Chapter 9:
Hotels and
Beaches
Kevin
opened the door to his black Toyota Four runner and helped Brianna in. Climbing
under the wheel, he looked over at her. "I think you're gonna enjoy
tonight."
"Good,"
she smiled leaning back into the warm leather seat.
The
drive was a short one and there wasn't much conversation. When Kevin parked the
car at a local club, he jumped our to open the door for Brianna. Placing his arm
protectively around her waist, he ushered her up to the door.
After
standing in line about 5 minutes they reached the doorman. "Kevin! Is that
you?"
"Wassup,
Jon?!" Kevin said to the doorman. "I haven't seen you in a while.
Baby, this is my friend Jon. Jon, this is Brianna Chambers."
"Here,
man, go ahead in. Nice to meet you Brianna," Jon said as they stepped
through the door.
*Back
At The Hotel*
"So,
what's on t.v.?" Bianca asked walking out of the kitchen with a bowl of
popcorn and two sodas. "Anything good?"
"Well,
'Friday' is on. That's about the only thing, want me to leave it on that
channel?"
"Yeah,"
she said handing him a Mountain Dew and sitting at the other end of the couch.
"So, thanks for coming over, you didn't have to. I figured you'd want to
spend time with you family."
"It's
no problem. I'm gonna be with them nonstop for three weeks, and besides they
know I'm here. They don't mind."
As
the movie began, they sat and watched in silence. Bianca was a little
uncomfortable and really didn't know what to say, so she just watched the movie
and tried to keep conversation to a minimum.
*At
The Club*
As
Kevin lead Brianna into the club, she could feel her heart thumping with the
music.
"What's
this place called?" she yelled to Kevin as they made their way through the
crowd to a table.
"The
Neon Ballroom," Kevin yelled back. "Me and my friends used to come
here all the time in high school. Wanna dance?"
Brianna
nodded her head in approval and they made their way to the dance floor. Their
bodies swayed and every-so-often Kevin's arms would circle Brianna's waist as
she wiggled. The music blared and when Brianna closed her eyes she couldn't
think of anywhere she would rather be than in this smoke-filled room with
Kevin's arms around her.
*Back
At The Hotel*
"So,"
Nick said finally deciding to make small talk, "you're 17. Didn't Brianna
say that your birthday is in like a month?"
"Yeah,"
she said looking at him shyly. "I'll be 18 on July 7. I try not to make a
big deal about it to everyone. Just Brianna and my mom."
"Really?"
Nick laughed. "I make sure the guys go all out for my birthday."
"So,
when's your birthday?" she asked. The more she talked to Nick, the more
she liked him.
"January
28. I'll be 20."
"Ooh,
getting old," she joked. Things seemed to be getting less tense and they
were both more comfortable than they were when Nick first arrived.
They
both forgot about the movie and focused on each other. 'Maybe tonight wasn't
such a bad idea,'
*Back
At The Club*
Kevin
and Brianna had stopped dancing and went back to their table to sit and talk.
They had been chatting for about ten minutes when Kevin stood up.
"Hang
on, baby. I just saw somebody I want you to meet." Kevin came back a few
seconds later with two guys who looked to be about his age. He held out his
hand and Brianna took it, standing up to face Kevin's friends.
"Baby,
this is Matt and Steve. I grew up with them. Guys, this is my girlfriend,
Brianna."
"Nice
to meet you," Brianna said genuinely. "Kevin told me his friends hang
out here."
At
the mention of his name, Kevin squeezed Brianna's hand. As he turned his head
to look at her their eyes met and Brianna blushed.
"Well,
why don't we go sit? We've got a lot of catching up to do, Richardson,"
Matt said with a smile.
They
had gotten settled at the table when Steve spoke. "Kevin, while you and
Matt catch up, you mind if I dance with your beautiful girlfriend."
"Just
remember where you got her from," Kevin joked and leaned over to kiss
Brianna on the cheek before she stood up.
As
Steve and Brianna danced, Matt spoke to Kevin. "Liking fame?" he
asked with a laugh.
