"Hey Gracie-Facie," read the email. It was from TFN, a computer friend from Kansas. TFN stood for Totally Frickin' Nuts and he would happily tell that to anyone who asked. He was actually a research analyst for some department of the government and led a fairly boring workday existence, although he let on to people that the government department was the FBI or the CIA. He was married and had two small children. He and Grace had met through an online conference on web design, her business and his hobby.
"So you've made the big time, I see. Be careful, it's a scary world out there in entertainment. And I see from the pictures that you are already wounded." The email ended with a couple of website links.
Grace read the email twice before understanding it. And it was only when she saw that one of the websites was called iluvnick.com that it sank in. She paused with her hand over the mouse. Did she really want to see this?
Grace and Nick had spent some part of every day together the past week. Grace was beginning to get a taste of what his life was like. They had gone to a movie. They had gone shopping for clothes for him. They had had two lunches and one dinner together.
There had been fans. Of course, there had been fans. Nick couldn't go anywhere without being recognized. He was used to it and treated them well, signing things, posing for pictures with them and chatting. The fans had been polite too, not intruding on them at lunch or when they were in the middle of something, but waiting patiently for them to exit a store or restaurant. Grace had tried to stay back, offering to be the one to take the pictures for them, so they could be in it with Nick.
Nick had taken her out on his boat twice. Grace began to understand why he loved it. It was so peaceful, just wide, empty ocean and clear, blue sky - no one demanding that he smile or sign an autograph or sing something - no one asking him awkward questions and then using his answers to try to prove he was stupid.
When they went out on Tuesday, it was a short jaunt, like the previous week, just a couple of hours. But yesterday's trip had been longer. Nick had picked her up in the morning and they had been out all day. They had cruised for over two hours before finally stopping in a secluded bay.
"Oh, Nick. This is so beautiful. How did you ever find it?" Grace was mesmerized by the beauty of the place - a small cove with a white sand beach, surrounded by trees and flowers growing wild. At the back of the beach was a steep cliff. The cove was totally isolated. "It looks like a deserted island in a movie or something."
Nick was pleased at her reaction. He had thought the same thing when he had discovered The Cove. He always thought of it in capital letters. It was one of his favorite places and he had never brought anyone here before.
"Yeah, I love it here. I want to buy the land, but I can't figure out who owns it. I haven't been able to find the place by land."
"Do you have the coordinates on a map?" Grace asked.
Nick pulled out a chart from a shelf under the dashboard and opened it. "We're right here," he said, pointing down at the map.
Grace looked down. "Could I borrow this for a day or so?" I might be able to find something out for you."
Nick nodded. "That would be great. And I won't be taking the boat out next week when I'm in New York." He looked around, taking in the beauty and serenity of the place. He sighed. "It's just as beautiful under the water here, as it is above it." He motioned to her cast. "It's too bad you can't see it."
"But you can," insisted Grace. "You don't have to sit here with me. Jump in. I'll sit here and enjoy the day."
Nick argued with her, but eventually gave in with a grin. "Maybe a quick snorkel."
He stood up and removed his shirt. Grace looked at his tattoos. She wanted to touch them. He opened a compartment under the back seats and pulled out some fins and a mask.
"Is there anything I need to do?" Grace asked. "I mean, safety-wise. If you don't come up. I mean..."
Nick smiled at her. It pleased him that she was concerned for him. He flopped over to her in his fins and took her face in his hands.
"If I don't come back up, I want this to be my last earthly memory." He kissed her for a long time. She ran her fingers across his chest and put her arms around him. The feel of his hot, bare skin under her hands was very erotic and she caressed his back. She could feel him begin to respond.
Nick broke away from her and grinned sheepishly. He duckwalked to the side of the boat and jumped in. Grace looked over the side and saw him treading water and smiling. She tossed him the mask and snorkel and watched him glide through the water, tracing lazy patterns, like a fish. She was afraid to take her eyes off him, but he knew what he was doing and didn't stray too far from the boat.
When he came out of the water, she handed him a towel. He dried his hair and wrapped the towel around his waist.
"We're going to have lunch on the front deck," he said and put up a hand to forestall her protest. "You can make it. I'll help you." She looked doubtfully at the thin railing and the narrow passageway. He dropped the towel and said, "Come here."
He lifted her up to the gunwale. "Hold on to the rail along the cabin roof," he said, stepping up behind her. He slid one arm around her waist and placed his other hand on the roof beside hers. "We're going to do it like this," he said. "I'm going to be your crutches. You move along, using me to balance yourself. I won't let you go. Now, let go of the roof and just use me."
