The storyteller had the attention of the whole room and just as she was getting to the dramatic ending of her story a loud clap of thunder interrupted her. This sent the two other girls into hysterics and then laughter.
The three girls had been best friends ever since preschool. True there had been several fights where no one was speaking to the other but in the end everything had worked out for the best. If one were to take a look at the room, they would assume that the owner was daddy’s little princess, but in fact the contrary was true. She had worked long and hard to succeed on her own and while she could have gone crawling back to her parents for money at any given time she didn’t and did it all by herself.
The owner of the high-rise apartment was a perfectionist and it could be seen in all that she did. Her golden brown hair was neatly kept at shoulder length; everything about her was squeaky clean from her deep blue eyes to pink polished toenails. Her birth certificate labeled her as Tonya Lydia Carter but everyone knew her as Tonya from “Cut the Act” a hit TV series.
Yup, she was the proud dreamer and host of “Cut the Act” which brought celebrities in weekly to answer questions how they’d always wanted to in a magazine or in other interviews but couldn’t for fear of looking like an awful person. Sometimes you could tell when the celebrity was lying and then they got subjected to an audience chanting ‘Cut the Act’ and several embarrassing challenges that would lighten the mood, allow them to relax, and then they’d answer the questions again…truthfully.
Tonya had had more famous celebrities on her show than she could ever imagine and she had a picture with every one of them and her favorite ones were framed in her apartment. She had everyone from Will Smith to Aaron Carter, to whom she was not related, from Alanis Morissette to Celine Dion and almost everyone in between. Everyone that is, except for any of the members from *NSYNC. She had invited them all multiple times but they always replied with a nice card saying ‘Thank you for requesting *NSYNC to be on your show, but at the present time they are unavailable to do shows due to recording’.
“As I was saying…It was a dark and stormy night…”
Another clap of thunder shook the room and the storyteller gave in and laughed with the other girls.
The storyteller was named Chloe Olmstead and had met Tonya through their parents the day before preschool started. Chloe had always been the outspoken one of the group. She was always the one with the two-week boyfriends and moved quickly from guy to guy. This was no surprise to the others. Chloe was gorgeous. The typical California girl with thick locks of blonde hair and eyes that matched the ocean.
“I give up” Chloe said with a giggle, “I guess Mother Nature just doesn’t want me to freak you two out tonight with the story about the killer who only has one eye and walks around searching for his other eye, killing anyone who gets in between him and his eye”
“Chloe that’s so sick and twisted, it’s funny…what were you thinking trying to scare us with that story?” Alyssa said with an evil grin
Before Chloe could figure out her scheme, Alyssa pounced and started a huge pillow fight.
Alyssa Harding was the final member of the group when she moved to L.A. about halfway through their first year of preschool. She was an outsider for all of about a day and from then on the three had been inseparable. She was the so-called sensible one of the group with the logical head on her pretty shoulders. Tonya and Chloe knew better than to say she was the sensible one. During the day she modeled for various catalogs, which made perfect sense since she had a great figure and beautiful dark brown hair that always fell perfectly in place. Although, on certain nights she tended to get a little bit crazy and was an ‘exotic dancer’ at some of the nicer clubs in the area.
When the pillow fight began to subdue Tonya spoke up, “Dude, we’re all 24 years old and we’re having a sleepover with the pillow fights and scary stories included. What’s next truth or dare?”
Chloe laughed and then said “Heck yeah, do you know how long it’s been since I’ve played that game? Tonya…truth or dare?”
A small giggle quietly escaped Tonya’s mouth, “I can’t believe I am saying this but umm truth.”
Chloe and Alyssa knowingly exchanged glances and knew that now was the time to ask the question they’d always wanted to know, “Who are you always fantasizing about when we catch you daydreaming and looking off into space?”
