‘Well not actually me.’ He grins, then chuckles. It’s quite sexy. Well sexy if you had to rate it on a scale. Kind of deep-throated, the type of sound that would make you clench your thighs if you were into this man. Which I am not. See, I am unclenching. And … relax. ‘I was here for a drink with my mate, Jed. We had a couple of drinks.’ He shrugs. ‘Then he buggered off early.’ He glances away briefly, as though it bothers him, then looks back at me and gives me a bit of a wolfish grin. Whatever bothered him has been dismissed. ‘So, I’m all yours.’

‘I don’t want you to be all mine. I’m fine on my own thanks.’ I half turn away, but he doesn’t take the hint.

‘But you do want something, am I right, or am I—?’

‘Will you stop saying that, it’s so, well, so annoying.’ I had two glasses of wine before I came out, to boost my confidence. That’s why I was taking it easy on the prosecco when I got here; falling over drunk isn’t a good look on a first date, is it? And without the pre-date wine I might well have ducked out. It was my confidence booster. Without the wine I wouldn’t be here now, talking to a man who thinks I am going to fall for his charm.

‘Sorry, babe.’ He doesn’t look sorry. ‘Anything else?’

‘Can you drop the babe bit. I’m not your babe, I’m not anybody’s babe. Who says babe these days?’

‘I meant anything else to drink, not continue with your character assassination!’

‘I’m not …’ I pause. Take a deep breath. I’m here, he’s here, he might be useful. He’s obviously a bit of a jerk and a lot of a bad boy. Which strangely enough might be just what I need. For the next half hour or so anyway. ‘Oh God, I’m sorry, I’m not usually this rude and grumpy, it’s just …’

‘The date?’ He tilts his head on one side. ‘You were totally into him? Am I right, or …?’

I scowl. ‘No, I was not totally into him. I’ve never actually met him.’

He frowns. ‘I’m usually right quite a lot! Not scoring tonight, am I?’

‘No!’

He sticks his lower lip out. ‘Part of my charm? Nobody likes a know it all, do they?’

‘No, it is not charming. Look, do you want me to tell you or not? Unless you have somewhere better to be?’ His eyes open wide. ‘Thought not.’ Normally I’m not this forward with men I don’t know, with anybody at all if I’m honest. But I am desperate. And I am also a little bit tipsy.

‘Wow, you say it like it is, don’t you?’ He grins. ‘Fire away! Let me order more drinks first though, you need to chill a bit.’

‘No!’ I can’t accept a drink off him. ‘And what do you mean, chill?’ Chill, I can’t chill.