Laura laughed ruefully, aware that it may have already got her into a lot of trouble if not actually done her harm. She couldn’t decide what was to blame for what she was about to do: the whiskey or her wanton lust.

‘So what have you read lately that you’ve got really excited about?’

‘Well . . .’ She went on to enthuse about a recent prizewinner, and a new women’s fiction writer, and several other books that she’d enjoyed. She was proud of how lucid she sounded – to her ears at least.

He countered with books and films he’d liked, only of course he was far more critical than even Laura was, and she always thought she was picky. As she talked she saw his attention wander. No male writer could resist talking about their work, she remembered – something Henry from the bookshop had told her when she’d first started organising events. ‘Of course,’ she said, ‘what we’re all waiting for is another book from you.’

There was a pause and then he took the glass out of her hand and put it down. ‘I think it’s time I took you home to bed.’

Her reactions were slowed by strong drink and it took Laura a moment or two to realise what he’d said. She forced her brain to pay attention and tell her to politely decline. It wouldn’t. She wanted to go home to bed with him and that was that. She realised she hadn’t really believed he meant it, she’d just enjoyed flirting with him. It had felt good. But she liked the idea of sleeping with him even better. She pushed aside any lingering sensibility and nodded her assent.

She retained enough sanity to text Monica to say, if not where she was going, whom she was going with, confident that someone would give Monica the address should she need it. She also added ‘I really want this’ to stop Monica rushing to the rescue. She knew that Monica would really like an in-depth discussion about what Laura was about to do, her motivation, and what she felt the outcome might be. But Monica even saying, ‘Are you sure?’ might make her change her mind, and Laura really wanted her virginity to go to her favourite writer in all the world (who also happened to be the most attractive man on the planet). She may never have another opportunity to really live and she didn’t want to be talked out of taking it.