‘You can say sorry, you good-for-nothing-piece of scum. But then, I’m not sure that’s good enough for what you’ve put all those poor women through. You’ll be pleased to know, though, that I’ve informed the relevant authorities, and your scamming days are now well and truly over. Your other half is already talking to the police, and when this boat docks in Palma tomorrow they’ll be waiting for you too. The saving grace is that there’s no way you can escape before that. You’re going to be escorted off this ship in handcuffs, I can promise you that.’ Brendon looked over at Marcie, who’d now stopped fanning herself and was looking at Brendon as though he were some dashing hero from one of her romance novels. ‘You had a lucky escape there, Marcie, me darling.’
‘Oh, Brendon,’ she gasped, walking over to him, holding out her hands which he took, gently pulling her towards him. ‘ You saved me! My very own hero!’
Aimee and Jemma looked at each other, both of them pulling a face before smiling.
‘I knew I was right,’ Aimee said, looking at her watch. ‘I never trusted him from the second I laid eyes on him.’
‘You got to be somewhere?’ Jemma asked, noticing Aimee’s now almost obsessive need to check the time.
‘Well – and it doesn’t take a genius to work this one out – I think this party’s over now, don’t you? Not much point in hanging round here any longer, is there? Not when there’s something far more important I could be doing. In the Vegas Show Lounge.’
Jemma’s smile grew wider. ‘Oh. I get it. The final piece of the jigsaw, huh?’
‘The final piece of the jigsaw. If he’ll have me.’
‘Oh, come on, Aimee. Of course he’s going to have you. He’s always wanted you, and how many times did I keep telling you that? But would you listen to me? No, because…’
‘Jemma, shut up. Come on. Let’s get out of here.’ She grabbed Jemma’s hand and they ran out of the Clipper Bar, Aimee quite confident that Brendon would look after her mother, which was just as well, because Aimee had something of her own to sort out now. And then maybe both her and Marcie could end this holiday on a high. Both of them rid of men they could well do without. Men that would only ever have hurt them.
On her way out, Aimee caught sight of Bob standing near the doorway and she threw him a smile, which he returned, raising his pint of beer and winking at her – a reaction that she knew meant she was taking his advice the way he’d meant her to. She was following her heart. And sod what the head was saying.
Aimee and Jemma reached the Show Lounge just as the first bars of the Bon Voyage ballad Make Me The One started to fill the room, and Aimee stood quietly at the back for a few seconds, watching as Danny – who took lead vocals on this track – stepped to the front of the stage, his eyes closed as he waited for the intro to end, and it was a miracle he could hear anything at all with the noise all the Barmy Bon Voyager’s were making as they threw themselves over their pushed-together tables, screaming and waving scarves and banners around. It was all quite surreal, and Aimee closed her own eyes for a second, suddenly transporting herself back to those days of the early 90’s when she and Jemma hadn’t exactly been the quiet kind of Bon Voyage fan themselves. They’d done their fair share of screaming, scarf waving and risqué banner-writing. But never in her wildest dreams had Aimee ever thought she’d ever get anywhere near Danny Johnson – her dream man, her pop idol. No way had she ever thought she’d ever be this close to him. But she had been. And she could be again. It was all in her hands now.
Opening her eyes, she looked over at the stage again, slowly walking between the tables, her arms folded against her as she watched Danny sing the most beautiful of Bon Voyage’s songs, and then, just like some crazy romantic dream – or, God forbid, like an excerpt from one of Marcie’s novels – Danny’s ice-blue eyes met hers, and suddenly he was singing just to her. Or, at least, that’s what it felt like. That’s what she wanted it to feel like. And as the last bars of the song faded out, Danny jumped down off the stage, running through the tables, pursued by a handful of rogue Barmy Bon Voyagers who’d seen their chance and were going for it, only to be pulled back by Cal and Ross, whose reactions to the situation had been sharp as samurai swords but it didn’t seem to bother the Barmy Bon Voyagers. Any band member was good enough in their eyes so the diversion had been created, leaving Danny and Aimee running towards each other in a now quiet Show Lounge, everyone in there making the most of one show ending as another one begun, cheering out loud as Danny swept Aimee up into his arms, swinging her round, the most ridiculous feeling of happiness flooding over him as the Show Lounge crowd erupted into rounds of applause and more heartfelt cheers and whistles.
