NINETEEN

Six Months Later

Rolling up a slice of ham, Michelle shoved it into her mouth, whole. So what if she'd put on a bit of weight recently? She didn't care any more. She was rich, fat and happy and who needed anything else?

Getting rid of Nathan had done her the world of good. Apart from the occasional bunk-up, she missed nothing about him. He'd been OK, as an accessory, but bar that he'd had no other qualities. A wimpy, boring ponce was the best way to describe him and after months of debating what to do, she'd dumped him last week via a text message. He hadn't even replied to it, the tosser. Deciding she liked being single again, she smiled as she picked up the tray.

'I've done you some lunch, Danny,' Michelle said, waving a plate. French stick filled with ham and salad was Danny's favourite.

Danny hauled himself out of the swimming pool and flopped onto the sun lounger. Taking a can of Stella out of the cool box, he opened it and downed half the contents in one greedy gulp. The sun was at its peak now and Danny glanced at his glistening body, admiring what a lovely colour he'd built up this summer. Brown as a berry he was and he knew his tan made him look sexier than ever.

A tanned Adonis, he thought, modestly.

'Cheers, Chelle. I poured you another glass of wine, girl. I put it on that little table.'

'Thanks, love,' Chelle replied fondly.

Flopping onto a sunbed next to him, Chelle prepared herself for another one of their afternoon drinking sessions. Murder they were, her and Danny together. Complete piss artists, the pair of them.

A lot of things had changed in Danny O'Leary's life over the last six months and the most surprising thing of all was the close friendship he'd built up with Michelle. It had all started months back when he'd gone round there to act as peacemaker between Billie and her mother. Ever since then their friendship had gone from strength to strength, although Chelle still refused to allow Billie back into her life.

'I can't get over her going behind my back and becoming pals with the slag and the devil's child,' she insisted. Billie's pregnancy hadn't exactly softened the situation. 'Fuck me, Dan, it was bad enough being a mum, you don't honestly think I'd be jumping for joy at the thought of being a granny, do you? Christ, I'm only young, talk about spoil your street cred. The girls down the gym will have a field day with this,' she'd choked, when he'd broken the news.

Danny thought that Chelle was hilarious. He admired her honesty and spent hours on the piss with her.

Deep down, she was a bit of a geezer bird. Chelle could match him drink for drink and had a male type of humour. She was a proper laugh, a real fucking character. Billie didn't have a clue about the unusual friendship, Danny kept it well hidden from her. Billie would go apeshit and what she didn't know couldn't hurt her.

From an outsider's point of view it must have seemed a strange old set-up. Young, handsome fella, rich old bird, but it wasn't like that at all. It was an innocent relationship with nothing sexual involved whatsoever. Danny felt really at ease with Michelle. He could talk to her about anything and everything. She was an extremely good listener. He told her loads of stuff about his upbringing. He'd opened his heart about his mum being on the game, the beatings he'd taken as a kid off of one of the many 'uncles' that he'd been surrounded by. He even told her stuff about his own relationship with Billie Jo. Michelle listened but didn't judge, and Danny liked that.

Michelle, for her part, was enjoying the friendship just as much as Danny and looked forward to his visits and their notorious drinking sessions. She enjoyed having a bit of male company around the house. He was a handy little sod, and had repaired many bits and bobs around the house for her. Chelle was useless. She had no idea how to change a plug or even a light bulb, so having Danny at her beck and call was a godsend to her. She still regularly knocked about with Hazel and the girls from the gym, but apart from them Danny had become her only friend. She could really talk to him and sometimes he reminded her of Terry, when he was young. She'd told him so much about herself. She had spoken about her marriage, her husband's death, finding out about Jade, her awkward relationship with Billie Jo, absolutely everything. Chelle found talking to Danny very therapeutic. It was almost like a counselling session, without a nosy stranger involved.

Danny left Chelle's house early that evening and headed to his local in Dagenham. He'd given up his job on the market a couple of months ago and hadn't looked back since. He'd been working for a canny old boy, who drank in his local pub. Jimmy the Fish had his finger in many pies and Danny had met him at exactly the right time.

Jimmy's only son, Bobby, had been killed in a car crash two years earlier and Jimmy had taken a shine to Danny immediately because he reminded him of his boy. Jimmy was as hooky as hooky could be and Danny, driven by ambition, had soon become his little sidekick. Some times Danny drove Jimmy around for hours on end, sometimes he handled stolen goods. Now and again it was something to do with the many seafood stalls that Jimmy owned across the East End and Essex, but mainly it was a bit of drug-running here and there. He didn't actually sell the gear personally, he just had to drop off amounts and pick up the wonga. Danny was very happy with his new line of work. No more getting up at three in the morning and freezing his bollocks off all day: that was a thing of the past. Jimmy had also given him a nice motor, a Shogun, and on top of that he was earning between five hundred and a grand a week. With the baby due in the next month and Billie Jo having packed in her job, Danny O'Leary thanked his lucky stars that Jimmy the Fish had taken a shine to him and had taken him under his wing.

Billie Jo handed her friend Carly the plate of spaghetti bolognese and gingerly sat down on the sofa opposite. Her pregnancy hadn't been an easy one. She felt fat, sick and uncomfortable most days and couldn't wait for the baby to arrive to feel normal again.

