Lauren narrowed her eyes on Tom as he closed the door behind him and grinned as he walked towards the conference table she was sitting at. There was no reason that she could think of for why she was sitting there or for why she had allowed him to make her feel the need to come inside that conference room, but when he had mentioned Justin and he had given that grin that he was famous for she had to find out what he was up to. She NEEDED to find out what he was up to because that was the only way that she could stop any wrongdoings from happening before they began.
She quietly drummed her fingertips on top of the glossy table and grimaced when she looked at the way he carried himself. He was so sure of himself and so altogether rotten in his motives and in his life that it made her sick. It was rare that she hated people on sight but there was just something about Tom that had made her skin crawl from the moment that N SYNC signed with Jive and he was assigned to them. Of course he wasn't making the situation any better by the way he was acting but she had a feeling that he enjoyed all of this. He enjoyed playing with people's lives and he enjoyed seeing what he could do to manipulate the people around him.
The world was a game to him.
She shook her head slowly and mumbled under her breath. "Justin isn't going to be a pawn in any of his games. Not if I have anything to say about it."
He paused as he was pulling out the chair next to her and gave her a curious look. "What was that?"
"Nothing. Not…a…thing."
He casually sat down beside her, spread some papers out in front of him, and turned to grin at her. Lauren had to fight not to either throw up or claw his eyes out. Never in her life had she been repulsed by a man just by sight than she was of Tom. He had a gleam in his eyes that she hated seeing even more because it made her uneasy and she knew without a doubt that he was up to something. He wouldn't be this careful and this purposeful unless he was out to do some harm to someone. Her guard was up and so was her attitude.
She pushed off with her feet against the floor and slid her chair around to the other side of the table. Tom watched her curiously and chuckled when she leaned back, folded her arms over her chest, and gave him an angry look from across the table. "Comfortable now? Actually that is a much better spot for you to be in because I can speak to you directly instead of having to turn my head. Not to mention that it's nice to see your pretty face across from me."
She chewed on the inside of her cheek and tapped her foot against the leg of the table. "It's going to be nice to see you clean up my vomit if you keep talking like that. Like I told you in the hall, the guys are expecting to see me and I don't want to keep them waiting."
"Ten minutes of your time is all I'm asking for. Actually it might take a good fifteen but I guess it all depends on how much you argue with me and how much you actually allow me to say."
She rolled her eyes and waved a hand at him. "I can't promise that I'll listen but go ahead. Astound me with your brilliance…or lack thereof."
He leaned back in his chair and twirled his pen between two fingers. "I understand that you and I have a less than friendly relationship going and I'm going to come out and say that I regret that. I'm really sorry that you feel that we can't work together to help the guys because I know how important they are to you. They are extremely important to me as well and I just can't stop thinking about how much we could have been helping them and how far we could have pushed them if we had somehow been able to work together all this time."
One of her eyebrows raised and she shook her head in disbelief. "Keep talking before I jump in and go off."
"You have the inside track and you have a history with them that I should have been using to my advantage this whole time instead of going against it. I know you have no idea what I'm talking about here but your friendship with them is…is a tool that should have been working to Jive's advantage and not as a barrier." He leaned forward in his chair and shrugged. "I'm a business associate to them and…"
"No, you're an asshole to them." She covered her mouth with a hand and shrugged lazily. "My bad. Please continue with what you were saying."
"I'm a business associate and a man in my position can't really be their friend. That leaves me with a daily struggle because only a friend can possibly know how to take care of them." He saw her disbelieving look and continued. "I really do want to take care of them Lauren. Sometimes it might not seem like that because nobody understands the lengths I have to go to or the means that I have to use to get some things taken care of, but I assure you it's all done out of…well…concern."
"Nobody understands the lengths or the means Tom…"
"You don't get what I'm saying."
"NOBODY understands the lengths or the means Tom and that should clue you in on why they don't respect you or work with you."
He put the pen down and glared at her. "You're taking that out of context."
She sat forward and rested her arms on the table. "NOBODY understands it but you Tom. So that means everyone is wrong or misunderstands but you. Does that sound right in your head? Logically does that make sense?"
He stood up and walked over to the windows that covered the wall behind her. Lauren turned in her chair and watched him as he opened the blinds and stared down at the city below them. "What I'm trying to say is that I had to be ruthless and nasty to get anywhere in this business and to survive I have to do things that other people NOT in my position might misinterpret or misunderstand. My job is to promote those guys and to make sure that nothing negative hits the public eye. Tell me Lauren, would you want to be in charge of keeping them away from harmful rumors or harmful things?"
"I help with that anyway. It's called being a friend and protecting the people you love."
"Lauren you and I are on the same team in many ways and while they look at you as a little sister, I look at them as a bunch of younger brothers. That's what I'm looking for here. Since I am in charge with protecting them and their images then I naturally feel like a…a…big brother I guess you'd say." He turned to look at her. "You have a big brother Lauren, wouldn't you protect him from harm if you could? As a matter of fact, Justin is like a big brother to you and you two are certainly chummy…especially lately."
