|
|
Chapter 6
Claire and Kevin said good-bye to each other at the airport. Kevin had a few interviews to do that day and Claire had to go straight into the office. She was thankful for the sleep that Kevin allowed her to get in the limousine and on the flight. They swapped telephone numbers and Kevin promised to call Claire when he had a break in his schedule.
That afternoon at work, Claire was surprised when her boss pulled her into his office. She assumed he had a special assignment for her, and she had to admit, they always gave her the exciting stories. As she sat down in Tom's office, he threw a file folder down in front of her that was filled with articles and bios. "Ever heard of them?" Tom asked. On the top was a bio for a guy named Nick Carter. It wasn't until she flipped through a few pages that she realized Tom was talking about The Backstreet Boys. Claire laughed to herself when she saw an older picture of Kevin in the file. "What's so funny Claire?" Tom asked.
"I just met two of them at the gala this weekend." Claire replied.
"So great, you have an in with them then. I'm not going to tell you what direction to take with the story because I never need to. Just give me something that the readers will love." Tom said.
"Um, Tom. I don't think I can do this story." Claire said nervously.
"What do you mean. You've never turned a story down before." Tom said.
"I don't think I can do a story on this group when I am romantically interested in one of the members." Claire replied.
"So this is your opportunity to spend two weeks with your boyfriend while they are spending two weeks in New York." Tom said, not understanding what the problem was.
"I would prefer if you gave the story to someone else." Claire said blatantly.
"I don't believe I am hearing you say this Claire. Which guy are you seeing anyway?" Tom asked.
"Kevin Richardson." Claire said quietly.
"Well you at least have good taste. I always thought the guy was gay." Tom said.
"You think every good looking guy is gay Tom." Claire said as she got up to leave the office.
"Are you sure you won't reconsider? You're our best Claire and I know you can do an outstanding job with this one." Tom said, hoping to change Claire's mind.
"Sorry Tom. No can do." Claire said as she left Tom's office. Claire didn't quite understand why she had turned the assignment down. Maybe she would make Tom happy by doing a concert review for him or something, but she knew she couldn't give Tom what he wanted. Tom wanted dirt on the group and Claire could never do that to Kevin.
Part way through the afternoon, Claire's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the telephone. "Hey beautiful. Feeling better this afternoon?" she heard Kevin's voice say on the other end of the phone.
"Hey Kevin. Yes, mid-afternoon is a good time for me." Claire replied as she continued typing on her computer.
"Do you have a few minutes to talk?" Kevin asked.
"If you don't mind the sound of typing in the background." Claire replied.
"Not at all. Working on a juicy story?" Kevin asked.
"No, I'm working on some new suggestions for the paper." Claire said.
"Don't sound so thrilled." Kevin said.
"I would prefer to be out there doing some research on a new story, but that is only part of my job." Claire replied.
"Anything interesting happen today?" Kevin asked, wanting to learn as much as he could about what it was Claire did as an Editor.
"Actually yes, I had an interesting meeting with my boss Tom earlier this afternoon. He wanted to put me on a special assignment, but I turned it down." Claire said.
"Do you normally have the option of turning special assignment's down?" Kevin asked.
"No, I have never turned one down before. I quite enjoy working on them." Claire said, knowing the truth was going to surface any second now.
"So, what made you turn it down?" Kevin asked.
"The story was about The Backstreet Boys." Claire said.
"About us? Really? I don't understand why you would have turned it down." Kevin said, a little confused.
"It’s simple. Tom wants dirt on you guys and I refuse to be the one to dig for it." Claire said honestly.
"Well you can tell Tom, he can dig as much as he wants, but he isn't gonna find the juicy stuff he's looking for." Kevin said, a little annoyed.
"That won't stop him from trying unfortunately." Claire said, detecting the annoyance in Kevin's voice.
"What is it with the media Claire? We just don't understand what the fuss is all about." Kevin said.
"You guys sell papers Kevin, plain and simple. That's what Tom wants to do, sell papers." Claire replied, not feeling comfortable having this conversation with Kevin.
"Oh well, let him dig if that is what he wants to do. I called to see what you were doing tonight." Kevin said, changing the topic.
"I'll probably be here until around 7pm, but I'd love to see you after that if you have the time." Claire replied.
"Perfect timing. Our last interview wraps up at seven. Would you be interested in grabbing a bite to eat?" Kevin asked
"How about I make you dinner at my place? I am not a huge fan of eating out." Claire suggested.
