Bang Gang (31 page)

“Embarrassed or cagey,” she said.

I rolled my eyes. “You liked Lorraine last week.
You
invited her out.”

“
She
invited
us
out.” She did a twirl. “And she hadn’t launched an anti-Trent offensive off the cuff back then. Hadn’t said his kids would be better off rid of him.”

I groaned. “She just doesn’t like him, Tonya.”

“She doesn’t
know
him, like you said.”

“Seems I don’t either. I had no idea he was whoring himself out to the whole village, Tonya. How do you expect her to feel after that revelation?”

She shrugged. “Still, I think there’s something off with her.”

I kissed her cheek. “I love you, Tonya, I love how loyal you are, even to those people you half-think are douches.”

“He’s a good dad,” she said. “And he thinks a lot of you, too.”

I wish I was as convinced as she was.

I downed a glass of Bacardi and Coke and disappeared further into the crowd.

Fuck Darren Trent, tonight was all about the music.

Alright, so dancing wasn’t as easy as I remembered. I managed less than an hour before my feet were blistered and killing me. Bloody heels.

We sat in a booth, a fresh bottle of white in an ice bucket on our table, wetting ourselves as Lorraine recounted her
weirdest ever customer
stories. These always made me laugh, but the drink made them all the funnier.

I was giggling like an idiot when I felt my handbag vibrate. I pulled my phone out in a flash, hoping beyond hope it wasn’t Nanna.

It wasn’t, it was Darren.

My heart did a weird jump.

You alright? Club good?

I smiled. This was as conversational as it ever got from Darren.

Alright, thanks. Girls ok?

I held my phone under the table and turned my attention back to the conversation. They were both laughing too hard to notice. It vibrated again.

Girls are asleep. Just be careful out there.

I smiled.
Be careful? I’m alright, Darren. I have Tonya and Lorraine with me.

I pressed send and took another swig of wine. Lorraine was well away, into the one with the woman who claimed one of the waiters had put poop in her stew.

Another message.

Just be careful. Don’t go home with any assholes, Jo.

I fired off a response.
I wasn’t planning on it.

Another buzz.
I’m sure you’ll be taking your pick. Just make sure it’s a good one.

I stared at the phone, wishing I could ask the Tonya and Lorraine what they thought. I couldn’t. They’d probably come to blows.

My reply took some typing with clumsy fingers.
You’re telling me to go fuck a stranger, but just make sure they’re nice? Shall I get a copy of their current CV, take some references?

I waited for it.
No. That’s not it. Forget it.

I’d pissed him off. The wine made me giggle.
Sorry. I’m being silly. Wine.

Have fun,
he replied.

My fingers kept typing.
I’m not going to be fucking any strangers, Darren. I’m not going to be going home with anyone.

Your business,
he said.
Just be careful.

I was flummoxed.
Why bring it up then?

It took a few minutes to get a reply to that one.
Just bothered.

Bothered I might fuck someone or bothered they might be an asshole?
Shit. I can’t believe I actually sent that.

I tried to focus on the conversation. Tonya was talking fish and chip shop horror stories now.

I could hardly bring myself to look at the next message.
What do you think?

I don’t know what I think,
I said.

A buzz almost straight back.
Makes fucking two of us, Jo.

My heart was thumping. Wine made me brave.
If I fucked another man tonight would it bother you? Yes or no?

His reply made me want to pull my hair out.
Would you want it to?

I was done with this. I fired off one final message before I shoved my phone back in my bag.
I don’t have time for this, Darren. I’ll catch you later.
x

A kiss. I added a kiss.

Oh well, fuck it.

I downed my wine and dragged the others back to the dance floor. Those blisters would just have to go fuck themselves.

I was so ready to go home. Sober enough to feel the pain in my heels, drunk enough to limp on regardless, I was sick to death of Lorraine pointing out every hot young guy who was after some and nudging me to go make a slut of myself.

I’m no slut.

Even if I did bang five men at once last weekend.

I didn’t admit to that, of course.

Go get them yourself!
I’d insisted, but she’d laughed me off.

Tonya kept shooting me looks, but said nothing. Maybe she thought Lorraine was alright again now they’d bonded some over food and beverage stories.

I let out a sigh of relief as we piled into a taxi.

