The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (56 page)

  
‘That’s Livvy’s place,’
the young man said.

  
‘Thanks.’ Eddie crossed
the landing, his hand poised to knock on the red front door when a noise from
within caught his attention. Just the other side he could hear Livvy squealing
with laughter and
Roy
’s deep voice promising what he planned to do now that he’d caught
up with her.

  
He stood rooted to the
spot; hand in the air. Should he knock, or just go away? He heard another
outburst of laughter and Livvy pleading with
Roy
to put her down, before the sounds
seemed to disappear deeper into the flat. He shook his head and turned away.

  
The young couple from
number five was still watching him. He smiled as he passed them. ‘I changed my
mind,’ he said by way of an explanation and hurried down the stairs and out to
his car. Now what, sit and wait for
Roy
, or go home? He decided to wait.
Roy
needed to be told that Sammy was
in a talking mood. If he went home with any sort of attitude he would blow all
chances of reconciliation.

  
Five cigarettes and an
hour later, Eddie felt more and more conspicuous. People passing by eyed him
with suspicion as he sat in his bright red Ferrari wearing sunglasses, looking
for the world like a wealthy pimp. He breathed a sigh of relief as the entrance
doors to the apartment block opened and
Roy
bounded jauntily through them.
Leather jacket slung casually over his shoulder, cigarette dangling defiantly
from his lips, he looked as though he hadn’t a care in the world. Eddie
observed his smiling face as he unlocked his car and got in.
Roy
threw his jacket on the passenger
seat and turned to close the door only to find it wouldn’t move.

  
He looked up in alarm.
‘Jesus, Ed! I thought it was Sammy with the meat cleaver.’

  
‘What the hell have you
been up to?’ Eddie began. ‘You’ve been in there well over two hours.’

  
‘Saying goodbye to
Livvy,’
Roy
answered sheepishly, not quite
meeting his eye. ‘She was upset, it took longer than I thought.’

  
‘I came up to the flat,
Roy
. Heard you behind the front door,
promising to fuck the arse off her! Strange bloody way of saying goodbye.’

  
Roy
had the grace to look embarrassed.
‘We were
mes
sing around. I chased her down the
hall and I - well, never mind what I did.’

  
‘So, after you finished
shagging one another senseless, did you tell her it was over?’

  
‘Of course. That’s it
now; I won’t be seeing her again. Not like that anyway. I’d still like us to
help her get her musical career off the ground though.’

  
Eddie shook his head.
‘Not a chance,
Roy
. You’re on your own if you do that. We’re through as a
partnership if you go near her again and I really mean it. Now get off home.
Sammy’s waiting to talk things over with you. Go and make her some promises you
mean to keep. Oh, and by the way, we’ve been out walking the dog if she asks.
I’ll see you on Thursday morning about six-thirty. Spend all day with Sammy
tomorrow. Sort yourselves out, because if you don’t, you’re heading for divorce.
You’ll lose everything, and for what? It’s not even as if you don’t get it at
home.’

  
Roy
opened his mouth to protest, but
Eddie hadn’t finished. ‘You’ll ruin all our plans. Pat and Tim are coming home.
Pat doesn’t need upsets like this while she’s still recovering. She’ll never
forgive you for hurting her sister. You’ll split the family and we certainly
couldn’t re-form
The Raiders
, because
Tim probably wouldn’t want to work with you. Think seriously,
Roy
. You’re my best mate and we’ve
always been there for one another, but I can’t handle covering up for you over
this. I think the world of Sammy.’

  
Roy
sighed and nodded. ‘Okay, Ed,
enough said. You’re right. It’s just that Livvy’s hard to resist and I really
do have feelings for her, but it’s over. What you heard, well that was just our
way of saying goodbye.’

  
Eddie smiled ruefully and
patted his shoulder. ‘I told you to keep it zipped up! Now go on, get off home
to your wife and sort it out.’

