Jennifer's Birthday Surprise

Jennifer Lopez thought she was going to a birthday party on Monday night for Marita Miller, the beautiful bride of Indiana Pacers star Reggie Miller.

She didn't realize as she approached West 14th Street with her beau, Sean "Puffy" Combs, that 250 family and friends were waiting at Lotus - and the party was actually for her.

Jeffrey Jah, one of the club's owners, had a lookout posted on Ninth Avenue watching for Puffy's blue Bentley. Jah did a countdown in the darkened club as Jennifer and Puff Daddy approached the door. "One minute ... 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10, nine, eight ..."

When Lopez, wearing a clingy one-shoulder white sheath, walked in, everyone yelled, "Surprise!" And she burst into tears. "It really worked. She had no idea. She was overwhelmed," said one source.

Jennifer, who turned 30, hugged her dad, who'd been waiting with her sister and her manager Benny Medina. Introducing the Latin rythms of Tito Torrente's band from Jimmy's Bronx Cafe, Puffy said, "This is Jennifer's world; salsa, cha-cha-cha."

Among the well-wishers who jumped up and started shaking were Lance Bass and Justin Timberlake of 'N Sync, Angie ("Law & Order") Harmon, Jon Secada, publishing wunderkind Jason Binn, and hotelier Vikram Chatwal.

Shirtless rap music mogul Damon Dash seemed to be having the most fun as he got sandwiched between three young beauties - actress/singer Aaliyah; Natane Adcock, the girlfriend of both Hype Williams and Jay Z; and May Anderson, whose white hip-huggers were riding so low one could see the complex tattoo on her behind. Shoshanna Lonstein and Charlotte Ronson threw rose petals at the quartet.

Anderson was later seen grinding her tattoo against Stephon Marbury, the New Jersey Nets star who arrived in $400,000 Bentley Azure cabriolet and seemed impervious to her frictions. "It looked like a lap dance, but standing up," said one sports fan.

Later, as deejay Mark Ronson spun, Puffy dominated the microphone, giving shout-outs to various faces in the crowd, and urging everyone to take advantage of the open bar. The birthday girl and Puffy were among the last to leave at 4:30 a.m.

The last-minute fete only came together at 9 a.m. that morning when Puffy reserved the club, decorated with balloons and rose petals.