Date: Fri, 4 Apr 2003 18:09:30 -0700
From: dkstories@cox.net
Subject: Phone Call 2

Okay, considering that I was getting responses on this story before I'd
woken up, I'll take them as indicative of people enjoying this story.  I've
actually found myself enjoying writing this story so far and hope you have
half as much fun reading it.  Let me know what you think, constructive
criticism is always appreciated.  If you really liked something, let me
know.  If you really hated something, let me know too (and I recommend
telling me why as well) Enjoy!

Legal Stuff: I don't know NSYNC or any other celebrity mentioned.  While
real people are the basis of characters, they are characters here and do
not represent the real lives, thoughts, or feelings of the real people.
Again, these are characters based on them, not the real people themselves.
If you are too young, or live in a location where it is illegal to read
stories that include love between men, read no further!  Like that would
have ever stopped me...


A Phone Call -- Chapter 2


Previously --


"Shit, you're fucking Lance Bass!" I exclaimed.

"You're gay?!" James nearly shouted at the exact same time.

***

There are moments in life when silence reigns supreme, and this was one of
them.  We both sat there on the couch, half turned towards each, our mouths
hanging open.  The moment seemed to drag on forever.  The movie was coming
to a close on the television, but neither of us made a move to turn it off.
After what seemed like an eternity, a giggle started deep in my chest,
which I tried to stifle.  Naturally that just made it worse and it turned
into a full-blown belly laugh.  James stared at me, clutching my belly,
head thrown back in a full laugh and was soon laughing as well.

"The...look...on...your...face!" I gasped out eventually.

"My...face?"  James responded between laughs.  "You...should have seen YOUR
face!"

Our laughter continued for a few more minutes and I realized the initial
discomfort between us was gone.  James had a twinkle in his eyes as we got
ourselves under control, and I suddenly remembered hearing stories about a
lot of practical jokes taking place in NSYNC.  James sat back on the couch,
lifting one leg up under him and looked around the apartment again.

"You would never know a gay man lives here." He said after a moment, his
voice taking on a teasing tone.  "I mean dark wood furniture, a few
mirrors, a couple of prints on the walls.  No pictures of buffed hunks
oozing sex appeal, no Martha Stewart.  Are you some type of retarded gay
man, you didn't the home decorating gene as well as the gay gene?"

"No," I said, trying to frown instead of smile at his teasing.  "I was
traumatized during my coming out period.  My parents didn't disown me, they
actually like my ex-boyfriend better than me.  He gets all the nice
presents every Christmas.  So, I rebel and decorate like a straight guy."

"And clean like one too." James smirked as he ran a finger along the coffee
table and it came up with dust bunnies.

"Hey, this is Arizona." I retorted.  "You clean one day and it's covered in
dust again the next.  Just wait, once you get into your home, you'll come
back after a few months and you'll have to wade through the dust piles.
That is if they let you move in. This is Arizona after all. Your homeowners
association may have rules against boy band members living there.
Something about plummeting property values, I think."

"Hey!" James exclaimed.  "What do you have against boy bands?"

"Me?  Nothing.  But you know how Arizonans can be.  They don't like their
idyllic little lives flustered by loud parties, streams of women coming in
and out all the time.  And the fans!  They aren't gonna like hordes of
screaming teenie boppers standing outside the gates all day and night."  I
ranted for a bit, and Lance busted out laughing again.

"Man, you have a perverted image of us!" James laughed.

"What, you mean that's not your life?" I asked a little sarcastically.  I
had only known him for a few hours, but I was pretty sure that James wasn't
the type to throw wild parties.  I just had to tease him some.

"No!" James responded indignantly.  He looked at my face, saw my smirk and
startled chuckling.  "Good one. I think we've established that we can tease
each other now."

"Yup." I agreed with him.  "And I think we've established that neither one
of us is going to run screaming out into the night at the horrible
revelations we've just witnessed."

"Well, I'm not."  James said quietly, then his face filled with an evil
gleam. "The guest room does have a lock, doesn't it?"

"Yes," I answered, slapping his arm lightly.  "Too bad I'm really good at
picking them."

"Picking locks?" James said, his voice rising on the second word. "You know
how to pick locks?  Oh...a friend with a criminal history at last!"

