Chapter 1

"Your new American Idol is...Jordin Sparks!" Ryan announced and the arena immediately erupted in applause.

Jordin woke up with a smile on her face.  This was the fifth time she'd had that dream; but it wasn't just a dream...it was her reality.  She'd just been crowned the latest American Idol the previous week and her life's been a whirlwind since.  Her daily agenda went from high school from eight to four, to a slew of interviews and performances promoting her first single.  But today was different; today was the day she'd meet the producer for her second song.  Jordin was more excited about this song, she'd actually get to establish her own sound with this one...something she couldn't do with the track the producers picked as the winning song for this season of the show.  She sat up in bed and stretched before turning off her alarm.  Jordin didn't know why she continued to set an alarm since she always woke up before it went off.  She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and walked to her bathroom to begin her morning routine and was dressed and was walking out of her front door an hour and a half later.  Her manager, Janet, was waiting in the car the record label provided for her and greeted her with an itinerary for the day and breakfast.

"An apple?  What happened to the pop tarts and milk?"

"You need to start eating healthier Jordin.  Whether you like it or not you're now a role model for young girls and you need to promote healthy habits."

"Thanks Mom," Jordin replied sarcastically before biting into the apple.  She made a mental note to grab something else to eat when she got to the studio.  She glanced down at the sheet and saw 'Record with Justin' and cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"Justin who?"

"Huh?"

"It says 'Record with Justin' on this sheet," Jordin began, "Justin who?"

"Timberlake.  The label is bringing him in to work on your album.  It seems that they've noticed all the hits that he's been putting out recently.  I think I heard someone say that he's making better songs now that he's behind the mic."

"Oh my gosh!" Jordin was now in 'fan-girl' mode, "Do you know how much of an *NYSNC fan I was when I was younger?!"  Jordin was beaming from ear to ear.  She was finally going to get to meet one of her celebrity crushes, and not only was she going to meet him she was going to be working...very intimately with him.  The Lincoln Towncar pulled into the studio's parking lot a half hour later and it was like Jordin couldn't get inside the building fast enough.

"Whoa!  Slow down hun," Janet yelled after her client with a slight laugh in her voice.  Jordin reached the door to the studio and checked her reflection in the glass door before taking a deep breath and pushing door open...right into Justin's face

SMACK!!

"Oh my...I am so sorry!" Jordin exclaimed as Justin rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"It's ok, I don't think it's broken," Justin replied with a slight chuckle, "You must be Jordin."

"Yeah, and once again I'm sorry."

"It's alright, I think I'll live this time."  Jordin could feel the heat rising to her face and tried to cover up her cheeks to hide her embarrassment. 

"I see you two have met," Janet said as she walked in the building.

"You could say that," Justin replied, winking at Jordin.  She had to blink twice...did he really just wink at her?  Justin Timberlake?  Like the Justin Timberlake?  This was the same guy who was in her favorite boy band, but you couldn't really tell now that he was standing in front of her in a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt with a beanie atop his head.  He looked...normal.

"So, are you ready to get started?" Justin asked motioning towards the studio room they'd be working in.

"Sure, after you," Jordin replied, following him.  This wasn't the first time she'd been in a recording studio, but it felt like it; especially as she watched Justin maneuver around the mixing board like he did. 

"I don't know if I said this before, but congratulations on winning."

"Thanks.  I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that a girl from Smalltown, USA actually won."

"People always sleep on small townsfolk, thinking that we don't have talent because we're not from NYC or LA."

"Oh yeah, you're from Millington, TN aren't you?" Jordin asked.  She regretted the words as soon as they left her mouth.  She didn't want to come of as some sort of a fan-girl; didn't want to scare him off before they even began working together.  Justin cocked an eyebrow out of amusement.

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I think I read that somewhere," Jordin replied with a shrug, "but anyway, why don't we get started?"

"Sounds good to me."

"I have a few ideas actually." she said as she reached inside her hobo bag and pulled out a composition notebook. 

"Well let me see."  She was kind of hesitant about passing over the tablet.  It was like her diary, the one thing she could "tell" her inner most thoughts to and she didn't want to let just anyone read them.  But he wasn't just anyone, he was Justin Timberlake.  He was a multi-award winning, platinum selling artist and a hit producer on top of that.  If Madonna was ok with him reading her lyric why wasn't Jordin?  After a few seconds of deliberation she finally handed the notebook over and subconsciously held her breath as he flipped through a few pages. 

"Wow, you've got a knack for this lyric thing huh?" he asked, his eyes landing on one page in particular. 

"How do you feel about recording a ballad today.  I wanna test out the range of your voice."

"Sounds good to me," Jordin confirmed with a smile.

"I was looking at this page and this one poem caught my attention."  She walked over behind him to see what he was talking about.  The poem he was reading was one she wrote during a rough patch with her ex-boyfriend. 

"Do you have a melody for this?"  Jordin shook her head.

"No; I was just jotting down a few thoughts...sort of like my own version of a pro/con list."

"Ok, gotcha.  But it is a ballad right?"

"Yeah, I think so.  It's kind of sad for a dance track, in my opinion."  Both of them chuckled at her comment. 

"I think I may have something for this actually," Justin began and he stood up and walked over towards the keyboard on the other side of the room. 

"Timbaland and I came up with this chord progression for the track that he's supposed to be doing with Coldplay, but I think it will fit this song."  He fingered a few keys before beginning the slow melody."

"Come over here, I won't bite you...I promise."  Jordin smiled meekly before walking over and sitting next to him on the bench.  He played five individual notes and played the melody again. 

"I don't know if I should stay," Justin sang when he got to those five individual notes again, "Sing it with me.  I don't know if I should stay."  He smiled after they finished that line. 

"A familiar look, a familiar voice makes it so hard to make a choice.  I don't know if I should stay," Jordin sang softly over the notes Justin was playing.  He echoed the line she sang.  He could hear the nervousness in her voice and remembered when he was like that.  It had been so long since he'd been the one behind the mic and not behind the mixing board.  He'd done the solo thing for a bit after *NSYNC took their hiatus, but eventually decided to stay behind the scenes and produce. 

"Here, let me see the words," Justin said and Jordin held the notebook up in front of his face.

"Where's my will?  Cannot find a way.  The earth is wild, and I can't sit still," he sang, playing around with the melody a bit. 

"I like that."

"Yeah?" Justin said, looking over at her with a slight smile on her face, "Sing it with me."  She did as she was told and when they finished Justin grinned and said, "I think we have our first verse."

"Wow, that was easier than I thought."

"Yeah, it doesn't take long to crank out a hit song when you have chemistry."  Jordin blushed at his comment.

"You have talent girl, and I can't wait to work on the rest of your tracks with you."

"So you're going to produce some more of my songs?"

"If you want to.  You have a great voice, something the industry needs right now.  I'd be honored to work with you."

"And I with you," Jordin said with a smile.  She over towards the door and saw her manager standing on the other side of it and gave her two thumbs up, mouthing "I found my producer". 

"So how about we start working on that second verse?"

Chapter 2

I ran to you like water.

I threw my body in

and I'll stand up on the ocean

just to show you that I am strong,

strong.

