‘Thank you,’ she replied. She hopped up beside him and took in the atmosphere of the bar. She hadn’t been to The Standard since it opened, and she liked it. ‘What are you drinking?’ she asked, nodding towards his glass. ‘I’m gagging for something cold.’

‘Old Fashioned, because I am a millennial male cliché,’ he replied. ‘It’s good. This guy knows what he is doing.’

‘I’ll do that too,’ decided Penny.

Francesco ordered two more drinks with the barperson and turned his chair so that he could rest his feet on the bottom bar of hers, so he was closer to her.

‘You’re quite the man of mystery,’ Penny said. ‘Do I get to find out what the evening entails yet? You’ve been very secretive.’

Francesco grinned. ‘Convince me,’ he challenged.

‘Okay …’ Penny reached out an arm and rested a hand on the back of Francesco’s neck, where she idly stroked the space just below his hairline. ‘You’re looking very handsome tonight.’ She flicked her hair from her shoulder as she said it, letting the neck of her dress fall slightly to bare her shoulder. ‘And, um …’

Francesco started to smile.

‘Ah!’ he said. ‘You were doing so well!’

‘Seduction isn’t my forte!’ Penny laughed. ‘It’s too much pressure!’

‘Okay, okay, that’s fair,’ he replied. ‘But you do have me laughing, which is the same result but just with a different technique.’

‘Phew!’

‘You’re adorable,’ he said, though Penny scrunched up her face at the word. ‘And I will tell you why we are here.’

Francesco picked up his phone from where it lay on the bar, revealing a white keycard underneath that said, in small emboldened font: SUITE TERRACE.

‘No …’ marvelled Penny.

‘Yup!’ said Francesco. ‘I know a guy. Eighth floor. All night. And this,’ he said, reaching down for a sleek golden shopping bag, ‘is full of play toys. If I may be so bold.’

The barperson set down their drinks, and Francesco said, ‘Are we good to take these up to our room?’

‘Sure thing, man. Have a great night.’

‘Oh, we will,’ said Francesco. ‘We will,’ he whispered again, for emphasis, into Penny’s ear.

The pair stood in the lift grinning, in cahoots together.

‘I’m excited,’ Penny said, bashfully.

‘Me too,’ said Francesco, equally as shy. ‘I hope you like it.’

‘Francesco,’ Penny replied, looking earnestly into his eyes. ‘I already do.’

Upstairs, they both gasped as they entered the room. They could see out over the whole city, all the twinkly lights of a million other lives, St Pancras station in all its glory opposite.

‘This is beautiful,’ Penny said, the awe in her voice clear. ‘Thank you.’

‘You are very welcome,’ Francesco murmured. ‘I figured this might be just what we needed: neutral territory, a nice cocktail, high thread-count sheets …’

‘And fluffy bathrobes?’

‘Shall we take a bath?’

Penny grinned. ‘Let’s.’