As he had expected, Tom had underbooked the vans once again but what he didn't count on was Lauren's presence in that van. When things were too tight she had plopped down on Justin's lap and had smiled brightly when Tom had given her a dirty look along with Shai. The more he watched Shai the more he wondered what she was all about and why a girl would lower herself to be a part of Tom's plan this way. The only reason why she was there in the first place was to get at him and there was no doubt in his mind that she was being paid to be there. That constituted prostitution in his opinion and he wasn't about to let Tom be his pimp in any way, shape, or form.
They finally arrived at the restaurant where they were scheduled to have lunch and the tables were already set up in the back room for them. One long table was going to hold all of them and Justin wasn't surprised by the shrieks of excitement they caused when they walked through the place. Fans seemed to be everywhere and this was no exception. They were practically paraded through the restaurant like they were part of a show and the fans inside were all gaping and breathing heavy at the mere sight of them. This wasn't going to be a day off in any way; this was going to be a day where they would have their fame thrown in their faces. It made him tired to think about and it made him wish for a little more privacy in his already more than public life.
Lauren sat down beside him at the table and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah I'm fine. I just don't see why we're here or why our days have to be scheduled to the point of us being toddlers being led around by a nanny."
"Hmm…Tom as a nanny. That's the stuff horror movies are made of. Oh wait, I take that back. There are a few scarier things around here."
They both looked up when Shai sat down across from Justin and smiled sweetly. "You don't mind if I sit here do you?"
"Actually…"
Justin elbowed her and shook his head. "It's a free country."
When Lauren opened her mouth to say something else, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. "She wants to make a scene and we have the power to make sure that she sees all that she wants to see and more."
"There are fans here who can see you."
"I'm aware of that, but remember what I told you. Follow my lead and bite your tongue."
Lauren pulled back and placed her napkin in her lap. "I don't remember the biting the tongue advice."
"Well now you do."
Lunch was pretty uneventful for the most part. The fans were held back by bodyguards and the conversations ranged from what hell they were going to go through starting Tuesday all the way to what was going on in the world. Lauren and Shai were shooting daggers at one another the entire time and Justin had to admit that it was interesting seeing how far Lauren would go to protect him.
"So Justin, is there anything you're looking for in particular?"
He looked up at Shai when she purred the words at him. "Looking for?"
She leaned on the table and he didn't miss the way she purposefully pushed her breasts on the table. "You know…something for yourself while you're here."
"Ah…yes I know exactly what I want and trust me when I say that I'm not looking for second best or anything that is overly…used."
Lauren held her napkin up to her mouth and whispered. "Bam!"
Shai gave Lauren an angry look and then plastered a sweet smile on her face again. "And what about you Lauren? Are you after anything in particular?"
Lauren leaned in and put her hand on Justin's leg under the table. "You're talking to me? I have just about everything I could ever want, and then some."
"Val…"
Shai ignored him and continued her conversation. "Oh I'm sure that's true, but I often wonder if you know how to handle everything that you have. An inexperienced girl like yourself has to be challenged a bit."
"Challenged? Honey let me put your fears to rest and assure you that I know exactly what I'm doing here."
"Val…"
Shai rolled her eyes and turned to Justin. "Does she really know? Of course you wouldn't know because I can't imagine you ever taking on a project as big as she is. I mean, Justin Timberlake doesn't need to settle for second best. Isn't that what you said?"
He could feel Lauren's hand tensing on his leg. "I said that but I wasn't exactly referring to Lauren. She's about as far to the top in my life as a person could get."
"I see, but don't you kind of get tired of the same BORING thing all the time?"
Her hand tightened even more and he winced against the pain. "I think you underestimate the power of innocence."
"Maybe because she's about as innocent as a porn convention."
He gave Lauren a stern look and reached down to pry her hand off of his leg. "Shai, I assure you that I know what's best for myself, but I do appreciate your concern."
She blinked a few times and smiled at him. "Yes I'm sure you do. You seem to be very…WELL taken care of in every department."
Lauren looked up and saw the blush that now covered him and she felt herself turning red as well only her redness wasn't caused by embarrassment. She wanted to slam Shai down and show her just how it felt to have her 'innocent' hands slammed into her face. "Shai I'm sure if you…"
She held a hand up and interrupted. "So Justin, it must be lonely touring around the world without anyone special being with you."
Miranda's eyes widened when she overheard her say that and she looked down the table to see that Lauren was at a very dangerous point. "Oh my."
