Chapter Three
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It was only 4 AM when Justin awoke the following day.  He knew he wasn't going to be sleeping anymore, so he decided to go for a run and try to process this offer from Celine.  He'd had a lot of time to think about his life lately, since Britney had been so busy with her album and videos.  He missed having someone around, preferably female, to give him warmth and unconditional love.  Sure, he had his mom, but he was always teased by his band mates about being a 'mama's boy' so he was trying to grow up and make some decisions on his own.  He felt as close as brothers with Joey, JC, Lance and Chris, but guys were guys, so even those relationships weren't cutting it lately.  He was more lonely than he'd ever been.  He wasn't one to whine about his life, but having millions of fans who loved him, didn't make the loneliness go away.  He hated the distance from Britney.  They'd been inseparable for several months before she headed off to LA.  And then, all of a sudden, all he had was the telephone, which wasn't cutting it either.  He wanted someone to hold and someone to hold him.  Being stuck in Orlando, preparing for the tour, made it next to impossible to find time to fly to LA to be with Britney.

As he went through the rest of his day, complete with a radio appearance, a taped interview for broadcast on MTV and rehearsals for *NSYNC's upcoming tour, he knew that Celine was waiting for his decision.  He wasn't one to be indecisive, so his head was working overtime, trying to sift through what it all meant.  At rehearsal, the guys had all noticed his strange lack of focus, and he hadn't gotten much further with the choreography, but at last, he had made his decision.  He waited until he was in his car before he called Celine.  It seemed to ring forever before she answered.  "Hey, it's Justin.  Are you alone?"

Celine replied, "Yes, I just got home from an early dinner with Rene.  Don't tell me you've made your decision already?"

Justin didn't want to sound too eager, but decided to let her know his decision, which was all he'd thought about since they'd last talked.  "I have.  When should we start?" he said, grinning from ear to ear, going for shock value, if nothing else.  He wanted to make Celine a little anxious, knowing it would make things a little exciting when and if they did get together.

Celine was suddenly a little nervous.  "Have you talked to an attorney, Justin?  I want to make sure everything is ok on the legal end."  She, in no way, had forgotten how much Justin had excited her last night, but she still felt uneasy thinking of sleeping with someone other than Rene.  She also wanted Justin to be sure of his decision.  She also wanted some time to think.

"I'm on my way to my lawyer's right now, Celine," she heard Justin say.  "It should only take a little while.  Are you having second thoughts?"

Celine knew it wasn't that.  She just felt she needed to talk to Rene, which she would do as soon as she hung up with Justin.  "No, everything is ok.  I'll see you when you get here, ok?" she said.

She hung up and dialed Rene's office.  When Rene answered, she sighed and said, "I'm so happy to hear your voice, sweetie.  It looks like Justin is going to do it and now I'm getting anxious.  I love you Rene," she said, almost crying.

Rene said, "Darling, I know you love me with all your heart as I love you.  If I didn't think we could handle this, I never would have brought it up.  I trust you completely, ma cherie."

Celine was hesitant. "It's not that I don't find him attractive, it's just that he isn't you."

Rene replied, "This will not change my love for you.  I know you find him attractive.  You chose him.  Just...enjoy...him."  He paused and then said, "Celine, please darling.  Keep in mind what the goal is and you'll be fine.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but just try to have fun.  You'll probably have trouble keeping up with him," he laughed.

Celine was pensive about the whole thing now but couldn't help but laugh with him.  "I love you Rene.  I wish I could just relax and enjoy it, but I don't know if I can," she lamented.

Rene said, "You will have to relax, honey, or it won't work.  He'll pick up on your reluctance which could put a damper on things, so to speak.  Relax and have fun with him.  Live out your fantasies.  Everyone has them.  Is he yours?"

Celine chuckled, "Well, in all the important ways, Rene, you are my fantasy.  But I do have others."  She smiled, amazed he was so calm and supportive.  "When does your flight for Toronto leave?" she asked.

"In about 3 hours.  I love you and I'll miss you, Celine," he said. "But it's only for 4 days.  This will give you time to take care of all of this, ok?"

She said, "Ok, I will.  I love you too.  Call me when you can?"

