**You will need Christina Aguilera's CD for this chapter. Trust me when I say that you want to listen to it during a certain scene. If this chapter doesn't load all the way (it's big) then use Internet Explorer with Windows instead of the AOL one and right click REFRESH a few times.**

Lauren had been instructed to take a long hot bath including bubbles even though she had taken two showers already that morning. Suzy and Dana both had all kinds of things that she was supposed to do to her body before she was allowed out of the bathroom and most of the products had to do with her hair. She had about three conditioners and about two different kind of sparkly things that she had to wash her hair in and Suzy looked her over closely before she nodded and stepped out of the doorway.

"Those conditioners are going to help me do whatever I want to do with your hair. I have been trying to talk Justin into using them for a while now but he won't listen."

Lauren smiled knowingly and looked at the mirror over the sink. "Imagine that. Justin Timberlake not listening to what someone has to say about his appearance."

Suzy's eyes basically rolled back in her head. "Oh Lord I have my work cut out for me today. I forgot about that mouth of yours for a minute and I now see the error of my ways. Forgive me for saying anything negative about the boy...but you know it's true."

"It's one hundred and twenty percent true. Justin is stubborn...but I've got him beat hands down."

Suzy felt no need to argue with the young girl because she knew them both too well. Lauren and Justin were like two peas in a pod and while they both had very distinctive personalities...they fit. She had met Lauren for the first time several years ago when she was still in high school and at that first meeting she knew that the "friends of the century" were going to one day mature and become the "couple of the century." It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that when you put two very attractive people together, mix in a lot of comfort, and have eyes that mature just as much as the bodies do...you get fireworks. Justin and Lauren were like Mardi Gras waiting to happen and there were definitely going to be some good times to be had between those two.

Very good times.

Lauren turned away from the mirror and gave Suzy a very hesitant look. "Ok so now you've done just about everything besides slick my hair down with WD40. What now?"

"It's still early yet. There's always time for a little WD40." Suzy grabbed her hand and they walked towards her bedroom.

When they rounded the corner, Lauren's eyes widened at the racks of clothes that were now standing in her bedroom. There were about four racks and both sides of each rack were full of clothes. Some of the clothes were ones that she wouldn't wear in a million years, and others had some definite merit. "Are...are all these clothes here for me?"

Dana gave Suzy a funny look before smiling brightly. "Trust me when I say that it's no fun to be dragged out of bed on a Sunday morning to haul these racks all the way over here for nothing. These are all for you to try on and for us to help you get ready for tonight. Once we get the outfit settled then Suzy will have a better idea of what to do with your hair. That's the plan anyway."

Lauren ran her hand over one of the silky skirts hanging in front of her and she gave the two women a devilish look. "So you're saying that you know what the plan for today is huh?"

"We didn't say that."

"WOULD you say that?"

Suzy nudged her side with an elbow and sighed. "We have been sworn to secrecy but I can tell you that you're going to want to look nice. Shall we begin?"

She grabbed the outfit that Suzy was waving in front of her face and went inside her walk-in closet to change. This was definitely not something she would wear but this was fun nonetheless. She had never been one to go to stores and try on outfits she never intended to buy and she certainly never would have picked up this pair of black leather pants and red leather top, but it was fun to imagine what she would look like in things like this.

She straightened the top as best she could and stepped out where they could see her. Both women stood there with a hand on their chin and looking her up and down thoughtfully.

Dana raised an eyebrow and walked around her. "You can pull this look off with those long legs and golden skin but I don't think this is what Justin had in mind."

Suzy grinned evilly. "Not tonight anyway."

"This doesn't scream 'I want to have fun tonight' because it's too busy screaming 'forget the plans and let's go rub against each other.' That's a little much for a birthday date between two friends right?"

Lauren had only just met this girl but already she liked her. Dana looked to be about Miranda's age and she wasn't afraid to say exactly what was on her mind. She had gotten that opinion of her in the first twenty minutes of knowing her and that was a feat all on its own. "I plan on keeping ALL of my clothes on tonight thank you. This is a birthday dinner not a dinner orgy."

