Two-Faced (28 page)

‘Where are you going?’ Kim asked. ‘I thought we could nip over to Sammy’s and get that contract signed.’

‘Not now.’ Smiling, Mia headed for the door. ‘Steve’s taking me out for dinner.’

‘What about the footballer you were with last night?’

‘You need to stop listening to gossip. Especially when it comes from a stupid cow like Laura, who I haven’t even seen in months.’

‘So if you didn’t go off with a footballer, where were you?’

‘Booked myself into a hotel,’ Mia said, taking her phone out of her bag and switching it back on. ‘I knew it would go through the roof when the papers came out, so I thought I’d treat myself.’

The phone began to ring at the exact same time as the doorbell. Smiling when she saw Steve’s name on the screen, Mia answered them at the same time.

‘Hi, lover . . .’ she said, laughing softly when she saw the same flower-delivery man on the step with an even bigger box than the first one. ‘I take it you’ve seen the papers, then?’

Tutting when the delivery man grinned and nodded, she gave him a dirty look. ‘Not
you
, pervert!’ She gestured at him to put the box down, signed the gadget and shut the door. ‘God, the way people look at you when you’re famous. You’d think they’d just been touched by royalty, or something.’

‘Guess I’ll have to keep a closer eye on you from now on, won’t I?’ Steve chuckled. ‘Can’t have anyone trying to muscle in and steal you away from me.’

‘As if,’ Mia snorted, shivering as a vision of Jay King’s muscular legs flashed through her mind. Steve was in good shape, but there was no way he could compete with a twenty-something footballer. Not that she’d be seeing Jay again, because he’d told her that he was being transferred to Real Madrid in a few weeks.

‘Right, well, get some rest and I’ll see you later,’ Steve said. ‘Oh, and I’ve got a surprise for you, so make sure you’re looking sexy.’

Reminding him that she always looked sexy, Mia disconnected the call. Shouting, ‘Mum, there’s some flowers out here, can you deal with them?’ she tripped happily up the stairs.

‘How’s my little superstar?’ Steve drawled, hugging Mia when he picked her up later that evening.

‘Absolutely exhausted,’ she told him, feeling like a princess as she climbed into the back of the car, because loads of the neighbours were actually watching from their steps tonight instead of peeping through their curtains as they usually did. ‘I need a nice pick-me-up,’ she added pointedly as he got in beside her.

‘Already?’ He gave her a funny look. ‘I gave you three grams the night before last. Don’t tell me you’ve done it all.’

Mia pulled a little-girl expression and pursed her lips. ‘Sorry. I got a bit carried away with all the excitement yesterday.’

Shaking his head fondly, Steve said, ‘I think I’m going to have to keep an eye on you in more ways than one. The rate you’re going, I’ll have nothing left to give to my dealers by the end of the week.’

Smiling coyly, because she knew he was only playing, Mia said, ‘It
is
the end of the week, silly.’

‘Still got tonight and Sunday to get through yet,’ he reminded her. ‘I could be homeless come Monday morning, thanks to you.’

‘I’m not that bad.’

‘Only messing, babe. You know you can have whatever you want – what’s mine is yours, and all that. Subject of, try this.’ Taking a small bag of coke out of his pocket, Steve passed it to her. ‘It’s just come in, and I think it’s a bit special.’

Mia leant over and kissed him before turning her attention to the bag. Moistening her little finger, she dipped the tip into the powder and coated it, then licked it off greedily.

‘Wow!’ she murmured, closing her eyes as a rush of pleasure coursed through her body.

‘Thought you’d like it,’ Steve said, watching her face closely. ‘I tried it in a spliff, and it’s even better. Try it and let me know what you think.’ He took a ready-rolled one out of his pocket, lit it and passed it to her.

Sucking on it, Mia said, ‘Oh, yeah, that is good.’ Several deep pulls later, her eyes began to roll.

Watching as she melted into her seat, Steve plucked the spliff from her fingers and dropped it out of the window. No longer smiling, he exchanged a glance with Vern in the rear-view, and Vern immediately changed course and headed towards the club instead of the restaurant Mia had thought they were taking her to.

As soon as the car had gone, Kim had got straight on the phone to tell Sammy the good news. Sounding as relieved and delighted as she’d thought he would, he said, ‘Great, I’ll come straight back. The sooner we get that contract signed and faxed back, the happier I’ll be.’