"No criminal history, at least that's on record." I told him with a smirk.
"My sister and I use to fight like cats and dogs.  She'd run to her room
and lock the door all the time.  After the hundredth time I knocked her
door in to finish the argument, my parents finally beat it into my head
that I shouldn't be breaking doors.  Money was tight enough as it was.  So,
instead, I learned to pick the lock and finish the argument."

"Oh, man!" James was laughing again.  "I can just see you picking that
lock, smirking like you are now.  You were probably thinking `I'll show her
who's boss around here!'"

"Right on the first shot!" I laughed too.  "Are you sure we haven't known
each other for years?"

"Sometimes I just click with people." James said smugly.

"Must have been all those years living on a bus." I said slyly.  "I mean, I
didn't grow up in a rich family, but at least we never had to live on a
bus."

"Hey!" James said, slapping me on the arm this time.  "I'll have you know
that bus was very well equipped!"

"With five boy band members on board?  I bet it was well-equipped." The
leer on my face was so exaggerated that he couldn't help laughing.

"Well, let me tell you about the time that..." James started into a story
of his early touring days. It had to do with Justin Timberlake discovering
the joys of masturbation.  I thought I'd been laughing hard before, but I
was literally rolling on the floor by the time he was done.  That got me
started into a story about catching guys jacking off in the shower on board
ship (Yeah, I was in the Navy, so sue me).  James followed that up with
another story about some of the overseas shows they did and their
sightseeing trips through different countries.  I followed with a story
about Thailand, and the lorrie stop in a small village.  This time he was
rolling on the floor after I explained about the great shishkabobs this
street vendor was selling.  He had a really nice cart with the cutest damn
monkeys climbing around.

"So, you see my buddy and I finally got the vendor to understand that we
were asking us what kind of meat it was.  He pointed at the monkey and
rubbed his belly.  My buddy and I figured out that we were eating monkey.
So Darryls runs to the gutter and starts puking his guts out. I turned back
to the vendor and ordered two more.  I ate them back in the lorrie for the
rest of the trip.  Poor Darryls.  He was lucky that were in the open back
so he could puke the entire rest of the trip.  I don't think us going
around a mountain on a curvy road helped him much either."

"Oh, man!" James stuttered out through laughter. "You are so damn cruel!"

"I can be, I can be." I told him with a smile. I looked over at the
television, which was displaying the selection menu from the DVD we had
been watching.  The time on the machine made me groan aloud.  James
followed my stare and he groaned aloud too.

"I can't believe it's 1:00 a.m. already!" he moaned.

"Tell me about it, I'm the one who works for a living!" I said, thinking
about work in the morning.  I'd gotten my warranty files set up for Monday
already, but Fridays were usually spent on the phone with developers (and
citizens) who were trying to get clearances before the weekend.

"Hey, I work hard too." James exclaimed, looking a little offended.

"I know, I know.  I'm just jealous because you make so much more than I
do."

"Well, let me hear you sing sometime." James said, smirking a little.

"Why? So you can pay me to shut the hell up?" I joked.

"Is that all I have to do, pay you and you shut up?  I wish you'd told me
that earlier." James said as he reached for his wallet.  Before he could go
any further, I picked up a pillow off the couch and smacked him hard.  That
started a pillow fight, something I haven't done in years.  Before I knew
it, he had me on the floor, on my back and he was straddling me.  I looked
at the television and saw it was now almost 2:00 a.m.  When I looked back
up at James I saw something that I didn't expect.  His face was flushed, he
was breathing heavy (okay we both were), and his eyes shown a look I'd seen
before.

Desire, lust.  Our eyes stayed locked together at that point.  I let my
guard down just a little, just enough for him to see that I felt very
similar about him.  He leaned forward until our faces were just inches
apart.  I started wriggling uncomfortably under him, not sure if I was
ready for where this was going, but him placing his hands on my shoulders
quieted me down.

"Please tell me you're single right now." He said quietly.

"I am." I answered simply.

"Good, cause I got a confession to make." He was whispering now.

"What kind of confession?" I asked, playing out the word game.

"You're not the only one who is gay here."

"Really?" I asked, not taking my eyes off of his.  "That's not right,
there's only two of us here."

"Do you ever stop joking?" He asked with a smile.

"Not when I'm nervous, no." I answered honestly.

"Then I think I'm going to have to shut you up." He said softly, and
lowered his lips onto mine.  The gentle touching of our lips soon became
passionate exploring of each other's mouths and all thoughts about work,
worries about getting hurt flew out the window as something else began to
grow in my pants.  How long the kiss lasted, I didn't care.  What I did
care about, and what worried me was that I hadn't responded to a kiss like
that in years, not since my last relationship ended.  He pulled back a
little and smiled down at me.

