- Text Size +

 

“Dear god, woman,” Nick groaned. Annie grinned and pulled the knotted cherry stem she was holding between her teeth out of her mouth. She handed it to him with a flourish. He looked down at his palm and licked his lips. “You tell me to behave tonight, then you do this?” Across the table, Howie and Leigh erupted in laughter.

“I gotta pee,” Annie said abruptly, obviously feeling the effects of the alcohol in more ways than one. She toppled off her bar stool onto unsteady feet, and Nick’s hand shot out to steady her.

“You okay there, champ? Need an escort?”

Annie placed a hand on his shoulder to steady herself while she willed the room to stop spinning. When it finally did, she looked at him with a smile. “No, I’m good. I won’t be long.”

 

Then, she traipsed over to the nearest bathroom. She was definitely a little dizzy and feeling the effects of the alcohol, but actually feeling quite chipper. While in the stall, she couldn’t help but overhear the gossipy chatter that was happening amongst some fans out by the sinks. “I think he’s still single. I mean, he and Lauren were together for how long? It’s only been a couple of months. There’s no way he would move on so fast.”

“I don’t know. They seem pretty cozy to me.”

“But there’s really no PDA going on. Maybe this Annie chick’s just a decoy girlfriend.”

“A decoy girlfriend? Like making himself look unavailable so we don’t pounce?”

“Exactly!” Annie placed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Any other time, she might have been a little annoyed to be the subject of gossip and speculation, but nothing was going to ruin her drunken happiness at the moment. When she flushed and pushed the door open, she found three girls standing in front of the sinks and immediately recognized one of them as the fan who’d asked about her during Truth or Dare. All were wearing renditions of those “shortie pajamas” Nick had been talking about earlier and applying various types of makeup. The one on the right, who was wearing what could only be described as a negligee under a short, open silk robe, saw her first. Her lip gloss wand stopped midway between the mirror and her gaping mouth and the reflection of her eyes met Annie’s for just a moment before she nudged the girl next to her with her elbow and the three of them quickly scampered away.

Annie went about her business washing and drying her hands, then caught a glimpse of her sponge-roller laden hair in the mirror. After several hours in, those were going to have to go unless she wanted to be sporting a full-on afro in her already naturally curly hair in the morning. One by one, she unrolled them from her hair and did her best to smooth the wild auburn curls with her fingers. It wasn’t a look she’d be satisfied with out in public, but for tonight, it worked. Tonight was for fun. Did it really matter that she looked like? She was the decoy girlfriend of a Backstreet Boy, gosh darn it! She looked at the pink sponge rollers on the countertop and shrugged, tossing them in the trash one by one. They were a dollar store set bought solely for pajama night on the cruise, so she didn’t mind just throwing them away.

Nick was standing in the hallway waiting for her when she walked out of the restroom. “Well, that’s a nice look,” he chuckled, reaching out for one of her unrealistically bouncy curls. He pulled it straight and let it go, laughing as it sprang back into place, sticking out of the side of her head haphazardly.

“Better or worse than the sponge rollers?” she asked with a sheepish grin.

“Oh, definitely better. I mean, the rollers were cute, but I’d guess this is the closest I’ve ever been to seeing you with bed-head,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

She laughed and rolled her eyes. “By the way, they think I’m your decoy girlfriend.”

“Who thinks you’re my what?”

“Some chatty fans in the bathroom. They think you’re using me as a decoy girlfriend to make yourself look unavailable to them.”

He put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side. “Well, that’s an interesting theory. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t even at least half true, though.”

“Oh really?” Annie pressed her hands against his chest and leaned in towards him. “So, is that what this is? You’re using me to keep the crazy fangirls away? Hate to break it to you, but I’m still a little bit of a crazy fangirl myself.”

“Well, that part I’m pretty excited about, actually,” he laughed, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. “Seriously, though, I was a little worried about being the only single guy. Technically, it’s been that way for a while, but for the most part, they’d pretty much accepted that Laur--” He hesitated. “She and I were a package deal. I have to admit it’s been pretty nice that you apparently seem to make me look unavailable. Of course, you already know I’d like it if you made me actually unavailable.”

She cast a goofy grin up at him. She’d heard him of course, but the tipsiness from the alcohol made his words seem not so scary at the moment. “Dance with me?”

“I’d love to.” He planted a quick kiss on her forehead and grabbed her hand to lead her towards the dance floor. First, though, he stopped by the bar. “Howie stole the vodka bottle and took it with him to go mingle, and it was almost empty anyway, so...”

“Rum and diet coke,” she told the bartender quickly.

“I was kinda hoping you’d want to do tequila shots,” Nick quipped.

“Let me guess...body shots?”

“That would be awesome!”

“Well sorry, but I’m not that drunk.”

“Drats.” He snapped his fingers and swung his arm in front of him. “Guess I’ll have to do one by myself.” She sipped her drink and watched as he licked his wrist, salted it, and licked it again. Was it just her, or was he being a little slow and overzealous with the licking? She gulped down a long drink of rum and diet coke and looked on as he took the shot and slammed his shot glass down on the bar. For the second time in the past 24 hours (the first being their duet, of course) Nick seemed to just ooze sexiness. He bit into the lime wedge and gave her a cheesy grin with the rind still covering his teeth. Well, so much for the sexiness, but she had to admit that she liked his ability for go from giving her bedroom eyes to acting like a goofball in mere seconds.

