Chapter One

"Excuse me, I'm so sorry!" Justin apologized after literally smashing into a supple body much smaller than his own.

"Accepted." She said rudely, wiping off the liquid that had spilled out of her glass. She gave him a downward glance, rolled her eyes, and turned back to her martini.

Taking offense to her actions and becoming irritated, Justin made the move to introduce himself to further display his admission of guilt.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. I'm Justin Timb-"

"I know who you are. I don't live in a cave." She replied, yet again her rude tone irritating him.

"Look, I was polite and apologized for bumping into you. I don't appreciate or deserve your attitude." He inwardly cursed himself. He always had to be right and speak the last word. If it wasn't for his arrogance, he'd be twenty feet from this woman by now. But no, he just had to prove that he was right and she was wrong.

"Oh, the poor Pop Prince has been disrespected. I should feel so ashamed!" He could tell that she wasn't on her first martini by the way her body slightly swaggered as she insulted him.

"You don't even know me, Lady." Disgust showed evidently on his face and he turned to walk away. Her voice piercing over the loud music stopped him before he even took a step.

"What's not to know? You're an all-American-handsome, virginal, flawless specimen of a man without any emotional, physical or mental problems, am I right...or is that just what they make you out to be?" Her words infuriated him and gave him the unmistakable urge to put her in her place. He'd make her feel very bad about herself by the time he was finished with her.

"All-American-handsome? Yeah, so I've been told by millions of women. Flawless specimen? Hardly. Lack of emotional, physical, or mental problems? Another Negative." Justin moved in close to her and placed his lips at the edge of her ear, "And I'm anything but virginal."

The low pitch of his voice sent a shiver down her spine. She felt embarrassment at the obvious knowledge that he knew the effect his words had had on her body. With an evil smirk of victory, he let his lips barely touch the tip of her ear and spoke in the same seductive tone, "Maybe by the end of the night you'll be giving me the chance to prove how adulterated I really am." He turned and walked away from her, not looking back and letting his words linger in her mind.

"What a bitch." He muttered to himself. He hoped she was drowning in her own panties by now. She deserved every bit of his cruel teasing, he thought. Of course it never occurred to him that when he "sexually punished" women, as he called it, he was really just fueling their fantasies and intriguing them even more.

He knew of his affect on women. He wasn't in the dark about that; about how he could make a female feel about her sexual desires, and in such cases like this one, he had the ability to use it as a defense mechanism. Not to his surprise, it worked amazingly well every time he used it.

Shrugging the situation off, he walked up to and sat down at the bar and ordered his usual. The amount of people surrounding him was nearly overwhelming to him, and he figured he might be ordering a few extra drinks just to get through the night. Then again, he didn't need to stay, but this was his only escape from a lonely hotel suite. It didn't really matter where he was, however. Even with the surrounding people and the growing number of women who had started to notice him since he had walked in, he still felt as lonely as he did in those empty hotel rooms.

The bartender slid his drink in front of him, and he graciously thanked him. The first swig of the amber-colored drink tasted like a complete soul renewal. He closed his eyes and reveled in the lingering feeling for a moment. It was bitter and strong but the drink served its purpose.

By his second swig, he felt a tapping on his shoulder and he mentally prepared to either greet and thank an enthused fan or politely decline an offer from a strange woman who only wanted him for the man he portrayed himself to be on stage. To his dismay, he had to do neither; it was her.

"I just wanted to apologize for my behavior back there. I'm really sorry. You're right, I don't know you, so I have no right to criticize or insult you." She stood and waited for some type of reply to her apologetic confession, a slight grin on her face.

He looked at her for a moment. Apparently his cruelty worked too well. Now, here she was trying to act on the sexual desires he'd ignited in her with such malicious intentions.

"What's your name?" he asked her. As much as he hated to admit it, the evident effect he seemed to have on her was beginning to intrigue him. On top of that, he was also beginning to notice little things about her like the way the center of her full bottom lip glistened more than any other part of her mouth, as if it were beckoning for attention, and the way her strapless shirt clung dearly to and perfectly outlined the roundness of her breasts. He caught his eyes before his glance to them lingered too long. He mentally shook away the filthy thoughts starting to accumulate in his mind.

Before she could answer him, her eyes stared into his a moment too long; she felt it. She also felt that spark of interest he wasn't hiding very well, or was he even trying to hide it? She had to admit that she found him completely attractive; there wasn't a woman in the world that didn't. But the little stunt he pulled moments ago wasn't one that she was willing to easily forget. She wasn't some easy tramp placed on this Earth for his amusement; she wasn't some crazed fan whose emotions he could fuck with as he pleased. She was a grown-ass woman. But if he wanted to play childish sexual games, she was all for taking the house.

She slowly pulled a lock of her rich, dark hair behind her ear, and let her hand subtly slide down the outer curve of her breast before she reached her hand out for his.

"Gabrielle is my name." She said, pleased at the fact that his hand quickly responded and took hers into its own palm to participate in the formal introduction.

"Nice to meet you." He said, feeling confident at the sensation of her pulse quickening because of the pressure his wrist placed on hers.

"You, too." God, this man was sexy, and confident...a little too much of both. But that still gave him no right to treat her like he did. The smile that was on her face quickly faded at the revelation, and she could tell he sensed her negativity toward him.

"What?" He asked, in reference to her foul expression out of pure curiosity.

"Nothing. I mean, I was just thinking...about what you did to me back there." She noticed that their hands were still shaking each other's and neither one of them made the move to stop it. She watched a smug grin cross his face; she knew he was enjoying the fact that she brought up his inappropriate conversation manners. She mentally called him a bad name and felt disgusted with him.

"I'm sure you were." His overconfidence showed.

"It's not something to be proud of." She snapped and snatched her hand away from his, "and I wasn't thinking about it in the way that you were hoping I was." Her rude tone was back and she crossed her arms over her body, almost challenging him to give a retort.

"Are you sure about that?" Man, what the hell did he get himself into? He should have never even apologized to this woman in the first place, and now look at what was happening. He didn't know how much longer he could keep up this cocky act he was putting on. Anything to turn this woman away would be helpful, but he was running out of ideas.

"Yes, I'm sure, you arrogant bastard."

"Hey, there's no need for insults, that's what got you into this situation in the first place, remember? I was trying to be a gentleman and apologize for bumping into you, but you turned out to be a bitch. You deserved what you got!"

"What - an arrogant, conceited asshole throwing his testosterone in my face, that's what I deserved?! I can definitely tell you're a male; you have 'dick' written all over you."

God, he was sexy when he yelled, she thought. His reaction to her yelling was even sexier. She cursed herself for falling into this man's spell. He was a woman-hunter, that's it. Just out to seek his prey, hunt it, and kill it for sport alone. There was no depth to this man, she told herself. But whatever amount of depth, or lack there of, that he had was failing at turning her off to him. She had to remove herself from the situation. With one last look of disgust toward him, she turned her back to him, but was instantly pulled back by his strong hand.

"I don't care who the fuck I am, you still have no right to talk to me like that. I'm not an asshole, damn it, and my intent was not to throw my masculinity in your face."

"Oh, really? Then what was your intent?"

"Never mind that. Look, I'm sorry for whatever you think I did to you, but you deserved it. I'm done fighting with you, people are starting to watch." Gabrielle turned her head around and realized he wasn't lying. People from all directions were watching; some blatantly, some subtly. Nonetheless, they were watching. Her anger still wouldn't subside.

"I don't care; I'm not finished with you." This time she didn't yell.

"Yeah, I can tell you're not done with me." Once again that smug smirk resurfaced.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She placed her hands on her hips and waited for an answer. He chuckled at her attempt to be stern. She was kind of cute when she was mad, he thought.

"Come on, let's get out of here. That way you can keep yelling and I can get away from all the spectators." There was still a slight chuckle to his tone. He placed his hand on the back of her elbow to lead her toward the exit, but she snatched it away from him.

"I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Well then you're just shit outta luck, sweetheart, because I'm leaving and I know you're 'not finished with me yet'." He grabbed his coat off of the stool next to him and walked toward the exit. He turned to give her one last look and shrugged his shoulders, then disappeared.

She rolled her eyes and her body went limp in defeat. She took the last swig of her martini, cursed him one more time and followed him out the door. When she finally reached fresh air, he was nowhere to be found; not even a sight of that maroon leather jacket he was wearing.

Suddenly, the limo parked in front of her honked and the back door opened. There he was. "Are you coming or not?" She rolled her eyes. Of course he came in a limo; what else? Almost reluctantly, she got in.

"You honestly go places in this thing?" she asked, eyeing her surroundings, "It's like an advertisement for little girls."

"Grown women come to my shows too, you know."

"Yeah, but they're a little outnumbered, don't you think?"

"When are you going to stop being rude to me?"

"As soon as you grow up."

"You need to stop that; it's getting on my nerves. I'm twenty-four, I am grown up." So he was almost twenty-four; he would be in a few months, anyway. It wasn't really a lie, he thought. She looked at him and turned away without saying anything.

"What? No comeback? No insult? Did I finally find the magic words to shut you up?" She thought about telling him the truth, he was two years older than she was, and the whole night she had been mocking him because of his youthful age.

"Nothing, I'm done fighting with you."

"No, you're not. You're not even done yelling at me from before, remember? So, what'd I say? Why aren't you insulting me now?"

"Do you want me to insult you?"

"No, I want you to stop avoiding my question." She sighed in defeat. She muttered some words that weren't even close to being audible and she wiped her hand over her mouth as she spoke.

"No, no. I want a real answer; one that I can hear."

"You're older than I thought you were, that's all." She turned her head to look out the window and placed the back of her hand over her mouth in order to hide the grin she felt approaching. Justin caught her smile before she could successfully hide it, and he grabbed her hand and pulled it away from her face, holding onto it so she couldn't replace it.

"Okay, how about the truth this time. It sucks to wear your heart on your sleeve, doesn't it?'

"I do not wear my heart on my sleeve, thank you, and I didn't lie."

"Then you didn't tell me the whole truth, and that's still lying. In which case I could just pull the car over and make you walk back to the club all by yourself." He placed his finger on the button that lowered the dividing screen and she placed her hand on top of his, stopping his actions.

"Okay, I'll tell you."

"Now."

"Okay, you're older that I thought you were-" Justin pushed the button and the screen slid open an inch.

"No, wait! I'm not done yet!" she yelled trying to stop his actions. The grasp she had on his hand tightened to keep him from pushing the button again.

"You're older than I thought you were..." She paused to see if he'd continue lowering the screen. When he didn't move, she continued. "And you're two years older than I am." She hung her head down and tried to hide her erupting laughter when she heard his explode from somewhere inside him.

"Oh, my God," he laughed, "You are such a bitch! This whole night you kept ragging on me because I was too young, and here you are miss-priss and you're just barely twenty-one!" He threw her hand off of his in a playful manner and laid his hand on his stomach, trying to control his laughter.

"Hey, I'm not a bitch, and I'm not a miss-!"

"And you still don't know when to shut up!" He said, interrupting her and laughing still.

"I know when to shut up! Look, you teen-beat-cover-boy, you invited me into this car because I wasn't done yelling at you, so you can't do anything to shut me up because that's what I was invited here for-" Justin continued to laugh at her rambling and placed a hand on the back of her head, just behind her ear and pulled her into him for a soft, gentle, lingering kiss. He felt her tense up and kept his lips pressed gently to hers until she relaxed and began to kiss back. As soon as he felt her respond, he pulled away. Looking into her large, shocked eyes, he said, "Are you sure I can't do anything to shut you up? You're not talking now."

Gabrielle finally started breathing again and backed away so that he wasn't invading her comfort space. She felt so many things at once: she felt shocked, she felt invaded, she felt hot. Everything was hot, the limo, his eyes, that feeling right under her belt; it all caused some sort of heat.

"And that teen-beat-cover-boy thing was rough." A different kind of smirk crossed his face, not once of arrogance, but the kind of smile that awakens those butterflies and never lets them rest again. Still, she didn't speak.

"What's the matter with you? You look like a scared kitten."

"Why did you just kiss me?" She didn't know what kind of answer she wanted to hear. She was positive that he wouldn't give her one of those answers anyway.

"To shut you up, you just kept rambling." He stopped speaking and looked at her. Something was definitely wrong.

"That's what I figured." She sighed, "Look, Justin, I didn't leave that place with you just so that I could become your next one-night-stand. I'm not some-"

"Whoa, wait a minute. I don't know what you're trying to imply here, but I don't do that. I don't go out at night to see what new girl I can bring home with me. Is that what you thought this was all about? Oh, my God, and that kiss - I'm so sorry for whatever it is you think you're here for, but those were never my intentions. God, you must think I'm such an asshole."

"Then what was that kiss all about? I'm sure you've met a million women in clubs. I'm no different than any of them. You're going to tell me you've never gotten one of them in your fancy limo and kissed her and it ended up to be a cheap one-nighter?"

"First of all, whether or not I've ever had a one-night-stand is completely my business, and second, you are completely different from any of them. Honestly, I've never had a woman come up to me to fight with me instead of to try to seduce me. So yeah, you're a bit different. And that kiss was not an invitation for a one-night-stand. It was just to calm you down."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, basically."

"Basically? That doesn't sound like the whole truth." She said. A small smirk formed across his face. He was helpless to stop it.

"Justin, if you made me tell you the whole truth about the age thing, you're gonna have to tell me the whole truth now. Fair is fair." Gabrielle felt the limo come to a stop and she figured they'd arrived at their destination, wherever that may have been.

"Well, let's just say that I enjoyed shutting you up." Before even waiting for a response from her, he opened his door and quickly stepped out of the car. He held it open and reached out for her hand to help her out of the car as well. Consumed in their own conversation, the two walked discreetly through the back entrance of the hotel, through the kitchen and into the elevator that opened just inside the kitchen doors. Justin had been accustomed to entering all hotels this way, and didn't even give the situation a second glance. Gabrielle, on the other hand, had a question for every turn they made. It was a confusing maze through back hallways and hidden doorways that finally got them to Justin's room door.

"Okay, well, goodnight," Gabrielle reached for her hand with her own.

"Oh, you don't wanna come in? I just assumed that you would, since you walked all the way up here." The thought of a one-night-stand entered Gabrielle's mind again. There was no way she was walking into that room if that's what he thought she was interested in, no matter what he said. She wasn't that kind of girl. Hell, she wasn't even a fan; she had no right to be with him.

"It's already late, and I'm kind of tired, so..." Her gaze into his eyes trailed off in the same manner that she had let her sentence trail off.

"I understand. You want me to call a cab for you, or-no, wait; I'm not calling a cab this late. Who knows if you'd get home safely. Let me get you a room." Justin slid the key into the door and cracked it open.

"No! No, that's not necessary. I'll be fine in a cab, and you don't even have to call one for me."

"No way, this is a dangerous city, and-"

"Justin," Gabrielle began to laugh, "This is my home. I live in this city; it's not scary to me. I'll be fine. Besides, we just met, and you don't know me from Adam. There's no need for you to feel like I'm your responsibility." She began to believe that he wasn't an avid participant in one-night-stands. She couldn't imagine him being this hospitable to tons of meaningless booty-calls.

"I was just being polite," he opened the door a bit further and walked inside, "And I thought you had some yelling to do." She was beginning to get the feeling that he didn't want to be alone and she was right. Justin was desperately trying to hold on to her company. After she was gone, that was it. He was left to begin another night alone in a lonely hotel room.

"I guess you're right," she said smiling, "I suppose I do have a bone to pick with you." She walked passed him into the hotel room and just barely brushed against his chest. Wow, he smells good, she thought to herself. Okay, twenty minutes, tops. Then, you're outta here.

"Want something to drink?" Justin grabbed a beer out of the mini-refrigerator and popped it open.

"No thanks. I hate beer, and I've already had a little too much to drink tonight."

"I noticed. How many martinis did you have?"

"I don't keep track. I'm fine, though."

Justin walked into the bedroom and flipped on the television. He sat down on the edge of the bed and flipped through the channels until he found a show that he liked.

"Friends is on! Hey, Gabrielle, you like Friends?" Gabrielle rolled her eyes, walked into the bedroom, and stood next to him. She thought it was endearing how innocent he seemed. She had completely misjudged him before. She thought him to be a shallow woman-hunter, but he was turning out to be just an innocent, lonely guy.

"I've seen this episode already," she said and sat down on the bed next to him.

"Me, too, but I love this show." Gabrielle was amused at how entranced he was by the television. She bet herself that if she waved her hand in front of his face, he wouldn't even notice it.

Sometime during the show, Justin and Gabrielle had made themselves more comfortable. Both of their shoes and his dress shirt had been tossed on the floor and they had moved up to the head of the bed.

"I'll be right back." Justin got up and walked into the bathroom. Gabrielle glanced at her watch, then back at the television. She felt her eyes getting heavier and she couldn't help but give in to them. By the time Justin had returned from the bathroom, she was asleep. He stopped himself from getting back on the bed and smiled. He took the covers from the opposite side of the bed and folded them over her. He clicked the television off and shut off the lights. Then he looked around for an extra blanket and pillow and walked out to the couch. He turned off all of the lights except for the hall light which always seemed to keep him company. He was out just as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Gabrielle awoke the next morning to a terrible headache. The room around her was pitch black, and for a second, she didn't recognize anything out of the ordinary. She tried to turn over in the bed, but the clothing around her body was restricting her. She tried to remember why she would still be in her evening clothes, and then reality hit her.

She rolled her eyes and cursed out loud, then instantly smacked her hand over her mouth. With any luck, Justin would still be sleeping and she could slip out of the hotel room without being noticed. She couldn't even imagine what kind of trouble he'd be in if anyone found out that an unidentified woman was leaving his hotel room after staying the night, and she couldn't imagine that he had willingly let her stay in his bed. He must have fallen asleep as well.

She cringed at the thought of him lying next to her; she knew she's had enough alcohol to act in ways that she wouldn't normally. She could only imagine what had happened last night...had she slept with him? She couldn't remember. She felt so irresponsible for staying the whole night in his bed; she felt irresponsible for even accompanying him to his hotel room. Slowly, she pushed the covers away from her body and slid smoothly out of the bed. One she was standing, she was surprised to see that she had been the only one in the bed. She looked around the room and didn't see Justin anywhere. Plans of escaping without Justin seeing her seemed to crumble. He was probably awake, awaiting her in the living room, she thought.

Without checking her reflection, she walked into the living room half expecting to see Justin watching television maybe. She sighed in relief when she saw him. He was curled up on the couch, one arm and one leg hanging limply off the edge. As she slowly moved closer, she noticed that he was still in the clothes that he had worn the night before; she also noticed a large wet spot on the pillow next to his slightly open mouth. The sight of the All-mighty Justin Timberlake with a pool of his own saliva resting next to him brought a smirk to Gabrielle's face. She almost wished she had a camera.

