“Dad, is the cabin available for me to use for a few days this week?” Corinne asked Peter Sunday morning.
“Yeah, I think so. Why?”
“I was wondering if I could take a few vacation days and stay there this week.”
“Sure, Honey. What’s the occasion?”
“I just need to get away for a few days by myself. Can I pick up the keys today?”
“No problem. When are you coming back?”
“I’m leaving today and I’ll be back by next Sunday. I’ll be back at work a week from Tuesday. I really should be telling Marsha this, but I was hoping you could convey the message to her.”
“That’s fine. I’ll see you in a little while then?”
“Yes, see ya.”
Corinne decided the best place for her to go would be a peaceful mountain cabin such as the one her parents owned in Big Bear, California. She had great memories from childhood to adulthood spending time with her family there. She hadn’t ever been there alone, but it should be the ideal place for her think, relax and get herself into that calm place she so wanted to achieve.
On her way out of her parents’ house with the key, she said to her mom, “Mom, tell Megan I will call her when I get back to set up a time to go visit her and Tyler.” She was hoping to find a baby gift in town to finally give to her sister.
“I will and have a great time!” Bonnie said, waving goodbye.
Corinne’s next stop was Nick’s house. She knew he was out with Chris, but using the key he had given her, she opened up the door, walked in and placed an envelope on his kitchen counter. She then looked around. The place was pretty clean; she was impressed. She would have teased him if he were there that it was probably the day the maid came to clean. Walking through the rooms of his large, luxurious home, she sighed contentedly. Corinne walked into Nick’s bedroom and smiled. They had made so many wonderful memories on that bed. She was shocked to see it made up. Oh, it’s time to mess that up, she thought as she pulled the covers down and rolled around on it to muss up the sheets. There! Grabbing a vial of perfume out of her purse, she sprayed it liberally over his sheets and pillow. Corinne also grabbed her note pad and pen from her purse and scribbled, “You now have scented sheets – something to remember me by. Sweet dreams! C.”
Giggling, she grabbed her purse and left Nick’s house, sighing once again as she thought about how much she loved that man.
Nick came home Sunday night after a long day out with his best friend. They played some basketball, had lunch and ended up at Chris’ house playing video games the rest of the day. He was pretty competitive and he never wanted to leave until he beat his friend soundly.
Nick threw his house keys on the kitchen counter and spied Corinne’s envelope. “Nicky” it said and he smiled as he opened it. Inside was his credit card with a post-it noted attached that said, “Big Bear. Back Sunday. Love you, Corinne”.
His smile grew bigger as he put the card in his wallet and attached the post-it note to his refrigerator with a magnet. Walking into his bedroom he stopped when he saw the state of his bed. What in God’s name…? He walked over to the bed and saw Corinne’s handwritten note and laughed out loud. What a character. She always made him laugh. Nick threw himself onto the bed and inhaled the warm scent of citrus and magnolias. Oh, God, it did remind him of her… what a sweet fragrance and sweet memories… he thought of her lying there on his bed earlier that day, which brought a smile to his face and an erection down below. He imagined himself there with her, watching her lying on his bed, maybe fingering her pussy, pleasuring herself as he watched…Nick grabbed a tissue box and decided, what the hell, he was already hard, he might as well keep thinking of Corinne and cum and did he ever cum…
Corinne made it to the cabin within a couple of hours and was excited to unpack and relax with a Diet Coke. She got set up in one of the bedrooms; her favorite one and pulled out her laptop. She was definitely planning to work while she was here. Ideas for another book were already floating around in her head and she was eager to put pen to paper or more literally, fingers to her keyboard.
Diving in, her fingers flew furiously for two hours straight; the words flowing out of her head like a windstorm. She smiled as she wrote. This book shouldn’t be as hard to write as the last one. The last one was pure fiction and she had dreamt it up on her own; this one was going to be based in her reality; her reality although it will be touted as a piece of fiction. It was 2 o’clock before Corinne realized she had not eaten anything because she was starving. She raided the refrigerator, but of course, it wasn’t stocked because her parents or anyone hadn’t been there since last winter and here it was June.
