The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (42 page)

  
‘Of course not,’ she replied, kicking off her shoes. ‘There’s an ashtray
on the windowsill. I’ll put the kettle on and change out of my work clothes.
Take a seat.’

  
‘Thanks.’ Roy lit up and sat
down on the sofa. He glanced around the neat, feminine room. The dark pink
curtains matched the full blown roses on the suite. He leant back against the
sofa cushions and stretched out his long legs.

  
As he blew smoke rings, Livvy came back into the room. She’d taken off
her black trouser suit and formal white blouse and was wearing a pair of tight
denim jeans and a pink button through top. Her long hair, released from its
restraining clips, cascaded over her shoulders in a mass of golden curls.

  
Roy caught his breath and
felt his stomach tighten as he stared open mouthed at the petite, blue-eyed
vision.

  
‘Do you take sugar, Roy?’

  
‘No thanks.’ He shook his head slowly. ‘I’m quite sweet enough!’

  
‘I’m sure you are,’ she said softly. ‘Won’t be a minute.’

***

Livvy spooned Nescafe into two
china mugs and topped them with boiling water and milk. She couldn’t believe it
and felt like pinching herself. Roy Cantello was sitting right here in her wee
lounge, looking as though he belonged. Her best friend Sheena would never
believe her, even if she were to tell her. And she couldn’t, because… she shook
her head. She wouldn’t dwell on the whys and wherefores right now, or she’d be
up half the night with nightmares.
 

  
She carried the mugs, balancing a small plate of Jaffa
cakes on one, and put them down on the coffee table in front of Roy.
 

  
‘Help yourself, either mug.
I’m
sweet enough too.’

  
‘You certainly are,’ Roy
agreed as she blushed. ‘Would you like a cigarette?’
 

  
She nodded, taking one. His hand shook slightly as he held out his
lighter. She flopped down next to him and smiled.

  
‘How long have you lived here?’ he asked.

  
‘Almost a year.’
 

  
‘Why did you leave Scotland?’
He reached for a Jaffa cake.

  
‘To escape from my past.’
 

  
‘What do you mean, escape? Were you in bother with the law?’

  
‘No, nothing like that,’ she said, grinning shyly. He wouldn’t be
interested in her life story, would he? But he was looking at her with his head
on one side as though waiting for her to continue. So she took a deep breath.
‘I’m adopted, you see. It was a private affair, done through the church. I was
given to a couple who lived just outside Glasgow
and brought up an only child. Mum went off with a lay preacher when I was ten
and left me behind.
    

  
‘Dad was a God bothering nutcase, strict and over protective. Wouldn’t
allow me out of his sight after Mum left. He’d wait for me outside school, lock
me in my room when he went to his church meetings and I wasn’t allowed friends
over. It was awful.’ She took a sip of coffee. ‘You don’t want to know anymore,
Roy. I must be boring you.’

  
Shaking his head he patted her knee. ‘You’re not. Carry on.’

  
‘If you’re sure. I got friendly with a boy called Danny McVey. One day
we played truant, spent the time in the amusement arcades in the city centre.
We missed the bus back to school in time for Dad picking me up. He went crazy
when we arrived back. Punched Danny in the face and bundled
me
into the
car.’ Tears tumbled down Livvy’s cheeks at the memory. She brushed them away
with her hand. Roy reached into his
jacket pocket and handed her a hanky.

  
‘Thank you,’ she said, wiping her eyes. ‘I’ll wash it for you.’

  
‘Keep it.’ He picked up his coffee and took a sip. ‘Go on.’

  
‘When we got home he whacked me across the mouth and split my lip. A
neighbour heard me screaming and called the police. Dad was arrested,
I
was taken into care. As the police
took him away he yelled at me, saying that I was a whore and no better than my
real mother. She was only sixteen for God’s sake, just a wee girl.’ Livvy
paused and looked at Roy who was shaking his head.
   

  
She wiped her eyes again. ‘I was allowed to have weekends with my
adoptive Granny. She died when I was eighteen and left me a wee legacy. It was
the only security I had. I rented a flat with my friend Sheena and got a job in
a music store. Then I heard my father was being released from prison.

