Carnage

by Lesley Jones

  I know as soon as I look at him that he’s angry. “Fuck G, you okay, they didn’t hurt you did they? Fuckers.” He looks me over.

  “I’m fine, it just freaked me out, fucking hell, they’re aggressive.”

  “Tell me about it and they’re getting fucking worse, you sure you’re alright? I’ll knock them the fuck out next time, they’re pigs some of them.”

  The commotion is still going off all around us, cameras flashing, people banging on the windows asking for autographs; he starts the car and moves slowly forward.

  “Move you stupid fuckers!” he shouts and punches the hooter on the steering wheel. “I swear these people have a death wish.”

  I don’t know why but I get the giggles and by the time we escape the ‘stupid fuckers’ we’re both laughing at absolutely nothing.

  “Where’s Marley?” I ask when I realise he’s missing.

  “Gone with Len, he’s gonna stay at their place tonight.”

  My belly goes over as I wonder what that means for us, he looks from the road to me and then back to the road. “I wanted to take you to mine but them wankers know where we live, they’ll probably be there waiting for us.”

  I keep staring ahead; he reaches across and takes my hand. “Would it be okay if we stayed at yours? They’d never know to look there.”

  “Of course, it’s not as flash as yours and I don’t have a Ronnie at the front door.” He brings my hand up to his lips and kisses it.

  “As long as you’re there G, I don’t give a fuck if it’s even got a front door.”

  I laugh at that. “Ah, now that I do have, in fact I have two, my Dad’s boys did the refurbishment, it’s something that he insisted on and I’m sure if he thought that he could get away with it, he would also have got me a Ronnie.”

  He throws his head back and laughs and the sound makes me smile. We drive back to mine without being followed and spend the rest of the night making love in my bed, which smells of Cam. I fall asleep in Sean’s arms, dreaming about lights flashing and being pulled in different directions by two tall, dark haired, dark eyed men.

  I’m woken in the morning by my phone ringing. I look across at my clock radio, shit, and its eleven forty-five. Sean is wrapped all around me and hasn’t stirred at the sound of the phone. I wriggle out from underneath him and grab the phone from its base and walk out to the kitchen and put the kettle on as I answer.

  “Hello.” My voice is dry and raspy from my long sleep.

  “I’m sorry Kitten, did I wake you?” For some reason, guilt washes over me as I hear Cam’s voice. I look down at my naked self and think about all the different ways Sean fucked me in my bed last night.

  “Mmm, yeah, you did,” I say as I stretched, trying to disguise the guilt in my voice.

  “Did you have a late night baby?”

  “Not really, just needed the sleep.” Lie.

  “What did you do last night?”

  “Went for an Indian.” Not a lie.

  “Right, who with?”

  “Jimmie.” Sort of not a lie, Jimmie was there.

  “Oh right, no Ashley?” Shit, I nearly always go out with Ash on a Friday night. Double shit, it’s Ash’s party tonight at the club, shit, fuck, bollocks, I have a hair and makeup appointment at three.

  “No, no Ash, she’s saving herself for tonight.”

  “Ah, right, yeah, her party at the club.”

  “Yeah.” There’s a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

  “Okay, well seeing as you don’t seem to want to talk, I’ll hang up. Sorry for waking you up Kitten.”

  I feel terrible, evil. “Cam.”

  The instant I say his name, I realise that Sean is behind me, I turn to see him standing naked, his arms above his head as he reaches up to touch the top of the door frame, he isn’t as tall as Cam, but at around six foot, he’s still tall and he’s nowhere near as broad but he’s still beautifully defined. That’s exactly what Sean is, from his dark hair, which is a long mess right now, his dark skin and eyes, all the way down to that perfect V thing men have going on, to his toned legs and sexy brown feet, he is just beautiful, my beautiful boy.

  “Kitten?”

  Shit, Cam. “I’ll talk to you Monday,” I say. He hangs up without saying any more. I turn and look at Sean who now has a hard on that’s almost touching his belly button, I walk toward him, wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him, he slides his hands underneath my bum cheeks, lifts me up and carries me over to the breakfast bar, where he sits me down but remains standing between my legs.

  “Shit,” I complain as the cold surface hits my bare arse. “It’s freezing.”

  He gives a little smile but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “I thought you spoke to him yesterday.”

  My stomach jumps to my throat and I swallow it back down before I speak, “I did, he’s away on business, I want to talk to him face to face but he’s not back till Monday so I’ll talk to him then.”

  He slides me forward so that I’m pressed against him, he’s standing, I’m sitting on the breakfast bar, both naked, my legs wrapped around his hips. “I’m jealous; I don’t want you to see him Monday.”

  “Why are you jealous? I’m seeing him to break up with him.” He shrugs his shoulders and rubs his thumb over his bottom lip.

  “I don’t know, just the thought of you with him.” His hand rubs at the back of his neck. “I’m being a twat ain’t I?”

  “You’re being a complete twat babe.”

  He smiles that beautiful, lazy, lopsided smile of his. “I love you.” Is all that he says, and then he carries me back to bed.

