Adele hadn’t seen the two men before; they hadn’t been there last time she visited the club with Peter. She noticed the size of them straight away but, as one of them smiled back at Peter then glanced over to her, she noticed something else. He was one hell of a looker! He kept his eyes locked on her for several seconds too long and she could feel herself blush under his intense examination. The other man she hardly noticed; she just registered that he was also big built but not particularly good-looking.

‘Adele, this is Glynn,’ said Peter, ‘and this here is Mike,’ he added, nodding towards the other man. ‘This is Adele, my sister,’ he said to the two men.

Adele’s eyes shifted to Mike, glad of a chance to break her gaze away from Glynn. The heat of her face soon spread to her neck, and she tried to ignore the way Glynn made her so flustered. Feeling like a foolish teenager, she smiled self-consciously at the men as they each shook her hand.

But Glynn didn’t let go of her hand straight away, and she looked up at him inquisitively. It was there again: that intense stare that seemed to penetrate through her body. She felt exposed, as though he was peeling off her clothing in his mind. She tried not to let her eyes linger on his for too long this time, but she still noticed his chiselled features and the cheeky smile that glided effortlessly across his face. The guy oozed charisma!

She dropped her gaze, still conscious of her burning cheeks. Then her eyes settled on his toned physique. His fitted black polo shirt did nothing to hide his rippling muscles. The sleeves stopped a short way down his upper arms, exposing the flesh of his bulging biceps. Adele felt a strange sensation zip through her, a hidden thrill.

She quickly brushed past, too embarrassed at her own reaction to hang around. Adele couldn’t remember the last time anyone had had that effect on her. Maybe she had gone too long without a man. She stopped behind them, and out of their line of vision, while they spoke to Peter.

‘We’ve just put the latest takings away,’ said Glynn. ‘Just till the banks are open tomorrow.’

His deep, baritone voice emphasised his masculinity, unsettling Adele even more.

‘OK. Cheers, mate,’ said Peter, before joining Adele as the men walked by.

‘Glynn’s my number two,’ he said to Adele. ‘He helps me with a lot of stuff, especially the security business.’

‘What did he mean about takings?’ asked Adele, her voice sounding self-conscious and out of place, even to her own ears.

‘The banks aren’t always open when we do the collections for the security business so we put them in the safe upstairs.’

‘Ah, right,’ said Adele. She was just about to ask what exactly was involved in the security business when Peter spoke again.