She smiled at me, her scent, herbs from that delicious zucchini dish and roses, her own girlish fragrance, floating around me, as she whispered, “It’s raining. Want to go to bed instead?”

My “Yes, please” came from the heart. Or maybe I should say much lower down. I had a truncheon in my jeans that would have rated ten on the Mohs scale.

I don’t remember going upstairs. We must have climbed the two wide flights of Queen Anne architecture, but all I remember is a series of images.

Me, kicking the door shut with my foot as I held Jack with one arm and Sophie with the other.

Putting Jack on a chair and laughing as he sighed and curled up, eyes hidden under his paws.

Holding Sophie, gazing into the cerulean eyes, knowing she was finally mine.

My hands, shaking with nerves as I peeled off the sun-yellow dress with its sprinkling of poppies.

My breath, ragged with want as I drank in the swelling breasts, delicious waist, and luxuriant hips.

Her skin, soft as satin, and her shiver of excitement as she leaned against me. Her beaded nipples grazing my chest through the silky bra.

Her hands, moving swiftly as my shirt, jeans, and boxers fell to the floor.

A momentary panic, searching for a condom, and then the heaven of her giggles as she helped me stroke it on.

The curves wrapped around me, warm and welcoming.

I sank into her, enveloped in sweet, passionate woman. We came together, our bodies dancing in loving rhythm.

The rest is a blur. I remember her cry of release, but whether I came or not is a mystery. It didn’t matter. As our bodies shuddered to a shimmering stop, I was steeped in a joy so pervasive that I felt tears come into my eyes.

“Richard, my love.” Her eyes, huge with concern were fixed on mine. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m just happy.” She was underneath me, flushed and damp. I rested against her, nestling in her arms, feeling I’d come home. “I’m never ever getting off you.”

Her arms were tight around me. “That’s nice.”

I thumbed the damp hair off her face and finally got round to something I’d been trying to do. “One.” I kissed her nose. “Two.” Another kiss. “Three.”

She let me get to eight before asking, “Not that I’m not enjoying the kisses, but what are you doing?”

“Counting freckles.”

She giggled, a motion that set her breasts jiggling. “You’re a nut. You know that, right?”

“Yeah, but now I’ve seen something else that needs kissing.”

That night was the best in my entire life. I have been very lucky always, with my family and my business, but with Sophie I felt complete. She was the girl I’d always yearned for. A soulmate who would be part of me, just as I would be part of her. I’d never known such happiness could exist, and I was loving it.

“You know you’re crushing me?” Sophie chuckled.

“I blame you. I can’t get enough of those delicious jam tarts you make.” But I lay beside her and curled her into the crook of my arm. There was a scrabble of paws, and Jack jumped up. After giving us a happy grin, tongue lolling, he turned around three times and collapsed on my feet.

“Jack agrees that this is heaven.” The beautiful eyes were smiling at me. “I’m sooooo comfy.”

Cradling her, I never wanted to move, either. “Let’s just stay here forever.”

“I have to pinch myself,” Sophie murmured. “I’m so happy, I can’t believe it’s true.”

I knew instantly that this was left over from that disastrous engagement. She still didn’t see how lovely she was. “You’re the best thing in my life.” I was determined to wipe out that hurt and restore her courage. “You’re the most delicious girl in the world.”

“You do make me feel good,” Sophie sighed, and I was determined to make her happy for the rest of her life.

With Sophie and Jack snuggled into me, I think I was the happiest man in England. The next morning, we came together again, loving and laughing, and then I floated through my email.

“You’re nauseatingly happy,” Andrea observed.

“Is that a problem?”

“No, I like her.”

“Really? That’s a first!”

Andrea rolled her eyes. “Well, considering some of the choices you’ve made!”

“Isn’t she beautiful? Her eyes! That hair! Those wonderful curves! And fun? And the best cook in the country!”

Andrea was laughing. “Yes, yes, Sophie’s perfect!”

“Glad you agree.”

The tests that day were fantastic, with Trouper outperforming my wildest expectations.

“I think we’re on a roll here,” Tanaka exclaimed jubilantly.  “Even Rover didn’t perform like this!”

