Excitement surged through Hannah too at the various possibilities. Yes, this truly was something she could run with. And she couldn’t deny that this considerably less toxic display of Ward’s masculinity was appealing. In more ways than one.

‘I think it’s certainly something he could get behind anyway,’ she mumbled, deep in thought. ‘Making himself more accessible to the public has been the crux of his reticence, but this is good since it doesn’t involve anything personal per se. He’s already said he wants to be known purely as an athlete and that it’s all about the game, about competing … well, this is right in line with that.’

Eager to chat through the finer details of such a strategy with him and also wanting to ensure that she could stay on top of the messaging, Hannah said goodbye to Zoe, promising to reconnect soon.

She then called Ward, wanting to congratulate him on his unexpected initiative, and while she was at it, take the opportunity to suggest another PR angle she’d planned to help boost a podcast she’d booked for him to record tomorrow.

But the call went directly to voicemail and her thoughts drifted again. Why was his phone off? The sexy voice of his female trainer popped to the forefront of her brain, as did something he’d said the other day at John Doe’s.

My personal life is off-limits.

‘Get it together,’ she admonished herself. ‘It’s none of your business what the guy does with his trainer or anyone for that matter. In fact, why do you even care?’

The question stopped her in her tracks and she shook her head as if trying to dislodge the intrusive thought. Plus the image of Ward’s taut bare muscles moving in rhythm …

Stop it, Hannah shook her head. She’d go ahead and check back in with him later.

Easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, was one of Zoe’s favourite mantras and since the first element of her strategy seemed to be working OK, she could safely assume he’d be on board with the next part too. He was trusting her now, which was a great sign.

Hannah then made a call to a features editor at the online site Sports Starz wanting to know if he’d be interested in a personal piece.

‘You bet,’ Tom Whitmore enthused. ‘WildCat McKenzie’s one of those guaranteed click jockeys – put that bad boy’s name in the headline and your eyeball rate’s always going to go through the roof.’