But what if I am wrong?

 

A familiar look.

A familiar smile

makes it so hard to make a choice.

I don't know if I should stay...away

Jordin looked around the room and there were mirrored expressions of shock on all of the execs faces.

"So what do you think?" she asked as she stopped the playback of the song she and Justin had been working on for the past three days.

"I don't know about you guys, but it sounds like we've got a hit on our hands to me," said one of the older gentlemen in a suit. Jordin didn't know who he was, but when she looked over at Janet she saw two thumbs up and smiled.

"I agree," Barry Weiss. Jordin was elated; that was an amazing compliment coming from a man as accomplished as him.

"Well if you like that then just wait til you hear what we're working on now," Justin said, walking up and throwing an arm around Jordin's shoulder. She couldn't help the smile that was growing on her face. She was in the company of musical geniuses and they were singing her praises.

"So you are planning to do more tracks together?" Mr. Weiss asked.

"Yes sir," Jordin began, "I want to work with Justin until he gets sick of seeing my face," she said jokingly.

"Which could never happen," Justin said with a gentle squeeze to her shoulder.

"Well what are we sitting here for, get back in the studio," Janet said with a smile. Everyone began to file out of the room, shaking Jordin and Justin's hands as they did. Jordin shrieked and jumped up and down in excitement when it was only she and Justin and in the room.

"Whoa there cowgirl; calm down."

"They liked it! They actually liked my song...our song."

"Yeah, but you're gonna tire yourself out if you do this after every song. We still have quite a few more tracks to go, baby girl," he said with a chuckle. He gave her a pat on the back and headed out of the room and back to the studio room they were working in. He was fiddling with the mixing board when Jordin walked in sat down in the seat next to him.

"So Mr. Timberlake, what do you want to do now?"

"Well I want to take you out for lunch since you blew them away in that boardroom, but how about we finish this track while you're warmed up. Then we can call it a day and go eat."

"Sounds good to me," Jordin replied before walking in the recording booth. She put on the headphones and was fiddling with the lyrics sheet when Justin asked her if she was ready to start.

"Whenever you are Mr. Producer." Justin cued up the track and gave her the thumbs up, signaling for her to start singing.

It started as a flicker

meant to be a flame.

My skin has gotten thicker

but it burns the same.

I'm still a baby in a cradle

gotta take my first fall.

Baby's getting next to no where

with my back against the wall.

The ones who make me happy

make me sad.

Wanna make it better-better so bad.

Save your resolutions for your never new year.

There is only one solution I can see here.

 

Jordin bobbed along as she sang the mid-tempo track.

 

Love, you're all I ever could need.

Only one good thing left trying to be

and it's love, love, love, love.

I do it for love, love, love, love.

 

Only gonna get-get what you give away.

Love, love

Only gonna get-get what you give away.

Love.

She took off her headphones when she saw Justin give her another thumbs up.

"How did I sound?"

"How do you think you sounded?" he responded.

"I think I sounded ok, but you always have some sort of critique." Justin laughed under his breath, she was right. He was a perfectionist and would continue recording until the song was perfect.

"I'm gonna play it back and you tell me what you think." He did just that and it didn't take long for her realize that she was a tad bit flat.

"Let's do it again," she announced as he started the backing track once more. This time she corrected her pitch and it wasn't long before they were finished recording the song. Justin saved everything and began shutting down the equipment as Jordin gathered all of her belongings.

"So, what do you wanna eat Ms. Sparks?"

"I don't care; whatever you wanna eat," she replied with a smile, "You're treating me, so you pick."

Justin was silent in thought for a moment before grabbing her hand.

"C'mon, lets go."

"To where?" Jordin asked quizzically.

"It's a surprise."

"It better not be nasty Timberlake," Jordin said with a slight grin.

~*~

"I must say that I was kind of hesitant when you said fish tacos, but these are pretty good."

"I can't believe you doubt me," Justin said before taking a swig of his beer. They were at a local hole in the wall Mexican restaurant pigging out of tamales and fish tacos.

"Never again will I do that...and we're gonna have to come here more often. How did you find this place?"

"Funny story actually," Justin began, "back when I used to be famous..." Jordin rolled her eyes at him.

"You still are famous, goofball."

"Well, back at the height of it I was out with my girl and trying to get rid of some stalkerazzis and we ducked into this place. I guess this place looked so run-down on the outside that they thought that we'd never be in here and we ended up staying and eating."

"Wow, you never know what could happen on a date with Justin Timberlake," Jordin said with a laugh.

"Well you know me," Justin joked and popped his collar playfully.

"Cocky much?" Jordin replied with a chuckle.

"If the shoe fits..."

"Wow, now I can see why so many women fell for you."

"What are you trying to say Ms. Sparks?"

"Nothing," she laughed, "Don't worry about it."

"No, what is it?"

"Nothing, nevermind," she replied, "I just don't see what they saw in you..." she finally said with a playful smile.

"Oh really?" Justin said before throwing a balled up napkin at her.

"No need for violence, Timberlake," Jordin said, blocking the paper product.

"Wow, most women would be happy to be happy...honored even to be out with me; and you're sitting up here making fun of me."

"Well I'm not most women."

"You're right," Justin said with a charming grin, "you're better." Jordin felt her heart flutter in her chest. Was he flirting with her? Naw, he couldn't be. There's no way that this 27 year old man would be interested in her...she was only 18 for goodness sakes! And even if she was his age she wasn't his type. Nope. So the best thing to do was to dismiss that foolish idea and finish the rest of her dinner.

"You ok? Did I say something wrong?" Justin said, looking at her over his Corona bottle.

"No, I was just thinking," she replied with a slight grin.

"About?"

Your lips on mine.

"Nothing in particular," she lied.

"Oh ok," he replied before taking a bite of his tamale, "The album's going well. At this rate we'll have at least 14 tracks for them to choose from within a month."

"Really?"

"Yeah, we're averaging out a track about every two days. I'm just happy you're letting me produce them."

"What? I told you, the pleasure's all mine. I was shocked when you agreed to even work on my project."

"I told you before that you have a remarkable voice and raw talent. I'm just happy that I get to be apart of this project. But enough talk about music. What are you doing after this?"

"I was planning on heading home, curling up on the couch and probably catching up on Degrassi and eating ice cream."

Justin looked at her quizzically before saying, "Well change of plans; you're tagging along with me tonight." Jordin didn't like the sound of this.

"To where?" she asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"This jazz club my cousin told me about. I've been meaning to check it out for awhile now, but I've been too busy."

"I don't know," she hesitated, "you may have to go to this one by yourself..."

Justin cut her off, "I'm sure that your ice cream will still be in the freezer when you get home girl. Do you not like jazz music?"

"No! I love jazz music, it's just..."

"You don't have some kind of curfew do you? I thought you were 18?"

"I am, and no I don't have a curfew."

"Then what's the problem? You don't want to be seen out in public with me? If that's the reason then I'm sorry because I saw some photog snap our picture and I'm pretty sure that Page Six is gonna run the picture to announce our engagement on tomorrow's front page," he joked. Jordin laughed at his statement.