“They’ll throw me out of the Space Agency and into a gulag if you quote me, but Trouper is outperforming Lunokhod,” Vladimir confessed. Then he grinned. “We’re going to be so fucking rich! I’m going to buy a tropical island!”

“And all thanks to Richard,” Tanaka whooped. “I’m going to ask if I can buy my way onto the next Star Wars movie as an extra!”

At the end of that first day, I ran down the hill, heading straight for my girl. I found her in the red drawing room, serving fresh fruit cocktails to the girls.

I couldn’t wait with my news, so I danced into her arms, exclaiming, “We haven’t finished Phase One yet, but our results are so good that Tanaka and Vladimir both signed up to stay for Phase Two!”

“Awesome! What’s Phase Two?”

“Phase One is about tasks and environments. We run Trouper through every kind of surface, from rocks to underwater mud. Phase Two is about entry. We take drones and start dropping her to simulate landing scenarios.”

“Drones?” she asked excitedly. “I’ve so wanted to see one in action!”

“Come and see the first trial, and then you can operate the controls.”

“Really?” Her voice was a squeak. “Oh, Richard!”

Lorelei was frowning, but Vladimir glared at her and she kept her trap shut. She didn’t grumble when Sophie left the room, either.

That was an odd thing for me. I wanted Sophie to be with me as much as possible, but when I went to see her and suggested she join us for dinner, she refused point blank. “I’m working,” she said bluntly. “You and I are after hours, Richard.”

“But—”

“No buts. I have my pride. You’re not messing with my job.”

That’s when I discovered Sophie can be horribly stubborn. I did try to be sneaky. “It makes me feel weird to sit at a table and have you serve dinner.”

“That’s what happens when you sleep with the help.” Sophie didn’t pull any punches.

“But—”

“No.” The sweet girl was steel. “I can’t sit down and socialise and cook at the same time, Richard. I’m not popping a stew on the table at a dinner party. My food can only be perfect if I’m there to do the job.”

That’s when I got it. “You’re right. I didn’t think about it that way.”

“Few people do,” Sophie grinned, “but I’m as fanatical about food as you are about robots.”

“Two peas in a pod,” I agreed, “but even if we’re divided at the dinner table, please may I still sleep with you?”

“I insist you do.”

A week flew by with each moment more perfect than the next. Sophie was a dream come true. The more I got to know her, the more I loved her. She radiated joy, and in between cooking up exquisite meals, she taught Jack tricks that made even Vladimir laugh.

The Crier was in full retreat, printing a full-page apology that relieved my parents and muzzled my Board.  Mind you, it also helped that I sent in some preliminary test results. Scenting riches from a commercially adapted Trouper, my esteemed business associates were keeping their traps shut, hoping that if they left me alone, they would soon be adding to their coffers.

The only fly in the ointment was Lorelei. I walked in early one evening to hear her say to Sophie, “You still haven’t made an appointment for lipo, have you?”

Instead of cursing her, Sophie remarked calmly, “Lorelei, even if I did, I still wouldn’t have your bones.”

My laughing girl was solid gold through and through.

“That was amazingly kind,” I said to her afterwards. “How do you do it? I can’t stand her!”

“It’s easy when you’re happy,” Sophie replied simply. “Also, seeing Andrea try one shift after another to get Lorelei to shut up is keeping me amused.”

“I should kick the cow out.”

“Don’t be silly. You need Vladimir.”

“But Sophie, it’s not right, this bullying.”

“It annoyed me at first, but Lorelei doesn’t actually mean to be nasty. She thinks she’s being supportive.”

“She’s an idiot.” 

“She’s definitely not the brightest crayon in the box but actually, she’s shown me something new about myself.”

“What?”  

Sophie was quiet a moment. “I feel renewed,” she said hesitantly. “When you put your arms around me, I’m not wondering if you’re thinking about spare tyres, and when we go to bed, I know you’re loving my curves.”

“Sophie!” I was crushing her to me, joy flushing through me. “I told you you’re beautiful!”

“And happy!” Sophie twinkled. “Now tell me, how’s Phase Two?”

