NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR This is just the teaser before the series. No long disclaimer on this one however the remainder of the series will have them. This series is called Hearts Out Of Sync but I'm working on five different installments, each with a different name, if all goes as planned. Hope you enjoy. Long romance styled story but there will be sex. I just can't throw it in like some of the writers do. I'm trying to keep this one all good. Anyways, if this is illegal, blah/blah, you're underage, etc etc go away. You were warned. Better disclaimer on the next one. Send any comments to levanelle@yahoo.com. Thank you.
Note: This is a work of fiction and does not imply anything about the real life sexuality of the Backstreet Boys or 'N Sync.
HEARTS OUT OF SYNC All I Have To Give-Prelude By Darren LeVanelle
He held the headphones against his ear and let the music take him. This is how he wanted it to be. It was just him, the headphones, the microphone and a small studio crew. Taking a deep breath he looked past the music stand into the booth and pointed a finger to one of the technicians. A moment later the music began to filter through the headset, the lush strings setting a subtle tempo. The engineer looked up from the mixing console and gave the young man a cue to begin. He drew in a breath and started to sing the opening lines.
"It's been too long..."
"Since I spoke my mind"
"Let out what was inside"
"But I'm ready to start"
"Now I'm feeling strong"
"Cause what I have to say"
"Has to come out today"
"Before it breaks my heart"
The music became a gentle hand that guided his voice through the bridge and into the chorus. His memory drifted to that place he was in when he wrote the lyrics. Every word, every nuance, each meaning left lingering behind his sole voice filled with anguish and hurt. Yet a feeling of hope and faith echoed through the studio booth, making even the men shudder as chills flowed down their spines.
"I don't know if you know what I feel"
"Cause I haven't said a word"
"But now this voice must be heard"
"And I won't know if you'll know this is real"
"So please don't walk away"
"Before you go again I have to say"
"If I told you that"
"I wanted to be with you"
"Would it mean that"
"Somehow I'd lose you cause I"
"Feel you might think that"
"You were gonna lose a friend"
"But you haven't lost me yet"
"And if I told you that I wanted you"
"Would you come back?"
"Come back"
He pushed on through the second verse, bridge and chorus. Everything he was feeling became his voice. When he hurt or cried the voice became a hushed whisper. When he was pained or in sorrow the voice would crescendo into a rage of power. The studio director was clearly impressed, jotting down notes and making small comments on the session sheet. "Man. I have definitely got to make some calls about this one. I don't think JIVE realizes what a powerhouse they have on their hands," the director thought to himself.
As the young man reached the break he sang almost as if possessed.
"This may be our last goodbye"
"And I don't wanna leave you lonely"
"Don't want to see you cry"
"Cause it'll drive me crazy"
"I just want and I need"
"You close to me"
"Forever in my arms"
"Forever in my heart"
He held the last word out with passion and power. His eyes squinted in pain and his head thrown back in sorrow. Small tears rolled down his cheek as he barely cried out the last chorus of the song. The final phrase was sobbed out, his voice dark and raspy with a sense of desperation invoked into the words.
"Will you come back and take me?"
The music stopped and he wiped the tears away from his eyes. Looking up towards the booth he smiled, obviously satisfied with the take. The director pressed a button on the console and spoke into a microphone.
"That was great. We'll be mixing it down to a cassette tape for you." The voice said echoing through the studio room. "Do you want us to hold on to the master?"
"Nah. I don't think I want the company to hold this one over my head. It's just a little too personal" the young man responded through his own mike. He grabbed the lyric sheet and got ready to leave the room. Before he left he turned to the mike and spoke again. "Just send the cassette and the master to my apartment K? I need to go now."
"Ok." The voice said one last time. "Well JC...that's a take then."
"Thanks Christian." JC said and waved to the director as he headed out the door.
Four guys awaited JC as he headed out from the back of the studio building. The four of them looked like a diverse bunch, all crowded together in the small waiting room. The youngest looking of the group, a tall bleached blond with dazzling blue eyes, came up to greet JC first.
