He studied the piece of paper she’d given him while Sam sipped her G&T and tried not to inhale his gorgeous smell, which was headier than any botanical in the gin. Goosebumps kept popping up whenever his skin made the slightest contact with hers and the delicious tingly sensation had started to infuse her from the middle outwards. Sitting next to Gabe was like being surrounded by a mouthwatering feast. If she touched even the tiniest morsel, she knew she’d want to wolf down the lot.

‘Is there enough time for you to – you know – do your thing?’ she asked, trying to unscramble her brain.

‘I think so … But if there’s time in the schedule, I could do with another fifteen minutes afterwards?’ He gave her a questioning look. ‘I usually invite a couple of people on stage to taste the dish. It goes down well with the audience if they feel part of the action.’

He slid the paper a little closer to her.

Sam made a note on the sheet. ‘Sounds like a good plan. Yes – I think we can accommodate that.’

He flashed her the kind of smile that would turn a slab of chocolate to liquid in a heartbeat. ‘Great. Can I run a few of my plans for the cookery demo by you while we’re here? Get your feedback.’

‘You want my feedback on your demo?’ She was genuinely surprised.

‘I’d like to get an idea of the kind of people who will be there. Get a feel for the temperature of the crowd.’

Sam wanted to fan herself. She knew what her temperature was right now: the mercury was ready to explode.

‘I’d be interested in what you think would go down well with your audience,’ Gabe added, then smiled. ‘I can always ignore it, naturally.’

‘Naturally.’

She forced herself to concentrate on his ideas for the dish he planned to prepare and she told him what she thought the audiences had enjoyed in the past. Judging by the way she’d seen him work the audience on his TV show, however, she was confident he’d have everyone eating out of his hand.

She’d no intention of telling him that, of course, and tried to keep the conversation brisk and practical. It was difficult, because he kept making her laugh with anecdotes about previous demos and some of the celebrities he’d worked with. Without her even realising it, another round of drinks were being consumed and Sam was smiling more and more often as the pub filled up and noise levels increased. She relaxed and almost missed the ringing of her phone in the bag by her feet.

‘Sorry, I ought to see who this is.’

She reached down to scoop it out of her bag, but her fingers fumbled and it dropped onto the slate floor and slithered under Gabe’s feet.

‘Shit.’

The phone stopped ringing.