‘OK, fine.’ He plonked himself on a corner of her desk and folded his arms.

While she packed, she could feel his eyes on her the whole time. Adele shuffled her papers about self-consciously, slipping them clumsily into the files. Under his intense gaze she seemed to have lost control of her fingers and could feel herself becoming flustered.

‘Do you want any help?’ he asked.

Adele noticed the wide grin on his face. He knew the effect he had on her and was enjoying it, she thought. In the end, she left some of the files out, grabbed her bag and headed to the door, anxious to be out of his line of vision.

Within no time she could feel him close behind her and as she opened the door into the corridor she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck. It sent a quiver down her spine and she cursed herself for wearing her hair up today.

When they arrived downstairs, he took his car keys out of his pocket and they walked to his BMW. ‘No buses for you tonight,’ he said. ‘You’re travelling in style.’

She smiled again and got into the car. While he drove she stared out of the window, only turning her head occasionally to give directions. She was too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

‘Here we are, your ladyship,’ he joked as he pulled up outside her home in Chorlton.

The area differed from that of her childhood home. The streets were wider, the houses bigger and the roads lined by trees. Many of the Victorian houses were now occupied by students and graduates who had stayed in the area.

Her home was inside a large Victorian house, which had been turned into flats. There was a narrow path, then three stone steps up to the main front door. On either side of the path was a low brick wall with tall hedging, which obscured the view of the front door from the road.

‘Car park’s at the back,’ she said. ‘I’ll show you.’ Then she indicated a driveway to one side of the brick wall.

When Glynn had parked the car she let them into the building and they climbed the stairs to her first-floor flat. While she walked up the stairs she could feel a protective hand on the small of her back. It sent a tingle throughout her body. She was deliberating what to do when they reached her flat. As she approached the front door, she became more and more aware of the situation till finally she turned and spoke to him.

‘OK, I’ll be fine now,’ she babbled.

‘You sure?’ he asked.