'That was lovely,' Carly said, putting her plate down. 'So, how's Danny?'

Billie Jo put her empty plate onto the floor and winced as she tried to straighten up and make herself comfortable.

'Danny's fine. He's been working so hard in his new job, saving up for the baby and supporting me, bless him. He does loads of overtime. I wish in a way he'd cut his hours down a bit as I hardly ever see him, but I can't moan as I know he's only doing it for me and the baby.'

Carly smiled at her friend. 'I'm glad things are working out for you. What kind of work is Danny actually doing now?'

Billie shrugged her shoulders. 'I'm not a hundred per cent sure, to be honest with you. I think he does various things. I know he does a lot of work for a bloke called Jimmy. He drives him about a lot. Jimmy is ever so good to him, he's even given Danny a nice motor to use.'

'So you're managing OK?'

Billie nodded. 'We're managing fine. Danny's ever so generous, Carly. He's always asking if I need money and he always gives me whatever I ask for. He's a diamond, he really is!'

Danny O'Leary lay on the double bed that had seen better days and watched intently as the girl's head bobbed up and down on his nether regions. Feeling himself about to come, he grabbed her head and shoved his cock down her throat as far as it would go. Seeing her gag with the ferocity of his thrusts only heightened the pleasure of his orgasm. He didn't let go of her head until the last drop of his fluids had slithered down the back of her throat.

'Go and get us a beer out of the fridge, babe, and I'll do you a line.'

Debbie Jones leapt off of the bed and virtually ran into the kitchen. Danny rolled up a twenty-pound note, smiling at her eagerness. Holding one side of his nostril with his forefinger, Danny snorted the line that he'd carefully laid out on the make-up mirror. As he felt it trickle down the back of his throat, he snatched his beer and handed the rolled-up note to Debbie.

Debbie Jones was eighteen years old. A pretty girl with a slim figure, she had already mothered children by two different blokes, both of whom had run a mile on finding out she was pregnant. Being a single parent suited Debbie down to the ground. As soon as she was old enough to have sex, she had been intent on getting pregnant. Conveniently, she had forgotten the pill and had never looked back from that day onwards.

She had a nice little flat courtesy of the council. She was kept by the social and had family nearby to babysit whenever she wanted. Debbie had recently started working a couple of shifts as a barmaid in a local pub called the Cross Keys. The money wasn't great, but it was cash in hand and enabled her to buy extra treats for herself. Meeting Danny O'Leary had been an added bonus. For the first time in her young life, Debbie Jones was well and truly in love.

It had all started a few months ago, not long after she'd started working at the pub. She'd noticed Danny straight away. With his dark hair, film-star looks and non-stop cockney banter, you couldn't really miss him. He drank with a crowd of fellas who were a lot older than him. Jimmy the Fish was a well-known face in the area, and Debbie had been impressed with the fact that he and Danny were inseparable.

Standing at the bar one Saturday evening, Danny had peeled two fifty-pound notes from the big wad he'd pulled out of his pocket, paid the forty quid that the round came to and told Debbie to keep the change. Later that same evening he'd invited her to a party. Debbie had been fucking his brains out ever since and had fallen head over heels for him. The only downside for her was that she knew he had a bird and a baby on the way. She consoled herself with the fact that he couldn't be happy at home, as he wouldn't be seeing her if his life was rosy indoors. Debbie knew she had to be patient and bide her time. She had to be ready and available when Danny needed her and give him the best blow-jobs he'd ever had. Debbie might have been only eighteen, but she certainly wasn't silly.

'I'm gonna shoot off now, babe.' Danny put on the last of his clothes and picked up his car keys.

Debbie got out of bed, put on her Primark dressing-gown and saw him to the door. She knew better than to ask him when she was going to see him again. She'd done that once and it hadn't gone down too well.

'Don't fucking start all that,' he'd said. 'You'll see me when you see me, all right, and if you don't like it, you know what you can fucking do.'

Debbie had never asked that question again. 'See ya, Dan, take care.'

As Danny drove home, his thoughts turned to Billie Jo. The baby was due to arrive soon and he couldn't wait. He was looking forward to being a dad and was secretly hoping for a son. Debbie Jones was handy, sexy and available. He liked her but he didn't have the same feelings for her that he had for Billie Jo. Billie was classy, naïve, lovable. Debbie was sluggish, common and gave a fucking good blow-job.

The last few months had been awkward for Danny. Billie had had a shit pregnancy and hadn't wanted sex for months. He hadn't wanted to pester her, so had decided to seek solace elsewhere. He didn't feel guilty about what he was doing. He was a man, for fuck's sake, and he had needs just like any other. Billie stirred as Danny got in bed beside her and put his arms around her.

'You OK, babe?' he said, nuzzling her ear and running his hands over her pregnant stomach.

'I'm fine, Dan,' Billie replied sleepily. 'Have you only just got in from work? What's the time?'

'It's three o'clock, babe. Jimmy needed me to work late tonight. I need all the overtime I can get for our baby.'

Billie Jo turned onto her other side so that she could face him. Kissing his forehead, she looked at him lovingly. 'Do you know what? I couldn't have picked a better one than you. You are going to make such a good dad. I love you, Danny O'Leary.'

Danny smiled at her and held her close. 'I love you too, Billie Jo.'

And the funny thing was, in his own way, Danny actually meant it.