Tonya turned beet red before she spoke up quietly “JC Chasez”
Alyssa had heard her full well but wanted to embarrass her so prodded some more, “What was that Tonya, I couldn’t hear you, say it a little bit louder”
Tonya glared at Alyssa, “I hate you, I said JC Chasez, yes I know I was supposed to outgrow the teeny stage once I hit 17 but I just think he’s really hot and whew heaven only knows what he could do with that package that’s always busting out. Is it hot in here or is it just me?”
Chloe and Alyssa busted out laughing at Tonya’s antics before Chloe spoke up, “Well why don’t you have him on your infamous TV show and then afterwards sex him up in one of the dressing rooms?”
“You think I haven’t tried that one already. Every time I send them a stupid invite all I get is a ‘Sorry *NSYNC is recording’ or some bull shit like that. We all know it’s just that they don’t want to be publicly humiliated by little old me. For goodness sake, why do you think I have a bed in my dressing room? It’s not just for me to take a nap, it’s for that day when JC Chasez comes barging in there and fucks my brains out” Tonya continued to ramble while Alyssa and Chloe just laughed
Finally Alyssa spoke up, “You know I am the stripper here and all and I know you all value my opinion so highly and all but *NSYNC is on the verge of dying here. They haven’t had a decent song since ‘It’s Gonna Be Me’. Your show could bring them back and they could unveil a new sound and look. I can see it now…all the teenys would have their tapes set to ‘Cut the Act’ and who knows maybe *NSYNC would be huge again.”
Tonya smiled and began to speak but Alyssa cut her off, “Oh and for that fucking the brains out thing just come with me some night. I’ll get you crazy drunk and hook you up with one of the guys down there. You’ll thanks me for the greatest pleasure in your life.”
“Okay enough about my sex life though I might take you up on that offer but do you seriously think *NSYNC or at least one of the members would accept this time?” Tonya asked curiously
Chloe felt the need to put her two cents in, “Uh yeah and you could always say on air, hey we’re trying to get *NSYNC on the show so all you viewers who wanna see *NSYNC e-mail or call the show and then forward it on to Mr. Johnny Wright.”
A smile spread slowly across Tonya’s face, “Chloe you’re a genius”
<~*^*^*^*^*^*~>
“What?!?!” a loud male voice echoed through the house.
The voice continued to scream into the phone, “What the hell do you mean? How did I get stuck doing this? Make one of the other guys do it. This would totally ruin me”
A calm voice on the other end of the line spoke loudly enough to be heard over the man’s screams, “Justin shut up for a second and listen. You’re acting like a baby over all of this and with the proposition she’s given us we’re forced to have one of you one there. If we don’t we have a whole heck of a lot of angry fans, since she decided to announce that one of you guys were coming, so basically we’re screwed if you don’t and the other guys all voted on you yesterday while you were busy gallivanting around Orlando and we all know *NSYNC is a democracy not a Justinocracy.”
Justin Timberlake sighed before he spoke more calmly to *NSYNC’s PR personnel, Mark Castor, “Fine Mark, I’ll do it but there’s gonna be some ground rules that will not be crossed.”
Mark spoke with a great reluctance, “Umm Justin I don’t think that can be done. Tonya has her own rules that have already been sent to us and basically the only way she’ll stop is if you’re at her knees crying your eyes out. She should be a lawyer…she’d be damn good at it, but hey she chose this and is pretty good at it so I’ve heard. We’ll try to get it so she’ll go easy on you and not completely trash your rep or anything but I don’t know how much I can promise.”
Justin sighed louder this time, “Fine Mark, just call me back and lemme know when I have to be there and what all to expect.”
“Alright, will do, later man”
“Later” Justin hung up the phone and slammed his head against his kitchen counter. “How did I get convinced into doing this? Oh yeah the adoring public needs to see their precious little Justin Timberlake. Well screw the public, I’d prefer not to be stripped of all my dignity on national television with my so-called fans watching my every move.”
Justin had watched Tonya’s show before and it was a pretty good concept for the most part and he actually enjoyed most of the episodes. It would all be great if he weren’t the one being told to “Cut the Act”.