Lauren definitely was at a dangerous point and it was growing with every word the girl spoke. "Just who do you…"
"Justin? Does it get lonely? Because you know that I'll lend a…hand…whenever you need comforting."
Lauren snapped and Justin was had been waiting for it so he was more than prepared. He managed to keep her in her seat but he wasn't quick enough to stop her from grabbing the ketchup bottle in front of her and squirting it across the table all over the front of Shai's shirt. "Dammit Val."
The entire table froze in shock as Shai stood up and tried to wipe the mess off of her shirt. She only succeeded in spreading it even more. "What are you DOING! This shirt is worth more than YOU ARE!"
Lauren flicked the bottle closed and smiled as Justin jerked it out of her fingers. "Sweetheart I think you're confused a little here. I don't have a price tag on myself…unlike some people. I just thought that the ketchup would go really well with the grease that's already on your forehead."
Justin put the bottle down and leaned in to whisper. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Just proving a point dear…just proving a point."
Shai started crying in humiliation and raised her sad eyes to Justin. "Did you see what she just did? I've never been so embarrassed in all my life!"
Lauren laughed and reached for the bottle of mustard in front of her but Justin caught her hands. "You know, they have plenty of feminine hygiene products for that little problem you're having right now."
Justin turned to her and glared. "Ok that's enough. You've proved your point."
"Oh I'm just getting warmed up here."
They watched as Shai walked off to the bathroom and Lauren looked over at Miranda who winked at her. "Ok maybe I got a little bit out of hand but I'm sick of…" Her eyes caught Tom's angry ones and she realized that she couldn't say too much without blowing their cover. "I'm finished eating and I want to get out of here."
Justin looked down at his still half-full plate and sighed. "I'm not ready to go yet so just drink your water and try to cool down."
Miranda stood up and rubbed JC's shoulders. "I'm finished too. Lauren do you want to go out and spend some money?"
Tom grinned and sat back in his chair. "I think that's a great idea. You two go shopping and then we won't have to explain why you two are with the guys. Excellent idea."
Miranda rolled her eyes and kissed JC's cheek. "Yeah I was really trying to help you out. I'll see you when we meet up at two o'clock."
JC kissed the back of her hand and smiled up at her. "I'll love you forever if you go to Victoria's Secret while you're here."
She slung her bag over her shoulder and tapped the tip of his nose playfully. "Thank you SO MUCH for cheapening our relationship in front of all these people. Oh how you rock. Coming Lauren?"
Lauren pushed her chair in and saw Justin's relieved expression. "We'll catch you later."
He pulled on her arm and she could see that he wanted her to lean down and kiss him, but that wasn't possible. "Justin there are fans everywhere in here."
"Good point but you owe me later."
"Yes sir."
When the two of them made it outside of the restaurant, Lauren was shocked when Miranda sat down on a bench and covered her face with her hands. "Miranda? Are you ok?"
She moved her hands and looked up at her with a laugh. "I have never in my life fought so hard not to bust out laughing. The look on that girl's face when you squirted ketchup on her was…was…priceless!" She started laughing hard and Lauren sat down with a giggle.
"Yeah that WAS pretty satisfying. Did you hear what she was saying?"
Miranda wiped the tears out of her eyes and cleared her throat. "Oh I heard and I also caught on to the predatory look in her eyes. She's pretty determined to get her hands on Justin."
"Only over my dead body. I can't believe he sits there and takes that!"
They both stood back up and started walking. "He takes it because even though he hates it…it's exciting. I mean who wouldn't LOVE having two girls fighting over him."
"Who says that I'm fighting over him?"
Miranda gave her a lazy look and smiled. "You have 'he's mine' signs all over you and I'm glad we're alone because I would LOVE to hear about that kiss yesterday at breakfast. What's up with that?"
"The…the kiss? Oh that was nothing really. Just a friendly peck to let me know that he's glad I'm here."
"I don't claim to be the Justin/Lauren expert, but I've never seen you two kiss before and lately you two just seem, I don't know, CLOSER."
They walked into an accessory store and Lauren picked up a hat before answering. "Hmm…that's interesting you say that. By the way, have you found out anything interesting?"
"I found it interesting that Mr. Stephens dodged Justin's questions the other day. THAT is interesting."
"So Justin told you about that? I told him he should." She put on the hat and posed in front of the mirror.
