To Be Loved
by: Anastascia Copyright '02

Money + Fame = Happiness…….Well, not for Justin…….

St. Valentine’s Day only comes once a year. So make sure your beloved feels the love and romance of this special holiday by showing them you truly care. For only four…that’s right…four payments of $19.95…declare your heartfelt devotion by naming a constellation in the fourth quadrant of the solar system after your special someone….”

“Gimme a fuckin’ break.” Justin Timberlake huffed as he grabbed the remote and switched off the tv. Feeling a chill, he pulled the plush embroidered blanket around him as he dangled his legs off the arm of the couch. He remembered his mom, acting like a typical overly protective mother, giving him a stern lecture against getting a buzz cut. She told him that most of the body’s heat is lost through the head.

Justin thought his mom had lost her mind.

Once again, she was right.

And he was wrong.

Figures.

The door to the luxury hotel suite inched open, ever so slowly, letting a small beam of light shine into the dark room.

Justin narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

‘Who in the hell would let themselves in MY ROOM without knocking? Some people have no fuckin’ respect.’ he thought to himself as he lay still on the couch.

“Justin… Justin...” fellow bandmate, Joey Fatone, whispered as he stuck his head in the room.

“JUSTIN!” he whispered again…with a little more volume. Joey’s slightly intoxicated date giggled behind him as she nearly dropped a full bottle of champagne on his foot.

“Shhhhh….Sandy…damn” Joey said, as he looked over his shoulder to give her a stern look.

“Sandy? My name’s Sara.” she slurred.

“Sue…Sandy…whatever.”

Sara began to giggle… with a few snorts thrown in for good measure.

“What’s the joke?” Joey asked.

He was getting annoyed.

Fast.

In between snorts, Sara told him that Sue and Sandy were the names of her toy poodles.

Joey leaned his head against the door frame. ‘Last time I mess with drunk chicks.’ he declared to himself.

Since Justin hadn’t answered, he figured he wasn’t there, so Joey pulled his date inside the dark room and shut the door. He pinned her roughly against the wall and began to hike up her skirt while sliding one leg in between hers. Joey sucked passionately on her neck as he ground his hips against hers.

“Oh….baby.” he groaned in her ear. “I’m gonna tear that pussy up. When I’m done you’ll……… OWWWW!!!! GOD DAMMIT!!!” Joey screamed in pain. “What the fuck?!?!?!?

“Oops….sorry, baby.” Sara giggled. “Accident.”

“Gimme that damn bottle!” Joey demanded, while rubbing his head and cussing under his breath. He took the champagne bottle from her and put it on the table. ‘Yep, never again.’ he reminded himself.

Justin, still lying silently on the couch, began to quietly chuckle into his blanket.

“Alright now….where were we?” Joey growled as he pulled Sara close to him.

“Hold on, mister.” she halted him. “You haven’t done that thing you promised me.” she whined.

“That thing?” Joey repeated. “Oh, that!” he remembered. “Ah…uh…can I do that after? I PROMISE…after…okay?” he pleaded. Joey wanted this girl in the worst way…and with his patience waning and his libido rising….he was damn near about to lose control!

“Jooooooey! You promised! If you don’t, then I’m leaving. Hmm…. I wonder what JC’s doing tonight?” Sara pondered as she straightened her micro-mini leather skirt and ran her fingers through her long wavy blonde hair.

“Damn, woman! You saw me sing, “Pour Some Sugar On Me” in the freakin’ movie. Why the hell do I have to do it here?” Joey huffed.

“Fine. Don’t do it.”

Sara turned to leave.

“Okay…okay….fuck….I’ll do it.”

“With the sugar?” she asked.

“Yeah….with the goddamn sugar.” Joey said as he scratched his goatee. “Lemme see if there’s some in the kitchen.”

“JOEY!! YOU ARE SUCH A FUCKIN’ LOSER!!” Justin exclaimed as he sat up on the couch.

Sara let out a scream.

And Joey damn near pissed himself.

“Justin…Jeezus…why the fuck didn’t you say sumthin’ you little shit!?!?” Joey screamed as grabbed his chest in an attempt to quiet his racing heart.

“Joey, this is MY suite. Why in the hell are y’all in here?” Justin asked as he switched on the light on the end table. Just then, he caught an eyeful of Joey’s voluptuous date and immediately understood why Joey would make an ass out of himself to get into her panties. Justin eyed her up and down…and made absolutely no attempt to mask his elevator eyes.

“Hey, man!” Joey exclaimed as he stood in front of Sara to obstruct Justin’s line of vision.

“Look, Justin. The hotel is booked solid and my parents are staying in my suite. So, I damn sure couldn’t bring Stacy back there.”

“Sara.” she corrected.

Joey just waved her off.

“So pleeeeeease….help your best buddy out. Just leave the room for about an hour.”

Joey glanced over at Sara, who, slightly pulled up the hem of her skirt to adjust her black lace thigh highs. Joey licked his lips in response.

