Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2001 18:08:52 -0600 From: Britta Hyde Subject: Conceit Chapter 1 Disclaimer: This story is not meant to imply anything about the true sexualities or preferences of the people mentioned. I do not know any of these people. Chapter 1 A Gentlemen Comes to New York It is a fact, everyone agrees, that a wealthy young man in the 22nd century should have a wife. At least, that's the way they thought in North America. And the Bass family in Epiphany, New York, certainly agreed! Mrs. Bass, the mother, was especially concerned that her son and daughter married well. "James, did you hear that someone bought Central Park?" asked Mrs. Bass. Mr. Bass, who rarely paid attention to the news, had not yet heard this. "Ms. Harless down the street says that New York has been taken by a wealthy young man from Washington, D.C. He is single and his name is Joshua Chasez. He has a rather large income - fifty-five thousand dollars a year. Wouldn't it be great if he were to meet, fall in love, and marry Stacey?" exclaimed Mrs. Bass. It was soon her favorite daydream: Stacey, her only daughter, would marry the rich Mr. Chasez before the year was over. After all, the business of Mrs. Bass' life was to get her children married. With that goal in mind, James went to visit Mr. Chasez. It was the only smart thing to do. In Epiphany, which was an old-fashioned town, it was considered a father's duty to introduce his children into a good society. So Mr. Bass paid a social call on Mr. Chasez. He came home in high spirits. His daughter, Stacey, and his son, Lance, were to meet Joshua at an upcoming party at the nearby club. Mrs. Bass was very excited! "Lance and Stacey have to look perfect at the party, James," she proclaimed. "I just hope that Mr. Chasez will be taken by Stacey's attractiveness and grace." Mrs. Bass wasn't taking any chances! To make sure he would notice Stacey, the Bass family invited him to dinner at their home. The dinner was planned carefully - Mrs. Bass only used their finest china and cooked the most delicious foods. Finally, he arrived, accompanied by a his two brothers, the oldest brother's wife, and Josh best friend, a Justin Timberlake. The Bass's were excited to finally meet the famous Joshua Chasez, who was good-looking and very courteous. He had a pleasant face and easy manners. But, later, at the party his friend, Mr. Timberlake, attracted everyone's attention. He had a strong personality, appealing features, and a salary of 80 thousand a year! The guys thought Justin was a classy looking man, and the women thought he was even cuter than Mr. Chasez. That was, until he revealed his bad manners. Mr. Timberlake suffered from the fault of conceit - and not even a large estate in Beverly Hills or a large salary could make up for that. He was quickly hated by the Bass family, who decided he was a horrible match for their daughter. Joshua, in comparison, was perfect in their eyes. Mr. Chasez was a lively twenty-four year old and eagerly danced to every song. What a contrast between him and his friend! Justin danced only once, with Miss Chasez, and refused to be introduced to any other woman. Instead, he spent the rest of the night wandering around the club and drowning himself in alcohol. Soon Mr. Timberlake was believed to be the most conceited and disagreeable man anyone had ever met before. "Justin," said Joshua, "I hate to see you standing here by yourself. It's so much better to dance." "I won't," answered his friend. "You know I hate to dance unless I know my partner." "Come on," Josh coaxed, "there are many beautiful women here tonight." "Well, the most beautiful woman I see here is one of the many who can't stand me," Justin replied, looking at Stacey Bass. "I'm taking a break from dancing to hang out with here brother, Lance. He's really very nice. Much more enjoyable than the women I've danced with tonight. I'll introduce you to Stacey, and maybe, once she gets to know you better, she'll change her mind," Josh quickly suggested. Justin turned to look at Stacey, caught her eye, then turned away. "She is attractive enough to tempt me," he said coldly. "How rude!" thought Stacey after overhearing what had just been said between Mr. Chasez and Mr. Timberlake. As Mr. Timberlake walked off abruptly, she made up her mind. She would never like him. Stacey was a lively and intelligent young woman. She was also very independent and followed her own mind more than those of the people around her. Despite Justin's attitude, the party went on without a problem. Joshua's open admiration or Lance put Mr. and and Mrs. Bass in a state of confusion. Mrs. Bass may have despised Mr. Timberlake, but she thought Mr. Chasez handsome, dignified, and pleasant to be around. But why was he going after Lance instead of Stacey!? When the party was finally over and everyone had gone home, Lance and Stacey were in Stacey's room talking about the party. "Joshua is everything I expected, but he doesn't know I'm gay. And what would he think if he found that out? If I had told him earlier, he would have probably run out of the club screaming," admitted Lance. "He's funny and nice, and probably would never even think about me as more than just a friend." "He is also cute," Stacey teased her brother," and so he is just perfect!" Lance and Stacey, who besides being brother and sister were best friends, and spent most of their time talking about love and marriage. Their relationship was like the close friendship between Josh and Justin. Justin liked the easy, open-minded ways of his friend. Chasez appreciated Justin's judgement and understanding. But there was a big difference between them: Josh was liked by everyone; Justin was always angering people. The party brought out the differences between the two men. Joshua thought he had never met friendlier people or had seen more handsome men. "Lance Bass is an angel!" he told his friend. You see, Josh was gay. But of course, this fact escaped Lance, who never even thought about Josh returning his feelings for him. Justin, for his part, saw little to like about the people of Epiphany. "Mrs. Bass is common and ill-mannered. Your own brother agrees with me," Justin told Josh. "Well, my brother also likes Lance Bass," Joshua replied. "You may think what you like, Justin, but I don't care about Mrs. Bass. I intend to pursue Lance!"