Staring at the number he had finally keyed into his cellular phone from memory, Nick was at a loss as to why he couldn’t commit himself to press send. He had memorized her number that day for this specific purpose, knowing that he could find a private area in which he could speak freely. Had even promised her that he would call. But he couldn’t bring himself to press the button to connect their phones. He could have pretended to be naïve about the whole situation in attempts to fool himself, but it was ridiculous to try. Roxanne was a beautiful woman with a dynamic personality; he knew that just from spending those few hours with her. She had the potential to be something very special in his life, but there was a dangerous impediment in that path by the name of Melanie.
Spending time with Roxanne had caused a serious evaluation of his current relationship. Deep within him, he knew that the love he felt for the deadly woman had died many months ago when she had first raised her hand to him. He even knew that he should have walked away that very day, but he truly had feared being alone. He had seen the warning signs boiling over, reminding him so much of his parents’ dangerous relationship. But still he stayed with the thought that Melanie would be the only woman to ever love him in spite of his numerous faults. Every fiber within his being had told him to speak out against the hurt she caused. That it was wrong. But he feared the reactions of his family and friends. Thinking that perhaps he was to blame for all of her wrongdoings, he wondered if they would even believe him. After all, had he just walked away so many months ago, he wouldn’t be suffering now. But, he had chose to stay and had to be the man and accept the consequences—
“There you are!”
Lurching off the couch as if it had been set aflame, Nick was unable to keep hold of his cellular phone on the midst of his body’s panicked commotion. Leaving his hands, it flew across the room, startling Josephina who managed to catch the piece of equipment before it could injure her. Cursing in disbelief, Nick raggedly dragged his hands through his mess of blonde locks, knowing how guilty he looked. His startled reactions had become flamboyantly exacerbated by Melanie’s cruelty and his guilt overloaded when he flushed with dark embarrassment.
“Sorry, Jo…”
“I think all those years of being a mischievous brat have left you with an overzealous guilt reflex, Nicky,” Josephina chided with a small smile, looking at the screen of the cellular phone for a moment. The numbers did not locate anyone personal already saved into Nick’s phone, so her natural curiosity piqued. Crossing the room, she seated herself upon the sofa and gestured for Nick to take a seat as well. “Why are you hiding from everyone? Howie is upstairs actually arguing with AJ, which is a sight to see because he’s never argued with a soul in his life. The little tips of his pointed ears are bright red, it’s the cutest thing, I swear—”
“You two are such the lovebirds,” Nick muttered, though he offered the older woman a small smile nonetheless. Josephina and Howie had been together for several years, perhaps longer than Brian and his wife had been together. Marriage had always been a possibility, but Josephina was adamant on establishing her career first. Of course, Nick considered their co-op to be a true marriage despite lacking the identifiers of a marriage. It was something he hoped he could have one day… Well… At least he had hoped…
“Well, you and Melanie aren’t lacking in the romantic tryst department either, Nicky…” Josephina trailed, looking up to gauge his reaction to her statement. She was worried when his facial features seemed to tighten into a painful grimace. All of the conclusions she was beginning to draw about Nick’s relationship with Melanie were forming quite a sour note in the pit of her heart. He had looked so scared and meek after returning from the bathroom the other night during their double date. Had barely managed a few words before excusing himself from the event. Howie had attributed it to the youthful indiscretion that the couple had commenced in, but his opinion had been positive. He didn’t see the fear resonating in Nick’s dark indigo eyes, not like his lover had.
“Yeah…”
“You did want what happened in the bathroom, right, Nicky?”
Blanking for a moment, Nick just stared at Josephina with the utmost confusion. “…What?”
“When she took you into the bathroom the other night at dinner, did you want that?”
Nick snorted loudly, though it seemed more insecure and inflated than anything. “C’mon now, Jo, what man would turn down sex? Much less public sex?”
“One that has the imprint of his horrible girlfriend’s overpriced ring in his jaw,” Josephina explained softly, wanting to be delicate about the issue though every fiber in her being screamed for her to simply be direct and fiery. That was her usual nature – to explode and pick up the pieces later. But, this entire situation was new to her. Just the very thought that Nick could possibly be abused was horrifying. But a true nightmare to know that he was hiding it. “Don’t think I didn’t notice how similar that bruise on your face is to that damn ring she insisted you buy.”
