See You at the Show

by Michelle Betham

  “Daniel...”

  “She will not stay hidden away like something I’m ashamed of, Angus. So we let everything settle down but then, that’s it. No more hiding.”

  “I’m really not going to be able to change your mind, am I?”

  Daniel just looked at him before walking out of his office.

  Angus threw his head back and sighed. This wasn’t how things were supposed to have played out but it looked as though he had no other option left. If he couldn’t talk any sense into him then it was time to move forward, and let Samantha Madison know just what it was she was actually up against.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  “Good morning Britain’s sexiest soon-to-be Prime Minister.”

  Daniel opened his eyes and smiled at her. It was six 0’ clock in the morning and the only word he could think of to describe her was stunning, as she leaned back against the bedroom wall, totally naked except for a pair of extremely high heeled, thigh-high boots, and he felt himself reacting to the sight of her almost immediately.

  He sat up, not taking his eyes off her. “Tell me this isn’t a dream.”

  “It’s no dream, Mr. Madison. I just want to make sure none of that stress from yesterday is left hanging around, that’s all. Not today.”

  “You did a marvellous job of getting rid of it all last night.”

  “No harm in a little extra work though, huh?” she smiled, walking over to the bed and climbing astride him.

  He put his hands on her hips, his fingers stroking up over the curve of her waist then back down to her thighs. “And what’s with the heels? I thought you didn’t do heels?”

  “I don’t do a lot of things, Daniel, but I’m willing to go there if it means turning you on.”

  “Oh, you’re doing that alright.”

  “Yeah, so I see,” she smiled, feeling him hard against her, running her fingers lightly up and down him.

  In a few hours time this man could be running the country she’d called home for over half her life, and that both scared and excited her because nobody knew what that meant for the two of them. But whatever happened, she was head over heels in love with Daniel Madison. Nobody could take that away from her. Nobody could change that. Even though, sometimes, on the days when she felt she couldn’t deal with it all, she wanted it to go away so badly.

  “So, you wanna play for a little while? Before you have to leave me alone for yet another day.” But it wasn’t just another day, was it? It was the most important day of his life.

  He smiled too, stroking her inner thighs as he kissed her gently. She tasted of peppermint toothpaste, her lips parting slightly as they moved against his and he felt himself falling, deeper and deeper under her spell. Every inch of him ached for her and that feeling only got worse for every day he had to be away from her, but he didn’t want to think about that right now. In less than an hour he was going to begin that journey that could take him where he’d always wanted to be – Number Ten Downing Street. But was any of it really worth it if she couldn’t be with him?

  “You’re thinking again, baby,” she whispered, her mouth resting on his. “Stop thinking, for a few minutes just stop thinking, and get inside me.”

  Straight talking Stevie Stone. Who was he to ignore her instructions?

  She sat up slightly and pulled the covers away from him, lowering herself back down onto him and he closed his eyes, letting her take over, letting her put him right where she wanted him, taking him to heaven and back, making him forget just how this whole day could end. And that’s what he needed. Stevie Stone. His escape. His real-life fantasy. His life. And if he did become the new Prime Minister in the early hours of tomorrow morning then she was coming with him all the way. His mind was made up. And the rest of the world was just going to have to deal with it.

  ***

  Samantha sat in front of the laptop in her small but well-designed office, staring at the images on the screen in front of her. Images Angus had told her she’d needed to look at. So, this was what Daniel had left her for? This woman with the tattoos and the messed-up white blonde hair, this was what he’d left her for? Angus had told her it was true, he’d said she was the reason Daniel had ended their marriage - because he’d become infatuated with this girl who was ten years his junior, a female roadie and sound engineer. Somebody he would never usually have even looked twice at.

  She thought back to the night of Audra’s party, Daniel’s strange behaviour, the way he’d seemed distracted by something all evening. Only it hadn’t been something, had it? It had been someone. Stevie Stone. Ever since that night he’d changed and now it all made sense. What the hell was he thinking? Angus was right, what he was doing was madness when his whole life was about to change in a way that was going to put him in the spotlight like never before. And that woman would never fit into Daniel’s life, not like Samantha could. Not like Samantha did.

  She clicked on another image of Stevie, an enlarged photograph of her lying draped over an imposing motorbike filling the screen. She was completely naked, bar a pair of black knee-high biker boots, every tattoo on her slim, toned body on show, and just looking at that picture made Samantha sick to her stomach. There was no denying this girl had an incredible body – it was the fact her husband was touching that body, the thought that he was making love to this woman, that was what made Samantha feel ill. What was she doing to him? How had she managed to turn his head so much that he’d felt the need to put everything in jeopardy, including his marriage, just so he could be with her? Was it just sex? Was she giving him everything she couldn’t? Samantha didn’t even want to think about it, because the thought of him and this woman together was unbearable.