"Well damn, my mom's gonna wring my neck because she didn't know first," she replied, playing along. Justin pulled out his cell phone and placed it on the table.

"You can call her on my cell if you want. Wouldn't want my mother-in-law to hate before she meets me." They both got a good laugh out of the joke.

"Ok, now other than that, what's your reason for not wanting to go to this club with me tonight."

"I don't really have another one."

"So it's settled then. It's what, 8 o'clock now and the doors there don't open til ten."

"Well how about we head back to the studio so I can get my car and I'll meet you at the place at ten."

"Or I can come pick you up, I'm not really good at giving directions," Justin responded. Ok, now Jordin knew she wasn't imagining things, this guy was definitely asking her out...and was very persistent.

"Alright, that'll work," she agreed.

"You finished eating?" he asked, pulling a few bills out of his wallet.

"Yep, let's go."

Tonight was going to be interesting...

Chapter 3

Jordin's eyelashes fluttered up and she immediately shielded her eyes from the blinding sunshine coming in through the windows. She reached up and stretched and yawned, and when she brought her arms back down to the bed she felt a body instead of feeling a mattress.

"Good morning to you too," Justin said in a groggy voice. Jordin froze, her eyes in shock. She lifted up the comforter and saw that she was clothed, not in much, but still she had clothes on...and then she realized that she wasn't even in her apartment. But the million dollar question was why was she in the bed with Justin? And why was his arm around her waist, holding her? Her body immediately went into panic mode and she threw the covers off of her and rose to her feet. Ooh, bad idea; she stood too quickly and the room started spinning.

"Whoa there," Justin said, catching her just as she fell back on the bed, "You ok?"

"Yeah."

No.

She was trying to remember last night's events and how she ended up in Justin's bed...with him. It took her a moment before everything came to her.

~*~Flashback~*~

Knock Knock!

Justin was right on time, 10:30 like they'd planned. Jordin smoothed the front of her slacks before opening the door for him.

"Hey," he said with the classic Timberlake smile, "You look great," he said after giving her a once over.

"Thanks; so do you. You ready to go?" Justin nodded in response and Jordin grabbed her purse off the hallway table before locking her door and walking with Justin to his car.

"I swear you change vehicles more than I change pantyhose," she said in a joking manner.

"You wear pantyhose?" Justin asked.

"It's just a figure of speech, you goober. How many cars do you own anyway? I know I've seen you in at least three since we started working together."

"Wow superfan, I'm surprised you already don't know," he replied sarcastically as the engine came to life. Jordin scoffed and rolled her eyes at him.

"I'm kidding," Justin said when he realized his words upset her, "I have a couple of cars and bikes. I tend to drive which ever vehicle fits my mood of the day."

"Superstar much?" Jordin whispered under her breath.

"What was that?" Justin asked.

"Nothing, nevermind. So which jazz club did you say we're going to?"

"I didn't," Justin began with a smile, "We're going to the Red Cat; there's supposed to be this quintet doing jazz covers tonight and I thought you might enjoy them." Jordin couldn't fight the smile that grew on her face.

"And he has a heart," she joked.

"You'd be surprised what all I have," he said, looking over at her in the passengers' seat and wiggling his eyebrows.

Ok, I know I'm not imagining things now...he's GOT to be flirting with me.

Jordin just smiled and kept quiet, not sure what to say at that point. She hadn't realized it before but Justin had Norman Brown playing softly from his stereo.

"I love his cover of 'Your Body's Calling Me'," Jordin stated.

"I think that's the next track," Justin replied, grinning, "and I'm not sure if I said this before, but you look very nice tonight."

"Thanks, you don't look that bad yourself Timberlake." The rest of the short ride was pretty quiet, the only sound coming from the vehicle's stereo system. They pulled up in front of the club and Justin saw the shock on Jordin's face.

"It's a..."

"Hole in the wall," he said, finishing her statement.

"Yeah," she replied nodding.

"Not what you expected?"

"Not at all." Within moments he was opening her door and escorting her into the building. Jordin understood why Justin chose this place instead of another club; it looked so run-down on the outside that the paparazzi didn't even think about going near it, but the inside was a completely different story.

"Wow," Jordin gasped when they crossed the threshold.

"Nice, huh?" Justin asked. Jordin nodded in response.

"You can't always judge a book by it's cover," he said, leading her to a nearby table. The room was dimly lit and the atmosphere was inviting. It wasn't long before one of the few waitresses in the place approached them for a drink order.

"A corona for me," Justin answered.

"And a glass of red wine for me," Jordin answered smoothly, quickly noting the raised eyebrow Justin was giving her. He waited until the waitress walked away to say something.

"And how old are you again?" he asked with a slight smile.

"Legal enough to drink in Canada, the UK, and Mexico."

"But not in this country," he replied with a chuckle.

"Hush, it's just a glass of wine. Calm down; it's not like I'm trying to or gonna get drunk."

"Good; the last thing we need is for tomorrow's headlines to read 'Timberlake takes advantage of drunken pop star on a wild night on the town'." She laughed under her breath.

"Who said I would let you take advantage of me?" she asked mischievously, "I could be the one taking advantage of you."

"Well in that case, I'm all yours," he responded with open arms. The waitress had returned with their drinks before Jordin could respond.

"You know," Justin began once they were alone again, "I wonder why she never carded you."

"Probably because I'm with you. I guess she figured that I must be at least 21 if I'm out with Justin Timberlake," she responded, stressing the last two words.

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You're 27, I'm 18. Put two and two together hun." Justin sighed before answering her.

"I know our ages Jordin. And I don't find anything wrong with two people our ages hanging out. We're both legal, consenting adults. And honestly I didn't even think about our ages until you brought it up; you're quite mature for your age."

"Thanks," she replied softly, "And I'm sorry if I soured the mood."

"Don't - you have nothing to apologize for," he said with a soft smile. He raised his glass to hers and they enjoyed their drinks and the music the quintet was playing. Right now they were playing a cover of Erykah Badu's 'You Got Me' and Justin and Jordin were nodding along. She even sang the chorus softly when the band got to that part of the room. Jordin didn't realize how loud she was until she saw Justin smiling at her as she ran an index finger around the rim of her wine glass.

"You really do have a beautiful voice," he said, slightly above a whisper. Jordin grinned sheepishly.

"Thanks," she said, and could instantly feel the heat rushing to her face. He was giving her that look again...those eyes that made her melt. She took another sip of her drink and glanced out to the make-shift dance floor. There weren't that many people on it, but then again there weren't that many people in the club.

"Do you wanna dance?" Justin asked once he realized what had her attention.

"What? Oh, no, I'm fine."

"What? You scared?"

"I'm not really a dancer; you know the whole two left feet thing," she said with a low chuckle. Justin joined in with her laughter.

"Well you'll definitely be doing some dancing on tour, why not start now," he said, extending his hand for her to take. Jordin took one more drink from her glass before accepting and the two of them were off to the dance floor. The quintet began playing a slower piece, a song that Jordin soon recognized was Dru Hill's 'Beauty'.