"That was the best kiss I've had in a long time." He whispered.

"Me too." I responded.  "I think it's time to call it a night."

"I agree." He said, then a look of worry crossed his face.

"Your rooms over there, stud." I told him "Don't get me wrong, I like you.
I like you a lot.  But I have a track record of never having a relationship
work when I slept with the guy the same night as meeting him.  I'd like to
be your friend and take things slowly."

"I'm the same way." He said with a soft smile.  He stood up, and offered me
a hand in getting myself up.  Once we were standing, we looked again into
each other's eyes and smiled.  This time we kissed a little more chastely,
but with just as much passion.

"Good night." His voice was husky and filled with sexual desire.

"Good night."  I told him.  "I'll leave the spare house key on the counter
for you.  Go ahead and sleep in, you'll probably need it.  Give me a call
at work tomorrow and I'll try to hook up with you for lunch or something."

"Sounds good, see you later." He said as he walked off into the guest room.
I let out a sigh, turned off the television, and made my way into my own
bed and sweet dreams.


***

Yep, it was a typical Friday.  The phone had been ringing off the hook all
morning, people were calling me pissed off. Between their negative
attitudes, and the lack of sleep I was in a pretty bad mood as well.  I'd
no more than hung up the phone, staring at the red message indicator light,
than the phone rang again.  I sighed and picked it up, expecting another
angry caller.

"This is Dave." I said into the receiver, my tone clearly showing my
exasperation.

"Sounds like your day is going as bad as mine." The deep voice on the phone
had a hint of amusement and a lot of exasperation in it.  Suddenly my day
became a whole lot better.

"Well, it's not so bad now." I said in a lighter tone.  "Unless you're
calling to complain about not being able to move in yet."

"No, that will be Monday." James said with a short chuckle.  "I've got
other problems I'm trying to deal with right now."

"What's wrong." I asked him.

"My PA, Melinda? He said with a questioning tone.

"I remember hearing her name, yes." I told him.

"Well, she called me this morning saying she quit.  As if that isn't bad
enough, the agency doesn't have anyone available until Monday.  Naturally
she didn't find me a hotel for tonight and she didn't make my flight
arrangements for tomorrow morning. On top of that, the band I'm promoting
this weekend is having some trouble and I've been spending all morning on
the phone with them, and I have to get some paperwork.  I was calling to
see if you knew where a Kinko's was so I could use their computers.  My
laptop crashed as well."

"Crap, sounds like you are having a bad day."  I told him, my brain working
overtime. "Well, there's no need for you to go to Kinko's.  There's a
laptop and a desktop in my room.  Both are hooked up to cable modem.  Feel
free to use them.  Just don't get my keyboard all sticky if you watch too
much of my porn."

"Oh, that is gross." He said with a laugh.  I felt good at having
brightened his day up a little.

"As for tonight, I would be honored if you would stay at your new friend's
house again."

"My new friend?" he said.  I could see his smile despite not being able to
actually seem him.  "I didn't know I had any friends out here."

"Funny, very funny." I told him.  "If you want, I'll make your flight
arrangements for you.  Just tell me what airline you prefer, flight times,
if you want a return flight, and if you want a rental car."

"You will?" he asked, his voice showing some disbelief.  "Um, thanks, but I
don't think they'll let you charge the flights to my credit card."

"Don't worry." I told him.  "I'll charge it to my card, give you the
receipts and you can pay me back later.  I'm pretty sure you'll pay me
back."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." I told him honestly.  "It's what friends do,
help each other out."

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He told me, then he paused for a moment.  "What
are you doing this weekend?"

"Dusting." I said, referring to his smart ass remarks of the night before.

"Think you can postpone it?" He asked me.

"I could if I needed to, why?"

"Well, I was wondering if you would like to go with me, my treat."

"Hmmm, since you put it so nicely, yes." I agreed immediately.

"Great, get two first-class seats to L.A. We need to be at the venue by
11:00 a.m. so make sure we land at least two hours before that.  Get a
rental car, I prefer an SUV.  Don't worry about hotel, I have a condo in
L.A.  They actually let me move in when I bought it."

"Okay, smart ass." I told him.  "What about return trip?  I need to come
back Sunday night."

