Back in the Game

by Caz Finlay

  Growing up as an only child, without her mother around, Grace had always dreamed of being part of a big family. She’d fantasised about her dad remarrying and having a whole load of children so that she’d have brothers and sisters to play with. Then she would always have someone to lean on – someone to have her back. Then, when she’d met Nathan, she’d dreamed of a house full of children of her own. But he’d ruined that dream like he ruined everything else.

  She’d come to accept that it would always just be her, Jake and Belle. Her two beautiful children were a blessing. And they were enough. They had to be.

  Chapter 51

  Grace groaned inwardly as Connor and Paul Carter walked into her office and closed the door behind them.

  ‘Can we talk, boss?’ Connor asked.

  Grace sighed. ‘Of course, boys. What can I do for you?’ Although she already knew the answer. She’d been berated by half of the Carter family so far, including their grandfather, Patrick. The only one of them who had expressed a modicum of understanding was Sean’s daughter, Steph, who could appreciate the complex nature of Grace’s relationship with her uncle.

  The twins pulled up a pair of chairs and sat down opposite her. Connor smiled at her but Paul stared at his feet and shifted in his seat.

  ‘So, I hear we’ve got a baby sister then?’ Connor asked.

  ‘Yes. Good news certainly travels fast, doesn’t it?’

  ‘I wish you’d fucking told us,’ Paul growled and Connor shot him a menacing look.

  ‘I wish I’d told you too. I really wish I’d told your dad. But I didn’t, and here we are.’

  ‘We understand, Grace. My dad is fucking wounded, and we have to take his side – you know how it is. But we get why you did it. Don’t we, Paul?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he sighed.

  ‘Do you?’ Grace raised her eyebrows. ‘Well, thanks for that. But I wouldn’t admit that outside this room.’ She smiled at them.

  ‘Of course we do,’ said Paul.

  ‘My dad was married to Hannah,’ Connor said. ‘She was desperate for kids but he didn’t want any. Imagine if you’d turned up pregnant. It would have caused world war fucking three.’

  Grace nodded, but the information about Hannah wanting children was new to her. Michael had never mentioned not wanting more kids. He wanted to be part of Belle’s life, she knew that for sure. But she supposed it was different once a child was actually born. Live flesh and blood that was a part of you was entirely different from the mere possibility of a child.

  ‘So you’re still speaking to me then?’ Grace asked.

  The twins nodded. ‘You’ve always looked out for us, Grace,’ Connor said. ‘There was a time you could have fed us to the dogs, but you didn’t. Even though we caused you a tonne of shit, you looked after us. We’ll never forget that.’

  ‘No, we won’t,’ Paul agreed.

  ‘Thanks, boys. It means a lot.’

  ‘Any time, boss,’ they said in unison.

  ‘Now, where is that wayward son of yours?’ Paul asked.

  ‘God knows. I’m surprised he’s not with either of you. You all seem to be joined at the hip these days.’

  ‘Well, we’re family now, aren’t we?’ Connor said and winked. Grace saw Paul frown and wondered what that was about. Probably still stinging from not knowing about Belle.

  ‘Well, just take care of yourselves, boys. All of you.’ Grace suspected that the three of them had formed an unholy alliance. She wasn’t sure yet if that was a good or bad thing. But God help anyone who stood in their way.

  ‘We will,’ the boys chimed. ‘Later, boss.’

  ‘Later.’ Grace smiled as she watched them walk out of her office.

  Chapter 52

  Connor Carter went behind the bar of The Blue Rooms and helped himself to a large measure of Stolichnaya vodka. Sitting on one of the barstools, he took a gulp before resting his head on the bar.

  ‘We’re heading off now, boss,’ Billy Murphy, their head doorman, said. ‘You coming?’

  Connor shook his head. ‘I’ll hang around for a bit yet. Thanks, lads. Leave me the keys and I’ll lock up.’

  Billy placed his set of keys on the counter. ‘I’ll just check the back and make sure there’s no one left.’ He came out from behind the bar. ‘Siobhan’s still here, boss. There’s a problem with the takings she’s sorting out. Want us to hang around?’

  Connor shook his head. ‘I’ll stay until she’s finished.’

  ‘Night then, boss,’ Billy said before he and the rest of the bouncers filed out of the side door.

  Connor poured himself another drink and waited for Siobhan to finish. He wondered if she had her car or whether she’d need a lift home. Twenty minutes later, there was no sign of her so he walked out into the back office to find her head bent over a book.

  ‘Still not able to balance those books?’ he asked.

  She looked up at him and smiled. ‘Hiya, Connor. Sorry to keep you waiting. But no. There’s a hundred quid missing and I can’t find it.’

  ‘Leave it until tomorrow, Siobhan,’ he said. ‘It’s late. You should be getting home. We’ll find it tomorrow, and if we don’t, we’ll find the little fucker who took it.’

  She sighed. ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘Do you need a lift?’

  ‘Isn’t Jake with you?’

  Connor shook his head and felt guilty for the lie he was about to tell. ‘He’s still on a job,’ he said.

  Siobhan looked so upset by that, he almost told her the truth. ‘I can take you home,’ he offered.

  ‘Well, it looks like I don’t have much choice, doesn’t it?’

  Connor hung his head. He could kill Jake and his brother for this. He’d had the day from hell and had wanted to come to the club and have a long, quiet drink alone, and instead he was having to deal with Siobhan’s upset too.

  ‘I’m sorry, Connor,’ she said. ‘It’s just been a long day, and I was hoping that my boyfriend would be here to pick me up.’

  ‘Don’t tell me about long days.’

  ‘You too, eh?’

  He nodded. ‘Fancy a quick drink?’

  Siobhan looked at him for a few seconds before agreeing. ‘Yeah, why not.’

  ***

  Half an hour later, Connor and Siobhan were sitting at one of the booths in the club, with a now almost empty bottle of Stolichnaya on the table in front of them.

  ‘You do realise we’ll have to get a cab home now?’ Siobhan said.

  Connor downed the rest of his glass and nodded.

  ‘God, I haven’t been this drunk since I was eighteen.’ She giggled.

  ‘A drunken eighteen-year-old you. I’d like to have seen that.’ Connor smiled at her and she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder. He could smell the expensive perfume she used and it made his groin twitch in a way he knew it shouldn’t when he was with the girlfriend of one of his best mates.

  ‘How did you know it was me and not Paul earlier?’ Connor asked her, trying to restart the conversation and make her sit up and take her head off his shoulder. ‘How are you always able to tell us apart? Not many people can.’

  She sat up and looked at him. ‘You’re much more handsome than Paul,’ she said with a grin.

  ‘Fuck off. We’re identical.’

  ‘Almost,’ she said. ‘But you have a nicer smile. Paul is always so bloody cocky,’ she snorted.

  ‘Easy. That’s my brother you’re talking about.’

  ‘Hmmm.’ She picked up her glass and finished the remnants of her vodka before wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

  Connor had never seen her looking so dishevelled. She was usually so polished and pristine. It made her look sexier, or perhaps it was the vodka playing tricks with his addled brain. Whatever it was, he was starting to feel things for Siobhan he had no right to.

  ‘Come on, let’s get you home,’ he said.

  Standing up, he pulled Siobhan to her feet.

  She threw her arms aro
und him. ‘My knight in shining armour,’ she said.

  Then she kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth. He could taste the vodka they’d been drinking. He should have pushed her away, but the alcohol was clouding his judgement. Besides, kissing Siobhan felt too good and he needed to feel good after the day he’d had. Just another moment, then he’d stop, he told himself. But instead he found them both backing up to the table and before he knew it his hands were untying the belt of Siobhan’s wrap dress and she was sitting on the table begging him to fuck her.

  ***

  Siobhan paid the driver and stumbled out of the taxi. She’d wanted to ask Connor to come home with her but there was every possibility Jake was already there. She walked through the doors to her building and along the corridor to the lift and smiled to herself as she relived the past couple of hours. She’d always been a good girl. She was never the one to go off the rails or take too many chances. She’d always played it safe. Even with Jake – despite who he was, he was a safe choice for her. He was a good provider. They looked good together. She wondered now what she’d been missing out on all her life. Connor Carter was never someone she’d looked twice at. He had a certain charm, but he was a bruiser and she preferred her men with more classic looks.

  She’d been so upset when Connor had told her Jake was still on a job. It had taken all of her strength not to laugh out loud and tell him she knew what he really meant was Jake was on the job.

  Screwing Connor had seemed like a good idea at the time. It was the perfect revenge and a bit of fun. Shouldn’t she be allowed a little fun for once?

  But what she hadn’t counted on was having the best sex of her life. Connor had done things to her that Jake would have never dreamed of. Jake had never given her an orgasm in their whole two years together, and Connor had just given her three in an hour. She felt a flush creeping over her chest and a tightening in her lower abdomen just thinking about it.

  Siobhan didn’t know how she would look him in the eye next time she saw him at the club, but she knew one thing for sure, Jake could never find out about their little tryst. If he did, there was every possibility he would kill them both.

  Chapter 53

  Connor ordered two large fried breakfasts from Marie and took a seat opposite Paul at one of the vinyl-topped tables. Marie’s café on the Dock Road was a hidden gem. She did the best fried breakfasts for miles and the Carter twins always went there when one or both of them had a hangover from hell.

  Paul smiled at his brother as he sat down. ‘You look rough, lad. Where did you get to last night?’

  Connor shook his head. ‘Don’t talk so loud, my fucking head is banging.’

  Paul laughed as Marie brought over two mugs of tea. ‘There you go boys,’ she said with a smile. ‘Your brekkies won’t be long.’

  Paul winked at her. ‘Thanks, love.’

  ‘So?’ Paul asked again. ‘Where did you go to get into this state?’

  ‘Only The Blue Rooms,’ he answered. ‘I just had one too many vodkas.’

  ‘Drinking on your own, bro? You should have phoned me.’

  ‘I assumed you’d be tied up elsewhere,’ Connor said sarcastically. ‘Besides, I wasn’t on my own. Siobhan was there. She had a drink with me.’

  ‘Oh, right.’

  Connor hated lying to his brother. They had never kept a secret from each other in their lives, and he wasn’t about to start now. Besides, they knew each other better than anyone. Sometimes it seemed like they could read each other’s mind.

  ‘Anything else happen, bro?’ Paul frowned at him.

  Connor sighed. ‘Yeah. Me and Siobhan …’

  ‘For fuck’s sake, Con,’ Paul said through gritted teeth. ‘Are you fucking insane? That’s Jake’s missus.’

  ‘Really, Paul? Thanks for clarifying that for me.’

  ‘Jesus Christ.’ Paul shook his head. ‘What the fuck are you going to do about it?’

  ‘What do you mean? I’m not going to do anything about it. It was a one-time thing. A mistake. It won’t happen again.’

  ‘Are you sure she feels the same way?’

  ‘Of course she does,’ he replied, although he didn’t know for sure. They hadn’t really talked afterwards. It had all become very awkward, very quickly.

  Marie brought over their cooked breakfasts and Connor muttered his thanks before tucking in.

  ‘I don’t believe you, Con,’ Paul said quietly before spooning a forkful of beans into his mouth. ‘You’ve put me in a really fucking awkward position, screwing Jake’s missus,’ he finished, once he’d swallowed his food.

  ‘What?’ Connor said as his head snapped up. ‘Are you fucking shitting me, Paul?’

  Paul glared at him. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I mean that you two dickheads started this,’ he seethed. ‘If you weren’t fucking Jake every chance you got, Siobhan wouldn’t have been sat in the club on her own, waiting for her fucking prince to come home. What you two are doing is much fucking worse.’

  ‘Worse? Because we’re queers? Is that it?’

  ‘Oh, don’t be so fucking soft. You know I don’t give a shit if you’re gay, bi or into fucking horses. But you two are the ones having a full-blown fucking love affair when that poor girl is sitting at home without a clue who her boyfriend really is.’

  Paul sat back in his chair. ‘Jesus, Con. We’ve got ourselves into a right fucked-up situation here, haven’t we?’

  ‘Jake can never find out, Paul,’ he warned.

  ‘You honestly think I’d tell him? You’re my brother.’

  ‘I know. I’m sorry. It’s just such a fucking mess.’

  ‘Well, we never did like a quiet life, did we?’ Paul laughed and Connor laughed with him.

  ‘I need a fucking drink,’ Connor said.

  ‘Marie? Two shots of your finest whisky, please?’ Paul shouted.

  ‘Strongest thing I’ve got is coffee, lads,’ she shouted back. ‘Will that do you?’

  ‘Ah, go on then, you temptress,’ he replied.

  Paul turned to his brother and gave him a half smile. ‘It will be okay in the end, bro,’ he said.

  Connor laughed and shook his head. ‘Remember what Grace always used to say?’

  Paul nodded. ‘If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.’

  Chapter 54

  Siobhan closed the safe in Jake’s office.

  ‘I still can’t find it, Jake,’ she said to him. ‘I’ve gone over the books five times now.’

  ‘It’s a hundred quid, babe. Don’t worry about it.’ He smiled at her and pulled her to sit on his lap. He brushed her long red hair behind her ears and she remembered how loved he used to make her feel. ‘Unless you think someone’s nicked it?’ He raised an eyebrow at her.

  ‘I don’t know. Maybe?’

  ‘I’ll get one of the lads to check the CCTV.’

  Siobhan almost vomited her recently eaten lunch onto his suit. ‘No. Don’t be silly.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m sure it’s just my adding up. This is all new to me still. I’ll go over it again later.’

  ‘If you’re sure, babe,’ he said before kissing her. ‘I feel like I’ve hardly seen you lately. I’m sorry I’ve been so busy. Let me take you out tonight?’

  It had been so long since they’d been out together. ‘Okay. Where?’

  ‘Wherever you like.’

  ‘Can we try that new cocktail bar that’s opened on top of the Shankly Hotel?’

  ‘If that’s what you want. I love you,’ he whispered before kissing her again.

  ‘I love you too, Jake,’ she replied honestly. God help her, but she did.

  ‘Are we interrupting something?’ Connor Carter said as he walked into the office, Paul behind him. Siobhan jumped off Jake’s lap. ‘No,’ she protested.

  ‘Almost, lads,’ Jake said with a laugh.

  Siobhan felt her cheeks flush at the sight of Connor, but thankfully Jake appeared to assume she was embarrassed by the twins walking in on them kissing.r />
  ‘Thanks for getting Siobhan home safe last night, Connor,’ said Jake. ‘I really appreciate it.’

  ‘Not a problem, mate,’ Connor replied.

  ‘Jake, I need to show you some stuff in the van,’ Paul said. ‘Make sure it’s what we agreed on?’

  Jake nodded. ‘Come on then.’

  After Jake and Paul had left the office, Siobhan let out a long breath she felt she’d been holding for minutes.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Connor asked her.

  ‘Fine. But about last night—’

  ‘I know,’ Connor interrupted her. ‘It won’t happen again.’

  ‘I wasn’t going to say that,’ she said, a little hurt that he’d made that decision for both of them.

  ‘Oh, sorry.’

  ‘I was going to remind you about the CCTV. Jesus, Connor, will anyone have seen us?’

  He shook his head. ‘It only stores the previous forty-eight hours, and nobody would watch it unless there was a reason to.’

  ‘But still …’

  ‘Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it,’ he assured her.

  ‘Thanks. I’ve been so worried about seeing you today.’

  ‘I know. We didn’t really get a chance to talk. I’m sorry if I took advantage …’

  ‘You really didn’t.’

  ‘Good. I’m glad you’re okay. I’ll go and sort that CCTV out. If you need anything else, let me know.’

  ‘I will. Thanks.’

  He nodded before leaving the office. Siobhan sat down on Jake’s chair and sighed. At least that was over with. He’d sort the CCTV and Jake would never be any the wiser. It seemed they would get away with it. Now, if only she could stop replaying last night over and over in her head, they could all move on.

  Chapter 55

  Siobhan smoothed the fabric of her dress over her hips and admired her reflection in the full-length mirror. The dress was a new one she’d bought in Cricket a few weeks earlier, which had cost more than two months’ mortgage, and she’d been waiting for the chance to show it off. The green was the perfect colour for her complexion. It showed just the right amount of cleavage to be sexy but still classy. The fabric clung to her toned, size-ten figure. It was a pity it was wasted on Jake, she thought to herself.