See You at the Show

by Michelle Betham

  She looked away the second his eyes met hers, and even though she knew he was coming over to her she didn’t move, she stayed exactly where she was, looking around as the room started to fill up with more people, more famous faces. But still no sign of Mark.

  “Can I join you?”

  She looked up at him. “You’re going to anyway so you might as well.”

  He sat down next to her and she couldn’t help staring at him. He looked different. Probably because he was out of that suit and tie. He was dressed in dark trousers and a white open-necked shirt but something told Stevie he wasn’t entirely comfortable being this casual.

  “What’re you doing here?” she asked, breaking the stare and looking straight ahead of her, still hugging her knees.

  “I needed to see you. I don’t know why so don’t ask me, I just...I just needed to see you.”

  She turned to look at him, those green eyes of his looking right into hers.

  “You needed to see me? You only met me yesterday, what the fuck is going on in your head? Do you know how crazy you sound?”

  “Yes. Yes, I do. Because I don’t do things like this, ever. I don’t veer from the norm, I don’t do anything on the spur-of-the-moment, that just isn’t me. I’m a politician, a businessman; I’ve got a wife...”

  “You’re married? Jesus Christ, what the hell are you doing here? You’re crazier than I thought!”

  “Stevie, please, just listen to me…”

  “Does she know you’re here? Your wife? Does she know you’re here doing...what the hell are you doing?”

  Daniel pushed a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. I really don’t. And no, she doesn’t know I’m here.”

  “And you think she won’t find out? I saw you on TV this morning; I know you’re going to be taking part in this leadership election, or whatever it is. You’re high profile and you’re here, where there are journalists and reporters and God knows who else and you really think she won’t find out?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on anymore.”

  “And I thought you politician’s were supposed to be media savvy. You need to get out of here.”

  “Come with me.”

  She looked at him again. That same look she’d given him yesterday, the look that said she thought he was mad.

  “Come with you?” She had to laugh. Here was some stranger, some politician from a world so far removed from hers and he was asking her to come with him, and do what?

  “I know it sounds ridiculous, I know it does but I just...I just want to talk to you, Stevie.”

  “Why? What the hell could we possibly talk about?”

  She was distracted by Mark walking into the room, a blonde and a redhead on either side of him, his arms around their shoulders. Looked like something was back to normal anyway, but why did it make her feel like crap?

  Daniel saw the look on her face change as the band’s ridiculously handsome front man entered the room, and he still couldn’t quite work out exactly what their relationship was, but he could see that something was there. Whatever that something was.

  “Your boyfriend?”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.”

  The tone of her voice told him it would be best not to continue with that conversation.

  She looked at him. Who was this man who seemed intent on following her? What did he want from her? He was persistent, she’d give him that. He was also really good-looking, she hadn’t noticed that before. Not in the same league as Mark, of course. Nowhere near. But everything about him screamed anything other than politician. She was surprised to find herself kind of intrigued to know more about him, but not here. There were too many distractions here.

  Daniel dug deep into his pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper, taking a pen out of his shirt pocket. She watched him as he scribbled something down on the paper and handed it to her.

  “This is where I’m staying. It’s my London address. I stay there when I’m here on business or working in Westminster.”

  She took it from him and looked at it before stuffing it into the pocket of her combat pants.

  “I’m going there now,” Daniel said, standing up. “If you want to...if you don’t think I’m too much of a crazy person...”

  She couldn’t help but smile at him. “You are. You’re a nutter if you ask me.”

  He smiled too. She made him want to smile. “I’d love to get to know you, Stevie. Whatever’s going on here, and I have no idea what it is, but I can’t get you out of my head and I...I need to do something about that.”

  She looked at him. “You’re weird, Mr. Madison. You’re very weird.”

  “And it feels quite exhilarating,” he laughed. “So...will I...?”

  She looked over towards where Mark and Jack were talking to the two women Mark had brought in with him, then over at Johnny who was busy chatting to Billy. She didn’t know what to do. Everything just felt so upside down at the minute. Nothing felt the same.

  “Maybe,” she said quietly. Then she looked at him one more time. “Just, maybe. Ok?”

  He nodded. Maybe was a positive word when she said it. “I’ll take maybe.”

  “It’s all you’re getting.” She continued to look at him. There was something about him that drew her in, something she was finding hard to ignore. “Goodbye. Daniel.”

  It was the first time he’d heard her say his name and it made his heart jump, a strange feeling cutting right across his chest.

  She got up and walked away from him without looking back, but he was going to see her again. He had no doubt about that. He was going to see her again. And what happened after that he had yet to work out.

  ***

  Mark lounged back on the sofa, the redhead beside him talking away in his ear but he wasn’t really listening. He hadn’t really been listening to her all night. He was too busy watching Stevie talking to some guy he hadn’t seen before. He was trying to work out what was going on over there because one minute she was looking at him strangely and the next they were laughing together.

  “Mark, baby, are we going soon?”

  He looked at the redhead. She was pretty enough and she had an amazing body, but she was no Stevie. And she was starting to aggravate him. Once the sex was out of the way he really wished they’d just disappear.