Damn, I guess I have to go shopping. Grabbing her purse, she was out the door. Returning an hour later from the store, she stocked the kitchen and sat down to eat.
Two days flew by and it was Wednesday already. Corinne couldn’t believe it. She thought back to what she had done the past two days. Not much. Well, she had written 20 pages for her book already, which was unbelievable. It took her a year to write her last one; she felt she could finish this one within a month if she put her mind to it. She also had been doing a lot of walking around the neighborhood and thinking. Reflecting on the beauty all around her and the beauty that was in her life, she came to appreciate what she had and became thankful. Fear and worry seemed like a distant memory as she happily roamed the streets and thought about her family, friends and of course, Kevin and Nick.
Kevin and Nick. Now those were two opposite people right there. Of course, they had some similar characteristics, but in general, they were both very different and Corinne loved different things about each one of them. She thought about their personalities and what they had given to her in their relationships with her and what she had given them. It wasn’t until she was back home lounging on the couch when she allowed herself to think about the future with each one of them. The future with Kevin seemed bright until the play, the play that actually never materialized, but she knew it would in future. She knew he wanted to get married and have kids; they had spoken of that, but they hadn’t nailed down a date or time and he had never officially proposed. She could see herself married to Kevin and having his children; she smiled at the idea. He’d be a good father. Now, Nick was another matter. She felt he would be a good husband and father if he was willing to be, but given the way he was raised and his past relationships, she knew it would have to be something he really wanted because as it stood now she knew he wasn’t ready for that. And it would probably be awhile. With Kevin she suspected it wouldn’t take too much convincing to get him to marry her fairly quickly. Nick, she would probably have to work on a year or two. But did she want to get married right away? Corinne sighed and stood up. She opened the sliding glass door and plopped down on one of the patio chairs. She sighed as she looked at the majestic pine trees hovering all around her. Marriage? Kids? Did she want that and if so, right away? She didn’t know. All she knew was that she was 34 years old and the clock was ticking so to speak, but was she really ready to take on that kind of a commitment? It would depend on whom it was with. She let her mind wander, picturing herself marrying Kevin and then Nick. She smiled. As much as she still cared about Kevin, she found herself more excited to marry Nick. He brought an excitement and joy into her life and she would be so proud to be his wife.
Oh, God… that wasn’t quite the revelation she expected to arrive at. It was good news, bad news. The good news was she wanted to marry her boyfriend. The bad news was that he might never be ready to marry her. Or if so, it could be awhile… but would that be okay with her? Yes, she realized it would be okay. She could wait— at least for a little while. She and Nick had just started dating and were in the “honeymoon” phase of their relationship. Waiting at least a year would be good for both of them she decided.
That all happened during the day on Tuesday. On Tuesday night, she made a quiet dinner at home, watched some TV and listened to music while she wrote some more. It was so nice and peaceful just to be alone for a change. She had grabbed her cell phone as a reflex once to call Julia and she realized two things: a) There was no cell service in the mountains; at least not in the cabin and b) Julia was in New York for two weeks visiting Andrew.
She was happy for her friend. She and Andrew deserved to have that time together. She couldn’t wait for their wedding next May.
Wednesday was pretty much the same. Corinne did more thinking, walking, relaxing, napping and writing. Wednesday night she was in her bedroom, writing on her laptop and she leaned back against the headboard of the bed. Suddenly one of the cupboard doors opened. It was one of those headboards with built-in shelves and cupboards. She peered in the cupboard and spied a small wooden box. Wow, this looks familiar. She realized it was her old trinket box from when she was 15 or 16. Oh my God! I remember this! She also remembered what was inside of it and as she opened it she wondered if it was still there. It was! Her old pack of Marlboro Light 100s were there. Half a box left and they looked to be in good condition. She laughed out loud. She must have been 16. Her friend, Marcy got her into smoking to lose weight, so she picked up the habit. She never really got addicted, but she liked a smoke now and then. Corinne remembered going outside, hiding in the trees and lighting up, careful to avoid her sisters and her parents. Thankfully, she had never gotten caught.
