Distractions
It was a breezy day in December when the trucks came. Nick was strumming on his guitar and working on a song by the pool side when he saw them. There must have ben 3 trucks. All moving trucks. Someone had bought the house next door to him. He put his guitar down and went to his fence, looking over to see if he could spot his new neighbors.
The waves on the beach covered the sound of high heels hitting concrete. Nick had no idea that someone was coming up behind him. That was until there was a tap on his shoulder. He thought it was just Rianna coming back from shopping with Selena.
“We’ve got new neighbors, love. I wonder where they’re gonna put that huge ass mirror.” Nick said, looking at a large framed mirror the moving men where carrying into the house with care.
“On the ceiling of our bedroom.” A voice said from behind him, And it was not Rianna’s. He turned slowly, very embarrassed. Then his eyes met with hers.
“Hello, I’m Ginger Lawson. Your new neighbor.” She put out her hand, daintily. Nick shook it.
“Nick... Nick Carter. Hi.” He said, still feeling humiliated. Then he noticed something about her... he was sure he had seen her before. But he couldn’t recall where.
“Have we met before?” He asked, looking at her closer and trying his best to remember.
“I don’t think so. But you’ve probably seen one of my films.” Nick shook his head.
“Films? You’re an actress?”
“Well, you could say that. See if this sparks your memory...” She stuck out her tongue and licked her finger. A common pose seen on the cover of her movies. Nick snapped his finger and pointed to her face.
“I got it! I do know where I know you from!” Then he thought about it... he just admitted to watching her naughty movies. “Oh shit...” He added under his breath. She just giggled.
“It’s ok. There’s nothing wrong with my form of artistic expression.” She said, justifying both herself and Nick having watched her.
“Artistic expression?” He thought to himself, wanting to laugh at her out loud. He felt rather awkward talking to a woman that he had watched have wild sex with too many men to count on videotape. He’d seen every crevice of her naked form, and it made him uncomfortable to just stand there with her.
“The back fence was open, so I let myself in. I hope that’s ok. I just wanted to meet the folks around here. I didn’t mean to interrupt you.” She said, referring to his spying. He was about to think up something to say as an excuse for his prying eyes, but Rianna saved him by walking out on the deck and calling his name.
“Nick... who’s your friend?” She asked, Selena standing hy her side, holding her hand.
“Oh, baby... this is Ginger, our new neighbor. Ginger, this is my wife Rianna and my daughter Selena.” Ginger waved up to Rianna on the deck.
“Hello. I didn’t know anyone had bought that house.” Rianna said, making her way down the steps.
“Well, my husband and I only just got married. And this house was his last minute wedding present to me.” Ginger explained.
“Newlyweds! Congratulations. Why don’t you and your husband come over for dinner tonight...say around seven? Nick and I would love to have you over.” Rianna offered in the nicest way. Nick wanted desperately for Ginger to decline.
“That’d be wonderful. I’ll go tell my husband.” Ginger replied, then she excused herself and left. Nick waited until she was out of sight to speak to Rianna.
“Baby! Do you know who she is? She’s like the Marilyn Monroe of porn! We can’t invite her over to have dinner!” Rianna crossed her arms over her chest and gave Nick “the look”.
“Yes, I know who she is. I’ve seen her face on all of those tapes you had hidden on that shelf in the closet. Which I will add that I threw away.” She said.
“And you have no problem with the fact that a woman who does all those kinky things on camera will be eating dinner at the same table with our little girl?” Nick stated plainly.
Rolling her eyes she replied, “Oh please, Nick. We’re Selena’s parents and we do some pretty shady stuff in the bedroom too. And don’t you dare act like we don’t.” Nick started to protest, but got an image of himself and his wife in bed together doing those shady things she mentioned. He had to stop and smile. But he quickly got his mind back on track and continued to object to the invitation.
“I don’t like it! Take the invitation back! It’s not too late! She probably hasn’t even told her husband yet.” Rianna rolled her eyes and went back up to the house. Nick following her and trying to talk her out of it.
“She seems nice. And if she's content with what she does, don’t knock it. It’s funny how you love her on screen, but don’t want her anywhere near you in person. You can be so hypocritical sometimes, Carter.” She said. And she only called him that when she was angry with him.
It was then Nick knew there was no point in fighting her about this. Rianna always won their little bouts anyhow. He just let her go back into the house and start dinner. He just sat back down in his chair and began tightening the strings of his guitar.
