I smelled Stephen before I saw him. He must have doused himself in enough perfume to sweeten all the working girls of Blackpool, with enough left over to dab behind the ears of Lytham St Anne’s. It was dark out there, by the fence, between the lights, but the quickly dampening night air carried the scent far and fast.

‘Hello Johnny,’ came a voice, low and insinuating and heavily accented. ‘Looking for love?’

A match struck in the darkness, illuminating Stephen’s face. In the yellow flare I could see that he was wearing make-up. His eyes were darkened, his cheeks and lips were rouged, his hair seemed to be glittering.

‘Stephen! Are you drunk?’

‘Maybe a little, darling. Are you going to take advantage of me?’

‘Drop the Dietrich impression.’

‘Cigarette?’

‘I’ll have one of my own, thanks.’

‘Let’s walk,’ said Stephen, putting an arm through mine. I shook him off.

‘For Christ’s sake!’

‘What’s the matter?’

‘Someone will see us.’

‘I know a place …’

‘This has gone far enough, Stephen.’

‘Oh come on.’ He squeezed my arm, then broke off, danced a few steps ahead. ‘I’m irrrrrre-SIST-ible!’

‘Keep your voice down! The guard …’

‘Bugger the guard, dear. Although you’d probably quite like that, wouldn’t you?’

‘Stephen, you’re being ridiculous.’

‘I’m ridiculous, you’re ridiculous, we’re both ridiculous. Rrrrrri-DIC-ulous!’ He pranced and posed by the chainlink fence. ‘Ridiculous for being here, ridiculous in these awful drab uniforms, mincing around on the parade ground with all the naffs, trying to fit in and pass for normal when we should be OUT THERE IN THE WORLD! Being OURSELVES!’ He was shouting now.

‘Please, Stephen. Someone will hear you.’

‘That’s the general idea. I don’t want to stay here ONE MINUTE LONGER!’

‘And how exactly do you plan to manage that?’

‘I’ll show you.’ We were exactly midway between two of the perimeter lights. Stephen stopped abruptly and kissed me full on the mouth. His lips were soft, and tasted sweetly chemical. I felt winded.

‘There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?’

‘I …’

‘When did you last kiss a man?’

‘I never …’

‘Come on.’ He grabbed my arm and we ran. I felt disorientated. I didn’t see the rusty old ambulance parked out by the fence until I skinned my shin on the fender.

‘Here?’

‘Yes. Isn’t it marvellous? Think of all the trade you could drag out here.’

‘Trade …’

Stephen opened the back door of the ambulance. It made a dry, grinding sound.

‘As good as a suite at the Savoy.’ He sat on the edge, then reclined in a movie-star pose. ‘There’s room for two, you know.’

‘I can’t.’

‘You bloody well can.’ His voice was no longer languorous. He pulled me down on top of him, on to his open lips. I sank into the kiss with a queasy feeling of freefall. This was not what I had imagined, in my bed after lights-out. Stephen, of all people, was not the one. But the softness of his mouth and the eagerness of his caresses were like a drug. I came to life suddenly, as if a switch had been flicked. I’d always been dead, cold and paralysed with Wright – but now I was on fire. I ground into him, and he returned each thrust. His hands worked down my back, pulling me in.