Aimee couldn’t stop lauging, almost screaming out with happiness as he swung her round and round, finally putting her down but still holding onto her waist, pulling her close, kissing her long and slow – the most beautiful kiss in the whole wide world, as far as Aimee was concerned.
Once upon a time Danny Johnson had been nothing but a poster hanging on her wall, a piece of paper she’d kissed goodnight every evening and said hello to every morning, all the time wishing – just wishing – for a moment like this to be a reality. And now it was. And it was still going to take some time to get her head around it, but she finally had her man. She had her dream man. And this time she wasn’t letting him go.
CRUISE DAY 15
Palma, Majorca
Disembarkation Day
8:25am
Aimee opened her eyes and stretched languidly, yawning quietly as she arched her back, her arms up above her head. Boy, did she feel good. She felt invigorated, revitalised; energetic. Happy. Yeah, that was the most important feeling – she was happy. And as she turned over onto her side she smiled as the reason for her happiness slowly opened his eyes.
‘Hey, my number one fan,’ he grinned and she hit him playfully on the arm, leaning over to kiss him gently.
‘Good morning. Did you sleep well?’
He pulled himself up into a sitting position, sliding his arm around Aimee’s shoulders, pulling her close and she snuggled into him, resting her head against his chest.
‘Well, once we finally got to sleep…’ he smirked, kissing the top of her head, ‘… then I slept fine.’
Aimee closed her eyes and smiled again. Or maybe she just hadn’t stopped smiling since last night, it was hard to tell. ‘Yesterday was one hell of a day,’ she said quietly, stroking his taut stomach, his skin soft beneath her fingertips. She had an urge to go lower, to give him one very special wake-up call but she only had another hour in which to grab some breakfast and the lure of a bacon sandwich was outweighing the need for sex. Maybe they’d have time for a quick one before they said goodbye… Oh, God. They’d only just got together and now they were so close to saying goodbye again. Even if it was only for a day or so.
‘Can’t deny that,’ Danny sighed. ‘Hey, you okay? You’ve gone all quiet. You’re not having second thoughts or anything, are you?’
‘God, no!’ Aimee said, sitting up and looking at him. ‘No. Absolutely not. I’m just not looking forward to letting you go this morning, that’s all. I mean, our coach for the airport is going to be here in less than a couple of hours. Your flight’s not until this afternoon.’
He sat forward, tilting up her chin and kissing her mouth quickly, smiling at her. ‘And you know that as soon as I land at Newcastle airport I’ll be calling you. You know that, don’t you? And tomorrow – tomorrow we start making plans.’
Just hearing those words made her stomach turn a million and one somersaults, those butterflies that had been locked away for the past week now flying loose and free, making her feel almost light-headed. Danny Johnson – Bon Voyage’s Danny Johnson – wanted to make plans. With her. Aimee Anderson. It was beyond mad!
‘So, cheer up, okay?’ Danny smiled, kissing her quickly again. ‘Everything’s okay, now. Isn’t it?’
‘You tell me,’ she said, crossing her legs up underneath her.
‘What do you mean?’ he frowned, thinking how incredibly sexy she looked sat there, wearing one of his shirts and not very much else, her hair all over the place, her face devoid of any make-up. How refreshing to be here with a real woman and not one that had to spend two hours in the bathroom fixing lots of false things onto her person before she even came down to breakfast.
‘The band, Danny. Oh, I know you put on that show last night because you were contracted to do so, but what happens now? After everything that went on yesterday…’
Danny pushed a hand through his hair, leaning back against the head board. ‘I don’t know, Aimee. Andy he… he apologised, y’know? To all of us. And we had this massive heart-to-heart in The Pub before the show but… What he did, and I don’t just mean what he did to the band all those years ago, but what he did to us – to you; he had no right to interfere. Him, Davina, Robbie… what they all did was…’
‘Stupid, Danny. It was stupid and it was thoughtless and it was selfish. But even they can see now that they shouldn’t have done it – Andy and Davina, they were just desperate for some kind of fame because, for some reason, they can’t seem to function without it, and Robbie, well, he was just plain greedy.’
