She’d barely walked in the door before Alexei appeared and wanted to know what was going on with Justin. He was worse than the women at her office when it came to gossip.
She collapsed into the chair at the kitchen table, said hello to her mom and then the interrogation started.
“Why won’t you go out with Justin?” Alexei asked as he placed a bowl of pasta in front of her.
“What are you talking about?”
“I saw Justin at the mall today.”
“Good for you,” she said as she twirled the linguine onto her fork.
“Ugh you are so damn good at this avoidance thing.”
“What’s he talking about Nat?” Eva asked.
“Nothing mom.”
“No I say we lay it all out on the table.”
“Excuse me, this is my life here, it’s none of your business what I do and don’t do.”
“Alexei?” Eva asked.
“Mom!” Natalia exclaimed.
“Hush, I’ll hear what you have to say in a minute but first I want to hear what you brother has to say.”
“This is so unfair,” she mumbled.
“Natalia got asked on an actual date, believe it or not, can’t quite believe it myself, and she turned the guy down. I mean hell Nat it’s not like they’re lining up at the door to ask you out.”
Natalia scowled at her brother. “You better watch out bro because you’ll get your dues.”
“Stop it you two. Alexei?” she prompted for him to continue.
“What is this, a conspiracy?” she complained.
“Remember that guy Justin I was telling you about?” Eva nodded. “Well for some unknown reason he wanted to take her out a second time, well she denies the other day was a date so first- -whatever. So why don’t you explain why you turned him down Nat?”
“This is none of your business Alexei.”
“I’m making it my business Natalia.”
“Is this Justin not a good man?”
“That’s just it mom, he’s a good guy, even I like him. According to the ladies he’s a hot catch so what’s the deal?”
“I haven’t got time.”
“Bullshit.”
“Alexei!”
“Sorry mom.”
Natalia leant forward on the table. “Since when have you become Justin Timberlake’s number one supporter?”
“I just don’t see what your problem is.”
She wasn’t quite sure she knew what the problem was anymore either. She found herself inventing excuses to be away from him when actually she liked spending time with him.
“Why don’t you give this Justin boy a chance?” Eva suggested.
“I’ll think about it,” she relented. Maybe that would be good enough to keep them off her back for a while.
“You want me to go where?” she asked Bryan over the phone. He’d told her he was out with a client but she had her suspicions, namely the country club’s Miss Free and Easy, emphasis being on easy.
“Mr Wright’s house. He has some things you need to pick up.”
“Since when did I become messenger?” she mumbled.
“What?”
“Nothing,” she sighed. “Why didn’t you just get them sent over?”
“Do you have to argue about everything Natalia?,” irritation evident in his voice. He had obviously just remembered and she was now delaying him from getting back to whatever he’d been doing. “I’m your boss, do as you’re damn well told for a change.”
Had she been in the position to do so she would have told him to piss off and do it himself but the fact still remained, she needed this job.
“Where do I go?”
“The address is on my desk, you’ll need to go this afternoon so we have them ready first thing in the morning.”
“Yeah okay.” At least she’d get out of the office. I wonder if I’ll see Justin…
Natalia stopped at the gate and after showing some ID was let through.
She stepped out of her car and looked around. She immediately spotted Justin’s car and various other expensive vehicles. After admiring the cars she looked down at her own and sighed. “One day Natalia, one day.”
She headed towards the large house and came across a large man with two dogs. “Excuse me, could you tell me where I could find Mr Wright?”
He looked up, shading his eyes from the sun with his hand. “Johnny? He’s inside.”
He kept his eyes on her and she knew he was probably sizing her up, wondering whether a fan had slipped past security.
“I’m Natalia Thomas. I’m here from Devlin Promotions to pick up some signed merchandise.”
A hint of recognition passed over the man’s face. She thought he had recognised Devlin but he surprised her.
“Natalia…Justin’s Natalia?”
She opened her mouth to reply but she couldn’t because of the shock. Justin’s Natalia? What was she supposed to say to that? Did he think they were dating because someone had forgotten to inform her if they were.
“Uh, yeah I know Justin.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “Whatever did you do to deserve that?”
She couldn’t help but smile at the man’s hearty laughter. No doubt Justin would have had a smart comeback if he’d been present.
“Just head on in, he’ll be in there somewhere. I’d take you myself but these guys,” he pointed to the two dogs, “go when they gotta go if you know what I mean. I don’t remember it being in the job description when I signed on the dotted line.”
“I bet they’re easier to handle than Justin though right?”
The man’s laughter stopped momentarily as he looked at her in surprise before he started again. “Ooh he’s got a feisty one here. Keep him on his toes.”
He gave her a smile before being pulled away by the impatient dogs.
She stepped up onto the veranda and hesitated at the open door before stepping inside. She could hear music and laughter in the distance as she looked around nervously.
She felt like an intruder in danger of being pounced on.
She heard a pounding out in the hall and stepped back out just in time to see a basketball roll towards her.
She lifted her foot and effectively halted it on its travels. She bent down and picked it up, tucking it under her arm before looking up to see the culprit.
“Didn’t your mother ever tell you not to play ball in the house?”
He finally looked from the ball to her face. “Hey it’s you!”
She laughed at his face, full of surprise. “Yeah it’s me.”
He walked closer to her, throwing a towel over his shoulder as he advanced. “What are you doing here?” he asked cheerfully. He was noticeably confused though.
“I came to see you,” she joked but when she thought she saw hope in his face she quickly explained to him the real reason for her being there. “Somebody needed to pick some things up for the competition and someone decided I should be the lucky one to do the job.”
Maybe she was imagining it but she thought she saw a hint of disappointment in his face that she wasn’t there solely to see him. It was quickly replaced with a smile though. “Well let’s give a medal to whoever made that decision.”