"I would love that. How do I get there?" Kevin asked.
"Why don't I swing by and pick you up at the hotel at 7:30?" Claire suggested.
"That sounds great. Actually I would like to introduce you to the other guys. Brian opened his big mouth and told them about me meeting you, so of course I had to tell them everything. I promised them they would get to meet you sometime in the next few weeks." Kevin said.
"Wow, I get to meet the Backstreet Boys. How exciting." Claire said with a laugh.
"It's not that big a deal, trust me Claire." Kevin said.
"Tell that to my boss." Claire replied, regretting it the instant she said it.
"Oh well, I better let you go Claire. We're getting ready for a press conference right now. I certainly hope you guys have someone here from the paper to cover it." Kevin said, kidding around with Claire.
"Entertainment isn't my department, but if they were smart they would have someone there. I'll see you around 7:30 tonight Kevin." Claire said as she hung up the phone. Claire was curious after Kevin made that comment and she looked in the system to find the location of all their reporters. She smiled when she saw Joanne Todd's name beside the Backstreet Boys Conference. Joanne was their newest recruit. She should have known they would put a newbie on the story.
At 5pm, Claire started some Internet research on a new project. The next time she looked at the time, it was 6:45pm. She quickly saved her work and shut down her PC. By the time she made it down to her car, it was 7pm. It would take her close to half an hour to get to Kevin's hotel, if there wasn't too much traffic.
Claire pulled into the hotel parking lot a few minutes late. There had been an accident on the freeway that really slowed her down. She quickly ran into the hotel and looked around for Kevin. She didn't see him anywhere, so she walked over to the check-in counter. "What room is Kevin Richardson staying in?" Claire asked.
"Sorry, I cannot disclose that information miss." The young man said.
"But Kevin's expecting me." Claire said desperately.
"That's what all the fans say miss." The young man said.
Kevin overheard part of the conversation as he walked up behind Claire and put his arms around her. He whispered his room number in her ear and laughed when he saw the look on the young man's face.
"Sorry about that Mr. Richardson. I was given strict instructions not to give out any information to young women." The young man said.
"Thank-you for doing your job kid." Kevin said as he took Claire's hand and led her towards the bar. "All the guys are relaxing in here before dinner." Kevin said as they walked into the bar.
Claire spotted Brian at a table. He was seated with an attractive blond woman, who she assumed was his girlfriend. Her eyes then rested on the youngest member she recognized as Nick Carter, from the folder Tom put in front of her earlier that afternoon. She couldn't really pick out the other two members.
"Claire, you remember Brian. This is his long-time girlfriend LeighAnn." Kevin said as they stopped in front of the table that the couple was seated at.
"Long time no see Claire. You feeling a little more rested?" Brian kidded with Claire.
"Yes I am thanks. Kevin's shoulder makes for a comfortable pillow." Claire dished it right back at Brian.
"It's great to meet you Claire. I don't think Kevin has stopped talking about you all day." LeighAnn said jokingly.
"Ha ha, very funny Leigh." Kevin said as all four laughed. Kevin took Claire's hand and led her over to the younger blond. "Over here we have Nick Carter. He's the youngest member of the group." Kevin said.
"Nice to meet you Nick." Claire said.
"Nice to meet you too Claire. I feel like I know you already." Nick remarked.
"Did he really talk about me that much today?" Claire inquired.
"Oh, non-stop." Nick said as he laughed.
Claire looked up at Kevin and laughed as he shook his head. They moved along to a table where two young men were seated. "And here we have the infamous AJ McLean and Howie Dorough." Kevin said as he introduced the two men.
"You're the one with all the tattoos aren't you?" Claire asked.
"That's me." AJ said in his usual raspy voice.
"It's good to see that Kevin finally found someone to drool over." Howie said as he winked at Claire.
"As you can tell Claire, the guys get a kick out of embarrassing me." Kevin said as he shook his head once again.
"It's obvious you guys are really good friends." Claire commented.
"Well, that's a given with how much time we spend together." Howie said.
"Well what do you say we head out Claire?" Kevin suggested.
"Yes I suppose we should. I am actually pretty hungry. It was great meeting you guys." Claire said as they prepared to leave the bar.
"Will we get to see you again?" AJ asked.
"Oh I would count on it." Kevin answered for Claire.
