The legal stuff: This is a sexually explicit story (at times) involving homosexuality. By continuing to read, you affirm under penalties of perjury that you are not a minor or in the company of a minor and are entitled to have access to sexually explicit material. The content and opinions expressed in this story do not imply anything with regard to the sexual preference of any member of 98 Degrees or other celebrities named herein. This is a work of fiction entirely.
Author Notes: This is my first piece of work and I would just like to say thanks to HR for being a great friend and a wonderful and inspiring writer. I hope you enjoy the story.
Dizzy
It was the first day in three weeks that Andrew was able to sleep in. Between extra shifts at the restaurant and full time classes in college Andrew Williams was stretching himself pretty thin, but he had a mission to complete school and be able to pay for it without loans. The phone was ringing; Andrew wanted to ignore it, pretending the world did not exist until at least noon, but he was too nice a person, and had to answer it.
"Hello" he said sleepily, his voice laced with an accent of the deep south.
"Hey Andrew, its Heather, hope I didn't wake you up." A chipper yet stern voice said on the other end.
"No you didn't. I'm always up this early on days when I don't have class or have to work." He said sarcastically.
"Good because I need a favor." Heather said chuckling slightly at his tone.
"Why did I even answer my damn phone?"
"Because you are the best waiter and I have special guests coming in today and the owner wants the best employees catering to them so the hotel can make a good impression."
"Ugh...why can't Abbey work? This is like my first day off in three weeks and she is so much better at bein’ happy than I am." Andrew said whining.
"I already recruited her. I just need you now and we are all set. Plus, I'm doing you a favor and you will love me forever when you get here and find out who our guests are."
"Oh my god...Heather, you're not goin’ to tell me who it is that you're draggin’ me in for at 10:00 in the mornin’?"
"No it's a surprise. So I will see you in an hour and oh it's like 20 degrees out. You might want to dress warmly. You and Abbey can wear what you want since you're only coming in to help with the special guests. So do yourself a favor and look cute. Bye."
Andrew hung up the phone and sighed heavily. He rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom attached to the master bedroom of his apartment. “Leave it to Heather to call me in this early in the mornin’. I have to thank her for being such a great friend.” Andrew said to himself sarcastically.
Heather Riley was Andrew's best friend. She was one of the main reasons he chose to move to Boston after high school. They met at a Food Network show three years ago in which Heather and he were both attending. She was a hospitality student at Johnson and Wales and he was a senior in high school and on a field trip with his culinary arts class. He loved to cook but decided early on he would not pursue it as a career for fear he would grow tired of it. He loved the way she cooked and how passionate she was about food so they chatted and exchanged emails. After talking online for the rest of the year online they became good friends. She had gotten him a job as a waiter at the hotel she worked at when he moved to Boston for college two years ago. She had finished her degree at Johnson and Wales and worked as the general manager of the hotel. It was a nice four star hotel with valet parking and a five star restaurant off the main lobby. When Andrew first started working there, he felt like he didn’t fit into the wealthy northerner atmosphere until he realized that being gay was not as big a sin in Boston as it was in the south where he was born and raised. Plus, the locals around here got a big kick out his charming southern accent.
“Oh my god, I look like shit.” Andrew said as he looked at himself in the mirror. At twenty one years old, he stood about five feet eight inches tall and due to playing tennis and being on the swim team in high school he weighed a good 160 lbs and had a nice toned build. He kept his natural brown hair dyed black and for some flavor added subtle streaks of red that only showed when he spiked his hair. He rubbed the sleep out of his steel blue eyes and made his way to the shower. The hot water running down his body woke Andrew up fairly quickly. After about 10 minutes, Andrew exited the shower and made his way back to his bedroom and into his walk in closet. He hated the fact that he was rushed for time because it always took him forever to get ready and this he knew. It wasn't that he was indecisive about what to wear or needed his hair to be absolutely perfect; it was just the fact that Andrew was proud of his looks and always took the time to make sure he looked his best, no matter where he was going or what he was doing.
