Ashley put his hands to his mouth, shocked. ‘Oh, God, there are no schoolboys involved, or anything nasty like that! Seriously, Jake, they’re all grown men, and it’s their choice. As for Ralph Gold, no, you hardly ever see him in here. It’s more of a status thing that he’s a member. Honest.’ Ashley held up his hand, as though swearing on the bible.

‘Very well; keep it that way. You know I’ll have to discuss this with Tony, don’t you? I’m not sure what his attitude will be. Thank you for your honesty.’ With that, he walked out of the room, leaving Ashley behind.

Jake felt he had to speak to Tony as soon as possible about what he’d just learned. It was crazy; Tony wouldn’t want to be associated with anything like that. He wouldn’t want the newspapers thinking he liked men, for God’s sake.

Jake went back to the club. Sharon was in the office with the accountant, going through the night’s takings.

‘Did you know that fancy men’s club is some kind of gay knocking shop, Sharon?’ he said.

Sharon looked up; she showed no sign of shock, and then she looked down again. ‘Yes, I did. What of it?’

This was a night full of surprises. Jake was dumbfounded; everyone seemed to know all about this except himself and Tony. ‘Is that all you have to say about it?’

Sharon looked up, took off her glasses and held them in her hand. ‘Why is it, Jake, that no one ever questions men looking at strippers or picking up prostitutes? Don’t be a bigot. I thought you were better than that. Did you know that some of our most glamorous strippers are lesbians?’

Jake nodded. Yes, he did know that. Some of the strippers were heartily sick of hearing the same old chat up lines, sick of the way the punters wanted to maul them or pick them up, even though they had no interest in men. They danced and teased them for the money and to pay their bills and the punters never thought anything of it when they went home with their best friend, who just so happened to be their girlfriend.

‘I’m not a bigot, you know that. Live and let live, that’s my attitude, I’m just shocked that that Mathers guy, with all his pompous ways, lets all that go on. That’s all.’

‘Well, Jake, love, it seems he’s more broad-minded than you, doesn’t it?’ With that, Sharon turned back to her work.

The accountant looked up at Jake. ‘Why do you care so much what goes on in there? It’s making a lot of money.’

Jake felt he was going mad. No one seemed to care; only he thought it was crazy. Tony had tried all this time to make sure that the strip club was respectable and didn’t get a bad reputation, and yet now he’d learned the men’s club was everything Tony had tried to avoid.

Jake left Sharon and the accountant to their sums and walked back into the club. He needed a stiff drink.