Chapter 1
Duets, the local karaoke bar was almost empty that night. Given the raging storm outside, it was no wonder that not many had ventured out to sing their favorite songs. However, Melissa Jameson and Cassandra Lambert had braved the storm and now sat at a table near the small stage, sipping the drinks in front of them.
A lanky cowboy was onstage now, drunkenly mumbling incoherent words to a Garth Brooks tune. Cassie rolled her eyes and grimaced. He was a carbon copy of the others he sat with: loud, boisterous, and completely off-key.
"I don't know how much more I can take," Melissa sighed, as she motioned for the waitress to bring her another drink. Soon it would be her turn and she was more than happy to hear something more upbeat and in tune.
As the cowboy was nearing the end of his song, the door opened, allowing the wind to whip around the small bar. Cassie and Melissa instinctively looked toward the door as two figures huddled in heavy coats entered the room. The girls watched for a moment longer before they turned back to their drinks.
"Well, at least there are a few more people here now. I thought we were going to be the only ones up there," Melissa remarked, prompting a nod from Cassie. "Of course," she continued, "I could stand up there and sing all night and you wouldn't hear me complain."
"I'm just ready to hear something other than country. If I hear one more tear in my beer song, I think I am going to scream. I mean, don't get me wrong, some of the new songs are pretty good, but all this 'My wife took off with the kids and the dog' stuff is enough to make me violent," Cassie lamented.
Melissa smiled and watched absently as the two strangers made their way over to the opposite side of the stage. The men removed their coats, but left on the baseball caps, which were pulled down partially over their faces. The larger of the two was about six feet tall and had broad, well-built shoulders. He was wearing a denim vest over a white, long sleeved t-shirt with some type of picture that Melissa couldn't quite make out on the front. His black, denim jeans were loose fitting, yet somehow seemed to accentuate his behind, she noticed. Topping his head was a black baseball cap with a Superman emblem on the front, and short, dark brown hair peeked out from underneath. His face was somewhat full and he had a moustache and short beard, which were both well manicured.
The other man's jeans were snug and he wore a black shirt, which was only partially buttoned. The sleeves were cut off at the shoulder and somewhat frayed, as if removed with a sharp knife. A tight, long sleeved, white flannel shirt was worn underneath. His black cap completely covered his head, and only a few stray brown hairs made their way out. The man's clean-shaven face was chiseled and intense blue eyes gazed from beneath the brim of the oversized cap. He was only slightly shorter than the other man, but had a long, lean frame.
At last, the wailing of the young man mercifully subsided. Finally, it was Melissa's turn to perform, and perform she always did. Singing was her release and she adored every minute she was onstage, even if it was just karaoke. This was the only place in her life that she could completely lose herself. Here she felt no fear, no stress, and above all, no pain.
Melissa and Cassie had been working on the house all day and Melissa's stress was reflected that night in her choice of music. She smiled as she stepped to the microphone and read the name of her song on the monitor. What was she thinking?
The speakers blared a few notes and Melissa belted out "CRAAAZZY" in her best Britney Spears style. She knew it was shameful, but she couldn't help herself. As she descended the stairs, she sang to the entire room. "Baby, I'm so into you," she cooed, as she winked at the cute bartender, who hollered in typical Texas fashion.
With each line, she focused on another audience member smiling at each one, until she reached the strangers. "Every time you looked at me," she sang to the smaller of the two men as she smiled and put a hand on his shoulder. He smiled brightly, a very sexy smile, she thought to herself, and strangely familiar. She shook off the feeling of d�j� vu and continued. "Baby thinkin' of you keeps me up all night." With this, she reached out and placed a hand on the right shoulder of the other man and ran her hand up to the base of his neck.
As her skin made contact with his, the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention and they both felt an electrical charge. Melissa was so stunned that she almost forgot what she was doing. She continued her song, looking deeply into his brown eyes, unable to break contact for some unknown reason. The way he was holding her attention unnerved her.
She could feel her mouth getting dry and she instinctively licked her full lips slowly. With this, the man's eyes darkened even more and he smiled seductively. His smile almost unraveled Melissa as she felt her knees go weak. What was this? Never, in her memory had a simple touch or smile filled her with so much desire. What she felt now was almost more than she could bear. She could feel her cheeks burn as she kept her eyes on his, but she could not make herself move. It was as if her feet were glued to the floor.