Grace took a deep breath. What's the worst that could happen, she wondered. We fall off the boat. So what? She figured he was strong enough to rescue her, cast and all. She let go of the cabin roof and placed her forearms along his. She moved sideways along the gunwale, doing a little hop-skip motion. They reached the front of the boat and he lowered her to the deck beside a hatchcover.
"Be right back," said Nick, and disappeared up the boat. She heard him moving around in the cabin. Suddenly the hatchcover beside her popped open and his smiling face appeared.
"Hi again!" he said, and started handing things out to her. Grace took the things from his hands - a small picnic basket which would later reveal sandwiches and fruit, a cloth bag containing towels and sunscreen and her sunhat. He closed the hatchcover and a minute later was beside her again, carrying a small cooler, which he opened to show her bottled water and lemonade nestled among ice chips. She accepted a bottle of water. He took one for himself and closed the cooler, setting it aside. He opened a locker and pulled out two mats, each about six feet by two feet. He placed them side by side on the deck and covered them with towels.
"This will be softer," he said. Grace used her hands and her good leg to drag herself to the mat. Nick dropped down beside her.
"Are you hungry? Do you want lunch?"
"Sure," she said, knowing that he would be hungry after his swim. "But first, you need more sunscreen."
Nick nodded. He spent enough time in the sun to know there was nothing macho about skin cancer. He took the bottle from the bag and slathered it on his chest and arms. He put some in his palms and smeared it on his face and neck. He finished with an extra dab on his nose.
"I'll do your back for you," offered Grace. "Come sit here." She moved her legs apart so he could sit between them. She began to smooth the lotion over his back while he applied it to his legs. Grace could not resist massaging the lotion in well, especially down at the waistband of his bathing suit. Nick stopped what he was doing and enjoyed her touch. His bathing suit was already drying out but it was still damp enough to be clingy and Nick knew it would not take much more to make him have an embarrassing reaction.
"Thanks, let's eat," he said moving forward from her. He kept his back to her while he lifted the sandwiches from the basket and was finally able to turn to her.
They ate and drank and talked - about music they liked, about the movie they had seen, the latest adventure action flick. Grace joked that Nick was obviously not trying to impress her anymore, as the film was far from romantic-comedy land. Nick laughed and said he figured since it had Brad Pitt in it, that would fulfill the romantic requirements. She said that the book was better than the movie. The book is always better, she said. They talked about books for a bit, but Nick was not a reader and was way out of his league. Nick was tidying up the lunch things when he noticed Grace yawn.
"The sun and the sea air got you again, didn't it?" he laughed.
Grace nodded. "And the swaying of the boat is rocking me to sleep."
"I know," said Nick. "I love spending the night aboard. I sleep like a baby."
Grace started unbuttoning her blouse. She opened it to reveal the top of a bathing suit. "You can return the favor," she said, handing him the sunscreen and laying flat on her stomach.
"Be happy to," he said, "And when would you like me to wake you?"
She laughed. "Nudge me to turn over every twenty minutes or so, so that I don't barbecue myself."
Nick spread the sunscreen on her back. He rubbed it in slowly, massaging her gently. He finished her back and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed but he didn't know if she was asleep. He poured lotion into his hand and began to rub it on her legs. He started at the ankle of her good leg and worked his way up to her thigh, to the hem of her shorts. Then he moved to her other leg and worked his way down to the cast. He couldn't resist leaning down and kissing the back of her knee just above the cast. The soft moan that came from her told him that she wasn't asleep, but had been enjoying what he was doing.
Nick lay down beside her, propping his head on one hand and using the other to trace lines down her arms and back. Grace opened her eyes and gave him a lazy, sexy look. She grinned and turned on her side facing him. She reached up a hand to his face and pulled it down to hers. She kissed him and ran her tongue along his lips. Nick opened his mouth to her and they became part of each other. Their tongues cavorted together, dancing and playful.
Nick's hand strayed to her breast. He squeezed it gently and reached under her top to take her nipple between two fingers. He rolled it back and forth and was pleased by her reaction. She moaned deep in her throat and arched her back. Then she moved her hand down his chest to do the same to him.
Nick released her mouth and lowered his lips to her throat. He ran his tongue along her collarbone, causing her to gasp. He pulled the strap of her bathing suit off her shoulder and nuzzled under the top. He placed his mouth over her nipple and licked it roughly with his tongue. Grace's head went back and her breathing became ragged. She ran her hands down his chest to the waistband of his bathing suit. Her fingernails danced across his stomach and this time the moan did not come from her. She slid her hand down over his trunks and could feel the evidence of his arousal. She rubbed her hand over him, feeling him harden further.
