Frankie looked around. Jed had been gone ages now and she was worried he’d had a change of heart. As she saw him bowling towards her, relief flooded through her body. ‘Here he is,’ she told her brother.

Outside the Berwick, Dominic jumped in a taxi.

‘I’ve got me pick-up truck here. Come with me,’ Jed told Frankie.

Unable to say no, Frankie told Dominic and Joey to go on ahead and climbed into the Toyota Hilux.

As Jed expertly swung out of the car park and followed the taxi, she smiled at him. ‘How old are you? When did you pass your test?’ she asked him, impressed.

Jed laughed. ‘I’m younger than you, you dinlo. Us travelling boys don’t need driving licences. We’re taught from an early age how to drive. I’ve been tugged before – got away with it, I did. I told the gavvers I was me brother. Me cousin gets hold of bent insurance certificates. Filled it out meself, I did. The gavvers are mugs, they know nothing.’

‘What’s gavvers mean?’ Frankie asked, bemused by his slang.

‘The police, you dinlo,’ Jed said laughing.

The B&B was a shit-hole bang opposite the A13. It wasn’t built to be paradise, but to serve a purpose for workmen and party-goers.

‘We’ll go in me brother’s room. His mate, Dom, has got a load of drink in there,’ Frankie informed Jed.

‘You go and grab the drink off them. I wanna spend some time alone with you, Frankie. We can’t chat properly in front of your brother.’

Dominic handed Frankie a bottle of vodka and two cartons of orange juice.

‘Are you sure you’re gonna be OK, Frankie? Please don’t do anything you’ll regret in the morning,’ Joey begged her.

Headstrong, Frankie waved away her brother’s fears. ‘Yous two have a good time. Don’t make the walls shake,’ she giggled as she shut their door.

Taking a deep breath, she entered the other room.

‘Come here, sexy,’ Jed said, smiling at her.

As Frankie got under the flimsy quilt, she realised that Jed had taken his jeans and pants off. ‘Stop it,’she squealed as he put her hand on his penis. She had never felt a naked one before and it reminded her of the raw jumbo sausage that her dad cooked at barbecues.

Laughing, Jed poured out two large vodkas and handed her one. ‘You ever tried an E?’ he asked her.

Frankie shook her head. ‘I’ve heard about them, though,’ she replied casually.

She had to sound knowledgeable; she didn’t want Jed to think she was some stupid schoolgirl.

Jed lent out of the bed and pulled a small plastic bag out of his jeans. ‘I’ve gotta couple here. Shall we do one?’ he asked her.

‘I dunno. I’ve got to be home early,’ Frankie said awkwardly.