"Man that was CRUNK JC! When did you write that fat ass shit?" he asked of his friend. JC gave his friend the stare before asking.
"Wait. You heard my take?" The young man nodded appreciatively with a grin ear to ear.
"Christian said it was coo' for me to listen in on the set." The man pointed to a pair of headphones he was wearing just moments earlier.
"So are you gonna sing it on the tour?" another of the guys positioned around him asked. He was dressed in black slacks and a red silk shirt, his deep voice full with presence.
"I dunno Lance. This is kinda personal if you know what I mean." JC had to think for a moment before it hit him. "Hey! Did you hear it too?"
"We all did." Yet another of the men spoke. This one had the tips of his dark brown hair dyed a magenta color and sporting a giant 'S' gold necklace.
"Great. Don't I ever have any privacy?" JC started to walk out of the room.
"So who's the lucky girl huh?" the young man started to prod at the first opportunity.
JC looked over at him and said "None of your damn business curly. Now let's get moving. I have to be up early tomorrow to pick up my friend Nate." He headed out the door of the studio before he could be asked any more questions. The rest of the guys followed quickly almost leaving the youngest of their crew in the dust.
"Hey can anyone wait for me?" The young man had caught up with his friends as they walked to the limousine that would get them back to JIVE Records to finish up some last minute details with the tour. The young man's eyes popped open as they approached the vehicle. Leaning by the open door was another guy, a grin plastered on his face. He looked over towards the young man.
"Hey Justin."
"Brian!" Justin yelled out. He walked over to him and the two grasped hands. "Hey I wasn't expecting to see you here bro!"
"Well I had some free time on my hands and I wanted to know if you'd like to hang for awhile?" Brian's voice was sweet as honey with a southern accent to boot.
"Sure. That is if the boys here can survive without me at JIVE for just one day." Justin gave the rest of the group the eye awaiting a response eagerly.
"Sure. Why the hell not?" JC answered for them. "But so help me if I have to stay overtime cos of your dumb bleached blond ass and I miss Nate's flight, I'll kick ya out. So go have fun. I'll see you both later tonight." He added before opening the limousine door and getting in, followed by Chris, Joey and Lance.
"Tight!" Justin yelped out. "Let's get goin' dude. I need some grub." Brian followed Justin towards his white BMW. "See y'all later folks. Don't wait up for me JC!"
"I won't!" JC yelled out from the window as the limo drove off. Justin hoped into the passenger side of Brian's BMW and quickly rolled the window down. Brian got in and started the car up as they headed out of the studio parking lot.
"So where we goin' t'day Bri?"
'Anywhere you want gorgeous!' Brian thought to himself. Though such a reply probably would not be well received. He kept the comment to himself as they turned onto a major street and headed into the city. "I dunno. Take your pick and we're there k?"
"Works for me." Justin let his hand cool in the breeze as they drove down the streets of Orlando, destination unknown. How ironic that statement would be in a few days time.
"Thanks for driving me to the airport." A young man said to his friend as they neared the gate. He was short and trim, a perfect example of the boy-next door kind of look. His friend, who stood taller than his companion, was trim in his build as well. But his fiery blue eyes, always fueled with passion, were his greatest feature.
"Not ever a problem. I'm always here." He responded without hesitation. His voice was smooth and deep. Looking towards his friend he asked, "So I'll call you and tell you what's up when I hear it. Is that good for you?"
The young man nodded before he replied. "Yep. The cell is always on, as usual." The two of them hugged briefly before breaking away from each other. On the outside looking at the pair it was obvious that they shared something. This trip was to be a break for the younger of the two. He needed the time off and some time to see his best friend. These moments that he had now were still precious to him, but his friend would never know that.
"I'll miss you. We all will. Even Zack. But he'll never tell you that."