As a lark, Corinne, grabbed the cigarettes and the matches underneath them and lit one up. She felt so naughty, like she was still going to get caught after all these years! She had not had a cigarette in nearly six months and she had never really been a smoker. She mainly just liked to smoke when she went to a bar and drank. She remembered one time when she and Kevin had just started dating, they went to this bar in Hollywood, and she had gotten pretty messed up and bummed a cigarette off of a woman sitting nearby. Kevin laughed, but she could tell her was a little surprised. Yeah, I bet your were, Kev, she laughed now. Corinne sat up and padded into the kitchen. Was there any alcohol there or did she have to go down to the liquor store? She rummaged through the cupboards. Damn, nothing! Her parents definitely didn’t drink while they were here, she thought. How unfortunate!
Since Corinne had been walking around in a long t-shirt and underwear, she pulled on a pair of jeans, threw on her jean jacket and headed out to her car. Once in the liquor store, Corinne decided on a bottle of Tequila and Marguerita mix. A change from her standard glass of wine; she wanted to be a little more adventurous tonight. After she finished paying at the counter, the clerk said,
“Hey, you look familiar. Are you a movie star or something?”
Corinne laughed. “Uh, no.”
“You look so familiar. Have you been in here before?”
“Nope. I’m just visiting. Oh, God, you didn’t see me in a magazine or something, did you?”
The guy’s face lit up. “That’s it! I think it was in People Magazine. What’s your name?”
“Corinne Whitman. Wait a minute. How long ago was this?”
“This month’s issue. Here.” He grabbed one from behind the counter and handed it to her.
Corinne frantically flipped through the pages, landed on pg. 42 and there was her face staring back at her. Oh my God! There were pictures of Kevin and Nick, too. The headline read, “Backstreet Boys’ Babe Two-Timer?” Holy shit!
Corinne stared wide-eyed at the clerk and he laughed. “Yeah, there you are. What’s it like dating both Nick and Kevin?”
“None of your business!” She retorted, grabbed her bag and started walking out.
“Hey, what about my magazine?” He yelled.
“You don’t need to read this smut!” Corinne yelled back and absconded with his magazine.
She raced back to the cabin to read the filth. She poured the Tequila and mix into a glass, stirred it with her finger, put a Backstreet Boys CD in the stereo, lit a cigarette and walked out on the deck.
“After a tumultuous 6-month relationship with unknown Corinne Whitman, Kevin Richardson cancels the play Chicago set to debut in London and Ms. Whitman takes up with best friend and fellow-Backstreet Boy, Nick Carter.”
Goddamn it! Where the hell do they get this information?! Damn paparazzi. They had plagued her and Kevin their entire relationship and she had seen her fair share of them since she had been with Nick, too. It was part of the life that she didn’t like that came with fame.
Corinne read the entire article and then decided to take the magazine back to that guy the next day. She had assumed it was her personal copy, but what if they sold it there and she had stolen it. She could just see it in print now: Corinne Whitman, Backstreet Boys’ Slut and Thief…
Corinne finished her cigarette, made herself another marguerita and danced around to “Get Another Boyfriend”. She laughed at the irony. Well, she had “gotten another boyfriend”…
She then flung herself on the bed. It was 10pm on a Wednesday night and she was bored. She grabbed her laptop and decided to see who was online. Maybe Julia would get online at Andrew’s house and they could chat or her friend Melissa or someone, but Corinne wasn’t expecting to see Kevin Richardson signed in to AIM. She quickly IMd him.
“Hey, Scotty, what’s up?” Corinne giggled as she sipped her drink. She was more than a little tipsy.