  
‘I decided to leave Glasgow.
The first train out was to Manchester
so I chanced my fate. I stayed in a B&B while I found a job and this wee
flat. Even Sheena doesn’t know where I am, but I called her to let her know I’m
safe.’

  
‘And what happened to Danny?’ Roy
asked.

  
‘He wouldn’t come near me after the beating. Last I heard he’d gone to London
to work as an estate agent. Sheena and I used to sing in clubs back home and I
was hoping to join a group down here. I was so happy to get the job at Flanagan
and Grey’s and when Jon told me his band could do with another female singer I
was over the moon.’ She took a deep shuddering breath. ‘But of course, Jess
doesn’t want me in
The Zoo
.’ More
tears tumbled down her cheeks.
 

  
Roy put down his mug and
took her in his arms. ‘Don’t cry, Livvy. Jess will come round eventually.’

  
She raised her head. Roy
looked into her eyes and held her gaze. He tilted her chin, hesitated
momentarily then kissed her.
 

  
Surprised at first by his action, Livvy found it hard to resist his
insistent lips and kissed him back.
 

  
He pulled her closer. Her arms crept up around his neck as she savoured
his totally unexpected kisses. He undid the buttons on her top and she heard
his gasp when he saw she was bra-less.

  
‘Oh, Livvy,’ he sighed as he cupped her breasts. He ran his thumbs over
her nipples and she moaned as he bent to take one in his mouth. She closed her
eyes and raked her hands through his hair.
 

  
‘Oh God, what am I doing?’ He pulled away from her. ‘Livvy, I’m sorry,
I’m really sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.’ He jumped up, snatching his car
keys from the coffee table. ‘I have to go. I’m so sorry.’

  
Livvy could feel her cheeks warming as she fastened up her top. She
followed him down the narrow hall.
 

  
‘Please don’t tell anyone about this,’ he begged, backing out of the
door. ‘I don’t know what came over me.’

  
‘I won’t tell a soul,’ she said, touching his arm. ‘Roy,
don’t worry, please.’

  
He nodded and shot off down the stairs.

***

Roy
gripped the steering wheel for what felt like ages. He was shaken by his
actions and the feelings he’d experienced as he kissed Livvy because nothing
had felt so right and he’d wanted more. There was no doubt in his mind that he
would have screwed her if he’d stayed. He’d
never
been unfaithful to
Sammy since the day they’d met. She’d given him everything he’d ever wanted or
needed. He’d fought the urge to seek it elsewhere, even though sex had been
offered freely by groupies when he was with
The
Raiders
.

  
He fired up the engine and shot off the car park, swerving to avoid a
small dog that ran out in front of him. ‘Fucking idiot!’ He shook his fist at
the elderly owner who ambled along, oblivious to the fact that his Jack Russell
had almost met its maker. He loved Sammy with all his heart, so what the hell
had happened to him back there? He put his foot down and drove home as quickly
as he could.

  
Sammy was already in bed, curled up reading. She smiled as he walked
into the room.

  
‘Hi, handsome. Good rehearsal? Nick called, said he’s staying with Jess
because she’s upset about something. Jason got a lift home from Jon.’

  
Roy nodded, stripped off his
clothes and chucked them onto the floor.

  
‘Roy, you untidy sod! Why can’t you hang anything up?’

  
‘Don’t know,’ he shrugged. ‘Jess and Livvy had a falling out. Livvy was
upset, too, so I ran her home and then popped in the Royal
Oak.’ It surprised him how the lie came out so easily.
‘I’ll just brush my teeth then I want to show you something.’

  
‘Oh, Roy, I’m tired. I’ve
got to get up early. You should have come home sooner if you wanted a shag!’

  
‘You were tired last night
and
the night before,’ he complained. ‘What about my conjugal rights?’

  
‘What about them? I think
you’ve
had more than your fair share of conjugal rights. Probably more than any other
man on earth,’ she said, laughing at his disappointed expression. ‘Oh - go on
then - brush your bloody teeth and hurry up.’
 

  
He needed no further encouragement. Shagging Sammy would block out the
guilty feelings crowding his head.
 

