Shafted (34 page)

Tipping his head to one side, he gave her a penitent smile, and said, ‘Want to start again.’

Inhaling deeply, Stephanie shook her head and murmured, ‘You’re going to be the death of me, Larry, you really are.’

Putting his arms out now, Larry pulled her to him and kissed her softly.

‘I’m glad you got here,’ he said when she pulled back after a minute. ‘And I’m sorry for having a go at you. But it’s doing my head in that I always have to fight to get you to come out with me.’

Stiffening, Stephanie dropped her gaze. ‘I can’t help it, Larry. I’m not a celebrity, and I don’t want to be seen as one of those women who’ll do anything to be famous.’

‘I know,’ Larry murmured, tilting her chin back up with his finger so that he could see her eyes. ‘And I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want to, but I need to know you’re not just messing me about.’

‘How?’ she asked, amazed that someone who had so much going for him could be so riddled with insecurities. This was a side of him that the public never saw, and they wouldn’t believe it if they did.

‘I don’t know,’ Larry murmured, his eyes searching hers for signs of deception. ‘I know it’s stupid, but I can’t help thinking you’re still seeing that idiot behind my back.’

Jerking her chin away from his touch, Stephanie sighed wearily and said, ‘Don’t be ridiculous, Larry. That’s over.’

‘And you don’t still have feelings for him?’

‘No. I love
you
,’ Stephanie said, wondering why she was bothering to try and convince him when he obviously didn’t believe her.

‘So why won’t you move in with me?’

‘Because it’s too soon.’

‘Still?’ Larry gazed down at her. ‘We’ve been shagging each other’s brains out for six months.’

‘Yes, but it’s only four since I split with him.’

‘Don’t talk about
him
,’ Larry spat. ‘You know it’ll only make me mad again.’

Shrugging, because there was really nothing she could say to that, Stephanie gazed back at him and waited to see what he would throw at her next.

Peering back at her tipsily, Larry said, ‘It’s a good job I trust you, or you’d be history. But if you keep messing me about, it might just happen anyway. I could have my pick of any of these women, you know.’

Embarrassed when a couple of heads turned their way, Stephanie said,‘Lower your voice, Larry. People are listening.’

‘Who cares?’ he drawled. ‘
They
might have nothing better to do, but
I
have. And if you want to do it with me, it’s time you got over this
shy
business, ’cos you’re gonna get snapped with me sooner or later. I’m a star. It comes with the territory.’

‘I know,’ Stephanie murmured, sounding less than impressed at the prospect. ‘But I’d sooner it wasn’t just yet, if you don’t mind. You’ve just got to give me a bit more time.’

‘So long as you mean it,’ Larry said, letting her go now but still reaching for her hand. ‘Anyway, you’ve kept me away from the party too long already. Least you can do is come and meet my guests. Guaranteed none of
them
will have a camera.’

Shaking her head, Stephanie pulled back. ‘No, I can’t. Honestly, Larry, I’d be terrible company, and it’ll reflect badly on you. You go back to them. I’ll be fine here.’

Nodding, Larry said, ‘Okay, but don’t sit by yourself. Go and find Georgie. She’ll keep you company till I’ve finished.’

‘Er, no, I think I’ll just get myself a drink and wait here,’ Stephanie said quickly. ‘I don’t think Georgie likes me very much.’

‘Rubbish,’ Larry lied. ‘She loves you.’

‘I’d still rather not,’ Stephanie insisted, dreading the thought of having to make small talk with the woman.

‘Okay, whatever you want,’ Larry said, giving her one last kiss. ‘But make sure you have a few drinks, ’cos we’ll be having a party of our own when we get out of here and I want you nice and relaxed.’

Saying that she couldn’t wait, Stephanie pushed him gently away, then went to get herself a drink – staying well away from Georgie, who was talking to a couple of people at the other end of the bar.

Which suited Georgie just fine, because she’d been keeping half an eye on Larry for the last ten minutes, and had guessed from his body language that he and Stephanie had been having words. And that worried her, because he should be concentrating on his career right now, not letting emotions get in the way. Especially not when he’d only just got his first show out of the way and everything was going so well for him.

