What Now? (23 page)

The click of the door closing made
Shari's heart leap at the thought that she was alone in Nick's suite. Stop it,
Shari, she cautioned herself. Now is one of those times to refocus.

The décor of the suite gave her the
perfect opportunity to do so. The foyer opened into an elegant living room
decorated in
bronze
and bone tones with cabinets boasting semi-precious stones
. Shari was drawn to the
floor-to-ceiling bay windows
 
which framed the brilliantly lit skyline that was the backdrop
for Central Park. A few lights managed to penetrate the trees, relieving the
total darkness of the park.

“What an awesome view!”

“I agree,” Nick said.

Shari turned away from the window to
find him looking at her. The desire in his eyes caused an answering twinge in
her. Nick was the one who broke the eye contact, turning away to head towards
the kitchen.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Sure, coffee, if it’s not too much
trouble.”

“No prob. I can order some.”

“Can I have a look around?”

“Sure, help yourself. I’d give you a
guided tour, but it’s not that big.”

He called room service to order coffee
and a dessert plate then made his way to the kitchen to pour himself a drink
from the wet bar only to pour it down the drain. He didn’t feel like drinking
alcohol right now. In any case, he needed his wits about him so that he didn’t
give in to the desire to kiss and caress Shari until she forgot everything but
the fulfillment he could give her. What did Shari say about that? Refocus. What
could he refocus on? The thought of her touring the bathroom and bedroom only
put thoughts in his head that made his jeans distinctly uncomfortable.

“This
place is the bomb!” Shari enthused, finding him in the kitchen. “I love that
beige and white marble in the bathroom. It’s so calming.” An image of her in
the tub was anything but calming.

“And
the bedroom is amazing!” 

Nick
smiled. ‘Amazing’ was obviously one of Shari’s favorite words. What could
happen in the bedroom would be even more amazing if I had my way, he thought.

“Let’s
do this interview. I know my phone will be ringing soon and it will be Lily
telling me that it’s time to network.”

“Oh yes. Right. You
need to get down to the party. Where do you want to do it?”

The
bed would be great, but the couch could work or the tub… OK, refocus, Nick. He
reined in his wayward thoughts with some effort.

“The
living room is fine. Then I’ll do the party and then I’m officially on holiday.
I can’t wait.”

“Do
you still want me to go to Barbados with you?” she asked him.

“Absolutely!”

“Well,
I got my holiday approved today, so I can come.”

Nick
gave a loud whoop, grabbed her and swung her around.

“That’s
the best news I’ve heard in months! Barbados, here we come!”

Finishing
the coffee that had been delivered to the room, Shari dug around in her bag for
her voice recorder. Nick’s voice had now become as familiar to her as if she’d
known him for ages rather than a few weeks. She was glad that he had chosen to
sit in the armchair rather than sharing the sofa. As it was, she was finding it
annoyingly difficult to focus on the reason she was there rather than the fact
that they were alone in his suite.

“So,
how has this world tour been for you?” She began the interview. My goodness,
she sounded like a new recruit. She couldn’t formulate a deep and meaningful
question to save her life. Nick’s presence was definitely unsettling. Maybe it
was some of the magic left over from the concert. He seemed larger than life.
She had to remind herself that this was the same Nick who slept in her tiny
guest room and helped her to make dinner in her equally tiny kitchen.

“It’s
been amazing!” He used her favorite word deliberately and was rewarded with a
smile as she connected with his description. “The last few weeks, though, have
been a sort of epiphany for me.”

“In
what way?” Her senses went on alert as she waited to hear his answer.

“I
met someone who challenged me to take a look at my life and what I’m doing with
it and I realize that, while I love the music and the business, I had become
very shallow and self-focused. Not to mention somewhat ‘depraved’; I believe that
is the term that was used to describe my lifestyle. Or was it ‘indecent’?” He
smiled in a self-deprecating way.

Shari’s
eyes connected with Nick’s and held. In them she saw a question that seemed to
her to say ‘Will you trust me in spite of everything?’ She wondered what he saw
in hers. Did he see the hope that he was not just saying what she wanted to
hear but that he was really sincere? Did her eyes reveal that she was melting
right in front of him? Maybe it was the moisture that caused them to glisten
that would give her away.