They said their goodbyes and she started getting ready for the evening ahead of her.

* * * * * *

As Justin was leaving his lawyer's office, his cell phone rang and he answered, "Hello?"

On the other end, he heard a male voice say, "Hello.  Justin, this is Rene, Celine's husband.  I think we should talk before I leave for Toronto.  My plane leaves in about 3 hours.  Would you meet me at my office?"

Justin stopped walking.  He didn't say anything.  Rene said, "Justin, are you there?   Justin stammered, trying to say something, but his mouth had gone dry.

Rene said, "Don't worry, I'm not going to give you any problems.  I just feel the need to talk to you before this happens.  Do you know where the Rockin' Rudy Bookstore is on Miami Boulevard?  My office is just next door.  Just ring the buzzer and I'll let you in."

Justin stammered, again, and this time he found his voice.  "Alright.  I'll be there," he said and started walking again but his brain was going crazy.  'This should be interesting,' he thought as he drove to Rene's office.  Justin followed Rene's directions, and soon found himself standing outside Rene's office a few minutes later.  He took a few deep breaths and wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt before grabbing the handle.  He felt like he was marching into the lion's den.

Rene stepped toward Justin and offered his hand.  Justin smiled and shook it without saying anything.  Rene said, "Justin, I'm glad you agreed to come talk to me on such short notice.  Things are happening pretty quickly.  I understand you are leaving on tour this coming weekend?"

Justin nodded, saying, "Yes, it'll be three months before we'll get much of a break.  Full steam ahead, you know."  Justin blushed a little and said, "Sorry for my attire.  I've been rehearsing."

Rene smiled.  Celine had told him what hard workers the *NSYNC guys were.  He'd been on enough concert tours with Celine and other artists to know how demanding life on the road could be.  He looked straight at Justin, not knowing really where to begin.  Justin returned his gaze with a little smile and said, "This isn't very comfortable, is it?"

"No, but not because I have any hard feelings or jealousy.  It's just a strange situation to be in.  Isn't it?"  Rene replied.  "I guess I wanted to meet with you alone so I could see what you are thinking after having agreed to do this."

Justin shrugged and walked over to Rene's desk where a picture of Celine was sitting.  He picked it up and looked closely.  "You probably want to know why I've agreed to do it, right?" he said softly, still looking at the picture.

Rene nodded his head, saying, "I have wondered.  You are young, rich and handsome and certainly don't need to do this for female companionship, if you know what I mean.  But I have watched you with her and there is definitely something there."

Justin nearly dropped the photograph as he went to set it down.  He snapped his head around to look at Rene, fearing that the situation was about to get sticky.  "What do you mean?" he said, trying to read Rene's expression and not give away his anxiety.

Rene chuckled and replied, "Don't worry, Justin.  I'm not going to say or do anything to dissuade you from this.  I don't know you very well, but Celine talks very highly of you.  I guess I'm just trying to tell you that you have to remember that this is really nothing more than a business arrangement.  When it's all said and done, are you going to be able to walk away?"

Justin visibly relaxed and said, "Yes sir, I know what I'm doing.  Celine and my lawyer have made it clear that I am agreeing to cut all the strings if she does get pregnant and to keep quiet about my involvement.  I can assure you that you don't need to worry about me falling for your wife or becoming demanding about the baby.  My word is good."

Rene looked closely at Justin to see if there was a hint of dishonesty or ulterior motives in his eyes.  But Justin's blue eyes were clear and he was returning Rene's gaze unflinchingly.  Rene didn't see anything to cause alarm.  "Why ARE you doing this, Justin?" he couldn't help but ask.

Justin's expression became wistful and hard to read.  He shrugged his broad shoulders again and sighed.  "Celine asked?  I guess, I don't know.  Britney's in California?  That has something to do with it, I'm sure.  It's a secret and in my life, I don't have much privacy.  So, maybe it's my way of just having a dangerous secret.  Nothing I can say will probably make sense to you, Rene.  Maybe I'm just honored that she asked?  I don't look forward to keeping it from Britney, but I will."  Justin looked at Rene sheepishly, chewing on his lip.

