“Bottom line is we gotta start talking about what the set list is going to be,” Johnny opened their meeting in the living room later that day. It was a challenge in itself to get them all there and to sit in the living room and stay quiet when they really just wanted to explore the house. “Are we going to open the show with Bye Bye Bye?”

“No Strings Attached,” Lance suggested.

“I don’t think we should do Bye Bye Bye anymore ‘cause nobody likes it,” Justin said with a straight face. He broke into a smile when the other guys started laughing.

“Ok. What else are we doing?” Johnny asked scribbling down a few suggestions on a piece of paper.

“Drive Myself Crazy,” JC spoke up. They shouted out a few more songs, some that was met with approval by everyone and some that were shot down as soon as they were brought up.

“Ok, this is what we have.” Johnny cleared his throat and began reading off the list. “It Makes Me Ill, Space Cowboy, No Strings Attached, It’s Gonna Be Me, Promise, I Thought She Knew, Tearin’ Up My Heart, I Want You Back, Drive Myself Crazy, God Must Have Spent, Digital Get Down.”

“Do you know how tired you’re going to be after the show?” Mack spoke up from the arm rest of the couch she was sitting on. Much to JC’s disappointment she had put a shirt as soon as Johnny came over.

“I’m tired listening to the set-list,” JC joked causing the others to laugh.

Mack rubbed her face as Johnny lightly slapped her knee with his piece of paper. “The goal is to have choreography down for the six new songs in two weeks. Do you think you can handle it?”

“I was just thinking about that, to be honest,” she replied, looking up at him. “I’ll try but they can’t blame me if I want to kill them one day.” Justin hit her other knee and she responded by lightly hitting his shoulder. “A little help would be nice, though,” she added.

“I do know someone who might be good.” Johnny reached into his briefcase that was on the floor and pulled out a large black and white photo before handing it over to her. “His name is Wade, he choreographed for Britney. He’s really good.”

“How old is this kid?” Mack demanded studying the picture for a few seconds before turning it around so the other guys could see. JC couldn’t hide the smirk that came onto his face. The guy in the picture did seem pretty young with his hairless face and big eyes. “Really? He looks twelve!” She sounded offended. JC couldn’t blame her; it was as if Johnny was saying that a younger choreographer would be better for them.

“His information is on the back,” Johnny pointed out.

JC grabbed the picture out of her hands and turned it around. “He’s about a year younger than you. A year and a day actually.”

“Are you sure? He doesn’t even look like he hit puberty yet.”

He chuckled and continued reading the back. His eyes widened and he practically shouted, “He danced for Michael Jackson!?”

A chorus of “what?” and “no way” filled the air as the picture was passed around the group. Mack huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, grumbling something about him being a show-off. “I can hire him but it’s ultimately up to you all,” Johnny said as he looked around.

“I think we should,” Justin replied. “I like his resume. I mean, how many people can say that they’ve dance with Michael Jackson when they were young?” The other boys agreed. “What do you think? You’re going to be working with him the most out of any of us. Do you want us to hire him?” He asked, looking up at Mack.

She shrugged. “Do whatever you want. Just know if he steps into my territory he’s going to regret it.”

“You’re not that intimidating. What’re you going to do, huff at him?” JC questioned, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. She cut her eyes at him and stuck out her tongue. “Don’t stick it out unless you plan on using it, Honey.”

He expected her to get offended, shoot back a French curse word, or glare at him and stomp away, so he was shocked when she evenly replied, “When and where?” His nether regions twitched as soon as the words left her mouth. She had a smirk on her face as she waited for his response. The whole room got quiet as the boys waited for his response as well. Johnny decided to ignore it by leaving the room with his cell phone glued to his ear. He’s learned the hard way just to ignore their antics instead of trying to stop it.

JC swallowed and held her gaze. “Here and now,” he challenged, smiling on the inside. ‘She won’t do anything. She’s a coward.’ Even though he told himself this he had also had doubts. It was known that she loved a challenge and never backed down from one, unless it would potentially harm her at that moment or in the future.

“Whooo, it’s getting’ hot in here!” Chris shouted a large smile on his face.

“Its gettin’ hot in here (so hot), so take off all your clothes,” Chris and Joey sang in unison, high fiving.

“If you’re that horny go and fuck with your girlfriend and leave Mack alone,” Justin spoke up, glaring at his friend. JC merely shrugged and tried to look innocent. “Now you have a suitcase to unpack,” he added, extending his arm so he shoved Mack off of the arm of the couch. With a yelp she landed on the ground and he burst out laughing.

