A few hours later that she was awaken by the ringing of her cell phone.
"Hello?" she said groggily.
"Is this Felicia James?" a chipper voice asked her.
"Yes it is" Felicia said as she sat up.
"This is Tony Lucca's office and he just wanted to confirm your call for the video shoot at 2 pm, ok?"
"That's fine, Thank You" Felicia said.
"You're welcome and have a nice day Miss James," the secretary said as she hung up the phone. Numbly and still a little hung over from the night before, Felicia got herself ready and was out the door at 1:15 to make the thirty-five minute drive to Buena Vista. Upon arriving she gave her name at the gate and was told to go to lot 12; as she drove onto the lot she saw JC's Mercedes. ‘Great, just great!' Felicia thought as she slammed her car into park. Her stomach was in knots as she approached the makeup trailer, opening the door she almost passed out, cause right there sat JC reading a magazine, like he was waiting to get a haircut. The sound of her shoes on the linoleum caused him to look up. JC looked quickly back down to his magazine trying to avoid her gaze.
"Hi, you must be Felicia!" the make-up artist greeted her.
"That's me!" Felicia said as she sat her bag in the vacant chair next to JC and settled herself into the make-up chair as the make-up artist, whose name turned out to be Gina, went to work.
"So, how long have you been doing this?" Felicia asked as Gina began to apply her base.
"About 10 years, I started out with NSYNC and have been working for JC and his friend Tony, since NSYNC split in 2002."
"Wow!" Felicia said as she searched for JC's eyes in the mirror, finding them, she mouthed the words ‘I'm Sorry' to him before he could avert his eyes away from her.
"Shit!" Felicia heard Gina say.
"What's wrong?" Felicia asked as she looked back toward Gina.
"I just spilled the last of my tantalizing turquoise eyeliner, that I was going to use. I have to go get some more, be back in fifteen ok?"
"Sure" Felicia said as she got up to retrieve a bottle of water from the small refrigerator to the right of her.
"You look beautiful, you know" JC softly said from behind her.
"Thanks" Felicia whispered.
"Look, I am sorry about the other day" JC said hanging his head.
"Me too, I just wish that you would have given me a chance to explain."
"I know, I was a jerk, but I am here now so the floor is yours" JC said as he extended his hands toward her.
"Well first off I quit the stripping job. Then I got calls for three more videos!" Felicia said excitedly.
"That's wonderful! I am so happy for you!" JC said as hugged her close.
"Umm, I thought that we were through?" Felicia asked as she pushed away from JC.
"Yeah, I did say that didn't I."
"Yeah and If you are ready to take me back just because I have quit the stripping job, forget it, because You should have still liked me, loved me or whatever you felt for me, no matter what I did for a living." Felicia said as she sat back down into the make-up chair.
"You're right and I really don't know what to say, I was shocked, hurt and I acted like a jack ass."
"Why didn't you just give me a chance?" Felicia asked again wanting and waiting for a better explanation.
"You want to know the reason?"
"Duh!" Felicia said rolling her eyes.
"I just couldn't stand the idea of have a stripper as a girlfriend, I don't know where you have been or who you have been with-
"WHO I HAVE BEEN WITH?! I will have you know that I have not had anyone and I mean ANYONE since my ex-fiancée' broke off our engagement for the same reason and that MR. CHASEZ has been five years, FIVE YEARS and you have the audacity to insinuate that I am a slut, just because I used to strip for a living!" Just then Gina walked back into the trailer,
"Everything ok?" she asked.
"Just peachy" Felicia answered as she plopped her self back into the make-up chair.
Twenty minutes later Felicia walked out of the trailer with JC following behind her
"You look amazing!" Tony said as he gave her the once over.
"Thanks!" Felicia said giving him a hug.
"No problem, so are you ready to do this thing?"
"Ready as I will ever be."
"Yeah, really this is a first for me as well."
"Well that makes me feel a lot better!" Felicia said laughing as she walked over to her cue on the floor.
"Welcome Everyone! I am JC Chasez and I am going to be directing this video. Now as all of you know the concept for this video is Tony reflecting back on his life and remembering the good, the bad and the ugly including his relationship with his ex-girlfriend, who is played by Ms. James. He thought he was getting over it until one night he sees her at a local club and realizes that he is still in love with her. So now that I have said that, places!" JC said as he sat down in front of the monitors. They had been going at it for almost and hour, when it came time for the club scene, Felicia almost died when she realized that the "club" that JC was talking about was a strip club. ‘Oh great, I guess life really does imitate art' Felicia thought as she slowly made her way over to the set.
"Now what we are going to have happen here is that Tony is enjoying looking at the ladies when he sees Felicia's character come onto the stage..."
Felicia broke into a sweat when she heard that and tuned out whatever else JC said. I took everything she had not to bolt right then and there.
"Are you alright?" Felicia heard someone say, looking up she saw that that someone was Tony.
"Yeah, yeah, just a little nervous" Felicia said as she eyed JC giving him the drop-dead look.
"Ok places everyone!" She heard JC shout as she got into her wardrobe and climbed onto the stage. Walking up to the stripper pole, out of habit she felt it to see if it was oiled or not, she indeed found that it was.
"You ready?" Felicia jumped at JC's voice.
"Yeah, I am ready."
"You sure?"
"Do I have a choice?"
"Not really"
"I can't believe you did this to me JC, I will never forgive you!" Felicia said in a loud whisper.
"Trust me this was not intended, I will show you mine and Tony's notes if you like and they are dated, so then you will know that I came up with this idea before I found out what you do or used to do for a living."
"Yeah, right, but whatever let's get this over with, so that I can go home and never see you again" Felicia said as she spun quickly way from him and approached the pole. Felicia forgot all about the nerves when the music kicked in, she just went into the zone. As the scenario played out Felicia could feel JC's eyes boring into her, she was never so glad when she heard him yell cut and an assistant covered her with a soft terrycloth robe.
"JC?" Tony said as he walked off the set.
"Yeah Tony."
"Umm did she have practice for this before the shoot or something, because she was damn good at that."
"Yeah, you could say that" JC said as he kept his eye on the monitor watching Felicia's performance to see if there needed to be any changes.
"What aren't you telling me?" Tony asked as he sat down in the chair beside JC and crossed his arms looking at him.
"Nothing, that I can tell you Tony, I am sorry I vowed to keep what I know a secret and I have already hurt that someone enough I am not going to do anymore by telling the secret that I know."
"Yeah, so tell me how are you and Felicia making out?"
"Not so good as you can see, just drop it Tony, now is not the time" JC said as he ran his hands through his hair.
"Whatever man can I go? I have a date tonight."
"Sure see ya later I will have the video done and in your hands by 2pm tomorrow."
"Sounds good, see ya then, bye!"
"Bye" JC mumbled as he kept his eyes on the monitors. Two hours later JC made his way home and into his editing room, he was there until sunrise, making sure every last detail was perfect, he wanted his friends to be successful at this, unlike he, who kept getting the shaft from his record label. Yawning he padded his way into his bedroom, crawling into bed he closed his eyes, falling asleep easily, but all he dreamt about was the hurt and the pain in Felicia's eyes as she did the striptease in the video. He woke up just a few hours later in a cold sweat, getting up he went into the bathroom and splashed some cool water on his face. It was then he studied himself in the mirror, disgusted by what he saw there, he turned and walked softly into the living room. Putting in the DVD of Tony's video he fast-forwarded to Felicia's strip scene, when the close up of her face appeared he paused the DVD and stared at it, with tears streaming down his face.
