"Why do you always have to know everything?" Justin asked.

"Because I hate surprises and your smart ass plays too many games. We'll get there and then you'll throw a small concert, talking about that was my present...Hearing you sing."

He sucked in his teeth “Who told you? Trace?”

Kerri was about to take another sip, but halted the glass at her lips. “Are you serious?”

The three of them couldn’t help but laugh when they saw the bewildered expression on her face. “No, stupid!” He said as he reached across the aisle and pushed her gently. “But why do you act like hearing me sing is a bad thing. You mean to tell me you wouldn’t want me to serenade you with a little 'your eyes have a story that they wish to tell…And I have my whole life and I listen well…Hey…Look I'll be your confidant, tell me anything. But please start it off with how you tuck your wings.”'

Kerri could hear Serena in the back singing along with Justin and chuckled to herself. She was about to respond until Serena chimed in and said, “Well if she doesn’t, you can always bring your ass back here and serenade me instead! Cause I have never known Kerri to get off on that sort of thing.”

“Oh, you'd be surprised at what our friend gets off on, Rena.” He smiled coyly.

“Justin!” Kerri yelled trying to punch him in his arm.

Serena scrunched up her face. “Ewwww…”

When the jet landed an hour later, they hopped off and jumped straight into an awaiting limo. Kerri had been blindfolded before they got off the plane and couldn’t look out the windows for any clues as to where they were but she could hear Serena’s "Oohs" and "Ahs" from the other side of the limo.

Serena helped Kerri out of the car while Justin and Trace told her they would meet up in twenty minutes then disappeared. When they walked into the building, Kerri could hear muffled voices and instrumental music echoing around her. "Where are we?" she asked.

Serena pulled her along in through a set of doors. The familiar sound of running water and toilets flushing made Kerri feel a bit awkward. "I hope this bathroom is all it's cracked up to be." she laughed.

"Will you just shut up and go with the flow?” Serena begged.

"Okay! Okay! I'm sorry. Go ahead."

With that Kerri felt her roommate tugging at her shirt. "Serena, I love you and all, but I think we should make it clear right now that I haven't experimented with another woman since high school."

Serena huffed and took the blindfold off of Kerri so that she could dress herself. She handed Kerri the garment bag and said, "You have to stop doing that."

“Doing what?” Kerri asked as she looked down and noticed the name Marc Bouwer engraved on the bag laying across the ladies room couch.

“Anytime someone tries to do anything nice for you or show you that they care, you always put on this aloof act or have something sarcastic to say.”

“I do not.” Kerri defended.

“Justin went through a lot of trouble to make all this happen, Kerri. He’s been trying to plan it with me in between radio and tv appearances, rehearsals, and everything else he has going on right now. Anytime he’s tried to say something nice to you, or compliment you, you’ve clowned him…Not just tonight either.”

“That’s what we do, Serena. It’s our thing.” Kerri stated softly, wondering if it was indeed their thing or just her thing.

Kerri figured Justin would say something to her about it if it bothered him. Right? But whether it bothered him or not, she knew deep down inside that Serena was right. Kerri didn’t purposely set out to hurt his feelings or make him feel jilted when he would go out of his way to do something nice for her. It was just that God forsaken defense mechanism of hers kicking into overdrive all the damn time! It had a mind of its own when it came to people getting close to her.

“Justin's a great guy. I like him.  When I’m with him, I laugh more than I've ever laughed in my life. I feel safe with him. I’m not so on edge all the time. It’s like all that falls away the moment he steps into a room and smiles at me.”

Serena put her arm around Kerri. “You can’t keep playing it safe with people, Ker. You have to let your guard down every once in awhile and let them in.”

Kerri nodded as she reached down and undid the zipper of the garment bag and her mouth fell open. "This is beautiful!"

“We figured you’d like it.”

Kerri pulled out the red strapless Marc Bouwer dress and held it up to her body as she looked in the mirror. It was pure silk with an uneven hemline like those of a ballerina’s outfit. She felt around looking for the price tag.

“Give it up. He made them pull the tags off at the store.” Serena chuckled.

“How much was it Serena?”

Serena grabbed her dress which had been laying behind Kerri’s in the bag and rushed into a stall to change. “Double the price of mine.” She blurted out before closing the stall door and locking it.