Suzy shrugged and handed Dana another outfit. "Hey...you never know right?"

"What I know is that it was a very dangerous thing to put you two together. Suzy is normally a very saucy person but this relationship between you two is almost terrifying."

"Just wait until I get my hands on your hair."

The next outfit was some full-length taffeta skirty thing with a dark blue spongy material top. Lauren really wasn't sure of this one at all and she almost didn't come out of the closet with it but Dana jerked the door open and straightened the material while Lauren looked at herself in the mirror.

"This...this just isn't me. It doesn't look right on me at all."

Dana squatted down and worked on the waistline of the skirt. "And why's that?"

There was no way she could tell them that she was a tomboy or that she tended to look better in a pair of khaki pants and blue shirt than she did in anything girly or extremely feminine. This outfit was feminine and it was also more trendy and glamorous than she would ever wear. "I'm all for making a statement but I really want to hold on to some sort of a comfort level here."

Suzy put her hands on her hips and looked her over closely. "I think you could have a lot of fun in that but the skirt is a little long to do much in it. You would have to be sitting down all night to get much use out of it and that's not on the playbill for tonight. Hmmm…I could definitely do some hair to match the funkiness of it."

Lauren's eyes widened when she imagined Suzy with a tub of gel in her hands trying to glue her hair up into spikes or something along those lines. "I know this is one night and that it's supposed to be a little different than what I'm used to but can I at least find something that I'm comfortable in? I don't feel like myself in here. I feel like I've rummaged through Mandy Moore's closet and any minute now she's going to barge in here and demand her stuff back."

Dana stood up and stepped back. "You might be right about that. This is a bit more bubble gum pop than I thought it would be and I think Justin wants to get away from that side of glam tonight. Wellllll...we have about fifty more outfits to go. SOMETHING will work or we can always go with a sheet wrapped around you as a toga."

Suzy chewed on a nail and grinned. "With the right hair...that look could work."

Lauren looked over her shoulder at the woman as she was walking back to the closet and shook her head. "Don't you even think along those lines. Don't let the brain wander anywhere NEAR those thoughts."

Two hours later they had gone through most of the clothes on the racks and all of them were either too much, too little, not enough material, too much material, and so on and so forth. Through the ordeal Lauren got a good idea of what life must be like for celebrities who lived day to day trying to maintain images that would be judged and torn apart by the press. She was just going to be spending a day with Justin who really didn't care if she wore a burlap bag over herself and they had gone to this much trouble. It made her feel good and it made her feel special, but at the same time she realized that she just wasn't the glamorous type of girl that could pull these looks off. She wasn't the 'Hollywood' type and probably never would be.

A knock sounded on the closet door and she quickly pulled a strap up on the dress she was trying on. "I'll be right out."

"Do you need any help with that one? Be really careful because it's delicate...especially the straps."

Lauren pulled on the other strap and sighed when it was being difficult. "I'm just curious. How much is this dress?"

"With the sequins and the silk...probably around three or four thousand dollars."

Lauren's hand froze over the strap and when she reached to pull it over her shoulder again, she had never been more delicate with a piece of fabric than she was being right then. "That's...that's a lot of money."

"What can I say? The boy is going all out."

She stepped out cautiously and saw both women's eyes widen. "No need to say anything. I know I look crazy stupid in this getup but...why are you two looking at me like that?"

Dana grinned and twirled a finger around in front of her. "Spin around Lauren."

She rolled her eyes and spun around in front of them. "Did that make it look better?"

Suzy and Dana looked back and forth between each other before nodding. Suzy walked over to Lauren and reached over to grab her hair. She lifted it up on top of her head and held it there while she leaned back to look.

"You have a beautiful neck but it's rather chilly outside so I don't think you should show too much. Gorgeous hair though and maybe it would work with the sides pulled up and curled. What do you think?"

Lauren opened her mouth to respond but Dana was the one who answered. "I think that would be beautiful and with the open back you could add some body paint with glitter to finish it all off. Maybe on her shoulders add a little glitter to draw attention to her skin there."

