Her hand is cool in mine, and she stares unblinkingly into my eyes as we shake. I may only have met her a few seconds ago, but it’s already clear to me that Cindy is not someone you mess with.

‘Please, take a seat,’ she continues, her tone now more that of an interviewer as she indicates one of the other chairs. ‘I thought it would be a good idea for us to have a chat before Luke arrives. Richenda, now that Tilly’s here, would you mind giving him a call? She’s going to tell him she thinks she can smell gas, and can he come right away,’ Cindy explains as Richenda leaves the room and she settles herself back in the chair. ‘We tried various scenarios, but that seemed the one most likely to work. While we wait for him, why don’t you tell me how you ended up fucking my husband, hmm?’

I stare at her, speechless. ‘I didn’t mean to…’ I begin lamely.

She smiles grimly. ‘I’m sure you didn’t mean anything, and yet here we are. So how did it start?’

‘He joined the unit where I work,’ I say quietly. This is excruciating.

‘Yes, but I’m going to stick my neck out and assume you’re not fucking any of your other work colleagues, so why him? What’s so special about him that you couldn’t resist?’

She’s riling me now, making me feel like I’m the villain in this piece and a part of me wishes that I’d brought Mike as a wingman after all.

‘Look,’ I tell her more firmly. ‘It wasn’t like that, OK? He came on to me, if you must know.’

She sighs. ‘Of course he did. You were mere putty in his hands. Did you know he was married?’

‘Of course not!’

‘So, he chased you. Tell me.’

‘He started by coming with me on breaks. We got on really well, and things developed from there.’

‘I need you to be more specific.’ She’s not giving an inch.

‘Fine. We started meeting for lunch, and yes, I was attracted to him. I wanted him, and he made it pretty clear he wanted me too. It wasn’t long before we were having lunch and then going back to my flat afterwards for sex. Is that specific enough for you?’

To her credit, if my blunt speech has hit home, she’s not showing it.

‘And what was this for you? Just a casual fling, scratching an itch, or were you falling for him?’

‘I wanted more. I’m not a casual fling person. It was one of the few things we argued about.’

‘Why?’