“At least I don't have to wear my uniform today. That's probably the only good thing about having to go in today.” He said to himself as he was deciding what to wear today. His uniform wasn’t bad, consisting of a black button down shirt and whatever color tie he wished paired with a pair of black dress pants. He was still a little upset that Heather had called him in. Sometimes it really sucked being best friends with the general manager of the hotel. He could never say no to her. While she may have been the general manager of the hotel, Andrew quickly earned the title of general restaurant manager in less than a year thanks to his ruthless attitude towards work and his perfectionist nature. He split the duties with his other good friend, Abbey McAllister. He met Abbey when he first moved to Boston because she worked in the restaurant and was Heather’s best friend. They were college roommates and where Heather excelled at her hospitality degree, Abbey managed to obtain a culinary arts degree and graduated top of her class. They decided he would manage front of house and be in charge of the servers, bartenders, and hosts while Abbey was back of house manager over the cooks, busboys, and prep people. Normally one person was in charge of everyone but because Andrew and Abbey were the best of the best in the owner’s opinion, she split the job down the middle for both of them rather than give it all to one person and piss off the other. It worked out for the best since Abbey didn't want the position and Andrew was in school, it turned out not to be a bad idea at all. They got together and did the schedules because some cooks couldn't work with certain servers and vice versa because of all the drama that seemed to go on between the employees and their sordid love lives. Andrew was grateful he had Abbey to help because Heather had a time to when it came to making her schedules for the front desk, the bellhops, housekeeping, and the valet.
Andrew finally decided on wearing his favorite pair of American Eagle blue jeans with a blue short sleeve polo shirt that had white, purple, and pink stripes running across the chest. Andrew always wore one size smaller than his size to accent his toned body and when he raised his arms into the air, you could slightly see his flat stomach, if you were paying close attention to his movements. His jeans clung tightly to legs and butt, leaving little to the imagination in the front. Before grabbing his coat and keys, he stopped in the bathroom and grabbed his hair gel. He looked outside and could see a thin layer of snow softly covering the ground.
“The only good thing about Christmas in Boston is the snow that makes a white Christmas.” He said to himself before grabbing his blue ski hat and matching scarf. All bundled up, he left his apartment and made his way to work.
Andrew arrived at work about ten minutes to eleven. He walked into the back employee's lounge to clock in and saw Abbey and Heather sitting at a table talking. Heather was obviously explaining something to Abbey and Andrew heard Abbey groan.
"You are not serious. I cannot believe you called me in for this?" Andrew heard Abbey say as he sat down at the table after clocking in.
"What can't you believe Abbey?"
"I can't believe I was called in for this crap. I mean, I can understand why you would come in but I cannot believe she dragged me in too." Abbey said looking at Andrew.
"And why exactly are we here today? I mean I was sleepin’ so peacefully and dreamin’ about having sex with a hot, muscular guy.”
Heather laughed and looked at me. “There is a couple of boy bands staying here and when you find out who it is you will love me forever for calling you in."
"So you aren't goin’ to tell me who they are then?"
"No way, I want to see the look on your face when you find out. Now let's go they should be in the dining area now. We closed off a portion of the restaurant for them specifically to not attract fans and reporters."
Heather made her way to the restaurant floor, followed by Andrew and Abbey.
"Now, there are a total of twelve people. We put several tables together to make on giant table to seat all twelve so it will be easier for you to serve them. I don't have to tell you this but the owner wants me to remind you they are VIP guests. Don't screw up, don't piss them off, and don't act stupid. She has requested that they rate their experience after their meal is finished so I'm sure that means this could be the end of your jobs if you screw up. Now get to work and have fun." Heather said cheerfully causing Andrew to chuckle to himself.
Only Heather could make something as serious as losing their job if they screw up with the VIP guests sound cheerful. Andrew watched as Heather left the restaurant and headed back to the hotel front desk. He and Abbey turned and faced each other. They shrugged, sighed, and gave each other a high five. It was their little pre-shift ritual. They had done it ever since they both started working together two years ago. Andrew headed toward to enclosed area.
"Let's get this over with so I can go home and study. I have an exam in the mornin’ that I need to get ready for."
Abbey was about to say something to him as Andrew walked through the curtain. Andrew's mouth fell open as he saw who was seated at the table. Abbey smiled at the people seated at the table.
"We will be with you to take your drink orders shortly."
Abbey elbowed Andrew in the stomach and pushed him through the curtain and away from the guests.
"D...did you s...see who they w...were?"
"Yeah I did and your point is?"
"My point?! My point is they are like the hottest guys in the world. What the hell was Heather thinkin’? I can't wait on them!" Andrew said breathing heavily.
"Are you hyperventilating?" Abbey said with a concerned look on her face. She guided Andrew to a chair and sat him down and started fanning him with her hands. "You have got to calm down. There is nothing to be excited nor upset about. Just treat them like normal customers. Imagine them in their underwear or something and you'll stop being nervous around them."
Andrew looked at Abbey like she was crazy. Abbey, a little on the slow side, finally realized what she had said. "Oh yeah, not helping." She started laughing. They heard someone clear their throat behind them. They both turned and they were face to face with Drew Lachey himself.
"Is everything ok? We were kind of wondering when we might be able to get some drinks. We're thirsty."
Abbey quickly stood up and made her way over to Drew.
"I'm sorry. Andrew was feeling a little dizzy and I just needed to make sure he was ok. But he's fine now and if you want to go back and sit down we'll come and take your drink orders."