Mercifully, the other man leaned over to whisper to him and the stranger looked down momentarily. Aided by the welcome distraction, Melissa somehow summoned the strength she needed to break the spell. She turned and headed back toward the stage, still shaken. As she sang the last few notes of the song, the sparsely populated room erupted in applause and whistles. She smiled graciously and handed the microphone to the next performer.
Melissa all but floated back to her seat as the next song began to play. "What the hell was that all about?" Cassie queried as her friend sat down.
"What?" Melissa asked, feigning innocence. "I was just singing a song-the same as always. What do you mean, what was that all about? I was just singing," she rambled.
Cassie wasn't fooled for a moment. She laughed, saying, "Mhm, that's why you're still shaking. So I'll ask again. What was that all about?"
Melissa smiled. Cassie knew her entirely too well. "I wish I knew. It was crazy. It was like, I touched him and there were these sparks. It was the most amazing feeling, Cass. It was...I can't even explain it, just...wow," Melissa said breathlessly. "The feeling I got just touching him was just so...intense."
"Well, by all means, let's go talk to these mystery men. By the way, did you even happen notice the other one? DAYUM!"
"Yeah," she snapped back to reality. "He has an amazing smile and the most beautiful eyes. Cass, he looks so familiar to me. Both of them do, but I just can't place where I've seen them before. I know I have though."
"Girl, I don't know who they are, but I do know that they are brutally hot. I also know I need a date badly, and you need one even worse than I do."
With a sigh, Melissa conceded. "Well, they are really hot. I mean, hell, I wouldn't kick either of them out of bed."
This prompted a loud guffaw from Cassie. She was glad Melissa was having a good time. They always had fun here, but tonight was different. Tonight there was a sparkle in her eye Cassie had not seen in ages. "Well, hell. What are we waiting for? Let's go buy the hotties a drink and try to get lucky. What do you say?" Cassie teased with a wink.
Melissa, though, was no longer looking at Cassie or even hearing her. "Hello? Earth to Melissa. Anyone home?"
"Hi there," Melissa smiled as she looked over Cassie's shoulder.
"Hi, are these seats taken?" a masculine voice asked, prompting Melissa to shake her head.
Cassie's questioning expression turned to one of realization as two of the most attractive men she had ever laid eyes on settled in beside them. Her cheeks colored immediately as she suddenly realized that they had heard every word she had just said. She glared at Melissa as if to ask why she'd chosen not to warn her.
"So, what are you ladies drinking?" the smaller man asked. They told him and he turned to the waitress. "I need a margarita, a long island ice tea, and two more beers, please." He did have a very sexy smile, Cassie noticed as he ordered.
The foursome sat in silence for a moment, until the other stranger stated, "Well, I'm Joseph Fatone and this is Joshua Chasez. But everybody calls him JC and da ladies call me Joey."
They all smiled and shook hands as the girls introduced themselves. 'Those names sound so familiar, Joey, JC, Fatone. Where have I heard that name, Fatone?' Melissa thought to herself.
"Melissa, you have quite a set of pipes there. I think that may have been better than Britney herself," JC said, interrupting her thoughts.
Joey agreed. "I'll second that. That was the best karaoke performance I have ever experienced," he said wickedly, causing Melissa to turn crimson.
"Thanks," she replied, smiling, "That's not a song I usually sing outside of the privacy of my shower, but it was so damn fun I couldn't help myself. Besides I had to sing something other than country."
"Well, Cassie, are you going to sing tonight?" JC asked as he smiled brightly.
When he smiled like that she didn't want to be there. She wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere where only the two of them existed. "Yeah, I'm actually coming up after the next one," Cassie answered.
"So are either of you planning to sing tonight, or did you just come to watch me?"" Melissa questioned with a wink.
"Well, we might do a song before the night is over. Right, Joe?"
Joey nodded, smiling, as he paid the waitress for the drinks. The girls thanked them and began to sip their drinks again.
Melissa could not get over the feeling that she knew these men from somewhere and now Cassie was starting to see what she meant. "So, Are you two from around here?" she probed.