“Time to dance!” Nick grabbed Annie’s hand and yanked her off the barstool as she finished the last drop of her drink and slid the glass towards the bartender. She couldn’t help laughing as the first notes of “Just One Kiss” rang out just as they made it to the dance floor. “Huh. Is this song even dance-able?”

“Of course it’s dance-able! What do you do when you’re singing it on a stage?”

“Well some might call it dancing, but I feel like I’m pretty much just spazzing out up there usually. Give me something chore-chorgraph-- No that’s not right.” The alcohol was starting to catch up with him.

Annie burst out laughing. “Having a little trouble with your words there, Nickers?”

“Knickers? Aren’t those underpants?”

“Nevermind. Choreographed? That the word you’re looking for?”

“What was I talking about?”

“Dancing.”

“Oh yeah-- Give me something choreographied and I’m good, but I suck at the freestyle stuff. Lucky for you, drunk Nick’s a pretty good dancer.”

“Of course he is,” she laughed. “Or at least that’s what he thinks.” Had he just said “choreographied”?

“Oh, it’s on!” Nick wrapped an arm around her waist and twirled her around with him to the beat of the music. She wiggled out of his grasp and stepped away, matching her steps with his, but jazzing them up a little. “Show off!”

Annie smiled and shrugged. “Fifteen years of dance lessons had to pay off sooner or later.”

“So you were a dancer?”

“Yep. No cheerleading uniform for me!”

“Well, there goes that little fantasy I had earlier today.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” He grasped her hand and spun her around until her body settled back against his. She didn’t question him, his statement pretty much forgotten as she draped her arms across his shoulders. It wasn’t long until she spotted the chatty fans from the bathroom staring them down and whispering back and forth to each other just a few yards away.

 

“Wanna have a little fun?”

 

His face contorted in confusion. “I thought that was what we were doing?”

 

She turned them ninety degrees so that his back was no longer facing the fans and turned his cheek with her hand so that he was looking at the whispering fans. “Those would be the ones who think I’m your decoy girlfriend.”

 

Nick’s eyes widened when he recognized the one that had asked him the question about Annie earlier that night. “That’s the one, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes, I believe so.”

 

Nick sighed. “I love our fans, but some of them are into meddling in our lives a bit too much. So what do you say, Annie?” he asked as the song ended.

 

“What do I say about what?”

 

“Just one, just one?” he sang. Annie smiled and stood on her tip-toes, then planted a long, feverish kiss on his lips. He pulled her body in close to his and returned the kiss with just as much fervor. “Now, that was even better than the first time.”

 

“You tricked me the first time!” she exclaimed.

 

“Yeah, but you liked it.”

 

“Maybe I did.” She cocked her head to the side, smiled, and shrugged, then pulled away. “Go say hi to your fans, Nick. I’m going to go get another drink.”

 

“Annie-” He grasped her wrist gently with his hand. “Are you sure you want another? I mean, we’ve had....a lot.”

 

“I thought you told me last night we could get plastered tonight,” she replied with a little glint in her eye.

 

He was a goner. “Get me a Jack and Coke, then.” She nodded and sashayed towards the bar. He laughed to himself as his eyes trailed from the bunny slippers still on her feet up the legs of the flannel pajama pants that hung loosely around her hips and lamented the fact that she hadn’t taken him up on the “shortie pajamas” suggestion-- or at least worn a tight little camisole. Still, dancing so close to her felt amazing. He turned on his heel and started walking towards the trio of fans talking with each other a few feet away. “How’s it going ladies?” he asked casually.

 

Annie watched from the bar as Nick chatted with his fans while she sipped on yet another cocktail. This time she’d told the bartender to “surprise her with something fruity,” and he’d delivered. She had no idea what she was drinking, but it tasted awesome, and she had finished one and ordered another before Nick returned from his chat with the meddling fans. “How’d it go?” she asked as she slid the Jack and Coke towards him while he settled into the stool beside her.

 

“They asked if you were my girlfriend.”

 

She paused her glass in front of her lips. “Oh, really?” She kind of wondered what the answer to that question was, herself. “What did you tell them?”

 

“The truth,” he said simply.

 

“And what would that be?”

 

“You’re not my girlfriend.” For a moment, she felt a little unexpected pang of disappointment. Then, he gave her a sly smile. “Yet.” He tipped his glass in her direction then took a drink.

 

She laughed. “You sound pretty sure of yourself there, Mr. Carter.”

 

I’m not at all, he thought to himself before taking another drink. “Can I ask you a question, Annie?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“Who’s your favorite.....” He paused and grinned. “Ninja Turtle?”

 

“Donatello,” she replied without missing a beat. Earlier in the evening, she’d racked her brain to try to remember the names of the Ninja Turtles while the guys played Truth or Dare with the fans. The only one she’d been able to remember for sure and match with the correct color ensemble was Donatello, because he had, in fact, been her favorite.