“Come on, Serena!”

“Nope. I’m not tellin!" Serena yelled through the door. “Quit torturing yourself! It’s a beautiful dress. He bought the dress. You like the dress. So go and put on the dress, dammit!”

Serena slid a pair of brand new black peek toe Christian Louboutin heels with the signature red sole underneath the stall door and yelled at her again to go and get dressed.

When she was finished getting changed, Kerri stood in front of the body length mirror adjusting the front of her dress, while Serena fixed her hair. She had Kerri sit on the velvet red coach on the other side of the ladies room while she applied her makeup. For some reason, Kerri felt more self conscious than before. She wanted to look perfect and for the life of her couldn't figure out why. It’s not as if she were going out on a date. It was only Justin.

Kerri wanted to try and do what Serena suggested and go with the flow. If she was going to be wearing a designer dress tonight, she wanted to look like she actually belonged in the dress. Kerri hardly ever wore makeup or got dolled up. She worked at a radio station and no one could see her anyway. The only time that she even tried to look semi-cute was if she had to go out and do something for the station or when she was DJ’ing for extra cash. Other than that, she was pretty laid back when it came to her appearance. She didn’t look like a bum, but she wasn’t walking out the door looking perfect everyday like a lot of the women she saw on the streets of LA.

When they were done, Serena delicately covered her eyes with the blindfold once more and guided her back out the door.

"So where are we going, Serena? Dinner? You can tell me. I'll act surprised."

"Sure you will." A masculine voice chuckled, taking her arm in his own and leading her. She recognized Trace’s voice and wondered where Justin could be. As they continued to walk, voices began to echo once more and Kerri knew they were back in a hallway.

When Justin rounded the corner he was too busy fixing his suit jacket to notice everyone standing further down the hallway waiting for him. He looked up and saw Trace leaning against the wall talking to Serena. He moved to walk towards them, but suddenly halted when she came into view. The sight of her had stopped him dead in his tracks. He was more than twenty feet away, and she had managed to steal his breath away.

Trace looked towards Justin’s direction and could see the he looked like a deer caught in headlights. Trace shook his head laughing to himself.   Justin stood there admiring her as she walked carefully with Trace, her high heels clicking against the ground. He let his eyes wander up her shapely calves and thighs. Her body was well proportioned--like a "symphony in motion" Marty had once said while watching her one night at a club.

Trace unhooked her arm from his and steadied her in place in front of Justin. He took Justin’s bag and followed Serena towards a side door. Kerri reached her hands out at her sides to feel for a wall so she wouldn’t fall, but there was only empty space. She moved her hands towards her front and moved forward slightly, coming into direct contact with a warm and firm surface. ”Trace?” she asked running her hands across the body standing in front of her. “I feel like I'm about to fall over.”

“I'd never let you fall.” A voice spoke softly.

Justin smiled as he watched the corners of her mouth turn up slightly when she recognized his voice. “I should have known…You change your cologne?”

“I took your advice for once.” He grinned.

He stretched his arms out and turned her slightly, hooking her arm under his and walking slowly down the hallway towards a set of swinging double doors. Kerri kept begging him to let her take off her blindfold, but he never relented--No matter how much the sound of her pleas were turning him on.

As they walked through the set of doors the room suddenly got louder. Kerri could hear the constant beeping, buzzing, and dings of machines off in the distance, and the instrumental music that she had been hearing early was louder as well. Justin could see the confusion on her face and held back his laughter. “Are we at an arcade?” she asked.

“Ahh, Mr. Timberlake.” A voice called from a distance. “Are you ready?”

“I’m waiting for the rest of my party, but we should be ready in the next couple minutes.” Justin replied. He turned back towards Kerri who was anxiously biting at her bottom lip.

“Come here, girl.” He said softly, pulling her towards him.

Kerri could feel his hands gently undoing the blindfold. He let it fall from her face slowly, and watched as her eyes adjusted and looked around. The large sign above his head read “Zumanity” and Kerri finally realized that what she thought were arcade games were slot machines. They were in Vegas.