"I love this song," she said barely above a whisper into Justin's ear as he wrapped his arms around her. The two of them swayed to the beat and Jordin wasn't sure if the alcohol had finally taken it's course in her system, but she suddenly felt more comfortable, more at ease. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck and his response was wrapping his more tightly around her waist, bringing them closer together. The alcohol had definitely hit her, she closed her eyes and let Justin lead. This was nice, kind of hard to believe, but nice. If someone would have told her a year ago that she would be an American Idol and slow dancing with Justin Timberlake...no, strike that The Justin Timberlake at a jazz club she'd ask them what kind of crack they were smoking. But here she was, here they were.

"Walks by me everyday; her and love are the same. A woman has stolen my heart, and Beauty is her name," Justin sang softly in Jordin's ear, snapping her out of her daydream.

"Why Mr. Timberlake, I do believe that you are the one with the beautiful voice," she said with an exaggerated southern accent.

"Well that makes two of us then," he said, and Jordin could feel him smiling against her head. The song changed to a more upbeat tune, but they continued slow dancing, not caring if they were dancing off-beat if anyone was watching. For that moment in time it was just the two of them and Jordin couldn't have been happier.

"Justin," she whispered.

"Hmm?"

"We're the only ones on the floor."

"Ok."

"There's no music playing," she said, loosening her arms. He took the opposite action, not wanting the moment to end just yet he refused to let her go and began to hum Al Green's 'Let's Stay Together'.

"There, you happy now?" Once again Jordin could feel him smiling against her head and this time she could feel the vibrations as he hummed. They continued their dancing until the band began playing again.

"Stormy Weather," she stated plainly.

"Huh?" he asked, confused.

"They're playing 'Stormy Weather'. I sang this song with the jazz band in high school." Jordin sang a line of the song softly, looking into his eyes as she did and Justin couldn't help but smile. He was falling for this girl, hard. He stared at her lips as she finished singing, and what beautiful lips did she have. His eyes bounced back and forth between them and her eyes, almost as if he was asking for her permission...and he got just that when she blinked slowly and smiled gently. The kiss was so light that Jordin wasn't even sure that it had actually happened. Her heart was beating erratically and she had butterflies in her stomach, but the rest of her was completely still. Once again Justin's eyes asked for permission and this kiss was more tender than the first. He took his time, wanting to make it last and when they separated she was breathless. And for some odd reason the butterflies in her stomach grew stronger.

Uh oh.

Jordin backed away from him quickly, immediately covering her mouth with her hand.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" he asked in a panicked voice. Jordin scanned the room and barely made it to the ladies' room before the contents of her stomach poured out into the porcelain bowl. Great, just great. The one time she couldn't hold her liquor had to be when she was with Justin. What would he think of her now? Jordin heard the bathroom door open and Justin's voice asking if she was alright...she didn't have time to answer him before round two started. He was at her side in an instant, rubbing her back and whispering words of comfort.

"It's ok, you're gonna be fine."

"I can't believe this. I swear this never happens," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"This is nothing. I've done and seen worse than this darling," he said, smiling at her. Jordin flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink to wash her hands and gargle with water.

"You ok?" he asked once she'd finished.

"Yeah; I just want to go home. Do you mind?"

"Not at all, I was just about to suggest the same thing," he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her out of the restroom and club. They got in his car and weren't five miles from the club when he had to pull over so she could throw up again. He handed her a bottle of water for her gargle with.

"You keep random bottles of water in your car?" she asked, chuckling softly.

"Yeah, you never know when someone has to puke," he joked.

"Haha, very funny," she replied sarcastically, "Can I just go home now?"

"No, you're coming with me."

"To where?" she asked quickly.

"My place. I'm not gonna leave you by yourself tonight. The last thing I need is for you to throw up in the middle of the night and choke on it."

"Eww! Gross! And thanks for thinking the worst in a situation."

"It happens, and I want to make sure you're ok tonight. So you're coming back to my place."

"But - "

"No buts," Justin interrupted.

"Fine," she agreed, "But answer one question for me."

"Ok."

"Is this some kind of sick ploy to get me to go back to your place with you?" Justin laughed.

"I don't need a ploy to get you to come home with me," he said with a mischievous grin and left it at that.

~*~End Flashback~*~

 

Chapter 4

 

Jordin sat on the side of the bed rubbing her temples, her head was pounding. 

"How do you feel?" Justin asked softly, lying on his side to get a clearer view of her.

"Like there's a drumline playing a cadence on my brain."  Justin chuckled.

"Someone has a hangover," he said with an easy smile.  Jordin turned around to glower at him but changed her mind when she saw what he was wearing...or rather wasn't.  He was lying there, shirtless and looking like a greek god.  She had to remind herself to breathe and not to stare.  Instead she chose to look down at what she had on, a wife beater and boxers, both of which she assumed were his since she didn't pack an overnight bag for their unexpected sleepover.

"Here," Justin said, reaching past her to get to the bedside table.  He grabbed a bottle of water and a bottle of aspirin and handed them to her.

"Again with the random bottles of water," she said smiling.

"Like I said..."

"I know, I know," she said cutting him off.  Jordin swallowed two tablets and half of the water in the bottle before placing them back on the nightstand. 

"How is it that you don't feel as crappy as I do?" she asked when the pounding in her head calmed to a dull roar.

"I guess I just have a higher tolerance, and plus I only had one beer.  Your glass of wine had like three times as much alcohol in it than my beer did," Justin responded, sitting up in the bed.  He began rubbing her back in a soothing nature and Jordin froze under his touch...and not because his hand was cold.

"What?  Are you gonna be sick again?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"No, you just startled me," she lied...well sort of.  He had startled her, but that wasn't the only reason why she so jumpy at his touch.  The two of them were still in his bed, partially clothed and here he was, comforting her like they were an old married couple.

"Oh, I'm sorry.  Are you hungry?  I'm pretty sure you emptied the contents of your stomach between last night and now," he said with a slight chuckle.

"Not funny, Timberlake," Jordin whispered, leaning forward and resting her head in hands on her lap.

"I'm gonna go make breakfast, do you like oatmeal?"

"Yeah," she replied with a slight grin.

"Ok, well the bathroom's that way," he said, pointing to a door across the room, "I'll lay out a t-shirt and some sweatpants for you; and you can meet me downstairs when you're finished for breakfast."

"Alright," she said as she stood to her feet.  The room was still spinning slightly and Justin had to hold her waist to steady her.

"You good?" he asked after a few seconds.  Jordin nodded her head 'yes' and slowly began walking to the bathroom.  She reached the door and grabbed the knob and then turned around and asked,

"You said that you were gonna lay out some of your clothes for me; where are my clothes?"

"I sent them to be dry cleaned...you sort of made a mess."  Jordin groaned in embarrassment and nodded before thanking him and entering the restroom.  Great, if Justin didn't think she was an immature lightweight last night he definitely did now.  She couldn't believe that one glass of wine had this kind of effect on her.  All she wanted to do was take a long hot shower...preferably with him in there with her...  WHOA!  Where did that come from?  Jordin mentally scolded herself for thinking like that and then smirked.  Hey, a girl could dream right?  It didn't take her long to find towels and before long she was standing under the shower head letting the hot water wash away all traces of the previous evening.

