‘You remind me of him, a lot.’ She lifted her glass to her mouth and considered him over the rim. ‘And for that reason I’m going to let you take me upstairs to have your wicked way.’

Kev downed the last of his drink and said, ‘Thank God, because I’m too drunk to carry on with this role-play.’ He grimaced. ‘I wasn’t very good, was I?’

‘I think we’re both a bit rusty, my darling. It’s been a long time.’ She reached forward to take his face in her hands, feeling the flushed warmth of his cheeks against her fingertips, and gave him a long, slow kiss. ‘But, just a note for next time, Ian slash Duncan was far too sure of himself.’

‘I thought I’d surprise you,’ he said.

‘You certainly did that.’

They clung to each other as they headed to the elevator. Stumbling, knocking shoulders, because they were both pissed, but also because they didn’t want to let go of each other.

As soon as they got to their floor, Kev took out the key card and clicked it into the electronic lock of their hotel room – but the light stayed red. He put it in again – it stayed red.

‘Hurry up,’ hissed Sasha impatiently, and he slotted the key card in the lock and wiggled it. The light turned green, the door unlocked, and they practically fell into the room. Pressed against the inside of the door, their hands were all over each other. It had been a long time since they had physically needed each other this badly, and the years rolled away.

‘Wait,’ she whispered, panting heavily, pulling her mouth from his. ‘I forgot to ask, how did the interview go?’

He pulled the dress from her shoulder to kiss the hollow of her collarbone. ‘It was a disaster,’ he murmured. ‘But I didn’t want the job anyway.’

‘Oh, that’s okay, then,’ she said, and slammed him passionately against the wall.

‘Ow,’ Kev said, rubbing the back of his head.

‘Are you alright?’ she asked in alarm, but already he was reaching for the bottom of her dress, and she raised her arms so he could lift it cleanly over her head, and then his fingers slipped into her knickers, as she fumbled with his belt.

‘No,’ breathed Sasha when he began to carry her towards the bed. ‘Right here.’

‘But it’s a really nice bed,’ he said, laughing, and she was still trying to unclasp his belt, her frantic movements made clumsy by longing, when a phone rang in his back pocket.

‘We better get that,’ he said, pulling his mouth from hers.

‘It can wait,’ she said, as his belt finally came undone and she pulled his trousers down.