Rene said, "Well, ok, I guess I've said what I wanted to say, Justin.  Be patient with her, please.  This isn't going to be easy for her, but you know how badly she wants to have a baby.  Remember that."

Justin smiled and nodded his head, holding his hand out for Rene to shake.  Rene grabbed it tightly and firmly, never taking his eyes off Justin.  Justin knew it wasn't an easy thing for Rene to do; turning his wife over to another man like this.  "I understand, Sir," he said with respect.  "Have a good trip."

* * * * * *

Later that evening, Justin drove into Celine's driveway and parked, grabbing the contracts out of his backpack.  He had gone straight from the studio to his attorney's, and from there to Rene's office, so he was still in his navy blue workout pants and a navy Abercrombie and Fitch t-shirt.  As he knocked on the door, he thought 'How cool am I showing up in workout clothes?'  He smacked his forehead with his palm.

Celine opened the door to Justin grimacing from the blow. "What's wrong?" she laughed at his expression.

"I'm just a dork, Celine, that's all.  I've got the papers," he said, lifting the papers in his hand.  As he walked in, she noticed how he was dressed.  As if reading her mind, he turned and said, "I look like a bum, I know.  I haven't had a chance to change.  Do I smell?" he asked as he wrinkled his nose.

"Not a bit," Celine said as she looked over the papers.  "Do you want something to eat?  I've got leftovers from last night," she offered, pointing towards the kitchen, still looking through the paperwork.

"You know, if anyone ever saw these, we'd be toast," Justin said as he laughed.  "Can I go serve myself?" he said as he started toward the kitchen.

Celine didn't answer but picked up the phone to place a call.  Justin heard her from the kitchen saying, "Hi, Bob?  This is Celine.  I've got Justin's signed contract and a letter from his attorney.  You want to see these, right? OK, I will hand deliver them to you in the morning.  Thanks, Bob."

She put the phone and the papers down and joined Justin in the kitchen.  He had an apple in his teeth and a container in his hands.  "Do you want me to put that in the microwave?" Celine asked.

Justin handed it to her as he took the apple out of his mouth with his other hand. "Thanks.  I'm always starving at the end of a day like this.  I think we danced for 12 hours today.  You don't have to make a habit out of feeding me, ya know," he said as he continued chewing on the apple and looking her straight in the eyes.  He picked up on her hesitance.  "What's wrong?" he asked as he searched her face for an answer.

"Honestly, I'm feeling a little nervous.  I spoke with Rene this afternoon.  He actually gave me a pep talk about dealing with you," she said with frustration as she pointed at him.

"Whatdayamean?" Justin said with surprise.  His eyes sparkled as he laughed at the situation.  "Your husband was giving you pointers on how to seduce me?" Celine just nodded and shrugged her shoulders.

Justin paused for a moment and then flashed her a huge smile, leaned in with his lips close to her ear and said, "I'll let you in on a little secret.  I'm a sure thing, baby.  No seduction is needed."

She could feel his warm breath on her neck and smell the aroma of the apple he was still eating.  She never knew apples could be so enticing.  He leaned back and for a moment, just stared hungrily at her face, her eyes, her mouth.  He raised his eyebrows and softly asked, "Does that help?" then took another bite from the apple.  Before she could stop herself, Celine grabbed the apple out of his hand and tossed it roughly in the garbage.  She pulled him hard against her with her hands buried in his shirt.  Before he could react, she was kissing him, running her tongue along his bottom lip and then forcing his lips apart.  He moaned softly, swallowed his bite of apple and responded quickly, wrapping one arm around her waist, and the other around her shoulders to increase the pressure as he explored her mouth with his own tongue.  She had let go of his shirt and now her hands were flat against his chest.

She felt light-headed as she let him sweep her into a mind-blowing embrace that left her knees weak, and she leaned in willingly for more of what he had to offer.  His hands were now entwined in her hair and he was licking and nuzzling her neck, groaning low in his throat.  Before she could stop herself, she'd freed her arms and was gripping his hips and then his ass, helping him grind into her, and moaning into his kiss. It was wet, his tongue, soft yet aggressive and his lips were parting her own, swallowing her alive.  She was gasping for breath and barely able to think, when she heard a loud knocking that brought her back to reality.  Justin tore his lips away, and as he panted against her shoulder, softly said, "The door...."