"It's
great traveling all over the world with your best friends, but it gets a little
lonely at times," Kevin answered seriously. "You spend most of your
time running."
"Hell,
I'd do it," Matt said. Noticing that Kevin hadn't taken his eyes off
Brianna, he asked "You really like her don't you?"
"Yeah,
I really like her a lot. She's a very special person. How could you tell?"
"Think
about it, man. You've never brought a girl to this place. Not even that chick
you were engaged to. And the fact that you've been all over her all night on
the dance floor."
"What
can I say, man?" They were interrupted by Brianna and Steve walking back
up to the table.
"Richardson,"
Steve began, "your girlfriend can move."
"Thanks,
I think," Kevin said.
A
familiar beat drifted through the sound system and Brianna grabbed Kevin's
hand. "Baby, come dance with me," she pleaded in a little girl voice.
"Genie In a Bottle is my favorite song."
Kevin
couldn't argue with that. He let Brianna lead him to the dance floor and run
her hands down his tight white T-shirt. The booming music made the floor
vibrate under their feet. Their bodies would meet and separate and every time
Brianna moved, Kevin grew more and more excited. Placing his hands low on her
thighs, he pulled her body against him. Kevin knew he had to get her out of
there, to go someplace private where he could, as the song said, rub her the
right way.
"Baby,
what do you say we leave this place and go somewhere alone?" he growled
into Brianna's ear. He was so close she could feel his breath on her neck and
she melted when she felt him gently nibble on her earlobe.
"Whatever
you want, Kevin."
He
put an arm around her waist and held her close as they walked back to the
table.
Brianna
grabbed her purse and Kevin told the guys "I'll have to get back with
y'all later. We've got somewhere to go." They walked off, arm in arm,
leaving Matt and Steve to sit there and stare at each other, speechless.
*At
The Hotel*
"Well,
Brianna was a junior when I met her in high school. The office people goofed
with her schedule and she had freshman lunch. I was a freshman. She knew one
guy, Steven, and she would go eat lunch with him. When I first got to know her,
I hated her, but I guess we kinda grew on each other," Bianca recalled the
tale of how se met her best friend. "I guess it was fate 'cause she's
kinda like my other half."
"I
know exactly what you mean," Nick said smiling, then proceeded to tell
Bianca about how he met the other guys. "You know, you're really fun to
talk to," he finished.
"Well,
you're really easy to open up to." Immediately Bianca couldn't believe she
said that. She blushed and they both fell silent; gazing at each other.
Tonight
had made Nick so hopeful, but he didn't want to push things. "Mind if I
grab a soda?" When Nick returned from the kitchen he found Bianca lying on
her stomach in her bed watching television.
Lying
beside her he asked, "anything good on t.v.?"
"South
Park," she answered. "I love this show."
"Me,
too," he said excitedly. The two singers got engrossed in the show,
chattering during the commercials.
Bianca
spoke first. "Who's your favorite character?"
"Cartman.
He cracks me up."
"I
like him, too. But I feel sorry for poor Kenny."
"Yeah,
but it's just a cartoon. The guys that create that show are really messed up.
This is some sick stuff."
Ignoring
the rest of the show, Nick and Bianca continued to chatter away.
*At
The Same Time*
Kevin
parked his 4-Runner in front of the chain-link fence and cut off the engine.
"I thought it would be nice to hang out at the beach for a while. You
know, take a walk and talk," Kevin said softly. A small smile played upon
his lips and he reached down to kiss Brianna's hand.
"That'd
be nice."
Kevin
got out, retrieved the blanket from the back of his truck, and opened the door
for Brianna. Taking her hand he led her down to the beach and spread the
blanket out on the warm sand. Brianna took off her sandals and sat down beside
him. They were both silent, staring at the ocean.
"About
tonight, at the club..." Kevin broke into Brianna's thoughts. "I
didn't make you uncomfortable did I? I mean, around my friends?"
"Not
at all," Brianna replied. She knew he was talking about the way he
introduced her. "Your friends seem really nice, and..." Brianna
looked into his eyes and smiled sexily, "I like being thought of as your
girlfriend."
