by Karen Clow
It was just after ten when she called Sarah’s dad, John. She asked if he would consider taking one of the pups.
“I’m surprised she hasn’t already asked you Maria, we’ve already told her if they were for sale we would buy her one.”
“The reason she hasn’t asked is because we’ve told her that all the puppies are spoken for. We didn’t want to raise her hopes, just in case you said no, but from day one we have wanted her to have one. It would have to be a boy though, as both girls are already taken.”
“She won’t care what sex it is, she’ll be over the moon, let us know how much you want for it and I’ll give her a cheque to bring over.”
“We don’t want anything for them; we just want them to have good homes. Tell Sarah I’ve got a surprise for her and send her round after school.”
“I’ll do that, thanks Maria.”
Mickey worked from his study most of the day. His mobile rang. It was Lenny.
“Hi Mick I’m just ringing to tell you I got my surveillance gear back from Davy Sheridan’s. So what did you reckon of Davy’s home movie then?”
“Well it’s not for the faint hearted, that’s for sure!”
“If it was up to me I would shoot the dirty bastards and put them out of their misery!”
“Still a hot blooded heterosexual then Len?”
“Too fucking right! I’ll speak to you soon Mick, regards to the family.”
Mickey called Tony about the poker game and his dad’s idea about blackmailing Davy over the film.
“It’s a good idea Mick, but might I suggest postponing sending it, until nearer the poker game. If Davy can’t come up with the money, he may see the game as a way of getting it.”
“You could be right.”
They also talked about the club in Maidstone. Tony was still slightly suspicious about George. His theory was, once a copper always a copper, although he liked him and if Mickey trusted him that would be good enough for him.
Mickey finally emerged from the study around one o’clock just as his parents returned from collecting the girls from school on their way back from their shopping trip. Mickey took them to see their mum, while Mary sorted out the lunch. He was surprised to see that Billy was still there talking to her as the twins ran and jumped on the sofa.
“Ah, looks like the cavalry’s arrived babe,” said Billy.
He asked Mickey if he needed him that afternoon. It was because Hilary had texted him to ask if he could call round to see her about half two.
“Say no more Billy boy!”
They laughed as he headed towards the door.
“Best get myself washed and dressed then, don’t want to keep her waiting!” Mickey sat on the sofa and kissed his wife on the cheek before asking what they’d talked about all morning?
“Women mainly, Billy was telling me that he was actually in love once. It was when he was fifteen, she lived in his street and he was devastated when her family announced that they were emigrating to Canada.”
“Maybe that’s why he hasn’t settled down.”
They were interrupted by Mary knocking on the door; she brought their lunch in on a tray. The twins went back downstairs with Mary.
When they were alone eating their lunch, Maria asked what he thought about the club in Maidstone.
“First impressions babe, I’ve got a good feeling about it. There’s definitely room for improvement, but it’s got potential. It could do with a lick of paint and possibly a new dance area, bigger than the one that’s there. Another interesting factor is one of the bouncers told us that it’s actually a lot bigger. Apparently there’s another large room at the back, which the owner uses as storage. The way I see that is, if the bouncer is right that could double the amount of punters, which in theory doubles your turnover. I’m going to try and look at the plans of the building, see just how big it is.”
“Sounds as though you liked it, what would you do with the extra room, if it is a good size?”
“Depending on just how big it is, maybe we could incorporate another type of attraction, something along the lines of exotic pole dancers. Music and dancing one side and topless girls the other, that’s where the money is.”
Immediately he could tell by the look on her face, that she wasn’t impressed with his idea.
“Don’t look so worried babe; we might not even get the club.”
She wanted to answer him, but she could feel the tears welling in her eyes, so she just smiled a half smile and nodded her head.
“Look on the bright side babe, if we do buy it, we won’t have to drive to London for a free night out.
Despite trying hard to smile and look enthusiastic, the tears began to run down her cheeks. Mickey put his arm around her to try and comfort her as he asked what was wrong.
“Do you really need to have a club with dancers, why can’t it just stay as it is, you said it seems to do a good trade.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?”
“I know you regret giving up the clubs and moving here Mickey; I wish I’d never asked you to.”
“I’ve never regretted giving anything up; I’ve told you that before. The club in Maidstone is purely an investment; I’m doing it to help the others out that’s all. I wish you would believe me; I want us to have a good life here with our family. I would like to think by the time I reach fifty, I will have made enough money to retire and that’s why I’m working hard now. It’s all for us babe, why can’t you believe that? I know what you’re thinking, my track record with the dancers is why you worry, but that was before I met you. Why would I need to have sex with a dancer when I’ve got you? I’ve told you before; I’m not Jimmy. You and the girls mean too much to me for me to jeopardise it.”
Putting her arms around his neck she hugged him as she sobbed.
“I’m sorry I’m so insecure, but it’s always in the back of my mind that you’ll meet someone else who’s young and beautiful.”
“Don’t you think I should be the one worrying about that, after all, I’m married to a beautiful young woman who might want a younger man? Think about it from where I’m standing babe; I’m almost twenty years older than you, when I’m an old wrinkly you’ll still be young and beautiful and let’s not forget also very rich.”