Unless this was what Stephanie had been waiting for all along?

Well, she’d better
not
be a kiss-and-tell tramp, or she’d have Georgie to deal with – and it wouldn’t be pleasant, because Georgie had no intention of letting any little slut ruin things for Larry ever again.

Standing in the shadows across the road from the studios, where she could keep an eye on both the front entrance and the car park at the rear, Tania hugged herself tightly, wishing that she’d thought to wear something more sensible – it was absolutely freezing. But she’d chosen this outfit specially, to knock Larry right off his feet when he saw how much she’d grown up since he last saw her.

And, boy,
had
she changed. The last two years felt like they’d crawled by as she’d counted the days, hours,
seconds
until she would see Larry again. But what a difference that time had made. No longer just a pretty girl, Tania was a woman now, with defined bone-structure and real curves – even if the tits
were
a job. Model material, in fact, although she hadn’t had any actual offers that didn’t require getting her kit off – yet. But the serious offers would come pouring in soon enough, she was sure. In fact, it wouldn’t have hurt her to approach some of the photographers who were hanging about across the road right now. But she’d wait until Larry came out, and let them catch the big reunion instead.

It was almost one a.m. before the guests began to filter out of the party. Staying well hidden as the small group of women who were still waiting outside the studio rushed forward for autographs, Tania stamped her feet to keep them awake and flicked her gaze between the entrance and the exit, determined not to miss Larry if he sneaked out of one while the fans were occupied with the other celebrities at the other.

A good ten minutes and several false starts later, Tania saw movement by the studio’s back door, and a familiar glint of dark-blond hair as Larry stepped out and was momentarily bathed in light from the security spots. In the middle of a group of other people, he moved off to the side and into the shadows so that Tania could only see his silhouette. But she knew it was him – her pounding heart was telling her so.

The sound of laughter floated across the road as the group said their goodbyes. Tania braced herself when a car pulled up alongside them and she saw another flash of Larry’s hair as he climbed inside. Unable to see if anyone else had got into the car with him because the photographers were crowded around the exit road now, she stood stock-still and watched as it drove slowly towards the barrier. Then, just as the barrier was raised and the vehicle nosed its way out, she made a mad dash across the road and pushed in front of the photographers, forcing the driver to brake hard as she practically spreadeagled herself on the bonnet.

Rolling his window part-way down, he yelled, ‘What the bloody hell are you playing at? I could have killed you, you silly cow.’

Ducking her head, trying to peer in through the blacked-out windows that concealed Larry and Stephanie in the back, Tania said, ‘I need to see Larry.’

Muttering, ‘Don’t they all,’ the driver flapped his hand at her, waving her out of the way. When she didn’t move, he said, ‘Come on, love, you’re causing an obstruction and everyone wants to get home.’

‘I’ve got to see him,’Tania repeated desperately, oblivious to the flashing cameras capturing her humiliation. ‘Larry!’ she yelled now, banging on the window. ‘You missed my birthday!’

Inside the car, unable to hear anything, Larry was all set to wind the window down to see what was going on. But Stephanie stopped him, reminding him about the psycho Georgie had told her about, and pointing out that she could have a knife, or anything.

His mood softened by expensive booze and thoroughly deserved praise, Larry reached out and stroked her cheek, saying, ‘Nice to know you care. So, how about a quickie?’

‘What,
now
?’ Stephanie gasped in horror. ‘You’ve got to be joking. Georgie’s right behind us in her car, and our driver could turn round at any minute. And there’s too many photographers. And the girl’s staring right at us.’

‘No one can see us,’ Larry assured her, moving closer and sliding a hand up between her thighs. ‘The windows are mirrored; they’ll be looking at themselves.’

‘What about the driver?’ Stephanie said breathlessly as Larry reached her panties and eased a finger under the elastic.

‘Don’t need him,’ Larry purred, kissing his way down her neck. ‘This is a one-man job.’

‘I didn’t mean that,’ she protested, unable to stop him as he pulled her down on the seat.

‘Sshhh,’ he said, easing his zip down and climbing on top of her. ‘You’ve got to learn to live dangerously.’

