I grin at him. Somehow it’s become second nature to smile at him. He brings them out of me like the sun brings out the daisies.

“I could always alter the stupid parameters,” he suggests. “Fit in a blowjob.”

“I am not fitting in a blowjob,” I say indignantly. “They should be slow.” I wink at him. “And savoured.” He swallows hard, staring at me as if hypnotised, and I laugh. “As much as I hate to say it, there’s no time for sex, Jesse Reed. We’ve got a secret date to go to.”

He grins at me and then cocks his head, listening to the music drifting through the flat on the speakers. “What’s this song you’re playing?”

“Tim Booth and Angelo Badalamenti. It’s called ‘Fall in Love with Me’.” I swallow hard, hearing the words fall into the air between us.

He listens for a few seconds. “I like it.”

“My life is complete.” I laugh and edge out of his way as he pinches me. “Okay, are we ready?” I pick up my phone. “I’ve given the secret code, and they’ve sent me a location.”

“Are you intending to sell me or my organs?” he asks, and I choke on my spit.

“Not really,” I say mock apologetically. “I don’t think I’d get much cash for you, and I’m pretty sure you should maybe look at paying money for other people’s organs given your drinking history.”

He laughs. “Okay, not that. How about a secret sex den?”

I make a buzzer noise. “It’s not very often you’re right, but you’re wrong again.” I hold out my hand. “Come on. I’ll tell you in the taxi. He’ll bugger off if we don’t go down soon.”

Once we’re in the taxi, I hold out my phone. “That’s where we’re going.”

He looks at the address. “That doesn’t tell me much.”

“Well, to be honest, you know as much as I do. I only get the address and a secret word to share to get in.”

“Is this like one of those films where foolish teenagers go somewhere to play a game and get picked off one by one? In which case I’m done for. I’m pretty, and I’ve had sex with you. I obviously therefore deserve to be struck through with a ship’s anchor.”

“I don’t think there are many of those in South West London,” I say dubiously.

He edges closer, and I feel my arm go up so he can lean into me. I hug him tight and marvel at the fact that he smells so wonderful and that my body is also operating completely independently of my brain nowadays.

“Tell me,” he whispers.