“Jo…” Nick trailed, unable to come up with an explanation for the bruise marring the side of his face. The pains in his body were still fresh from the last trip to the Emergency Room, not to mention the bathroom assault the previous evening. The lower half of his body was just a large bruise with deep scratches and bite marks. But to admit that would be detrimental to everything he held dear in his life, especially with his friends and family.
“If she’s hurting you, Nicky, you need to tell me.”
“She’s—”
“Don’t you dare lie to me. Not about this. Not when you’re hurting so much.”
“Look, the stuff you see is me just being an clumsy asshole…”
“You’re telling me that you fell on her fist?”
“Jo--”
“Why’d you end up in the ER?”
“I was walking up the patio steps after walking the beach in my flip-flops. They were slippery from the ocean and wouldn’t you know the bastards flung out from underneath me—”
“Melanie said you were plastered and you tripped over Layla.”
He wasn’t sure what to say when she confronted him with the lack of cohesiveness among his excuses. No one had ever bothered to question his reasons for the injuries, even if they were positively absurd. It seemed almost as if they were afraid to know. Because knowing meant that they would have to face the pain and act upon it. Yet, like Roxanne, Josephina was pushing him for an answer and he couldn’t provide one. He didn’t want to. Even if he needed to—
“Nicky, answer me.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Nick murmured, shrugging his shoulders haphazardly.
“Does she hurt you?”
“Well, yeah, but—”
“The bitch is dead—”
“Jo, every relationship has hurts!” Nick hurried to explain, leaning back in fear when her hands clenched into fists. “She hurts me. I hurt her. It’s give and take… She just tends to give more and take more… I mean, if I was in any danger, I’d leave. You know me…”
“That you’d never hit a woman even when she deserves it, yes, I know you—”
“Don’t tell the guys, okay? I don’t need anymore shit from them… First I can’t get my vocals right, next they’ll be calling me a pussy…” Looking up from his clasped hands, he carefully cleared his throat when their contrasting gazes met. “…Promise me?”
“I can’t…” Josephina’s disagreement trailed into a pointless conclusion when she noticed Nick finely trembling on the opposite side of the couch. He was so meek and broken because of Melanie, but unable to fully admit that he was the victim of domestic abuse. He hadn’t even stated clearly that he was hurt, but she knew. God, did she know. Respectfully, Josephina offered a small nod of agreement and looked to the open phone she was holding. “…Is this the number where you’re going to be able to reach Melanie while she’s in some remote location on a beautiful island where I hope she gets a deadly case of dysentery? Because I don’t recognize this number.”
“No!” Nick blurted, realizing that Josephina was studying the number far too intently. Leaning forward, he pulled the phone from her hand and immediately erased any memory of the phone number. It seemed as if he’d never be able to have a chance at happiness. The perfunctory erasing of the numbers that could potentially lead to romance and excitement seemed so symbolic in his mind. So final.
“Who’s number is it then?”
“No one’s—”
“Nicky, c’mon now—”
“Her name is Roxanne. She took care of me at the Emergency Room.”
“She’s a doctor?”
“Even better, she’s a nurse.”
“I can just imagine you comparing her to that medical fetish porn collect you’ve got brewing in a closet somewhere—”
“Jo, it ain’t even like that.”
“Then what’s it like?”
“Don’t get me wrong, the chick is fucking sexy as Hell, but—”
“Nick Carter is going to focus on something more than a girl being fucking sexy?”
“Jo, she’s nice,” Nick stated simply, knowing it spoke volumes without any means of elaboration.
Hearing a loud purr that vibrated against her face, Roxanne stifled a heavy yawn and blindly reached out to scratch the ears of her needy feline. Feeling petite paws kneading the softness of her breasts while whiskers tickled her flushed cheeks, she brought her free hand outward in attempts to locate the small alarm clock. After several items tumbled from their place and clattered to the floor, she managed to find the alarm clock, telling her that it was mid-afternoon. The California sun was blazing behind the thick curtains she had purposely selected because of unpleasantness, especially when she was known for being a creature of the night. She had hoped that Jinx would be a nocturnal creature as well, but the brat obviously had other intentions. So, casting the alarm clock over the side of her bed, Roxanne reached both hands up to lovingly stroke the thick, black fur of her beloved kitten.
“Obviously my day off needs to be devoted to you, huh, Jinxie?”
Jinx seemed to agree wholeheartedly with her statement, but decided to make her mistress work for the reciprocated affections. Kneading at her soft body a few more times, Jinx turned in a circle to get the full benefit of Roxanne’s scratches. But, slipping her tail beneath Roxanne’s nose for a quick swish, she hopped off the bed and sauntered through the half opened door.