***

Sitting on the sofa chain-smoking,
Livvy went over what had happened. Her cheeks burned as she thought of Roy’s
mouth on her lips and breasts. He was her friend’s father for goodness sake.
She should have stopped him. How would she ever look him in the eye again, or
Nick and Jason come to that? Roy
had been embarrassed, too. What on earth must he be thinking?

  
But, Livvy argued with her thoughts, it felt so right and that was the
scary thing. She’d had few boyfriends and had never allowed anyone to touch her
intimately. Her father’s preaching had left a profound effect on her and the
way she reacted to men. With Roy it
had happened before she even
realised
it was happening. It was a good thing he stopped before they got too carried
away. She switched on the TV but couldn’t settle to watching anything and
decided to go to bed.

 
All night she lay awake, unable to get Roy
out of her mind. She rose at seven and ran a bath. As she was towelling her
hair dry she remembered it was Wednesday, her day off. She could have done with
working to take her mind off things. Now she had all day stretching out with
nothing to do.

 
 
She
lay on her bed and tried reading. If she could just doze for an hour or two she
might feel a bit better. Then she could perhaps make a start on decorating the
kitchen. She’d bought a can of bright yellow paint weeks ago and it was still
standing unopened in the hall cupboard. Yes, she decided,
that’s
what she’d do. Slapping paint on walls and watching it dry
would take her mind off Roy, if
nothing else.

***

CHAPTER
EIGHT

  
Startled by the shrilling
of the alarm,
Roy
mumbled, turned on his side and pulled the pillow around his
head. Sammy slid quietly out of bed and crept into the en-suite. To save
Roy
’s slumbers from further
disturbance, she collected her hairdryer and made her way to the spare room,
knocking on Jason’s bedroom door as she passed.

  
He opened the door,
dressed, hair elaborately styled. ‘I’m already up,
Mum. I’m going down
to make breakfast. Would you like toast and coffee?’

  
‘Please, love. I’ll be
down in a few minutes. You look lovely, Jason.’ She admired his stylish black
jeans and crisp white shirt.

  
‘Thanks Mum, Jules always
dresses nice, so
I’m
making an
effort to look good, too.’

  
‘Out to impress the
girls, are you?’ Sammy teased. ‘You and Jules will knock ’em dead looking like
that.’

  
He blushed and ran
downstairs. Sammy stared after him, smiling proudly. Unlike Nick and Roy, he
wasn’t concerned whether girls fancied him or not. He’d inherited the Cantello
good looks but none of the macho confidence. Maybe that would come later, but
for now, Sammy knew that Jason wasn’t in the least bit bothered.

  
After a hurried
breakfast, she rushed back upstairs and shook
Roy
by the shoulder.

  
‘I’m going now. I’m
giving Jason a lift to Jules’s place. See you tonight.’ She bent to kiss him as
he opened one eye and mouthed ‘I love you,’ before shutting it again.

***

As he heard the front door slam
Roy
shot upright and rubbed his eyes.
He didn’t want to go back to sleep. His lusty dreams would put any erotic
moviemaker to shame! After a frantic shag with Sammy last night he felt guilty
for having such colourful visions, where Livvy had danced naked. A nubile
nymph, performing sexual acts with him. He felt the blood rush to his groin at
the thought.

  
‘Get a cold shower, you
randy old git,’ he muttered. Before doing that he leapt out of bed and padded
into Nick’s bedroom to look for his address book. It was in the cupboard by the
bed and he looked under Livvy’s surname. It wasn’t there, but then again, Nick
thought like he, so he turned to the L’s and found it.

  
He scribbled the number
on a scrap of paper and went back to his bedroom. Dare he call her? Maybe she’d
already left for work? Before he changed his mind
Roy
dialled her number and lay back on
his pillows. She answered almost immediately.

  
He swallowed hard before
speaking. Never had he felt so nervous and unsure of himself since his early
teens. ‘Hi, Livvy, Roy Cantello here.’

  
Much to his relief,
Livvy’s response was bright and cheerful.

  
‘
Hi,
Roy
;
was just thinking about you.’

  
‘Were you really?’ He
wondered if Livvy’s thoughts mirrored his randy dreams. ‘I want to apologise
again for what I did last night. It was bang out of order and I’m very sorry.
You must think I’m a dirty old letch.’