  Later, I explain to him about Ashley’s party tonight at my Dad’s club and ask if he would like to come with me. Jimmie and Lennon are going so we call Marley up and ask him to come along too, despite the fact the party’s in the VIP area. Sean calls up his usual security guards and arranges for them to work tonight. Later Sean heads over to Lens to pick up Marley and they go home to get ready for tonight. They’ll meet us at the club later as I’m going in the limo with the girls. The instant he’s gone, I miss him, miss him to the point that I stand for a few seconds and hug myself as I think of the mad events that have happened over the last forty eight hours. I’m bought back to earth by my buzzer going off, Sean had insisted that I lock both doors after he left, he’s worried about reporters finding out who I am and coming over here, although why exactly they would be interested in me, I have no idea.

  “Hello,” I call into the intercom.

  “Get the door G, my arms are breaking here.” It’s Ashley; I had completely forgotten she was getting ready here. She will freak out when I tell her who I’ve invited along tonight. She loves Carnage. I’ve got her tickets for their shows a few times but never the back stage passes that she’s begged for. I couldn’t, I hated the thought of her seeing Sean when I couldn’t so I always made up some excuse, well today, I would make up for that and give her a birthday present to remember.

  I buzzed the bomb/riot/nuclear war proof door my Dad had insisted was installed, open and went to my front door. Ashley not only had a garment bag and holdall with her, she also had a case of champagne. I helped her in with everything and we hug.

  “I’ve been worried about you babe, your Mum said you was a bit under the weather, I thought you was gonna bail on me. I belled a couple of times but you didn’t pick up. What’s up babe, dodgy guts or summit?” Ashley had the kind of Essex accent that made my Mum cringe, she was careful in the shop to never drop her H’s or to use slang but once she was out of the shop, she spoke like a typical Essex girl, the way I would have spoken if my Mum hadn’t been around to always pick me up on my pronunciation. I slipped occasionally but never to Ashley’s degree.

  “Ash.” I held her by the shoulders and looked at her, she was as blonde as I was dark but we both had blue eyes, she was as tall as me but much curvier and whenever we went out together, we turned every head in the place.

  She frowned and looked at me. “George.
”

  “I have some news.”

  “Yeah, right, am I gonna like it?”

  “Not sure, you will definitely like some of it.”

  “Fuck’s sake George, jus spill will ya.”

  “I’m back with Sean.”

  “What… Rock star Sean, Maca, from Carnage Sean?”

  “Hmm mmm.” Is all I can manage while I nod.

  “Fuck, what about TDH.” Okay, that wipes the smile off my face. I let out a deep sigh.

  “I know, I feel really bad, he’s away till Monday, I’ll see him then and call things off.”

  “Wow, babe, back with Sean… Shit, was that you in the paper with him this morning, coming out of a restaurant last night?” No, the pictures were in the papers?

  “What, what papers, what did it say?”

  “Ha, well actually it’s really funny now I know it was you, you’re looking down at the ground and Marley’s on one side with his arm around your shoulders and Sean’s on the other, pushing a pap out the way and the headline says something like ‘Looks like another Marley and Maca threesome was on the cards for the Carnage boys last night’. How funny is that, they had you down as shagging your own brother, which, yeah anyway, so, wow.”

  She realises that I’m not impressed by the look on my face. I grab my phone and dial the number that Sean wrote down on a piece of paper for me earlier, Marley answers. “It’s done; we dumped the body in the Thames.”

  “Very funny Marls, one day that will get you in deep shit.”

  “Hello little sister Georgia, it’s been what, two hours since you seen him and your already on the phone, you sad little individual.”

  “Is that Georgia? Gimme the phone,” I hear Sean say in the background.

  “G?”

  “Sean, those pictures from last night made the papers; apparently I was going home for a threesome with you and Marley.”

  “Fuck, Norman, the doorman said we were in the papers when we got back here but he didn’t say what it said. You okay G?”

  “Not really but what can I do?”

  “Nothing really, I told ya, they’re pigs most of them, I’ll sort you out some security, if they see us together again, it’ll only get worse and then…” he trails off.

  “And then what?

  “Look, don’t freak out but some of our fans are a bit… possessive, any girls, any of us have ever been linked with generally get abuse of some kind. But don’t worry, I’ll get Milo onto it, I’ll get you the best close protection, I ain’t having anyone getting near ya G.”

  “I need a body guard, seriously?”

  “Yes G, I ain’t taking no chances, there’s some fuckin’ nutters out there and I ain’t risking one of them getting near ya.” I don’t really know what to say to that.

  “I miss ya, can’t wait to see you tonight,” he says quietly into the phone.

  “Peeerrrleeease, you’ve just left her, you’ll see her again in a few hours!” I hear Marley call out.

  “Shut the fuck up Layton you dick.” I smile at a conversation I have heard so many times between these two. I look up to see Ashley watching me with a grin on her face.

  “I miss you too.”

  “What time you leaving?”

  “The limo picks us up at nine, get ready and come back here if you want.”

  “Na, you enjoy your girl time, we’ll just meet ya at the club.”

  “Okay, see ya then.”

  “I love you Georgia Rae, show us your tits,” he whispers into the phone.