“Tease!” Roxanne called behind her mysterious minx, rolling onto her side with a huff as if she had been truly stilted. When she heard her cat’s yowl, telling her to behave, she actually laughed and slipped from beneath the covers she had bunched into tight tangles throughout the night. Yawning once more, she gathered her long strawberry blonde curls into a high ponytail and adjusted the waistband of her boxer shorts to settle beneath her belly button before even noticing that her answering machine was blinking. She couldn’t imagine that she had actually slept through the jarring ring of her telephone. Even during her roughest days at work, she never missed a ring of the telephone, in case it was some dire emergency. She had learned early to always answer the phone. But when she noticed it peeking from beneath a pile of clean clothes, she could certainly understand. So, leaning over, she hit the button to rewind the machine and play the message.
Kitten, what the fuck are you doing living all the way out in California? Jesus Christ, iIt took me ages just to find you… I almost thought I had the wrong place when all the letters I sent you kept coming back… But then I know you so I saved my money to make this call. Bet sunny California is entirely different from our happy home in Pennsylvania… I miss you, Baby. I’m sorry about what happened between us and I know you’re sorry too. We can fix everything if you’d just stop being such a bitch. So, next time I call, I need you to pick up the phone. My hearing is coming up soon and—
Jerking forward at the sound of the familiar voice that continuously haunted her nightmares, Roxanne grabbed at the small answering machine and ripped it from the wall. The paint of the wall cracked at the force as the phone jack gave way. Heaving it across the room, she released a ragged breath of disgust. How a man locked away in a maximum-security penitentiary could manage to locate her whereabouts after nearly killing her was unimaginable. She had always loathed the justice system, especially when it had failed her so many times, protecting her attacker as if he were a victim—
Tensing when the phone shrilly rang from beneath her pile of clothing, Roxanne leaned down to scoop it up. He would never quit hounding her, not even when he was stuck behind thick cement walls and ominous iron bars. But she would not be submissive to his charms. Not again. Not when she had finally released the shackles of those painful years. Slamming her thumb upon the ‘talk’ button, she growled, “Damnit, Richard—“
“Holy Hell, I must have the wrong number. This isn’t Roxanne Doherty, is it?”
Roxanne hesitated in confusion, too overwhelmed with rage to be embarrassed. “…Who’s calling?”
“You don’t know me, but… God, is this just a beautiful way to start out a conversation? You must think I’m some kind of stalker who’s watching you from the window… Of course, I’d be on a payphone and breathing heavily—”
“There is no payphone near my window,” Roxanne actually laughed. “So, who is this exactly? And why have you gone off your medication?”
The woman on the opposite end of the conversation released a high-pitched squeal of amused laughter, “I’d think I was in need of medication, too! My name is Josephina Hernandez. I’m one of Nick Carter’s beloved friends.”
“Okay…”
“This is the Roxanne Doherty that took care of Nick Carter in the Emergency Room, right?”
“HIPPA prevents me from—”
“The dope probably signed himself in as John Smith, because he’s watched Mr. and Mrs. Smith one too many times—”
“Again, Ma’am, I can’t—”
“I’m not a reporter, I promise. I truly am one of Nick Carter’s friends. I got your phone number from him. He said you gave him a business card with your name and titles, but put your personal numbers on the back. You wanted him to give you a call.”
“How do I honestly know that you’re not some sleaze trying to pry information out of me?” Roxanne stated seriously, flopping back onto her unmade bed in hopes to focus on the conversation. She was hardly in the state of mind to accurately assess the situation at hand, not after working all evening and just waking. And, the absurdity of the call just made things worse.
“I really didn’t think this conversation was going to be so damn hard. I mean, I commend you on that HIPPA nonsense, but I’m not looking for information about Nick. I already know more about him than you’d ever care to know. I just wanted to invite you to a dinner that I’m planning. You see, I’m dating Howie Dorough, one of Nick’s other friends. We invited Nick to stay with us for a few days and I just know that he’s going to feel like the third wheel. So, I figured I could invite you to dinner, since he spoke so highly of you—”
“What exactly did he say about me?”
“That it takes a very secure woman to ride a surfboard in a string bikini, especially when a crazy mutt like his is roaming about without a leash…”
“That’s why I duct tape everything into its proper place…”
“A girl after my own heart,” Josephina chuckled. “So, what do you say to dinner?”
