry,” Lara apologized as she came running down the stairs.

“’Bout freaking time,” Ari muttered, though she smiled at her friend.  She smiled even broader at the look on Lance’s face when he saw Lara’s outfit.

“Turn your ass around and go right back upstairs,” he ordered. 

“Why?”  Lara’s face fell.  She was wearing the new halter outfit she had bought that day, and she had spent extra time turning her hair into a mass of dark ringlets.  She looked at Ari, who suddenly found the short hem of her dark purple dress very interesting.

“You are not going out in public like that.  March back upstairs and change!”  Lance yelled.  Lara was furious.

“Oh, but it’s okay for ARI to dress like that?”

“That’s different.  Ari is…”

“Ari is what?” Ari demanded.

“And why is it different?  Why can’t I dress like I’m going out for a good time?”  Lara yelled.  “You’ve kept me locked up here long enough, Lance.  I’m going out tonight and I’m going to have fun, with or without you.”  She glared at him.  “You’re not my father.  You also have lost the right to tell me what to do.  You’re lucky we’re even still here with you.”  She grabbed the keys from the hall table.  “Now either take these and drive us into the city, or we’re leaving without you.”  She dangled them in front of Lance’s face.  With a sigh he swiped them from her hand and went out the door. 

“Not bad…not bad at all,” Ari commended her as she followed Lance out.

“Hey, ladies!  How much for the night?”  A man yelled as Lara, Ari, and Lance walked from the parking lot to the club.

“More than you could ever afford!”  Ari yelled back, putting her arm through Lara’s.  Lance grabbed Lara and pulled her back beside him, putting his arm around her.

“Don’t listen to these guys, baby.  There are some real assholes out here.”

Lara stopped walking and stared at him.  “Lance, you seem to have forgotten the fact that I totally survived out on my own before I met you.  I can take care of myself.”  She kissed his cheek and smiled sweetly.  “But thanks for looking out for me.”

“He’s not looking out for you,” Ari said in amusement.  “He’s jealous.  The mouse has turned into a fox and he doesn’t know how to handle it.”  Ari raised an eyebrow.  “Isn’t that right, Lancers?”

“Look, you two are my girlfriends, and you should…” Lance began, realizing that things were falling apart around his ears.

“Oh no.  You just hold it right there.”  Ari held up her hand.  “We are not girlfriends.  Girlfriend is not supposed to have an ‘s’ at the end.  You’re lucky we’re even bringing you along tonight, Lancers.  Two other men invited us, and that’s who we’re here to see.  We brought you along out of the kindness of our hearts.”

Lance looked so sad that Lara almost felt sorry for him.  “What two guys?”

“Chris and JC,” Ari answered, her eyes daring him to say something about it.

“Oh…okay.”  He smiled. “So it’s okay if I hook up with someone then?”

Ari noticed the look of pain on Lara’s face.  “No.  All we said is that someone else invited us here.  We didn’t say we were hooking up.  You bring some other girl home, and we’ll castrate you.”  She grabbed Lara’s hand.  “Come on.  Let’s go.”  She called over her shoulder to Lance.  “Are you coming or what?  We need you to pay the cover!”

“Oh, man, it has been WAY too long,” Lara shouted over the thumping bass music as they entered the club.  “I haven’t been out to a club in FOREVER!”

“Well, we are gonna change that, girlfriend,” Ari told her.  “This way.  JC said they’d be in the back.”  Ari grabbed Lara’s hand and Lara grabbed Lance’s and they snaked their way through the crowd to a private back room.  Lara turned to Lance as they approached the doorway.

“You’re not gonna drink that much tonight, are you?”  She asked anxiously.  He smiled at her and kissed the palm of her hand.

“No.  I promise.”  He sighed.  “Maybe you’re right.  Maybe we need a night to just go all out and have fun.  You’ll save me a slow dance though, right?”

“Of course,” Lara said, smiling.  Lance kissed her cheek then went off to talk to Joey.

Ari nudged Lara, who was staring after him.  “He’s just trying to trick you into staying with him, Lara.  Don’t fall for it.”

“But…don’t you still love him?  I mean, if you ever did,” Lara asked.

“Of course I loved him,” Ari told her.  “I never woulda moved in with him if I didn’t love him.  But things change, Lara.  Look over there.  There are Chris and JC and Brillo and AJ and oh lookie…Nick Carter.”  She discreetly pointed with her little finger.  “They are going to salivate when they see us in these dresses, and we are gonna work it for all it’s worth.  Lance Bass is gonna curse the day he screwed us over.”

“Right,” Lara said, nodding.  She took a deep breath and went over to the private bar in a corner of the room.  “Vodka Collins,” she told the bartender.

“Certainly,” the bartender said, his eyes drifting to her cleavage.

“How much?” Lara asked, realizing that she didn’t have her purse on her.

“On the house.  The gentlemen are paying for it,” the bartender said, handing her her drink with a smile.

“Oh…right,” she said, blushing.  She turned around, and caught Chris’ eye.  He promptly dropped his bottle of beer.  Luckily it hit the carpet but didn’t break.

“Dammit, Chris, what the hell?”  Nick yelled as beer sprayed all over his shoes.

“Sorry,” Chris mumbled as Lara approached them.

“What’s your…oh…” Nick stopped in midsentence as he saw Lara.

“Hi, guys.  Are you okay, Chris?”  She asked.

“Yeah…fine…just a big klutz, that’s all,” he replied, blushing furiously.

“I thought you had a date,” Lara snapped at Justin.

“She cancelled at the last minute,” he replied, turning on his winning smile.  She swallowed deeply and forced herself to look away.  She smiled at Nick.

“I’m beginning to think you and AJ are secret members of Nsync,” she teased.  He laughed, and she felt her knees quiver.

“Not us.  AJ heard your friend was gonna be here, and there was no stopping him from crashing this party.”  Nick motioned to Ari, who was deep in conversation with AJ and JC.  Lara laughed.

“She’s never gonna be able to choose between them. She’ll just have to take them both.”

“Speaking of which, I see you and Lance are on good terms,” Justin said, pointedly staring at the mark on her neck.  Lara glared at him.

“Speaking terms, that’s ALL,” she said, fighting tears of humiliation and embarrassment as she remembered just how she had received that hickey.

“Would you like to try to dance?”  Chris said, seeing the misery in her blue eyes.  “I promise it’s totally painless.”

“Thank you, I would,” Lara said, gratefully sliding her hand into his.  She told Nick she’d see him later and she followed Chris onto the dance floor.

“Is there something you’d like to talk about?”  He asked as they approached the edge of the crowd.

“No…I don’t want to talk about it.  I don’t want to even think about it,” she told him.  “Thank you anyway, Chris.”

“I thought you couldn’t dance,” he said a few moments later.  “You dance just fine.”

“I’m a different person tonight.  This Lara can dance,” she giggled, falling into his arms as someone bumped into her.  She stared up into his eyes and swallowed deeply.

“But I like the other Lara just fine,” he said softly.

“That Lara is a mouse…this Lara is a fox,” she told him. “When I finally find the Lara in-between, I’ll let you know.  That will be the real me.”

“So…who wants to dance with me first,” Ari said flirtatiously, looking from JC to AJ.

“Me,” Lance said, grabbing her hand and dragging her out to the dance floor.

“Lancers, wait!”  She said, struggling to keep up with him.  “You could have asked.”

“You used to like the fact that I just took without asking,” he murmured against her ear as he bumped and grinded behind her.

“Well…I…” she began, then stopped as she felt him ever-so-lightly nibble on the back of her neck.

“Play all you want tonight, Ari, but just remember…remember all that we’ve done…all that I’ve done to you…do you really think one of them can take care of you the way I can?”

Ari gathered all her resolve and turned to face him.  “Did you say that to Lara, too, Lancers?  Did you promise her the world?  Did you tell her how special she was to you, and that no one could take her place?” She caught JC’s eye, and in an instant he was on the dance floor, leading her away from Lance.

The first slow song came on, and Lara saw Lance begin to head towards her.  He frowned as someone else claimed her.  She looked up into the eyes of Justin Timberlake.

“Let me go!”  She snapped, struggling.

“Don’t, Lara, please.  Don’t cause a scene.  Just hear me out, okay?”  Justin asked.  Lara decided that she owed him that, and allowed him to dance with her.  “You’re not just another woman to me, okay?  You’re not one of those girls that Lance referred to. You’re so much more than that.”

“Justin, you don’t even know me,” she pointed out.

“Does Chris?  You let him hang all over you, and he doesn’t know you much more than I do,” he said.  Lara wanted to slap him.

“True, but he wasn’t trying to get into my pants every five minutes, either.  He’s interested in getting to know me, not just fucking me.”  She pulled away and went over to Lance.  “Dance with me please, Lancey.”

“Looks like your friend is having a good time,” AJ observed to Ari as they danced.  Ari looked over at Lara, who was on her fifth vodka collins.

“Lance doesn’t let her out much,” Ari told him.

“What’s up with that, anyway?  Are you guys an item or what?” 

“For the moment…but only temporarily,” she told him, smiling as he pulled her closer.

“I think you’d better come sit down,” Chris said to Lara.  “You should rest.”

“Why?”  Lara pouted, but followed him off the dance floor.  Mentally she was fine, but physically she was having a lot of problems.  She fell onto the sofa in the back room, sighing.  “You’re right…much better.”

He sat down beside her, and she immediately laid her head down on his shoulder.  “Tell me,” Chris said softly.  “What’s making you drink like this?”

Lara began to cry.  “Lance…and Justin…they just use me.  All men do is use use use!”

“Justin?  What are you talking about?”  Chris asked in amazement.

“No-nothing,” Lara said quickly, realizing her error.  “Nevermind.”

“Lara, tell me.” He pulled back to look at her.  “I’m your friend first and foremost.  Tell me.”

“I made a mistake…big mistake…and it ends up that I’m just one of the many…for both of them,” she said, trying to make sense through her tears.

“Did Justin…did you…did you and Justin….” Chris tried to find a tactful way to say it.  Lara just sobbed harder, giving him his answer.  He pulled her back into his arms and let her cry.

“And…and…and that makes me just as bad as Lance.  Justin said what I needed to hear, just to get me into bed with him, and I followed, ready and willing,” Lara whispered.

“No…honey…no…first of all, you’re not like Lance.  You’re NOT,” Chris insisted.  “Justin isn’t a bad guy, I swear.  He does care about you.  We all do.”

“But you’re not trying to jump down my pants,” Lara pointed out.  “I just feel so trampy.  Even though Lance and I aren’t doing anything anymore, I…”

“What do you mean?”  Chris interrupted.

“I told him as long as he was sleeping with Ari he would NOT be sleeping with me,” Lara told him.  Chris smiled, imagining how Lance must have taken that.  “But I’m just as bad…worse, because it’s so hypocritical.”

“Listen to me.”  Chris took Lara’s face in his hands.  “Justin told you all the right things…that you were beautiful, that Lance didn’t deserve you, that you are wonderful, right?”  Lara nodded.  “That’s all true, honey.  You needed someone, and Justin was there for you.  You’re not a tramp.”  Chris glared into her blue eyes.  “Do you hear me?”  She slowly nodded again.  “Good.”  She felt his hands tremble against her skin.  “You are so amazing,” he said, his voice growing husky.

“Kiss me,” she whispered before she knew what she was saying.

“No…I can’t…you’re just…” Chris stammered.

“Do it…please Chris…I want you to…” she murmured, licking her lips.  He moaned slightly and bent his head to hers.  As their lips met, she felt his arms go around her.

“Damn…are you trying to make your way through the whole group?”  Justin said as he entered the room.  In a flash, Chris was on his feet, his hands going for Justin’s throat.

“Chris, NO!”  Lara yelled, pulling at him until he released his bandmate.  Chris jumped back, glaring at the younger man.  “And here he was just trying to tell me how nice you were, and that the other night was just you trying to make me feel wanted,” Lara shouted at Justin.  “Take me out of here, Chris…please.”

They went out on the dance floor.  Lance was dancing with a tall blond, and Ari was once again in her AJ/JC sandwich.  “I’m out of here.  Chris is taking me out of here,” Lara told Ari.

“You going home?”  Ari asked.  Lara shook her head.  Ari looked up at AJ, who winked at her.  “Me either.  I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

“Where are we going?”  Chris asked as they climbed into his car.

“Anywhere.  I don’t care.  Your house.  A hotel.  I don’t care,” Lara mumbled, staring out the window.  Chris shifted into care and silently drove from the parking garage.

She said nothing the whole way home, not even when they pulled into his garage and walked up the sidewalk.  “Do you want anything to eat or drink?”  Chris asked. She shook her head.

“It’s a warm night…could we go down to the beach?” 

He nodded and they walked through the house to the back door, stopping only for Chris to pick up an old picnic blanket.  They picked their way down the steps to the beach, and walked a few yards before sitting down.  The moon was full, and the moonlight danced on the waves.

“I feel so fucking STUPID,” Lara said finally.  “Why did I even think he was special?  Why?”

“If Justin would have asked you to leave Lance for him, would you have?” 

“I think he DID ask me…kinda,” Lara said hesitantly.  “But I wasn’t ready to do that.”

“Lara, you knew Justin was just kind of an outlet for you,” Chris told her.  “You needed to believe that someone besides Lance could want you, Justin did and said everything you needed.”  He stared out at the water.  “Of course, I told you the very same things, but I did it with my clothes on.”  Lara burst into laughter.  She couldn’t help it.  Chris glared at her, then finally smiled.  “That wasn’t supposed to be funny, but I guess it was.”

“Okay, so maybe I did want him. I just feel like a fool after the way he acted tonight at the club.”

“He was jealous,” Chris said with satisfaction.  “You were totally blowing him off and he came in and saw you kissing me and he was jealous.”

“You sound proud,” Lara said, amused.

“Well, how many girls do you think I steal from Justin Timberlake?  Not too many,” Chris said.  “I…I mean…not that I stole you from him…I mean…not that you and he were a thing…I mean…oh, hell,” Chris stammered, making Lara laugh again.

“Thank you, Chris, for everything.  You’ve been treating me better than anyone has in a long time.”  Lara laid her head on Chris’ shoulder.

“Lance really loved you, Lara, I swear.  At the beginning, all he could do was talk about how pretty you were, how well you cooked, how sweetly you took care of him.  We got really sick of hearing your name,” he teased.  “Then we met you and found out it was true.  When I saw that Ari girl that night I was so shocked.  I mean, why in the world would he want to jeopardize everything he had with you for just a piece on the side?”

“She’s not just a piece on the side, Chris,” Lara said loyally.  “I guess I just got boring for him.  Ari is exotic, and exciting, and probably very…uh…creative.  I guess he just didn’t want me anymore.”  Lara gave a big sigh.  Chris took her hand in his and played with her fingers.

“I don’t know how he couldn’t want you,” he whispered, and she could sense the blush that she couldn’t see.

“Um…when were so rudely interrupted by Brillohead…weren’t you kissing me?”  Lara asked boldly.

“Yes, but I think it was a mistake,” he told her.

“Oh,” she said sadly, her face falling.

“No…not like that!”  Chris said quickly.  “I don’t want you coming to me, offering your kisses just because you need to feel wanted and all that.  I want you to kiss me because you WANT to kiss ME.”

“I see,” Lara said thoughtfully.  “Thank you…I think.”

“Come on.  Let’s go in.” Chris stood and pulled Lara to her feet.  “And don’t think it’s easy for me not to kiss you.  There’s nothing I want more.”

“I’ll remember that,” she said, teasingly pressing her body to his as she gave him a big hug. She started up the beach ahead of him.

Chris groaned, imagining a very long, very cold shower.

AJ and Ari hardly made it into the hotel room he had reserved in the city before they were tearing each other’s close off.  They wasted no time with foreplay, and they had been teasing each other so much all evening that it ended all too soon for both of them.

“What do I have to do to get you to move in with ME?”  AJ panted as they fell back onto the pillows.