“You’re a fucking asshole,” she growled.

“Yes, but you love this asshole,” he replied with a suggestive grin. Her face was blank for a few seconds before a stunned look crossed her features which caused Justin to laugh again. “Wow, you’re almost as slow as C today, and that’s sayin’ something.”

“I’ve only been here for about four hours and you’re all ready ragging on me?” JC asked in shock.

Justin merely shrugged. “I’m bored; we don’t really get to work until tomorrow.” He turned his attention to Mack who was still scowling at him. “You, upstairs, unpack.”

“Yes master.” With a roll of her eyes she stalked out of the room to start unpacking. Oh how JC wished that sarcastic statement was sent his way.

“What?” Justin questioned when he noticed everyone’s eyes were on him. “Why’re you looking at me like that?”

“You were being kind of mean to her,” Lance replied.

“How?”

“Making her unpack for you.”

“She lost a bet, she’ll get over it.”

“She’ll get even, that’s what she’ll do,” Joey replied and Lance nodded in agreement. Justin’s eyes slowly widened as the words sunk in. He jumped over the back of the couch and tore out of the room. JC chuckled but stopped abruptly when he saw the accusing look in his friends’ eyes. He sucked in his breath. ‘Here it comes.’ “So Lance tells me that you’ve hit a snag in your relationship with Bobbie,” Joey started.

JC’s eyes narrowed. Why the hell would he bring Bobbie up? “Kinda,” he replied slowly, trying to probe their brains with his eyes but he got nothing in return. “We’re just in a little fight, that’s all.”

“Over what?” Chris asked. Now JC was sure that something was up. Chris never cared about his personal life, nor has he ever questioned his personal life. JC searched their eyes again but one more he found nothing.

“Distance,” JC replied. Chris opened his mouth again but JC cut him off. “What do you really want to know?”

“What makes you think we want to know something?” Lance asked, raising his eyebrows.

“You just confirmed it. You neither confirmed nor denied that you wanted to know something, you responded with a question,” JC pointed out. “And Chris wants to know about my personal life? Please. The day Chris wants to know what I do is the day Chris finally grows.” He smirked as Chris glared at him. “Now what do you really want to know? I don’t have anything to hide, ask away.”

“Do you like Mack?” Lance finally asked.

‘Except that.’ “No,” JC replied. “I mean yes. Well, what form of the word like? The normal kind or the high school kind?”

“High school kind.”

‘Yes.’ “No.”

“Are you sure?”

‘No.’ “Yes.” He frowned. “Why the sudden accusations?”

“It’s not sudden,” Joey spoke up. “We’ve wanted to know for a while. You’ve been acting different around her lately. Since we started working on NSA.”

“Acting different? How?” JC asked, even though he all ready knew how and he started sweating bullets. He thought he had kept his love for her on the DL, kept his actions the same so the others wouldn’t think that his feelings towards her had changed in the slightest, which is why he kept picking fights with her.

“It’s just…the way you look at her…it’s different,” Chris replied. “You haven’t looked at any other girl like the way you look at her.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” JC denied as he stood and stretched. “But if you don’t mind I’m going to get some sleep.”

“Now? Why?” Lance asked.

“’Cause Joey’s probably going to drag us to a club later tonight,” he replied, glancing at Joey who nodded. “Later.”

“Later,” the guys chorused.

Once JC was climbing the stairs he let out a sigh of relief. That was close. They were onto him but they didn’t know everything. If any of them found out his secret feelings for her then everything would be ruined, most importantly his friendship with Justin.

Justin made it clear since day one that he didn’t want any of the guys to be with her in the sexual form of the sense.  That also meant they were her big brothers, the ones that had to protect her from every potential slime ball that looked her way. JC took that job a little too far and ended up falling for her, wanting to always be with her and be the only one to protect her. He couldn’t tell Justin that, Justin was the most protective of her. It’s just as well seeing as they grew up together, something that JC found a bit unfair sometimes, yet he relishes in the fact that he’s known her longer than the rest of the guys and he could say that he grew up with her.

“Get offa me, you molester!”

“Not until you say it!”

JC paused in the doorway and looked into Justin’s room. Justin was straddling Mack, legs on either side of her waist. Her shirt had risen up slightly and he was using the opportunity to tickle her exposed skin while she squirmed and tried to get away from him, laughing all the while. His eyes stayed glued to her exposed skin, watching as her stomach rose and fell with each laugh.