Suzy nodded and looked at Lauren's exposed shoulders. "Hmmm…you're right. She doesn't need much help for people to stare at her shoulders but with the right glitter and maybe a necklace to show the delicate span of her neck would..."

"HELLO? I'm right here. I'm starting to feel like that episode of the Twilight Zone where the people had a living and breathing Barbie to play with. Do I get a pink Corvette with all this?"

Dana stepped forward and adjusted the sequined straps with a grin. "No you don't get a car...but I guarantee a very intrigued response from Justin if you wear this."

Suzy nodded slowly as her eyes never left Lauren. "I think any man would have a response to this."

"Can I see what I look like in the mirror now?"

"Oh no you don't. You need the hair and the makeup done before you can see yourself in this dress. Believe me when I say that this is the one. You don't need to try on anything else but you do need to change out of it and give it to Dana so that nothing gets messed up."

Two hours later Suzy had pulled and yanked on her hair to the point where tears were in her eyes. Jayce had come in a few times to see what was going on and he was immediately ushered out of the room but Lauren had to admit that his interest was cute. He had no say whatsoever in this little endeavor and that was driving him crazy but she was all for torturing him because he tortured her with the fact that he knew exactly what Justin was up to. If he wouldn't give her any slack then she wasn't about to give him any.

Suzy pulled hard before clipping the hair in place and Lauren saw stars. "I now understand why the guys hate seeing you with a brush in your hand. Do you REALLY have to pull that hard? I mean seriously, is it going to look worse if you just tug lightly?"

"Look at my portfolio and my resume some time sweetheart. It show that a lot of people love and respect my hair pulling. You're working with the best here so hush and go with it."

Lauren took a deep breath and tried to think past the fact that her scalp felt like it was on fire. "We're not going to have much fun if I have a headache."

"You'll get used to the tightness. I'm about to loosen it in a second anyway."

"You've done all this work to loosen it? I'd hate to see what you would do if you wanted a tight hairstyle."

Her cell phone rang and since she couldn't pull away from Suzy and Dana was in front of her trying to put some kind of goop on her cheeks she waited until they handed her the phone. "Hello?"

"So how are things going over there?"

She smiled when she recognized Justin's voice and that smile earned her a stern look from Dana. "They have been working their magic for hours now. I swear you better be on the floor when you see me because this is pure hell. How do you work with these people all the time?"

Suzy tightened her teeth around the comb in her mouth and gritted out, "Need I remind you the amount of pain I can put you in right now?" She playfully tugged on the chunk of hair that was in her hand and smiled when Lauren winced.

"PLEASE tell me that you're coming over here some time soon to rescue me."

"I'm getting ready myself Val and I should be over there in thirty minutes or so. You can stand the pain for a little while longer. You're a tough girl."

"I'll see you then."

"Until then..."

The phone clicked in her ear and she sighed. "Thirty minutes and counting. Can we make it?"

Dana pulled out some loose powder and started applying it to her cheeks. "We're going to have a long road ahead of us if he calls again. Your face is all red now. Any reason for that?"

"Uh...um...it's not red."

Dana looked up at Suzy and they both giggled while Lauren closed her eyes and fought not to embarrass herself even more. "You two are not funny at all."

"And you my dear...are not fooling anyone."

They actually managed to finish with her hair and her makeup with a few minutes to spare and with their help, Lauren got back into the dress they all said was perfect. Dana and Suzy both rubbed glittery goo that smelled really good on her shoulders, over her collarbone, and down the length of her back that was exposed. They were rubbing it down her arms when the doorbell rang and all three of them jumped.

"I guess that's him. We're almost done right?"

Suzy nodded and kept rubbing the stuff into her skin. "Make him wait a bit. There's nothing worse than an overanxious date. The longer you make him wait the better he'll appreciate you when you do come out."

"Trust me when I say that he's going to appreciate her for looking this way even if she came out in thirty years. We did a good job if I do say so myself."

Lauren smiled and looked down at the dress. "You had a tough job but I think I probably look like a girl. My mom would be so proud of me at this moment."

Dana stepped back and looked her up and down. "It wasn't all that hard Lauren. You have a figure that can carry anything and you're FAR from ugly."

Suzy wiped her hands on a napkin and stepped over with Dana while she looked. "That attitude needs some work but you know we love you for it. Hell, it reminds me of me so how could I not like it?"

Lauren touched the fabric and gave them a hopeful look. "Can I see now?"

They adjusted the full-length mirror and with a wave of their arms they motioned her to come take a look at her transformation. She took slow and purposeful steps towards the mirror and her breath caught in her throat when she finally saw her reflection. There were hardly any words to describe what she saw.

Suzy had pulled the hair that usually framed the side of her face up and had clasped it high on top of her head. She had curled all of it and it fell to lay on top of the rest of her thick, brown, shoulder-length hair that was curled a little to make it wavy and full. Two curls were left down and they touched the sides of her face right in front of her ear. Her makeup was light even though it had seemed like a little much as it was being put on.

It looked sophisticated and yet completely natural which she knew for a fact that that was a feat all in itself. The dark shades of blue that had been used on her eyes made her own blue eyes jump out and the pale lipgloss pronounced her lips and drew attention to them.

But they had been right about the dress. The dress was absolutely without a doubt the most perfect thing she had seen in her life. The top of it was made out of the palest sky blue sequins she had ever seen on a dress before and the sequins covered it to make it shine and catch the light. Sequins covered the spaghetti straps, down the top that started right below her collarbone, and stopped at her waist. At the waist there were layers of silky, light blue, semi transparent material that glided around her as she moved. The skirt was long enough to touch her ankles and she spun around in front of the mirror to see how it moved.

It didn't just move...it flowed around her.

The back of the dress was a lot more extreme than she normally would wear because for the most part it was backless. The sequins parted right at her shoulders and the back dove down to expose her all the way to the waist. Dana and Suzy had put enough glitter on her to make her skin not only shine...it glowed.

She reached up and touched the light blue butterfly clasp in her hair and looked at them through the mirror. "How...how did you do this?"

Suzy looked shocked. "How did WE do this? Let me tell you something, there has to be something there to begin with in order to have results like this."

Dana nodded and her bright smile didn't falter. "You were beautiful before, but when you hold your head up high and stand there looking like the woman you have become...you're breathtaking."

Lauren took a deep breath and squared her shoulders in front of the mirror. "I'm blown away but I...I like it."

"You better like it. We're two professionals here and if we can't dress ONE girl in fairytale attire then what good are we?"

There was a soft knock at her door and she held her breath as it opened. She exhaled loudly a few seconds later when Jayce poked his head in. "Are you decent?"

"I am. You can come in."

He stepped inside and his eyes bulged when he saw her standing there. He didn't comment, didn't say anything in fact, but he didn't need to. His expression told her all she needed to know. "Uh...your date...I mean, Justin is here."

"I'll be right out."

He looked her over once again and his eyes stayed huge. "Turn around Lauren."

She was a little embarrassed at first, but then she remembered how good she looked and it gave her the strength to turn around slowly in front of him. She heard his deep intake of breath before she looked at him again. "So what do you think?"

"I think I want a padlock on the zipper of that dress."

The other two ladies started giggling and Lauren rolled her eyes at him. "I guess that settles it. It's perfect."

He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "It's perfect."

She watched him walk out of the room and turned her attention to Suzy when she whistled through her teeth softly. "That is one hunk of a man you live with."

"He's my brother."

"He's a reason to give up morals."

After a few touchups to her makeup and a huge pep talk by the girls on how to keep her head high, her shoulders back, a smile on her face, and a long lecture on not chewing her bottom lip…Lauren took a deep breath and walked to the door.

Dana called out and stopped her. "Wait a minute. You forgot the shawl that goes with it." She walked over and gently laid it across her arms and Lauren looked down to see a semi-transparent mesh shawl. It was light blue that gradually tapered into white at the bottom and it matched her dress perfectly.