"Book us both on a return flight sometime after 6:00 p.m." He instructed.

"Got it." I said.  "Now, get your stuff done.  I'm going to skip lunch
today and try to get out of here a little early.  Is that okay?"

"Sounds good." He said.  "By the way, do you mind if I raid your fridge?"

"Go ahead," I answered.  "Make yourself at home.  I'm not that territorial
about stuff, so long as you don't delete my porn."

"Got it, wreck the house but don't delete the porn." James said with
another laugh. His tone got a little more serious. "Thanks, Dave.  I really
appreciate all the help."

"Hey, I'm getting a weekend in L.A. with a pop star!" I retorted.  "It's
nothing.  Talk to you later."

After hanging up the phone, I quickly made some phone calls.  Most of the
airlines were booked, but I found two first-class seats on a flight leaving
at 9:00 a.m.  It was only a one hour flight so we would land with plenty of
time to make it to his `venue' by 11:00.  The rental car was a little bit
more difficult.  I called several companies before getting a decent price
on an SUV, but those arrangements were made as well.  I even got a City
Employee Discount at the rental place.

"Going somewhere?" A voice interrupted my thoughts as I was hanging up the
phone from the rental place.  I looked up and saw my boss standing in the
doorway.  An older man in his late fifties, I often prayed that I looked as
good as he does at that age.

"Yeah, heading to L.A. with a friend." I told him.

"That's nice.  Just don't come back with dyed hair, more earrings, or any
more tattoos." He joked.  It seemed like the last three trips I'd made with
my best friend had resulted in all of those happening.  It was a running
joke in the office about what I'd end up with next time.

"Don't worry, I'm not going with Manuel." I told him.

"You're not?" he said, getting a fake leer on his face.  "Have we met
someone new?"

"Don't know yet." I told him.  "We'll have to see where it leads."

"Wow, you actually sound like you're interested in more than just sex." He
said.  He knew me all too well.

"I think I am." I said a little dreamily.

"That's good." He told me, sitting down in one of the chairs.  "It's about
time you found someone.  I came by here to see if you can help me out."

"Sure, what you need?" I asked him.  People were always asking me to help
them get stuff that was hard to find.  When I first moved to Phoenix I'd
spent a lot of time at clubs and bars.  Since I was fairly extroverted, I
met a lot of people and had developed a lot of connections throughout the
area.

"Well, my granddaughter has been begging me for tickets to that Justin
Timberlake/ Christina Aguilera concert next week.  The only tickets I can
find are way up in the upper deck. Do you think you can do better than
that?"

"I might, how much do you want to spend?" I asked.  I immediately thought
of my house guest, but decided I'd rather try to get them on my own.  I
knew a few people who might be able to help."

"No more than four hundred for two." He told me.

"Okay, I'll call you when I find out." I told him.  He got up and left,
while I returned to answering the phone, which was ringing again.

The rest of the day passed in a blur.  That was the good thing about being
so damn busy at work, there was so much to do and not enough time to do it
all.  I skipped lunch as planned, but it was 4:30 before I knew it and I
there was no way I was going to get out early.  I was proofing a report
that had to be ready for an 8:00 a.m. meeting on Monday when a knock on my
office door interrupted me.

"James!" I exclaimed after looking up.  He stood in the doorway, dressed up
clothes that fit more into Hollywood than Phoenix, his hair was all spiky
and I wondered how I hadn't recognized him the day before.

"Hey, I figured you probably got snowballed so I thought I'd drop by." He
said with a small grin.

"Yeah, I'm just finishing up this report.  It's been a hectic day." I told
him, leaning backing in my chair. I waved him in to one of the office
chairs and he sat down.  Before I could say anything else, my boss popped
his head in the doorway.

"Oh, sorry, didn't know you had someone in your office." He said on seeing
James.  He gave James a second glance and had a look on his face like he
was trying to remember something.

"No problem, Chuck." I told him.  "This is my friend James, James this is
my boss Chuck."

"Nice to meet you." Chuck said, coming into the office and shaking James'
hand. "Dave, did you get a chance to look into that matter we discussed
this morning?

"Uh, yeah.  It wasn't a problem." I said after a moment's hesitation trying
to remember exactly which matter he was talking about.  "I got you two
floor tickets to the concert.  They were $160 each."

"Which concert?" James asked curiously.