"He told me and I made sure to write that down for future research. There's a story there and I'm determined to figure it out. Oh you've got to see this."
Lauren looked over at her and saw that she was in the N SYNC section. "What do they have out now?"
Miranda held up earrings that had JC's face on them. "I don't know, are these a bit much for me?"
"Just a tad. Oh this is just pathetic. N SYNC earrings, N SYNC bracelets, N SYNC pillows, N SYNC SHOWER GEL? Who thinks of all this crap?"
Miranda put the earrings back and shook her head. "Who BUYS this crap? The next thing you know they'll have some sort of N SYNC lipgloss. That will be a sad sad day."
Lauren giggled and picked up a notebook that had Justin's face on it. "Surely they wouldn't go that far. That's just…wrong. But now that I think about it, what flavor would they be?"
Miranda peered over the display. "WHAT?"
"You know, the lipgloss. What flavor would each of them be? I think Lance would be something simple, not too flashy, and all American like…apple."
"Good choice. Joey would be chocolate…smooth and created to satisfy."
They both started laughing when an older lady walked away mumbling under her breath. "Hmm…Chris?"
They looked at each other and answered together. "PURE SUGAR."
"JC?"
Miranda actually blushed and then sighed while she thought about it. "Cheesecake."
"I don't even want to know."
"Noooo you probably don't. Justin? I see him as something spicy like cinnamon."
Lauren stared down at the notebook still in her hands and grinned. "Nah…he's chocolate frosting all the way. Soft, smooth, worthy of plenty of lip smacking, and he goes well on top of anything sweet."
Miranda's eyes widened and she whistled softly. "Now I'M the one who doesn't want to know the gory details, but don't EVEN insult my intelligence by saying that there's nothing going on between you two. Whew…now THAT is something that even I would put on my lips."
Later on they were sitting in front of the mall with a drink and were talking about nothing when Lauren heard her name called. She turned around fully expecting one of the guys to be standing there but she saw Tristan instead. "Oh wow…hi there."
He walked over to them and smiled even brighter as he looked her over. "You're looking good today. Oh and how are you Miranda?"
"I'm tired of sitting here but other than that I'm wonderful. How are you Tristan?"
He put his bags down and rubbed his hands together excitedly. "You're not going to believe how wonderful I am. I thought this trip was going to be all about watching N SYNC and seeing how everything goes in the business when an album is released, but I'm going to be performing tomorrow night. Can you believe it? Jive lined up a performance for me here in New York!"
Lauren smiled at his enthusiasm. "Congratulations. Do you know where you'll be performing?"
"They said outside of the Virgin Megastore. It's going to be part of the album celebration so I'll get to play for the people who are waiting for the album party and for the signing. Do you realize how many people are going to be there? This is AMAZING!"
Miranda checked her watch and saw that the guys were late once again. "That's fantastic and I'm sure the fans are going to be all over whatever you play. Do you have a few things picked out to play?"
"I think I have a good idea of what I want them to hear. I can't believe this! You two are coming right?"
"If we're supposed to be there, then we'll be there."
He grabbed his bags and winked at Lauren. "I hope to see you there, even if it's only for a little while. I know how busy you are."
She knew Miranda was giving her the look that she was famous for and tried her best to ignore it. "I'll try my best."
"I have to run and find something to wear tomorrow so I'll talk to you all later."
Miranda waved as she watched him walk away and then giggled. "That boy is going to make it. Those eyes, that face, and those hands. Whew it makes me wonder what is in the water these days because cute guys are just popping up everywhere." She leaned closer to Lauren and smirked. "And you seem to have another admirer."
"Who Tristan? I've only talked to him twice and both times was nothing special. He's just a nice guy who needs someone to talk to. I'm around his age, I'm definitely the age of his target audience, and so I think he thinks that I'm the expert on what girls will think is cool. Now stop giving me that look."
"I'm not giving you any kind of look. I just think it will be interesting to see Justin's face when he finds out that you're going to Tristan's concert."
"Miranda, put the love sensors away and leave it alone. You're way off base with this one."
"Whatever you say Lauren. Oh there they are."
In the van on the way to the fitting, everyone was talking about what they bought at the mall and Lauren couldn't help laughing when Shai mentioned how she had to buy a new outfit because the one she had been wearing was ruined because of someone not worth mentioning. She would have said something back to her but Justin reached up and put his hand over her mouth with a tired look on his face. He wasn't in the mood for another battle and she knew that if the battle got personal, he would jump in to protect her and her anger was nothing compared to his when he got really riled up.
