Book Two: A Second Chance
Staying Together
Melissa had never seen the group perform. She had mainly avoided anything to do with JC Chasez since the day she had left him behind in Orlando more than six years earlier. It had been painful to leave him behind, even though she had been the one to make it a clean break. Seeing him and the others go through the moves for the No Strings Attached World Tour, she was simply amazed. She didn’t get to see the finale since the security people hustled her backstage for their departure.
JC spotted Melissa as he stripped out of his reflective over shirt and pants. He grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat out of his eyes, then approached her in his black tank top and sport shorts. “What do you think?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around her.
“That you need a shower,” she teased when he buried his hot face against her neck.
“Besides that.”
“I think you’re pretty spectacular, Mister Chasez,” she murmured, nuzzling his wet hair.
He knew she still wasn’t talking about his performance, but he didn’t care to pursue it. He was just so thrilled she was with him, what she thought about the show didn’t really matter. “I love you, baby,” he whispered, pressing kisses along her neck.
“’C, you’re sweatin’ all over the girl!” Justin taunted.
“Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve been sweaty together,” Melissa whispered for JC’s ears only.
He grinned at her, then released her. “I’ll go shower. You waiting in the dressing room or bus?”
“Where do you want me to wait?”
He took her hand and tugged her along with him. “Since you’re no shrinking violet, wait in the dressing room.”
“Mmm…baby, there’s another reason to love you,” JC purred as Melissa massaged his neck and shoulders. Sitting on the floor between her legs, he let her work on the tight and sore muscles. “Talented hands.”
Justin and Chris sat across from them, just coming down from the adrenalin rush from the show.
“So, Mel, what did you think of the show?” Justin asked.
“That you guys put on one heck of a performance. To dance like that and still be able to sing, that takes talent and stamina.” It also explained JC’s new musculature.
JC tilted his head back to meet her eyes. “What was your favorite part?”
Melissa thought a moment. There had been so much to see! “I think ‘No Strings Attached’, that marionette part. I loved the whole beginning.”
JC was filled with pride that she had picked one of his songs – probably without knowing it.
“You ever see JC perform?” Chris asked her.
“Not since the New Mickey Mouse Club.”
“We’ve come a long way since then,” Justin mused.
“I’ll say. You were what? Twelve or thirteen?”
“Yeah. I always hoped you’d join the cast.”
She looked surprised. “It never occurred to me.”
“She was with one of the revues at Disney World,” Justin explained to Chris. “She could sing and dance circles around any one of her partners.”
“Since when did you see my shows?” Melissa asked.
“JC wasn’t the only one who adored you back then. I had a major crush on you. I wanted you to join the cast, so I could see you more often. Unless I caught one of your shows, the only time you were around was when JC was hanging all over you.”
Melissa leaned forward to drape her arms over JC’s shoulders. “Did you hang all over me?” she asked him teasingly.
“I don’t recall hanging exactly. You were so little, still are.” He ran his hands up and down her arms. “I know I always wanted to be touching you, holding you.”
“Hanging.” Justin and Chris said in unison.
The couple laughed.
“I didn’t know I had competition, J’,” JC stated with a grin. “Not from you anyway.”
“You never had any competition,” Melissa assured him softly.
“It was kinda fun to watch JC and Joey when I introduced them to Mel that day,” Justin was telling Chris. “Joey was practically drooling over her – and JC was stammering all over the place. I was the only guy with any cool. To make matters worse for poor JC, Melissa aimed right at him within the first few minutes. Joey didn’t stand a chance.”
“Even if I hadn’t met Josh, Joey wouldn’t have had a chance,” Melissa remarked. “A little too obvious for my tastes.”
JC rose from the floor to take a seat next to Melissa. He settled an arm around her shoulders. Most of the time, it was enough just to be with her, just touching her. They were so connected – it was if they had never really been apart.
“Well, you guys do what you normally do after a show. I’ll go check my messages.” Melissa gave JC’s leg an affectionate pat as she got to her feet.
“You gonna tuck us in?” Justin asked mischievously.
“I ain’t your mama,” Melissa quipped. She went over and placed a kiss on top of his curly head. “Good-night, little one.”
There was something in her sweet, gentle manner that took JC’s breath away. His children would be getting these goodnights.
“How about me?” Chris demanded. “But don’t call me little, okay?”
Melissa kissed the top of Chris’ head as well. “Good-night, Christopher.” Then she moved away to go to the back of the bus.
All three men watched until she was out of sight.
“That is one awesome lady you got,” Chris told JC.
