Shafted Read online

  ‘And have to fight her off when she tried to make me stay?’ Larry replied, sounding more relaxed than Georgie had heard him sound in a long time. ‘I don’t think so! She was already talking about breakfast. And I’m sorry, but there was no way I was going for that. It’d be like waking up in Madame Tussaud’s.’

  ‘Yes, well, I agree you didn’t have to sleep with her,’ Georgie said, a mock-disapproving edge to her voice. ‘But you shouldn’t make an enemy of her. She’s a powerful lady, and she could make things very difficult for you.’

  ‘Don’t see how,’ Larry drawled, stretching out languidly in his bed. ‘There’s nothing she can do to ruin things for me now.’

  ‘Don’t be silly.’ Georgie tutted. ‘You might be back in favour right now, but what happens when the next big story hits the news and you slide back into obscurity?’

  ‘Not going to happen,’ Larry said unconcernedly. ‘You’ve got tons of stuff lined up for me.’

  ‘Yes, and you said that none of it was big enough for you to waste your time thinking about.’

  Tiring of the conversation now, Larry said, ‘Just stop fannying about and get me something amazing, Georgie. And if it makes you feel any better, I’ll ring Raine and tell her I got sick and had to go home. I’ll even send the old bag flowers, if you want. But there’s no way I’m shagging her – not even for you.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Georgie said, with a hint of satisfaction. ‘And I’m sure the flowers will suffice. You might not realise it, but it was Raine who got the ban lifted so she could have you on her show last night. Alan Corbin was reluctant to back down, as you can imagine, but I hear she pulled the right strings and got him to reconsider, so I think you ought to be thanking her for that, at the very least.’

  ‘I didn’t ask her to put herself out.’

  ‘No, but it’s just as well she did, because she’s got the highest ratings of any chat show in the country, and I’ve already had calls from a couple of producers off the back of it.’

  ‘There you go, then.’ Larry grinned. ‘So, what are they offering?’

  ‘Nothing particularly interesting,’ Georgie admitted. ‘And I’ve already turned two of them down. But it’s good to know they’re sitting up and taking notice, isn’t it?’

  ‘So they should be,’ Larry said, rolling across the bed to slide a cigarette out of the pack on the table. ‘What were they, anyway?’

  ‘One was a cameo on Judge Joanie, but it was only two days’ work, and they wanted you to play a criminal.’

  ‘Cheeky bastards.’

  ‘My sentiments exactly,’ Georgie agreed. ‘The other was a guest presenter slot on CBBC’s Garage Gang, but that’s so not you.’ Pausing now, she cleared her throat. ‘But they weren’t the only producers I’ve been speaking to this morning, and I thought you’d be rather pleased when you heard what my last chat was about.’

  ‘Oh, yeah?’ Larry said, smiling at Stephanie when she walked into the room. She was wearing one of his shirts, which really accentuated the length of her lovely legs, and she looked gorgeous with her glossy, sleep-tousled hair framing her beautiful face. And it was a refreshing change to see that she hadn’t redone her make-up while she was in the bathroom – the girls he bedded usually liked to get their faces perfect before he laid eyes on them the morning after.

  ‘Remember we bumped into Frank when we were leaving the studio yesterday and I promised to return his call?’ Georgie was saying now. ‘Well, I felt a little guilty about neglecting him, because he’d actually rung a couple of times and left messages, so I rang him this morning to apologise and find out what he wanted.’

  ‘And what did he want?’ Larry asked, drawing the quilt back for Stephanie to climb back into bed beside him.

  ‘Well . . .’ Georgie said, drawing it out because she thought he’d be ecstatic when he heard the news. ‘He wants to give you your old job back.’

  ‘Are you joking?’ Larry frowned. ‘What about Matty?’

  ‘I don’t actually think he’s part of the equation,’ Georgie said, chuckling softly. ‘It’s not a job for two hosts, is it? Anyway, you and I both know that the ratings have slipped since you left, so this is purely good business as far as Frank’s concerned. And I’m delighted, because this really marks how far you’ve come since last year.’

  ‘I hope you told him where to stick it,’ Larry said, sounding more offended than impressed.

