Nick said nothing as he took a sip, scanning the room.
“Lots of girls here tonight…” James told him, as if Nick couldn’t observe the fact for himself.
“Shocker.” Nick mumbled, not having a chance to say anything more before James was whisked away by another one of their friends to judge the impromptu wet t-shirt contest that had apparently began after a few girls ended up in the pool.
Before Nick even had time to finish his beer, a group of girls appeared out of nowhere, all fighting for his attention. Sometimes, it was nice to not have to work for it… to simply just “be” and have everyone want a piece of him. But other times, like he’d been feeling lately… it was too easy, and there was no fun left in it… everyone wanted him, but for all the wrong reasons… and he was tired of that.
He let the girls push him off into a corner of the room, sending one for another beer… these kinds of girls were always much more pleasant with a little alcohol.
***
“Mmm mmm mmmm… would I love to get my hands on him….” Kimi remarked as she and India walked back into the living room from the patio where they’d been watching a drinking game turn into a game of chicken in the pool… then progress into a wet t-shirt contest that looked like a scene from “Girls Gone Wild”.
“Who?” India asked, looking around. There were quite a few guys standing around- all of them looking like potential prey for Kimi. She was a little aggravated that Kimi had been the closest thing to a “friend” she’d been able to find to hang out with tonight. She liked James and hadn’t wanted to turn down his invitation to the party, despite the fact that she didn’t really like many of the other people they both mutually knew. Under normal circumstances, Kimi would have been very, very low on the list of people India would have chosen to spend time with.
“Nick Carter… over there in the corner… the blonde with all the girls hanging on him.” Kimi said, pointing in his direction.
India glanced over to the corner, where there was indeed a blonde guy, surrounded by a bunch of giggling girls. When he looked up towards her and Kimi, she couldn’t think of a time she’d ever seen a guy look that unhappy to be in such a situation. “Why him?” she asked.
“He’s hot… he’s rich… he’s famous… what’s not to want?” Kimi inquired, looking at India as if she were crazy to have to question his appeal.
India said nothing, unimpressed by Kimi’s reasoning, because it could also mean he was cocky, superficial, and just plain stupid. But then again, that would make him perfect for Kimi.
***
Nick looked up from the brunette sitting beside him, who had been asking his opinion on whether or not he thought she should get a boob job… she’d even volunteered to let him get a feel if he wanted… and saw a super-thin model-wannabe-type girl with short reddish-brown hair pointing at him, and a pretty girl with longer black hair standing beside her. He knew they were talking about him… he was used to it… and he figured he knew what she was saying… but he couldn’t figure out the other girl, who was just looking intently at him- no giggling, no whispering.
He watched her as they walked away… more intrigued by the dark-haired girl.. her demeanor… her body…the red shirt that was just tight enough… a word he couldn’t make out accenting her chest… she was curvy… soft-ish in all the right places… she looked like she’d feel just right if he grabbed her and pulled her into his lap for a hug… and damn… that ass… After they walked off, he was forced to return his attention to the crowd of girls around him, each of their tactics to get him focused solely on her becoming more extreme.
***
A while later, India was wandering around the house again after she’d lost Kimi to some heavily pierced freak that now had his tongue down her throat in the master bathroom. She paused in the living room, as she saw Nick trying to dismiss the girls that still surrounded him. She could tell they were resisting, but finally they seemed to take a hint that he’d had enough of their company for now. She wondered if he just wanted to be alone, but, really, who’d come to, and stay at, a party if they wanted to be alone?
She ducked into the kitchen, grabbing two shot glasses, a bottle of tequila, a few lime wedges and a salt shaker. She walked over to the couch, smiled at him as he looked up at her, set the things she was holding down on the end table and flopped down next to him on the couch.
Nick realized as she sat down that the word stretched across her shirt read “Buccaneers” with the flag of his favorite team underneath it. So she had potential already. He watched as she poured tequila into the shot glasses, then handed him one, asking if he’d do a shot with her.
