Chapter Five - Unexpected Company

Life is good. I have been Nick Carter free for three weeks. I had a nice date with this guy the other night. Maybe you know him. His name is Dan Miller and he’s in O-Town. God he’s so cute, but it’ll never work. He acts too sissified for me. My second single “Stronger” is at #10 on the Billboard Top 100 singles chart, and my album has finally got platinum!

Nick’s hasn’t done that!

Since “Stronger” is doing better than my first single, there will be definitely be a third single now and they want it to be “Damn” which is this really big ballad. I love singing that song, although I’ve never performed it live. I’ve never done a full concert set, and next week I will be doing one at this concert for KIIS-FM here in Los Angeles, and I’m nervous. Hopefully they will let me perform “Damn”. I hope so anyway.

My father has been out of town the past two days for “business”, but in reality I know he’s gone on vacation with his little blonde bimbo secretary who I can not stand because she insist on calling me Mindy even though I hate it. But I have the house to myself, which is nice. It’s really nice.

God life is good.

Melinda sat there on the huge sofa, sitting sideways, and watching The Young & The Restless, while eating some popcorn. She had already cussed Victor and Nikki for marrying, divorcing, and remarrying again like it was some exercise program. Wasn’t this their fifth marriage to each other anyway?

Ring Ring Ring

“Maria! Doorbell!!” Melinda yelled as she didn’t move her eyes off of the TV when Nick Newman came on the screen, “Damn, only Nick that’s worth looking at. Hello baby.”, she said smiling as he took his shirt off and she giggled a little.

Mr. Nickolas!

Maria!

“WHAT?!?” Melinda screamed as she hoped up off of the sofa and walked into the foyer with her pink bunny slippers on, “Nick what the hell are you doing here?!?”

“Uh, well, I was already coming into town and then I got a call from the label saying we had to start work on the video shoot tomorrow, so Ed told me that I could just stay here instead of staying in a hotel and god how I love Maria’s cooking and -”

“Hold up.” Melinda said as she held her hand in his face, “Video shoot?”

“Uh yeah.” Nick said as he looked around, “You didn’t know?”

“Hold on, we’ll see about this.” Melinda said as she walked into the living room and picked up her cell phone, dialing a number, “Andrew, it’s Melinda. I have Nick Carter standing here telling me we have to start getting ready for a video shoot, please for the love of God tell me he’s wrong and -”

“Hmm..” Nick mumbled as he looked around, crossing his arms with a smirk on his face.

“Oh, hm, let me go see.” Melinda said as she walked out of the foyer over to the kitchen and looked on the message board, “Yeah they’re here. I never looked. Ugh, do we HAVE to do a video?”

“Yes.” Nick mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck, and leaned down, picking up his bags as he started to take them upstairs to the room he usually stayed in.

“But why do we have to do a video I mean -” Melinda started to say as she was interrupted, “The lead single? But wait - We just said the other day that my third single would come out and it would be “Damn” and - Yeah I know. Okay. Alright I’ll call you back later. Bye.”, she said as she hung up and started to scream, “FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!”

“Yeah I said at the same thing.” Nick said as he walked back down the stairs, “Wait until you find out the concept.”

“The concept?!?” Melinda screamed as she pointed the phone at Nick, “God, what the fuck is the concept?”

“I don’t know.”

“Tell me!”

“I DON’T FUCKING KNOW!” Nick screamed, “We have to go meet with the director later this afternoon! God damn don’t fucking scream at me. It’s not my fucking fault!”

“Oh fuck you!” Melinda screamed as she stomped her feet on the ground, “Why the fuck did I ever agree to this!”

“I have no fucking idea!” Nick screamed back at her, “But it’s not my fucking fault!”

“You could have said no!”

“So could you!”

“Fuck you!”

“Any fucking time.” Nick yelled back at her as Maria walked into the room with her hands on the side of her face.

“Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!” Maria screamed as Melinda and Nick looked at her, “You two stop it. Stop screaming at each other. You act like a old married couple!”

“Psh.” Nick said as he crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, “We have to be at your label at 3 so I guess you need to stop watching your soap operas and get dressed.”

“Don’t tell me what to do.” Melinda said as she gave him a evil look and started to walk upstairs slowly, stomping her feet.

“She’s so fucking spoiled.” Nick bitched as he started to walk into the living room and Maria followed him, “Where’s Ed?”

“He is gone to Hawaii on business.” Maria said as she started straightening the pillows on the sofa and picked up the bowl of popcorn.

“Business? In Hawaii?” Nick asked as he sat down and started to laugh.

“Personal business.” Maria said as she winked at him, “Mr. Nickolas, how long will you be staying?”

“A few nights.” Nick said, “Unless I commit murder then I’ll be at the Orange County Jail probably.”

“No killing in this house.” Maria said as she started to walk out of the room, “I don’t like cleaning up blood.”

“You’re crazy.” Nick said as he started to laugh and turned the channel on the television.

“Bianca, I’m gonna kill him.” Melinda said as she walked back and forth in her room, talking on her cell phone.