  ‘Absolutely not,’ Georgie replied confusedly. ‘I thought you’d be pleased.’

  ‘Well, I’m not. I haven’t gone through all this shit to go straight back to square one.’

  ‘But I thought this was what you wanted? You’ve been saying it’s your show all the way down the line. Don’t you even want to think about it?’

  ‘What’s to think about? I don’t want it, and I’m amazed Frank thought I’d even give it the time of day. No wonder he was being so flaming nice when I saw him at the party last night. He must think I’ve forgotten what he did to me.’

  ‘I’m sure everybody’s got regrets about what happened,’ Georgie told him. ‘And Frank is a decent man, so I imagine he’ll have had his fair share.’

  ‘What about Terri?’ Larry asked, abruptly changing the subject. ‘Has she been back to you about that American thing she was talking about yet?’

  ‘Obviously not, or I’d have told you,’ Georgie said, wondering why Larry still seemed to think that Terri Lawson had any power or influence, given that she’d been dumped by Shock-Wave after the disastrous game show. The woman talked a good game, you had to give her that. She’d been on the phone almost continuously in the first month after she went home in disgrace, telling Georgie that she was concentrating all her efforts on Larry now, trying to get him a vehicle that would secure him his big break in the States. But nothing had happened in the three months since the programme had aired over there, so it was all hot air in Georgie’s opinion, and of no real benefit whatsoever to Larry.

  ‘Never mind Terri,’ she said now, wanting him to focus on the real things which were on offer over here. ‘I know you say you’re not interested, but would you please just think about Frank’s offer. Star Struck made you, and I think it would be fantastic for you and the show if you went back and rescued it now that it’s failing. Frank’s proposing a completely fresh start. New theme tune, new set, new – fantastically higher – salary. And you’ll have the option of backing out of the contract after a year, so it would give you a real chance to pick and choose where you went from there.’

  ‘See you later,’ Larry said, refusing to humour Georgie by agreeing to even think about it when he’d already made his feelings quite clear. Disconnecting the call, he tossed the phone onto the floor and turned to Stephanie, who was still sitting up, with her arms folded around herself.

  ‘Something wrong?’ she asked. ‘You didn’t sound too pleased with that call.’

  ‘My agent,’ Larry told her, reaching up and stroking a finger down her cheek. ‘Apparently I’ve just been offered my old job back, and – for some reason – she seemed to think I’d be pleased.’

  ‘But you’re not?’

  ‘No, I’m not,’ Larry murmured softly, pulling her down beside him and gazing into her eyes. ‘But I don’t want to talk about it, so let’s just . . .’

  Closing her eyes when he lowered his head and kissed her softly, Stephanie shivered when he slid his hand down over her breasts and slowly unbuttoned the shirt.

  ‘Like that?’ he whispered, easing the material aside and lowering his head to tease each nipple in turn with his tongue.

  Nodding, she bit her lip and arched her back as he slid his hand down over her stomach. Raising her hips to meet his fingers, she gasped when he slid one inside her. Then she gripped his hair, holding him to her.

  Pulling away when he felt her body begin to tense, Larry rolled onto his back and pulled Stephanie on top of him, easing his tongue into her and savouring the sweetness of her juices as she bucked her hips above him. Groaning when sh
e lowered her head and trailed her tongue slowly along the length of his dick, he gripped her thighs tightly in his hands and thrust himself into her warm mouth, holding her fast until the heat in his balls turned to searing flames.

  Flipping her over then, he pushed her arms up above her head and peered down into her eyes as he thrust himself into her. She looked so vulnerable and sexy, with her lips parted and her eyes so dark and intense, and he felt as if they were melting into each other as their hips rose and fell in perfect unison.

  Throwing his head back when the orgasm tore through his body, he gritted his teeth and rode the waves, feeling the sensation increasing and sucking him in as Stephanie cried out beneath him.

  The phone started to ring again. Ignoring it, Larry flopped down and laid his head against Stephanie’s sweat-slick breasts, listening to her heart pounding wildly in time with his own.