“Sorry…one man using me is enough right now,” Ari replied, trying to catch her breath.

“You think I’m using you?” AJ leaned up on one elbow.

“Yes, you are…just like I’m using you,” she said, trailing a finger down his cheek.  “I don’t mind.”

AJ thought about this for a moment. “What are the two of you gonna do about Lance?”

“Well…we’re gonna get our revenge, and then we’re outta there.”

AJ laughed.  “Keep my number handy.”

“Okay,” Ari agreed, though she could not get JC Chasez out of her head.

Lara woke up at around ten-thirty the next morning.  She didn’t recognize her surroundings, and she sat straight up, struggling to remember.  She hadn’t been that drunk, had she?  Whose house was she at and…she caught sight of something on a chair nearby and smiled.  A dark blue robe was draped over the back of a chair, and she saw the words “FuManSkeeto” on the belt.  There was a note attached to the robe.  I thought you might want to take a shower, and you can put this on if you want.  Breakfast will be ready when you come down.  Chris.  Lara sighed and grabbed the robe on her way to the shower.

Ari lightly walked her fingers up and down AJ’s bare chest as he slept.  He mumbled something and slapped at her hand, but she continued making her little path until he opened one eye.  “Woman, I’m sleeping!”  He snapped.

“Oh…sorry…I didn’t notice,” she replied softly, walking her fingers down to his stomach.  Her fingernail traced the 69 tattoo repeatedly until he started to giggle. 

“Stop…Ari…stop it!”  AJ yelled. “That tickles!”

“Oh…you’re ticklish?”  Ari asked innocently, beginning to tickle his stomach.  He rolled over and pinned her arms down.

“You’d better stop or I’ll tickle you,” he threatened, arching one eyebrow.  She moved her body against his sensuously. 

“Oh…tickle away.”

Lance looked at the clock yet again.  Eleven o’clock in the freaking morning and they still hadn’t come home.  Why was he worried?  They were grown women; they could do what they wanted.  It was WHO they were doing that bothered him.  He cared about them both…even loved them…for many different reasons.  Was it his fault he couldn’t choose between them?

He sat at the kitchen table, moodily staring at the clock on the microwave.  He missed Lara cheerfully making breakfast for him.  He could cook, at least enough to keep himself alive, but he liked the way she took such care to make everything just the way he liked it.  He looked around the kitchen, which was, as usual, spotless.  He sighed and stood.  He wandered through the downstairs, noticing at how carefully she had everything in its place.  He went up the steps, reached the purple guestroom, and smiled.  The room was a disaster.  Ari had no conception of “a place for everything and everything in its place”.  That was something he loved about her.  She was so spontaneous.  Never a dull moment.  He sat on the cleanest edge of the bed, deep in thought.

“Hey,” Lara said shyly as she padded into the kitchen about thirty minutes later.  Chris was in front of the stove, frying bacon.

“Hey,” he said, smiling at her.  “You look too damn cute for words.” 

Lara looked down at the robe, which was about three sizes too big for her.  “Thank you.  That’s the look I was going for this morning.”  She sat at the table, which was already set.  “Do you need me to help you?”

“Nope.  I’m going to show you that a man can actually find his way around the kitchen.”  Lara frowned, remembering how she had taught Justin in the kitchen just the other day.  Chris noticed her frown.  “Are you okay?”

“Yes…fine.  Just wondering if I can handle not being the one in charge of the kitchen,” she teased.  A few moments later, Chris set down a plate of bacon and pancakes for her, and a bacon omelet for himself.  Lara stared at him.

“What?”  Chris asked anxiously.  “Is the bacon not crisp enough?  I can fix it if you want.”

“No…I hate crisp bacon,” Lara whispered.  “Why don’t you have pancakes?”

“I was really hungry for an omelet, and I knew you didn’t like eggs, so…”

“What do you mean, you knew I didn’t like eggs?”  Lara interrupted.  “No one knows that…at least not until yesterday.”

“Well…uh…I remember one time you made brunch for us all, you made everyone omelets, and then you ate like, I don’t know, a poptart or something…so I just assumed you didn’t like eggs.  Was I wrong?”

“No,” Lara said, shocked.  Tears filled her eyes.  “It’s just…Lance lived with me all this time and didn’t know I hate eggs.  You just watched me one time and figured it out.”

“I watched you more than one time,” Chris said softly, reaching over to squeeze her hand.  “So, what are we doing today?”

“I need you to take me home after breakfast.  I have to talk to Lance and Ari.  Things have to get settled.”

“Are you sure?”  Chris asked, afraid of what the outcome of such a talk might be.

“Yes.  I need to get on with MY life,” she said, taking a bite of pancakes.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to have the limo drop you there?”  AJ asked Ari as she slipped on her shoes.

“I’ll grab a taxi,” she told him.

“Let me give you some money,” he said, reaching for his wallet.

“No, AJ.  NO!”  Ari snapped as he thrust some money towards her.  “I’d feel like you were…paying me for the night’s activities or something.”

“Well, consider it a loan, since you don’t have a purse with you,” AJ pointed out.  Ari blushed.

“Oh…yeah.”  She stood, and AJ took her in his arms.

“Ari, stop thinking of yourself like some kind of whore, just because that’s how Lance has been treating you.  You are much more than that,” he said, kissing her nose.

“Why don’t you have a girlfriend?”  Ari asked.

“I don’t want to be tied down right now.  Well…not in that sense, anyway,” he quickly added, winking at her.  “You need ANYTHING, you call me, okay?”  She nodded, and he gave her a gentle kiss before walking her to the door.

Chris pulled into the driveway of Lance’s beach house just as Ari was stepping out of a taxi.  “You sure you don’t want me to stay?” 

“I’ll be fine, Chris.”  Lara took a deep breath.  “Lance has taken care of me for so long now it seems like I’ve forgotten how to do things myself.”

“You need anything…you call, okay?”  His eyes were very serious.  “Actually, call me anyway.  I’ll be home all day, doing stuff around the house.”

“I will.  I promise.”  She leaned over and kissed his cheek.  “Thanks, Chris.”

Ari was waiting for her at the end of the sidewalk.  She waved to Chris, who waved back before backing out of the driveway.  “So, what’s going on there?”

“What’s going on with you and AJ?”  Lara countered.  Ari smiled.

“Nothing.  We just had a good time last night, that’s all.”

“And JC?”

Ari got a faraway look in her eyes.  “That’s another story…a story which I haven’t figured out yet.”

Lara nodded.  “I know what you mean.”

“What happened with Brillo last night?”

Lara frowned.  “He’s a dick.  I just didn’t know until last night.”

“Sorry,” Ari said sympathetically, squeezing Lara’s hand.

“It’s okay.  I’ll get over it.”  She looked at the front door.  “Guess we should go in and face all this.”  She took a step forward but Ari held her back.

“Wait…we should be agreed on all this before we even go in.  What are we doing here?  What are we gonna tell him?”

Lara thought for a moment.  “I still care about him, Ari, but I don’t know if I want to stay with him.  I can’t let him hurt me again.”

“I know,” Ari whispered. 

“We’ll go in there and tell him just that.  If he wants us back, he’ll have to…uh…choose.”

“He won’t choose,” Ari told her.  “Let’s just go in.”

They opened the front door and went into the house.  Lance was on the sofa, aimlessly flipping channels.  As soon as he saw them, he turned off the TV and stood. Lara took a step back, expecting a flow of angry words.

“I was worried,” he said finally.  Ari and Lara looked at each other but said nothing.  Lance stared at Lara, who was wearing a pair of Chris’ sweatpants and a t-shirt of his.  Ari was in her dress from the night before.  “I take it you weren’t together?”  Ari shook her head.  “We need to talk,” he said finally.  “Why don’t you two go shower and get cleaned up, and I’ll wait out on the deck for you.”

“Um…okay,” Ari said finally.  They went silently up the steps.

About thirty minutes later, Lara came downstairs.  She made a pot of coffee, poured herself a cup, and got a cup for Lance as well.  She went out on the deck and handed him the mug.  “Thanks,” he said, smiling up at her. She swallowed deeply, and sat down on a chair near him.

“Um…what time did you come home last night?”  Lara asked.

“Around two,” he answered.  He looked out at the ocean.  “You stayed at Chris’ house?”

“Yeah,” she said softly.  “But nothing happened.”  Ari came out, coffee in hand.

“Were you with JC last night?”  Lance asked.

Ari blushed. “Uh, no.  I was…uh…with AJ,” she replied softly.

Everyone looked at each other until Lara couldn’t take it anymore.  She moved to sit next to Lance on the swing.  “Lance, I still love you.  I love the man who swept me off my feet all those months ago. I love the man who made me feel so special.”  She placed her hand on his knee.  “But you’re not that man anymore.  That man wouldn’t have snuck around behind my back.”

“You’re not the same man I know, either,” Ari put in.

“You have to choose, Lance.  You have to choose if you want one of us to be your girl.  Otherwise, we can only be friends,” Lara told him.

“And you have to earn that love back, Lancers,” Ari said.  “We’re not just gonna run back into your arms and forget all of this.”

“Are you leaving?”  Lance looked from one to the other.

“We should,” Lara said finally.  “But, unfortunately, we have nowhere to go.  I was thinking that maybe, since there are three bedrooms, we could live here kinda like roommates for a while, and see how that goes.”

“Roommates?”  Lance squeaked.  “You mean, like…”

“Like no sex, Lance…at least not with you,” Ari finished for him.

“And not with anyone else,” Lara said.  “That won’t help anyone make a decision.” Ari started to snap at her, but then remembered the whole thing with Justin and kept her mouth shut.  “If you absolutely feel you need to get your rocks off, Lancey, you go do it…just don’t tell us and don’t bring her here.”

Lance thought for a moment, unable to believe the turn of events.  He had the two women he wanted most in his house with him, living with him, and they refused to even touch him.  He knew he should choose between them…hell…he should just throw them out on their asses…but he couldn’t do it.  “Why don’t the two of you just go?” 

“Like I said, Lance, we don’t have anywhere to go.  Sure, I could run to Chris, or even to Justin if I wanted to, but I don’t want to,” Lara said, her blue eyes sad.  “Right now I want to be here.”

“I’m going up to take a nap,” Ari decided.  She turned to Lance.  “Don’t think we’ve forgiven you, Lancers.  Ever hear the phrase ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’?  Well, you have two scorned women here.”

Lara stood to follow Ari.  “Here’s another phrase for you: Revenge is hell.”  They went into the house, leaving Lance on the deck with his mouth hanging open.

About two months went by, and the house was like a bad episode of “Three’s Company.”  Everyone was on edge, and both girls tried to stay out of Lance’s way, and vice versa.  This just seemed to put even more discomfort into the air.  Finally Ari had had enough.  One morning, when Lara was down in the laundry room and Lance was puttering around in his bedroom, she ran into his room and closed the door behind her.

Lance whirled around.  “What?  What is it?  Are you okay?” Ari didn’t answer, but instead walked over to him.  She grabbed his face in her hands and gave him a long passionate kiss.  When she finally pulled away he stood and stared at her, mouth wide open.  “Wha…wha…what was that for?”

“Because all this stress between us is driving me crazy,” she said.  “Consider that an icebreaker.”  She turned for the door but he grabbed her, pulling her into his arms.  Ari struggled, but couldn’t fight the electricity that still flowed through her when Lance kissed her.  She moaned and let him wrap his arms around her.  Her fingers came up to run through his short hair.  His lips moved down to her neck and she finally pushed him away.  “No, Lance.  I can’t.”  She took a few deep breaths before turning and leaving the room.  He heard her bedroom door slam and he groaned in frustration.

Lance went downstairs in search of Lara.  He hated this.  He knew they wanted him to choose, and he could feel their impatience growing.  He had been sweeter than sugar to both of them over the past few weeks, and still they held their ground.  He just couldn’t choose…he couldn’t.  “Hey,” he said as he went into the laundry room.

“Hey,” Lara said, smiling at him as she pulled towels out of the washer.  “I thought I’d hang these out on the deck because…” she was silenced by his lips on hers.  She froze momentarily, shocked, but soon snapped back to life.  She shoved him away and slapped him across the face.  “Knock it off, Lance!”

“What?”  Lance replied, playing innocent.  “I just…”

“You know better.  I can’t handle you playing with me like that!”  Lara resumed her work, absolutely furious.

“I wasn’t playing with you,” Lance retorted, but she refused to even look at him.  “At least Ari let me kiss her,” he mumbled before walking out of the room.

Lara froze with a washcloth in her hand.  Ari?  Lara threw the washcloth down and ran up the stairs, making sure that Lance was safely out on the deck.  “Ari?”  Lara yelled.  “Ari?”

“In here!”  Ari yelled from the bathroom.  She was brushing her teeth.

“Ari, what the hell happened between you and Lance about five minutes ago?”  Lara asked.

Ari blushed slightly.  “Well…uh…”

“You let him kiss you, didn’t you?”

“Well, I just gave him this little kiss, see, to kinda break the ice that’s been building up around here, and he kinda blew it out of proportion,” Ari tried to explain.  Lara groaned, sitting on the edge of the bathtub.

“Ari Ari Ari…why do you tempt him?  When you pushed him away, he came running down to me.”

Ari’s eyes narrowed.  “Oh, he did, did he?”

“We need to put an end to this, once and for all,” Lara told her.  “We need to…” she was interrupted by the telephone.

“I’ll get it!”  Ari yelled.  Lara shoved her out of the way and ran for the nearest phone.  Ari shoved HER, and managed to reach the phone in Lance’s room.  “Hello?” She said sweetly as Lara glared at her.  “Oh…one second.”  Ari’s face fell.  “It’s for you.”

“Hello?” Lara grabbed the phone, sticking her tongue out at a sulking Ari.  “Oh, Chris!  Hi!”  Ari made gagging motions as Lara sat on the edge of Lance’s bed with a big smile on her face.  She hadn’t seen Chris since the morning he had brought her home, but they had talked on the phone every other day.  Lara kicked at Ari.  “I’m fine…yes…she’s fine…yes…he’s fine, too.  What’s up with you?”  Lara’s eyes grew wide.  “You want to what?  You mean…like a date?  Dinner…a movie?”  She looked at Ari, who was nodding vigorously.  “Um…sure…I’d like that…tomorrow?  Okay…seven?  I’ll be ready.  Bye, Chris.”  She hung up and stared at Ari.  “He wants to take me out.”

“Really?  I hadn’t gathered that from your end of the conversation,” Ari replied, rolling her eyes.

“But a date?  I mean…I haven’t gone on a date in ages.  I don’t know how to act on a date anymore,” Lara babbled.

“Lara, he is already head over heels in love with you.  Just be yourself,” Ari snapped.

“Look, since when…” Lara was once again interrupted by the phone.  She answered it.  “Hello?  Oh…hold on…” she handed it to Ari.  “For you.”

“Hello?”  Ari said.  Her face lit up.  “JC!  What a surprise!”  Lara sighed and rolled her eyes.  “Tonight?  No…I’m not busy.  I’d love to go for a drive with you.  What time?  Okay…great…I’ll be ready then.  Bye!”  Ari hung up and then shrieked. 

“You can’t go out tonight.  You can’t leave me with Lance,” Lara whined, though she knew Ari wouldn’t listen.

“You’ll be fine,” Ari said absentmindedly.  “I need to go decide what to wear.”  She practically floated out of the room.

Lara went down to break the news to Lance.  He was out on the deck, tapping away at his laptop.  “Hey,” Lara said softly, sitting on the hammock.

“Hi,” he said without looking up.  “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” she replied.  “I know Ari was teasing you.”  She took a deep breath.  “Listen, I thought you should know…Ari is going out with JC tonight, and Chris asked me out for tomorrow.”

Lance looked up at her.  “Oh, really?”

“Yes.  It all just happened like five minutes ago,” she told him.  He nodded slowly, wondering why it didn’t bother him more.

“I see,” he said slowly.  “So…just you and me tonight, huh?”