Without thinking, she turned off the hall light, then quickly made her way to the door. She looked back one more time to make sure she hadn't woken him up, then she quietly cracked the door and slid out into the hallway, letting the door shut silently. She exhaled the breath she didn't know she'd been holding and felt relieved. She was done with this whole situation, never to look back. Now all she had to do was get out of the hotel without anyone noticing her. Piece of cake, she thought as she began to reach for her cell phone to call a cab.

"Oh, fuck!" she whispered loudly. Gabrielle checked herself again, and realized that she had forgotten her purse inside the hotel room on the living room table. She'd been so preoccupied with the thought of getting out safely that she had completely forgotten about her purse. Now that she thought about it, her jacket was lying next to her purse on the living room table as well. She debated what she should do, and she figured that the only thing she could do was knock on the door, and get back her belongings...no matter the cost.

By the time Gabrielle was ready to put her plan into effect, a uniformed guard had spotted her and was heading in her direction. Damnit! What am I going to do!? she thought. She didn't want the guard to know that she had come home with Justin last night, but she also knew if the guard questioned her and threw her out of the hotel, she'd never get her things back.

"Excuse me, Miss. This is a restricted floor. You don't have permission to be up here."

"I know," was all she could think to say.

"May I ask how you even managed to get up here?" She couldn't tell him how she'd really gotten there. She didn't want to get Justin in trouble, and she didn't want the guard to form an inappropriate impression of her. All she could do was shrug.

"What are you doing up here, anyway? Are you a friend?" She understood that the guard was beating around the bush and didn't want to mention Justin's name, just in case she didn't know he was on that floor. Gabrielle was at a loss for words, she couldn't speak. Suddenly a voice from behind her startled her.

"It's okay, Officer. She's with me; she does have permission to be here. She must have just forgotten her key when she left." Gabrielle turned around to see Justin standing behind her in just his underwear. She flushed and all thoughts of the guard forming an appropriate impression of her we abolished.

"Yes, sir, Mr. Timberlake. I was just making sure."

"Thanks. It's appreciated. Come on, Gabby, before you keep this man from his work any longer." He yanked on her elbow, pulling her inside the room and quickly shutting the door.

"Are you fucking crazy!? What the hell is the matter with you!? You can't just walk out of here like that! There's a certain way that things have to be done. Do you have any idea what could happen if someone just saw you leaving my hotel room!? My God, Gabby! Use your head!" Gabrielle felt as though he was rambling. She wanted to roll her eyes; but then again, she felt sorry for getting caught.

"Sorry, I didn't want to wake you."

"Damn, you would have been safer if you would have just woken me up! I'm lucky I woke up when I did; God only knows what you could have said to him."

"Justin, I said I was sorry, stop grilling me. I was just trying to get out of here."

"If you wanted to leave so badly, you should have woken me up. Damn, Gabby, you were gonna leave just like that? No goodbye? I gave you a place to stay, you can't even say 'thank you' before you go?"

"First of all, stop calling me Gabby! You're not blood; you don't get the right to call me that. And second, I'm not some homeless chick you need to take care of. I have a home, and I had every intention of getting there last night."

"I bet. It really seemed like you were racing to get home when you fell asleep on my bed last night." She couldn't think of a comeback for that one. She looked around the room and noticed Justin was still only wearing his underwear, which was entirely too revealing for her comfort.

"What the hell are you doing in just your underwear? I just checked on you five minutes ago, and you were fully clothed." Justin looked down and realized how scantily clad he was.

"I was about to take a shower when I heard that guy questioning you out there."

"Whatever, I'm leaving now." Gabrielle grabbed her belongings from the table and walked toward the door.

"Hell no, you're not!" Justin hooked his arm around her waist and swung her down onto the sofa, "You're gonna sit your ass there until I get out of the shower, then I'm gonna take you downstairs so that no one sees you. You're not getting caught again." Justin's irritated tone was starting to annoy Gabrielle, but she obeyed.

Justin walked into the bathroom and shut the door. He couldn't believe the stunt that Gabrielle had just pulled. He hoped that she would still be on the couch when he finished. He couldn't risk getting caught.

He peeled off his boxer-briefs and turned the water on as he scratched himself. He made sure the temperature was right, and then he stepped in and closed the frosted glass door behind him. He hung his head down to his chest and just let the water slide down every inch of his body. He slid his hands down his chest and let the water soak into him. He grabbed the soap and began moving it over his arms and chest and back, then his stomach. He slowly moved the soap down his stomach to the dark patch of hair between his thighs. With such care, he slid the soap over himself and spent a few extra seconds working the soap in causing his blood to flow and his sex to rise, reaching for his belly-button. He moaned slightly and prayed that Gabrielle hadn't heard him. Before he got carried away, he decided to stop and continue the soap to the other areas of his body that it hadn't yet reached.

Gabrielle was quickly becoming impatient, and that morning Mother Nature call was becoming more extreme. She felt as though she couldn't hold it anymore, and she became desperate. She walked over to the bathroom door and knocked. Justin was glad he's stopped his earlier actions.

"Yeah?"

"Justin, can you hurry, please! I have to pee!"

"What?" The running water muffled her speech and made it inaudible to Justin.

"Hurry up; I have to pee!"

"Gabby, I can't hear you. You have to come in." Gabrielle rolled her eyes. Of course she had to come in. As if it wasn't bad enough that she had seen his every masculine curve through his underwear earlier, she had spent her entire time on the couch imagining him in the shower, and now he was inviting her in. She felt an undeniable need for self-control.

"Don't call me Gabby, and I said I need to pee, so hurry up," she said once she had cracked the door open.

"Okay. Do me a favor, hand me that shampoo." Justin opened the glass door just enough to give his eyes access to her as he pointed to the complimentary bottle of shampoo on the counter. Gabrielle grabbed it and turned to give it to him. She froze when she saw him and dropped the little bottle. The door was open enough for her to see half of his muscle-outlined body all the way down to the V just below his ribs. He was dripping wet with water and suds which made his skin glow like gold. To Gabrielle, the idea of self-control was long gone.

She quickly shook it off and immediately ripped her eyes away from his body. She reached down and grabbed the bottle, covering her eyes as she handed it to him.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." He smiled at her as if he knew exactly what he had done to her; whether or not it was an accident wouldn't be explained to Gabrielle. Justin slid the glass door shut and dumped the bottle onto his head. She couldn't help but watch him; his eyes closed, his head tilted back, and those glass doors barely hid anything. She could see the outline of his masculinity was completely erect. She blushed, but couldn't look away. Justin seemed oblivious to her presence.

He finally finished and opened the door once more to grab a towel from the rod just outside of the shower stall. Again, she watched his muscular body as he reached for the towel, exposing more of his naked body to her. He made sure that he was covered in all of the right places as he pulled the towel close to his body and wrapped it around his lower half. He grabbed a smaller towel and rubbed it on his head, trying to remove the excess water from the little hair he had.

"You wanna take a shower before we go?" he asked her, walking across the large suit-style bathroom to stand in front of the mirror and grab his razor. He didn't even turn in her direction for her answer.

"Yes." she replied. A really cold shower, she thought silently.

"Okay, let me show you where the towels are." Justin brushed himself against her chest to get passed her and to the doorway. He told himself it was an accident, but he knew the way his body worked after a sexually-unsatisfying hot shower; there was no mistake. He came back a second later and handed her a towel, then walked back across the bathroom again to where the sink stood; again, he brushed up against her.

"You can go ahead and change in there." Justin pointed to a small corner of the room sectioned off by a curtain, "I have to shave before I leave today." She nodded silently, walked behind the curtained area, and started undressing.

Justin stared into the mirror and lathered his face with cream. He started shaving his face when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye. If he stepped a little to the side and looked into the mirror, he could completely see Gabrielle undressing. He looked away for a second, but gave in to temptation and watched her fully undress. He could feel the heat rising below his belly-button and began to realize that he was only in a towel. He quickly finished shaving and began washing off his face.

"Hey, Justin, how do you turn this thing on?" He didn't know if her asking for help was a godsend or a disaster. He walked over to the shower, and stepped in front of her to turn the water on.

"You missed a spot." Gabrielle wiped her fingertip up his neck to clean some shaving cream he'd missed. Her single touch made him crazy and he felt his sex harden even more. He turned around to thank her and found her much closer to him than he'd thought. They stared at each other for a second before Justin grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her in for a rough, satisfaction-seeking kiss. She instantly responded and wrapped her arms around his neck causing her towel to drop to the floor. The feeling of her bare skin on his own caused a need in him and he dropped his own towel and pulled her body as close to his as it could be. His shaft slid perfectly through the space between her thighs, and the feeling of his masculinity so close to her most feminine of parts caused her to moan into his mouth. He walked them both into the shower stall without interrupting the kiss and slid the glass door shut. He pressed her body tightly against the glass and pressed his own body close to hers, forcing her body even tighter against the glass door.

For a second, Gabrielle thought to stop their actions. He'd moved them so quickly into the shower after the kiss had begun that she didn't even know what had happened before it was already happening. His hands all over her body and his mouth all over her mouth sent her into a state of mind that could only concentrate on seeking pleasure. Gabrielle could do nothing but hang on tight as Justin took her body for the ride of its life.

Before Justin even thought to stop himself, it was too late. He'd made this decision with the wrong head and by the time he started thinking with the right one, his other head had long convinced the one on his shoulders that there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was quickly losing this battle, but the feeling of Gabrielle's naked body pressed against his forced him not to care.

He brought her hands down from his neck to his sides and he gripped her palms with his own. Slowly, with both hands, he forced her wrists above her head and with a single grasp, he held them there. He broke his lips away from hers to kiss down her neck and collarbone, and then he slowly moved back and continued kissing and sucking just behind her ear.

The moan she let escape from her lips told him that she had no reservations about what was happening; he took the sound as in invitation and he began his exploration of her body. Gradually, he moved his free hand down the side of her body, feeling every curve she had to offer; her dimensions were perfection to him. She gasped when his fingers finally touched her, just between her thighs; she hadn't realized just how badly she'd been craving that touch. He gently spread her apart and teased her opening with his fingertip. He could tell that the moisture he found there was a result of her excitement and not a result of the showering water. As he eased his first finger in, just to the knuckle, he felt her tense. She was tight, and he loved it, but he knew something was wrong with her.

"Does that hurt?" he whispered, looking straight into her eyes. His eyes made her nervous and a bit scared, but she was enjoying herself so much that she didn't think to mention it.

"A little," she whispered back.

"Let me help you." He placed his hand on the back of her knee and pulled it up to his waist, inevitably widening her entrance. Once he felt her secure her leg around his back, he returned his finger to her and pushed it further into her than he had the first time, moving his finger back and forth as he pushed his finger deeper. She moaned louder than she had before at the new sensation and Justin felt an inch of his sanity slip out of reach. Over and over, he repeated the move, each time trying to go deeper than he had the last time. He knew he was driving her crazy when he slowly brought his actions to a stop and she whimpered to him, "Please don't stop." He felt his ego swell and a grin formed on his face. After completely removing his hand from her, he kissed her lips and released his grip on her restrained wrists. Gabrielle slowly brought her wrists down in front of her face and massaged each wrist with the opposite palm. Justin had left red marks around her wrists, and his hand print was still visible in her skin. Instantly he felt bad; he hadn't meant to hurt her.

He reached behind her for the bottle of shampoo sitting on the stall shelf and he used its remnants to lather her hair while she continued to massage her wrists. After forming enough suds in her hair, he looked down at her wrists and frowned.

"Why didn't you say anything to me?" he asked. Gabrielle giggled before answering him.

"It's not what I was concentrating on." She smiled up at him and stood on her toes to kiss him. He turned them both so that they were directly under the shower head and he tilted her head back to wash the suds out. He nearly lost control again as he watched her comb her fingers through her hair with her eyes closed and back arched into his body.

Without a second thought, he grabbed the soap while her hands were occupied in her hair and began to rub it over her stomach in slow circles. He moved the soap upward until it came to the valley between her breasts and he took special care to make sure that every curve of her breasts was paid attention. He watched his hands move over her breasts and cup them as he moved his thumbs lazily over her nipples causing them to pucker and harden. She moaned again and Justin got on his knees to continue washing her. Slowly he pushed the soap over her legs, then her knees and up to her thighs. She watched intently as his hands moved in to stroke her folds, then he pushed her feet apart to allow the running water to rinse all of the soap away.

Justin waited until she glanced away from his eyes, and then he pushed his face between her legs and gave her clit a long, soft lick. She gasped and her hips bucked involuntarily toward him, forcing his tongue back to his initial licking point. Again he licked her and he took her clit in his mouth and began a gentle suction. A loud moan escaped from her mouth and she held onto the shower head for dear life. His sucking became deeper and he slid a finger into her, pumping it in the same motion as his sucking. Gabrielle moaned over and over and cupped the back of his head, pushing him closer to her middle.

She took the other hand from the shower head and put it on his back, clenching his shoulder and digging in her nails. His strokes became longer with both his mouth and hand. He could feel that she was close and he concentrated on giving her clit the right amount of pressure. It seemed that seconds later, she nearly screamed a moan and her orgasm came crashing down on her. He had a hard time controlling her hips once her orgasm took over and he did his best to continue his motions throughout her orgasm.

Once it had subsided, Gabrielle slid down the shower's wall until she reached Justin's level. She kisses his lips, then let her head rest against the wall and closed her eyes.

"Open your eyes, Babygirl; you're a long way from being finished. It's my turn, now." He reached above her head and shut the water off, then slid the glass door open and pulled her limp body out of the stall and out of the bathroom without even thinking to dry them off. He pulled her immediately to the bed she'd slept in and tossed her on the bed. She giggled as Justin climbed on the bed and started to crawl toward her. Gabrielle started to get her second wind and she began playfully crawling away from him, which caused him to crawl faster toward her. Once she reached the edge of the bed, she climbed off and started to run.

"Oh, hell no!" Justin laughed as he began to chase after her. She was barely able to dodge around him, and she ran out of the bedroom door and into the living room. Justin tried to grab her as she passed him, but he failed and had no choice but to run after her. He found her running toward the couch and by the time he reached her, she was standing in front of the couch, egging him on. He smiled and easily hurdled over the couch and wrapped his arms around her as they tumbled to the floor. He rolled them around until he was on top and pinned her arms down.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to run with a hard-on?"

"No," she giggled. He used his knee to spread her legs apart, and he settled his body between them, completely trapping her beneath him.

"It's damn near impossible." He kissed her hard and slid his tongue over hers once.

"And what the hell is your problem, making a grown man chase after his sex, huh?" He slid the head of his dick just between her folds, and pressed gently.

"Don't I deserve this?" he whispered seductively into her ear.

"Mmm, yes..." her voice trailed off into a quiet moan. Justin slowly pushed his head into her and stopped; he could tell from how tight she was that he had just hurt her. She winced and dug her nails into his arms, causing him to slide a little further; he loved the feeling of nails cutting into his skin.

"Ow, Justin, wait." Gabrielle tried to back her hips away from his but she was completely powerless under him. He pulled back so that only his head was in and she moaned in pleasure as he rubbed against her spot.

"Babygirl, you're just gonna have to bite me, scratch me, do whatever you have to do; I need you now." Without awaiting her response, he slid into her and pushed near the hilt. He realized too late that he probably should have moved slower; she bit down hard at the base of his neck and she could feel pieces of his skin underneath her nails.

"Oh, fuck..." she moaned.

"What? Does this hurt? Did I hurt you?" Justin rubbed the spot she had bitten in hopes of coaxing away the sting.

"Yeah. Yeah, it hurts."

"You want me to stop?" He hoped she would say no, there was no way he could stop now, not after getting a taste of her. He needed all of her now.

"God, no. There's more pleasure than pain, keep going...deeper." It sounded like a gentle command and he obediently did what he was told. He pushed in all the way to her hilt and she arched her back, urging him deeper. He interlocked his arms under her arch and slid in and out as slowly as his body could handle. She began to squirm under him, desperately trying to get him to increase his speed.

"Justin, please...please," she whimpered.

"Please what?"

"Justin..." she was whining for him to comply with her request.

"What, Babygirl?" He started regaining his control and he began to enjoy the need in her voice; he was in complete control of his torturously slow speed, and he wouldn't give in to her unless she said his magic words.

"Justin...please!"

"Please, what? Do you want something from me?" His tone was almost sarcastic, and he slowed even more.

"Justin! You're driving me crazy; please...I need this so bad."

"I can tell I'm driving you crazy; you're not hiding that at all...but what do you need so bad?"

"You know what I need." Gabrielle was beginning to feel desperate

"I know," he grinned; he was sure the whole floor knew what she needed by the volume of her moans, "Make me understand."

"Fuck," she groaned out of frustration. Justin smiled and quickly rammed into her. She moaned loud enough to alert the neighboring rooms about their actions.

"What did you say, Gabby?" Justin smiled again, knowing he'd just pissed her off.

"Fuck," she said with more conviction. Again, he rammed into her quickly, but slowed back down.

"So, what do you want from me?"

"Fuck, Justin...fuck!" He rammed into her twice in a row and she moaned again.

"I still don't get it, Gabby...what do you want?" Gabrielle growled out of sheer frustration.

"Oh, Justin, just fuck me!" As soon as the words were out, Justin began pounding into her at full speed. He laughed quietly at her moaning. It was progressively getting louder and louder and he loved every minute of it. As she neared her orgasm, he had to cover her mouth with his palm in order to keep her to a minimum. She began squirming under him and he could tell she was getting there.

"Come on, Babygirl...cum for me." At his command, Gabrielle came to an earth-shattering orgasm that jolted Justin out of his rhythm. He felt her tighten around him like a cobra and he clung to his orgasm, desperately holding it back.

"Oh...Justin..." At the sound of his name, he knew he couldn't hold it any longer. In several quick bursts, his glorious release came to him, pounding through his body. Several minutes later, Justin collapsed on Gabrielle; they were both completely exhausted.

"By the way," she said to him.

"Yeah?"

"Don't call me Gabby." Justin laughed at her and quieted her with a gentle kiss. Then, he peeled himself off of her, and helped her up.

"Oh, my God. Justin, look at your knees." Gabrielle tried to cover a laugh with her hand. Justin looked down to see horrible rug burns and he had burst a few veins that had already started to bruise. He smiled as he carefully rubbed them.

"Check out your back, I bet it's just as bad." Justin turned her around and felt bad for being right. Her rug-burned back looked painful.

