Bad Girls (38 page)

‘Joe,’ Dr Raf said reproachfully, ‘that’s not exactly the response I was hoping for.’

‘You’ve brought this clinic into utter disrepute,’ said Dr Solomon angrily. ‘All the years I’ve run Cascabel, and
never
a scandal of this magnitude! Just because you couldn’t keep your hands off some blonde woopsie for two seconds!’

Dr Solomon, in true LA doctor style, was nipped and tucked to within an inch of his life, the skin on his face tight and shiny from peels and near-motionless from Botox, his hair plugged and artfully dyed. Still, though his physical appearance might disguise his real age, his vocabulary gave it away.

‘Hey,’ Joe said.‘Her name’s Skye, OK? And this –’ he stabbed the paper with one big finger – ‘was completely my fault.’

‘Right,’ Dr Lucy said sarcastically. ‘She looks like a
very
unwilling participant.’

The most junior of the lawyers stifled a snigger.

‘Joe, Skye,’ Dr Raf said sadly, ‘I’m afraid we have no choice here.’

‘The wording of the contract is very clear,’ the lead lawyer said. ‘You have both violated several clauses – both as pertaining to your general conduct, and, as Dr Solomon says, bringing the good reputation and standing of the clinic into disrepute.’

‘We sure are sorry about that last one,’ Joe said sincerely. ‘Dr Raf does a hell of a good job here. Helps a lot of people. I wouldn’t want to do anything to get in the way of that.’

Just as she began to bridle, Joe turned to Dr Lucy, flashing a megawatt smile, and added: ‘You too, of course, Dr Lucy.’

‘Thank you, Joe,’ Dr Raf said seriously. ‘You’ve been a very good and supportive member of our group.’ He smiled, dimples showing on each side of his mouth.

God, Dr Raf really is a hottie, Skye thought. He has the sweetest smile I’ve ever seen on a grown man.

‘I can’t say you’ve been making much of an attempt to dig deep in our individual sessions,’ Dr Raf was continuing, ‘but I’ve very much enjoyed having you here.’

‘Thanks, Doc,’ Joe said, nodding at him. ‘Likewise.’

‘And, Skye –’ Dr Raf looked over at her – ‘though I didn’t treat you individually, I would truly say the same for you in group. You’ve reached out and made an effort with your peers.’

‘Thank you,’ Skye said, surprised at how moved she was by Dr Raf’s words.

‘This is all very touching,’ Dr Solomon snapped grumpily, ‘but you’re both getting kicked out all the same. We can’t be seen to be condoning this sort of behaviour.’

Joe sighed deeply. ‘I guess I’m incorrigible,’ he said gloomily. ‘You can call my people to come pick me up.’

‘We’ll obviously be launching an internal investigation as to how a scandal like this was allowed to reach the press,’ the director said ominously.

‘I can hazard a pretty good guess,’ Dr Lucy muttered. ‘But Joe, Skye we need you to tell us if you had any help with . . .
that
.’ She nodded at the copy of the
Daily Mirror
.

‘Well, I got the idea from a movie I saw once—’ Joe began, before a reproving frown from Dr Raf drew him up short. ‘Sorry, Doc. Uh, what I meant to say was nope. No one helped us. It was all my fault from start to finish. I saw that closet door ajar and I talked Skye into coming inside with me. God knows who took that photo, but believe me, neither of us had anything to do with it. I sure as hell didn’t, and Skye didn’t either.’

He glanced reassuringly at Skye, who felt so guilty she couldn’t even meet his eyes.

He’s being so nice – he’s protecting everyone. And the only reason I’m here is to set him up. God, I feel terrible.

‘And because you are in breach of your behavioural contract, I should specify that your prepayment of the fee for your thirty-day stay will
not
be refunded on a pro-rated basis,’ added the lead lawyer.

‘Sure, whatever,’ Joe said easily, dismissing this with a wave of his big hand. He heaved another deep sigh, his chest rising and falling majestically. ‘Time to face the music. This’ll be all over the news by now.’

‘We’ll need to plan your exit carefully,’ Daniyel chimed in. ‘There’s a huge pack of paparazzi outside the main doors.’

‘Oh, I just bet there is,’ Joe said. ‘I’ll call my publicist, Carmen; let her work out how she wants to handle this.’ He pulled a face. ‘Can I get a Valium from anyone? Carmen’s gonna be yelling at me for the rest of the day, non-stop. I could do with a little something to take the edge off.’

