As Nancy gulped down her wine, Mary stared at her daughter. She was usually such a sweet, mild-mannered girl and it was obvious something was very wrong with her. ‘I think you should book an appointment at the doctor’s, love. I’ll come with you to see him.’
‘What for?’
‘Because you’re not yourself, Nance. You sound depressed and bitter and that is so not like you. Perhaps he can give you some tablets, or a tonic or something.’
Nancy’s reply was full of venom. ‘Well, unless they have designed a pill to make you like and want to bring up another woman’s son, then it’s a waste of time.’
Vinny stopped his car in a secluded spot, turned off the ignition, and grinned at Joanna. ‘Alone at last, eh? Shall we sit in the back, babe? It’s much more roomy for us to drink our bottle of bubbly.’
Joanna’s heart was beating ten to the dozen as she firstly nodded, then got into the back of the car.
Vinny popped open the bottle of champagne outside the car, then got in the back too. ‘Ladies first,’ he said, handing Joanna the bottle. They had gone to a nightclub earlier in Eastbourne town centre but it had been absolute rubbish, which is why Vinny had suggested Ahmed and Chloe go for a drive alone, and he and Joanna do the same. ‘I can’t believe how different the clubs, people, and fashion are in London to round here. The women who drink in my club wouldn’t dream of wearing any of those terrible outfits those birds had on tonight. You was the only one in that place who looked sensational, babe.’
Glad it was dark so Vinny wouldn’t be able to see her blush, Joanna took a large gulp of champagne just to calm her nerves. ‘What do you mean, your club?’ she asked.
‘I own a nightclub in the East End of London.’
‘Wow! You never said that before,’ Joanna replied. Her heart was beating even faster now. Not only was Vinny tall, dark, handsome, and the perfect gentleman, he also owned a bloody nightclub.
‘I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure of you. The amount of birds that throw themselves at me just because they know what I own, you would not believe.’
‘That’s terrible, Vinny. Some people can be so shallow. There was a girl in my school like that. She went out with this lad who was a really good footballer for years, then when he didn’t make the grade at Ipswich Town, she dumped him.’
‘So, what you gonna do when Kings shuts down for the winter?’ Vinny asked.
‘Well, I’m coming back here next year with Chloe. We’ve already been offered jobs as barmaids because we’ll both be old enough then. I’m not too sure what I’ll do in the winter. Tiptree is just so bloody boring compared to Kings, but I will have to find a job of some kind there. I’ve got used to earning my own money now.’
Vinny squeezed Joanna’s hand. ‘Why don’t you come and work at my club with me? You’ll love it. It won’t be boring like Tiptree, I can assure you of that.’
‘Really?’ Joanna asked, gobsmacked.
Vinny smiled. ‘Yeah, really. I dunno if you have noticed, but I do like you a lot, babe.’
Joanna Preston could not believe her luck. Vinny was like the dream man that you read about in one of those corny books. ‘I like you a lot too, and I would love to come and work at your club, Vinny.’
When Vinny kissed her properly for the very first time, Joanna felt as if she had died and gone to heaven. Unlike the boys she had been out with in the past, who stuck their tongues straight down the back of her throat, Vinny kissed her lips sensually and teased her mouth by just flicking his tongue inside every now and again. It was the most sexual, amazing feeling that Joanna had ever experienced, and when Vinny put his hand up her dress and inside her knickers, she groaned with ecstasy as his finger made contact with her clitoris.
Vinny took his mouth away from Joanna’s. He hated kissing, it made him want to vomit. That’s why he had rarely slept with any birds other than prostitutes. ‘Oh Jesus, babe. You are just so fucking gorgeous,’ he panted, as he undid the zip of his trousers and expertly shoved his rock-hard penis inside Joanna.
What followed was the quickest yet most pleasurable bunk-up that Vinny had ever experienced in his entire life. Johnny Preston was at the forefront of his mind as he shot his load inside Joanna. Retribution was such a wonderful feeling.
Six weeks to the day since Joanna and Vinny first made love, Joanna’s mum turned up at Kings for an unexpected visit with her pal, Sandy.
‘Oh my God! What are you doing here?’ Joanna asked, when she opened the door of the chalet.
‘Well, that’s a nice welcome. We’re on holiday. Aren’t you pleased to see me?’ Deborah asked her daughter.
‘Yeah, it’s just a bit of a shock, that’s all,’ Joanna replied, glancing at her watch. Vinny was due to pick her up in half an hour to take her out to lunch, so what the hell was she meant to do now?