Danny looked at her. ‘Yeah. I know all of that, kidda, it’s just that… I don’t know if I can trust Andy again, y’know? Knowing how desperate he is to be the centre of attention, how far he’ll go to get what he wants…’
‘Do you want to be in the band, Danny? Because I don’t care if you want to stick with the painting and decorating, none of that bothers me. I just want to be with you, whatever you do. So, this has got to be about what you want. And think with your heart, okay? Not with your head. Look, you’re all in charge now, aren’t you? You’re all in control of your own destinies this time around, and I think Andy… I think he’s got the message now, don’t you? I think he’d be stupid to try anything underhand when he knows how closely you’ll all be watching him. A lot of mistakes have been made, Danny – and we’re no exception to that. We’ve made mistakes too. A lot of people have put themselves first and haven’t thought about anyone else, but it’s time to move on now, isn’t it? Time to forget the past because, somehow, it seems as though everyone has finally got what they want. And nobody really got that hurt, did they? Nothing that we can’t get over, anyway. So, make this decision based on what’s in your heart, Danny. Go on. Now answer me – do you want to give Bon Voyage another go?’
He looked into her eyes, the smile re-appearing on his handsome face. ‘Yeah. I guess I’m curious to see where this could take us. Despite everything that’s happened. And now that I’ve got you…’
She smiled back, climbing astride him, pulling the covers away from him so she could see his naked body. His naked and beautiful, sexy as hell body. ‘You think you’ve got me then, huh?’
‘I think I’ve well and truly got you, Aimee Anderson,’ he said, kissing her slowly, a kiss that got longer and harder and deeper; a kiss that Aimee had no other choice but to give in to.
‘Yeah. I guess you really have got me, haven’t you, Mr Pop Star?’
‘You better believe it, beautiful. And this time, you ain’t going anywhere. Unless I’m right by your side.’
And who was Aimee to argue with that? Those bacon sandwiches were going to have to wait.
*
Walking down to breakfast, hand in hand with Danny Johnson, Aimee felt like the luckiest woman in the world. Even the evil looks some passing members of the Barmy Bon Voyager’s were throwing her way couldn’t dampen her mood. They’d have to continue to dream about being this close to their favourite member of a boy band, whereas she was now living the reality. And it felt amazing!
‘Isn’t that your mam?’ Danny asked as they approached the Lido Café, and Aimee smiled as she saw her mother leaving the self-service restaurant hand in hand with Brendon.
‘Yeah. That’s her,’ Aimee smiled. ‘And it looks like even she’s finally found exactly what she wants too.’
Aimee hadn’t seen her mother since the Clipper Bar non-engagement party fiasco, but it looked very much like Brendon had done a lot more than just save her from a predatory con man. He also seemed to have won her heart and Aimee couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she saw how happy her mother looked.
‘Aimee, my darling!’ Marcie sing-songed, enveloping her daughter in a hug. ‘Is this the young man that Bob tells me you should never have left for that Robbie Cartwright?’
‘Yes, it is, and can we not talk about Robbie anymore please, Mam? Just mentioning his name makes me feel quite ill. This is Danny, by the way. Danny Johnson – Danny, this is my mam, Marcie Marcello.’
Marcie smiled and batted her eyelashes at Danny as he took her hand, bringing it up to his lips and kissing it gently. ‘It’s so good to finally meet you, Ms Marcello,’ Danny smiled, and Marcie let out one of her girlish giggles, her eyelashes still batting ten to the dozen.
‘Look at the woman,’ Brendon boomed, shaking his head. ‘A shameless flirt you are, me darling Marcie. A shameless flirt. And I love it!’ He put an arm round Marcie’s waist, pulling her against him and she giggled even louder, those eyelashes of hers still fluttering away. It was quite exhausting to watch.
