'Til I Kissed You

by Pam Howes

  The woman gave an apologetic cough. ‘And this is the bedroom. I’m afraid it’s quite small. Not really enough room for two.’ She looked pointedly at Eddie who was slower on the uptake than Roy. He’d realised, from her tone of voice, that she assumed they were partners.

  Sitting on the bed and bouncing up and down, Roy caught Eddie’s eye and grinned. ‘I’m sure we’ll manage,’ he said. He grabbed Eddie by the hand and pulled him down. ‘What do you think, sweetie?’ he simpered, draping one arm loosely around his shoulders.

  Keeping a straight face, Eddie looked into Roy’s eyes. ‘It’s divine, Roy, but I think the two of us may have a bit of a squeeze in the bathtub, you’ve such long legs. We’d be better off with a corner bath.’

  ‘You’re probably right, honey bun.’ Roy looked at the woman and fluttered his long dark lashes. ‘I want him to be really happy with where we choose to live,’ he said with mock sincerity. ‘On reflection, I don’t really think this is the place for us, isn’t that right, sugar plum?’

  Eddie smiled and ran his hand suggestively up and down Roy’s thigh.

  ‘Well, thank you for taking the time to view anyway, Mr Cantello.’ The woman appeared anxious to be rid of them. She moved out of the bedroom as quickly as she could and stood by the open front door as they squeezed past, holding hands. She shut the door behind them with a horrified gasp as they collapsed with laughter on the landing outside.

  ‘That was wonderful,’ Roy chuckled. ‘What a performance. Anymore of that thigh stroking and you’d have had me as horny as hell!’

  ‘Did you see her face as we passed her in the hall and you squeezed my arse?’ Eddie wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes with the back of his hand. ‘Oh dear, we needed a laugh. That was brilliant. Where to next, sweetie-pie?’

  Roy looked at his list, still grinning from ear to ear. ‘It’s only ten minutes from here. The first floor of an old house. I quite like the sound of this one.’

  ‘Is someone meeting us there?’

  ‘Yeah. Not the same woman, thank God. It’s a different agency. Take the first road on your right here and the house is called The Cedars.’

  Eddie pulled onto the semi-circular gravel driveway of a large detached house and Roy nodded with approval. ‘This looks more like it.’ He clambered out of the car and looked around at the mature gardens. The large, double fronted house sported elegant bay windows both upstairs and down and was fronted by a huge lawn with neat flowerbeds. The driveway had separate entrance and exit gates. Roy ran up the front steps to the burgundy-red front door and rang the bell for flat two.

  Footsteps echoed in the hallway and the door was thrown open by an attractive, smartly dressed woman who Roy took to be in her mid thirties.

  ‘Hello, I’m Sarah Caldwell, from Jones and Jones.’

  ‘Roy Cantello.’ Roy shook Sarah’s outstretched hand and introduced Eddie. This was more like it, he thought, catching Eddie’s look of approval.

  ‘Follow me, the flat’s upstairs,’ Sarah announced, leading the way and giving Roy the opportunity to admire her slender legs.

  The house was Edwardian with many original features. ‘Nice floor,’ Roy said, admiring the cream, blue and terracotta tiles in the hall. ‘And a perfect banister for sliding down,’ he laughed, running his hand over the gleaming mahogany wood. Sarah opened a door to the left of the landing and led them into a spacious room that looked down onto the front garden.

  ‘Hey, nice big lounge,’ Roy said. ‘What do you think, Ed?’

  ‘It’s great. Love the fireplace. The furniture looks good quality.’

  ‘The fireplace is original,’ Sarah said. ‘Have a look at the kitchen.’

  Roy nodded his approval, not that he would be using the kitchen very often. He would dine out, live off takeaways or eat at Ed’s place before he would cook and wash up. They followed Sarah back through the lounge where another door led across a partitioned corridor to a large well-fitted bedroom, containing an antique brass bed. Roy looked at Eddie and grinned, remembering the poor woman they’d just left at the other flat.

  ‘Very nice,’ Eddie said.

  Sarah opened a door in the bedroom to reveal a spacious en-suite bathroom complete with period style fittings and a large bath on claw feet. She stepped back to let Roy take a look.

  ‘Oh, this is great, plenty of room for two in that bath.’ He winked as she blushed.