“Yeah…I needed to go to the store anyway, so I was wondering what you wanted for dinner.”

“I don’t care.  Anything you make is wonderful,” he said with a smile.  She smiled back.

“Okay, well, I have to go to the store so I guess I’ll see you later.”  She stood.

“Do you want some company?”  Lance asked, looking so lonely that she felt sorry for him.

“Actually, no, if you don’t mind, I’d rather be alone.  This whole Chris asking me out thing threw me for a loop.” She walked over and kissed Lance’s forehead.  “I’ll be back soon, though.”

“Okay.”  He suddenly put an arm around her waist, pulling her into a semi-hug as he pressed his head against her stomach.  She tousled his hair, and then finally pulled away. 

“How’s this?  Is this okay?” Ari tried on her third outfit, a pair of red denim shorts with a matching short-sleeved blouse.

“Yes, yes, YES!”  Lara groaned from her seat on Ari’s bed.  “You’re only going for a drive.”

“I don’t care…I want to look good…I really want to impress him.  The shorts aren’t too short, are they?”

“Wow, you must really be serious if you’re worried about looking too slutty,” Lara teased. Ari threw a shirt at her.

“You look really good,” Lance said shyly from the doorway.  The girls whirled around.  “Red is good on you,” he told Ari.

“Thanks,” she said.  The doorbell rang, saving them from an awkward situation.

“That must be JC.  I’ll go get it.”  Lara hurried from the room.  Lance and Ari stared at each other.

“I hope you have a good time,” Lance said finally.  “JC is a good guy.”

“Thanks,” Ari said.  Lance walked over and kissed her cheek, then went down to say hello to JC.

 

“So, where are we going?”  Ari asked JC after they were a few miles from the beach house.

“I thought we’d just drive up the coast for a while.  It’s such a gorgeous evening,” JC replied, smiling over his sunglasses at her.  “There’s this bed and breakfast that has this EXCELLENT restaurant in it.”

“Bed and breakfast?”  Ari asked.  Her heart sank.  He thought she was a slut, too.  He only wanted one thing.

“Yes.  It’s this old house, see, and…” JC stared at her.  “Oh…Ari…God…no…I really just want to take you to the restaurant.  It just so happens that it’s in a bed and breakfast.  I wasn’t planning on staying there or anything,” he said earnestly.  “I’m sorry if it sounded that way.”

“That’s okay.  I guess I kinda jumped to a conclusion,” she apologized.  JC reached for her hand and held it. 

“Don’t let Lance make you think that all you are good for is a roll in the hay, Ari.  You’re so much more than that.”  Ari blushed, smiling when he didn’t let go of her hand.

 

“So…need any help?”  Lance walked into the kitchen.  Lara was surprised.  He never offered to help with the housework.

“Um…well…that bread needs sliced.”  She pointed to a loaf of bread fresh out of the breadmaker.  “We’re having spaghetti.  Hope that’s okay.”

“Your homemade sauce?”  Lance asked.  When she nodded, he said, “That’s better than okay.”  Lara blushed and went back to draining the noodles.  He poured them each a glass of wine and brought the glasses to the table as Lara carried the food over.  They sat across from each other, not saying anything.  “This looks excellent,” he said finally, picking up her plate and beginning to scoop out pasta for her.

“Thank you,” she said quietly.

He set the plate down.  “Okay.  This is what we’re going to do.  Remember when we first started dating, and we’d go out, and just sit in a restaurant for hours doing nothing but laughing and talking?”  Lara nodded and smiled.  “Okay.  That’s what we’re gonna do tonight.  Two friends, just talking and having a nice dinner. Okay?”

“Okay,” Lara said, liking the idea. 

“You were so right,” Ari said as JC pulled her chair out.  “This place is wonderful.”

“I love it here,” he said, sitting across from her.  “I was really pissed about something one day, and just went for a drive to cool off.  Before I knew it I was up here.  I was hungry, so I stopped to eat, and found that not only is the atmosphere soothing and relaxing, but the food is out of this world.”

“You order for me, then, since you know what’s good,” Ari told him.  JC ordered as soon as the waiter came.  Ari found herself feeling shy.

“How are things going at home,” JC asked finally.

“Well…uh…weird, to say the least,” Ari replied. “We’re trying to just all get along as friends, but it’s strange.  I mean, the whole situation is a soap opera script if I ever heard one.”

“Do you still love him?”  JC cut right to the chase.  Ari blushed, and thought about it for a moment.

“I think that when Lance makes his choice, even if he chooses me, I wouldn’t be able to stay with him anymore.  At first I thought I could…but our relationship was created based on something totally unstable: physical attracting.”  She took a sip of her water.  “Lara has it a lot harder than me.  He actually had her believing he was going to propose to her.”

“Why don’t you just leave, then?”

“I quit my job and sold my apartment to move down here.  I have no place to go.”  Ari sighed.  “Once Lara wakes up and realizes Lance is NOT what she needs, I think maybe she and I will get a small place together, if we can scrounge up some money.  Maybe we can get Lance to loan it to us.”

“I’ll loan you the money.  If you need it, I mean,” JC offered. 

“Thanks,” Ari said shyly. 

“So is Lara staying home with Lance tonight?”  JC asked. 

Ari nodded.  “Yes, though Chris called right before you did and asked her out for tomorrow.  She’s so nervous.”  Ari tried to hide her own nervousness.

“He was hemming and hawing about it for weeks now.  He didn’t want to rush things with her, but he has stared at the phone so hard lately that I thought he was gonna burn a hole in it. I finally yelled at him to do it, and he said only if I called you, so, there you go,” JC said, blushing slightly.  “He really likes her.”

“I know.  And he seems like a nice guy.  A lot better than Lance and Justin,” Ari muttered.

“Justin?”  JC asked.  “What does he have to…oh…oh no…he didn’t,” JC said, frowning.

“THEY did, if that’s what you’re asking,” Ari said, figuring that since he had guessed it anyway it was all right to discuss it.  “She is totally upset about it.  He pretty much sweet talked her right into his bed.”

“I think Justin really does like her,” JC said slowly.  “But unfortunately his hormones tend to overcome any sincere feelings and humanity that he has, sometimes.”

“Oh, well.  I think she’s over it, though Lance doesn’t know,” Ari informed him.  “That morning she came downstairs with this huge hickey on her neck, and Lance thinks he gave it to her.”

JC laughed.  “That was quick thinking on her part.”  Ari smiled.  JC reached over and took her hand.  “Ari, I am so glad you agreed to come out with me tonight.  I’m having such a nice time.  I hope we can continue to do things like this.”

“I hope so, too,” she said softly.

“I don’t understand why I don’t gain like two hundred pounds, after eating all your good food,” Lance said to Lara, sitting back from the table with a sigh.

“You work it off,” Lara said as she stood to clear the table.  “In more ways than one,” she teased.  Lance was shocked for a moment at the way she treated the whole situation so lightly.

“Well, I guess I was just born with good metabolism, though the dancing helps.”

“Lance, I hate to tell you, but you are the worst dancer out of the five of you.  Even Chris dances better than you,” Lara said as she took dishes to the sink.  Lance’s mouth fell open.

“Excuse me?”

“Lance, you know how I feel about you physically.  You’re one of the most attractive men I know.  But you cannot dance.  You’ve said so yourself.”

“Yeah…well…you didn’t have to agree with me,” Lance pouted.  Lara laughed. 

“Sorry,” she said, though it was obvious she wasn’t sorry at all.

“I’ll help you,” Lance said, picking up a towel to dry the dishes.  They worked in silence for a moment.  “Thank you for a really nice evening,” he said finally.  She stopped working to look at him.

“You’re welcome.  I had a really nice time, too.”  His green eyes stared at her, as if he were memorizing every inch of her face.  When he leaned towards her to kiss her, she didn’t resist.  Their lips met for a moment, and then she pulled away.  Her blue eyes were brimming with tears.  Lance took the dishcloth from her hand and dropped it into the sink.  He pulled her into his arms, placing her head on his shoulder as she sobbed.

“I guess that’s that, then, huh?”  He asked softly, realizing that neither of them had felt anything in that kiss.  “You’re in love with him.”

“Who?”  Lara said, snapping her head back.

“Chris.”

“Chris?  No way…I mean…I hardly know him…”

Lance smiled, wiping a tear from her cheek.  “I did some shitty things to you, Lara.  I’m surprised you can even talk to me.  But that kiss…I felt like I was kissing a sister or something.  When you mentioned his name, your eyes lit up.”

“They did not,” Lara whispered.

“Yes, they did.”  Lance kissed her nose.  “You are in love with Chris Kirkpatrick, whether you like it or not.”

“No, I’m not,” Lara said stubbornly, turning back to finish the dishes.  Lance cupped her chin in his hands.

“I want you to be happy,” he told her.  “No matter what.  You and I had something very special, which I ruined.  But I still want you to be happy, okay?” 

Lara nodded, then turned back to the dishes.  “Don’t think that you being all sweet will make things right, Lance,” she told him.  “No matter how much I care about you, or how good of friends we become…Ari and I will still be getting our revenge.”

“Okay,” Lance said in amusement, having no idea of what was in store for him.

Lara crawled out of bed around ten-thirty.  She hadn’t fallen asleep until around five in the morning.  Lance’s words kept running through her head.  Chris Kirkpatrick?  She hardly knew him.  She had only spent that short amount of time with him, and he was nice and all, but in love with him?  She shook her head as she pulled on shorts and a halter-top.  The whole idea just threw her for a loop.

She ran into Ari as she entered the hallway.  “Did you have a good time last night?”  She asked.  “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“I got in around midnight, I guess.  We went to the most gorgeous bed and breakfast up the coast.  We had dinner there, and then he took me dancing,” Ari gushed.  “And not dancing in a nightclub. It was this tiny little jazz bar, all smoky and romantic.”  She sighed and Lara rolled her eyes.  “How was your night with Lance?”

“Really nice.  We had a nice dinner, and then we just sat and talked for a while.”  Lara paused.  “He thinks I’m in love with Chris.”

“You hardly know Chris,” Ari began.

“See?  My sentiments exactly,” Lara interrupted.

“But I can tell something’s gonna happen with you two,” Ari finished, glaring at Lara for the interruption.  “But we need to put JC and Chris out of our minds for now, and plan our revenge on Lancers.”

“Oh yes,” Lara agreed, smiling savagely as they walked towards the kitchen.

“Morning, ladies,” Lance said cheerfully from behind the sports section of the newspaper.  “I wasn’t sure what time you were getting your lazy asses out of bed, so I ran into town and brought back some pastries.”

“Are those from Paris Baguette?”  Lara asked, drooling as she looked at the bakery box.

“Yes,” Lance replied. She squealed and hugged him before grabbing the box.

“You don’t understand, Ari.  These are the best pastries in the whole WORLD.”  She took a chocolate éclair before handing the box to Ari.

“Did you have a nice night last night?”  Lance asked Ari as Lara poured coffee for them all.

“Yes,” Ari said nervously.  “We went for a drive, then had dinner and went dancing.”

“Cool.”  Lance went back to his newspaper.

“Would you mind if Ari and I took the car?  We have to go into town for something,” Lara asked.  Ari stared at her in confusion.

“Sure.  We have a meeting in the city with Jive, but I can get one of the guys to pick me up,” Lance replied.  “Will you be back for dinner?”

“Um…yeah…Ari will, but I have that date with Chris,” she reminded him.  “Can we have some money?”

Ari stared at Lara, wondering what in the world was going on.  “Do you want cash or just the credit card?”  Lance asked her, reaching for his wallet.

“Do you have some cash on you?” Lara asked, sipping at her coffee.

“I have about two hundred on me here, though there’s more on my nightstand.”

“Okay, thanks.”  She kissed his cheek.

“Um…what was THAT all about?”  Ari asked as soon as she was behind the wheel of Lance’s car.

“We’re going to go buy our revenge tonight,” Lara said calmly.

“We’re going to WHAT?”  Ari gasped, a smile slowly creeping across her face.

“You heard me.  When we get into town, park behind the market, okay?”  Lara said secretively.

“Lara, where are we going?  Is this the ghetto?”  Ari asked, glancing over her shoulder every two seconds.  The buildings were rundown and dirty, and homeless people sat on almost every corner.  “I didn’t know a tiny town like this could HAVE a ghetto.”

“Will you keep quiet?”  Lara hissed, striding confidently down the sidewalk.  She stopped at a corner bar and opened the door.

“Lara, it’s only one in the afternoon.  Do you really need to drink right now…right HERE?”  Ari whispered.

“Just shut up for once, and let me do all the talking, okay?”  Lara whispered back.  Her eyes flittered around the smoky bar, settling on a table in the corner.  She walked over with Ari right on her heels.  “How would you like to make some easy money?”  She asked the woman sitting alone at the table.

The woman looked up from her sandwich and beer.  Her green eyes were heavily made up, and her reddish-brown hair was teased high and sprayed hard.  Her low-cut tank top revealed ample cleavage.  “Sorry…I don’t do chicks,” she replied, looking back down.

“How about a little bondage and humiliation?”  Lara asked, placing two one hundred-dollar bills on the table.  Ari gasped.

“I’m listening,” the woman said, motioning to the chairs opposite her.  The girls sat down.

“We need to get revenge on a friend of ours, and I’d like to hire you to help us,” Lara told her.  “Are you free tomorrow night?”

“Depends…” the woman said skeptically, staring down at the money.  Lara pushed it towards her.

“Consider this a down payment.  Two hundred now, and another four tomorrow night.”

“Lara!”  Ari gasped.  “What are you doing?”  Lara kicked her under the table.

The woman began to slowly smile.  “My name is Kelley.  What exactly do you want me to do?”

“Ari, will you quit asking me that?”  Lara asked as she carefully applied eyeliner.  “I can’t do makeup for shit, and your aggravation is not making it any easier.”

“What are you gonna have that woman do, Lara?  I need to know!  I’m part of this, too, ya know,” Ari reminded her.  Lara sighed and turned around to look at her.

“We are gonna humiliate Lancey in the worst way I know how.”

“That woman?”  Ari asked.  Lara nodded.

“We’re gonna have to seduce him into the bedroom, though.  Think you can do that?”

“Oh, yeah,” Ari said, dreamily thinking of Lance’s naked body.  Even though she knew that their relationship was through, she couldn’t help but still be incredibly attracted to him.

“One more thing.  I think you should call JC and ask him if you can live with him for a few days until we get a place,” Lara suggested.  Ari’s mouth dropped open.

“We’re leaving?  Tomorrow?”

“Don’t you think he’ll be a LITTLE pissed off after all is said and done?  I don’t know about you, but I want out of here when the shit hits the fan.  I’m gonna ask Chris tonight if I can crash there for a while.”

“Okay…I’ll go call his cellphone now.”  Ari stood.  She gave Lara an appraising glance.  “Guess the mouse is gone, huh?”

“Completely,” Lara replied, going back to her mirror.

“Hey, Chris, you’re going to pick up Lara now, right?”  Lance asked after the meeting. Joey and Justin froze.  They had seen Chris sneak out of the meeting and come back freshly showered and cleaned up, but hadn’t figured out why.

“Um, yeah,” Chris said slowly. 

“Can you give me a lift back to the house?  The girls needed my car today so JC brought me in here,” he said.

“Sure, no problem,” Chris replied.  Lance and Joey went out to the elevators, talking animatedly as JC stopped to answer his cellphone.

Justin put a hand on Chris’ chest.  “You’re taking Lara out?  On a date?”

“Yes, I am.  Is that a problem?”  Chris said, glaring at the younger man.

“No…I’m just surprised that Lance is allowing it, that’s all.”

“Obviously you weren’t paying attention to what he was saying before the meeting.  He and Ari and Lara are all just friends.  JC took Ari out last night, and I’m taking Lara out tonight.” He poked Justin in the chest.  “Unlike you, however, I am not out for only one thing.”

“I wasn’t out for one thing,” Justin sulked.  “I really like her.”