  “We’re not going anywhere, honey. We’re done here.”

  “Is that it? You’re just dumping me?”

  “What did you think was gonna happen, sweetheart? That we were gonna live happily ever after?”

  Jack sat up, the blonde now sitting on his knee, her arms around his neck.

  “Hey, if he doesn’t want you, darlin’, you can come over and join us. No such thing as three’s a crowd where Jack Warner’s concerned.”

  She got up without giving Mark another glance, sitting down next to Jack, his arm sliding around her shoulders as she snuggled in against him, smiling up at him. Jack was welcome to her. Mark was just glad she was out of his hair.

  He stood up and walked over to Stevie, stopping her in her tracks by standing right in front of her.

  “You got a problem?” she asked, looking up at him, suddenly angry with him for no real reason. None of what he was doing was unusual but for some reason she was finding it hard to deal with tonight.

  “You coming back to my place tonight? We can pick up where we left off this morning.”

  “Can we? Fuck off, Mark. It doesn’t work like that.”

  She tried to walk past him but he grabbed hold of her waist, pulling her closer to him.

  “Come on, Stevie. I’m bored of the fan club tonight.”

  “That’s a shame, Mark, because you’re getting nothing from me.”

  She broke free from his grip and started to walk away from him, but he grabbed her wrist, pulling her back round to face him.

  “You’re knocking me back?”

  She stared at him. “Not nice, is it?”

  She pulled her wrist free and walked
over to Johnny, slipping a hand round the back of his neck, kissing him hard. Mark watched as his friend slid a hand round her waist, pulling her against him and the feeling in the pit of his stomach was one he’d never experienced before. He’d seen this play out a thousand times. He’d seen her do this with Johnny for years now, he’d even watched them having sex once for Christ’s sake, but seeing them now was making him feel sick. He didn’t like it, and he didn’t want to watch it anymore.

  “Are you doing this just to piss him off?” Johnny said, still holding onto Stevie but indicating towards Mark, who was now making his way over to the bar.

  She shrugged. “And if I am?”

  He smiled. “You not in the mood for him then?”

  She didn’t say anything, letting go of Johnny and leaning against the wall beside him, sticking her hands in her pockets.

  “Can we go soon? Please?”

  “Who were you talking to before? Over there? He looked like the same guy you were talking to yesterday. The posh guy, as you put it.”

  “It was the same guy,” Stevie said, watching Mark as he knocked back a shot of something in one go, ordering another one immediately.

  “What did he want?”

  “Nothing…fuck it, I’m outta here.”

  “Stevie, hang on! Where are you going?”

  “I’ll see you back at yours, Johnny. I’m gonna go see Colin and make sure everything’s sorted here. I’ll catch you later, ok?”

  “Yeah. Ok. I suppose.”

  Stevie practically ran out of the room, bumping into Dave Deacon who was on his way in.

  “Hey, take it easy!” he said, looking at her as she tried to push past him.

  “Get out of my way, Dave. I’m not in the mood.”

  “I haven’t said anything yet. What the hell’s up with you?” He looked over towards the bar, where Mark was now lining up shots and knocking back beer like there was no tomorrow. “You and him been pissing each other off again?”

  “Like that’d be news,” Stevie said, her fingers playing with the scrap of paper in her pocket that Daniel had given her.

  “We’ve got four more nights here, Stevie. I need him at his best.”

  “We’ve been down this road before, Dave, and I’ll ask the same question; that’s my problem because...?”

  Dave looked at her. She was an incredible looking woman. He could quite understand why she made Mark Cassidy act the way he did - he’d often wondered what it would be like to go there himself, and he knew he wasn’t the only one.

  “If you’re going to make him this crazy then at least do us the favour of calming him down when you’ve both finished playing whatever game it is you insist on playing.”

  “It’s not a game, Dave.”

  “Just sort it out, Stevie. He fucks up on this tour and nobody wins.”

  “Whatever. He’s not my problem, ok?”

  She tried to walk away but he grabbed her wrist to stop her, and she swung round to stare at him. “Do you want to let go of me? Now?”

  “Listen, Stevie. You’re great at what you do, nobody’s denying that. But you and Mark, sort it out. And soon. Because I’m watching him and I don’t like what I see.”

  She laughed in his face, wrenching her wrist free from his grip.

  “You don’t control me, Dave. And you certainly don’t tell me what to do so back off. Just, back off.”

  She walked out of the room, out into the corridor, and leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes for a second, taking a deep breath. She could still feel that piece of paper in her pocket and she slowly took it out, unfolding it and looking at the scribbled words. He’d left a number, too. His mobile number. This strange man from another world who was starting to play on her mind. But did she really want to go there tonight? Did she really want to know what he needed from her? Just more questions piling up in her head alongside the ever growing list that seemed to get longer every day. And whether they got answered or not was something only she could control.

  ***

  Mark walked over to Johnny, standing right in front of him, staring him right in the eyes. Johnny just looked at him. It was obvious he’d had a good few drinks in the short space of time he’d been at the bar because Johnny could smell the alcohol on him.

