“Miss Parks!  Miss Parks over here!”  Camera flashes pricked Sophie’s eyes and she slipped a large pair of sunglasses on, shielding her eyes from the constant bursts of light.  It had only been within the past few weeks that the journalists had started to gather in abundance and Sophie had yet to get used to it.  Following Deana—her anal retentive publicist—to the waiting SUV, Sophie thanked the gentleman who opened the door and quickly slid across the leather bench.

“Ok, so today’s agenda starts off with an interview and photo shoot for Cosmo and then we’ll head over to the studio for practice, ok?”

“Yeah.”

Leaning her head against the window, Sophie closed her eyes and tried to possibly catch a few more minutes of sleep before the whirlwind day officially began.  This year, thus far, had been more hectic than she could’ve imagined.  She had a feeling it was only going to get worse.  No doubt, Sophie was grateful for all the success, but so often these days she just felt so tired.

“Sophie?  Sophie, your phone is ringing,” Deana softly interrupted her thoughts.  She blinked quickly a few times and yawned as she reached for the device, wanting to silence the tinny ring.  Looking at the LCD screen, Sophie groaned at the flashing picture of her mother and silenced the ringer, tossing the phone back into her bag.  Laying her head once again against the window, she tried to relax for the last few precious moments.

“One more time from the top, Sophie!” she sighed and waited for the music to cue up before once again going through the routine.  Her body was tired.  It screamed for her to stop.  Of course, she knew she couldn’t.  Glancing tiredly at the clock on the wall, Sophie scowled at the time it displayed.  She still had an hour left of this crazy day before she could go home and relax.

As she struck her final pose, Sophie held it out and panted, feeling her chest rise and fall rapidly as she waited the obligatory dramatic five seconds before collapsing on the floor.

“Water break?” Darren questioned from the front of the room, chuckling at the young woman’s display of exhaustion.  Sophie raised her head and smiled at him, grateful for a momentary reprieve.  Pulling herself off the floor, Sophie moved where her water bottle sat on the floor next to her bag and nearly chugged half of its contents before rolling her shoulders to work out some of the kinks she began to feel settling there.

“Hey, Deana?  Have you gotten any ideas of who I might be touring with?”

Sophie’s management had mentioned that they planned to hook her up with a tour within a few months—the exact reason she found herself in the studio today.  But she had yet to hear with whom she would be touring.  Sophie was both excited and nervous.  Right after she had released her first single, she had spent some time on a few tours as a show opener.  The three song sets had been a great way to get her name and music out to the public and get feedback on her sound.  Sophie had learned quite a bit about performing and audience interaction during that time and was grateful, now that she was facing the prospect of touring again.

“Uh, I’ve heard a few names thrown out but nothing concrete yet,” Deana replied, not looking up from her blackberry.  Sophie was convinced the thing was glued to her hand.

“What names?”

“Last I heard there was talk of Gwen Stefani, Justin Timberlake, or Hilary Duff,” Deana replied absently, still concentrating on her handheld device.  Sophie had no thoughts on which tour she wanted to be placed on.  She was just thankful that she would get to be performing so much, getting her name out there some more.

“You should try to push for Justin’s tour,” Darren interjected Sophie’s thoughts and she turned to her choreographer.

“Why’s that?”

“I think his tour will bring you the most exposure.  He’s also a helluva nice guy.  I worked with him when he was in N SYNC.  One of the nicest guys.  You’d like him,” Darren commented and Sophie didn’t have much to add, having never met the man before in her life.  What she had heard about him, however, had been a mix of both positive and negative reviews of his personality and temperament.  She didn’t have much time to think about the complexities of Mr. Timberlake’s personality, however, because Darren declared her break over and Sophie heaved a great sigh before dragging herself to the middle of the room.

 

“Are you coming out here for Christmas?” Justin questioned absently as he idly sifted through a stack of mail on his counter top. 

“I thought I might come out for a few days before Christmas.  I need to be back here for Christmas Day, though.  Oh, Justin, are you sure you can’t come home for Christmas?” his mother questioned, her voice filled with sadness.

“I’m sorry, momma, but I just can’t make it this year,” he replied, hating to disappoint her but knowing he had commitments with the tour starting just after the beginning of the year.  This would be the first year he would miss his family Christmas.  When he was in N SYNC they always insisted they have at least Christmas day free of obligations.  Even if they were only home for one day, at least they made that much.  He now wished he had insisted the same thing for his own solo career.

“It’s not going to be the same without you here.”

“You’re making me feel guilty, momma.  I’m really sorry, but with the tour starting up so soon after the holidays I just can’t get away.”

“I know, baby, I know.  I’m sorry.  I’ll call you with all my flight details when I get them,” his mother stated, changing the subject and hoping to avoid angering her son.

“Ok.  I’ve gotta get going.  I’ll talk to you soon.”

“All right.  Love you,” she cooed into the phone.

“Love you, too.  Bye, momma.”

Justin pressed the END button on his cell phone and set it down on the counter, sighing when it sprang to life once again and started vibrating and flashing the name of his publicist on the screen.  Justin briefly contemplated not answering it and listening to the voicemail sure to be left behind, but finally relented and connected the call.

“Hello?”

“I need you to come to a dance studio tomorrow before your rehearsal,” Ken spoke by way of hello.  Leave it Ken to skip proprieties and go straight for the business at hand.

“What for?”

“New opener prospect.  Got the call this morning.  Girl by the name of Sophie Parks.  She’s—“

“I’ve heard of her.  She’s pretty new.  Is she ready for a high-profile tour?” Justin questioned.

“Her management seems to think so.  They sent me some info, photos and tapes of her.  She looks great and she’s got one hell of a voice.  I think it would be worth your time to check her out and give your stamp of approval if they want to move forward and put her on the tour.”

“All right.  When and where?” Justin asked, grabbing a pen laying on his counter top and scribbling the information on a piece of junk mail.

“I’ll meet you there.  Thanks, Justin.  I’ll be in touch.”  With that, Ken hung up and Justin looked at the clock, noticing it was far too early to call it a night.  Wondering what Trace was up to, Justin wandered around the house in search of his friend.

 

Sophie dropped her bag to the ground and moved to the middle of the room where her back-up dancers were already in the middle of stretching out their limbs.  Her own muscles were sore but finally used to the long dance rehearsals she’d been putting them through for the past several weeks.

“Morning, Sophie,” Ty greeted her as she plopped herself down near her three dancers.  Ty, Dan, and Aaron had joined her a few weeks ago and Sophie couldn’t have asked for better people to be on stage with.  They all worked well together and Sophie was having a blast getting to know them all.  She had no doubt that any time spent on the road with them would be just as much fun.

“Morning, guys,” she greeted and spread her legs into a ‘V’, bending into the center after doing so.

“Word on the street is that there’s a special guest here for rehearsals today,” Aaron spoke up as he switched positions to stretch another muscle.

“Yeah?  Who and why?” Sophie asked, wondering if she should be nervous or not.  She rarely got nervous.  Ten years of preparing and honing her skills had cured her of just about any stage fright.  However, performing for VIP’s was something she wasn’t quite used to yet.  It gave her stomach the butterflies.

“One of the possible tour headliners for the summer,” Aaron replied and Sophie arched an eyebrow with interest, wondering who it could be.

All heads looked up as the door opened and Darren entered with a small entourage of people in tow.  Deciding to forget the audience and continue with her stretching, Sophie took a deep breath and pushed herself further into the stretch, and placed her forehead onto the floor for the full effect.  One thing was for sure:  her years of ballet had certainly helped prepare her for effective stretching before rehearsals.

“God, Sophie, that looks painful,” a voice called from the side of the room.  Pulling her torso up, Sophie looked to the owner of the voice and found her manager, Mike, standing off to the side, obviously part of the entourage that had entered with Darren.

“Feels good to me,” she replied, chuckling lightly as she stood.  Pulling her arm across her front and stretching it, she walked over to her manager who stood with Deana.

“So what’s up?”

“Well, as you know we’re looking into getting you on tour soon.  One of the tours we’re looking at is Justin Timberlake’s tour.  And he’ll be here in a bit to watch you at work.  We need his stamp of approval, so to speak, before we can move any further,” he explained and Sophie nodded.

“You ready to get started guys?” Darren questioned and Sophie turned in his direction, indicating the affirmative.

“I’ll be outside.  Once Justin gets here we’ll head in and he’ll watch a bit of your performance.  Sound good?”

“Sounds great,” Sophie agreed and watched him turn and leave the room, a small group of people unknown to Sophie following at his heels.  Turning back to the task at hand, Sophie shook out her arms and rolled her shoulders a few times, moving to the center of the room to begin rehearsal.

Forty-five minutes later, Darren cued the song up once again and Sophie and company started the routine for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning.  Half-way through the first verse the studio door opened once more and Sophie only bothered a cursory glance in its direction, the faces a blur as she focused her attention on the dancing and singing required of her.

Holding the final pose as was required, Sophie welcomed the sound of a whoop of appreciation from Darren as he stopped the music and moved towards the group breathing heavily in the middle of the room.  It had been a particularly difficult routine for Sophie to sing and dance to so she was overjoyed that she had finally gotten Darren’s stamp of approval.

“Water break!  Sophie, get some water and come on over here,” Mike called and she nodded.  Grabbing a bottle of chilled water from the small fridge in the corner of the room, Sophie took a couple healthy gulps before grabbing a towel to wipe some of the sweat from her body as she made her way across the room.

Blue eyes locked with Sophie’s green ones as she made her way towards the group waiting for her.  Shaking her head to rid herself of the momentary haze his intense gaze put her in, Sophie nearly scowled as she watched his mouth quirk up in a lazy, confident grin.  Like he expected this reaction from her—like every woman in the world met him in a mystified stupor after merely laying eyes on him.  His gaze moved over the rest of her frame appreciatively and Sophie realized she was basically letting him see what she had to offer.  Her dancing attire consisted of her normal loose sweats and a sports bra.

“Sophie, this is Justin Timberlake.  Justin, Sophie Parks,” Mike introduced the pair and Sophie wiped her hands on the towel she held and extended her hand out to shake Justin’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” she politely stated.  He slid his hand into hers and grasped it for a moment, his smirk widening into a full-fledged grin.  Sophie mentally berated herself for feeling weak in the knees at the handsome sight in front of her.

“Same here,” he replied and she noticed the southern drawl in his speech, making him a bit more endearing to her. “That routine is hot.  You look great.”

A nice compliment, but not everything she wanted to hear.  She wanted to have vocal approval.  The dancing was secondary compared to the vocals, in her opinion.

“Thank you.”

“And I definitely think you have one hell of a set of pipes,” he continued and Sophie’s polite smile turned into a full-fledged grin as she heard the words she needed to hear.

“Thank you.”

“I’d like to watch another routine but I think this could be the beginning of a beautiful touring relationship,” Justin kidded and the small entourage of management and publicists laughed at his lame joke.  If Sophie hadn’t been so overjoyed with the prospect of being on such a high-profile tour, she would have rolled her eyes.

“Well, Miss Parks, if you wouldn’t mind dazzling us some more,” Mike gestured to the floor and Sophie smiled.

“Prepare to be amazed,” Sophie joked and laughed as she set her water and towel down on the ground by her bag before joining the guys back in the center of the room.  Looking once again to the group on the side, Sophie’s gaze again connected with Justin’s and she watched as the confident, half-smile played on his lips.

“Let’s do ‘Secrets’,” Darren called and Sophie mentally shook herself and took her opening pose with the guys.  For the next three and a half minutes she was completely focused on her routine and vocals.  She had to admit, she put a little more effort into it since she had such an important audience.  Looking up discreetly from her final pose at the end of the song, Sophie’s eyes widened as she once again found Justin’s gaze on her own.  Smiling confidently, he nodded his head a little and winked at her before turning to the group of executives.

 

“So what’s the good news?  I heard there was a big meeting tomorrow and we lowly dancers were invited,” Dan stated as he sat himself down on one of the barstools in Sophie’s kitchen.  He was referring to the meeting called by the executives to announce the tour decision.  Sophie had already been informed but the rest of the team had yet to be in on the news.

“Oh, well, I guess it’s okay to tell since you’ll find out tomorrow anyway.  They’ve come to a decision and an agreement with Justin’s people for the upcoming tour. We’re definitely on the schedule for the first leg of the stateside tour,” Sophie revealed, not able to hide the excited smile from taking over her face.  Dan whooped and jumped up to gather her into a big hug, laughing with her at the exciting news.

“Oh, that’s awesome!  I am so excited!  How pumped are you?” he questioned, pulling away and placing himself back on the stool.

“I am pretty excited.  I think this is going to be tiring but a great opportunity.  And a total blast,” Sophie gushed, breaking into giggles as she thought about the upcoming months performing and doing what she loved.

The pair was interrupted when Sophie’s cell phone started vibrating on the counter.  Glancing at the screen, Sophie indicated to Dan that she’d be a minute and picked up the small device.

“Salut, maman. Comment allez-vous ?” Sophie chirped into the phone.

Her mother had been born and bred in a small town just outside of Paris.  After marrying Sophie’s father who was in the country on business for a couple years, he had convinced her mother to move to the states and start their family there.  Her mother, hopelessly in love, consented and moved with her husband.  Sophie had grown up speaking French in her home, mainly because her mother nearly refused to speak English to anyone but her father whose French was quite poor.  Growing up, Sophie didn’t understand her mother’s staunch position on maintaining her French fluency.  Now, Sophie was thankful for it as she felt it connected her to her mother on a deeper level.  Plus, there were few people in the states who were fluent in French so it came in handy every once in a while.

Sophie spent a few minutes discussing the news of the upcoming tour with her mother and shared a few of her fears but overall kept things to herself.  After all, she didn’t have all of the details yet but promised to discuss it in more length with her mother once she had more information.

“Je tu parlerai plus tard, maman.  Au revoir,” I stated and disconnected the phone.

“So I didn’t know you spoke French,” Dan started, looking at her pointedly.

“Oh, yeah.  My mom is French and I grew up speaking it.  She kind of refuses to speak English sometimes,” Sophie stated, shaking her head at the thought.  Dan opened his mouth to reply to that but was interrupted by her cell phone once again vibrating to life on the counter.  Sophie sent Dan an apologetic look and picked up the device, frowning, as she didn’t recognize the number.

“Hello?” she asked tentatively.

“Sophie?” a male voice questioned.

“Yes, this is she.”

“Hi.  This is Justin Timberlake.”

“Oh.  Hi,” Sophie replied, obviously surprised.  There was no way to disguise the shock in her voice.  How did he get her cell phone number?

“You’re probably wondering why the hell I’m calling you,” he chuckled.  He obviously hadn’t missed the shock in her voice either. “I wanted to personally call and welcome you to the tour.  I also wanted to invite you to my New Year’s party.  I’m inviting all the people on the tour and renting out this club.  I’ll have my publicist send yours all the details.”

“Oh, ok.  Sounds great,” she stuttered out.

“All right.  I’ll see you soon, then.”

“Ok.  Bye,” Sophie concluded and disconnected the call.  Dan, who had been practically prancing in front of her trying to get some clue as to who she was talking to, waved his hands dramatically to encourage her to speak.

“Spit it out.  That look was priceless.  And you practically stuttered through the whole conversation—well, what little you had to contribute to it,” he laughed jokingly.

“That was Justin Timberlake.”

“Say what?”

“Yeah.  Wanted to welcome me to the tour and invite me to some tour-people New Year’s party.  I’m supposed to get the details from my publicist.”

“Oh this is positively fabulous.  I actually get to hang out with the Justin Timberlake for an entire evening.  I could eat that boy up,” Dan gushed and Sophie had to laugh at his words.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, Dan, but I’m pretty sure Justin is straight,” Sophie replied and chuckled at her friend.

“Hey, you never know,” Dan stated defiantly, raising his hands in defense of his statement.

“Yeah, I suppose you never do,” she laughed, conceding the argument. “Now let’s eat.  I’m starving.”

 

The following morning proved to be quite stressful for Sophie.  She knew from the moment she woke up nearly an hour late that she was probably in for a rough day.  Deana had nearly shit a brick when she arrived at Sophie’s place to find the girl running around frantically trying to make herself look presentable.

Nevertheless, Sophie had gotten ready to go in record time and followed an irritated Deana to the waiting car.  On the ride over, Sophie had gotten the day’s schedule—surprise, surprise, it was full.  She was also surprised to receive a small envelope from Deana that contained Justin’s invitation to his New Year’s party.  From the invitation she learned that he had rented out one of Los Angeles’ most premier nightclubs for the occasion and boasted an open bar.  Just barely 21, Sophie couldn’t hide her excitement about that little fact.

She was surprised to receive the invite so quickly after learning about the gathering.  Justin obviously didn’t play around. 

The meeting was long and Sophie received so much information that morning that she was sure there was no way she would remember everything.  These were the times when she thanked God for Deana.  She took meticulous notes and had the mind of a steel trap.

Thinking about everything she had to do between now and the start of the tour, Sophie’s mind was spinning.  Everything just continued to fall into place.  Ever since she had signed on the dotted line, she had recorded an amazing album, released a single that had rapidly climbed the charts and was now preparing to hit the road for her first real tour.  It had been an exhausting year.  Everything happened so quickly and she had no doubt that the pace would continue to pick up.  But she could do this.  She wanted this bad enough—she’d work for it.

December flew by in a blur and Sophie found herself preparing for the tour and Justin’s party before she knew it.  She had to admit she was more than nervous.  Her only experience of being on the road was a couple dates for a few tours.  She was the first performer, the one who was the least known to the audience—farthest from the headliner.  Now, she was the last opener before the headliner.  Her name was even going to be on the tickets!  Granted, it was smaller than Justin’s but it was there and Sophie was proud of that.

Smoothing her curled hair, Sophie took a deep breath and took in her New Year’s attire.  It was far too short, far too revealing, and in one of the brightest blue satins Sophie had ever seen.  Dan, however, had proclaimed the hue to be Caribbean blue, her legs too amazing to conceal, and her upper half a sight she should let straight men drool over.  Figuring it was supposed to be a night of celebrating and feeling good, Sophie had relented and Dan had nearly squealed with delight, announcing that this was the dress that would make even Justin Timberlake’s jaw drop.  Sophie wondered why she should be concerned with making Justin’s jaw drop, but didn’t say so to Dan.

“Oh, Sophie, you look fabulous,” Deana commented as she walked into the room, interrupting Sophie’s thoughts.

“Thank you, Deana.  You look fabulous as well,” Sophie complimented.  And she did.  Deana, who usually wore casual business attire that did nothing for her figure, wore a form-fitting black dress with a pencil skirt to her knees.

“Well, shall we head out?  Wouldn’t want to arrive after midnight,” Deana joked and Sophie smiled and nodded, grabbing her clutch and following her publicist to the awaiting vehicle in the driveway.  Donny, a recent security addition to her entourage, smiled as he opened the car door and allowed Sophie to climb in.

Photographers and journalists lined the entrance to the club, calling her name as she stepped out of the car onto the sidewalk.  Sophie smiled politely for the cameras before being ushered through the darkened doors by Donny.

Looking around the posh interior of the thumping club, Sophie’s jaw nearly dropped.  Justin certainly knew how to throw a party.

Moments after entering the club, Dan, Aaron and Ty bounded over to her, taking turns wrapping her in hugs.  The guys, who had been there for some time, gave her the dirt on who was at the party and what was good at the bar.  Sophie had to laugh at their excitement.  She could tell that they had already ingested a few drinks.

“Let’s go get a drink,” Sophie suggested, linking arms with Dan and letting him lead her to the bar, Ty and Aaron in tow.

Twenty minutes later Sophie had gone through her first mojito and was starting to loosen up a bit.  Ty and Aaron had left to lure some young wardrobe girls into dancing and Deana had found a friend she had once worked with, leaving Dan and Sophie at the bar.  After ordering them another round of drinks, Dan proposed a toast.

“Sophie, I want to propose a toast to you,” he started, his speech starting to slightly slur. “I propose a toast to you for your success this year.  May you continue to climb the charts and wow the audience.  Here’s to you, girl.”

“I’ll drink to that,” a husky voice interjected and Sophie spun on her bar stool to see Justin Timberlake standing behind her.  Sophie took in his cocky grin and sculpted body and felt her stomach dip at the sight.  He may be an arrogant bastard but he sure did look good.  Raising her glass to clink it against his, she smiled at him before taking a drink, continuing to hold his gaze while she sipped.

“Thanks for the invite, Justin.  This is a great party,” Sophie commented as she lowered her glass.

“I’m glad you’re having a good time,” he replied sincerely.

“Justin, this is Dan.  He’s one of my dancers,” Sophie introduced, indicating Dan on the stool behind her.

“Nice to meet you, man,” Justin extended his hand and Dan shook it with enthusiasm.

“You, too.”

“Hey, you guys wanna have a round with me?”

“Depends on what we’re having a round of,” Sophie chuckled, wondering if she should be nervous.

“You like So. Co.?”

“I’ve never had it, but there’s a first time for everything right?” she questioned, smiling up at him.

“That’s what I like to hear!” he hollered and rubbed his hands together before turning to the bartender and ordering the round.  A few seconds later, a row of three shot glasses were placed on the bar and Sophie glanced dubiously at the dark liquid.  Justin chuckled at her expression and immediately picked up one of the glasses, throwing back his head and downing it in one gulp.  Sophie and Dan picked up their own glasses and she took a deep breath before copying Justin’s movements a moment before.  Setting the now empty glass down on the bar, Sophie felt the burn of the liquor as it made its way to her stomach.  But it wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought it was going to be.

“See?  Not so bad is it?” Justin questioned, his ever-present grin thrown her way once more.

“Let’s do another!” Dan proposed.  Justin quickly agreed and ordered the drinks.  Sophie wondered what she had gotten herself into.

An hour later, Sophie was drunk.  She didn’t know how many drinks she’d had, but she was pretty sure it was enough.

“I’d like to propose a fucking toast, too,” he started, picking up a glass.  Sophie noticed that the more he drank, the more he cursed.  “I would like to toast to Sophie for her vocal abilities and her sexy body.”

Sophie burst into giggles at Justin’s toast, her head falling forward and landing on Justin’s shoulder, her body shaking with laughter that was silent under the sounds of the thumping music.  Sophie felt Justin’s arm snake around her waist, supporting her so she wouldn’t fall off the bar stool she was perched on.

“What are you laughing at?” he asked.  Sophie pulled herself up, enjoying the fact that Justin’s arm stayed around her.

“I dunno,” she replied, her giggles subsiding.  Grinning up at him, she let a few more chuckles escape.

“C’mon.  Let’s go dance,” he quietly suggested and Sophie allowed him to pull her from her perch.

“Dan, are you okay here?” Sophie questioned as Justin was pulling her away from the bar.  He laughed and shooed her away, wagging his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Finding a relatively clear spot on the dance floor, Justin pulled Sophie right up to his body, securing his arms around her waist.  Moving her body to the pulsating rhythm, Sophie allowed herself to get into the music and dance up on him.  After all, it was New Year’s and she was drunk.

Several songs later, Justin’s hands were splayed across Sophie’s rear as he grinded himself steadily into her.  He knew he probably shouldn’t be dancing with her like this.  After all, he barely knew her and he’d basically gotten her drunk.  But for once, he didn’t listen to his head.

“You are killin’ me, girl,” Justin whispered in her ear and he heard Sophie’s silky laughter in response.  That sent a zing straight to the front of his pants and Justin nearly groaned.  Sophie felt the characteristic hardness that was grinding into her and felt her body start to react.  The slow song they had been dancing to stopped and Sophie pulled away, fanning her body that had become hot and flushed from the alcohol and dancing.

“Maybe we should take a break.  I’m thirsty,” she stated and Justin nodded, indicating for her to lead the way.  After she ordered herself an amaretto sour and Justin ordered his rum and coke, Sophie allowed Justin to grab her hand and lead her to a booth in a corner of the club, away from the chaos of the gyrating bodies on the dance floor and the crowded bar.

“I wanted to thank you, Justin, for agreeing to bring me aboard for the tour,” Sophie began.

“Like I’d turn away talent,” he replied, gazing intently at her.  Sophie was sure she was blushing under his stare.

“Are you ready for the tour to start?” she asked, making conversation.  She wanted him to stop staring at her like that.  It was doing funny things to her insides.

“I think so.  I guess we’ll find out when the curtain goes up,” he laughed, taking a big swig of his drink.  Sophie was almost finished with her own.  She had been more parched than she thought.

“It’s almost midnight,” Justin stated, throwing an arm across the back of the booth and sliding a bit closer to her.  Sophie could smell the alcohol on his breath.  Finding the large glowing clock hanging above the bar, Sophie saw he was right.  It was a quarter ‘til.

“Yeah,” she replied, meeting his gaze once again.  She found it hard to pull her eyes away.

“Justin!  Man, we’ve been looking for you!  The bar says you have to authorize the serving of champagne,” a young man stated as he staggered over to the booth, another equally drunk guy with him.

“Oh.  Ok.  Sophie will you excuse me?” he questioned, turning once again to face her.  She nodded and smiled at him with assurance.  He grinned apologetically and slid out of the booth, following his friends to the bar. 

Sophie took this opportunity to use the restroom and then went hunting for Dan.  After ten minutes of searching, she finally spotted him standing and talking with someone she didn’t know.  Making eye contact with him, he excused himself from the stranger.

“Girl, I saw you dancing all up on him,” Dan stated as she approached him.  Sophie laughed.

“Yeah, I was,” she admitted.  She really didn’t feel like making up an excuse or defending herself.  Dan laughed outright at her response and grabbed two glasses of champagne from a passing tray.  Justin must have given the necessary authorization.  Handing one to her, he clinked his glass with hers.

“Dan!  You’re not supposed to drink the champagne until midnight,” she admonished.  He shrugged and took a quick sip.  Sophie shook her head.

“One minute!” someone in the crowd shouted and cheers went up from the packed club as they all waited for the countdown to begin.  Sophie looked around at all the people pairing off and grabbing glasses of champagne.

“10!...9!...8!” Sophie joined in on the countdown.

“3!...2!...1!  Happy new year!” cheers and screams went up around the club and Sophie laughed at all the excitement, giving Dan a hug.  Pulling away and clinking glasses with him, she took a sip.  Looking at something over her shoulder, Dan took her champagne glass from her and smiled before bounding away from her, leaving Sophie confused.