***

Roy
helped himself to a brandy while
Sammy saw Jane out. He sat down on the sofa, nervously twisting the stem of his
glass. Sammy walked back into the room and sat down opposite him. ‘I believe
you want to talk with me?’ he began.
  

  
‘Well?’ She stared at
him; cool blue eyes glittering with something he hadn’t seen before.

  
‘Well what?’ he replied,
turning away from her gaze.

  
‘Have you seen her?’

  
He nodded slowly. ‘I
popped round after talking to Ed. It’s over.’ He looked at her. ‘Do you believe
me?’

  
She shrugged. ‘I
want
to.’

  
He put down his glass and
went to kneel in front of her. ‘You have to trust me, Sam.’

  
‘I’ve always trusted you,
Roy. I can’t believe you’ve been unfaithful to me.’
   

  
‘I’m sorry. I don’t know
what else to say. Can you forgive me?’

  
‘I’ll try, but it won’t be
easy. You can sleep in the guest room tonight. I couldn’t bear you near me at
the moment. The thought of you in bed with her makes my flesh crawl.’

  
‘I understand; whatever
you want. I’m willing to try anything to save our marriage. I don’t want to lose
you; I love you, you know that.’

  
‘You have a bloody funny
way of showing it.’
   

  
‘What more can I say?’ He
hung his head contritely. ‘I said I’m sorry.’

  
‘I think you’ve said
enough for now. At least you’ve admitted you want to try again and so do I. But
it doesn’t mean I forgive you. It will take time. You’ve hurt me more than I
ever thought possible. You can’t wipe that out with a quick sorry, or an, I
love you. I can’t take anymore tonight. Let’s see what tomorrow brings.’

  
He nodded. ‘Let’s have an
us
day. Go for a long walk, leave the
cars at home. We can talk and have a pub lunch. What do you say?’

  
‘Sounds nice,’ she said.
‘I’m taking tomorrow off anyway. Jane’s offered to hold the fort again.’

  
‘Oh shit!’
Roy
rolled his eyes. ‘Ed will kill me.
He was planning a romantic morning with Jane. I’m fast trying his patience at
the moment.’

  
‘Jane said she’d take
Thursday or Friday morning off instead.’

  
‘Ed and I are going to
London
on Thursday morning. We won’t be
back ’til the early hours of Saturday, or even later if we stay three nights,
which looks likely. Oh well, not to worry.’
Roy
smiled wearily, leant forward and
kissed her lightly on the lips.

  
She recoiled backwards,
her eyes widening with horror. Shocked, he put his hand over hers. ‘Sam, what
was that for?’

  
‘I can smell her perfume
on you,’ she said, pushing him away.

  
‘No you can’t. I wore
this T-shirt the other day, it must be from then.’

  
‘It’s not,
Roy
. You slept with her again. I can
smell her all over you and it’s
not
just perfume. You smell of sex! Go
away, you make me feel sick.’

  
She ran out of the lounge
and up to their bedroom, locking herself in the en-suite. Shocked by her
reaction,
Roy
ran after her. She was retching as he knocked on the door.

  
‘Go away,
Roy
,’ she called in between sobs.

  
He shook his head and
walked out of the room. He crossed the landing and went into the guest room. If
only he’d taken the time to shower before he left Livvy’s apartment. He lay
down on the bed. He was back to square one.

***

Sammy glanced at her bedside clock. Four-twenty. She was surprised
she’d slept at all, considering and she felt drained. She pulled on her silk
robe and went downstairs. In the kitchen the dim glow from a cigarette told her
Roy
was sitting in total darkness at
the table. She switched on the light. An empty whisky bottle and an overflowing
ashtray sat in front of him. The sweet smell of cannabis hung heavily in the
air. He glanced at her, his tired eyes giving her the smouldering look she
usually found so hard to resist.

  
‘Sammy,’ he faltered.

  
‘Save it for the
solicitor, Roy. You slept with her again last night and I can’t even
begin
to forgive you for that. I hope it was worth it, because that one fuck alone is
going to cost you everything!’