“Ahm…”
she fumbled for her next question. Then it came to her. “So, what now?”

“That’s
the question.  I’m rich, I’m famous, I can go anywhere in the world, do just
about anything and I’m still not fulfilled. I still don’t know the answer to
that question, but now I feel that I’m a lot closer to finding out and I’m
beginning to realize that there’s not a single answer.”

Shari
silently thanked God for how far Nick had come. “Thanks for being so open and
honest, Nick. Not just tonight, but through the whole process. I know that you
didn’t want to do the documentary at the beginning, but I’m glad you came
around. This was exactly what I needed to finish it and it will be easy to slot
in the parts that I’ll get at your parents’. I think you’ve also just given me
the name of the documentary:
What Now?
”

“That
just about sums up how I feel. What now?” he repeated the title, testing it. “I
like it.”

“So
do I,” she agreed.

“Glad
I could be of service,” he teased, breaking up the serious mood. “I’d be happy
to offer my services in other ways as well,” he added suggestively.

That
earned him a missile aimed at his head, which he caught easily and returned to
the sofa.

“You’re
very violent, young lady. I think I’ll have to tame you.”

“Good
luck,” she replied cheekily, packing up.

“Guess
it’s time to go down and network. I’m sure that Brad and Lily have a lineup of all
the right people for me to see. You know how important face time is in this
industry.”

“So
I’ve discovered. And it’s such a great face.”

“Why,
Shari Goodwin, I do believe that’s the first compliment you’ve ever given me.”

“Your
head doesn’t need to get any bigger.”

“That’s
what I love about you. You keep me grounded.”

Shari
packed away her voice recorder and got to her feet. Nick threw around the word “love”
carelessly, but she couldn’t help but yearn for it. She wanted to be loved for
her, so she could understand how he felt.

Her
heart gave a little leap of excitement as Nick stood up as well, wondering if
he would kiss her then, but she was disappointed when he turned to lead the way
back to the door where his bodyguard was waiting to escort them downstairs.

“I’m
not really in the party mood, Nick. Would you mind if I give this a miss?”
Shari asked him as the bodyguard pressed the button to take them down.

“Are
you kidding? This is the last party of the tour. I need you to be there to
celebrate with me. Don’t leave me to the predators,” he joked.

“We
can’t have that. OK, just for you.”

“Thank
you, Shari. Although the predators are no longer a problem for me. The song
tonight was for you. I wanted you to know that, because of you, I’m not the
same.”

“I’m
beginning to believe that, Nick.”

Thank
God, Nick thought, smiling. He was getting somewhere.

New York Times

December 17, 2015

Nick
Badley wowed the crowd at Madison Square Garden last night with a climactic finish
to his world tour which included twenty countries plus another twenty cities at
home. More than 20,000 people were treated to a rousing performance during
which he performed many of his latest hits including the current number one on
the Billboard Top 100 this week, “Moving On”. Just before the end of the show,
he treated fans to a song which he said he had recently written called “I’m Not
the Same”. Are we to believe that Nick Badley is no longer the wild, bad boy
Nick Bad whom we’ve come to know and love? What would a new version of this
Nick Badley look like? We wait expectantly to see.”

Tim
clicked the X to close the webpage of the New York Times entertainment section
that he’d been reading.

“No,
he’s the same Nick Badley alright and I’m going to let the world know that he’s
even worse than he was before,” he said aloud. From the time he had spoken to
Nick and he’d refused to consider him coming back to the band, he’d been trying
to think of what he could do to bring him down and he had come up with a genius
of a plan. However, it would take a little time, not to mention money, to
execute. It would be worth the investment just to see Nick Badley lose it all.
He’d wait until after the Holidays to work on it. After all, he had nothing but
time on his hands, thanks to Nick.

He
had told Sarah that he would check into rehab early next year and he intended
to. Maybe that would help their marriage, but it would also give him the
perfect alibi when the crap hit the fan so that no one would think he was
involved, but he would have it all set up before that. He’d heard that Nick was
planning to be in Barbados for New Year’s Eve so he would wait until he came back.
Next year would not start so well for Nick Badley. He smiled in anticipation.

