‘It’s okay! Sorry. I was determined I wasn’t going to get upset… I’m more angry than upset. You don’t know what it’s like to… sorry.’ Feminine dexterity repaired most of the damage, and the glamour was soon back in place.

‘Would you like a drink? I could bring you some water.’

Emma put the tissue back in her bag. ‘Thanks, but no thanks. Offer me a gin and I’m all yours.’ Then she added, ‘Just joking. It’ll cost you more than that. Right. So tell me where you’re up to with Titanic?’

Billie blinked. This was turning into the most bizarre encounter with a female he could remember. The woman opposite him was undeniably attractive, and apart from the amount of leg on show there was also a further distraction moving under her top. But her eccentric behaviour was the dominant issue. He felt out of control and out of his depth… “

– excerpt from a “book” by Alan Veale.