‘Sorry, it’ll have to wait till tomorrow,’ Kim told him. ‘
He
’s just picked her up and whisked her off out for dinner again.’ Exhaling noisily through her teeth, she said, ‘I just hope she can drag herself away from him for long enough to get on with her work now it’s picking up, ’cos I’ll bloody swing for him if he gets in the way.’

‘I’m sure she won’t let that happen,’ Sammy assured her. ‘Anyway, who knows . . . if he’s doing as well for himself as you say he is, he may be just the kind of stabilising influence she needs right now.’

‘I suppose so,’ Kim conceded grudgingly. ‘But I still don’t like the look of him.’

Chuckling softly, Sammy said, ‘She’s your child; no one will ever be good enough for her in your eyes. But you’re obviously forgetting what a stubborn little madam she is. Believe me, no man is going to steer that girl off course unless she wants to be steered.’

Thanking him for letting her sound off at him, Kim said goodnight. Telling herself that he was right, that Steve Dawson probably
was
a perfectly decent sort who would prove to be a good influence on Mia, she pushed the negative thoughts to the back of her mind and settled on the couch to watch TV. But before the opening music of her chosen programme had finished, she jumped half out of her skin when a terrific crashing sound coming from the back yard shook the house.

She jumped up as Michelle ran downstairs to see what was going on and rushed into the kitchen where she grabbed the baseball bat that she kept in the broom cupboard. Telling Michelle to get ready to call the police, she flicked on the outside light, all set to whack any intruders who might be out there.

It was Eric, and he was already getting whacked by Pam, who had a tight grip on his T-shirt with one hand while she smacked him around the head the other, screaming, ‘You lying little shit! You said you was going to your mother’s!’

‘I was!’ Eric protested, shielding his head with his skinny arms. ‘I
am
! I just needed to borrow some money for the bus!’

‘Off
her
?’ Pam screeched, pointing at Kim, who had put the bat down and was leaning against the door frame, watching. ‘And I suppose she just guessed that you’d be needing it at this precise fucking moment, did she?’

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about!’ Eric yelled, struggling to get free of her. ‘You’re off your fuckin’ head, woman!’

‘Yeah, I fuckin’
must
be for believing a dirty little smack-head like
you
!’

‘Oh, don’t tell me he’s on the brown now?’ Kim gave a disapproving tut.

‘You can shut your mouth,’ Pam bellowed at her. ‘And don’t make out like you didn’t know, ’cos you must have if he’s been coming round here shagging you behind my back!’

‘Who said anything about shagging?’ Kim lied. ‘I only said he’d been coming round begging me to take him back. And like I told you, just like I’ve told
him
every time, I’m
not interested
.’

‘Don’t listen to her,’ Eric piped up, sensing that it would be safer to keep on Pam’s good side right now, because she was the one who posed the most immediate threat.

‘Believe what you want, but just remember who told you the time and the place,’ Kim said. ‘Now, if you don’t mind, I’ve got better things to do than waste my energy arguing over a worthless little scab like him. So get him out of my yard – and try and keep him out this time!’

Kim went back into the house and rubbed her hands together as if she was dusting the last remnants of Eric off them. Well, she’d kept her side of the bargain. Now as long as Mia played her part and stayed with Sammy and got on with making a success of herself, life was sure to get a whole lot better around here.

Watching her mother, Michelle shook her head and went back up to her room. Everyone was crazy round here, and she sometimes thought she was the only sane person left on the planet. Or maybe she was just boring, like Mia had always said. But, if so, she was glad, because she couldn’t be doing with this constant drama.

Waking up gradually, Mia struggled to open her eyes. When she did, it took a while before she could focus. Squinting, she gazed confusedly around. She was lying on a bed, so this was obviously a bedroom. But there didn’t seem to be a wardrobe or dressing table, or anything to say
whose
bedroom it was.

Twisting her head when she heard the sound of heavy breathing, she tried to smile when she saw Steve sitting on a chair beside the bed. But her face felt numb, and she wasn’t sure if her lips actually moved.

‘I must have fallen asleep,’ she croaked, her voice sounding distant and odd to her ears. ‘Where . . . where are we?’

