- Summer 1997

"Slow down," Cherish moaned, pushing Justin’s hand away from her breast. "Can’t we just kiss?"

Cherish was straddling his legs in the driver’s seat of her mom's pink 1973 jaguar.  Her dad recently had it restored and gave it to Cherish for her sweet 16.  She wasn't able to drive it yet, but she loved sitting inside and listening to the radio.  She leaned back slightly, her butt resting against the bottom of the steering wheel as Justin ran his hands down her sides.

"Yeah, okay…but damn, Cherish! I can only take so much. How long do we have to wait, anyway?"

"Shut up and kiss me," she whispered, pulling his face against her own.

He leaned his head closer towards her causing her back to hit the horn of the steering wheel.  He quickly pulled her away from it against his chest and they both sat there giggling as they watched her house for any sign of her father.  When the coast seemed to be clear, they continued kissing.  Keith Sweat's 'Twisted' was softly playing in the background.

Justin was doing his best to respect his girlfriend’s need to go slowly, to be sure about their relationship, but it was growing more difficult with each date. Each date that concluded in hot, increasingly passionate make-out sessions, only to stop suddenly when the yellow porch light came on -- her father’s signal that their date was over and Cherish needed to come into the house. 

Her words might have been ‘slow down’, but her body language was telling him something very different. Justin felt her crotch pressing into his lap, her tongue brushing against his lips and entering his mouth in a hot, passionate embrace. He squirmed in his seat in a desperate attempt to free his straining excitement as she cradled his face in her hands, guiding his lips down to taste her exposed neckline.

"Yes, Justin," she moaned, running her fingers through his curly blonde hair and pulling his mouth hard into her flesh.

Their passion seemed at an all time high as he pulled her body down closer to his. She returned her mouth to his, consuming him, steadily draining away any remaining willpower.

"Oh God, Cherish. I want you so bad," Justin moaned.

She moved her body over into the back seat of the jaguar, pulling Justin back and on top of her. His heart thundered in his chest, as he sensed Cherish’s arousal straining, her breathing more labored than usual, her mouth becoming more ferocious against his own.

She parted her thighs, allowing him to move closer. His excitement was hard and fighting against his jeans as he slid between her legs in sensuous friction. Within moments she was moving with his rhythm. He pressed harder and she rose against him, finally inching down until the soles of her feet were pressed against the car door as she rocked her hips with the grinding of his hardness, her moans filling the car’s interior.

If it went this far…Justin thought silently to himself. He lifted himself slightly and gently ran his fingers up her rib cage, expecting to feel the familiar deflection of his hand back to neutral territory. But instead of moving, she arched her stomach into his palm, an unspoken signal that tonight’s passion might hold more promise.

His fingers continued upwards until he sensed the bottom of her bra, then upwards further, until he crossed the soft flesh of her breast. She moaned in pleasure, her breath hot against his cheek as he gently squeezed her through her shirt, feeling the texture of her body, tracing the outline of where the bra met her skin. Her hand ran up and over his, the signal for him to stop that he knew was inevitable; but again she surprised him with the unexpected, guiding his palm downwards and under her shirt as she arched her shoulders to allow him access.

Her skin was soft and warm to his touch as his fingers washed over each rib. He lifted himself up on his elbows, sliding his hands behind her until he found the clasp of her bra, wrestling for a few seconds until her giggling interrupted their kissing.  "Are you having trouble there?" she smiled.

"Well, it’s not like I do this all the time."

With her bra unfastened, she collapsed her weight back into the seat. Justin returned to kissing her, more slowly now, sensing her shiver as his hand slid up and under the cups of her bra.

"Hold it," she moaned between kisses.

"Nah, Cherish. God dammit! No! You can’t do this! You can’t let me start and then make me stop like this!" He knew he was whining, but at this point he didn’t care.

"Who said you had to stop? I just thought you might like a little more room, that’s all."

His heart raced as she reached down and grabbed the bottom of her shirt, wrestling it upward until her breasts were exposed in the dim of the moonlight. He looked down at her as she stared up at him, a delicious smile on her face. Her breasts were perfect -- everything he'd imagined.

"God, you’re beautiful," he moaned.

He returned his mouth to hers as he gently explored her exposed chest, working slow circles with his fingertips until he reached the sensitive nipple. Gently he rolled and tugged at the tip of her nipple, using the pace of her breathing as a guide to his effectiveness. She was almost panting now, her mouth grabbing onto his, her kisses more intense than he had ever felt. His wanting was now a need, his desire a dull ache.

"Let me feel your mouth on them, Justin," she moaned, guiding his head downwards.

Justin gently grazed his mouth around the edge of her breast, working his way up to dance his tongue across her skin. She was slightly salty to the taste from their increasing passion. Feeling her hardening point in his mouth and her fingers combing through his curly hair, he started to lose himself to the moment. He slid to her other side, repeating his devouring with more intensity, using his palm to cradle and squeeze the breast his mouth had just left behind.

Holding back any longer was futile. He ran his hand down her bare stomach to her pants and tugged forcefully on the buckle. He released the belt and unfastened her jeans as their mouths moved in frenzy, her fingernails digging through his basketball jersey and into his skin. He worked loose the button that held her pants closed and dragged down the zipper, sliding his hand inside her panties until the tips of his fingers grazed her skin. Without warning, the moment of truth arrived. She turned her lips to the side and away from his as she grabbed his hand.  "Justin, no…not that…not now."

He closed his eyes, panting and trying to recover. As quickly as things had moved, they were screeching to a halt.

"Sit up, Justin," she said in a serious tone.

He moved up and behind the steering wheel, rubbing his face in his palms in an attempt to regain a sense of calm as she pulled down her clothing. "I’m sorry," he said. "Are you pissed?"

"For what?" she replied as she sat up, fastening her bra and tucking in her shirt.

"For taking it that far. I know you want to wait. It’s just...damn, Cherish, this is hard for me!"

"I could tell," she smiled.

Justin smiled in return. "You know I love you, don’t you?"

"Yes, I know. And I love you. It’s just that I want it to be special, to be something we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. I don’t want it to happen in the back seat of some car, Justin."

"How ‘bout the front seat?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"No, not there either." she laughed.

Without warning the porch light came on. "That’s my dad. I gotta go.  Throw the keys in the visor for me," she reached across and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Justin," were her last words as she exited the car and ran towards the porch, disappearing into the house.

"I love you too, Cherish.” he heard himself saying out loud, even though she was too far in the distance to hear him.

So you say you want me
Make up your mind
Cuz I'm not gonna be here for long

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 Mr. Timberlake? A voice called out, waking him from his dream.

"The doctor has the results from your father's tests. If you follow me I'll take you down to his office."

Justin wiped his eyes, focusing his attention on the older woman standing in front of him. It was the fumbling nurse that he had encountered when he first came to town to see about his father. He nodded his head at her, glancing over at his father who was still heavily sedated. Justin got up from his chair, stretching. He took the hospital blanket he'd been curled up under and placed it gingerly over his father's feet.  As he followed the nurse towards the elevators, his heart started beating rapidly and he was finding it hard to breath…Completely terrified that the man he loved, adored, and admired growing up may not be as strong or resilient as he once was.