She stood up and grabbed her things. "THIS is why you called me in here? You called me in here to clear your conscience some and to unload a pile of garbage that you thought I would believe? I'm not buying it Tom. You have been against them and against my friendship with them from day one and now you've done some soul searching and you want to change your ways? I'm sorry but I'm not buying it, they won't buy it, and I don't even think you've managed to make YOURSELF buy it. I'm leaving."
He quickly rounded the table and leaned against the door to block it from her. "Just hear me out. I'm not finished."
She looked down at the doorknob and his hand over it before looking back up at him. "You obviously didn't learn your lesson the last time you tried to keep me locked up in a room with you against my will. I can assure you that this time I won't be as nice and neither will the guys or whatever security guards come running down here. Now let me pass."
"You were right."
She took a few steps back and gave him a confused look. "Excuse me?"
He shrugged and smiled down at her. "Justin needs a life and I was wrong to try to shelter him."
"What does that mean?"
He motioned to the chairs again and his smile grew even broader when she sat down again. When she looked over at him again his smile disappeared and his serious expression returned. "When I said that I felt protective of them like a big brother, what I meant was that it got out of hand. They don't need a big brother looking over them and even though I see Justin like a baby brother I shouldn't smother him or try to shelter him the way I've been doing. He's an adult now and when you're an adult it's time to live your life and learn through mistakes you make. I woke up to that recently when I thought about things."
"I thought about what it was like to be a young man and to be interested in basically every girl that walked by me. It has to be a million times worse for Justin because he has SO many attractive girls around him." His eyes landed on her and she had to fight not to shudder.
"He has friendships that run deep and I know that at that age I wish I would have had someone like you to stand up for me and fight to protect me at all costs. You're a very loyal friend Lauren and that's commendable. You would fight Satan himself to protect Justin wouldn't you?"
"Yes I would."
"Now bear with me here a minute because you might not like this. The way you protect him is very similar to the way I was trying to. Of course I went about it the…wrong way but I'm going to rectify that. Ever since our little chat at Big Bear I've been thinking about how much he needs a life and how he shouldn't be the only one of the guys who isn't allowed to date. I mean there has never really been a rule that says that he can't date but you have to admit that we need to keep that a secret for the most part because of the hysteria that surrounds him."
He paced around the table slowly. "When you two sneaked out and went against my wishes in California I was insane with anger and it was mainly because I was worried about Justin."
Lauren laughed out loud and coughed loudly to try to stop it. "You were worried? Sure you were. Worried that your ego was bruised a little when nobody would listen to your stupid demands."
"I'm being serious here. It worried me and it worried me so much that I tried my best to think of what it must be like for him to have so many beautiful girls throw themselves at him and he can't do anything about it without some kind of trouble. I mean just look at how much crap has come up with Britney and that STILL comes up. They aren't even together anymore and neither one of them can avoid the fuss."
She yawned and covered her mouth to silence it.
"Lauren, young guys need a life and they need to experience life. Good…and bad. Even Justin Timberlake."
She sat up and looked over at him. "You're wanting me to argue with you about this? Sorry, but I've been the biggest advocate he has about this. I thought it was bull from the very beginning to hide the Britney thing just because you all thought the fans couldn't handle it. I'm the one who sees how badly he's hurt when he's left behind while the other guys go out with their girlfriends or female friends in general. I'm the one he calls and I'm the one who has to listen to his hurt and tired voice when he can't even go out to a club with a girl. I'm the one who has to talk to him when he is so confused as to why he's not able to take me…his BEST FRIEND out to lunch or bring me on tour with them because I might be seen by the wrong photographer and then rumors are started."
She stood up again and pointed at him. "So don't lecture ME TOM about the things that he has missing in his life or the limitations that tear him apart just because he's Justin Timberlake. NOBODY has seen what I've seen, and nobody could understand the pain that he goes through by being held back on what he wants to do. It's like he has a leash around his neck and he's waiting to be told to go fetch."
"I understand that."
"Do you? Do you REALLY? Do you really understand what it's like to be in his shoes and at nineteen having to ask people whether or not it's ok for him to talk to girls in more than a casual way?"
"He's never asked me that."
She rolled her eyes and plopped back down in the chair. "He shouldn't HAVE to and I honestly think that by now he just goes with it because he knows what the answer will be even if he does ask. Can you really get a good feel of his life and his struggles? He is an icon but at the same time he's still human. What kind of life is it where he can't even go out to be around girls without everyone causing a fuss?"
He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Lauren I can't control the tabloids any more than you can. The media has an obsession with him and that's not something I can stop."
"But what you COULD stop is the way Jive treats him and shelters him. These stupid rules were all your doing and if you limit the time he spends with his best friend who just happens to be a girl then I can only imagine what the other rules are like when it comes to girls that he's actually interested in. He can't even go out clubbing like a normal guy his age can and let's not even start on what happens when he IS actually allowed to go. I doubt he could get anywhere near a girl or vice versa with the amount of security that is around him." She narrowed her eyes at him and took a deep breath to calm down. "No matter what you say Tom…THAT is all your doing and I'm telling you that it's like shoving his limitations down his throat. He's numb to it and right now he's so far into the rut that keeps him away from a seemingly normal life that he doesn't even fight to get out of it anymore."