‘Aren’t you going to invite us in then?’ Deborah asked, rather put out. She wasn’t silly. She knew her daughter had met someone special, and it was Johnny who had insisted she turned up in Eastbourne unexpectedly to find out who the mystery lad was.
It was very unlike Joanna to keep a relationship secret. Even when she was at school, she had always been extremely open about any boys she liked or dated. It was Johnny’s idea that Sandy accompany Deborah to Eastbourne. He said it was best to make the trip look like a holiday, rather than Deborah turn up there alone.
‘Mum, the chalet is a tip, and all the girls are here. Go over to the clubhouse and I’ll meet you there in a bit. I won’t be long,’ Joanna said, shutting the door.
Deborah trudged dejectedly towards the club in an even more worried state than when she had driven down. She and Johnny were getting on like a house on fire just lately, and Johnny was even making noises about them getting back together. Deborah didn’t know if that was just prison talk, but what she did know was that Johnny was her first love, she still adored him, and probably always would. ‘I told you Joanna was up to no good, didn’t I, Sandy? Virtually slammed the door in our faces. I am so glad that we booked a week here so we can find out exactly what she is up to.’
Sandy linked arms with her friend. They had been best mates and neighbours ever since Deborah had first moved to Tiptree. ‘I agree, Jo is acting very shady. She looked horrified when she opened that chalet door and saw us standing there. But, don’t you worry because I was born a detective, me. We’ve got a week to find out what she is up to, and you can bet your bottom dollar I will suss out who her mystery man is. Now, let’s have half a cider and forget about our woes for today. We are on a pretend holiday too, remember?’
Michael Butler cracked open a beer and smiled as he watched his three sons happily playing football together. Even though it was now September, the weather was still warm, and 1976 had now been officially announced as the hottest summer since records began.
‘Dad, can I have an ice-cream, please?’ Lee asked, flopping down on the grass next to his father.
‘You can later, but you’ve got to eat your lunch first, boy. You need goodness inside you if you wanna be a big strong man one day,’ Michael replied, ruffling the boy’s hair.
Considering the traumatic change in Lee’s life, he had adapted exceptionally well to his new surroundings. Daniel and Adam both adored him, and vice versa. They really were one big happy family, bar Nancy, who just lately barely spoke.
‘Why didn’t Mum come to the park with us, Dad?’ Daniel asked innocently.
‘Because your mum needed to do the housework, son,’ Michael lied. The truth was, Nancy seemed to be becoming more mentally deranged by the day. She had never been much of a drinker in the past, but now preferred wine to food. She also had trantrums for no particular reason, spent hours in bed, and refused to participate in family days out of any kind.
Michael was at his wits’ end as to what to do to help his wife. She refused to book an appointment with the doctor, and had another tantrum every time he suggested she do so. He had thought that Lee starting school a fortnight ago might have improved Nancy’s behaviour, but it hadn’t. She seemed so unstable right now that Michael dreaded leaving the boys with her when he went to work, but what else could he do? He had a club to run, needed to earn a living, and with Vinny gallivanting down to Eastbourne every chance he got, there was no way Michael could shirk his duties. Dean was a good lad, but wasn’t capable of keeping a steady ship without his help.
‘Dad, am I going to see my mum and nan again today?’ Lee asked.
Last week the headstones had been put in place on Denise and her mother’s graves which were side by side. Michael had taken Lee there and armed with a bunch of flowers, his son had sat happily in between the graves and told his mum and nan all about his new school, and his form teacher, Mrs Brown. ‘Not today, boy, but we can go there in the morning, if you want?’
‘Can I come too?’ Daniel asked.
Lee held Daniel’s hand. ‘Yeah. ’Course you can come. You’re my bruvver.’
Having enjoyed a ploughman’s lunch in the Moorings pub, Vinny and Joanna took a stroll along the beach hand in hand. They had spent a lot of time together in the past six weeks, and Joanna especially enjoyed the times when Vinny drove down to Eastbourne on a weekday on his own. She then got to have a romantic evening in his bungalow with him. Ahmed and Chloe’s relationship hadn’t worked out. A fumble was as far as they had got in the end, which had resulted in Chloe giving Ahmed a wank, then announcing she was no longer interested in him because she didn’t like the way he kissed and found him a bit creepy.
‘You all right, babe?’ Vinny asked.