“Uhhhh….make that two hours, J.” Joey placed his hands on Justin’s shoulders and added a cheesy grin to complete the groveling. “Pleeeeease.” he repeated.

“Hmmmmm….lemme think about this.” Justin said as he cocked his head to the side and pressed his index finger to his lips as if he was seriously considering Joey’s request.

“Justin, dude, did I tell you that I absolutely dig your new haircut. It makes you look……uh…..you look….” Joey stammered, trying to find the exact words to flatter his friend.

“Absolutely hot!” Sara finished and grinned at Justin with a wink.

Joey shot her a look.

“I’d love to help out you and Tara…” Justin began.

“Cara.” Joey said.

“Sara!!! My God!” she exclaimed as she stomped her stiletto on the floor.

“Sorry…Sara…” Justin said with a sarcastic tone, “but, Joey, I’m not really feeling well and I just wanted to chill tonight.”

“Justin, you’re just depressed that you’re not getting any lovin’ on Valentine’s Day.” Joey said as he put his arm around him. “Dude, you’re JUSTIN FUCKIN’ TIMBERLAKE for Christ’s sake. I bet if you went downstairs to the bar, you’d be knee deep in coochie.” Joey nodded his head vigorously to drive home his point.

Justin rolled his eyes.

He was getting pissed.

“Joey, take what’s-her-name and leave please.”

Justin flopped back down on the couch, gathered his blanket around him and looked back up at Joey….who was standing there with his mouth hung open in amazement that his friend had completely shot down his simple request.

“Uh…Joey…hello….” he began, “you two…go bye bye.” Justin reached for the remote and switched back on the tv.

“Alright…fine J…be that way, man.”

Joey grabbed Sara’s hand and led her out of the room.

“I’m gonna fuck you up later.” Joey muttered under his breath.

“What?” Justin asked as he leaned off the couch and put his hand to his ear. “You’re gonna, what?”

Joey responded with a slam of the door.



**Three Hours Later**

Justin was hanging half on and half off the couch. As if changing his sitting position would help alleviate some of the boredom. He clicked the tv off for the second time that night and slammed the remote on the coffee table.

Joey wasn’t right about a lot of things, but he was dead on with this one. Justin was in a funk because he was alone on Valentine’s Day. Hell, that he was alone….PERIOD. He envied the fact that the rest of the guys had girlfriends, well, except for Joey. As Joey would say, ‘I’d rather have my nuts nailed to the wall than have my nuts in some chick’s purse.’ Justin chuckled at the thought of his friend’s credo. Joey always had a way with words.

Being a celebrity had definitely taken its toll on Justin. He truly felt blessed being a member of *NSYNC and getting the opportunity to do what he loved. But, it was definitely a mixed blessing. Yeah, he had more money than he knew what to do with, a car for every day of the week, and houses on both coasts, but he felt his success was hollow…almost meaningless…because he had no one to share it with. And, because of his fame, how would he find someone to love him for Justin Randall Timberlake and not Juju, Justy, Ten-Man or whatever the hell else the teenies were calling him these days. Justin figured that he should just be satisfied with what he had, but there was something… or more accurately….someone missing from his life.

He leaned back on the couch, closed his eyes and began to daydream about what it would be like to finally have that void filled in his life.

To be loved…

Just then, a knock came at the door, jarring Justin from his thoughts. He rolled off the couch and almost tripped on the blanket that had entwined itself around his legs.

“Coming.” he announced.

“Who is it?”

“Room service, sir”

“Room service? I didn’t order room service.”

“Well, the kitchen received a call to bring up some dinner to this room. Room 682, sir.”

Justin was irritated.

“But, I didn’t order any….”

His words caught in his throat as he flung open the door to gaze into the kindest most gentlest eyes he had ever seen.

Now, she wasn’t the prettiest girl he’d ever laid eyes on. And, yes, he’s seen his share. She was attractive, but her eyes…they seemed so calming…so serene. For the first time, in a long time, he looked into a pair of young female eyes that weren’t crazed and maniacal because they were getting the chance to meet Justin. In fact, as he studied her face, she looked tired and uninterested.

“Well, I’m sorry to bother you, sir. There must have been some sort of mistake. I’ll take this back down to the kitchen. Good night.” She backed the cart up and turned to leave.

“Wait..wait..wait.” Justin stammered. He couldn’t let her leave. He had to talk to her. ‘Think, Timberlake, think.’ he commanded himself. It was amazing how he could ad lib at the drop of a hat at a concert in front of thousands of screaming fans, but in the presence of this one girl, his mind went to crap.

“Uhh….I’m sorry….I forgot that I did order.” Justin fibbed as his brain finally kicked into gear. He chuckled. “Barely in my twenties and I’m already going senile. Come in…. uhhhh….” Justin read her nametag, “Raquel.”

Raquel smiled and pushed the cart past him and into his suite.

[::-::Continue::-::]