Lani piled the last box on her cart with a groan and patted the top of it with her hand. "Done, finally!" she smiled in satisfaction. "I'll just run this to the back and then lock up. Closing time at last!" Lani checked the aisles as she trudged to the storage room with the cart in tow. The store appeared to be deserted, something she was thankful for. Lani just wanted this long day to be over with, she had already sent her two sales clerks home since it was so quiet, and as far as she was concerned, the sooner she got home as well, the better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Ohmigod! It's Nick Carter!"

Nick jumped as he heard his name piercing the relative silence of the small cafe. He pulled his cap lower on his head and scooped some change out of his pocket to pay for the coffee he had been quietly drinking, enjoying not being recognized, at least for awhile. Spying the screaming girls out of the corner of his eye, he tossed his change to the table and hoped no one would steal it on him. He took off in a full out run to avoid his fans. Not that he didn't like his fans, he loved them. But the mob scene more often than not, was not his scene, especially when he was by himself. No matter which way he turned, they kept pace with him, screaming the whole time. "Figures this would happen the day I walk uptown!" Nick cursed and glanced back. They were getting closer and there were more of them now. He rounded a corner and found himself in a dead end alley way. "Great!" he cursed again and tried to figure out how to make his way through the mob without being trampled.

"There he is!"

Suddenly the swarm of girls surrounded him, pushing and shoving, screaming and crying. Nick spied a door open just a crack and maneuvered his adoring fans towards it, hoping to duck in and shut them out. Nick took an offered pen and scribbled his signature, glancing over his shoulder as he did. Almost there. A few more steps..then he was in, slamming the door behind him and he leaned against it, catching his breath.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Who the hell are you?"

Lani stared at the disheveled blonde man leaning against her storage room door. Her heart leapt in her throat as the man continued to just stare at her as he breathed heavily.

"The store is closed, please get out!" She tried to keep the nervousness out of her voice. She'd never been robbed before, or.... "Don't think about that!" She chastised herself mentally. "Be strong. Just give him what he wants and let him go."

"No please! They're after me, just let me stay until they go away!"

Lani studied his face quizzically. "Who's they? Is someone after you? Are you in trouble?"

"Not really..." Nick shrugged. He heard the unmistakably sounds of squealing coming from the front of the store. "Shit, here they come. Please let me stay here!" His deep blue eyes begged her without him saying another word.

"Alright, but just until I get these people out of the store. We really are closed now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Where is he?"

There were girls everywhere at the front of the store, Lani couldn't believe her eyes.

"Where is who? The store is closed and there's no one is here but all of you and me."

She stood with her hands on her hips, trying to look like she was in charge, something she wasn't quite sure of now with a strange man in the back room and a swarm of teenage girls in the front.

"Who's he?" One of the throng laughed. "Nick Carter! We saw him run in here from out back! Where is he? You can't keep him for yourself

The girls started to push past her, ready to check out the whole store.

"One more step and I call the police, girls. I told you there is no one else in the store. I was just in the back room and no one came in. You must be mistaken."

"Ah, come on!" The girls started to push forward again.

Lani whipped out her cell phone and held it aloft.

"One more step and I call the cops. Are you all leaving or not?"

The girls muttered and swore, but they all turned around and headed out the doors, continuing their search elsewhere.

"Good idea girls, you just made a very wise decision."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Alright, the big, bad girls are gone, you're safe. What the heck to you do to them?"

Lani returned to the storage room after double locking the front and manning the alarm system. Her blonde stranger was still there, sitting on an empty pile of skids and surveying his torn clothes. He was looking very pissed off.

"Very funny."

"I'm serious. Why were they searching for you?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"I'm Nick Carter."

"So they said...I repeat, what did you do to them?"

"You don't know who I am?" Nick marveled.

"Well apparently you're Nick Carter. Now I just want to know why there are girls chasing you and why you're still in my store?"

"You really don’t know who I am?"

Lani stared at him in amazement. This guy really thought she should recognize him. She concentrated on his face but she still couldn’t place him. "No, I really don’t know who you are. Are you ever going to enlighten me?" Lani uttered a small laugh. This was just insane, sitting here talking to a complete stranger that had broken into her store. She should be calling the police and having him arrested.

Nick considered his reply for a moment. "I’m in a singing group." He said hesitantly.