‘I take it you two got talking after the outing of Engelbert then?’ Aimee asked, slipping her hand back into Danny’s.
‘Of course we did, darling!’ Marcie gushed, looking up at Brendon. ‘This wonderful, wonderful man here saved me from that awful little creature, because he truly cared about me. He is one of life’s gentlemen. And I’ll never forget what he did.’
‘Aw, get away with you, woman. I was only doing what any decent man would have done.’
‘Well, you’re my hero,’ Marcie carried on, looking into his eyes as Aimee and Danny looked at each other, smiling.
‘You can write me into one of your books then,’ Brendon said, kissing Marcie’s cheek. ‘Because I’ll be hanging around for the research. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.’
‘I shan’t be getting rid of you at all,’ Marcie smiled, and Danny and Aimee took this as their cue to head on into the Lido Café before they were put off the idea of breakfast altogether.
‘Don’t forget, Mam. We all have to be in the Show Lounge by 10am ready for the coach to the airport. Don’t be late!’
Marcie said nothing, just waved her hand in the air, her bracelets jangling left, right and centre as her and Brendon walked away, probably to say their very own goodbyes-for-now, whatever form that may take. And it wasn’t something Aimee wanted to think about, if she could help it. But it hadn’t escaped her notice that Brendon had been holding a mug of tea – maybe that relationship was going to be one that was going to be equally good for both of them.
Once inside the Lido Café, and with trays filled with bacon, bread rolls, croissants and pots of tea, Danny and Aimee joined Cal and Jemma outside on the Lido Deck, making the most of their last couple of hours in the Spanish sunshine.
‘Didn’t think you two were coming,’ Jemma said, wiping her mouth with a serviette. ‘Thought you might have been otherwise engaged.’
Aimee stuck her tongue out at Jemma, ripping open a croissant and smothering it with raspberry jam.
‘Put it away, woman. I don’t know where it’s been… Actually, I could probably hazard a guess…’
‘Don’t be crude!’ Aimee laughed, kicking Jemma under the table.
‘You seen Andy or Davina this morning?’ Danny asked Cal, taking a bite out of his bacon roll.
‘Yeah. Look, they kind of wanted to tell you this themselves but, I reckoned it would be better if I gave you the heads up – they’re officially a couple now. Brummie Barry’s got it on camera and everything.’
Aimee looked at Danny, trying to gauge his reaction to that news and she was pleased to find that the only reaction he seemed to be displaying was one of relief.
‘Does that mean she isn’t going to fight this divorce anymore then?’ Danny as
ked, taking another bite of bacon roll. He suddenly had one hell of an appetite.
‘I don’t think she’s going to fight anything anymore, mate,’ Cal smiled. ‘I mean, when you think about it, her and Andy were made for each other, weren’t they?’
Danny smiled too. ‘Yeah. I think you might be right there. The Queen of the Z-Lister’s has finally found her man. And, thankfully, it ain’t me.’
Aimee and Jemma exchanged looks, their smiles the widest they’d been since they’d first boarded this ship a fortnight ago. They’d arrived free and single with love the last thing on either of their minds, and they were both leaving the ship with the best kind of souvenir no money could buy – pop star boyfriends! There was enough gossip there to keep the staff at SuperStyle entertained for months!
‘So, the band,’ Cal said, quickly turning the subject round to something that he considered quite important now. Danny had a decision to make, and Cal needed to hear it. ‘I mean, we’ve all talked about it, haven’t we? And Andy’s promised that history is not going to repeat itself…’
Danny held up his hand, stopping Cal before he launched into some kind of speech designed to get him on side. He was already on side. He just hadn’t told them that yet because he hadn’t had the chance.
‘Who would turn down the opportunity to have a second stab at being a pop star, Cal? Especially at our age. I mean, really. Come on!’ And they both looked at each other, finally bursting into fits of laughter.
Aimee and Jemma just looked at them, watching as they laughed to the point of tears rolling down their cheeks.
‘Does this… does this mean that Bon Voyage are officially back together then?’ Jemma asked, looking from Cal to Danny.
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