AN: Everyone who has sent feedback truly, truly rocks. ******************** Nightmare of a Lifetime: Chapter Eleven ******************* If Nicole didn’t know better she would say that the five international super stars had been not so patiently waiting in their private dining room for her. As it was, she gave them the benefit of the doubt and chalked it up to coincidence that they were lounging around and popped to attention the moment she poked her head in through the door. She ignored them with practiced ease as she sauntered in and grabbed a plate from the half eaten lunch buffet. She whistled as she helped herself to mashed potatoes and meatloaf that she hoped contained real meat. They were on some weird food diets at times and you never knew when tofu might sneak itself in and disguise itself as good old fashioned red meat. Nicole found herself an empty seat at one of the several round tables in the private dining room, propped her feet up on the nice linen tablecloth, and began to eat tidily. Five curious boy band members and one camera man gathered round and watched. It was Chris who broke the silence that had fallen over them all. “So, is he good in bed?” Nicole howled with laughter as the other four men spluttered. Chris winked at her. ****************************************************************************** She dodged as many questions as she could and returned to her room before Frank awoke, leaving Bill, the camera, and *NSYNC behind. The six men, with Bill, sat around the vacated plate and stared at it. “Frankfurt McAllen is a male whore,” Bill said mildly. Five sets of eyes snapped to him. “I’ve covered Ozz Fest before. They’ve been openers for Ozzy for a couple of years. Perry’s been with Frank about two years, give or take a few months.” “He cheats on her?” JC asked softly. Bill shrugged. “Word is they have a totally open relationship. She isn’t exactly monogamous either and, truthfully, from idle gossip at MTV, Frank would ask her to marry him if he thought he had a snowball’s chance in hell keeping her, philandering and all. He adores her in his own warped sort of way. “Perry cares for him, maybe even loves him on some levels, but she wouldn’t marry him if he asked and won’t stay with him if she finds someone new. She’s a perfect rocker’s girlfriend cause she means it when she says she doesn’t care if they sleep around as long as they’re safe about it.” “But I bet she’s broken a few hearts too, huh?” Joey asked. “The perfect woman… she works, is young, pretty, likes hard music, understands the lifestyle and makes allowances for it to a point…” “But she won’t marry anyone stupid enough to cheat on her when they’re dating. She’d be in a committed relationship if someone ever cared enough to ask but she won’t put restrictions on herself and her lifestyle that her boyfriends aren’t willing to share either,” Bill concluded somberly. “I have a lot of respect for our young Ms. Perry. She understands more than people give her credit for.” “Then why don’t you marry her?” Justin asked mildly from his seat, though his blue gaze was angry. Joey grinned at his youngest band mate. “Well, Bill for one is married, and as beautiful as I admit I find our host, that’s one cookie jar that’s remaining full. I’m not sure I’d get out without her biting my hands off.” Lance guffawed. “You’re just worried about your hands? Come on Joey, we all know you better than that!” Joey growled and lunged at the blonde Mississippian who ducked, causing him to fall into Chris and take the dining room table with them. Bill was laughing again as he filmed the expressions of the two *NSYNCers as they rose out of the wreckage of the table covered in food, drink, and a utensil or two. Lance looked smug as Chris glared daggers at an equally bedraggled Joey. “That’s what happens when you mess with the South!” Justin snorted from mirth and high fived Lance before the two turned tail and ran with Joey and Chris hot on their trail. Bill taped them until the last food splattered shoe disappeared out the door before turning to JC who was shaking his head, a bemused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “How have you stayed sane for the last twelve years?” Bill asked. JC raised dark brows and grinned. “Simple really, I didn’t.” ***************************************************************************** Nicole wasn’t one prone to nervousness. She was fine with public speaking, didn’t mind crowds, was comfortable in small spaces, and was last truly nervous when she had met *NSYNC for the first time over a month ago. Funny it should be them making her nervous again. She wasn’t looking forward to introducing them to Frank. She had hoped, foolishly, to keep Frank happily occupied in the bedroom until he had to catch the last plane of the night in order to meet back up with Ozz Fest on tour. Frank, while usually quite receptive to the idea of spending time in the bedroom, was bound and determined, beyond all normal reason, to meet the men she had spent her last waking month with. Nicole didn’t like the jealous glint in his eye. She really, REALLY didn’t want to break up with her boyfriend of two years on tour over his jealous tendencies and *NSYNC but it was her job. She wasn’t going to make excuses and she wasn’t going to change her life for him. There were two men she’d change herself for. When, if, Nicole Perry found a man she could be with forever, she would have no qualms about entering an equitable and loving relationship with her future husband. She’d already changed her world, herself, for Steven. He was her brother but she loved him more than she loved herself. She would kill herself for him. Would murder or maim, or, or follow *NSYNC on tour for three months if it got her the money to take care of him. It wasn’t as if their mother would. It wasn’t as if they knew their separate fathers. But Frank was neither Steven or the man she could spend the rest of her life with. She would break up with him if he made her. It would hurt but she leave him and not loose sleep over it. On a lot of levels he understood that. Understood it well enough that they had been together for over two years. Might be together longer if he didn’t let his boy band insecurities make her choose between their tenuous relationship and the job that supported her little brother. Steven wasn’t going to go hungry just because Frank was jealous of Justin freaking Timberlake. Nicole had been hungry half her life and she’d be damned if Steven had to remember any time soon. She had worked her ass as long as she could remember because if she didn’t make her life happen, no one would. She didn’t want Steven to grow up as fast as she had had to. Nicole hadn’t finished high school. Steven was going to college and graduate school if she had to work herself into an early grave. She had promised herself that a long time ago. She took a deep breath and stared in the mirror of her hotel as she waited Frankie to finish dressing and primping in the bathroom. For a hardcore rocker, he was surprisingly vain. Perry smiled a bit at her reflection but the expression, while lighting her face, didn’t reach her dark, dark eyes. Her jaw tightened and locked as Nicole remembered what she had looked like for so long, lost and afraid. She wasn’t lost anymore though and she hadn’t called herself Nicole in a long time. Nicole was her mother’s choice and Perry had severed all emotional bonds to her mother long ago. Even if Perry still supported her along with Steven. She’d support the devil himself if it helped Steven. Nicole jumped as Frank came out of the bathroom. He laughed at her and when she smiled this time, she made it reach her eyes. He looked handsome, all six feet of him, from his shaggy black hair to his size twelve sneakers. “You look like you just rolled out of bed,” Perry said with a laugh. “It takes time to look this unkempt!” he remarked with mild amusement. Nicole shook her head and tugged at the chain he had hanging out of his pocket. “If you say so Frankfurt. Come on, we’re going to be late. If you want to meet the guys before they go onstage we’re gonna have to haul ass.” “Yes ma’am!” She rolled her eyes and started to drag him out of the room. They paused long enough for him to grab his duffel bag since he was going straight to the airport from the venue. He caught her though, right at the doorway, and drew her close, kissing her deeply, intimately, almost desperately. It took a moment but Nicole returned the kiss just as passionately and whole heartedly. When they broke apart he rested his forehead against hers, breathing heavily. “I don’t want to loose you Perry. I love you baby, so much.” She looked up at him through her long, long lashes, dark gaze almost black. “Then don’t make me choose…” she whispered painfully. Nicole slipped out of his grasp and opened the door. With a deep sigh, Frank followed.