“Okay, you know what, I think we need to re-write that part.” Nick grabbed a pencil from behind his ear and scratched out some words scribbled on the back of a sheet of music.
“Hmm, what about this?” He said, writing out new lyrics for the song Irreplaceable and then singing acapella:
“Our love transcends all time and space,
Suspended in orbit,
Spinning on an axis all its own,
No other one can take your place,
Because you’re irreplaceable.”
“Wow, Nick, that’s good. It sounds like you know what you’re talking about.” Cale Caruthers, musician and fellow songwriter commented. They were in Nick’s studio at his house in Los Angeles laying down some tracks for his solo album that was on-going until BSB released their next album.
Nick couldn’t help but smile at that. Maybe he did know what he was talking about. Saturday night had been amazing. No, more than amazing. It did all transcend all time, all universes, all worlds—Nick and Veronica were the only two people alive, the only two people feeling what they were feeling. They were closer than any two people could be. Being inside her physically had been mind blowing but being inside her mentally, spiritually and in every other way was a feeling like no other. He couldn’t even describe it; it was indescribable until he put pencil to paper just now and it all came spilling out.
“Maybe. Okay, ready?” Unable to wipe the smile off his face, Nick went back to work feeling everything was right with the world.
At this very moment, it seemed like everything was going wrong in Veronica’s world. Or at least it was upsetting the happy little bubble of a world she’d had the past two days. Saturday was better than she’d ever dreamed and it put her in a mood she’d not been in in a long time. A blissful euphoria that she didn’t want anything or anyone to spoil but unfortunately, she had to go back to work in a world where nothing ever seemed to be perfect.
“Hi, I’m Veronica Hunter, the manager. Can I assist you with something?” She had just been summoned by one of her newest employees, Ginny to deal with an “incident”. Apparently this woman had been yelling at her. She hated dealing with irate customers, especially when they mistreated her employees.
“Yes, you can.” The woman stormed. “Some guy decided it was okay to come visit his girlfriend in the dressing room, only he walked into the wrong room and I was naked! I can’t believe you let men back here!”
Veronica wanted to say, Shit happens, lady, get over it. It’s not like he enjoyed it. She looked like she wore a size 18 dress and an A cup size. But instead, she said, “I apologize, m’am. It is against our policy for men to be present in the changing rooms.”
“Well, it should be! And someone should do something about these locks because they don’t work!” She screeched, her eyes bugging out grotesquely and a vein on her neck throbbed. It was all Veronica could do not to look away. What was she doing here anyway? Trying to reclaim her youth by trying on sexy bras?
“We will look into that and don’t worry, we will make sure the gentleman in question has vacated the premises. Please accept this 20% discount card with our apologies and let me know if I can be of further assistance to you.” She issued the standard professional line to cure all situations. She’d used it many times and she’d also had to bite her tongue many times not to say what she was really thinking.
Well, that seemed to appease the uptight crow—for now. Crisis averted, problem solved, she could now go back to her dreamlike state of being, remembering what it was like to be in Nick’s arms and how much he really wanted her. I mean, really wanted her. It was enough to make her blush the rest of the day.
“Hey, you, how ya doing?” Nick called Veronica on a break from recording, unable to stop thinking about her.
“Good.” She smiled. He called!
“Good? Is that all?” He teased.
She laughed. “I’m great in fact but I can’t talk long. Got lots to do around here.”
“Oh, so that’s why the whispering. And I just thought you were trying to talk sexy for me.”
She laughed again. “No, don’t worry, when I start talking sexy to you, you’ll know it.”
“Well, try it now. Just so I can get a taste.”
“Now? Here?” She said.
“Yes and yes.”
He was incorrigible but incredibly irresistible. She walked to the back room, thankful no one was there and whispered, “Hey, big boy, what are you wearing?”
“Is that it? Is that the best you’ve got?”
“Well, what do you expect on such short notice?”
“Hey, I thought my girlfriend was a hot, sexy Victoria’s Secret model but I guess she’s just a manager at some store.”
He knew how to push her buttons… in all the right places. “All right, smart ass, get ready to get hard.” She said, up to the challenge.
“Ooh, now you’re talking.”
She whispered into the phone in a deep, sexy voice: “If you were here right now, I’d rip your shirt off your body, then kiss my way down to your chest, sucking on your nipples, then licking a path down to your pants, opening your fly with my mouth and pulling out your…”
“Veronica?” Lorna suddenly walked up behind her. “Oh there you are. We need you to sign for the new shipment.” Oh shit!
Without turning around, Veronica said, “Okay, I’ll be right there.” She was flustered. The talk was even getting her turned on. “Nick, I’ve gotta go! I’ll call ya later.”
And that was it. She hung up, leaving him hanging and hard. Nick sighed and hung up his cell. A broad smile swept his face. Damn, she was good. Once she got warmed up, she really was good at talking dirty. He just wished she had been allowed to continue. Or maybe not, he thought as he surveyed his surroundings. Best to get back to work himself.
For the rest of the day, all Veronica could think about was Nick. The way he touched her, kissed her, used his tongue, his hands, his member to make her come again and again like she never had before. And it was more than that. It was like something had happened between them that was more than sex, much more than sex. It was more like a feeling, a yearning, the sense that she had finally come home. But what did that mean? Sex was just sex, right? They’d both gotten off but it wasn’t just that, it was something more, something more tangible, something incredibly special but it was best not to question it.