"Go look." Gabrielle ran to the bathroom and looked in the double mirrors: red marks all over her back, and they were beginning to hurt. The reality of what they had just done was starting to resurface. It was summer and Gabrielle was going to be stuck in tee-shirts for the next few weeks trying to hide the marks. Guilt began to wash over her. She felt it was time to go. She quickly replaced her clothes and walked out to meet a still-naked Justin lying on the floor.

"You're leaving already? I was hoping for a round two," he said sarcastically.

"I was supposed to leave a long time ago; like right after your shower."

"I guess you're right. Let's go."

"Put some clothes on first."

"Why? Are you embarrassed to be seen in public with me like this?" Gabrielle laughed.

"No, not at all. I just don't want to get trampled in the herd of woman who would flock to you."

Justin laughed at her and got up to get dressed and fix himself up as well as some of the mess in the room. He called a cab soon after and within minutes, the hotel had sent a call up to his room, letting him know that the cab had arrived. Justin walked over to where Gabrielle had been sitting, and he leaned over, looked at her upside down and smiled. He gently kissed her forehead and told her the cab was ready.

The two silently walked down the same maze they had first taken to get to the room. As they reached the back alley of the hotel, they noticed the awaiting cab. Justin walked her to the cab door and opened it for her.

"Call me, okay? I put the number in your coat pocket." Gabrielle looked confused as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a simple paper with his name followed by seven numbers and a small pornographic drawing.

"Oh, my God, Justin!" she laughed, "That's dirty." They both laughed and he put the paper back into her pocket.

"I'll talk to you later." He kissed the corner of her mouth and held out his hand for her to get in. After she was in and the door was shut, Justin walked up to the driver's door, handed him some cash from his pocket, and mumbled something she couldn't hear. He began to walk away and winked at her before he disappeared back into the hotel.

She felt relief at his disappearance and she sank into the cab's seat. She told the driver where she was going, and thanked the driver for waiting for her. When she sat back again, she pulled out Justin's number and looked at it one more time. Then, without a second thought, she ripped it into several pieces. She knew the only outcome if she called him would be trouble and she felt no need to continue their contact to each other. She didn't need to get tangled in that kind of thing, and she was sure he'd rest easier without trying to hide an affair to a nobody. Without regret, Gabrielle lifted her head and didn't look back as the cab drove away.

It had been nearly three weeks since the last time Gabrielle had seen Justin in person. She'd seen him on television a few times, and she's seen him in her fantasies a million more times than that.

She was sitting at the bar in which they first met, finishing her second martini. It was her weekend retreat. She enjoyed coming to the club, having a few martinis and going home with some friends after a few dances.

Gabrielle got the attention of the bartender and ordered another martini. Within seconds, it was placed in front of her, and she raised the glass to her lips for a sip.

"Tell me what you want from me, Babygirl." Gabrielle froze when she heard the whisper before the liquid even entered her mouth. It couldn't be him...was she fantasizing again? This had to be impossible, why was he still in town? Slowly, she turned to face him. She felt the guilt creep onto her face when their eyes met. She hadn't called him, never had any intention of doing so.

"Hey." It was the only word that came to her mind.

"Hey." He took a seat next to her at the bar and ordered his usual.

"How've you been?" Justin asked as he chugged a mouthful of the dark liquid. He put the drink down and looked at her, waiting for a reply.

"Look, Justin, I'm sorry I didn't call you, it's just that-"

"No, it's cool. Whatever." He swallowed another mouthful. Gabrielle could tell that Justin had expected her to call.

"I'm sorry, Justin."

"It's just kind of strange to me that you're the one who didn't want a cheap night...and you ended up making it that way." He guzzled the last half of his drink and slammed it down on the counter, causing Gabrielle to jump. He didn't look back at her when he walked away.

She felt so terrible for not calling. But why did he care? Didn't he have millions of women swarming over him? What was she to him? She was nothing, just a one-night-nobody. She tried to brush off the guilt, but she couldn't convince herself that she was right for not speaking to him. Finally, she got up and went after him. She looked in every direction, but nothing. There were too many people to spot him. Then, out of nowhere, she saw that infamous cross tattoo...heading for the exit. She felt horrible, and she couldn't let herself be the reason why he was ending his night at the club early. Quickly, she followed him out of the club and hoped she wouldn't lose sight of him again.

Justin walked out of the door and looked around for a place to retreat. The closest thing he saw was a small park bench just a few feet away from the entrance. Defeated, he walked over and sat down. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw Gabrielle sitting at the bar when he walked in. He half-heartedly hoped that maybe she'd become ill and was too weak to pick up the phone. But she was fine, absolutely nothing wrong with her and he cursed her for it. He hated himself for letting her treat him this way. Hadn't he learned his lesson? Women bring nothing but trouble; they're not worth the worry.

Justin groaned when he saw her emerge from the entrance and look around for him. Instinctively, he pulled out a cigarette and a lighter and sucked inward as he placed the flame to the tip. He exhaled a large puff of smoke and sighed; this night was just about to begin.

Once she'd spotted him, Gabrielle slowly walked in his direction, making sure the smoking figure was actually him.

"I didn't know you smoked."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot you don't know about me." He spat angrily.

"Justin..." she almost began another apology, but figured she wouldn't waste her breath.

"I don't smoke, I just...I just needed one." Again, he inhaled and let the smoke filter out of both his nose and mouth.

"Look, Justin-" she sat next to him and before she could finish her thought, he interrupted her.

"Ya know, Gabby, you don't even have a clue what happened that morning and you didn't even stop think about how this was going to affect either of us."

"What?" She was angry, "How can you say that to me, Justin? I know exactly what happened, and believe me, I know how it affected us."

"No, you don't. If you had any idea, you would have called. You're the one who made it a one-night-stand, Gabby. You should have called."

"I didn't call because I was scared to talk to-"

"Scared? What the hell is there to be scared of?"

"Justin, it's not like we're friends or anything. What could the two of us possibly have to talk about? I didn't want to be forced into an awkward phone call. I feel like anything we had to say to each other was said that day. There's really no reason for us to talk anymore..." Gabrielle stopped when she saw the hurt expression begin to form on his face, "I mean, what do you want from me, Justin?"

"I want you to treat me like a fucking human being, Gabby."

"How am I treating you, then?"

"You're treating me like I'm some mindless, womanizing A-list asshole. I'm a person, Gabby, there's more to me than just a name, and if you'd open your God dammed eyes, you might see that."

"Well, honestly, Justin, you can't blame me for treating you like that. That's all I know you to be...all I know is the name. Look, I don't know what you want from me. What would my phone call have accomplished, anyway? You can't be asking me for a relationship, we don't even know each other. And there's no way I'm gonna be one of your sex buddies that you only talk to when you're in town and you want some."

"See, that's what I'm talking about, right there! Stop stereotyping me. You just said that you don't know me, so you have no right to be making assumptions about my sex life, of all things. I don't have sex buddies; I'm not like that. I don't do one-night-stands, and I don't go out to clubs to pick up a new girl every night. Believe me, Gabby. I'm tired of explaining this to you."

"And I'm tired of fighting with you. Why is it that every conversation we've had has been combative?" Gabrielle heard the music amplify when a drunken couple burst through the doors. They had their hands and mouths all over each other as they laughed and swaggered to their car. It was obvious why they were leaving the club so early; the couple had 'horny' written all over them. Gabrielle smiled; she remembered kissing Justin with that much passion and desire. She looked at Justin again, and noticed that he was watching the couple, too. Gabrielle felt as though she was beginning to understand him; she was beginning to realize what he wanted from her.

He finished his cigarette and threw it on the ground, smashing it in with his the sole of his shoe. He looked at Gabrielle, and she could see the emotion hidden in his eyes.

"You wanna dance?" she asked him, motioning toward the club.

"Now?"

"Mmm, hmm. C'mon, it's driving me nuts being out here; we both came to a club, we might as well enjoy it." She stood up and reached for his hand. It took her a second to convince him, but he grabbed her hand and they walking into the club and straight to the middle of the dance floor. A random slow song that Gabrielle didn't recognize began to play, and it almost felt like fate; Justin wrapped one arm completely around her waist, and with the other he guided her arms around his neck. As they moved slowly to the music, he looked down at her and opened his mouth to speak, but changed his mind and turned his glance away from her.

"What?" she asked him, "What were you going to say?" Justin simply shook his head 'no' and looked away.

"Just-" The look he gave her silenced her immediately, and she refrained from pushing the subject.

"Nevermind." Gabrielle got the impression from Justin that he wanted her to drop it, and she did. She laid her head on his chest and tightened her grip around his neck. It felt so good to be in his arms and so close to his body again. She'd thought about it numerous times, and each time she fantasized about him, she ended up in his arms, only naked and completely satisfied at the end.

She became lost in his scent and she started to daydream about him once again. Somewhere in the middle of her fantasy, Gabrielle began placing soft, gentle kisses on Justin's neck, working her way up to the tip of his ear lobe. He moaned quietly when he felt her warm lips touch the tip of his lobe, and he felt the need to stop her.

"Babygirl, you need to stop that. We're gonna wind up in the same situation as last time..." His words shook Gabrielle out of her daydream and she realized what she'd done.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to...to excite you." She inwardly laughed at her lame comment.

"I'm not quite to the point of being excited yet, but I'm close." He smiled down at her, and she smiled back.

"There's that beautiful smile. I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever smile at me again." Gabrielle said as she slyly placed another kiss on his earlobe, parting her lips slightly to let her tongue taste his skin. Justin sighed quietly and whispered her name.

"I told you to stop that." He said.

"I know." Gabrielle let her lips touch his ear as she spoke, then she took the rest of his earlobe in her mouth and sucked lightly.

"Gabby, please...control yourself." He laughed and she smiled.

"Actually, Justin, I think you need to control yourself." Gabrielle pushed her lower half tightly against his to let him know she could feel his arousal.

"A bit excited now?" The music changed and the club picked up its regular pounding beat. Gabrielle strategically placed her hips next to his and began grinding into him to the beat of the music.

"Girl, you better be careful with those hips," Justin looked down and watched her body move against his, "You're gonna get yourself into trouble." Gabrielle smiled and placed her hands on his ass and she thrust her hips hard against his.

"I already have." She leaned up and kissed his lips softly, then roughed up the kiss with a bit of suction to his bottom lip. When she finally pulled away and looked at him, she could tell that the kiss wasn't something he had negative feelings about.

"Let's get out of here." She said, and as soon as she saw him smile, she pulled him by the hand out the door.

"Gabby, where are we going?" Justin asked once she'd hailed a cab and practically thrown him in.

"I thought I'd give you a tour of my place." She said in a jokingly seductive manner.

"Oh, really?" Justin flashed an excited smile.

"Really." She confirmed. Gabrielle leaned in for a kiss when she was surprised by Justin's rejection to her.

"Not so fast." He said as he gently pushed her away, "I'm just coming for the tour, nothing else." Gabrielle gave Justin a dirty look and moved as far away from him as the cab would let her.

"Come on, Gabby. We both know that we don't need a repeat of last time. Come on, another cheap night? That's not what I'm into." Gabrielle was shocked by Justin's rejection. She couldn't believe he was turning her down. More importantly, she couldn't believe that she even tried anything with him after what had happened the first time.

"It wasn't cheap, Justin. No matter what you say, I didn't make it cheap by not calling you."

"Yes, you did! Man, you still can't see that! We had sex one time and we didn't talk again until I saw you in that club. I tried to salvage that night by talking to you. I could have just walked right passed you and acted like you didn't exist, but I'm not like that."

"God, Justin! You have to stop dwelling on who was right and who was wrong that day. You know, I still don't know why you're even talking to me. If I'm so slutty and so cheap, then why are you still talking to me? Why did you even get in this car with me?"

"That's not the point, here. The point is that I'm trying to stop us from making the same mistake twice."

"Damnit, Justin, stop avoiding the question. You can't give me a straight answer on this, can you? You have no idea why you're still talking to me after the way I treated you...do you?" Gabrielle's tone was completely challenging. She knew Justin had no idea why they were still speaking to each other, and she was beginning to think that it didn't matter who she was; all that mattered was that she was someone who was willing to keep him company.

"Well?" she challenged once again, "Are you going to answer me or not?"

"I don't know! I...I don't know why I'm still talking to you. And don't say that you're slutty or cheap because you're not. It's just that...it's just that...that it was-"

"That it was what, Justin? Spit it out!"

"It's just that it was nice, all right? It was nice." By the soft tone of his voice and the introverted pose his body had captured, she could tell that he' just disclosed something to her that was very hard for him to deal with; something that he probably hadn't yet disclosed to himself.

"What do you mean by nice?" As soon as her question was out, the cab came to a stop in front of her apartment building, and she paid the driver and escorted Justin up to her door while she awaited his answer. When they reached her apartment door, she turned to him and looked up at him with questioning eyes. She knew that he'd taken advantage their arrival and change of scenery, and now he was avoiding her eyes in order to successfully avoid her question altogether.

"Answer me...please? What did you mean by nice?" Her tone was gentle and calm as she awaited his response to her. Justin let his body sink against the door jam and he stared at the floor as he began to talk.

"It was nice to meet a woman who didn't automatically try to throw herself at me, ya know? The truth is, you treated me differently than the rest of them, and it was a nice change. I didn't feel like I had to be on my guard around you. It felt safe, like I didn't have to worry about being treated like a piece of meat. Although, you didn't treat me like I was just a normal guy, which I would have liked. But at the same time, you didn't treat me like I was a trophy or something to brag to your girlfriends about, either. You were genuine, and I was so relieved when you said you didn't want to be just another notch on my belt...you seemed like you wanted something for real. It just made me mad when we didn't talk for three weeks because then it felt like I was just a conquest to you. Congratulations, you screwed the celebrity."

"Oh, my God...Justin." She barely knew what to say, "I had no idea you felt like that."

"Yeah, well. I am a real person with real feelings. I'm more than just what you see on stage, and I wish people would treat me like I was a real person. It's frustrating trying to find people I can trust. For a second, I thought I could trust you, but you seriously proved me wrong."

"I'm so sorry. It's just hard to get passed the image in order to see the real person."

"I know, that's my biggest complaint about being who I am. I just wish people would treat me like a nobody sometimes." Gabrielle couldn't even fathom what he was going through. All she knew was that right before her stood a man with a need for some good old-fashioned tender loving care.

"This is probably a long shot, but do you want to come inside?" Justin eyes her warily and Gabrielle got the sense that he didn't think her invitation was a smart idea.

"Completely platonic. I swear, I won't throw myself at you," she joked. It took him a second, but he smiled and exhaled a silent laugh, then nodded his head 'yes.'

Once the two were secured inside of Gabrielle's apartment and shoes, coats, and dress shirts had been discarded, they found themselves sitting on her couch, drinking wine and talking to each other like old friends. Somewhere deep inside of her, Gabrielle began to realize that all he needed was a true friend, not an obedient female of his beckon call. And at the pure realization that they would never be intimate again, she felt disappointed. It wasn't that she expected it to happen again since it had happened once already, and she didn't expect it because he had walked up to her three weeks later. She couldn't explain to herself why she would miss it...the point was that she would.

After an hour of discussion, they had covered nearly every topic under the sun.

"What would you be doing if you weren't famous?" she asked. Justin laughed as he realized his own answer, "Trying to get famous." Gabrielle laughed with him at how ironic his answer was.

"I don't know. There's always been something so glamorous about being famous, and you believe that it is glamorous until it finally happens to you. Sometimes, it's the greatest thing in the world to hear thousands of people scream your name in a single night, and then, sometimes I think it'd be the greatest thing in the world if I was one of those people who got lost in a crowd, and no one knew my name, ya know?" He looked at her, almost as if he was expecting her to empathize. Too late he remembered that he no longer had the luxury of a close female who completely knew what he was going through. He never admitted it to anyone, but there were times in his life when he craved for his former companion; the one who knew everything about him and understood everything about him.

"Oh, I guess you don't know. I thought I was talking to someone else for a minute there." He said sadly. He was shocked at how comfortable he felt telling Gabrielle so much about his personal feelings. It was almost like he had been talking to his former mate. It scared and excited him at how easily he could talk to Gabrielle. He allowed himself to think that he'd found a replacement for his former love, but not a second after the thought entered his head, he forced it out. He'd learned the hard way about losing the closest person in the world to him. He'd made a pack with himself that never again would he become that close to another woman.

"Who did you think you were talking to?"

"What?" The sound of her voice jolted Justin from his thoughts, but not soon enough to comprehend the words she'd spoken.

"I said, who did you think you were talking to."

"Oh, no one...nevermind." Another thing he'd learned was that it was worse than a sin to mention her name to another female. If he ever did, the female would take her hatred toward his ex out on him...never a good thing.

"No, really. Who? Justin, you can talk to me." There wasn't a part of that sentence that he didn't believe with all of his heart.

"I thought I was talking to Britney." Justin inwardly cringed as the evil word passed through his lips. Such a poisonous taste was left in his mouth whenever he said the 'B' word, as he jokingly called her name.

"Britney Spears?" She asked.

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry, I never should have mentioned her." Gabrielle quietly laughed.

"Justin, you don't have to walk on egg-shells around me. The fact that you've had girlfriends doesn't offend me." Never in his life had he heard a female respond about Britney like Gabrielle had. He was taken back; completely shocked.

"Do you want to talk about her? I don't mind," She questioned.

"No." His answer was short and had an intense bitterness behind it.

"Justin, you obviously have a huge amount of pent up anger about her. Don't you want to get it off your chest?"

"No." His tone of voice was verbatim to the first tone he'd used.

"You really need to talk about this. It's killing you inside."

"I know." He whispered.

"Talk to me about her. Tell me what she was like when you two were together. Did it feel like you were perfect for each other?" Gabrielle knew that he needed to open up and let go of this demon. All she knew to do was open the topic to him and invite him to wallow in his memory of her.

"Yeah. We were perfect for each other. We were like soul mates, you know?" Justin could feel the sting of their relationship start to hurt again.

"She knew perfectly what I was going through because she was going through all of it at the same time, and we could forget about it all and just get lost in each other. I cherished those times when we were together. Nothing mattered more than just helping each other escape from the world. I fell deeper in love with her every time I saw her. She was my angel. I always felt like God had sent her down specifically for me; to make me happy." Justin stopped as he began to remember what had taken his angel away. He fought back the tears that were burning the insides of his eyes.

"Why did you guys break up?" At the single mention of the question, Justin let a tear run down to his jaw. He became angry at her all over again, and angry at himself for becoming upset over it yet again.

"She hired this new choreographer." Gabrielle watched as Justin's lips and brows furrowed with anger. She contemplated changing the subject, but he continued on after another tear trailed, following the first.

