The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series)

The rock'n'roll romance box set.

Three full length novels by

Pam Howes

Three Steps To Heaven

'Til I Kissed You

and

Always On My Mind

Three Steps to Heaven

By

Pam Howes

***

Three Steps to Heaven

Published by

Pam Howes and Raider Publishing

Copyright © 2012 by
Pam Howes

Second Edition

First published in
Great Britain
as a paperback in 2009 by New Generation

ISBN 978-1-907461-98-9

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form without the prior
written permission of the author, nor be circulated in any other binding or
cover than that in which it is published.
 

This is a work of fiction.

Dedicated To the Memory

Of Eddie Cochran

1938-1960

***

For my man, girls, and
grandchildren

With love

***

CHAPTER ONE

PICKFORD,
CHESHIRE
: JULY 1961

Eddie beat the hell out of his drums in a final
energetic crescendo, tossed the sticks into the air and jumped to his feet. He
caught
Roy
’s eye and grinned.
Roy
grinned back and swaggered to the
edge of the stage. The audience went wild, screaming for more. But that was it,
the final encore. They’d had four and Eddie’s arms felt like they were about to
drop off. He swiped his hand across his sweaty forehead and joined
Roy
, Tim and Phil to take a bow.

Pony-tailed girls in brightly coloured,
full-skirted dancing dresses were reaching out to touch them, to shake their
hands, waving their pens and autograph books. Eddie grabbed the nearest book
and scribbled his mark. He looked up; eyes searching the crowded, smoky club
for that one special girl who’d been on his mind all night. She was sitting
with Sammy and Pat,
Roy
and Tim’s birds. She waved and blew
him a kiss. He blew one back,
mouthed
“See you later”, and filed off stage with the rest of
The Raiders
.

'That was fantastic.’ Eddie peeled off his
black satin shirt and flung it in a heap on the dressing room floor with
Roy
’s. ‘Best night this week.’ He
grabbed a towel and rubbed himself down, stripped off his leather pants, pulled
on jeans and a black T-shirt and dragged a comb through his damp brown hair.
‘Was Frank in tonight?’ He gathered up his stage clothes and shoved them into a
holdall.

'Yeah,’
Roy
said, standing in front of the
cracked mirror. He smiled at his reflection and combed his black hair,
arranging it into a neat quiff. Someone hammered on the door. ‘Get that, Ed.
Fingers crossed it’s Frank.’

Eddie opened the door and let in club
proprietor Mario, and Frank Ja
mes
of the Frank Ja
mes
Organisation.

‘Mr Ja
mes
wants a word,’ Mario said and left the room
with a click of his Cuban heels.

Frank Ja
mes
’s smartly-suited presence squeezed
into the small, overcrowded room, where the dingy yellow walls were plastered
with black and white pin-ups of Eddie Cochran, Elvis, Little Richard and other
stars who had never been within a mile of Mario’s club. The scent of woody
after-shave filled Eddie’s nostrils. He pushed the only chair towards Frank as
though he were royalty. Frank inspected the chair, brushed crumbs off the
shabby upholstery and sat down. He fished a packet of Benson and Hedges and an
embossed gold lighter from his pocket and handed them round.

‘Posh fags,’ Eddie whispered to
Roy
as Frank contentedly puffed a cloud
of smoke into the air.

‘Well, boys, as you know, I’ve been following
you around for a few weeks. You need a manager - I’m looking for a new group. I
think
The Raiders
fit the bill. Come
to my office at two on Wednesday and sign a contract.’ He sat back, a
benevolent smile on his clean-shaven face and waited for a response.

They didn’t disappoint him. Eddie flung his
arms around
Roy
. Phil almost knocked Tim flying as he leapt around the room and they
were all yelling at once as they shook Frank’s hand.

‘I’ll take it that’s a yes then?’ Frank said,
laughing as he stood up. ‘I’ll leave you to celebrate. See you Wednesday.’

Eddie saw him out and turned to the others
whose grins were splitting their faces. ‘Fucking hell!
 
I can’t believe it. Best agent in town and he
wants
us.
’

‘Bout time though,’
Roy
said. ‘He’s kept us dangling for weeks.
That’s it, lads, we’ve made it, well - almost.’

