I'm Not That Innocent Ch. 01

Author's Note: This story is completely fictional and did not happen. All names of characters are fictional and were made up. Please do not copy and plagiarize my work.

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Las Vegas, Nevada

November 17, 2001

Light shined through the darkness, flashing through a crowd of more than twenty-four thousand people. Countless voices in the audience cheered and screamed during the sold-out concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. All eyes were focused on Britney Spears as she stood at the center of the stage. This was her tenth show on the Dream Within A Dream tour and the first of back-to-back nights in Las Vegas. Stepping forward, the pop princess took off a red cap that covered her golden hair. She wore a top with long sleeves decorated in an array of colors: yellow, blue, and red. Her abs and stomach were visible, with her signature belly button piercing sparkling on display. Britney fanned herself with the hat while speaking into her earpiece microphone.

"Woo! Oh my goodness!"

Still fanning herself with the hat, Britney gazed around at her audience.

"It's a little hot in here, right?"

Dropping the hat to the floor, she rustled her fingers from both hands through her long, blonde hair.

"I'm gonna ask you a question."

She lowered her hands from her head. The crowd had begun to quiet down their voices for her to continue speaking.

"Have you ever heard a song that just kind of like... took over your body?"

Britney grabbed the folds of her top and began to peel it off, revealing her busty breasts in a green bra top with sparkling emerald pieces. Voices echoed in the distance with loud whistles. A male dancer stepped behind her to offer an aiding hand in removing the colorful skirt. Underneath, her muscular legs were revealed in green boots and a matching miniskirt with a gold belt. This specific outfit was what Britney had chosen for the lead single to her latest album.

"I don't know. You kinda felt like... a slave... to the music?"

Her lips curved into a full grin, flashing her pearly white teeth as the dancer moved behind her. Britney raised her right hand in perfect sync to the moves that were practiced to begin this song. The dancer tied a green sleeve around her arm as the intro beats to the music began to play. She strutted her hips across the B-stage aisle as the array of lights shifted into a hue of green. The crowd remained energetic to begin this performance of I'm A Slave 4 U. Living in the moment, Britney lost herself in dancing and singing. She was shedding her innocent bubblegum pop singer image from her previous two albums, ready to become a new woman. At least that was how she saw herself as she shook her hips and moved across the stage to the joy of thousands of people observing her from their seats. Many outfits had been changed and several effects used on stage before the tracklist emerged to this specific song. The encore would be her next song. A remix of the one song that began her career.

Tickets were selling out for every show on this tour. Britney Spears had become a force to be reckoned with as the hottest thing in pop music at the moment. Would it last? That was the question first asked when she exploded onto the music scene with a major hit. The question lingered three years later as her name remained on the billboard top hits. Britney was fast becoming the biggest pop singer since Madonna. Throughout these first few years of her career, she had already accomplished more than what was expected in the beginning. All she wanted to do was grow as an artist and shed the image that she first had upon entering the spotlight. Her most recent album had brought much change to her music as Britney was a month away from turning twenty-one. She was not a girl, but not yet a woman.

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New York City, New York

May 2002

From a tall window in an apartment, the streets of New York City sparkled with bright lights flickering and moving through the darkness of night. The midnight hours were closing in as Britney stepped away from the windows and sighed to herself. 2001 had proved to be a busy year for her career. From releasing an album; performing at the Super Bowl to filming a Hollywood movie along with music videos. So much had happened before she began her American tour late in the year. The tour wrapped up before Christmas Eve, giving her some time away from the stage. Britney had spent her free time in the company of her family and boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. After New Year's, she wasted no time going back to work, to some extent. Her manager kept a tight schedule with promotional events that included television performances and magazine interviews.

