| Three months passed. Shelby had little contact with any of them, except AJ. He called regularly to check on her. She thought it was cute and even though initially she believed he was hitting on her, it was only friendship. He had begun a new relationship and Shelby sensed he was totally taken with his new love. In the course of their many conversations all the boys came up, but AJ never mentioned too much about Brian, except the fact that he and Laurie were still together. Although from AJ�s tone Shelby gathered there could be trouble in paradise. It was just a feeling in the way that he talked about them. Shelby was curious, but then again she wasn�t. She had been able to bury all those feelings and was not about to give them any cause to surface again. What AJ was able to perceive, Brian was not. He and Laurie had been together for nearly a year. And as with all his relationships in the past, the newness had worn off and they had settled into a comfortable routine. There were times though he found her flighty and trying. And she in turn found him boring at times. She needed constant attention and was always after Brian to go out. He enjoyed a good time as much as any one but he also valued the quiet times too. So there had been some arguments and Laurie would then go out without him. When she returned they would apologize on both sides and everything would be good for a while. He thought he was in love with her to the point that he thought about proposing marriage, but lately he wasn�t so sure. And then there had been his reaction to AJ�s closeness to Shelby. She had been with them so long she was like family. She was the sister he never had. So he had no idea where the spark of jealousy came from but it was short lived especially when he found out AJ had a new lady in his life. He knew he had no right to tell Shelby whom she should see, but he knew AJ and Brian didn�t want Shelby to be another conquest in a long line of women that AJ eventually discarded. Shelby deserved better. He often wondered why there was never anyone special in her life. She was pretty. No, she was beautiful and smart and would surely make someone very happy. He was amazed someone hadn�t come along and swept her off her feet. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Requests for the boys to make special appearances continued to flood their office. Their longevity in the music business, even with record and concert sales falling off from their early days, was a statement to the music community that they weren�t just a flash in the pan act. They each continued to promote their charity work spending time at receptions, doing interviews and special concerts along with group efforts for various causes. So after a three-month hiatus, Shelby found herself working on another trip for the group. They had flown to LA for a guest appearance on a few talk shows and a charity event for the Make a Wish Foundation. It was their last day and the Make a Wish event was this evening and Shelby had just received revised itineraries for the festivities. She gathered up the papers and left her room. Each of the guys had been placed on a different floor hoping to deter their fans. So with a list of room numbers she headed towards the elevator. She was on the brink of her release. The spray of the water hit their bodies and he thrust deeply into her and she shuddered as her climax pulsed through her body. She screamed and he followed her slamming his body against hers. They both were panting and he pulled out of her letting the water rinse them off. As he shut off the shower they could hear the pounding on the door. �Must be brunch,� he grabbed a towel and headed out of the bathroom leaving her to dry off and catch her breath. Shelby stopped in the front of the door. She double-checked the room number, 520. She knocked on the door. The door opened and her mouth dropped. �Excuse me, I thought this was room 520.� She checked her sheet again. It was supposed be Brian�s room. The man in front of her was not Brian. �I�m starved,� Laurie called as she came into view with just a towel wrapped around her body. When she saw Shelby her face fell. �I�m sorry, my mistake. I must have the wrong room.� Shelby turned and left. What the hell was going on? It was quite obvious what had happened between the two of them. She was seething. Brian! What was she to do? �Who was that Laurie?� The man turned to see her sitting on the bed looking like she had seen a ghost. �You need to get out of here now!� She said as she grabbed her clothes. �Why. I ordered us brunch.� �Too bad. Just go!� She said through clenched teeth. Her hands were shaking. How do I deal with this? What if she tells him? A million thoughts went through her mind. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Shelby sat in a booth in the back of the coffee shop. I won�t say anything. It�s none of my business she thought as she sipped her coffee. It would devastate Brian if he found out. He was crazy about Laurie. Laurie knocked on Shelby�s door but there was no answer. She checked the room assigned as a conference room but it was empty. Frantically she went to the lobby and found Shelby in the coffee shop. Laurie took a deep breath and headed straight to her table. �Can I sit down?� �It�s a free country,� Shelby said looking at her coldly. �Look I know what you saw upstairs was um�� Laurie swallowed hard and exhaled a soft breath. �Compromising?� The girl nodded. �Why, Laurie?� �I don�t know. I mean I like Brian and all and we do have a good time, but there�s something missing.� She shrugged her shoulders. �There�s no spark, no thrill, Brian seems so safe.� Shelby raised her eyebrows. �Safe? You call this life that he leads safe.� She laughed at her. �You know what I mean. I want to live a little dangerously. Maybe that�s why I cheat on him. Maybe it�s the thrill of actually getting caught that turns me on. I mean the sex is okay, sometimes better and sometimes a whole lot worse, but I can�t see myself settling down, not yet any way. I want to have some fun first.� �So you cheat on Brian. You call that fun. He thinks you are in a sole relationship. He�s in love with you. You do know that?� Shelby could feel her stomach begin to churn. She wanted to shake her and make her see that she was on the verge of destroying not only her relationship with Brian, but Brian himself. �Are you going to say anything?� Laurie looked at her dreadfully. �It�s not my place, Laurie, but if you aren�t happy why stay with him? Why don�t you tell him?� �Because I like the idea of dating a Backstreet Boy. I mean who wouldn�t. I figured I would wait until he broke it off, never thinking he would get serious.� Shelby shook her head in dismay. All the girl wanted was the notoriety of being seen with Brian. She had no real feelings for him at all. �You don�t find anything wrong with seeing other men behind his back?� �No, not really. I mean he gets what he wants.� The girl showed no expression. She didn�t really care one way or the other about him. �And with Brian, well, it�s not exciting.� Shelby looked at her curiously. �Exciting?� �Yeah. Oh don�t get me wrong he can satisfy you, but, sometimes I would like for him to be a bit, well,� she looked at Shelby and leaned closer and whispered, �you know, a little kinky.� Shelby just stared at the girl. She could feel her face grow warm embarrassed that Laurie would even discuss their sex life with her. She didn�t want to know. �Look, I don�t care to hear about what you do or don�t do behind closed doors. It�s none of my business. I just think you need to realize that he might find out and what will you do then?� Shelby stood. Suddenly she needed some air. �If you�ll excuse me.� She made a move to leave when Laurie took her arm. �You won�t say anything?� Her eyes pleaded. �No I won�t, but I�m warning you. If you don�t break it off I just may have to tell him.� Shelby walked away leaving Laurie in the booth. As she entered the lobby Brian called to her. �Hey. Have you seen Laurie?� He came towards her and Shelby saw him but her mind was a million miles away. �Shel, you okay?� She stared at him blankly. �What? Oh, yes. Sorry. What did you say?� She blinked and shook her head. �Laurie? Have you seen her?� �As a matter of fact yes. I just left her in the coffee shop.� Shelby started towards the elevators totally ignoring Brian. He called out his thanks and she didn�t answer but got on the elevator and rode up to her room. She quickly found her key card and opened the door and as she closed it she let the tears roll down her cheeks. |