"And he seemed like a nice guy; he and I even became friends and started working together. Then one night, my best friend called me and told me that he needed to talk to me about Britney; he said he had some bad news. He told me that he caught Britney sleeping with him." He clentched his fists as he spoke and he could feel that same rage begin to consume him again.

"And when I asked her about it, all she said was, 'Well, you're never around anymore.' God, those words killed me. It was like she didn't have any remorse whatsoever; she didn't even apologize for hurting me. Above all, we were best friends...and she killed every bit of our relationship." He pursed his lips and angrily squinted his eyes as he let himself travel back to the memories he had of the event. Actually, he couldn't believe that he had just disclosed so much of this to Gabrielle.

Gabrielle looked at Justin hesitantly, and wondered how he must be feeling. She didn't smile when he looked at her, and she did nothing to comfort him. She wasn't sure that she could comfort a man who had been through what he had. She silently took his hand in her own and laid it in her lap, covering it with her own. He looked at their hands together and then looked deep into her eyes. He said nothing, but she knew exactly what he would have said. She knew he appreciated the comfort, and she was also sure that he didn't need her to express anything verbally. The fact that she was just willing to listen was enough for him. They sat together in silence for what seemed an eternity.

Somwhere during the time, Justin had moved down on the couch and laid his head back into her lap. He had then grabbed her hands and was playing with them absentmindedly on his chest. He couldn't explain why being with her made him feel so comfortable, like he'd really known her forever and could just sit in silence with her. The thought comforted him so much but scared him at how soon her felt like this.

He felt her pull one of her hands away from his and run it over his short hair, stroking his head so gently. He let out a light sigh in appreciation; he loved his head being stroked, and he wasn't surprised that she would know that. The strokes of her hand became slowly hypnotic and eventually she felt him drift off right in her lap. She smiled and leaned back on the couch. She was really uncomfortable, but for him, she didn't mind. She laid her head back on the couch and continued to stroke him until she felt the drowsiness take over her as well.

Chapter Seven

Several hours later, Gabrielle slowly stirred awake and realized where she was.  She opened her eyes slowly and saw that it was still dark outside, nowhere near morning.  She lifted her droopy eyes and looked at the breathing figure lying on top of her.  At her slight movement, Justin raised his head from her stomach and looked at her; they were both a bit shocked and shaken.

"Did I wake you?" she asked.

"No.  No, I've been awake for probably about an hour now."  He rested his head on her stomach again.

"An hour?  Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Well, I was going to, but then you started making this weird snorting, wheezing sound, and I figured you were sleeping pretty deeply."

"Shut up, I wasn't snoring."  Gabrielle laughed and felt a bit embarrassed.

"Okay." Justin said sarcastically.  Gabrielle shifted beneath him and struggled to move him away so she could sit up.  Having him lay on her for as long as he had was beginning to make her feel crushed and claustrophobic.

"Oh, sorry."  Justin quickly crawled off of her lap and sat next to her, and then pulled her hand to help her sit up as well.  They both sat in silence for a few minutes, neither knowing what to do next.

"Do you want to just stay here?” Gabrielle asked, trying to sound nonchalant, “You might as well, I mean, the night's almost over."  Gabrielle checked her watch and noted the time.  It was well after two in the morning.  Justin checked his own watch before answering her; he was still pretty tired.

"You sure?" he asked her, inwardly hoping that she'd say yes.

"Of course, no problem.  You can have my bed, and I'll sleep out here on the-"

"Hell no.  I don't sleep in a woman's bed unless she's there with me.  I'm not kicking you out of your own bed.  I'll sleep on the couch, you sleep in your bed."  He finished his sentence in a low voice, and had to admit to himself that he was disappointed that she didn’t want him to sleep in her bed with her.  He was excited at the thought of sharing her bed for the rest of the night, but apparently, she wasn’t as excited by the idea.

"No, really; it's not that big a-"

"Goodnight, Gabby."  Justin again cut her off before she'd completed her sentence, and he pushed her off of the couch with his foot.  Before she could object, he laid his body across the entire couch and closed his eyes.

"Man, you can be an ass."  Gabrielle's voice joked.  Feeling defeated, she walked toward the bathroom.

"Hey, Gabby?"

"What?" she turned back toward him.

"Thanks for listening to me earlier.  You were right, I do feel better," he rolled over and closed his eyes again, "Oh!  And thanks for not throwing yourself at me."  He laughed and winked at her, then turned his body back into the couch.  Gabrielle smiled after he'd closed his eyes.

She continued down the hall in hopes of finding some extra linens for him, which she found in the bathroom closet.  When she'd returned with a blanket and pillow, she found him staring at her ceiling, playing with the hem of his shirt absentmindedly.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked as she lifted his head and placed the pillow underneath, then spread the blanket over his long body. 

"What time are you waking up tomorrow?" he asked her, fixing the blanket to his own liking.

"Around seven or eight.  Why?"

"Could you wake me up early?"

"Sure.  What for?"

"I have a 1:30 flight tomorrow, and I…still haven't packed."  Mid-sentence, he yawned, causing his speech to slur. Nonetheless, his sentence hit Gabrielle like a ton of bricks.

"You have a flight tomorrow?"  For some reason, she hadn't thought about the next day and how she probably wouldn't be seeing him for a long time, if she ever saw him again.

"Yeah, I'm going New York tomorrow for some tapings and I've got some meetings with my record company to talk about a new album."

"Oh.  How long are you going to be gone?"

"Two weeks."  Justin noticed the sadness his words had brought about in Gabrielle.  Out of nowhere, he realized he was going to miss her.  It scared him how close he felt to her after just spending two days together.  Either he was becoming way to desperate for his own good, or there was something about this girl that subconsciously drew him to her.  He couldn't figure out which, but he figured it was a little of both.

"Okay.  Well, yeah, I'll wake you up at seven."

"Thanks."  Gabrielle nodded to him and walked into her bedroom.  She was angry with herself for being upset at his departure.  She barely knew this man, even though she felt such a longing for him.  She sighed.  This was just something she'd have to suck down and swallow because there was no changing it.

Justin laid in the dark thinking about what he'd said to Gabrielle.  He didn't want to leave tomorrow.  He wanted to spend more time with her.  He honestly felt like she could be the next person he got close to, but he forced himself to think that they'd only be close friends, nothing more.  He hit the light button on his watch and realized that he'd been staring into the dark room, waiting to fall asleep for almost half an hour.  He got up to go to the bathroom, and he stumbled through the living room to where he thought he'd seen a light switch.  After successfully turning it on, he found the bathroom, and within two minutes, he was back on the couch in total darkness.  He checked his watch one more time, and after five minutes had passed, he got up and began walking down the hall to Gabrielle's bedroom.

"Hey, Gabby, I-"  Justin stopped his sentence when he cracked her door wide enough to see that she had already fallen asleep.  Silently, he tiptoed toward her side of the bed.

"Gabby?"  When she didn't respond, he was positive she was sleeping.  He stood in front of her, contemplating the consequences of his next move. Deciding to risk them anyway, he slowly made his way to the other side of her bed and moved the covers back to allow himself better access.  As silently as he could, he climbed into her bed, wrapped the covers around himself, and reached for her body.  Once he'd found her, he pulled her into his own body and spooned her closely.  For a few long seconds, there was nothing but silence and blackness.  He could barely hear her breathing and knew that she was sleeping deeply.  He tightened his grip around her and nuzzled his nose in her hair and smelled deeply, resting his chin on her shoulder.  Slowly, Gabrielle stirred, and Justin cringed, hoping he hadn’t woken her.

"Justin?  What are you doing in my bed?"  Gabrielle whispered lazily after she let herself enjoy his embrace for a few short seconds.  His presence had startled her.  In her sleep she had forgotten that he was in her apartment, and waking up to him holding her was a bit of a shock.  She didn't move away, though; she didn't want to be anywhere else at the moment.

"You didn't give me a stuffed animal to sleep with, so I'm using you as one.  Now, shut up and go to sleep."  They both began to laugh and Gabrielle felt Justin's grip around her waist tighten.

"You're crazy."  She laughed her words and covered his hand with her own.

"I need to ask you something."  His tone was heart-attack serious, and its unexpectedness worried Gabrielle.

"Okay."

"Come with me."

"Come with you?  What?"

"To New York."

"Oh, my God, Justin, you are crazy."  She giggled and laughed the idea out of her head. 

"I'm serious.  I want you to come with me."

"I can't…I…I have to work.”  She knew the excuse was lame, but at least it was true.  She couldn’t believe the words that had just come out of his mouth.  He couldn’t be serious!  Asking her to come to New York and basically drop her life for his in the next two weeks?  He had to be crazy. 

"Being around you makes me want to stay here, Gabby, and since I can’t do that, I want you to come with.  I don't want to be without you right now.  You make me happy, and I really want your company.”  When she didn’t respond, he began to worry that she didn’t feel how he felt.  Maybe she didn’t feel as close to him as he did to her. 

”C'mon, it's only two weeks.  You can call off.  Tell them you're going on vacation.” 

"With Justin Timberlake?  Oh yeah, they'd believe me."  She made her sarcasm more than obvious, and instantly she regretted her tone.

"That's not funny, Gabby.  Just tell them you're going on vacation with a friend.  You don't have to tell them who you’re going with."

"That's not the point, Justin.  My job isn't the only obstacle here.  What will you tell people when they ask about me?"

"I'll tell them you're a friend.  I have had friends come on trips with me before, Gabby.  I know what I'm doing; I know how to handle these situations."

"And it's just that easy?  You tell them I'm a friend, and that's it.  What if they don't believe you?"

"They who?  I only have to worry about management, and they're understanding.  Besides, if they don't believe me, fuck them.  I don't care what people think.  You kinda get a thick skin doing what I do."

"Justin, you have to care."

"Look, just think about it, okay?  Sleep on it, and tell me in the morning."

"Okay.  I will."  Justin kissed her bare shoulder and held her tightly against her body.  He prayed that she would say yes to his invitation.  He knew her company would make the monotonous trip much more enjoyable.

Gabrielle woke the next morning mere minutes before the time she'd set her alarm for.  She was cold and the absence of Justin’s body in her bed was obvious to her.   She rolled over just to make sure, and when she knew he was gone, she got up and covered her tank and shorts with a robe.  She checked the mirror above her vanity and feverishly tried to finger her hair into place.  The clanking of glass sparked her curiosity and she walked into the kitchen to find Justin.

The pot of coffee he'd made was ready and he was searching her cabinets for mugs.  By the time Gabrielle walked into the kitchen and saw him, he had found the two mugs, poured the coffee and was sitting at the kitchen island, sipping as he pleased.  Before entering the kitchen, she silently decided not to bring up Justin’s question from the night before.  Hopefully, he would just drop it and not put her in the uncomfortable position of saying no again.

"Make yourself at home," she joked sarcastically. 

"Sorry.  I didn't sleep well and I figured some coffee would help."  She smiled, letting him know that she wasn't upset.  On her way to the seat opposite him, she grabbed the sugar and poured some into her cup, then offered him some.

"No, thanks.  I like mine black."

"Oh, tough guy, huh?" she joked, stirring her coffee.  He responded to her lame joke with a weak smile.

"Why didn't you sleep well?  Was my bed too uncomfortable?"

"No, the bed was fine.  I just had a lot on my mind, that's all."

“You’re doing a horrible job of hiding from me the fact that you're upset about something."

"I'm not in the mood, Gabby.  Just let me drink my coffee in peace, all right?"  Gabrielle gave him a stern look that made it clear that she wasn't the type who obeyed commands.

"Justin, enough.  Tell me what's going on."  Justin let out a heavy sigh and his body hunched over his cup.

"I got a voice mail from Britney this morning.  She called me while we were sleeping on the couch last night."  That was only partly the reason for his sour mood.  He wouldn't dare tell her that he spent the entire night tossing in and out of sleep thinking about Gabrielle; hoping that she would make the decision to make the trip to New York with him.  He'd spent the night thinking up ways to convince her if she had in fact said no.

"Britney?  The Britney?"

"Who else?"  He gave her a ‘don’t play dumb’ kind of look and returned to his coffee.

"Well, what'd she say?"

"She wants to talk."  His eyes were blank, like he'd been dead.  She hated to see the effect Britney had on him.  Any time he even mentioned her name, his entire character morphed into something of a depressed zombie.

"That's a good thing, right?  What's the harm in talking?"

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure there's some harm."  Justin closed his eyes and his mind flashed back to the night they'd broken up.    His last words to her that night had been, "No matter what I still love you, but after tonight, I don't think we should talk...unless it's to work things out between us.  Give me a call if that time ever comes."  He prayed that she wasn't calling to work things out.  He knew he could deny Britney of nothing; he knew he’d always have a place for her in his broken heart.  And he wasn't in the mind frame to get back together.  Everything in his mind told him to move on; everything in his heart told him to move toward Gabrielle. 

"Justin."  Gabrielle tried to get his attention.  He'd been daydreaming for much too long and Gabrielle wanted to know exactly what was on his mind.  He snapped out of his flashback and looked into Gabrielle's eyes.  He quickly took her hands in his.

"Gabby, you have to come with me.  I don’t want to be alone now."  The look on his face nearly killed her, his eyes were begging her to just give in.

"Oh, Justin..." she protested.

"Please, Gabby.  I really need a friend on this trip."  His words stung her.  Friend, he'd said.  Nothing more, nothing less.  She now knew where they stood; she told herself to stop thinking of him as more, but she constantly craved to be intimate with him.  She forced herself against the thoughts; he needed a friend, and she was going to be one to him, even if it killed her.

"Okay."

"Yeah?  You'll come?"

"Yeah, I'll come."  The smile her words had put on his face made her insides feel warm at the sight of it.

"Okay, good.  Thank you so much!  Okay!  We have to pack!  C'mon."  He was in a frenzy, and she laughed at him.  Instantly, he got up from his chair and gathered his things.  Then he ran back to her like an excited little boy, grasped her body tightly and thanked her again.

"I'll be back at ten to get you, okay?"

"Okay.  But no limo this time."

"Gabby, I have to.  I'm going to the airport."  She rolled her eyes and groaned.

"Fine.  Don't be late."

"Fine."  He smiled, and quickly kissed her cheek, then ran out the door.

Right on time, Gabrielle watched his limo pull in front of her apartment building. She grabbed her two large suitcases and headed down the stairs. As soon as she reached the bottom, Justin opened the door to help her out.

"I'll go get the rest." He said, passing her and walking through the door.

"This is it." He turned and looked at her, confused.

"This is it? You're only bringing two suitcases?"

"Justin, we're only going to be gone for two weeks, not two months." He smiled and grabbed her luggage and placed it in the trunk.

"C'mon, let's go. We can't be late."

Two hours into their flight to New York, the subject of Britney finally arose.

"Did you call her back?" She inwardly wished that he hadn't.

"Yeah, I did."

"And?"

"We're having dinner tomorrow night."

"Oh..." there wasn't much tone in her voice.

"Are you mad?"

"No. No, I'm fine. Besides, this'll be good for you guys. I'm sure you both have things you need to straighten out, ya know?"

"Yeah, I guess." He wasn't very much in the mood to discuss Britney at the moment.

"So, what's gonna happen today?" Gabrielle felt the need for a subject change and acted quickly.

"Um, as soon as we land, I have a show taping to do, and you'll come with me for that."

"And I will be doing what while you're taping?"

"Waiting backstage. There will probably be a greenroom or something where you'll be. Sometimes they have monitors in the greenroom, and if they do, you'll be able to watch from there." Gabrielle nodded in understanding. The remainder of the flight was spent in light conversation. Much of it was Justin explaining to Gabrielle about how she would play into the next two weeks.

Gabrielle was surprised to see how much his life ran exactly according to clockwork. As soon as the plane arrived, Justin and his entourage were the first off of the plane, and they immediately went to the studio in which the show would be taped. As he'd explained, there was a greenroom with a monitor, and for the hour before the taping started, the entourage had it all to themselves, including the abundant feast that accompanied the room.

"Are you nervous?" she asked him.

"Not really. Maybe a little about what they're gonna ask me, but no. I'm good."

"Justin, you're on." A man with an earpiece walked by Justin and spoke to him as if he was commanding. Justin nodded, and turned to Gabrielle

"Okay, I'll be back in awhile, then we'll go get settled in the hotel, and after that, I'll take you out to dinner. The crew has the night off so it's just me and you, kid." She smiled and let out a small giggle. She wished him luck and was amazed at how quickly the room cleared once Justin had left. She looked around and realized she was all alone, so she moved closer to the television and turned it on. She laughed as she saw Justin display a huge smile for the audience and host. He sat down across from the host and as soon as the applause died down, the questions began.

Out of the corner of her eye, Gabrielle noticed someone walk into the room, and she turned to acknowledge the person. It was a young man, probably the same age as she was. His hair was wildly groomed and bleached to the highest extreme; it was obviously professionally cared for.

"Hey, how's it goin'?" he asked her and sat down across from her to watch the show.

"Good, you?"

"I'm great, thanks." He flashed an amazingly perfect set of white teeth at her and winked. This man was gorgeous. His thick eyebrows and dark eyes captured her with all of their mystery. She'd never seen such a satisfying piece of eye candy.

"So, you're Justin's new flavor of the week, huh?" He sat back on his couch and looked directly into her eyes.

"Uh...no. I'm just a-a friend. We're not...involved." His eyes alone caused her to forget the English language and stumble over her words.

"Ah, right. Just friends. Well, it's good to know that he's not playin' you. He's really good at that, watch out."

"Oh, I don't have to worry. He's not into me."

"Yeah, that's how it starts. He tricks you into thinking serious shit, then he flips on you; does a whole one-eighty and starts changing his motives, you get me?" She nodded.

"Yeah, thanks. I didn't know that about him."

"He's good at catching the naive ones." She felt the need to change the subject.

"So, what are you here for?" she asked, hoping he'd get the hint.

"I'm a dancer. I'm practicing with some people in the next studio over. I thought I'd come check out the show on my break. I didn't know he was here today." He walked over to her couch and sat next to her to get a better view of the monitor. Gabrielle quickly felt hot with him being so close to her.

They both watched intently as Justin supplied a negative answer to the all-too-common girlfriend question.

"See? That man couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it."

"That is the truth."

"Mama, he is lying to you. He has a girlfriend; Britney Spears."

"No, they broke up. They're not together anymore...he is going out with her tomorrow night, though."

"He's playin' you and you don't even know it. They'll never be finished with each other. They're too obsessed with the publicity they get from being together. You gotta watch out for this one, Ma. He'll eat you alive without thinking twice. You need a sweet guy who won't hurt you." With his last line, he stared directly into her eyes. Gabrielle felt as though he was staring directly into her soul. He'd somehow inched closer to her; close enough to taste her.