"He can go out with the other guys and flirt with girls. There has never been anything holding him back from that."
"Nothing holding him back huh? Then why does he have the most bodyguards? Why is he scheduled to have more press things or more interviews to the point where he couldn't go out even if he wanted to? I'm a girl, his best friend even, and I have to fight to be near him so I can only imagine what it must be like for him to have to fight to talk to OTHER girls who are fans. It's not fair and it has never been fair. He's pimped to be the golden boy and you all sit back and watch the money roll in no matter what the cost may be to his life or his happiness."
Tom put his hands on his hips and glared at her. "He has something special and the fans see that. He's the closest one to their age and as the baby…"
"And as the baby Jive has decided to become his father and keep him away from any of the girls that might use him for the wrong reasons. I'm all for keeping him healthy and safe but this is wrong and it always has been. He is a smart guy and he knows what is right and wrong. You are all a bunch of people who try to think of what MIGHT happen if he were to publicly be interested in someone or go out and flirt with the fans. What you all don't know is that by keeping all of that hidden or halted before it could ever happen is in fact avoiding the problem. You all honestly don't know what would happen if he were to have a girlfriend because you've never allowed that to happen."
He sat on the edge of the table and sighed loudly. "So what you're saying is that he should be allowed to have a normal life full of girls, one night stands, and so on and so forth?"
He just wasn't getting this or he was very good at playing dumb. "What I'm saying Tom is that he should be treated like the other guys are treated. Spread his wings a little, let the world see that he's not immune to normal relationships just because he's a superstar, and leave him alone to live his personal life. When he signed on the dotted line it was for you all to take care of his professional career…not to dominate his private life."
"When he signed on the dotted line he gave up his private life because that private life of his DOES effect his professional one. We're not talking about some Broadway performer here. We're talking about a guy who…"
"Who sold his soul to the devil to make music. I'm not buying that and I refuse to believe it. You know Tom, your tune has changed a little bit here. I mean when we first sat down you were talking like you wanted Justin to have more freedom and now you're talking like you agree with the boundaries around him. What's the deal?"
"The deal is that you see him as some Joe-Shmoe who could live next door to you and come over to play a game of pickup basketball with the neighbors. I think it's admirable that you still hold on to seeing him as the normal guy you grew up with but he's NOT normal and I don't think he wants to be normal in any way. He LOVES the attention that is dealt his way. In fact, I think he relishes in it."
She rolled her eyes dramatically. "And once again here we are to what you think. Honestly Tom, I don't give a damn what you think. I know this guy and I'm telling you that he's hurting."
"You think that I don't know him?"
"You know the star Tom…I know the man."
He smiled and rubbed a still aching spot on his forehead. "You're not going to make this easy on me are you?"
"Am I missing something here? Make WHAT easy on you? You were the one who started this and I'm sorry if I'm not going to sit here and listen to your lies as you try to act all concerned and like you're a friend to everyone involved here. Actions speak much louder than words Tom and so far your actions show that you want to make everyone around you miserable."
She was always one to let arguments get the best of her and her anger right now had her right where he wanted her to be. "Like I said before…I really wish we could have avoided all this conflict so we could have worked through this together but now we're at a stand still."
"I guess so."
He watched her for a few seconds while the room was quiet and he saw the pouty look on her face. This was going extremely well. "I remember when I was Justin's age I wanted to date, to be a part of that normal crowd, to go out with the 'hot girls', and basically have someone there for me. In a way, in that situation they belong to you. It's an awesome feeling. Someone you can share your secrets with, who you trust, and who will have your back through anything."
He paused and his eyes widened as if he just realized something. "Hey wait a minute, the relationship you and Justin share is very similar to a boyfriend/girlfriend type thing. Have you ever thought of it that way?"
Lauren gave him a bored look and shook her head. "When someone is as pathetic as you are, do you realize it? I mean do you KNOW you're pathetic or are you in the dark about it?"
"Just give me a minute here. You two have all of those things but you're lacking, as far as I know, in the intimacy department. As in kissing and…you know…sex."
She sat up in the chair and swiveled around with a groan. "Hmm…I have a hunch. Kind of like disgusting, vile, perverted, and you know…you."
"You two aren't more than friends right?"
Lauren stood up and started walking to the door again. "What I am is gone."
His words stopped her though. "According to their contract I'm required to know about their private dealings. So tell me…what's going on between the Timberlake sheets?"
She stood with her back to him and glared at the door. "We're friends. Nothing more."
Tom grinned at her back and shook his head. Once again her willingness to argue was getting the best of her and he was thoroughly enjoying this. "Ah…I see. My poor naïve little Lauren. You two are closer than fur on a dog, you have a close history that includes A LOT of comfort, you're both very attractive young people, you're single, available, and you both do a whole hell of a lot of flirting with one another."
"I'll say this again Tom…we're just friends. The flirting is innocent."
"Would you like for it to mean more? For there to be more to the relationship other than friendship?"
She wasn't about to share anything with him and she wasn't under his control the way the people in this building were. "Sorry Tom. I'm not interested in playing any of the games you have going. This conversation was a waste of my time and yours because you know as well as I do that you haven't changed. This is just one more way that you try to manipulate people but I'm not going to let you do that. You're not going to force me or force Justin into anything because you feel like playing around."