JC nodded. "This is actually the first time we have ever been to Amarillo. We were on our way to Dallas, when we broke down. So we thought we would come in for a drink and try to get things taken care of in the morning."
"Yeah, there's no use in trying to get anything done in this town on a Friday night. It's pretty much a lost cause" Melissa said as she rolled her eyes. "I could have sworn I had seen you two somewhere before. Where are y'all from?"
"Well, we're both originally from Florida, but we travel quite a bit for work," JC explained.
"That sounds cool," Melissa replied wistfully. "I would love a job that would get me away sometimes. This town just feels so stagnant."
"Well sweetie, if you would have taken that training position with CS, you would be able to go all over the place," Cassie admonished.
"I know, but things were different then," Melissa sighed. "Besides if I had done that I would never have gone back to school, and who knows where I would have been after they eliminated that position. I am happy where I am now, anyway."
"So, what do you do, Melissa?" Joey asked.
"Well, I have one semester left, then I'll be warping young minds, teaching high school," she answered.
"You must be a glutton for punishment," he said, smiling, as he gazed into her blue eyes.
"How about you, Cassie? What do you do?" JC chimed in.
"I have my own business as an interior decorator," she answered.
"That's cool," JC commented. "So do you work out of your home?"
"Yeah, I do, " she smiled. "There's actually an office beside the house. It used to be a guest home, but we renovated it."
After Joey and JC had asked a few questions about the girls, Cassie realized she knew nothing about the two men. "Wait a minute now," she said with a smile. "What is this, the Spanish Inquisition? How about you two? What do you do?"
"Well..." JC looked toward Joey, but he was no help. He seemed to be engrossed in the book of karaoke songs.
The Karaoke Jock, who was announcing the next entertainer, cut him off mid-sentence. "Cassie, it's your turn. I swear, girl, all night you wonder if it's your turn, then when it is you're too busy flirting.."
"Jealous much, Corey?" Cassie laughed as she got up from her seat. "Hold that thought, boys"
JC let out an audible sigh of relief and Melissa chuckled.
As Cassie's song began, she took the opportunity to make her way over to their table and take a sip of her drink before starting. "Seeing you and me I guess, it doesn't take a scientist to understand what's going on baby," she sang as she stood behind JC and dropped her arm over his shoulder. She continued to sing as she walked around in front of him and leaned down looking directly into his eyes. "If you see something in my eyes, let's not overanalyze. Don't go too deep with it baby." She placed her hand under his chin, singing only to him. JC reached up and snaked an arm around her small waist.
With this he got up out of his chair and began to dance seductively against her, walking behind her and rubbing her body against his own, making her short of breath. She could feel his strong arms around her, his muscular chest against her back. She turned around to face him and pushed him playfully back into his chair, singing, "It's just a little crush. Not like I faint every time we touch" He looked up at her, an impish grin across his face.
Swiftly, he pulled her forcefully down into his lap. His blue eyes sparkled with a craving that made Cassie glad she was not standing, because her knees suddenly felt as flimsy as spaghetti. As she turned around, attempting to get up, she could feel him pressing hard through the confines of his tight jeans and she felt her immediate reaction to his longing. Instinctively, she pressed herself firmly against him. She felt the heat crawling up her collar and was glad of the fact that she was not facing him. She was, however facing Melissa, who quickly noticed and leaned over, whispering something in Joey's ear. They both burst out in laughter as Cassie glared at her cohort, which only made Melissa laugh harder.
At that moment she felt JC's large hand upon her thigh, caressing her softly. His breath was hot upon her neck and she squirmed against him as she felt chills go down her spine. She knew she would go mad if he didn't stop soon, so she forced herself from his lap and continued to stand in front of him, singing and swaying to the beat of the music. Each time he would attempt to bring her back into his embrace, Cassie smiled and danced further away until she was out of his reach completely.
As she reached the conclusion of her song, she walked back toward the stage. Melissa smiled at JC and laughed, "Well, that was interesting"
JC smiled and winked at Melissa "Yeah it was," he mumbled.
"I'll be right back, gonna go turn these in," Joey said as he left the table.
Cassie sat back down and JC looked at her, raising an eyebrow. "That was great. I think you even outdid Melissa's performance. No offense, Melissa," he teased as Joey returned to his seat.