"Maybe you should give me a call sometime." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a ready-made card with his name and number on it. He placed it in her hand, then turned her hand over and kissed the back before letting her go. His eyes began to burn through her again, and she forced herself to look away.

She barely heard footsteps approaching the room, but he'd obviously heard them. He stood and smiled at her before turning around to see Justin standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Justin. Good to see you again, Bro." The man walked closer to Justin and whispered in his ear, "I think your little friend likes me." He chuckled evilly and walked passed Justin out the door, making sure to shove him with his shoulder as he left. When Justin was sure the man was gone, he walked into the room, keeping an enormous distance between himself and Gabrielle.

"What did he say to you?" He was angry, she knew it. She watched as his brows and lips furrowed the way they did the night he had first told Gabrielle about Britney.

"Nothing, Justin. Calm down."

"I'm not fucking with you, Gabby. Tell me what he said to you." Gabrielle was shocked to hear him speak so angrily to her.

"He just told me some stuff about you, but I know that it's not true." She hoped that it wasn't true; she didn't know for sure.

"What did he say? I want specifics."

"He told me that you were just playing me...and he said that you lied to me about breaking up with Britney. He said that you two would never break up because of publicity or something. And he told me to watch out for you."

"That fucking asshole. I can't believe this."

"Justin, it's okay. I didn't believe him."

"No, Gabby. It's not okay. I saw you two together, and the way he was talking to you. You loved every minute of it. I saw the way you looked at him."

"Justin calm down."

"Come on, we're getting the hell out of here." He turned his back on her and expected her to follow. She waited until she couldn't see him any more, and she flipped the card over to read it. She skipped over the number and forced her eyes to the name. It plainly read Wade Robson.

Gabrielle stared at the card. Wade Robson. She'd never heard of him before, but it was obvious that Justin knew who he was. She racked her brain and tried to figure out why Justin had such an animosity toward him. She realized that no matter how hard she thought about it, she'd never figure it out without knowing exactly who Wade was.

A few minutes after he'd left the room, Justin turned around to see where Gabby was. He was angry when he saw that she wasn't anywhere behind him, and he stormed back to the greenroom to find her staring at the card.

"Gabby, come on. Stop daydreaming about your little asshole boyfriend and let's get the fuck out of here!" Even before she lifted her eyes to meet his, the anger started to boil beneath her skin.

"He's not my boyfriend, and frankly, you're being the asshole. I don't even know who this guy is, so you can just fuck off." She motioned toward the card as she finished her last sentence, then got up and motioned toward the door to get Justin to walk so she could follow him. He got her hint and obeyed, but not before flashing a dirty look in her direction as a result of her insult.

Later that night, just as he promised, he took Gabrielle out to dinner. After leaving the studio, they went back to the hotel, settled into their adjoining rooms, and dressed up for dinner. He'd taken her to one of the fancier restaurants in New York as a way to apologize to her; though he couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and actually say the words to her yet. His ulterior motive for his restaurant choice was the fact that they couldn't fight in such a high class restaurant. In their history, every time they'd been in a public place together, they'd ended up fighting; that was the last thing he wanted to do again. Although he had some things he needed to tell her, she probably wouldn't agree with him or understand him. To stop the fight that could very well have erupted, he chose to tell her in a place where they couldn't fight.

Almost the entire appetizer was spent in silence. Gabrielle was still angry at Justin for his unnecessary yelling, and Justin was still angry and hurt about the Wade situation. By the time the main course, had arrived, Justin had gathered enough strength to speak to her, and without even thinking about how he would began, he spoke.

"Gabby, I don't want you around that guy. He's trash." Gabrielle placed her fork back down on the table and took a breath before she responded.

"Justin, you have no right to tell me who I can and cannot keep in my company. You and I are friends, and that's it. Don't treat me as though I need to respect your commands about what men I can't see because you and I are not in a relationship. Therefore, I am not obligated to respect you as anything more than a friend. If that's your advice to me about Wade, I'll gladly consider it, but I'm in no position to obey you here. Your words to me before I came on this trip were, 'I need a friend.' That's all I am to you; that's all I'm here for." She took her water and sipped it, letting him know that she'd spoken her peace, and she was finished.

"I know that you don't have to obey me. I wouldn't expect that from you if we were anything more than friends, either. What I said came out wrong, and even though you didn't ask for it, I guess I am giving you advice. I know this guy, I know that he's a coward and an asshole, and I really don't want to watch you get involved with him and have him hurt you. You're right, we are friends, and from one friend to another, I'm advising you to stay away from him. I don't want to see you get hurt."

For some reason, his response didn't satisfy her. She knew deep down that she wanted him to tell her that they were more than friends, but that just wasn't their reality. She felt ashamed for believing that this man could ever want her in an intimate way. She'd told herself so many times that he was just lonely that morning in the shower, and she began to believe that he really had no intentions of pursuing any type of relationship further than a platonic one.

They finished their dinner in near silence, and because of the unresolved feelings, emotions, and conversations between them, the night ended early with a simple, "Good night," and they both retreated to their separate rooms, locking the door between them.

The next day began nearly the same way: in silence. Justin spent the day jumping from radio station to television station to sound stage, making appearances and fulfilling his required interviews. The only time he even spoke to or saw Gabrielle was when he was ready to leave for his dinner with Britney. Before he left, he walked over to the door separating their rooms and knocked lightly.

Gabrielle opened the door and stood in the doorway, letting him know that he wasn't invited over to her side. She knew why he was there, and she knew why he was dressed in the suit that he wore, and why he smelled like a ritzy department store; it was Britney's night with him. She didn't even expect him to come back to the hotel at the end of the night.

"I just wanted to say good night. I'm on my way to dinner and I didn't want to spend this entire day not talking to you."

"Okay, well have fun. I hope this works out the way you want it to." She forced a weak smile, and quickly let it fade to emphasize her sarcasm. She was still very bitter about Justin commanding her to not see Wade, and about Justin wanting only a friendship from her. The smile he returned seemed just as forced as hers did.

"Good night, Gabby."

"Night." She watched him walk away and she closed her door before he was completely out of her sight. She sunk into the back of the door and felt her eyes get watery. This is pointless, she thought to herself, and angrily dried the small tears before they had the chance to escape. A sudden knock on her door surprised her and she quickly opened it. There he was, looking sexier than she'd ever seen him, and it was all for another woman.

"Yes?" she asked him.

"I know that things aren't great between us right now, but I could really use a hug from you. I'm kind of nervous." He didn't let her object because he knew she would. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the crook of her neck. He gave her one last squeeze and let her go. She'd barely let her arms touch his body. Everything about what he was going out for was hurting her and she refused to admit to herself why. She refused to let herself enjoy his company anymore, and she definitely refused to enjoy any kind of touching, even an innocent hug.

"Bye." He said, and this time she watched him walk completely out of his hotel room. That was it, she thought. She'd now lost any chance of him; he was going off to be with her now.

Justin pulled into the restaurant parking lot and could tell that Britney had beaten him there. There was a huge crowd of paparazzi, fans, and reporters surrounding the building, and his only option was to walk right passed them all, alone. He thought about grabbing the next decent female he saw to accompany him into the front doors just so that everyone outside wouldn't think that he was there to see Britney, but it was inevitable. She always did this, always made sure an unnecessary amount of people knew her every move. He figured it was to keep herself company and to make herself feel important; Justin hated it.

He swallowed his fear and headed straight for the door, ignoring the constant sound of his name being shouted and screamed. He was thankful to the staff for showing him immediately to Britney's table. Of course she chose to sit in the most secluded part of the restaurant: their balcony section. He wasn't surprised to see that they were the only ones dining there, either.

She rose to greet him and kissed his cheek as she hugged him. He responded back only enough to be polite, and quickly sat in his own chair. Their dinner arrived moments after he'd arrived because Britney had taken the liberty of ordering for them both.

"So, what's up?" Justin pushed his plate aside and leaned into the table. He wasn't interested in dinner; he wanted to get down to business. The quicker this is over with, the quicker I get out of here, he thought.

"Well, we haven't seen each other for awhile, and I thought we could just get together and have dinner." She had a confused look on her face as to why he pushed his meal aside.

"Do you want something else? That's just what you always order when we come here, I thought you'd like it."

"Britney, I didn't come here for dinner. I came here to talk."

"Well, then we could have gone somewhere else." She smiled and placed a bite of food in her mouth.

"No, see...you're not getting it. I don't want to have any kind of relationship with you, not friends or anything. I don't want to see you unless I have to, and I came here tonight to make that perfectly clear. You called me, and I know it wasn't just for dinner. I know you have something to say, so let's just do this; no beating around the bush."

"Okay. I called you to talk. I mean, don't you get lonely now that we're not together anymore; now that we don't talk? I know you, Justin. You need companionship."

"I'm fine without you. I told you I would be, and I don't lie...unlike you."

"That was cheap. Come on, Justin, I thought we were passed all of that. I mean, was that just me?"

"Yeah, that was just you. Of course you had no problems putting all that shit behind you; you were having a blast fuckin' around behind my back."

"Okay, let's stop. I didn't come here to fight about that. I want a clean slate, and I don't want you to be angry with me anymore."

"A clean slate? What the hell for? Nothing is going to ever happen between us again, so there's no need for a clean slate. Besides, what's written on your slate is permanent; there's no erasing what you did to me."

"Justin, baby. I want to get to a point where we can be civil in the same room."

"We can be civil. The only place we need to be civil is in front of the cameras. Other than that, I don't want to see you, and we can't be fighting if we can't see each other."

"Look Justin, I'm sorry for everything that happened, okay? I know that it was an unforgivable thing that I did, but I miss you so much...all I want is your forgiveness. Please, Justin. I'm so sorry." There it was, what he'd been waiting for. She finally apologized and it twisted his emotions in such an evil way. The complete love of his life, the most perfect being in the world to him had finally done all that he'd ever asked for; she'd apologized. Yet, somehow, it didn't fix everything like he felt it would. She wasn't perfect again, even after the apology.

"I can't accept that. You've lied to me about worse, how can I even begin to trust that you're telling me the truth now? We're done. I never want to talk to you again." His words weren't spiteful; he wasn't trying to hurt her or even force her to feel some type of emotion for the tragedy she'd caused in their relationship. He simply wanted her out of his life, for good. The matter-of-fact tone he used made it clear that there were no games anymore. He was finished with her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

As soon as Gabrielle knew Justin was gone, she closed her door and turned to face the room. The suite she was in was gorgeous, but there was something so unsettling about it at the same time. She hated the thought of being alone in this room for the rest of the night while Justin was out with the love of his life, completely forgetting that she even existed. Maybe Wade had been right about him; maybe Justin was just playing her while he was still with Britney. Her eyes suddenly landed on the card with his name and number, and before thinking about the consequences, she dialed the number and awaited his answer.

"Yeah," he answered.

"Hey, Wade. It's Gabrielle, from the greenroom."

"Hey, girl, what's up?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to go out to a club with me tonight."

"A fine lady, some dancin' and some booze? I'm there! Where do you want me to pick you up at?"

Gabrielle went through all of the specifics of the hotel and the club she wanted to go to. She checked her watch and told Wade to meet her at the front door in half an hour. After a few more smooth lines, they hung up and Gabrielle raced to get ready.

"Justin's not the only one who's gonna have a little fun tonight," she said out loud to herself as she applied her lipstick. After slipping on her shoes, she headed out the door and met Wade as he stood on the hotel stairs waiting for her. He walked up to her and handed her a single flower.

"You're always supposed to bring a lady a gift when taking her out." He winked at her and she smiled. This guy could turn out to be a charmer too, she thought. After putting it the pile of curls on top of her head, she took his outreached hand and they walked to the club together.

"So, you finally came to your senses, huh? Realized Justin's a real asshole?"

"That's funny; he says the same thing about you. What's the deal with you guys?"

"Long story, babe. We ended up fighting over some chick. It ruined our friendship. Let's not talk about that, though. We're here to have a good time, right?" Gabrielle nodded, and a short walk later, they both entered the club.

"You wanna hit the bar first, or what?" Wade yelled over the loud music.

"Yeah, I want a drink!" Gabrielle was beginning to feel a bit nervous and guilty for being out with Wade. She knew that her usual round of martinis would do the trick and make her feel totally relaxed. Although, lately her usual round of martinis was also good for speeding along her temper.

The entire night was spent with routine trips from the bar, then back to the dance floor for a few songs, then back to the bar. Gabrielle had long lost count after her fourth martini, and Wade seemed to do the same on his drink. She knew she needed to stop when she tripped completely over her own foot and barely caught her balance on the bar. She and Wade laughed hysterically as she tried to pull herself up to sit on the stool. After their last round of drinks, they hit the floor one more time, and after a minute or so, she felt the nausea creep up on her.

"Wade, we've gotta stop. I'm getting sick."

"Yeah, I'm not feelin' all that hot either. Let's go to my place." Gabrielle agreed without thinking twice, and before she knew it, she was heavily vomiting her insides into the toilet in his apartment. She felt the desire to die, but before she fully let the thought form in her mind, she sunk down over the toilet, and all reality drifted away as she passed out. The room became dark, and she was gone.

  Chapter Ten 

Not even ten minutes after he'd entered the restaurant, Justin was leaving it.  He felt good about what he'd finally gotten accomplished with Britney, and all he wanted to do was get back to the hotel and fix things with Gabrielle.  There was still another week and a half left to their trip and he wasn't willing to spend it in silence.           

When he finally reached the hotel, it looked safe enough to use the main entrance.  It was faster than his usual way, and there were hardly any people around.  He chanced it and walked up the stairs, and the doorman stopped him as soon as he was within speaking distance.           

"Hey, kid, you're friend's not upstairs," he said as Justin tried to pass him.           

"She's not?  Where'd she go?"           

"She headed off that-a way."  The man nodded in the direction Gabrielle and Wade had gone, "And she's not alone."           

"Who'd she go with?"  Justin tried to think of who she might know in New York.           

"The dancer guy.  Ya know, the one wit the spikes on his head."  The guard's accent flared as he described Wade.           

"Wade."  He said.  It wasn’t a question; he knew.           

"Yeah, I tink that's what she called 'em.  Anyway, tought you might wanna know."           

"Thanks, man."  Justin made his way up to his room, desperately trying to control the fit of anger about to explode from inside him.  He'd rushed back to be with her; he knew she'd been alone all day, and he was on his way to spend time with her. You'd think I'd learn my lesson, he thought to himself.  What was it about this guy that allowed him to always steal the most important people in is life?             

Justin tried to calm himself down and turned on the television.  He walked over to the door that adjoined their rooms and ripped it open.  He was going to talk to her the minute she came back.  Settling into the couch, Justin began his long night of channel surfing and waiting for Gabrielle's arrival.
            

Hours later, Gabrielle finally came to and realized that she was clutching an unfamiliar toilet in an unfamiliar bathroom.  She looked around and still didn't remember where she was.  She slowly got up, peered into the mirror and cringed at the reflection.  She was pale, her makeup was smeared across her face, and there was a large red mark on the cheek she'd laid on the toilet.  After splashing water on her face, cleaning off the smeared makeup and piling her disheveled curls neatly back on her head, she left the bathroom in search of Wade.           

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty!"  Gabrielle found Wade sitting at his kitchen table digging through a large bowl of cereal.           

"Wade, it's four o'clock in the morning.  What are you doing eating cereal?  What are you doing awake?"           

"The sun is on its way up and I'm about to meet it."           

"You're absolutely insane.  I'm going home."           

"Home?  You're not gonna watch it with me?  I figure it'd be a comforting sight after spending the night worshipin' my porcelain goddess in there."           

"As comforting as that may sound, I need to be able to function in the morning and I need some real sleep."  Gabrielle searched around for her shoes and purse.             

"A'ight, I'll walk you back to the hotel."           

"No, I'm fine.  I'll take a cab."           

"Forget it, I already made up my mind.  Let's go."  The horrible aching in Gabrielle’s head prevented her from protesting again.  Wade took one more giant spoonful of cereal and grabbed his jacket.  After opening the door for Gabrielle, the two were off on the ten-minute walk to the hotel.             

"You know, Girl, I had a good time with you tonight," Wade said to her as they walked up the hotel's front stairs.           

"I know, I had fun, too."           

"If you wanna do it again some time, let me know, a'ight?"  After Gabrielle nodded her agreement, Wade pulled her in for a short but firm kiss goodnight.  The kiss happened and was over so quickly that she had no time to refuse it.  After a second of contemplation, she decided that she wouldn't have refused if she'd been given the chance anyway.  She smiled at Wade and touched his lips with her fingers; they were so soft.  He smiled back and suggestively raised his eyebrows at her, and within a second, she had vanished inside the hotel entrance.

Gabrielle made her way up to her door and quietly slipped the key in.  She knew that there was no way she'd wake Justin by simply walking into her room, but she still decided to be extra cautious.  As soon as she entered her room, the light pouring into her room from their adjoining door let her know that Justin hadn't been sleeping; she figured she was about to engage in another of their infamous arguments.   

Without acknowledging the open adjoining door, Gabrielle went about her way getting ready for bed.  She dropped her purse near the door quietly and walked into the bathroom and silently shut and locked the door.  She wasn’t sure yet if Justin knew she’d made it back.  She again took in her reflection and sighed, grabbing her makeup remover and putting it to good use all over her face.  She was pleased when her fresh-faced look reappeared in the mirror, and then grabbed her tooth brush to cleanse her mouth of the taste of rotting martini.  She felt so much better after leaving the bathroom, and walked to the other side of the room to take a tank and shorts out of the dresser.  With her back to the adjoining door, she quietly pulled her top over her head and tossed it to the floor.   

In the opposite room, Justin checked the time on the TV.  She had been back almost ten minutes and hadn’t even so much as glanced in his direction.  He felt his rage build up even more and lifted himself from the chair and walked over to the open doorway between their rooms.  He was almost shocked to find Gabrielle half naked, her hands twisted around her back undoing her bra.  He knew she had no idea he was watching her when she successfully unclasped it and threw it to the floor.  He caught a glimpse of her naked body before she pulled a tank over her exposed skin, and if it weren’t for his rage, he probably would have ripped it right back over her head.  Next, she shook out of the slutty, in his opinion, pants she had been wearing, threw them to the floor, along with a sorry excuse for underwear.  He expected her to replace the skimpy pair with what he considered normal underwear, but she didn’t.  She simply picked up a pair of shorts from the bed and slid them up over her naked hips.  He felt a tugging just below his belt and silently cursed her for her unintentional temptation.   

