Shafted Read online

  Reaching for her tea, Nora gazed up at the ceiling when she heard the sound of Molly’s music and gave a contented little smile. She’d been dreading her coming back, but now that she was here, things actually felt a bit more normal again.

  Now all she needed was for all of her lads to come home, and everything would be perfect.

  14

  It took six long months from signing the contract to recording the launch show, and Larry had spent the entire time fluctuating between wild exhilaration and sheer terror. Doing interviews and guest appearances on other people’s shows was nothing compared to fronting your own, because at least if anything went wrong with those he could walk away and let the host take the blame. But this was all on him. If he fucked up, there was nobody to hide behind.

  But Craig Woodburn obviously had no such doubts, and that helped to soothe Larry’s nerves a little as things began to come together in the later stages. Determined to ensure that it eclipsed every other show of its kind, Craig had splashed the cash like there was no tomorrow, building the best set ever, and inviting the biggest international A-listers to take part. And when some seemed reluctant because they’d never actually heard of Larry, Craig simply chartered a private jet and sent Larry over in person – to meet them on their own turf and schmooze them over mega-expensive dinners.

  And it had worked.

  Having charmed his way to securing for his launch show the most impressive guest list the country had ever seen and clawed his way back to the top of every party guest list in town, Larry truly was king of the hill when the big night finally came around. He was looking better than ever, his bank account was more than healthy, and he had an ever-growing list of mega-celebrity friends’ numbers clogging up his phone.

  Money, star status, and his own prime-time self-titled show – everything Larry had ever wanted in life, and more. But Stephanie hadn’t arrived at the studio yet, and that was really pissing him off.

  Contrary to Georgie’s suspicions that she was a stalker who’d manipulated herself into his life in order to further her own aims, Stephanie was as skittish about being seen in public with him as ever. At first she’d wanted to avoid it because she felt guilty about cheating on her dickhead boyfriend. Then, when Larry had finally persuaded her to finish with the guy, she’d wanted to avoid upsetting his parents, claiming that she’d known them for too long and liked them too much to disrespect them by coming out in a new relationship so soon after splitting with their son. But it was a good four months now, and she was still holding out, going to hardly any of the parties Larry had invited her to and outright refusing to go clubbing with him in case they got papped.

  Larry knew that her shyness was a major part of the problem; that Stephanie hated being stared at, and would die if she had to face all the attention she’d get when people realised they were a couple. But surely she could brave it for one night? And she should be grateful that he wanted her to share his big night, anyway, considering there were so many other women throwing themselves at his feet and begging him to walk all over them. But not Stephanie, who had not only not turned up yet after promising faithfully that she would, she’d now switched her fucking phone off!

  Tossing his own phone down onto a cluttered ledge, Larry lit his zillionth cigarette in an hour and paced the length of his dressing-room floor, furious with himself for letting her get to him at a time like this. He knew it was probably more to do with injured pride because no woman had ever resisted him before, but Stephanie had got under his skin like an itch that he couldn’t reach to scratch. And the more she resisted, the more determined he was to break her down.

  Stopping in his tracks when a tap came at the door, he looked up hopefully, half expecting to see Stephanie. Pissed off when Georgie’s smiling face appeared instead, he said,‘You took your time, didn’t you?’

  Saying, ‘Sorry, darling, I’d have been here ages ago if it hadn’t been for the traffic,’ Georgie rushed to him and gave him a hug. ‘Then when I got here, it took for ever to get in, because the security guards are being so thorough. But you’ll be glad to know that the queue is tremendous,’ she went on, hardly pausing for breath as she peeled her gloves off and slotted them into her handbag. ‘They’re four deep at the door, and I really can’t see how they’re going to fit them all in. More fool those who’ve turned up without a ticket, because they’ve got no chance.’

  Wishing she’d shut up, Larry turned his back on her and poured himself a large Scotch.

  Noticing, Georgie tried to keep a casual tone as she asked, ‘Is that your first, dear?’

  ‘No, it’s my second,’ Larry told her snappily. ‘But don’t worry. I’m nowhere near drunk.’