“Great and now I’m talking to myself. Better not let her find out about that or the fans will think I’m schizophrenic or something. I probably am, who knows?”
He reached back on the counter for his phone and walked over to the couch as he dialed JC’s number.
An irritated JC picked up a few rings later, “Dude what do you want, I’m trying to mess with some recordings here.”
“Umm first of all how did you know it was me and second, I just wanted to thank you for sticking me with the wonderful ‘Cut the Act’ show…you owe me big by the way.”
“Uh actually I don’t because I saved your ass a couple months ago when you decided to get smashed when you and Brit broke up and uh caller-id is a miraculous little invention isn’t it?”
Justin sighed angrily before he spoke again, “Okay okay so now we’re even or something but tell the rest of the guys that they owe me big if you see them before I do.”
“Alright I will but we should all hit Joey’s tonight for a good time and you can tell them then.” JC said with some evil thoughts running through his head
“When you say good time do you mean movie and a couple of drinks or GOOD time with the tour whores we know he keeps at his house?” Justin asked inquisitively
“Take your pick, I know what I’m doing, but man I gotta go finish up this recording right now, I’ll see you at Joe’s at 8 tonight?”
Justin quickly searched his mental calendar for any previous commitments and when he found none spoke up, “Yeah I’ll be there, I could use some fun after the news I’ve been hit with today.”
JC used his best Yoda voice, “Nothing you have to be worried about my young apprentice. May the force be with you.”
Justin chuckled loudly, “Man whatever you’re smoking, I want some of it, but yeah go finish recording and I’ll catch you tonight.”
“Later Justin”
“Back atcha” Justin said as he slowly clicked the phone off. He was right though; he did need a good time.
<~*^*^*^*^*^*~>
The good news had reached Tonya and her crew rather quickly and Tonya was now arguing on three-way with Alyssa and Chloe about what she had to do next.
“Tonya you said you’d do something completely and totally unlike you if you get one of them to be on your show, so now you have to do so.” Alyssa said with an idea in her head
“No I really don’t think I do…” Tonya started only to be cut off by Chloe
“Tonya, come on, do something spontaneous. You got Justin Timberlake on your show for goodness sake. You need to celebrate and do something to enhance your sex life or just make you remember the good old days when you’re old and gray.”
“Ugh I never want to be old and gray…” once again Tonya was cut off but this time by Alyssa
“Okay what if you just pierced something. It’s not permanent and
it’s pretty damn sexy if you ask me to have something other than your ears
pierced.”
There was silence on the other end of the line as Tonya thought it
over, “Well what would I get pierced? It can’t be anything on my
face because I’m not about to tarnish my girl-next-door look on TV and
I don’t want my belly-button pierced, that’s such a high school look, so
what’s left to pierce?”
Alyssa laughed and Chloe spoke up, “Your nipples.”
“What? Please do not tell me you just said my nipples? That is so unlike me and…”
Alyssa butted in once again, “So perfect. It’s not visible as long as you wear a thick enough bra, spontaneous and unlike you, and I’ve heard that it can bring an orgasm a whole lot faster if the guy knows what he’s doing with his tongue and those rings. We know about your JC fantasy now and hey maybe Justin can send a word back to his buddy. I’m sure JC would know how to take advantage of those things.”
There was silence once again on the other end of the line. Tonya finally sighed and the other girls knew they had won, “What the hell, I’ll do it but you guys are coming with me and you’re so paying for it.”
“Alright” Chloe and Alyssa said simultaneously
“One of you can come pick me up in twenty minutes and I guess that’s the start of a new me.” Tonya said unsure of herself
“Okay bye girl” said Chloe
“Bye Chloe, Bye Lyssa” said Tonya
“Bye Tonya” they said together again
As Tonya hung up the phone she knew she’d gotten herself into a huge mess here, but hey hopefully all would turn out for the better and she’d have what she wanted and Justin wouldn’t be too much of a prick.