"Nick, you ready to try it again?" He looked up at the producers and gave them the thumbs up. He was supposed to be in the studio with AJ and Brian to re-record a part of the song but they changed the vocal arrangement and didn't want harmony, just his voice. This was definitely the longest he had ever been in the studio trying to lay down the vocals for one verse and the more times he attempted it the more confidence he lost. He opened his eyes just in time to see the producers shaking their heads at each other in frustration,
"Take it back from the top and let's try it again." Four attempts later and no final cut led to the decision to call it a night,
"It's late, rest, tomorrow night same time we'll do it again." He threw the headphones down unsure of what was wrong as he stepped out of the sound booth,
"Maybe Brian or AJ can sing that part better." he sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. Mark looked over at him,
"No, I need powerful lungs on this and I hear your voice on it. Brian is a little too vanilla and AJ is a little too complex. I need your clear straight up vocals on this." Scott walked over and sat on the table,
"Never known you to doubt your voice." Nick shrugged,
"Well, it's not like I am the greatest singer-" Scott frowned,
"What? And AJ and Brian are? Look, just sing a little less nasal....we need it to be a very mature sound but we'll work on that tomorrow." Mark stood up and stretched,
"And you've gotten a little lazy vocally. I'm going to call Rick and see if he can come in tomorrow." He saw the look on Nick's face at the mention of the vocal coach's name,
"You're only twenty-two, your voice still has more maturing to do." He nodded his head,
"Yeah, ok." More maturing. Kevin and Howie would love hearing that, not only did he need to grow up but so did his voice. He looked over at his friends who were waiting for him,
"I'm ready."
They were back at the hotel room, clothes and luggage strewn every where in search of something to wear out that night. He knew, especially after his poor performance in the studio earlier, he should stay in and get a good night's sleep and take care of his voice but he wasn't feeling very responsible.
"Here man." He nodded and his eyes closed as he inhaled, this was just what he needed. He wish he had the courage like that one actor to work to make marijuana legal. He took another quick hit before Mike took it from him,
"So, you weren't feeling it in the studio?" Nick raised his eyebrows and shrugged,
"Guess not." Pete rolled his eyes,
"That's because it's the music man. Damn, how can you sing that pop shit all the time." He liked pop music,
"It's cool." Although, he had to admit when he got new CDs the majority of them were rock. He liked all music and as far as he was concerned there was only two types: good and bad. People make music far too difficult, he just wished his friends would respect what he did and keep their comments to themselves. Pete chimed in again after downing a shot,
"I mean it's like, you can only tell a girl you love her and won't do her wrong so many ways." Nick sighed, he didn't know what to say. Maybe he was getting a little bored with it but there was no point in dwelling on it, once a boy band member always a boy band member.
"I smell like pot, I'm gonna change and we out."
They walked into the club, of course bypassing the line, and were escorted directly to VIP. The night life was definitely a positive for New York City he thought, as the first round of shots and pitcher of beer arrived. The night was all about joking, laughing, drinking and cat calling to all the women who walked by them. One of the managers walked up and asked Nick would he like to sing a few with the band,
"Something loud and with a little bite." Nick nodded, of course that meant no pop music he thought as he walked to the stage, surrounded by his friends with a beer in hand. He sang song after song and the more he sang the more drinks that were brought up to him. He had no clue what he was drinking but they went down smooth. A song or two turned into half an hour; he looked over after his last song and a blonde caught his eye and his whispered into the microphone,
"Hey baby." She smiled and waved briefly at him. He stepped down after receiving high fives from the band and was greeted by clapping and a few pats on the back as he made it through the crowd. He thought about the blonde and pointed her out to Pete,
"Hey man, that blonde...bring her over." He nodded and Nick and the rest of the guys made it back to their table to find a bottle of Cristal. The manager was standing next to the table and shook Nick's hand while patting him on the back,
"It's on the house and the bill is taken care of...you worked for it tonight." Nick smiled,
"Thanks man, I had fun. You gotta let me do that again the next time I'm in town."
"Most definitely." He pulled out his business card and handed it to Nick,
"Call me next time you're in the city." Nick watched him walk away as Pete and his new friend. He smiled and made room for her at the table next to him,
"Have a seat." She accepted his offer and his eyes ran over her body, her breasts hanging out of her top,
"You have fun tonight?" She nodded and leaned towards him,
"Yeah, you were awesome up there too." He smiled and looked into her eyes ,
"Thanks, what's your name?"
"Ashley." Just as he was about to speak a photographer came over,
"Hey can I get a picture?" Nick nodded, feeling too good to care about a picture or how he looked in it. The photographer took a few of Nick and Ashley before his friends joined in. He drank a glass of champagne before downing a bottle of water, hoping it would save him the next morning,
"I'm about to get out of here, how about we go somewhere quiet?" She nodded,
"Ok." The manager had a car sent to the front to take Nick and his guest back to the hotel while the guys stayed and partied.
They walked through the hotel hand in hand unaware of the two fans that were being held back by hotel security. Once they made it to his room he turned on the television, led her to the bed and leaned in so close their noses were practically touching,
"Can I kiss you?" She nodded her head as she licked her lips and as their kiss intensified his hands began to roam. He pulled back questioning her desire to proceed with his eyes and he received his answer as she stood before him and removed her top. He noticed she seemed a little apprehensive but as the lust became more evident her confidence grew and she removed the remainder of her clothes. He took a deep breath as he watched her stretch out on the bed and lay on her back, one leg seductively propped up. He went over turned off the light, still able to see her from the glow of the television, turned off his cell phone, stripped and removed a condom from his wallet before joining her underneath the sheets.
Home
Full Circle
Chapter 58