Later that night at the dinner table, Rianna and Ginger discussed married life and children. Nick felt like a third wheel since Ginger’s husband decided to pass. He would later find out that Ginger married a much older man who was counting his days left on the earth. He had made up his mind that she only married him for money, because he was sure there wasn’t much a ninety-something old man could do that a woman like Ginger was interested in.
Nick was just finishing his chicken when he felt warm feet rub against his leg. He hadn’t played footsie with Rianna since forever and decided to rub right back. He kicked his shoes off and started working her way up her leg and back down to her ankle. He found it amusing how she managed to play footsie and carry on a conversation at the same time.
Suddenly, Rianna got up to get desert. But Nick was still fooling around with someone under the table. Ginger! She looked at him and licked her lips. Then he felt her foot move to his crouch, then press down. He wanted to tell her to get out, but his daughter was sitting there, very attentive, and he didn’t want to scare her.
Rianna returned with a cherry pie she made, along with vanilla ice cream already in bowls. Still, Ginger let her foot remain between Nick’s legs. Nick knocked a fork off of the table with his elbow and caught it with his other hand. He knew that Selena did whatever she saw her parents do, so she knocked her fork off of the table too. Except she didn’t see Nick catch it, so she let it fall to the floor.
Rianna bent down to get it and Nick hoped she would see Ginger’s foot on his crouch. But she hardly noticed. Nick had enough and wanted to take Rianna into the kitchen to tell her what was going on. But before he could, Ginger moved her foot.
After dinner, Rianna and Nick walked Ginger to the door. Selena called for her mother from upstairs and Rianna went to her aid. That left Nick alone with Ginger once again.
“You want me, just admit it.” Ginger said in a deeper voice.
“No, I don’t.” He said back.
“Then what about all that foot flirting we did during dinner?” She reminded him.
“I thought I was ‘foot flirting’ with my wife. Not you.” Was his reply.
“Would you change your mind about me if I did this?” She grabbed his crotch with her hand and kissed him square on the lips, trying to part his lips with her tongue but failing.
“No. I don’t like you anymore than I did before. Now I think you should leave.” He advised her. She let him go and pranced out of the house, hips swaying, the heels of her shoes clacking on the driveway pavement.
Nick told Rianna about all what she had done as soon as they were alone in their room. He told her about footsie, and the kiss, and how as well as where she grabbed him. She honestly thought he was just paranoid about her being so friendly and nice to a porn star.
“You really need to calm down, Nick. She’s a married woman. And from what she told me, she really loves her husband. You’re just imagining things. All those smut movies are causing you to confuse what is reality and what is fantasy.” With that, she kissed him goodnight and turned out the lights.
Weeks passed and Ginger was still making passes at Nick. At one point she even asked Rianna if she could come over and swim when she needed to. The pool in her back yard wasn’t finished yet, so she needed a place to swim and get her exercise. Rianna agreed, so Ginger was almost always there when Rianna wasn’t around.
On one occasion, Ginger came over while Nick was swimming. He was doing laps, just because it was hot and he was bored. She quickly took all of her clothes off, including her bikini, and jumped in. Nick was shocked beyond belief when he saw Ginger’s familiar nude body swimming circles around his.
All at once she swam up to him, touching him and kissing his shoulders. He pushed her away and got out of the pool. More than ready to go into the house and pretend he never saw her. But she got out and followed him, still naked.
“Look, Ginger! I am a happily married man! You have to stop doing this!” He screamed at her. She just flashed her pearly-white teeth and giggled.
“I don’t know about too many things. But I do know that you want me, and badly. And I keep giving you the opportunity to take me. But you’re too afraid to take a chance. I know that you love Rianna. But you’re a man. And men are not made to settle with one woman. You need to let go and explore others. I want to help you do that. You just have to let go.” She hit a sore spot for Nick. He did love Rianna. But he was greatly attracted to Ginger. He had seen her do undescribable things with the guys in her films, and he couldn’t help but wonder what she could do for him.
She knew that he was considering what she offered, so she came a little closer. She touched his wet chest. The minute he felt her skin on his, he backed away. No woman was supposed to touch him that way unless she was his wife. He got his towel and went into the house. Leaving Ginger outside by the pool, alone.
Nick didn’t bother to tell Rianna about Ginger that night. He just sat in bed next to her, still and quiet. Rianna put her book down and rolled over to Nick. She kissed his bare chest and let her hands wander all over his body. He pulled her thin baby doll nightie up and lifted her onto him.