‘We should do what Frankie Boy says and
celebrate,’ Phil said. ‘Your folks are away, Ed. We could go back to your
place. I got some sweet dope off Mac, earlier, and there’s a bottle of whisky
in the van.’

‘Not tonight, Phil,’ Eddie said. ‘I’ve got a
date with Jane and I want her all to myself. We’ll celebrate after we’ve signed
up.’

‘You’re a lucky sod, Mellor. I wouldn’t mind
giving Jane one myself.’

‘Piss off, Phil!’

‘Touchy bugger,’ Phil smirked. ‘Go flash your
big blue eyes at her. She’ll be putty in your hands. Right, let’s get the gear
loaded. I’ve had my eye on the little blonde dancing near the stage. Hope she’s
not cleared off.’

‘Be out soon,' Eddie said as the others left
the room. He needed a minute to himself. Phil’s flippant comments about Jane
had annoyed him, but he didn’t want to get into an argument. It would upset her
if she thought she’d been the cause of a fight. She was a couple of years
younger than him, only sixteen and she didn’t sleep around like the birds Phil
picked up after every gig. As he ground out the end of his cigarette on the
worn lino there was a tentative knock on the door and Jane popped her head
round, an anxious look in her soulful brown eyes.

Eddie pulled her inside. ‘What’s wrong? Did
Phil say something?’

‘No. Why?’

‘Oh, nothing.’

‘Angie Turner’s in the club with her mates.
They were looking daggers, so I thought I’d meet you in here rather than
outside.’

He nodded. ‘I spotted them dancing. Ignore
them. Angie’s jealous 'cos we’re back together.’ He kissed her again. ‘Can’t
wait for later,’ he whispered into her long, dark hair, loving the way it smelt
of lemons. ‘You still sure?'

She nodded. ‘Did you remember to get some…?’

‘Yeah. They’re in my pocket. Let’s get my stuff
packed away then we can go.’ He grabbed her hand and pulled her with him onto
the stage where the others were taking their gear out to the van. Dismantling
his kit he lovingly stroked the bass drum and looked up to see Jane grinning at
him. ‘You might well laugh. This kit means everything to me, well - almost
everything,’ he added when she raised an eyebrow. ‘Not only that, my old man’s
still paying for it. Least I can do is look after it properly. Here, you carry
this.’ He handed her the cymbal case and
Roy
came back to help him with the
drums.

‘I’ll take everything back to my place and
leave it in the van,’
Roy
said. ‘Save us re-loading. You two
get going if you want. See you tomorrow. Manor Lounge, half six. Don’t be
late.’

‘I’ll be there,’ Eddie called. He slung an arm
around Jane’s shoulders and led her away. ‘We’ll jump in a taxi. It’ll only
cost a couple of bob.’ On the walk to the taxi rank he told her about Frank Ja
mes
’s visit. ‘It’s gonna be brilliant.
He’s the best agent in
Manchester
. We might make a record soon. It’s
all happening at once. We’re back together, new manager for the band, Mum and
Dad away and the house to ourselves.’

They took their place in the queue and leant
against the wall. He unbuttoned her jacket, slid his hands inside and kissed
her. He was so happy; he felt he’d been walking on clouds all week. He couldn’t
believe they’d made up. It was Angie Turner’s fault they’d fallen out. He’d
dated her regularly until he met Jane. He told Angie it was over, but one night
he saw her out with a guy called Richard Price and, for a reason he couldn’t
fathom, felt jealous.

The next week Angie had come to Mario’s club
alone. The group was playing but Jane wasn’t there. He walked Angie home after
the gig. She invited him in; they shared a joint and finished off a bottle of
her Dad’s rum. Fuelled by lust and alcohol he’d hurriedly shagged her on the
rug in front of the fire and regretted it immediately. He made his escape and
spent all week trying to avoid her.

She followed him home one night and threatened
to tell Jane. Guilt got the better of him and
he
told Jane. She cried, said she never wanted to see him again.
Now, after weeks of begging her to forgive him, she’d taken him back. He'd
never make that mistake again. This time they were together for good. The taxi
queue grew shorter and then it was their turn and they clambered into a black
cab.

***

‘Like a drink?’ Eddie held up a bottle.

Jane nodded and threw her jacket over the back
of the parlour sofa.

