Gemma Townley - When in Rome...

Mike takes a cigarette out of the packet in front of him and lights it. He doesn’t offer me one, but I take one anyway. I can feel that my palms are sweaty.

“So tell me!” I wish Mike would get to the point.

Mike lowers his eyes. “Georgie, your darling accountant is doing everything he can to destroy me and my business.”

Okay, I didn’t expect that.

“What?” What does he mean “destroy” him? Is Mike going mad? For a moment I wonder if he’s become a paranoid freak like Nigel.

“David is not as gentlemanly as he likes to make out,” continues Mike bitterly. “He is a ruthless bastard who loves making people squirm.” He pauses and stares into the distance.

“Mike, what do you mean?”

“Georgie?” Mike looks back at me with a sorrowful look.

“Yes?”

“Would you mind not dripping curry on the table? It’s brand new and I need to keep it in pristine condition.”

“What? Oh, right.” I can’t believe Mike is worried about the table at a time like this. He certainly never cared about any of my furniture when we were together. I decide I don’t want to be thinking about when we were together. “So, about David?”

“Right, of course. The thing is, Georgie, I don’t think he can bear the fact that I’m doing rather well for myself. He’s always been jealous of me, but recently he’s just flipped. He hates knowing that I’m successful. And so he’s doing what any other spoiled brat would try to do, and trying to ruin me. And because he’s a fucking accountant he can spread a few lies about me without anyone noticing. He’s doing everything he can to jeopardize my professional reputation.”

“What do you mean?” My mind boggles at the idea of Mike having a professional reputation to ruin.

“I mean that my investors have been getting anonymous letters telling them not to trust me. That he’s been contacting my bank trying to get my account information. That he’s been following me around, talking to my employees, making everyone think I’m stealing money or something. He works for some huge firm so everyone believes him, and I’m having a fucking tough time convincing people to stick with it.”

All Mike’s arguments with DJs and tense mobile phone calls in Rome start to make sense. But surely David can’t have anything to do with it? I mean, it’s ridiculous.

“Mike, that’s absurd. David wouldn’t go to all that trouble. It must be someone else.” My mind is racing. David did slam the phone down on Mike, and was determined that I shouldn’t see him.

But he would hardly try and ruin Mike’s business, would he? I mean, he’s so measured and sensible. Except when he’s driving a Vespa . . . but no, the whole idea is stupid.

“Of course he would. Look, he’s a jealous man. What do you think he was doing in Rome? Did he justhappen to have some business out there the very weekend I go out to meet some potential bands? Or do you think it is a little bit coincidental that one band, who were about to sign on the dotted line, suddenly had second thoughts on Sunday evening? Oh, he would go to all that trouble all right.” Mike stubs out his cigarette viciously in a beautiful large glass ashtray.

“But what’s he got to be jealous of?” Obviously I’m hoping that it’s me, but I’m hardly going to admit that.

“You.”

I smile bashfully. But it still doesn’t add up.

“Mike, David has nothing to be jealous of. We split up years ago, end of story. And so long as he never finds out that I went to Rome to meet you, there will be no problem.”

Mike looks away quickly and then meets my eye again.

“Right. And David’s just going to swallow the fact that you also justhappened to be in Rome.

Wake up, Georgie, for fuck’s sake.”

I feel myself go pale. So David knew? He knew all the time we were eating and talking and dancing and making love? He knew, and he didn’t say anything?

“That’s impossible,” I say hotly. “If David knew, and if he’s so jealous he wants to ruin your business, he would have said something to me. None of this makes any sense. David had no reason to be jealous of you before now, but you’re making out he’s been doing all this damage for ages.”

“He’s been jealous since the first night we met,” says Mike flatly. “Jealous because I got you first. Jealous because he thinks you still love me just a bit.”

I stare at him.

“Obviously it’s not true,” Mike continues quickly, “but David doesn’t know that, does he? He found out from Candy that I was doing really well. And he knew that I’d come and find you.”

“Why? Why would he know that?” Why didn’t I know that either? I feel like Alice in Wonderland, like all the things I’ve been taking for granted have suddenly shifted into something strange and new.

Mike lights another cigarette. “When we were together, Georgie, I knew I could never have stayed with you. You had your own flat, a proper job, you had everything. And I was totally skint and couldn’t offer you anything. I felt like shit. I knew you deserved better. I had to go. I just didn’t have any self-respect left. I wanted to be the sort of guy who could take you places you wanted to go. Buy you presents, y’know?”

My head is spinning. So let me get this straight: David is the exciting, dangerous guy who will do anything to prevent Mike winning me back, and Mike is the downtrodden ex-boyfriend who wanted nothing more than to prove himself worthy of me?

Something about this doesn’t add up.

“So you left me because you didn’t think you were good enough for me? Explain the girl, then.”

Mike looks up, surprised. “What girl?”

“You left me for another girl, remember? My neighbor saw you leave with her.”

“Oh, right. You knew about that?”

I nod.

Mike looks a bit nonplussed. “Look, she was nothing,” he says eventually. “Is nothing. Just a fling, you know. Georgie, it was only ever you, but I wanted to sort myself out. I confided in David, even asked him if he could help me get a job. But instead he asked you out and convinced you I was the lowest of the low. And now he thinks I’m going to get you back and he’s trying to ruin everything.”

Mike looks up briefly and I almost think I can see a tear.

“You really left me because you didn’t think you were good enough?” I still can’t quite believe this is Mike talking.

“I wanted you to be happy.”

“I was happy! Most of the time. Well, you know . . . some of the time anyway. I thought you left me because I wasn’t cool enough.” I’m almost laughing at the irony of all this. Except that I feel sick to my stomach.

“Georgie, you’re the coolest.”

“Yeah, well. Look, I’m sorry, Mike. I really am.” I’m trying hard to sound sympathetic and reassuring, and I lower my voice. Two years ago I would have been over the moon to hear this—

two weeks ago, even. But now I just don’t care why Mike left me. Don’t care if he has any feelings toward me. I just want to know what David knows about Rome.

“The thing is,” I say slowly, trying not to sound as stressed out as I feel, “I love David now. So look, why don’t you tell me what it is that you want me to do and that’ll be the end of it?”

Mike looks up. “Okay, here’s the deal. David has managed to get hold of something that could get me and him into a lot of trouble.” This doesn’t sound good.

“What kind of trouble? What thing?”

He pauses. “David sent one of his people to my offices posing as a DJ, and he managed to lift a disk with some information on it that I’m not particularly proud of.”

“What sort of information? Does he know about the drugs?”

“Fuck no. And he doesn’t need to know, okay? Look, what he found isn’tthat bad, but it could cause problems. It’s just that I . . . well, I borrowed some money from my company to buy this place. I’m paying it back and everything, but I wanted to avoid some taxes and stuff, so it isn’t strictly done by the book. And if my investors found out they could close me down. I worked so hard to get this company off the ground, and if David shows anyone the disk I’m completely screwed.”