Chapter 2

Vickie had the house to herself tonight with Lance still out while Justin and Jessica joined the rest of the guys on a night out, they did invite her to come but she refused opting instead to stay in doors and get some work done. Johnny Wright one of the executive's in the management team of the Backstreet Boys had asked her to start preparing press releases for the band for their up and coming album release in four weeks time. Vickie still couldn't get her head around the mystery person she received the messages from it kept bugging her. One of her most recent works for another band aside from *NSYNC and Backstreet Boys, was Westlife, she had spent a fair amount of time out in Ireland but that was last year and though she had become good friends with the band she hadn't heard from them in quite some time and they wouldn't be visiting the US anytime soon. While stirring her cup of hot chocolate she got thinking about her trip in Ireland.

Flashback…

"Mark, I…I think you should get going." Vickie mumbled feeling her knees starting to buckle.

"Mmm. Guess I should." Agreed Mark, thou he made no inclination to move away, his lips meeting with hers again, the burning desire becoming even hotter than before. He pushed her against the door; Vickie felt her hand fall on the doorknob.

"Oh…god…" She breathed. The longer they stayed out here in, the hallway, the longer Mark kept kissing her the more she felt her resolve breaking. Yet she really didn't want to stop him either, it just made her battle even harder to fight. He pulled away from her a moment, she saw the sparkle of mischief in his baby blue eyes, a smile coming across his lips. Despite her efforts Vickie found herself smiling too. Moving his left hand from her waist, he reached for the knob.

"No, don't. We seriously can't go there." She whispered sternly. Instead of answering her back Mark only had to look at her to know she didn't have the heart to stop him in any manner. With the smile still on his lips he got the door open and led her inside.

End

Vickie shook her head a smile played across her lips she recalled how Mark kept on perusing after her and kept on flirting with her the whole time she was over there. She had done everything possible to avoid him and not get side tracked because she was there primary for work; but in the end she caved she couldn't help it he had really gotten to her over that time and they'd spent quite a bit of it together until eventually it just lead onto one thing and the next. The funny thing was, she didn't regret it happened it was as though she wanted it to because she took such a liking to him even when she tried her hardest not to fall.

'Oh well doesn't matter it's not like anyone knows about it.' She said she removed the teaspoon from her mug dumped it into the sink walking out of the kitchen she stopped short standing opposite her was Lance.

'Did you just get back?' she asked he tossed his car keys on the coffee table removed his jacket and left it on the back of the couch.

'Yeah,' he answered he sat down the couch propped his feet on the coffee table and switched on the TV Vickie sighed and shook her head. If he wasn't going to tell her what he had been doing she wouldn't ask she was going to keep her tough stance.

'I'll be in the study so don't disturb.' She remarked he showed no signs of hearing her so she continued on and climbed up the stairs; Lance turned his head to watch her.

'We still have talk about it!' he called she stopped halfway up the stairs.

'You might want to talk but I have nothing to say so its best you don't waste your time and just get on with your own life. Sort yourself out first then we'll see how things go from there,' she remarked she climbed the remainder of the stairs to the second landing walked won the corridor past Justin's room then Jessica's room and her study area she slammed the door closed this one had a lock on the door she turned the lock and leaned against the door she let out a deep breath.

'Please let me get through this.' She said. She didn't have to worry about returning to her own room as the study had it's own double bed. The room had a small mini bar fridge plugged in the corner next to her computer desk.

'Ok that's it I'm not going to let this bother me, he's got to fix his own problems while I have work to do,' she remarked heading to the desk she put the mug down and turned on the computer. The sound of a car out in the driveway caught her attention she edged over to the window and peeked around the curtain, a yellow taxicab drove up and came to a halt the back passenger doors opened Jessica and Justin emerged from the cab Vickie laughed quietly seeing the way Justin stumbled on his feet she had no doubt they had all gone ahead and thoroughly enjoyed the night.

'Well at least someone managed to find a bit of fun.' She said she turned away from the window and sat down at her desk the computer had loaded up in full now she leant back in her chair and stared at the screen for a moment. She couldn't get the messages she had received from the unusual international phone number out of her head it kept on pestering her all day. Maybe she was just being over paranoid and reading far too much into the whole thing still though it bothered her no need that she didn't know this person. Vickie checked the clock it wasn't too late in the day she might as well give it a go and see what happens; standing up from the desk she walked to the bedside table picked up the cordless phone walked back to her desk and looked through her mobile phone's address book. When she scrolled down the list her finger stopped at his name toying with the idea of whether to call him or not, all of their past history crept back into her head.

'No.'

Vickie changed her mind and instead found her friend's number and dialed it.

The line rang for a few minutes Vickie tapped her fingers impatiently on the desk.

'Come on pick up I don't have all day,' she said.

'Hello Vick!' Nicole said finally answering her phone.

'Hey Nic, it's been a while.' Vickie said.

'Yeah ages! So how have you been?'

'All right.'

'Oh, no that doesn't sound too good.'

'I get the feeling something is wrong.'

Vickie cracked a sly smile even though she hadn't seen her friend in a long time, try 5 years, Nicole always seemed to know when something wasn't right.

'I guess you could say that.' She replied.

'Did you want to talk about it?' Nicole asked Vickie sighed her eyes momentarily flicked over to the closed door.

'Not really,' she answered.

'I am right though, something is wrong right?'

'In a way.'

'Ok so maybe I can take a guess,'

Vickie laughed she should have known Nicole wouldn't let her get away with anything.

'You can if you like but it probably wouldn't do much good. There is only so much you can do from over there,' Vickie replied.

'Oh, yeah that is so true. Anyway ok so let's just get on with this.' Nicole replied.

'Nicole come on I didn't ring you so you could play the guessing game with me.' Vickie answered.

'Are you board of work?'

'What?'

'It's just a question.'

Vickie lay back on her chair she stared at the computer screen the background picture was of *NSYNC and their girlfriends together from a day at the beach.

'I don't really know Nic. I used to love what I do, it was always a challenge to me and I loved meeting so many different people.' She said.

'So what has changed then?' Nicole asked and again Vickie sighed.

'Ok if I tell you this you have to promise not laugh.'

'Oh I think I know this already!'

'I bet it has everything to do with when you came here to hang out with the lads,' Nicole said and Vickie couldn't hide the smile on her face while Nicole, in hearing the silence from the other end knew she was right.

'I so told you didn't I!' she cried Vickie quickly came from her thoughts at her friend's loud squeal.

'Told me what?'

'Mark is so right for you, I mean he isn't anything like most guys, even the ones I know.' Nicole said.

'Nic come on don't be stupid. I didn't go over there just to find another boyfriend I already had one and I was happy with him,' Vickie remarked.

'Well if you were so happy with your boyfriend how come you got with Mark?' Nicole asked she threw the challenge back at her friend.

'I-I—don't know.' Vickie said she could feel her face turning a deep shade of red knowing Nicole was right. She was happy with Lance at the time there was nothing wrong with their relationship; up until when she went to Ireland met Mark and she started asking questions of her life.

'Yeah sure you know how to convince me.' Nicole said.

'Shut up!'

The two girls laughed.

'Oh Vick I have to go we're about to board.'

Vickie burrowed her eyebrows.

'Board? As in a plane?'

'Yeah the lads and me are going to London for a bit.'

'Right ok well have fun.'

'I will thanks we will definitely talk again soon.' Nicole answered the conversation ended shortly Vickie replaced the cordless phone back into the cradle she glanced back at her computer now losing interest in what she was going to do and opted to go take a shower and have an early night.