‘Luke does, apparently. Anyway, it means I can reply at leisure and he’ll never know.’

She smiles. ‘There’s a game of cat and mouse going on here for sure. I’m just not sure who’s the cat and who’s the mouse.’

‘I think I’m the cat today, don’t you?’ I tell her as I slip my phone back into my pocket. Tash doesn’t get a chance to reply as something appears to have gone wrong in the card game and Isaac is loudly accusing Mum of cheating. As I watch her calmly intervene to restore order, I allow myself a moment to congratulate myself. Tempting as it was to reply to Luke’s message straight away, I’m playing this exactly as I said I would.

There is still one problem, however. What on earth am I going to wear for our lunch date? As Tash distracts an increasingly furious Isaac and Mum adopts the innocent ‘what on earth did I do’ face that means Isaac’s accusations probably have fairly decent grounds, I do a mental inventory of my wardrobe, picturing myself in various outfits. I want something that expresses my interest, without giving him the impression I’m offering myself to him on a plate. But then, as I don’t know the venue, it’s impossible to know how formal I have to be.

It doesn’t take long for the solution to present itself. After I’ve accepted, I’ll set the venue. The pizza place on Mount Pleasant Road, I decide after a bit of thought. Nice and informal, so I can wear jeans under a fitted top, giving off just the right amount of flirtation without screaming ‘pick me!’ Also inexpensive so I won’t have wasted money if he tries to pull rank again and I decide to leave early. Hopefully he’ll have learned his lesson there. If that’s the case, I might even let myself be talked into going back to his place afterwards. I’d better make sure I put on decent knickers, just in case. So much for not being an easy conquest, then.

7

I didn’t sleep with Luke, and I still don’t know whether I’m pleased or disappointed. I mean, I was ready to sleep with him; I’d treated myself to a new matching knicker and bra set, exfoliated thoroughly and hacked my normally unruly pubic hair into something a little more presentable. I’m not one for the plucked-chicken look down there, but equally I do understand that not all men want to feel like they’re fighting their way through the enchanted forest.