Celine stepped back and tried to clear her head, while looking at his stormy eyes.  She left him there, staring after her as he fought to control his own breathing.  She tentatively walked towards the door, one step at a time, on shaky legs, grabbing hold of the doorknob for support and jerking the door open.

It was her friend, Madeline, standing there smiling, "Hi Celine.  I'm back!"  She hugged Celine and walked in past her before Celine could react.  Madeline had been on a cruise for several weeks.

"Maddie, I thought you weren't due for another week.  I missed you."  She pulled Madeline into a bear hug and motioned to Justin to make himself scarce.  He smiled at her and quietly made his way down the hallway, but not before sticking his tongue out at her very suggestively.  She was still gaping at him when Madeline pulled out of the hug to look at her.

Madeline turned to follow Celine's eyes but saw nothing.  Celine smiled at her and said, "Oh, it was nothing, I guess.  I get kinda spooked with Rene out of town, you know."  Celine was still processing what had just happened with Justin.  With Rene out of town, she was less confident and felt like she needed some support.  Madeline was her best friend so she decided to tell her what was going to happen.

"Maddie, could you please go home and wait for me?  I have something I need to take care of and I'll be right over.  We need to talk," Celine said as she walked Madeline toward the door.  Madeline nodded without speaking, wondering what the hell was going on.

After she left, Celine went looking for Justin.  She found him, or rather, he found her as his arm snaked out from the guest bedroom and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the dark room.  There was just enough light from the hallway to be able to see the look on his face and his lips, swollen from their previous contact.  She became aware of his right hand as it made it's way slowly from her arm to her neck.  He was pulling her toward him and all she could focus on was his full, wet lips that were already insistently kissing her own.  His tongue traced slowly along her bottom lip as if requesting permission to enter.  She opened her mouth, vaguely intending to say something, but only succeeded in allowing him to take more control.  His kisses grew deeper and her knees were beginning to buckle again as he continued to ravish her lips.

He pulled her up against him while his lips blazed a trail down the soft skin of her neck.  He nibbled his way to her earlobe and began sucking and nibbling it.  She could feel his hot heavy breath behind her ear and quietly said, "Justin..."  He reclaimed her mouth again, this time allowing his hand to lightly brush her breast.  A moan escaped from her lips as he continued his assault on her senses.

Her hands had a mind of their own and had found their way to the firm muscles of his stomach.  She forced her mouth away from his probing tongue and rested her forehead against his shoulder.  She could feel his heart beating wildly and she smelled traces of cologne and sweat.  Her right hand glided over the muscles in his back as her other slid down, running her fingers lightly along the lines of his stomach muscles.  Her lips were nibbling at his neck as she dipped her fingers beneath his waistband, stroking his sensitive skin.  He moaned loudly and buried his head in her neck, kissing and sucking and saying her name, seductively moving his hips against her, allowing her to feel how hard he'd become.

Her mind was a jumble of incoherent thoughts.  Again, it took a loud noise to slice through to her consciousness.  The telephone was ringing close by.  With everything in her, she pushed away from him and quickly propelled herself out of his arms towards the phone only two feet away.  "Hello," she said breathlessly as she clung to the phone as if for dear life.

Madeline's voice came through, "Where are you, Celine?  You said you'd be right over and it's been a 1/2 hour.  Are you coming?" she heard her friend say.

Justin had found her again and was seductively kissing her neck and wrapping his arms around her from behind.  The stubble on his chin rubbed her neck roughly.  He was still relentless with his hips pressing against her so tightly.  He was rubbing her stomach with his hands and dipping them down towards her jeans, torturing her as a few of his fingers dipped below the top snap of her jeans, always pressing, always grinding.  He was all arms, lips and those hips.  She wanted to succumb again and let him pull her under.  She wanted to lose herself in his fiery kisses and erotic lips.  But her friend's persistent questions helped her find her resolve and with a low moan, she said, "I'll be right there, I promise," hanging up the phone and laying her head back against his shoulder.  "Justin, please stop....." she heard herself whisper.  It took a herculean effort on her part to step away, out of Justin's reach.