Kerri was a Cirque du Soleil freak! She had yet to see any of their shows live, but anytime PBS would show one on TV she was right on the couch with the DVR set and ready to go. She’d seen previews for Zumanity and kept telling Serena that come hell or high water they were going to eventually see that show before they died. She almost wanted to cry but knew it would seem cheesy. Justin stood there eagerly awaiting her reaction. She turned to him and leaned up, hugging him tightly, "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome." he smiled hugging her back just as tight.

Kerri could see she had ruffled up his jacket accidentally when she hugged him. She smoothed her hands against his shoulders and chest making sure she hadn’t missed anything. She was so excited about where they were that she didn’t even notice how good he looked. She let her eyes trail over his face, noticing the diamond studs he had in his ears. The top button of his shirt was undone and his black silk tie was slightly loosened, but it looked like he put a lot of effort into making it look that way.

She looked up at him and was about to make a witty remark about how long it must have taken him to purposely look like he had been partying all night. He was smiling down, his soft face drinking her in. She found herself speechless. She had completely forgotten what she was going to say. His eyes seemed to burn through her, like he was reading her most intimate thoughts.

“You look amazing tonight, Kerri.” He said almost in a whisper, but she heard every syllable loud and clear.

She wanted to pull herself away from his gaze and focus on anything other than his eyes, but couldn’t. They were like tractor beams pulling her in slowly.

She was standing there silent and Justin didn’t know what she was thinking and was scared he offended her in some way. “…I mean, not like you don’t look good any other time. I’m just sayin’…I’ve never seen you like this…You know all dressed up.” He was stammering over his words.

Just as she was about to be her usual self and say something like ‘you don’t look too bad yourself’ she was hit with Serena’s words; “You have to let your guard down every once in awhile.”

Kerri used all her strength to meet his gaze and said, “You’re gorgeous.”

“Uh huh.” He rolled his eyes. “Compared to that drunk guy over at that slot machine with torn shirt and mullet right? Come on. Hit me with your best shot.”

“No…You look very handsome, Justin.” She smiled softly. “Gorgeous.”

He could feel his cheeks getting warm from blushing and didn’t even have time to appreciate their moment before Trace and Serena made their way out of the private employee area over to them. Kerri hugged her best friend tightly and was squealing like a kid in a candy store.

As the four of them were talking, a group of women walked by and recognized Justin immediately and begged him for a photo. He had tried to keep everything low-key by coming into the building at a different entrance but knew there would at least be a few people who spotted him.

It was Kerri’s birthday and he wanted that night to be about her, not him. He reluctantly agreed to the photo when Kerri and Serena volunteered to snap the pictures for them. The group of women lingered at the entrance talking to him, and took as many pictures as they could, which led to a small crowd gathering around the entrance to catch a glimpse of him.

Kerri could see the frustration behind his eyes as he politely smiled and continued to sign autographs. She blamed herself for not going along with him earlier when he said they needed to go.

One of the staff members came over to take them inside to be seated ahead of time and Justin was relieved for the interruption.  As they made their way inside the theater, Kerri’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. The stage looked like the circus had met the Moulin Rouge. The seats surrounded a thrust stage that jutted out into the space, creating a great sense of intimacy. Up in the front row there were red, plush couches surrounding the stage and behind those were your standard theater seats. On both sides of stage were spiraling stair cases that led almost all the way up to the ceiling. It was massive.

The staff member asked Justin where he wanted to be seated and he looked to Kerri to tell him her choice. She chose the couches that were slightly to the right of the stage in front making sure that they had a great view, but also making sure that Justin didn’t feel uncomfortable.

After they’d taken their seats, Kerri looked over at him and noticed he was staring off into space. “I’m sorry.” She said, nudging him with her elbow to get his attention.

“For what?” he nudged back. “I should be sorry. Tonight's your night.”

“I should have listened to you.”

Justin raised his eyebrow at her before putting the back of his hand up to her forehead. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You’re giving me compliments? Now you're telling me you should have listened to me? Has hell frozen over?”

“Hush” she smiled letting the side of her head rest against his.

He turned his head slightly towards her. He licked his lips and her eyes were immediately drawn to them, reflexively licking her own. He leaned in slowly to kiss her, but was interrupted by a photographer for the show who had been sent to ask him if he would be willing to take a photo with the cast.