Shari
searched the luggage carousel for her two matching suitcases. She really hoped
they were not in some other city as she had barely made the plane on time. She
was usually very organized, but trying to wrap up her work and clear her desk
to be away not only for the Holidays but for the week in Barbados had completely
thrown her schedule.

She
was relieved to see the first one slide down the ramp and join the rest of
circulating luggage. If that one made it, the other should be close behind, she
thought, hefting the suitcase off the carousel. She’d packed for almost two
weeks and, although her clothes were summer things and therefore didn’t take up
much room individually, she’d had to pack quite a lot to last her the eleven
days she’d be away. 

She’d
also splurged on an amazing dress for Nick’s New Year’s Eve party. Considering
the ‘who’s who’ that Nick said he had invited, she didn’t want to look like a
pauper. Not that she could afford Michael Kors or Adam Selman, but she’d found
a dress that she loved in an exclusive boutique and she’d thrown caution to the
wind and bought it.

The
thought of Nick, who was never far from her mind, caused her to tap her foot impatiently
as she waited for the other suitcase. As soon as it sailed down the ramp she
grabbed it from the conveyor belt before it could go around the carousel. Nick
was waiting for her outside the terminal and, if she knew him, it would be an
impatient wait. She smiled at the thought and an old lady smiled back at her.

The
sunlight temporarily blinded her as she looked around at the waiting people,
trying to find Nick. She should have known it would be no hard task. All she
had to do was look for the crowd. She found him in the midst of several young
women and teenagers who were thrilled to spot him at the airport and were using
the opportunity to get autographs signed and to take selfies with him.  Nick
tolerantly posed and smiled for several shots. The brief holiday had done
wonders for him as he looked relaxed and in a good mood.

Shari
paused, not sure if to approach him or wait for him to notice her. As if
sensing her presence, he looked up and saw her waiting with her luggage. He
said something to the women around him and started toward her with a huge smile
on his face. How could he look so gorgeous in a plain white T-shirt and a pair
of disreputable-looking black jeans?

He
held open his arms and she couldn’t stop herself from walking into them with a
feeling of homecoming. Seeing the fans who were still watching Nick eyeing her
with curiosity and envy, she couldn’t help the thrill that Nick had chosen to
be with her.

“I missed
you!” Nick told her.

“I missed
you too, even though it’s only been a week. How pathetic is that?”

“If
you’re pathetic, then so am I. Let’s get out of here so that I can kiss you
without an audience. I’ve thought about nothing but that on my way here.”

Shari
laughed because she’d thought of nothing else for the last week.

Nick led
her to a sleek, dark sports car which looked very much like the one they’d
driven in Denver. As he manhandled her suitcases into the limited space behind
the seats and opened the door for her, he realized that driving the new Porsche
to pick up Shari had not been the smartest decision. 

“Nick
Badley, did you treat yourself to a new car?” she scolded as the smell of new
leather teased her nose.

“Guilty!
I couldn’t resist! Don’t you think I deserved it after that grueling world
tour? After driving the one in Denver, I had to have this and it was the memory
of driving with you that tipped me over the edge.”

“Please,
Nick! It wasn’t the memory of me that tipped you over the edge. You planned to
buy this anyway. Do you know how many microloans this little toy could
finance?”

“I’m
sure you’re going to tell me,” said Nick cheerfully. He wasn’t going to get
into an argument with Shari. He was too glad to see her. “I’ll donate the
equivalent to a cause of your choice. Does that make you happy?”

“Are
you serious?”

“Anything
for you, darling,” he promised, drawing her close. He paused just before his
lips met hers to tell her again how much he’d missed her and then proceeded to
demonstrate by taking time to rediscover the taste of her mouth. Shari’s hand
circled his neck and sunk into his hair which was longer than she’d ever seen
it.

Nick
intensified the kiss and Shari was with him all the way. It was everything
she’d remembered and more. Nick hands roamed her back restlessly and he
impatiently pushed aside her jacket so that he could feel its contours. When
one hand began to journey as he gave in to the desire to feel her softness,
Shari’s alarm bell began to ring in her head and she reluctantly dragged her
lips away from Nick’s.

“Nick…”
she began.

“Shh,”
he put a finger on her lips. “Sorry. I got carried away. I know the limits, so
you don’t have to be afraid that I’ll push them. But can I confess that this is
damn hard?”