Nineteen

  

"Justin."  Joseph knocked as he opened the door to Justin's suite.  "What are you doing?"

Justin looked up from his small duffel bag.  They had started doing their "private rehearsal" at JC's apartment.  Every day Justin carried a small bag with him, and every day he brought a few more things from the suite that he wanted JC to pack for their escape.  Not many things, but a few things that meant something to him, as well as essentials such as clothing and toiletries.  "Oh, Joseph. You know I have practice with JC.  We're meeting at Christopher's apartment. He wants us to go over that duet with AJ McLean."

"I don't think you should go," Joseph said, and Justin swallowed deeply. Then he smiled.

"Don't you want this performance to be flawless, Joe?"

"Of course I do. And it will be. But your behavior lately..." Joseph waved a hand in the air.  "You've become distracted, and I think it's because of all this time you've been spending with Christopher, JC and those other two...Carter and McLean."

"But Joseph..."

"No buts, Justin.  You can rehearse here, under my supervision.  The show is only three days away.  I think practicing here is what's best for you."  Joseph nodded as he spoke. "Haven't I always done what's best for you, Justin?"

Justin raised an eyebrow.  "I think you've meant to."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Joseph was shocked.  Justin had never talked back to him before.

"I don't think letting me sleep around is exactly what's best for me."

"All of the men have been clean.  And haven't I had you tested a million times?" Joseph asked. "What the hell is up with you, Justin?"

"Nothing, Joe," Justin said, sighing. "I can never repay you for taking me in, and doing what you've done for me."

"Remember that," Joseph said, leaving the suite and shutting the door behind him.

Joseph leaned against the door in the hallway and sighed.  Lance Bass had called that morning with all kinds of information about JC Chasez. If Justin knew what Joseph and Lance knew, he wouldn't be so quick to sneak away.

 

Justin sat on his balcony and tried not to cry.  What was going on with Joseph?  Why was he so suspicious?  Not that he didn't have a good reason, but Justin had thought that he and JC had kept everything under the rug. Apparently they weren't as good as they had thought. 

Justin sat up straight as he saw Joseph get into a taxi and speed away from the theater.  He pulled on his sneakers and flew into action.

 

Justin unlocked JC's door with the key JC had given him.  Justin wore it on a chain around his neck, except for when he was with Lance.  "Josh?" Justin called softly.  He heard nothing, and he went to the bedroom to dump his duffle on Josh's bed.  Josh would know what to do with the stuff.  He then carefully placed a fat envelope in-between some of his shirts.  He had snuck down to Joseph's office and taken some money. He had hated to do it, but like Josh had said, it was something that Joseph basically owed him. It wasn't much, and Joseph probably wouldn't even miss it at first, but it was enough to help Justin and JC get a head start on a new life somewhere.

Justin left a note on JC's bed and went back into the living room. He gasped in horror when he saw Lance Bass sitting on JC's sofa.  "What...why...Lance!  Whatever are you doing here? Are you friends with JC?" Justin asked, giving Lance his sweetest smile.  Lance didn't smile back.

"Hardly. He's not the type of person I usually associate with." Lance stood.  "And you shouldn't associate with him either, Sweetness.  You've become quite the sneaky little character since you started spending time with him."

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," Justin said, smiling again. "Shall we go?"

"Most definitely."  Lance walked over and took Justin by the arm, his grip hard.  "I hate to have to do this, Justin, but you and I need to have a little talk."

 

Justin unlocked his suite and led Lance inside. "Something to drink?" Justin asked politely.  "Whiskey as usual?"

"No...I don't think that's a good idea."  Justin felt fire as the back of Lance's hand collided with the side of his face. Justin gasped and put a hand up to his face.  "How dare you?"  Lance asked in an icy voice. "How dare you use me?"

"Lance, I don't know..."

"You do know."  Lance grabbed Justin by the hair and yanked back hard.  "All this time you've been leading me along, using me to get money for your precious theater, and all this time you've been fucking that lying piece of shit Chasez."

"Lance, I wasn't using you.  I met you at the same time and..."

"I don't want to hear your lying excuses," Lance said, and Justin actually whimpered.  "If I didn't believe that Fatone is as truly shocked by all this as I am, I'd think he was in on it with you."

"Lance," Justin began.  Lance grabbed his face with his free hand.

"This is what's going to happen.  In three days, you perform the show.  For those three days you will NOT leave this building. In fact, you will NOT leave this suite, except to rehearse, understand?"  Justin simply stared at him.  "You will NOT spend any time with Joshua Chasez alone."

"You have no right," Justin said weakly.  Lance smiled, and there was no kindness in the smile.

"I have every right. You belong to me, Sweetness. The day I met you, Joseph Fatone and I signed an agreement.  I pay to renovate this theater and put on this show, and I get you...any way I want.  If you don't fulfill your part of the deal...I pull the rest of my funding and sue him. You don't want me suing him, do you?"

"I don't care," Justin said, but Lance knew he was lying.

"Actually, I should have taken care of this a long time ago...but I allowed you to cloud my good sense with your charm and appeal." Lance licked his lips as his hand slid down to glide across Justin's throat. "God...you had me so confused.  But now I know I should have followed my first instincts.  You will perform and then you will go outside to where my car will be waiting.  It will bring you to an apartment that I keep in the city, and then I will fuck you so hard and so long that you won't be able to sit up for a week."

"Why not just do it now?" Justin said with his last amounts of willfulness.

"Because right now the sight of you makes me sick," Lance snapped.  "And because I want you to think about it...dream about it...because you'll never forget it."  Lance released Justin. "And don't think about sneaking away.  Joseph and I know all about your little plan, and we're keeping an eye on you."  Lance gave Justin a smile.  "Three days, Sweetness...and then you're finally mine."  Lance left the suite. Justin sat down on the floor, his entire body shaking.

Twenty