‘No, not really. I shouldn’t have stormed out the club earlier and been so rude to my mum and Sandy. I feel really guilty now, but I was just sick of my mum interrogating me. Do you think Chloe might have rung my mum and tipped her off about us? I can tell Chloe hates me spending lots of time with you. It’s obvious she is jealous, if you ask me.’
Vinny sat down on the sand and urged Joanna to do the same. He knew she had now fallen for him hook, line, and sinker and was positive if she was forced to choose between him and her parents, he would win. ‘Look, babe, I think you need to tell your mum about us a.s.a.p. You’re coming to work at my club next month and you haven’t even told your family I exist yet. You’re a big girl now, Jo, you’re not a little kid any more. I’m beginning to think you’re ashamed of me or something.’
Joanna squeezed her boyfriend’s hand. ‘Don’t be daft! I could never be ashamed of you. The only reason I haven’t said anything to my mum is because of your age. You are only two years younger than her, Vinny, and if my dad finds out, he will go absolutely ballistic.’
‘But, I thought you said your mum and dad were divorced?’ Vinny said. Joanna still hadn’t told him that her father was banged-up. In fact, she rarely mentioned him at all. She hadn’t even told him that her dad’s name was Johnny.
‘My mum and dad are divorced, but I think they might be getting back together. It’s a long story, and I will tell you about it one day.’
Vinny turned his back on Joanna so she couldn’t see him smirk. He knew more about her shitcunt of a father than she seemed to. Joanna had asked him his surname weeks ago, and hadn’t flinched at all when he had told her it was Butler, so it was obvious she knew very little about her dad’s trial or past.
‘Are you OK?’ Joanna asked anxiously.
Vinny sighed. Wooing Joanna was becoming a bit tedious now. The sex between them had been mind-blowing at first, but Vinny knew that had only been because of his lust for revenge. Now he had Joanna firmly in his clutches, he was getting bored with her, so the quicker her father found out about their relationship and the shit hit the fan, the better. Deciding to give Joanna an ultimatum, Vinny propped himself on his elbow and turned to face her. ‘I’m gonna book a table at a restaurant tonight and I want you to invite your mum and Sandy. I’ll explain the situation to your mum, and I’m sure once she meets me she’ll be fine about the age gap.’
‘Noooo! I can’t just drop a bombshell on her like that, Vinny. I’ll tell her myself soon, I promise. Where you going?’ Joanna asked, as Vinny stood up and started to walk away from her.
‘Back to Kings. I’ve had enough of this, Jo. Treated you like a princess I have, yet still I’m deemed not good enough to be in the company of your mother. Perhaps you are right about the age gap between us being too wide. I can’t be doing with immaturity. I’m too long in the tooth for it.’
Petrified that the man of her dreams was going to dump her, Joanna burst into tears and grabbed Vinny’s arm. ‘OK, book the restaurant then. I’m sorry. I want my mum to know about us, honest I do. Please don’t say the age gap is too big, because it isn’t. I think the world of you, you know I do.’
Vinny turned around and held his distraught young girlfriend in his arms. She was a begging wreck and he quite liked that. ‘I’ll book a table for eight o’clock at that restaurant in the town centre. Give your mum the address and tell her we’ll meet her there. Me and you can have a drink in town first to calm your nerves a bit. Don’t tell her you are meeting your boyfriend though, I’ll do all the talking, OK?’
Relieved that Vinny had given her a second chance, Joanna nodded. ‘I will just tell mum that I’m bringing a friend and I’ll leave the rest to you. Tough shit if she thinks you’re too old for me. It’s my life and I know my own mind.’
‘That’s my girl,’ Vinny said lovingly. He then ordered Joanna to wait inside the car while he ran inside the pub to make a quick phonecall.
Even though Ahmed owned a house where his wife and kids lived, he also had what he referred to as his bachelor pad, and Vinny guessed that was where his pal would probably be after a late night. ‘Vinny! My prick is still very sore from our session, and I woke up with a bad hangover. How are you, my friend? Did you make it to Eastbourne OK?’
Vinny chuckled. He and Ahmed had sort of had a foursome for the very first time, and even though there hadn’t been any form of sexual contact between the two men, both had got off on watching the other abuse and shag two prostitutes. ‘Yep. Made it to Eastbourne OK, and my cock’s still a bit sore an’ all. Listen, I can’t stay on the phone long because Joanna is outside in the car, but her mother has turned up out the blue with her mate this morning. I’ve arranged to take them all out for a meal tonight, and I can’t wait to see Mummy’s face when she finds out who her darling daughter is being shafted by.’