Chapter 1
"Ike! Man, please just cover for me!" Taylor was getting desperate.
"No way, Mom is already pissed off at you and if you get grounded again I’m stuck with Zac 24/7!"
"I'm not gonna get caught! I'm a 16 year old guy, how long do you think it's gonna take? C'mon man, I'd do it for you! Besides, Zac's not a baby anymore. If I get grounded you two can go cruise for chicks without me there to get in the way. Don't you read the fan pages? He's considered a "hottie" now and they all love your "new look". They just think I'm too skinny and I talk to much, besides, it's all academic cause I'm not gonna get caught. She's staying in our hotel, it couldn't be easier. How often do I ask you to do this?"
Isaac was beginning to weaken, Taylor could be very persuasive when he wanted something badly enough. "Which one was it, anyway?" Ike questioned his brother, knowing to get him this worked up she must have been something.
"Pink sweater…" Taylor replied getting a dreamy look in his eye.
"Sweater? Our fans don't wear sweaters, she must be some mom or something, how old is she?"
"She's not that old"
"How old Tay?" Isaac persisted.
"Twenty-four."
"What!?" Now Taylor was getting irritated at his brother. "That's not that old! Besides, it's none of your business..."
"It is my business if I have to cover for you! For crying out loud Taylor, you could have your pick of thousands of girls, why her?"
"I don't know, it's just something about her, it's not like I do this all the time you know, what's the big deal?"
"The big deal is I don't know if I want my little brother screwing around with some woman he doesn't know anything about..."
"What do I need to know?! She's female, she's gorgeous, she didn't scream or cry and she said she was in love with me!"
"In love with you!! Yeah Tay, you've never heard that before, have you?! Puh-lease! Grow up! They're all in love with you! Don't you read the signs and their foreheads and their chests? I don't know what it is about you but all girls fall in love with you, they can't help themselves, must be the blue eyes or somethin' or maybe it's your voice that they can't resist, like the sirens that men would crash their ships on the rocks just to get close to them..."
"Ike! Ike, man, you're rambling man, just tell me... Are you gonna help me or not?"
For some reason, Isaac felt that his brother was asking for trouble, but he did owe him as Taylor had covered for him numerous times and so he finally relented. "Alright, but be careful, some 24 year old going after a 16- year-old guy is just freak... Even if it is you."
"Ike, I don't know if you've noticed, but not all our fans are teenyboppers and the whole "older woman making it with a Hanson brother" is a very popular theme in fan fiction these days."
"Oh God! Are you still reading that crap?!"
"Hey, it's not all crap and yeah, when I'm bored sometimes I go out and find some crazy story to read. Some of them are hilarious and a few really are good writing, very imaginative stuff..."
"Yeah, well, I'm always a villain or an idiot so I got tired of that real fast."
"At least they don't make you cry all the time like they do me..."
"Tay, they can just tell what a sensitive guy you are." Isaac said with more than a hint of sarcasm.
"Hey, I am sensitive. So, you're gonna help me here, right?"
Isaac sighed, when Taylor had his mind set on something he could be like a pit bull with a bone. "Whatever. Just don't get caught."
"Thanks man, I owe you one." And with that he was off to the shower passing a very clean smelling Zac on his way out and nearly knocking him over.
"What's up with him?" Zac questioned Isaac, looking back at the door to the bathroom they were all having to share this night.
"Some woman is in love with him."
"Again?"
"Yeah, but he says this one was different..."
"Yeah, I know, aren't they all? Hey, did you say woman? As in over eighteen?"
"Yep."
"What does she want with him?"
"That's what I said and he says there's lots of older women out there wanting to make it with a Hanson brother." Isaac and Zac were mindlessly watching TV as they discussed their older brother.
"Y'know, we need to put a limit on the amount of time he's allowed on the internet, it's not good for him."
Ike answered him, "you got that right. Hey, he says they're all saying you're a hottie now. What do you think about that?"
"Yuk! I'm trying not to."
"Oh, don't even try to act like you don't like it. You're way past the "girls have cooties" stage."
"It's not that I don't like girls, I do, but to think they're all out there in cyberspace talking over which one of us they want to lay... Well, that just gives me the creeps."
"Yeah, I know what you mean…"
The door to the bathroom opened and Taylor emerged in fresh clothes and his wet hair pulled behind his ears. He was putting his watch back on as he glanced over at his two brothers who were staring at him with disgusted looks on their faces. "What?! What the hell is your problem?"
