The atmosphere was relaxed; the men were shouting to the girls and some were even throwing money at their favourites. The girls were like gymnasts, and it was all in good taste and good fun. Each one dropped a strap of her specially designed costume, and when they took off their bikini bottoms, there was an even smaller G-string underneath. There was applause and laughter from the men. Sharon had done well.

Each dancer, in turn, had her own spot, and at the end of the evening, they all came on in different costumes and took a bow to the audience.

The cash register was ringing away and the credit cards were in the machines. Yes, thought Tony to himself, no matter who they are, all men like to see a pretty woman, scantily clad. He admitted he had been wrong.

‘What you need, Sharon,’ said the accountant, ‘is a star attraction, a full stripper for the end of the evening, to finish off. These girls tease and show as much as possible, but they’re not completely naked or just wearing their stockings, are they?’

Sharon agreed, the show did need a finale. One of these women would do it, she was sure, especially if the money was right.

Tony had been concerned about the club nights and how it would affect them, but again, he was wrong to worry. The curtains at the stage were pulled together, almost looking like a pink wall, and the party people came in – after they had paid their entry fee, of course.

So, now they had their nightclub, for the couples, singles and hen parties, and their revue bar, for men who liked to see showgirls dance around poles. There was no such thing as a quiet night at Lambrianu’s. The money on the door, alone, paid the girls wages.

Tony was invited to movie premiers and theatre nights, and spent his time dating his choice of pretty women that hung on to his every word. Jake felt it was good promotion for Tony and the club, but it was also promotion for the young starlets who wanted to be photographed with Mr Clubland, the notorious racketeer. It worked both ways, and Tony constantly had his photo in some glossy magazine or other, standing on the red carpet with a wannabe model or would-be actress. He revelled in it. This was living!

His own party nights, in his apartment, caused the odd scandal, but it only served to make him more popular, to the point where the newspapers called him ‘the Italian stud’. Jake and Sharon laughed when they saw him disappearing at the end of the night with some glamorous woman – or even a couple of them, to make the party go with a swing.

Eventually, though, these models decided to make extra money by selling their ‘kiss and tell’ stories. It seemed everyone wanted to know about Tony’s sex life and the women he entertained, which made the club even more popular, because people then came to see the man himself.