Once she’d adjusted her pajamas to her liking, she spun on her heel to close the door between their rooms, and gasped as her heart jumped at the sight of him.  She clutched her heart in shock, but said nothing to him; she’d been unaware that he’d been watching her, or for how long he’d been watching her. 

“Where the fuck have you been?”  His voice was low and husky; she could have mistaken it for lust, except for the look of rage on his features. 

“No-nowhere.  I just…went out.”  Her whole body was tense with guilt; she could feel it and was sure he had to see it in her. 

“Went out?  Where the fuck is that, Gabby?”  His voice was still low and quiet; she almost had to strain to hear him.  She’d never heard him talk like this, but then again, she was sure she’d never made him this angry. 

“I just went to a club, Justin.”  She sounded so guilty, and there was nothing she could do about her tone.  Even with him standing on the other side of her room, she felt scared at what he was capable of. 

“To a club.  Do you know what fucking time it is?”  She cringed a bit every time he cussed at her, and she wished he would stop for her sake.   

“I know it’s a little late, but-“ 

“A little late?  Midnight is a little late…one is a little late.  It’s four o’clock in the morning, Gabby.  You’re fucking late.”  He could see the fear in her eyes, and for a split second he almost felt bad, but then he thought about where she’d been and who she’d been with.  His rage was quick to return.  When she didn’t respond to him, he continued on in the same, slow, deep voice. 

“You have fun?”  Again, she didn’t answer him…was that a trick question?  She couldn’t be sure. 

“Did you fuck him?”   

“What?”  Now she was pissed.  Who the hell was he to ask her such a ridiculous question? 

“I said, did you get on your fucking back for that dickhead or not?” 

“Fuck you, Justin.  Don’t fucking talk to me like that.”  She walked past him to grab the remote from across the room, but never made it.  Before she could get two steps past him, he had her shoved up against the wall with his hand at her throat. 

“I asked you a question.”  His voice didn’t change, despite his quick actions.  She stared into his eyes, in shock, and desperately tried to swallow against the palm of his hand.   

“Let go.” She said, rage evident in her entire body.  Justin didn’t move, and she narrowed her eyes at him, warning him.  Again, he didn’t move, and Gabrielle did the only thing she could think of.  She blessed her mother for making her take self-defense classes when she’d moved out on her own, because now she finally had the chance to use them. 

Faster than he could take in, Gabrielle lifted her arm straight over her head and brought it down on the other side of his arm, trapping the wrist at her throat underneath her arm.  Justin’s arm was forced down underneath her own, and Gabrielle quickly grabbed his hand and turned him around, holding his entire arm hostage behind his back.  She quickly thrust her knee as hard as she could into the back of his, and Justin fell to the floor with a thud, pinned on the ground under her.  She dug the same knee deep into the small of his back, and was satisfied when he was lying flat against the floor, helpless to her grip on him. 

“I swear…” she began, “to Jesus fucking Christ himself, Justin…if you ever put your hands on me like that again, I will rip your fucking arm off,” and she yanked his arm up higher until she heard his shoulder pop and him cry out in pain. 

“Fuck!  All right, All right!” he yelled into the carpet, tears stinging his eyes at the pain in his shoulder. 

“Now if you wanna talk to me about what happened tonight…fine.  But you’re gonna do it like a grown ass man, and not a wife beater, got that?”  Her voice was steady, despite her labored breathing. 

“Okay, damnit it, Gabby!”  She gingerly released her grip on his arm, and lightened her weight on his back, not quite letting him get up completely.  He moved enough to bring his arm and shoulder back into place, and rubbed his arm where she’d hurt him.   

The second he felt her take her knee off his back, he rolled over and grabbed it before she could put any weight on the knee to stand.  She immediately lost her balance, and fell to the ground next to him.  Before she could react, he straddled her body and pinned her arms down underneath his legs.  She struggled and squirmed under him, but he’d put her in a position that she couldn’t get out of.  Again, that rage filled her eyes and he did nothing but wait for her to still. 

“Now, first, you’re gonna answer my question.  Did you fuck that asshole or not?”  Her eyes narrowed again, and she felt the urge to spit in his face. 

“No.” she threw back at him, and struggled again, desperately trying to escape him. 

“Are you lying?” 

“No, goddamnit!  Get off me, Justin!”  He sank lower onto his knees, pinning her harder against the floor until she could no longer squirm. 

“You’re only making this harder for yourself, babygirl.  Stop moving, answer my questions…and I’ll let you go.”  A small grin formed on his face as he watched her wriggling around under him.  The cocky smile on his face ignited Gabrielle even more, and she kicked her leg as high as it would go, forcing Justin to fall forward on her.  With his loss of position, she was able to free her hands, and she quickly planted them firmly against his chest, pushing him with all of her might.  He grabbed for her wrists and she quickly pulled them from his reach, and then punched him hard against his ribs.  They wrestled and rolled around until Justin was finally able to secure both of her hands down on either side of her head. 

Suddenly, they were both still, eyes locked on the other’s, breathing heavy, and something in the room changed.  Gabrielle, still helplessly pinned under him, took in the look on his face, and noticed a light sheen of sweat starting at his neck.  She couldn’t help but feel hot; hot at their struggle, hot at his dominance over her, hot at the tingle she was beginning to feel between her thighs. 

She knew he felt it, too, because the look on his face suddenly changed.  He still looked mad, but in an extremely sexy way.  He was all of a sudden completely aware of her body under his, and the thought of what she was wearing underneath her clothes crept back into his head.  He slowly felt himself harden at the thought, and he watched her cock an eyebrow at the feeling of him pressed hard and deep against her thigh. 

Neither moved, neither looked away.  They both stared deep into each other’s eyes, daring the other to make the first move.  Gabrielle broke first; she couldn’t take it anymore, and lifted her head to meet his lips, but at the last second, he pulled just slightly out of her reach.  She could feel his hot breath, and she knew it was all over; she needed this to happen.  Again, she tried to kiss him, and again, he pulled just beyond her reach. 

“C’mon, fucker, you’re pissin’ me off.” She spat angrily at him, and again, he flashed her that cocky grin.  He slid her hands roughly over her head, and held them both with one strong grip.  He watched her breasts rise and fall in her angered breathing, and he snaked his free hand down between their bodies and felt her through her shorts. 

“Nah…feels more like I’m getting you off, not pissing you off.” 

“Fuck you.” She challenged.  He slid his hand up the bottom of her shorts and slid his palm over her entire center, feeling nothing but heat and moisture.  He then dipped his middle finger into her, as far as he could, and pulled it back out of her.  He held his hand up to the light and they both watched the moisture glisten in the dim light. 

“You think I’m lying?” he slurred, showing her the evidence he had of her arousal, “You got fucking wet off this shit, didn’t you?  You like fuckin’ around like this.”   

She answered by lifting her hips to his and grinding them deep against his own.  She felt him shudder and heard a quiet, “Fuck” escape his lips. 

At once, his lips crashed into hers and kissed her like he couldn’t get enough...

Chapter Eleven

His kiss was feverish, and hurried, like he knew this opportunity wouldn’t last forever.  Gabrielle laid back and let Justin deepen this kiss and basically have his way with her mouth.  She tried to hang on for dear life, but then a sudden thought popped into her head, and she ripped her lips away from his. 

“No way, Justin, you’re not getting off that easy.”  He pulled back and looked at her, eyebrows cocked out of curiosity. 

“You can’t just knock me on the ground and think you’re gonna get lucky.  I’m really pissed at you for how you treated me.”  She began to scoot away from him until she was no longer trapped beneath him, but sitting opposite him.  He again looked at her with curiosity, still not sure if she was being serious.  When she pulled her legs under her body to sit, he knew that his opportunity had left; now she wanted to talk. 

“Well, you really pissed me off when you went out tonight.” He said defensively. 

“Justin, you left me in this room by myself all day, and then got ready to spend the night with another woman, all the while saying nothing to me about it.  I was bored…  If you got to go out, I want to, too.” 

“But that’s what you don’t get.  I wasn’t going out.  I was out for, like, half an hour and came back here to be with you…but you were already out with that dickhead.” 

“God, Justin, would you just drop that?  He’s not a dickhead; he’s actually a pretty sweet guy.”  As soon as the words left her mouth, Gabrielle realized that she said something she shouldn’t have. 

“Don’t defend him in front of me; you don’t even know him.”  Again, that low, deep voice was back. 

“Well obviously you do, so why don’t you just tell me why you hate Wade so much?” 

He didn’t respond right away, his eyes moved from Gabrielle’s to the floor and back again.  He saw her raise her eyebrows in encouragement, but he still wasn’t ready to admit to her who Wade was to him.  He still hadn’t really admitted it to himself yet.  He slowly repositioned himself until he was sitting against the bed, knees up, and his forearms resting on top of them. 

"Well, you remember how I told you that Britney cheated on me with her choreographer?"  Gabrielle instantly gasped and clasped her hand over her mouth.  Her first conversation with Wade flashed into her head; she remembered him telling her that he was a dancer. 

"Britney cheated on you with Wade?"  The shock was more than evident in her tone.

"Yeah...she did.  That's why I wanted you to stay away from him.  That's why I waited up for you tonight.  The doorman told me that you two went out.  I had to find out what happened.  It killed me when he told me you went out with him."

"You think that Wade is going to take me from you the way that he took Britney?"

"Yeah, I guess...something like that.  I don't know."  He was at a loss for words and he had an immense lack of the ability to communicate his thoughts properly. 

"But, Justin...he can't take me from you because we're not together.  I'm not yours to begin with."  If Gabrielle going out with Wade had hurt Justin, it was nothing compared to what her last few words did to him. 

"I know, Gabby.  You keep sayin' that shit and it's really starting to piss me off."

"But it's the truth.  You can't be mad at me if I go out with Wade; it's not like I'm cheating on you."

"I know that!" he yelled a bit too loudly and took Gabrielle by surprise, "It's just kind of unfair how this is happening." he finished softly.

"What do you mean unfair?  What would be fair here?"

"I don't know.  Fair would be...fair would be us, not you and Wade.  You just met that dickhead, and already I can tell you like him a lot."  His gaze hit the floor at the first hint to her about his feelings; he felt completely vulnerable to her.

"I'm not in love with him, we just went out once."

"And spent the night together."

"We didn't even sleep in the same room!  I have no clue where he was, but I was in the bathroom worshiping his goddess or something like that.  I barely remember last night, I was so wasted."

"Yeah, that sets my mind at ease," he muttered sarcastically, "It's still not fair, Gabby.  I met you first; I've known you longer than he has.  If you should be interested in anyone right now, it should be..."  He stopped himself before he said too much.

"Justin, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm just...I guess I'm just asking for a chance before you give him one. I want you to look at me as more than a friend.  I mean, we've already slept together so there's at least something going on between us already...don't you feel attracted to me?"  Gabrielle had to stop herself from explaining in detail her attraction to him.  She was shocked that he even doubted it.

"Of course I do."

"Then why did you go out with him tonight?"

"Justin I already told you.  And I'm sorry, but I felt a little jealous about your dinner with Britney.  On some level, I think we're feeling the same thing about Wade and Britney.  I don't like you around her anymore than you like me around him."  They both sat in silence for what seemed like minutes, just looking into each other's eyes and reading the emotions they held within.

"C'mere."  Justin pulled Gabrielle between his knees and wrapped an arm tightly around her.  With his other hand, he lightly played in the hair at her shoulder.

"I need to tell you something," he said as he looked into her eyes.

"Hmm?"

"I have feelings for you, Gabby; strong ones.  I mean, after what Britney did to me, I built up this wall that prevented me from getting close to anyone, but you came into my life and knocked the whole damn thing down."  His words made them both smile, "I've been terrified about getting close to someone else, but something about you just made it so comfortable to finally let my guard down.  I really like you, Gabby, and I couldn't imagine just standing back and watching you and Wade get together.  That would kill me."

She spun around to face him and did the most natural thing she could; she leaned in and kissed him fully on his lips.  Justin responded instantly and wrapped both arms tightly around her, Gabrielle’s arms followed suit and wrapped around his neck.

The way he kissed her now was a deep contrast from the way he’d kissed her before.  His kiss was still deep, but now he kissed her with a slow passion, wanting nothing more than to just stay where they were.  Gabrielle sank into him and began to feel dizzy at his hypnotizing kiss.  He’d turned her on before will his forceful actions, but this was completely different; turning her on in a way she didn’t know was possible.  Jut before she let herself really start to enjoy the kiss, another nagging little thought popped into her head.   

"Wait, Justin...what about Britney?"

"Uh, I was kind of hoping we could do this without her."  His lips found their way to her collarbone and began kissing up her neck.

"No, I mean...tonight,” she smiled, “You went to see her, right?  What happened?"

"Do you really want to be talking about this now?  'Cause I don't.  If we should be talking about anything, we should be talking about this."  Justin slowly ran his hand along her center, feeling the heat she had between her things.

"Ohh, Justin, wait..."  In her mind she knew she meant for her tone to be more dominant, but she knew her tone had only enticed him more.

"Okay, let's get this out of the way so we can enjoy this night, all right?  I went there, met her, told her to fuck off and came home.  Good enough?"  He returned to her body and started placing long, lazy kisses on her shoulder, slowly working his way up.

"That's it?"  In frustration, he backed up and looked down at her.

"You couldn't have worse timing for this conversation, Gabs."

"Just let me know what happened, and I'll stop, I promise."

"Basically what I told you.  I was there for about ten minutes, and came home.  She tried to apologize to me, I didn't accept it, told her that I saw no need for us to ever speak again, and I walked out on her.  End of story.  Now can we please not talk about this, I really don't want her in my head right now, and neither should you.” Again, his lips returned to the skin on her neck, “If I slap you around a little bit, you'll know it's because you forced her into my head…so it's your fault; you can’t blame me."  A slow smile crept onto his face, and she laughed, pulling him back into to her, and once again locking lips. 

She slowly worked her hand down to the bottom hem of his shirt and pulled it up his back and off over his head.  She stopped to take in his rippling chest, running her hands up and down him before returning her lips to his.  She moved closer to him, still sitting between his knees, and lifted herself onto her knees in front of him.  She broke the kiss for a moment and crossed her arms over herself to pull her tank top over her head and onto the floor. 

She grinned at the moan escaping Justin’s lips as his hands moved up to cover her naked breasts with his hands.  He massaged them gently, cupping them and pushing them together for his own enjoyment before moving his fingers down and taking both nipples between his fingers.  She gasped at the new sensation as Justin rolled them around between his thumb and forefinger, and he could do nothing but watch her face contort in pleasure. 

Needing more, she spread her knees over him and sank as low as she could, feeling Justin throbbing through his pants.  They both let out moans at the contact and Justin lifted his lips to remove his pants.  Gabrielle was shocked to see that he hadn’t been wearing any underwear, and a sly smile covered her lips.  She lowered herself down to his chest and began placing lazy, wet kisses all over him, moving down his stomach and finally moving down to his throbbing shaft.  She took it into her hands, holding him steady before licking her lips and wrapping them around the head of his dick, licking a circle around him.  She was pleased at the sounds that he made, and she lowered her mouth a little further down on him.  He made the same noise a little louder this time, and she did her best to take all of him in, moaning as she felt him push against the back of her throat. 

The intense sounds of pleasure coming from him made her hot, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to please him like this much longer.  She moved her mouth on him several more times until he was soaking wet.  When she pulled her mouth from him, he whimpered quietly, and she knew she was driving him crazy.  She kneeled over him again, straddling his hips with her own, and as she widened her legs, she felt herself begin to drip down her leg.  God, she needed this. 

She placed her hands on either of his shoulders and began to lower herself down onto him, pulling her shorts aside to reveal her naked flesh.  Justin grabbed her hips and the strength in his arms stopped her from moving any further once she’d touched his head.  He looked deep into her eyes, both of them filled with a drunken lust.  She tried to move down him again, but his grip on her hips kept her from moving anywhere. 

She felt him snake his arm down and grab a hold of himself and guide him just to the outside of her opening.  He moved his shaft back and forth, soaking his head in her juices.  They both moaned out again and Gabrielle began digging her fingers into his shoulders. 

“Justin…”  His only response was continuing to hold her still as he rubbed and teased at her opening. 

“Please…you’re killing me.  Let me have you.”  He groaned at her words and released his hold on her hips.  She wrapped her arms around his neck and slowly slid down just enough to take his head into her.  The sound of their bodies connecting was evident and she smiled, then slowly took him in, inch after inch.  When her hips finally met his, he reclaimed his hold on her hips and forced her down even more until she screamed out and dug her nails deeper into his skin. 

“Ah, Gabby, you’re hurting me.”  Justin looked down at his now red shoulders. 

“You hurt me first.”  She nuzzled her head in the crook of his neck and kissed him over and over, slowly beginning to rock her hips.  She curled her toes under and placed her weight on them, allowing her to lift her hips up and down him.   

“Ohhhhh, shit.” He whispered, feeling her move erotically on him, hearing their bodies move together.  She started off sinfully slow and as she felt the pleasure rising in her body, she quickened her pace, still digging into Justin’s shoulders.  His hands still on her hips, guided her and eventually he took over her pace, slamming her hard onto him with each quick thrust. 

“God, Justin, I’m close…” she whispered in his ear, and he moved his hand from her hip to where their bodies were connecting, reaching for her clit.  He found it completely soaked and rolled it around between his fingers, pinching lightly as she got louder.  He let her take back her own pace, and concentrated hard on holding back his own release. 

It didn’t take long for Gabrielle’s world to come crashing down on her as wave after wave of her orgasm hit.  Justin felt her silky walls clutch him, desperately trying to coax his orgasm out.  He held back and held hard until he finally felt Gabrielle come back to earth and sink into his body again. 

When she finally felt her body go limp, he lifted her hips off of him and pulled her onto the bed with him.  She laid down beneath him, eyes still closed, world still swimming around her.  He pulled her shorts off of her body, and just looked down at her naked form, waiting for him.  Once he regained his strength, he guided himself back into her and slowly started his rhythm again.  He encircled his arms around her and cuddled her body in his arms.  While keeping his pace, he placed slow, praising kisses along her forehead and temples, and then moved back down to her lips.   

She sighed when he kissed her, and he loved it.  Something about this just felt right, holding her in his arms, connecting with her in the most intimate of ways.  He continued to hold her as he pumped steadily into her body, kissing her anywhere he could reach.  He held her close and pressed his chest against hers, feeling her heartbeat pound against his.  She moaned out again as he quickened his pace even more, holding on tight as he succumbed to his body’s needs. 