“Yeah. Don’t I know it,” JC agreed.
“How long is she gonna be with us?”
“Until her next assignment – which hasn’t been decided yet. I’d do almost anything to keep her with me.”
“Tell Johnny,” Justin suggested.
“What?”
“Mel’s a photo-journalist, right?”
“Yeah.”
“He’s been talking about getting an ‘official’ book done on us. Tell him Mel is with us. I think it’d be great. I mean she has known the three of us for years—“
“She’d think it’d be fluff,” JC said, disheartened. “Mel is used to serious stuff. I mean, she’s been in Bosnia and the Middle East. Doing a ‘boy-band’ book is out of her league.”
“I think you’re wrong, ‘C. Mel wants to be with you or she wouldn’t have packed up in one day’s time to be with you. Ask her if she would consider it. If she says ‘no’…” Justin shrugged. “If she says ‘yes’, put it to Johnny.”
“It’s worth a try, JC,” Chris added. “You got nothing to lose and everything to gain.”
JC nodded. “I’ll go ask her.”
Melissa was stretched out on her stomach on the bed, doodling while she talked on her cellphone when JC joined her. She smiled at him and patted the spread next to her in invitation.
He lay next to her on his back, just looking at her.
“No. Hey, I don’t mind. I think I’m more than ready for a little down time. If they want Charlie, let them have Charlie.” She reached out to lace her fingers with JC’s. Bringing his hand to her lips, she kissed his knuckles. “You ready for a real shocker?…Are you sitting down?…Yes. It is that shocking…I’m getting married.”
His ears perked up. She was actually telling her colleagues?
Melissa laughed. “He figures the only way to keep me out of trouble is to marry me.”
JC lifted up on one elbow to start pressing kisses on her neck. “I want to keep you with me,” he murmured.
“When’s the wedding?”
“Damn soon,” he growled.
“Mmm-hmm…that’s him…How long have I known him? Close to seven years…It’s been a few years, but we fell all over again.”
“Amen.”
“So…nothing on the immediate horizon, huh?…Oh, I’ll be fine. If I run low on money, I’ll just dump all my stuff at his house and let him support me,” she mused.
“Baby, you don’t have to work again if you don’t want to.” JC nibbled at her sweet spot.
“Oh, yeah,” Melissa said breathlessly. “A real sugar daddy – in more ways than one.” Melissa laughed at whatever the other person said... “I’m a photo-journalist, not a nun!”
JC chuckled. “And I’m glad of it!”
“Okay, Liv. Like I said, a vacation is fine by me. Bye!”
Melissa hit end and tossed the cellphone towards her open tote bag on the floor. When it landed in the bag, she cried, “She shoots! She scores! And the crowd goes wild! Yeah!…”
JC clapped and whistled.
Grinning, she crossed her arms on his chest and leaned in. “Hey, sugar daddy, come here often?” she asked in a sultry voice.
“As often as you let me,” he replied huskily.
“How about you just stay right here with me?” She kissed her way up his chest to his lion medallion, nibbling at the pulse doing double-time at the base of his throat.
“God, Mel…”
She moved on top of him to lead him in a breath-stealing kiss.
They explored each other’s mouths and bodies thoroughly. They couldn’t get enough of each other. JC released her lips to kiss his way to the scoop neck of her tee-shirt. Melissa brought his head back up to hers to plunder his mouth as he molded her lower body to his with his big hands. Finally, he rolled to put her beneath him, pulling her thighs apart to make her cradle his raging arousal.
“I came in her to ask you something,” he panted, pulling his head back from her marauding mouth.
“So ask.”
“Not now, dammit!”
She grinned. “Forget what it was?”
“Nearly,” he growled.
She ran her hands under his tank top. “Was it important?”
“Not as important as making love to you at the moment.”
“But now I’m curious.”
“Curious is not what I am.”
“I know.” Her hands moved higher to caress his chest. “Joshua?…”
He closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her touch. “Hmm?”
“Tell me.” She lifted her head to nip at his throat. “Please?”
“It’s not important now that you’re taking a break.”
Her fingertips circled the flat discs of his nipples, making him groan. “That just means a few weeks.”
Her words sobered him quickly. He opened his eyes and frowned down at her. “That’s all?”
“Yes.”
“Damn!” He rolled away to sit on the edge of the bed, trying to calm his raging emotions. She knew how to turn him on with barely any effort at all.
“I’m sorry, baby.” Melissa knelt behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love being with you; but the world doesn’t stop simply because we want it to.”
