Chapter 22
JADE
I’m not sure what’s happened to the maid service, but the hotel room is in chaos when Tommy bids us enter with a flourish. Luckily, the room is large enough so the strewn clothing, trays of half-eaten food, liquor bottles, and overflowing ashtrays are marginally contained.
Tommy flops down on the unmade bed, pushing aside sheets so tangled it looks like a wrestling match has taken place. I try not to think about which groupie he’s been horizontally wrestling.
He waves us to a cream sofa with gold trim, piled with items of clothing, atop which sits, incongruously, a slim light-blue book titled Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
‘Just move all that stuff,’ Tommy says languidly, propping himself on his elbows. I glance at Ash, and he shrugs. Resisting the urge to push it off in one fell swoop, I lift it all gingerly to the floor without managing to dislodge anything.
‘Do you guys want something to drink? I think there’s a kettle around here somewhere, but not sure exactly where.’ He looks around vaguely and even lifts the edge of a duvet and peeks underneath as if it’s hiding in there.
‘No, we’re fine—’ I say, but Ash interrupts me.
‘Actually, I could do with some water and a leak,’ he says.
Tommy gestures with his chin towards another door.
‘Bathroom has some glasses. I think they’re clean but can’t promise the loo is. The maid got a little distracted. Oh, and if you find some other treats in there, feel free to help yourself. Take as long as you need.’ He winks and does a quick fist-pump hand gesture to Ash, who grins and lopes off.
My stomach tightens with unease at seeing this. What the fuck was that about?
Left alone with Tommy (aka my dad), we sit there in silence.
He props himself on one elbow and scratches his stomach lazily, looking at me.
This feels extremely uncomfortable. I mean, he has no clue who I am, but he’s a pop star who’s used to having women fall into his bed at the mere lift of an eyebrow.
It’s inevitable that he’s going to try something . ..
Tommy unbuttons the top of his ruffled shirt and says casually, ‘Is it hot in here, or is it just me?’
Oh no. I’m starting to think the invitation to his room to talk about Rick Astley was a ploy. The whole fist-pumping thing with Ash is boy code. I caught Tommy’s attention, and he’s singled me out for some afternoon delight. While Ash is in the bathroom. Ewwww!
Shit, this weird situation just got even weirder. I need to get this interview back on track and keep it professional.
I glance at the closed bathroom door, hoping that Ash isn’t going to dump me in this like I have a bad feeling he is. He was so keen to talk to Tommy! Or was that an act, and he’s pimping me out?
‘What’s taking him so long?’ I ask nervously, pulling my jotter pad out of my bag. ‘Maybe we should start without him.’
‘Indeed,’ Tommy drawls, patting the mattress beside him. ‘Why don’t you sit here and tell me all about Rick Assley?’
‘It’s Rick Astley. And I’m perfectly fine where I am.’
Tommy frowns and opens his mouth, no doubt to insist I join him in the bed, when there’s a knock on the room’s interconnecting door.
‘Yes, what is it?’ he calls impatiently.
Leo, the drummer, pokes his head in. ‘Paul says we’ve got a soundcheck and to be ready in ten.’
‘Another one?’ Tommy sounds annoyed. He strolls to the door and has a muttered conversation with Leo, who glances over at me with a smirk. Since Tommy’s back is turned, I take the chance to sidle to the bathroom door.
‘Ash!’ I hiss. ‘Get out here now.’
‘I’m finishing up,’ he calls out instantly. ‘Don’t come in. There’s no lock.’
‘I’m not coming in. Just move it!’
I return to the couch; and seconds later, to my relief, Ash emerges, rubbing at his nose. Thank God.
Conversation finished, Tommy saunters back, looking disgruntled.
‘Hey, guys, I’d love to stay and chat. But I have to get going—’ he says.
‘He has a soundcheck,’ I explain to Ash.
‘Ahhhh, right, right.’ Ash takes a step forward, then reaches out and grips the back of the sofa. A light sheen of sweat coats his face. What has he been doing in there?