"Oh, the Timberlake/Aguilera concert next week." I told him.

"You were able to get floor tickets that cheap this close to the date?"
James asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I have an acquaintance who works at the venue.  He owes me a few
favors."

"Sounds good, Dave." Chuck said, pulling out his checkbook and writing out
a check for me real quick.  "When will you get the tickets?"

"Monday night.  I'll bring them in on Tuesday morning." I told him, then it
was time to make good on the second of my deal with the friend who works at
the venue.  "By the way, Chuck, did you still want to get rid of the
tickets for Thursday night's game?"

"Yeah, you want them?" Chuck asked.  "I'll let you have them for face
value."

"Sounds good." I told him, handing him the check I'd already made out.  My
friend had already sold his tickets for the game then decided to take a
date to that game. Chuck's season tickets were excellent seats and the
trade for the tickets had resulted in the lower prices for the concert
tickets.  All part of making a deal.

"I'll get you the tickets on Monday morning, okay?" Chuck said as he left.
"Have a nice trip!"

Before James and I could continue our conversation, the phone rang again.
James laughed at my exasperated sigh.  The phone call was our receptionist.
There was an upset developer at the front counter and I decided to go down
there instead of having him come to my office.

"James, I have to head downstairs.  Be back in a few minutes." I told him.

"Okay, um, where's the bathroom at?" he said.

"Down the hall on the left."  I told him.

"See ya in a bit." He said, heading down the hallway as I headed
downstairs.

The discussion at the counter was mercifully brief, if loud.  Neither one
of us were too pleased, but it was now five minutes till five and I was not
going to deal with anymore issues.  I headed back up to my office to get
James, but was stopped along the way by a co-worker.

This particular co-worker was a middle-aged woman with three teenage
daughters.  We actually got along quite well, having shared shots of
tequila on a Friday Happy Hour or two.  Her face was a mixture of
curiosity, excitement, and something else as she stopped me.

"Dave, do you know who that is in your office?" she whispered.

"Yeah, it's a friend of mine, why?" I asked, hoping she hadn't recognized
him.

"You know that's Lance Bass from NSYNC don't you?" she whispered more
urgently.

"I better, he is my friend after all." I told her, hoping it would end
there.

"My girls are all going to be heartbroken when they find out you're dating
him." She whispered conspiratorially.  This was not good.

"Uh, Jean, I'm not dating him." I told her honestly.  "We're just friends."

"Right, uh huh.  Sure." She was still whispering.

"Jean, please don't go starting rumors about my friends.  Look, I can be
friends with other guys and not sleep with them."

"So, you haven't slept with him?" She asked.

"No, and I have no plans to sleep with him anytime soon." I told her
truthfully.  It all depended on your definition of soon.  Maybe in a week
or two.

"Okay, sorry if I offended you." She told me, her posture a little
downcast.

"Don't worry about it Jean.  Just don't assume that because I talk to a
guy, or am friends with them, that I'm sleeping with them." I told her.

"Sorry, it's just after that messenger..." She started to say, but was cut
off by me.

"Let's not go there please?" I asked her.  "Have a nice weekend."

"You too, Dave." She said as she walked out.  I turned and headed back to
my office only to see James leaning against the doorway.

"So, what's this about the messenger?" he asked, an evil grin on his face.
My blush was enough of an answer, but I had to say something.

"I actually had met him at the bar the night before.  I took a long lunch
after he delivered stuff and came back with a shit-eating grin.  They've
never let me forget it since then."

"Oh, I see." James said with a smile, then he got a little more serious.
"Thanks for not outing me."

"I would never do that to anyone, much less a celebrity." I told him
seriously, a look of concern on my face.

"I knew that, but it was just nice to see my opinions confirmed.  So, what
are the plans for the evening?"

"Let's go have fun?" I asked him, shutting off my office lights.

***

A quick trip home and an even quicker shower & change took less than hour
overall.  The drive downtown took almost as long, so it was a little after
seven when we walked into a small Italian restaurant in downtown Phoenix.
The older couple that owned and ran the restaurant were the parents of
another drinking buddy of mine.  They greeted me warmly and sat the two of
us in a secluded corner of the restaurant.  As usual, they brought a nice
bottle of wine with the bread and appetizers and we chatted amiably for a
few minutes.  It seemed that Jeff (their son) had broken up with his
boyfriend of two years and was now working at a club in Scottsdale.