“Coulda fooled me,” Chris replied.  “You said all the right things just to get her into bed.  I care about her, Justin…I care about her a lot.  You just stay the fuck away from her, okay?” He shoved Justin, pushing him back into a chair.  “She’s had more than enough heartbreak for the year.”  He turned and left the boardroom.

“There’s a car pulling in the driveway,” Ari announced, looking out her bedroom window.  “It’s Lance and Chris!”  She yelled down the hall.  “And doesn’t Chris look CUTE!”

“Shut up, Ari,” Lara said, pulling on her sandals as she walked out into the hall.  “You’re sure this is okay?”

Ari gave Lara’s flowered minidress a critical look.  “Hmmm…just enough leg showing…just enough cleavage…perfect.”  She ran back into her room.  “Here.” She lightly spritzed Lara with some of her favorite perfume.  “Just right.”

Lara reached the bottom of the stairs just as the front door opened.  Lance and Chris looked up at her and she blushed.  “Wow,” Lance said.  “You look great, sweetie.”

“Thanks,” she said shyly.  Chris said nothing, but handed her a small bouquet of white roses.  “White roses!  Thank you!  These are my favorite flower…though I don’t get to have them much around here.”  She glared at Lance who stuck his tongue out at her.

“Give them here.  I’ll put them in water.”  Lance held out his hand.  “Have a great time, kids.”  He took the roses and went down the hallway.

“Are you ready?”  Chris said finally.  Lara nodded, grabbing a sweater before they went out the door.

They got in the car and he sped out of the driveway.  “So…where are we going?  You never said and I didn’t know how to dress, so I hope I look okay,” Lara said nervously.

“You look absolutely beautiful,” he told her.  “Stunning.”  Lara blushed furiously.  “I thought we could go to dinner first and then…” he paused.  “This may sound silly to you, but you know that next town up, Middleton?  They’re having a carnival tonight and I thought we could go walk around there.”

“That sounds great except for one thing,” she said.  His face fell.  “Can we eat there, too?  I love carnival food.”

Chris’ face broke out into a huge smile.  “Me too.  We’ll eat there.”  He turned onto the beachfront highway and they zoomed towards Middleton.

 

“You have ketchup on your chin,” Chris said to Lara as they sat on a bench under a tree.  They had already devoured two hot dogs apiece, and they were working on a huge plate of fries.

“Oh, no I don’t!” Lara gasped, mortified.  He reached over with a napkin and gently wiped her chin.

“You’re right…now you don’t,” he said with a smile.  She blushed and smiled back.

“I need to ask you a big favor,” she said seriously.  He stopped eating and looked at her.

“Of course.  Anything.”

“Would you be able to come get me if I really needed you to?  Like at three in the morning, possibly?  I know it’s a lot to ask but I have nowhere else to turn.”

“Is everything okay?”  Chris asked, concerned.

“Yes, of course!  For now, anyway.  I just have a feeling that Lance isn’t going to be very happy with Ari and I tomorrow.  She’s already asked JC if she can crash with him until we can get a place.”

“You guys have planned your revenge, haven’t you?”

“I’d rather not talk about it.”  She stood.  “I’m full.  Let’s walk around.”

As they walked down the streets looking at the games, Chris grabbed Lara’s hand in his and swung it between them.  She sighed, feeling totally relaxed and totally happy.  Chris stopped in front of a game where you had to pop balloons with darts.  “Let me try this.”

“I bet I can beat you,” she said.  He rolled his eyes. 

“Puhleeze. I am the king of the dart game.”

“Pick your prize now, because I bet I can pop three before you can,” she told him.  “You can even go first.”

“Okay, whatever,” he said condescendingly.  “If you win, I want that Backstreet Boys poster there.”  Lara burst out laughing.  “And when I win, you want…”

“That sweet stuffed bunny up on top,” Lara said, pointing to a white stuffed bunny with a blue bow around its neck.

“Deal.”  Chris paid for six darts, giving Lara three.  He hit the first two balloons, but totally missed the third one.  Lara threw her darts one after another, popping all three balloons.  The game man handed Chris the poster, smiling broadly.  Chris handed it over to Lara without a word.  She giggled as he took her hand and led her from the game.

They wandered around, talking and laughing as they looked at the games and the people. They reached the strongman game, where the object was the ring the bell by hitting the right spot with a huge hammer.  “Oh…no…Chris…you’ll give yourself a hernia!” Lara insisted.  “You don’t have to prove anything!”

“Out of my way,” he said, paying the person in charge.  He picked up the hammer, and a few onlookers snickered.  Lara gave them dirty looks.  Chris took a few deep breaths, then swung the hammer.  The bell rang out loud and clear, and Lara squealed.  Chris took a large stuffed bunny from the prize shelf and handed it to her.  She gave him a big hug, kissing him on the cheek.  “Okay…now the rides.”  He took her hand and pulled her towards the rides as she hurried to keep up with him.  “This one.”  He stopped to buy a ticket, and Lara’s face went white.

“N-no…Chris…I don’t think I can…I’m not feeling well and…” Lara stammered.

“It’s a Ferris wheel.  You won’t get sick after eating hot dogs and french fries,” he told her with a teasing smile. When he saw her pale face he stopped smiling.  “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t, Chris.  I am absolutely petrified of Ferris wheels,” she finally admitted.  “I can’t go on that.”

He took both her hands in his and stared down at her.  “Do you trust me?” She nodded.  “Would I make you do something that wasn’t safe?”  She paused, then shook her head.  “Please…come on there with me.  I’ve always wanted to take a girl up on the Ferris wheel and just sit real close with my arm around her, talking softly…maybe even kissing her.  Would you deny me the fantasy I’ve had since I was a teenager?”  She laughed and shook her head, but tightly gripped his hand as they went in line.  “Lara…we’re only in line,” he reminded her.  She refused to let go, and when they climbed into the tiny car her legs were shaking.  They sat down and she sat tight against him.  “Wow…you really are scared,” he said in amazement.

“The only thing that scares me more than the wheel of death are sharks,” she told him, closing her eyes.

“Lara, open your eyes,” he said as the car swung into motion.  She squealed and shook her head.  He tried all kinds of things as they moved towards the top of the wheel, but nothing would make her open them.  The wheel stopped to let on more people, and her eyes flew open.  They were full of tears.  “Relax, honey,” he said soothingly.  He reached up to touch her cheek.

“I can’t…I hate when it swings and…” she gasped in a breath as they started to move again.

“I’ll protect you…I’ll always protect you,” he whispered.  She swallowed deeply, unable to keep from looking in his eyes.  He moved his head towards hers, and their lips met.  He slowly and tenderly continued to kiss her, and she slowly let go of his hands to run her fingers through his hair.  The wheel stopped, but she didn’t notice.  She felt as if she was falling, and it had nothing to do with the ride.  He slowly pulled back.  “Still afraid?”

“Petrified,” she whispered, her blue eyes shining.

“Guess I have to keep on distracting you, huh?”  He asked with a smile.

“Only way to keep me from freaking out,” she murmured as he bent his head to hers once more.

At nine the next morning someone began to repeatedly knock on Lara’s door.  “Go away!”

“Lara, come on!  You told me to waken you so you could start packing!” Ari’s voice hissed through the door.  Lara sat up quickly.

“Okay, okay, I’m up, I promise!”  Lara called back.  She got up and pulled on a robe, then went to the door. 

“Did you clear everything with Chris?”  Ari asked anxiously.

“Yes.  He and JC are gonna con Lance out of the house somehow, and then Joey’s gonna bring his truck over to help us move.”

“JOEY?  They told Joey?”  Ari gasped.

“Just that we’ve decided that we want to move, and that we thought it best not to let Lance know immediately.  Crazy idea, I know, but it’s what Chris thought would work.”

“Okay,” Ari agreed as they walked down the steps.  Lance was still in bed, and they quickly made coffee and some breakfast, knowing he would be up soon.  He stumbled down the steps about forty minutes later.

“Morning,” he mumbled, grabbing his mug of coffee gratefully. 

Lara looked at him for a long moment.  He looked so sweet with his hair all messed up from sleeping.  There were a few wrinkles on his cheeks from his pillowcase, and she decided he had never looked more adorable.  Ari nudged her and gave her a glare.  “Oh!  Um…Lancey…Chris called.  You’re supposed to call him.  Something about some important thing coming up today.”

“He called?  Already?”  Lance looked at the clock in surprise.

“Yeah.  Must be really important.”  Ari handed him the phone.

Lance dialed.  “Hey…Chris…hear you called.  What?  You want to go over that now?  All of us?  Oh…only JC, you and I, huh?  Um…okay…I can be ready in a few minutes.  See you then.”  He hung up and handed the phone back to Ari.  “Something happened to one of the tapes we did last week, and JC, Chris, and I have to rerecord our parts.  I’m sorry.  It could take most of the day.”

“It’s okay,” Lara said with a smile.  “We understand.”

Lance sighed and rose.  “Guess I’ll go take a shower.”  As soon as he was out of the kitchen, Lara and Ari gave each other a high-five.

A few hours later, Lara happened to glance out the front door as she brought another box down.  She saw a large truck pull into the driveway, and two people got out. “What the fuck…” she muttered, running out the door.  “NO!  Ohhhhh no!  You get him the fuck out of here, Joey!” She screeched.  Ari came running down the steps.

“What’s going on…Justin?  Joey, why in the world is he here?”

“He showed up at my house when I was about to leave and I had to bring him along,” Joey explained.  “If we’re gonna do this quick we need all the hands we can get anyway.”

“I don’t want him anywhere near me!”  Lara yelled.  “Get him the HELL out of here!” She reached back and slapped Justin across the face with all her might.  He stood and took it, his blue eyes looking down at her as her shoulders heaved with sobs.  She slapped him on the other cheek. 

“Lara!  What the hell!” Joey yelled, grabbing her hands.  “What’s your problem?”

“Give me five minutes,” Justin said softly.  “Just five minutes.”

Joey looked from Justin to Lara.  “Are you two gonna be okay out here?  We really need to get started on this.”

“I’m fine,” Lara said finally.  Joey slowly let go of her hands and he and Ari went into the house.  “Talk.”

“I’m sorry everything ended up the way it did,” Justin told her.  “I didn’t mean for it to all end up like it did.  I really do care about you, Lara, and I truly think you are a wonderful woman.  I also do NOT regret that night we spent together.”  He started to reach out to her, then pulled his hand back.  “I don’t sleep around, Lara.  I swear it.  Those girls Lance talked about were just someone to go out with after a concert.  Very very few of them came back to my room with me.  I’m not like that.”  His blue eyes shown with sincerity.  “You have to believe me.”  Lara said nothing and just continued to watch him  “I’m so glad you’re leaving Lance, Lara.  It’s what’s best for you…for both of you.  And I am really happy you’re hooking up with Chris.  He’s a better man then I could ever try to be.  Can’t we be friends?  Please?”

Lara sighed, then nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you before.  I was so hurt.”  She walked towards him and they hugged.

“I never meant to hurt you…” Justin whispered against her hair.  He kissed the top of her head, then pulled back.  “Let’s get you moved out of here.”

“What time is it?”  Ari asked as Joey and Justin drove away with the last load of boxes.

“Almost six,” Lara moaned, sitting on the bottom of the staircase.  “Chris said he’d call when he thought…” she was interrupted by the phone.  Ari ran into the living room and grabbed it.

“Hello?  Hey, Chris.  When?  About two more hours?  Perfect.  That’s just enough time for us to get ready.”

Lance stumbled in the door of his house at around 8:30, dead on his feet.  It had been a long day of re-recording, and nothing had gone right.  JC was actually doing the producing, with Chris helping him run the board, and they were satisfied with nothing.  If it wasn’t Lance singing offkey, then it was Chris singing too high, or some other stupid thing.

“I’m home,” he called wearily, wanting nothing more then to sink into a hot bath.

“We’ll be right down!”  A voice called from upstairs. 

“No, I’ll be…” Lance began, stopping as Lara came running down to meet him.  She gave him a big hug and a sweet kiss on the mouth.

“I missed you!”  She gushed.  Lance pulled back to look at her.  She was wearing a short midnight blue satin nightgown which barely reached her thigh.

“L-Lara, what are you doing?  What are you wearing?” Lance stammered.

“What’s wrong?”  Lara’s face fell.  “Don’t you like it?”

“I…uh…well, yes, of course I do,” Lance stuttered, looking down at her long tanned legs.  “I’m just…uh…”

“Why don’t you come out to the hot tub with me, and I’ll give you a nice shoulder massage,” she suggested, reaching up to trace his cheek with one red fingernail.  “I think you probably need to relax.  Was it a stressful day?” She asked sympathetically.

“Yeah, it was,” Lance said slowly.  Though he was enjoying her attention, he had to wonder about her sudden change of heart.  Lara looked into his eyes and seemed to read his mind.

“I’ve been so lonely,” she whispered, pressing her body against his.  “I’ve missed you.”

“What about…um…uh…Ari?”  Lance asked, trying to ignore the way his body was responding to her.

“She’ll join us in a little while.” Lara took his hand and started dragging Lance towards the back door.  “Come on!”

“J-joining us?”  Lance asked in astonishment.

By the time Ari made it out onto the deck, Lance and Lara were already in the water.  Lance was sitting in front of Lara, and she was massaging his shoulders.  “Is this a private party or can anyone join?”  Ari asked.  Lance looked up and gasped.  Ari wore a long purple satin nightgown, which had a slit up to one hip.

“Um…of course you can join,” he said nervously.  She smiled and slowly pulled the nightgown up over her head.  She sank into the hot water with a sigh.  Sitting across from Lara and Lance, Ari picked up one of Lance’s feet and began to massage it, remembering how much he enjoyed that.  He groaned and closed his eyes.  “This must be heaven,” he murmured.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” Lara teased, her eyes meeting Ari’s.  Ari continued to massage his feet, but soon moved her hands up the insides of his legs.  Lance gasped and jumped.  “Lancey…relax,” Lara said in a soothing tone.  Her tongue flicked out at his ear.  “Just relax…we’re here to take good care of you.”

“Don’t you trust us?” Ari asked, running her fingernails down the insides of Lance’s legs.  He drew in a breath with a hiss.  “I thought this is what you always wanted.”

“It is…ohhhhh god it is,” he gasped as Lara sank her teeth into the tender skin of his shoulder. 

“What do you say we take this party upstairs?”  Ari suggested, standing up.  She wrapped a fluffy towel around her and handed one to Lara.  When Lance stepped out of the tub, it was quite obvious just how all the attention was affecting him.  Lara smiled with satisfaction as she wrapped a towel around his slender waist.  They each took one of his hands and led him through the house and up the stairs.  The house was pitch black, but small candles lit the way up the steps and into the master bedroom.  Candles were everywhere, and the sheets were already drawn back. 

Ari stood in front of Lance, cradling his face in her hands.  As she kissed him, Lara trailed tiny kisses down his spine until she reached his waist.  Her hands slid around to undo the towel, and it soon pooled around his feet.  She slid her body up against his, but refused to remove her towel.  Ari kissed from Lance’s ears down to his chest, spending extra time on his hard nipples.  He was soon gasping for breath, feeling as if he were hyperventilating.  Lara came around to stand next to Ari.  “Lay down on the bed, Lancey,” she said seductively.  Lance was quick to obey.  He laid down on the bed, squirming in anticipation.

“Put your hands above your head,” Ari ordered.  He did as she asked, and she swallowed deeply.  He was so damned attractive, laying out on the black satin sheets, his skin quivering with anxiety and delight.

“No,” Lara whispered to her.  “Fight it…don’t give in…remember why we’re here.”

“But he’s…”

“I KNOW he is…think JC.”

“JC…right…JC…” Ari closed her eyes for a moment, remembering JC’s smile.  “Okay.  I’m okay now.”

Lara slowly climbed up on the bed, straddling Lance’s waist. She lightly scratched her nails down his chest.  “Why don’t you remove that towel?”  He asked, smiling up at her slyly.

