Two months, two weeks and three days. That’s how long he’d been out. He spent the last two weeks in California thanks to Mommy and Daddy dearest. They didn’t want him getting into any trouble or running into the cause of his problems. They felt it best that he stay with his cousins in their California home. Six foot two; he had choppy dark brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. He knew he looked good. A wink and a flash of his perfect smile, women begged him to take them out. But he currently only had eyes for one girl. The one who tried to ruin his life by sending him to jail and now he was determined to find her; to make her pay. He leaned back against the lawn chair he was sitting in on his balcony. Taking a long drag from the cigarette in his right hand and exhaled. He didn’t know where she was or where to start.
He tried her parents’ home and that’s when he ran into Brandi. He never liked the bitch and the way she talked to him pissed him off even more. He tried being nice, now they were making him play dirty. They must think I am stupid, he thought to himself, a slow smirk spreading across his perfectly white teeth. He wouldn’t have paid any attention to the fact that she was driving Cierra’s car, they did that all the time, only this time the car was packed with boxes and suitcases. He tried Cierra’s old job but they only thing the receptionist would say was that she transferred. Her cell phone was turned off and he knew if her father saw him, he’d be as good as dead. He wasn’t afraid of anyone; except Cierra’s father.
He turned his neck to the left side, cracking it. The silence was killing him. He was born into ‘old’ money, as they called it. His great-great grandfather started a four bedroom Bed & Breakfast which eventually turned into over 30, hundred plus roomed hotels. His great grandfather carried on as well his grandfather and now his father. Never in a million years did he ever think that jury would find him guilty. How could they not see that the whore was cheating on him? He threw the bud from the cigarette over the banister and chuckled. He wasn’t exactly mister monogamous during their relationship. He wondered if she knew about him and AJ yet.
He stood up from his chair and headed back into the house. He grabbed his tuxedo jacket off of the back of the recliner, grabbing his car keys as he passed the coffee table. He had a plan; well half of a plan. He met a woman through his cousin the first night he was visiting. She needed a date, mainly to make her ex-boyfriend jealous and asked him to fill in. He would just accompany her down the red carpet and throughout the show and possibly an after party or two. She was hot and figured it’d be an easy way for him to get laid, too. Cierra watched these shows all the time with her stupid day dreams and gushing about what dresses were being worn. If only he could see the look on her face when she saw him on television, it would make the wait until he could carry out the rest of his plan worth it. He stepped out the front door as his cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out of his pants pocket and smiled at the caller ID. Flipping his phone open, Danny clicked the unlock button on his Mercedes, “I’m getting my car now, Jessica. I should be there in twenty minutes, tops.”
******
Cierra looked into the mirror in Justin’s master bathroom while Lynn clasped the necklace around her neck. Her hair was tied up in a loose bun; a few curls hung lose around her face. Lynn patted her shoulder and look at her through the mirror, “You look lovely, dear. You know, it’s been awhile since Justin’s looked a woman the way he looks at you. Even with Jess, he never had that sparkle in his eye but I see it when I see the two of you together. Take care of him, please.”
Cierra turned around and nodded at Lynn, “I promise.”
The two women hugged but separated when they heard a knock at the bedroom door. Walking out, Lynn answered and smiled at her son, “I thought you were waiting downstairs? She’s almost done.”
Justin shrugged, “AJ and Brandi were having too much fun teasing me so I thought I’d come up here where I am wanted!” He yelled the last part, smiling when he heard their laugher, then looked at his mother. Leaning down he kissed her on her forehead, “Can I get a minute with her?”
Lynn stepped out of the room, looking over her shoulder to wink at Cierra before turning back to her son, “Don’t mess up her hair or make up. I will kill you.” Kissing his cheek, she vanished down the stairs.
Justin entered the room, closing the door behind him, “The girls are staying the night with my mother. Apparently, it’s been awhile since you’ve been on a date and they want to be here when you get home. For some reason Brandi has this absurd idea that I am going to take advantage of you,” His voice was teasing but turned serious, “You look amazing.”
Cierra rocked back on her heels, “Thank you and I’m sorry. My friends are mentally challenged. I probably should’ve warned you about that before hand,” she took a step towards him and ran her hands down his shirt, “You look handsome yourself. No tux?”