The second leg of the tour was set to begin in April with a special international performance. Another sold-out arena show, this time in Tokyo, Japan. It was the only show she performed outside of the American continent. Britney had visited Tokyo three years prior. She remembered that time, eager to explore the city a second go around. That was only an afterthought now that she was back in her New York penthouse and feeling the lonesome night drag on. Before that concert, she had broken up with her longtime boyfriend, Justin Timberlake. The two agreed to go their separate ways after spending so much time away from each other. To get her mind off the heartbreak, Britney focused on the choreography changes and new effects to her live show. She worked with a new dance instructor, eager to dance that night away for her first ever performance in Japan.

The next date to resume the tour was set within a month of that last performance. This gave Britney plenty of free time in New York before she had to fly to Vegas and begin the second leg of the tour. That date was now within a few days reach, with a flight scheduled for Thursday. At least she had a different venue to look forward to performing at instead of another show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. On a night like this, she found herself unable to think about the tour. That night in Tokyo had not been her first performance of the year, but it left a better impression than the months prior. Britney considered anything to do with her career to be work. She rarely had time to herself where she could unwind and forget about her status as an up-and-coming pop icon. Nights like this reminded her that she truly missed Justin. Before their careers began to take off, Britney never questioned if he would be there for her on a lonely night.

When Britney purchased her luxury condo, she thought about the friends she might make in New York. She had lived in the city before her rise to stardom, often hoping for the day she would have some distance from her family. She had her wish with the apartment, though her family were still frequent visitors. With her own personal bodyguard, Britney felt she had some space and boundaries set to a level of privacy. The apartment she bought had a storied history. The keys had passed from other famous hands. Cher and Keith Richards were among the celebrity names who had once resided in the place Britney now called home. North of Houston Street, or NoHo as people called it, was notable in Manhattan as a residential part of the city for the rich and famous. Despite this, Britney had yet to brush shoulders with any Hollywood names or notable people she would have recognized.

Within a week of living in the apartment building, Britney met a young woman named Carol. Word had spread quickly throughout the suites that Britney Spears had bought the penthouse at the top. Carol was three years older than Britney. Their heights were a close match, as were their voices. Carol claimed to be from South Carolina, but had a strong, deep southern drawl to her voice that almost matched Britney's accent. The two girls bonded over the fact they had escaped the rural south and found success somewhere. Carol claimed to have found luck in getting accepted to a major university in New York City. She never said what college it was before explaining that she dropped out after a bitter breakup with her boyfriend. How she could afford a suite in such a luxury building puzzled Britney, but she did not press her for details. Carol shared enough stories with her about a horrible upbringing that made Britney feel she could relate to her.

Through the many stories they shared from hanging out together, Britney told Carol how aggravated she was at times that she could not get into a nightclub. Even after turning twenty, she still had a year to wait. For her birthday, Carol gifted Britney with a fake ID card that switched her birthday with Carol's and the name Abby Williams. The other woman joked that it would only work if she was not recognized by the bouncers outside. Carol had to remind Britney often that her face was seen by millions of people on television and on the covers of magazines week in and week out. Britney never sat down to think about her own rising stardom like that. It only made sense after hearing someone else mention it. To her, it was still work. An outsider did not consider all the preparations that came with performances and the work that was put into her carefully crafted pop music. Better still, she preferred that Carol remind her of her fame rather than listening to her family make similar comments.

The two women were inseparable at times. Carol joked that the paparazzi had yet to snap any photos of them together. Would they be considered a secret lesbian couple? Britney laughed at those jokes. Carol's choice of fashion involved many outfits of stonewashed blue jeans and crop tops. Britney liked her taste in outfits. They both wore equally revealing outfits to reveal their belly buttons. Carol lacked the muscular abs that Britney had. She made up for it with a similar naval piercing with a dangling chain that held a diamond. Her long brunette hair flowed behind her shoulders, matching her brown eyes. If there was one thing Britney learned about Carol early on, it was that the girl loved to party. She was always trying to drag Britney into the New York nightclub scene, often giving her hints and clues as to her preferred venues with low profiles.