“Allensmore first,” I said to the driver. “Then onto Pontrilas.”

“No, no,” Lorraine said from the backseat. “I’ll come to Pontrilas, too, get out at Allensmore on the way back.”

I pulled a face at her between the seats. “Why?”

She sighed. “I think I might have left the cafe unlocked. The door around the back. My bad.”

Tonya laughed. “I think it’ll probably either be robbed by now, or safe until morning.”

“I’ll just check anyway,” Lorraine insisted. “Wouldn’t be able to sleep otherwise.”

I shrugged. “Pontrilas then, please,” I said.

We made drunken small talk all the way back and the village was upon us in no time. I began directions to mine as we passed Trent’s yard, telling the driver to drive on through the village and up the hill the other side. I rooted in my bag for my keys, and that’s when I noticed my phone flashing.

One message. Darren.

I clicked Open.

Yes, it would bother me if you fucked another man tonight. It would bother me a lot.

My heart leapt, legs all wobbly in the footwell.

We pulled into the village, passing the shop and then the cafe.

Then Trent’s.

The light was still on. I could see the glow through the living room curtains.

“Stop here,” I said, my thumping heart making me feel dizzy. “I’ll walk the rest.”

The driver looked at me. “Here?”

I nodded. “Just here.” I pointed to the pull-in by the fish and chip shop. He stopped next to Darren’s truck.

Lorraine leaned forward and I shoved a tenner into her hand. “My share,” I said.

“What are you doing?” she said. “We’ll take you home.”

Tonya laughed, patted her shoulder. “I think this is where she wants to be.”

I watched Lorraine figure out what was going down. I felt strangely guilty.

“Oh,” she said. “I see.”

I opened the door, gave a load of goodnights
.

“Don’t do this, Jodie,” Lorraine said. “It’s a mistake.”

Tonya unclipped her seatbelt, clambered forwards enough to pull the passenger door closed. It left me out in the cold. I smiled as she flashed me a smile. “Go!” she mouthed.

I watched the car pull away with a grin.

Shit.

Oh shit.

What the hell was I doing?

My throat was dry and my legs were all wimpy and useless as I clacked along the pavement up to Trent’s.

He was already outside. Standing at the top of the stairs looking down on me.

I gripped hold of the railing, trying to think what the hell I should say.

He took a few steps down. “I saw the taxi,” he said. He was smoking, of course he was smoking.

“I was…” I began. “I just… your message… I got it in the car…”

A few more steps down, and I could smell his cigarette. I could smell him.

I could feel his stare, even in the shadows, feel those eyes right on mine. “What are you doing here, Jo?”

I sighed. “I’ve had a little wine. I got your message.”

“Are you drunk?”

I sighed again. “A little bit.”

Another step and I could feel the heat from him. He flicked his cigarette away. “The girls are asleep. If you come up… we’ll have to be quiet…”

I nodded. “Yes, yes. I know.”

“Is that what you want? To come up?”

I laughed, this whole thing was so fucking stupid. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. “Do you want me to come up?” I swung myself on the railings, let myself laugh.

I stopped laughing when he grabbed me, his palms on my cheeks like they’d been so many times. His thumbs were rough on my cheekbones, his palms pressed tight. I put my hand on his, took a breath. A drunken breath.

And then he kissed me.

He kissed me so hard I toppled back into the chip shop wall, and he pinned me there. His body pressed to mine, his mouth so hot and so fucking needy. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he took my weight.

“My feet,” I hissed. I smiled, giggled. Stared into his eyes so close to mine. “They’re sore. I can hardly walk in these shoes
.”

“Righto,” he said. He lifted me out of them, and the heels went toppling onto the tarmac.

Thank fuck for that.

He turned his back to
me and crouched. I giggled harder as I leapt up and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“I’m heavy,” I whispered. “Too heavy for a piggyback.”

“Nah,” he said. “You’re not.”

I laughed as he scooped down low for my shoes, trying to smother my amusement as he climbed the stairs to his front door. He made light work of it.

It felt so good to be carried by Darren Trent.

He dropped me at the top and pressed his lips to mine. “Quiet,” he said. “The girls…”

I nodded.

We went inside, and I held my breath all the way to his bedroom.