"Keep your eye on that bitch for me while I'm gone. And for petes sake don't let him make another scene at a gay bar. We don't need that kind of publicity."
The older man giggled. "And he could lose the dress. Take care Nathan. You'll be hearing from me in about two weeks."
"Will do. You take care too Mitch!" Nathan added in gleefully before disappearing down the onramp.
"Always do!" Mitch tried to scream back before Nathan made his departure. He turned about face and headed back to his car in the airport parking lot. 'You need this Nate. I'll take care of everything else.' As he approached his parked Accord the cell phone rang. "This is Mitch"
"Aye! Is he gone yet?" the voice on the phone asked urgently.
"Yes. In fact I can see his plane leaving right now." Mitch was not that friendly but; then again, he didn't like keeping secrets from his friends.
"So he doesn't suspect a thing then?"
"Nope. He thinks he has another two weeks of vacation and possibly more. Are you sure this is going through? I don't wanna cross my fingers too soon." Mitch was apprehensive about the whole thing but what could he do about it.
"Have I ever lied to you?" the voice tried to ask cutely.
"Yes you have Zack. On several different occasions in fact!" Mitch yelled back into the cell phone.
"That's not the point." Zack responded. Mitch never knew what the point ever was but he knew that was Zack's way of saying 'I'm being a bitch and there isn't shit you can do about it.' "And it's Zachary God Damnit it!"
"Yes Zachary..." Mitch gave in.
"Thank you. And please be a dear and pick me up a pack of Marlboro Red's on your way back. I'll be your best friend."
"Zachary I already am your best friend." Mitch unlocked the door and proceeded to start the vehicle.
"We've covered this before I take it." Zack was being Zack today all right. "Anyways, thank you in advance and I'll pay you back when mum sends me my check. Bye!" Mitch closed his cell phone and fishtailed onto the highway.
"Quite frankly they could use the publicity!" Madonna was about to lose her cool because boy band managers quite frankly couldn't read between the lines. Sitting across the way from her in the conference room of Maverick Records was Johnny Wright of the Wright Entertainment Group. He had several key clients in the music industry at the moment, the most notable being the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync. She had several key clients in the music industry herself, along with an impressive string of #1 hit singles and over 80 million in record sales. Each didn't want to give an inch. But someone would eventually have to budge.
"Miss Ciccone, I'll be frank with you." Johnny began into his long monologue. "It's not that I don't respect your opinions as a Record Executive or respect you as a musician. We're talking about two major boy bands here that their entire following and the backbone of their multi-million records sales are made up of young screaming teenage girls. To bring this new band of yours, Envision, on their Florida tour as the opening band could complicate the delicate nature of their relationship with the audience. I'm not here to judge you or your clients. But I do have the right to make a blatant refusal to these proposals. Having an openly all-gay band on tour with the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync could throw their respective careers out of balance. It's not that Envision isn't talented or made up of respectful musicians and singers. Their sexuality is the issue here whether you want to accept that or not. What you decide to do with your clients is your business. This isn't an option with us at this moment."
"You self-righteous, money hungry, prejudicial piece of female dog crap!" Madonna took a deep breath afterwards and collected her cool. "Sorry for the outburst. Like I was trying to tell you, I don't think you're looking at the big picture here. Envision isn't openly gay. Yes they have songs that deal with homosexuality and sexual identity and discovery. And just because they all happen to be gay doesn't mean squat. The public backs them, I assure you. Most people don't even know about their sexual identities." Madonna produced a Billboard Magazine from behind the table and preceded to hand it to the 'gentleman' before her. "Read for yourself Mr. Wright. You do keep up on Billboard don't you?"
Johnny inspected the cover of the magazine closely. "This issue isn't due out for another three days." He looked up at Madonna in disbelief.
"It's nice when you have friends all over the industry isn't it?" she added in with a slight bit of sarcasm. Madonna looked over at him with an angered look forming on her face. "Well! Are you gonna sit there all day gawking or are you gonna open the damn thing and read it!"
