He held out a newspaper, jamming his finger down on a picture of a man and a girl clinging to each other. He was sitting down, shirt ripped open, the half-naked girl on his lap, her arms about his neck, kissing him madly, which he showed every sign of enjoying.

‘You had to lay yourself out for those girls,’ Denzil groaned.

‘I didn’t lay myself out,’ Travis protested. ‘I was having a quiet drink when this lady…well…’

‘Quiet? Hah! When did you last do anything quietly? And she was no lady. She’d been hired for the night to “entertain” the male guests. She entertained you all right.’

‘I didn’t ask her to sit on my lap.’

‘You didn’t push her off, either.’

‘No, that would have been rude. I was just trying to be polite.’

‘Oh, it was politeness that made you put your arms about her waist, draw her close, nuzzle her-’

‘I’m only human,’ Travis protested. ‘When a half-naked girl drapes herself over a guy he’s expected to show some appreciation.’

‘You did that all right,’ Denzil snapped. ‘She’s not the only one who’s half-naked. Look at your shirt, open to the waist, so that she can dance her fingers over your bare chest. Did she pull it open? Did you? Or did you arrive like that, hoping something would happen?’

Travis groaned. ‘Can we just leave this? I didn’t know the press was there, OK?’

‘The press is always there where you’re concerned,’ Denzil growled. ‘You should know that by now. Ever since the show became a hit they’ve been watching you, trying to find out something that makes people’s hair stand on end. And, let’s face it, there are plenty of those!’

‘I refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me,’ Travis said with a touch of wry humour.

‘Very wise. They just want to catch you out with something really damaging. It wouldn’t be such a problem if you were playing a different character, but this one is full of danger.’