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.