‘Anything else?’ he asked, a little wearily. ‘Or can I go home now?’

‘One more thing.’

‘OK, fire away,’ he said, looking at the lift with a mild impatience that rather suited him.

‘Well, this afternoon – and again just now, actually – I was thinking about our relationship. Do you ever do that? You know, think back to what we agreed that night on Giles’s patio and wish for something different?’

He didn’t immediately answer and I realised that impatience had now been supplanted by anxiety. ‘No, I don’t. Are you telling me that you regret this?’ he asked quietly.

I shook my head. ‘God, no. Absolutely not. Never.’

He looked at me blankly for a moment and then heaved a sigh. ‘Well, that’s good,’ he said, turning away and pressing the lift button repeatedly. ‘But thanks so much for asking the question. On a Friday. Just as I’m about to go home and attempt to unwind.’

‘I think what we agreed was absolutely right in essence,’ I continued. ‘But I do have some issues and concerns and I think I need to be honest with you about them.’

He closed his eyes and his head dropped. ‘Go on,’ he said resignedly, turning slowly towards me.

‘Well… for example… sometimes when I see you here, or rather in there,’ I turned and pointed towards the office, ‘in the workplace, it doesn’t matter what we agreed; I stop thinking about work and I think about…’

‘About what?’

I took a deep breath and stepped towards him, taking his face in my hands and guiding it slowly down towards mine. ‘About touching you,’ I whispered. ‘I can’t help it and I feel bad that I haven’t been completely honest with you about that. You know, about the things that go through my mind when I look at you, when I’m with you, at work.’

‘Thank you for your timely honesty,’ he mumbled, his ability to articulate significantly impaired by my hands pressed to his cheeks. ‘Now can I go home?’

‘Are you saying that you never think about touching me? Here, at work?’ I asked softly.

I felt him attempt to shake his head. ‘Never.’

‘Don’t believe you,’ I said, and then I pressed my mouth hard against his.

Almost simultaneously, his bag and coat hit the floor, and his arms were around me, pulling me towards him, as he kissed me back.

‘Wait,’ he breathed after a moment, placing his hands on my shoulders and easing me gently away from him. ‘We agreed to maintain an entirely professional relationship.’