 

~*~

 

Justin whistled along to Usher's 'You don't have to call' as he scrambled eggs for him and Jordin.  Maybe he should've asked her how she liked her eggs cooked...oh well.  Besides, who doesn't like scrambled eggs?  He was in the middle of chopping up the eggs when he heard his front door open.  This meant one of two things, a fanatic had found out where he lived and broken in, or his best friend would soon be gracing Justin with his presence in about ten seconds.

"Whoa!" Trace stated once he made his way to the kitchen, "Do my eyes deceive me or are you seriously up cooking breakfast?  And for me?" Trace asked once he saw the two plates Justin had laid out for himself and Jordin.

"Shut up asswipe, none of this is for you," Justin joked with a smile.  Trace walked over and gave him a manly hug before sitting in one of the barstools.

"Well if it's not for me, then who is it for?"  Trace asked, and before Justin could answer he blurted out, "Wait, is someone here?  Like a chick?  Did you hit it last night?"

"And you wonder why you're single," Justin said, shaking his head.  He turned off all the burners and washed his hands before grabbing some mugs and pouring coffee for himself and Jordin.

"You want some?" he offered to Trace.

"Naw, I'm cool.  But you never answered my question.  Did you have a chick over last night?"

"Yes, but it's not like that.  We went to the Red Cat last night since they had a live jazz band and it got late so we decided that it would be best if she just stayed the night and I'm gonna take her home after we eat."  Justin decided to leave out the part about Jordin getting sick, he didn't want to embarrass her before she met Trace.  Come to think of it, he was surprised that they hadn't met yet.  He shrugged, oh well, they'd meet today...maybe sooner than Justin expected.  Jordin sauntered into the kitchen at that moment, greeting both men with a smile.

"How was your shower?  Did you find everything ok?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, it was fine; I finished off your body wash so I'll get you another bottle."  Justin brushed it off.

"Don't worry about it, I was gonna buy some more the next time I went to the store.  You ready for breakfast?"  Jordin nodded her head 'yes' in response and walked over to him to fix her plate. 

"Well since Justin's being rude, I'll introduce myself," Trace said, extending a hand to shake Jordin.

"I'm Trace."

"Also known as my jackass best friend," Justin joked.

"I resent that, you're the jackass!" Trace shot back.

"Now now guys, let's save the fighting for after breakfast," Jordin joked, "And Justin, watch your language, that's no way to talk to your best friend," she said with a smile.  Trace wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"I like this one," he beamed, "Don't do anything to mess this one up, J."  Both Jordin and Justin's eyes widened with Trace's last statement.

"No, no, it's not like that.  We're not dating," Jordin said, clearing up the situation.

"But Justin said that ya'll went out last night and you're standing here clothes that I'm gonna assume are his since they're like two sizes too big on you.  And ya'll are way too chummy for this to be a one-night-stand."

"We went to the jazz cafe to get ideas for her album.  This is Jordin Sparks, the latest American Idol; I'm producing her album."

"Oh!  I thought I recognized you from somewhere!" Trace exclaimed, "Well then why..."

"I spent the night because I had a bit too much to drink and Justin didn't want me to be at home by myself in case I got sick again," Jordin filled in, already knowing what he was thinking.

"Wow," was the only thing Trace could say.

"I know right?  He actually has a heart," Jordin said sarcastically.  Both Justin and Trace laughed at her comment.

"Nice one!" Trace said, connecting his fist with hers. 

"Whatever, lets just eat," Justin said before filling his plate with the various breakfast dishes he'd prepared. 

"So I know this question is gonna sound a little cliché, but how does it feel to be an American Idol?" Trace asked.  He'd grabbed a plate from one of the cabinets and was helping himself to the breakfast that Justin had cooked.

"It's still sinking in actually," Jordin began, "and I know that sounds cliché as well; but I still feel like that same small town girl who would meet up with my best friends at McDonald's for breakfast before school and here I am sitting here eating breakfast in Justin Timberlake's house."
"You say that like it's some sort of honor or something," Trace joked.  Justin threw a biscuit at his best friend and Jordin laughed.

"I didn't mean it like that, but it just feels weird, you know?  Not a bad feeling, just a different one," Jordin said before she ate a spoonful of oatmeal.

"It does take some getting used to, I mean you're hanging out with me everyday," Justin said jokingly.  Both Trace and Jordin rolled their eyes at his comment.

"Naw, I'm kidding," Justin continued, "but you will get used to all of this, especially with me and Trace here to help...well take that back about Trace, he may be a bad influence on you."  This comment merited a biscuit being thrown at him by his best friend.  The rest of the meal was finished in silence and it was decided that they'd take Trace's car to drop Jordin off at home and then he and Justin would be on their way to the William Rast office to go over some specifics about their upcoming fall line.  Both men walked Jordin to her door and told her to have a great day.

"I'll see you bright and early Monday morning ok?" Justin said, waving as he and Trace walked back to the car.

"And you sure you didn't hit that?" Trace asked as he navigated the vehicle on the freeway.

"What?  No man!  Why would you ask that?"

"Well you obviously want to, I could feel the tension in the room while we ate; you could cut it with a butterknife."

"I don't know what you're talking about, man," Justin replied.

"You can fake the funk all you want, but I can see it.  Did you at least kiss her?"  Justin hesitated before he answered.

"Yeah, we sort of kissed."

"Sort of kissed!?!"

 

~*~

 

"Yeah, we sort of kissed," Jordin confirmed.  She was on the phone with her best friend of a decade Isabella.

"Ok, you either kissed or you didn't, there's no in-between hun."

"Well I guess we kissed then, Bella."  Jordin had to pull the phone away from her ear when her best friend squealed loudly.

"Ohmygosh!  How was it?  Is he a good kisser?"

"Ok, one question at a time, sweetheart.  Now, you asked me how the kiss was and honestly I can't really say.  It was one of those feather light kisses, one of those that you aren't sure are real; but I guess it still left me breathless...and also nauseas."

"He made you sick?" Bella asked.

"No, the wine did; for some odd reason I was some kind of light-weight last night.  Red wine usually doesn't do that to me, but I got sick...I actually ended staying at his place last night."

"What!?!" Bella screamed.

"It wasn't like that, he didn't want me by myself in case I got sick again."

"So you slept over, like in a guest room or in his room."

"What would you say if I told you I slept in his arms?" Jordin asked gingerly.

"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!"  Once again Jordin had to take the phone away from her ear because of her friend's screaming.

"Ya'll slept in bed together?" Bella asked.

"Yeah, he wanted to make sure that he be there if I got sick again, wanted to make sure I was ok."

"So did anything happen?"

"Nope, when I woke up this morning I had on some of his clothes and he had on sweatpants."

"Wait, you changed clothes?" Bella questioned.

"Yeah, he said that I sort of made a mess on myself...I know, gross right?"

"Yeah, just a bit.  But he gave some of his clothes to put on, that was sweet."

"Yeah, and I'm not sure, but I think he changed me too," Jordin heard her best friend gasp and quickly added, "but I still had on my underwear so if he did change me he didn't see much."