  
‘
I don’t think anything of the sort. I’m as much to blame.
I
should have stopped you and I
didn’t. It wasn’t your fault.’

  
‘What time do you leave
for work?’ he asked, making small talk. He wanted to suggest she have a drink
with him later, perhaps after she finished work.
 

  
‘
I’m not working today. I was planning on painting my kitchen walls.’

  
‘I see. Well - in that
case - why don’t I buy you a pub lunch first? Then you can paint your kitchen
this afternoon and I’ll go and do some work with Ed.’ He crossed his fingers.
She was silent for a few seconds before replying.

  
‘
Is that a good idea? I mean, won’t your wife object?’

  
Roy
screwed his face, knowing full
well that Sammy would most certainly object. ‘She won’t know, will she? We can
go out of town. There are some nice pubs in the Peak District. No one will
recognise us up there.’

  
‘
They may well recognise
you
,
but no one will know
me
from
Adam,’
she giggled.

  
‘Don’t you mean Eve?’ he
quipped. ‘Well, are you game or what?’

  
‘
Yeah, okay. I’ll get myself ready.
’

  
‘Collect you in a couple
of hours then. It’s a gorgeous day. We could take a walk before lunch.’ He said
goodbye, hung up and lay back on his pillows, hands behind his head. ‘What the
fuck am I doing?’ he muttered. ‘But more to the point, do I bloody care?’ What
harm would it do? It was only an invite to lunch when all's said and done.

***

‘Morning, kids.’ Eddie sat down at the kitchen table and helped
himself to coffee.

  
‘Morning, Dad.’ Jess
passed the newspaper across the table to Nick. ‘Look, check the one I’ve
circled. It sounds really nice. What do you think?’

  
Nick cast his eyes over
the advert and nodded. ‘Yeah, sounds great. Phone the agent. Make an
appointment to view this afternoon.’
   

  
‘Found a flat?’ Eddie
asked, reaching for a slice of toast.

  
‘Yep,’ Jess said. ‘A one
bed-roomed apartment in Abbott’s Edge. Can we borrow your car to go and view?
Mum'll be using
her
car for work. You’ll need the Jeep to pick the kids
up from school. If we take it we might not be back in time.’

  
Eddie blew out his cheeks
and sighed. ‘I don’t know, Jess. I’ve just had it valeted. Last time you left
sweet wrappers and empty coke cans lying around.’

  
‘I won’t do that again.
Please, Dad. Promise we’ll be
very
careful.’

  
‘Oh - I suppose so, but
don’t be driving like an idiot. And remember, it’s not insured for Nick. Make
sure
you’re
behind the wheel all the
time.’ His Ferrari 308 was his dream car, his pride and joy. It cost him a
king’s ransom to insure it for Jon and Jess. 'Bit of a pricey area, Abbott’s
Edge. It’s a yuppie place. You sure you can afford it?’

  
‘Well there’s not much
else and I refuse to live in a hovel,’ Jess said. ‘Anyway, Dad, you wouldn’t
see us starve, would you?’

  
‘I don’t suppose I would.
But there is such a thing as working for a living. The flat your mother and me
shared with Roy and Tim in Westlow was considered a luxury apartment. We had to
pool all our money for the bills and rent. I had two jobs, managing the record
store
and
drumming with
The Raiders
, to keep us afloat. We had
Jon; you were on the way, Jess. We knew what it was like to struggle before the
band made it big, believe you me.’

  
‘Oh God, here we go!'
Jess grinned and rolled her eyes.

  
‘I'll be looking for a
job soon, Eddie. I’ll be able to keep your daughter in the manner to which
she’s accustomed,’ Nick said.
  

  
‘I doubt you’ll find a
first time job paying that much money, Nick,’ Jane said, strolling into the
kitchen. She sat down and helped herself to a mug of coffee. ‘Pass me some
toast, please, Ed.
You
need to get a job too, Jess.’

  
‘I know. We’ve some gigs
lined up over the next couple of weeks, and you and Sammy said I could help out
at the factory, Mum. Let me know when you need me to start. We'll manage fine
if we’re both working. We can buy furniture with my inheritance and pay the
flat deposit with it as well.’

  
‘The money won’t go far
if you keep dipping into it without putting any back,’ Eddie warned, handing
Jane a plate of toast.