He stared at her and felt his stomach lurch.
She was beautiful. Her cream shift clung to her gentle curves and her glossy,
dark hair swung down past her shoulders. He felt a twitch just thinking about
taking her clothes off and hoped she wouldn’t suddenly decide she wanted to
wait. He’d tried many times before they’d split up, but she'd never go all the
way.

He wondered why she’d changed her mind, but he
wasn’t going to ask her in case she changed it back. She’d been adamant when
he’d met her at lunchtime and told him that tonight was the night. Maybe it had
something to do with him shagging Angie. Not that it had been all that good
with Angie. With her Mum and Dad in bed in the room above he’d been glad to
make his escape, before her witch of a mother caught them at it.

‘You’re in a trance, Ed. You okay?’ Jane’s
voice broke into his thoughts. ‘I asked if your dad will mind you nicking his
whisky.’

I’m fine,’ he said. ‘Dad won’t know. I’ll top
the bottle up with water.’ He half-filled two tumblers handed her one and
knocked his back. He felt nervous now and wondered if she was feeling the same.
Everything had to be just right for her first time and he hoped he wouldn’t
balls it up.

She took a sip and grimaced. ‘Ugh! It’s burning
the back of my throat. You have it.’

He knocked that back as well and she laughed as
his eyes opened wide. ‘That’s hit the spot.’ He put both glasses on the coffee
table, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. They dropped to the floor on
the rug, rolling together, their kisses becoming more demanding.

He caressed her breasts through the silkiness
of her dress, undid the back zip and slid the dress over her shoulders. She
reached out, pulled off his T-shirt and snuggled into his chest.

‘Let’s go to my room,’ he said after a while
and pulled her to her feet. He led her upstairs. By the time they tumbled onto
his single bed they were naked and there was a trail of clothes across the
landing and on the bedroom floor. He pushed the box of Durex under the pillow
and leant across her to switch on the Dansette, already stacked with singles.
The harmonious
Everly Brothers
filled
the room and Eddie sang along to
All I
Have to Do Is Dream,
looking deep into her eyes.

‘That’s our song from now on,’ Jane whispered
as he circled her nipples with his fingertips. He kissed each breast in turn
and explored her, gasping as she reached to touch and stroke him. He felt ready
to explode but fought the urge by thinking about the ugly bird that lived next
door.

‘You’re still sure?’ He reached under the
pillow.

She nodded, took the box from him, pulled out a
packet and tore off the top. He held his breath as she carefully rolled a Durex
onto his erection.

‘Where did you learn to do that?’

She grinned sheepishly and whispered that Sammy
had shown her how with a carrot.

He kissed her again and she groaned as he slid
inside her. He looked down. ‘You okay? Did I hurt you?’

‘I’m fine.’ She pulled him closer.

She moved in rhythm, seeming as desperate as
he. It was over quicker than he would have liked, but she looked happy enough.
He collapsed on top, buried his face in her neck and whispered, ‘I love you,
Jane. I’ll make it better for you later, I promise.’

‘Ed, it was wonderful. How on earth can it be
better?’

‘It can.’ He stroked her cheek. ‘I love you,’
he repeated.

‘I love you, too.’

He looked at her, cheeks aglow, hair in a
tangle across the pillow and her smile a mile wide. He sat up and took her
hand. She was his now and he wasn’t about to let her go. ‘Marry me!’

'Marry you
?’ She stared at him. ‘Don’t be
daft, Ed. We’re far too young.’

‘I don’t mean right away. Maybe in a couple of
years when you’re eighteen. We could get engaged now.’

She looked at the ceiling for a long moment.
The Dansette clicked and whirred as another record dropped onto the turntable
and Buddy Holly warbled

‘Jane,’ he said, hardly daring to breathe. What
if she said no? He didn’t think he could bear it. Then she was smiling and she
pulled his face to hers and kissed him. ‘Okay, Ed. I’ll marry you in two
years.’

He crushed her to him. His eyes felt suddenly
moist and he blinked hard. ‘You won’t regret it.’ He rained kisses on her face.
‘I’ll make you the happiest girl in Pickford, no - make that the world. When
Frank signs
The Raiders,
we’ll be
famous. I’ll buy you everything. We’ll have a posh house in Westlow. That’ll
show your mother there’s money in Rock’n’Roll and that I’m not a total waste of
time.’