"They seem like a nice couple." James said as they left and we began
looking at the menu.

"They are." I answered simply.  We sipped the wine while perusing the menu.
Our waitress soon came to take our orders.  Dinner proceeded at a very
relaxing pace, and our conversation wandered towards various topics as we
got to know each other better.  We talked about his family, his friends,
and growing up.  It was about halfway through the main course that we
started talking about religion.

"So I grew up in a Southern Baptist household." James was saying, his voice
getting a little bit tight.  "I went through a lot of soul searching when I
first started thinking I might be gay."

"Tell me about it." I commiserated with him.  "Try having your dad be a
Southern Baptist preacher."

"Your dad's a preacher?" James exclaimed, his face breaking into a smile.
"It seems we have a lot in common."

"Yeah, we do." I agreed, smiling as well.  "My old man was a real hellfire
and brimstone preacher, too.  He had more sermons on Revelations than any
other book of the bible.  I remember when the AIDS crisis was really
heating up.  He was up there every Sunday preaching about how homosexuals
will burn in hell and how they were just `reaping the fruits of their
labors'.  Meanwhile his son is sitting in the pew thinking of how he's
going to burn in hell because he's boinking his male cousin."

"You were having sex with your cousin?" James said, his voice going a few
octaves higher.

"Yeah, my cousin was two years older and I was the one who made the first
move." I told him, blushing a little.  "I remember it was Christmas Eve and
we were sleeping on the floor of my grandmother's house, sharing some
blankets.  He was fourteen, I was twelve."

"You were having sex at twelve?!"

"Yeah, I wish now that I had waited, but that wasn't to be.  I grew up
convinced I was going to hell anyway, so I decided that I might as well
enjoy the carnal pleasures while I could.  I was drinking, smoking, even
did drugs all between twelve and seventeen.  I moved out at sixteen,
dropped out of high school and everything."

"Wow." James breathed out, sitting back in his chair and staring at me for
a moment.  I was starting to get worried that I'd scared him off.  "Yet,
here you are, in your late twenties, with a good job and doing pretty well
for yourself."

"Yeah, I joined the Navy at seventeen, got out at 21.  Took advantage of
the GI Bill and went to college.  Got my degree and ended up here."

"Sounds like you're a poster boy for rehab." James said quietly.

"Never went to rehab." I told him flatly.  "I stopped doing drugs months
before boot camp because they test you there.  Then I spent four years
knowing I could be tested at any time, so I never was too tempted to try
anything.  Ever since I got out, I've always remembered how I was before
the Navy, and what I achieved while I was in, and well the temptation just
has never been strong enough for me to give up all I've achieved."

"I'm glad to hear that." James said seriously.  "I've seen what drugs can
do to people in the business and I decided that I would not be friends with
people who used."

"Believe me when I say that was probably the best decision you could make."
I told him quietly.  "Even if you're not using, being around people who do
will drag you down with them.  Plus it's awful watching people go down that
dark path."

"It is." James said sadly, and I knew that he'd seen it before.  I decided
to change the topic.

"So, what are we up to this weekend?"

"Well, I've got a new group I'm trying to promote.  They're pretty good
although they are a little unstable.  There's a charity event at a club in
L.A. that they are scheduled to perform tomorrow night.  Make sure you pack
some nice clothes to go, cause I want you there with me."

"Remind me to pack some stuff tonight." I told him with a smile.  It looked
like we'd probably make a short night out tonight.

"I will.  Do you mind if I leave most of my bags here?  I just want to take
enough clothes for the weekend.  That way we won't have to check any
baggage."

"Sounds like a plan." I told him.  We'd finished our meals and were now
eating dessert.  Lena and her husband came over and we chatted some more
before the bill came.  James tried to grab it but I go it first this time.
"Na uh.  You're in my town, it's my bill to pay.

"Then I pay for a meal in L.A." He insisted.

"Done." I agreed.

"Where to now?" he asked me.

"Do you feel like a drink?"

"Sure, how about that club that Lena mentioned."

"Do you think it would be wise for `Lance Bass' to go to a gay club?" I
asked him.

"Won't be a problem." He reassured me with a smile.  "Everyone knows gay
clubs have better music.  Besides, I'm going out to be supportive of my new
gay friend."