‘Get everything you need, mate?’ asks Tommy, his mouth twisting in a grin.
Ash nods and smiles, but his eyes look really spacey.
Tommy walks over to the desk and pulls out a drawer. ‘I feel bad about taking off like this, but I’d like you both to come to our concert tomorrow night. As my guests.’
He hands me an envelope. ‘There are some tickets in there. Invite anyone else you want too. Those will also get you backstage after the gig. Don’t advertise the fact, though. Women would kill to have one of those in their hot little hands.’ He winks at me suggestively, and I cringe.
Daaaad, it’s me, Jade! I want to yell. Stop it!
I grab Ash by the arm and haul him across the room, eager to get the hell out of there. Something seems to be wrong with him, though, as his vocal cords have loosened and he’s talking nineteen to the dozen.
Tommy leans on the doorframe and taps me lightly on the ass as I leave. ‘See you tomorrow night, darling,’ he whispers in my ear.
I shudder. Not if I can help it.
Back at the office, I type up my press conference notes and attempt to make them sound readable, but it’s hard to concentrate.
I keep making mistakes and having to Tipp-Ex them.
It’s sweltering this afternoon despite two standing fans going full bore, one of which cools me down periodically when it blows on me.
But then I start sweating again when it swivels away.
Air conditioning seems to be a future thing.
I’m also trying to keep my mind off the tickets burning a hole in my desk drawer.
Going to that concert is a bad idea, but I just know Ash will tell Danny, and he’ll insist I go.
And this Wembley concert is iconic; it was the peak of Echo Ministry’s fame, before everything started sliding downhill.
So I suppose I’m curious to witness this moment in history.
But I’m definitely not going backstage. Not with my dad’s raging hormones on the loose!
Speaking of raging hormones, there seems to be something in the air this afternoon.
Maybe it’s all this heat? Ash was flirting outrageously with me in the taxi to the point it was making me blush.
But all I could think of was Sebastian and feeling hopeful that I’ll see him again tonight.
And then worrying that I’m not going to see him again tonight and feeling depressed.
So Ash didn’t get much of a reaction from me.
When we got back, he flitted from desk to desk like a dragonfly, chatting and flirting with the other female journos, who weren’t responsive to his charms either. Now he’s taken himself off somewhere. I should probably check on him, but he’s not my responsibility, and I have this article to finish.
I’m midway through the article when a third journo with bloodshot eyes stumbles back from the toilets and rubs his nose. It’s enough to make me suspicious. This has Ash written all over it.
I leave my desk and head to the men’s loos. But when I knock tentatively and poke my head in, there’s no sign of Ash. Thankfully, no one’s taking a piss in the urinal. There’s a faint chemical smell in the air, but something tells me it’s not toilet cleaner.
The cubicle at the far end of the row of six is open a crack. When I look in, I discover Ash sprawled astride a closed toilet seat, seemingly asleep. His shirt is rumpled, and his black and blond-tipped hair is sticking up on end. I kick his foot, and he jerks awake, rubbing bloodshot eyes.
‘Ah, Jade, I was having a little nap...’
‘What the fuck, Ash!’ I hiss. ‘Are you doling out drugs to the office?’
‘Shhh.’ Ash reaches around me and locks the cubicle door, so I’m now effectively trapped in there with him. ‘Not so loud, or everyone will want some. And I only have a limited supply, thanks to Tommy Rains.’
He swings a plastic baggie of white powder in front of my nose, and I make a grab for it. Despite coming off a cocaine high, his reflexes are still intact, and he swipes it out of my reach.
‘Give that to me!’ I demand, horrified that my dad’s drugs have infiltrated the office. What if he’s the reason someone starts a cocaine habit? I need to flush this shit pronto!
I shake Ash’s arm like a tree branch, and the baggie falls on the floor.
For a few seconds, there’s a mad scramble in the toilet cubicle, with arms and legs flying, foreheads bumping, and grunts making the walls shake.
If anyone happens to come in, the office gossip will be rife: Jade is shagging Ash in the men’s! She only started on Monday!