  ‘There’s a fully tiled shower cubicle, too,’ she said, composing herself. ‘And as you can see, the flat’s been newly carpeted throughout in this oatmeal Berber.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s nice. I’ll take it on a six months lease,’ Roy said. ‘When can I move in?’

  ‘Early next week,’ she said. ‘We’ll have the lease drawn up and we’ll need references from your bank and employer.’

  ‘Okay,’ Roy nodded. ‘Bank should be no problem, but I’m self-employed. Would a reference from my accountant do you?’

  ‘Of course. What line of business are you in, Mr Cantello?’

  'We’re song-writers,’ Roy told her.

  ‘Oh, right.’ She looked closely at them. ‘I thought I recognised you when you came in and your name’s so familiar. Were you both in a group?’

  Roy nodded. ‘The Raiders ring any bells? Ed here was our drummer.’

  She smiled. ‘Yes. I bought your records when I was at school. My Special Girl always made me cry. I was sorry to read about your recent bereavement. It must have been a very difficult time for you and your family.’

  Roy sighed. ‘It was, Sarah; and it still is, believe me.’

  Eddie pointed to a further door, running off the corridor. ‘Is that another room?’

  ‘Oh, I’m sorry, I almost forgot about that. You can actually access it from the bedroom too. Let me show you.’ Sarah led them back into the bedroom and opened one of the fitted wardrobe doors. At the back of the cupboard was another door. She opened it and they stepped through into a pleasant little room, simply furnished with a single bed, small chest of drawers and a nursing chair.

  ‘There you are; a spare bedroom. It’s actually a nursery, but I don’t expect you’ll need it for that purpose, will you?’

  ‘I doubt it very much.’ Roy grinned. ‘I can keep my guitars and amps in here. They’re my babies these days.’

  Eddie stared silently out of the window as Roy arranged an appointment with Sarah to sign the lease.

  ‘You’re miles away, mate. Are you okay?’ Roy asked.

  ‘Yeah,’ Eddie replied. ‘Just a bit tired.’

  They said goodbye to Sarah and drove back to the hotel in companionable silence.

  ‘Come on in, Ed. I’ll have them send up coffee and cakes,’ Roy suggested.

  ‘That’ll be nice, but I can’t stay too long, I’ve got to get Katie and Dom. Lucy’s mum’s collecting them from school and taking them home with her for an hour. I don’t like to take too much advantage.’ He followed Roy into the hotel reception area.

  ‘Okay, well half an hour then.’ Roy approached Sharon with a smile.

  ‘Yes, Mr Cantello?’

  ‘May I have a tray of coffee and Danish pastries sent up to my room, please?’

  ‘Of course, right away, Sir.’

  ‘Sharon?’

  ‘Yes, Mr Cantello?’

  ‘For God’s sake call me Roy, please!’

  ‘Oh, okay, err, Roy. I’ll see to that straight away, err, the coffee, I mean.’

  ‘C’mon, Ed, let’s go up.’ Roy led the way, leaving Sharon staring open mouthed after them.

  ‘Did you hear that, Avril? He called me Sharon and he asked me to call him Roy!’

  Avril tutted behind her back and ordered the coffee and cakes from the kitchen.

  ‘Come down off your cloud, he was just being friendly. Maybe he prefers to be called Roy. I mean he’s hardly your suited and booted businessman type and he’s not at all stuffy and boring.’

  ***

  Eddie stretched out his denim-clad legs on Roy’s bed a
nd looked around the elegant suite.

  ‘It’s not too bad this, Roy. You’ve loads of space and it’s nicely decorated and furnished.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s okay I suppose. A bit feminine though, don’t you think?’ Roy said, looking at the mainly pink decor and carpet. ‘It’ll do until I can move into the flat. I should have asked Sarah if she knew anything about my neighbour. I hope it’s not some old battle axe who doesn’t like loud music or I’m in big trouble.’

  ‘I doubt it will be. The rent’s quite steep at four hundred a month. It’ll probably be a yuppie couple, someone with a decent income.’

  ‘Hopefully, or it might be a nice woman on her own. Who knows?’ Roy had a gleam in his eye. ‘That Sarah was nice, wasn’t she?’

  ‘Don’t you think you’ve enough problems with the two women you’ve got?’ Eddie spoke without thinking.

  Roy stared at him thoughtfully. ‘Which two? It’s over with Livvy and I don’t think Sammy wants me anymore.’

  ‘Didn’t you mention you were going to see Sammy later?’

