But she still wasn’t listening. ‘I don’t know what you’re searching for but you won’t find it in the bottom of a whisky bottle.’

He gave a cynical smile. ‘My father did.’

‘You’re not your father, Conner.’ She spoke quietly. ‘Which is why I’m standing here now.’ She let the coat slip from her shoulders and underneath she was naked apart from the skimpiest, sexiest underwear he’d ever seen. ‘You think I’m a good girl, Conner? You think you’re not allowed to touch me?’

The glass slipped from his hand and the whisky spilled over the floor. Conner didn’t notice because every neurone in his brain had fused.

Her body was all smooth lines and delicate curves, her legs impossibly long and her small breasts pressing against the filmy lace of her bra.

He stared at her in tense silence. ‘I didn’t think I’d drunk anything,’ he muttered to himself in a hoarse voice, ‘but perhaps I’m wrong about that. For a moment there I thought Flora Harris was standing in front of me in her underwear.’

She made an exasperated sound and removed the bottle from his hand. ‘You’ve had enough.’ Her subtle, floral perfume drifted towards him and he leaned his head back against the sofa with a groan.

‘Believe me, I haven’t had enough. I haven’t even started. But if I’m still imagining Flora naked, perhaps it’s time I did. I need the image to fade to black.’

‘It won’t fade because it’s real. I’m real. Oh, for goodness’ sake, Conner, I came here to seduce you and you’re—you’re…’ She sighed with frustration and put the bottle on the floor, spilling some of the contents in the process. ‘Why did you open a bottle of whisky?’

‘Because of you.’

‘Me? I’m the reason you’re drunk?’

‘I’m not drunk. But for a brief moment it seemed like a good idea. I thought it might take my mind off ravishing you,’ he mumbled, and she made a sound that was somewhere between a moan and a giggle.

‘Why do you need to do that? I want you to ravish me. I’m desperate for you to ravish me.’

He squinted up at her. ‘Am I dreaming?’

‘No, you’re not dreaming!’ She gave a sigh and shook her head. ‘You’re going to take a cold shower and while you’re doing that I’m going to make you a jug of very strong coffee.’

Conner rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingers and shook his head. ‘You don’t need to do that. And coffee stops me sleeping.’