"Kevin, I'm not going to go through this again." AJ sighed.

His back was to the wall and his head was turned to the side trying to avoid Kevin's mouth as the older man leaned in for a kiss. Kevin had cornered him in the bathroom and he was getting good and pissed.

They'd broken up a while ago and Kevin for some reason couldn't get it through his head that AJ was over him. It had been hard, it had been painful, it had required him ending up in the bottom of a bottle, but he'd done it. Kevin was his past. He just wished he was Kevin's past too.

Kevin refused to let AJ's rejection get to him. Instead of kissing him, he leaned in to whisper against his ear, "You know you want me as much as I want you. God Alex, I sit awake at night thinking about you and the amazing sex we shared. I get so fucking hard thinking about being buried in your tight little ass."

Just several short months ago, that statement would have had AJ hard instantly and moaning. Now, it just pissed him off. He'd had enough. Bringing his hands up to Kevin's chest, he shoved hard, taking the older man by surprise and sending him staggering backwards. AJ stepped away from the wall, anger glinting in his eyes.

"Fuck you Kevin. You made your choice. If you're lying in bed hard then fuck your wife. Don't be thinking about me. You have no right. I don't want you to."

"I don't believe that." Kevin said stubbornly.

AJ threw his hands up in the air. "You know what, Kevin? I don't give a flying fuck what you believe. We. Are. Over. Accept it. Move on. I have."

"What?" Kevin asked, going completely still. He couldn't mean…

AJ rolled his eyes. "No, I don't mean I've found someone new. I just mean I don't have those feelings for you any more." AJ paused, seeing the hurt flash in Kevin's eyes. "Look, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but it's the truth. You need to get over me. You have a wife, Kevin. She deserves better than to have you chasing after someone else. Someone who doesn't want you anymore."

With that AJ turned and opened the door to the bathroom, walking out and leaving Kevin all alone with his breaking heart.

AJ stepped out of the bathroom and into the chaos of the party they were at. It was an inter-label industry party. AJ did not want to be there, but be there he had to, like the good little Backstreet Boy he now was since rehab. Sighing, he made his way to the bar and ordered a coke. As he waited for the bartender to serve it up, his eyes scanned the crowded room.

Several big names in music were there, both behind the scenes - producers and label execs - and people in the pop and rap spotlight. P. Diddy, Eve, various members of Nsync and even Eminem were among the odd combination of people milling around. AJ's eyes started to skim past Eminem, who was talking to Dre until he saw someone familiar bump into the white rapper.

AJ's eyes focused in on the person he recognized as one of the dealers to the stars. Many times AJ had dealt with him himself, back before rehab, back when his life had been a living hell he was trying desperately to escape.

AJ watched with disappointment as the guy slipped some drugs silently into Eminem's jean pocket. It wasn't that AJ had an overwhelming love for the rapper by any means, but he had heard he was trying to straighten himself up for his daughter, and it bothered AJ that it seemed he was back to old habits. Cocaine was some fucked up shit, and it made people do fucked up shit.

AJ turned away as the bartender behind him tapped his shoulder to let him know his drink was served. Grabbing the glass of cold liquid, he brought it to his lips and closed his eyes as it slithered its way down his throat. Some days he'd give almost anything to be able to do that with a shot of JD, but he knew those days were over if he wanted to keep his health…and his sanity.

AJ made his way out to one of the balconies overlooking the mansion's gardens, and into a shadowy corner of it, wanting a moment alone and hoping the shadows would hide him from Kevin, who was no doubt looking for him again by now. Sighing again, he wondered how much longer he'd have to stay at the party before it was acceptable to leave.

That was something else that was different since rehab. Before, he hadn't worried about what was acceptable or not. He'd just done whatever the fuck he wanted to. Now it seemed he was a tamed down version of himself. He was responsible now. He had to be. The press, the fans, his peers were constantly watching his every move to catch him slipping.

Before he could have blown out of that party five minutes after arriving and not one word would have been said about it. Now…now if he did that, hell, if he left even an hour after arriving, the next day it would be all over the tabloids that he'd blown it off to cruise the bars and get wasted off his ass.

Leaning back against the wall, AJ closed his eyes, lost in his own little world for a moment. He was barely aware of someone walking out onto the balcony with him, until that person started talking.

AJ opened his eyes, thinking the guy was talking to him at first, until he turned his head and located the source of the voice. With a start he realized the man didn't know he was there. AJ was firmly ensconced in the shadows and the guy was on a cell phone talking to someone on the other end.

AJ stood still, not wanting to be discovered for some reason. He didn't understand it. He knew he should make his presence known, but something told him to stay quiet and listen to what the man had to say. Curiosity got the better of him.

"No, it went as planned."

Pause.

"Yeah. The package was delivered. It's in his possession right now."

Pause.

"Fine, yeah, call the police. Tip them that he'll be leaving soon and that he's carrying. Make sure they search his car too."

Pause.

"Oh, and Kim, make sure when you call the tip in that you refer to him as Eminem. If you call him Marshall, it'll tip them off that you're a personal acquaintance and then it won't take much for Mr. Mathers to figure out who it was that set him up."

AJ's eyes widened in the shadows, his earlier observation of that dealer slipping Eminem drugs popping back into his head. He was being set up. By Kim. His ex-wife. But why? They were divorced, so even if he went to jail it wasn't like she'd get control of his fortune.

And Eminem was worth a fortune. AJ had read something recently that cited him being worth over fifty-five million dollars. AJ was snapped back to the present by the man's next words, which cleared up the question as to why he was being set up.

"Kim, I've got to ask you one more time. Are you sure about this? Your daughter's going to be caught in the middle…"

Pause.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. It's a bad environment for her over there. I know. You're just trying to be a good mom. I just don't want you having any regrets later. Guilt can be a bitch."

The man said a few more unimportant things to Kim, then hung up the phone. He stood there for a minute more, then turned and walked back through the sliding glass doors to the party inside.

AJ stepped out of the shadows. His eyes narrowed. So that was why. AJ had heard Eminem and his ex shared custody of their daughter Hailie. It appeared Kim wasn't happy with that.

AJ couldn't fully explain the fury that gripped his gut with that knowledge. He wasn't the biggest fan of the man, but he was impressed with how good of a father he appeared to be. AJ hadn't had that growing up. His father could have cared less about him. Eminem cared. Kim wanted to take her daughter away from a father who actually gave a damn.

AJ moved into action, crossing the balcony and stepping back into the party, scanning the crowd for the bleached blond head of the rapper. Finding him, he started toward him, not sure what he was going to do exactly, just knowing he had to do something. He wouldn't stand around and watch as a child lost a dad who actually wanted to stick around.


Chapter One
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