Ben is stalled. He finds himself taking her hand flat between both of his. Against what he presumes to be his better judgement, but helpless to do anything about it, he finds he has kissed her knuckles, turning her wrist to kiss the palm of her hand, licking it suddenly.

‘You’re salty.’

Stating the obvious.

Cat nods and says, ‘So is the sea,’ which is a daft thing to say but neither of them reflect upon it.

Ben shakes his head and savours the bewilderment criss-crossing Cat’s face before he alleviates it with his smile. He pulls her against him and finds her mouth.

I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You thrill me and unnerve me and I don’t know what I’m meant to do about any of it.

Tell her, Ben.

It’s probably not a good idea. None of this. But I can’t let common sense allow it to go.

‘I have to go,’ Ben says. ‘Come in with me. Come and join us.’

Cat shakes her head. Her job is done and she desperately needs to rest. And have a bath. And find Josh and confess.

‘Come with me,’ Ben repeats but again Cat shakes her head. Ben does not even bother to check who is around, who is staggering out of the bar or forcing their way in, or who is on the other side of the street, or in earshot, or who might see. He cups Cat’s face in his hand and kisses her, lightly at first and then deeply, his tongue dancing in delight at the taste of her which he has foregone for almost forty-eight hours. ‘Tomorrow’s the Repos,’ he says, eyes alight. ‘What are your plans?’

‘I need to transcribe Luca’s interview,’ Cat says, her eyes still closed, her head tilted upwards presenting lips eager to be kissed again. Ben licks her mouth with the tip of his tongue, swiftly, gently, from corner to corner. Cat is utterly light-headed between her legs.

‘And then?’ he asks.

‘And then, Ben,’ says Cat, looking at him and laying a hand against his chest, another against the bulge in his trousers, ‘I’m all yours.’

‘What was that about?’ Luca asked Ben. ‘Where’s the Babe?’

‘She’s gone,’ Ben shrugged, taking a hearty drink.

‘She OK?’ Luca asked.

‘Hands,’ said Ben with a slow nod, displaying his for emphasis.

Luca, pissed on two bottles of Seize and hyper after too many bottles of Coke, nodded earnestly. ‘All that typing,’ he justified, looking at his own hands, ‘quite a tough job, I would think.’

REPOS

Cat couldn’t believe she was singing ‘Oh, I do like to be beside the seaside’, but she was. She had started to hum it whilst cleaning her teeth and now, sweeping back the hotel curtains and looking out over the navy-blue water, she was singing it with gusto. She needed to call Taverner at the Guardian and Andy at Maillot, she had her Luca interview to transcribe and she planned to have everything wrapped up before lunch-time to warrant the rest of the day alone in Ben’s company.