She quickly grabbed one of his hands and pulled him behind her down the hall.  He was standing close to her as she shrugged on a sweatshirt and clutched her car keys in her hand.  "Where are you going?" he said in a low husky voice as he watched and followed her to the door.

"I have to do something.  We cannot do this tonight.  I'm not ready, Justin," was her answer as she put her arms out in front of her to stop him from getting closer, but still gazing into the stormy blueness of his eyes.

He rubbed his fingers over his lips roughly as if trying to pull himself out of the pool of sensations they'd just fallen into.  He took a deep breath and a slow grin came to his lips as he said, "I know," and closed his eyes for a moment.  "I'll call you tomorrow," he said as he allowed her to pull him out the door and she locked it behind them.

Celine waited while he climbed into his car and said out loud to herself, "What have you gotten yourself into?"  She fumbled for her car keys and got in her car, following his car out of the driveway.

* * * * * *

A few minutes later, she knocked on Madeline's door and walked in, saying, "I'm here," as she slammed the door.

Madeline came around the corner, looking at the disheveled sight in front of her.  "What the hell happened to you?" she asked as she hugged her friend.

"Maddie, I may have made a huge mistake," Celine whined as she walked into Madeline's bathroom and gazed at her appearance.  Her cheeks were flushed from contact with his unshaven face and the high emotions he'd stirred in her.  Her hair was a tangled mess.  Her lips were red and swollen from Justin's needy, persistent kisses.  "What have I done?" she cried as she stared guiltily into her own haunted eyes.

Madeline grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her into the living room.  Celine sat down in her friend's big chair and looked at Madeline who said, "Tell me what's going on.  You're scaring me here!"

Celine took a deep, jagged breath and said, almost too quiet to hear, "There was someone at the house tonight when you were there.  I had him hide in the bedroom," she said as she looked at Madeline.

Madeline knew Celine had acted strangely, but she wasn't expecting that and loudly asked, "Who was in your bedroom?"

Celine looked at her friend and then lowered her eyes.  "Justin Timberlake," she said so quietly Madeline could barely hear her.  Madeline just stared at Celine, not knowing what to say.

Celine began to tell her about the contract.  Madeline said, "Where is Rene?  Has he lost his mind?"

Celine told her he was in Toronto and wouldn't be back for 4 days.  She began spilling the whole story, in a stream-of-consciousness manner, barely breathing.   She ended the story, saying, "Maddie, I'm the one who picked Justin.  Rene knows I am desperate to have a baby and this was all his idea, not mine.  He convinced me that if I wanted to have a baby, and I wanted to do it my way, this was the way to go.  As long as we kept it top secret, we figured there'd be less possibility of it leaking to the press.  Justin signed the papers.  All I have to do is take them to my lawyer and we are set.  We have to do this before Rene returns and Justin leaves on tour this weekend.  To top it all off, I practically jumped Justin tonight after he gave me the papers."

Madeline shook her head as she looked at Celine's confused eyes.  She rubbed Celine's shoulder, saying, "You are hormonal right now and you miss Rene.  This isn't a normal situation.  You said Rene told you to live out your fantasies with this guy?  You are just reacting to all of this, Celine.  Don't beat yourself up," Madeline whispered to her.  "Rene gave you his blessing, right?  I'm not going to judge you because I can't say what I'd do in the same situation.  If this is what you've committed to do, then you have to take yourself off the hook.  Follow your heart.  If I remember right, you told me last year, that you thought Justin was beautiful.  If I had a husband as great as Rene, giving me encouragement and his blessing, I'd be all over Justin before he knew what hit him."

Celine looked at her shyly and said, "Believe me, I think I already did that.  I just hope I can see this through to the end.  I think that's why I picked him.  I found the most attractive guy I knew so I could get lost in the sex and turn my brain off.  I know, I just have to relax and enjoy being with Justin.  That shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Madeline nodded her head and gave Celine another hug.  "Not with the way he looks!  Piece...of...cake!!"