Shafted (24 page)

‘Oh, but that’s such a waste,’ she purred, her gaze boring sexily into his eyes.

‘Hey, I’m not saying never,’ Larry assured the audience who were loudly proclaiming their disappointment. ‘Just not yet. I’m still a bit fragile after all that rubbish last year.’

‘Ah, yes,
that
,’ Raine said, a serious note in her voice. ‘It must have been terrible, but I think I speak for the nation when I say I never believed a single word of it. So you can hold your head up high, because everybody knows you were completely and utterly innocent of any wrongdoing.’

Thanking her for her support, Larry smiled at the audience who were showing theirs by cheering and whistling.

Standing up now, Raine gave a theatrical wave of her hand. ‘Larry Logan . . .’

Getting up to a standing ovation, Larry went to Raine and kissed her on the cheek. Smiling slyly when she whispered, ‘Don’t forget my party later,’ he said he’d try to make it. Then, giving one last wave to the audience, he walked off set, smiling again when he heard Raine saying, ‘How fantastic was
he
? . . . And didn’t he look
amazing
?’

Oh, yes . . . he was back, all right!

Georgie was waiting in the corridor when the stagehand eased the door open and let Larry out of the studio. Handing him a towel, she gave him a quick hug, and said, ‘You were wonderful, darling. I told you they’d love you. You’re England’s new superhero, don’t you know?’

‘Aw, shucks, it was nutt’n!’ Larry drawled, grinning broadly as he followed her into his dressing room.

‘Oh,
please
!’ Georgie chuckled, taking the towel from him and handing him a comb. ‘But, seriously, I agree with Raine – you
were
brave, and I’m very proud of you.’

‘The two-faced bitch has invited me to her party tonight,’ Larry sneered, turning to the mirror to straighten his hair. ‘Can you believe that? Last time I saw her, she completely blanked me – like all the other bastards round here. Didn’t want to be associated with me when I was being accused of fucking child abuse. But now that I’m a
hero
, she’s making out like we’re long-lost lovers, or something.’

‘So, what time’s the party?’ Georgie asked, smiling playfully at him in the mirror, because they both knew that he
would
go – whatever he thought of Raine Parker.

‘Ten.’

Glancing at her watch, Georgie said, ‘Plenty of time, then. Anyway, hurry up and get yourself sorted out, because we’ve got exactly twenty minutes to get to the BBC. Oh, and when you’ve done the Radio Two interview, they’ve asked if you’ll pop in for a chat with James Fletcher on Four.’

‘Aren’t I supposed to be going straight over to Century?’

‘Yes, but they’ve agreed to delay for thirty minutes, so there’s no panic.’

Looking at himself in the mirror again while Georgie gathered his things together and threw them into his bag, Larry fingered the scar beneath his chin. Despite the blood he’d lost at the time, it had turned out to be fairly superficial. But he wore it like a badge of honour nonetheless, and was a little disappointed that it was already fading. Still, the grainy black-and-white footage from the CCTV camera had made the incident look much worse than it had actually been, so at least he’d have that to remind people of how close he’d come to death. Even
he
’d been shocked when he saw it played back for the first time, so it was guaranteed to stay in the nation’s collective memory for some while to come.

‘All set?’ Georgie asked when she’d finished packing up his things.

Nodding, Larry took one last look around, then followed her out into the corridor – just as Frank Woods was passing.

‘Ah, Georgie,’ he gushed, reaching out to air-kiss her on each cheek. ‘How are you, my dear? Did you get my message?’

‘Yes, I did,’ she said. ‘And I’m sorry I didn’t get back to you, but I haven’t had a single moment to myself in months.’

‘Not to worry,’ Frank murmured. Looking at Larry, he gave him an uncertain smile. This was the first time they had actually seen each other since the telethon, and he wasn’t sure how the boy would react to him trying to be friendly now.

Returning the smile as if there were no hard feelings, Larry slipped a hand into his trouser pocket and said, ‘How are you, Frank?’

‘Fine,’ Frank said, feeling very awkward. ‘So, how does it feel to be a national hero?’

‘Oh, you know.’ Larry shrugged. ‘Can’t complain.’