Johnny slowly paged through the magazine. As soon as he got to the Hot Picks section he saw a picture of Envision standing in Maverick Records offices with Madonna herself. They were receiving the RIAA platinum award for their record sales the first week of May. The headline read 'Envision shows the world how to make a record real' with a sub-headline of 'Envision debuts #1 on the Billboard Charts'. He proceeded to read the article and was stunned at some of the things he read about the group and it's music. "Envision sells 1.3 million copies of their debut album during its first three days of release. Mitch Farrell, a young complicated man, is not afraid to write songs that no one will sing about. He is the backing force behind Envision's complicated and unique sound. Envision's pre-release tour, which made stops only in small clubs and venues, were sold out throughout California, Oregon, Washington, 90 percent of the venues sold all of their tickets within 2 hours. Only Margaret Van Gogh and Vanessa Grange, the two female members of the group, have made public that they are a lesbian couple. That happened over three weeks ago and it looks like no one cares." Johnny looked back up at Madonna, who recently started making a snickering face over at Johnny Wright.
"Satisfied Johnny Wright. Envision is the next big thing in music. They could help out with some major publicity for your two boy bands. Besides, if the rest of the group decides to go public think about the benefits. Everyone will be saying that Backstreet and 'N Sync must be the coolest people in the world when they tour with and become friends with an all gay band and have no problems with it." She stood up and made her way to the office. "The offer still stands. Follow their progress for the next two weeks. I'll be waiting for your call." As she left a dumbfounded manager in the dust she added. "And remember, Maverick will finance half of the costs of the tour as long as you keep them on it." She walked down the hall satisfied that her goal had been accomplished. Maybe Envision wouldn't be on the tour, but she had managed to get a boy-band manager to at least think about the possibilities. 'Now that was class Mr. Wright. So please don't make a liar out of me to my friends.' She thought, taking a seat at her desk. 'But at least the work is done. Let's see if he falls for it easily or inevitably. Either way I will win this one.'
Johnny Wright sat silently in the conference room, his eyes still fixed on the magazine headline that scared and intrigued him. He pulled his cell phone out and hit a speed dial combination. The other side picked up quickly. "Hey. Janette. This is Johnny Wright. Listen, I need investigations to pull up a dossier on Envision. Yes, the whole group. Get me as much information as you can by tomorrow and make sure it's over-night'd to my hotel room here in LA by morning. And have the office keep an eye on their record sales and radio play. Give Aaron at RIAA a buzz for me, and tell him he owes me a favor so this is it. Yeah. I hear you. This shouldn't take up too much time but I'll need a statistics report in a week. Make sure I get it. I'll be leaving here a week and two days from now. Yes, last minute talks with the groups. No I don't want to talk about it." Johnny sat looking disgruntled as one of his employee's rambled out some information that he didn't care to listen to at the moment. "That great and all Janette, but I really need to get going here. Don't disappoint me. Bye." With that he pressed the end button on his phone and picked up his suitcase. As he passed the receptionist's desk he said, "Please inform Miss Ciccone that I'll have an answer for her in about a week."
The secretary looked up from his desk and smiled pleasantly at him. "I'll be sure to relay that message to her personally Mr. Wright. Is there anything else I can do for you sir?"
"No thank you. I'll be leaving now so I guess you could have them pull the limo around back for me."
"No problem sir. Have a pleasant week here in LA." Johnny turned towards the elevator and pushed the down button. Seconds later her disappeared from the eighth floor of Maverick Records. The secretary quickly dialed a number on the phone. "Mitch girl! You guessed it. This is MOI!" Zachary stated enthusiastically into the phone. He pulled out a nail file from the desk drawer and started on his manicure. It would be a rather long conversation after all. "Johnny Wright just left the offices and I'd say it looks good girl. I had the conference line open while he was in there and guess what? He's diggin' up dirt on us! That's a good thing right?"
TO BE CONTINUED???