It was pitch black in the room and all he could feel was the heat of her body against him and her hands trailing against his bare chest. Which sent a current of goose bumps all over. He kissed her aggressively, it had been so long that he didn’t taste her sweet lips. His hands ran over her legs and up her thighs, and higher till he felt her eagerness.

She let out a sigh of pleasure as she felt his hands. Then she moaned letting him make his way into her, she closed her eyes, letting him kiss her neck, then her jaw and back to her mouth. There was no other sound, but the heavy breathing of the twosome as his gentle steady movements continued.

“Howie…” she gasped.

“Huh…” he panted, still moving rhythmically.

“…I love you” she bit her lip and closed her eyes feeling the current of pleasure run through her whole body.

He couldn’t see her, but he could feel her body tremble against his and held her tight as he felt himself release. “…I love you too” he breathed meeting her mouth again.

AJ puffed on his cigarette “Where the hell are they?” he questioned out loud.

Nick came from behind “Don’t tell me your worried about the love birds? For all you know their doing something naughty in one of the bathrooms or under the kiddy slide.” Nick began to laugh mockingly.

AJ pushed him hard “That’s not funny. Millie is mine…” he balled his fist with anger as he threw his cigarette on the ground and smashed it. “Fucking Howie”

“Whatever, I think Millie made it clear that she didn’t love you after the first night you two spent together and then she tried blinding you…can’t make her love you…when she obviously loves Howie, dumb ass!” Nick retorted walking away.

Millie leaned against the wall in the dark hallway as she played with Howie’s hair “I missed you…” she smiled, then frowned realizing that he would be going back to his wife after the venue. “Erm…what now?” she asked.

He smiled at her, pressing his lips against hers softly “Uh…what do you want to happen?” he sighed as he saw the sorrow return to her eyes “I’ll leave her…for good. Then I’ll come here and we can…”

“You would do that?” Millie’s face brightened “Really?”

He nodded, pressing against her and kissing her like he might never see her again.

AJ huffed with frustration making his way towards the hallway. He stood watching the twosome leaning against the wall in an embrace, his blood boiling. “Millie you ok?” he asked walking closer to them, but keeping his distance.

She finally let go of Howie, rolling her eyes at AJ’s insistence. Ever since their encounter, he seemed so fanatical and controlling. “Uh yeah I’m fine.” she looked into Howie’s eyes almost ignoring AJ’s presence, which made him even angrier.

“He’s just playing with your emotions Mill…he’s still married. Remember? He chose her…”

Howie turned abruptly “What the hell is your deal? You can’t face the fact that she doesn’t love you…! You are the cause of most her pain asshole. Did you forget already!” he shouted with fury. “So why don’t you go back to your booth and leave her alone.”

“Why don’t we let her decide that.” AJ responded sharply and with confidence “Millie tomorrow night he’ll be going back to Leah and what about you? I love you Millie. Didn’t I prove that to you already?” he was angry and inflicting any type of pain on Howie was good, even if it affected Millie too.

“What is he talking about?” Howie now turned to look at her, his eyes burning with jealousy. “Answer me” he shouted making her jump.

Millie shook her head, the tears had already started again. Her response would ruin it all, whatever had just happened would be buried with her response. “Uh…well…”

“See she doesn’t know what she wants…aggression or gentleness!” AJ laughed mockingly “Now I don’t know how she is with you…but with me…”

“AJ STOP!” Millie cried out, as Howie looked at her with hurt in his eyes.

“Did…you…with…him?” he couldn’t get the exact words out.

She covered her mouth, as she choked the words out “It was…once…” she crumbled at the disappointment in Howie’s eyes.

“Twice baby…the second as intense as the first.” AJ smiled proudly, but he knew that he was hurting two important people in his life. His anger and ego were greater than his understanding, that she didn‘t love him.

Howie bowed his head and closed his eyes, wanting it all to be a bad dream. He looked back up at her “Getting even?” he whispered.

“No…Howie…” she spoke softly, shaking her head gently. “It meant nothing…”

AJ was now standing a few feet away, his smile had wiped off and he was beginning to regret the outburst. Now there was no going back, he got a deadly glare from Millie and he knew. He had lost her.

“She’s ALL yours” Howie said shoving her hand away as she tried to touch him. He pushed AJ with force, making him slam against the wall, as he walked past him.

“Howie…Please…” she almost pleaded, slowly falling against the wall.

AJ stood watching her, he tried putting his hand on her shoulder “Millie…”

She stood up abruptly letting him have a smack on one side of his face and then the other. She continued trying to hit him as he subdued her and spun her around, pushing her back against his chest. “I’m sorry…ok! This was for your own good.” he whispered into her ear.

“Let go of me…” she demanded struggling to get away from his grip. “NOW!” he let her go, she spun around “I hate you…I never want to see you EVER again.” she walked away leaving AJ standing in the dark hallway.

Howie huffed and puffed with anger as he punched the air. He could have killed him, betraying him like that. Millie. How could she have done something so low? His own best friend? He felt he bile rise to his throat, he felt sick, like someone had punched him in the stomach. Swiftly he ran into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

“Howard?” Brian knocked on the bathroom door as he heard his friend heaving “You ok in there?”

Howie wiped the tears from his eyes, just to have more accumulate. He placed his hands on the sink and bowed his head. “I’m fine Brian.” he mumbled as he opened the door.

Brian inspected him “Have a run in with the kid? She’s crying her dad is consoling her and well AJ almost left…we have to perform we promised too and it’s for a good cause.”

Howie sighed “I know…I’m ok.”

“They are on their way down here…PLEASE just calm down. I can tell that your angry about something but we just…”

He cut off Brian as he heard the voices coming down the hall “I got it!” his voice was heated.

Through the tunnel came waltzing in Nick, and AJ, both colliding into Brian that was near the door. “Who died?” Nick chuckled, then quieted at the silence from the other three.

“I’ll wait outside.” As much as he hated it, he couldn’t stop picturing AJ all over her, pleasing her and kissing her. He shook his head with fury and leaned against the wall, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill.

“Dad please I’m fine…really I just have to get out of here now. I want to go home.” the tears kept coming, choking her words “Please…dad…” the more she thought about the look on Howie’s face the more the tears flooded her eyes. “I screwed up”

“Now…now Millie…” he hugged her, her face against his chest “What the hell happened?” he pulled her face up to look at him “You have to calm down.”

On the stage jumped one of the firefighters in his uniform, announcing the special guests of the evening. ‘Backstreet Boys’ was all she heard, then began the humming from all four singers.

Millie didn’t bother looking she could hear the music and the voices filling the air, she continued to bury her face in her dad’s chest. The voices weren’t making it easy, she couldn’t understand what had just happened? What happened to AJ?

Howie caught a glimpse of Mr. Nunez, he could see Millie tucked in his arms. He watched her intently and felt an elbow ram into his side “There come a day…when…” she turned at the sound of his voice, startling him and making him pause.

“Howard…” Brian whispered.

“Huh?” he looked up at the blonde man “When you walk out of my dream…” the rest joined in the chorus “face to face…” his head was spinning and he felt nauseous all over again. He closed his eyes to stop the whirling in his head.

AJ watched his friend, he had gone pale and looked like he would fall off the stage any moment. Then he looked at the pale face looking up at them from a distance. He hated himself at the moment, for causing so much pain. “Unmistakable…” he sang the lost part as he continued to look into the distance. There had to be a way to fix this. Then again, he wanted Millie for him, she belonged to him now. Didn’t she? His thoughts went blank as he saw from the corner of his eyes, Howie suddenly collapsed.