While the guys were getting measured and fitted for their Academy Awards suits, Lauren watched them and smiled when she thought about how far they had come. Lately she had been doing that a lot because she was being reminded of it a lot, but never in her wildest dreams did she think that they would one day be performing on the Oscar stage, much less be up for an award like that. She felt like a proud parent and thinking about things like that made her want to run over and hug them over and over until they begged for mercy.
"Val, can you come here a second?"
She turned to see Justin standing in the doorway of the dressing area and nodded. "What do you need?"
He waited until she was beside him before he spun around in front of the mirror. "What do you think of this?"
She looked him up and down carefully. "I think it's ok. You kinda look like a penguin with the tails on that jacket."
"Too much?"
"Yeah…too much. Why not go simple? You rarely wear a suit anyway so this is your chance to go formal and shine. In Armani no less."
He shrugged out of the jacket and handed it to the man beside him. "We already have the performance suits made but this is for arrival. Black, blue, tan?"
"Definitely go black. Anything else you need me for?"
The smile that crossed his face was so devilish and so yummy that she couldn't help but blush. He pulled her close to him and hugged her while he swayed back and forth. "Thanks for being here with me."
"You're smothering me."
His arms loosened around her and he pulled back to touch her cheek. "Will you help me decide?"
"Sure I will. I need to go out there and tell Miranda where I am but I'll be right back."
He watched her walk away and he couldn't help but smile at her playfulness and the pure raw attitude of her walk. That thought carried him into the room he was changing clothes in and he smiled down at the buttons on his shirt as he undid them and then unfastened the cuffs at his wrists. He pushed the hot white dress shirt open and sighed when the cool air hit his chest. Trying on clothes was a chore in his opinion and trying on dress clothes for a nerve-wracking event was even harder to handle. It was too hot in there to be moving around this much in expensive clothes.
"Are you ready to try on the next set sir?"
He struggled with unbuckling the leather belt around his waist and shook his head. "Not yet. I need a few minutes to get out of this."
He heard the door open behind him and heard someone grab the jacket that he had just tried on. "That one was a little short in the shoulders. Maybe we should go up another size so it will be more comfortable. I wouldn't want it to rip if I moved the wrong way."
A long time ago he had gotten used to wardrobe people seeing him half naked or helping him get dressed so it didn't surprise him when he felt someone's hand run over the back of his shoulders and then follow the fabric down his back. "The shirt fits fine but it was the jacket that gave me a problem. Along with this stupid belt."
He felt the back of the shirt being lifted and then the waistline of his pants get tight as they were pulled on. He was just about to ask about stretching them when the person's fingers slid around his waist until their palms were flat on his stomach.
"Uh woah…wait a minute."
He looked down, saw two very feminine hands against him, and then smiled. "Very cute, Val. Could you help me with this belt or would that be asking too much?"
When her hands continued to massage his stomach, he pulled them down to his belt. "Since you're trying to do things the hard way, let's see you get this belt undone. Amaze me with your talents."
Her fingers let go and her hands ran over his chest and over his back again as she turned him around. Justin had a lazy expression on his face to show her that he wasn't amused at all, but that look turned quickly to shock when he saw Shai standing there with a satisfied grin on her face. "What are you doing?"
She reached for his belt and smiled brightly as she looked over his bare chest and bare stomach. "I was helping you out, and you were enjoying it."
Justin pushed her hands away and took a step back. "I thought you were someone else."
"That old man outside? That's pretty disgusting considering how I was touching you."
"I thought you were Lauren. You need to get out of here before she comes in and…"
Shai stepped closer to him and put her hand on his chest with a purr. "And what? She's outside talking to that stupid woman who drools all over JC and that will take a while."
Justin bumped into the wall behind him and he gripped both of her wrists to remove her hands from his chest. "Get out of here. I'm serious, get out of here."
"I'm sorry for invading your privacy this way but it was just a joke. I'm actually embarrassed by it. Forgive me?"
"It won't matter if I forgive you or not. If Lauren comes in and sees you here…let's just say that I'm not sure I'm strong enough to hold her back. Get it through your head that I'm NOT interested in whatever you're trying to give me."
She stepped back and shrugged. "You say that now, but there's plenty of time to change your mind."