"Ok." Drew turned back and was headed into the curtain area but stopped suddenly and looked over at Andrew. "Hey, don't worry about anything. I promise you...us hot guys will be on our best behavior." He winked and smiled as Andrew turned a bright red.
"So, you heard that huh?"
"Hey don't be embarrassed. Its good to know we still got it." He laughed and went back to sit down. Abbey looked over at Andrew and laughed.
Andrew walked past Abbey and through the curtain area. Abbey followed him and soon they made their way around the table collecting drink orders. They left the area to get the drinks and in a few minutes they were back. When Andrew had got to the last drink, he was about to set it down on the table when a hand overlapped his on the cup. He looked up to see who it was and was looking into the gorgeous hazel eyes of Drew. Drew pulled on the cup towards the table, without letting go of Andrew's hand, forcing Andrew to lean down closer to him. When the cup was on the table, Drew let go of Andrew's hand. Andrew stood upright quickly, blushed, and walked away. Drew turned back to the table and took a sip of his drink.
Andrew and Abbey eventually served the food and in the process learned that 98 Degrees was in Boston for a tour to raise money for their charity, which was providing poor families with presents for their kids for Christmas. Also part of the tour, were the members of N*Sync and tagging along were Nick Lachey's latest girlfriend Vanessa Minnillo, Lance Bass’ boyfriend reality star Reichen Lehmkuhl, and of course Jessica Biel was there with Justin Timberlake. Andrew and Abbey expertly made sure all twelve guests had exactly what they needed without even making them wait for it. When everyone was finished eating,
Abbey and Andrew started cleaning up the dishes from the table while everyone sat around drinking coffee and chatting.
"So Drew, I see you've taken a liking to our waiter here." Nick said mischievously to his younger brother.
Drew blushed and tossed a packet of sugar at his brother. "Shut up Nick. I haven't "taken a liking" as you think. I'm simply observing his work habits so I can accurately report our dining experience like the hotel owner requested we do."
Jeff, who was sitting next to Drew, burst into laughter along with fellow bandmate Justin who was right next to him. Vanessa, who was sitting next to Nick, looked over at them confusingly. She was talking to Jessica when the guys were picking on Drew.
"What is so funny baby?" she asked Nick.
"Nothing sweetheart, we are just picking on Drew."
Vanessa reached across the table and put her hand on Drew's. "Well don't be too mean to him. I'm sure he's still getting over the divorce and he doesn't need you guys ragging on him so much while he's hurting."
Drew smiled. "Thank you Vanessa but I'm fine. Lea and I are still friends and she understands that I cannot continue to live a lie. She deserves better and I want what Lance has."
Vanessa glanced down the table to where Lance and Reichen were sitting side by side talking to Joey and JC of N*Sync.
"You want to sleep with Reichen? Wouldn't that be bad to steal your best friend's boyfriend?" Vanessa asked.
Nick and the boys started laughing at her. She looked confused. Nick put his hands on the side of her head and looked into her eyes. "He means he wants a boyfriend who he can love and who loves him back." Nick said right before kissing her lightly on her forehead.
Vanessa smiled and nodded. "Oh Drew, I'm sure you'll find some hot guy. What about the waiter? He seems like he's hard-working and sweet. Plus he is totally cute and has an ass that you just want to squeeze every time he walks by and his accent is just so charming..." she had her hands out in front over her squeezing them together. She stopped when she saw all four of the guys staring at her weirdly. She looked at Nick. "I mean, he's nowhere near as cute as you are and your ass is so much squeezable than his I'd imagine..."
She stopped when Nick covered her mouth with his. When he finished kissing her, he looked over to his brother. "See, even Vanessa thinks you two would make a cute couple. I'm telling you bro, you should go for it."
Drew looked at his brother annoyingly. "Dude, we don't even know if he's gay. Two, we don't even know if he's single. And thirdly..."
"Oh he's gay alright. I can tell. He is sending off some serious vibes." Vanessa interrupted Drew with.
Nick look over at his girlfriend questioningly while Justin was curious as to how she came about this information. "Oh really and just how can you tell? You have to teach us since it seems Drew isn't going to do anything for himself, it's up to us to make sure the kid here gets his rocks off one way or another."
Drew glared at Justin as Vanessa began to school the guys on the art of gaydar. "Duh it's like so obvious. Look at his hair. See how his spikes have a redish tint to them? What straight guy do you know would put bright red coloring in black hair? Secondly, you can see a slight change in his demeanor when he is waiting on certain people at the table. Watch how he is cool and calm with Lance, Reichen, Jessica, and I. Then watch how he gets kind of flustered when he is with Joey and the four of you, especially you Drew after you practically pulled him into your lap when he was giving you your drink. Don't think I didn't see that. I'm sure he is attracted to almost all the guys at this table with the exception of JC and Chris."