Without warning, Sophie felt herself being spun around.  Seconds later she was face to face with Justin and his arms were once again snaked around her waist, pulling her against him.  Grabbing his biceps to brace herself, she glanced up at him shyly.

Justin glanced down at her and nearly lost his breath at the sight of her gazing up at him through her lashes.  There was something about her that worked him up.  She was definitely hot.  That fact hadn’t escaped him all night.  She knew the effect she had had on him when they were dancing.  How could she not have felt it?  It was her fault, really.  She’s the one who had shown up at the club in that sexy outfit.  She had given everyone a tantalizing view of her gorgeous chest and her shapely legs.  She had certainly caught his attention.  And it was time to kiss her.  Leaning his head down, he touched his lips to hers and lost himself.

Sophie wasn’t really surprised that he was kissing her.  He seemed the type to be a fast mover.  And bold.  But she still had a fair amount of alcohol keeping her relaxed and what was a little make-out session on New Year’s?

Snaking her arms up over his shoulders, she allowed him to pull her closer and opened her mouth to him.  She heard him groan as she granted him permission and she felt a flutter in her stomach as his tongue swept in to stroke against hers.

In the back of his mind, Justin heard the warning bells.  His head told him he should pull away before the entire club got a clear view of his body’s desire for one Sophie Parks.  Thinking of the possible unwanted press that could appear tomorrow morning, Justin listened to his head and pulled his lips away from the tantalizing woman in his arms.

“Uh, wow,” Sophie stated, smiling up at him, her arms still hooked around his shoulders.  Justin grinned in response and chuckled.

“Agreed.”

“Do you happen to make a habit of kissing your tour mates, Mr. Timberlake?” Sophie questioned as she removed her arms from around his shoulders and looked at him quizzically.

“No.  I’d have to say you’re the first,” he replied.

“Good,” she stated as she lightly yanked on the thin tie he wore and pulled his head down so she could press her lips against his.  She felt his grin under her lips before he surrendered his mouth to her.

“We probably shouldn’t be doing this here,” Justin whispered when they finally pulled apart a few moments later.  Most of the partygoers were back to dancing, drinking and general celebration.  But that didn’t mean there weren’t a few who might not catch the show they were giving.

“You’re probably right,” Sophie replied, grinning.

“Do you wanna…?” Justin questioned, gesturing towards the exit.

“You can’t leave your own party.  You’re the host,” Sophie admonished, chuckling at his suggestion.

“Fuck hosting,” he mumbled as he brought his head down again.  Sophie enjoyed the gentle possession of her mouth for a few moments before pulling away and looking up into his clear blue eyes.

“What happened to not doing this here,” Sophie giggled and he smiled sheepishly.

“I can’t seem to help myself,” he replied, tightening his arms around her waist.

“C’mon, let’s dance,” Sophie suggested, hoping to keep them from further embarrassment.  Taking his hand, Sophie led them to the crowded dance floor.  As they settled among the other gyrating couples, the current song floated into the next and Sophie immediately recognized it as one of Akon’s hits, “I Wanna Love You.”  Sophie had no doubt that the suggestive song would do nothing but heighten the attraction she felt for Justin.

“Maybe we should—“

“You wanted to dance.  Let’s dance,” Justin interrupted, grinning like a Cheshire cat.  Sophie closed her eyes as Justin advanced upon her, breathing in sharply as she felt his hands grip her waist and pull her against him.  Daring to open her eyes, Sophie glanced up and gulped at the almost predatory look in Justin’s gaze.

Sophie was only vaguely aware of the other dancing bodies around them.  Moving her body against Justin’s, she felt every nerve ending in her body spark to life as his hands held her.

“Relax.  We’re just dancing.  You didn’t have a problem with it earlier,” Justin whispered in her ear, his breath hot against her.  Sophie shivered at the feeling.

“I was also less sober,” she commented, willing herself to relax against him.  Justin laughed at her comment, releasing his hold on her and turning her body to press her back against his front.  Sophie felt a little better now that she didn’t have to be faced head on with his intense gaze.  Mentally telling herself to get a grip, Sophie sighed as she felt Justin’s hands caress her sides.  Moving one hand to her lower stomach, Justin pulled her closer to him, never missing a beat.

Justin’s body was hard behind her—hard in every way.  Sophie felt a sense of déjà vu as he grinded into her for the second time that evening.  But no matter how much she knew she shouldn’t continue dancing with him, she couldn’t help herself.  It felt too good, too right.  So Sophie relaxed and moved her body against his.

“It’s past the socially acceptable time for me to play host,” Justin commented sometime later in the evening.  Sophie looked up and met his gaze.  His mouth quirked up in a small smile before he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.  Sophie made a surprised noise in the back of her throat, her eyes widening before the sensation took over.  Bracing her hands on his arms, she let him kiss her, enjoying his skillful lips and the taste of him.

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered as he broke his mouth from hers, breathing heavily.

“Don’t you think it’d be kind of obvious?” she laughed, trying to calm her erratically beating heart.

“Who the fuck cares?” he asked, the ache in his groin causing him to lose patience.

“Listen, you may not mind having your personal business splashed all over the headlines, but I do.  I don’t want to be labeled as the new pop whore, Justin,” Sophie retaliated, kind of angry at his insistence.  Justin sighed and relaxed his tense body.  Throwing an arm around her shoulder, he guided them off the dance floor.

“I’m sorry, Sophie.  I’m really not an ass.  I promise,” he stated.  Sophie looked up at him and smirked at his facial expression.  He wanted her.  Bad.  The bad part—or the good part?  She wanted him, too.  Sophie grabbed a napkin and pen from the bar.

“Look, I’m going to head home.”  Justin’s face fell and she almost laughed. “Why don’t you compose yourself, tend to your guests and come over to my place a little later.  Sound all right?”

“Yeah.  Sounds good,” Justin replied, smiling and accepting the napkin with her address on it.  Sophie pushed herself up on her toes and kissed his cheek.

Justin inhaled sharply at the simple gesture and wished more than anything that they were already at her place.  Watching her walk away, Justin let his breath out in one big whoosh and turned on his heel to quickly tie up the loose ends of the party.  He wasn’t about to have any phone calls later with questions that could’ve been fielded beforehand.

Twenty minutes later, Justin hopped into a black SUV on the curb outside and shoved the napkin with Sophie’s address on it, into the driver’s hand.  Pulling his phone out of his back pocket, Justin looked up Sophie’s number and hit send, hoping she was still open to him dropping by.

“Hello?” Justin nearly melted at her soft voice through the phone.

“Hey, it’s me,” he replied. “You still up for company?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m on my way.  Be there in a bit,” he stated before snapping his phone closed.

Justin closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat.  He felt fairly drunk.  Trace had insisted that they toss back a couple shots before he left and Justin had relented.  He should have said no.  He didn’t want to be sloppy with Sophie.  Sophie.  His body hummed at the possibilities.  Grabbing the bottle of water on the seat next to him, he chugged a good third of it.

 

Sophie jumped a bit at the knock on her door.  She hadn’t expected him so soon.  Moving to the door, she opened it and smiled at the sight of Justin.  Flashing a wide grin at her, he rubbed a hand over his head, almost shyly.  This was definitely a new side of him.  Not that she’d seen that many sides of him.  But she liked this one.

“Hi,” he spoke up.

“Hey.  Come on in,” she gestured for him to enter and moved out of the way to allow him to do so.  Justin walked by and studied her as she closed the door behind him.  She had changed.  Her legs were barely covered in a pair of small, pink cotton shorts and her top half was covered in a simple white tank.  Justin took in her bare feet and smiled.  She looked comfortable.  He liked her like this.

“You want something to drink?” she asked, turning to face him.

“Nah.  I think I’ve had enough for the night.  Trace forced me into a couple more rounds before I left,” Justin replied.

“I’m sure he really had to twist your arm,” Sophie commented sarcastically as she laughed lightly and moved further into her home.  Justin reached for her as she moved by him.  Pressing her up against the wall next to him, Justin placed his hands on the wall on either side of her head.  Grinning lazily at her, he brushed a lock of hair out of her face and leaned down to claim her mouth.

Sophie moaned lightly at the contact.  Tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue, Justin sought entrance to her mouth.  She didn’t deny him.  Losing himself in her kiss, Justin found his hips moving restlessly into hers, trying to alleviate the ache in his groin.  He slowed his movement when her small hands moved to his sides and searched for his skin.  Pulling his shirt from the waist of his pants, her hands glided over him.  He moaned his approval into her mouth.

Justin’s skin was soft under her fingers and Sophie pressed onward, seeking more.  Moving her hands to the front of his shirt, she began pushing each button out of its hole.  Justin, meanwhile, was stroking any patch of her skin he could find, reveling in the sensation of her mouth working skillfully against his.

“Maybe we should move this to the other room,” Sophie suggested when Justin’s mouth broke from hers to kiss and nibble the length of her neck.  He smiled in satisfaction when the moist kiss he placed on the sensitive skin below her ear elicited a desire-filled moan.  Pulling herself away from him, she smiled.  Grabbing his hand, she led him through the living room and down the hall to her room.  Dropping his hand in the doorway, Sophie moved further into the room to her dresser and reached to remove her earrings.

Justin took in the rich colors and clean lines of Sophie’s room.  The room wasn’t as big or glamorous as his, but it was comfortable.  Moving further into the private space, Justin approached Sophie who watched him through the mirror, a small smile on her face.  He could get lost in her.  That thought both terrified and excited him.

“Do you even know what you’re doing to me?” he asked as he stood behind her.  She smirked at that.

“I felt exactly what when we were dancing earlier,” she smiled and laughed lightly, but not in an insulting manner.  She was confident in herself as a woman and Justin found that undeniably appealing.

“It’s high time we do somethin’ about that,” Justin growled into her ear as he smacked her butt lightly and spun her around to face him.  He was tired of playing this cat and mouse game.  He wanted her.  Now.  Gripping her butt, he pulled her up until she wrapped her legs around his waist.  Moving towards the bed, he sat on the edge of the soft mattress.

“Oh, we will.  No worries there,” Sophie giggled, pushing him to lie back on her bed, her legs straddling his waist.  He smiled up at her, loving that she was taking control.  Lacing her fingers with his, she leaned down over him and brought her mouth to his.  Justin groaned in the back of his throat at the contact.  Thrusting his hips up lightly against her, he felt her breath catch in her chest as her breasts pushed against his chest.

Pushing up, he raised himself to sit.  Sophie pushed his shirt off his shoulders and let her hands run over his smooth skin, grazing lightly over his sensitive nipples with her nails.  Sighing at her delicate touch, he reached for the hem of her tank, smiling as she raised her arms to help him remove it.  Justin tossed the tank to the floor and picked Sophie up as he stood, smiling at the giggles she emitted from suddenly being lifted from his lap.

Laying her back down on the bed, Justin pulled a condom from his wallet before shucking off his jeans and crawling over her body, stopping every few inches to place moist kisses along her body.  Face to face once again, Justin braced himself over her, taking the sight of her in.  She was a beautiful woman, all soft skin and curves in the right places.

Wondering why he hadn’t moved, Sophie leaned up and captured his mouth with hers in an attempt to engage him once again.  Justin allowed her access to his mouth and moved to rest on his elbows, his lower half starting a delicious grind against her center.  Sophie’s body went into overdrive at the sensations he was causing.  Small moans were leaving her, involuntarily.  It was too much.  And not enough.

“Off, off,” she sighed as she tried to pull her own shorts off.  She wanted to feel him.  Justin pulled himself away from her and pulled off her shorts and underwear, taking a moment to just look at her.

“What?  Why did you stop?” Sophie asked, wanting to feel his skin against hers.

“You’re beautiful,” he replied.  Sophie blushed and looked away for a moment, unable to hide her smile.  He certainly knew how to flatter a girl.

“C’mere,” she smirked, crooking her finger at him.  Removing his boxer briefs, Justin quickly laid himself over her, claiming her mouth and slowly grinding against her once again.  Sophie sighed into his mouth, loving the feeling of lying with him like this.  After a few moments, she felt she would burst from desire for him.  Thrusting her hips up in encouragement, she nearly growled in frustration as he evaded entering her.

“Now, Justin,” she whispered.

“Are we in a hurry?” he asked, his voice husky and teasing as he reached down and touched her where she wanted to be touched—how she needed to be touched.

“Yes,” she hissed as he found her sensitive place.  Groaning at the feeling, her body involuntarily thrust against his hand as his fingers stroked her.

“God, you are so wet,” he moaned into her neck, his breath coming out in ragged puffs of air.

“Justin, please,” she sighed, feeling herself approaching the edge.

Her soft plea did him in.  Pulling his hand from her center, he looked in her eyes and slowly slid into her wet heat.

“Fuck,” he cursed as he felt her walls squeeze against him.  Pulling out just a bit, he smiled at the pleasure-filled moan that escaped Sophie’s mouth.  His eyes closed as he slowly slid back in, loving the way she gripped him.

“Faster,” Sophie whispered as she lifted her hips to meet his thrusts.

