Chapter Three

Melanie's agitation blinded her to Nick's venomous glare. Their eyes met in anger, brown dueling blue in a battle of wills, neither able to accept defeat, neither comprehending the war.

"What did you say, Nick?" she demanded quietly.

"You heard me." His arrogance defied argument.

Her teeth embedded themselves in her soft lower lip, a contemptuous stare overcompensating for her uncertainty.

"What the fuck is it that you said, you little shit? I don't know what you could possibly have told Howie. There is nothing to tell. Do you hear me? Nothing?" She could hear herself teeter on the brink of hysteria.

She had been physically attracted to Nick from the moment they met but emotionally, his youth and character gave him too little substance, unlike Howie whose calm countenance hid a man of such deep conviction and passion that the very thought of him excited her.

Her passions were usually reserved for those she liked and respected, and yet, Nick's very presence held her spell-bound. And as the world around them retreated into the background, she acknowledged that liking was not the emotion Nick evoked.

She brushed past him, offending him further with a dismissive shove. Fury surged through him like an unchecked current. Her failure to succumb to his sexual prowess aroused the tempest within him. It was all that he believed he had to offer.

His was the plight of the baby, that of credibility and respect. Although testosterone clouded his judgment, he resisted the temptation to yank her to him. He already had a love/hate relationship with Howie and Kevin who had been like surrogate parents. Howie's guidance had been nurturing and encouraging, given with inhuman patience. Even he had a breaking point.

Nick's persistent flirtation with the women in Howie's life was the one of the few things that wasn't tolerated well. Only once had Howie allowed him to be the boy toy and it had been Claudia's idea.

The adulation of millions of women the world over had never been enough. His burgeoning ego hadn’t blinded him to the fact that late at night, when the stage was dismantled, and security had gone home, who truly loved Nick Carter?

His emotions too were raw. He was angry with her, with himself for wanting her on such a base level. Getting his own way, having women fulfill his every whim and fantasy was what he expected. So what if she was the exception? Yet, he couldn't seem to let it go. Maybe it was the same challenge that Mandah had represented, of annoying him to the point of excitement.

No, this was different. He had never known Mel's bitchy side. Sure she was high strung at times, even impatient, but her dismissal of him as if he was insignificant was completely opposite to how she normally behaved. He wanted to know why.

The night they all met, he had approached her at the club, believing that the two of them would ultimately leave together. She took his bait and the evening stretched out into an amusing game of cat and mouse. While he spoke to a few other admiring women, she got up to dance with her friends. He recalled grinning, confident that she'd return to him. When she did, Howie's arm was slung around her waist, and there it remained for the evening. He conceded that night, brushing off the episode as insignificant. There were plenty of willing women to conquer, he thought. He was way too young to become fixated on one. Even tonight, he wasn't sure that it was Melanie that he wanted or if he just wanted what Howie had.

He ached for her physically to the point of distraction. God, how he longed to touch her, to lose his hands in her tangle of hair, to taste those full lips till they were swollen with desire, to have her call his name like she had screamed Howie's.

The buzz of the party filtered into his thoughts and he suddenly became mindful of his surroundings. He abruptly walked towards the second floor balcony, desperate for fresh air and a clear mind. It had been a mistake to torment her. He had gambled and lost.

Aj gnawed on the end of his unlit cigarette as he speculated on the obvious anger between Nick and Melanie. He felt a hand rest on his shoulder and turned to find Howie by his side.

"What do you think, AJ? It's been like that all day long."

"Sexual tension," AJ blurted out, immediately regretting his blunt words. He wished more than anything that he could take them back when he saw Howie's expression. It hadn't been what Howie wanted to hear but it would explain a lot of things.

"Nick told me that when I went to my folks to pick up some food, Mel had come home. He was showering in our bathroom and she didn't realize it. By the time, she figured out we had company, she was naked too, trying on clothes for tonight."

"Do you believe that?" AJ grilled, before realizing how insensitive he was being. "D, I'm sorry, man. Are you ok?"

"I think so, AJ. I kinda set it up by telling him to shower in our bathroom when he finished his workout. Besides, Nick and his dick aren't creative enough to come up with something so ridiculous."

AJ stared at Howie intently. His friend was struggling with his anger. He always did. AJ could clearly see the vibe between Melanie and Nick but it was just physical. It had been there for a long time.

Howie wasn't near as open minded as he was. To AJ, this had the makings of a party but then again, the guys didn't call him a freak for nothing. He laughed inwardly before turning his attention to his buddy.

"You've got nothing to worry about, bro. She loves ya, man. Are things cool with you two?"

"Yeah, they're great." AJ watched Howie's face go through a myriad of emotions as he reflected on their relationship. AJ wished someone made him feel the way Howie did but that would have been inconsistent with AJ's character. There was an innocence to Howie's love that couldn't comprehend that a fuck had nothing to do with what he and Melanie had.

"Go get your girl and mingle, man. What kind of a host are ya, anyway?"

Howie grinned widely at his friend's last comment. AJ wasn't being completely forthcoming and they both knew it. He was a good friend, and despite their different personalities, a life long bond existed.

"AJ?"

"Yeah, man, what?"

"Thanks."

"S'alright. Can I smoke in here?"

"You don't give up, do you? What's the rule?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know, out on the patio."

AJ casually tossed his chewed up cigarette, missing the garbage can by inches much to the disgust of the catering staff. He extracted another Marlboro from the crushed pack and headed in the direction of the doors.