  ‘Maybe you’d like to pour me a small one?’ Georgie said, sitting down on one of the two easy chairs and crossing her legs. ‘Then we can have a little chat, if you like.’

  ‘About what?’ Larry asked, slopping a small shot into a glass and topping it up with ginger ale. Handing it to Georgie, he leaned back against the ledge and peered at her, saying, ‘Well, chat, then.’

  ‘There’s obviously something wrong,’ Georgie replied calmly. ‘And I just thought you might like to get it off your chest before you go out there. Is it nerves? Because I brought some Kalms if you’d like one.’

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with my nerves,’ Larry shot back, holding his hand out to demonstrate. ‘See? Steady as a rock.’

  Frowning, Georgie peered into his eyes, wondering if he’d lied about the amount of Scotch he’d had. They looked clear enough, but his belligerence spoke volumes, and if he was on his way to getting pissed, tonight would be a disaster.

  Glancing quickly around when somebody else tapped on the door, Larry jerked his chin up questioningly when Ayshia, one of the pretty young runners, came in. ‘What?’ he barked.

  ‘Sorry to disturb you,’ she said, blushing because he always made her feel funny inside. ‘But some girl’s been ringing the switchboard all week asking to talk to you, and, obviously, Sue told her that she should write if she wanted to contact you. But now she’s turned up, claiming she’s got a date with you.’

  ‘It’s not Stephanie, is it?’ Larry asked, fearing that she might have got caught up in the security cordon, like Georgie had.

  Having met Stephanie, albeit it only once and fleetingly at that, Ayshia shook her head. ‘No, this is a blonde called Tania.’

  ‘Great,’ Larry muttered, having no recollection of ever dating any blondes called Tania. ‘Just what I need on a night like this – a bloody psycho fan. Have they got rid of her, or do I have to watch my back all night?’

  ‘Security are keeping an eye on her,’ Ayshia told him. ‘But she’s threatening to smash the windows, and Mr Woodburn’s concerned that someone might get hurt because the audience are queuing up out there.’

  ‘So tell him to have the silly cow arrested,’ Larry suggested coolly, wondering why they were bothering him with this.

  ‘He doesn’t want the police involved, because he doesn’t want any bad publicity or hold-ups,’ Ayshia told him, smiling nervously at Georgie – another one who intimidated her, because she always looked like she was sizing you up and warning you off. ‘He said to ask if you’d sign a picture for her.’

  ‘Are you supposed to do that with psychos?’ Larry turned to Georgie. ‘I thought you were supposed to stay as impersonal as possible.’

  ‘I’m sure it will be all right to sign a picture,’ Georgie told him. ‘Just don’t put love or kisses, or anything she can misinterpret.’

  Thinking it over for a second, Larry said, ‘Okay, but when you give it to her tell her I don’t do dates, and not to bother ringing again because I’m not allowed to take private calls. Okay?’

  Nodding, Ayshia waited until he’d signed one of his publicity pictures, then hurried out of the room.

  Shaking his head, Larry lit another cigarette and flopped down onto a chair, saying, ‘You’d think they’d have better things to do than fantasise about me, wo
uldn’t you?’

  Chuckling softly, Georgie said,‘My dear, you’ve obviously forgotten that this is all some of these girls do – all day, every day. And now you’re going to be back in their lives as a permanent fixture, I suggest you get used to it, because it’s going to get much more intense.’

  ‘Can’t wait,’ Larry drawled dully, wishing his so-called girlfriend had been here to witness how badly some other women wanted to be in her ungrateful shoes.

  Having guessed from the look in his eyes when Ayshia had opened the door that he’d been expecting Stephanie, and suspecting that her absence was at least partially to blame for his mood, Georgie asked, ‘Stephanie not here yet?’

  Grunting, ‘Doesn’t look like it, does it?’ Larry sucked on his cigarette. Then, looking at her challengingly, he said, ‘Not going to say I told you so?’