Biting her lip hard as he pushed himself into her and forced her legs up by slipping his arms beneath them, Stephanie put her hands over her eyes and prayed that nobody would open the door. The fear of being photographed with him fully clothed and on her feet was bad enough, but flat on her back with her legs in the air and him pumping away at her would be too embarrassing for words. And it would be guaranteed to make the front page of every national newspaper, making her not just one of his tarts but the biggest tart of them all.

Holding her breath as the car began to move off a couple of minutes later, Stephanie kept her face hidden as the lights from the camera flashed dully through the windows as they passed the paps. Larry had said they couldn’t see through the treated glass. But who knew what their lights would do? She dreaded to think what tomorrow’s papers might reveal.

Driving slowly out of the car park as Larry’s limo took off down the road, Georgie pulled up alongside the sobbing girl, who was screaming at the photographers to leave her alone now as they tried to find out who she was. Disgusted by the callous way they were closing in on her seeking their pieces of flesh, and all too aware that it wouldn’t look too good that Larry had ignored one of his clearly distraught fans, Georgie leaned across the seat and pushed the passenger door open, telling her to get in.

Blinded by tears, and desperate to hide because she could feel that her mascara was smeared all over her face, Tania stumbled into the car and pulled the door shut. Putting her foot down, leaving the photographers behind, Georgie drove off in the direction opposite to that in which Larry’s car had gone.

‘Wasn’t that Larry’s agent?’ one of the paps mused, watching the car’s tail lights as it turned the corner. ‘Why’s she picking the girl up? Does she know something we don’t?’

‘Anyone know who that girl was?’ one of the other paps asked the women who were still milling about.

‘A bloody idiot,’ one of them called back. ‘She nearly had us locked out of the show, and now she’s screwed it for us getting his autograph. I’ll bloody kill her if I see her again.’

‘Me too,’ one of her friends agreed, with a sneer. ‘Stupid bitch, going on like she’s got a date with him, and how he’s missed her birthday. She should be so lucky he’d remember her stupid birthday. I should have punched her bloody lights out while I had the chance!’

Listening to all of this, Sam Brady’s mind was ticking over. The girl had looked familiar, but he couldn’t quite—

Snapping his fingers when it suddenly came to him, he turned and started running for his car which was parked at the far end of the street.

‘Where’s the fire?’ one of his fellow paps yelled after him.

‘My mum’s ill,’ Sam called back. ‘Got to go and change her bedpan.’

Hopping into his car, he tore off, determined to be long gone before any of the other reporters took it into their heads to follow. He could be wrong, but he was sure that the girl was Tania Baxter. Different hair and decidedly bigger breasts than last time he’d seen her, but it was almost exactly two years since he’d caught Logan with her, and she’d just turned sixteen then, so she would have changed a lot in that time.

But if it
was
her, it raised a lot of questions. Like why his agent had picked her up like that, unless – as the other pap had suggested – she knew something that they didn’t. And why had Tania been claiming she was supposed to have a date with Logan – and on her birthday, which presumably would be her eighteenth. Unless that was the agreement Larry had made with her back then – to keep whatever they had going on secret until she was of a more acceptable age!

Reaching into the recess under her car’s CD player when they were clear, Georgie pulled a handful of tissues out of the pack she kept there and handed them to the girl.

‘Better?’ she asked when the sobs began to subside.

Nodding, Tania blew her nose, croaking, ‘Yeah. Thanks.’

Telling her it was no problem, Georgie asked where she wanted dropping off.

‘Anywhere,’ Tania said, pulling the sunshade down and glancing at herself in the small mirror. Groaning, she used one of the tissues to try and repair the damage to her make-up.

Too kind to put the girl out on the street in this condition, Georgie said, ‘Where do you live, dear?’

‘Hulme,’ Tania told her, sounding as miserable as Georgie had ever heard anyone sound.

‘Not too far, then,’ she said, and sighed gently, chiding herself for being so soft-hearted. It was never a good idea to get involved with the fans – especially not the crazy ones; and she had no doubt that this was the same girl who’d been causing trouble outside the studio earlier.