Nick's mouth movements became more active, licking and sucking her. His hand trailed down her stomach to her shorts. Then he lifted his hand and the next thing she felt was his fingers gliding up the inside of her leg. She turned slightly toward him, but she was facing in the direction that made her have her cast on top and it was awkward. When she moved toward him, the cast thumped down onto the deck.
He moved back from her and looked at her face. "Did I hurt you?"
She shook her head and whispered, "No," in a voice husky with desire.
Suddenly, another noise invaded their precious space. It was an airplane passing far overhead, but it reminded them both that they were not really on a deserted island. Grace pulled up the strap on her bathing suit and Nick rolled onto his stomach. He propped himself up on his forearms and looked at her.
"When does that cast come off?" he asked.
"Two weeks at the earliest," she sighed.
"I'm counting the days," he said, leaning over to kiss her.
"Me too," she answered. But she knew there were other issues that would have to be dealt with then.
******************************Grace shook her head, bringing herself back to the present and her computer screen in front of her. Apparently she hadn't been as successful at staying behind the camera as she thought...click! She hit the mouse. She was on some kind of message board. There was a list of topics down one side with numbers beside them that said how many responses that topic had. The hot topic seemed to be New Photos of Nick. She clicked on that. It had been started by frackbaby. 'Here are the latest pictures of Nick. I took them outside the marina. I'm in the third picture with him. I nearly died when he put his arm around me. His new girlfriend took the picture for me.'
Uh, oh, thought Grace. She clicked open the pictures. She remembered the girl. She had been so thrilled to be in a picture with Nick, Grace thought she might faint or wet her pants. But Grace wasn't in any of the pictures. What was TFN talking about?
She scrolled through the messages and got a sinking feeling in her stomach. Each poster had oohed and aahed over the pictures and then had either asked for information about the 'new girlfriend' or had provided some.
'Who is this new girl? Does anyone know anything about her?' kidkaos
'She has a broken leg. She was in a cast and had crutches.' luvnick4ever
'He was out with her last week. I saw them on his boat.' nickysgirl
'She was at the Galleria with him.' nicksdreamgirl
'I saw them together at Montana's.' luvnfrack
'Here's a picture of her. She's not exactly his type.' dolphingirl
Grace clicked on the picture, wondering what they thought Nick's type was. She saw a picture of herself balancing on her crutches and holding a camera. It had obviously been snapped while she had been taking a picture of Nick and a fan. She didn't think she looked that bad. She knew she was no movie star, but...
The discussion on the message board then centered on the final comment - she's not exactly his type. The posters started telling each other off about whether they should make judgments based on appearance and how maybe someone wouldn't consider them to be Nick's type either, but boy, they sure would like to be.
This went on for awhile, with other comments mixed in about 'let's get back on topic' and 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend anyone, I was just saying...' and then a repetition of the offensive comment. It got boring after awhile because they started copying previous messages into their post so they could respond to it. Grace shook her head. They couldn't remember what was said three lines earlier?
She left the board and clicked on the second link. She looked at it for awhile. She didn't know whether to be amused or afraid for her life.
The phone rang. "Style and Grace. Good afternoon."
“Hey, you.” It was Nick.
Grace smiled. She couldn’t help it. She looked at the clock. He was due in five minutes. She hoped he wasn’t calling to cancel. “What’s up?” she asked.
“The elevator,” he answered.
Grace puzzled over this cryptic answer. What was he talking about? There was a knock at the door. She made her way over and opened it. Nick stood in the hallway with his phone in his hand and a wide grin on his face.
“You idiot,” she said into her headset.
“What kind of talk is that?” said Nick into his phone. Grace shook her head and reached down to her waist to turn off her phone. “And now you’ve hung up on me,” he continued with a shocked look. “I just don’t know what to say.” Nick disconnected his phone and gave her a long look from head-to-toe. “Gotta say, that headset gives you a really sexy look. Like you’re getting ready to launch the space shuttle or something. Come in, Discovery. This is Houston.”
“You nut,” said Grace with a laugh and she turned back into the apartment. When Nick had closed the door, she turned to him and asked seriously, “Who’s Willa?”
He looked at her oddly. "Willa Ford. She's a girl I used to date. Why?"
"Because apparently I had better not be another her." She motioned to the computer. Nick walked over to it. He sighed. Here we go, he thought.
Nick explained the whole Willa fiasco. The hate-filled websites and their public bickering. "We were young and stupid. We didn't realize..." he waved at the computer. "We had no idea how huge it would get."
Grace nodded slowly. She knew how these things happened. She was no stranger to the Internet. But could she deal with such public scrutiny? She didn't know.
