Chapter 9

We drove to town, and on the way I explained about the 'regular' group which met often, and the wider range of friends and siblings that would be there that evening.

"All the close group are totally reliable and good friends, and it's our usual practice to dance with everyone else. I'm not totally sure of the others."

"I'll keep my eyes open," she said. "I've had some experience with rats, you know."

We checked in and took our bags to our room on the tenth floor, one floor below the penthouse suites at the top of the building. There was a very roomy balcony and the view was just as good as the floor above at half the price. Nicola did a quick check on her makeup then we took the lift to the basement without more ado.

We arrived after nine to find the place quite full. I spied our group in one of the larger bays, as we stood hand in hand.

As I expected, the women were at one end of the bay and the men at the other, and I could see conversation was animated and flowing in both groups.

Then Beth saw us. Her eyes widened, and her mouth famed the 'word' OMG. She nudged Julie who also gaped. Both girls broke into wide smiles and told the rest. Conversation stopped as all eyes fell on Nicola.

The change alerted the men and they too looked, and looked again. There was surprise here also, but also admiration and even some lust. The smiles were anticipating dancing with her, I could tell, and this caused me a passing feeling of worry, but as she had said, she was well used to dealing with the male of the species.

Beth came over as we approached.

"You did it!" she crowed. "You're Nicola, aren't you? Welcome to our little party."

Beth hugged and the two kissed cheeks.

"Come over and meet the rest of the girls," Beth invited, pulling her away from me and leaving me standing.

I walked over to the men's end and found an empty place on the bench seat. A pint miraculously appeared before me, and Mike grinned broadly.

"Fucking Nora!" he exclaimed. "I can see why you were trying to find her! She's a fox."

This was echoed by the rest, who were still looking over eagerly as she sat down and her dress exposed a good deal of thigh. She smiled across at me before Beth began introducing her to the other women.

"Come on, lads," chided Brendan, "show's over, at least for now. Where were we?"

"Something about sexy women?" said Don with a laugh. "Blood and sand, Kev, you know how to pick 'em."

I smiled smugly, what else could I do? My smugness did not last the night.

Once the DJ began his stint, the single sex groups began to break up as men went to women to ask for a dance, and in this age of equality the women came asking for men to do the same.

I saw Mike had immediately asked Nicola out onto the floor, while Beth came for me.

"You've got a good 'un there," Beth said as we gyrated to the music. "I explained that we all dance with everyone else, but we get our own partners for the count down and New Year."

"She all right with that?" I asked.

Beth hesitated, "Well, yes, but I think she wanted you as a dance partner for most of the night. That ain't goin' to happen, is it?" She grinned at me. I shrugged.

She laughed. "You want to dance with her all night as well, how sweet," she said making fun of me.

"Hey!" I said. "We've only been together alone since Saturday, you know."

"Ah, diddums," she mocked. "Here, let's drift over to Mike, then you can get her as soon as this one's finished."

Which we did, and as soon as the dance ended, I cut in on Mike, and Nicola came into my arms for the slow piece which followed.

"OK?" I asked.

"Oh, yes," she said. "Mike was really nice, very respectful. Looks as if I'll be busy."

"I think all the men want a turn," I grinned. We kissed, her arms found my neck.

It was a little later. Nicola was dancing with Stuart, who was Julie's squeeze for the night, and there was a small group sitting out, of whom I was one.

"Don never told me Carlton was coming," said Freya, Don's partner.

"He that really dishy one, dancing with Beth?" asked Zena.

"Him?" grumbled Mike. "Thinks he's God's gift to women!"

"God, he floats my boat," sighed Zena.

"He's an actor," said Freya. "No, really, I mean in plays. He's been in a few dramas on TV. Getting quite famous. Bit of a ladies' man. You've got to admit, Mike, he's very pretty!" and she giggled.

"Ebdon was saying he always gets any woman he fancies; they can't resist him," said Billington, one of Mike's mates.

"He can have me," said Zena, her voice quite husky, "but I know whom he's got his eye on."

"Some hopes!" Freya laughed.

Everyone laughed, and I wondered whom they were talking about. I really should have known, especially since Freya cast a glance at me.

Later on, nearer eleven, I was dancing with Catherine, Brendan's lady. I knew her at university. She introduced me to Brendan when I came to Manchester and we three became good friends.

"Kev," she said seriously, as we moved to a slow tune, "You need to watch Nicola with that Carlton. He's after her and he's devious."

I looked round, and sure enough, Nicola was dancing very close to Carlton. In fact they were pressed together. I was annoyed: she was certainly not putting distance between them, rather the opposite.

"You've seen how they're dancing, I felt you stiffen," she said. "I saw him pull her in like that. She did resist then just gave in."

We watched them. He was holding her waist, whispering in her ear, and she was shaking her head. He kissed her hair then her ear. She did not react beyond a smile. His hand drifted to her bottom, the other played with her hair at her neck, another smile. Her hands on his shoulders. Then the crowd came between us and we lost sight of them.

The song ended, and Catherine and I went back to the bay where I waited for Nicola and Carlton to return. They did not and I could not see them, but most of the dancers had stayed on the floor waiting for the next tune, so they could have been out of sight.

I searched, and as I was peering through the crowd, I heard that mate of Carlton talking to his girlfriend.

"Carlton's got her," he was saying. "We won't see them again tonight!" and they laughed.

Beth came to me.

"What's the matter Kev?" she asked me.

"Nicola's disappeared, and from what I just heard, she's with that Carlton bloke."

"Let's walk round the floor and see if we can see them." she suggested, and I agreed with her.

