�What?� I asked looking around.
�I didn�t want to say anything before. I didn�t want to scare you or anything but. . . you see that blue van back there?�
�Yeah,� I said looking in the rearview mirror.
�It�s been with us ever since we left your hotel.�
�Oh that�s nice. I bet this is because of what happened last night at the club.�
�Could be. Don�t worry about it, just act natural. As long as he doesn�t get out of the van and bother us, we�re fine. I�ll try and lose him, later.�
�Ok,� I said. Don�t worry. Act natural, I thought. Easier said than done. This wasn�t our first time being followed by paparazzi. It was our first time being followed after something I did. We got out of the car and the guy in the van stayed put. I could have sworn I saw a camera lens hanging out of his passenger side window. I knew I would have to grow accustomed to the attention we would get. I don�t think it really occurred to me just how much attention we would get or how much buzz we would cause.
The first place we went into I didn�t see anything I liked. Everything in there looked very. . . . Jessica.
�She shops here doesn�t she?� I asked.
�Oh yeah. . . she does. You know who else shops here?� he said looking around.
�No, who?�
�Kim, you want to try somewhere else?�
�Oh definitely!�
�Sorry, it was the first place I thought of. I forgot they shop there. Good thing neither of them were in there,� he said once we were back in the car.
�Well since I didn�t see a maternity section I doubt Jessica will be in there for a little while.�
�Yeah sorry about that. I honestly don�t know that much about the women�s stores around here. . . . or in general.�
�It�s ok. If you knew exactly where all the good women�s shops are, I�d be a bit worried.�
�There�s this place that my sisters shop at all the time. We could try there.�
�Ok.�
The next place we went to was perfect. I saw a lot of things I liked. After, one trip around the entire store I headed for the swimwear. I grabbed a bunch of suits that I liked and decided to try them on. I left Nick seated in a chair across from the fitting room. Imagine my surprise when a blonde head poked into the room I was in. I had just taken the first suit off and was pulling on the top of the next suit.
�Oh my god! Nick you scared the shit out of me! What are you doing in here?�
�Can I come in?�
�You might as well,� I replied. He pushed the curtain aside and stepped in. He took a seat on the little bench inside. �Ok. . . back to my question, what are you doing in here?�
�I thought you could use some help,� he replied with a straight face.
�Yeah I�ll bet. You�re such a horny creature.�
�You like it, don�t deny it,� he said. I turned away from the mirror to face him.
�Since you�re here to help, what do you think?�
I watched his eyes travel the length of my body. I was beginning to love when he did that. The suit I was wearing was a bandau styled, two piece, floral print over black background.
�That�s nice,� he started.
�But?� I asked. Nick looked puzzled. �I can hear the �but�,� I explained.
�Oh. . . but, I was thinking you would look great in something a little lighter or brighter. Something like this,� he replied producing a white halter bikini.
�I don�t remember seeing that out there,� I replied.
�Yeah well I know people. Try it on,� he urged.
�With you sitting there, I don�t think so. Step outside, please.�
�I�ll close my eyes, I promise I won�t peek.�
�Liar.�
�Nah, I�ll be good. Just try it on.�
�Ok, eyes closed and I�m watching you, so no peeking.� I slipped out of the suit I was wearing and took the one he found. �You must have been busy out there. I don�t remember even seeing this out there.�
�I saw it and thought you�d look good in it. When I saw it you already had your arms full with a bunch of suits,� he replied. Then, �I just thought of something, why do I have to close my eyes when I�ve already seen every pretty inch of you?�
�Oh, I�m not worried about that. I just want to surprise you by how great this suit looks on me,� I said as I looked at myself in the mirror making sure everything was in its place. I faced him. �Open your eyes.� He did and smiled.
�That looks awesome,� he replied standing. �Makes your skin look like milk chocolate. . . and I wanna bite.� He pulled me into his arms.
�Oh no, we are not going to do this in the fitting room. I haven�t even paid for the suit yet, much less taken it off.�
�I�ll take it off of you.�
�What if someone hears us?�
�I don�t care, I just want one kiss.�
�Yeah, I�ve heard that one before.�
Even though I protested verbally, I didn�t stop him as he pulled me into his arms. I didn�t stop him as he trailed kisses along my collarbone. I didn�t stop him when his lips met mine. I didn�t stop him when he undid the clasp that held the top of my suit together behind my neck. I didn�t stop him when he lifted me to straddle his hips. I wrapped my legs around his hips as our lips fused. Then we heard two women come into the fitting room talking animatedly. We stopped.
�Damn girl, you�re going to kill me,� he whispered leaning his head against mine. I smiled.
�How am I going to do that?� I whispered back. His answer was to kiss me deeply. I could hear one of the women enter a stall right next to the one we were occupying. I pulled away reluctantly. �We can continue this later but. . . . . you have to put me down. . . . and you have to get out of here!�
He put me down, letting me slide slowly down his body until my feet touched the floor. He held me up against him a few minutes longer.
�You�re a bad boy, Nick Carter,� I replied. �You better get out of here.�
When I came out of the fitting room Nick was seated in the chair I left him in before. He smirked at me. I smiled back.
�Well I�m ready to go,� I said.
�Come on,� he said standing.
We went to the cashier together. I plopped my suit down on the counter. When I reached for my bag, he stopped me.
�I got it,� he said reaching for his wallet.
�Nick, no. I can pay for it myself.�
�I know you can but I want to buy it for you.�
�I told you, you don�t have to do that. I got it.�
�I know but I want to. Go on, your money is no good here. Is there anything else you want?�
�No, the suit is enough,� I replied. He eyed me for a minute.