"Thank you for everything. Already this has been one of the best birthdays I've ever had."

Suzy laughed. "Already? You haven't seen Justin yet and I know for a fact that we're not as good looking as he is. You two have fun tonight."

She opened the door and walked out into the hallway. She could hear Jayce's voice and the closer she got to the living room she could hear Justin's soft and smooth voice. This really was a lot more nerve wracking than it probably should be but the last time he had seen her really dressed up had probably been at kindergarten graduation and that was NOTHING compared to what she looked like now. She looked like a woman and she felt so utterly feminine and beautiful that she almost couldn't contain her excitement. At this point she couldn't care less if they were going to the circus, all she knew was that she had enjoyed the pampering and she had enjoyed seeing the results. His company was all she needed to make this all perfectly complete and that's exactly what she was about to get.

Justin's nervous laughter rang out and she had to smile when she heard it. It was very comforting to know that he was a little nervous because at the moment she felt like throwing up all over this beautiful dress and that was mainly attributed to the fact that she had no idea how he would react to seeing her this way. His face was too expressive and too honest to be able to hide what he was feeling inside so she would find out soon enough.

She came around the corner and relaxed some when she saw that Justin's back was to her. This gave her the perfect opportunity to look him over a little bit before he noticed her. Whoever had done his hair had done a good job of it. It was rare for him to have an awesome hair day but it seemed like every single curl had decided to be good on this day and lay where they were supposed to. He had on black dress pants, a black jacket that looked to fit him perfectly, and she could see the hint of a pristine white dress shirt at the cuffs on his wrist sticking out of the jacket. If he looked that good from the back then she could only imagine what he would look like when he finally turned around.

Jayce saw her first and he cleared his throat and stopped talking. "Well there she is. It's about time."

Justin turned slowly and to Lauren it seemed like it took him years to finally turn around to the point where he could see her. Oh yes, if the back had been perfect then seeing him from the front was almost godly. She didn't miss the way his eyes widened and the way his jaw literally dropped when he saw her. His eyes sparkled unlike anything she'd ever seen out of him before and it was almost like he didn't know where to look first. His eyes were frantically moving up and down the length of her and it took several deep breaths before he could find his voice.

"You uh…you look really…um…ok I'll just bust out with it. WOW. Val…you just…wow."

Jayce leaned his hip against the back of the couch and folded his arms over his chest. "I'm about two seconds away from getting that padlock."

Lauren giggled and looked at Justin again. He was still staring at her like he couldn't believe she was standing there in front of him looking this way. It made her heart soar, it made her pulse quicken…

It made her feel damn good to be the reason for his newfound stuttering problem.

She looked at his black suit and noticed the conservative tie and the way the white shirt caught her eyes. It contrasted so well against the darkness of the suit and the tanned tone of his skin. She could have asked for him to look any better than he did at that moment…and he was here for her.

Justin stepped up and handed her a long stemmed rose. "It doesn't go with the dress but let me just say that you have certainly blossomed like a flower."

She took the flower and smiled into his eyes. "Thank you Justin."

He snapped out of his trance and held his arm out for her. "Are you ready to go miss?"

Her fingers tightened around his strong arm and they started walking towards the door. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Just as she knew he would, Jayce followed them to the door and held it open for them. "You know you can call if you need anything. I'll probably be home all night so give me a call if you have any problems, if you need anything, if you're thinking of attacking my beautiful sister in any way…"

Lauren punched him in the stomach on the way by and grinned. "Would you stop?"

Justin grinned evilly. "Don't worry. Chris hooked me up with plenty of protection while we were over in Europe." He stopped to look down at her questioningly. "I believe it's Val's favorite too…ribbed for pleasure. Do I have that right?"

This time it was her jaw that dropped and she fully expected Jayce to pounce on Justin and pull her back inside the house, but she pulled on his arm and basically dragged him down the driveway to the car before either one of them had a chance to argue.

"Lauren Elizabeth you ARE going to explain that when you get home tonight."