“I’m not quite ready to do that,” she told him, reaching out towards Ari.  Ari placed something in her hands, and Lara fluttered it in front of Lance.  “Do you like this color?”  She waved the wine colored scarf in front of him.

“Sure,” he said, confused.

“Good,” Lara said with a sweet smile.  In an instant she was on one of his arms and Ari on the other, tying them to the head of the bed.  Lance shouted in alarm.  As soon as they had him bound, Lara took the dark red scarf and put it over his eyes.  “It’s good you like this color, Lancey, because it’s all you’re gonna see for a little while.”

“Lara…Ari…what is this?  What the hell are you doing?”

“It’s time for us to get our revenge, Lancers,” Ari said, catching the terry cloth robe that Lara tossed to her.  She put it on.  “We owe you big time.”

“I thought we were friends!”  Lance whined.

“OH…we are friends, Lance.  That doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten everything you’ve done to us,” Lara told him, walking around the bed.  She opened the door into the bathroom.  “We have someone we want you to meet.”

Lance felt someone crawl onto the bed, and then he felt something against his body…but it wasn’t skin…leather?

“This is Kelley,” Ari told him.  “She’s going to make sure you NEVER forget what you did to us.”

Lance felt someone lick his neck, and he shivered.  “Get off of me!”  He yelled, bucking his body.

“Mmmm…this will be a job I enjoy,” he heard a seductive voice purr near his ear.  “I’d do you for free, Precious.”

“You PAID this bitch?  What is WRONG with you two?”  Lance screamed.  He gasped at the sting of a slap across his face.

“Do NOT call me a bitch, okay?”  The voice growled in his ear.  “You play nice and I won’t hurt you…too bad.”

Kelley stood up, fixing her skin-tight leather shirt and pants.  “Okay.  What should we do first.”

“You know, he REALLY hates being tied up.  I’m enjoying just looking at him,” Lara said in amusement.  Kelley slowly peeled off the leather pants and the shirt, standing only in a dark green leather bra and underwear set.

“Well, get your looking over with because I have plans for Precious, here.”

“Will you stop calling me that?”  Lance snapped, pulling at the scarves that bound him.

Kelley straddled his waist, grabbing a handful of his short blond hair.  He cried out in pain.  “It seems to me, Precious, that you are in no position to be giving orders.”  She licked a line down his chest and bit his nipple, hard.  “Oh…the positions I could put you in.”  She looked down towards his midsection and laughed.  “Girls, you might not get the revenge you deserve.  Precious here is enjoying this, I think.”  She moved off of him and the girls saw his erection growing bigger by the section.

“All that crap about how much you hated the idea of bondage…that only animals should be tied up,” Ari teased.  “Look at that.  Lancers is enjoying this.  He likes being tied up and treated like shit.”

“It’s not always that fun, Lancey,” Lara said angrily.  “There are other ways to tie someone down…to keep them bound.”  She reached back to slap him, but Kelley stopped her.

“You’re paying me…let me do it.”  She grabbed a handful of his head again and slapped his cheek.

“Ouch!  DAMMIT!”  He howled.

“Shut the fuck up or I’ll hit you harder than you’ve ever been hit in your life,” Kelley snapped.  Lance whimpered but was silent. 

“You kept me locked in this house, Lance.  You made me think that everything was wonderful and that we were meant to be.  All those kisses I wasted on you…” Lara said. 

Kelley took her nails and clawed down his chest…hard.  He hissed, and Ari and Lara gasped at the welts that broke out on his smooth skin.  “Sounds like you were a dick, Precious.”

“You could say that,” Ari said, looking over at Lara.  “I don’t want to see the rest of this.  Let’s go call the guys.”

“Wait!  Ari…Lara…where are you going?  You can’t leave me here with this crazy person!”  Lance shouted.

“Sorry, Lance.  We don’t live here anymore.”  Lara followed Ari out the door, closing it behind her.

“Just me and you now, Precious,” Kelley cooed, reaching up to remove the scarf that covered his eyes.  Lance looked up into a pair of dark green eyes.  Her red hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

“Is this the only way you get laid…by tying men down?”  He barked.  Kelley laughed, reaching down to squeeze his hard cock.

“Honey…I’ve been laid in ways you could only dream of.” She began to gently stroke him.  “But if you’re good to me…I could be so good to you.”

“What makes you think I want…ohhhh God…” he interrupted himself as her hands reached down to cup his balls.

“I think you want this…I think you like the thought of a woman who can put you in your place.  I think all along you’ve wanted it, and you couldn’t find it, and that’s why you were cheating on your girls.”

“I don’t want it…” Lance shook his head from side to side.  “I don’t…uhhhhh….” Kelley slid down his body and took him in her mouth before he knew what was happening.  Her tongue licked circles around his head, and his back arched off the bed.

“You don’t want it…you want me to stop.  They paid me for the night…I can untie you and let you go…I can get dressed and go,” Kelley whispered, biting the insides of his thighs.

“N-no…don’t…go…” he said finally, and she knew it was taking everything he had to say it. 

“I’ll until you, but you CANNOT move.  Do you understand me?”  Lance nodded emphatically.  Kelley reached up and untied his hands.  He moved his arms slightly, just to relax the muscles.  He watched as Kelley stood to remove the rest of her clothing, licking his lips unconsciously. She straddled him once more, and she was so wet as she slid down on him that he moaned.  “MMMMmmmmm…so hard…” she said, throwing her head back as she slowly rode him.

“Oh…shit…” he said, making a move to thrust up into him.  She arched one eyebrow, and he stayed motionless.

She continued to ride him very very VERY slowly until Lance was begging her to move faster…pleading with her…offering to do anything she wanted.  After about ten minutes, Kelley finally relented, taking his hands and placing them on her waist.  Lance began to pull her down onto him as hard as he could, and she felt herself coming close to the edge.  Before she knew what was happening, he had torn her hair from its bun and had his fingers wrapped through it.  He yanked her head back, and she yelled.  She reached down to scratch him once more, but he grabbed her hand, yanking her down to face him.  As he began to spurt inside of her, he kissed her, biting her lower lip.  She came with a moan, collapsing against him.

“There’s…uh…fresh towels and everything in the bathroom…new soap…new toothbrush,” Chris was saying as he led Lara down to the guestroom.

“I brought my own toothbrush, Chris,” she said with a smile.

“Well, I wasn’t sure what all you’d need.”

Lara opened the cabinet below the bathroom sink and choked back a laugh.  There were even tampons and maxipads neatly stacked on a shelf.  She shut the door quickly, not wanting to embarrass him.  “You don’t know what this means to me, Chris.  I can never thank you for letting me stay here.”

“You don’t have to thank me, Lara.  I’m glad I can help you out.”  He blushed slightly.  “And, of course, there’s always that selfish part of me who is doing cartwheels because you are finally out of Lance’s house.”

“Is this okay?”  JC asked anxiously.  “I’m sorry I can’t put you in the larger guestroom, but I’m in the middle of putting up new wallpaper and the room is a mess.”

“This is great,” Ari said, putting her small duffel bag down on the bed.  Her boxes were stacked around the small guestroom.  “JC, you are really a lifesaver.”

He blushed.  “Hardly.  I’m just glad I could be there for you.”  He sat on the edge of the bed.  “Do you want to tell me what exactly was going on when we got there?”

Ari smiled.  “Let’s just say Lance was getting what he deserved, and a whole lot more.”

Lara looked at the clock.  Two-fifteen and she was still wide-awake.  She wondered what Lance was doing.  Was Kelley still there?  Was Lance still alive?  She sighed and sat up, totally unable to sleep.  Too many thoughts were racing through her head.  Where were she and Ari going to live…where would they get the money to get an apartment?  What kind of job could she find?  She pulled a robe on over her satin pajamas and silently padded out of her room. 

She felt her way down the steps and tiptoed through the living room and dining room, heading for the back porch.  Maybe she could just relax by listening to the water pound on the shore.  She slid the door open as silently as possible, and started to close it behind her.

“You couldn’t sleep either, I see,” a voice said from the darkness.  Lara let out a sharp scream.

“Chris, God…scare me to death,” she said, gasping for breath.

“I’m sorry.”  She heard a scraping noise and then saw a flicker of light as he lit a small candle. 

“I had too much on my mind,” she said.  Lara noticed he was sitting down on the porch swing, and she sat down next to him.  He took the blanket he had over his legs and carefully tucked it around her as well.  He put his arm on the back of the swing, and she snuggled next to him before either of them knew what was happening.  It just felt right.

“You didn’t kill Lance, did you?”  Chris asked finally.  His voice was teasing, but she felt as if he might actually be serious.

“I can’t tell you.  You could be considered an accomplice,” she said, then laughed.  “No.  We didn’t kill him.  He’s just getting what he deserves, that’s all.”

“And you needed to be out of the house when it happened?”

“We just figured now was as good a time as any to leave,” she said.  Then she sighed.  “Where we go from now I have NO clue.”

“Don’t go anywhere,” Chris said bravely.  “Stay here.”

“Oh, Chris,” Lara said, turning to lightly caress his cheek.  “I can’t.  I need to be on my own for a while.  I have become so dependent on Lance…I have to know if I can depend on myself.”

“You could still stay here,” he mumbled, playing with a corner of the blanket.  “I’m not Justin, ya know.  I can keep my hands off of you.”

Lara smiled at his childish tone.  “That’s just it, Chris.  I don’t think I WANT you to keep your hands off of me…and it’s best if I don’t fall into another really serious relationship like that right away.”  She put one of her hands over his.  “Do you understand?”

He nodded.  “Of course.”  She leaned her head back against him and they sat in silence.  “You really don’t want me to keep my hands off of you?”  Chris asked finally.  Lara laughed.

“No…but we’re gonna behave.”

“Of course.”  Chris nodded emphatically.  “Um…can I do this?”  He began to caress her hand, massaging her palm.

“That seems harmless enough,” Lara said.

“And this?”  He brought her hand up to his mouth and began to bestow kisses on the palm.

“Uhhhh…n-no…bad idea,” she said, feeling her muscles turn to oatmeal.  Chris smiled in satisfaction.

“Just checking.  Let’s get you up to bed.”  He stood and held out his hand to her.  She sighed and took it, following him as he led her back into the house.  He politely looked the other way as she removed the robe that covered her skimpy pajamas, and then he pulled the sheet up over her and tucked her in.  He kissed her forehead, but she pulled him down into a long sensuous kiss.  When she finally let him pull back, they were both panting for breath. 

“Sweet dreams, Chris,” she whispered.

“Oh…you can count on it,” he whispered back, almost running into the door as he stumbled out of the room.

“Ari, where are you guys gonna go?  I mean, will you stay in town, or go back to where you were before, or what?”  JC asked as he watched Ari unpack a few things.

“I think I’ll stick around here for a while.  There’s nothing left for me back there,” she told him, hanging up a few blouses.

“Why don’t you stay here?”  JC suggested.  Ari dropped a hanger.  “I mean, there is a TON of room here…this part of the house is practically its own wing.  I’m out of the house most of the time recording and touring and stuff…you could hold down the fort here for me.  It would be totally like a landlord/tenant thing…once you got a job we could figure out some kind of rent.”

“Um…wow…JC…sounds like you were really thinking about this,” Ari said in what she hoped was a teasing tone.

“I was…ever since yesterday.  I don’t want to lose you, Ari,” he told her.  Her mouth fell open in shock.  “I can totally handle you living here and taking things really slow…if you can handle living with me.”

Ari looked at him for a long moment.  “One of the best things about living with Lara and Lance was the fact that I was never alone.  I got so lonely in my apartment before…no one to talk to…no one to laugh with…no one to cry with.  I could get used to having a roommate.”  She looked deep into his eyes.  “But we need to take this slow, JC, in more ways then one.”  Ari decided to be honest.  “I like you so much…and I want you so bad…but things can’t be rushed.  I don’t show it much, but the fact that Lance had someone else all the time I thought I was his only girl…that really hurt me.  I can’t handle getting hurt again.”

“I would never ever hurt you,” JC said earnestly, standing and putting a hand on her cheek.  “Not intentionally.”

“I know,” Ari whispered as he pulled her into a warm embrace.

“So…should we try it?  Just until the end of the month.  We’ll see what happens after that.”

“Okay,” Ari agreed.  JC’s smile lit up his whole face.

“Great!  Now I’ll let you get some sleep.”  He bent down and kissed her gently on the lips.  “Good night, Ari.”

“Good night, JC,” she replied softly as he left the room.

“Ari…Ari, wake up.”  JC gently shook Ari’s shoulder.

“What?”  Ari mumbled, rubbing her eyes.  She opened them and saw him staring down at her anxiously.  She sat up quickly.  “What is it?”

“Lara’s on the phone for you.  She sounds really freaked out.”  JC handed Ari the cordless, then politely left the room.

“Hello?”

“Ari?  Ohmygod, I am so glad you’re up!” Lara exclaimed.

“I wasn’t up, but I am now,” Ari grumbled.  “What is it?”

“It’s Lance.  He just called here looking for me, and Chris told him I wasn’t there.  He’ll probably call you next and…” Lara paused as they heard the call waiting beep.  “Don’t answer it, Ari.  Let it ring.  I think you should come over here.  We need to decide what to do.”

“Okay.  I’ll get JC to drive me over.  I’ll be there as soon as I can.”  Ari hung up and ran out to find JC.

“Okay…before this goes any further…what the hell did you guys do to him, exactly?”  Chris asked once they were all settled out on his deck.

Ari and Lara looked at each other.  “Um…nothing bad, really,” Lara insisted.  JC tilted Ari’s head so she had to look him in the eye.

“Ari?” 

“Uh…well…Lara hired a prostitute and she tied him up and beat the hell out of him!”  Ari said in one long breath. “I had nothing to do with it!  She made me go to the ghetto and there were drunk people and winos and weirdos and it was just awful!” She said, looking up at JC with big innocent eyes.

“Oh, don’t even try that!”  Lara snapped at her.  “You went along with it just as much as I did.”

“Wait a minute.  Go back,” Chris said sternly.  “You hired a PROSTITUTE?  How the hell did you know where to find one?”

“I’ve lived in this town over fifteen years, Chris, a lot longer than any of you.  You hear things...” Lara replied with a sigh.

“Okay…whatever…” Chris replied, not wanting to dwell on that subject.  “So this woman beat Lance up?”

“She didn’t ‘beat him up’…she smacked him once or twice,” Lara told him.

“And clawed him,” Ari put in helpfully.

“We left before we saw anything else.  We DID see that he really was enjoying it, though,” Lara said.

“How did you know…oh…nevermind,” JC said quickly, a light bulb going off in his head.

“Well, he sounded REALLY pissed off on the phone,” Chris told them.  “I don’t think he believed I didn’t know where you were.  He’ll be over here any minute, I just know it.”

Ari grabbed JC’s hand.  “He won’t DO anything, Ari,” Lara said in disgust.  “He can’t.  He knows he deserved every minute of it.  And besides, he ended up enjoying it so much that it was hardly revenge.”

“Seeing him tied up and miserable at the beginning was revenge enough for me,” Ari said.  They heard a car zoom into the driveway followed by a loud pounding on the front door.

“I’ll go get that,” Chris said, sighing as he got up.

He soon returned to the deck, followed by Lance.  Everyone stood, Ari hiding behind JC. 

“I knew it.  I knew you’d run and hide here,” Lance said, scowling as he glared at Lara.

“Your point?”  Lara asked.

“What the fuck WAS all that last night?”  Lance screamed.  “What came over you two?”

“It was her idea,” Ari said, then retreated behind JC once more.  Lara rolled her eyes.

“You deserved to feel like we felt, Lance. You deserved to see what it was like to be thrown into a situation in which you had NO control…to see what it was like to be at someone else’s mercy.  Only difference is that you enjoyed it!”  Lara yelled back.  Even Chris was amazed by the anger in her voice. 