Kerri sat and watched him as he shook hands with cast members and talked to them briefly before standing in the middle of the group and smiling for the cameras. When he returned to his seat, other ticket holders started piling into the theater. Trace and Serena had gone to grab drinks and made their way through the crowd finally sitting on the couch that was next to theirs. The four of them talked and laughed together before the show started. Justin had only briefly read about the show on a website that Serena had pulled up when they were planning Kerri’s birthday and he wasn’t thrilled about having to see naked guys dancing around together, but he and Trace coaxed each other into toughing it out for one night.

Zumanity ended up being more theater than circus and had a cabaret style to it. It bared all of the traditional trademarks of a Cirque show, but it looked at love, sensuality, and eroticism, in all its forms. It was a very tasteful, artistic and colorful show with lots of sexuality to go around. Although everyone was prancing around topless and half naked for most of the show, you almost forgot that they are not wearing clothes because you were so focused on the incredible things that they were doing with their bodies. A highlight for Justin was the two girls in the waterbowl who were doing this very intense routine in the water together. He kept whispering to Kerri that she needed to take notes for later on when they were finally alone. Serena loved the Fabio looking guy who did this strip tease and got completely naked, but was surrounded by women so she couldn’t see his package.

After the show, a concierge for the hotel met them at the doors and escorted them with security to a private elevator. Justin had rented the penthouse suite upstairs in the New York, New York Hotel. He pulled the concierge off to the side and all Kerri could see was the man nodding his head and agreeing with whatever Justin was saying before getting on the phone.

Trace and Serena still wanted to party, and asked if Kerri wanted to go out and explore the town. Part of her wanted to see Vegas since she'd never been there, but she knew that it would entail Justin having to hire a security detail. She also knew he wouldn’t be able to fully relax and have a good time because of the lack of privacy his fame brought. She declined saying she was tired and told them to go have fun. Justin brought over a special card key and handed it to Trace before they went their separate ways.

Justin and Kerri were joking around in the elevator about the show and Kerri had to bite her tongue each time she wanted to deadpan him with her usual witty remarks. Justin was still caught off guard by all her kind words and compliments.

When they opened the door to the penthouse it was dim, only illuminated by a variety of candles placed around the suite. Kerri walked in first, taking notice of the white rose petals scattered along the floor leading into one of the bedrooms and onto the bed.

Justin smiled with satisfaction as he listened to her words of adoration. There were candles everywhere and more petals leading into the bathroom. She gasped when she stepped inside. The bathroom was almost the same size as her apartment. There were more candles and petals leading up the two stairs to a large tub fit for 3 or more bodies. She could tell by the steam it had recently been filled with water along with even more rose petals floating on the top of the water. The tall windows looked out onto the illuminated city and Kerri remained speechless as she took everything in.  Never in her life had she felt so special.

She could feel Justin behind her, his hands on the sides of her arms rubbing gently. He leaned down and kissed the side of her neck and began to sing “Happy Birthday” to her. His sultry voice serenaded her while he wrapped his arms around her waist and gazed out of the window with her. When he was done he rubbed her arms once more and let his hands drift to her back. He pushed her hair to one side and kissed her exposed shoulder and slowly unzipped her dress.

Instead of standing there analyzing every little detail and trying to figure out what she should do or say, she closed her eyes and let herself feel what she was feeling. A fiendish plan popped into her head. She reached back and ran her hands up the back of Justin’s legs and felt her way up his ass and slyly went into his back pocket and took out the blindfold he had used on her earlier. She slowly turned around and kissed him gently before placing the blindfold over his eyes. She began to unbutton his shirt. All Justin could say was, “It’s your birthday…Not mine.”

“Well this is my way of saying thank you.” She whispered.

Once he was completely undressed, Kerri led him into the tub and proceeded to finish undressing herself. Justin spread his arms along the rim of the tub, feeling as though he were sitting in a cauldron of boiling water.

The impulse to lift his blindfold up a few inches and take a peek at her was eating away at him. He’d planned to undress her himself and watch as every inch of clothing disappeared from her body. His mind conjured up what he couldn’t see for himself. He could hear the water splashing slightly and knew she was now close by. Justin could feel himself stirring, his cock hardening just at the thought of her wet, naked body. He felt her hands on his chest and reached his arms out for her body. His mouth and hands were now his eyes, learning the shape of her body, gauging her candid and passionate response to him. They complimented each other perfectly…Sexually and mentally. But neither of them was willing to admit it to the other.

