| Chapter 4 |
| "Joey, where the hell are we?" Lance asked, his brow furrowed in concentration as he peered out the window of the jeep. Chris laughed. "Relax Lance. Joey ALWAYS knows where he's going." Turning to Joey, he leaned in and whispered, "You DO know where we are, right?" Joey changed lanes, not looking at Chris or Lance. "Joey?" He grinned warily. "Um..." "Oh my GOD," Chris laughed. "You really don't know where we are, do you?" "Hey shut up! I know what I'm doing. I meant to go here. In fact, we're going to, um ... we're going to..." "...die," muttered Lance, and Joey glared at him. "One more word out of you young man and I'll turn this jeep around." "If you can figure out where the hell we are," grinned Chris. Lance shook his head, listening to his friends bicker up front as he searched for road signs. Seeing a large food billboard, he tapped Joey on the shoulder. "Turn off at the next exit Joe," he said. "I know where we are now. Justin and I had lunch at this one little outdoor cafe before. It was pretty good. Lets go there, okay?" Chris looked at Joey and pointed at Lance. "Kid's a genius I tell ya." He gave Lance a high-five and then turned to Joey, batting his eyelashes. "What do ya say, Pa? Shall we take the youngin to the fancy cafe?" Joey pretended to think about it, even as he signaled to change lanes and take the exit. With a heavy sigh, he shrugged. "Might as well," he said. "I DID have a plan though." Chris rolled his eyes. "Of course you did. We believe you." Lance snickered and Joey glared at them. "I did. Honest!" "Just drive the car Joe." ~*~ Justin stared at JC, his face impassive as he took in the slightly older man's nervous posture and his darting eyes. "You're gay?" he asked. JC nodded. "Yeah, I am," he whispered. "Is that going to be a problem?" Justin let out a breath, grabbing another cup of water and sitting behind his desk to face JC. "I gotta be honest with you Jace," he said, "I didn't expect that. I may be young, but I still know how hard it is to be gay and in the entertainment business." JC swallowed, feeling the rejection deep in his gut. "Yeah." Justin looked at him for a minute, before smiling. "It's going to take some work, but I think we can do this." When JC's head snapped up in shock, his mouth slightly open, Justin laughed. "What? Did you REALLY think I was going to let one of the best voices I've heard in forever walk out of my office just because he's not straight as an arrow? Hell no." JC grinned, unable to keep the excitement out of his voice. "So, this means... I can still record with you guys?" Justin pulled out a paper from his briefcase, sliding it over the wooden desk along with a pen. "Sign along the bottom, and you are officially the newest recording star of Timberlake Records." JC's hand shook slightly as he took the pen. He skimmed over the papers quickly, and then scribbled his signature at the bottom of the page. With a deep breath and a grin, he handed both the contract and the pen back over to Justin. "Great," Justin grinned. "Welcome aboard JC. I think you're going to like it here." JC nodded. "I'm sure I will. Um..." Justin leaned back in his chair, resting his folded hands across his stomach. "Something on your mind?" JC nodded. "You're 22, right?" Justin nodded. "So, how are you the head of your own company? Hell, I was barely living off of tips when I was 22." Justin grinned. "I was wondering when you were going to ask about that." Justin scooted his chair forward, resting his arms on his desk as he spoke. "You see, I've always been a quickly learner in school. I skipped the third and eighth grade, so I was only 15 when I graduated from high school. I started college in the fall when I was 16, and because my parents are pretty well off, I could afford to go to Stanford." JC nodded, fascinated. He had just barely graduated high school with a C average, and his parents couldn't afford to send him college. "Yeah, so, I was 20 when I got out of college. Because I was so young and knew a lot about business, I was pretty much hired on the spot by RCA Records. Have you heard of them?" JC nodded. "Yeah. They're pretty big." Justin shrugged. "Yeah, they were." He sighed. "I don't want to go into any gory details, but I worked for them for about a year before I found out they were basically ripping me off of a LOT of money. Legal business, blah blah blah, and a few months later I quit. Instead of going through that again, I figured, why not start my own company?" He grinned, leaning back in the chair and extending his arms. "One year later, and here I am. 22 years old and the big cheese of Timberlake Records." JC shook his head. "Damn, you've sure been through a lot. My life story isn't nearly as fascinating." Justin waved his hand as if to dismiss the idea. "Please man, we all have a different story to tell," he said. "Not everyone gets a break in life like I did." He looked at his watch and rubbed his stomach. "I don't know about you, but I am starving." He stood up and looked at JC. "What do you say we continue this 'meeting' of ours over lunch? I know this rad little cafe I've been to a few times. You like sushi?" JC grinned, standing up. "Are you kidding me? I live for the stuff." Justin laughed, grabbing his jacket as he followed JC out the door. ~*~ Lance sat down in a hard metal chair beside the table the waiter had led him to. Joey and Chris sat down on either side of him, only half listening as the waiter began to read off the specials. "These chairs suck," complained Chris. "They seriously need some Lazy Boy recliners up in this place." Lance rolled his eyes. "You two are just being babies. Now stop whining and order your food." "I would if Stiff over here would take a breath," Joey whispered, discreetly pointing to the waiter. The three of them looked up at the man, who was looking over their heads and reciting the specials, and burst into giggles. They stopped when someone cleared their throat, and looked up at the waiter. "What will you gentlemen be having today?" he asked. Joey shrugged. "I don't know who these 'gentlemen' are, but I'll have the New York steak." Lance rolled his eyes, handing the waiter his menu. "Chicken salad please." "And what kind of dressing would you like?" "Um, ranch." The waiter nodded, turning to Chris. "And you, sir?" Chris bit his lip in thought. "Hmm, I don't know... I think I'll have the ... no, wait. I'll have two ... no, nevermind. Maybe I want..." "Chris," Lance whined, "just order your usual hamburger will you?" Chris made a face at Lance, and handed the waiter his menu. "I will have a CHEESEBURGER," he said, giving Lance a pointed look, who rolled his eyes, "and hold the cheese please." Joey choked on his water, laughing so hard that a few people at nearby tables turned to stare. Lance just buried his face in his hands, biting back a laugh. Chris looked perfectly innocent as the waiter gave him a funny look and walked away. Lance shook his head. "What in the HELL was that all about?" he asked. "A cheeseburger, hold the cheese? The hell? Why didn't you just order a hamburger?" Chris shrugged, taking a sip of his water. "I didn't want to be predictable." ~*~ JC shuffled his feet as he stood behind Justin, waiting patiently as he got the two of them a table outside the cafe. Tipping his head back, he stared up at the cloudless blue sky. It really was a beautiful day, and he had every reason to be excited. He had just sealed a major recording deal, and his boss didn't have a problem with his sexuality. Life was good, right? JC sighed. Justin turned to face him, cocking his head at his melancholy mood. "You all right?" he asked. JC faked a smile. "Yeah, sure. No problem." Justin nodded, turning back around to wait for the waiter. JC sighed again, only quieter this time. He heard a loud laugh come from across the patio and glanced up, seeing three very familiar faces. JC's eyes widened as he caught sight of a man with spiked honey blonde hair, and a smile he would never forget. "Lance." |