Kevin sat up. He had just gotten home from having a late dinner with the boys after a long day at the studio. Bored, he decided to check his e-mails. It was a pleasant surprise to see Corinne’s IM.
“Hey, Rinna! Good to hear from you! Where are you?” He had missed seeing her the past few days and he wasn’t about to ask Nick where she was.
“I’m in Big Bear at my parents’ cabin.”
“Cool! How come?” He remembered that cabin. He and Corinne had been there once. He smiled. Happy memories…
“I just wanted to get away and be alone for awhile. It’s been relaxing.”
“If I remember correctly, it wasn’t that relaxing when we were there!”
Corinne laughed out loud. She remembered, too. God, the sex had been good…
“Oh, you remember that, huh? Yeah, well, it’s just me, so none of that this time…”
Kevin laughed. “What’s up?”
“I’m smoking again.” Corinne smiled.
“Heathen.”
“And drinking.”
“Sinner.”
“And I’m really horny.”
“That’s it, you’re going to hell!”
Corinne and Kevin were both laughing hysterically.
Kevin calmed down and boldly wrote, “I wish I was there.”
Corinne paused. She did, too, but she didn’t want to lead him on. “Me, too.” She typed, hoping the meaning wouldn’t be misconstrued. She then quickly wrote, “How’s the recording going?”
Kevin sighed, noting her change of subject. “Great. We’ve got one song done, believe it or not.”
“Wow, that’s awesome! How’s Nick doing?”
Kevin sobered up. Back to reality. “Great. He misses you I know.”
Corinne decided to change the subject again. “Hey, have you spoken to Amber?”
“Yeah, I called her last night.”
“How did that go?”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Okay? Just okay?”
“Well, I guess she’s back with her ex-husband, so that’s it.”
“What! I didn’t know that!” Corinne typed.
“Yeah, I guess he was waiting for her when she got back from California and begged her to take him back.”
“Wow! I guess that’s a good thing, but Kev, I’m sorry.”
Kevin smiled sadly. “Yeah, well, what are you gonna do? How are you doing?”
Corinne smiled. How much did she tell him? “Good. I’ve been doing a lot of soul searching. It’s been very cleansing.”
“And did you find you soul?” He asked.
Corinne laughed. “Yeah, I guess I did.”
“So, what are you going to do about your state of horniness?”
Corinne knew he was fishing and she couldn’t say she blamed him. He was a guy after all. A hot-blooded male on the rebound from her sister and still not over her…
If they were still together, she would join him in a raunchy exchange of sexual innuendo and it would be fun, but they weren’t. She did, however, reminisce about the time they did do that a few months ago when Kevin was away with the “boys” at some celebrity auction thing. At the hotel that night instead of talking on cell phones, they traded sex talk via IMs. It was such a turn-on that they both ended up using their fingers and hands for something other than typing, climaxing together and laughing afterwards that that had been a “first” for both of them and they should do it again sometime.
Well, this time was not the “sometime”. Corinne was with Nick now and it was totally inappropriate.
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll use my vibrator.”
“You brought your vibrator?”
“No, I’m just kidding. I’ll probably just end up going to bed.”
“Oh, that’s no fun. Anything I can do?”
“Kev, I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
And that was it. The final crushing blow. “Okay, I get it. Hey, I should go, I have to get up early tomorrow.”
Corinne frowned. She hated doing that to him; she had been having so much fun chatting with him, but she understood his point of view.
“Okay, well, it’s been fun. Have a good night.”
“Goodnight.”
Corinne closed her lap top lid and laid back on her bed. Oh God, no more drinking and smoking. And no more sex talk. She moved her hand down inside her panties and inserted a finger into her vagina. Yep. It was wet. Oh God… she put a pillow over her face. Stop thinking about sex with Kevin… stop thinking about sex with Kevin… ugh! Corinne jumped up, ran into the bathroom, turned on the shower and stepped into the stall while the showerhead spewed out very COLD water onto of her sexually-electrified body.