Carol was not here tonight. Britney could have called her on the phone but decided not to. She thought to herself about the many times she wanted to disappear into a nightclub and forget who she was. A few songs on her latest album were reflections of that desire. Downstairs were two bedrooms, one reserved for her bodyguard, who always accompanied her. Big Rob was his nickname due to his physically intimidating size. A tall, muscular black man who Britney once joked that he looked like Suge Knight. He was bald and had a similar mustache. All she had to do was tell Rob she wanted to go out tonight. The man always had her back and was willing to drive for her when she did not want to. Britney decided to open her closet and dig for a casual outfit. Something that she would easily blend into the night with.

Sitting in her closet was a beige colored crop top with a sparkling butterfly design across the middle. It was the same one she wore in a photoshoot last year for photographer Herb Ritts. Britney often kept pieces of her outfits for photoshoots. There was no need for a bra to be worn beneath this top. Her perfect, muscular toned stomach was on full display below the top. To complete the look, Britney picked one of her best pairs of denim blue jeans. Her fairy tattoo on her lower back was visible just above her plump ass. She sat down in front of her makeup table and applied dark eyeliner around her eyes and pink lipstick. After fixing up her hair, she smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Thinking to herself, Britney was confident that she could go out and forget about life to dance the night away. It was time to call her bodyguard from downstairs and arrange this show out in the nightlife of the city.

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2 HOURS LATER

Bass beats bumped in a slow rhythm to compliment the drums to a hip-hop song. Lights shined from high above, illuminating the dance floor in changing colors. Yellow, green, and blue hues shifted every few seconds with the instrumental music. Britney Spears found herself lost within the music, grooving to the beat on the dance floor among several countless people. In the distance, her bodyguard stood near the bar, watching her every move. That ID card Carol gave her proved to be an essential key tonight. No one had recognized her so far in the club, not that Britney would have minded encountering a fan or someone who knew of her identity. For the time being, she felt alive and in good spirits. It would have been nice to have her friend Carol here, but since Britney was alone, she wondered what the night could bring her. Before she stepped onto the dance floor in her red stilettos, Britney had a few drinks at the bar.

Grooving to the music, Britney lost herself in the flow. The beat was predictable at this slow tempo. For the past several minutes, she noticed a man who continued to dance behind her. He shook his hips after the beats, lagging behind the rhythm. That was no concern to her; figuring she must have been the only professionally trained dancer in the club tonight. The man was tall, with a cleanly shaved face and curly brown hair that matched his eyes. Under his face was a slim chest in a buttoned-up red shirt and black pants. They had yet to make eye contact. Britney would know if he caught her gazing at his face. She found him to be handsome, or even hot, as she would have told Carol had the other woman been here. When he moved behind her, Britney saw an opportunity to dance against him. She bumped her ass against his crotch and began to grind.

The man reacted to her touch by pressing forward and slowly rolling his hips. Britney pressed her back against his chest, leaning further into him as she flicked her blonde hair to turn her head to the right side. For a brief moment, their bodies were in perfect sync with the rhythm of the music. She continued to grind her ass against his crotch, hoping to encourage him to turn up the heat with this dirty dancing. The man stepped back, leaving her with the impression that he was afraid to touch her body. Britney continued to dance as she waited for the key of the song to shift. When that moment finally came, she turned around to face the man. As they stood face-to-face, Britney watched his eyes widen. The man became star-struck, standing there in amazement. She had no doubt whatsoever that he recognized her now. He took a few steps back and began to speak.

"Oh, shit! You look just like Britney Spears!"

"That's cause I am her!"

Without thinking of how to reply, Britney acted out of instinct. She revealed her identity on a crowded dance floor, but no one paid any attention to her or the man who had her attention. Britney smirked and turned around to shake her ass at him again. She hoped he would resume dancing with her, but he stood there still surprised in the moment. She did not consider how big of a deal this had to be for some random man like him in a place like this. She was not just any attractive woman. Whether she wanted to believe it or not, she was one of the most famous women in the world. The man finally stepped in front of her, his cheeks flushed red, unable to hide his blushing.

