Walking to Bernadette, he pulled her into his arms in a gesture of possession. As she looked up into his eyes, he appreciated just how stunning her appearance was, and a bit of him knew that many men would envy him his good fortune. Petey was under no illusions that there was anything of any real substance inside the perfect shell. She was like a lot of the girls in their world – useless, without any kind of personality, completely devoid of the work ethic, and on the look-out for a decent pay packet. Bernadette had hit the mother lode with him. As much as that knowledge disappointed him, a part of him didn’t judge her. Bernadette had no proper education or understanding of the real world. She had no chance of getting a job – all she had going for her were her looks, and she had used them as her only asset. Unfortunately, looks did not endure; once they were gone, she would be one fucking unhappy person. She would hang on to her youth with the determination of a Japanese Tosa and, like that dog, she would fight tooth and nail to make sure she got what she wanted.

She swayed against him, and he felt the usual stirring inside him; he knew she was aware of it too. He grinned at her. ‘Happy?’

She nodded, her deep blue eyes sparkling with triumph. ‘I am, Petey. I love you.’

He hugged her close, kissing her softly on her glossy pink lips. They were both aware that he didn’t say it back.

Chapter Ninety-Four

Ria had observed this exchange with Lena and Imelda and each of the three women felt that the little tableau was all wrong. Petey and Bernadette looked like they were on a blind date, and a disastrous blind date at that. They did not resemble a real couple in any way.

Ria sighed. ‘Where’s Tania?’

Lena shrugged. ‘She will be here, you know what she’s like.’

Ria glanced around her home, it was more than large enough to accommodate all the guests, and the DJ who had set up in the conservatory was now, finally, playing the older style records; the younger people were dancing happily to a bit of Motown. The men were in the kitchen, the older men anyway; it was the time of night when business would be the order of the day. She was tired out, but she was relieved that the party was a good one, by anyone’s standards. It was just after eleven, and the whole thing was just taking off; she had hours to go before she could excuse herself.

As she saw Tania come into the room, she smiled in relief. Lena had been watching the door for her daughter all night and, now she was finally here, Lena could relax.