“I meant it. You wouldn’t have to work again if you didn’t want to. Melly, I want us to be together. I’ll take care of you. I can now. I want to.”
“I don’t know how good a groupie I’d be, blue-eyes.”
“Dammit, it’s not like that. We’ll be married.” He leaned back into her.
She nuzzled him. “So…I just give up who I am to be your campasina?”
“Justin had an idea, but I don’t know…”
“What was it?”
“I realize you consider yourself a serious journalist…”
“Out with it, Chasez.”
“Johnny has been saying we need an ‘authorized book’ about the group. J’ said you’d be perfect since you already know three of us.”
“Hmm…”
“I know it’s fluff next to what you usually do—“
“Do you want me to consider it?” she asked when he kept making up reasons she shouldn’t do it.
“Hell, yeah! An in-depth bio could take months.” He tilted his head back to meet her eyes. “A year?” he suggested hopefully.
“Okay. Put it to your manager and see what he says.”
“Really?”
Melissa laughed. “Yes. Really. In a year…who knows? A little Chasez could be on the way.”
“Yeah,” JC sighed happily.
“Josh?”
“Hmm?”
“Are you mad at me?”
“No, baby, I’m not.”
“Can I get you all hot and bothered again?”
JC chuckled. “Like you’ve ever bothered to ask before.” He stood up and lifted her to her feet. “Let’s get ready to play first,” he suggested. He pulled the covers back on the bed.
“You realize you came in here too soon? I was going to put on a sexy nightgown and wait for you,” she told him as she removed her shirt.
He pulled his shirt off over his head. “Another time.”
Melissa was there, her soft hands tracing the contours of his shoulders, chest and abs, making him groan with pleasure. “I love your grown-up body,” she told him truthfully. “Of course, you’re the only man I’ve seen totally naked—“
“I’m the only man you’ll ever see naked, if I have any say,” he grumbled.
She slid her hands to his neck to urge his mouth to hers. “You’re the only man I want to see naked,” she whispered against his lips. “You’re the only man I’ve ever wanted.”
Her words so pleased him, JC kissed her in the way that never failed to melt her. He took her top lip between his, stroking the delicate flesh inside with his tongue. Next he gave her bottom lip the same treatment. He followed that with a sensual full kiss, tasting her teasing her until she whimpered helplessly.
Melissa pulled her head back. “You know what that does to me.”
“Uh-huh. It hasn’t change in all these years.” He removed her bra and dropped it to the floor. “But these have, haven’t they?” Tenderly he fondled her breasts. “You were so perfect to me then. How in the hell did you manage to improve on perfection?”
“Josh?”
“Yeah, Mel?”
“Make love to me.”
He lowered her to the bed, coming above her. “All night, sweetness.”
Removing her jeans, he took his time touching and kissing every inch of silky flesh until she was begging him to come to her. Quickly, he discarded the remainder of his clothes, then came back to her.
“Please, now,” she whimpered.
JC slowly eased into her waiting heat. “Damn! You feel so good!”
“So do you, baby.”
“Promise me, Mel. Promise me forever,” he pleaded, desperate for her vow.
“I promise to love you forever, Josh,” she soothed, raising her head to place a kiss on his chest. “This is where I want to live, in your heart.”
“And I want to stay in yours – forever.”
With those assurances, JC took his time making slow, tender love to the woman who was in his heart for eternity.
“Mom, guess what?” JC called his mother the next morning as he lingered in bed with Melissa. She was snuggled against him, drowsily tracing letters on his chest. He grinned when he figured out the first set: MM+JC. “I found Mel.”
“Melissa?” Karen Chasez questioned.
“Yeah.”
“It’s been a while.”
“Too long.” He brushed his mouth against Melissa’s temple. “I still love her, Mom – and she loves me.”
“You never did seem to get over her.”
“Never did.”
Melissa scrawled ‘tell her hi’ on his chest.
“Mel says ‘hi’,” he relayed.
“Tell her ‘hello’ for me,” Karen told him.
Melissa smiled when she heard JC’s mother.
“Mom, I want to marry Mel. I want it quiet and fast. I’d love to have you all there, but…”
“Just be happy, Josh. That’s all a mother can ask for her child.”
“Mel makes me more than happy, Mom. She makes me whole.”
“I’m glad you two found each other then.”
“It’s like we’ve never been apart, yet it’s different somehow.”
“I should hope so. Neither of you are seventeen anymore,” his mother mused.
“We’ll get to see you when we can.”
“We’ll all look forward to it.”