When he nodded, India smiled, “You look like you could use one.” She shook a little salt onto her hand and passed the shaker to him, waiting for him to do the same. She handed him a lime wedge after he set down the salt, and then raised her tequila glass to him. “Go!”
Simultaneously they licked the salt from their hands, then tossed back the shots of tequila, and finally sucked on the lime wedges. India shuddered as the tequila burned all the way down her throat.
Nick glanced at her, “You like tequila?”
“Like might be too strong of a word… but it’s about the only thing I drink. It’s… effective.” she told him.
Nick chuckled a little, “That it is… and you were right… I definitely needed that.”
India smiled at him. “I’m India.”
“Like the country?” Nick asked, rearranging himself to face her.
“Yeah… that’s where I was conceived.” she said, laughing.
A smile instantaneously crossed Nick’s face at the sound of her laugh- it was beautiful. “Oh really…”
“After a particularly romantic stroll around the gardens at the Taj Mahal, apparently. I’m just glad they didn’t name me Mumtaz.” she told him.
“Mumtaz?”
She nodded, “Y’know, the Shah’s wife that the Taj Mahal was built for.”
“Oh… right…” Nick mumbled, not having the slightest clue who she was talking about. “Legend has it that I was conceived in an 18 wheeler.”
India laughed again, “So, in theory, your parents could have called you ‘Mack’.”
“Yeah, I guess they could have, but I’m glad they didn’t!” Nick said, his earlier annoyance disappearing quickly as he talked with her.
“Hmmm… maybe that’s what I’ll call you.” India joked.
“You can call me anything you want to.” Nick told her.
“How about I call you for a date tomorrow night?” she asked.
Nick was a little shocked by her out right proposal, but also impressed with her flirty banter. He was enjoying her company already… and decided to play along a little. “How do you know I don’t have a girlfriend?”
“Well, judging by the way you let those girls hang all over you… and the way you were staring at my ass earlier… I’m gonna guess you either have a girlfriend and don’t care… or you’re single. But I’m going to go with single, because I don’t think you’re a cheater.” she said, smiling a little to herself when he realized she’d caught him checking her out.
“And why is that?” he asked.
“Your eyes.”
Nick looked at her curiously, “My eyes?”
“Yeah… blue-eyed people should talk with their eyes closed… because their eyes will say what their mouths won’t. Yours say you wouldn’t cheat… or at least that you’d feel REALLY guilty if you did.” she said.
Nick’s eyes widened a little in shock, “Damn… you’re all over me already…”
India smirked, “I’m the girl your mom should have warned you about… sexy AND smart.”
“No doubt.” Nick commented. “You’re right, though, no girlfriend… and yeah, let’s go out tomorrow…”
“One thing, though, Mack…”
Nick laughed at her using that name, “What’s that?”
“Do you have a name, or should I just keep calling you Mack?” she asked. Even though Kimi had told her who he was, and she’d sort of recognized him… she wanted to hear him say it himself.. let him introduce himself to her the way he wanted to be known.
“Oh! Right… I’m Nick.” he said, realizing he’d totally forgotten to introduce himself. It wasn’t something he had to do very often, he usually had girls screaming his name at him like he’d forgotten what it was.
“Nice to meet you, Nick.” India said, offering her hand to him to shake.
“Nice to meet you, too, India.” he replied, shaking her hand. “So where do you live? I’ll pick you up tomorrow night…” He listened as India gave him directions, then asked, “anything special you want to do?”
India shook her head, “Nah… you can surprise me. I wanna see what you’ve got.”
“So… we could go anywhere, and you’re cool with that?” he asked.
“That’s what I’m saying.”
“So what if I say we’re going to a strip club?” Nick asked, sure he’d get an answer like ‘anything but that.’
“As long as you tell me before we leave the house so I can grab some ones, I’m down.” India told him.
Nick was pleasantly surprised by her answer. “Damn… I think I’m in love.” he said, smiling again as she laughed at his comment.