her.
‘It’s OK,’ she said.
‘No, I really owe you, big time. Anyone else would have had the police in by now.’
‘Well, I don’t need the extra publicity. And besides, I believe you when you say you were set up. I believe you because I want to believe you, because it would hurt me to see your stunning talent taken away from the world and shut in prison.’
‘Well, I do owe you, and I’ll work on your house, do whatever you want, until it’s paid off.’
‘Whatever I want, eh?’ Jenna topped up his glass, feeling that the wine was going to her head much too quickly. Why had she said that? It sounded as if she was propositioning him in a terribly sleazy way.
He didn’t seem to take offence, though – in fact, he played along.
‘Hmm, whatever you want,’ he repeated. ‘And I think you’re a demanding woman.’
This was far too close to blatant flirtation for safety, and yet she couldn’t stop herself.
‘I’m not demanding,’ she said. ‘But I do have very high standards.’
‘I don’t get what I’m doing here then,’ he said, but he held her eyes and she felt pinned down by him, the space between them thick with attraction.
If she wasn’t careful she was going to …
‘Mia is your girlfriend, then?’ she said. Phew. Disaster averted.
He bit that pouty lower lip of his.
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘But we were going through a rocky patch. We were this close to calling it a day. She changed a lot over this past year. Keeping secrets from me. Going out all night and saying she’d passed out on a mate’s couch. But I know she didn’t.’
‘Are you sure she wasn’t involved with this drug thing?’
‘She wouldn’t stoop that low. I know her, Jen, she wouldn’t.’
He looked down at his hands for a moment, and Jenna watched his expression travel through stages from dark to light until he met her eye with a cheeky glint and said,‘Anyway, as the smooth bastards in the flicks always say, enough about me. Let’s talk about you.’
Jenna was still processing the fact that he’d called her
Jen
, something nobody had done in a long time. For years now it had been Jenna or Ms Diamond or Ma’am. Deano’s pet name for her had been Dyno, short for Dynamo Diamond. It had pleased him – Deano and Dyno: the dream team. But lately it had been Jenna. Or ‘you hard-faced bitch’.
‘There’s nothing to say about me,’ she said nervously. ‘It’s all in the tabloids anyway.’
‘I don’t read that shit. And how can you say that? Fuck me. You and Deano Diamond are the only interesting people to come out of Bledburn, ever. You were held up to us at school as examples – the reasons why we should work hard and get our exams.’
‘Deano dropped out at fifteen,’ said Jenna, with a laugh. ‘How ironic.’
‘Ah, see, they never told us that. Propaganda.’ Leonardo shook his head in disgust.
‘Was Psycho Sanderson still teaching there when you went?’
Leonardo clapped his hands, accompanying the gesture with a long, low chuckle.
‘Bullying knob that he is, yeah.’
‘He was the reason Deano walked out. Called him a shirtlifter for coming into school with an earring.’
‘Once a wanker,’ said Leonardo, philosophically. ‘He’s part of the reason I left, too. Just couldn’t stand the thought of looking at his face for one more day. But you did your GCSEs, yeah?’
‘Yes, I stayed on. Went into the sixth form too, butleft when Deano’s band started getting attention in the music press. Became their agent slash manager. The rest is history, yadda yadda.’
‘So you were a kid, really. You must’ve been tough as nails, going into that business at that age.’
‘I don’t know. I had so much faith in Deano, I’d have fought lions to get him the recognition he deserved. I didn’t really think about needing to be strong. I just did what I had to do.’
Leonardo nodded, looking impressed. ‘You’re a good person to have in a bloke’s corner,’ he said, then his
‘It’s OK,’ she said.
‘No, I really owe you, big time. Anyone else would have had the police in by now.’
‘Well, I don’t need the extra publicity. And besides, I believe you when you say you were set up. I believe you because I want to believe you, because it would hurt me to see your stunning talent taken away from the world and shut in prison.’
‘Well, I do owe you, and I’ll work on your house, do whatever you want, until it’s paid off.’
‘Whatever I want, eh?’ Jenna topped up his glass, feeling that the wine was going to her head much too quickly. Why had she said that? It sounded as if she was propositioning him in a terribly sleazy way.
He didn’t seem to take offence, though – in fact, he played along.
‘Hmm, whatever you want,’ he repeated. ‘And I think you’re a demanding woman.’
This was far too close to blatant flirtation for safety, and yet she couldn’t stop herself.
‘I’m not demanding,’ she said. ‘But I do have very high standards.’
‘I don’t get what I’m doing here then,’ he said, but he held her eyes and she felt pinned down by him, the space between them thick with attraction.
If she wasn’t careful she was going to …
‘Mia is your girlfriend, then?’ she said. Phew. Disaster averted.
He bit that pouty lower lip of his.
‘Yeah,’ he said. ‘But we were going through a rocky patch. We were this close to calling it a day. She changed a lot over this past year. Keeping secrets from me. Going out all night and saying she’d passed out on a mate’s couch. But I know she didn’t.’
‘Are you sure she wasn’t involved with this drug thing?’
‘She wouldn’t stoop that low. I know her, Jen, she wouldn’t.’
He looked down at his hands for a moment, and Jenna watched his expression travel through stages from dark to light until he met her eye with a cheeky glint and said,‘Anyway, as the smooth bastards in the flicks always say, enough about me. Let’s talk about you.’
Jenna was still processing the fact that he’d called her
Jen
, something nobody had done in a long time. For years now it had been Jenna or Ms Diamond or Ma’am. Deano’s pet name for her had been Dyno, short for Dynamo Diamond. It had pleased him – Deano and Dyno: the dream team. But lately it had been Jenna. Or ‘you hard-faced bitch’.
‘There’s nothing to say about me,’ she said nervously. ‘It’s all in the tabloids anyway.’
‘I don’t read that shit. And how can you say that? Fuck me. You and Deano Diamond are the only interesting people to come out of Bledburn, ever. You were held up to us at school as examples – the reasons why we should work hard and get our exams.’
‘Deano dropped out at fifteen,’ said Jenna, with a laugh. ‘How ironic.’
‘Ah, see, they never told us that. Propaganda.’ Leonardo shook his head in disgust.
‘Was Psycho Sanderson still teaching there when you went?’
Leonardo clapped his hands, accompanying the gesture with a long, low chuckle.
‘Bullying knob that he is, yeah.’
‘He was the reason Deano walked out. Called him a shirtlifter for coming into school with an earring.’
‘Once a wanker,’ said Leonardo, philosophically. ‘He’s part of the reason I left, too. Just couldn’t stand the thought of looking at his face for one more day. But you did your GCSEs, yeah?’
‘Yes, I stayed on. Went into the sixth form too, butleft when Deano’s band started getting attention in the music press. Became their agent slash manager. The rest is history, yadda yadda.’
‘So you were a kid, really. You must’ve been tough as nails, going into that business at that age.’
‘I don’t know. I had so much faith in Deano, I’d have fought lions to get him the recognition he deserved. I didn’t really think about needing to be strong. I just did what I had to do.’
Leonardo nodded, looking impressed. ‘You’re a good person to have in a bloke’s corner,’ he said, then his
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