As he made love to her, he couldn’t help but think about Ginger. He wondered what she would feel like in Rianna’s position. He wondered if maybe he would enjoy sex more with a pro like Ginger, rather that his shy wife who only did what he asked her to do.
“Nicky... Nicky...” She said to him. Nick had lost all focus on what he was doing when he started thinking about Ginger. It took Rianna to call him to get him out of his trance.
“Yeah?” He answered.
“Is something wrong, baby?” She asked him, quite concerned. Nick never zoned out like while they were making love.
“No, I’m just tired. But I’m wide awake now. No need to stop.” He kissed her to reassure her. Then he put both his hands on her hips and proceeded to finish what they had started.
Every night was this way until Nick and Rianna stopped having sex altogether. They just avoided intimacy at all costs. Rianna thought it was because she wasn’t attractive to him anymore. However, Nick knew he couldn’t make love to her without thinking of Ginger. And that wasn’t fair to Rianna. So he decided it would be best to just not have sex, period.
Nick was starting to feel uncomfortable even sleeping in the same bed as Rianna. She would wear next to nothing to bed, hoping he would at least kiss her and hold her. Pay some kind of attention to her. Because she made herself more available, Nick felt he ought to just sleep somewhere else. That way he wouldn’t be tempted to sleep with her, then he wouldn’t have to think about Ginger.
He fluffed the pillows up on the couch in his game room. Then he just stretched out and watched Nick-at-Nite. Rianna opened the door to peek in on him. Seeing that he was still awake, she crept in and sat on the edge of the sofa.
“I’m going to bed. Should I wait up for you?” She asked in a sweet voice. Nick looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. She looked so unhappy. She had every right to be upset. He was neglecting his duties as a husband. There she was, literally lying herself on a silver platter for him. And he was rejecting her, watching The Jefferson marathon instead.
“Nah. This is getting good.” He said, referring to an episode where Florence, the maid, gets kidnaped.
“We can watch it in our room.” She insisted.
“Yeah, but I’m pretty comfortable here. You go ahead and get some sleep. I’ll come to bed later on.” Rianna wanted to cry. She was sure he had no interest in her anymore now. She gave it one last try, bending down to kiss him on the lips. He wouldn’t return the kiss.
“G’night.” Nick said, not bothering to look at her. Knowing that if he did, he would see the hurt in her eyes. She stood up and left the room, going back down the hall to their bedroom. Then slamming the door.
More weeks passed. Nothing had changed. Nick stayed in his game room. Rianna stayed in their bedroom. Alone in their king sized bed. Wanting some form of affection from her husband and getting none, whatsoever.
She decided to go visit Marcy, AJ, and Angelina one weekend. She figured that maybe some time apart might be good. Even though she still didn’t understand why he was turned off by her all of a sudden. She packed a few things for herself along with some things for Selena. Then they headed out for Marcy’s.
Nick spent most of his time alone. Writing songs inspired by how badly he was treating Rianna. Come Saturday night, he had written at least five songs. All about a man doing wrong by his lover and wanting forgiveness.
He was sitting by the pool, staring into the water when Ginger entered the back fence, near the shoreline. She came up to him and sat down in nearby chair.
“What’s got you so down?” She asked, as if she didn’t know.
“You, home wrecker. And you damn-well know it too.” He snapped at her.
“Me? What did I do?” Again, as if she had no earthly idea.
“You’re trying to push Rianna and I apart. Every time you came over here, stripping down and coming on to me... you knew it would affect my relationship with her. You knew it would fuck my mind all up and now we hardly even talk to each other anymore.” Nick said, releasing a lot of built up anger.
“I told you that you needed to let go and get a taste of other girls out there. But you just wouldn’t listen.” Her phone cell phone rang as she finished her statement. She turned it off and put it on the seat behind her instead of back in her pocket.
“I can fix all of this. See, I know that every time you go to make love to your wife, you think of me. You’re curious as to what I would be like. The only way to cure that is to find out. Then, you won’t be so curious. You won’t care so much.” Nick couldn’t believe she was feeding him this bullshit.
“Come on, come back to my place. We can make things right again.” She got up and sat on his lap. Kissing his ear and neck. Running her fingers through his hair. Nick fought temptation, but soon he gave in.
Chapter 25 ~
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