I nodded, my mouth full. The plate had been delivered with the sauce on the side as requested and chunky chips. I forgot myself for a second and dived in, as he watched on in amusement.

‘How long have you lived with Ben?’

Hearing his name made my steak hard to swallow. I sipped my wine to help it go down.

‘Not long, a few months. I don’t know him that well. He works nights, so I don’t see him much.’ I was babbling, trying to remove Ben as far as I could from the situation.

‘The best kind of lodger then.’ Ian seemed content with my response.

‘What about you? I know you said your dad lives in Oxford, but do you have any other family nearby?’ I poured more wine into Ian’s near empty glass and topped mine up. He was on his third glass already.

‘No, my mother passed away when I was six.’ He took another mouthful of wine and I momentarily felt sorry for him. Until I remembered what he’d done to me and the other women whose lives he’d destroyed.

‘I’m so sorry, Ian.’

‘It was a long time ago and I’m an only child, like you, so no family here.’ He forked the last slice of steak into his mouth. ‘Would you excuse me?’ he said a minute later, standing and placing his napkin on his plate. He disappeared through the door to use the bathroom upstairs.

Glancing around at the surrounding tables: one couple were deep in conversation and the second were feeding each other dessert. There was a man sat alone, at the table closest to us, eyes down as he scrolled on his mobile phone. Confident I wouldn’t be seen, I causally tipped my wine into the plant pot. The rest of the bottle, I poured into Ian’s glass. The waitress who was passing stopped to ask if I would like another? Hesitating, I didn’t know what to do. Yes, I wanted another bottle. I wanted Ian well lubricated for when we got back to his. Would it upset him if I ordered another one without asking him first? To hell with it. What was he going to do, punish me? I agreed and before Ian had returned a full bottle sat on our table and I was still trying to finish my steak.

‘You eat like a bird,’ he mused when he came back.

Knowing he was watching made finishing my meal even harder. I managed three quarters of the steak and half the chips, which were cold by then, and was full. My stomach churned with the combination of food and nerves. It would be a miracle if I kept anything down tonight.