"It's innocent and no way in hell!"

Jayce leaned against the doorframe and grinned. "I'm calling dad!"

"Go for it. BYE JAYCE!"

Justin walked to her side of the car and his hand slid around her waist to rest on the small of her back as they neared it. It was an instinct move and it was one that he had done unconsciously so many times that he didn't even realize he had done it. That was until his hand was met with the bare flesh on her back and he couldn't stop staring at the way his hand fit against her small frame and he certainly couldn't ignore how smooth and warm her skin felt beneath his fingers.

Lauren wasn't immune either. In fact it took every bit of strength she had not to jump when his hand rested on her back and it was a tough struggle because the warmth and the softness of his hand sent shockwaves all throughout her body. Her knees trembled and nobody was more thankful to arrive at a car seat than she was.

He opened the door for her, waited until she got inside, and helped her with the dress before closing the door and walking around to the driver's side. They both waved to Jayce as the car backed out of the drive and Justin pulled out onto the main highway. Once they were in traffic, Lauren breathed a sigh of relief. The whole preparing ordeal was over and now here they were and it seemed TOO secluded and private. For the first time since she had been in his car, he didn't have the radio on. That was raw and pure torture because she could hear every breath he took and it drew her attention to him even more. She was already at a breaking point and hearing him breathe was a little more than she could stand.

When she couldn't handle the silence anymore, she cleared her throat and spoke. "I…I know this is a surprise and all, but could you tell me where we're going?"

He looked over at a car that was passing them before turning his attention back at the road with a slow grin. "It's a secret."

"You're dressed up, and looking very handsome I might add, I'm dressed up…"

"Yes you certainly are."

She ignored his interruption…kind of. "We're both dressed up and I'm beginning to wonder why we're both in formal attire and why I spent all day getting this way."

The car stopped at a red light and he turned in the seat to look at her. His eyes were probably the most dangerous things in her world at that moment because they were absolutely stunning. Like blue fire. "Val, we have about an hour drive ahead of us and I know it's tearing you up to know where we're going but relax. This is your birthday celebration and I promise that there isn't a single thing planned that will make you feel embarrassed or strange. We're going to have a good time, we're going to party our asses off, and we're going to show people a thing or two."

He saw her relax some and he reached over to grab her hand. He raised her hand up and gently kissed her fingers before looking over them at her. "Do you trust me?"

She wasn't really sure how he went about seducing a girl or if he had actually ever done such a thing, but what she DID know was that his warm breath and his soft lips against the back of her fingers was about to shatter all of her control. And the evening had only just begun. "Yeah…yeah I trust you."

He turned to look at the road again and the car started moving again. She looked out of the window and tried to concentrate on anything other than the potent man beside her but that plan wasn't working very well. He seemed to take up every bit of the air in the car and it felt like she was breathing him in.

Finally she had to break the silence again by turning around and pleading with him. "You said that we're going to show people a thing or two. Does that mean that we're going somewhere where there is a lot of people?"

He chuckled and looked at his watch. "You just beat your record. It took you six minutes and twenty three seconds to bring it up again."

"Anything worth doing is worth doing right. Are we going somewhere with a lot of people? Come on Justin you can at least answer yes or no questions."

"Yes."

Now she was getting somewhere. "So there's going to be a lot of people there…is it a party?"

"Yes and no."

"Could you be any more vague?"

He turned onto the interstate and smiled brightly. "Yes."

She felt like screaming but at the same time she couldn't stop thinking about how cute he was as he was trying to fluster her. "We're going to be in a group of people, dressed up, and…hmmm…is security going to be there?"

"Nope."

Ok now she was worried. The intrigue was pushed aside for the moment and concern now replaced it. Crowds of people generally meant fans mixed in somewhere and he was going in with no security? The years of peroxide use must have seeped farther into his brain than they had feared. "I don't like this."

"Don't like what?"

"I don't like the fact that we're going to a public place and you will have no security. I know we pulled something like that in Big Bear but this is Orlando Justin. You just can't do something like that here. The city is too big, you are too big, the FRO is too big."