I was so chuffed with her feeling good that I was happy to boast. “Our last test will be tomorrow. We’ve got an almost perfect set of test scores. We’ll spend a week crunching data, and then I have to present formally to Vladimir and Tanaka. They then present to their agencies, and then we start planning for a space run.”

“Ohmigod you make it sound so easy!”

“As I’m a private contractor and a majority shareholder of my company, we can circumvent a lot of red tape.”

“We’d better celebrate,” Sophie said. “How would you feel about panzanella—that’s Tuscan tomato and bread salad—followed by lamb tagine with pan-fried aubergine and cumin crunch for a main? The girls can have the same, without the lamb. And we can have fresh fruit pavlova to finish.”

Jack barked at the word lamb, and that had me laughing, “Jack thinks it’s pawsome, and I’m salivating just thinking about it.”

The next day was our last one for testing, and it was completely perfect. A blue summer sky and a light breeze that made dropping Trouper from our high-altitude drone simple to film and track. My bot plunged to the earth, bouncing up sweetly from the grass, the gravel pit, and solid ground as easily as she splashed into the lake.

“Yes!” I snapped a photo of Vladimir high-fiving Tanaka that would be a fantastic cover shot for my presentation, and then we looked at each other, knowing the first part was over. It was joyful but also poignant. Over the weeks, we’d become close.

“Come on, let’s celebrate,” I said, determinedly cheerful. “And hey, we’re going to be business partners, right? Plenty more fun to come!”

That gave us all a boost.

“This has been the best three weeks I’ve had in ten years,” Tanaka was saying as we went down the hill.

“Me, too,” Vladimir said. “Great work, great food, great place.”

But as we walked in through the French windows, I was startled by a very familiar sound. 

“I just had to drop by,” the voice said. “Dear Lorelei simply insisted I come up to see her. After all, we’re such close friends. Sisters, really. And I’ve hardly seen her since she moved to Moscow.”

It was Celine, dressed in a tight-fitting red spandex dress that left nothing to the imagination and six-inch spikes that came straight from a Milan catwalk. She looked like the devil in drag, and just seeing her made me shrink.

“Richard, darling,” she exclaimed. “Did you miss me?”

Andrea was there, silently steaming, while Lorelei was saying smugly, “Richard missed you so much, Celine. I just know he was too shy to reach out and ask if you would take him back.”

To my utter horror, Sophie walked in, carrying a tray of celery sticks and anchovy dip. I knew she’d heard Lorelei, and I was terrified for our future. I’d worked so hard to make sure she was secure, and now these two harpies were about to ruin it all.

“Hello, Celine,” I said calmly.

Then I went straight over to Sophie and put my arm around her waist. Like I thought, she was trembling, but she gave me a brave smile. “I’ve set an extra place for dinner,” she said brightly. “And Charlotte is making up a room.”

“Celine isn’t staying,” I told Sophie. I wanted my loyalties plain up front. Then I turned to my ex. “Seeing you’ve come to see Lorelei, you’re welcome to have dinner with us, Celine. But afterwards I’ll have the chopper take you back to London.”

“But Richard!” Celine’s violet eyes were wide with surprise. “Don’t you want me back?”

I loathe scenes and so I felt myself cringe, but I manned up. “That’s kind of you to ask, but I’m with Sophie now.”

“But we’re so good together!”

“Celine, you know we don’t suit.”

“Of course you do,” Lorelei snapped. “She’s beautiful!”

Vladimir was eyeing her but not saying anything.

Celine, unfortunately, was in full flood. “Is it because I slept with Mancini in Rome? But I told you that was just the wine! It went to my head.”

Yes, this was going to be hideous.

“No,” I said softly. “Let’s not rehash the past, Celine.”

“I know you were jealous.” She was unstoppable. “But you know it meant nothing. None of them mean anything. It’s just business!”

“Celine, not here, please.”

She just rambled on. “Vasiliev won’t give you cover work without a little incentive, and Mannington is the same.”

I heard Sophie gasp as the truth hit her.  

“As for Lapointe,” Celine shrugged, “Well, nobody worries about him.”

Lorelei was looking askance at Vladimir. “Come on, Celine, not everyone in the industry is like them. And anyway, you have to give that up when you’re serious with someone.”

