They all agreed it was for the best; yet again, Sharon was right – it could make or break them.

During the coming weeks, there were more photos in the newspapers and now word about the club was spreading to the glossy magazines. Tony enjoyed being the centre of attention; it seemed to come naturally to him. He ordered well-tailored suits, and made a point of being immaculately dressed at all times. The journalists revelled in it. What they particularly liked was writing about Tony’s love life in all the gossip columns.

The women who visited the club seemed to flock towards Tony. He discovered power, money and authority attracted women, and he was more than prepared to take advantage of it. When Jake arrived at Tony’s apartment in the mornings, there would be the usual scene of Tony saying goodbye to some woman he had met the night before. On occasion, Jake saw the same one twice, but it was always the same routine – Tony more or less threw them out in the morning, telling them they’d had their fun, and now it was time to leave.

The hurt, disappointed looks on their faces as they left, wearing last night’s clothes, were quickly followed by a sarcastic remark.

For the evening of the long-awaited policemen’s ball, the tables in the club were all arranged differently and half of the club was roped off for the catering. There was to be a large buffet delivered by a local restaurant.

‘You know,’ said Sharon, again stating the obvious, ‘if we had a restaurant area, we could have made money on the food. In fact, that’s not a bad idea, Tony. Get the customers in early. They all go out first, possibly for a meal or something, then they come here. If we provided both, they wouldn’t have to go anywhere else.’

It was a good idea, but one to be shelved for the moment; they were still getting the hang of the club business, always being the showmen, playing host and making sure everyone was having a good time. It sounded easy, but it was actually hard work, not to mention all the very late nights took their toll.

The detectives of the police force and their wives seemed to be having a good time. Tony had laid on complimentary champagne, and went from table to table, introducing himself. He even took the liberty of dancing with the police commissioner’s wife. Everyone was in high spirits.

One chief superintendent went and stood by Tony at the bar, and thanked him again for his hospitality – then the real reason for him standing with Tony came out.

‘It’s a shame this place is just a nightclub, Mr Lambrianu. I remember the old days, when it used to have the odd “exotic dancer” here. Bit of light relief after a long day, if you know what I mean.’ He laughed at his own joke.