Chapter 17:

The Encounter

Brian snapped upright in his bed, confused and in a panic. Scared, he vaulted over the bed and raced to the door, jerking it open and running out into the hallway. It was naked of people. He caught his breath. He was naked! He turned to see his door closing and rushed back, catching it before his closed on him. A smile of disbelief escaped briefly as he remembered Nick getting locked out before, with almost the same comical consequences.

Brian threw on some clothing and lay down on his bed. He reached over to the remote and turned on the TV, surfing the channels. He sighed, then turned off the TV and listened to the radio. Mentally, he knew what he was doing and berated himself for it. He knew he was stalling, trying not to think of what had happened. A headache was forming and he knew it was from a combination of stress and hunger. He reached into his travel bag and grabbed a couple of Advils then rummaged around the bottom of the bag searching for anything to eat. Finding nothing, he cursed himself, and wondered if it would be suicidal to sneak down into the lobby to see if anything was open this late at night. Brian snorted in disgust. I’m scared of being mobbed by fans when I have a lunatic bodyguard beating the shit outta me? He grabbed his wallet, a jacket, and left.

Brian entered the elevator alone then punched the button for the second floor. The elevator chimed at the fourth floor and he held his breath as it opened, expecting a rush of screaming girls to flood in. A small woman entered, pushing her cart of cleaning supplies in and Brian sighed, giving her a smile of relief. She gave him a puzzled look as she straightened her cart, then ignored him. The elevator chimed for the second floor and Brian stepped off, hurrying to find the staircase. He hoped coming off the second floor and then coming down the stairwell would save him from any encounters. He knew the standard procedure for requests was to phone the on-call bodyguard but with his luck, Xavier would be the one to answer.

He eased the stairwell door open a crack, then peeked. Not a soul. Brian couldn’t believe his good luck. He slipped into the spacious lobby, looking around for a snack shop, a coffee shop, anything. Nothing. He sighed, walking up to the reservation desk. No one appeared. Brian shook his head. Where the hell was everyone? What time was it, anyway? He turned away from the desk to think. Vending machines! Why hadn’t he thought of them before? Nick and he practically lived off them a few years ago!

Now all he had to do was locate them. Great. With a hotel this big, there should be some somewhere, shouldn’t there? He was reluctant to go searching the floors of the hotel and equally reluctant to wander aimlessly. The pool! There were always vending machines there. He pushed a side door open, but not before scanning the area. It looked deserted. He stood still, taking a breath of the cool night air and trying to adjust his eyesight. He saw a small neon glowing to the right and headed over. The vending machines blinked in pink and green as they advertised their wares. Brian slipped a dollar bill in only to have the machine reject it. He tried again with the same results. He used another bill and wound up looking at the returning dollar. He swore mightily under his breath, pissed.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see two shivering girls, soaking wet from the pool. They stared at him wide-eyed, their mouths open from surprise. They barely looked in their teens.

"It is him!" said one, pushing her friend.

"Oh my God, " quivered the other. "We heard you guys were here at the same hotel as us!"

Brian took in the two, hoping they wouldn’t start shrieking and knowing if he didn’t act fast, he’d be in trouble. "Girls," he pleaded, "don’t scream, okay? Please? I just want something to eat. Um, could you help me? You wouldn’t happen to have change for a dollar, would you?"

The taller of the two nodded, unable to take her eyes off him, while the smaller one raced over to her lounge chair. She came back with a fist full of change, which Brian politely picked out some quarters and handed her his dollar bills. He punched in the numbers for a candy bar and a bag of chips then scooped them out of the bin. He turned to find them standing, staring at him, shaking from the cold. Brian had to laugh at the sight, feeling sorry for them. He opened the bar, looking at one girl. "Care for a bite?" he offered. She shook her head, unable to speak. Brian smiled again then took a large bite.

"You guys are freezing," he commented. "Go get your towels." They continued looking at him, ignoring his suggestion, and he sighed, shaking his head. He walked over to their lounge chairs and grabbed their towels, turning to find that they had followed him. He handed them each one and then sat down on a lounger, finishing up his food.

"How’s the water?" he questioned, motioning at the pool.

"Heated," replied the tall one who found her voice. "It’s nice."

"Brian, can I ask you something?" questioned the smaller one.

"Okay," agreed Brian. "Ah....?"

"Oh! Jessica."

"Ok Jessica, what?" inquired Brian, apprehensively eyeing the eager teenager, praying she wasn’t going to ask for some strange request. Jessica leaned forward, her face hopeful.

"Well...do you know Justin Timberlake?"

Taken aback, Brian stared at her for a moment, then broke into laughter, shaking his head. He started coughing violently and covered his mouth, bending over to keep from hurting his bruised side anymore than possible.

The taller one punched her friend, worried. "Great Jess! Now look what you’ve done."

She ran over to the vending machine and brought back a cold water bottle. "Here," she offered to Brian, who was now regaining some of his composure. Brian gratefully took the bottle and opened it. He drank slowly, noticing his throat was still sore.

"Thanks..."

"Melissa."

"Thanks, Melissa."

"You’re welcome. Can I ask you a question?"

"Wait..." Brian held up his hand to Melissa, then turned to look at Jessica, remembering she asked first. "Um, Jessica, I’ve met Justin occasionally but I really don’t know him. Did you want his autograph or something?"

Embarrassed, Jessica mumbled a reply, which Brian didn’t catch so he looked questioningly at Melissa.

"Jess loves N-Sync." she explained. "I do too," she added.

"Oh," replied Brian, feeling slightly foolish at thinking they were Backstreet fans. "Well, uh, yeah. They’re a good group."