The next piece had begun, another slow dance, and we paced round the edge, peering into the throng. She was not there.

"I don't believe this!" I moaned. "She's done it again! Gone off with someone else."

"Don't lose heart," Beth said. "Come on, I'll check the ladies'."

She wasn't in there.

My spirits sank. How could she do this to me yet again? Say one thing, how much she loved me, was 'home' now she was with me, and as soon as we go to a party she goes off with this supposed babe magnet.

Beth saw my face.

"Wait here." she ordered. "Promise you'll wait here for me."

I nodded.

Five minutes later she was back, and she was fuming.

"I asked where Nicola was. Everyone was immediately worried. Then I asked where Carlton was, then that toe-rag Ebdon started laughing. Carlton got the girl again, he said. I was livid and then Don weighed in. Ebdon's on the end of a lot of hostility.

"Kev, did you tell them you'd booked a room here?"

"Yeah, people were talking about how difficult it was getting home after the party, I just said I'd got a room. Carlton said so had he – the penthouse suite."

"Well, she went to the loo, and when she came out, Carlton was waiting for her. According to Ebdon they've gone up to his suite."

"So? What's new?" I said despondently. "I should have known it was too good to be true. Par for the course."

"Kevin, I saw the way she was with you tonight. There's got to be an explanation."

"Well, I'm looking forward to hearing it."

"So we go after them," asserted Beth. "Come on – to the lifts. We'll ask them, he's in room 1104."

We took the lift and emerged on the top floor. 1104 was in the same position relative to the lift as my room one floor below – 1004.

Beth knocked firmly on the door. No answer. She put her ear to the door.

"Can't hear anything," she said. "I don't think they're here." Then she had a brainwave. "Perhaps they're in your room!"

Down we went to the next floor. This time I had a key. I opened the door and we stepped inside.

There they were. Or rather there he was. He was finishing unbuttoning his shirt, but stopped on seeing us.

"What the–" he began, then Nicola emerged from the bathroom. She was wearing a different dress.

"Carlton, zip me up plea..." Then she saw me. I stared at her, disbelief all over my face.

Everything was suddenly very quiet, and nobody moved for what seemed to be ages.

"Kevin?" Nicola broke the silence. "What are you doing here? Beth?"

Carlton started to laugh. "Coming up for a bit of the other with Beth, eh? Naughty boy."

"Kevin!" Nicola shouted at me. "Explain! What're you doing sneaking up here with her?"

I was dumbfounded. Here was Nicola in my room with Carlton, both of them déshabillé and she was shouting at me?

I sized up the situation, quite wrongly as it happened, and let rip myself.

"Nice try, Nicola, but Beth and I aren't half-dressed, so don't try to divert attention from what you two were doing."

"I don't care what you think, you were coming up here to fuck your old fuck buddy. Don't deny it!"

"I assume since you came up here to do the same with Carlton here – and have done from the look of things – that would be the first thing in your head. All those protestations of love! I should have known you were too good to be true, after all you have got form in this department haven't you?

Lover boy chose that moment to make his contribution. "You're tight there, Kevin, she's too good for you, it looks like you're left with Beth tonight. Come on Nicky, we can go back to my place."

"At least Beth doesn't say one thing, profess undying love and then go off shagging the first pretty boy she meets," I snarled.

"Now just a minute!" Nicola shouted indignantly. "How dare you–"

"Save it, Nicola," I snapped. "If you want him, collect your stuff and go and enjoy his nice penthouse suite, you can collect your stuff from the house tomorrow."

"Shut up the lot of you!" yelled Beth. "Don't make this worse than it is by saying things you'll all regret. Sit. Down! You," she pointed to Carlton. "Sit in that chair. Kevin and Nicola sit on the bed! And no one says a word!"

Everyone obeyed! Nicola sat as far from me as possible. There was a moment's silence.

"Now," Beth said. "We are all going to explain, quietly and calmly, what's been going on. I'll go first."

"This should be good," muttered Nicola.

"Oh, it will be," retorted Beth, "and what's more I have witnesses downstairs who'll bear me out, so button it Nicola. It's you who's in the shit, not me, or him," she said, casting a thumb in my direction.

"I doubt that," Nicola shot back, "of course your friends will back your story."

Beth sighed, then began, "About half an hour ago I saw you Nicola and Carlton pressed up against one another on the dance floor. Then a little later I found Kevin looking puzzled as he searched for you Nicola on the floor. You weren't there.

"We both circled the dance floor and it was true, neither of you were there. I checked the loo; you weren't there either. I went back to the group and Ebdon (who's no friend of mine Nicola, I happen to think he's a toe-rag) laughed and told me that Carlton had 'got you' and you had both gone to his suite. Apparently Carlton here always gets the woman he wants. Seems he's right from what we've just seen. We went to the Suite and you weren't there, so we tried this room and low and behold, both of you half dressed.

She paused. "Kevin?"

I had little to add. "That's what happened, except that earlier I heard Ebdon saying that you two had gone to his room and we wouldn't be seeing either of you till the morning. So finding you like this – sort of reinforces what he said, don't you think?"

Carlton's shirt was still open and Nicola had to hold her dress against her chest.

I relaxed, and sagged. And waited.

Beth looked at Nicola.

Nicola was quieter, but shot me a baleful look.

"Well, at least this shows you don't trust me, jumping to the worst conclusion instead of asking first."

Beth intervened. "Enough of that, Nicola. The first thing you did when we arrived was to accuse Kevin of being unfaithful, so you didn't exactly shine in the trust department either, did you? So how about explaining what we saw and are seeing? Just the facts."

Nicola bridled at this, then stiffened.