"I still can't get over the fact that ya'll slept together."

 

~*~

 

"In the literal sense of the word," Justin reiterated, "We didn't have sex, Trace."

"But you wanted to," Trace stated plainly.  Justin's jaw dropped when his best friend said that.

"And don't think of denying it, I can tell by the look in you eyes, Timberlake."

"Maybe I did, but who cares."

"You do realize that she's younger than you right?"

"Yeah, but she's legal; you act like she's 15."

"She may be legal, but just barely.  She just turned 18 at the end of the show man.  You're still robbing the cradle.  And even if you weren't, you're her producer.  You can't sleep with your co-workers."

"That's only in white-collar jobs.  We're in the music industry, those rules don't matter."

"Yes they do!" Trace exclaimed, "What if things don't work out?  How awkward would it be to work together everyday if ya'll got together and then break up.  And you know chicks take it harder than us...plus she's younger, man.  At least give her some time to mature before you go dating the girl."

"So you say it would be better if she was older?"

"Hell yeah, give her some time to mature both in life and in this music industry; at least that's my opinion," Trace said, shrugging.  Justin often teased his best friend about the way he handled the ladies, but Trace had a point this time.  What would the public say if he started dating Jordin?  They'd tear her apart, saying that she only got with Justin to get ahead in the music game and that he was a cradle robber.  This time the double standard was affecting him negatively.

 

Chapter 5

It was as if the past day and a half never happened.  Jordin walked in the offices on Monday morning all smiles, ready to joke around with Justin about the weekend and was confused when that didn't happen.

"So you ready to get back to work?" Justin said, not even looking up from the mixing board as she entered the studio room they'd been using. 

"Yeah, I picked up some Starbucks...extra sugar and one cream?" she said handing his beverage to him.

"How did you know?" Justin asked, looking up at her now.

"That's how you made it this weekend; I have a pretty good memory," she replied with a grin.

"About this weekend," Justin began, but was cut off by Jordin.

"I had fun, and I want to thank you for taking care of me," she said with the biggest smile on her face.

"No problem, I couldn't leave a fellow artist alone like that.  Don't want to mess up those vocal chords so early in your career," he responded with a slightly uneasy laugh.

"No," she replied with a slight chuckle, "I don't want to do that.  No more drinking red wine while on a date with a pop star at a jazz club."  The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Yeah, about that," he began with a sigh, scratching the back of his head nervously, "how about we keep that night between me and you.  I don't it getting out that you're going out getting drunk with you producer." 

There goes that nervous laugh again.

"Yeah, that might not look too good for my image, huh?" Now she was the one with the uneasy laugh. 

"I just don't want you to have to go down that same path as so many of these other girls in this industry Jor--".  She held up a hand, signaling for him to be quiet.

"I understand, you don't have to explain it to me," she said with a weak smile, "How about we start recording?"  Jordin placed her drink on the table in the room and took her lyric notepad out of her tote. 

This is gonna be hella awkward.

~*~

"Yeah man, I told her," Justin practically sighed into the Bluetooth earpiece.  He called a lunch break about an hour ago; the tension in the room was so thick in the room after their "conversation" that you could cut it with a knife.

"And how did she take it?  What happened?  Did she slap you?"

"No, but it would've been better if she did," Justin replied, "The entire mood of the room changed.  It was like all the camaraderie we'd built up last week was gone.  We were no longer ‘Justin and Jordin'; we were ‘Producer and Artist'."

"Wait," Trace began, "Are you saying that you want there to be a ‘Justin and Jordin'?"

"I...I...I hear something, hold on," Justin said before taking the Bluetooth out of his ear.  The music got louder as he got closer to the room.

 

I could say that I don't care,

But the truth is I'd follow you anywhere.

I've been waiting such a long, long time.

Don't you dare change...your mind

 

"Hey, let me call you back," Justin said into the Bluetooth mouthpiece, not even bothering to put it in his ear.  He ended the phone call and pressed his ear closer to the door.

 

It seems so close to me

But still beyond my reach

Calling me and playing hide and seek

Look behind that door

I'm the one you've been searching for

And I'm not a little girl anymore

 

  She couldn't be singing about...naw.  That just happened a couple of hours ago, there's no way she could have written something so...so beautifully heartbreaking so quickly.

 

BUZZ!

 

Stupid phone!  Justin forgot that he and his phone were leaned against the door, and there's no way anyone within a 3 block radius could have missed that loud vibration.  The piano playing stopped abruptly and Justin heard a chair scrape the wooden floor and footsteps before Jordin opened the door.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked coldly.  Justin just stood there shocked and in silence.

"Were you spying on me?  And before you ask, no, that song wasn't about us...not that there is an ‘us' anyway."  Jordin turned on her heels and walked back into the room, resuming her previous position in front of the piano.

"We need to talk," Justin said, entering the room and closing and locking the door behind him.

"I really don't think I'm in the mood for another one of your ‘talks' Justin."

"Well this one's a bit different than the last one we had; this one involves more listening than talking, for you at least."  Jordin let out an audible sigh and slouched down in her chair. 

"Look, I know what I said hurt you..."

"Hurt me?" Jordin scoffed, "Please, I'd have to care for you to hurt me.  Aside from popular belief the entire world doesn't revolve around you Jus-" Jordin was cut off mid-sentence when Justin's lips crashed against hers.  She didn't even notice him getting closer to her and yet here he was, making her weak with his wonderful lips.  Thank goodness she was sitting down; she didn't think that she'd have been able to stand on her own two feet with a core rocking kiss like that.  His tongue danced along her bottom lip, silently asking for permission to enter her mouth; which she immediately granted, and in return she heard a guttural moan from Justin. 

Looks like I'm doing something right.

Jordin wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss.  Justin had a track record of taking back kisses with her so she was going to be sure to make the most of this one.  They finally pulled apart for some much needed oxygen and Justin rested his forehead against hers. 

"You're so sexy when you're feisty," he said with the widest grin.

"Me?  Sexy?  No," she replied casting her glance downward.

"Yes, I find you incredibly sexy, and your fiery personality is something else."  Jordin could feel the heat rise in her face.  Justin grinned and kissed her lips gently.

"So why did you say it?" she voiced, her tone wavering a bit.  Now it was his turn to look down.

"Justin, I know you feel it.  There's this...this spark between us.  This pull that-"

"I know," he said with a soft smile.

"What are you afraid of?  I'm not asking for a lifetime, just a chance," she said in almost a whisper.

"It's just...you're so much younger..."

"Than you?" she asked, finishing his statement, "So I wasn't the only one hesitant about that.  Why did you say all that stuff about age only being a number if you feel the same way I do?" she asked, her eyes boring into his.

"Because I don't...but other people might."

"So you're gonna let ‘other people' dictate whatever we have before it even begins?" she scoffed.

"No.  Well I don't want to, but I don't want you or your career in this business to be at risk.  I want people to like you because of your talent and not because there's a magazine cover with your face and the words ‘Justin Timberlake's New Girl' plastered on it."