  
‘If we get stuck for
money, I’m sure Mum and Dad will see us right,’ Nick said, smiling confidently.

 
 
‘You’ll be okay if you avoid the patter of
tiny feet,’ Jane said.

  
Jess nodded. ‘That’s
definitely not on the cards for at least six years.
We
don’t want to be tied down with kids, do we, Nick?’

  
‘No chance,’ Nick said. ‘
I
want to do some living and travelling
first.’

  
‘Wise words,’ Eddie
agreed. ‘But someti
mes
you get what you’re given!’

  
Jess smiled. ‘Not us. By
the way, Mum, can we have the
Brittany
house for a holiday? We want to go
sometime around Nick’s birthday in May.’
 

  
‘No problem. I’ll let the
caretakers know nearer the time. How many of you are going?’

  
‘Us two, and Jon and
Jason. Jon said he was going to invite Helen.’
   

  
‘Have you not invited
Livvy?’ Eddie asked. ‘Might be nice if you did. I reckon she gets lonely with
no family living close by.’

  
‘Well she can stay
lonely,’ Jess said, scowling. ‘There’s no way she’s coming with us.’

  
‘That’s not very nice,
Jess,’ Eddie said. ‘And I wouldn’t think for one minute that Helen’s mother
will allow
her
to go. She’s too
young. I certainly wouldn’t let my fifteen-year old daughter go off on holiday
with a randy twenty-two year old.’

  
‘Oh well, whatever,
she’ll be sixteen by then anyway,’ Jess said airily.
  

  
‘She’s still too young
for our Jon.’ Eddie lit a cigarette and took a lengthy drag.

  
‘You try telling
him
that,’ Jane said.

  
‘I wouldn’t dream of
interfering. But I know my son well enough to know that he’s not going to be
happy just sitting holding hands, and it bothers me.’

  
‘Well say something to
him then,’ Jane said, standing up. ‘Right, I’m off to work. The kids are
getting into their uniforms and Katie’s hair needs fastening into pigtails.
I’ll leave her in your very capable hands, Ed. Are you working with
Roy
later?’

  
‘Yeah, he’ll be here
about lunchtime. We’re going to finish that new song for
Perry’s Dream.’

  
‘Oh, that Ja
mes
Perry’s a real dish.’ Jess smiled
dreamily.

  
‘He’s a bloody poofter!’
Nick said.

  
‘No, he’s not. He’s got
the neatest bum I’ve ever seen on a man, and he’s soo-oo good looking.’

  
‘Yeah, in a pale,
insignificant sort of way,’ Nick said with a sneer.

  
‘Oh, Nicky, I do believe
you’re jealous,’ Jess taunted.

  
‘I'm not. A man should be
a man.’

  
‘You sound just like your
father, Nick.’ Eddie grinned. ‘Mr Macho!’

  
‘Well there’s nothing
wrong with that,’ Nick said. ‘Anyway,’ he directed at Jess, ‘I thought you
liked me being all man. You never usually complain.’

  
‘Nick, not in front of
the parents,’ Jess said, grinning.

  
‘I’m off,’ Jane said.
‘I’ll leave you lot to it.’

 
 
‘And I’ll sort out Katie’s pigtails.’ Eddie
stubbed out his cigarette and drained his coffee mug. ‘Song-writer,
pigtail-maker, multi-talented, that’s me.’
               

***

Livvy looked in despair at the mountain of clothes on her bed.
She’d tried on every outfit she possessed but couldn’t make a decision.

  
‘It’s only a pub lunch,
you idiot. Anyone would think he’d asked you to the Oscars.’ What would
Roy
be wearing? Something casual, no
doubt. She’d only ever seen him in jeans. But then, she only ever saw him at
Jon’s home or Flanagan and Grey’s and they weren’t places he would dress up to
go to anyway.

  
She finally chose a denim
skirt and a cream and blue long sleeved top and pulled them on over black lacy
underwear before she changed her mind again. She did a twirl in front of the
mirror. The blue flowers on the top echoed the baby blue of her eyes and the
short skirt showed off her shapely legs. She chewed her lip for a moment,
pulled off her top, removed her bra and put her top back on. ‘That’s better,’
she muttered.