He felt his own pleasure build and build, and he obeyed his body's commands and pumped faster.  She pulled her mouth away from his and pulled him as close to her as she could while she clutched at his shoulders.  By her labored breathing, he could tell that her second was quickly approaching, and he did nothing to slow it down.  While holding on to her tightly, he let himself increase his pace to nearly his brink and held on until after he felt her glorious walls clutch and milk him once again.  As if in victory, he let himself go immediately after her and he shuddered while his vocal chords betrayed him and let out a highly satisfied moan.    

He let himself go limp on top of her and he covered her body completely.  For a few seconds, he let his body twitch in aftershocks, and he smiled when she giggled at his slight convulsions.

"Justin…that was amazing."

"Yes, Babygirl, you are."

"Not me, it...what just happened...you."

He smiled and kissed her lips, then slowly peeled his body from hers and heaved his body down on the other side of the bed.  He loved the heavy, sedated feeling that followed.

"You should go, it's late, and I'm exhausted."  So was he; too exhausted to speak.  He rolled over and grabbed her before she moved and pulled her body in to spoon his.

"C'mon, Justin.  I'm tired."

"So, sleep."

"Justin." She protested.

"Do you have any idea what I just did?  Woman, I am exhausted.  Shut up and sleep."  He heard her giggle and felt her body relax against his.  They laid there in silence for several minutes until Justin noticed her shallow breathing.  She'd fallen asleep, in his arms.  He placed light kisses on her neck and shoulders and placed a final one on top of her head.  He remembered what it felt like to be this happy; he never thought he'd allow himself to find it again. 

"Gabby, Gabby, Gabby," he whispered into the darkness, "Look at what you've done to me, Girl.  You pulled me right back to where I said I'd never be."  He prayed to God that this wasn't the beginning of another long and painful heartbreak. 

Chapter 12

<p class="h2">  "Hey, man, how you doin'?" Justin shoved his hand into the hand of the radio announcer and thanked him as he took his seat. The entire day had been like that; interview after interview. He'd spent his whole day greeting new people and answering their over-rated questions. His whole <i>week</i> had been like that. He couldn't even remember how many days it had been since he'd seen or even talked to Gabrielle. For all he knew, she wasn't even staying at the hotel anymore.  

Chapter 13

Justin stormed back to his bedroom and picked up the closest thing to him and threw it across the room. Lucky for the mirror that it hit, the item was merely a pair of balled up socks. It didn't matter to him what it was, he just needed to throw something, break something, or cause some kind of destruction. He wanted to kill himself for hitting Gabrielle. He knew his mother would have beaten him senseless if she'd seen him do it; she raised him to know never to lay a hand on a woman. He hated himself for letting his anger get out of control. He started to feel remorse, and then anger because of the remorse. She deserved every bit of that, he silently thought.    

He began to undress himself for the night, and off came shoes, socks, pants, and then shirt. After grabbing the nearest pair of joggers, he glanced at his reflection in the mirror and was disgusted. He'd never hated himself more. Who am I kidding...she's innocent in this whole thing.   He could still hear her sobbing from the door where theirs adjoined, and a wave of nausea hit him. After a split-second glance in the mirror, he literally felt his insides turn, and he ran for the bathroom. He dropped to his knees just before his stomach began heaving its entirety into the toilet, and the light-headedness instantly engulfed his being. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and angrily spat out the remaining stomach acid. Simply the taste in his mouth caused him to heave once more and he rested his forehead on the rim of the seat once he was finished.   

He felt ill and hesitantly stood to clean his mouth out with toothpaste and mouthwash. He splashed cold water on his face almost as a punishment to awaken his senses. He lifted his head and rested his hands firmly on the sides of the sink and stared at his own reflection. He hadn't vomited out his own hatred for himself, and he hung his head in shame as he again heard her sob. He couldn't take the torture any longer, and he made his way slowly to where the sounds were originating.    

Justin walked into her side of the suite and was horrified at the sight he saw: she was packing.    

"What are you doing?" he asked her with desperation in his voice.   

"Get the hell out of my room," she whispered and kept her back to him as she went about piling the room's contents into her suitcases.   

"Are you leaving?" He sat on the edge of the bed that she was working on and stared up at her. Her face was shiny with the moisture from her tears, and he could clearly see his own fingers outlined in red on her face among the more than obvious swelling. The sight caused guilt to lacerate his conscience even more.  

"I'll be gone before you wake up tomorrow."   

"No, Gabby, please! Please don't leave." He desperately grabbed her arm and tried to pull her down into his lap, but she ripped her arm away from him before he could.   

"Don't touch me!" She screamed at him.   

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." He raised his arms in defeat and forced his eyes to the floor in shame. She looked down at him and she let out another quiet sob and felt the tears continue to stream down her face. Justin slowly looked up and his eyes instantly began to water when he saw her tears.  

"I'm going to apologize for saying what I said to you because it obviously didn't go over well, so I'm sorry...my conscience is clear. I have nothing more to say to you." She turned her back to him and grabbed the belongings on the bedside table and tossed them toward her suitcase.  

"Gabby, please don't leave." He stood and walked up behind her, "I'm so, so sorry for hitting you. I hate myself for getting out of control, and I won't be able to forgive myself if you don't forgive me. Please, Gabby...I'm so sorry." His last words were almost inaudible due to his quiet sobbing. He placed his hands slowly at her waist, and when she didn't reject him, he encircled her hips and pulled her into his chest and held her tightly. He felt her body shake, and he dropped his lips to her shoulder for comfort.  

Gabrielle let her body enjoy him. She leaned fully against him and let him support her weight. She felt him turn her body to face him and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She heard him whisper her name and a few more apologies, and when he was silent, she looked into his eyes.  

"I hate you, Justin."  

"What?" He whispered and gently pushed her hips back until he could see her face and the emotions it expressed.   

"You're constantly hurting me emotionally, and now you've begun to do it physically. I can't-"   

"No, Gabby, no. I haven't begun to hurt you physically," the desperation again controlled his voice, "I was angry, and stupid, and I let myself get out of control. I'm so, so sorry. Gabby, you have to believe me. I'll never, ever do that again. I just got so angry when you said all that stuff about me being naïve because it was all true, and I just still can't accept it. I'm so sorry that I took out my anger on you. Please, Gabby-"  

"No, Justin. I have to leave-" Justin dropped to his knees in front of her and clung to her waist, pressing his cheek against her hip.  

"Gabby, you can't...please."  

"Justin, neither one of us is happy in this screwed up scenario that we've forced ourselves into. We never see each other, and when we do, it's only to fight. I mean, the only reason you came up to me at that party was to yell at me for being with Wade. You even told me that night that you didn't want to be seen with me, but that didn't matter to you once you saw me with Wade and we started fighting again. We go out of our way to fight with each other, not to make ourselves happy, and that's completely unhealthy. That's why I think I should just go home, and we shouldn't see each other anymore. I just don’t want to do this anymore..." Her tears fell rapidly, and she choked them back as best as she could.   

In a final desperate move, Justin pulled her down to the floor and into his lap. She was too weak from crying to fight him, and she was emotionally exhausted from fighting so much with him to begin with. He sat on the floor, leaning against the bed and cradled her between his knees while holding her tightly against his chest. He used a single hand to stroke her hair and caress her as he spoke gently. 

"I know that what I did was completely unforgivable, Gabby. I don't deserve to live after that...but I'm asking for your forgiveness. I can't even comprehend how to express just how sorry I am; I've never felt so bad for something in my life. Please forgive me." 

Gabrielle pushed away from Justin and stood; she needed distance from him.  

"I can't. Justin, you hit me. I've never been so terrified of anyone, and I don't think I'll ever be able to trust that you won't hit me again."   

"I promise you, I won't."   

"Justin, I know that you let yourself get out of control, and I let myself get out of control by saying what I said. It's human nature to explode sometimes. I just can't trust you, knowing that the first time I ever saw you blow up, you slapped me. If that's how you blow up, I just can't be around you. We fight so much; I can't even image what you're capable of, Justin. I'm terrified of you."   

"Oh, my God, Gabby, please don't be scared of me. I promise...I swear, I'll never hurt you again...ever. Please trust me, Gabby...I love you."   

"Justin, don't say that to me. You don't mean it and it's cruel."   

"Look at me." He got up to meet her and took her jaw in his hands, "I would never, ever lie to you, especially about something like this." He pulled her in and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek, "I've never met anyone like you. We've fought with each other from the moment we met, and I still couldn't help falling in love with you."    

"Justin." Any time he mentioned those words, her tone was disapproving. He pulled her in and kissed her other cheek.   

"Look, I know what love feels like, and this is it. Gabrielle...I love you." He placed a full, rich kiss on her lips and she hesitantly responded. When she finally pulled away, she noticed a tear on his cheek, and a smile on his lips.   

"You called me Gabrielle. You never call me Gabrielle; always Gabby."  

"I know. But I wanted you to realize that I was dead-serious. I'm not joking, and this isn't cruelty. I love you, and I want to be to be with you."   

"Oh, no. We're not ready for that. We haven't even mastered a friendship; we can't jump into a relationship. You can't handle publicity for two, remember?"   

"Are you turning me down? The woman that I love, and who loves me, won't be with me?" A grin formed slowly on his lips.   

"Who loves you? I never said that I love you. You're getting a little ahead of yourself."   

"Am I?" His grin turned into a playful smile.  

"Yes, you are." She returned the smile.   

"Alright. Tell me you don't love me." His eyebrows rose to challenge her.   

"I don't love you." She glanced around the room to avoid his eyes.   

"Without lying to me."   

"Fine!" Her smile was brighter than he'd ever seen it, "I can't tell you that I don't love you."  

"And why not?"  

"Because I'm head-over-heels, constantly-filled-with-butterflies, can't-get-you-out-of-my-mind, the-thought-of-you-brings-smiles, the-sight-of-you-brings-other-things," she raised her eyebrows suggestively, "undeniably in love with you!"  

"Undeniably, huh?"  

"Yeah," she smiled brightly, "I love you, Justin."   

"Yeah, I kinda like you, too." Gabrielle playfully smacked his arm.   

"All right, I love you, too." He rubbed the spot she'd just hit, "Oh, I get it. You're allowed to smack me, but I'm not allowed to smack you." His words made her laugh.   

"It's way to soon to be joking about that, Slick."   

"You know, I sensed that right after I said it." They both laughed and Justin enveloped her in a tight hug.   

"I'll be right back." He suddenly shot up from their spot on the floor and ran into his bedroom. Before she knew what was happening, Gabrielle was all alone. A few short seconds later, he'd returned with an ear-to-ear grin.   

"What?" she asked.   

"I cancelled my whole day tomorrow. It's gonna be just you and me all day; whatever you want to do. We haven't spent any time together this whole trip, and I'm gonna make the last few days we have here the best four days of your life."  

"You seem mighty confident. And how exactly do you plan on making these the best four days of my life?"   

"Well, I'm gonna start with this." He immediately pulled her off of her feet and into his arms. 

"Justin!" He pressed his lips to hers to silence her and he suggestively raised his eyebrows before hurrying into his bedroom to start consummating their new-born relationship.

Chapter 14

"Justin, what should I wear?" Gabrielle was searching through the closet of new clothing Justin had bought for her that day. They'd spent the entire day going from store to store, and Justin hadn't hesitated once to purchase anything Gabrielle had even laid eyes on. He was taking her out to a fancy dinner and he'd told her to pick out any of the dresses he'd bought her to wear to the restaurant.

"Uh, whatever you want to." Justin walked up behind her and placed his palms on her stomach as she stared into the large walk-in closet that contained all of her new clothing.

"Well, I want to dress for the occasion, and since you won't tell me where we're going, I need your help. Pick one out. Which one is your favorite?" Justin smiled to himself and skimmed through the new outfits. He came across his favorite, pulled it off of its hanger, and handed it to her.

"Justin, unless this place is a strip joint, I can't wear that."

"You asked me which one was my favorite." He laughed and left her to sit on the bed. Gabrielle continued to stare blankly into the closet.

"Is this place ritzy? Should I dress up? Or is it kind of a casual-dressy and I can just wear khakis, or something?"

"No, definitely dressy. Didn't we get you a black dress today?" Justin got up and walked into the closet and searched through the clothing. He pulled out the gown and presented it to her.

"Wow, where are you taking me that I have to wear that?"

"Someplace special." Justin laid the dress on the bed and began to undress Gabrielle. After some extra unnecessary fondling, Justin dressed her in the gown and Gabrielle made her way to the bathroom to finish the ensemble. Half an hour later, they were sitting peacefully at the fanciest restaurant Gabrielle had ever seen. Her hair was up in an elegant up-do with all of the accessories to match the elegant affair. Justin wore his usual modern suit and unnecessarily large diamond earrings, in Gabrielle's opinion.

Justin had ordered a lobster for each of them, and he'd paid the violinist an extra sum to play for their table privately. After he'd ordered and the wine had been poured for them both, Gabrielle excused herself to the ladies' room for a quick freshening up. The restaurant's fancy décor was carried throughout the bathroom, and Gabrielle gently placed her finger tips on the walls as she walked through the door. The entire décor seemed to have pure gold as its theme.

Justin subtly eyed his surroundings, surveying the area in which he was seated. The main floor of the restaurant was huge; it alone housed over two hundred tables. He never ate down stairs; he always requested and paid dearly for the seclusion that the upper private floor provided. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar face. He knew that several celebrities came to this restaurant when they were in town, so the chance of seeing a familiar face was almost inevitable. Although, he prayed that this familiar face stayed put at her own table and kept her nose out of his business. Of course he knew her too well to expect his prayer to be answered.

"Justin, how are you?" She seductively walked over to his table and invited herself to occupy Gabrielle's seat. Justin rolled his eyes and threw his retort.

"What exactly do the words 'I never want to speak to you again' mean to you? Because I was hoping it meant that I'd never have to be this close to you."

"Oh, sweety, you were always the witty one."

"What do you want, Britney?"

"Oh, nothing. I just saw that you were here with a little friend, and I thought I'd see how you were doing."

"I'm more than fine. Could you go back to your table before she comes back? I don't want you to ruin her evening. I've got big plans for her."

"Big plans, huh? You used to make big plans for me, Justin."

"Don't do this, Britney."

"You did, Justin. Remember that time that you planned that week in Hawaii for us? Remember that? It was just the two of us for a whole week. Hmm, we barely left the bedroom." She giggled quietly, and watched her effect take over him.

"Don't you miss that, baby?" She covered his hands with her own and squeezed. She had this indescribable hold on him. He hung his head and closed his eyes, willing himself not to get lost in the memories. Rarely had they shared an unhappy moment together.

"Don't you remember that? I wish we were still on that vacation. I can't remember loving you more." Any time she even mentioned her love for him, he craved her. Her touch seemed to cure him of every negative feeling he had; she was magical to him.

"I'm not going to let you do this to me. You can't keep manipulating me like this," he whispered.

"I'm not manipulating you, Justin. I love you." A sparkle of black caught Justin's eye, and he looked up to see Gabrielle standing in the far hallway that lead to the exits and restrooms. He saw a glistening on her cheek, and he'd never felt more pain in his heart. Between Britney's admission of love and Gabrielle's hurt from seeing him with Britney, he felt a painful overload on his heart. For a second, he didn't know which way to turn. His love for Gabrielle was new and exciting and helped him forget about Britney, but his love for Britney proved to capture him and made him want her uncontrollably. He forced himself to think about what she'd done to him and the pain he felt from the memory broke him from his trance. He pulled Britney up with him as he stood; he escorted her back to her table and forcefully told her not to bother him. He walked away from her expression of shock and walked directly toward the hall in which Gabrielle was now hiding.

"I'm so sorry you saw her, Gabby." He moved to hug her, but she pulled away.

"I'm not sure what I saw here, so help me understand this before I jump to conclusions."

"When you left, she came and sat down. I didn't want her there, but she of course wouldn't listen to me. She tried to convince me to be with her again, but I just can't do that to you, and I'll never want to be with her after what she did to me. I told her not to bother us, and everything will be fine now. Gabby, I love you, and I don't ever want you to be concerned about her. She's not even an issue anymore, okay?" He saw the doubt in her eyes and desperately tried to calm her and assure her of his feelings for her.

"Okay." She agreed and welcomed him as he tried once more to hug her. They returned to their table, and as soon as he could, Justin stopped their waiter and requested to be moved to table that didn't have Britney in its view. Instantly, four waiters were called to carry coats, plates, and anything else that belonged to them; they were seated comfortably at a table without any other tables in its view.

After Justin spent a while longer assuring Gabrielle that there was no concern with Britney, their meals were served. They ate in peace and enjoyed the night as it went on.  Hours later, they returned to their hotel and slept the night away.

The next morning, Gabrielle woke with a pain in her stomach. She groaned at the familiar feeling and willed it to go away. Several minutes later, the pain hadn't budged, and salty saliva began to fill her mouth. Instantly she knew she was going to be sick, and quickly ran to the bathroom; she wasn't given even a second to prepare herself. She heaved the expensive lobster well into the morning until she heard a knock on the door.

"Gabby, you okay?" After yet another heave, she quickly replied that she was fine. She finally felt her stomach settle, and she stood to clean her mouth. Seconds later, she emerged to find Justin sitting on the bed, tapping his toes.

"Are you okay?"

"Ugh, yeah, I think I'm okay. Something must not have agreed with me last night." She laughed nervously.

"I'm sorry; do you want me to do anything?"

"I'm fine now."

"I just need a little medicine, I'll be fine. I'm gonna go downstairs and get some. Stay here." Gabrielle pulled her long dark hair into a pony tail and threw on a tee-shirt and jeans. After grabbing her purse and room key, she headed down stairs to hail a cab. He'd never notice she was gone if she hurried.

She walked down the aisles until she found what she needed; the pink bottle would prove to be her best friend. The little voice in the back of her head told her that she needed to pick up one last item before she checked out, and she quickly found the contraceptive aisle and grabbed the products she needed. Within fifteen minutes, she was back in the hotel room with her brown bag of purchases.

Justin was lying on the couch, flipping through the channels nonchalantly.

"Don't you have to work today?" she asked.

"Why were you gone so long? And no, I cancelled everything until our flight. I'm so tired, I need a break."

"Oh, that's good, I guess. I'm sure you need a little vacation. And it took me so long because I had to get someone to search for Pepto Bismal. They thought they were out. I think they actually sent someone out to get me some."

"Yeah, the good places will do that for you. You're sure you're okay?"

"Justin, I said I was fine." She snapped and walked into the bathroom to administer the medicine. Slowly, she pulled the pink bottle out of the bag.

"First thing's first." She poured a cap of the pink liquid and downed it quickly to calm her stomach. Then she stared at the bag left on the counter. She wondered if she was being too extreme. Then again, her cycle was off, but it was always erratic, so her lateness didn't worry her. She'd never experienced a normal cycle. The nausea had been her key to purchase the tests, and she gotten almost every one on the shelf.