"And you think I don't?  People are already pretty skeptical because I got this deal because I was on the show...for some reason they still think it's rigged," she laughed with that last statement.

"I want to be respected for my music and not for who I'm with...wow, I can't believe we're having this conversation and all we've done is kiss once, not that it wasn't a good kiss," she said, lightening the mood in the room. 

"I do believe we've done more that that darling," he said, his southern accent coming out, "If I remember correctly we've kissed twice, had 2 dates and even slept together, literally."  Jordin chuckled softly.

"Wow, are you sure you're the guy in this situation?" she joked, "But then again you are a self-proclaimed ‘Oprah' and ‘Sex in the City' fan.  And that was only one date; it was just a really long one.  Plus, I don't even remember that entire night I slept with you so that either means that I doesn't count as well or you need to step your game up," she finished with a laugh.

"It wasn't like I was gonna take advantage of you, but please know that you'll remember everything the next time it happens," he replied with his classic Timberlake smirk, squeezing her sides gently.

"Is that a threat?" she asked, her voice seductively low.

"No, it's a promise," he answered, capturing her lips for another passionate kiss.

 

~*~

 

"I still say it that that was just one date-"

"Just a really long one," Justin finished for her.

"Yes," she said in agreement.

"Well you were doing better than most because I usually don't invite girls back to the house for dinner, let alone to spend the night until at least the third date."

"So you've never had a one night stand?" Jordin asked bluntly.  Justin's mouth dropped at her question and she took that opportunity to throw a cheese cube at him.  The two of them were currently in his kitchen eating the remnants of the deli tray that Trace brought back from his William Rast meeting earlier.

"What do you know about one night stands, missy?"

"Enough," she answered in a matter-of-fact tone, "And don't say it like that, you sound like my dad."

"He's damn near old enough to be," Trace said, walking in and grabbing a few pieces of deli meat before going to the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water.

"Hush!  He is not!" Jordin exclaimed, throwing a cube of cheddar at him.  It had been a couple of weeks since that ‘talk' in the studio and she and Justin decided that they were gonna take things slow.  They hadn't been photographed in any questionable pictures and yet they were already having to deny rumors about them being more than just artist and producer...but they couldn't deny anything to Trace.  It wasn't that he didn't like her, because he did, he was just worried about her image...and he still felt that she was a bit young for his best friend who was eight years her senior.

"Yeah man, I wasn't even having wet dreams when she was born," Justin said with a laugh.

"Sick, Justin," Jordin said, throwing another cheese cube at him, "No one needed to know that," she added, swinging her legs back and forth while she hopped on the island.

"Besides, I don't even have those anymore," he began as he made his way over to where Jordin was, "and if I do you're the star of them."  He nudged her legs apart so he could fit between them and cupped her face in his hands before kissing her squarely on the lips.  Jordin giggled like a school girl and Trace gagged.

"Gross!  I'm leaving; you two need to get a room...better yet, get a life!" he joked as he exited the kitchen.  

Chapter Six

 

It's not a silly little moment

It's not the storm before the calm

 

Jordin hummed along to John Mayer's track while she painted her toenails.  She'd hit a mental block while writing a song and thought that it would be best to take her mind off of it, let the inspiration come to her instead of the other way around.  And what better way to do that than listen to Mr. Mayer's latest live album and paint her little piggys?  John had just started his guitar solo when her phone vibrated, indicating she had a text message.

 

{Hey beautiful, what are you up to?}

 

Jordin grinned and hit ‘Reply'.

 

{Painting my toesies and listening to Mayer.  I hit a brick wall with my song. :( }

 

She sent the text to Justin and finished polishing her big toe, waiting for her phone to ring.  See, Justin had this thing he did, he'd text her or whoever and if they responded quickly he'd call them and if it took them a while to respond then he'd have a text conversation with them.  This habit made Jordin laugh at first but now she knew that he only did it because he'd rather talk than text most people.

 

Where do we go?

Who knows?

But each day gets better.

I just can't let her go, oh no.

Each kiss gets sweeter,

I just can't leave her, no.

 

Jordin listened to his ringtone for a bit before answering.

"Hey babe."

"Hey, were you busy?  I can call you back."

"Nope, I changed your ringtone and wanted to let it play for a bit," she said with a small laugh.

"Wow," he chuckled, "Only you, girl, only you.  So what song is it now?"

"Each day gets better by John Legend," she replied.  Jordin went through like panty hose.  Every couple of weeks she'd change them out, and not just one or two but all the ringtones.  It made Justin laugh, kept him young.

"Why is it that you always have one of their songs as ringtones for me?  Why not one of my own songs?" he asked.

"Because I want real music on my phone," she replied jokingly.  Justin scoffed.

"Excuse me!"

"I'm kidding!  I'm kidding!" she exclaimed, "I didn't want it to be so obvious."

"Oh ok," he replied sarcastically.

"Aww!  Are you jealous?" she teased in a baby voice. 

"No," he said, but she heard the pout in his voice.

"Aww, babe.  You know you're the one I come home to every night..."

"Actually you go home to your manager," Justin interjected.

"You know what I mean boy," Jordin chuckled, "Now I know you didn't call me to talk about your current ringtone, so what's up?"

"Oh yeah!  So there's this little party at Johnny's this weekend..."

"Umm hmm, I got the invitation yesterday," Jordin said softly.

"Well I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

Like as a couple?"

"Well yeah, I guess."

"Really?  Like for real?"

"Yes Valley Girl, I'm for real," Justin laughed.

"Shut up!" Jordin chided, "I don't sound like a Valley girl."

"You did just then.  But that's beside the point; do you want to go with me?"

"I'd love to," Jordin said with the biggest grin on her face.

"Are you smiling, babe? I can hear it in your tone."

"Yes, gosh am I that obvious?" she giggled.

"Yep, but I think it's cute."

"Well I think you're cute," she said, her tone getting lower and huskier.  She didn't know how he did it, how he could turn her on with just his words, and over the phone no less.

"And I think you're beautiful," he replied in a velvet tone.

"Well this beautiful girlfriend thinks her cute boyfriend should come and see her because she misses him."

"I have a better idea, how about you come over here and I'll fix us some supper?"

"Supper?  Really Justin?  Southern much?"  Both of them laughed before she said, "I'm on my way now."  They hung up and Jordin powered down her laptop before grabbing her purse, keys and a pashmina before telling Janet that she was going to Justin's for a bit and leaving. 

~*~

Justin was flittering around the kitchen gathering all of the ingredients he'd need for that night's meal when his home phone started ringing.

"Hello."

"Wow, someone's in a chipper mood."  Justin laughed at his manager's choice of words.

"You could say that," he replied chuckling, "So to what do I owe the pleasure of this call, Johnny?"

"I was just calling around to finish up the guest list.  I wasn't sure if you were bringing a guest or not."

"I am, but she's already on the guest list so you won't have to worry about preparing for another person."

"Alright, well that's one down and like 150 more to go," Johnny said with a slight laugh, "Hey Justin, I have a quick question."

"Shoot."

"Are you bringing who I think you're bringing?"

"Who do you think I'm bringing?" Justin asked.

"Jordin."