  Staying quiet, Georgie sipped at her drink. In all honesty, she had to admit that Stephanie had done nothing to warrant her initial suspicions in the time she’d been seeing Larry, neither pushing herself into his limelight nor trying to curtail his social life. But there was still something about her that Georgie didn’t quite trust. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she felt a little undercurrent of something not quite right about Stephanie’s relationship with Larry. If she’d known about the ex-fiancé situation she’d have understood, but Larry’s pride had prevented him from telling Georgie about that. Mainly because he’d been too embarrassed to admit that Stephanie had taken so long to decide that he was the one she wanted, when any other woman would have dumped her boyfriend in a heartbeat if he’d so much as looked at her. So, with nothing else to guide her, Georgie could only go on her instincts. And they told her that Larry liked this one more than he’d liked any of the others, which put him in a vulnerable position – and exacerbated Georgie’s already overly protective streak. Stephanie might well be the sweet shy girl Larry claimed her to be, but if Georgie saw the slightest sign that she was up to something – like waiting to see if his show was a success before making her intended move – then she wouldn’t know what had hit her.

  ‘What’s this?’ Tania Baxter gasped, peering down at the photo, which was signed: To Tanya . . . Best wishes, Larry Logan! Glaring at Ayshia now, she said, ‘Is this supposed to be a joke?’

  ‘Not at all,’ Ayshia assured her calmly. ‘Larry just signed it for you not two minutes ago. Oh, and he said to thank you for supporting him, but he doesn’t date fans, and he’s not allowed to take personal calls, so could you please stop phoning.’

  Nostrils flaring, Tania drew herself up to her full height, which was only actually an inch or two taller than the young runner. But she looked more imposing because her breasts were so much larger. Perfectly painted eyes flashing with indignation now, she said, ‘Do I look like a fan?’

  ‘Yes,’ Ayshia replied evenly, a little bemused now, because most of the women who were watching from the queue were equally as tarted up as this girl in the hopes of catching Larry’s eye when they got inside.

  ‘Well, I’m not,’ Tania spat, flapping the picture in Ayshia’s face as she added, ‘And he knows you don’t spell my name with a Y. You signed it to try and get rid of me. Well, forget it, because I’m not going anywhere till I’ve seen him.’ Balling the photograph up now, she aimed it at Ayshia’s face, but missed.

  ‘You can’t see him,’ Ayshia told her, glancing around to make sure that the security guards were close enough to intervene if the girl went for her, as she looked like she was about to.

  ‘Just go and tell him that I’m here,’ Tania demanded, infuriated that they were trying to keep her and Larry apart. She’d been ringing all week, and she just knew that they hadn’t passed her messages on, because he’d have contacted her if he’d known she was trying to reach him. She’d been to his flat loads of time, too, but he was never there, so she’d had to catch him at work. Only now she was here everyone was getting in the way, and she was so mad about it that she was going to hit someone in a minute.

  ‘Oi, you,’ one of the women in the queue said just then, stepping forward and prodding Tania in the arm. ‘Stop holding things up and get to the back of the line.’

  Telling her to get lost, Tania carried on glaring at Ayshia. Then, almost losing her footing on the steps when the woman grabbed her arm and yanked her around, she said, ‘Get your hands off me, bitch! Me and Larry have got a date, and he won’t appreciate one of you lot manhandling me!’

  ‘Me and Larry have got a date an’ all,’ the woman informed her angrily. ‘And so have the rest of these girls. Only we’ve got tickets, and we’ve been waiting for two bleedin’ hours in the queue to see him, but you’re holding us up. So, if you haven’t got a ticket, I suggest you shift out of the way before you get shifted.’

  ‘By you?’Tania sneered, looking her up and down.

  ‘Yeah, by me,’ the woman spat, looking more than capable of carrying out the threat.

  ‘And me,’ another woman called out. She was joined immediately by several more angry voices.

  Sensing that it was going to kick off, Ayshia asked Tania if she had a ticket.

  ‘I don’t need one,’Tania informed her, furiously eyeballing the women behind her. Most of them were laughing at her now. But they wouldn’t be laughing when Larry found out that she was here and came to get her. Turning back to Ayshia now, she said, ‘Just stop messing about and tell Larry I’m here.’