Both were drowning in an ocean of erotic desire. He fought the impulse to crush her into his arms. He could feel her lips on his neck, then on his check, until finally she kissed him gently on the mouth. She gingerly bit his bottom lip and grinned when she saw a smile form on his face. Not being able to look into his eyes was killing her. She loved the way he starred at her when they were together. She continued to kiss him while removing the blindfold from his eyes and tossing it to the side. “Thank you” he panted between their kisses. “That was torture not being able to look at you.”

“Shhhh…” is all she said as she covered his mouth with her own.

Kerri didn’t want to talk. She thought she could express the way she felt through her actions instead. This whole letting her guard down business was dangerous for her and she was terrified she would end up saying something she'd regret in the morning.

Justin placed his hands on the sides of her face and pulled back from their kiss so he could look at her. For a moment they simply starred at each other. He slowly drew Kerri gently towards him, her breasts pressing up against his chest. His lips found hers again and they kissed. But this kiss felt different from before and neither could pinpoint why.

Their touches grew slowly and easily into a passionate embrace. Their lips probed and tasted each other. Their kiss long, slow, and exquisite. Neither of them wanted it to end. The pressure between their lips throbbed with intensity, one moment light as a gently caress, the next hard with unfulfilled passion and longing. Their tongues began a desperate search, and when they met the shock was palpable, running through them simultaneously and causing them to tighten their embrace.

Justin’s was rock hard, pressed tightly against the softness of her heat. His hands slid down her back and gripped her ass, pulling Kerri even closer against him. His mouth slid from hers down her neck, the sweet smell of her flesh filling his lungs.

His lips traced their way down across her soft shoulders, and then downward burying themselves in the fullness of her breasts. They traced the strong but gentle curve, seeking until they found the hardness of her nipples. The soft moans coming from her lips were driving him crazy. He cupped her breasts in his hands and licked and flicked his tongue against her nipples, causing her to moan even louder. His mouth moved to one nipple and then the next, gently licking and sucking. Kerri tilted her head back and thrust her hips even tighter against him, slowly rubbing her pussy against his cock.

She reached her hands out and pulled his face from her breasts, kissing him hard and urgently. Justin’s hands began to move around her waist while hers encircled his neck.

“I need you.” She whispered between kisses.

A chill ran down his spine. He moved her hips positioning her over the head of his cock. He ran it up and down the groove of her lips, massaging her clit ever chance he could. He slowly slid inside her, causing her to call out slowly, “Justin.”

Inch by inch, he buried himself inside her. Before he was completely inside, he drew back until only the head of his cock remained in, and then again, he slowly thrust up, this time deeper.

“Ooooh…Shit…” She breathed.

Again he stopped and drew back, but quickly thrust up again, burying himself deeply and totally inside Kerri. He pussy felt as if it were molded to fit him. The heat from the water was nothing compared to the heat they shared together. His cock tingled and pulsed from the warmth of her passion. “You feel so fuckin good right now…” he sighed resting his head against her breasts, trying to catch his breath.

He began to thrust and Kerri met him with her hips, drawing him deeper inside. They stared deep into each other’s eyes. At first their movements remained slow and easy. But soon Justin closed his eyes and sighed, moaning deeply and setting Kerri on fire. She began to grind into him harder and faster. Their motions quickened instinctively yet they remained as one, moving perfectly in time together as she grinded down to meet his cock as it surged deeply into her. All that could be heard in the room were their moans and the water vigorously slapping around hitting the walls of the tub and the floor.

Justin recognized the cries coming from deep within her throat and knew she was almost over the edge. He held onto her waist with one hand and gently grabbed her face with his other hand pulling her in to kiss her deep on the lips. That’s all it took. Her moans rose in intensity and she cried out trembling. The sight and feeling of her cumming made him explode.

His eyes fluttered to the back of his head and his ears started buzzing as a rush of electricity surged throughout his body. Kerri collapsed onto him. Justin held onto her as they both tried to catch their breath. Each seemed frozen, starring at opposite walls.

Afterwards they laid in bed together. Kerri was nestled inside Justin’s arms and they  were both facing the window looking out at the city. Neither knew the other was wide awake. That night was different…Different from any other time they’d had sex in the past. And neither one could figure out why.