“I did not,” Lance argued, though there wasn’t much conviction in his voice.

“Whatever,” Lara said with a sigh.  “That doesn’t matter now…what matters is that you and I are over…and you and Ari are over. You will have to find someone else to take care of all your needs…sexual and otherwise,” she finished.  Lance’s mouth dropped open.

“This is it?  You’re really leaving me?” 

Ari gasped.  “Lance, didn’t we decide that like WEEKS ago?  We’re friends, that’s all.  We’re moving on.”

“Obviously,” Lance retorted, glaring at JC and Chris.  “Didn’t take you long to find a new bed to jump to, did it?”  Chris leapt forward at his words, but Lara held him back.

“Don’t…he’s embarrassed and ashamed, and saying things that he doesn’t mean,” she said softly.

“Go home, Lance.  Think about all this…think long and hard before you hurt another woman like you hurt us,” Ari said gently.  His green eyes looked at her for a long time, then at Lara.

“I didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” he said, then turned and left the deck.

Three weeks later

“You are not going and that is FINAL!”  Chris shouted at Lara as they stood in the kitchen of her tiny apartment.

“The hell with you!  I want to go!  I want to hang out with everyone!  I want to have a good time!  What are you afraid of?”  Lara shouted back.

“I’m not AFRAID of anything,” Chris retorted.  “You know why I don’t want you to go…Lance will be there.  What if while my back is turned he grabs you and does God knows what to you?”

“Chris, I cannot live in fear of Lance Bass all my life.  Besides, there is nothing to be afraid of.  He’s not stupid.  He would never hurt me, I know it!” Lara insisted.  “JC doesn’t have a problem with Ari going along.”

“That’s different,” Chris mumbled.  Lara looked at him for a long moment.

“You’re jealous.  You’re jealous of what Lance and I used to have,” she realized.

“No, I’m not.  That is ridiculous,” he snapped.

“You ARE.  Ari lives with JC, and though they TRY to say it’s just as friends, we all know the truth.  I refuse to move in with you, therefore you think I’m still up for grabs…that Lance can have me if he wants me.  Chris, that’s so not true!  Lance has a girlfriend now…I would like to be his friend, but that’s it!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied.  “What I DO know is that you are NOT going to Joey’s pool party tomorrow!”

“Get OUT of my apartment!”  Lara yelled angrily.  “I lived for all that time letting a man tell me what to do…I refuse to let it happen again!  You’re as bad as Lance was!”

Chris’ face turned white.  He turned on his heel and left the apartment, slamming the door behind him.  Lara fell onto a kitchen chair, ordering herself not to cry.  She knew she was in the right…she was NOT going to let Chris tell her what to do, even though she knew it was because he cared about her.  She sighed.  He cared about her a lot.  She cared about him, too…more than she liked to admit.  She was falling head over heels in love with him, but was too afraid to tell him.  She wandered back to the bathroom, staring at the little piece of plastic on the sink.  She picked it up and stared at it.  She had asked Chris over that afternoon to talk about the little piece of plastic…and what she was going to do about this baby.  She didn’t even know whose it was…either Justin or Lance…but she couldn’t be sure.  She was just about to try to bring it into conversation when Chris had decided to inform her that she was forbidden to attend Joey’s party. 

She closed her fist around the piece of plastic and choked down a sob.  She stared at herself in the mirror, damning herself for being so careless and stupid.  She hit the mirror with the flat of her hand and felt a bit better.  Balling both hands into fists, she pounded at the mirror until glass shattered everywhere.  She didn’t feel the pain…didn’t even hear the glass fall on the tile floor…she just continued to punch until someone reached around from behind her.

“Lara.  Lara.  Stop it…STOP it…” a voice whispered in her ear.  Hands gently grabbed her wrists until she slowly unclenched her fists.  A hand turned on the faucet and gently began to wash out the many cuts on her hands.  She gasped as the hands carefully dug out tiny shards of mirror.  The hands grabbed two towels and slowly wrapped her hands in them, putting pressure on to try and stop the bleeding. By now she was shaking, realizing what she had done.  She looked up into Chris’ dark eyes, but no words would come.  “I came back to apologize for what I said…you were right…I had no right to say those things to you.”  He cupped her face in his hands.  “What’s going on?  Talk to me.”  He led her out into the bedroom and they sat on the edge of the bed.

“Chris…I want you to know something.  I think I’m falling in love with you,” she said finally.

“And that made you try to turn your medicine cabinet into a punching bag?”

She didn’t smile.  “No.  That’s not it.  I…I…I’m pregnant, Chris.”  Tears spilled down her cheeks.  “I’m pregnant, and I don’t even know who the father is.” Chris stared at her for a long moment, his mouth falling open.  “All this shit I gave you about being responsible for myself, and wanting to be on my own…wanting to find out what kind of woman I am…guess this tells me, doesn’t it?”

“Lara…no…no…don’t think like that.”   Chris pulled her into his arms.  “Do you really think that I could stop loving you because of this?   I knew about this all along, remember?  It’s not like you were with me, and cheated on me or something.  And you DO know who the father is…” he pulled back to look at her.  “You just don’t know for sure.”

She smiled at his weird logic.  “Chris…if you don’t want to be with me, I understand.  If you want to find someone else…I understand.  I’ll find a way to pay you back for this apartment somehow and…”

“Stop it!”  Chris ordered her, silencing her with a passionate kiss.  She gasped for breath when he finally released her. “You’re not paying me back for shit, okay?  And I’m NOT leaving you, and I’m NOT going to find anyone else.  You are the only one for me, haven’t you realized that?  I’ve been in love with you for over a year now, but you were with Lance.  And even when you left him, I bided my time, being the friend you needed instead of the lover I wanted to be.  I’m not going to just up and leave you now when things get rough.”  He sighed in frustration.  “One of the reasons I wanted to talk to you today was to tell you that I found a partner to start your restaurant with…”

“Restaurant?”  Lara gasped, staring at him.  “You mean, you were serious about that?”

“Damned serious.  I could have done it on my own, but I’ve found that sometimes having a partner to bounce business ideas off of is a good idea.”

“W-who did you find?”  Lara asked, forgetting her problem for a split second.

“Justin,” he said slowly. 

“Justin?  Justin Timberlake?”  Lara stammered. 

“Yes…he brought it up to me, actually.  He wanted to do something to help you…and I figured this was as good a way as any.”

“I don’t believe this,” she whispered.  He leaned back against the headboard of the bed and pulled her onto his lap.

“Okay…this is what’s going to happen right now.  You are going to lay here in my arms and take a nap, because I know you didn’t sleep last night.  I can see it in your eyes.  Then, when you wake up, we are going to go buy you the sexiest bathing suit we can find.  Then, we will call Justin and have him come to my house for dinner, and we’ll work out the details on your new restaurant.  After that…well…we’ll see.  Okay?”

Lara looked up into his loving eyes and smiled.  “Okay.  I love you, Chris.”

Chris’ heart leapt at hearing the words he had waited so long for her to say.  “I love you, too, Lara.”

“Are you sure you wanna do this today?”  Chris asked as they drove up the road to Joey’s house.  “I mean, maybe we should just take Lance and Justin aside and talk to them.”

“No, Chris.  They would all find out anyway.”  Lara sighed and looked out the window.  “The sooner we get this over with, the better.”

“Hey!”  Joey ran out to the car, followed closely by Ari.  “It’s about time you two get here!”  Joey gave Lara a huge hug as soon as she was out of the car.  He shook Chris’ hand, and they started to go into the house.  Ari grabbed Lara’s arm, holding her back.

“What’s your problem?”  Lara snapped, not in the mood for Ari’s weird attitude.

“Lara, you have to listen to me.  Lance is here with his new girlfriend and…”

“Yeah, so…I know he has a girlfriend and I knew she’d be here,” Lara interrupted her.  “Chris has met her and says she is really nice.”

“Okay, shut up for once!” Ari yelled.  “Listen to me.  You have to promise not to freak, okay?  Do not say a word when you see her.”

“Ari, what the hell are you talking about?”  Lara asked, staring at her.  Ari sighed and grabbed her arm, dragging her towards the house, then stopping short. 

“What the hell did you do to your hands?”  Ari gasped, staring down at the gasps and pieces of gauze.

“Oh, I had a run in with a mirror,” Lara said.  “Don’t worry about it.  I’ll be fine.  The chlorine in the pool will do them good, anyway.”  They continued into the house and out to the pool.  Lara said hi to JC, then turned to Lance.  She took one look at his girlfriend and her mouth dropped open.  “Uh…excuse me…gotta go to the bathroom.”  She ran back inside the house before JC and Chris knew what was happening.  Ari followed her. 

Lara ran all the way upstairs to Joey’s master bathroom.  She leaned against the vanity.  “I tried to tell you,” Ari said as she came into the room.

“I think I’m gonna be sick…I am truly gonna be sick…HER?  He’s been dating KELLEY?”

“I know…I know…I couldn’t believe it myself.  I mean, not that I am judging her profession or anything…but I was in total shock when I saw her.”

“She looks…normal,” Lara said weakly.  “No makeup, normal hair, decent clothes…”

“She’s a receptionist for his production company,” Ari told her.

“I know…but I thought that’s how he met her.  Chris told me Lance was dating his receptionist…but I thought she was his receptionist before she became his girlfriend…” her blue eyes slowly met Ari’s green ones, and they broke out laughing.

“Unbelievable,” Ari said, shaking her head.  “I thought nothing about Lance could surprise me, but I guess I was wrong.”

Lara splashed some cold water onto her face and stood up straight.  “Let’s go back down and play nice.  I bought a new swimsuit and I can’t wait to show it off.”

“Lara,” Chris said, waving her over to where he was talking to Lance and Kelley.  Lara slowly made her way over.

“Lance,” she said.  He kissed her cheek. 

“Hi, Lara.”

“This is Lance’s friend, Kelley,” Chris said.  Kelley and Lara stared at each other for a moment.

“Hi…nice to meet you,” Lara said finally, shaking Kelley’s hand.  “I hear you work for Lance.”

“Um, yes,” Kelley said almost shyly.  “The people who hired me to work for Lance were a Godsend,” she said, barely winking at Lara.

Lara turned to Joey.  “What time are we eating, Joey?”

“Not for an hour or so,” he said from his place behind the grill.

“Cool. I’m going swimming.  Coming in?”  Lara asked Chris.

“Nah…I think I’ll just sit and watch you wiggle around all wet and sexy in that suit,” he teased.  She blushed and slapped him. 

Lara pulled off her shorts and tshirt to reveal a very skimpy dark red bikini.  Lance’s mouth fell open, as did Justin’s.  “You let her out of the house in that?”  Justin squeaked.

“Yes…unlike certain other people, I believe in letting her be her own person,” Chris said with a pointed glare in Lance’s direction.  Lance had the decency to blush.

Chris and Justin moved to sit by the side of the pool and dangle their feet in the water.  Lance watched as Lara dove off the board.  “Still want her, do you?”  Kelley asked with a smirk.

“No, of course not,” Lance said, but his eyes never left Lara.

“You know, her boyfriend is kinda cute…maybe we could work something out,” Kelley began.

“No!” Lance snapped.  He turned to face her.  “I’m a one woman man now…your man.”

“That’s what I thought,” Kelley replied, smiling with satisfaction.

A few hours later they all sat around a table, full from Joey’s delicious meal.  Lara sighed.  “It’s so nice not to have to worry about cooking for once.”

“Better get used to it,” Justin said.  “You won’t be out of the kitchen for long.”  Everyone stared at him.

“What do you mean?” JC asked.

“Chris and I are opening a restaurant, and Lara is gonna run it,” Justin said, beaming at her.  Everyone congratulated them, talking all at once.

“I’m hardly going to run it,” Lara was quick to say.  “I’ll just be overseeing things.”

“You mean bossing people around.  Perfect for you,” Ari remarked.  Lara stuck her tongue out at her.

“Lara has something else she wants to tell you guys,” Chris said, nudging her gently.  She turned a furious red, feeling tears sting her eyes.  She knew she had to say it, but she was scared to death.  She felt his arm go around the back of her chair while his other hand grabbed her hand. “It’s okay…” he whispered.  “You can do it.  I’m right here with you.”

She took a ragged breath.  “I’m pregnant.”

Lance’s mouth dropped open. “You’re pregnant?  But I thought…you told me…”

“I didn’t think I COULD get pregnant, Lance…that wasn’t a lie.  It was just as much of a surprise to me.”

“Wow…I’m gonna be a father,” Lance mumbled, looking at Kelley.  She took his hand and squeezed it.

“Not…necessarily,” Lara said, looking at Justin.  He turned red.  “I don’t know who the father is.”

“You don’t…who the hell were you screwing behind my back?”  Lance shouted angrily.  Ari started to laugh.  She couldn’t help it.

“Talk about the pot calling the kettle black,” Kelley said quietly.

“It could be mine, couldn’t it?”  Justin asked softly.  Lara slowly nodded.  Lance looked from one of them to the other.

“When?  When did this happen?  Or was it more than once?”  Lance growled.  Lara shrank back against Chris.

“Only once…the night of Chris’ picnic,” Justin said, his eyes never leaving Lara’s face.  “I’m so sorry…we should have been more careful.”

Lara nodded. “Anyway, I am having this baby, and keeping this baby, and after it’s born we will do the tests.  I don’t expect anything from either one of you, except to keep being a friend, and then when you find out that you’re the father, you can see it whenever you want to.”

“I’ll support it…support you…if…” Justin began.

“Me too,” Lance added, calming down.  He continued to look from Justin to Lara and back again, a confused look on his face.

“That won’t be necessary.”  Chris turned Lara to face him.  “I love you…have loved you…I want you to marry me.”

“M-marry you?”  Lara gasped.

“Yes.  You need someone to take care of you and…”

“I don’t NEED someone to take care of me,” she snapped.  “I can do fine on my own.”

Chris sighed and started over.  “Sorry.  That came out all wrong.  I don’t want you to do this all alone.”

“That’s no reason to get married,” Lara pointed out.  Chris sighed again.  Things were NOT going as he had planned.

“Will you be quiet and let me finish?”  Chris said to her.  Lara nodded, clamping her mouth shut.  “I love you…I’ve loved you for months.  I was going to ask you to marry me anyway, Lara.  I just couldn’t find the right time to ask…I was too afraid of you saying no.  I realize that I can’t wait anymore.  I want you to be my wife.”

Their friends looked at them, holding their breaths.  “Well…answer him, for God’s sakes!” Ari told Lara.

“I…I…I can’t, Chris…not like this.  I’m so sorry!”  Lara jumped up from her chair and ran inside.

Chris wanted to run after Lara, but his feet wouldn’t move.  It was just like he had imagined in his worst nightmares…he proposed and she ran away from him.  She probably even hated him.  Ari jumped to her feet.  “I’ll go get her.  I’ll knock some sense into her dumb ass, Chris.”

Justin stood as well.  “No.  Let me go find her.  I know where she’ll be.”  He hurried through the house and down to the beach.  He remembered the night he had found her sitting out on a rock looking at the ocean, and he knew there were many rocks like that not far from Joey’s house.  He carefully picked his way out across the rocks, catching sight of a seated figure on the furthest rock out.  “You HAD to pick the most dangerous rock to sit on, didn’t you?”  Justin said to her as he carefully sat down beside her.  The drop from the rock into the water was only a few feet, but jagged rocks broke the surface instead of soft sand. 

“No one told you to come out here,” she reminded him coldly.

“True,” he replied cheerfully.  He picked up her hands.  “What the hell happened here?”

“I was angry,” she said, staring down at the rocks below the surface of the water.  “I found out about the baby and I was angry…so I punched a mirror.”

“That was stupid,” he told her.  “Who were you angry at?  Me?  Lance?”

“Myself,” she said with a sigh.  “For being so careless and stupid.”