"Gee, I wonder why," Melissa giggled. "None taken, JC."
"Well, sorry Cassie, but I have to disagree. Melissa still gets my vote, but I am gonna leave you all in the dust," Joey teased.
"Did you put in my song too, man?" JC asked.
Joey nodded. "Yeah, I put in the other one, too. It's first, actually."
"You didn't," JC commented as he shook his head. "Man, what is wrong with you? You are just sick, dude." Both men chuckled.
"Um, Ok, what is that all about?" Cassie questioned.
"Oh," JC replied mischievously, "You'll see."
"OK, anyway, where were we? Oh yeah, what do you guys do for a living?"
JC and Joey looked at one another. "Should we tell em, man?" JC inquired.
"Well, I guess. I think we can trust them." Joey stopped and took a deep breath. "Now, this is top secret. It can't go any further than this. You see ladies, we are undercover contract killers for the government," he said, straight-faced.
Both girls looked at the men and then at each other, both completely bewildered by his confession. "Really?" Melissa whispered. "Well, that's, um, very uhm, huh. Really?"
With this, both men looked at one another and began to laugh out loud, evoking murderous glares from both Cassie and Melissa. "Joe, that was pretty good. Contract killers!"
When the laughter of the two men finally abated JC confessed, "No, actually, we're performers."
Upon hearing his confession, Melissa knew exactly where she had seen them before. "Oh my God," she laughed "Ok, I've got it. Y'all are in Nsync. Geez, you'd think I never watched MTV. Not to mention the fact that my younger sister has posters of y'all plastered on her bedroom wall. Duh! I knew that I recognized you from somewhere. But aren't there a few more of you?"
"Yeah," Joey confirmed with a grin that could almost be considered cocky. "The other guys wanted to go dancing, so they went to some dance club. I forget the name, something about a barracuda."
With this Melissa began to giggle loudly. "I think you mean the Piranha Room."
"Yeah, that's it," Joey replied, smiling slyly. "So, Melissa, tell me, who's your favorite?"
Melissa looked deeply into Joey's eyes and said in a low, seductive voice. "Well, Joey. I would think that would be obvious." He smiled smugly and nodded his head. She continued in the same voice, "Everyone knows Justin is the hottest."
With this JC and Cassie burst out, laughing so hard that everyone in the bar turned momentarily to watch.
Joey's expression turned from one of triumph to a pout that would make a five-year old proud. "Oh, damn Justin," Joey whimpered.
"Oh Joey, Don't be silly. I was just kidding," Melissa consoled as she placed her straw in her mouth and drank slowly. Joey perked up and she continued. "That other cute little blonde is the one I like."
JC began to howl even louder. "Man, thanks for your support," Joey complained.
"No problem, man. I'm here for ya," he chuckled. "You know, I like her."
"Well," Joey said with a glimmer in his deep, brown, eyes, "I guess I'll just have to do something to change your mind about that, Melissa."
The way her name rolled off of his tongue made Melissa's knees go weak. She pondered the ways that he could change her mind. There was something about him that was just so masculine, so rugged. It was in the way he walked through a room, in his sexy, faint New York accent, and especially in the way he looked at her. "And how would you manage that?" she teased.
"Well, I have always believed that actions speak louder than words," he replied as he leaned across the table. "Besides, I am Italian."
"Oh Lord," Melissa feigned putting her hand to her forehead.
"Yeah, girl. Give me five minutes and you'll be thinking oh lord," he bragged.
"Just five minutes? Honey, I don't want no one minute man," Melissa laughed and the others joined in.
"Shoot, girl, all I'm saying is that all it will take is five minutes to convince you. After that you still have all night to try and keep up with me."
"Is that right?" Melissa said, raising her eyebrows.
"Yeah it is. Care to find out?" he challenged. For several moments, the two just sat staring at one another, each daring the other to look away.
Finally, the karaoke jock intervened once again. "Alright, now we have Joey and Josh."
JC rose from his seat, but Joey sat, never breaking eye contact with Melissa. "Hey, Romeo, it's our turn. C'mon," JC complained. "You can finish this when we get back."
"This isn't over," Joey smiled, getting up from the table.
Melissa, never being one to back away from a challenge, simply grinned and retorted, "Count on it."