After hearing her request, Justin wasted no time.  Finding a rhythm, he took Sophie with him to a point of toe-curling orgasm.  Sophie’s body tense tightly and she cried out when she finally peaked, lying her head back on the pillow and letting the waves of pleasure wash over her.  Spent, Justin rolled to the side and lay down, trying to catch his breath.  This was just what he needed tonight, fast and satisfying.

“Are you okay?” Justin asked after a few moments of silence.  Turning her head to meet his gaze, she started giggling.

“Am I okay?” Sophie repeated.  Justin wished she would stop laughing.  It was beginning to cause paranoia.  Did she think he was bad?  Certainly he hadn’t misread her body’s signs that much.

“You can quit laughing,” he muttered as he sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed, preparing to rise and get dressed.

“I’m sorry.  I’m not laughing at you,” she stated.  He threw a glance over his shoulder and scowled at her wide grin ready to burst into giggles.  Thoroughly annoyed, he began reaching for his pants.

“Aww, Justin.  I’m really not.  I’m just happy.  It was incredible,” she started as she rose to press herself against his back.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, his ego clearly wounded.

“You’re just going to storm out after making my toes curl like that?” Sophie questioned softly as she kissed along his neck and ran her hands over his chest and stomach.  He stopped at that statement.

“I made your toes curl?” he asked and Sophie giggled at his surprised tone.

“Yep,” she whispered as she licked along the shell of his ear.  Justin grinned widely and moved to face her.

“I bet I could make them curl again,” he smirked, his attitude becoming that of a cocky 24-year-old.

“Maybe,” she smiled before he claimed her mouth, his tongue sweeping in to stroke hers.  She sighed into his mouth and allowed herself to be pushed back down on the bed.

 

“I’m not nervous.  I think I’m ready,” Sophie spoke candidly and confidently.  It was nearing sunrise and the pair had yet to fall asleep. 

“I’m sure you are.  The single is great and the routines are good.  And the album comes out next week right?  Right before we leave?” Justin questioned, watching her gather the necessities for cereal.

“Yeah.  That’s probably what I’m nervous about,” she admitted. “Apple Jacks or Raisin Bran Crunch?”

“Apple Jacks.  And I’m sure the album is great.  Your vocals are on,” he reassured.

“Yeah, but didn’t you freak out when the first album came out?  You just don’t know how people are going to react.”

“Yeah, I know.  I think I threw up every day the week before the first N Sync album came out stateside,” Justin laughed lightly at the memory and poured milk over the bowl of cereal in front of him.  Sophie giggled at the thought of a much younger Justin being so nervous.  He seemed so confident, so put-together.  Sophie sighed loudly and poured milk over her own bowl.  Reaching for her spoon, she felt Justin’s hand cover her own.  She looked up and met his steady gaze.

“Don’t worry, Sophie.  Worry is interest paid on a problem before it occurs,” he advised.  Sophie’s eyes widened a bit at his insight, but she realized he was right.  She could be worrying over nothing.  The album could be received very well and she would have freaked out for nothing.  She felt a little better about the situation.

“You’re right.  Thanks, Justin.”  He smiled, nodded his head and promptly returned to his cereal.

“That was awfully insightful,” she commented a moment later.

“I read it in a book,” he admitted sheepishly. Sophie let out a big laugh before leaning over and placing a big kiss on his cheek

 

“Sophie, it’s on the fourth beat!  C’mon, girl!” Darren yelled after Sophie’s mess-up.  She had been flubbing steps all day and was, quite frankly, pissed at herself.  Sophie had no way to acknowledge that she knew her mistake and heard Darren’s words, so she picked up her intensity and kept singing the hell out of the song.  When she struck the final pose she was exhausted and breathing heavily.

It had been one hell of a day.  For one, she hadn’t danced since Friday, before the New Year’s party.  For two, she was beyond anxious for the album release tomorrow.  And finally, she hadn’t heard from Justin since he had kissed her senseless in her doorway Saturday morning before he left.  She didn’t expect some huge relationship out of this, but every girl expects at least a quick phone call from a person she sleeps with!

“Sophie, girl, remember the fo—“

“I know, Darren, I’m sorry.  I don’t know why I’m messing up today.  It must be my nerves,” she replied.  The album came out tomorrow.  Each day she had gotten progressively more tense and nervous.

“Yeah, I figured as much.  You’ve gotta learn to block everything out but the steps.  Don’t worry about anything else, ok?  Just focus on one task at a time,” he stated and she sighed and nodded.

“All right.  I’d say we’re done here.  I’ll see you all on Wednesday morning at the arena for a full run-through of the show!”

Sophie and the rest of the group started to walk towards their bags, utterly exhausted.  Darren’s words stopped Sophie in her tracks.

“Hey Sophie?” she turned to face her choreographer. “You’re going to be great.  The album is amazing and the single has been doing so well.  You’re in.”

She smiled at his reassuring words and nodded, silently thanking him before moving to her bag and gathering her things together.  She desperately needed a shower.

“What are you doing tonight?” Dan asked as he walked with her out the studio door.  Sophie switched her phone off of silent and replied.

“I dunno.  I think I’m going to go home, take a hot bath and drink a glass of wine.  I need to relax,” she sighed as they moved down the hall.  Dan threw his arm around her, laughing.

“I think you should go to dinner with us,” Dan proposed as they exited the building.

“Oh, Dan, I—“ Sophie started but was interrupted by her cell phone.  Reaching into her bag, she glanced at the ID screen and dropped her jaw in surprise.  Dan leaned over to look at the screen, too, smiling once he recognized the name.

“Actually, I think you should go to dinner with him.  Then I want details.  Later, girl!” Dan called as he sprinted towards his car.  Sophie chuckled at her friend.  He had been all over her yesterday for details about what happened between she and Justin on New Year’s.  She hadn’t told him the intimate details of the evening, but she thought he got the picture.  Sophie sighed before she flipped the phone open.

“Hello?”

“Sophie?  It’s Justin.” Did he sound nervous?

“Hi, Justin,” Sophie replied politely.  She wasn’t going to gush over him.  Unlocking her car, she threw her bag into the backseat before climbing in and starting the ignition.

“Hey, what are you doing tonight?” he asked.

“Oh, I was just going to relax tonight.  It’s been a long day of rehearsals and I’m tired,” she replied.  She felt kind of bad for giving him the brush off but she wasn’t about to become some woman he could call whenever he wanted a little female company.  She was better than that.  And besides, it was much easier to refuse him over the phone without his sexy body in front of her.

“Oh.  Well, have you eaten dinner?” he sounded so hopeful.

“Uh, no, I haven’t eaten yet.”  She couldn’t lie to him.

“Well, how about dinner?”

“Listen, Justin, I appreciate the offer but I was just going to head home, take a bath and relax,” she replied, pulling out of the parking lot and heading home.

“We don’t have to go out.  We can get take-out or whatever and lounge around.  That’s relaxing right?”

“Thanks, but not tonight,” she replied. “I gotta go.  Thanks for calling, Justin.  Bye.”

Sophie felt kind of bad for basically hanging up on him, but he was getting to her.  If he would have asked her to hang out one more time she had no doubt in her mind that she would have caved.  And she wasn’t going to let him back into her home just so he could completely turn her on and get into her pants.  She’d be damned if she was booty call.

When she got home, she locked the door behind her and leaned against it with a heavy sigh.  What a day.  What a life!  She was so tired!  Pulling herself to stand up straight, she marched straight into her bedroom and dropped her stuff on the floor.  Quickly changing out of her dance clothes, she pulled her hair up and donned her robe before making her way to the bathroom.

Turning the hot water on, she stopped up the drain, poured a little scented oil into the steaming water and headed towards the kitchen.  Sophie pushed herself onto her toes to pull one of her wine glasses down from the top shelf of the cabinet and moved to the refrigerator to pull out a bottle of white zinfandel.  Quickly uncorking it, she poured the liquid into her glass and took a small sip.

“Relaxation, here I come,” she mumbled as she turned back towards the bathroom.

Moments later, Sophie sank into the steaming tub and nearly moaned aloud it felt so good.  Quickly working through washing the sweat off her face and body, she leaned back against the side of the tub and sighed.  After a hard day of dancing and pushing her tired muscles to work even harder, this was absolutely heavenly.  A few more sips of wine and she could see herself falling asleep in the bathtub.  Closing her eyes, she let herself sink deeper into the steaming water.

“What the hell?” Sophie questioned as she sat straight up minutes later.  A knock on her door interrupted her tranquil time.  Rising, she pulled herself out of the bath and wrapped herself in her robe.  The knocking sounded again, a bit louder this time and she moved quickly through her house.

“I’m coming, I’m coming,” she mumbled quietly as she reached the door.  Flipping the lock, she turned the knob and pulled the door open.

Justin’s smile grew a bit tighter when she came into view.  He felt his groin stir at the sight of her.  Her silky robe barely reached mid-thigh and was falling open a bit at the top, revealing a tantalizing view of her glorious chest.  Her body was wet and he realized she must have been taking that bath she had mentioned earlier on the phone.

“Hey,” he greeted, realizing he probably looked like an idiot standing there staring at her.

“Justin, hi.  What are you doing here?” she asked, pulling her robe closed more tightly around her.  Damn.

“I know you said you wanted to relax or whatever, but you still have to eat.  And I come bearing food,” he held up the bags of Chinese take-out as a hopeful offering.  He smiled as he watched Sophie regard him cautiously.  What had he done to make her so weary of him in such a short amount of time?

“Do you have any chicken and broccoli?” she asked, finally.

“You bet,” he replied and his grin widened as she moved to allow him to pass.  Entering her home, he made his way to the kitchen to set the bags of food on the counter.

“I pretty much ordered a little of everything since I didn’t know what you’d like,” he stated as he started pulling cartons from the plastic bags.

“I’m going to go change.  I’ll be right out,” she stated and darted out of the kitchen before Justin could say anything.  Searching the drawers for silverware, he finally pulled a fork from a drawer and moved to the table.  Opening the container of Hunan Chicken he forked a huge piece and stuffed it into his mouth.

“No chopsticks?  Cheater,” Sophie joked as she entered the kitchen, this time in a tiny tank and equally tiny shorts.  Justin wasn’t sure if he preferred the robe or her small ensembles.

“Nah, I don’t do chopsticks,” he smiled before stuffing a huge piece of Hunan Chicken into his mouth.

“Do you want a glass of wine?  I was having some earlier.  I also have juice, water, beer, Diet Coke.  What’s your fancy?” she questioned.

“Uh, a beer sounds good,” he replied.  Sophie pulled 2 bottles of Miller Lite from the fridge and popped the tops off both of them.  Settling herself at the table next to Justin, she slid a beer towards him and took a swig of the other one.

“I’m surprised you drink beer,” Justin commented.  Sophie raised an eyebrow at that and grabbed a set of chopsticks.

“Why?”

“Because you’re a girl,” he shrugged and was rewarded with her chuckle.

“I’m bad ass, what can I say?” she joked and took a bite of her chicken and broccoli.

“I’ll say,” he stated and the pair was silent for a few moments.  Sophie wondered what the heck Justin was expecting out of tonight.  Justin wondered why she was so guarded.  She seemed so chill the other night but now she was stiff and uptight around him.

“Sophie, can I ask you a question?” he decided to just come out with it.  She met his gaze and nodded. “Is there something wrong?  I mean, the other night we were fine and it was…great, but I’m getting this cold-ass vibe from you now.  I don’t understand what’s going on.”

Sophie’s eyes dropped to her dinner and she contemplated how to answer his question.

“Justin, I don’t know what to say to you.  I mean, yeah, the other night was fun and it felt good.  Maybe some other women you know are okay with it, but I refuse to be your booty call,” she stated adamantly and was surprised to see Justin’s jaw drop.

“Booty call?  Is that what you think you are?”

“What else am I supposed to think, Justin?  We sleep together and then I don’t hear from you for three days—not comforting to a girl.  Next thing I know, you’re calling me up to see what I’m doing tonight.  What am I supposed to think?” she retorted sharply.

“What?  Sophie, you are not booty call to me.  I don’t do that,” Justin stated emphatically.  He was appalled she would even suggest something like that.  Sophie sighed, clearly frustrated.

“Maybe you should just go,” she stated softly.  Quite frankly she was exhausted and not in the mood to argue with anyone.

“Sophie you do realize that you’re acting completely weird, right?  I mean, I show up tonight and try to be nice.  All I wanted was to hang out and help you relax because I know you’re probably freaking out about the album release.  I’m trying to be nice and you freak out on me.  I don’t get it.”

“Justin, listen, I’m really not in the mood to argue with you,” Sophie stated as she stood up from her place at the table.  Rising to stand next to her, Justin was determined to get to the bottom of this.

“Sophie,” he started softly.  She refused to meet his gaze so he lifted her chin with his finger.

“Sophie, I’m really sorry about hurting your feelings.  Truly, I am.  But honestly, tonight was really the first time I could hang out.  Things have been really hectic.  Sophie you need to know—“

Justin cut himself off and ran a hand through his short curls in embarrassment.  He really wasn’t prepared to blurt out his emerging feelings for her, but he was desperate and didn’t want her to be mad at him anymore.

“Listen, Sophie, I don’t know what’s going on between us, but the other night was fantastic.  Maybe we shouldn’t have rushed things like that because now things are awkward.  I don’t know, okay?  What I do know is that I—I like you, Sophie.  So if it’s okay with you, I want to get to know you,” Justin surprised himself by laying it all out like that.  He just hoped she wasn’t pissed at him anymore.