Kevin
blushed slightly and took Brianna's hand. "I like thinking of you."
Their lips met and Kevin gently pushed Brianna down on the blanket. He lay half
on top of her and put his hands on her hips; her arms circled his neck.
Kevin
pulled away and Brianna sat up. "Let's walk," she said with a smile.
He took off his boots, socks, and blue over shirt and they walked down the
beach hand-in-hand.
All
of a sudden, Brianna took off, running through the edge of the water leaving
Kevin to stare after her puzzled. She kicked through the waves for a moment
before Kevin ran after her. They chased each other through the waves, laughing
and giggling like children. When Brianna stopped, Kevin playfully tackled her.
They both landed in the water with a loud splash.
Bursting
with laughter, they looked at each other. Kevin's eyes roamed her wet body pressed
on top of him. When returned his gaze to Brianna'a eyes, he found her staring
longingly at him.
Kevin
slowly moved forward and brushed his lips against Brianna's. He placed his
hands on her waist and kissed her more eagerly.
Brianna
kissed him back just as eagerly, slightly parting her lips. Kevin slipped his
tongue into her mouth and ran his hands along her back, pulling her body as
close to his as he possibly could.
As
the kiss ended, Brianna smiled at Kevin. She couldn't think of anything as perfect
as that very moment. Everything was exactly the way she had hoped it would be.
Kevin
got up and helped Brianna out of the water. They walked back to the blanket
hand-in-hand without saying a word. "I've really enjoyed tonight," he
said as they sat down.
"Me,
too," she smiled. "I hope we can do it again."
"Yeah,
we really should," he replied leaning down and kissing her again.
As
they lay down on the blanket, Kevin pulled his blue shirt over Brianna. They
just lay there quietly snuggled next to each other, looking at the sky.
*At
The Hotel*
The
show's over already?" Bianca asked looking at Nick. "Omigosh, did you
know it was 2:30?"
"No,
I can't believe it's that late."
"Or
early," she smiled. "Want another soda?"
"Sure,
why not?" he stretched. "So, what do you wanna talk about now? Since
we seem to have talked about almost everything already."
"I
don't ca-" she stopped. "Omigosh, Nick please, come here! Please
now!"
"Bianca,
what's wrong?! Are you okay?" he said rushing into the kitchen.
When
he found Bianca sitting on the counter with a terrified look on her face, he
didn't know what to do. He looked around to see if he could find what scared
her so badly, but saw nothing.
"Kill
it!" she screamed pointing to the floor. "Please, kill it!"
Finally,
he saw what she was talking about. A big brown spider was in the middle of the
floor.
"I
thought someone was trying to kill you," he said with a laugh. Nick walked
to the cabinet and got a paper cup to get the spider.
"That
ugly, hairy, nasty thing walked across my foot! It walked on me. That was just
nasty. I hate spiders," she said trying to calm down.
Nick
took the spider to the bathroom and got rid of it. When he got back to the
kitchen and found Bianca still on the counter, he had to laugh.
"Nick
Carter! It isn't funny! At all"
"Yeah,
it is," he laughed harder. "Bianca, if you could only see yourself.
You're a bug baby."
"I
am not. I can't help it that spiders scare me. They're icky!"
"I've
never met anyone so scared of a spider," he smiled. "You're cute when
you're scared." As soon as he said that, Nick couldn't believe he let the
words leave his thoughts.
"Thanks,"
she blushed a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry."
"For
what?" he asked confused. He was sure she was gonna make him leave, but
she didn't.
"For
scaring the crap out of you. I didn't mean to almost give you a heart
attack."
"Don't
worry about it," he replied walking over to help her down from the
counter.
"I
guess I'm a typical girl when it comes to bugs and stuff like that," she
smiled letting him help her down. "There aren't anymore are there?"
"Nope.
That was the only one."
They
got their sodas and walked back to the bed. "I don't think there's
anything on t.v.," Bianca said turning the television off.
"I
wonder what happened to Brianna and Kev?"
"Knowing
Brianna they're probably at some hole-in-the-wall club partying like
crazy."