  ‘Yes, she wants to talk to me about something. She’s given me no clues as to what. Do you think she wants me back?’

  ‘Who knows? Ah, the door, coffee and cakes no doubt.’ Eddie welcomed the diversion of room service. Sammy had plenty she wanted to talk to Roy about, but he was quite sure she hadn’t any immediate plans to ask him to go back home.

  Roy opened the door and let in a young girl bearing a tray. He tipped her a fiver as she left the room, shooting them both a shy smile.

  They tucked into the Danish pastries and the pot of fresh coffee.

  ‘I really must join a gym.’ Roy licked his sticky fingers. ‘Otherwise I’ll start putting on weight with the lack of physical exercise I’m temporarily experiencing.’

  ‘We should both join,’ Eddie said. ‘If we’re planning on doing live shows again we need to be fit, otherwise we won’t be able to cope. I tell you what, let’s go swimming sometime tomorrow.’

  ‘Great idea. I’ll go back home when you leave, sort out my swimming gear and the rest of my clothes before Sammy gets in. Not that I’ve many clothes since the massacre. She used to buy me something new every week at one time you know,’ Roy said wistfully. ‘Ah well, those days are gone, for now anyway.’

  ‘Right, I’m off.’ Eddie stood up. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow then.’

  ‘Yeah, I’ll come over in the afternoon.’

  ***

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Jane looked up as Sammy replaced the receiver.

  ‘Who was that and why are you smiling so mysteriously?’

  ‘Wouldn't you like to know?’ Sammy teased.

  ‘Yes, I would, especially as you’ve arranged to go out to Rozzillo’s tomorrow night. It’s obviously not Roy, because he certainly hasn’t put a smile on your face for the last few weeks. Come on, Sam tell, we don’t have secrets.’

  ‘It was Stuart Green, actually,’ Sammy replied, her cheeks flushing.

  ‘Was it now? Well, well, well!’

  ‘Don’t you go reading anything into it; it’s just a business meeting, that’s all.’

  ‘You could have had that here.’

  Sammy shrugged. ‘We could, but it’ll be nicer over a candlelit dinner and a bottle of red.’

  ‘Benito will get a shock when he sees you with another man.’

  ‘Won’t he just?’

  ‘I wonder why Stu never married,’ Jane mused. ‘He’s had a lot of women. There never seems to be anyone serious.’

  ‘I think he enjoys being single to be honest,’ Sammy said. ‘He’s lived all over the place, Germany, the States, that long spell in Oz. When he brought those samples in the other day he told me he’s fed up of travelling and has decided to settle in England. He’s bought a small cottage just outside Westlow.’

  ‘Really? That’s great. So we’ll be seeing a lot more of him then? By the way, when are you next seeing Roy?’

  ‘Tonight actually,’ Sammy sighed. ‘There’s something we need to discuss, something serious.’

  ‘You mean about Jason and Jules?’

  ‘No, not yet. Listen, I’ll tell you, but be prepared for a shock. Close those doors so Mum doesn’t hear us talking and whatever you do, don’t yell out with surprise.’

  Jane leapt up and pushed the adjoining doors to. ‘What is it, Sam?’

  ‘Sit down again, otherwise you’ll fall down. You know when I said the other night that you could throw anything at me and it wouldn’t hurt, because I’ve been hurt so much already?’

  Jane nodded, wondering what was coming next.

  ‘Well, today I got the absolute, ultimate smack between the eyes.’

  ‘What, for God’s sake?’

  ‘I went to see Livvy before I came to work.’

  ‘Oh God, Roy was with her!’ Jane gasped.

  ‘No. If it was just that, I don’t think I would feel so bad.’

  ‘Well what then, what could possibly be worse?’

  ‘Are you ready for this?’ Livvy’s pregnant.’

  Jane’s jaw dropped and she was glad she was seated. ‘No! Are you sure?’

  ‘Oh, dead sure. She’s got a nice little belly full of arms and legs courtesy of my adulterous husband.’

  . ‘I don’t believe it. Is it definitely Roy’s?’

  ‘Yes, absolutely definitely.’

  ‘But, Sammy, remember how Angie duped Ed?’

  ‘I know, but this baby is Roy’s.’

  ‘How can you be so sure?’

  ‘Your Jon confirmed it and the timing is bang on.’

  ‘Jon told you? How come he hasn’t mentioned it to us then?’