He watched her saunter over to the door and he breathed a sigh of relief when the door closed behind her and he was alone again. Her boldness was really becoming creepy and he felt dirty whenever she was around. It wasn't that she was a dirty girl or even unattractive. In fact, had the circumstances not been what they were, he would be VERY attracted to her. But unfortunately they were and whenever she was around he was reminded of what so many people were after when it came to him…they wanted the body and they wanted the image.
A knock interrupted his thoughts and he cleared his throat nervously. "Who is it?"
"It's me. Open up."
There was nobody more cleansing than she was and after jerking the door open, he pulled her inside and hugged her tightly to his long frame.
Lauren was shocked by his sudden movement but she eventually put her arms around his waist and hugged him back. "Justin? What's wrong?"
"I just really REALLY needed a hug."
She pulled back after a few seconds and looked up at his red face. "You seem…I don't know…strange. Is everything ok?"
He swallowed hard and nodded. "Yeah everything is fine. It's just really hot back here and I'm sick of trying on all of these clothes. Not to mention the fact that nothing is fitting right and this stupid belt…"
She reached out and unsnapped the belt with a flick of her fingers. "There you go."
"I would ask how you did that or how you learned to do that so easily, but right now I don't think I want to know."
Her laughter filled the small space and then she lowered her voice to whisper. "Just like Julia Roberts said…I've got mooooves, you've never seen before."
His smile slowly disappeared and he reached out to touch her cheek softly. "You do huh?"
"It was…it was actually a joke. I was trying to make you laugh but I see you're not laughing so I failed miserably huh?"
"I think that you succeeded quite well."
One of his fingers trailed over her lips and she watched as his eyes followed the path that his finger was making. "Well um…unless you're laughing on the inside I…I guess it really doesn't matter."
He slowly leaned down to kiss her cheek and while his lips were on her skin he ran his hands over her arms and pulled them up over his shoulders. "It doesn't matter at all"
The tingly feeling was back and she made a quick promise to herself that she wasn't going to get her hopes up over anything here. But then her mouth had to ruin it all. "Justin? What…what are you doing? I mean, there's nobody here but us."
He kissed the tip of her nose and then opened his eyes to look straight into hers. "Who says we need an audience?"
"Not me. Definitely not something I would say."
The corners of his mouth twitched as he tried to fight a smile and she watched his head tilt to the side a split second before his hands cupped both sides of her face and pulled her up to meet his descending lips.
Lauren's eyebrows raised up when the light contact was made and her fingers tightened on the loose fabric of the half opened dress shirt he was wearing. After a few light kisses that helped him learn a little bit about how she was feeling, he opened his mouth wider and coaxed her lips open so he could deepen the contact.
The thought that this wasn't practice and this wasn't for show kept replaying over and over in Lauren's mind as she did her best to match his enthusiasm. She felt his hands slide around to the back of her head to where he grabbed onto her ponytails and used them to pull her closer. Her hands finally released his shirt and her fingers slid down the gaping portion of his shirt before very carefully her palms flattened against his chest and moved back up underneath the fabric to his bare shoulders.
Justin noticeably trembled against her and one of his hands moved to the small of her back to bring her flat against the front of him. She heard him groan deep within his chest and that only caused her heart to race. This was getting caught up in the moment considering that they were in a public place and were going at it like two lovestruck teenagers.
That's exactly what they were and she wasn't going to fight it anymore.
She moved her hands out of his shirt and drove her fingers into his hair in an attempt to draw him closer and it managed to work. Justin tilted his head to the side to get a better angle and he was surprised when his back hit against something hard.
He released her lips and spoke in a very breathy and husky voice. "Trying to prove a point here?"
"Are you willing to listen?"
He looked down at her swollen lips and then back at her eyes before shaking his head. "I'm kind of busy at the moment."
He leaned down to draw in her lips again and enjoyed the way she was pressed against him. In fact, he didn't know what he liked better…pushing HER against a wall or being the one pushed.
The door suddenly opened and JC stood there in the doorway. He quickly turned his head away with a cough when he saw them pull apart. "I just…I brought this jacket for you Justin. I'll hang it here and leave you two alone."
When the door closed, Lauren rested her forehead against his chest and cursed her stupidity. "So STUPID!"
Justin's head banged against the wall behind him and he ran a hand over his face. "How's THAT for an audience? What in the hell were we thinking? I can't even begin to imagine what that little interruption is going to start. I just…I don't even want to think about it."