‘She wanted to do that all along, you know. Order the trees, I mean,’ Jake said to Tony.

This was the run up to the busiest time of the year. Christmas was coming and everyone wanted to party and gamble. Sharon had Christmas parties to organise and had taken on an assistant of her own to help her.

Tony pointed to a box of video tapes in the corner of the room. ‘Have you seen some of the stuff on that lot?’ He shook his head in disbelief.

‘What are they?’ Jake leaned forward and took one of the tapes out of the box. It had no name on it. He held it up and looked at Tony.

‘Some of the recordings from the men’s club bedrooms. Believe me, Jake, it’s more than I bargained for. There’s a well-known celebrity dressed in a French maid’s outfit, plus two guys having sex. It doesn’t do it for me, it made my jaw drop. It’s not for me to judge, but it does make me see them through different eyes. It’s insurance, though. If I ever need their help, they’ll move heaven and earth to provide it, not because they like me, but because of this.’ Tony waved a video tape in the air.

‘Oh, God, Tony, are you telling me you’ve been watching them? That’s disgusting.’ Jake squirmed.

‘I had to check if there was anything on them worth saving. It wasn’t the best job in the world, but it needed to be done. Anyway, there is some stuff that’ll be useful, and those tapes in particular need go into the main safe for a rainy day. Mind you, I think I’ll let Sharon look through them in future.’

‘Not bloody likely! You can do it or, if absolutely necessary, I will, but not my Sharon.’

Tony burst out laughing. ‘Jake, you are still so easy to wind up; sometimes you make me feel like a wicked teenager again. Of course I’ll do it; some of it is quite funny, actually. Something for when we’re both pissed and fed up and need a good laugh.’

Jake rolled his eyes. ‘I’m going to see Elle today, are you coming? It’s been a while. While we’re there we can see how that mansion of yours is coming along.’

‘Good idea. Count me in.’

Elle was helping oversee the decorating, if you could call it that. Tony had just told the decorators to paint the rooms in magnolia and the designers to choose whatever furniture they thought best. Apart from that, he had claimed one room as a study and the main bedroom as his own, if he were to ever stay over. That was about as far as his interest in the house went.

Elle was more than happy to see them, when they landed on her doorstep. Although they spoke regularly, it was nice to have a proper catch-up. Tony and Jake enjoyed telling her all their plans for the clubs, now Christmas was looming.