"Yeah,
Kevin's the same way, so it wouldn't surprise me at all." Just as those
words left Nick's mouth, they heard the door unlock and open.
"Hey,
guys," Brianna said walking into full view of the two startled teens.
"Brianna,
what the hell happened to y'all?" Bianca asked staring at her best friend.
"It's not raining is it?"
"Yeah,
actually, it is," she said smiling at Kevin. "You two sure do look
comfy."
"Um,
we were just talking," Bianca blushed as she jumped up from the bed and
sat down on the couch.
"I
don't know if I believe that," Kevin said joining Brianna in teasing their
friends.
"No,
we really were just talking," Nick said looking uneasily at Kevin.
"Besides, I don't think we're the ones that should be explaining. Y'all
are the ones who look like you've been half drowned."
"We
told you. It rained."
"Whatever.
Anyway, I need to get going. Thanks for inviting me over, Bianca. I had a
really good time," Nick said smiling sweetly at her.
"Hang
on a sec and I'll walk you out," she said slipping on her sandals.
"I'll be right back."
"I
really did have a good time, even if I did almost have to take you to the hospital
because of a spider," he joked.
"That's
not funny," she smiled.
"C'mon,
it was hilarious."
"No,
it wasn't," she said playfully poking him in the side. "Okay, I guess
it was a little funny, but I still feel like an idiot."
"Don't.
It's only me."
"Yeah,
you're right."
"Thanks.
Words of encouragement from Bianca."
"I'm
joking. I had a really good time, too. Maybe we can do it again sometime."
"Yeah,
that would be fun," Nick said a little uneasily. He wanted to kiss her so
badly, but knew he had to resist the urge. He knew he couldn't let it end up
being an A.J. thing. "Well, I'll see you later."
"Yep.
Thanks for keeping me company."
No
problem," he smiled. "Bye."
"Bye,"
she smiled, adding "Be careful!"
"Okay,
you too." With that he got on the elevator and Bianca went back inside to
find out the scoop with Kevin and Brianna.
*At
The Same Time*
"Think
they really believe it rained?" Kevin asked flashing his sexy smile.
"I
don't care what they believe," Brianna answered seductively as she reached
for him. They both tumbled onto Brianna's bed laughing hysterically, and Kevin
kissed Brianna softly.
They
were about to move in for another kiss when they heard Bianca come back into
the room. Not noticing the two jump up from the bed, she asked "Y'all
don't really think I believe it rained, do you?" Looking at them she added
"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"
"Uh,
no," Brianna said, unable to hide her exasperated tone.
"It's
late. I really should get going," Kevin said pulling Brianna close to him
and ignoring the fact that Bianca was still in the room. "You two have a
long drive back to North Carolina tomorrow."
"I
had a really great time," Brianna said, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"So,
would you be up for another date? Maybe next time it won't rain," he
replied laughing.
"I
don't know, it sure was fun. I think the rain was my favorite part,"
Brianna said as Kevin led her to the door.
"Am
I gonna be able to hear from you while you're back home? I can't let my baby be
gone for three weeks and not talk to her at all."
"Of
course," Brianna said with a smirk. "Call all you want."
Kevin
leaned down to kiss her one last time, pushing her against the door and
pressing his body to hers. His grip tightened on her hips as she ran her hands
under his tank top, caressing his damp skin.
Breaking
away, but still holding on to each other, they stared intently at each other.
Kevin longed to stay, but couldn't.
"Call
me tomorrow night and let me know y'all got home okay?" I'll worry if you
don't."
"I
can't argue with that, now can I?" Brianna asked. "I will."
"Goodnight,
baby."
"Bye,
Kevin."
Kevin
left and Brianna closed the door behind her.
"I
thought you two forgot about little old me," Bianca said sarcastically.
"What happened? And I want details."
Brianna
answered. "It's gonna be a long drive tomorrow, Bean. We'll need stuff to
talk about then."
"Oh,
all right," Bianca said faking a pout.
The
two friends got ready for bed and were shortly fast asleep, excited about the trip
home and all the good news they had to tell.
***