  ‘Shouldn’t you get that?’ she asked him breathlessly, swiping damp hair out of her eyes as the phone continued to ring.

  Larry shook his head. ‘I don’t want to move.’

  ‘It might be important.’

  ‘Nothing’s that important.’

  Exhaling softly when the phone stopped ringing at last, Stephanie gazed down at Larry’s head on her naked breast and felt a crushing wave of guilt wash over her. Closing her eyes as a tear trickled slowly down her cheek, she fought to stem the rest that were threatening to follow.

  She hadn’t intended for this to happen. She’d never in her life slept with a man on a first date before – not that it had been a date. But whatever it was or wasn’t, it certainly wasn’t right, and knowing that she had cheated on the man she loved was the worst feeling in the world.

  The drink had obviously played a large part – not that that was any excuse. And it hadn’t helped that Larry was so good-looking, and charming, and gentlemanly. If he’d been cocky or presumptuous, she’d have found it so much easier to keep him at bay. But he’d made her feel so relaxed. And, even though they hadn’t spoken about very much at all, he’d really listened to what she had to say, and she’d found herself enjoying his company far more than she should have.

  Standing beside him waiting for the cab, with the drink stirring feelings which had been buried for far too long, Stephanie had found herself wondering what it would be like to have his arms around her – even if it was just a quick goodbye hug. Anything to take the edge off going home to an empty bed again.

  Then the taxi had arrived, and she’d been glad, because she was disgusted with herself for getting drunk enough to feel attracted to another man.

  But when the driver had told Larry that he’d have a long wait for his own cab, she’d felt too guilty to leave him standing there and had offered to share. And he’d accepted. And once they were sitting together on the dark back seat, the drink had really kicked in, so when he made his move she was ashamed to say that she’d been more than ready to let him.

  Lying in her arms, Larry was thinking much the same thing – although without the guilt. He’d been determined not to make a move on her in case he offended her, but when she’d offered to share the cab his dick had overruled his sense of decency and he’d gladly accepted. And she’d looked so shy and sweet with the light from the passing street lamps flickering across her face that he couldn’t resist kissing her. And when she didn’t push him away, there’d been no turning back.

  And he was glad he’d gone for it, because it made a nice change to make love instead of just fucking.

  Not that it was love, of course, because that was something he’d never experienced and had no intention of looking for at this point in his life – not when there were still so many gorgeous girls out there that he was yet to meet and be entertained by. But she’d be a nice alternative to his usual tarts until whatever this was that they had started ran out of steam and she went back to her boyfriend.

  The phone began to ring again. Tutting, Larry eased himself up and reached for it. Hearing Georgie’s voice, he was just about to tell her to piss off and stop disturbing him when she said, ‘You’ll never guess who I’ve just been talking to? . . . Craig Woodburn! He saw you on Raine’s show last night and wants to give you your own chat show!’

  ‘Are you kidding me?’ Sitting up now, Larry reached for the shirt that Stephanie had been wearing and wiped the sweat off his face.

  ‘My darling, I never kid,’ Georgie trilled happily. ‘He wants to see you today. And he’s so confident you’ll accept his offer that he’s already having a contract drawn up so we can sign there and then.’

  ‘Wow,’ Larry murmured, a thrill of real excitement coursing through him.

  ‘Wow, indeed!’ Georgie agreed. ‘They’re proposing a twice-weekly slot, Monday and Friday, at – wait for it – six-thirty!’

  ‘No way,’ Larry gasped. ‘The same time as Raine’s show?’

  ‘The exact same time, but on a more popular channel,’ Georgie told him. ‘And right before the soaps, so there’s no way anyone will miss you. You’ve done it, darling! You’ve snatched the crown!’

  Arranging to meet her outside in half an hour so that she could take him to meet with Craig Woodburn, Larry disconnected the call and turned to Stephanie.

  Smiling because he looked so excited, she said, ‘Good news?’

  ‘The best!’ He grinned, planting a kiss on her lips. ‘What are you doing today?’

  Glancing at the bedside clock, she frowned when she saw the time. Telling him that she had to be somewhere in an hour, she reached for the damp shirt and modestly pulled it on, saying, ‘Would you mind if I take a quick shower?’

