After it was over, they were quiet for a moment, recovering from their respective releases.
“Veronica, baby, that was so good.”
“I know, it was. Not quite as good as the real thing though, huh?”
“Not quite.” He grinned.
“When will you be home?”
“Next week. Thursday I think.”
“It’s too far away.” She whined. He found it annoying in some women, but not in her. The fact that she missed him was a turn-on. He imagined her pouting which he found adorable.
“I know, sweetheart. Hey, next time I’ll set up the web cam and we can have a face-to-face session.”
The thought of seeing him touching himself was exciting, but still not good enough. She ached to be in his arms. It had been harder than she expected to be away from him. Their lovemaking session had left her breathless and wanting more. She chose to ignore how it had affected her heart.
Keeping busy during the days with work, errands, friends and family, Veronica found her nights were lonely. The television or computer weren’t fulfilling her needs right now. She ended up buying all five of The Backstreet Boys’s albums and listened to the CDs over and over again; hoping it would make her feel closer to him, but it just made the ache worse.
Veronica looked forward to his nightly phone calls. She enjoyed hearing how the recording sessions were going, how he felt about the songs, what the guys were doing and what it was like in Tennessee. She had never been there, but was excited to go with him next time.
Nick was frustrated. The recording sessions weren’t going as smoothly as planned, so songs had to be re-mixed plus interviews were scheduled with some local Nashville stations to promote the CD.
Six extra days and too much free time in the evenings left him feeling like a caged animal in his hotel room dying to get out and rejoin its mate; in this case, a gorgeous woman who had clawed her way into his heart.
The phone sex and web cam sessions were unbelievable, but as Veronica had so eloquently pointed out, not quite as good as the real thing. He wanted to hold her and do nasty things to her body. Making love to her only once was not enough. He also missed her smile, her laugh and their fun bantering back and forth. She could hold her own against him, which he hadn’t encountered in a woman very often. She was a challenge, but he loved it.
On a Tuesday afternoon in mid-April, his plane finally touched down on California soil. Nick had arranged to meet Veronica at her house at 6 o’clock. He went home, showered and changed with nervous anticipation. Unpacking could wait. Seeing her couldn’t.
With butterflies and smiles, Veronica was walking towards the front of the Vanessa’s Vanity store to go home to meet him when a tall, thin blonde woman approached her. “Excuse me, are you Veronica Hunter?”
The woman looked young; maybe 24 or 25, with long, thick hair and big blue eyes. She was gorgeous.
“Yes. May I help you?”
“Can you give a message to Nick Carter for me?”
“Uh, I don’t—” She began, but clearly the girl knew something, so she ended up saying, “Okay. What is it?”
“Tell him that Vanessa said he might be a father, so he should call me.”
Veronica’s eyes widened, and her mouth went dry. “I—,” she swallowed. “I don’t understand why you’re telling me this.”
“Because he won’t return my calls. He has my number, just have him call me, ‘kay?” Veronica watched her walk away in slow motion—her golden mane floating in the air, her high heels clicking on the floor. She grabbed the edge of the panty display table to steady herself, and thought she was going to be sick. Then literally she was going to be sick, so she made a mad dash for the restroom.
Minutes later, feeling much better after upchucking her lunch, she grabbed her purse and darted out the back door, praying she wouldn’t run into any of her employees. She was certain they would detect her alarmed state of mind and less than stellar physical appearance.
Relief washed over her when she saw Nick leaning against her car, arms folded; an irrepressible smile pasted on his face. She ran towards him and catapulted herself into his arms, holding on for dear life. “Oh, Nick, it’s so good to see you!” It was wonderful to have his strong arms around her once again. She had missed him.
“Whoa! It’s good to see you, too, sweetheart.” He was surprised, but pleased by her enthusiastic greeting. He kissed her hair, reveling in her scent and warmth of her embrace. Damn, he’d missed her. He hadn’t realized how much until this precise moment.
“But I thought you were going to meet me at my house.” She pulled away and gazed into his eyes.
His eyes sparkled, his smile brimming. “I was, but I couldn’t wait.”
“Oh, I’m so glad. I so wanted to see you, especially after what just happened.”
A frown creased his forehead. “What just happened?”
“I’ll tell you later.” She pushed the unpleasant thoughts from her mind. “Hey, can we go to your house instead of mine? I’ve been dying to see it.”
“Sure, follow me.” He said hesitantly, hoping his place wasn’t a mess. His maid usually cleaned twice a week, but she hadn’t been there for several days since he was out of town. Oh well. It was too late now.