“I’ll never want anyone else, I love you, even if you are old and past your sell by date.”
“Ouch, that hurt I’ll have to make you pay for that, just wait ‘til I get you in bed later!”
“At your age it’ll be hard enough for you to manage the stairs tonight, let alone sex!”
They were tickling each other when Mary walked in and interrupted them. With a smile she told him there was a call for him, it was Lucinda from his office.
It was almost midnight before they went up to bed after Billy had entertained them with his account of his afternoon at Hilary’s. Although he had been careful in front of the ladies not to say too much about the wild sex he had with her. Despite Maria’s feelings on infidelity, she seemed to accept that he was seeing her. Mickey’s theory was she liked to see Billy happy because they had taken him away from London and his many girlfriends. Even in bed that night she talked about him. Mickey had wanted to discuss with her about Billy returning to London, that night would be the opportunity he had waited for.
With her head snuggled against his chest and his arm firmly round her, he broached the topic.
“Babe I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Billy. I think he’s been here long enough, I need him back at the club.”
“What about the girls Mickey, he’s here to protect them.”
He realised she felt panicky at the thought of Billy not being there.
“Calm down babe the girls are fine. I thought that was all behind us now. He’s been here for months, when it all happened we needed him here, but things are different now. You’ve got me, mum and dad, Billy has his own place in London and it’s not fair for me to expect him to stay any longer. I thought you would understand babe?�
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“What if someone tries to take the kids again?”
Mickey was surprised at her reaction; she hadn’t mentioned the kidnapping for weeks and with the help she and the twins were getting from Max, he thought she was getting over it, but with her reaction to Billy leaving, it was clear she wasn’t. Holding her hand he tried to calm her down, but she was crying and becoming distressed. With a look of desperation she begged him to let Billy stay, just until the babies were born. Worried, not only for his wife, but his unborn babies he said if that’s what she wanted then maybe Billy could stay, just until the babies were born. Through her crying, she thanked him as she laid her head back on his chest. He could feel her breathing slowly returning to normal as he held her and gently stroked her head.
CHAPTER 35
The week dragged for Maria, her midwife was calling in more often, because despite her having bed rest, her blood pressure was still rising. Every visit saw Maria fretting before she arrived, she was dreading her saying that the doctor would want to see her. Mickey had spoken to Max about her reluctance for him to send Billy back to London. She had told him that it was only to be expected, because she saw Billy as a safety net for her and the twins. She also said she thought Maria worried about this club that he was thinking of buying, but Max believed that most of her insecurities were because of the pregnancy. She was pretty sure once the babies were born she’d improve, he just needed to be patient. She had ended their conversation by telling him that she was hoping to get down the following week.
It was Friday morning; his parents got the girls ready for school. Billy was taking them with Mickey; they had only been gone five minutes when the midwife arrived. Julie checked her ankles, hands and then her blood pressure before looking at her notes and confirming with her that the delivery date was still four weeks away.
Driving back from the school Mickey’s phone rang. It was Tony.
“Alright Mick, just thought I’d let you know, Colin Brett came into Sweet Cheeks last night, I had quite a chat with him. I can tell you now; his boss and a couple of his associates would definitely be up for the poker game.”
“That’s great Tony. Would they be able to let Davy know without mentioning us?”
“Colin didn’t think it would be a problem; apparently Davy has been on a winning streak just lately. He’s a cocky little fucker so he’ll want to be there, especially since Lenny told me he’s buying his new lover his own dance studio.”
“That’s interesting, I’ll give Lenny a call, he can find out when Davy’s splashing his money around on this studio. Maybe then would be a good time to send the film?”
“Yeah, Lenny tells me that film is a bit near the mark. I’ll have to get round to watching it sometime.”
“I hope you’ve got a strong stomach. Billy’s driving up tomorrow to check on his flat, I’ll get him to drop you a copy in.”
“Cheers for that Mickey, we’ll talk again soon.”
Mickey told Billy what had been said as he had been driving. When they arrived back at the house, Mary told him that the midwife had been and that the doctor was coming that afternoon. Mickey went straight up stairs to see Maria; he could see that she had been crying. Sitting on the bed he talked to her for over an hour until she finally calmed down. Suggesting that she should try and rest, he kissed her and went downstairs to work from his study.
His mum had just poured him a cup of tea when the house phone rang. It was Shaun, calling to ask if he and Ann could come down to visit them the following day. Mickey knew Maria would be thrilled and told Shaun she was very down at the moment. He wouldn’t tell her, it would be a surprise. They talked for a few more minutes before ending the call. Mary told him they would collect the girls from school so he would be there if the doctor called.
The morning sailed by, with him sorting out papers for work, which he asked his dad to drop into the office on his way back from the school. Mickey was happy that he took his mum’s advice and stayed home, because less than twenty minutes after they left to collect the girls, the doctor turned up. Maria was sitting up in bed reading a magazine as they entered. The doctor smiled as he walked towards her. After examining her, he said he would like her to book in for a caesarean, under the circumstances it would be the safest way to deliver the babies. He wanted her to stay in bed until then which meant no going downstairs at all. He’d arranged for her to be admitted on the eighteenth of March, just so they could do some tests and scans to check that the babies’ lungs and organs were doing okay. If everything was good, they’d do the operation on the twentieth.