"Very interesting choice of words." He hopped down off of the table and walked over to stand beside her. "Oh come on Lauren. I know you're not blind and that you've seen how attractive Justin has become. Yeah I know that your friendship with him means that you remember all the stupid mudfights and G.I.Joe birthday parties but can you honestly stand there and tell me that you don't see why those girls cry and scream his name every night? Are you going to stand there and tell me that when you look at him you see a normal, talentless, and average guy that was your friend for so long?"
"Or are you going to be honest with yourself and with everyone around you who sees how much you've REALLY noticed him lately, and admit that you understand everyone's fascination with him? That you understand why girls cry at the sight of him, that people want to be near him, and that you…you Lauren…are in the position that millions of girls would KILL to be in." He cautiously stepped in front of her and met her angry stare head on. "The thought has never raced through your mind about what it would be like to have that deep friendship turn into love? You've never once thought about what it would be like to have him look at you and need you on that level? You…would be the envy of millions."
She cleared her throat and fought not to slap him. Her voice was soft and controlled when she spoke. "I would be the envy of millions but not because the face on the poster loves me. I would be the envy of millions because the beauty that instills that man, the characteristics that make him who he is, would be in love with me. THAT is what they should envy and that is the only thing about him that is envious. The status and the bragging rights that come with him mean nothing to me."
Tom folded his arms over his chest and grinned at her as he stepped back. "You really DO have a deep love for the guy. Here I thought all this protectiveness was because of a childhood bond but it's much more than that for you. Isn't it Lauren?"
"What do you want from me Tom? Why can't you just leave everyone alone and let us live our lives?" She felt like crying from the frustration. "If you want to help, if this whole speech wasn't a total load of bullshit, then leave him alone and let him be happy."
There was a knock on the door and Tom opened it for a young woman to walk in. Lauren looked her over and fought not to roll her eyes. She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, long legs, long angelic blond hair, a killer body, plump in all the right areas, beautiful smile, and without a doubt this girl was enough to turn anyone's head. It wasn't that she was overly sexy in the way she dressed, but she could tell that this girl was every guy's wet dream and it was all in the way she carried herself. She was all feminine and all curves.
"I'll leave you two alone."
Tom laughed and introduced the two girls. "That's not necessary. Lauren this is Shai and Shai this is the girl I've been telling you about. This is Lauren Owsley."
Shai reached for Lauren's hand and gently shook it as she gave her the once over. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"I would say the same but I have no idea who you are or why you're here." It was rude of her to take out her anger on this innocent girl but she was getting a very uneasy feeling and Tom seemed a little too happy to have them both there.
Tom pulled out a chair for Shai and helped her sit down. "This is all about Justin and about him having that life you keep talking about. You can leave now Lauren and I'll take care of things with Shai here, or you can stay and talk this out."
She pushed her hair back and sighed. "WHY would I need to be involved in this? From the looks of her she's heading straight for a video or a dance spot on someone's tour so why do I need…"
"Like I said Lauren…this is about Justin."
That nagging feeling that something wasn't right here hit her full in the face as she walked around the table and sat down again. She hadn't believed Tom's words to begin with and she knew he hadn't come to a soul searching point in his life about anyone, much less Justin. Now he was sitting across from her with a grin on his face that was all too familiar and she had the scary feeling that she had just been led into a trap of some sorts. His story had changed too quickly and he looked to be enjoying this moment a little too much for it to be innocent.
She looked over at Shai and noticed the smirk that the girl gave her that displayed an attitude that she had missed before. Looking over at Tom she watched as he shuffled through the papers some more and then looked up at her. "What are you up to here?"
He turned to Shai and laughed. "What did I tell you? She's a spitfire and altogether too stubborn for her own good. This isn't going to be easy but trust me ok? Just remember what I told you on the phone yesterday and ignore her attitude or whatever she may fire out at you. How was the trip anyway?"
Shai gave Lauren another dirty look before smiling at Tom warmly. "It was fantastic. The apartment is beautiful."
Lauren looked back and forth between the two and lost her cool. "This display is making me sick so could you get on with it before I throw up? I need to meet the guys and I'm late."
Shai's attention was drawn to that statement. "They're here today?"
"Yes they certainly are. That's perfect for you right? If this situation goes your way." He looked over at Lauren again and saw her angry and confused look. "You're completely lost aren't you?"
"Wasn't that the plan?"
"No…the plan was for you to come in here and to act like a good little girl while I gave you my little story but you decided to fight me and to not believe me so I had to make sure a plan B was arranged. Although I'm not surprised that you fought me because all along that's all you have EVER done. Well the time has come for you to heed my warnings because you are in my court now and it's one that I rule heavy handedly."
She stared at him and waited for him to continue but the silence continued. "Oh I'm sorry. Was I supposed to tremble with fear just then? See you've got to cue me when the fear is supposed to start so I don't miss it."
Tom looked at Shai and nodded. "Now you see why I warned you?"
"I can't believe Justin would be interested in something like her. Why don't we just forget about her and go with the original plan? He doesn't need a girl like her dragging him down."