“Like you did?” Celine cried. “But darling! You lost your career!”

Lorelei stiffened. “I did not! I’m on an extended honeymoon! I could get work tomorrow!”

Celine shrugged. “Maybe. But you can’t deny it’s easier if you just play along.”

Sophie gasped again, and by the look she gave me, I knew she understood exactly what had gone wrong between Celine and me.

Lorelei was fuming, so she put the boot in. “I was probably wrong about Richard,” she said spitefully. “He’s moved on, Celine.”

Celine smiled. “That’s all right. I don’t mind a few affairs.”

“Sophie is not an affair, and this has gone far enough!”

“But Richard, I need you! Blaze is promoting family bliss next year, so I told them we’re back together.”

“You’ll have to tell them we’re not.”

“I can’t because I’ve already told the Mirror that I’ve forgiven you!” Celine said triumphantly. “It’s an exclusive and it’s out tomorrow!”

Despite myself, I was sucked in. “Forgiven me? For what?”

“I couldn’t tell them the truth, Blaze wouldn’t like it, so I fudged a little.”

“Fudged as in you told them I cheated on you?”

“Exactly!” She wasn’t at all concerned. “Don’t worry, I didn’t use any names, so there can’t be any nasty lawsuits. I just hinted that it was a pop star. A Grammy winner, I told them.”

Great. With my dodgy past, they would print it and start speculating on the possibilities. That would unleash another PR hurricane. Although I’d pretended not to care about the Crier’s smear campaign, the gossip had hurt my mum and worried my dad. With instant global communication, they’d heard even out in the Bahamas.  The idea of going through all that again made my heart sink.

To my horror, Sophie was pulling away from me. I stared at her in shock. “Sophie,” I gasped. But then I stopped. She wasn’t disgusted with me; she was furious at Celine.

“How could you?” she cried. “You cheat on him and then drag his name through the mud?”

“It’s just business,” Celine defended herself. “I have an image to protect, but Richard doesn’t. It’s all right when a man sleeps around.”

“Just because he’s too kind to tell the world what a two-faced bitch you are, doesn’t mean I won’t!” Sophie snapped.

“Like anyone would listen to you!” Celine laughed. “Who are you, anyway?”

“I’m the girl who has the directors of Condé Nast and Hearst on her speed dial,” Sophie snapped. “I cater for them, and as the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, all I have to do is send them a gift basket with a note, and your career is through!”

“You can’t do that!” But Celine was worried. With Condé Nast and Hearst owning the world’s top fashion magazines, from Vanity Fair and Vogue to Cosmo and Elle, Sophie’s threat frightened her.

“Try me and see!” Sophie was fuming, actually shaking with rage. “The Daily Mail said you were hoping to be a guest judge on Britain’s Got Talent. Guess who does dinner parties for Simon?”

“You know Simon Cowell?” Lorelei’s eyes were huge. “Personally?”

“Actually, Sophie caters for Elton John, Madonna, and Prince William, too.” Andrea put in the knife and twisted. “I wouldn’t mess with her.”

At that, Celine was shaking. “But I can’t undo it,” she whispered. “I gave the Mirror an exclusive.”

“I’ll have Alex call them and put out an injunction.” Money does talk, thank God. Alex could settle it in a phone call, and with Celine ready to tell them she’d lied, they’d have to pull the piece or risk being sued for millions in a defamation suit. “But Celine, you’re never ever to talk about me again.”

“I didn’t want to, really I didn’t! But the people at Blaze insist I settle down, and I just can’t find a decent man. All the ones I like go right off me, and I’ve no idea why!”

Andrea rolled her eyes, but surprisingly Lorelei spoke up. “Come on, Celine, let’s go upstairs. I’ll show you my new Dior dress, and I’ll tell you how I met Vladmir.”

But Celine wasn’t moving. “Are you going to rat me out?” she asked Sophie.

My girl looked at her, and I saw her kindness kick in. “No, but you have to promise to leave Richard out of your interviews.”

“I’ll only say nice things,” Celine promised.

“No!” Sophie and I chorused together. With Celine having an intellect rivalled only by garden tools, we could both see disaster.