"We're not the ones with the problem..." Zac answered.
"Unh-uh." Taylor shook his head at Zac, "we are not having this conversation... don't get all holier than thou on me! Ike has gone out way more than me and with some girls that were pretty scary to me and I'm sure there was a little more than dinner and a movie going on! And you have done things at 13 that I'd never even heard of at your age! So don't even start with me! We've been on tour now for almost 3 months and how many girls have I hung with? One or two, maybe? And not that it's any business of yours, but I don't necessarily sleep with any of them... if it happens it's not just 'cause I got a stiffy alright?"
"Don't get your panties all
in a knot Tay, I just want you to be careful. You never know about
these girls,
sometimes it feels like they
want a piece of you, y'know? How old is she anyway?"
"What's that got to do with it? For folks who say age doesn't matter all the time, you two sure are worried about it now." With that, Taylor finished lacing up his boots, put on his belt and headed for the door. "Don't wait up for me ladies!" He shot back and grinned at both his brothers as he quietly shut the door behind him.
~~~~
With no bodyguards to protect him, Taylor decided to take the stairs down the four floors to where she had told him her room was. Zac was right, sometimes they did want a piece of you and he had nearly lost that rat tail a few too many times to think he could just waltz around the hotel like other people. It was a pain in the butt but it was the price you had to pay for fame and fortune, which had it's perks as well. Nights like this being one of them. By the time it was clear enough to venture out into the hallway, his watch told him it was 11:49 p.m. He found the room number, 803, and lightly knocked on the door halfway hoping she would be asleep and not hear him. Seconds later the door was opened by a lovely girl whose smile at the sight of him erased all the doubts placed in his mind by his wary brothers. She wasted no time inviting him in.
The room was warm as it was on the side of the building where the sun shone on it the longest. She had changed from the soft pink sweater into a black dress with a decidedly witchy look to it, not revealing in any way and yet, he found it to be extremely sexy. Her dark brown hair which had been loose around her shoulders was now pulled up in a wonderfully messy knot with what appeared to be a pair of chopsticks being the only thing keeping it up there.
"I'm so glad you came, I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get away." She spoke so softly he had to lean in towards her to hear her.
"Well, it wasn't easy between my parents, my brothers and the body guards I didn't think I'd ever get away.."
"Well, you can't imagine what this means to me." She was looking at him so intensely he was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
"Why?" He questioned her. He had always wanted to get inside their minds to know just what it was that made them cry or scream or lose the ability to think and speak in he and his brothers presence.
"Why? What do you mean "why?" For two years I have been following your career now, every talk show, interview, award shows, whatever. I couldn't help it, I fell in love with you."
"But you don't know me, that's just an image on a TV screen..."
"I'm sorry Taylor, that's bullshit and you know it. You write the lyrics that you sing, when you look at your brothers I can tell how much you care for them. When you get to meet famous people you get nervous. When you meet fans you try to put them at ease. Taylor, you're a wonderful person, I can tell. Your face and your voice and your words have gotten me through some terrible times. I felt like I wasn't alone in the world; that there was someone out there who understood, who felt the same way I do. You can't tell me you've never felt real true love for someone even though you haven't met them. What about Jennifer Anniston? I read you really like her. Or Cindy Crawford or just some girl in the front row of one of your concerts that just had a certain spark and you couldn't keep your eyes or your mind off her? Taylor, I feel all those things for you."
"Well, I'm flattered, but I still don't know that I understand it..."
"You don't have to understand it, just know that it's true and because of you this has been the most wonderful day of my life. After loving you from afar for so long, to finally be able to talk to you, touch you…" and she put her hand on his arm. The warmth of her palm on his skin was almost too much for him to bear. Suddenly she wasn't just an idea to mull over with his brothers, she was real and he knew he had to experience everything she wanted him to in the short time they had together. He looked into her eyes as she moved closer to him. They were a deep brown, not as dark as Isaac's, more like Zac's but with dark, thick lashes to make them even deeper. Her skin was darker than his and clear and soft, as their lips met he could taste a trace of cherry lip gloss. He'd never gotten a kiss like that from a fan. She moved even closer to him now and whispered in his ear, "I've been saving myself for you…" And though he didn't actually come here believing he was going to end up sleeping with her, he knew if he didn't he'd never forgive himself. He would always wonder what he had missed.