"I can't believe it's you."

"Well, it's really me."

She giggled after speaking. That only made him continue to blush. The man swallowed his breath as his eyes scanned her body. His voice had a strong New York accent. The chain decoration of her belly button ring dangled and shook as Britney rolled her hips. She waited until his eyes moved back to her face, and then she threw her arms around his neck, pulling him in.

"What's your name?"

"Call me Angelo."

"Okay, Angelo! Come on and dance with me!"

Moving her hands away from him, Britney turned her back to him. She smiled when feeling his warm hands planted on her hips. Angelo leaned in, breathing down her neck, as Britney began to grind against his crotch one more time. She had no care that they were dancing like this in front of many people on the dance floor. Her booty pressed against his crotch and rubbed up and down. His hands moved from her hips so he could step around to face her. Britney smirked, teasing him as she began to step back. As she made her move, the song came to an abrupt end. She sighed and planted her hands on her hips.

"Damn, I was just getting into a flow with you."

"I'm not much of a dancer."

"Then what are you doing on a dance floor, Angelo?"

"I don't know. Maybe I was hoping to bump into the hottest girl on earth right now."

This man was bold, Britney thought to herself. With such a statement, it was hard for her to believe he blushed earlier. Angelo walked off from the dance floor, as if he knew she would be following right behind him. He turned to smirk at her, almost unable to control his excitement. Britney could tell that this was some kind of dream come true for the man. He led her to the bar, where her bodyguard was still standing and quietly observing.

"I'll buy you a drink, Britney."

"You'll buy me... a drink?"

She smirked, playing up her flirtatious side at him. Angelo nodded to her question.

"Yes! Do you want anything?"

"No, I had a few drinks before I got on the dance floor. I can't believe you recognized me. No one has noticed me in here tonight except for you."

"I guess that makes me lucky."

Angelo spoke while sitting down on the black leather bar stool. Below was a sleek, gray floor. Much of the club's interior design was black with chrome metal. It gave off an interesting vibe for a nightclub that played hip-hop music. Britney had only picked this club after randomly remembering Carol describing the venue as a more 'urban club'. She was not in the mood to shake her ass to music that resembled her own pop hits.

"Sure you don't want a drink?"

Britney sat next to him without answering his question yet. That gave Angelo enough time to tease her.

"Not even a Pepsi?"

"If I wanted that, I'd just put a dollar in a drink machine!"

They both laughed. When the bartender noticed them sitting, Angelo glanced up at him and held up his right hand index finger.

"Get me a rum and coke."

He reached into his pocket with his right hand to fetch his wallet and pull out enough money to pay for the drink. His dark eyes shifted back to Britney.

"Are you sure you don't want anything? I'd be honored to buy you a drink."

She finally nodded to him.

"Fine, I'll let you do it."

Gazing at the bartender, Britney smiled.

"Get me another martini, please."

"This one's on me."

Angelo was quick to speak and raise his finger again. Since he insisted on paying for her drink, Britney saw no need to stop him. This must have been a dream come true for him. The way he acted towards her made her wonder just how many men out there desired her like this. Angelo was bold and displayed a great level of confidence that impressed her so far. Licking her lips, Britney was eager to begin a conversation.

"So, do you come here often?"

He shook his head.

"No, but I'm glad I came tonight. I just so happened to be at the right place at the right time."

As she giggled at his reply, the bartender set their glasses on the dark wooden bar in front of them. Britney grabbed her martini glass with her index finger and thumb of her right hand. Her big brown eyes looked into his face as she took a big sip. The man could only smirk back at her before speaking.

"So, does Justin know you're out tonight without him?"

That question made Britney's heartbeat rise. She had not thought about Justin since entering the club. Should she confess her breakup to a stranger? It would be easy to tell him, but Britney had other ideas. She could see the attraction Angelo had for her and knew she could play with those feelings.