He shook his head, “I’m not one for dressing up but I figured I should get semi-done up for you.” He was wearing black slacks with a white long sleeved collard shirt. His tie was beige, matching her dress and he was wearing white sneakers.
She tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes playfully, “You’re trying to impress me.”
He leaned his head down and kissed her softly on the lips, “Did it work?”
She leaned her head up towards his, capturing his lips again. Her high heels making her almost his height, she smiled against his lips, “Very much.” ******
Cierra gripped Justin’s hand tighter as the limo pulled up to the beginning of the red carpet. He looked over and kissed her temple, “Its okay. They don’t bite… hard.”
She let out the breath she didn’t know she was holding, “Are we going to be taking pictures together?”
She was nervous. Not for people finding out about them but because of Danny. She knew she shouldn’t, he couldn’t hurt her anymore than he already had but she was scared for Justin and her friends. If anything happens to them…She shook the thought from her head. Justin shifted so they were facing each other, “Do you want to? You’re more than welcome to stand off to the side but I’d rather have you right there with me. People are going to find out eventually, mainly tomorrow morning when they back to camping outside my house.”
Cierra nodded, “If I … chicken out, will you be mad at me?”
Justin smiled, shaking his head, “No, baby. C’mon. They are waiting.”
Taking a deep breath, she slid across the seat and waited for Justin to get out first. She saw his hand reach out for her own to help her out of the car. Reaching for it, she listened to the screams of fans chanting his name. Putting on her best smile, she exited the limo.
******
The show went on without problem. Cierra was amazed at all the celebrities that came out for the fight against Breast Cancer. Justin’s performance was unbelievable, she was so proud. She stood and cheered along with everyone else. The red carpet was an interesting experience for her. Once people knew her name, that’s all she heard and she didn’t know how to handle it. Justin never left her side except for the couple times do interviews with various networks.
Now, they were down the street at P. Diddy’s after party. She enjoyed staying behind him, letting him talk to his friends and joke around. She just loved to watch him. She had changed in the limo, which took longer than expected having to fight Justin to leave her alone. She slipped into a strapless dark blue ABS Ombré dress with light shades of grey and brown. It had a gathered and draped skirt with an empire waist. She was listening to Justin talk business with Beyoncé, his arm around her waist. It was then she felt him tense up. She followed his eyes past his friend, to a young woman making her way towards them.
“Jessica.” He said, looking down at her. The hurt in his eyes was very apparent and she was unsure of what to do.
“Do you want to leave?” She asked but he shook his head. He leaned down and kissed her, “Justin, we don’t have to stay.”
He licked his lips, “I have the most beautiful woman in the room tonight. I am going to show you off.” He said goodbye to Beyoncé and the both of them met Jessica half way. She was holding the hand of another young man who was busy talking to someone behind them. Cierra watched her tug his hand and he turned around.
“Hey Justin,” Jessica started but stopped, noticing the look between Cierra and her date, “Do you two know each other?”
Both of them stared at one another. Cierra’s head was spinning, her free hand shot to her mouth and Justin looked over at her. She couldn’t breathe. This is not happening, she thought. She looked back at Justin and that was all it took. His face hardened as he turned back to Jessica, “Hey Jess, who is this?”
Jessica smiled, the man slipping his arm around her waist but his eyes never leaving Cierra’s, “This is Danny… my boyfriend.”
“Danny and I used to go to school together,” Cierra started ignoring Danny’s extended hand before tightening her grip on Justin and smiling tightly, “Small world.”
“Wow! That’s so crazy! Um, I’m sorry… and you are?” Jessica asked looking between Justin and Cierra.
“Jess, this is my girlfriend Cierra. Cierra this is Jessica Biel.” Justin said, gesturing between the two, “Could you excuse the two of us for a minute? She wasn’t feeling well earlier so I want to take her to get some fresh air.” J
Jessica nodded, “Yeah, yeah. You look a little pale, sweetheart. Justin, you still have my number right? We should all do lunch sometime. We can all play catch up seeing as how both our dates here know each other.”