Hesitantly, she opened the box and read the instructions carefully. She followed the grotesque instructions and patiently awaited the allotted minutes. When her watch had made its final round, she clenched her eyes shut and picked up the white stick. It had a line right through the middle. She gulped. What did a line mean on this test? She'd forgotten to read the result indications, and she scrambled through the garbage to find her answer.

"Yes!" She yelped when she discovered her results: A single line meant negative, a plus sign meant positive. She felt like dropping to her knees and thanking God. She smiled to herself...maybe she really had eaten some bad lobster. Gabrielle quickly threw the rest of the unused tests back in the brown bag and closed it up. She began to cover the evidence of the used test in tissue, but suddenly the door opened.

"What is going on in here?" Justin's smile quickly turned to a frown when he saw Gabrielle hide her hand behind her back. She'd done it so quickly that he hadn't had time to notice what the object was.

"What do you have?" he asked, poking at her waist, "And why did you just scream?" He jumped behind her and she quickly whirled around to keep the test hidden behind her back. With a few quick fake-out moves he'd learned on the court, he maneuvered his way around her and grabbed the test out of her hand. His eyes widened and he gasped at the object in her hand. She hung her head in embarrassment.

"What the hell is this!?"

"Nothing, Justin, give it back." She reached for it, but he flipped it over to reveal its diagnosis.

"A line? What the hell does that mean!? Are you pregnant!?"

"God, Justin, don't you ever respect privacy? Give that back to me!" She snatched it from his hands and raced past him to the bathroom in her room with her brown bag and pink bottle in hand.

"Gabby, don't you walk away from me. What is going on? Are you pregnant?" He banged on the locked door she was hidden behind.

"No, Justin, I'm not pregnant. Leave me alone."

"Why did you take that test? Do you think you're pregnant? Is that why you got sick!? Gabby, open up!" After successfully hiding the test in the trash, she ripped the door open.

"Calm the fuck down, Justin." Her speech was nervous and hurried.

"Do you think you're pregnant?"

"No, Justin, the test was negative. I'm fine."'

"But you did, didn't you? You couldn't be pregnant that fast, we just has sex the day before yesterday."

"I know that, but I got sick, and I'm kinda late, so I thought I'd check to make sure. I'm not, though, so don't freak out."  She hadn't reminded him that they'd had sex over a month ago, and the tests would be able to give her some accuracy.

"Yeah, but if you think you are, it's too early to tell. You have to take another test. C'mon, let's go get one. You'll take it in a few days."

"Justin, no, I'm fine. I'm not pregnant. Can we just forget about this, please? This is really embarrassing, and I just wanna go lay down; I don't feel so good."

"You weren't even going to tell me, were you? You were just gonna throw that thing away and act like nothing ever happened."

"Yeah, so? What difference would it have made, I'm not pregnant, so why should you know if I took a test and it came out negative? There's no need to worry you."

"I can't believe you weren't gonna tell me."

"Justin, come on. Let's just forget about this. I don't want to talk about it anymore." Gabrielle pulled him back to his spot on the couch and cuddled up under his arm. He eyed her suspiciously and she cracked.

"Okay, I wasn't going to tell you, and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to worry you...or lose you."

"You wouldn't lose me if you got pregnant. There are ways to take care of that, you know?"

"I'm not even going to ask what you meant by that." Abortion wasn't even an option for Gabrielle, and she didn't want to hear Justin say that that was one thing they could consider; she didn't want to lose the respect she had for him.

"Just tell me about these things, okay? Don't try to hide them, I get nervous when the people I care about start to get dishonest. Let me know if something's going on, okay? Promise me." Gabrielle looked into his eyes.

"I promise." She snuggled closer into him, and he kissed the top of her head.

"Okay." He stroked her hair and held her tightly into him. Gabrielle hoped that the test had been accurate. For his benefit, she let his mind rest at ease. She just prayed that her cycle would resume so that she could finally let her mind rest at ease.

Chapter 15
    

The final days of the New York trip were spent sight-seeing and shopping for the most part. Occasionally, Justin got roped into a short interview here, or a quick autograph signing there, but it wasn't anything that bothered him; he knew it came with the territory. As the events went on, Gabrielle became more comfortable with the situation, and it bothered her less and less when Justin would step far away from her whenever he was recognized. He'd explained to her and she knew that neither of them was ready for a relationship in the public eye, so in most situations, he acted like he didn't know her or that she was just a nameless face in the entourage.     

There had even been a night after they'd returned from New York when Justin had promised that it would just be the two of them alone for a quiet evening.  The evening hadn't even come close to just the two of them, and it was a far cry from a quiet night. During the dinner that she'd prepared for him in her apartment, his cell phone continuously rang, and by the end of the night, Justin had become so frustrated by it that he cut the night short and went in to work; he'd mentioned something about a last-minute unnecessary rehearsal.     

After that night, Gabrielle learned to take things in stride. She began to realize that complaining to Justin about their situation never helped them; it always stressed them out even more and put an angry pressure on the relationship. After about three yelling matches over the subject, Gabrielle gave up, and sat by as things happened; she no longer tried to control the out-of-hand situation.    

On top of the stresses she'd put on the relationship, her nausea problem hadn't calmed itself down. For the first two weeks after their trip home, she'd spent her mornings throwing up as quietly as she could. Whether they were staying at Justin's place or hers, they always spent the nights together, which meant she had to hide her vomiting from him in the mornings. When she wasn't vomiting, she had a headache, and keeping her irritability from Justin was proving to be taxing on her and the relationship.     

She knew her answer before she even took the test, but to be safe, she opened another of the pregnancy tests she had bought and took the test to find its result positive. She'd been delaying the inevitable; she'd almost felt as if it wouldn't be true if she didn't see it on a test. One afternoon while Justin had been working, she scheduled an appointment with her doctor to take a blood test and she spent the hour until she had to be at the doctor's office thinking of what to tell Justin when she got back.    

"Definitely. There's no doubt about it, Gabrielle. You're pregnant." Her doctor said as she examined the test results, "You're a little over two months at this point."    

"I know." She said, disheartened. Inwardly, she'd been praying that she'd just had a really bad stomach flu. She silently laughed at the absurdity; she'd have to have had the stomach flu for well over a month, and that just didn't happen.    

"Since you know you're pregnant, are you taking care of yourself? Are you on vitamins yet?"    

"No, I haven't done anything."    

"Well, I'll write you some prescriptions and give you a list of suggested reading. Get ready, Gabrielle, you're in for the most exhausting seven months of your life. Do you have any questions?"    

"No." The frown on her face couldn't have been more evident.    

"Was this not good news for you?"    

"Not exactly. I'm in no position to be raising a child, I'm barely twenty-two. I'm still a child myself."    

"Well, your body doesn't think you're a child. You've reached maturity. Have you considered your options concerning the baby?"    

"What do you mean?    

"Well, you can choose to keep and raise the baby or there's adoption or abortion. Here, I'll give you some information on adoption and abortion so you can consider all of your options." Gabrielle began to protest, but then she realized that she needed all of the options available to her. She quietly thanked the doctor after being told that everything would work out fine, and she returned back to her apartment.    

As soon as she walked in the door, Justin was sitting on her couch waiting for her. She subtly covered her booklets in her coat and smiled as she walked passed him.   

"Where were you?" he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.    

"Oh, I just went to the doctor. I'm not feeling well. She gave me some prescriptions."    

"You're still sick? My God, Gabby, you've been sick since we left New York over a month ago."    

"I know, she said I was allergic to some of the foods I'd been eating, so she gave me some medicine and let me know what foods to stay away from," she lied. Nonchalantly, she went into her bedroom and hid the booklets underneath a dresser drawer and hid the prescriptions as well. The books were obvious, and the prescriptions clearly read Prenatal Vitamins; the last thing she needed was Justin finding out about her pregnancy. She decided she wasn't going to tell him anything until she figured out what she was going to do herself.    

"Do you feel really bad or do you want to go out tonight?" he asked, "There's this club opening I have to go to, and I thought you might want to come, too." Gabrielle thought for a minute before she agreed to go.    

"First, I wanna take a nap, though. I'm so tired."    

"That'll be good for you. You look tired."    

"Thanks, Justin. I can't hear that enough. You flatter me so successfully." He laughed at her sarcasm and covered her with a blanket as she lay on her bed.    

"I'll wake you up an hour before we'll leave, okay?" She nodded.    

"Good, I'm going back to my place to change. Rest up, baby." Again she nodded, and she was out before he'd even walked out of her front door. 
   

As soon as they walked into the club that night, the pounding music started to wear on Gabrielle's head; she could feel a bad headache starting in the middle of her forehead, and the nap had done little to rejuvenate her. As tradition, she and Justin made their way first to the bar. They sat down and Justin ordered their usuals. Without thinking, Gabrielle took a swing of her martini into her mouth, then realized her absentmindedness and instantly spit it back into the glass.    

"What's the matter with you?" Justin laughed as Gabrielle dabbed her lips with a napkin.    

"It’s too strong, it’s gross," she lied, "Plus, it probably won't make me feel good."    

"Why, is that one of the things you're allergic to?" he smiled at her and slid his thumb over her cheek, "Wanna dance?" He pulled her to the middle of the floor without waiting for her response and she willingly let him. After five or six songs, Gabrielle felt the need for a rest and she let Justin know.   

"You wanna go back to your place? I need to stay for awhile, but I'll be there in a few hours." He suggested.    

"Yeah, that sounds good. I'm sorry; I'm just so tired all of a sudden."    

"But you took a nap today so you wouldn't be tired tonight. What's wrong with you?"  He eyed her suspiciously.    

"Who knows?" She smiled and instinctively moved in for a quick kiss goodbye. Justin responded with a disapproving look and he backed away before she could kiss him.    

"Right...the public eye thing. Sometimes I forget."    

"I know you're not used to this, but it's not so hard to deal with once you're used to it."    

"Right." She said sarcastically and nodded her goodbye. As she began to walk away, he flashed her that million-dollar smile and winked. She forced a fake smile, despite her hurt feelings, and turned to walk to the exit. She turned to get one last glance and was disappointed to see Britney all ready walking up to him. She watched as they hugged and instantly saw the camera flashes go off. Whatever, she thought; it's all just for the publicity. She walked out before watching anything more and was in her bed asleep within the hour. 

Chapter 16

  As soon as the camera flashes died down, Justin's smile faded and he gave Britney a dirty look. 

"What's the matter with you? Are you stupid? I don't want to see you, Britney." 

"Justin, come on. That's so unrealistic. We can't not see each other; we're in the same business together. It's inevitable. Besides, a little publicity never hurt anyone." 

"You're such a publicity whore." 

"Ah, ah, ah. People are watching. You wouldn't want to make a scene in front of everyone, now would you?" 

"It's not a scene if I just walk away." 

"It is if I follow you…and I will." Her tone suddenly changed to vindictive, and Justin's eyes widened in surprise. 

"What do you want from me? We're through with each other and we've both moved on. Why do you keep harassing me?" His tone was slightly louder and angrier than it should have been considering the consequences of making a scene. 

"I just want you back, baby. It's not fair that you moved on so quickly. All I want is fairness, and I'll do what I need to make things even." 

"What the hell are you talking about? You moved on before our relationship was even over, and you're getting on my case about a friend of mine!? That's all she is, Britney. So lay off it." Something in his heart told him that he shouldn't have lied about his relationship with Gabrielle, but it was a temptation that he didn't want to resist. 

"Just a friend? Then why can't we be together." 

"Because you're a slut." 

"Justin…that really hurts." 

"So did the news about you fucking Wade. Shit happens, my dear." 

"We can't even be friends?" Somehow through all the drama, he still saw her as the girl he'd been infatuated with and the girl he'd fallen in love with. Through everything, he still hadn't let her go, and it was hard for him to resist her when she played on his emotions. 

"I can't be friends with you." 

"Why not?" She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. 

"Because…because I'll want more." He felt the heat of her body being so close to his and he swallowed hard. 

"Well, what's wrong with that?" She moved in closer to him; she'd placed herself right in the middle of his comfort zone. 

"No, Britney. I can't do this." 

"Do what?" Slowly, she moved closer and closer; she was close enough to taste. 

"Stop. People are watching." His protest wasn't as firm as it had sounded in his head. 

"Who cares?" She leaned in all the way and wrapped her arms around his neck while pressing her lips gently to his. 

That was all it took to completely capture him. All he'd ever wanted was one last time to feel her, to feel any part of her. He was selfish with his lips and didn't dare move to finish the kiss. A sudden camera flash jolted him, and he quickly pushed her away. He was shocked at his own actions; he couldn't believe he'd let her come close enough to do damage, and now it was done. She quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the club before he had time to fully understand what he was participating in. 

She dragged him into her limo as the cameras chased them down and desperately tried to catch the images behind the car window. As soon as the door was shut, she'd pressed herself on top of him and again he was imprisoned in the spell she so easily placed him under. His hands anxiously roamed her back as their tongues anxiously roamed around each others' mouths. He felt lightheaded and dizzy; there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to be with her once more, and he was staring his opportunity right in the face. 

She moaned slightly as his hand followed the curves below her back pockets and rested beneath her knee, pulling her hip up to rest on top of his. The sound forced his blood to flow, and her hand moved to his zipper; his blood quickly rushed between his legs, and he knew she felt it, too.  

With such mastery, she opened his pants and found the source of all of his blood. 

"Oh, God…" he moaned when she started to slowly pump him in his favorite cork-screw motion. He thought in his mind that only she knew how to perfectly please him; he was in heaven. 

As slowly as she pumped him, she moved down to the space between his knees and licked her lips as she ducked her head down. 

"No," he whispered. She looked at him, completely shocked; her eyes were questioning.  

The sight of Britney licking her lips instantly brought back the image of Gabrielle. In the past month, they'd began to explore each other sexually, and one of the things that Justin had learned about Gabrielle was that she always licked her lips right before wrapping them around him. The image of her sent the most painful guilt through him that he'd ever felt. The realization of his actions slowly began to settle in and all he felt was the need to be with Gabrielle at that moment. He felt in his heart that he had nothing left with Britney, and he'd never forgive her for what she'd done to him…and now he was in her place. He had become her, and an immense hatred for himself began to take him over. 

"I've gotta get outta here. Stop the car!" he shouted to the driver while returning his clothing to its original position. 

"No, Justin wait! You can't just leave." 

"I have to. I can't let you do this to me anymore." The second the car came to a halt, Justin jumped out and barely made it out of Britney's reach before shutting the door. He jammed a frustrated hand through his mangled hair and ran in the opposite direction than the limo had been driving in. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't know if he'd realize it when he got there, but he needed to run. He realized he wanted to run away from what he'd done, and he dove into the mental battle over whether or not to tell Gabrielle what had happened. 

He was terrified of what she'd say; he'd never been more scared of someone's judgment of him. How could he even begin to ask her to forgive him when he hadn't even thought twice about cutting Britney out of his life when she'd cheated on him? He thought he might be able to convince her to forgive him because his actions hadn't been as severe as Britney's…but still the question lingered. Would she forgive him? Or would he even tell her in the first place.  

The further he ran, the wetter his cheeks became. He didn't know if they were tears of anger, sadness, fear, or hatred; the only thing he knew in the world was that he needed to get to Gabrielle as soon as he could. Before he realized it, he'd ran all the way back to Gabrielle's apartment, and he was standing in front of her door. He silently checked the door knob and learned that she had left the door unlocked for him, despite the fact that he now owned a key. 

Without a second thought, he opened the door and let it close quietly behind him. He checked his watch and realized that she'd been home alone for almost two hours; she was probably dead asleep. He figured he'd walk into her room, give her a kiss goodnight, and make his way back to his place. He needed a night to sort out his actions before he let Gabrielle know what he'd done. 

Slowly he walked over to her bedroom and opened the door. The creak it made forced him to freeze as to not wake her. 

"Justin?" Busted. Gabrielle flipped on the lamp next to her and squinted as she tried to make out his appearance. 

"Yeah, Gabby, it's me." He looked defeated and sad; Gabrielle instantly noticed his attitude. 

"You have fun tonight?" 

"Oh, yeah. Tons." He walked deeper into her room and sat on the edge of her bed furthest away from her. 

"What's the matter?" she asked, sitting up and reaching to comb her fingers through the short flips in his hair. 

"Tired. That's all." 

"Aw, poor baby. C'mere." Gabrielle pulled him into her arms and he sank, letting her body comfort him. 

"Wow, Justin, you smell like a French whore," she giggled, "You dance with a lot of hotties tonight?" She pulled away from him make eye contact with him, but her eyes were drawn instantly to the crimson marks on his neck. She followed them as hints of the color trailed up to his jaw and surrounded his bottom lip. She took her thumb and wiped over his lip to find that the color easily transferred from his skin to hers. 

"Justin…what's this?" She asked the question knowing exactly what the discoloration on his skin was from. 

"Hmm?" He turned to look and his eyes didn't quite understand what she'd wanted him to look at, "What's what?"  

She pushed his head away from her and he caught his reflection in her mirror. Absolute horror covered his expression. He had no choice but to tell her now. 

"Am I jumping to the wrong conclusion, or did this once adorn some woman's lips?" 

Justin couldn't look her in the eye as he spoke, "You not jumping to the wrong conclusion." 

"You kissed someone tonight?" Justin hesitantly nodded. 

"Explain yourself." Gabrielle did her best to strangle her anger. She was a fair woman; she wouldn't unleash herself on him until she'd heard the events he seemed to be hiding. 

"Someone kissed me, and I kissed back." 

"Who was it?"  Justin could hear the struggle in her voice, and he hesitated before answering. 

"Britney." Gabrielle tightened her fists around her blankets as to not clench them around his neck; she was furious. 

"And what else happened?"  God, she hoped there wasn’t an answer to her question. 

"We went into her limo and she pushed herself on top of me, and we kept kissing, and…" He quickly choked back a heavy sob. 

"And…? Did you touch her?" Justin shook his head but still hung his head in shame and watch as a tear fell down into his lap. Gabrielle waited several long second before speaking again; she hesitated as much as she possibly could. 

"Did she touch you?" With the same hesitation, he nodded his head. Gabrielle looked away from him to hide her tears as they slid quickly down toward her chin. 

"Did she put her mouth on you?" Justin shook his head. 

"No, I wouldn't let her; I snapped out of it and got out of the car and ran over here. Gabby, I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, please, Gabby…don't hate me for this. I hate myself enough; I can't handle you hating me, too." His eyes pleaded with her. She sniffed quietly, and wiped her eyes. 

"I think you should go," she whispered.