She took another drag on her cigarette and sipped at the steaming coffee.

‘Where were you last night? I thought you’d have closed up by two-thirty.’

Alan walked out of the bedroom without bothering to answer. As he sat at the kitchen table she ambled through with coffee, cigarettes, and his bathrobe draped over her body. She hadn’t bothered to tie it up and he knew it was a calculated gesture. He tied it for her.

‘Listen, Lally, I don’t want you coming and going here as if it’s your place. I gave you the key for emergencies only. Now, if you don’t mind, I want it back.’

She sat at the table and smiled. ‘Why do we always have to go through this, Alan? You’ll get in the shower and I’ll follow, you’ll make love to me, and then I’ll watch while you cook us a bit of breakfast. Then we’ll be all right until the next time.’

Alan shook his head vigorously. ‘There ain’t going to be a next time, Lally. I don’t like this. I don’t like my space being invaded. You know what I’m like, love. I don’t want anything permanent.’

Lally sniffed disdainfully. ‘Who said that I do then? Don’t fancy yourself too much, Alan Cox. I don’t want anything permanent either. You’re not the only bloke I see.’

Alan looked into the clear blue eyes and said softly, ‘But you’d like me to be, wouldn’t you?’

Lally had to drop her eyes then, aware of the truthfulness of the statement. She stamped her foot like a child.

‘Why do you do this to me, Alan?’ Her voice was a low whine. ‘Why do you shut me out? Can’t we just try it together?’

Alan softened but shook his head nonetheless. ‘Not in a million years, darlin’. I don’t want anything permanent, and if I did it wouldn’t be with a tom, no matter how high-class she was.’

He felt bad saying that to her, because in reality he couldn’t care what her job was, but he knew it was the only thing he could say that would wound her enough to make her leave him in peace. Over the years he had known toms he would rather have over fifty so-called respectable housewives, and he’d had a few of those as well, which was why he preferred the toms. They didn’t pretend, they were real, you knew exactly what you were getting.

He saw the shine of tears and sighed again. ‘I’m sorry Lally.’

She stood up, her dignity all she had to shield herself with. ‘I didn’t deserve that, Alan, and you know it.’