“It’s a legal thing,” I said diplomatically to Celine. “You just don’t say anything about me.”

“But they ask questions!”

“I’ll set up an appointment with Alex. He’ll teach you how not to answer.”

And then, finally, Lorelei dragged Celine upstairs. I went to call Alex, and when I came back, I found Andrea, Sophie, Tanaka, and Vladimir downing large glasses of Pimm’s.

“Lorelei didn’t mean any harm,” Vladimir was saying to Sophie. “She’s just insecure. She copes by trying to make me jealous and by interfering with other people.”

It sounded like nonsense to me, but then he continued, “She has no education because she’s been modelling since she was twelve. Now she’s older, she can’t get work, and being married to me, she’s constantly surrounded by PhDs. She’s feeling a bit out of it.”

“She could run a shop, become a fashion editor,” Tanaka suggested.

“She hasn’t the skills,” Vladimir said. “And as she’s too proud to go back to school. I think she should be a mum. She loves kids, and she’d be great at it.” He picked up his drink. “She wouldn’t listen to me, but now she’s seen the trouble she’s caused, I’ll get through to her.”

“It’s a pity you had to hurt Richard,” Sophie grumbled. “Why did you let her bring Celine here?”

“I didn’t know what she’d done!” Vladimir said, surprised. “I thought she’d fight with you or Andrea! You’d fall out, Richard would be angry, and it would all be very dramatic. Then I’d swoop in, fix the problem, and she’d be sensible and listen to me.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Tanaka said appreciatively.

“It was a good plan,” Vladimir complained. “I wasn’t to know Andrea and Sophie have the patience of saints!”

“Sorry,” Sophie grinned.

“You should have confided in us,” Andrea scolded him. “Then Richard wouldn’t have been embarrassed.”

My girls, banding together to protect me. My heart went out to them.

Vladimir was also planning to put the RP-1 back in his marriage. “Maybe, but this is much better for me. Lorelei has been thinking of her career as rosy, and now Celine is reminding her of the ugliness in the beauty business.”

I could see Sophie and Andrea rev up, ready to tear a strip off him, so I stepped in hastily, “If I remember right, Lorelei and Celine are only friends if they don’t have to meet. I’ll go and get the chopper ready, and we’ll ship her off to Alex as fast as we can.”

“Celine? Coming to my place? So I can coach her. Awesome!” Alex was drooling as I explained the problem to him.

“It might be best if you keep her hidden until the Mirror gets over their snit.”

“Consider her covered!” His tone dripped lechery.

“Alex, be nice.” I warned him. “She’s a dope, but she doesn’t mean any harm.”

“I’ve been thinking of hanging up my condom,” Alex said. “Maybe we can be celibacy buddies.”

When I hung up, Sophie was standing by, giggling. “Alex sounds a scream.”

“He’s a worse man-slut than I was.”

Sophie came over and sat on my knee. “Is that why you didn’t tell me Celine cheated on you?”

I was flushing as I spoke. “I know I’m a damn fool, but I was humiliated.”

“There’s nothing silly about that, love.”

“The first time she was drunk. Models starve themselves, so they have one drink at a party and they’re plastered.”

“You forgave her.”

“Of course. But then I realised that she sees her body as currency. If she thinks you’ll give her a magazine cover or a catwalk job at Fashion Week—” I was stroking Sophie’s hair, revelling in her sense and sweetness. “I guess it’s like Vladimir said, Celine and Lorelei started modelling as kids, so they’ve nothing else.”

“Alex will sort her out,” Sophie said briskly. “And if she’s willing to play nice from now on, I’ll send that gift basket to Simon with her CV.”

At that, my love for her just overwhelmed me. I swear, there is no kinder heart than Sophie’s. My perfect laughing girl.

“Sophie, I meant it when I said I was serious. I know it’s way too fast, but do you think that one day you would consider marrying me?” Then my heart was in my mouth as I waited for her answer.

She was gazing at me, her eyes wide with surprise. “Me?” she squeaked.

That made me laugh. “Yes, you!”

She flung her arms around me. “Yes, please. I think I’d like that very much.”