“I don’t want things to be awkward anymore either,” she replied softly, almost shyly.

“Good.  Now that that’s settled, let’s get back to dinner.  I’m starving,” he joked, trying to relieve the tension. It must have worked because she chuckled as they sat back down and dug into their dinners once again.

“I’m sorry I accused you of trying to make me booty call,” Sophie apologized quietly a few moments later.  Justin met her gaze and smiled crookedly.

“No worries.  So you called me a man-whore?  I forgive you,” he razzed her and her jaw dropped in surprise.

“I did not call you a man-whore!” she protested.

“Uh, yeah, basically,” he retaliated with a wide grin.  Sophie covered her face with one hand, as she thought back on her words in embarrassment.  She had definitely made the insinuation.

“Ok, so I basically did,” she replied, trying to laugh off her embarrassment.  Justin’s hand covered one of hers that lay on the table.

“It’s okay.  I forgive you,” he stated before stuffing his mouth with more chicken.  Sophie shook her head before turning her attention back to her own dinner.

 

“So you’re having a party tomorrow right?” Justin questioned later after dinner.  The pair had retreated to the living room with fresh beers and the intent to pop in a movie.  The movie had been put in but they had hardly paid any attention to it. Justin was lying on his back and Sophie had snuggled up to his side with her head on his chest.  After cuddling up on the couch together, Justin had started asking her questions about the big album release tomorrow. She had spent the last fifteen minutes unloading her anxiety onto his willing ear. 

“Oh yeah.  My manager actually has this beautiful compound and he’s hosting.  It’s no club on New Year’s,” she teased and he poked her playfully in retaliation, “but you should stop by if you have time.”

“Do you want me to go?” he asked, pulling back to look into her eyes.  Sophie looked up at him strangely.

“I..don’t know.  I—“

“Sophie either you do or you don’t,” he stated matter-of-factly.  He wanted to hear her say it.  He needed to hear her admit that she needed him, even if it was just for a party date.

“Are you always this difficult?” she questioned as she moved to lift herself slightly over him, her face now even with his grinning one.  He nodded in answer to her question and she shook her head, laughing lightly as she moved her head down to his for a kiss.  After a few pleasurable moments, she pulled back and met his gaze.

“I want you to come to my party tomorrow, Justin,” she stated clearly.  She was rewarded with his wide grin and his strong hands moving to grip her butt and guide her over him.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” he replied and she laughed at him.

“Good.  Now stop talking,” she grinned and bent down to meet his eager mouth.

“Good morning!  How are we doing this morning?” Deana asked as she entered the kitchen where Sophie was finishing her bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee.  Sophie just looked up at her before taking another sip of the steaming brew.

“Are you okay?” Deana asked, taking a seat and pulling out her blackberry.

“Just tired.  I didn’t really sleep last night,” Sophie commented.

“Nervous?”

“Words cannot express,” she replied, standing and rinsing her dirty bowl in the sink before loading it in the dishwasher.  “So what’s the day look like?”

“We set up a suite in the Ritz Carlton for interviews until 1 then to the studio to do a run-through of the show before coming back here for party prep.  I’m picking up your dress during the rehearsal so that’ll be ready for you when we get back here.  Susie and Martin will meet up here for hair and make-up.  Sound good?”

“Sounds busy.  But all right.  Let’s get this day cracking,” Sophie stated and stood to gather her things.

Sophie spent the ride over to the hotel thinking about the day ahead.  She hadn’t opened the newspaper or turned on the television today for fear she would have to hear how the album was doing—specifically, she was afraid to hear that everyone hated it.  She didn’t want to hear anything until the end of the day.  Sighing, she leaned her head back on the seat and braced herself for the day.

 

“So you’re about to hit the road with Justin Timberlake?” the bubbly woman from People magazine questioned.  Sophie was mentally beating her head against the proverbial wall.  Almost every interviewer had finagled the topic of Justin into their line of questioning.  Looking back, she should have expected it.  Justin was a big name in the entertainment industry and anything associated with him was a public affair.  She wondered if word would get around about their…whatever it was.  She hoped not anytime soon.  There was no way she was prepared for that media circus.

When all of the interviews were over, Sophie was more than ready to work off some energy in rehearsal.  She always thought that interviews would be an easier aspect of the job but now that she had countless hours of her life invested in them she was convinced otherwise.  She had gone through PR interview coaching to learn what to say and what not to say.  Now every time she opened her mouth in an interview she thought of the million different interpretations that could result and how that might affect people’s view of her.  It was exhausting.

Now, moving her body through the third song of her hour-long set, Sophie felt some of the anxiety from the day melt away.  She could just move to what she knew and not have to think about anything else.  Watching her reflection in the mirror, she smiled at all she had accomplished over the last couple months.

The rest of the afternoon passed by in a blur for her and when she struck the final pose of the final song, the sweat rolling down her body, Sophie knew this was it.  She knew the routines, she knew how to please the crowd—she was ready.  And she couldn’t wait to head out on the road.

“Good work people!  I think you’re ready!  We’re doing one final run-through tomorrow afternoon at the mock venue.  This’ll give you guys a sense of performing on the same type of stage as the tour’s venues.  So go shower and I’ll see you tonight at the big par-tay!  Congratulations, Sophie!” Darren yelled and the guys chimed in their two cents as well.  Sophie smiled graciously and thanked the small group.  She knew they truly believed in her and it made her feel good that she had people around her that believed she could do this.

Deana motioned from the side of the studio for her to gather her things and hurry so they could get going.  Scooping up her bag, she waved to the group with comments about seeing them at the party later.  Jogging out to the parking lot, she hopped into the awaiting SUV and exhaled loudly.

“So first things first, I think the interviews went quite well today.  And can I also say that I bought the album.  It’s really great, Sophie,” Deana stated sincerely.  Sophie’s gaze met her publicist’s and she smiled.

“Thanks, D.  That means a lot that you like the album.”

“I’m all about supporting talented people,” she replied, smiling. “Now, I hope you are excited because your dress for this party tonight is…so cute.”

“Yeah!  I’m so excited” Sophie gushed.  Deana pulled the garment bag from where it hung in the back of the SUV and unzipped it a bit so Sophie could take a peak.

“I love the color,” Deana commented.  Sophie couldn’t agree more.  The color was a vibrantly rich purple satin.  The cut, Sophie knew, was a strapless, pleated bubble dress.

“I am seriously so excited,” Sophie gushed as they made their way to her house.

“You should be!  This is your big day, Sophie.  You should enjoy it.”

Sophie’s grinned and smiled, leaning her head against the window as they made their way home.  She wondered what time Justin would show up at the party tonight.  They hadn’t talked about it after he had made her admit that she wanted him there.  Sophie’s grin widened at the thought.  She didn’t know what the heck was going on between them but she was pretty sure she liked whatever it was.

“Whose car is that?” Deana questioned as they pulled into the driveway.  Sophie peered over the seats to eye the black Porsche in her driveway.

“I have no idea,” she replied.

“You stay in here.  I’m going to go check it out,” Donny ordered as he parked the car and climbed out.  Sophie watched from the backseat as Donny approached the sleek sports car and wondered if she should be nervous or not.  She smiled when the car’s door opened and Justin climbed out.

“It’s Justin!” she laughed and grabbed her bag before hopping out of the backseat.

“Excuse me sir, you’ve been labeled a security threat,” she kidded in a mock stern voice as she approached him.  He glanced her way and grinned.  Dressed in gray slacks, a white button down and matching gray vest, he looked hot.

“Yeah, yeah,” he laughed when she stood in front of him. Donny left the pair to join Deana who was heading into the house.

“So what’s up?  I didn’t know you were coming here.  I’m a total mess,” Sophie laughed as they started to walk towards the door.

“If you want me to go tonight you have to bring me,” he stated, his tone indicating she should already know this information.  Sophie looked at him quizzically. “As your date.”

“Oh!  Sounds good to me.  As long as you don’t expect a goodnight kiss,” she teased.  Justin stopped walking at that comment and Sophie laughed, halting her steps also.  Grabbing her around the waist, he pressed his forehead against hers.

“I’m expecting more than a goodnight kiss,” he teased and kissed her lightly once before releasing her.  Her stomach fluttered at the possibilities.

“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” she joked, shutting the door behind him.  She heard his chuckle behind her as they walked into the kitchen.  Donny and Deana were seated at the table, Deana doing God knows what on her blackberry.

“Sophie, Martin and Susie are a few minutes away so you should probably hop into the shower,” Deana suggested, not looking up from what she was doing.

“Oh, ok.  Justin, make yourself comfortable; I’ll be out in a few minutes,” Sophie stated and he nodded as she retreated down the hall.

“So you’re going to the party with Sophie, huh?” Donny asked Justin a few moments after Sophie’s exit.

“Yeah,” he replied, not really sure where this conversation was going.

“Are there any members of your security detail going with you?”

“No.  I figured since this was a private party that it wouldn’t be a problem.”

“Well, I’ll try to keep my eye on ya, just in case,” Donny stated and Justin nodded his head.  This dude was nice, but kind of weird.  There were a few minutes of awkward silence and Justin wasn’t really sure what to say to these people.

“So are you going as her date?” Deana questioned, finally setting her gadget on the table and looking at Justin.

“Uh, yeah,” he stated, looking at her strangely.

“Are you okay with the press seeing you two together again?  I mean, there were a couple photos from your New Year’s party leaked to the tabloids.  You two looked pretty cozy.  If the press finds out that you went to her release party as her date there could be some rumors to deal with,” Deana stated, ever the publicist.  Justin was shocked by her bluntness but Deana seemed to be pure business so he tried not to take it personal.

“I’m prepared for that,” Justin replied, his tone neutral.  He prayed to God he wasn’t about to be on the receiving end of the Spanish inquisition.

“So what is the state of your relationship with Sophie?”  Deana questioned.  Sophie chose that moment to return to the kitchen, her body wrapped in that damn robe again and her hair falling in damp waves around her face.

“Deana!” she exclaimed, her face reddening in embarrassment.

“What?  I’m just trying to do my job!  I need to know if you and Justin are involved in case I hear something from the press.  Remember the conversations we had about public relations, Sophie?  I’m not trying to pry.  It’s just my job,” Deana replied, fully explaining herself.  Sophie took a deep breath and started to come up for air in response.

“Sophie, it’s okay.  I understand where she’s coming from.  I’d prefer if you let us talk about this before we answer your question, Deana,” Justin intervened softly.  Sophie turned to look at him and met his gaze.  He gave her a crooked half-grin and Sophie snorted and shook her head lightly.

“C’mon, Justin,” she grabbed his hand and pulled him from the kitchen and the watchful eyes of her bodyguard and publicist.

“I can’t believe how pushy she was being,” Sophie commented as they entered her bedroom, frustration evident in her tone and body language.  Shutting the door, Justin grabbed onto her by the waist and wrapped her in his arms.

“Hey, don’t worry about it.  I understand, really.  She’s just trying to do her job,” he reasoned softly with her.  Sophie exhaled, resting her forehead against his strong chest.

“I know.  I just hate having to lay out details of something that’s so new.  I mean I don’t even really know what’s going on between us.  Why should the rest of America?” Sophie questioned, pulling away from his embrace and moving to her dresser.

“I know it’s annoying but it’s part of the business,” Justin stated, plopping down on her bed and leaning back against the headboard.  Sophie sighed and squirted some lotion into her hands.

“I know.  But I don’t have to like it,” she growled playfully, rubbing the lotion into one of her legs before reaching for more.  Justin felt his groin stir at the sight of her rubbing lotion into her calve, the enticing scent filling the room.  They had nowhere near enough time to do anything now.  He mentally scolded himself and tried to think of other things.  But as she moved her hands to rub the lotion into her thigh, his body grew warm and he involuntarily let out a small groan.  Sophie looked up from what she was doing, her face quizzical.

“You okay?”

“Uh,” he cleared his throat and tried again. “Y-yeah, I’m fine.”

“Sophie?  Martin and Susie are here,” Deana called from the other side of the bedroom door.  Sophie crossed the room and opened the bedroom door, allowing Deana to enter, followed by her hair and make-up stylists.

“I’m going to go watch some TV.  I’ll be out in the living room,” Justin stated as he pulled himself from the bed and moved towards the door.  As soon as he was gone, Martin swooped in and escorted her to the vanity in the corner of the room where he could do her hair.

“I’m thinking the hair should be down and in big waves.  A really soft look, I think.  What do ya say?”

“You’re the master,” Sophie grinned and he laughed loudly.

“You bet I am,” he replied before turning on a hairdryer and getting to work.

“So I bought the album.  Honey, it is so good.  Seriously,” Martin stated a few minutes later after her hair was dried.  Susie echoed Martin’s sentiments from her position on the bed.

“Oh, thank you!  I’m so glad to hear you guys like it,” she replied, smiling at him through the mirror.

“So what’s Mr. Popstar doing here?” Martin asked as he wrapped a section of her hair in a large roller.

“Oh, uh, he’s going to the party tonight,” Sophie replied vaguely.  Martin met her gaze in the mirror and raised one brow in interest.  Sophie merely gave him a smile.

“That’s nice of him.  What a good tour mate,” Martin stated sarcastically, letting Sophie know he knew exactly what she wasn’t saying.