  ‘Because he was sworn to secrecy.’

  ‘Oh my God! So you’re going to tell Roy tonight?’

  ‘That’s the plan,’ Sammy replied. ‘For one thing he’s got a right to know and for another, Livvy can’t be expected to cope on her own. He’s going to have to offer her some support. It’s his responsibility, although to give Roy his due, he thought she was on the pill.’

  ‘The stupid girl must have forgotten to take it, or maybe she lied in the first place and was never taking it at all,’ Jane said.

  ‘That’s probably more like it.’

  ‘I bet she planned it to get money out of Roy,’ Jane said. ‘She’ll have seen him as a lifelong meal ticket. Oh hell, what if she contacts the papers? They pay a fortune for kiss and tell stories, especially if there’s a baby involved. You can just see the headlines; Randy Raider Roy fathers secret love child with girl young enough to be his daughter!

  Sammy smiled wearily. ‘That’s why I want Roy to sort it out now before she does do something like that. Otherwise, we can kiss goodbye to any privacy for months to come.’

  ***

  Roy let himself into Jasmine House. Sammy wouldn’t be home until at least five thirty, which gave him half an hour to sort out a few things. He busied himself packing the remainder of his clothes. In the music room he picked up several boxes of tapes and guitar leads and packed them all into the boot of the family BMW. He loaded in his favourite Fender Strat, an amp and finally squeezed in his keyboard. If he was going to be stuck in the hotel room for a few days he might as well as be productive and write some lyrics.

  His stomach began doing cartwheels at the thought of seeing Sammy again. It was only a short time, but he was missing her so much he felt like his right arm was gone. He passed Jason’s room, heard a slight sound and stopped to listen. It hadn’t dawned on him that Jason might be home. There was usually evidence of his presence by the sound of loud music blasting from the hi-fi. The sound came again, a muffled sigh and whispering. Roy smiled. It sounded like Jason had a girl in his room. He tapped the door gently, not wishing to disturb them, but to warn Jason that they weren’t alone. He opened the door a crack and peeped inside.

  What he saw shocked him to the core and the room swam before his eyes. He clutched the doorframe for support. His son and Jules were lying on the bed,
locked in one another’s arms. Jason was crying. Jules was stroking his hair and caressing his back.

  Roy sprang forward. He grabbed Jules by the hair and yanked him off the bed. ‘You filthy little pervert, get your fucking hands off my son!’ Jules screamed as Roy punched him hard in the face knocking him out onto the landing. He fell to the floor howling.

  Jason leapt off the bed, a look of horror on his face. ‘Dad, what the fuck are you doing? You bastard, you’ve broken his nose!’ He ran out of the room, knelt by Jules and helped him to a sitting position. Blood spurted from Jules’s nose, all over the landing carpet and down the front of his white shirt. Jason ran into the bathroom, grabbed a towel, dunked it in cold water and held it against Jules’s face. Roy sat down heavily on Jason’s bed staring at the pair through the open door.

  His son was in tears, cradling Jules in his arms. The lad moaned with pain as Roy heard the front door open and close.

  ***

  ‘Roy, are you upstairs?’

  ‘Mum, we’re here,’ Jason said. ‘Dad’s flipped!’

  Sammy ran upstairs and gasped. Guessing immediately what had happened she looked at the distraught young men and Roy, his face a mask of horror, and shook her head.

  ‘Roy, come here.’ He came forward silently. ‘Go and sit in our room, go on.’ Sammy gave him a push. ‘Jason, get Jules a clean shirt and I’ll run the pair of you to casualty. I can’t leave your dad alone for too long, he’s in shock.’

  ‘Okay, Mum.’ Jason helped Jules into his bedroom.

  Sammy ran downstairs, tipped a liberal measure of brandy into a glass and took it up to Roy who was now sitting on their bed, still wearing the same horrified expression.

  ‘Stay there. I won’t be long.’

  He looked at her with haunted eyes. ‘You knew, didn’t you? You knew what was going on and you never thought to tell me.’

  ‘Not now, Roy. I need to get Jules to casualty. Be back as soon as I can.’ She patted his shoulder and left the room.

  ***

  Sammy was back within half an hour. She’d given Jason money for a taxi home rather than have to venture out again. A few brandies wouldn’t go amiss for her, she thought, never mind Roy, while she geared up to telling him about Livvy.