"As long as you're okay with it, then let's go!" I said.  We'd driven in
his SUV so I gave him directions to Scottsdale.  It was actually in the
direction of home so it wouldn't be as long of a drive back after we were
done. I'd dressed in some designer jeans from London and a gray satin shirt
from Paris.  They matched nicely with what James was driving.  We pulled up
to the club and walked past the line of people waiting to get inside.  The
bouncers waived us through (okay, I knew a LOT of people in the gay scene
here, including the owners of this club.)

"Wow, star treatment and everything." James laughed as we walked into the
crowded club.  "I'm starting to think you are the celebrity here."

"Well, I became friends with the owners on a slow night." I told him.
"They invited me to the employee Christmas party.  I got really smashed
that night, and well, everyone remembers me real well.  He laughed at that
and we made our way to the bar.  Jeff was at one of the stations and I
steered us towards him, even though there several people there.  Jeff was a
real cute guy, and everyone wanted to get to know him better, especially
now that he was single again.  We finally made our way to the front of the
line, and he turned around from the register.

"What will it be...DAVE!" he shouted when he recognized me.  We both
stretched over the bar to give each other a hug.  "How you been, man?"

"Good, good." I told him over the bar noise.  "Just had dinner at your
parents and they told us you were working here now."

"Yeah, I finally took your advice and dumped the bastard, so I had to get
another job." He told me.

"Sorry things didn't work out for ya."

"That's okay, I just wish I hadn't waited so long.  So who's the cute guy
standing next to ya?"

"Jeff, this is my friend Jim. Jim, this is Jeff." I Introduced them.  They
exchanged nice to meet ya's and we ordered drinks.  I paid for them and
gave Jeff a pretty good tip.  He probably needed the money now that he was
out on his own again.

"Well, see ya around." I told him and stretched over the bar for another
hug.  As we hugged he whispered to me.

"Your friend looks just like Lance Bass."

"I know, he's nice too."

"Good luck, and if things don't work out, come look me up."

"Will do, Jeff, will do." I told him.  Lance and I left the bar and took a
cruise around the club.  I nodded at a few people I knew and chatted with a
couple of others.  We stopped under one of the television screens that was
showing videos to the music playing.  Believe it or not, this particular
spot was farthest from any speakers so we could actually talk in a halfway
normal voice.

"That Jeff is stunning." James said into my ear.

"Yeah, I use to have the biggest crush on him." I confided "Now we are good
friends though."

"That's nice to know." James answered back.

"So, the villain has returned to the scene of the crime." A voice said from
behind us loudly.  I suddenly remembered why I hadn't come to this club in
the last few months.

"Hi Steve." I said, turning around and shaking the hand of a well-built man
in his mid-thirties.  His dark hair was still shaved in a high and tight
and his muscles looked bigger if anything.

"Who's the Lance Bass look-alike?" Steve asked after shaking my hand.

"Oh, Steve, this is..." I started to introduce him using Jim, but he beat
me to it.

"I'm Lance Bass" James said with a bright smile for Steve.  Inwardly I
groaned.

"Cute twink you picked up, Dave.  He needs an attitude adjustment though."
Steve said.  "Maybe I should have one of my bouncers talk to him."

"Uh, Steve, before you do, I should tell you he is telling the truth." I
told him.  Just at that exact moment, Bye Bye Bye came on the screen and
Steve glanced up at the screen and back to James a few times.

"Shit, I'm sorry Mr. Bass." Steve started apologizing.  "Dave has been
known to play some pretty elaborate jokes on us.  Welcome to our club."

"Steve owns the place with his partner." I informed James.

"He's going to be so pissed off when he finds out you were here while he's
out of town." Steve told James.

"Well, maybe next time I visit Dave we'll come back and say hi." James
said, smiling now.

"Oh, that would be so wonderful." Steve said, gushing a little.  "He's a
big fan and he'll be putting out three times a day for the next six months
to get the chance to see you."

"Gee, wonderful." James said with a grin.  "You want me to come back so you
can get laid, but it's not with me.  I'm hurt."

"That's about it." Steve said, and we all laughed easily.

"I'll even call you before we come back next time, if..." James said
teasingly.

"If...?" Steve said, playing into James' game.

"If you tell me why you called Dave a villain and this the scene of the
crime." James said with a big smile.

"Oh no!" I exclaimed "Steve don't you dare tell him..."

"Deal!" Steve said with a smile.  I tried rushing him, but the bastard
former marine held me off.