‘
Joe
,’ Dr Raf said, but even he couldn’t help smiling.

‘Oh, give the man a Valium if he wants,’ Dr Solomon said impatiently. ‘He wasn’t here for drug dependency, was he?’

‘No, just blonde woopsies,’ Skye said.

Dr Solomon actually had the grace to look embarrassed at this.

‘Well, we’re done here,’ he said bluffly. ‘Daniyel, would you arrange for these two to leave in whatever manner you think best to manage the crowd outside? Dr Raf, would you please draft a statement for me to make to the assembled ladies and gentlemen of the press, and then have the lawyers look at it? And I believe, Dr Lucy, you have a theory about who is responsible for this appalling situation?’

‘
Oh
, yes,’ Dr Lucy said grimly, as Skye and Joe, shepherded by Daniyel, turned to leave. ‘An immature narcissist with highly developed attention-seeking tendencies and strong connections to the British press? I wouldn’t say we have far to look. Raf, I can’t
believe
we let her have her cell back!’

‘She was doing very well in group, and really opening up and doing the work in our one-on-one sessions,’ Dr Raf said unhappily. ‘The phone was a reward for good behaviour. And we still don’t have definite confirmation that it was Petal—’

‘Oh my God, this is
Petal Gold
we’re talking about?’ Dr Solomon interrupted. ‘Damn it! What the hell’s been going on here? I leave you in charge so I can finally have some much-needed down time, and look what happens!’

Daniyel closed the door behind Skye and Joe, cutting off Dr Solomon’s tirade. But they had both heard more than enough.

‘
Petal?
’ Joe said reflectively. ‘Well, well, well. Didn’t see that one coming.’

‘I’m going to kill that little bitch when I get my hands on her!’ Skye said between gritted teeth.

P
etal was slumped next to a pile of her suitcases, tears trickling down her face. She’d tried everything she could to persuade them to let her stay; she’d begged, pleaded, cried, entreated, and eventually retreated to her room, sobbing, lying on the bed and refusing to pack her bags, so that Daniyel, together with another tech, had had to do it for her.

The one thing she hadn’t been able to do was deny her crime. Because when they’d called her in, and Dr Lucy had told her to hand over her mobile, what could she have done? How could she have refused?

And then, when they’d found the clip of Joe and Skye, it was all over.

Bar the shouting. Because there had been a lot of shouting.

‘Dr Raf!’

Seeing him emerge into the reception area, Petal jumped to her feet, and unfortunately caught sight of herself in one of the mirrored panels that decorated the pale green entrance walls of Cascabel’s lobby. She looked like shit. Her white skin never did well when she cried; it went blotchy at once, bright patches of red on her nose and cheeks. And her eyes were red too, from rubbing them.

Great. Yellow hair, white skin and red nose. I look like a fucking clown.

‘Dr Raf, have they changed their minds? Can I stay after all?’

She ran towards him eagerly, her voice thick with snot from all the tears she’d cried. But as soon as she got close, her heart sank again. She could tell from his expression that the answer was ‘No’.

‘I’m sorry, Petal,’ he said sadly. ‘You know I feel, on balance, that you should stay. You’ve made such strides since you’ve been here.’

‘I
have
! I
have
!’ she wailed.

And it was true: she had. Of course, she was desperate to stay because she knew very well that Gold would be as good as his word. If she didn’t complete the thirty-day programme, her trust fund would be cut off.

But it isn’t just that. This really is helping me. I’m talking about all this stuff I’ve never really acknowledged before. And when I do, I feel better afterwards. A lot better. And Dr Raf is so wonderful
. . .
he really understands me
. . .

‘The management won’t be budged, I’m afraid,’ he continued. ‘And I can’t blame them. You’ve caused incalculable harm to the reputation of this facility.’

Petal hung her head.

‘We
help
people here, Petal,’ he said gently. ‘Vulnerable people who are in terrible trouble. Think of Amber, what she’s going through. And Brian. And poor Mitch. Your actions have imperilled all of that. If people think rehab can’t be taken seriously, that it’s just somewhere to hook up or get laid—’

He broke off, going red. Petal looked behind her, to see if anything had happened that she didn’t realize, but no. Something must have occurred to Dr Raf.

He cleared his throat, still blushing. ‘Anyway – if rehab becomes a laughing stock, people won’t try it, and that will deprive them of a resource that could literally save their lives,’ he finished.

Petal could barely breathe for shame. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered.