“I’m just blissed-out, Mom. Mel, this tour, the record…it’s all coming together.”
“I’m thrilled for you, Josh.”
“Well, I guess, I’d better let you go…”
“I’m glad you called, son. Bye.”
“Bye, Mom!” Ringing off, JC put his arms around Melissa.
“She didn’t have a heart attack?”
“Naugh. Mom’s pretty tough.”
“It’s nice that I got put before the tour and the record.”
“Baby, right now, if I was forced to choose between you and my career, I’d choose you.”
“But you love music!” she protested.
“I love you more,” he murmured before he kissed her softly.
His sincere statement stunned her. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing. You already did.”
“What?”
“You already put your career on the backburner for me. Think I hadn’t noticed?”
“I didn’t make a conscious choice.”
“Which is even nicer.” JC smiled. “You did what I needed you to do without even thinking it over. You just did it.”
She shifted to kiss him. “Because I’ve always loved you, blue-eyes.”
Just then, his cellphone chimed and he snatched it up. “JC.”
“So what is this ‘fantastic’ idea of yours?” the group’s manager asked.
“Actually, Justin thought of it first. You know the idea you have about an ‘authorized’ group bio book?”
“Yes. I haven’t found anyone I’d be happy to hand it to yet.”
“You want lots of new pictures, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Ever heard of Mel Madison?”
“Have I? The guy’s a freaking genius with a camera.”
JC chuckled. “The guy’s a girl, Johnny.”
“What?”
“Melissa Madison. Mel is short for Melissa.”
“You want her to do the book?”
“Justin suggested it and Chris agreed.”
“Do we know she is willing to do it? This isn’t her usual project,” Johnny pointed out.
“Mel is willing to do it. And she knows me, Joey, and Justin from the old Mickey Mouse days.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“That I am going to marry Melissa the first chance I get.”
“What!”
“I asked Mel to marry me and she said ‘yes’.”
“Are you sure about this? A sudden reappearance of an old friend?”
“Are you asking me if she tracked me down, because I’m famous?” JC smoothed his hand comfortingly down Melissa’s back and rested it on her hip. “No, she didn’t. You don’t know the story. I’ll have to tell you sometime. We saw each other again and knew it was right.”
“Does she want to do it under Mel Madison or Melissa Chasez?”
“Which name do you want on the book?”
“I’d like Melissa Chasez, but whatever he prefers,” Melissa answered.
“Melissa Chasez,” JC relayed to Johnny.
“Have her people call me. We’ll work out the details.”
“Thanks, Johnny.”
“I’m taking your guys’ word on it that she can deliver.”
“She can.”
“I’ll talk to you soon then.”
“Thanks. Bye.” JC hit end. “I guess your agent is supposed to call Johnny,” he said to Melissa.
“I’ll call Liv after breakfast,” Melissa told him.
“Thanks, baby.”
“For what? You haven’t seen the book yet.”
“For wanting to use my name. You know how great that makes me feel?”
She shrugged. “If I’m married to you, that’ll be my name.”
“We got a couple of days free coming up pretty soon. Let’s fly to South Carolina and get married.”
“Not Nevada?”
“I think Las Vegas or Reno would be too obvious. Myrtle Beach is closer to out next venue.”
“I love South Carolina. They have Krispie Kremes!”
JC laughed at her enthusiasm. “Shouldn’t you be more excited about getting married?”
“I’m plenty excited about that,” she assured him.
“Then it’s cool with you?”
“Yes, it is cool with me.”
He took her hand, kissing her knuckles. “I need to get us some rings.”
“Josh, that can wait—“
“No, it can’t. I want the world to know you’re mine.”
“Are you thinking straight? Wouldn’t it be better to let the fans get used to the sight of me first?”
“We’re gonna have rings, Mel.”
“Of course, but…”
“What?”
“Compromise? Buy the rings. Were you going to get me an engagement ring?”
“Hell yeah!” He seemed offended that she would even ask.
Melissa laughed at his indignation. “Down, boy!”
“Mel, dammit!” he growled. “Just because it’s a quick wedding doesn’t mean I don’t want to give you everything.”
She was still giggling at him. “Do you recall your proposal?”
JC looked sheepish. “All right. So, it wasn’t the most romantic proposal—“
“No, it wasn’t.” She nuzzled his neck. “But then we’ve never been exactly been the typical, romantic couple.”
“We haven’t?”
“Let’s see…First, you were too shy to ask me out – even though I made it glaringly obvious I was more than willing to be with you…So, instead of asking me out, you ask me to be your girl…Then you finally kiss me—“
“You liked that kiss,” he reminded her.