~~~~
Isaac and Zac hadn't spoken since Taylor left. They were tired anyway and just watched TV until it seemed there was nothing left worth watching. Isaac looked at his watch. Taylor had been gone for over an hour. Twice his mother had come in to check on them and he knew if she came again and no Tay. He wouldn't be able to fool her again. The first time he'd told her that he was in the bathroom and the second that he'd gone to get some ice.
"Zac, if he doesn't show up soon we could all be in deep shit... I seriously do not want mom to know I lied to her and if something happened to butthead I'd never be able to live with myself." Zac understood. If his mother thought you were lying to her it could get very ugly, with seven children to take care of, it just couldn't be tolerated. Their father was equally as unforgiving.
~~~~
"You mean…?"
"Yes." Taylor looked at her, not really believing, but somehow knowing it was true. "No way, I can't do that. I'm leaving tomorrow, I'll never see you again..."
"But I'll see you, please Taylor, I'll live the rest of my days knowing I was with you even if it was only for this one night. Please." He just looked at her. When she leaned over to kiss him again, he tried not to kiss her back but found himself wanting her even more. As things began to heat up between them he found it easier and easier to not listen to that nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him it wasn't right.
~~~~
Diana stepped into the dark room where her three oldest sons were staying for the night. It was 2:30 a.m. and she was glad to see they'd finally called it a night. They had an 8:00 a.m. flight to catch and these days the boys were not morning people. Clothes, towels, and shoes were discarded all over the place and though she was tired she thought it better to pick up now rather than in the morning. She opened the bathroom door and switched on the light. She ordinarily wouldn't do that in case it woke them but on the night of a concert a stick of dynamite wouldn't wake them. She hung the wet towels over the shower curtain and went back to gather the last of the dirty clothes. In the dim light illuminating the room she could see the 2 double beds. Usually they had gotten an extra room so each boy could have his own bed, but a mix up in the hotel tonight meant two of them had to share.
She smiled thinking Zac had probably gotten a bed to himself due to his rough sleeping habits. Not only was he likely to talk in his sleep but to flop over the other victim's side of the bed. A year ago it wouldn't have been so bad but now he outweighed both his brothers and would never lose again at arm wrestling. Sure enough, Zac occupied the bed closest to the bathroom all alone. She glanced over to the other bed and noticed something not quite right. It looked like only one body was in the other bed. She stepped around closer to the bed to see Isaac sleeping peacefully and no Taylor in sight. She thought it very unlikely that he would be in the girls room and when she had checked on them earlier he had been gone as well. For a moment worry entered her mind but it was soon replaced by anger. If he were missing, Isaac and Zac would have let her know right away.
She reached over to the lamp between the beds and switched it on full power. Neither boy stirred. In fact, Zac began to snore lightly. She slapped Isaac on the rear end making a loud SPLAT! Now his eyes flew open and he had a gloriously confused look on his face. He sat up and looked around a moment before his eyes landed on the face of his mother. She would have laughed if she hadn't been so angry. "WHERE is Taylor?!" she asked.
"Ummm, I don't know."
"Really? And you're not worried about him enough to tell me he is missing?!"
"Well, I uh…" she was making him very uncomfortable with her stare.
"ZAC!" she reached over and hit him in the head. He stopped snoring but didn't open his eyes. She hit him again.
"Quit it, Ike!" he groaned as he turned over away from her.
"Zachary Walker, I want to know where your brother is NOW!"
"Shit." "Oh man," he thought, "I hope I didn't say that out loud." He turned over to face his mother again and from the look on her face he knew he had. "Um, what time is it?" he asked, squinting his eyes to shield them from the harsh glare of the lamp.
"It's 2:43 a.m." she answered.
"Shit."
"Say that again Zachary and you and the Irish Spring in there are gonna get intimate. Now, I want to know where Taylor is."
"I don't know Mom, he isn't here?" he was still very sleepy looking and sounding and she almost believed him.
She looked at Isaac, "Well?"
"Mom, I swear, I don't know where he is, I thought he'd be back by now.."
"Ahhh, now we're getting somewhere, back from where?"
"Shit." He said.
"Ike!"
"Well, he met somebody at the meet and greet and she wanted to see him again and so he said he was going to go see her for a few minutes and he'd be back in no time."
"When was this?"
"About 11:30." Now, she was back to worried again.
"Shit."