 

Nick pouted. “Not Raphael?”

 

Annie shrugged. “Donatello had the purple mask. I was a little girl. I liked purple. I thought you were going to ask if I had a new favorite Backstreet Boy.”

 

“Oh, I’ve already accepted that one will always be Kevin, but might I try to change your mind on the Ninja Turtles?”

 

“Well, you can try....” she teased.

 

“Dance with me again.” He tossed back the rest of his drink and Annie did the same, then he lead her back onto the dance floor. Annie started giggling hysterically when the opening notes to “Burnin’ Up” blared through the speakers. “What is this? The frickin’ Nick Carter dance party?” he asked aloud.

 

“Are you ladies enjoying the Nick Carter dance party?” Howie yelled from the DJ booth. He was met with a roar of appreciation.

 

Nick rolled his eyes. “Figures,” he scoffed. “Now, where were we?” He placed his hands on Annie’s hips and pulled her towards him. “Here we go, oh-oh...” he sang.

 

Annie threw her head back and laughed. The room seemed to spin under the influence of her alcohol intake. She’d definitely hit her limit a couple of drinks ago, thought one might argue she’d actually done so much earlier while eating cherries and drinking vodka. Even Nick was feeling pretty sloshed, himself. While he’d claimed to Howie that he could still “drink him under the table,” he’d actually become quite the light-weight after cutting out alcohol entirely for a while after his cardiomyopathy diagnosis. He was happily way past “buzzed” as he settled Annie’s hips against his own and began leading her in a dance that could only be described as “bumping and grinding.”

 

“Is it hot in here?” Annie’s face flushed under the flashing disco lights as Nick’s thigh settled between her legs, and her hands flew to the top button of her pajama top.

 

Nick gulped and licked his lips as he watched her start to unbutton the oversized pink flannel shirt. “Um....yeah. Hot. Very...hot.  Burning up, actually,” he stammered. Was she stripping? Here? Now? He knew she was drunk, but....oh. He caught a glimpse of a lace-edged white camisole once she reached about the third button and felt himself blush for actually thinking she was disrobing in front of him. Of course, good judgement probably wasn’t his strong suit at the moment. “Can I help you with that?” She laughed and pulled the pajama top off her shoulders, then tossed it haphazardly behind her to reveal the tight-fitting camisole complete with perfect cleavage. Nick fought the urge his hands suddenly had to settle on her breasts and instead wrapped them tighter around her waist, though he still couldn’t seem to pry his eyes away.

 

Annie smirked, suddenly thankful for the push-up strapless bra she’d decided to wear just in case she’d gotten hot and decided to shed her outer layer of clothing. She took a step back so that their bodies were no longer touching each other and gave him a teasing little wiggle with her hands above her head. Nick chuckled and grabbed one of her hands with his own, then spun her around so that her back was nestled against his chest and ran his hands down her bare arms and down the sides of her torso while her hands found themselves in his hair. He groaned and settled his palms back on her hips, then nipped at the side of her neck with his lips. Annie gasped as he pulled her against him, the pajama bottoms he was wearing doing nothing to hide his arousal pressing up against her behind.

 

Neither of them spoke as they danced and eventually slowed, despite the fast pace of the song, to about half tempo. He slipped his hands underneath her camisole, his fingertips grazing the warm skin on the sides of her waist and his thumbs massaging circles on the small of her back. Annie’s drunken senses were foggy at best. The lights flashed in blurry orbs around her and the beat of the music, though blaring, barely seemed to reach her ears. Yet, every touch from Nick seemed to be magnified and set her skin on fire. It had been nearly five and a half years since she’d been touched like that, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t enjoying it.

 

Nick felt like he was in some sort of dream as he heard Annie’s breath hitch in her throat at his touch. Never in a million years had he imagined that she’d be responding to him on the dance floor like this. Her hips moved sensually under his hands as her behind rubbed up against the erection he wasn’t even trying to hide anymore. She didn’t seem to mind it, and her body effectively covered him from the eyes of the crowd of fans dancing around them. Howie was dancing on the bar and nobody even really seemed to notice them. He boldly let his hands travel further upwards until they settled just below her breasts on her ribcage and waited for her to tense up. When she didn’t, he moved them on upwards and cupped her breasts as kissed and licked at the dip of her collarbone, eliciting a little mewl from her that drove him crazy.

 

Suddenly, he grabbed her hair with one hand and pulled until her head was turned enough that his lips could reach hers in a searing kiss. She reached her hand up to his jawline and returned it, her tongue dueling with his as he freed her hair and turned her body around to face his, pulling her as close as humanly possible, and grinding himself against her lower abdomen while she straddled his thigh and ran her fingers through his hair. He moaned and tore his swollen lips away from hers to trail them down her neck to her chest. She massaged his scalp with her fingers and watched with hooded eyes as he caressed the mounds of her push-up bra-induced cleavage with his mouth. “Annie,” he murmured against her burning flesh.

 

“Nick....” He brought his lips up to her ear and whispered.

 

“Come back to my room with me.”