  She shut the images down and sat back in her chair. The pain of what he’d done to her was slowly easing now, but the anger was still there. If anything that was getting worse, but Angus had implored her to keep that in check, if she really wanted Daniel back, and she did, of course she did. But this had been a shock. She’d always suspected he’d had another woman, that wasn’t a surprise. But to find out who this woman was, that had been the killer blow. Still, at least now she knew what she was dealing with, and Angus was right when he’d said Stevie Stone could never fit into Daniel’s world. She didn’t belong there, she never would. He was about to become the most important man in Britain and he needed a supportive wife by his side, not some rock-chick roadie. He needed her, Samantha, back where she belonged. And Angus had assured her it would happen. Daniel just needed to get this woman out of his system, that’s all, and they had to let him do that and do it without anyone else finding out otherwise everything could come crashing down around them. Samantha didn’t want that, and she knew Daniel wouldn’t want that either. She’d dreamed of being the wife of a Prime Minister and that dream could still happen, despite everything Daniel had done. It could still happen. All she had to do was listen to Angus, do as she was told and stay patient. So she’d carry on the lie, pretend it was the pressure and the stress that had caused their separation because one day all of this would be behind them and she would re-take her rightful place once again. By Daniel’s side. And Stevie Stone would be nothing but a memory he’d have to forget.

  ***

  Stevie couldn’t be bothered to sit and watch TV all day, just waiting for Daniel to appear on it somewhere, because he would. Given what day it was his face was everywhere. But it hurt too much to just hang around waiting. It was draining her. He was coming home later that evening for a couple of hours before setting off for his Berkshire constituency for the results count, but he wouldn’t be alone. He’d have his team in tow so there was no way she was going to get him on his own anymore before the results were announced and that’s what was making her edgy. This election meant nothing to her. She couldn’t vote, she wasn’t British. If anything she resented it because it was taking him away from her and that scared her. She was in too deep now, she couldn’t walk away, but she couldn’t stop him walking away from her.

  �
�You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?” Johnny said, looking at her as she sat on the window-sill of her small living room in her North London flat.

  “No. Of course I’m not. You’re talking about Mark and I really don’t want to talk about him today.”

  “Mind elsewhere is it?”

  She looked at him. “What do you think?”

  He handed her a bottle of beer. “You having second thoughts?” he asked, sitting down on the arm of the chair next to the window as she stared out of it again, down at the street below. There was a polling station in the school across the park from her flat and she could see people streaming in and out of it, giving their votes, making their decisions, voicing their opinions with a single, solitary cross. A cross that could change the whole course of her life. But they didn’t know that, did they?

  “I wonder who they’re all voting for?” she said, still staring out of the window.

  “Huh?” Johnny picked up the remote control and flicked on the TV, switching it over to Sky News.

  “The polling station across the park. Everyone’s in there, sticking that little cross next to a name, not realising the impact that could have on my life. I wonder if they’re voting for Daniel’s party...and would they still be voting for him if they knew about me?”

  Johnny gave her ankle a gentle nudge with his foot and she turned to look at him, catching sight of Daniel on the TV, all smiles as he talked to the reporters. She loved that smile. He had such an amazing smile. She loved the way it made his eyes crinkle up at the corners, the way it took over his whole face.

  “He’s a good-looking son-of-a-bitch, for a politician,” Johnny said, watching as Daniel spoke animatedly to the people around him, answering questions thrown at him with ease and looking more relaxed than Stevie thought he’d looked that morning when she’d kissed him goodbye and reluctantly let him go. After the best early morning sex she’d ever had. Almost. Nothing could ever really compare to Mark.

  She sighed heavily, trying to forget about Mark. Why was she thinking about him today? She leaned back against the window, opening it slightly as she pulled out a cigarette from the packet lying next to her and lit it.

  “You ok?” Johnny asked.

  She blew smoke out of the window. All it was doing today was making her feel sick. “Y’know, come tomorrow, if Daniel wins this thing, I could have half of Britain’s security forces watching over me, totally in control of everything me and Daniel do. It’ll make the babysitting brigade I’ve got now look like bouncers at a birthday party. What kind of a fucking life is that, Johnny?”

  He shrugged. “You can always come back to us.”

  “To Mark you mean.” She stubbed out her half smoked cigarette in the ashtray beside her. It hadn’t made her feel any better.

  “You get your freedom back.”

  “I want Daniel.”

  “Then stop moaning.”

  “Some fucking friend you are.”

  “What do you want me to say, Stevie? That it’s all gonna be ok and the world’s just gonna accept you as his girlfriend? I can’t do that.”

  “Just leave me alone then.”

  “You’re acting like a child now and you know better than that. Remind you of anyone?”

  She got up, walking over to the TV and switching it off. Everything about this day was putting her more and more on edge. “I can’t go back, Johnny.”

  “Then deal with it. I’ll be there for you, Stevie, but I can’t wave a magic wand and make it perfect. You’ve just gotta see how it all plays out.”

  She threw herself onto the sofa, grabbing a cushion and holding it against her. “I know. But this is so complicated, Johnny. So fucking complicated!”

  “You do complicated very well, honey.”

  “Not like this. This could get messy.”

  He looked at her, taking a drink of his beer. “How do you mean?”

  She sat up, still holding the cushion. “It doesn’t matter.”