Lauren whipped around and narrowed her eyes on the girl. "Excuse me, but who the hell asked you to offer your insight? Why don't you just sit over there with your K-Mart hair extensions, your wannabe Britney Spears voice, and butt the hell out."
"Whatever. I don't wear fake hair."
"No…just a fake ass personality. Did you join the 'tee hee' club on purpose or were you born into it?"
Tom stood up and held his arms up. "Ladies please."
"Tom I don't need this. I didn't come to Orlando for this."
Lauren sat back in her chair and laughed. "Why did you come to Orlando? Were the streets you were working back home not supporting your habit?"
"I don't do drugs."
"Who was talking about drugs? I was talking the habit you have of looking and sounding like a complete MORON."
Tom took a deep breath and yelled out. "ENOUGH! Shai keep your mouth closed and Lauren you are NOT in the position to be going off. I'm going to remind you again that your smart mouth is what got you into this position in the first place."
"And what exactly is that position?"
He smiled as he sat down and looked her over casually. "I tried to work with you, I tried to let you see that you needed to listen to me and to follow my rules, but you decided to do whatever the hell you wanted to do so now it's time to show you exactly what I can do when I'm pushed."
Shai smiled and pointed at her. "This would be your cue to tremble."
"I'll get to it later."
"Lauren I want you to listen and I want you to listen well. I wasn't lying earlier when I said that Justin should have a life and that I shouldn't have avoided that. You two did wake me up to that fact but you also woke me up to the fact that no matter what…you two are too strong together to break apart. So how about having the best of both worlds?"
Lauren sat forward and leaned her arms on the table. "Could you be any more vague?"
He stood up and walked around behind Shai. His fingers ran through her hair softly. "I gave you every opportunity in the world to work with me and to see things my way but now it's too late."
Lauren looked at Shai and she was beginning to catch on. This girl was going to be sent out to work her way into Justin's life or the way Tom was thinking…seduce him. "I thought you said that he shouldn't be forced. You said that he should have more freedom."
His fingers continued to stroke her hair. "No sweetheart…you said that. I said that Justin needs to have a life and I'm going to give him one. Right Shai?"
She leaned into his caressing hands and nodded. "Oh definitely."
Lauren's breathing quickened with anger. "What do you want here?"
Shai smiled up at Tom before looking at Lauren. "I want Justin…and Tom is going to help me get him."
Lauren was so angry that she couldn't see anything but red. "No…no…NO you can't do this. Do you think that Justin would be stupid enough to fall for a girl like her? To fall for her stupid intentions? He would see right through her and there's no way that he would go along with it. Every day he has girls throwing themselves at his feet and he can see right through them. Why do you think she would be any different?"
Tom walked back over to his chair and sat down purposefully. "I think that he will have no choice. Smothering him is one thing, sheltering him is something else, but forcing him is something altogether different. My original plan was to see how much he liked our beautiful Shai here, have her hang around and get to know him, and then push them to hook up. But I changed my mind. I changed my mind when you started talking about how much you care for him and how the fans have never been given a chance to see him with a girlfriend before. That got me thinking and I think I want to put that little experiment to the test."
"What does that have to do with me or with her?"
He grinned at her question and could taste the triumph in this situation. "Do you realize how much of a gang you and Justin are together? The bond you two share is unbreakable and I've been wracking my brain to try to figure out what the weak link is. I think the feelings that you two are developing for each other…THE feelings…you know what I'm talking about are going to be to my advantage here. Not to mention the blinding protectiveness you have for him and I got a true feel for that a few minutes ago when you answered some of my decoy statements and questions. Do you realize how much you give away in your anger Lauren? Do you realize that you've laid this one right into my lap with the loyalty that you two SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER?"
"Tom…stop with the games and spit it out."
He shrugged and looked between the two of them. "What I'm saying is that I'm getting really tired of having to cover Justin's butt. The Britney rumors are driving me insane and it's hell on earth trying to shield that boy from everything that goes on in the world around him. But…if he had a girlfriend, a girlfriend that all the fans talked to, a public girlfriend who they adored, a girlfriend that he could parade around with in public…then a lot of my headaches would be gone."
Lauren shook her head in disbelief. "THIS is your master plan? Let me save you some of the drama here…it won't work. Just a few words to Mr. Stephens and Jive will halt this game you have going on here."
Tom's grin broadened as he leaned on the table. "Who do you think authorized this?"
Nobody needed to cue her to be frightened because this was turning out to be a nightmare. She didn't know the exact details about what he was up to yet, but if this was just the beginning then she knew that he had been planning this for a while, and was ready for anything.
"So you give him a girlfriend…you can't force him to like her. He'll hate her by the time I get through telling him what this is all about. He'll hate YOU for forcing him into all this and caging him like an animal."
Tom stood up and paced back and forth in front of her happily. "I'm SO glad you brought that up. You won't tell him Lauren because if you do…you're gone."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh you heard me right. You see, I've been given the new duties of controlling who is allowed around the guys, the studio, press conferences, appearances, and any other thing they might attend. If you blow this, if you spout off at the mouth like you're fond of doing, then I'll have to make sure that you're nowhere near any of them again. Do you catch my drift?"
"You can't do that."