Veronica did her best to follow his speeding sports car into Beverly Hills. He took her up winding roads past some of the city’s most beautiful homes. Nostalgia set in as she remembered that in high school she’d driven Darcy and Marianne around this area and they’d each fantasized about living in a particular home. Both Darcy and Marianne chose huge mansions, but she chose a villa situated atop a knoll overlooking a spectacular view of the city. Fairytales young girls dreamed about, and now hers was coming true. Well, she didn’t own an extravagant villa, but maybe her hot rock star boyfriend owned one like it.
Her jaw dropped and her heart raced when Nick turned onto Beverly Crest Drive and pulled into the driveway of her villa. NO WAY! Wait until Darcy and Marianne heard about this! she thought. He opened the gate remotely and she followed him into a garage the size of her living room, parking in the spot next to him.
Nick coolly exited his vehicle, walking over to open her car door and offer his hand in assistance. Veronica accepted it and stepped out of the car, still in awe.
“Thanks. I can’t believe you own this house! You do own this house, don’t you?”
He laughed. “Of course.”
She’d died and gone to heaven. “It’s amazing, Nick! And this garage is huge!” Her eyes swept the length of the garage, counting one, two, three, four, five cars. “Wow, you have so many cars. One for every day of the week, or at least the work week.”
He laughed. “I never thought of it that way. Come on, I’ll take you on a tour of the house.”
Nick took her hand and led her up a short flight of stairs to a locked door he unlocked, and they walked through onto a narrow walkway. Surrounded by rows of greenery and assorted flowers, they continued to a wider tiled area where green ivy vines curled around black wrought iron fencing on either side and above them, then finally to a beige arched doorframe flanked by palm trees.
“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed.
“Wait till you see inside.” He unlocked the door and opened it for her.
“Oh my!” She exclaimed as she stepped inside.
The living room interior was contemporary with geometrical sofas, chairs and ottomans covered in black and neutral linen and silk fabrics, mixed with traditional architectural details such as crown molding, arches, beams and built-in cabinetry. The large, multi-colored area rugs and opulent artwork displayed on the walls gave the room a punch of color.
Veronica’s eyes reached beyond the décor to the breathtaking 180-degree view of the city. As if in a daze, she walked towards the windows, gazing at the magnificent sights before her. Dusk was setting, the sky projecting a glorious colorful glow over the city.
She felt Nick’s presence beside her. “This is magnificent, Nick. If I lived here, I wouldn’t want to leave this view.”
He entwined his fingers in hers. “But you must. I have the rest of the house to show you. We can sit out on the patio later if you want.”
Her eyes lit up. “Yes, that would be wonderful.”
He laughed. She was like a kid in a candy store and he was delighted to be the one showing her everything she wanted to see. He was also grateful that everything appeared to be in order and not in the messy state he’d imagined.
Veronica marveled at the expansive grandeur of the home. “Are you the only one who lives here, or do you have servants and butlers or wives or something?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Wives?”
“Well, not wives, but people living here?”
“No, it’s just little ol’ me.”
“Wow.” She sighed. “You could have a huge party. Heck, you could have all the neighbors over at one time!”
He chuckled. “I have. Well, not all of them, but a few.”
She wondered about his wild parties, but continued her tour, surmising that each room was remarkable in its own way. From the luxurious living room, gourmet kitchen, extravagant state-of-the-art media room, four guest bedrooms, seven bathrooms and of course, the ever-masculine, but tasteful master suite. It had Nick’s name written all over it. His room boasted of rich, dark brown and black furniture, a leopard-print comforter and painted muted brown and beige walls, but it was the wall adorned with classic guitars that caught her attention.
“I could have guessed this would be your bedroom.” She said. “I like it—it’s very rocker-esque.”
He laughed. “Is that a word?”
“It is now.” She grinned. Veronica reached up and gave him a kiss. “I love your house.”
“I’m glad.” Nick smiled. He claimed her lips again, this time plunging his tongue inside her mouth only to pull away suddenly.
“Why does your mouth taste like vomit? Did you get sick?”
“Oh right.” She looked sheepish. “I’ll tell you later. I’m starving, can we eat something?” She wasn’t ready to tell him—yet. It would spoil her euphoria.
“Well, since I was out of town for several days, I don’t have much food here, at least none that will probably taste very good, I can either take you out or—”
“Or what?”
“Or we can go to the grocery store and I can cook for you.”
Her eyes lit up. “You cook? Who knew?”
He grinned. “There may be a few things you don’t know about me.”
Hmm… was that a good or bad thing? she wondered. “All right, then. A cooked meal, it is. Lead on, sir. After I borrow some toothpaste, of course.”
The local market was nearby, and even on a Tuesday evening, it was bustling with customers.
“So, have you seen anyone famous here before?” Veronica asked as she strolled next to Nick yielding a shopping cart.