‘So I hear,’ Frank said, folding his arms, wondering whether, while he had them both here, he should broach the subject of why he’d rung Georgie.

Glancing at her watch before he had a chance, Georgie said, ‘Sorry, Frank, I don’t mean to be rude, but we really can’t hang around. We’ve three more interviews to get to tonight.’

‘Oh, sorry, I should have realised. Will you, um, give me a ring sometime soon? Because I really need to speak to you.’

Smiling warmly, because she and Frank had always got along okay, Georgie linked her arm through Larry’s and said, ‘Of course. I’ll call you tomorrow.’

Saying goodbye, Frank watched as they hurried away down the corridor. Larry was looking a whole lot better than he had last year. And he’d been as sober as a judge, which was very good, because Frank hadn’t seen him like that for a good long time before their split. And now that he was back on form and solidly re-established in the affections of the public, Frank really needed to talk to Georgie about getting Larry to return to the show. Matty Kline was doing okay, but he just didn’t have the same mass-market appeal, and it had to be said that
Star Struck
hadn’t been the same without Larry at the helm.

Heading out to the parking lot at the rear of the studio just then, Larry was smiling like the cat who’d got the cream. All the way from his dressing room people had been stopping to congratulate him and tell him that they’d missed him, and he was lapping it up. Not only because it felt good to be back among his peers, but also because this was the first time he’d been allowed into Oasis since the telethon. It was like a grand homecoming, because this was where he’d got his first break. And knowing that, in view of his renewed popularity, Alan Corbin had been forced to retract the lifetime ban he’d slapped on Larry was particularly sweet.

Thanking the security guard when he held the door open for them, Georgie stepped out into the icy evening air and shivered. Pausing to wrap her coat around herself, she noticed a group of women gathered on the street side of the barrier. Nudging Larry, she nodded in their direction.

Following her gaze, Larry saw the women at the same time as they spotted him and started yelling his name. Grinning, he said, ‘That’s a sight I didn’t expect to see again this time last year.’

‘Well, don’t keep them waiting,’ Georgie teased, giving him a gentle push in their direction. ‘But please be quick, because we really do have to get moving.’

Strolling towards the women as Georgie raced off to fetch the car, Larry smiled to himself when he recognised some of them from Raine’s audience. Her show wasn’t even over yet, but they’d deserted it to come out here and stand in the cold on the off chance of catching him before he left. He was truly back on the crest of the wave – and this time there would be no fuck-ups to knock him back into the water.

Laughing as the women tussled to get closer to him when he reached the barrier, Larry stayed a couple of steps back to avoid being mauled. He grinned at the familiar old security guard who came out of the booth to assist him, saying, ‘Just like the old days, eh, Don?’

‘It is that,’ Don agreed with a chuckle that turned into a hacking smoker’s cough. ‘Can’t say anyone else has caused a ruckus like this since you’ve been gone. But it doesn’t make my job any easier, so don’t make a habit of it.’

Laughing, because he knew that Don was only joking, Larry took a pen out of his pocket and set about signing the programmes that the women were thrusting at him.

Working his way through the crowd, he heard a strangled cry of pain from somewhere at the back. Unable to see over the other women’s heads, he craned his neck and called, ‘Everything all right back there?’

When the rest of the women turned to see what was going on, Larry was able to see that one of them had fallen over and was clutching at her leg, grimacing as if she’d really hurt herself.

‘Are you okay?’ he called, dipping under the barrier and going to her.

Blushing as he held out his hand to help her up, she nodded quickly. ‘Yes, I’m fine. I just tripped over. Sorry . . .’

‘Hey, don’t apologise,’ he said, peering down at her concernedly. ‘You’re the one who got hurt, not me. Are you sure you’re okay?’

Nodding again, she winced.

Frowning, Larry said, ‘What hurts?’

‘I banged my knee,’ she said, dipping her gaze and swiping at the dirt on her trousers. ‘But it’s fine now, honestly.’

Unconvinced, Larry said, ‘Come to the security booth. Let me take a look at it in the light.’

Glancing up, the woman shook her head as if she were horrified, and said, ‘No, really, I’m fine.’