  “What’s the problem, Mark?”

  “You. Leave her alone, Johnny.”

  “Sorry?” Johnny laughed.

  “Stevie. Keep away from her.”

  “You’re drunk, Mark.” Johnny couldn’t be bothered with this tonight. Mark was acting like an idiot and he wasn’t in the mood.

  “It’s time to stop this shit,” Mark went on, looking down at the ground for a second, his voice getting calmer and quieter. “It’s time.”

  “What? Time for you to stop treating her like crap? Huh? Is that what you mean?”

  Mark looked up at him again. “She’s mine, Johnny. She belongs to me.”

  “She belongs to nobody, Mark, and you know that.”

  “I can see what’s happening, y’know. I can see what you’re doing.”

  Johnny laughed again, taking a swig from his bottle of lager. “And what exactly am I doing, Mark?”

  “You want her.”

  “Jesus, who doesn’t? Jack wants her; half the crew want her; ask Dave, I reckon even he’d have a go given half a chance.”

  “You know what I fucking mean, Johnny. And it stops, ok? We’ve had our fun; we’re done with that...”

  “Well, you might be...”

  Mark stepped forward and grabbed Johnny by his t-shirt, throwing him back against the wall.

  “No, you don’t understand, Johnny. It’s over. The days of her running to you are over. I know what you feel for her and it fucking stops, right here. You got that?”

  Johnny threw his bottle down on the floor and immediately retaliated, pushing Mark backwards as hard as he’d pushed him.

  “Where the fuck do you get off on telling me what to do? Huh? You don’t know what I feel, you know nothing, so don’t stand there and tell me what I can and can’t do. You’re pissing me off, Mark. Now get out of my face. I’ve had enough.”

  “No more, Johnny,” Mark said, staring at him, brushing himself down. “No more. She’s mine, and all this shit is gonna stop. It’s gonna stop.”

  “You talk so much crap, Mark.”

  Mark pushed both hands through his hair, still staring at Johnny. “Are you in love with her?”

  Johnny took another drink, looking his best friend right in the eyes. “Are you?”

  Mark said nothing. He couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come out, and that’s what scared him the most. That’s what scared him more than anything. But that’s what he was going to have to face up to. He just wasn’t altogether sure he was ready.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Samantha placed Daniel’s plate in front of him before sitting down opposite, pouring two glasses of wine.

  “Daniel, sweetheart, it’s time for dinner. Could you put the newspaper down now? Please?”

  He looked at her, quickly folding the newspaper up and putting it down next to his plate. “I’m sorry darling.”

  She put down her knife and fork. “I’m worried about you, Daniel. These past few days…you’ve been so distracted, distant even. Maybe you’ve taken on too much. You’re working so hard.”

  He took a sip of wine. “I’m fine, Samantha. I know what I’m doing; I’m not working too hard. There’s just a lot to think about.”

  “You look tired,” she said, picking up her fork and continuing to eat.

  “I said I’m fine.”

  She looked down at her plate. He wasn’t himself that was more than obvious. But whatever was on his mind he didn’t seem to want to talk about it.

  “How’s your steak?” she asked, watching as he picked at his food.

  “It’s good. Thanks.”

  He wasn’t in the mood for conversation, not even with his wife, and she’d done nothing wrong. It wasn’t her fault. He
just wished he could get his head together and forget about a woman who’d come crashing into his life and kicked his world right off its well-ordered axis. But he couldn’t. He’d tried, but he couldn’t.

  “Are you sure you’re alright, Daniel? If you want to talk about anything...?”

  “Please, Samantha. I’m fine.” He knew he’d snapped unnecessarily at her and he quickly smiled, reaching out to take her hand. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. Maybe I am a little tired. An early night might be a good idea, what do you think?”

  She smiled too, squeezing his hand. “I think that’s probably the most sensible thing you’ve said all day.”

  They were interrupted by the shrill sound of Daniel’s mobile ‘phone ringing in his jacket pocket.

  “Can’t you just leave it?” Samantha asked, sitting back in her chair as Daniel reached into the pocket of his jacket that was slung over the back of his seat.

  “I can’t, darling. It might be important.”

  “They’d leave a message if it was, wouldn’t they?”

  He looked at the caller ID. It was a number he didn’t recognise and that was odd because he only ever gave his number to people he knew. But then he remembered the night at Wembley. The night he’d given his details to Stevie. It had to be her. It had to be.

  “I’ve really got to take this, Samantha.”

  She sighed, taking a long drink of wine as he pushed his chair back and left the room. She should be used to this, used to him disappearing at a moment’s notice, but it never really got any easier.

  Daniel made sure he was well out of ear shot of the kitchen before he answered the call, shutting himself in the small downstairs office that Samantha used, leaning back against the wall.

  “Hey there, crazy guy.”

  Her voice came clear down the line and he couldn’t help but smile as he heard her speak.

  “You didn’t come the other night,” he said, sitting down on the high-backed chair in front of the desk.

  “Did you really think I would?”

  He didn’t say anything for a second. “I don’t know. Maybe I just hoped you would.”