Stephen pushed aside the file and picked up the press reports. He held them up, facing Jackie, and brushed their top edge against his mouth. She looked at him quizzically before her mouth dropped open in realization of what he was showing her. He shot three consecutive winks at her, and she immediately understood their meaning. She jumped up from her desk and ran through to his office.

“What are they like?” she asked breathlessly.

Stephen spun the press cuttings across the desk towards her. “See for yourself.”

Jackie picked up the pages and flicked through them, her face becoming more animated with each one. “They’re brilliant, Stephen. Every one of them is absolutely brilliant!”

Stephen laughed. “I know. And that’s even with Gaultier showing at the same time.”

“Has Rebecca seen these?”

“I wouldn’t have thought so. She’s still at home. We’ll fax them through and see what she has to say about them.”

“She couldn’t be anything but pleased.”

“I would hope so. It depends on how the mood takes her.” Stephen pushed back his chair and got to his feet. “However, I think that we should feel extremely pleased with ourselves,” he said, walking around behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders, “because it was us who put the whole thing together.” He blew gently on her right ear.

Jackie, who had been engrossed in the press reports, suddenly realized what was happening. She pulled away from his hold and began casting furtive glances around the open-plan office. Nobody appeared to be looking in their direction. “Stephen!” she exclaimed in a laughing whisper. “For goodness’ sakes, don’t do that! I’ve told you before, we don’t mix business with pleasure.” She leaned back on his desk, keeping a safe distance between them, as she nonchalantly continued to read the reports.

“What a pity,” Stephen replied, pushing his hands into the pockets of his trousers, “because I wouldn’t mind taking you right here and now on my desk.”

“Oh, wouldn’t you?” Jackie asked, without shifting her eyes from the paper. “And I suppose that Carrie would be in line for the same kind of treatment.”

“She’s not my type. I don’t go for—”

“Younger women?” Jackie cut in, lifting her head sharply to watch for his reaction.

“That was not what I was going to say.” He moved towards her, made to put his arms around her, but then checked himself and instead folded them across his chest. It was he, this time, who cast a glance around at the other offices. “You know how I feel about you, Jackie. I wouldn’t muck around.”

Jackie let out a sigh. “Aren’t we both guilty of that already, Stephen?”