He stopped pacing and smiled at her. "That's where you're wrong, and it won't matter how much they bitch to their families, to the heads of this company…the decision will still be mine. Tell me Lauren, would they break their contract with Jive and leave because you're not allowed to be around them as long as they're in the public eye as N SYNC or would they go with the flow and try to deal with it?"
She knew without a doubt that they loved her, but they wouldn't break their contract with Jive as their album was coming out just because she wasn't allowed to be near them or around them when they traveled or performed. There was a limit to what they could do and this was it. "This is insane."
"This is business honey and I've told you before…I'm the best at it. But don't feel all upset just yet. I plan on giving you the opportunity of a lifetime here."
She looked down at her hands and folded them together to hide their trembling. "And what's that?"
"You WILL keep your mouth shut about this whole conversation and about Shai or you will not exist to them unless they seek you out in between schedule breaks which you know are few in the next…oh…year or so. In fact, you're going to sign a privacy agreement before you leave here today. Now this is the fun part…"
He stopped right in front of her and leaned over the table towards her. "You gave yourself away earlier when you talked about what Justin meant to you and you also gave away your feelings. You're so hot for that boy that you can't see straight and I know that those feelings mixed with protectiveness will cause you to accept this offer without any hesitation."
He waited until she looked up at him before continuing. "I want Justin to have a girlfriend, a public one to shut everyone up, and I'm going to offer that position to you."
Her eyes widened and she took several deep breaths before answering. "You want to offer that POSITION to me? It's not a business decision Tom. This isn't a game or some movie where you can just decide to have people together because the script or rules say so. This is real life and we're talking about people's emotions here. You can't just put someone on his arm and expect the feelings to naturally come with that."
"I think that you two have more feelings going for one another than you realize right now. Those will all come out with time but you are getting this offer first. The offer is for you to be his girlfriend in the public eye, to tour with them, to go to awards, to dinners, and every other thing that involves being his girlfriend. Just think Lauren, you can kiss him, can cuddle with him, be with him, and be the envy of every girl out there. Not a bad deal at all."
She couldn't look at him any longer so she turned to look out the window. "And if I say no?"
"Then Shai signs the contract and she will be the face you see on every teen magazine on Justin Timberlake's arm."
She looked over at Shai and saw the determined and needy expression on her face. It made her sick to her stomach. "Contract?"
"You don't think that I would get involved in something like this without some things to cover my own ass do you? The contract would lay out all the details and it would ensure that you don't go out in public and say that it was all a farce. Although…if it were YOU with Justin then it might not be a lie. I'm sure you two would face up to the feelings if given enough time in the right setting."
Lauren stood up and walked over to the window. "The feelings aren't there right now though and that's not something I can force in him. DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THAT? You want him to have a girlfriend in public but we are just friends right now."
"The key word is 'now' Lauren. But I do understand your concern so I'm going to give you some time to make it a reality. After you sign the contract you will have four weeks to become a couple. In four weeks you two need to be at the kissing stage, the holding hands stage, the snuggling stage, and whatever else you teenagers like to do when you're in love. It needs to be visible though and if in four weeks you two are at that stage then real or not we will go public with it. I'm sure that in four weeks you could get him to see you for the beautiful girl you are…even if you're not into it."
She hugged her arms around herself and tried not to break down. This couldn't be happening. "If we're not a couple in four weeks?"
"Then it's Shai's turn and I don't care if he likes her or not…it will be a public relationship and you will be gone. Let me say this clearly…if you say no you will be gone, if you can't become a couple in four weeks then you'll be gone, and if you talk you'll be gone. Any failure that you have will push the cards into Shai's deck and trust me when I say that she's more than willing to take your spot here Lauren. In fact, she's itching to get her hands on the boy."
She closed her eyes and refused to look at either one of them. "I have school and I can't miss all of those days."
"This is where the friendship and the loyalty becomes a real bitch. I guess you'll have to quit school. Tell me Lauren, do you love him enough, are you devoted enough to him, and do you care enough to give up some of your own dreams to protect him?"
"It's not possible that you're doing this. You can't be serious."
He walked over to stand in front of her and leaned in close to whisper. "To answer your earlier question… when someone is as cornered as you are, do you realize it? I mean do you KNOW you're at my mercy or are you in the dark about it?"
She looked up and saw the most merciless and angry eyes she had ever seen in her life and for the first time she was scared of him. She was scared because he had worked hard to find a way to corner her. She couldn't turn to anyone about any of this and no matter what decision she made…Justin would be pushed into something he wasn't ready for. "Justin and I are friends and to push that relationship into developing in four weeks is too much. There's no way that it can develop into that in four weeks when for nineteen years we've only been friends."
He reached out and touched her hair. "Then I suggest you do whatever it takes to make sure that it DOES happen."
He walked away and she couldn't believe it when he held a contract up for her to see. "I can't make this big of a decision now. You expect me to give you my answer right now when you've just told me about it?"
"Hmm…you might be right. Well I'm a business man and I know what it's like to have to think over things before a deal is made so how does a week sound to you? I'll give you a week to think things through and to come to a decision. Better yet, I'll give you until March eleventh so that will be a week and a half. I checked and saw that your school has spring break all next week so it would be to your best interest to come with Justin to New York while they do promotional things and appearances. That might give you a…ahem…FEEL of what you can or can't make him do."