“I suppose so,” she pointedly replied and Martin just shook his head, chuckling a bit as he secured the last section of her hair in a roller.

“Susie!  Your turn!” Martin exclaimed and stepped aside as Susie rose from her perch on the edge of the bed and approached Sophie.

“Time to get glam!” Susie smiled as she started to unpack all of her supplies.

“Let me know when make-up’s done so I can finish the ‘do.  I’ll be in the living room.  I wonder if Justin will be more forthcoming with all the dirty details,” Martin smiled mischievously and Sophie’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Martin!  You better keep your big mouth closed!” Sophie called but the stylist was already gone.  Sophie’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment.  She could only imagine the questions Martin was going to throw Justin’s way.

“No worries, Sophie.  I’m sure Justin will take it all in stride,” Susie commented as she started to rub a tinted moisturizer onto Sophie’s forehead.

“Oh, God, I hope so,” Sophie replied, trying to laugh it off. 

“So do you want bold or understated?” Susie questioned.

“I think understated this evening.”

“You got it.”

Several minutes later, Justin appeared in the doorway and she met his gaze through the mirror.  He grinned at her and winked when she smiled in return.

“I talked to Deana,” he stated simply, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

“You did?” Sophie questioned. “What did you say?”

“I’ll talk to you about it later,” he stated, his gaze skittering to Susie’s frame before meeting hers again.  She nodded slightly then apologized to Susie for moving.

“All right.  I’m done.  Time for the dress,” Susie stated as she backed away and started to pack up her things. 

“Sophie we need to leave in ten minutes tops!” Deana called from the other room.

“Almost ready!” she called back and moved to the closet where her dress was now hanging.  “Ok, everybody out so I can get dressed.”

 

“I bought the album,” Justin commented as they drove down the road away from her house.  Deana and the rest of the entourage followed behind them.  Sophie turned to him, completely surprised.

“You did?”

“Hell yeah, girl.”

“So?” Sophie asked, wanting to know what he thought.  She was almost turned completely sideways in her seat, her dress riding higher on her tanned and toned thighs.  His heart beat a bit faster at the sight.

“So what?” Justin asked, resting his hand on her thigh and acting like he didn’t know what she was talking about.  Sophie sighed in exasperation and he cracked a smile.

“So what did you think of the album?”

“You nailed it, Sophie,” he stated sincerely and Sophie’s grin nearly split her face in two as she sat back against the plush leather seat and exhaled in satisfaction.  This was what she needed to hear.  Approval from people who had already made it, who knew what it took.

“I hope the rest of the country agrees with you,” she commented and reached for the radio to find some music.

“They will.”

“So what exactly did you say to Deana while I was getting party primped?” Sophie asked after a few moments of silence.

“I told her we were somewhere between friends and more than friends,” Justin commented.  Sophie smirked at that and Justin turned his head in her direction, a wide grin on his face.

“I wasn’t going to tell her something that I don’t know a definite answer to,” he added.

“Good point.  Is it…I mean…do you think…“

“I have a feeling this shouldn’t take as long to say as you’re making it,” Justin teased lightly.  Sophie exhaled a chuckle and nodded in agreement.

“What I’m trying to ask you is if you’re okay with not really talking about whatever we are.  I mean, why don’t we just relax about it and go with the flow.  Who really cares about Deana or what she wants to know.  I don’t want to rush anything just because our PR people want answers,” Sophie stated, feeling infinitely better having said her piece.  Justin was silent and Sophie wondered for a moment if she had offended him.  She anxiously waited for his response.

“I’m fine with that, Sophie, but I want you to know that that won’t work forever.  Sooner or later we’ll have to give them answers.  That’s they way it goes in this business,” Justin replied.

“But for now?”

“For now we’ll just take things as they come,” he stated and she smiled lightly.

“Thanks, Justin.”

“I think we’re here.”

“You’re right.  We are here,” Sophie replied, shifting nervously in her seat.

“Relax, Sophie, these people are all rooting for you,” Justin soothed, grabbing her hand and shooting her a smile.  She shook her head, embarrassed at her own nerves, and smiled in return.

“I know,” she replied as Justin pulled up in front of the house. “Let’s go party.”

“That’s what I like to hear!” he replied and they climbed out of the car, Justin handing his keys over to a valet worker.

“There she is!  The woman of the hour!” Mike hollered as they walked inside.  Sophie grinned largely and walked up to her manager, allowing herself to be pulled into a light hug.

“Hello, Mike.  The place looks great!  Thank you so much for hosting,” Sophie thanked graciously.

“Oh, it’s nothing for my rising star!  The numbers are looking great, in case you were wondering.”

“You have no idea how good it is to hear that,” Sophie breathed out. “I’ve been nervous about it all day.”

“Well, relax and enjoy it, because it’s being very well received.”  Sophie’s grin was so wide Justin thought it might split her face in two.  But he was so happy for her.  He remembered how he felt when he heard how well the albums did on their release day.  Sophie deserved those same feelings.

“Justin, it’s good to see you again.  I’m glad you could join us.  I hope you have a great time tonight.  Sophie, grab something to eat and a drink!  Enjoy yourself!” Mike lightly ordered before walking away to tend to other guests.

“Justin, he said the numbers were looking good,” Sophie breathed, smiling as she turned to him.

“Actually, I believe he said they were doing great.  You deserve it, Soph.  I’m happy for you,” Justin stated, pulling her into a brief hug.

“I think we should find ourselves a celebratory drink,” she stated and Justin grinned in agreement.

“Lead the way,” he replied, holding his arm out to make room for her to walk ahead of him.  The pair made their way to the bar located against the wall of the massive front room and Sophie ordered a Long Island before turning to Justin.

“Scotch on the rocks,” Justin stated.  When the drinks were set before them, Justin held his drink in the air to make a toast.

“To good news and calmed nerves,” he smiled and she smirked lightly before clinking her glass lightly with his and then taking a sip.

Sophie and Justin spent the rest of the night clinking glasses and rubbing elbows with anyone and everyone connected to Sophie’s manager or the label.  Justin had managed to spend a few moments alone with her on the dance floor, but other than that he took on the role of sociable companion, just one of many there to admire a job well done.

It was interesting, he thought, to sit back and watch another’s success.  To watch another person be the center of attention was a completely different experience for him.  Justin, himself, was used to being praised and having people suck up to him because of his success.  Sitting back quietly and watching people praise the woman he was with rather than himself—well—it was different.  But he was slowly getting used to it.  He was, after all, proud of Sophie.  She deserved everything coming to her.  She was good.

Several hours later, Sophie was sure her feet were going to hate her forever and she was more than ready for sleep.  Some of the guests had already left for the evening and she was sure it was past the time for her to play the role of “star guest.”  Surveying the room, her gaze locked with Justin who was having a conversation with a producer that had worked on her album.  Shooting her gaze towards the door and then back to his eyes, he nodded just slightly before giving his attention back to the producer.  Sophie downed the rest of her drink before setting off to find Mike.

After thanking her manager for the party and listening to his promise to “be in touch” about the numbers, he released her for the evening.  Sophie found Justin near the door and let him lead her from the house, his hand warm on the small of her back.  The pair stood outside and waited for the valet to deliver Justin’s car.

“Did he give you numbers?” Justin questioned.  She knew he was asking about the album sales.

“No, he said he’d contact me soon.  That probably means first thing tomorrow morning for him.  He’ll want to give it a full 24,” she replied, rubbing her bare arms to generate a little warmth.  It was cooler than she’d anticipated when planning the wardrobe for tonight.  Noticing her movements, Justin draped his arm across her shoulders and pulled her close to his side.  His cologne wafted into her nose and she inhaled deeply, breathing in the rich, masculine scent that seemed to be purely Justin.

“I’m sure the numbers will be amazing,” he commented, his face tilted into Sophie’s hair.  The valet pulled the car up at that moment and Justin moved to open the door for her.  Sliding in, Sophie waited for him to climb in and take her home.

“Thank you for coming with me tonight, Justin.”

“It was nothing.  I’m glad I got to celebrate your success with you,” he replied, shooting her a smile.

“I think I know another way we could celebrate,” she stated softly, her mouth tilting up slightly when his eyes widened and his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“Girl,” he warned softly, pushing out his breath sharply.  Sophie chuckled lightly when his foot pressed harder on the accelerator.

Justin was silently praying there were no cops on the roads they were traveling.  He was fairly certain he’d get collared with more than a ticket with the speed he was driving.  He heard her sigh lightly and the sound went straight to his groin as it tightened in delicious anticipation.  Justin moved his hand to grip her thigh lightly, his thumb rubbing circles on her smooth skin.

“Almost there, baby girl.”

Minutes later, Justin was screeching to a halt in her drive and jumping out of the car, Sophie pushing her own door open without waiting for him to come around and open it for her.              She walked towards the front door while digging for her keys, a smile sliding onto her face when Justin’s warm hands moved to grip her sides.  Reaching the door, she stopped to unlock it but giggled when he started nibbling on her ear.  She never thought people actually did that—but boy did it feel nice.  Moving from her ear, Justin’s lips slid down to kiss the column of her throat.  She sighed heavily at the sensations he was creating within her. 

Sensing her attention was now focused more on him, he took advantage and wrapped his arms around her body.  He pulled her to rest back against him and continued his gentle assault on her neck, one of his hands rubbing the satin covering her stomach.

“We should probably take this inside, don’t you think?” she questioned lightly, her hands moving to cover his.

“So unlock the door then,” he teased, now using his tongue lightly along her neck.

“I can’t do this with you doing that,” she replied, laughing lightly.  Chuckling in response, he released her.  She felt chilled at the loss.  Shooting a smile over her shoulder, she inserted the key and unlocked the door.  As soon as the door closed behind them, Justin picked her up and hoisted her over his shoulder.

“Justin!  What are you doing?” she laughed.

“Haulin’ you off to bed,” he replied before smacking her butt lightly.

“I’m not fond of being manhandled,” she replied sarcastically as the blood rushed to her head.  Slapping his butt in similar fashion, she tried to get him to put her down.

“We’re almost to the bedroom.  Calm yourself down,” he drawled and slapped her butt again for good measure.

“This is so romantic, Justin.  No wonder girls get weak in the knees,” she stated flatly before gasping in shock at being dropped.  She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes at the smirk of satisfaction on his face.

“Oh, you’ll go weak in the knees.  I guarantee that,” he smarted before swiftly pulling his shirt over his head.  Moving towards her, he braced himself above her before leaning his head down to claim her mouth.  She gave it willingly and moved her hands up and down his biceps that were tight with muscles.  He was so nice to touch.  He was all soft skin over hard muscle.  He was pure man and she couldn’t get enough of him.

Sophie wasn’t sure how it happened, but moments later she was laying underneath him, completely naked while he tortured her with his mouth.  Her hands cradled his head as his mouth breathed moist, heated kisses along her neck and collar.  When his torturous mouth moved to her breasts, she couldn’t stop the breathy moan from escaping.

“Justin,” she breathed and he raised his eyes to meet her gaze. “Please.”

“Not yet,” he grinned before moving back to what he was doing.  He took his kisses lower and her stomach nearly quivered with anticipation.  When his hot breath ghosted in and out over her most sensitive area, her body tightened in expectation of what was coming.  She groaned loudly when his mouth finally connected to where she needed him most.  Moments later, she was panting underneath his erotic administrations.  His mouth kissed, his teeth nipped, and his tongue laved and it was all too much.  She couldn’t take it much longer.  Her nerves were on edge and her body was tightening in preparation.  Not yet, she thought.  Not like this.

“Justin,” she panted, trying to pull him up to meet her gaze.  He paid no attention to her however, and kept up his torture.  “Justin, please…not like this.”

He stopped then and though he had done what she asked, her body ached from the loss.  He pushed himself up to look at her.  His eyes were dark with lust and burned hotly into hers.

“How do you want it?” he asked huskily.

“God, Justin,” she moaned, unable to articulate her desires, her needs.

“Sophie, it’s not that complicated,” he teased lightly, his mouth placing light kisses along her upper body.  His lower half, on the other hand, starting moving against her center.  Sophie couldn’t help it.  She really couldn’t.  He was torturing her and there was absolutely nothing she could do to stop herself.  Sophie placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed until he relented.  She pulled herself up and over him, smirking at his light gasp of surprise.  Grabbing a condom from the bedside table, she quickly covered him and slid herself down over him.  At her movements, Justin let loose a loud groan followed by a swift curse.

“What do you want, Justin?” she retaliated after giving herself a moment to adjust and regain control of her senses.  He merely looked up at her with somewhat wild eyes, his breath coming in short puffs as she tightened her muscles and squeezed him.

“Justin, it’s not that complicated,” she stated before laughing lightly.  He merely let out a strangled groan. “Ok, ok, I’ll stop picking on you.”

She leaned down over him and took his mouth briefly before pushing herself back up.  Slowly, she started to move above him.  She sighed at the sensations created by her movements, her body slowly winding back up in anticipation of release.  Justin’s hips moved restlessly underneath hers.  She knew his body was probably crying for release as much as hers was.  But she was on a mission.  She was in control now and she planned to see this through the end.  She wanted to make him feel good.  Taking a deep breath, she increased her pace, moving up and down above him in a quick rhythm.