"It all started last year when someone set our New Year's clock five
minutes early.  Larry and I rushed out to announce the countdown to a club
full of people, the streamers go off, champagne is flowing, then he turns
on the television where the announcer tells us it's two minutes to
midnight."

"Oh my god!" James exclaimed as he busted up laughing.  "That's a good
one."

"Yeah, well, Larry and I decided to get him back real good." Steve said as
I gave up and just started blushing.  I knew what was coming and I was
hoping James wouldn't get offended by what he was about to hear.

"What did you do?" James asked and I groaned inside.  I looked at my half
empty drink and considered shooting it down, but chose not to.

"Well, Larry and I have a somewhat open relationship.  It works for us.
Both of us have been interested in Dave, but he kept on turning us down,
something about a hang up he has with guys in relationships.  He came in
here one night, really depressed.  It was like a Tuesday or something.
Larry was working the bar with a staff member that night and proceeded to
get Dave very, very drunk.

"I'd just gotten back from my aunt's funeral!" I protested weakly.  James
gave me a consoling look and patted me on the shoulder.

"Yeah, well we decided to go ahead and play our joke on him anyway." Steve
said with a smug smile.  I couldn't help but smile weakly in response.
Even in his mid-thirties he was one hell of a hot man. The real reason I
kept turning them down was that if I ever did it with him, I'd want him all
to myself, and I refuse to break up a damn good relationship.

"Larry called me up and I came in to the bar through the back.  Dave didn't
know I was there.  Then, when Dave decided to take a piss, Larry followed
him into the bathroom."  About this time, I started blushing even more
furiously.  James looked at me and smiled.  He must have had an idea of
what was coming up.

"Dave was standing at the urinal, weaving a little when Larry came up
behind him.  Larry reached around him, hugging him from behind and nibbling
at his neck.  We'd heard that he loves that.  Larry told me that Dave just
moaned and looked up at the mirror.  While Larry continued nibbling at
Dave's neck, he reached lower and started massaging Dave's dick as well.
He said the boy was already hard as a rock at that point.

"Then Dave decided to go all moral on Larry and started trying to move
away.  Larry had a pretty good grasp on Dave by this point so the most Dave
managed to do was turn around until he was facing Larry.  Larry swooped in
for a kiss while Dave's shorts fell to the floor.  It was at this exact
moment that I came in with a digital camera and started taking pictures.
Dave thought I was going to use them to break up with Larry!"

Both of them started laughing at me.  I just blushed redder and redder.  It
was embarrassing.  James was probably thinking I was a total slut now.
Well, I had been at times in the past, but not recently.

"Do you still have those pictures?" James asked.

"Most definitely.  I'll bring them in next time you come in." Steve told
him.

"That's a deal." James said, shaking Steve's hand.

"I'll get you back for this." I told Steve.

"Sure you will squid boy.  Then I'll just have to get you back again."

"Oh god, you two are as bad as Chris and Joey." James groaned, shaking his
head.

"Did he just compare us to a boy band?" Steve asked me, his tone indignant.

"I think he did." I responded.

"What are we going to do about it?" Steve asked. I wracked my brain and
decided to get a little daring.  If anything was ever printed about it, it
could easily be explained as a practical joke.

"Dance sandwich." I said firmly.  Steve nodded his head and before James
could do anything, we had dragged him onto the dance floor.  For the next
twenty minutes we danced with James sandwiched between us.  My heart really
started racing when I realized that James was dancing with us after the
first few minutes, and that he never turned away from facing me.

As midnight rolled around, we both realized it was time to go.  We'd spent
some time talking with Steve, and he'd let Jeff take a half-hour break with
us.  James' secret was out by then and Jeff gave me a bad time for faking
him out.  It was then that James' had leaned in and asked me to go ahead
and use `Lance' whenever we were in public.  He didn't want people to use
James or Jim unless they were good friends and in a private setting.  For
some reason I felt all tingly when he said that. Still, it was hard to
think of him as Lance since I'd met him as James.  Still, I got use to it
pretty quick.

The drive home was uneventful, especially since we'd both stopped drinking
alcohol over an hour before driving, and neither of us and had more than
two drinks at the club. Lance barely needed any directions once he got on
the freeway and we were soon walking into my apartment.  A quick hug, and a
kiss on the lips was my good night gift from James.

I went to bed totally exhausted after a long day.  It's a good thing I'd
set the alarm before we left or I'd never have woken up on time.


***

To be continued...