Already, on the club nights, some of the wealthy gentlemen looked at the closed curtains hiding the long poles that stretched from floor to ceiling on the stage, and asked what was happening. On hearing they were putting on events with Las Vegas-style showgirls, Tony saw their eyes light up, and big grins spread across their faces.

Sharon advertised for pole dancers to come and audition. She had emphasised ‘pole dancers’, and not strippers. She was surprised when so many turned up to her group audition. Some were even out of work models, hoping this would give their career a boost. After all, who knew who would be having a drink in the club? A photographer, a journalist?

Sharon was a tough judge though. Anyone over thirty was dismissed. Anyone who had a stretch mark, or weighed more than nine stone, was also out, and anyone who didn’t have the style and grace to be able to climb up the poles and dance around them didn’t stand a chance. The pool of applicants went from around fifty women to twenty in less than half an hour.

Sharon could see they all seemed rather shocked and upset that it was a woman interviewing them and making the choice, and not the blond playboy they had seen in the newspapers. It was funny because, all the time, Jake, Tony and the accountant were watching on the monitors in the office.

Once the girls had been chosen, Sharon hired a choreographer, and rehearsals began. She also hooked up with a seamstress who made costumes for dancers in some of the West End shows, and she made sure everyone looked the part. Jake, Tony and the accountant were all present for the full dress rehearsal, prior to the launch of the business, and even Tony had to admit the show was spectacular – and there was nothing tacky about it.

Finally, opening night arrived. Mondays were usually dead, so the change of focus was no great risk. And, as Dan and his friends had been dropping off leaflets at local offices where there were more men than women, they were hopeful of a decent crowd.

Jake and Tony stood at the bar. The disco lights were on and the dancefloor was lit up; all they needed now was custom. One by one, a few well-dressed men in suits started trickling in to the club. They were a little pensive, because it still looked like a nightclub, but they were reassured when they saw the stage and the dance poles.

Then a group of men came in which included some Tony and Jake recognised from television and magazines. They were all eagerly awaiting the main event. Jake went to the doormen and asked them if they had paid – they nodded, and they could prove it. Each man was given a card when his entry fee had been paid, and it also got them their first drink at the bar.

Sharon was backstage, in the newly decorated changing rooms, with her clipboard. She was making sure everyone was present, properly dressed and made up, and ready for the show. At last, the music started up and, one by one, in their spangled, tasselled costumes, the girls walked out, took hold of a pole each and started to climb up them, swing around them, and teasingly wrap their legs around them.