  But it did. It mattered a lot. And it was the first time Stevie had given any serious thought to the implications of her secret past. All Daniel thought they had to keep under wraps was the fact she was a female roadie with an abundance of tattoos and a loud mouth, but there was so much more that he didn’t know about her. So much more she wasn’t stupid enough to think they’d never find out. And whether she told him first or let him find out for himself was still something she was trying to work out because the longer she was with him the more chance there was of it all coming out. She just had to weigh up the risks of waiting.

  ***

  “Is she coming here this evening?” Angus asked, opening a bottle of whisky. They were in Daniel’s flat, having one last breather before they set off for his constituency in Berkshire later that night for the vote counting they hoped wouldn’t take too long. Exit polls were still predicting a landslide victory for Daniel and his party. He could be named as the new Prime Minister in just a matter of hours.

  “If by ‘she’ you mean Stevie, then yes. She is. She’s on her way.” He watched Angus pour him a drink. “Is that a good idea?”

  “A small one isn’t going to hurt, for God’s sake, man. Get it down you. You deserve it.”

  Daniel took the drink and checked his watch. He just wanted to see her. He’d missed her like crazy. He’d been on the go non-stop all day but he’d missed her every second there’d been.

  The last time he’d seen her she’d been wearing nothing but those thigh-high boots and that image was still imprinted firmly in his mind. It was all that had got him through the day. That and the pure adrenilin he seemed to be living on lately.

  Angus couldn’t miss how on edge Daniel seemed and he knew it wasn’t all to do with the election. Stevie Stone had got to him and now Angus had an uphill struggle to tear him away from her, not to mention the fact he was going to go ballistic when he found out that Samantha knew everything, but that could wait for another day. There were a lot of revelations to come out yet. They were just going to have to take each day one step at a time, no rush. Not really. As long as everyone played by the rules.

  “What are you going to do with her tonight then?”

  Daniel looked at him. “What do you mean, what am I going to do with her?”

  “When we all leave for the count. Is she going home?”

  “I want her to stay here.”

  “Not a good idea.”

  “She’s staying here. Whatever happens tomorrow I want to know she’s where I can get to her. I’m going to need to see her.”

  “You think you’ll have time?”

  “I’ll make time.”

  He turned round as the door opened and Stevie walked through it, a black bandana covering her white blonde hair, her tanned, tattooed skin beautiful and smooth against the figure-skimming, very short strapless black dress she was wearing. He’d never seen her in a dress before, but Stevie being Stevie she was wearing it in her own inimitable style, teaming it with knee-high biker boots and several leather wrist cuffs. She looked sexier than he’d ever seen her look. With her clothes on. And he couldn’t help but notice every set of eyes in the room fall on her, including Angus’s.

  It was the first time Angus had seen her in the flesh and he was a little taken aback, if he was honest. She truly was an incredible looking young woman.

  “Elegance indeed,” he said, his eyes looking her slowly up and down, from her long, slim legs to her striking blue eyes.

  Daniel threw him a look and ignored the comment, finishing his drink and putting the empty glass down, going over to Stevie.

  She smiled at him as he walked towards her, more than relieved to see him. The whole atmosphere was weird tonight; she’d sensed it the second she’d walked in the room, but one look at Daniel and she felt her own tension ease. She’d been in some full-on situations in her time but this was beyond anything. Her world was so full of rules and instructions these days and the only reason she was towing the line was because of Daniel. Becaus
e she loved him. If she didn’t feel the way she did she would have backed away from this months ago because it was stifling. But every snatched second with him, it was worth it. It was worth it all.

  He looked really handsome tonight too, in that public-schoolboy kind of way, but there was that underlying sexiness he carried with him that she knew was there, an edge the wider world didn’t see. She noticed he’d had his hair cut since this morning, shorter than it had been before, and he had stubble on his chin, and it only made him look sexier.

  He took her hand and leaned in towards her, speaking with his mouth close to her ear. “Come on, we’re going to the bedroom.”

  She didn’t question him, she just let him lead her away from everyone else, closing the bedroom door behind them. And before the door had even clicked shut he’d pushed her up against the wall, his hand still holding tightly onto hers as he kissed her hard, the relief of just having her there overwhelming.

  “Ok,” she breathed, somewhat taken aback by that out-of-character greeting. “What have you done with Daniel Madison? Because he has never said hello like that before?”

  He rested his forehead against hers, sliding an arm around her waist. “I’m so uptight, Stevie.”

  “Understandable, baby. It’s been one of those days, huh?”

  He laughed, letting his hand wander down from the small of her back. “You could say that. And then you walk through the door, looking like this…”

  She smiled as she pressed herself against him. “You really are pleased to see me, aren’t you, Mr. Madison?”

  He started kissing her neck, his hand sliding up underneath her dress. “Jesus, Stevie, you’re...”

  “Wearing no underwear. I know.” She stroked his rough chin, kissing him slowly. “I slipped them off in the car on the way here. Gave those guys in the front something to think about, had their attention more than I usually do.” She kissed him again, a little harder and a little deeper. “I just thought I’d make it easier for you.”