  “Maca, I can hear you, that’s my little fuckin’ sister, you perv.”

  “I love you too Sean.” I stand and grin into the phone for a few seconds, listening to him telling Marley to shut up again.

  “Go get yourself tarted up, can’t wait to see ya.” I hang straight up; otherwise we’ll be there for hours, just like we used to be.

  As soon as I end the call, Ashley is on me. “George, I’ve gotta say babe, I’ve never, ever, seen you look so happy, you’re proper in love with him ain’t ya.” She sounds amazed, like this is a revelation, has no one been listening to me these past nine years. I love Sean McCarthy, always have, always will, nothing will ever change that.

  “I love him Ash, I’ve always loved him.” She didn’t say anything for a while and then surprised me by giving me a cuddle.

  “You know what babe, I believe ya, it’s written all over ya face, you look different, like the light has been switched on somewhere.”

  I smile back; I know exactly what she means, because that’s exactly how I feel. “Ash, look, I hope you don’t mind but tonight I sorted of invited Sean along.”

  “Oh my fuckin’ God, George, are you serious. Sean McCarthy is coming to my birthday party, really, did he say yes, is he really coming?”

  “Yes Ash, really and Marley’s coming too.” She screams so loud, it actually hurts my ears.

  “Georgia, oh my God Georgia, the boys from Carnage are gonna be at my birthday party. Fuck, you are the best friend ever.” I think she’s happy!

  CHAPTER 20

  By eight o’clock that night I was dressed in a short black leather dress and knee high leather boots, my hair was a long and bouncy mass of curls and my makeup applied by professionals to perfection. I had downed three glasses of champagne and snorted two lines of coke, Ashley’s brother had supplied her with some top notch class A shit along with a few ecstasy pills that we would take later in the night. By eleven o’clock when we walked into Kings, I was buzzing and felt on top of the world. I loved turning up here when there was a queue and walking straight past everyone to the front.

  My Dad and Bailey had done me proud, the room was decorated exactly as I had asked them to, in Ashley’s favourite colour of purple, matched with silver, there was a small table with nibbles on and waiters and waitresses on hand with champagne. Jimmie had come in the limo with us and had told me that the boys had a driver and would be leaving from her place about now so to expect them within the hour.

  Bailey appeared at my side and gave me a cuddle, I could see the eyes of Ashley’s friends light up as they looked my eldest brother over. “How you doing little sister Georgia? See you got papped last night outside the Indian. I’ve called in a few extra doormen in case there’s any problems tonight.”

  “Thanks big brother Bailey, the boys are bringing their own blokes and thanks for all this too, it looks great.”

  “Not a problem, Mum’s been here all afternoon organising all of this, you know what she’s like but I’ve gotta admit, it looks nice, she does have a good eye.” My stomach lurches a little bit at the mention of my Mum and I feel guilty, despite everything, she still came here today and did this for my friend.

  “How is she?” I ask him, he shrugs.

  “She’s actually really pissed off with herself; she can’t believe she believed that girl without checking out her story.”

  “That’s just typical Mum though Bails, she only ever sees the good in everyone, she thinks we’re all as nice as her.”

  He nods in agreement. “Exactly, that’s why you shouldn’t be so hard on her, she fucked up. We all do it at least once in our lives, most of us even more.”

  “Yeah, I know, I’ll sort it between us, I promise.”

  “Make sure you do, right, enjoy yourselves and behave, your pupils are already like saucers.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I’m watching you Georgia, no doing any of that shit in public, you never know who might be watching, especially as you’re practically famous now.” He kisses my hair and leaves, kisses Jims cheek and leaves.

  “Shit George, your brothers are so fuckin’ good lookin’, even your Mum and Dad are still hot.”

  “Eww, Ash.”

  “Well it’s true and then look, your brothers marrying Jimmie and she’s gorgeous, you lot are gonna produce the next generation of beautiful people between ya’s.” Jimmie and I just shake our heads and laugh, Ashley’s buzzing. We call her machine gun lips when she’s on, because she talks so fas
t.

  The VIP bar has its own dance floor overlooking the main dance floor, with the same music pumped in through a hidden sound system. Friday nights are always dance music nights and I can’t keep still, I love dancing, after so many years of not listening to music, I found that when I first started coming to clubs with Ash, that I just couldn’t stand still. I don’t know if it was because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t hear a Carnage song in a nightclub and I just relaxed enough to enjoy myself or maybe it was the drugs but I just had to dance and tonight it didn’t matter either way, in fact I would love to hear a Carnage song, just so that I could dance my arse off to it.

  Ash, Jimmie and I headed down to the main dance floor as no one was dancing up in our section yet. We had arrived early so that Ash was there to greet her guests, but most wouldn’t arrive until after midnight, which is when we usually turned up. We dance for four or five songs and when we get sick of fighting off the unwanted attention of sweaty men, we head upstairs; as soon as we enter the bar. I know that Sean is there, I just feel it, feel him, it was like, long fingers of electricity reached out from him, toward me, even if they didn’t quite touch me. I could still feel the current, the pull and I think it worked in reverse for him, at least I hoped it did.