Then suddenly she remembered that they’d never used birth control, or at least he hadn’t. No condom. Oh shit. It’s funny how they’d both never thought about that at the time. It was like the thought never entered either one of their minds and it should have. Especially since the first time they’d had sex, it hadn’t either. Back then they at least had the excuse of being young and drunk. This time they had no excuse except lust, pure unadulterated lust that blinded them to anything else.
Bliss went to panic in two seconds flat as Veronica quickly calculated the last time she had her period and possibly ovulated. She’d had her period around 10 days ago, so this was her typical ovulation time. No, this can’t be happening again!
All right, Veronica, don’t panic, you’re on birth control, right? If you call taking the pill irregularly as birth control, then yes, she was, but fuck it! Why didn’t she remember to take it every day? Because you didn’t expect to be having sex at all, she thought but that was no excuse for this. Her heart rose in her throat and she started shaking. No, no, no! But it was different this time, right? This time they were older, more mature and had feelings for each other. Right? Right?
But she wasn’t so sure about that at all. She knew she had feelings for him but how did he really feel about her? They were just getting to know that each other. Why did she always screw up her relationships?
Veronica solemnly closed up the cash register and shook her head. Pull it together, you have to, you have people counting on you. It was almost time for her to leave anyway. Just keep it together for thirty more minutes and then you can go home and panic, she thought.
“Excuse me, but are you Veronica Hunter?” A tall, thin blonde woman with long thick hair and big blue eyes walked up to her. The girl was drop dead gorgeous.
“Yes. Can 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?”
“Can you tell him that Victoria wanted to let him know that the stick turned pink and he should call me.”
Veronica’s eyes grew wide and it was all she could do not to drop her jaw to the floor. “And he’ll know what that means?” She rasped, barely hanging onto her sanity as it was.
“Oh, yeah, he’ll know. See ya.” Veronica watched her walk away in slow motion—her blonde hair floating in the air, her high heels clicking on the floor. She gripped the counter 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.
Nick wrapped things up for the day and headed for his car in the parking lot. Inside his car, he looked at his watch. It was almost 6 o’clock and Veronica should be getting off work any minute now. He couldn’t wait to see her again. They’d made plans to meet at the food court to munch on fries and talk about each other’s day. When he arrived at the mall, for some reason he was feeling uneasy like something wasn’t right. Shaking it off, he exited his car and rode the escalator to the second level.
Nick grabbed a table near the escalators and waited and waited, then waited some more. He looked down at her watch. It was 6:20 now. He was just about to call her on his cell when Veronica showed up. She was red in the face, her hair was messed up and she looked upset.
“V, what’s wrong?” He asked.
“Oh nothing. I just had the day from hell, that’s all.” She plopped herself down in the chair opposite of him, looking around her. Maybe she was lurking nearby. Maybe she was there to see if she would actually tell him but she didn’t see her, just people with families and friends. Happy people with not a care in the world. “Your call was the only highlight of the day.”
Nick reached over and put his hand over hers. “I’m sorry your day sucked. Hey, what’s on your blouse?”
Veronica looked down. Oh crap! Just what she needed. “Believe me, you don’t want to know what that is.” Normally, she’d make a beeline to the restroom to clean it up but right now she didn’t care.
“So, what happened today?” He sat back, placing his right arm lazily around the back of the chair next him. It was all he could do not to leap over the table and attack her. Even messy, she looked incredibly sexy.
Veronica rubbed her temples then shook her head. She wished she didn’t have to tell him anything. That she could just laugh with him, share a meal and then go home and make sweet love to him all night but there’s no way she could keep it all inside. She already felt like she was going to explode.
“What’s going on, baby? Whatever it is, just spit it out. I can take it.” He asked for the third time, now growing concerned.
She looked skeptical. “I’m not sure you can. Okay, okay, I’ll just say it. Your ex, Victoria came into the store about an hour ago and wanted me to give you a message.”
Nick’s eyes filled with confusion as he leaned forward. “What? Vicky? What did she want?”
“Oh God, Nick.” She put her face in her hands, feeling the tears at the brink of release.
Nick was losing patience. He just wanted to scream at her, Tell me, goddammit!
Veronica pulled herself together and said, “She told me to tell you that and I quote, that the stick turned pink and that you should call her.”
She watched his face as he was considering what that meant and then it changed abruptly as he figured it out. ”Damn it!” He swore under his breath.
“I know, I know.” She empathized.
“I don’t understand. Why would she come and tell you to tell me and how does she even know about you?”
“I was wondering that myself.”
“It doesn’t matter. I need to call her, to find out what’s going on.” He pulled out his cell.
“Yeah, you should.” She said, her heart sinking. She felt like she was going to lose him and it was tearing her up inside.
“I’ll be right back.” He said, walking away with the phone to his ear. She sat there, frozen to the spot, her heart beating frantically. Please don’t be pregnant, please don’t be pregnant she was chanting to herself referring to not only Victoria but herself as well.
Nick strode over to her a few minutes later, his face solemn. “We need to talk.”