“That’s it,” he breathed and settled back to enjoy the feeling of the dance she was performing above him.  She was good.  Damn good.

Several minutes later, Sophie felt her body tightening quicker and Justin’s hips moving faster beneath her.  His breathing was uneven and he muttered curses under his breath as she bounced on top of him.  They were both close.  Her nerves popped and she could feel the heat spreading throughout her body, her skin slick with sweat from the exertion.

“I’m almost…” she breathed and he nodded jerkily in agreement.

Suddenly, and without warning, Sophie’s body coiled tightly before releasing, her breath whooshing out of her in a deep moan of satisfaction.  Pumping his hips a couple more times, Justin felt his own release flood his body.  His brain shut down and registered nothing but the intense sensations pumping through his body.  He reached blindly for Sophie, pulling her to lie against him as they both came down from their euphoric high.  He lay there, unable to breath normally, speak or move.

“You alive up there?” Sophie softly questioned several minutes later.  Justin’s heart was no longer beating erratically against her ear and her own breath had returned to a relatively normal rate.  Justin grunted underneath her.  She picked her head up and placed a soft kiss on his chest before glancing up towards his face.  He wrapped his arms tighter around her and gave her a quick squeeze before lightly swatting her ass.  She giggled lightly, feeling giddy and carefree.  Rolling off of him, Sophie watched as he headed to the bathroom, scooping up his boxer briefs on the way.

She shook her head lightly at the situation and sighed before climbing off of the bed.  Sophie pulled a pair of fresh panties and a t-shirt onto her body before heading off to the kitchen for something to drink.  Deciding she’d had enough to drink for the evening, she pulled open the cabinet to retrieve a couple glasses for water.  She tossed some ice into the cups before moving to the sink and turning the water on.  Sophie grinned widely when she felt Justin’s presence behind her followed by his touch as his arms wrapped around her from behind.

“Want some water?” she questioned.

“Yeah, sounds good,” he replied.  He pecked her cheek as he released her and took the offered glass.  He had downed half of his glass as she was taking her first sip.

“Okay, I’m ready to head back to bed,” she stated a few moments later, after quenching her thirst.  Justin raised one eyebrow and grinned widely.

“Someone’s feisty tonight,” he commented as he placed his cup in the sink and wrapped his arms around her waist.  Sophie giggled as she realized their miscommunication.

“I mean that I want to sleep, J.  I’m sooo tired,” she replied, grinning up at him as understanding settled upon him.

“Aw, did I wear you out?” he asked sarcastically, his eyebrows rising suggestively.

“I think that would be the other way around, don’t you?” she asked, smirking at him as she pulled out of his hold.  She heard Justin’s pleased laughter behind her as she moved down the hall in the direction of the bedroom.

Entering her bedroom, she flopped back down onto the bed and was scooting herself up when Justin entered the room.  She turned onto her back and grinned at him as she moved beneath the blankets.  He smiled softly in return and quickly crossed the room to join her.  Sophie took no time in throwing an arm across his waist and snuggling into his side.  She sighed and inhaled the scent of him as she rested her head against his chest.

Justin smiled as he closed his eyes, pulling Sophie closer and enjoying being a human body pillow.  He didn’t know how it happened, but Sophie Parks had managed to throw his world into blissful disarray in a short amount of time.  Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss to the top of her head and internally delighted in the soft hum of satisfaction from Sophie.  Nestling in closer to her, he let his body succumb to sleep.

Sophie was frantically running around her apartment, trying to think of anything she may have forgotten.  Deana had shown up early and though that wasn’t surprising, it still seemed to be throwing Sophie off a little.  Maybe it was her nerves.

The tour started tonight.  All of the hours she had put into dancing until her muscles ached and singing until her throat was raw came down to this.  She would be performing in front of thousands of people tonight.  Hopefully, the crowds were accepting.  She definitely felt ready so her nerves were more in anticipation than fright.

“Sophie, we have to go.  I’ll brief you on the bus,” Deana stated softly, her eyes never leaving her palm pilot.

“Ok, ok,” she replied, taking a quick scan of the room before grabbing her purse and moving towards the door with a sigh.

Donny and Deana helped Sophie load all of her luggage into the back of the SUV waiting in the drive.  After everyone had climbed in, Sophie pushed her earbuds into her ears and blissed out to the sound of Cartel while they made their way to meet the buses and the rest of the tour.  Today would be filled with a nice long drive up the coast for the first show in San Francisco and Sophie had every intention of catching up on the sleep she had failed to get the night before.

A little while later, the SUV slinked into the parking lot that was bustling with activity.  Three buses, several semis and a dozen SUVs waited patiently in the parking lot for the crowd to roll out.  Sophie stood there and took it all in, her stomach fluttering with excitement.

“Sophie!  Right on time!” Sophie turned to her manager, Mike, and greeted him.

“Good morning.”

“Follow me, Sophie.  Your bus is right over here.  Your luggage is being transported.  Is there anything else from your car you need to have with you for the ride?  You’ll need to get it now,” Sophie followed quietly behind him, trying to absorb everything he was saying while weaving through the crowd of people bustling about and yelling across the lot.

“Ok, so here’s your bus.  I put a folder of information that you need to read during the ride on the table inside.  Make sure you read it, Sophie, so you know everything that’s going to happen during the course of the tour.  There’s been a few changes to your sideline commitments during the course of the tour and all of that is in that packet, too.  Just let me know if you have any questions.  I’ll meet up with tour to check in at the beginning of next week.  Just try to relax, take care of yourself and have fun!  You’ll wow ‘em, I know you will,” he finally finished with a bright smile.  Sophie exhaled and managed to nod and smile in response.

“Thank you.  I will see you later then,” she stated and started to climb on the bus.  Her cell phone chirped loudly from her bag, indicating she had a text.  Climbing aboard the rest of the way, she plopped down on the couch inside, watching Donny and Deana begin to get settled while pulling out her phone.

It was from Justin. U ready?  She smiled as she started her reply.  All aboard and ready to go! U?

Looking towards the table, Sophie saw the information Mike had left for her and grimaced at the thought of sifting through all the jargon, dates and figures.  She couldn’t do that just yet.  Her phone beeped in her hand and she flipped it open.  Just got here.  You want company for the drive?

The thought of a few hours with Justin while they traveled was so appealing but Sophie knew Deana was waiting to talk to her about the upcoming days and all of her commitments.  She would only be distracted if Justin were around. I’d love it, but Deana still has to brief me.

“Sophie?  You ready?” Deana questioned, as if she knew she was the topic of textual discussion.

“Give me 5?”

“Sure.”

Tough, I’m almost to your bus. =)  Sophie smiled and shook her head lightly.  Justin wasn’t one to be pushed aside, she’d learned that much.  Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too distracting during Deana’s brief.

She felt the bus move and Justin’s smiling face appear a few moments after that.  She motioned him over and he plopped down onto the couch next to her, his arm coming to rest against the back.  Sophie leaned a little closer into his side and he turned to kiss the top of her head.  She sighed, feeling content and relaxed for the first time that day.

“Sophie?  The brief?” Deana prompted and Sophie nodded, indicating she should begin.  Deana handed her a few sheets of paper stapled together.  Looking over the pages quickly, Sophie saw that these were all the extra commitments booked for during the course of the tour.  Looks like spending time with Justin and sleeping would have to be crossed off of the daily agenda for the next few months.  Sophie’s spirits dropped a little looking at the packed schedule.

The next thirty minutes were spent listening to Deana “briefly” explain the schedule and the commitments.  Sophie listened with half an ear.  She was more focused on Justin who was idly playing with her hair.  When Deana was finally done, she slinked off towards the front of the bus to sit with Donny.

“When do I sleep?” Sophie asked as she looked at all the interviews, photo shoots and appearances on her schedule.

“Right now.  Let’s take a nap,” he stated.  Pulling her up, he slung an arm over her shoulders and guided her to the bedroom in the back of the bus.  He flopped down and snuggled up to the top, sliding under the covers and motioning for Sophie to join him.  Narrowing her eyes playfully at him, she climbed onto her new bed and snuggled up next to Justin.

“I have a feeling I’m going to be very tired these next couple months,” Sophie commented around a yawn.  Wrapping his arms around her, Justin pulled her closer to him and threw a leg over hers.

“What am I, a human body pillow?” she giggled.

“Yep.  A very comfy one, might I add.  Now shush and go to sleep,” Justin replied.  Sophie laughed shortly before sighing and settling in for a nap.

 

“Sophie, can you sign these before the show?” Deana pushed some singles at her and Sophie looked up from her magazine and nodded.

“How long until hair and makeup?” Sophie questioned as she started to scribble her signature on the CD sleeves.

“Another hour,” Deana stated.  “You might want to eat something now.”

“Yeah,” she responded absently.  Reaching to the fruit tray on the counter behind her, Sophie picked up a grape and popped it into her mouth.

A few minutes passed, the only sound in the room being the scratch of the pen over the CD sleeves and the clicking of the keys on Deana’s laptop.  Sophie couldn’t take the silence.  Popping another grape into her mouth, she sighed heavily.

“What’s wrong, Sophie?” Deana questioned, not looking up from her laptop.  Sophie briefly wondered what the heck she was always working on.

“I think I’m nervous, D.”

Deana stopped her clicking and looked up at Sophie.  She must have seen the panic on her face that Sophie felt clawing at her stomach.  Setting the computer on the couch cushion, Deana leaned forward to give Sophie her full attention.

“You’ve never been nervous about performing.  What’s going on?” Deana questioned.

“I don’t know, D.  I just feel like I’m going to throw up.  Maybe it’s the bigger venues and the audience who’s not really sure who I am, but I just—“

“Sophie, calm down,” Deana interrupted her.

“Deana, what if they don’t like me?” Sophie asked as her cell phone chirped from its resting place on the table.  Reaching for it, she flipped it open and found a text from Justin.  Almost time!  Sophie’s palms started to sweat at that comment.  Don’t remind me.

“Deana, what if they don’t like me?” she repeated.

“Sophie, I don’t understand why you’re so nervous.  The larger venues shouldn’t bother you.  You’ll only be able to see the first dozen rows or so because of the lights.”

Sophie could see that Deana would be no source of encouragement and understanding.  Sitting back with a heavy sigh, she decided to stew in silence.  Deana picked up her laptop once more and began to type.  Sophie picked up her pen and a couple more CD sleeves to sign.  No sooner had she scratched her name onto one of them, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in!” she called.  Justin’s head popped into view through the partially open door. “Hi, Justin.”

“Hey, Sophie…Deana,” he greeted as he closed the door behind him and moved to sit next to her on the couch.

“So, what’s going on?” he asked playfully, dragging out the word ‘so’.  Sophie half smiled before her nerves wouldn’t allow it anymore.

“Deana, will you excuse us?” Sophie asked.  Looking up, Deana glanced at the pair before nodding her head.  Picking up her things, she hurried out of the dressing room.

“So, what’s up?” he asked, throwing an arm around the back of the couch.

“It’s nothing, really.  I’m just being stupid.  But I’m nervous.”

“You’re right.  You are being stupid,” he agreed.  Sophie’s jaw dropped at his blunt response and she swatted at his chest.

“Thanks a lot!”

“I’m only saying that because I know you’re going to nail it, Sophie.  I have no doubt that you’re going to go out there and rock the audience,” he encouraged.

“But what if I forget the routine or the words?”

“Have you ever done that before?”

“Well, no, but—“

“But nothing.  You’re be ridiculous, Sophie.  Relax.  You know your routines and you know your words.  Your vocals are on and your routines are flawless.  I’ve seen them, Sophie.  You’re going to be great.  Repeat after me:  I’m Sophie Parks and I’m the baddest pop diva in town,” Justin stated, raising his voice in an awful imitation of a woman.  Sophie laughed out loud.

“No,” she responded, shaking her head and laughing at him.

“C’mon, Sophie, say it.  It’ll make you feel better,” he encouraged.  She sighed heavily before opening her mouth to speak.

“I’m Sophie Parks and I’m the baddest pop diva in town,” she stated quietly, feeling ridiculous.

“Lame,” Justin hollered. “Say it like you mean it, girl!”

Justin pulled her to her feet and said the line again, one hip popped to the side and a hand snapping through the air.  Sophie giggled. Though her nerves hadn’t completely disappeared, she did feel a bit better with Justin’s words of encouragement and joking attitude.

“I’m Sophie Parks and I’m the baddest pop diva in town,” she stated again, this time imitating him with the hip popped and the snaps.

“That’s my girl!” he exclaimed, laughing with her.  He smiled down at her before cupping her face in his hands. “You’re going to be great, Sophie.”

“Thank you, Justin,” she replied softly, a small smile gracing her lips.

“You’re welcome,” he replied, smiling at her as he pulled her back down to the couch.

 

Two weeks later, the tour was in full swing and Sophie felt like she had finally gotten into the groove of the day.  Wake up early, usually, run here and there to various interviews, appearances and photo shoots, sound check, a couple hours to relax and sign merchandise, the show and then perhaps out to a club with various members of the tour’s entourage before crashing late, er, early in the morning.