“You know,” Bianca said as she sat there in a chair at the salon, getting a pedicure, “You call me all the time saying that. He hasn’t even been around in three weeks and you called me last week out of blue clear sky and told me you were going to kill him.”

“I have to shoot a video with him.”

“Make sure his hair is spikey, he looks better like that.”

“I want to make sure he’s hanging with a rope around his neck.” Melinda said, “I hate him.”

“Oh it’s going to be a romantic, sexy video isn’t it?” Bianca said as she started to laugh, “You always get yourself into these situations.”

“I do not.” Melinda said, “I have to go meet with the people whoever to find out the concept of the video at 3 and I’m trying to find something to wear and I don’t know what to wear.”

“Wear anything, I mean who are you dressing up for? Nick?”

“Oh where’s that shirt that says ‘Die Bitch Die!’ that I wore to Britney’s concert that time?” Melinda said as she walked in the closet and looked around.

“Melinda, Nick, come on in.” Andrew, one of the main guys at Melinda’s label, that was putting out the soundtrack for the movie, said as Melinda and Nick walked into his office and sat on opposite sides of the room, “Um, how are you two?”

“Great.” Nick said as he looked over at Andrew and then back over at the window.

“Just dandy.” Melinda said as she crossed her arms and legs at the same time.

“Well then.” Andrew said as he leaned up against his desk, “So tomorrow we’re going to start shooting the video for “Review My Kisses and -”

“First off,” Melinda said as she looked at Andrew, “It’s not romantic.”

“Well the concept is centered around the movie.” Andrew said, “It’s a romantic movie, which calls for a romantic video.”

“Oh god.” Nick said as he leaned back in the chair and fell over, “Shit, sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Andrew said as Nick stood back up and sat down in the chair, “Francis Lawrence is going to be directing it.”, he said as he walked over handing the both of them the concept, “And that’s the concept.”

“Bedroom, candlelight’s, -” Nick read off as Melinda interrupted him.

“KISSING?!?!” Melinda screamed as Nick flipped pages and looked at it.

“Oh HELL no!” Nick screamed, “I’m sorry, but my lips is not going ANYWHERE near her.”

“Can we get a body double?” Melinda asked, “I’ll kiss anybody but him.”

“There’s not going to be any body doubles or anything else. It’s acting. Nick, you’ve acted before.” Andrew said as Nick shrugged his shoulders and looked away, “Melinda you said yourself the other day you wanted to get into some acting and -”

“Not with him I didn’t.” Melinda said as she looked over at Nick, “Ugh.”

“It’s not going to be a complicated shoot.”

“I wanna die.” Nick muttered as he looked in the opposite direction.

“I’ll kill you.” Melinda said as Nick looked over at her and Andrew shook his head at them.

“This is going to be one interesting video.” Andrew said as he turned back around and walked behind his desk, “I’ll have someone come and pick you two up tomorrow. Nick where are you staying?”

“At Melinda’s father’s house with her.” Nick said as he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Great, be ready at 6 in the morning.” Andrew said as Melinda stood up and walked out of the room, “Well.”

“Yeah, see ya tomorrow.” Nick said as he got up and followed Melinda, walking out of the room.

“You’re pretty quiet.” Nick said as he looked over at Melinda who was driving her car with Bon Jovi blaring over the speakers, “Fuck she’s pissed.

“You’re damn right I’m pissed.” Melinda said, “Okay so just because we’re not Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears doesn’t mean that we have to be forced into anything.”

“It fucking sucks.”

“Being a new artist fucking sucks.”

“Yes it does.”

“You’re in one of the biggest fucking groups in the world, what the hell are you talking about being a new artist?” Melinda asked, looking over at him and almost ran off the road.

“Watch the damn road!” Nick screamed as he leaned over, fastening his seatbelt, “You’re a shitty driver.”

“Am not.”

“And they treat me like a new artist since I’m not their golden boy Timberlake.” Nick said, “I’m a new solo artist, whose album isn’t doing what they expected.”

“Yeah me either. I’m doing this so they’ll release a third single although my latest is in the top ten.”

“Mine didn’t even get there.”

“Are you trying to make me feel sympathetic of you?” Melinda asked as Nick snorted.

“I don’t want you to feel anything for me or on me.” Nick said as Melinda rolled her eyes.

“You are such a fucking pervert.”

“Learned from the best.”

“How is Alexander?”

“Just dandy. He asked about you when I saw him today.” Nick said as he looked at his wristband, moving it up and down his arm, “He always thought you were cute.”

“Isn’t he like married now?”

“Yes.”

“Thought so. Wow, you’re like the only unmarried Backstreet Boy.”

“Well there’s Howie -”

“Wow, you’re the only straight unmarried Backstreet Boy.” Melinda said as Nick rolled his eyes at her.

“Is that a compliment?”

“What?”

“You said I was straight.” Nick said, “You usually call me gay.”

“Well gay men don’t go around fucking all these hoes.” Melinda said as they stopped at a red-light, “And you’re not touching me tomorrow.”

“We have to practice tonight.” Nick said as Melinda looked over at him.