  
She made a mug of
chamomile tea, turned off the lights and went back upstairs. She couldn’t even
cry. Her heart felt like lead. If he’d just gone to the flat and told Livvy it
was over, then yes, she might learn to forgive him in time. But Sammy knew he’d
screwed her, his face had given it away when she’d recoiled backwards from him.
In her heart she knew that
Roy
would no more be able to stay away from Livvy than he would give
up smoking and she wasn’t prepared to share him. Her mind made up she decided
that tomorrow she’d consult her solicitor for advice on her rights and set the
ball rolling for a quick divorce.

***

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

Jane dropped the phone onto the cradle and frowned. Sammy had
strolled into the office unannounced and flopped down on a chair. Usually
immaculate, with her smart tailored suits and expensive silk blouses, Sammy was
wearing sunglasses, faded
Levis
, and a crumpled white T-shirt. Her shoulder length hair was
scraped back into a casual ponytail, her pale face devoid of makeup. She
whipped off her glasses and her cool blue eyes were ringed with dark circles.

  
‘Sam, what on earth are
you doing here?’ Jane said. ‘You’re supposed to be taking the day off.’

  
‘I’ve been to see my
solicitor,’ Sammy replied. ‘I’m divorcing
Roy
on the grounds of his adultery
with Livvy.’

  
‘You can’t!’ Jane
exclaimed.

  
‘You just watch me.’
Sammy’s lips quivered.

  
‘But you were going to
talk last night and today. Surely you’ve managed sort it out.’

  
Sammy shook her head. ‘We
did
talk. I almost felt I could
forgive him. He said the affair was over. Then he leant in and kissed me and I
could smell her on him, and I don’t just mean her perfume. He went to see her
after he left Ed and screwed her again. He won’t stay away from her, even though
he swears he will. I can’t handle that. I’m not sharing him with a twenty-two
year old. She can have him and she’s bloody welcome to the lying bastard. But
he’s gonna pay big time for this. He won’t know what’s hit him once I start and
neither will she.’

  
Jane sighed. ‘I don’t
know what to say.’

  
‘There’s nothing
to
say, Jane. If she thinks she’s found a Sugar Daddy then she’s in for a shock.
Roy
’s worth a fair bob or two, same as
Ed, but what’s his is also mine. I’m going to sting him for every last penny.’

  
Jane nodded, once Sammy
made a decision she rarely changed her mind. ‘My advice, for what it’s worth -
I think you’re rushing things. It’s one affair. He said it’s over. It was wrong
of him to sleep with her again, and I bet he wishes with all his heart that he
hadn’t. But he did and you have to deal with it.’

  
‘That’s exactly what I’m
doing. I can’t forgive him for last night.’

  
‘Why don’t you ask him to
move out for a while? You need some space to think things through. He’s off to
London
with Ed tomorrow. Then he can come
and stay with us until he sorts himself out. I think you’re making a big
mistake. You’ll push him into Livvy’s arms right away.’
 

  
‘I’m not backing down.’
Sammy folded her arms. ‘He’ll be getting a letter from my solicitor and so will
she. No matter what happens, I won’t be able to forget last night. He knew what
was at stake and he still shagged her.’

  
‘Come and stay over
tonight,’ Jane suggested. ‘Maybe we can talk some more.’

  
‘Thanks for the offer,
but I’ve things to do at home. Jason’s back tomorrow night and Jess and Nick
are coming for dinner on Friday.’

  
‘What about the weekend,
what will you do then?’

  
‘I can’t come to you.
He’ll
be there. Don’t worry Jane I’ll be in touch over the weekend. I’ll be back
in work tomorrow and Friday anyway. Perhaps we could do a bit of therapeutic
clothes shopping. Have lunch out on Saturday, spend some of his money.’

  
‘Good idea.’ Jane stood
up and put her arms around Sammy. ‘I wish we could turn the clock back to 1959
and know what we know now, don’t you?’