“Can Mickey be present at the birth if it’s a caesarean?”
“I don’t think so Maria, usually under those circumstances the op will be done under general anaesthetic. Which unfortunately means the dads’ can’t go in; it’s only when they’re done using a spinal block the dads can stay. You can talk to the consultant about it; maybe he would agree to do it with a block.”
Five minutes later, she thanked him as he left.
Mickey escorted him to the front door and thanked him for coming. He was well aware from the way the doc had spoken that he wasn’t happy with the way the pregnancy was going. Mickey was determined that she would get complete bed rest.
Back in the kitchen, he told his mum he would be spending all the afternoon upstairs with Maria and the twins.
They all talked about names for the babies. It was obvious that the first choice for a boy would be Michael. They spent hours going through all the names, finally deciding on Martin and Melissa, as their second main choice then, Paige, Grant and Lauren. When the twins went to see the puppies with their Nan; he lay on the bed and cuddled her.
“I’ll do what the doctor said, it’ll all be worth it in the end,” she said as she cuddled him.
Mickey was relieved that she was finally accepting things.
Billy was ready to leave by half eight on Saturday morning, he was going to drop the film of Davy off at Tony’s on his way to his flat. Then he was meeting up with Kevin for a drink around midday. They had arranged to play snooker in the afternoon. Mickey had told him to eat on the house at Maria’s restaurant.
The twins waved him off.
“Be good for your mum and dad,” he called out to them “I’ll see you later.”
He had only been gone about an hour when Shaun and Ann turned up. Mary had opened the gates and waited for them to drive in so she could get to the door before they rang the bell. When she opened it, she put her finger up to her lips to indicate for them to be quiet because she wanted to surprise Maria. Whispering she told them they were upstairs in the bedroom. Shaun nodded.
Tapping lightly on the door, they heard Mickey say, “Come in.”
Immediately the twins jumped off the bed and hurled themselves at Shaun. Maria looked thrilled to see them. They stayed upstairs talking until Mary said lunch was ready. Ann would eat with Maria; it would give them a chance to catch up on all the gossip.
After lunch the men adjourned to the lounge for a drink, while Mary took the girls back upstairs to their mum and Ann. With the ladies safely upstairs, they told Shaun about the film of Davy, also about their plan to blackmail him and the poker game. Although he had already been told by Tony, he was interested in hearing the whole plan.
“So who exactly will be going to the game from our crew?” asked Shaun.
“As far as I know; just dad me and Tony.”
“Aye that’s sounds good, but who’s going as muscle? All the big boys will have muscle there; I’ll tag along if you like.”
“Well there’s an offer we can’t refuse, hey Dad!”
“Absolutely son, I’d be happy knowing you’re watching our backs Shaun.”
It was almost four that afternoon when Ann and Shaun left. Maria had been so pleased to see them, although the twins had monopolised most of their visit. They were keen to tell their mum which puppy Shaun had picked; it was easily recognised because it was the biggest. Shaun had told them he was going
to name it Murphy.
Leaving the twins downstairs playing with the puppies under the watchful eyes of his parents, Mickey had gone back upstairs to see Maria. Sitting on the bed they chatted about Shaun and the puppy. Mickey was just about to say something when his mobile rang. It was Tony. She watched him as he took the call; they were obviously talking about poker, although she couldn’t hear all that was being said. Mickey played it very cool when Tony said the game was on for the second week in April and Davy would only find out about it that week. Mickey asked where the venue was.
“Well it had to be somewhere neutral Mick, or Davy will smell a rat. I’ve already booked it. It’s above the casino rooms at Harpers club.”
They knew Trevor Harper well, he was a good bloke and his dad Tommy was a long time friend of Den’s.
Trevor’s only request with using his club was that his dad got a seat at the game. Tommy was well known as an excellent poker player. Mickey asked who else would be there.
“They’ll be eight players; I’ve put the word out that it’s a closed game with the stakes starting at ten grand, thought with that amount of money up for grabs Davy won’t be able to resist and it should sort out the men from the boys.”
“Ten grand, I’ll have to ask Maria for a loan!”
He was manipulating the situation so that she would believe it was all Tony’s idea. He knew if she thought for one minute that things could turn nasty she wouldn’t want him to go, especially if she knew Davy Sheridan would be there. Waiting until he closed his phone, she smiled and asked how much he needed to borrow. Only she’d need to okay it with her accountant, which luckily for him was her father-in-law, so she was sure she could sort something out, with interest of course.
“Actually I think I can just about afford it babe,” he said pinching her leg playfully.
“I take it from your conversation you want to play poker?”
“Yeah but only if it’s ok with you babe, Tony’s organised a game for the second week in April, but I don’t have to go. I know the babies will only be a few weeks old and it would probably mean me staying over in London, because Tony’s games have been known to go on all night.”