JC forced himself to turn away and sped walked to his room, closing the door behind him and letting out a frustrated growl. “This…is…driving…me…crazy!” he shouted into space before flopping onto his bed and burying his face into his pillows. “God! Why did she have to be so damn hot?” He sighed heavily and forced himself to push every thought from his head, relax, and drift off to sleep.

He hadn’t fully reached dream land when he heard his bedroom door creak open. “Whoever it is, you better have a fucking good reason for barging in here,” he grumbled without opening his eyes.

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll make an exception for me.”

JC shot up to an upright position and almost smashed his head against hers. Mack calmly sat at the end of his bed, a small smile on her lips. “Uh…what’s up?” He asked struggling to keep his eyes from drifting away from her face.

“Just wanted to see how you’re doin’. We haven’t talked much while you were on break.” She got a slightly offended look on her face. “How come you talked to the other guys but not to me?”

“Uh…” JC’s mind went blank. He couldn’t tell her the real reason. That Bobbie had forbidden him to talk to her. Not wanting to get into another fight with her he stupidly agreed and hadn’t contacted her at all. “I was busy.”

“Bullshit,” she immediately fired back. “Unless this has something to do with Princess Bobbie,” she added with a scowl. “God, you know you’re so whipped by her that you don’t even realize it.”

“I’m not whipped,” JC denied, trying to stay mad, but he was finding it hard when he had to look at the cute way her nose scrunched up when she scowled.

“Really? Who’s the one who skips out on after parties? Who’s the one who doesn’t go to movies with us anymore? Who’s the one who won’t play football in the park with the guys anymore? Who’s the one who constantly ignores me? And for what? Just to make Princess Bobbie happy,” she shot back.

As the words sunk in a smirk slowly formed its way onto his face, making the scowl fall from hers and was replaced with an expression of confusion. “Sounds to me like you’re jealous.”

“Me? Jealous?” Mack laughed harshly as JC raised his eyebrows. “I don’t do green, Joshua.”

“Yet right now you resemble the Jolly Green Giant…only shorter and jealous.”

Mack grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him forward until their noses were practically touching. “I. Am. Not. Jealous.”

“Really? So you’re fine with the thought of me being with her?” JC questioned, prying her hands off of his shirt but holding onto her wrists as he looked her in the eye. “You’re fine knowing that I kiss her with so much passion that I feel like my heart’s going to explode?” He smirked on the inside when he saw the corner of her mouth twitch but she held his gaze. “You’re fine knowing that our hot, sweaty bodies, sliding against each other–”

“Stop it!” She cried, trying to cover her ears with her hands but JC held onto her wrists tight. He pulled her towards him so her hands were resting on his chest and his mouth was by her ear. She squirmed and tried to get out of his grasp but he held on tight.

“You can’t stand imagining me with another girl? It’s eating you up inside, isn’t it?” He muttered into her ear, his hot breath tickling her. “You hate imagining our bodies moving together, writhing with pleasure? You wish it were you, don’t you?”

“No,” she hissed.

“Yes you do,” JC replied, lowering his voice. “You hate knowing that it’s not you that I’m with.” He lightly brushed his lips against her ear, causing her to shiver. Her fingers curled against his chest and lightly gripped his t-shirt. “What are you going to do about it, Honey?” She curled her fingers into fists and pulled at his shirt as she turned her head so their lips collided. JC let go of her wrists and grabbed her face, forcing his tongue into her mouth as he closed his eyes and relished in the kiss. He could feel his heart hammering against his ribcage as their tongues battled for dominance. He groaned into her mouth when he felt one of her hands squeeze the bulge in his jeans. “Don’t worry, Honey, we’ll get to that soon,” he muttered against her lips. He was about to kiss her again when he heard a loud knock on his door.

The next thing he knew he was waking up with his face in his pillows. He lifted his head and rubbed his eyes as the knock sounded again. “Jace? You in there?” Joey’s muffled voice came through the other side of the door.

‘Oh, come on! There’s no way in hell that could’ve been a dream!’ JC groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Come in,” he called in a hoarse voice.

Joey opened the door and poked his head into the room. “Hey man, we’re getting ready to go to a club. You still in?”

JC nodded. “Yeah, I could really use a drink right now. Just give me a few minutes.” Joey nodded and closed the door. JC’s eyes drifted over to the phone on his bedside table. ‘I could really use a drink and a good fuck right now.’ He grabbed the phone and quickly dialed a number, waiting for the person on the other end to pick up. “Hey, you in the mood to go clubbing?”