"Oh well, that explains it!" Lani offered her musical laugh again. "I pretty much only listen to classical music. I don’t know most of the current singers. So are you popular?"

Nick smirked as he gestured to his torn clothes. "I guess you could say that."

"I’m really sorry. Those insane girls were your fans?"

"Yeah..fans..." Nick winced as his finger touched an open wound on his arm. "They love me."

Lani watched as he investigated his bruises, scrapes and cuts. He really was a good looking man. And friendly too. Probably someone she get along with very... ‘Stop it!’ she chastised herself. ‘He’s famous, girlfriends all over the place and definitely not interested in you. Just stop!’

"Well, I guess I should be going. Thanks for letting me stay for awhile." Nick pushed himself off the pile of skids with a groan. "I’ll see you around?" He started to walk towards the stockroom door slowly.

"Wait!" Lani called out and then clapped her hands over her mouth.

Nick turned back, trying to hold in his grin.

"I set the alarms. You can’t go out. Do you mind waiting until I’m ready to go? Shouldn’t be more than a few minutes." Lani’s mind wandered. What the hell was she doing? He could leave. The back door was on a separate system. What was she thinking? She whizzed around cleaning up small messes that would have waited any other day.

"Alright." Nick sat back down. "I really should get these cuts looked after though." he said ruefully. "Infection and all, you know." He stole a glance at Lani. She was really pretty. Not total knockouts like some of the girls he had dated, but then..he had never stayed with any of those girls, had he? They had never wanted him, Nick Carter. They wanted Nick Carter, superstar and unfortunately or fortunately, he didn’t always feel like a superstar and he knew he wasn't any different from anybody else.

Lani stopped her frantic cleaning efforts and came over to sit beside him. "You really are banged up, aren’t you?" She touched his cheek tenderly. "For people that supposedly like you, this is a hell of a way to let you know."

"I’m used to it." Nick half smiled. "It’s a little annoying sometimes, but I guess I asked for it when I chose this profession to be in."

Lani nodded as she continued her assessment of his injuries.

Nick placed his hand over hers and pulled it away from his face. "What’s your name?"

Shyly, she looked down at the ground as she answered. "Lani, Lani Richards." She gazed up at him again. "You’re bleeding." She tipped her head up more, inspecting the small cut on his lip, touching it lightly with her fingertips. Nick took the first step. He lowered his head to hers and gave her the briefest of kisses.

"Nice to meet you Lani."

He captured her mouth with his, taking her moan of surprise as encouragement to continue. In spite of herself, Lani grasped his shoulders and returned his kiss passionately. She felt his tongue flicker across her lips and she opened her mouth to let him gain entrance. Their tongues battled erotically as their hands began to explore. Lani felt Nick’s hand slide smoothly under her shirt, the palm of his hand warm against her skin and she forced herself to pull away from him.

"Nick... stop... please..." she paused, trying to regain her breath.

Nick looked at her in confusion. "I thought... we were..."

"We were... oh yes ... and we will... I hope... just not here." Lani looked at him hopefully as she straightened her blouse.

"Not here?" Nick raised one eyebrow at her.

"I think..I would like to get to know you better, Nick Carter. But not here on a pile of dirty skids, if you know what I mean." She kept her head down, examining the cement floor as she scuffed her toe along a pile of dust.

Nick placed one finger under her chin and lifted her face. "I think I would like to get to know you better too, Lani Richards." He kissed her again and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Okay!" Lani jumped up and looked around the back room with a dazed smile on her face. "Wow..okay...my car is just outside, we can go out here." She grabbed her purse and pulled the door open.

Nick leaned against the wall and smirked at her. "What about the lights?"

"Oh yeah." Lani flipped the switch. "All set." Nick still stood in the dark, his blonde hair gleaming in the scant light from the high set warehouse windows.

"What about the alarm system? You're standing there with the door open, won't it go off?"

Lani covered her mouth with her hand. "I don’t... I mean... I didn’t... don’t. There's a separate alarm for back here. I still have to arm it before we leave." she finished lamely.

"So you told me that stuff about the alarm just to keep me here?" Nick grinned wickedly as he walked over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

Lani nodded.

"And you really didn’t know who I was?"

"I still don’t." she protested. "I’ve never heard you sing or anything. As far as I’m concerned we just met."

"We did." Nick kissed the top of her head and gathered her into his arms. "And I can’t wait to get to know you better."

The End