She smiled. ‘It’s all right, but I preferred it when I worked for you. The management here are only interested in the earn, they don’t really look out for us. Most girls here depend on the private dances, but they also take a percentage of your earn, so it’s not as lucrative as it should be. I’m surprised to see you, to be honest. You couldn’t wait to get shot of me not too long ago.’

Danny and Davey could hear the hurt in her voice, and Danny felt inexplicably bad for her. She was a nice girl as lap dancers went. She had a good sense of humour, and without her kit on she was a fucking young lad’s wet dream. She was naturally stacked, but she had the face of a virgin – a lethal combination in the lap-dancing world. Most of the girls looked just what they were; the Stephanies were few and far between.

‘That was why I wanted to see you. I need you to tell me something, and I want the truth, right? I promise I won’t get annoyed, unless you lie to me.’

She nodded; he could see she was genuinely puzzled, but also frightened. ‘Why would I lie to you, Danny?’ Her voice was quivering with nerves.

‘Did you slip me a roofie, or a couple of Es that last night you saw me, without me knowing?’

He was smiling as he spoke to her, but Stephanie could hear the underlying seriousness in his tone, and she was terrified. What was he accusing her of exactly? He was definitely accusing her of something, she knew that much. She could feel Davey’s eyes boring into her too, and she felt hot and clammy.

‘I ain’t going to do anything to you, Steph, I swear, but if you gave me something for a laugh, then tell me. I just need to know.’

She was shaking her head in denial. ‘I wouldn’t do that, Danny, and I certainly wouldn’t do it to you!’

He could hear the truth in her voice, and he was sorry for scaring her. ‘Listen, Steph, I was with you, we were having a laugh, and then I was fucked – completely fucked. I wasn’t on anything, and I didn’t drink that much. So someone must have given me a livener. It stands to reason, don’t it?’