"No matter what I decide…it's going to fail."
He shrugged lazily. "Then I guess Shai should get ready to be a star."
Lauren looked at Tom's satisfied smile and Shai's eager one, and she tried her hardest not to cry. Crying wasn't something she did often but this evil man was pulling her world apart. He was making her struggle with her own needs, her own dreams, her need to protect Justin, and her willingness to shield him from anything that could possibly harm him. Her senses and her emotions were on overload because there was no way to get around this. Either way Justin would be forced into pain whether it be from being forced to be with Shai or it was being mislead into thinking that she was interested in him for the wrong reasons. Pushing him to fall for her or look at her that way wasn't possible. He either liked her or he didn't and she couldn't help wondering how weirded out he was going to be when she would have to basically attack him for four weeks. If he didn't want or like the attention from her then she would have to push it anyway and if he still resisted then the plan would come out because Tom would put his other idea into motion.
"So Lauren…do we agree to think about it?"
His slimy voice broke her out of her thoughts and she nodded slowly. "A week and a half and I'll give you my answer then."
He held out a pen for her to take and pushed a paper in front of her. "The privacy agreement. Sign it."
She looked down at the paper in front of her and expected it to burn her up along with it. This was a pact with the devil and the fact that this all had to be a joke kept replaying over and over inside her head. Finally she reached down and scrawled her name on the space provided. "Are we done here?"
He took the paper and checked his watch. "We are done and it has been a pleasure doing business with you Lauren. If you have any questions or you have a burst of stupidity where you want to go blab this to everyone then I think you had better talk to me first. I'm not playing around here at all."
The two of them watched as she grabbed her things and stormed out of the room. When the door slammed behind her Tom gave Shai a satisfied grin and laughed up at the ceiling. "That was really all too easy."
"Why did I move all the way to Orlando if you're going to let her be with Justin?"
"Don't worry my dear, this is only the beginning. You will be needed before this is all over and I guarantee that. By the time this is finished, those two won't be able to stand the sight of one another and then…then he'll be yours."
Lauren slowly made her way down the hallway towards the room where the guys were waiting for her and she battled with the inner demons taking over her. Her shoulders were slumped with defeat and that was nothing compared to the helplessness that was raging inside of her. She knew that Tom was dangerous but she had no idea that he was capable of something like this. She had always assumed that he had a problem with the way everyone treated him but most of his respect problems were caused by the fact that he didn't respect anyone else. Now he was set to destroy two people's lives and it was up to her to decide how to handle that.
She walked up to a window that allowed her to see into the room where the five of them were gathered and laughing over something. She couldn't hear what they were talking about but it touched her heart to see them all sitting around and giggling over something that Chris undoubtedly had a hand in creating. Her eyes roamed over each one of them and her heart pounded with love when she looked closely and saw the excitement and joy on their faces. They were on top of the world and she couldn't be more proud of them than she was now. The album was going to be released in a few weeks and in their opinion sales numbers and records meant nothing. This new album was an extension of their hearts and acceptance or not…they were proud of it.
Her eyes slid over to Justin and she felt her eyes burning when she looked at him and saw the excitement on his face and the laughter. It hurt her to know that he had no idea what kind of evil was surrounding him right then and it hurt to know that for the first time she had to keep him in the dark about something. She couldn't turn to him about this and she couldn't lean on him to make everything ok.
He turned towards the window and smiled brightly when he saw her. Lauren took a deep breath and tried her best to smile back as she waved. He ran over to the door and opened it for her. "There you are! We've been worried about you. You're never late for anything Val." He saw her strained expression and her flighty eyes. He closed the door and pulled her away from the window to stand in front of her. "Val? Is something wrong?"
She took a deep breath and shook her head. "No…nothing is wrong. I'm just tired."
His hand cupped her cheek and he raised her head to look at him. "I'm not buying that. What is it?"
"Really Justin…it's just…finals. Not finals…I mean midterms. They're kicking my butt and I really can't wait to have a week off next week."
"OOH that's right. Spring break! Are you going to the beach or are you coming with us to New York?"
She saw Tom coming down the hallway and closed her eyes. "I'm uh…I'm coming to New York if that's ok?"
He looked at her curiously and wondered what the hell was going on with her. "Are you kidding? That's more than ok. I was going to get Miranda or Jayce to talk you into coming with us but since you're going to anyway then I can leave out the death squad."
Tom looked at the two of them and smiled brightly. "Justin…Lauren…having a good day?"
Lauren's head turned towards the wall and Justin didn't miss the way she closed off. "The day is fine so far Tom."
He grinned at Justin and kept walking. "Glad to hear it. My day has been wonderful."
When Tom was gone Justin put his hands on both of Lauren's cheeks and looked at her closely. "I want to know what's wrong and don't you dare say that it's nothing."
Her eyes slowly opened and she saw the concern radiating out of his expressive blue eyes. "I told you…the midterms. I have a headache too so would you guys get mad if I postpone this meeting to another day?"
"Another day?"