Justin turned her head so she was forced to look at him.  Their blue eyes locked.  “You weren’t careless and stupid.  We talked you into things…both Lance AND me.  I’m sorry for that.  You were emotionally vulnerable and I basically took advantage of it.  Don’t be angry at yourself, please.”  He brought her hands to his lips and gently kissed them.  He felt her body shiver. 

“D-don’t, Justin, please,” she whispered.  Tears slipped down her face.  “See?  I am a slut…I supposedly love Chris and the feeling of your lips on my skin…”

“It makes you remember, that’s all.”  He smiled at her.  “And once again I took advantage of the situation, though this time I didn’t mean to.”  He sat her hands down on her lap, but continued to hold them.  “Do you love me?”

“Yes, I do,” she said honestly.

“Are you IN love with me?”

Lara started to speak, then paused.  “I guess there IS a difference, isn’t there?”

“You love me…just like you love JC and Joey and even Lance…but you’re IN love with Chris.  It’s so obvious, Lara.”

“But I’m not ready to marry him…we’ve only been together for a short time…what if it’s too soon?”  Lara said.

“Then you need to tell him that…tell him that you’re not sure…to give you some time to decide.”

“I can’t…I can’t face him now…he hates me.”

“No, I don’t,” a voice said from behind them.  Justin jumped to his feet.

“My work here is done.  See you guys later.”

Chris sat down next to Lara, but she couldn’t bring herself to look at him. “I’m sorry I ran off,” she said finally.  “That was pretty childish.”

“I understand,” he said, picking up her hand and playing with her fingers.  “I meant it, you know.  I do love you, and I would have asked you anyway.”

“Doesn’t it bother you, knowing that I’m carrying another man’s child?”

“Does it bother you knowing I had girlfriends before you?”

“Um…no,” she said.

“Then why would this bother me?”

“It’s just…I mean…how will it look…you have this wife who was knocked up by someone else, and at the time she didn’t even know who that someone else was!”

“What difference does that make?  No one outside the group of us needs to know all that part.  I think with Justin and Lance’s light hair and eyes, it will be pretty obvious this baby isn’t mine, but that doesn’t mean I won’t love it as much as I love its mother,” Chris said softly.  Lara looked at him, and was surprised to see tears in his eyes.  “When you ran away, it broke my heart, Lara.  I thought you were running away from me…that the idea of marrying ME scared you.”

“Oh, no, Chris, God…I’m so sorry!” Lara exclaimed.  “It wasn’t that at all…I love you so much…I just don’t want to ruin your life…what if it’s too soon?  What if it doesn’t work out?”

“First of all, you wouldn’t be ruining my life.  If the father of this baby were someone who wanted nothing to do with you, I would offer to adopt it…right now.  But since we DO know the men involved, and I’m sure they would want some kind of rights, that isn’t an issue.  Secondly, I’m not saying that we have to get married tomorrow…we could get married in the delivery room if you wanted to.” Lara laughed at the thought.  “Why don’t we do this, and I totally understand if you say no…move in with me.  It will make getting the restaurant together a lot easier, and you’ll have someone around to bitch at when you’re moody, or to hold your hair back when you’re sick…I just want to be there for you, Lara,” Chris told her.

“Okay…okay, I will move in with you, Chris,” Lara said softly.  A smile lit up his face, ending up in his eyes.  She had to smile back.  He bent towards her, and they shared a kiss so intense it took her breath away.

“Um…uh…you do realize that if you are living in my house permanently, it will be impossible for me to keep my hands off of you,” Chris whispered.

Lara nodded.  “I’m counting on it.”  She laughed at the shocked look on his face.  She carefully stood.  “Let’s go back.  I’m enjoying the look of amazement on Lance’s face at the fact that someone may have actually cheated on him.”

Five Months Later

(I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PATERNITY TESTING SO FORGIVE THE CREATIVE LIBERTIES)

“Are you sure you need me to come in there?”  Chris asked doubtfully as he drove down the highway.  “I mean, Lara’s waiting for me, and if I’m late there’s no telling what she’ll do.”  He sighed.  “I mean, I know she’s eight months pregnant and all, but she is so moody lately.”

“It’s an emergency, Chris, or I’d never ask you to turn around and drive back in here,” Justin told him.

“You couldn’t have had an emergency while I was still in the city?”  Chris snapped.  “Okay…I’ll turn around at the next exit.”  He angrily slammed down his carphone.

“He’s coming,” Justin said.  “He’s pissed, but he’s coming.”

Forty minutes later, Chris pulled into the parking lot of the Rainbow Room, the restaurant he had opened with Justin and Lara just a few short weeks before.  Everything had fallen together at an amazing rate, and the place had been packed every night since it had opened.  Each section of the restaurant had a different theme, with each color symbolizing a different kind of food. Red was Spanish or Mexican, green was European, blue was American and orange was Oriental.  Lara had created the menu, and she supervised the kitchen as much as possible.  Ari was her right hand woman, helping to settle dispute and pretty much hiring and supervising the staff.

Justin accosted Chris as soon as he walked in the door.  “Oh, thank God you came back!”  Justin gushed, dragging Chris around through a side passage down to one of the offices.  “First I need you to try on this new uniform.”

“New uniform?  You dragged my ass back here to try on a uniform?”  Chris yelled.  “You have one on yourself,” he said, noticing the black tuxedo Justin was wearing.  “Isn’t that enough?”

“No…as partner I need your approval.  Put this on.”  He thrust a garment bag at Chris. 

“Fine,” Chris snapped, beginning to undress.  “Can you explain to me why the parking lot is virtually empty?  There are maybe eight cars out there, and I recognize six of them!”

“I don’t know…maybe we served some bad chow mein or something,” Justin teased.

“Not funny, Brillo,” Chris retorted, struggling with his bowtie.

“Let me do it.”  Justin deftly tied the tie, surprising the hell out of Chris.  “Great.  Now just wait here a second.  I have some things I need you to sign.”  Justin ran out of the office.

“What the hell…” Chris muttered, wondering if Justin had been dipping into the cooking brandy again.  Justin reappeared with some files.

“Sign at the ‘X’ on all the forms,” he said, shoving a pen into Chris’ hand.  Chris signed his name as quickly as possible.

“Okay…fine…there.  Now can I get out of this monkey suit?”

“No.  Come on.”  Justin led Chris out into the dining room, stopping right before they walked into the room.  “Just say yes at the right time, okay?”

“Justin, what are you...?” Chris stopped short as Justin walked towards the center of the dining room.  Every flat surface had had flowers on it, and colored ribbons and fabric hung down from the ceiling and light fixtures.  A small gazebo was set up in the center of the room, and Lara waited underneath it in a gorgeous white maternity formal gown.  Ari stood beside her in a dress of purple silk, and the four other members of Nsync stood on the other side of a minister.  “What’s going on?”

“I couldn’t wait any longer,” Lara said to him as he approached her.  “Your proposal still stands, right?”

“Yes…of course…” Everyone laughed to see Chris actually speechless.  “But don’t we need…”

“You just signed the marriage license application,” Justin told him.  “Judge White was behind the door, witnessing it, and he has promised that it’s all legal and accurate.”  An older man smiled from a table at the side.  Chris noticed all the restaurant staff as well as Kelley seated at small tables.  “We also kinda got your rings for you…if you don’t like them you can exchange them.”

“Shall we continue?” The minister said.  Chris nodded, grabbing Lara’s hand.

“You don’t mind, do you?  I just wanted this more than anything.  I wanted to be your wife before the baby was born,” Lara told him.  “I could kick myself for waiting this long…and I didn’t want a big wedding.”

“No, this is wonderful,” Chris replied.

The minister started the ceremony, keeping it as basic as possible.  Chris and Lara said their “I Dos” with such sincerity and promise that everyone’s hearts leapt.  Finally the minister proclaimed them husband and wife, and Chris cradled her face in his hands.

“I love you, Mrs. Kirkpatrick,” he said, kissing her gently.

“I love you, too,” she whispered.

Wine was poured and the new couple was toasted.  ‘God, I hope this baby is born soon…I haven’t had a chance to do more than kiss her,” Chris confessed to Lance, Justin, JC and Joey.  They gaped at him.

“What are you talking about?  You didn’t…I mean, you haven’t…” Lance stammered.

“Nope.  Not that we didn’t want to…but she wanted to take it slow.  She still wasn’t sure if we would last, and then she got so far along in her pregnancy that I didn’t feel right about it.”

Justin stared at him openmouthed.  “You were living in the same house with her, sharing the same BED with her, and you didn’t have sex with her?  How could you resist her?”

“Anyway,” Lance agreed.

“Guys, this is his WIFE,” JC reminded them.

“But we know what she’s like,” Justin reminded him.  Lance nodded.  Joey took a long look at Lara.

“Hmm…maybe after the baby’s born I could…”

“Not funny, Fatone,” Chris said, smacking him as the others laughed.

“Well, she is cute and wonderful, but she’s not my Ari,” JC said, smiling as he looked at Ari, Lara, and Kelley laughing in a corner.

“Yeah, Ari’s one in a million,” Lance agreed.  JC glared at him.

“Just remember…you’re engaged now.  You need to stay with your own woman from now on.”

“I know…nobody’s fiancée but my own, I promise,” Lance vowed.  “Ari is all yours.”

JC was about to reply, but was interrupted by a cry from Lara.  She dropped her glass of sparkling grape juice and grabbed her stomach.  “Chris…Chris…” she gasped.  He ran over to support her.

“Should we call an ambulance?”  Kelley asked.

“No.  The hospital is only a few blocks away.  I’ll drive her.”  Chris tossed his keys to Joey.  “Start my car.”  He carefully guided Lara out to the parking lot with Ari and Kelley following closely behind. 

“Um, where do you two think you’re going?”  JC asked.

“With Lara,” Ari replied as if he were an idiot.

Kelley quickly kissed Lance’s cheek.  “See you at the hospital.”  They climbed into the backseat of Chris’ car and he sped off.

“I can’t…Chris…make it stop…” Lara said six hours later, feeling as if her world were about to end.  “I’m so tired…”

“All the shit you went through…even before you were pregnant…and you’re gonna give up now?”  Chris asked.  “Just hold on, baby.  Some women are in labor for hours and hours…remember what the Lamaze teacher said?”

“Fuck that bitch,” Lara snapped.  “I don’t care what…oh…” she winced in pain.

“Okay, Lara, push,” the doctor said encouragingly.  “One good one…okay…one more…I can see the head…”

“Come on, honey, you can do it!”  Chris said.  Lara gripped his hand until her knuckles turned white and pushed with everything she had.

“It’s a boy!”  The doctor said triumphantly.  Lara leaned back into Chris’ welcoming arms as they both cried.  The baby was cleaned and weighed, and the doctor handed him to Chris.

“Well, this is no help,” Chris said, gazing down at the bundle in his arms.  Lara looked at him questioningly.  “This baby is not gonna tell us who his daddy is…he looks just like you!”

“You’re his daddy,” Lara said softly, gasping as her son was put in her arms.  “No matter what.”

Chris said nothing, just smoothed back her hair.  “Have you finally decided on a name?”

“Randall James Kirkpatrick,” she said softly.  Chris stared at her.

“What?”

“You heard me.  Randall James Kirkpatrick.” She smiled up at him.  “I already talked to Lance and Justin about it, and they want the baby to have your name.  It would be much too confusing for him to explain a last name different than either of ours.”

“Wow,” Chris said.

“Sorry, Mrs. Kirkpatrick.  I have to take the baby and do some tests on him just to make sure he’s okay,” the nurse said apologetically.

“No, Justin…she’d rather not have any visitors,” Chris was saying as Lara woke up from her nap back in her hospital room.  “They’ll be sending her home tomorrow anyway, and we’ll see you guys at the house…yeah…I’ll tell her.”  He hung up.

Lara looked over to see Ari and Kelley waiting by the bed.  “Hey,” Ari said with a smile.

“No male visitors, anyway,” Chris said, coming to sit on the edge of Lara’s bed.  “How are you feeling, honey?”

“Tired,” Lara whispered.  “Thirsty.” Kelley handed her a cup of water.

“Man, if I ever get pregnant, I hope I have a baby in less than eight hours,” Kelley told Lara.

“You know me…I never do things the normal way,” Lara said.  “But I think I was the exception to the rule.”

Ari stood.  “We just wanted to be here when you got back to the room…to let you know how happy we are for you.”  She hugged Lara, as did Kelley.  “We’ll see you tomorrow.”  They left.

“All alone at last,” Chris said.  He snuggled close to Lara.  “The nurse said she’ll be bringing the baby in soon.”

“Good,” Lara whispered.  “He’s okay, right?”

“He’s beautiful,” Chris whispered.  “As beautiful as you are.” He kissed her forehead and she snuggled back against him.

Lara laughed as she saw the line of teddy bears that stood along the sidewalk of Chris’ house.  “That HAS to be Justin’s work,” she said as Chris helped her out of the car.  Their friends poured out of the house.

“Where is he? Where is he?”  Ari jumped up and down.

“Calm down,” Chris told her, handing the baby to JC, who looked as if he were holding a time bomb.

“Don’t give him to me!”  He gasped.

“Just support the head, honey,” Ari told him, running a finger along the baby’s cheek.  She helped JC into the house as everyone else crowded around Lara.

“You’re doing okay?”  Kelley asked.  Lara nodded.

“Just tired.  Tired of sitting around and doing nothing.”

“Well, get used to it, and get the idea out of your head that you’ll be going back to the restaurant any time soon,” her husband said, glaring at her.  She rolled her eyes.

“Yes, Dad.”  She accepted Lance’s arm gratefully, and leaned on it as she walked into the house.  She hadn’t gotten much energy back yet, and Chris was constantly concerned.

“We have a light lunch set out on the deck,” Joey told her, kissing her cheek.

“I’m not hungry, but that was sweet of you,” she said. Chris got her settled on the porch swing, and JC gratefully handed the baby back to her.  Justin and Lance sat on either side of her.

“He’s so tiny,” Lance said in amazement.

“No one even told me his name!”  Joey realized.

“Randall,” Chris said.  “Randall James Kirkpatrick.”

“Randall…Randy,” Joey decided.  “I like it.  Randy Kirkpatrick.  Sounds like a football player.”

Lara groaned and rolled her eyes as she accepted a glass of iced tea from Chris.  “Whatever, Joey.”  She looked at Lance, then at Justin.  “They did some kind of miracle rush job on the test,’ she said softly.  Lance swallowed deeply as Justin nervously played with his plastic fork.  “Uh…the baby is Justin’s.”  He looked up at her and then looked away.  Lance sighed with relief.  He couldn’t help it. Lara noticed it and smiled at him.

“Lara…Chris…there’s something I have to tell you.” Justin stood and began to pace.  “If you wouldn’t be with Chris, Lara, you know I’d support you and this baby one hundred percent, right?”

“Of course.”

“Well, in this case…I think it’s better if we tell Randy that I’m his Uncle Justin.  It’s too confusing and I think it would be easier for all of us.”

“Justin…we talked about this.  I told you I don’t mind if…”

“No, Chris, just listen.  You’ll be a better father then I ever could.  I’m totally not ready for this kind of thing, even if it’s just being the kind of dad who visits and spoils him rotten.  You’re the dad he should know and love.  Anyone can get a girl pregnant and be a father, but it takes someone really special to be a dad.” Justin looked at them imploringly.  “Please…do this for me.”

“Of course,” Lara whispered.

Chris hugged Justin long and hard.  “You say you’re not ready for this kind of responsibility.  I think that was the most grownup thing I’ve ever heard you say.”

“Yeah, well, it’s amazing what this mouth can come up with sometimes.” Justin smiled weakly, then walked down the steps to the beach.

“I think he just needs to be alone,” Lara said as Chris moved to follow him.  She sat back down on the swing, deep in thought.

Two months later

“You know, technology is a miraculous thing,” Chris whispered, making Lara jump a mile into the air.  “The monitor will pick up his voice, just like a baby microphone, and send it through the airwaves to the speaker in our room, and we’ll hear him if he cries.”