Being more nimble-fingered and closer to ground level, I emerge triumphant with the baggie closed in my fist. Ash pushes me up against the door, but I quickly tuck the bag safely in my jeans pocket and smoosh my arse against the corner so he can’t grab it.
‘Gimme!’
‘Nope!’
‘Jade, c’mon! I was saving that for the concert tomorrow night.’
Of course he was. But I’m not budging.
‘No! You can’t have it.’
He strokes my arm and wheedles, ‘We could take some together? No one cares.’
I’m a bit shocked. But I suppose sniffing cocaine in the loos was a regular occurrence in the ’80s.
‘No,’ I repeat stiffly, keeping my bottom pressed firmly against the door. ‘I have an article to finish. And don’t you have work to do?’
‘Oh, loosen up, Ms Goody Two-Shoes.’
Annoyed by that, I push him away, and he flops back down on the toilet seat.
I wag my finger. ‘Drugs are very bad for you.’
‘Drugs are very bad for you.’ Ash gives a high, squeaky impression of my voice, complete with a talking hand puppet, which annoys me further.
‘And stop acting like a child!’
Admittedly, I do sound like a headmistress. But I need to get out of here and flush this before he gets his mitts on it and before Danny comes in, wondering where the fuck we are. Being holed up in a toilet with Ash is not a good look.
I reach behind me to unlock the door. But Ash is slumped on the toilet seat, looking wasted and dejected, and I feel bad about leaving him here. What if he does a River Phoenix and carks it?
I give his face a tiny slap, and he groans, ‘Doannn.’ I slap him harder, and his eyes snap open. He grins, holding my wrist.
‘Ooh, so you like a bit of that, do you? Well, we could have a different kind of fun, if you’re up for it.’
He licks my palm, and I groan inwardly. At any other time, a good-looking guy like Ash coming on to me would have my knickers in a twist, but Sebastian has done a number on my libido. I want him. Only him. And I can’t seem to help it.
‘Look, don’t take this the wrong way. You’re cute and all, and you seem like a popular guy. But...’
‘What are you trying to say? That I sleep around?’ Ash drops my hand and leans back against the toilet cistern, looking miffed.
‘Well, don’t you?’
He rubs his ski-jump nose. ‘Yeah, but it’s never just a one-night stand.’
‘How long do you go out with them for?’
‘A week. Then I make up some excuse to drop them, like they’ve given me crabs.’
I let out a gurgle, and the side of his mouth twitches.
‘What can I say? I’m an arsehole.’
‘Oh my god, you are such an arsehole,’ I gasp.
He nods solemnly. ‘The absolute worst. I’m not the kind of guy to take home and meet your mother. I’d do her too,’ he says, which makes me cackle, loving the fact he’s being so honest.
There’s a noise of a throat clearing above my head, and I glance up to find Sebastian looking over the cubicle. He’s surveying us coolly with a slight frown and that silly blond mullet hanging over his intense brown eyes.
Shit, how long has he been there?
‘Uh, hi,’ I say, unable to tear my eyes from his. I edge away from Ash, cheeks heating as my brain replays a steamy highlight reel from last night.
‘Sorry to interrupt your little tête-à-tête, Jade. But can I speak to you for a moment about a ... package? It’s important,’ he says.
Uh-oh, from the tone of his voice, I’m in trouble. But I wasn’t doing anything! And why should he care? Wait, does he care?
‘Sure, be right out,’ I say brightly.
Sebastian gives Ash a look like he wants to tear his limbs from his body ... slowly and painfully ... then disappears.
Ash chuckles. ‘Someone’s got his roller skates in a tizzy. Did you put the wrong address on a parcel?’
I sag against the door, saying nothing but feeling very uncomfortable. Ash stares at me, realisation blooming over his face. ‘No way. He’s the one who sent you the Care Bear?’
I can’t deny it. I nod.
Ash laughs out loud. ‘Oh my god. I knew you had the hots for someone. But I never thought you’d go for the dipshit courier!’