"Oh, well yeah, that's who I'm bringing."

"Are the two of you dating?" Johnny questioned.  Justin didn't want to lie to him but he also wasn't ready for their relationship to go public yet.  Johnny sensed the hesitance in his answer and spoke before his client could.

"You don't have to answer that now, but I do want to remind you that those kinds of relationships are frowned upon, Justin."

"I know."

"Do you really though?  I'm not trying to tell you what to do with your lives, but if word got out that you two were a bit more than studio friends it could be career suicide for her." 

"I know," Justin responded, sighing heavily.  He was starting to rethink his decision of going to the party with Jordin now.   

"Ok, well I don't want to keep you; I'll see you at the party."

"Alright, bye," Justin said, hanging up the phone.  He placed the cordless device back in its cradle and leaned against the island.  He couldn't do this to her, couldn't do this to her career...especially not before it really started.  But what was he going to do?  He'd already asked her...it's not like he could take back his words...

~*~

Jordin was listening to the latest Danity Kane album as she drove the 20 minute trek to Justin's house.  It felt amazing outside and she was tempted to let the top down on her Mustang, but decided to just ride with the windows down. 

"Left turn ahead."

Chuckling, Jordin adjusted the volume on her TomTom navigator; she never was good with directions.   She should know how to get to his place by now; she'd been there enough times.  She turned up the volume on her stereo and sang along with girls.  ‘Sucka for Love' was currently playing and there couldn't have been a more perfect song for the mood she was in.  Things were going good with Justin, better than good actually.  Things were great between them and they were going to go public this weekend at Johnny's party.  They would walk the carpet and for the first time there would be pictures of them as a couple.  Jordin couldn't stop the smile that was growing on her face.  She pulled in front of Justin's gate and pressed the intercom buzzer.  After a few moments she heard his voice.

"Hello."

"Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles, I have your order," she said brightly.  Justin laughed.

"I hope you didn't bring food, I spent all day slaving over this hot stove for you."  It was Jordin's turn to laugh.

"Hush boy, and let me in."  Justin did as he was told and was waiting for Jordin when she walked up the steps to his front door.

"Hey gorgeous," he said, enveloping her in his arms.

"Hey yourself," she grinned, her body melding into his.

"How was your day?" he asked, loosening the embrace and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Pretty good, I've been writing...or at least trying to," she replied as he closed the door behind them and led her to the kitchen.

"Mmm, it smells amazing in here; what did you cook?"

"Spaghetti and garlic bread, something simple and quick."

"Texas toast?" Jordin asked, her eyes hopeful.

"Yes, I remember that that's your favorite," he replied, smiling down at her.  She leaned up on her toes and placed a sweet kiss on his lips.

"I knew I kept you around for something," she whispered against his lips.  She kissed him once more before walked over to the stove and peeked under the lid at the pasta.

"Mmm.  I'm starving, lets eat," Jordin said before maneuvering her way around the kitchen and locating dishes and utensils for them.  She fixed both plates and carried them over to the island, placing Justin's plate in front of him before digging into her own plate.  Justin didn't follow in her actions.

"What's wrong babe?  You didn't poison the food did you?" she asked jokingly.  Justin didn't laugh.  He wasn't sure how he was going to phrase his next statement.

"Wait, I was kidding about the poison...but you didn't do that right?"

"No," he said, shaking his head, "But I do need to talk to you about something."

"Ok, speak."

"I think it would be best if you were seated for this." And away from the kitchen knives.  Justin left out that last thought.

"You're not pregnant are you?  Because if so, it isn't mine," she chuckled, still trying to make the situation light.  But she did have a point, they hadn't slept together, in that since, yet.  Justin chuckled, that was one of the things he loved about her; she was a jokester and would try to ease tension with comedy.

"No, I'm not pregnant," he said, moving their plates aside and grabbing her by the waist and placing her on the island.

"Wow, you were serious when you said I should have a seat huh?" she said as she pulled him between her legs.  She cupped his face in her hands and was pulling him in for a kiss when she felt his hands wrap around her wrists.

"I have to talk to you about something."

"Ok," she replied, noticing his serious tone.

"You know Johnny's party?"

"Yeah, what about it?  Are you concerned about what we're going to wear?  Is that what this is about?" she said with a grin, "Don't worry, I don't want to be all matchy-matchy so you won't have to worry about another denim fiasco," she said, referring to the matching all denim outfit he did with Britney a few years back.  Justin laughed with her.

"No, that's not what I'm concerned about."  Justin cleared his throat.

"How would you feel about walking down the carpet separately, like arriving in different cars and everything."

"As if we weren't there together?" Jordin inquired, her mood darkening.

"Sort of...well yeah."

"And I'm guessing that you don't want to be seen with me inside too often either, so people wouldn't get too suspicious, right?"  Justin lowered his head and sighed.  This is the exact thing that he was trying to prevent.  She was upset and it was his fault.

"You're sending me mixed signals.  You either want to be with me or you don't Justin, it's as simple as that."

"You know I want to be with you."

"Just not in public right?"

"It's not like that and you know it."

"Really?  So you're not ashamed of me and don't want the rest of the world to know about me?"

"No, you know I'm not ashamed of you."

"You're not?  Well I definitely couldn't tell," she scoffed.

"I'm doing this for you..."

"Let me guess, for my career right?" she said in a patronizing tone, "I'm so sick of that bullshit excuse Justin!"  Jordin pushed him out of her way and hopped down off of the counter.

"I'm so sick of everyone and their moms making decisions about my career!  I don't give two shits what other people think, and I expected that much, if not more from you of all people!" she said, punctuating the last five words by poking him squarely on the chest. 

"I do..."

"Do you really?" Jordin asked, cutting him off mid-sentence, "because with this stunt you just pulled, you're just as bad as everyone else.  Well I'm going to make this easier on you, don't worry about Saturday.  You won't have to worry about pretending that there's nothing going on between us because from this moment on..."  Justin grabbed her face in his hands and crushed his lips against hers.  Damn, it was hard to stop this girl once she got going.  She was feisty and he almost felt bad that he was getting turned on by her chastising.  Jordin tried to pull away but his hold was too strong...and honestly she didn't want to.  That boy knew how to work his lips!  They finally separated for some much needed air but his lips never left her body.  He kissed her cheeks, her chin and worked his way down to her neck.

"You were saying something?" he asked between pecks.

"Jerk," she all but moaned, "You get on my nerves."

"Do I really?" he smirked, "I'm sorry.  About it all," he said, pausing his actions and standing up with his blues boring into her chocolate eyes.

"I'm just really concerned about your career, babe."  Jordin sighed heavily.

"And you think I'm not?  I worry just as much as everyone else does, but if people stop listening to my music and judging my talent because of who I'm dating then they were never really fans from the jump."  She had a point and Justin had to acknowledge that.

"You're right."

"I know I am," she said with a slight smile, "So are we still on for Saturday?"

"Yes ma'am we are."

"Good, because I was gonna be pissed if you were questioning this relationship right when I was getting comfortable," she said before giving him a quick peck on the lips and grabbing her plate.

"Now back to our previously scheduled program."