  
‘Yes, I do, and I know
who
I
would have avoided like the
plague. Just look at all the bloody scrapes he got me into in the past.’

  
‘Yeah, and you loved
every minute of it,’ Jane said as Sammy’s eyes filled with tears that tumbled
down her cheeks. Jane reached for a tissue and gently wiped her face.

  
‘I love the lying,
cheating bastard to bits, Jane. But I’ll never be able to forgive him. I’d make
our lives hell.’

  
‘You
would
forgive him in time. Why don’t you go and see Livvy. Ask her
what happened last night and if he’s definitely told her it’s over.’

  
‘I plan to, but not
today. I’d kill her if I got my hands on her right at this moment. Anyway, I’m
going. I’ll see you tomorrow.’

  
‘Okay. Take care.’ Jane
hugged Sammy and kissed her goodbye. ‘See you soon.’

***

Sammy ate an early dinner and spent the rest of the night holed up
in her bedroom. She locked the door and told Roy, who knocked several ti
mes
to ask if there was anything she
needed, that she was busy and to get lost. She called Nick and also spoke to
Jason, assuring her worried boys that she was fine and planning to have a
relaxing bath and a read. She’d brought a bottle of white wine upstairs. She
took a glass into the bathroom and lay back in the Jacuzzi, a self satisfied
and wicked smile playing on her face.

***

Early the following morning,
Roy
knocked on the bedroom door. There
was no response so he tried the handle and it opened. Sammy must have unlocked
the door sometime during the night, he thought. He crept into the room to get
some clothes for his trip to
London
. Not daring to put on the lights
for fear of disturbing her, he opened the wardrobe and reached inside. Trying
to do everything in the dark was proving difficult. He grabbed several hangers
and carried them into the bathroom to see what was what.

  
‘Fucking hell! What the
…. SAMMY!’

  
Sammy stirred and lay
quietly, listening to his angry expletives.

  
‘Sammy, what the fuck
have you done to my clothes?’ He shook her by the shoulder and threw the
remains onto the bed. Although still on hangers, everything had been cut into
ribbons. He snapped on the lights and went back to look in the wardrobe. Not a
single item was untouched, no tie, shirt, jacket or trousers. He opened the
dressing table drawers and peered inside. His socks and underwear were also
massacred. In the bottom of the wardrobe, every pair of shoes he possessed had
been filled with shaving foam. Each and every bottle of aftershave and cologne
was empty. Scrawled across the dressing table mirror in foot high letters and
bright red lipstick was the word
ADULTERER
!

  
He shook his head in
disbelief. ‘Sammy, you fucking crazy cow! Wake up. Why have you done this? You
know Ed and I have to go to
London
this morning, it’s important.’

  
‘So was our marriage.’
She sprang up with a dangerous glint in her eyes. ‘I’ve only done to your
clothes what you’ve done to us, ruined them.’

  
As he lunged at her in
fury she whipped a large pair of dressmaking shears from under the pillow and
waved them in the air, opening and closing the blades in a threatening manner.

  
‘One more move like that,
cradle snatcher, and I’ll cut it off, balls and all!’ she warned, appearing to
be enjoying every minute of his fear.

  
With trembling hands
Roy
picked up the bedside phone and
dialled Eddie’s number. ‘Morning, Ed. This is an emergency. Can you bring me a
T-shirt, socks and some boxer shorts or underpants, please? I’ll explain why
when we’re on our way. See you soon.’

  
He shot Sammy a look of
pure venom, stormed out of the room and back to the sanctuary of the guest
bedroom where, fortunately, his
Levis
and the pair of boots he had worn
yesterday were safe.

  
He stomped downstairs
wrapped in a bath towel, taking what was left of his clothes with him. His
leather jacket was still on a chair in the lounge where he’d left it and
appeared untouched.

  
Eddie arrived and helped
himself to coffee while
Roy
pulled on an assortment of his own and Eddie’s clothing.

  
‘Bloody hell, these pants
are a bit snug,’
Roy
grumbled, tugging at the skimpy black briefs.