  ‘I’ve already told him,’ Ayshia said coolly. ‘And I’m sorry, but he doesn’t know anything about a date, and he won’t be seeing you. So, if you haven’t got a ticket, I’m going to have to ask you to leave, because you really are holding things up.’

  ‘Liar!’ Tania gasped, tears of frustration springing to her eyes now as the women behind her started jeering at her to get a life and stop making up fairy tales.

  Shrugging, Ayshia called the security guards over and told them to escort Tania off the premises.

  Yelping with indignation when the two burly men grabbed her arms and marched her down the steps, Tania screamed at them to get their hands off her.

  ‘This is illegal! I’ll do you for assault! And you can’t make me go, ’cos this is a public road.’

  ‘This is,’ one of the guards informed her as they deposited her on the actual road. ‘But that,’ he pointed back up to the steps, ‘is private property, and if you set foot on it again, you’ll be arrested for trespass.’

  ‘Bastards!’ Tania yelled after the men as they returned to their posts – getting slapped on their backs and cheered along the way by the women in the queue. ‘This is a conspiracy! You’re just trying to keep me away from Larry, but it won’t work! I’ll see him when he comes out, and then you’re all gonna get the sack!’

  Back inside, as the women in the queue were finally being filtered through reception, Gordon came to Larry’s dressing room to let him know that they were close to the kick-off.

  ‘Fifteen minutes to get the audience seated,’ he said, rubbing his hands together excitedly.‘Another fifteen for the warm-up guy to do his bit, then you’re on. How you feeling?’

  ‘Like shit,’ Larry muttered, stubbing out his cigarette and downing his drink in one.

  Terrified that they were heading for a repeat of the telethon when Larry got up and uncapped the bottle to pour himself another, Gordon cast a worried glance in Georgie’s direction.

  Surreptitiously shaking her head to let him know that she thought it would be okay, she said, ‘Right, then, Larry, I suppose I’d better get to my seat before somebody takes it. You’ll be marvellous – as always – so please stop fretting and make that your last drink. Oh, and don’t forget to ask Liz about that thing. ’Winking at him now, she headed for the door, calling back, ‘Break a leg.’

  ‘Am I missing something?’ Gordon asked as the door closed behind her.

  ‘She wants to know if Richard Burton was as well hung as they say he was,’ Larry murmured, putting his glass down and scrutinising an invisible blemish on
his chin in the mirror.

  ‘I hope you’re joking!’ Gordon croaked. ‘Please tell me you’re not going to talk to Elizabeth Taylor about sex?’

  Grinning at him in the mirror, Larry said, ‘I thought you wanted a controversial show?’

  ‘Not that controversial. And not with her.’

  ‘Relax,’ Larry laughed, patting Gordon on the back. ‘Me and Liz had a nice chat in her dressing room earlier, and she’s not as fragile as people think.’

  ‘Maybe not,’ Gordon conceded. ‘But what she chooses to confide in private might not be what she wants revealing to ten million viewers.’

  ‘We’ll see,’ Larry drawled unconcernedly.

  Taking her seat front-left of set, from where she’d have a clear view of Larry and his guests, Georgie glanced around at the audience, not at all surprised to see that they were all women. Larry had male fans, too, of course, but they’d obviously been too slow off the mark when it came to bagging one of the precious tickets for tonight’s eagerly awaited show, which had reportedly gone within minutes of the phone line being opened up.

  Pity Stephanie wasn’t quite as eager to be part of Larry’s big night as these adoring women were. But Georgie wasn’t complaining as she folded her coat and laid it and her handbag on the chair beside her own – the only empty seat in the house.

  Crossing her fingers tightly when the house lights went down and the floor manager called for quiet, she settled back in her seat and prayed that everything would go smoothly as the warm-up man stepped out onto the set and went into his routine.

  Fifteen minutes later, he said his goodbyes and bowed out to a chorus of cheers from the audience – brought on more by the realisation that him going off meant that Larry was about to come on than by actual appreciation of his talents.