The music is loud and there are many people there, but Billie is always the centre of any party and gets pulled to the middle of the dance floor.  When Lana’s mobile rings she almost does not hear it.  She looks at the screen.  It is only ten o’clock and it is Blake.

‘Hey,’ she says, but it is very loud and almost impossible to hear him.  ‘Wait one moment,’ she tells him and fights her way out of the crowd.  ‘Hi, what’s up?’

‘Nothing.  My party was rather flat, so I left.  Can I come join you, after all?’

‘Of course.’  Suddenly her heart feels light and happy.  He wants her company.

She is sitting on the stairs waiting for him when he arrives.

‘Where’s Peter?’

‘Sent him home.’

He locks his car and walks up to her.  ‘What are you doing sitting here?’

‘Waiting for you.’

He turns to look at a group of youths.  They are swearing loudly and holding beer cans.  ‘It looks dangerous.’

She laughs.  ‘I grew up here.  I know those guys.  They’re Tom’s mates.  If you want to score some coke, they’re the ones to go to.’

‘You don’t take drugs, do you?’

She laughs again.  ‘No,’ she says, and he thinks how very fetching she looks.

He sits beside her, and takes a curly lock of hair in his hand.  ‘What’s this?’

‘Billie did it.  It’s not permanent.’

His hands move to the white shorts.  ‘And this?’

‘I can hardly wear the fancy dresses you bought me here.  I’ll stick out like a sore thumb.’  She looks at him.  He looks good enough to eat.  A soft breeze teases his hair.  She has a desire to flirt with him.  ‘Don’t you like it, then?’

He looks at her expressionlessly.  A master of disguise.  ‘What do you think?’

‘I think yes.’

‘Go to the top of the class, Miss Bloom.’

She laughs.

He watches her.  ‘I don’t think I have ever seen you laugh.’

‘And?’

‘I like it.’

She laughs.  ‘Good.  Let’s go find you a drink.’

‘Is my car safe there?’

‘It’s not Detroit, you know.’

He jerks his head at the group of youths with the beer cans.  ‘Are you sure?’

She looks around and further away notices Kensington standing with a group of boys watching them.  She points her thumb over her shoulder.  ‘See that boy in the green baseball cap?  If you give him a ride he’ll watch your car for you.’

Blake looks over at the boy.

‘That black boy?’

‘Be careful, you might reveal your hand as not being an equal opportunities employer.’

Blake crooks a finger at the boy.  Kensington doesn’t need any further encouragement.  He jumps on his bike and tucking his head into his shoulders races towards Blake.  He screeches to a stop dangerously close to Blake’s feet.

‘Oi!  Watch it,’ Lana warns.

‘What’s your name?’

‘Kensington Parish.’

‘Want to watch my car for me, Kensington?’

‘Yeah,’ Kensington agrees enthusiastically.  He looks at the car admiringly.  ‘This car was made by God, man.’

‘Here’s fifty.’

Kensington’s eyes sparkle.  ‘Fifty quid?’

His thin hand reaches out for it, but Blake pulls his hand back slightly.  ‘If I come back and find the car exactly as I left it then there’s another fifty for you.’

Kensington’s face splits into a huge grin.  ‘Thanks, Mister,’ he says and snatches the note.  Unceremoniously, he drops his bicycle on the ground and hops lightly onto the bonnet of the car.

‘You’re generous,’ Lana says.

‘Not at all.  A single scratch can cost thousands to repair.’

They go up the stairs and find Billie.  Billie makes a licking gesture behind his back, but she is very polite.  ‘Forget about good Scotch here,’ she says, and goes to get Blake a beer.  As they are talking, Jack walks in.  He has a pretty girl on his arm.  He introduces her as Alison.

‘Hello, Alison.  Great to meet you,’ Lana says warmly.  She winks at Jack as if to say well done.  He pretends he has not seen her wink and, cautiously, briefly shakes hands with Blake.

‘Right, I want you lot on your feet and dancing,’ Billie orders bossily, as she thrusts a bottle of beer into Blake’s palm.

‘I don’t dance,’ Blake says, and Jack and Alison quickly move off in the opposite direction.

A couple vacate one of the battered sofas.  ‘Perhaps you would like to join me on one of these lovely sofas,’ Blake says, and collapses into its creaky springs.  Lana laughs and collapses next to him.  A young man who looks the worse for wear comes and sits next to her on the sofa.  He has a tattoo of men in a tug-of-war on his shaven head.  Blake mutters something indecipherable and scoops her up and deposits her on his lap.

‘What are you doing?’ she squeals.

‘Don’t want you catching anything off him,’ he whispers in her ear.  She feels the hard muscles of his thighs.  Flirtatiously, she looks at him from beneath her lashes.  He puts his big hands on her bare knees and pulls her until her rear is in close contact with his groin.  She can feel how hard he has become.

Blake pulls her closer and captures her mouth.  He smells of caramel and tastes divine. She slips her hand into his unbuttoned shirt.  And finds a man’s skin, hot, taut, muscles rippling underneath.  It makes her lips part.

‘I want to take you home now,’ he growls in her ear.

‘OK,’ Lana agrees instantly, and they stand to go.

‘Leaving so soon,’ Bill moans moodily.

‘It’s not really my scene,’ Blake says.

‘Call me tomorrow,’ Jack says, as she kisses his cheek.

‘I will.’

She turns to Alison, who is holding onto Jack possessively, as if she fears something is going on between Lana and Jack.  ‘Take care of my brother,’ Lana whispers in the girl’s ear and sees her relax and smile warmly for the first time.

Then Blake and her are leaving, holding hands, as if they are real lovers.  As if he has not paid her to have sex with him.  As if she is not the living, breathing doll that he expects to get bored with in a few weeks.

Kensington hops off the car bonnet when he spots them.

‘Good job,’ Blake says and slips him the other fifty.

‘Cool.  What about a ride, then?’

‘Another time,’ replies Blake, opening the passenger door for Lana.

Blake is very quiet in the car.  Suddenly he reaches past her to the glove box and takes out a velvet box.  He tosses it into her lap.  ‘I got you a present.’

‘On your birthday?’

‘I thought it would look great on you.  Besides, what’s the point of having a rich lover if you can’t get expensive baubles out of him.’

She releases the catch on the box.  It opens and she gasps.  On a bed of satin is the most beautiful seven strand pearl necklace with a large oval sapphire centre.

‘Oh my!’ she says, staring at it.

He reaches a red light, takes the necklace from her, and puts it around her throat while she holds her hair up.  She feels his warm fingers on the back of her neck.  Then the light changes and his fingers are gone.  She looks at herself in the visor mirror.  Even in the dim light, the diamonds set around the large sapphire sparkle like stars.  She didn’t get him anything.

‘I didn’t get you anything.’

He lets his eyes leave the road and rest on her briefly.  ‘I didn’t expect anything from you.’

‘Did you get lots of presents from your family?’

‘We don’t do presents.  We already have everything we could want.  When we were younger we did give each other joke gifts.  But how many times can you give someone a blow-up doll or a penis enlargement gadget?  It was relief when that stopped.’

When they get to the apartment he picks her up in his arms, throws her on the bed and falls in after her.

‘This is a dangerously sexy pair of white shorts, Miss Bloom,’ he teases.  ‘Do you have the necessary license to operate such a weapon?’

‘It’s not mine.  It belongs to Billie,’ she answers primly.

‘Ah, Billie of the ear biting fame.  Do you think she might let me buy it from her?’