“Okay, see ya then.”

“I love you Georgia Rae, show us your tits,” he whispers into the phone.

“Maca, I can hear you, that’s my little fuckin’ sister, you perv.”

“I love you too Sean.” I stand and grin into the phone for a few seconds, listening to him telling Marley to shut up again.

“Go get yourself tarted up, can’t wait to see ya.” I hang straight up; otherwise we’ll be there for hours, just like we used to be.

As soon as I end the call, Ashley is on me. “George, I’ve gotta say babe, I’ve never, ever, seen you look so happy, you’re proper in love with him ain’t ya.” She sounds amazed, like this is a revelation, has no one been listening to me these past nine years. I love Sean McCarthy, always have, always will, nothing will ever change that.

“I love him Ash, I’ve always loved him.” She didn’t say anything for a while and then surprised me by giving me a cuddle.

“You know what babe, I believe ya, it’s written all over ya face, you look different, like the light has been switched on somewhere.”

I smile back; I know exactly what she means, because that’s exactly how I feel. “Ash, look, I hope you don’t mind but tonight I sorted of invited Sean along.”

“Oh my fuckin’ God, George, are you serious. Sean McCarthy is coming to my birthday party, really, did he say yes, is he really coming?”

“Yes Ash, really and Marley’s coming too.” She screams so loud, it actually hurts my ears.

“Georgia, oh my God Georgia, the boys from Carnage are gonna be at my birthday party. Fuck, you are the best friend ever.” I think she’s happy!

CHAPTER 20

By eight o’clock that night I was dressed in a short black leather dress and knee high leather boots, my hair was a long and bouncy mass of curls and my makeup applied by professionals to perfection. I had downed three glasses of champagne and snorted two lines of coke, Ashley’s brother had supplied her with some top notch class A shit along with a few ecstasy pills that we would take later in the night. By eleven o’clock when we walked into Kings, I was buzzing and felt on top of the world. I loved turning up here when there was a queue and walking straight past everyone to the front.

My Dad and Bailey had done me proud, the room was decorated exactly as I had asked them to, in Ashley’s favourite colour of purple, matched with silver, there was a small table with nibbles on and waiters and waitresses on hand with champagne. Jimmie had come in the limo with us and had told me that the boys had a driver and would be leaving from her place about now so to expect them within the hour.

Bailey appeared at my side and gave me a cuddle, I could see the eyes of Ashley’s friends light up as they looked my eldest brother over. “How you doing little sister Georgia? See you got papped last night outside the Indian. I’ve called in a few extra doormen in case there’s any problems tonight.”

“Thanks big brother Bailey, the boys are bringing their own blokes and thanks for all this too, it looks great.”

“Not a problem, Mum’s been here all afternoon organising all of this, you know what she’s like but I’ve gotta admit, it looks nice, she does have a good eye.” My stomach lurches a little bit at the mention of my Mum and I feel guilty, despite everything, she still came here today and did this for my friend.

“How is she?” I ask him, he shrugs.

“She’s actually really pissed off with herself; she can’t believe she believed that girl without checking out her story.”

“That’s just typical Mum though Bails, she only ever sees the good in everyone, she thinks we’re all as nice as her.”

He nods in agreement. “Exactly, that’s why you shouldn’t be so hard on her, she fucked up. We all do it at least once in our lives, most of us even more.”

“Yeah, I know, I’ll sort it between us, I promise.”

“Make sure you do, right, enjoy yourselves and behave, your pupils are already like saucers.” He narrows his eyes at me. “I’m watching you Georgia, no doing any of that shit in public, you never know who might be watching, especially as you’re practically famous now.” He kisses my hair and leaves, kisses Jims cheek and leaves.

“Shit George, your brothers are so fuckin’ good lookin’, even your Mum and Dad are still hot.”

“Eww, Ash.”

“Well it’s true and then look, your brothers marrying Jimmie and she’s gorgeous, you lot are gonna produce the next generation of beautiful people between ya’s.” Jimmie and I just shake our heads and laugh, Ashley’s buzzing. We call her machine gun lips when she’s on, because she talks so fast.

The VIP bar has its own dance floor overlooking the main dance floor, with the same music pumped in through a hidden sound system. Friday nights are always dance music nights and I can’t keep still, I love dancing, after so many years of not listening to music, I found that when I first started coming to clubs with Ash, that I just couldn’t stand still. I don’t know if it was because I was pretty sure I wouldn’t hear a Carnage song in a nightclub and I just relaxed enough to enjoy myself or maybe it was the drugs but I just had to dance and tonight it didn’t matter either way, in fact I would love to hear a Carnage song, just so that I could dance my arse off to it.

Ash, Jimmie and I headed down to the main dance floor as no one was dancing up in our section yet. We had arrived early so that Ash was there to greet her guests, but most wouldn’t arrive until after midnight, which is when we usually turned up. We dance for four or five songs and when we get sick of fighting off the unwanted attention of sweaty men, we head upstairs; as soon as we enter the bar. I know that Sean is there, I just feel it, feel him, it was like, long fingers of electricity reached out from him, toward me, even if they didn’t quite touch me. I could still feel the current, the pull and I think it worked in reverse for him, at least I hoped it did.

Ashley had warned all of her friends that the boys would be here tonight and she had asked them all not to ask for autographs and just treat them as normal blokes on a night out, which I should’ve realised to some women meant that they could chat them up as they would any other good looking blokes. I spotted Marley first; he was taller than Len now, who he was stood next to. Sean was right at the end and seemed to be receiving the most attention from Jill and Coral, Ashley’s two friends who had arrived in the limo with us, they were both dressed like cheap, nasty sluts and had not shut up about Sean and Marley all night. I had reminded them earlier that Sean was my boyfriend and they had given me an ‘of course he his sweetheart’ patronizing type of smile, why would they believe me? If all they ever read were the newspaper stories about him and Marley. Why would they believe he suddenly had a girlfriend? Why would anyone? Suddenly that old familiar rage I used to feel, back when the band were just starting out, started to burn inside me and I clenched my fists, Jimmie didn’t miss it, not for a second.

“George, no trouble.” I didn’t even look at her, I just walked over to where they all stood, Jill had her hand on Sean’s chest, so I grabbed it and bent it back as far as I dare, she yelped out in pain. “Get your fuckin’ hands off him.”

“Whoa, whoa, Georgia.” Lennon jumped in and pulled my hand from hers.

Sean just smiled at me. “Georgia baby, you are such a bad girl.”

His eyes are glassy and he stinks of whiskey and I love him so very, very much. Milo the bouncer from Spain steps out of thin air and escorts Jill and Coral away. Marley passes me a glass of champagne and says, “Little sister Georgia, what are we gonna do with you and that temper of yours?”

He shakes his head as if he’s telling me off. “We’re not gonna do anything with that temper of hers,” Sean says. “Because she makes me so fuckin horny when she gets all green eyed, I fuckin’ love it.”