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‘Am I interrupting something?’ Freddy sounds innocent.

‘Yes, you are,’ I snap. ‘And I can see right up your nose from here.’

Freddy gives his nose a quick, self-conscious wipe. ‘Darling, can I borrow you for a moment?’

‘What for?’ My voice is low. ‘And pleasestopcalling me darling.’

‘A business discussion,’ says Freddy. ‘About our promotional strategy.’

‘For goodness sake.’ With great annoyance and very little dignity, I clamber to my feet. ‘Sorry, Ahmet. I’ll be back. Okay?’

‘Yes, let’s catch up later.’ Ahmet gives me hopeful eyes.

I smile down at him. ‘I’ll make sure of it.’

CHAPTER32

The T&C Media private box is decked out like a wedding with the usual white tablecloths, flowers and huge silk bows.

Totally dull, in Freddy’s opinion. If he had his way, he’d do bright red tables with stuffed monkeys holding giant salt shakers. But that would put off some of his corporate clients.

As Freddy leads Kat past the beige buffet table and out onto the balcony, everyone stares. Not at Freddy, which would be the usual way of things. But at Kat, who is both stunning and interesting – a rare combination.

‘What wasthatall about?’ Kat shakes herself free of Freddy’s arm. ‘Ahmet and I were getting on well. I was about to suggest a game of chess –’

‘Marcus just arrived,’ says Freddy. ‘He messaged. You should make yourself visible, then wait for him to come to you.’

‘But Ahmet and I were having a good time –’

‘Our promotional strategy is exclusivity,’ says Freddy. ‘That means you must appear in demand. Don’t spend too long with one person. Always leave them wanting more.’

‘I don’t like all this game-playing.’ Kat’s glorious green-golden eyes look unhappy.

‘You want to get married, don’t you?’

‘Yes.’

‘Well, this is the way to sell products in a competitive market. Don’t look like that. I hate seeing you sad.’

‘Freddy, we’re sort of friends now, aren’t we?’ Kat removes her hat, and finger combs her gleaming, black hair.

‘I suppose … yes. We sort of are.’

‘So, you’ll tell me the unvarnished truth, won’t you? Do you think all this marketing stuff is the wrong way to go about getting a husband?’

Freddy hesitates. He isn’t wired to tell theunvarnishedtruth. In fact, he has a big pot of metaphorical varnish with him at all times.

‘Kat, I think putting time and energy into finding a husband will get you great results,’ says Freddy. ‘But you should hold out for the very best. The person who lights you up inside, but also feels like coming home.’

Freddy isn’t sure where he got that last turn of phrase, but he makes a mental note of it for future marketing campaigns.

‘Look! There’s Marcus. MARCUS!’ Kat waves at a tall, top-hatted figure on the lawn.

‘DON’T CALL OUT!’ Freddy barks. Too late, Marcus looks up. He gives an enthusiastic wave, makes expressive hand gestures, then sprints towards the private box staircase.

‘He’s coming up,’ Kat beams.

‘Stop smiling,’ Freddy hisses. ‘You’re an exclusive product.’