  
‘Sorry, Jane likes me in
tight knickers. Anyway, we can’t all be blessed with the appendage you’ve got.’

  
Roy
smiled weakly. ‘They say size has
nothing to do with it. It’s the technique that counts.’

 
 
‘Precisely, and I’ve never heard Jane
moaning, apart from with pleasure,’ Eddie quipped. ‘So, are you gonna tell me
what happened and why you need my clothes?’

  
‘Wait ’til we’re on the
way.’
Roy
looked nervously over his
shoulder, as Sammy appeared behind him, thankfully empty-handed.
 

  
‘Morning, Ed,’ she
greeted him with a weary smile.

  
‘Morning, Sam. Did you
sleep better last night?’

  
‘Much better, thank you,’
she replied. ‘It’s surprising how a spot of revenge can do wonders for your
moral.’

  
‘Come on, Ed, let’s go.’
Roy
pushed him towards the door,
desperate to get away from his lunatic wife. ‘I’ll see you Saturday,’ he called
as they left the house.

***

As the door shut behind them, angry tears sprang to Sammy’s eyes.
She went through into the lounge, collapsed on the sofa, buried her face in a
cushion and sobbed. The revenge had been sweet, but short lived, and she knew
it wasn’t the answer. She hated
Roy
going away without a kiss goodbye
and them saying, “I love you and be safe.”
 
‘Oh,
Roy
, what have you done to us? Why wasn’t I enough for you,’ she
moaned brokenheartedly, punching the cushion and wishing it was Livvy’s head.

***

‘I’ll just check my alarm’s on.’
Roy
strolled round to the side of the
house where he had parked his Lamborghini.

  
As Eddie unlocked his car
he heard a howl of utter anguish and dashed to
Roy
’s side. The car had four flat
tyres and the paintwork on the bonnet was blistering and peeling.
  

  
‘The fucking cow! She’s
slashed the tyres and poured paint stripper on the bonnet. Oh, how could she do
this, Ed? I’ll fucking kill her!’

  
Eddie caught hold of him
as he hurtled towards the house. ‘Leave it,
Roy
. Sort it out when we get back. Let
her cool off a bit. She’s wreaked her revenge on your favourite toy. She probably
won’t do anything else just yet.’

 
‘She’s fucking crazy!’
Roy
yelled waving his fists at the
closed front door as Eddie pushed him into the passenger seat of his car. He
started the engine and quickly drove away.

***

Shocked into silence by Sammy’s actions, they were halfway down
the M1 before
Roy
could bring himself to speak and tell Eddie what Sammy had done
to his clothes.

  
‘What did you expect,
Roy
? Sammy’s no wimp and you know
that. Did you know she’s seen a solicitor? She told Jane yesterday. She’s
divorcing you on the grounds of your adultery with Livvy.’

  
Roy
’s eyes opened wide. ‘Divorcing me?
She hasn’t told
me
that.’

  
‘Well I expect you’ll be
hearing something soon and so will Livvy. You were a bloody fool the other
night. You should have told Livvy it was over and then taken yourself off home.
That couple of hours of lust has cost you the lot. I just hope it was worth
it.’

  
Roy
’s shoulders sagged and he let out
a huge sigh. ‘So, what do I do now? Sammy will probably kick me out.’
  
 

  
‘No doubt she will.
You’ll have to rent somewhere until everything’s sorted. You can stay with us
for a week or two, but don’t expect too much sympathy from Jane and Jess.’

  
‘Thanks, Ed. For standing
by me I mean.’

  
‘You were always there
for me during my marriage to Angie and I’ll never forget that. But I love
Sammy, too and I’ll support her as much as she needs. Shall we stop for
breakfast? Services are coming up.’

***

As they stood in the queue at Watford Gap,
Roy
took out his wallet to pay for the
breakfasts. He pulled out a credit card to find it had been cut in half.
Horrified, he pulled out the next one and the next. All were cut neatly in two.