As the men took the stage, Cassie looked at her friend and laughed. "My god, you need another drink," she teased. "Do you think that you two you will even make it back to the house?"
"Girl, you know me better than that. I'm just having fun," she said defensively.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just glad to see that, even if the poor guy does have to go take a cold shower," Cassie teased.
The girls turned their attention to the stage as the music began to play and the guys sang out, "Everybody, yeah, Rock your body, yeah, everybody rock your body right. Backstreet's back all right."
Cassie and Melissa suddenly looked from the men to each other and began laughing uncontrollably. The entire room turned to look at them, wondering what was so funny. No one else even realized the irony of the situation, which made the two girls laugh even louder. Joey and JC almost looked as if they could be the Backstreet Boys. They had the words down to a tee without even looking at the monitor. Though still highly amused, the girls couldn't help but to be impressed. "Ok that's just too funny," Melissa giggled. "I can't believe no one in here has recognized them."
"Well, this isn't exactly the Nsync crowd," Cassie noted. "With the posters all over Brandi's walls, though, I can't believe neither of us recognized them."
With this they turned their attention back to Joey and JC, who sang,"Am I sexual?" to which the girls sang loudly, "Yeah," then disintegrated again into wild laughter. The two men traveled over to the side of the stage by their table. They continued their routine as they danced in front of Cassie and Melissa, sending the two women into teenage shrieks of excitement. Joey stood in front of Melissa, lifting his shirt slightly to reveal a patch of stomach, which Melissa ran her hands across, lightly scratching him with her nails. He wildly bucked his pelvis forcing several screams and laughter from her. JC got down on his knees in front of Cassie and taking her hand in this own, placed it against his chest so that she could feel his heart beating, as he sang, looking into her eyes. They continued their pleasurable assault on Melissa and Cassie until their song was finished.
As they handed the microphones back to Corey, both girls stood up and began to clap and cheer ardently for the two men. "My God," Melissa uttered as she looked toward Joey, "I think I need to go change my pants now. Whew!"
Cassie laughed aloud and the returning men looked at her, questioningly. "That was great," she remarked as the men took their seats. "Check out the closet Backstreet Boys fans."
With this, JC playfully punched her arm. "Shhh," he said, putting a long finger over his smiling lips, as he winked.
As the evening progressed, the four sat and talked between performances. They had all had the opportunity to sing several songs, which was a rarity. On busy nights, one might only be able to perform once or twice, depending upon when they arrived. Cassie crooned a few of her favorite tunes, mostly female power ballads from the eighties. With each tune, she flirting mercilessly with JC, touching him, and singing directly into his azure eyes.
JC had performed several times as well, singing a couple of country songs. He finished with a beautiful rendition of Edwin Mccain's "I'll be," as he sat on the edge of the stage, holding Cassie's hand, kissing her lightly upon the cheek upon completion.
Even Joey sang a few solos, performing an unforgettable version of "Shameless," and finishing with Richard Marx's "Hold on to the nights." As he crooned, he stood before Melissa. He took her hand and pressed his lips upon the back, making her shudder visibly. She leaned over to Cassie, whispering, "No, NOW I have to go change my pants."
Melissa found herself becoming bolder with each song, until she reached her finale, "Possession." Upon beginning the chorus of the song, she stepped in front of Joey singing "And I would be the one to hold you down, kiss you so hard, I'll take your breath away." She leaned in against him and pressed his back against his chair as she sang, her mouth only inches from his own, tempting him, making him utterly crazy.
As midnight drew closer, Melissa announced that she had to go powder her nose. "Well, I gotta potty. You wanna go with, Cass?"
"Sure," she laughed as the men questioned aloud why women always have to go to the bathroom together. "It's because we have to talk about men," she said, smiling.
"Cass," Melissa whined, as the girls walked into the small bathroom, "I don't want to let this end. I am having entirely too much fun. I think we should offer to let them stay over. Nothing funny, you know, but we have plenty of room. Whadya think?"
"That's actually precisely what I was thinking, except for that whole nothing funny part," she said with an evil grin.
"Well, ya know, whatever happens, happens, but...Well, let's go spring it on them," Melissa said, checking her reflection as she reapplied her lipstick and pursed her lips, before heading back to the table.