‘We’ve decided you can continue as an out-patient,’ he said kindly. ‘I can continue to be your therapist with sessions on a daily basis.’

Oh, thank God.
Petal’s shoulders sagged in relief, but it was only momentary. ‘That still won’t count with Gold – with my
dad
!’ she corrected herself. ‘And where am I supposed to go? Where am I supposed to stay if I’m still having therapy here?’

Dr Raf’s handsome face brightened into a smile. ‘That’s what I’ve been organizing,’ he said more cheerfully. ‘By California law, you’re underage, so we wouldn’t have admitted you if you didn’t have a family member or responsible adult in the state.’

‘Not my
mum
?’ Petal exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock.

‘I called her just now. She’s on her way to pick you up,’ Dr Raf said. ‘She was near the Palisades, as it happens, so she should be here very soon. Traffic permitting,’ he added wryly.

‘
What?
What did she say? How did she sound?’

‘Uh, she was a bit taken aback,’ Dr Raf admitted. ‘Clearly your dad hadn’t told her that she’d been put down as an emergency contact for you, so it took a while to explain the situation . . . but I’m sure it’ll be fine.’ He looked down at her, his dark eyes serious. ‘You know, Petal, I don’t mean to play social worker, but this could be a great opportunity for you to reconnect with her.’

‘Oh,
God
!’ Petal collapsed onto the suitcases. ‘You don’t know what she’s like now,’ she wailed. ‘She’s had all this plastic surgery . . . she’s doing a reality TV show, apparently . . . the last thing she’s going to want is her daughter showing up on her doorstep.’

‘Oh, I’m sure that’s not true,’ Dr Raf said, in an overbright encouraging voice. He fished in his pocket. ‘And here’s your phone. Dr Lucy’s deleted the video, obviously.’

Petal took the phone. It felt like a huge anticlimax. Finally, she was free to use it whenever she wanted; but the price she’d paid for that freedom was much too high. Turning it over in her hands, staring gloomily at the shiny Swarovski crystals, she debated who to call first with her news.

But what can I tell them? Maybe my credit cards will work OK to get me a flight home, but what if Gold –
Dad
– cuts me off as soon as I’m there? At least if I stay in LA and finish therapy here with Dr Raf, Dad might agree to keep my cards funded
. . .

‘Hey! I’m looking for Petal Gold,’ called a woman’s voice from the doorway, her accent an odd blend of Cockney and American, her tone irritated. ‘Some doctor called me from here and said I had to come get her. What’s the parking situation here? Do I need to get something validated?’

‘Mum?’ Petal clambered to her feet, standing nervously in front of her cases.

‘
Petal?
Look at the state of you! What have you done to your
hair
?’ Linda exclaimed.

You’re a fine one to talk, Petal thought crossly.

When Gold had met Linda, twenty years ago, Page Three girls were all-natural. The big boobs were what nature had given them, the equally voluminous hair might be teased up by a stylist, but was without benefit of hair extensions. And if their lips weren’t full enough, they slicked on light-reflecting pale pink lip gloss, smiled their pretty faces off and stuck their bosoms out to distract the viewer.

So Linda had been, at twenty-one, an extremely attractive girl, albeit with a figure too generous for her to make it in mainstream modelling. It was no surprise that Gold had fallen for her, hard, enough to marry her and have a baby with her.

But if he met Mum now, I doubt he’d even recognize her, Petal reflected, staring at her mother. Linda had had work done on her face, clearly; her eyes had that wide, staring look that happened with over-enthusiastic eyelid lifts, and her lips were swollen beyond their natural contours.

And then there was the liposuction. Most actresses/models/whatever started off naturally thin, and bought their breasts as necessary; Linda had done the opposite. When she arrived in LA, after her divorce, and realized that the standard of beauty on the West Coast was pin-thin, she had promptly spent some of her very large divorce settlement on lipo and a personal trainer. She had had her boobs lifted a few years ago, but their size was all her own, and they were so disproportionate to her skinny frame that Linda looked as if she were about to topple over on her face.

Still, they were balanced to some degree by her hair, which was as pale as straw and as shiny as cheap gold-plated jewellery, the kind that tarnishes your skin. And it was piled up on the top of her head in a whole arrangement of curls that was so thick and heavy it must have been filled out with extensions.

‘You look different,’ Petal said frankly.

Linda, fortunately, took this as a compliment. She raised a manicured hand to pat at the back of her hair, smirking.