Justin grunted something Cierra didn’t understand and grabbed tightly to her hand, pulling her through the crowd of people ignoring Danny’s goodbye of I’ll see you soon. He nodded at people who waved and eventually made it to the back exit.
******
Pushing the door open, he led her a little ways down the side alley. There were more than 5 bodyguards outback, including Tony who followed the two at a safe distance. Justin let go of her hand and kept walking slowly, waving at the few fans that were at the very end. Without warning, he kicked over a trashcan causing Cierra to jump and Tony to speak, “What’s going on? You two have your first fight?”
Justin kept his back to the two of them, running his hands over his newly shaven head. Cierra hugged her arms around herself. The California air was unusually cold then again it was around one in the morning. She looked over at Tony, blinking to keep the tears at bay, “You’ll never guess who Jessica’s date is tonight.”
Tony’s eyes lowered in anger, “He’s here with you tonight and he’s pissed off because she showed up with someone else? What the fuck, man?”
Justin whipped around, “It’s Danny, T. This makes no fucking sense. I thought he didn’t know where you were, Cierra!”
She took a step back, “He didn’t, Justin. I was really careful when I left. You saw his face! He was just as surprised to see me as I was to see him! He’s fucking rich and has a summer home that his cousin’s live in while the family is in Virginia out here…” Realization washed over her face and she laughed harshly, eliciting looks from both Tony and Justin, “How could I not remember that? Ugh! I am so stupid! I moved to the one place I should’ve known he would eventually show up!” She rubbed the back of her neck with her hand and shook her head, “He didn’t come here because he knew I’d be here, Justin. He knows I love these type shows on television. He probably thought I’d see him and freak. He’s not exactly the brightest fucking crayon in the box.”
“You find this funny?” Justin asked, clenching and unclenching his fists. He took a step towards her and she backed up, partially behind Tony. He closed his eyes, “I’m not going to hit you. Please, do not think I am going to hit you.”
“I don’t find this funny, Justin but I don’t know how else to react! I refuse to have a fucking breakdown right now. I want to have fun with you! He’s not going to try anything in a club full of celebrities, video cameras and photographers.” She sighed when Tony stepped towards Justin, putting a hand on his shoulder and whispering something to him. Justin looked up at Tony and nodded before closing in on Cierra. He wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into his chest. Her arms automatically went around his waist and she buried her face in his chest.
The sound of clicking made Justin pull away and she felt him go tense again. He looked over his shoulder, “Can ya’ll give us one fucking minute?!” She turned her head to look around him. She saw Tony and another bodyguard she didn’t recognize pushing four photographers back down the alley.
Rubbing a hand down his back and leaned up and kissed his cheek, “Calm down, baby. Look, let’s just go back inside okay? If we stay out here any longer I am going to go hunting for a cigarette and I quit that shit a while ago.” Justin looked back at her, “I’m not in the mood to deal with fucking nosy ass photographers.” He smiled lightly, “I could use one myself.”
She smacked his arm, “You’re not helping me here, man. Dance with me?”
He leaned down and kissed her. Ignoring the sounds of the camera, she wrapped her arms around his neck; tilting her head to deepen the kiss, his arms snaked around her waist and he moaned softly against her mouth. He leaned his forehead against Cierra’s, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. God, Cierra. I don’t know what is going on with us and I know its moving way too fast but I know what I feel for you is real and if I have to kill the bastard, I will.”
Cierra let go of his neck and grabbed his hand, “It is happening fast. You and Jess weren’t broken up a month before we started hanging out more. I…feel very strongly about you. I know that’s weird because it’s been such a short amount of time but my heart kind of beats to its own drum so I tend to listen to it. If you want to step back, you know I understand. I don’t expect you to stick around, really. It’s a lot of shit to handle and I am sorry I put you in this situation.”
Justin placed his free hand gently on her cheek, “I am not stepping back and I am not asking to go any slower than we already are. I just want you to know that I feel just as strong about you and I could care less that I just got out of another relationship. I am not fighting what I am feeling but I will fight to keep him away from you.”
He kissed her one last time before looking back at Tony who nodded. Cierra looked between the two and knew something was going on but she wasn’t going to press it. Instead she followed Justin back into the club to try and enjoy the rest of the night.