There was an awkward silence until Melissa spoke up. "We like you guys, too. Just not as much. Sorry."

"It’s okay." Brian smiled at her apology, privately enjoying the humor of his mistake.

"It’s just...that Justin is so hot!" Melissa said, trying to explain. Jess nodded her enthusiasm at Brian.

Brian shifted uncomfortably. "Really."

"And, oh my God, his voice!" Melissa went on, waving her hands for emphasis.

"Whatever."

Jess jabbed her friend. "How about his dancing?"

Melissa sighed and looked at Brian. "You should see him dance!"

"Alright, alright, I think I get the picture."

"What about JC?" questioned Jess to her friend. "He’s good too." Both girls squealed in delight and looked at Brian for his approval.

"If you say so," commented Brian, ego bruised. He turned to Melissa. "Uh, did you still want to ask me a question?"

Melissa nodded her head vigorously. "Well...do you think you could get us tickets to your concert?"

Brian tried not to choke, amazed at their nerve. Oh, this is too priceless. "Sure. Want some backstage passes?" he gleefully offered, watching as they bobbed their heads in unison. He could hardly wait to have the guys meet Jessica and Melissa. He smiled inwardly at the thought of the ego deflating comparison awaiting his friends. AJ is gonna kill me.

"Thanks, Brian."

"No problem. I’ll have the tickets waiting for you at the arena’s box office, okay?"

"Great!"

Brian sensed, by the way the girls were whispering to each other, that another question was coming. He rolled his eyes. "All right, what?" he asked.

Jessica looked at him sheepishly. "Well, if you have a concert tomorrow, what are you doing here so late at night? Shouldn’t you be sleeping or something?"

Before Brian could answer he saw the girls’ attention draw up from his face to over his left shoulder. Two heavy hands came solidly down onto Brian’s shoulders and he felt the sickening familiarity of it sink home.

"These girls bothering you, Mr. Littrell?" Xavier eyed the girls, giving them a sour smile.

Brian angrily stood up, shaking Xavier’s hands off. He knew the girls were watching with interest, so he composed himself and turned to face the bodyguard. "No. Just talking to some fans. You may go." Brian made the dismissal sound formal.

Xavier looked at Brian, mouth twisted into a tight smile. "Wish I could, Mr. Littrell, but there’s a long distance phone call for you." He coolly looked into Brian’s eyes and both knew he was lying.

"I’d suggest you hurry back to your room," added Xavier.

So the game begins, thought Brian. Fear and control. Brian stood his ground, not moving.

"Tell them I’ll call back later; I’m talking to these girls right now." Brian noticed a slight twitch in the bodyguard’s right eye.

A heavy silence followed, neither one willing to break the tension. Finally, a faint smile spread on Xavier and he turned his attention to the two teenagers, and then back to Brian.

"Looks like jail bait to me, Mr. Littrell," he commented in a low tone.

Melissa shifted uneasily, glancing back and forth at the two men. She watched as Brian’s face grew dark and noticed for the first time the ugly bruises covering the side of the large man’s face. She drew in a sharp breath, suddenly suspicious of him.

"Who are you?" she demanded, rather loudly.

"Security," said Xavier bluntly. "Kinda late to be out, isn’t girls? Come on, I’ll walk you back to your room." He rested his hand on Jessica’s arm and gave the Backstreet singer a knowing look.

Brian saw the danger immediately. "They’re old enough to find their rooms." He tilted his head towards the hotel. "He’s right. It is late. Nice talking to you." Brian hoped his tone was casual as he pleaded with his eyes for them to leave. Melissa and Jessica gave Brian a perplexed look, but they obeyed and scooped up their belongings. Walking to the side entrance, they stopped then turned to glance back at him. Go! Go! screamed Brian silently. He waved as casually as he could and they smiled back before entering the building.

Brian sighed in relief as he watched as the two exited.

"Not bad," he heard Xavier drawl, and Brian turned away, angry. Xavier noticed his face and laughed. "Oh, not about the girls," he explained, "I was talking about you."

Brian spun around to face Xavier. "Me?"

"Yes. I think the game between us is going to be challenging, don’t you? I’m glad I picked you." Xavier clasped a hand onto Brian’s shoulder and Brian promptly smacked it away, hard.

"Listen, you son-of-a-bitch. Get this straight, okay? First, don’t touch me again. Ever. And second, I’m not going lose in your little game of fear and control, got it? You’re in for a fight."

Xavier studied Brian for a moment, expressionless, then a slow smile began to form. He took a few steps towards the singer then reached out to grab him by the front of his shirt. Xavier yanked Brian hard, bringing him face to face.

"I’m impressed," he spoke softly. "I was hoping you’d show some backbone. But I think you’re forgetting who’s in charge." With that statement, Xavier pushed Brian back, releasing him from his grip and slapped him open handed across the face. The vicious smack caught Brian squarely on the side of his left cheek. Brian stumbled back, eyes watering from the stinging blow. Xavier walked next to him, grabbing Brian’s upper arm.

"It’s late. I suggest you go back to your room," he advised, waiting for an answer. Brian yanked out of Xavier’s hold, then wiped the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, glaring at him. Not giving the bodyguard the satisfaction of a reply, Brian turned and walked away.

Xavier watched as the young Backstreet Boy slipped into the lobby, but his attention was drawn away when he noticed movement to his left. There, crouched next to the vending machines, were the teenage girls. Their hiding place discovered, the two jumped up and quickly ran back inside the hotel. Xavier watched as the door closed behind them, frowning.

***

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