‘That doesn’t matter,’ Steve told her quietly, his voice sounding even odder because it had an edge to it that she’d never heard before. ‘All you need to know is it’s not the hotel room you were in last night.’

Blinking rapidly to try and clear her head as goose bumps of fear began to spring up all over her body, Mia licked her lips and tried to think how he could have known about that. Remembering that she’d told her mum that she’d booked herself into a hotel to treat herself in anticipation of the boost to her career, she exhaled nervously, presuming that she’d probably told him the same thing.

‘Oh, yeah . . .’ She tried to smile again. ‘I decided to treat myself after the party. Thought I might as well get some proper sleep seeing as I wasn’t going to see you.’

The slap was sudden, unexpected, and sharp as hell. Clutching her cheek as the sting flared across her face like fire, she squawked, ‘What the hell was
that
for?’ She scrambled up in the bed, feeling nauseous as the room swayed around her.

‘You ever lie to me like that again and I won’t just slap you, I’ll
kill
you,’ Steve warned, his voice low and dark. ‘You seem to forget I’ve got eyes and ears
every
where. So, do you want to tell me again about this room you booked yourself?’

Mia’s nostrils flared with indignation. He’d obviously found out about her spending the night with Jay, but that didn’t give him the right to hit her. Throwing off the blanket that was covering her, she swung her legs over the edge of the mattress.

‘Did I say you could go?’ Steve shoved her back down.

‘How dare you!’ Eyes blazing, Mia glared up at him. ‘We’re only dating; you don’t
own
me! And you can’t treat me like this. I’m not one of your hookers!’

‘I didn’t think so,’ Steve agreed, his own eyes glowing with barely suppressed anger. ‘But now I’m not so sure. And was he worth it? Hmm? Was his cock as good as mine? Did he make you come like I do?’

Genuinely scared now, because she could see how close he was to losing it, Mia edged away from him.

‘
TELL ME!
’ he roared, baring his clenched teeth.

Resorting to the age-old trick of bursting into tears, Mia buried her face in her hands. ‘I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean to do it, but I had a horrible argument with my designer, and he – he defended me.’

‘Like the good little defender he is, eh?’ Steve growled. ‘How very appropriate.’

‘It meant nothing,’ Mia cried. ‘I swear to God, I was so high and pissed I didn’t know what I was doing. One minute I was fighting, the next I was in a cab . . . I didn’t even know where I was when I woke up this morning.’

Peering at her intensely, Steve breathed hard as he struggled to bring his emotions under control. Seeming to calm down at last, he said, ‘You’re lucky he’s leaving the country soon or, believe me, he’d be dead by now. But if you
ever
make the mistake of thinking you can disrespect me like that again, I promise you’ll regret it for the rest of your life – do you understand me?’

Mia nodded mutely and stared up at him wide-eyed.

‘Here.’ Tossing a small wrap onto the bed, Steve stood up. ‘Sort yourself out, then get a wash. We’ve got a table booked in twenty minutes.’

Mia gasped for breath when he flicked a light on and left the room. Her hand shook violently as she reached for the wrap. She couldn’t believe he’d just treated her like that. They’d only been dating for two weeks, and that was
nothing
. But he was acting like they’d been married for twenty years and she’d just broken his heart.

Well, she would be breaking it soon, let there be no mistake about that. She’d play along with him for now, because she didn’t want to risk him going off on her again. But just wait till he dropped her back at home tomorrow, because that would be the last time he would ever see her!

17

Mia felt more in control after snorting a fat line of the coke Steve had tossed onto the bed for her. And Steve was back to his usual charming self when she came out of the strange bedroom and walked down the stairs to find herself in the club. Kissing her, and telling her that she looked beautiful, he escorted her out to the car as if nothing had happened.

Still bristling about the slap, she played it cool on the ride across town, letting him know that she wasn’t pleased with him. But she soon perked up when she saw that he’d brought her back to the scene of their first date. And, five minutes later, the argument a distant memory as she sipped on the champagne which had been waiting on ice for them at their table – a table for two, this time, instead of the usual three to accommodate the ever-present Vern – she bit her lip when Steve told her to close her eyes and hold out her hand.

‘Can I look?’ she asked when she felt the velvet of the box brush against her palm seconds later.