“Oh, yeah, I’ve seen lots of celebrities. I even know some of them.”
“Really?”
“Really.” He smiled, enjoying that she was enamored with the life he was used to living for the past 12+ years.
Nick placed various items into the cart, knowing exactly what he wanted.
“I can’t help but be impressed.” Veronica commented.
“Don’t you cook?” He asked.
“If you call heating up frozen meals cooking, then yeah.”
“Aw, so it looks as if I’ll be doing a lot of the cooking or at least teaching you how.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t know how, just that I haven’t since—” Her voice trailed off.
“Since you were married?” He offered.
“Yes, but I didn’t want to mention it because I don’t want to be one of those women who talk about their exes or past relationships.”
“Don’t worry, I know you’re not like that. ” He’d been in those kind of relationships before…
Within 15 minutes, they were finished shopping and waiting in line. So far Veronica hadn’t spotted any celebrities, however, something did catch her eye while they were waiting in the checkout line.
A small photo of Nick with the line, “Rocker’s Reunion” was on the cover of the latest issue of Celebrity Magazine. She snatched it up, flipping through the pages frantically until she found a half-page spread of her and Nick. The headline read, “Nick’s Secret Is Out!”
Her eyes scanned through the article:
“In February, The Backstreet Boys’ singer Nick Carter, 29, was seen at the West L.A. Vanessa’s Vanity lingerie store cozying up to the store’s manager and part-time model, Veronica Hunter, 29. A few weeks later, they were spotted again at Kiki’s Bar & Grill on Ventura Blvd. having an intimate dinner. However, these were not the only times the couple has crossed paths. In 1997, they got together after a The Backstreet Boys concert. Neither could be reached for comment, but a close friend says, “They’re inseparable.” Could this self-proclaimed bachelor be taking a step towards walking down the aisle?”
The photo was of them having dinner at Kiki’s, but she didn’t remember any paparazzi around them. Then again, she had probably been too engrossed in their conversation to notice.
“I don’t believe this.”
“What?” Nick glanced down at the article, took a double take, and then began reading the printed words.
“Shit.” He was used to being dragged through the proverbial mud in the press, but for her to be dragged along with him was another story.
“I had no idea any photographers were around us.” Veronica hated the fact that her picture was in some stupid celebrity rag mag, but what she hated more was that her anonymity in her place of business was compromised. She treasured her privacy and was afraid she’d have to give it up now that she was dating someone famous.
“Honey, they’re everywhere. But in this case, a fan probably took the photo with their camera phone and sold it to the media. We can talk about this in the car. I don’t want to draw attention to us.”
In the car on their way back to Nick’s house, Veronica asked, “How did that magazine know about us, as well as all those details, and who was this mystery friend?”
“I don’t know. They have their ways of conjuring up information, and they also have a knack for mixing the truth with lies.”
“I hope the girls at work didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“I know it’s hard, but try not to worry about it. It bothered me when I first got into the business, but now I just to ignore it.”
“I just don’t want to be harassed by paparazzi or reporters at work or home or—anywhere.”
He sighed, keenly aware of how his level of celebrity affected her. “I’m truly sorry about this, Veronica.” His eyes reflected his sincerity. “I know it’s not what you signed up for when you began dating me.”
A sudden stab of guilt shot through her. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt his feelings. Maybe she just needed to suck it up. How bad was it anyway? So what if her name and photograph were in a magazine? It wasn’t the first time, and it probably wouldn’t be the last. It would be yesterday’s news soon enough.
She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “No, I’m sorry. I’m sorry if I make you feel guilty for being who you are. That’s not my intention.”
He smiled and squeezed her hand. “I know.”
Upon arriving at his home, they brought in the groceries and set them on the island in Nick’s kitchen. Veronica was still in awe of her surroundings, taking every detail. She admired everything from the pot rack hanging above the island to the Mediterranean-style tile flooring.
“Can I help you with anything?” She asked.
“I’ve got it covered. Go sit down and relax.”
“Okay, but let me know if I can help. Do you have any wine?”
“Downstairs. First door on the right leads to the wine cellar.”
But of course he had a wine cellar! Veronica made her way downstairs and into the cellar, marveling at the beautiful wood and array of numerous and varied wines. She chose a Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon and walked back upstairs. Nick’s eyes bugged out when he saw what was in her hand.
“I don’t believe it.”
“What? Isn’t this okay?”
“Okay? I’d say so. That’s my favorite bottle of wine. I just gave it to my brother Cam when I visited him in Nashville.”
A slow smile spread across Veronica’s face. “Well, then we both have good taste.”
“And something in common.” He smiled back.