Before Larry could argue, Georgie beeped the car horn. Turning his head, he saw her waving for him to get a move on. He shrugged, telling the woman, ‘Sorry, I’ve got to go. Will you be okay to walk on it?’

Smiling now, she nodded. ‘It’s feeling better already, thanks. And I don’t need to walk, because I’m getting picked up.’

‘If you’re sure,’ Larry said, smiling at her. She was really quite attractive, with dark, glossy hair – which made her stand out in the sea of blondes he was surrounded by – and equally dark eyes, which was a very sexy combination.

Contrary to what he’d just told Raine – and her nine million or so viewers – he wasn’t averse to hooking up with a woman again. He just didn’t want to risk landing himself with another gold-digging, demanding diva who would sell him out to the papers as soon as he’d shot his load. This woman didn’t look the type to do something like that. But then, it wasn’t smart to judge a book by its cover, and he didn’t have the time to waste finding out.

Honking the car horn again, Georgie rolled the window down and shouted,‘Come on, Larry. We’re going to be late.’

Saying,‘Sorry, ladies,’when the women groaned disappointedly, he blew kisses to them all, then ducked back under the barrier and climbed into the car.

Waving through the window when Don raised the barrier and Georgie began to ease the car out, he winked at the dark-haired one, getting a tiny shy smile in return before she turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

Watching him out of the corner of her eye as he gazed after her, Georgie said, ‘Don’t even think about it. We’re not picking up waifs and strays, so just sit back and relax, and think about what you’re going to say if you get asked any tricky questions in your next interview.’

‘You know, you really should quit acting like my mother,’ Larry grumbled, lighting a cigarette and rolling the window part-way down.

‘When you learn how to behave yourself, I will,’ Georgie said mock-sternly.

Shaking his head, Larry sat back as she manoeuvred the car through the evening traffic and headed for the BBC studios. He shouldn’t complain, because she’d been amazing over these last few months. And, truth be told, he wouldn’t have been so well now without her help. After Dex had attacked him, he’d found himself slipping back into his old drinking habits. But Georgie had nipped that in the bud, and he really felt as if he’d conquered the booze now, too.

But while he was undoubtedly grateful, he thanked
God
she hadn’t been invited to Raine’s party tonight, because she’d probably want to whisk him out of there and home to bed by eleven. So, off the hook for the first time in ages, he would go to the party. And if he happened to fancy shagging some lucky lady at the end of the night, then that was exactly what he would do.

It just wouldn’t be Raine Parker – no matter how obvious she’d made it that she wanted into his pants!

Larry was knackered by the time he’d finished the last of his three radio interviews. They had gone really well, though, and he was pleased with his performance. Particularly on the second, unscheduled one, when James smart-arse Fletcher had tried to get him to admit that he really
had
known that the girl from the
Star Struck
scandal was almost under-age, and that he’d helped her to win the jackpot with the express intention of fucking her brains out – or words to that effect.

Georgie, who’d been sitting on the other side of the studio glass, had jumped to her feet, all set to pull him from the interview. But Larry had kept his cool, figuring that this was as good an opportunity as any to get his version of events out there. And he must have made a good job of it, because Fletcher had done a complete about-turn by the time the interview came to an end, shaking his hand and inviting him to come back next month to sit on the panel of the Radio Book of the Year Awards.

His interview with Dixie Dean on Century had been a breeze after that and, despite being exhausted, he was still buzzing about the volume of listeners who’d rung in to chat to him – which, Dixie had told him, far outweighed what any of her previous guests had managed to attract.

If the night had been slightly less successful, he probably would have given Raine’s party a miss. But he knew he wouldn’t sleep if he went straight home with all the positive comments still swirling round in his head, so he had Georgie drop him there on her way home.

Not that it
was
on her way but, oh, well . . . maybe she’d think twice about sticking to him like glue in future.

Raine had changed into a flowing evening dress, which plunged in all the right places and caressed her womanly curves like a stroke from a velvet glove. With her shoulder-length honey-blonde hair loosed from its chignon and held in place at the nape of her neck by a diamante clasp, one tanned arm bare while the other sported an intricate gauntlet-style bracelet of diamonds and emeralds, she looked like a goddess when she opened the door for Larry.