The shows had been fantastic.  Sophie was nailing the routines and the vocals and the crowds had been receptive.  She had actually been surprised that the crowds, who had come to see Justin, had enjoyed her so much since they were there to see a male performer.  Nonetheless, she was happy with the acceptance.  She also enjoyed watching the album sell the way it was.  Mike had been giving her phone updates on its sales and so far it was exceeding expectations.  Sophie couldn’t be happier.

The only thing pulling her down at this point was exhaustion.  She was so tired all the time.  Sophie honestly didn’t know how people managed to do this all the time.  She realized that Mike just wanted to promote her and the album, but if she lived past this tour, she was going to demand that her schedule never look like this again. 

Justin had recently become worried, and that annoyed her.  Two nights ago he had even refused to let her come to the club with them after the show, all but ordering her to get some sleep.  Every time she had a couple minutes and Justin was anywhere near her, he was forcing her to close her eyes and sleep.  She couldn’t sleep during the day and he just didn’t understand that.  Like now, for instance, Sophie somehow had two hours before she had to be at the venue for sound check and Justin had invited himself to her room to try and make her take a nap.  She wasn’t 5 for goodness sakes!

She was relieved should could stop pretending to sleep when her phone rang.  Glancing at the LCD display, she saw it was her mother and grinned.  She hadn’t spoken to her mother since the beginning of the tour.

“Salut, maman.  Comment allez-vous?” Sophie questioned and saw Justin’s eyes widen in surprise at her use of the French.  She snuck a look at him and smiled.

“Le prochain concert est à Toronto… Non, Justin été vraiment gentil.  J'ai un grand temps.”

Justin’s look of surprise turned to one of curiosity as he heard his name.  What exactly was she saying about him?  And to whom?  And how the hell was he unaware of her fluency in French?  Sophie Parks was certainly a woman full of surprises.  He thought it was hot.

Sophie laughed silently at his expression.  After a few moments of answering some of her mother’s questions and listening to the new stories of her mother’s life, she said her goodbye’s and turned to face Justin who, undoubtedly, had some questions.  He just looked at her.

“Well?” he merely asked, as if that was all the prompting she should need.  It was.

“My mother is French,” she started.

“Were you born in France?” he interrupted.

“No,” she laughed. “My mother was born and lived there.  She met my father when he was in the country on business.  They dated for a while and then moved to the states after they got married.  I was born here.”

“Have you ever gone?  To France, I mean?”

“Oh yeah.  I have dual citizenship.  I visit my mother’s family there for a couple weeks almost every summer.  It’s been a while since my last visit.  I’ve been pretty busy as of late,” she replied and Justin nodded his head, indicating his agreement.  Sophie felt comforted that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

“I wish I could speak a foreign language,” Justin revealed and Sophie smiled.  She felt blessed to have the skill herself.  “Speaking in a different language is sexy.”

Sophie laughed outright at that.  Of course he would want the knowledge of a foreign language to make himself more appealing.

“Vous pensez qu'il me fera vous veut? Je fais déjà,” Sophie spoke softly, moving closer to him.

“I have no idea what you just said.  But that was hot,” Justin stated and Sophie smiled as she crawled onto his lap, reveling in the feeling of his hands guiding her and then resting on her sides.  His hands helped nestle her against his lap and Sophie could feel his budding desire for her.  She giggled as she cupped his face in her hands, bringing his mouth to hers for a steamy kiss.  When she heard him moan, she knew he’d forgotten about making her sleep.  She grinned against his mouth.

 

A couple days later, Sophie found herself sitting in the middle of the local Best Buy, signing autographs and greeting fans.  She was surprised to find quite a large crowd waiting for her and had been eager to greet the people.  Two hours later, however, her hand was cramping and her mind was becoming mushy from having the same conversation with person after person.  With a small sigh, she looked up at the next person in line.

“Hi, Sophie, it’s so cool to meet you.  I heard your music before you got signed and I was so excited when I found out you were coming out with a major album,” the young man commented as he approached Sophie.  She smiled up at him, pleased to hear something new.

“Oh, wow, thank you.  I’m glad you’ve been following my music from the beginning.  That’s really cool.  You like the album?” she asked.

“Oh yeah!  It’s amazing.  Seriously, awesome,” he responded eagerly, grinning at her widely.

“Glad to hear that.”

“I’ll probably be your fan forever.  Can you sign this for me?” he asked, pushing the CD sleeve of her album in front of her.

            “Sure.  What’s your name?” she asked, expectantly.

            “Alex,” he stated, his voice smooth.  She scribbled a short message and her name before handing the CD sleeve back to him.  He took it from her, but his gaze never left hers.  She raised her eyebrows questioningly and he snapped out of whatever daze he seemed to be in.  He looked down at what she’d signed and his grin widened across his face.

            “To Alex, a fan from the beginning.  Thanks for the support!  Sophie,” he read aloud.  Meeting her gaze, he stared her.  “Thank you.”

            “You’re welcome, Alex.  It was nice to meet you,” she responded, becoming a little nervous by his intense, unwavering stare.  When he hadn’t moved after a few awkward moments, she glanced over at Donny with a slightly worried expression on her face.  Silently, Donny moved closer and touched Alex’s shoulder with one of his large, beefy hands.

            “You’ll have to move on,” he stated, his voice hard with authority.  Alex looked at Sophie once more before scowling at Donny and walking away.  Sophie smiled a thank you to Donny as he retreated once again to the sidelines. 

            Sophie continued on, signing her name dozens of times and having the same conversations over and over again.  Another hour later, it was time for Sophie to head to the venue for sound check.  As the manager made the announcement, she felt a bit guilty that she had to turn away some fans still waiting in line.  But, Deana—anal as ever—wouldn’t allow Sophie to be late to the venue for the next item on the agenda. 

Turning to the crowds, she thanked her fans for their support and waved.  In the midst of scanning the faces, she started when her gaze landed on Alex, the fan from earlier.  He was standing off to the side, a wide grin on his face as he waved enthusiastically at her.  Why was he still here?  She hated to admit it, but he creeped her out.  She smiled tightly and turned to be led out of the store.

On the way to the venue, Deana ticked off the items on her schedule for the rest of the day.  Sophie sat quietly and watched the city move by in a blur, only half-listening to her assistant.  Honestly, what was there to hear?  Sound check, show, club or bed.  The end.

“Did you guys think that one guy was creepy?” Sophie asked as they headed into the venue.

“Uh, yeah, that guy was all starin’ at you.  It was creepy,” Joe, another security guard, stated.

“I know!  He said he’d been following my music since before I was signed, which was really cool but then he just stood there.  Donny, I’m so glad you understood my silent message,” she laughed. “He was really creeping me out.”

“Who was creeping you out?” Justin asked as he rounded the corner.  Sophie grinned up at him, loving the way her stomach fluttered when he looked at her.  She moved closer to him and he rested a hand on the small of her back.

            “This guy at the Best Buy signing,” Sophie commented lightly, ready to let it go and laugh it off.

            “What was wrong?  Did something happen?” Justin asked, becoming alarmed. 

            “No, he was just lingering.  Donny had to tell him to get a move on.  And, I forgot to tell you guys, but I saw him when we left, too.  He was still freaking there,” Sophie laughed, trying to ignore the uncomfortable flutter of her nerves.

            “Well, I’m sure you won’t see him again.  We’ll keep an eye out, just in case, obviously,” Joe stated and Sophie nodded.

            “What have you been up to?” Sophie asked as she turned to Justin, wanting to move on to a new topic of conversation.

            “Nothing, really.  I’ve just been hanging around.”

            “He’s been moping around, wondering when you were gonna be back,” Mike, Justin’s bodyguard and personal tormentor, hollered as he joined the group.  Sophie laughed as Justin scowled at his burly bodyguard.  She had to admit, Mike never failed to liven up a conversation with his jokes, which were usually making fun of Justin.

            “Oh, shut the fuck up,” Justin grumbled playfully.  Slinging an arm around her neck, Justin led Sophie away from the group and towards their dressing rooms.

            “So Best Buy was crowded?” he asked, shutting the door behind him and.

            “Yeah.  There were a lot more people there than I was expecting, that’s for sure.  My hand still feels numb,” Sophie joked, examining one of the photos Justin was expected to sign for giveaways.

            “Eh, you’ll get used to that after awhile.  That guy really freaked you out, huh?”

            “Yeah, I guess.  There was just something about the way he looked at me.  It was so intense.  I dunno, I’m probably just imagining things,” she stated, trying to lighten things up.

            “Nah.  You get freaked, you get freaked.  Just make sure you keep your security informed of everything so they can keep you safe and you shouldn’t have a problem,” he reasoned.

            “Yeah,” she responded, setting the picture back on the counter. “So where are we heading after the show?  I need to get my mind off of this busy schedule that’s slowly killing me.”

            “Don’t you think you should stay in and get some rest?” Justin asked, noticing the dark circles under her eyes that were masked a little by make-up. 

            “Ok, I need you to stop.”

            “Stop what?” he asked, an innocent expression on his face.  Sophie knew better, however.

            “Stop trying to get me to sleep all the time, J.  I can’t sleep after a show as much as you can’t.  I’m too keyed up.  If I want to go out, I’ll go out, ok?” Sophie stated, her tone firm.

            “I don’t mean to piss you off, Sophie.  I’m just worried, all right?  I don’t wanna see you get sick or something,” he stated.

            “I know, Justin, I get it.  But let me take care of myself,” she responded, her voice softening.  She didn’t want to be mad at him for caring. 

“Okay, okay,” he responded, holding his hands in front of him in surrender.

“I can’t have you trying to be my daddy or something and giving me a curfew,” Sophie joked, laughing a bit as she said it.  She saw the smug grin on Justin’s face and knew exactly where his mind had gone with that comment.

            “God, Justin, you’re such a perv,” she stated, laughing and swatting at his chest lightly.  He broke out into a grin at her response and situated his body closer to her, placing his hands on her hips.

            “I’m not a perv.  I’m your daddy, remember?” he teased before leaning down and pressing his lips to hers.  Sophie grinned against his mouth before allowing him to deepen the pressure.

            He traced the seam of her lips with his tongue and Sophie gladly granted him access into the recesses of her mouth.  He swept in and stroked her tongue with his.  She felt a shiver of pleasure go through her body at his kiss.  God, what he could do with that mouth!  She loved the feel of his lips on hers.

            She felt his hands run over her sides, roaming every so often to cup her breasts as his lower half pressed intimately against her center.  He was setting her nerve endings on fire with his touch and Sophie wanted more.  But certainly they couldn’t do that here.

            “Justin,” she murmured, pushing on his shoulders lightly.  Moving his lips away from her neck, he leaned back and looked at her, his mouth red and a bit swollen from their kisses.  She was sure she looked similar.

            “What?”

            “We can’t—not here,” she stated.

            “Sure we can.  We just have to be quick and quiet,” he grinned, beginning to lean his head down again.

            “But what if someone comes in,” she prompted, pushing at his shoulders again.

            “I locked the door.  Don’t worry,” he whispered before moving his mouth back to her neck.  Sophie moaned lightly at the contact, her hands moving to cup the back of his head.

            Allowing herself to become lost in the sensations he was creating within her, she didn’t realize what he was doing until she felt his fingers sliding along the inside of her thigh.  Her skirt was now bunched up around her hips and she laid her head back against the wall behind her when she felt his long fingers begin to rub her through her panties.

            “Shit, Soph, you’re already wet,” he whispered, his voice husky.  She merely sighed with pleasure, small noises being drawn from her throat.  She whimpered in protest when he pulled his hand away.  Taking over, she reached down and took control, unbuttoning his pants and sliding them down his hips.  He grinned at her as she slipped her hands into his boxer briefs and slid those down as well.

            “Anxious?” he asked, positioning himself at her entrance and teasing her folds.

            “C’mon, J,” she whined and he kissed her as he slid in, silencing her moan with his mouth.  Justin pulled nearly all the way out before pushing back in, her sounds of pleasure music to his ears. 

            “You want it?” he spoke low in her ear.  She whimpered in the back of her throat, loving the way her nerves coiled in pleasure.

            “God, Justin!  More,” she pleaded, her desire urging her on, closer and closer to release.  Justin growled and sped up the pace of his thrusts.

            “God, your shit feels so good,” he panted, pressing her harder against the wall.  Grabbing her hands, he laced their fingers and pressed them into the wall.

            “Shit, J…fuck me,” she whispered, her eyes squeezed tight in pleasure. 

Set off by her words, he fell into a frenzied pace, each thrust slamming her against the wall.  He quieted her with his mouth, his lips claiming hers over and over again.  Within minutes, he felt her walls squeeze around him and watched as she fell over the edge, her mouth open but silent.  Feeling her squeeze him brought him to his own release and he released into her with a grunt.  It was quick and just what he needed.  God, the things this woman did to his body.

“Shit,” she stated quietly a few moments later, her breathing calming down a little.  He laughed quietly and nodded his head at her, in agreement with her statement.

“Yeah,” he replied, laughing a little as he situated his pants back onto his hips.

“Well, I gotta hand it to you, J.  You certainly know how to take my mind off of things,” she grinned at him and he smiled back at her, wrapping her in his arms and laughing as he kissed the top of her head.

“Anytime, Soph, anytime,” he stated.  “C’mon, time for sound check.”

Sophie allowed herself to be led from the dressing room, hoping they both didn’t look like they’d just done what they had.  Pushing everything from her mind, she made her way to the stage for sound check.