"Did I say that we were going to a public place? I believe you were the one who said that."

Ripping his hair out curl by curl sounded like a really good idea right then. "So it's not a public place so it has to be a party and whenever we go to parties, unless it's one by the guys, you know as well as I do that fans make you miserable. Oh wait a minute, you bought out a club didn't you?"

His eyes widened and he shook his head with a laugh. "You're not going to let this die are you? No I didn't buy out a club, no I'm not having security along with us, no I'm not putting myself in jeopardy, and heck…I'm not even going to sacrifice any animals tonight." He reached out to grab her hand again and squeezed it. "There's nobody more aware of my limits than I am. So PLEASE stop worrying and have fun."

"You're sure?"

He knew that there was no way she was going to let him have the last word so he nodded and concentrated on the road again. "I've got it covered."

After a while she turned the radio on and they both sang to the radio as she tried her best to forget about his plans for the night. It wasn't easy because as stubborn as she was she had to know what he was up to but it was also fun to be kidnapped for the night and have no idea what he had in store for her. Surprises were his major game and if it made him happy to keep her in the dark then she would try her best to trust him and allow him that small feat.

She would TRY.

After about an hour or so her voice was tired from singing to the radio with him and she reached over to turn it down. "Ok so we're in Tampa. Are we going to go visit Nick Carter? Is that the plan?"

Justin coughed loudly. "Not that I'm aware of but if you would like to spend the night with him then that could be arranged too I'm sure."

"I'll pass. He is cute though."

"I know he turns ME on."

She gave him a dirty look and pushed his shoulder gently. "You're looking very handsome all dressed up. I can't remember the last time I saw you in a suit and tie. Comfortable?"

He tugged at the tie to loosen it some. "Not even a little bit but just remember the lengths I go to for you."

"I'm storing it into memory as we speak. So to sound totally unoriginal here…are we there yet?"

He pointed to the glove compartment and turned off of the interstate. "Look inside there and put on the blindfold. We'll be there in about ten minutes."

"You want me to put a blindfold on? This is getting kinky."

"Not yet, but maybe if you're a good girl…"

Now this was fun and she made a big ordeal out of making herself look hesitant to put the blindfold on but in all honesty she didn't mind at all. It added to the mystery and the intrigue that she was already being blasted with.

It was hard enough to listen to him breathing when the car was silent, but now that her eyes were covered it was almost like her hearing was more acute and she could pick up on every movement that he made beside her. She could hear his hands sliding over the steering wheel, his breathing, the rustle of his clothes as he moved with the car, and she could hear his leg brush against the seat as he pressed the brake or accelerator. Now this was pure torture and to keep herself occupied she rubbed her hands together and tried to focus on that instead of anything that had to do with him.

Not possible because he spoke a few seconds later and that voice was enough to draw anyone in. "Two minutes. Are you ok over there?"

"I'm fine."

"In that dress…yes you certainly are. Two more turns and we're there baby."

She felt the car stop, heard Justin give his name to some man she didn't recognize the voice of, and then felt the car start moving slowly again. They didn't go far before the car halted again and finally Justin turned the key off.

She jumped when he whispered next to her ear. "We made it Val."

"Can I take this blindfold off now?"

"Not yet. I'll come around and get you. Just stay right there and no peeking."

The door slammed and a few seconds later her door was opened and his hands touched hers as he guided her from the car. She couldn't hear any major roads nearby, there were no people walking around talking, so they weren't in the middle of downtown Tampa at the nightclubs. She was absolutely and positively clueless on where they were.

He closed the door once she was free from the car and grabbed both of her hands again as they started walking. "Not far from here."

She had never felt as vulnerable as she did then, but at the same time she had complete faith in him not to allow her to fall. She tightened her fingers around his and allowed him to lead her up onto a sidewalk, across a lawn, and over steps that sounded hollow underneath her shoes and Justin's. She did smell water so she assumed that they were near some kind of water like a lake or a river. The breeze was chilly but it was nice and constant like it normally was around water so her brain scanned for any kind of body of water around Tampa that she knew of and that would have sidewalks and cobblestone steps leading up to it. Her mind was drawing a blank and it drove her insane not to be able to snatch the blindfold off and see where she was.