Lara raised an eyebrow at him from her seat on the rocking chair next to Randy’s crib.  She was holding one of the stuffed teddy bears from Justin, playing with its bowtie.  “I know he’s fine,” she whispered back.  “I just couldn’t sleep.”

“Come on.”  Chris reached down for Lara’s hand and pulled her from the chair.  “He’ll be okay for a few minutes.”  He led Lara down the stairs and out the back door.  He picked her up and carried her down the steps to the beach since she wasn’t wearing any shoes.  She giggled as he made a big point of groaning at her weight. 

“Stop it.  I’ve been losing weight and I’m not THAT big,” she told him, playfully slapping at his back.  He carried her close to the water’s edge and carefully set her down.

“I’ve noticed that you ‘couldn’t sleep’ a lot of nights, lately.  Are you having second thoughts?”  Chris asked, trying to hide his anxiety.

“About what?”  Lara asked, thoroughly confused.

“About us…about us being married.”

“Oh, Chris, I’ve never been happier!”  Lara insisted.  “Even at the beginning with Lance I wasn’t this happy.  It just feels so right.”

“Okay,” Chris was only slightly relieved.  “Then what’s the problem?”

“I just have a lot on my mind,” Lara said with a sigh.  “First of all, I’m furious with myself for being jealous of Ari and Kelley.  They’re both planning these big weddings, registering at Macy’s…all that. It’s all my fault that we didn’t have something like that, but I still miss it.”

“We still can, you know,” he told her, moving back as the waves threatened to lap at his toes.  “We could get married again in a church…have a big reception.”

She shook her head.  “It’s not the same.  And like I said, it’s my fault, no one else’s.”  She stared out at the darkness of the horizon.  “And I’ve also been thinking about Justin.  He treats us like we have the plague.  When we’re together with everyone else, I notice the way he looks at Randy, and how he enjoys just watching him, but I don’t think he’s spoken three words to me since Randy was born.”

“It’s his son, Lara.  I’d feel the same way.  He did the right thing by giving up all rights to him and letting me adopt him but I’m sure he still feels an attachment to him.”

“Well, I wish he’d just come over some time and tell me that.  He is totally welcome to spend time with Randy, even if it’s as Uncle Justin.  He KNOWS that.”  She sighed.

“You’re problem is that you just want everyone to be happy,” Chris told her.  “Just like you did with Lance…trying to keep everything just right. Well, you can’t please all the people in your life all the time, though you do a damn good job of it with me.”

Lara smiled, taking Chris’ hand.  “Chris, I’m sorry we haven’t…um…made love yet.  It isn’t fair to you, and it’s not that I don’t want to.” Chris stared out at the water, saying nothing.  This was a subject that had kept him wide-awake at night as well, but Lara didn’t know it.  He wanted her so bad, and they had come so close so many times, but she had stopped him every time.  “We had to wait those six or seven weeks after the baby was born, and lately I’ve just been so tired and preoccupied.”  She cupped his face in her hands and forced him to stare at her, knowing he was blaming it on himself.  “I want to be able to give every single inch of myself to you…heart…body…soul…mind…energy…all of me.  For hours.  And it wouldn’t be that way right now.  I want it to be very very special…for both of us.”  Chris nodded slowly, seeing the sincerity in her eyes.  “Let’s go back in.  Our flight leaves so early tomorrow.”

He stood, helping her up.  “You’re sure Hawaii is okay?”

“Um…hello…why in the world wouldn’t it be?”  Lara asked.  They were leaving the next day for their long overdue honeymoon.  Lara hated to leave her precious restaurant and her even more precious son, but she trusted the restaurant to Justin, and was leaving Randy in Ari’s capable hands.

“Just checking…” he sighed.  “Two weeks with nothing to do but run around with you in paradise.  Do we have to come back?  Couldn’t we just have them ship Randy to us?”

Lara laughed.  “I don’t think UPS takes babies, sweetie.”

 

Chris frowned as he pulled into Ari and JC’s driveway.  “Wonder what Justin is doing here?”

“Great…I get to start my honeymoon feeling guilty,” Lara mumbled.  Chris glared at her, saying nothing.  He got the baby out of his carseat as Lara picked up the various bags and things he would need.

Justin opened the door as they reached the front steps.  “Hey,” he said, his eyes lighting up at the sight of the sleeping baby.  Lara handed Randy over to his father without a word.  “Hey there, Little Man,” Justin said softly, kissing Randy’s forehead.

“Um, Justin, what are you doing here?”  Chris asked.  Justin looked at them nervously.

“You two have to promise not to freak out,” he told them.  Lara dropped a diaper bag with a thump.

“What’s going on, Curly?”  She asked, using the nickname that Ari had devised and that Justin hated.

“Where are Ari and JC?”  Chris asked.

“They…uh…well…they eloped.  They’re up the coast at that bed and breakfast,” Justin said finally.

“They WHAT?”  Lara shrieked.  Randy shifted in his sleep, and Justin shushed him gently.

“Lara, your son is sleeping,” Justin reminded her.

She glared at him.  “Justin, did they forget that we were dropping Randy off here today?”

“Um…I don’t think so…I think they thought it was tomorrow…they were planning on driving back down here tomorrow morning.”

“What’s the name of the bed and breakfast?”  Chris asked, heading for the closest phone.  “I’ll get their asses back here.”

“Our flight leaves in an hour,” Lara said tearfully.  “I just knew this trip was too good to be true!  Who can we find to watch Randy at such short notice?”

“I will,” Justin said.  Chris stopped in mid-dial as Lara’s mouth dropped open.  “I mean, they asked me to watch their house, anyway.  I didn’t realize they wouldn’t be back before you dropped him off, or I would have said something to him.”

“But you don’t know anything about babies,” Lara pointed out.

“I’ll be fine.  I’ve been around kids, and Kelley is just a phone call away,” Justin reminded her.  He stared into Lara’s blue eyes. “Please…Lara…I need to do this.  I really need to.”

Lara stared at him for a long moment.  “Okay,” Lara said finally.

“Lara, are you serious?  I mean, look who we’re talking about here! I don’t think he’s kept a PLANT alive for more than two days,” Chris protested.  Lara turned to stare at him, and then she dragged her husband into the kitchen.

“He is this baby’s father, Chris, no matter how we try to deny it.  I think this time is exactly what Justin needs to finally let go.  Just go along with it, okay?  What else are we gonna do?  I need this time with you, Chris.  I need to get away from all of this, or I’m gonna go crazy,” Lara said softly. “Please.”

“Okay…okay…” he said, melting at the mournful expression on her face. 

When they returned to the living room, Randy was awake, and Justin was softly singing to him.  “All his favorite toys and books are in these two bags,” Lara told him.  “I have formula in here, and there’s breast milk in those bottles there.”  She began instructing Justin as Chris unpacked bags.

“Okay…Lara…they’ll be back tomorrow morning,” Justin said with a smile.  Lara took Randy in her arms. 

“Mommy loves you, Sweetie, and so does Daddy.  We’ll miss you so much…Uncle Justin will take good care of you until Evil Uncle JC and Evil Aunt Ari come back.  Make sure and pay lots of attention to them, because they won’t be alive much longer once we return.”  She bathed her son’s face in kisses, then handed him to Chris.

“Thank you, Lara.  You don’t know what this means to me,” Justin told her quietly.  He handed her a tape.   “Listen to this in the car.  It’s the copy of our new CD…but the last song is mine.  I wrote it for you and Randy.”

“I’m gonna set the playpen up in the spare room quick,” Chris said.  “We have time.”  He plopped Randy in Lara’s arms, then ran up the steps.

“Lara, I promise you that I will never try to take Randy away from you,” Justin said suddenly.

“I didn’t think you would!”  Lara said in shock.

“Okay.”  He looked down at the baby, then up at Lara.  “You are such a wonderful mother.  I wish…I wish I hadn’t been so stupid.”  He ran a hand through his curls.  “The reason I’ve stayed away is that I was so jealous.  Jealous of Chris for getting to be with you and for being able to be a father to Randy, though I know he’ll be a better dad then I would right now.”  Before Lara knew what was happening, Justin leaned forward and kissed her. She was immediately swept back to the night under the stars, out in back of Lance’s house.  She couldn’t stop…couldn’t make Justin stop.  He finally pulled back.  “I needed to do that…I needed to remember that one more time.” 

“I…uh…”

“It won’t happen again,” Justin promised her.  He took Randy in his arms.  “Consider it closure for me.  I love you and Chris like family, Lara.  You two belong together, and I promise you that I am totally over that jealousy thing.  I only hope I can find someone who makes me as happy as you make him.”

Chris came thumping down the stairs.  “Okay…all set.  You sure you’ll be okay, Justin?”

“Positive.”  He motioned towards the door.  “Get the hell out of here.   Go.  Go give each other mushy looks…fuck like bunnies…whatever honeymoon people do.”  He smiled his gorgeous smile.  Lara gave Randy ten more kisses, then kissed Justin on the cheek before Chris dragged her out of the house.

Chris squealed out of the driveway and up the road towards the highway.  “Justin gave me this.  He says it’s the new CD,” Lara said, waving the tape in the air.  “He said there’s a song on the end that you don’t know about.  Looks like it’s all ready at that song.”  She popped the tape into the car’s cassette player.

Justin’s voice came through the speakers, accompanied only by a piano. 

“You’ll never know what you mean to me, what your presence on this Earth does to me…I thank God every day for your place in my life, and all that you stand for, all that you do…” Lara and Chris stared at each other as he turned up the volume.  “I thought my life was meant to be, lived by and for only me, but now I see how wrong I was, that nothing I did in my past had any meaning...you...my baby love...i see myself in your smile...the light from heaven above...you...my baby love...the reason for living...the reason I’m giving…my heart…to only you.”  A tear slipped down Lara’s cheek.  The song could very easily be a love song to a girl, but she knew just who the baby love was.  “Maybe you’ll never know exactly my place in your life…you’ll never know all the wrongs never made right…but I promise to you…I will always be true…and you’ll never be far from my heart.  You…my baby love…a piece of my heart…we’re never apart…you…my baby love…I make you this vow…starting right now…I’ll be there whenever you call…my baby love.”

Chris and Lara arrived in Hawaii, worn out after their long flight.  They barely made it into their suite before passing out on the bed, totally exhausted.

Lara woke up at three in the morning.  She sat straight up, her ears straining.  “What?  What is it?”  Chris said, wakening instantly.

“It’s Randy.  He’s crying.  I heard…”

“Lara, we’re in Hawaii, remember?  Randy’s back home with Justin,” Chris reminded her gently.  “What probably woke you up is the silence.”

Lara slowly lay back down and snuggled close to him.  “I’m awake now.”

“Me too,” Chris realized.  “But it’s just so comfortable here.”

“Well…I could really use a hot shower.  Care to join me?”  Lara asked.  Chris shook his head and her heart sank.  She was hoping she could lure him into the shower, and then things would just…happen.  Maybe I made him wait too long, she thought to herself.

“Why don’t you soak in a long hot bubble bath, and I’ll call room service,” he suggested.  “And then dinner and I will be right here waiting for you.”  He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and she smiled.

“Okay.”  She moved to get up but he grabbed her.  Chris’ mouth met hers in a long passionate kiss, his tongue lightly tracing the outline of her lips. 

“I’ll be right here waiting…but don’t take too long,” he said, his voice husky.  Hardly trusting her shaky knees, Lara carefully got up and walked into the bathroom as Chris reached for the phone.

Forty minutes later the food had arrived but Lara was still in the bathroom.  Chris occasionally chewed on a french fry, trying not to eat them all before she came back out.  The door finally opened.  “You know, you’re lucky.  I almost…” Chris stopped talking as his wife walked into the bedroom.  She wore a long blue satin nightgown with criss-crossing spaghetti straps.  “I…uh…” Chris carefully sat the tray of food on the floor and stood.

“If you’re hungry, we can eat now,” Lara said shyly, almost too nervous to look at him.

“I am hungry…but a cheeseburger isn’t going to help,” he told her in a low voice. Chris reached out and lightly drew one finger down her arm. “You look so beautiful.”

“I just…well…it’s cliché, but it’s our honeymoon, and I wanted to…” she babbled.

“You look gorgeous,” he whispered, pulling her into his arms.  He cupped her face in one hand and began to give her sweet gentle kisses.  His lips trailed across her cheek to her ear.

“I’m afraid,” she finally admitted.  Chris froze.  “I’m afraid I won’t be everything you want me to be…everything you thought about all those months even before we were together.”

Chris pulled back and stared at her.  “I first loved the person I thought you were.  Then I fell in love with the person I KNEW you were.  But I have only grown to want you more and more each day…and I know that any fantasy I ever had about you is about to be blown out of the water.”  He nibbled on her earlobe and she felt goosebumps appear all over her body.  His hands slid down to her waist, sliding back to her backside as he began to lightly nip at her throat.  Lara quietly moaned, holding onto his shoulders for dear life. 

Chris planted tiny kisses on her collarbone as his hand slowly moved the straps from her shoulders.  The nightgown fell into a shimmering puddle at her feet, and she was naked before him.  He still had his traveling clothes on, and she nervously unbuttoned his shirt.  They had been naked together before, but this was so different.  She felt as if this was the first time she had ever been with someone like this.  Her hands pushed at his shorts, and he was soon naked as well.  He carefully laid her back on the bed, and he began to worship her body with his mouth, tongue, lips, and hands.  She was soon writhing beneath him, hardly able to stand it but still begging for more.  Chris kissed her stomach, inhaling the scent of her apple soap and bubble bath.  A lust like nothing he had ever experienced washed over him and he moved up to ravage her mouth with his own.  He had Lara at a fever point, and she clutched at his skin, begging him to make love to her.  He moved above her, and as he pushed inside of her her back arched off the bed.  She whispered his name, murmuring sweet love words in his ear.  At the same time they felt themselves getting closer and closer, and she was soon screaming as she came.  Chris collapsed against her, panting.  As soon as he felt able, he rolled to lay beside her, cradling her in his arms.

“Was it worth waiting for?”  Lara asked in a small voice.  Chris stared at her, but she was serious.

“You shouldn’t even have to ask.  Was it worth it for you?”

“Oh, yes…nothing like I’ve ever felt before,” she told him.

“Multiply that times…oh…ten…and you’ll feel like I do,” Chris said, stroking her cheek.  “I love you, Lara.”

“I love you, too, Chris,” she replied.  His stomach rumbled before he could say anything else.  She laughed and reached down to pick up the tray of sandwiches.

As soon as it was a decent hour back home, Lara called Justin.

“Hello, Lara,” he said as soon as he answered the phone.

“Oh…uh…Justin…I was just…uh…” she stammered.

He laughed.  “You were checking up on me…I understand.  We are fine.  Randy and I have bonded, and he wants me to tell you that he will NOT be playing football and that basketball is his game of choice.”

Lara laughed.  “I don’t know how his daddy will feel about that, but I’ll relay the message.  You’re sure everything is fine?”

“Yeah, it was great.” He grew serious.  “Thank you, Lara.”

“No…Justin…thank you.  Please tell me you’re putting that song on the CD.”

“If you don’t mind,” Justin replied, pleased that she liked it so much.

“Of course not.”

“Hold on.  Someone wants to speak to you.”  Lara heard Justin hand over the phone.

“Lara?  Ohmygod, I am so sorry!  We thought you weren’t leaving until today, and that…”

“Ari…don’t even talk to me, okay?   If Justin hadn’t been there, I don’t know what we would have done!”  Lara yelled.  Chris grabbed the phone from her.

“Ari?  I think it’s better if you talk to her when we get back.  She has been sexually deprived for months now, and I think it’s giving her an attitude problem.  After I’ve fucked the hell out of her for two weeks, she’ll be in a much better mood.  Love to everyone, and kiss Randy for us.”  Chris hung up the phone while Lara sat next to him, open-mouthed.  He picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and carried her back to the bedroom while she shrieked with laughter.

The End

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