“It was Bryan.”
He scrunched his nose up. “Then again, maybe not.”
She laughed again. “You don’t like him huh?”
He shrugged. “He’s a bit too power hungry for my liking, not to mention the extreme jealous streak that takes over him whenever I go within ten foot of you. Somewhere along the line he came to the conclusion that I was sleeping with you and he’s had a grudge against me ever since.”
She opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t. Instead her cheeks heated at the false assumption.
Justin smiled triumphantly when he saw her blush. Every now and then something would happen to make him think she wasn’t as unaffected by him as he’d first thought. One point to Timberlake.
The two of them turned when they heard voices approaching.
“Hey Natalia,” Lance greeted her with a warm smile.
“Hi again,” JC said.
“How do you guys…,” Justin started, but then he realised how they knew her. “Oh I forgot, you met her when you were hassling her for information didn’t you?”
They both looked down sheepishly but were saved by Chris and Joey.
“Hi Natalia, bye Natalia,” Joey called as he shot past her. “Gotta jet,” he explained as he left the house.
“Whassup Natalia?” Chris asked enthusiastically. “Here to see your boyfriend?” he asked innocently, glancing between both her and Justin and he rocked back and forth on his feet.
Natalia’s cheeks flamed for the second time in just a few minutes and even Justin, who was used to the brotherly ribbing by Chris, seemed a little embarrassed as he clipped his friend over the back of the head.
“Ow,” Chris complained. “I was just asking a question.”
He said it so angelically that she might have believed him had it not been for the smirk she saw him give JC and Lance as he turned.
She saw them shake their heads in amusement, trying to hold back their laughter. Lance was the first to recover. “So are you guys doing something?”
“I was just here to pick up some things from Johnny. Aren’t you supposed to be working?” she asked.
JC shook his head. “All done for the day.”
JC, Lance and Chris all turned to Justin and when their friend looked back at them blankly they fought the urge to scream at him.
JC lifted his hand, pretending to scratch the side of his head in order to shield his eyes and try to convey to Justin with his eyes that he should ask Natalia to do something.
Justin’s eyebrows knitted in confusion before he finally understood. “Oh!” he cried.
JC dropped his hand, sighing as he rolled his eyes. It was about time too, the boy could be so dense at times.
Justin faced Natalia. “Have you got to do anything after you get the stuff from Johnny?”
She glanced down at her watch. 3.30 p.m. “I’m supposed to go back to work but the boss is out so I was planning on just heading home afterwards.” Nobody would know how long it took her to sort things out. Bryan was otherwise preoccupied and if anyone asked she could just say she was held up waiting for Johnny.
“Fancy keeping me company?” he asked casually, but he hoped the answer would be yes more than he would admit, even to himself.
Before she could reply she sensed movement to her right. JC, Lance and Chris looked far too interested for their own good. She couldn’t turn him down in front of his friends, he would ever live it down, even if it was only them hanging out and not a date.
She slowly turned back to Justin and the look on his face…she couldn’t have said no if she wanted to. “Um yeah sure. I don’t know how long I will be though.”
“It’ll only take a minute.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the group.
“See ya,” Chris, JC and Lance called as she was dragged in the direction they had emerged from earlier.
“Bye,” she called back.
Justin dragged her into an office, not bothering to knock first. She saw a man at the desk, his head buried in paperwork. He looked up as Justin pulled her to stand next to him.
She immediately felt the urge to apologise for Justin’s behaviour but he didn’t seem at all surprised as Justin stepped behind the desk to grab a bag off the floor.
“Johnny, this is Natalia. I think you met her before, she’s come for the junk you made us sign this morning.”
Johnny stood and shook her hand. “The girl you took home.” He nodded his head in recognition.
Oh no, he had to remember that didn’t he. Of all the things, he was going to think she was Justin’s new “play thang” or something. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
Johnny shook his head and laughed. “No problem. The kid was itching for a way to escape that night and I know how persistent he can be. If anyone should be apologising it should be me apologising for that runt over there.”
“Runt?” Justin gasped.
She couldn’t help but laugh at his shocked face. Justin was pawed over by almost everyone but she had noticed in just a short amount of time that those closest to him certainly kept his feet on the ground.
“Oh you think that’s funny huh?” Justin asked her. He tried to act annoyed but couldn’t stop the grin that was fighting to form on his lips. Her laugh, her smile, he wanted to witness more of both.
Justin held out the bag to her and she accepted it, peeking inside to see CD’s, a rolled up poster, a T-shirt and various other articles.
“You need to thank me BIG TIME for those, my hand is sore now,” he pouted.
She noted a touch of flirtation as he talked to her today and didn’t dare look in his eyes for she wasn’t sure what she’d see.
“That’s only a sample for photos so people can see what they can win. Just wait until there are actually winners, all that stuff you’ll need to sign. Think of the cramps you’ll get in your hand.” Johnny grinned evilly.
Justin groaned and clutched his hand at the thought. “Shut up man, you don’t need to remind me.”
“You ready to go?” Justin asked her.
“Yeah sure.”
They both said their goodbyes to Johnny and went out to where their cars were parked. “So what’s the plan?” she asked.
He hadn’t thought that far. He looked down at his clothes. He knew he had to have a shower. “Why don’t you just come over to mine. You can follow me over in your car.”
She shrugged. “Okay. I haven’t got anything better to do I guess.”
“Naaaat,” he whinged. “You’re supposed to be ecstatic that you get to hang out with me!”
He watched her roll her eyes as she ducked into her car and he smiled. He’d had an almost permanent grin since she’d arrived and was excited that he got to spend more time with her. Maybe he wouldn’t need Alexei’s help after all. Right now he seemed to be doing just fine himself.
Chapter 15
Chapter Index
Main Page