Nick looked at her. "Wait a minute. The hair thing I get and I can understand how if you watched him enough you could maybe see how he acts differently with each person but maybe that's just how he is. He treats everyone differently but in a friendly way."
Vanessa looked at Nick like he was crazy. "Puh-leaze. Watch how he is polite to JC and Chris but you can tell he doesn't give a rat's ass about waiting on them. He's nowhere near as enthusiastic with them as he is with everyone else. He doesn't get all flustered around Lance or Reichen or either me or Jessica."
Jeff suddenly acted like a light bulb went off in his head. "I know why. It's because he knows that Lance and Reichen are together and he isn't the type to try and ruin a relationship even though he could possibly be attracted to them.”
Vanessa smiled brightly at him and clapped her hands together. "Yay at least one of you is paying attention. Now watch him as he comes around to us. He will be perfectly ok with Jessica and me but when it comes to you four he seems to tense up and get politely quiet."
They all watched and sure enough when he came around to make sure they were all ok, the boys could pick up on how differently he reacted with each one of them. When he left the table, Vanessa beamed at the boys. "See, I told you so."
Drew stared at his friends in disbelief. "Whatever. It doesn't matter anyways because guess what. There is no chance in hell that anything will ever happen. Plus he lives here in Boston and we all live in Ohio. Personally, the long distance thing isn't exactly my idea of a budding relationship. Just stop with the "is he or isn't he" crap and get it through your heads that I don't need your help getting a boyfriend. And who even says I want one? Maybe I'm perfectly fine being single."
Drew abruptly got up from the table and left the curtained area. The others at the table witnessed his sudden departure.
"Is he ok?" Jessica asked with concern in her voice turning her attention away from her boyfriend.
"He'll be fine." Nick said, unsure if he was being honest.
They finished up with everything and paid their bill. Everyone left their various tips on the table while Andrew and Abbey were checking on a way for them to get upstairs without getting mauled by a bunch of people. Abbey came back and told everyone she was going to take them through the employee's areas to ensure they got upstairs undisturbed. As everyone was leaving the area, Andrew came back to the table with the bus cart and began the process of cleaning up. Nick was the last of the group to leave and he stayed behind a moment watching Andrew as he cleaned up. Andrew noticed him watching and turned to him.
"Did you need anythin’ else Mr. Lachey?"
Nick chuckled slightly. "Please call me Nick and no thank you I'm fine."
Nick walked away quickly, leaving Andrew alone with a confused look on his face. Andrew shrugged and went back to cleaning up. Abbey came back a few minutes later, surprised that there was nothing left to do but push the bus cart back to the kitchen and replace the table clothes. Andrew had made quick work of the mess and even managed to separate the tables back to their correct positions in the short time Abbey was gone.
"Wow you cleaned up real fast."
"Well like I said earlier, I need to get home and study for my exam tomorrow."
Abbey walked over to the table where Andrew piled the tips together and began dividing them in half. Abbey finished counting and turned to Andrew with her mouth wide open.
"There's eight hundred dollars here Andrew! I can't believe it. That's four hundred a piece. You know, maybe boy bands aren't so bad after all."
Andrew sighed and laughed at her. He grabbed his half and looked at it.
"It's too much. I mean their bill was only like what, two hundred? This is way too much. We can't take this."
Abbey looked at Andrew as if he just slapped her.
"You have got to be kidding me. You barely make this in one week in tips and you're complaining? I don't know about you but I can definitely take this."
Andrew laughed at her.
"I don't know I just don't feel right about it."
Abbey walked over to him and felt his forehead.
"Are you feeling ok? I mean you are feeling a little warm."
"I'm fine. Please stop touchin’ me." Andrew said pushing her away while laughing.
Andrew and Abbey went to the employee's lounge to clock out. They then proceeded to the front desk to let Heather know they were leaving for the day. Abbey said her goodbyes and headed out the door while Andrew stayed behind chatting with Heather.
"One more thing before I leave. I need you to do me a favor." Andrew said to Heather.
"Sure what's up?"
"Can you give me a pen and a piece of paper please?"
Heather handed Andrew a pen and a piece of paper like he requested. He scribbled a note down on the piece of paper and folded the money inside the piece of paper without Heather seeing it.
"Can you put this in an envelope and leave it for the group?"
"Yeah sure what is it?"
"Don't worry about it. Just...please?"
Heather took the note and put it in an envelope and set in the group's room message box. The phone rang and Heather picked it up. Andrew took the opportunity to leave. Waving good bye to his best friend he left the hotel.