�You see that?� he said pointing at a shelf of neatly folded sarongs. �The wrap skirt thingies.�
�The sarongs, sir?� asked the sales woman who had been watching our exchange amusedly. I wondered if she recognized Nick.
�Yeah, them. Throw in one of those, too.�
�I hope you�re buying that for yourself.�
�No not for me, Lexie. I saw you looking at it and I heard you say that it was cute and how much you liked it. Do you want it?�
�Well yeah but I don�t-�
�Alexis, go pick out the one you like.� I stared at him mutinously before giving in.
�I�m going to beat you later,� I said picking out the sarong I was looking at before. It was a tie dye design in red and orange but the white parts were studded with clear rhinestones. I took the sarong to the cashier and dropped it on the counter. Then I stuck my tongue out at him.
�That�s attractive,� he said handing the sales woman his credit card.
�I know,� I replied.
�Christmas and birthday shopping for you must be hard as hell.�
�Actually, that�s probably the only time of year that I let people buy things for me.�
�Girl, count your blessings. My boyfriend will barely buy me dinner much less drop over two hundred dollars on me,� the sales woman said as she ran his card. My mouth dropped open.
�I�m sorry, what? How much was the sarong?�
�One hundred and eighty-five dollars,� she replied.
�For a sarong? Wait, those aren�t rhinestones, are they?�
�No, they�re Swarovski crystals, hand sewn into the garment.�
�And the bikini?�
�Thank you,� Nick replied before she could answer. He took the bag in one hand and my arm in the other and, proceeded to usher me out of the shop. Once we hit the street I pulled away from him.
�Nick, over two hundred dollars?� I asked stopping in the middle of the sidewalk. He stopped and walked back up to me.
�I thought you knew how much it was,� he said.
�No, otherwise I would have put it back. You shouldn�t have bought that. We could have found a lesser expensive bikini and sarong.�
�Alexis, you liked this one and I liked the way you looked in it. Besides, I think I can afford it.�
�I have to pay you back.�
�No, you don�t. They�re yours, I bought them for you. You can have them. You don�t have to pay me back.�
�Nick. . .�
�If we ever break up, you can still keep them, as a reminder of the guy who�s heart you broke.�
I started to laugh.
�Alright, I won�t say anymore about the very expensive bikini and sarong you bought me,� I replied.
�Good. Come on let�s go, I think our friend is still watching us,� he said throwing his arm around my shoulders and kissing me on the side of my mouth.
�Are you serious? Well I bet he got some pretty nice shots of us just now.�
�Yeah, I know. By tomorrow the papers will be saying we had some huge violent fight right out in the street. I�ll lose him on our way to AJ�s. Come on, let�s get out of here. We still have to stop by the grocery store. Good thing there�s one not too far from his house.�
By the time we made it to AJ�s we were the last to arrive. We made quite an entrance. Nick was carrying two big grocery bags. I carried my little tote bag, the bag my new over two hundred dollar bikini and sarong was in (To this day I can�t get over that.) and two smaller grocery bags.
�Whoa! Let me help you with that,� Howie replied when he answered the door. He took the grocery bags from me and preceded us inside.
�Hey, what about me?� Nick asked.
�You got it. Anyway, Alexis is a lady, you can�t have her doing the heavy lifting.�
�She offered and her bags are nothing but buns and chips, anyway.�
�Everyone is out back,� he said ignoring Nick.
We followed Howie through AJ�s house to the back patio. I could hear music playing and people laughing. This would be my first time meeting the significant others as a fellow significant other. I�d met Kristin and Leighanne briefly once during the tour. I�d never met Katie or Leigh.
�Look who I found,� Howie said as he stepped out onto the patio. I came outside followed by Nick.
�Took ya�ll long enough,� AJ replied from his spot behind the grill.
�We had to go shopping. Someone didn�t have a swimsuit,� Nick said.
�Oh you didn�t have to buy a whole new suit for my little B-B-Q. It wouldn�t have bothered me if you skinny dipped. What about you fellas?� They all agreed that it wouldn�t have bothered them, even Kevin, the married one. Kristin did not agree and demonstrated this by popping him upside the back of his head.
�Ow! I meant you too, honey,� he said.
�Yeah, yeah whatever,� she said.
�Well. . . I don�t know if that�s a compliment or sexual harassment,� I said to Nick.
�A compliment, you�re not on the clock, remember?� Nick replied.
Nick and I sat the groceries on the patio table. A petite brunette in denim shorts and a red bandau bikini top stepped forward saying,
�Hi Alexis, I�m Katie. If you want to change into your swimsuit I�ll show you where you can do it.�
�Sorry Boys, no skinny dipping today. I�m putting on a swimsuit,� I replied. They all groaned and Kristin popped Kevin upside the back of his head again.
�Hey, ya�ll better back up off my woman,� I heard Nick say. I smiled as I followed Katie around the pool to the pool house.
�There you go,� she said opening the French doors.
�This is the pool house?�
�Yeah. I know. I was blown away by it too, the first time I saw it.�
�Man, I could live in here. . . comfortably, too.�
�I know, you should see my apartment compared to this place.�
�Believe me, coming from New York, I can imagine.�
�So how long have you and Nick been together?�
�Technically. . . . about a month and a half. Officially. . . . three weeks. What about you and AJ?�
�Going on six.�
�Ok, so you�re kind of new to this whole thing, too. Any advice?�
�Nope. I�m just winging it,� she said with a laugh.
�I guess I�ll have to make it up as I go then.�
