Winner Takes All

by Katie Price

  ‘Got a problem?’ she goaded.

  ‘I have actually. My problem is the amount of collagen in your trout pout. Wasn’t there an age limit to this show?’

  Georgia’s eyes flashed with rage. A few of the other women looked at the floor, others raising eyebrows to each other.

  Charlotte sat upright. ‘Ladies! Everyone chill. Go on, Carmel, read out the names.’ She nodded and called out the ten names, missing Alex. Gabriella, Mackenzie and Georgia giggled.

  ‘I hate football anyway.’ Alex shrugged.

  ‘Oh, wait, there’s another card in here,’ noticed Carmel. ‘Oh, wow, Alex! You’ve got an alone-date with Dylan this evening! He’s taking you out for a helicopter ride around the island followed by a candle-lit dinner!’

  Alex smiled triumphantly and stood up, her long, glossy black hair rippling down her back, green cat-eyes sparkling. ‘Have fun rolling around in the mud, girls. I’ll be chilling by the pool all day, waiting for my hot date tonight.’ With that, she sauntered out, several pairs of eyes burning into her back as she did so.

  Later that morning the women huddled outside the villa waiting for Dylan to come down and for the SUVs with blacked-out windows to collect them. Charlotte was wearing cute yellow shorts she’d bought pre-holiday and a pink vest top. Mackenzie, typically leaving little to the imagination, wore tiny pink shorts and her gigantic silicone breasts were squeezed into an impossibly small bikini top.

  Jas appeared from downstairs, ending a phone call. ‘Kat’s got a stomach bug and is confined to bed. We’ve sent for a doctor. She thinks it was the shrimps from the buffet last night. It’s a five-a-side so obviously we can’t just have nine players. Alex is going to take her place. I’ve told her. She’ll be down in five minutes then we’re leaving, so if anyone needs the loo, go now.’

  Gabriella and Georgia tutted and muttered to each other but the second Dylan sauntered downstairs they smiled sweetly. ‘Morning, ladies, ready for the big game?’ He winked and half the group burst out in fake laughter like he’d said the funniest thing in the world. Charlotte was starting to get tired of the way they were all fawning over him, but when she felt his hand on the small of her back, she had to catch her breath.

  ‘Morning, Charlotte.’ He smiled at her. He was fully kitted out in an Arsenal shirt and shorts. ‘You’re a lot more used to physical exercise than some of these girls so I expect you’ll be smashing it. That is, if you know how to play football.’ He winked again.

  ‘Ahem, I’ll have you know I’ve been watching with my dad since I was five,’ she shot back. ‘Never had you down for a Gooner, though. My dad is Spuss through and through. I’m not sure we’re allowed to be friends.’

  Dylan opened his mouth to banter back when Gabriella appeared in front of him, literally shoving Charlotte out of the way. ‘Dylan, you’re not going to be too hard on me, are you?’ she pouted. Charlotte stood back, rendered self-conscious by Gabriella’s unnerving confidence.

  Jas chimed in then. ‘Gabriella, why don’t you get in this car? Dylan, you go in that one, and Charlotte, you can ride with me. Let’s go, hurry up now.’

  Bitchiness between the girls reached boiling point throughout the first half of the game. Mackenzie was sent off for tackling Charlotte to the ground. She strongly suspected Gabriella and her minions were ganging up on her. There were constant sniggers and whispers from the Mean Girls posse, all while glancing over at Charlotte. She started to feel like she was in school again, with the popular girls circling the quieter ones as if they were prey. It was a horrible feeling, but Charlotte tried her best to ignore them and concentrate on the game.

  And this treatment was nothing compared to what was bubbling up between Georgia and Alex. By half-time they’d both been given yellow cards by Dylan for fouling each other.

  Jas, meanwhile, was starting to doubt the wisdom of her decision to put them on different teams in the first place. They clearly despised each other.

  ‘It’s TV gold,’ Monica kept saying, relishing all the drama on the pitch. Jas tried to elicit some friendliness during half-time, when Gabriella was getting evil looks for flirting outrageously with Dylan, complaining of a sore ankle and asking him to massage it. Alex walked onto the pitch and bent over to tighten her trainer laces, her pert bum lifted right to his eyeline.

  ‘Slag,’ muttered Gabriella under her breath, when Dylan was safely out of earshot and talking to some of the camera crew.

  ‘Gabriella, why don’t you go over and help Monica bring over the protein shakes from that crate over there?’ Jas said hastily. ‘Everyone could use a little time out.’

  Gabriella did as she was instructed, kicking the grass childishly as she left. Jas was starting to feel less like a producer and more like a babysitter.

  ‘Some people have been getting more of a time out than others,’ Alex laughed, throwing Georgia a dirty look.

  ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ the girl shouted, but Alex ignored her.

  Less than ten minutes into the second half, Georgia tackled Alex so violently that she fell to the ground, crying out and holding her leg close to her chest. ‘You bitch!’ she shouted, and stumbled back to her feet, pushing Georgia to the ground in retaliation. They started wrestling, rolling around on the pitch. It was a bloodbath: hair-pulling, clawing, scratching. Two cameramen and Dylan rushed over to break them up, but not before Alex had tried to throw a punch at Georgia, narrowly missing as Ken, the older, stockier cameraman, used his considerable strength to contain her while she kicked and screamed. Georgia broke away and cried into the shoulder of the younger cameraman, Gary. Dylan stood in the middle, trying to calm the situation. Jas rushed over, telling everyone to take deep breaths.

  ‘Oh, that’s right, cry into the shoulder of your boyfriend,’ Alex shouted over at Georgia. The pitch went silent except for her sobs.

  Jas and Monica looked at each other in panic. ‘Now, now, let’s calm down,’ said Jas speedily. ‘Everyone’s missing home, feeling the strain. We all need some time out.’

  Alex rolled her eyes, still staring at Georgia and the cameraman holding her. ‘It’s so obvious. We all know you’ve been sneaking off to Gary’s room every night. And Becca saw you giving him a blow job in the TV room.’

  Becca looked sheepishly at the floor. Gary sprang away from Georgia, who tried to speak through her tears.

  ‘It’s – it’s – it’s not like that! Fuck you, Alex!’

  Jas had had about enough. ‘Right! Cameras off ! We’re done for the day. Everyone back in the cars NOW. Georgia, I will speak to you privately later. Gary, Monica, Ken, get over here. The rest of you, back to the villa.’

  ‘But what about my date?’ whined Alex.

  Jas let out a deep breath. ‘That still stands. One of the crew will film you and Dylan later.’ The group shuffled away, whispering together in shock. Jas felt a headache coming on.

  Back at the villa, Monica had arranged for wine, sandwiches and snacks to be laid out by caterers. It was supposed to be a post-match celebration but no one felt like having a party, even though they were all ravenous.

  After silently eating, the women separated into groups and went to gossip on the sofas in the living room, terrace or by the pool. Alex sloped off for a nap before getting ready for her big date. Georgia was being questioned by Jas and Monica in the study, admitting that, yes, for the past two weeks she and Gary had been sleeping together in his room.

  And then, suddenly, a deafening scream rang out from Alex’s room.

  Chapter 19

  Jas jumped up. ‘What’s going on?’ The screams continued, so she and Monica rushed up to Alex’s room where most of the other girls had gathered. Seeing Alex, Jas let out a gasp. The entire right side of her face had turned red and swollen up, causing her eye to close into a slit. Her hands had also swollen and were covered in an angry rash. Charlotte and Becca were trying to soothe her by rubbing her back, while Melody was throwing the contents of a make-up bag on the floor, looking for any cream
or ointment that might help.

  ‘I keep my EpiPen in that bag I take everywhere and now it’s not there!’ wailed Alex.

  ‘Monica, call Dr Nichols, please,’ Jas said firmly. ‘Alex, sit on the bed with me, sweetheart.’

  ‘You only need the EpiPen if you’re struggling to breathe,’ put in Nysha as she examined Alex’s face. ‘Have we got a first-aid box anywhere? Maybe there will be some antihistamines in there.’

  ‘I’ll go!’ offered Charlotte, dashing down to the kitchen where the first-aid box was kept.

  Jas was relieved to remember there was already a medic on the scene. But Alex only sobbed harder.

  Charlotte returned with the box and Nysha quickly found the antihistamines, administering them to Alex while the other girls tried to soothe her. Monica returned, informing them that Dr Nichols was on her way.

  Alex stopped screaming but hot tears streamed down her face. ‘She did this to me! Georgia did this!’ she sobbed into Jas’s shoulder. ‘I’m going to sue! I’m taking that bitch to court!’

  Charlotte bent down over the bed as Jas stroked Alex’s hair. ‘She thinks Georgia put something in her face cream. Almond oil or something else she’s allergic to. They’ve been arguing for days and, apparently, Alex said last night that she was going to tell everyone about her and Gary and Georgia warned her not to. I didn’t know, by the way. About Georgia and Gary. I swear I didn’t.’

  Jas knew that Alex and Georgia shared a bedroom and had been arguing like cat and dog, but she was sure Alex was exaggerating. It was a bold claim. Then again, could Jas be sure? From the behaviour she’d seen on the pitch today, she wouldn’t put anything past this lot. She’d wanted rows for ratings, but this was ridiculous. Never in her producing days had she had to deal with anything like this!

  ‘Alex, sweetheart, Georgia may not be your biggest fan, but she’d never do anything that extreme. How could she?’

  ‘I’m suing,’ cried Alex again.

  Jas tried to remain calm but inwardly was feeling panicked. Could Alex sue Channel 6? She’d not only got a face like the Elephant Man but had a badly bruised leg after being tackled by Georgia on the pitch. And Georgia was a whole other story altogether. She’d admitted just minutes earlier that, yes, she had been sleeping with Gary. Now his job and her place in the competition were at stake. And to top it all off, Kat’s stomach bug was still keeping her bed-bound.

  ‘She definitely would do it,’ wailed Alex. ‘She’s a cow!’

  Dr Nichols arrived and cleared the room so as to give Alex some peace and quiet. She was about to administer a steroid injection to reduce the swelling plus a strong sedative. Alex would then be out for the count. Dr Nichols promised to check in on Kat next.

  As Jas shuffled out, Monica pulled her aside. ‘What a nightmare! I’ve never known anything like it.’

  Jas nodded. ‘We’re going to have to call Luke, you know. I’m pretty sure there were a few libel issues thrown up today.’

  ‘Babe, I called him the second after I called the doctor. He’s getting a flight out tonight.’

  Jas felt her stomach flip. Tonight? Couldn’t he just have Skyped in to the team? The thought of seeing him again made her feel even more tense. The show, her job – her entire career even – could be affected by this. The last thing she needed was any distraction.

  As if reading her mind, Monica reassured her. ‘Don’t worry. Luke is brilliantly capable and can help us much more by being here in person. Everything is going to be okay.’

  ‘Of course it is. You’re right, Mon, thanks. I don’t know about you but I need a drink. I think we should stay here a while and make sure Alex is okay and that there are no more dramas. There’ll be wine in the fridge.’

  ‘I’m with you. What should we do about Georgia?’

  ‘Let’s wait ’til Luke gets here. I think the less drama in this household for now, the better.’ As producers, Jas and Monica also needed to act as big sisters and agony aunts to the contestants and it was important that, now more than ever, the girls felt they had a strong support network. Jas followed Monica downstairs to join some of the calmer, less troublesome contestants in the kitchen. Charlotte, Becca, Nysha and Carmel had opened a bottle of wine and were talking over the day’s catastrophic events.

  As for Dylan, he seemed to feel more comfortable confiding in the male members of the crew, and after the football match had gone out for a beer with a few of them, to avoid any further drama in the villa. Jas was chatting with Charlotte on the sofa, well into her second glass of Australian Sauvignon Blanc, when her phone rang.

  ‘Hello?’

  ‘Jasmine, it’s Ralph Mackover. Sorry to call so late.’

  ‘No, it’s fine. Is everything okay?’ The last person she was expecting to hear from today was her divorce lawyer.

  ‘Yes, it is. We’ve been given a date for a hearing before a judge. The seventh of October. No jury is required. The judge will examine the evidence provided by you both and determine whether you’re eligible for a divorce on the grounds of unreasonable behaviour on Mr Butler’s part.’

  Jas was stunned. After months of waiting, now it felt like everything was moving almost too quickly. She thanked Ralph and finished the call. As soon as she did, a text message flashed up. It was from Richard.

  ‘See you in court.’

  That was it. It wasn’t threatening, Richard would never be so stupid as to send her a text she could use in evidence against him. Yet hearing from him again after so long made her feel decidedly uneasy. For some reason, those four little words seemed laced with hate. Jas brushed the thought away, telling herself she was reading too much into this. Why, then, did looking at his message once more send a chill down her spine?

  Chapter 20

  It was 8 p.m. on the trading floor and Richard was exhausted. A heavy night last night began in the pub opposite his office, continued at a nightclub in Soho and had finished at Frankie’s place in Mayfair until she eventually threw him out for being so drunk. He’d caught a couple of hours’ sleep at home before picking up some more coke and heading into the office. Drugs were no longer something he took to liven up a party, but a crutch he relied upon to get him through most days.

  ‘Butler? A word.’

  It was his boss, Samuel.

  ‘Yes, boss?’

  ‘What are you still doing here?’

  ‘Working. We’ve got the big Penton deal coming up and we need to close it and–’

  Samuel talked over him. ‘You’re our hardest worker, Richard. But there is such a thing as working too bloody hard and I can see it’s getting to you. You’re rundown. You look like shit and I don’t mind telling you that your work is suffering because of it. You’re off Penton and I want you to take two weeks’ leave, starting now.’

  Richard was stunned. ‘What?’

  ‘You’re no good to me at the moment. You’re making mistakes and I can’t afford mistakes. Just take some time off and you’ll be right as rain. You haven’t taken more than five days since you started here. You’re burnt out – and don’t think I can’t tell how much of that rubbish you’ve been snorting. It’s getting to you.’

  ‘But you can’t take me off the Penton deal! I brought that to the table, for Christ’s sake.’

  ‘Don’t get sharp with me!’ Samuel’s fat cheeks turned crimson. Seeing Richard stiffen in alarm at his tone, he softened his voice.

  ‘It’s not right for you to be here right now. There will be other deals. Your job is safe, Richard, but you can’t carry on like this. People are talking. You come in reeking of booze, your expenses are through the roof and you’ve lost your temper several times on the floor. I know the pressure you boys are under but you can’t let it get to you like this. It’s bad for morale. Have your fun, fine, I understand you all need to let loose from time to time. But we deal in billions here. I can’t have my employees being out of control like this.’

  ‘I am in control!’ Richard realised he sounded anything but, so cleared h
is throat and lowered his voice. ‘Things are tough right now. Jasmine is taking me to court.’

  ‘But I thought you were straightening all that out? Jesus! No wonder you’re such a mess.’

  ‘She’s not taking me back. I thought she would have caved by now.’ Richard paused then admitted, ‘The hearing date just came through. Seventh of October. It’s going ahead. I need to work, Samuel, it’s the only thing keeping me going. I’ll quit the booze and coke, I swear.’

  ‘Good. Then you can rest properly and come back clean as a whistle in a fortnight.’

  ‘But …’

  ‘It’s either that or suspension. Don’t make another stupid mistake.’

  Richard went home, seething. This was all Jas’s fault. If she hadn’t thrown him out, made him go off the rails, none of this would have happened. Getting that talk from Samuel had scared Richard and usually nothing scared him. His job was everything to him: money, power, status. For the past couple of years he’d been such a golden boy in the eyes of his bosses, he’d thought he could get away with anything. Tonight was a painful, stark reminder that it simply wasn’t the case. The trading floor was a harsh place to be and second chances weren’t given out lightly. Yet Richard knew he had just been given one.

  At home, he took a long, steamy shower and stared at himself in the mirror afterwards. He looked like shit: ashen skin, thinning hair and bulging eyes. It wasn’t a good look. Richard was no fool. He could see that his lifestyle was catching up with him. With a blue towel wrapped around his waist, he cleaned up his bachelor pad. Used condoms strewn beside the bed from one-night stands, half-drunk bottles of wine … it all went in the bin. He changed the sheets for fresh ones. He hoovered, wiped and scrubbed, afterwards lighting a sandalwood candle and reclining on his king-sized bed, next to huge windows overlooking a twinkling night-time London skyline. He felt better already. He decided he would take the two weeks off. It wasn’t like he had a choice anyway. He’d go skiing in Switzerland, take in some fresh air and have long sleeps. He’d be right as rain by the time he went back to work and would land an even bigger deal than the Penton one, get a promotion and a pay rise by the end of the year.