"I…I know this is your week off and that you've been waiting for me. Nevermind…it was rude to ask. I can talk about the plans with you all if you need me to."
She looked like she was ready to drop and weakness was something she rarely showed so it scared the hell out of him to see it in her now. "It can wait. It can wait for a month if that's how long it takes to get around to it. We were going to be here anyway to work on a few things and so it's not like we made a special trip. I'm sure they'll understand. How about we get out of here and go get something to eat. My treat."
"I'm not hungry."
"Then I know something is wrong and you're coming with me whether you like it or not. Just stay right there while I tell the guys."
She watched him walk away and wondered how in the world she was going to seduce this man. She had never in her life seduced any man or sought out a man and now she was being asked to hunt him like some kind of prey. Only this was worse because she was hunting his feelings and true or not…it felt dirty. He was her friend and now she was being forced into making him her target.
He appeared a few minutes later and grabbed her hand as he shrugged on his jacket. Lauren smiled when Chris and Lance had their faces pressed up against the glass and they both acted like they were kissing her through the glass. She stopped in front of them and leaned forward to kiss them both on the lips through the glass. They high fived each other as Justin gave them a playful look of warning and pulled on her hand to walk down to the elevator.
In the elevator Justin watched her and noticed the way she was hugging herself as if she was trying to console herself in some way. "You know that whatever it is…I'll help you if I can."
"I know."
"What do you say to having dinner at my new house? I told you about closing the deal the other day right and the guy came by the studio today to give me the keys. We can ride over there and check things out. How about we take my car and then I'll bring you back here to get yours later tonight?"
"That…that sounds great."
Her tone was dead and it was pissing him off that she wouldn't allow him to help her. He felt useless and he felt on edge because whenever anything bothered her it bothered him as well. When the doors opened he grabbed her hand again and pulled her along behind him as he walked quickly down the hallway to the door that led to the private parking garage. Lauren almost had to run to keep up with him and no questions were asked when he opened his car door and motioned for her to get inside. A few seconds later he was in the driver's seat and the car was speeding off.
He drove quickly and neither one of them said anything. Justin turned off the radio and concentrated on the road in front of him while he wondered what was up with her. He drove much faster than he should have and they made it to his new house in record time. After pulling through the security gates he drove up to the door and waited for her to get out and walk around to stand beside him before he said anything. "It's beautiful huh?"
She could hear the pride in his voice and the amazement that this building was indeed HIS house. "It's wonderful but where are you going to get all the furniture to furnish this thing?"
He shrugged and unlocked the door. "I'm not worried about that right now. I'm going to start moving the furniture I do have tomorrow and hopefully get all of that over here before we leave next week. Come on in."
She was shocked to find that the power was already turned on but with his excitement level going she wasn't too surprised that he had made a few phone calls to set everything up. "I thought you would pick the other house. The one closer to your mom's house."
"Yeah well this one grew on me and I like the space."
"You definitely have space. You have enough space to have the entire crew stay here on hiatus."
They walked into the empty kitchen and Lauren smiled at the sight of it. It was going to be a very neglected kitchen because she couldn't imagine Justin ever being around long enough to cook much but at least it was there and it was functional if he DID want to use it. "So what did you want to eat?"
"How does pizza sound?"
"Fattening."
"Then that's what we'll order. Why don't you look around while I make the call."
She knew she was being a pain and she was being a bummer to be around. He was beyond excited to show her his new house and here she was closed off and basically ignoring him while her tired brain chewed on what had happened with Tom. She walked out onto the huge screened in patio and smiled at the pool that was without a doubt heated which struck her as funny. A heated pool in Orlando was the ultimate oxymoron.
As she stared down at the pool Justin's arms slid around her from behind and he hugged her to his chest while his chin rested on her shoulder. "The pizza should be here in about twenty minutes."
She nodded and leaned her cheek against his. "I'm still not very hungry."
"You're still acting very strange and you're worrying me Val. Did I do something?"
She turned in his arms and touched his face. "No…of course you didn't do anything and I think maybe I'm getting a cold or something. I've felt kind of down all day and the stress from the tests is getting to me." It pained her to lie to him but lies were all she had at the moment.
He leaned down and picked her up as he hugged her. Her arms linked around his neck and her fingers slid onto his hair as she buried her face into his neck and felt his arms tighten around her. He turned his head to whisper into her ear. "You mean the world to me Val. You know that right?"
That was enough to make the dam break inside of her and tears quickly came to her eyes but she moved to rest her face against his shirt so he wouldn't feel them against his skin. "I know Justin…I know."
He lowered her until she was back on her feet and kissed her cheek as he pulled back. He was shocked to feel the wetness of tears on her cheeks against his lips. He didn't have to say anything because when she looked up at him another tear slid down her cheek and she saw in his eyes that he wasn't going to let this go. The look on his face was too worried and too determined to let this slide. "How about we go inside and have a little chat."
That was exactly what she was afraid of because she was going to have to lie to him and there was no avoiding that. She nodded and felt his hand grasp hers before they started walking towards the house.
She looked up at the sky as they walked through the doorway and said a quick prayer for everything to be ok.
It just had to be ok because if it wasn't…she didn't have anything left.