  Hopping naked out of bed, Larry reached for her hand, and said, ‘We’ll share one. Then you can cancel whatever you’re doing and come with me, because I reckon you just might be my good-luck charm.’

  Letting him help her out of the bed, Stephanie closed her eyes when he hugged her. ‘I can’t cancel it,’ she said.

  Easing her away and peering down into her eyes, Larry saw the cloud of sadness there and frowned. ‘Ah . . . the boyfriend?’

  Nodding, she dipped her gaze. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Don’t be,’ Larry said, tilting her chin up and kissing her softly. ‘It would have been nice to have you there, but you’ve got your own plans, so I shouldn’t have expected you to drop them just like that.’

  ‘I would if I could,’ she told him, feeling bad for running out on him like this.

  ‘No problem,’ he drawled, too happy about his good news to be overly concerned that she was putting her boyfriend before him. ‘We’ll celebrate later, yeah?’

  Nodding, Stephanie smiled.

  Putting her into a cab outside his block twenty minutes later, Larry had just closed the door and stepped back to wave her away when he remembered that he hadn’t taken her number. Slapping the roof of the car to stop it as the driver started to pull away from the kerb, he yanked the door open and said, ‘I need your number.’

  Murmuring, ‘Oh, right,’ Stephanie took her phone out of her bag. Switching it back on, hoping that he wouldn’t question why she’d turned it off, she said, ‘Sorry, it takes ages for me to find it.’

  Telling her he could wait, Larry waved to Georgie, who had just pulled up behind the cab. Taking his own phone out then, he tapped in Stephanie’s number when she found it and blew her a kiss, saying, ‘I’ll give you a call as soon as I’m finished. Make sure you’re free.’

  Promising to try, Stephanie glanced out of the back window when Georgie beeped the horn.

  Seeing her face, Georgie pursed her lips.

  ‘Well, well,’ she said when Larry waved the cab off a few moments later and climbed in beside her.‘I see someone got lucky last night. And, unless I’m very much mistaken, wasn’t that the young lady who fell at your feet last night at the studio?’

  ‘Jeezus, you’ve got a good memory,’ Larry laughed, pulling his seat belt on.

  ‘Yes, I have,’ Georgie said disapprovingly. ‘But it appears that yours isn’t so good, beca
use I’m sure I heard you telling Raine that you weren’t looking for a relationship on her show last night?’

  ‘Who said anything about relationships?’ Larry quipped, lighting a cigarette and rolling the window part-way down. ‘I’ve only just met the girl.’

  Uttering a throaty ‘Hmph!’ Georgie swung out into the traffic, saying, ‘And may I ask how you happened to bump into her again?’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Humour me,’ Georgie said, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as they waited for a set of lights to turn green. ‘Did she slip you her number at the studio?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Was she at Raine’s party, then?’

  ‘No.’ Getting irritated now, Larry turned and peered at her.‘What’s with the Spanish Inquisition, Georgie?’

  ‘Just one last question,’ she replied, keeping her eyes on the road as they started moving again. ‘Was yesterday the first time you saw her?’

  ‘Yes. And . . . ?’

  ‘I’m sure I’ve seen her before, that’s all. Three weeks ago, when you opened that supermarket in Sale, she was hanging about in the car park.’

  ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’Larry scoffed.‘How could you possibly know it was her?’

  ‘Because I’m observant,’Georgie told him.‘And now here she is again. So what does that tell you?’

  ‘If you’re trying to make out like she’s some kind of stalker, forget it,’ Larry chuckled. ‘I’ve already accused her of that, and she was really offended.’

  ‘Oh yes? And why would you accuse her unless you suspected her?’

  ‘Maybe I did for a split second,’ Larry admitted. ‘But then I spoke to her, and she didn’t have a clue who I was.’

  ‘Oh, please,’ Georgie muttered, shaking her head. ‘And you fell for that? I thought you had more sense. She’s been following you, and now you’ve given her exactly what she was looking for. At least, I presume you did. I take it that was the grand farewell after a night of fun with Number One Fan?’