He finally stopped and turned her. She knew that he was standing in front of her because she could feel his body heat and she could feel his breath against her skin. "Are we here?"

He grinned down at her and couldn't think of a time when she had been more adorable. "We are here. I'm going to take off the blindfold now."

She felt the fabric being pulled away from her still closed eyes and a soft warm light hit her eyelids. Very slowly she opened her lids and saw Justin standing in front of her like she knew he was with a tender smile on his face. "Hey you."

She smiled and turned to look around. This was a place she had definitely never been to before and it was beautiful. There were crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, a beautiful staircase in front of them that looked straight out of an opera house, the floor shined in the light, and there were white drapes that hung from the ceiling to cover the walls. It was elegant, it was magnificent, it was beautiful, and it was all Justin.

"Are we at a country club?"

He tucked her hand on his arm and they started up the staircase. "Kind of."

When they reached the top there was an older woman standing there with a huge smile on her face. "You two look beautiful tonight. Thank you so much for coming here."

Lauren smiled at her and leaned forwards. "Where exactly is here?"

Justin pulled her back and shook his head. "Ignore her. She hasn't had her pill today."

"You can't tell me where I am even though we're here."

"You'll find out soon enough Val. Let's go inside."

The woman winked at her and she smiled as Justin opened the door and she stepped inside. If the lobby had been beautiful, this was exquisite. There was a huge dance floor in the shape of a rectangle and it led up to a stage where a full orchestra was playing. Around the dance floor was a rail to section it off from the dining area and tables were lined at the railing all the way around. Each table was formally set with white tablecloths, fine china, and a candle lamp that sat in the middle.

But something hit Lauren as funny and she couldn't believe it when she realized what the unique thing about this place was. It took her a second and she almost didn't think twice about it, but now she knew.

She pulled on his arm until he leaned his head down so she could whisper in his ear. "Justin there are all old people here."

"You don't say."

"No I'm not talking old people like our parents are old. This is old people like in the movie Cocoon. In fact, now that I think about it…this place…oh my God you didn't."

He fought not to laugh at her and thankfully an older gentleman walked up and motioned for them to follow him to their table. When they sat down Justin looked at her over the table and grinned brightly. "What didn't I do?"

"Justin this is…this is…"

"This is a retirement community. That's what you were going to say right?"

She looked around at all of the elderly people eating dinner, talking, laughing, and giving them curious yet sweet looks. "We are the youngest people here by about fifty years."

He sat back so the waiter could put glasses of water on the table and waited until the man left to lean over and speak again. "You wanted to go out to dinner somewhere, I wanted to too AND I wanted to go out in public to a place where we can have fun and not have to worry about what the people might do or might not do. I seriously doubt that anyone here will know who I am so we don't have to worry about that. There is a dance floor right there to your left that we can tear up after dinner, and we ARE going to have fun tonight. There should be no worries. I'm not worried so you shouldn't be."

She stared at the water glass in front of her, looked around at the dance floor, at the people who were sitting behind him, and her composure cracked when the musicians on the stage started playing Lawrence Welk. She started giggling and that giggling soon turned to laughter so hard that she couldn't catch her breath. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle it a little bit but this was just too much. "This is just so sweet and so thoughtful. To think, I can tell my grandkids that I partied the night away with the Golden Girls on my nineteenth birthday."

He raised an eyebrow at her and started laughing right along with her. "It's hell being my friend huh? You get attacked by mobs, we can't go anywhere public, and now we're dining with Ma and Pa Gus. We're going to rock this place though. We're going to rock these people into an early grave."

She sobered after a bit and smiled brightly at him. "I love that you planned this out. Thank you Justin."

He lightly touched her hand and winked. "I wanted to have you to myself on a night where I could be just me…just Justin. So it was all my pleasure."