“Have you ever given me flowers?”
“Well, no…But I wrote you songs.”
“Did we ever have candlelit dinners?”
“Hell, we were seventeen!…I took you for picnics at the beach at sunset.”
She laughed at his outrage.
“Is that what you want, Melissa? Do you want to be wined and dined and all that stuff?”
“I’ve got what I want – you,” she told him softly. “Did you want to hear my compromise?”
“Got off the track, huh?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Since I’ll have an engagement ring, I can wear it alone for a little while. People’ll know we’re a confirmed couple. Then after a while, the wedding bands won’t seem like such a shock.”
“I guess…”
She kissed his pouting mouth. “We’ll do it whatever way you want, Josh.”
JC nodded. He hadn’t really thought of anything beyond their getting married. She made a lot of sense, whether he liked it or not.
Melissa pulled away and got out of bed. She reached for her tee-shirt.
“Mel?” he called from the bed.
“What, baby?”
“Do you really think I’m such a loser in the romance department?”
“What?” She dropped the panties she was about to put on and spun around to face the bed. “No, like you said, we were teenagers – and we didn’t really have a lot of time to spend together.” She moved onto the bed to stretch out on top of him. “You were sweet, thoughtful, polite – and one helluva good kisser. What more could a girl ask?”
“Flowers?”
“You wrote me songs.”
“Candlelit dinners?”
“You took me for picnics on the beach at sunset.”
“We were too young for wine.”
“I was intoxicated by your kisses. I still am.”
JC flipped her to her back, coming over her. His mouth captured hers in a long, leisurely kiss.
“Like I said, you’re one helluva good kisser,” she murmured huskily.
There was the thump of a fist on the door. “You still alive in there?” Justin called.
“I’ll come out when I’m good and ready, thank you!” Melissa yelled back. “Get lost, junior!”
Justin’s laughter faded as he moved away from the door.
“Guess that’s my cue to get dressed,” JC muttered.
“I don’t think so.” Her arms went around his neck, pulling his head down. She ran her tongue along the shell of his ear, then nipped and sucked at the lobe, making him shiver.
“Uh…Mel…baby, you know—“
“That makes you nuts,” she finished for him. “I know,” she whispered in his ear, her warm breath making him quake. “That’s why I’m doing it.”
“But you were getting dressed.”
“I’ve changed my mind. Is that a problem?”
He grinned. “Not from where I am. Lose the shirt?”
“Now that sounds like a plan.”
The members of *NSYNC accepted Melissa’s presence as she snapped pictures and interviewed each one for the new book. All of them promised never before seen photographs of their youth and teen years to make the book special.
“Bet interviewing JC was easy,” Lance commented one day as Melissa rode the other bus with him and Joey.
“I haven’t interviewed Josh,” she told him. “Actually, it’s kind of hard.”
“Why? You two are so close.”
“That’s why it’s hard. I mean, I knew him as a teenager. Some questions don’t need to be asked – and still I don’t want to come off sounding like some starry-eyed teeny.”
Lance grinned. “Actually, I’m surprised he let you ride this bus without him.”
“Why is that?”
“You’ve never heard him lecture us? He tells us to look out for you, to make sure no one is mean to you. We’re all supposed to be your big brothers – he reminds us of our ‘duty’ to you.”
“That is totally asinine.”
“Mel, you’ve know JC longer than Lance,” Joey told her as he came to sit across from her. “He’s got this ‘daddy’ complex of his down to an art.”
“To be honest, he wasn’t that way with me.”
Joey grinned. “Maybe that’s because you were years ahead of him back then.”
“He was very sweet.”
“He was innocent and naive as hell.” Joey leaned back in his seat, studying her. “I never understood your attraction to him.”
“Maybe because he was all those things. He was certainly the nicest boy I had ever met – including you.”
Melissa’s cellphone chimed and she picked it up. “This is Mel Madison.”
“Soon-to-be-Chasez,” came the low, intimate voice of the subject of conversation.
“You think?”
“I know. Baby, we’re gonna stop in a bit. You tired of Joey’s company yet?”
“Joey’s, yes. I like Lance though,” she teased. “Miss me?”
“I do, sweetness,” JC told her.
“Then I’ll come interview you.”
He laughed. “That’s a unique way to put it!”
“Joshua!” She giggled. “Bad boy!”
“JC?” Joey asked.
“You have no idea,” Melissa quipped.
“T-M-I!” Lance shouted.
“All right, Josh. They’re ready to get rid of me now!”