Ben went back out there, stopping dead in his tracks when he saw Gina standing completely naked. She smiled when she saw his surprise. “You convinced me,” she said.

“Grand,” Ben said, sitting back down at the desk. “If you could just do a bit of posing, like before.”

He needed the time. He was so close, and he could feel it, but he also knew that he could easily botch this. Gina was moving around the room, still no natural, but a little freer, surprisingly, occasionally jiggling her breasts, but for her own secret amusement rather than for his – or the cameras’ – benefit. He liked that her closely cropped bush was red, even redder than the hair on her head. The blood flowing to his cock made it difficult for him to think straight. All he knew was that he was close.

“That’s great,” he said at last. “Now if you could, um, just do that thing where you bend over…”

Gina smiled, and did as he said. Her buttocks were incredibly full and firm. Ben’s hands were trembling from wanting to touch her so bad. Instead he said, “Now if you could sit down again.”

Gina did so, crossing her legs. Ben was already on his feet, taking the camera from the desk and moving towards the gorgeous naked woman who he’d desired for as many years as he’d known her. She had question marks in her eyes when he stopped a short distance from her, aiming the camera at her. His whole body felt like it was about to vibrate into pieces from within. “I need you to, um, spread your legs,” he said, his voice almost trembling.

“What?” Gina exclaimed, shaking her head vociferously. She opened her mouth to say something more, but Ben instinctively felt that this was where he had to be hard on her, the way the men in the videos were.

“Look, Love, you’ve got a really nice bush and all that. But you’ve got to understand that when you do a nude shoot, it’s all or nothing. If you’re not prepared to spread your legs, then frankly you’re just wasting my time.”

Gina looked aghast. Ben ploughed on.

“Trust me. It’s what the punters want.”

Gina was looking at him as if she couldn’t believe his nerve, but then Ben couldn’t believe it either. All the same, her legs began to move. He hadn’t expected it to be as easy as this, watching as she uncrossed her legs, then moved them further and further apart. It was unbelievable; Gina in front of him, exposing her pussy, showing him her labia. He’d imagined her naked many times, but the soft pink of her folds, their exquisite beauty took his breath away.

“I didn’t come here to do porn,” Gina grumbled.

Ben came to, though his head still felt like a numbed jumble of thoughts, most of them blocked by overwhelming emotion. Somehow he managed to get words out. “Trust me, Gina, this isn’t porn. It’s, um, pretty small beer compared to what some girls do.”

She blinked. “What, you mean you represent girls who…?”

“That’s right,” Ben said, trying to sound as hard as he thought someone involved in that kind of business might. “That’s where the real money is.” He decided to go for it. “For instance, if you were prepared to touch yourself, in one fell swoop it’d double the money, no trouble.”

“What, you mean…?” Gina’s mouth was hanging open. The miracle was that she hadn’t thought to close her thighs.

“That’s right,” Ben said. “Um, touch yourself for the camera, and you get double the money, easy.”

Gina stared at him. Something in her eyes told him a small part of her might be persuaded. Out loud she said, “I couldn’t. It’s too personal.”

“I get that,” Ben said. “It’s not for everyone. Still, for the real hardcore stuff, you’d make more in an afternoon than you do in a month at that call centre.” He had no idea if that was true, nor did he care.

“Are you for real?” Gina asked.

None of this was real, Ben thought. It couldn’t be. It was magic. But the man in the kitchen had said it was real. It felt real enough, but how could it be? “I’m only saying,” he said. His heart was sinking. He’d got this far, but now he had the feeling he was messing it up.

“The thing is,” Gina said, “that in some respects I’m an old-fashioned girl.”

She certainly didn’t look it, sitting there with her legs spread, but Ben wasn’t going to get into that. “How’s that?” he asked, though from knowing her, he had some idea of what she meant.

“I like sex as much as the next girl,” Gina said, “but the hardcore stuff… that’s not for me.”

“Sure,” Ben said. “But, um, you know, there’s a market for pretty much everything.”

For a moment he thought that Gina was going to pull the plug on this, but apparently curiosity got the better of her. “Like what?”

“Well,” he said, feeling himself on the verge of breaking out in a sweat. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Gina, but, um, just that lovely bush of yours could be worth a bit.”

Gina raised a disbelieving eyebrow. He thought her hand moved, but couldn’t be sure.

“Um, people who don’t know think all the women in porn, um, shave, like, but there are plenty of men who like a woman with a, um, womanly growth of hair.”

Gina gave a little smile, as if his turn of phrase amused her. Then she fell silent. Ben waited, feeling that the moment was slipping swiftly out of his grasp. “Look, Ben,” Gina said at last. “The money’s tempting, it really is, but…”

Desperate for this not to end, Ben said, “Look, Gina, I don’t want to push you into anything, but just humour me for a minute here.”

“How?”

“Um, normally I have questions I ask, about what girls have done sexually, what they might be prepared to do.” He paused, seeing Gina’s eyes narrow. “But, um, with you maybe it would be easier if you just said if there’s anything you would consider doing that’s a bit… risqué.”

He could see Gina thinking about it, then she said, “Not really, Ben. Like I said, I’m an old-fashioned girl. I’m not saying I go in for the feather duster treatment; I like a man who can take control. But doing really kinky stuff… that’s not me. As for doing it on camera…”

Ben’s heart sank a little further. Taking control was not his thing. This was one of the things he’d always felt he had against him when it came to women. But he had to keep her talking. “Well,” he said, “if you ever did want to try, I, um, have a bloke who helps me out.” What the hell was he saying? All this bullshitting was just getting worse and worse.

“Helps you out?” Gina said, her amusement and curiosity sparked.

“Yeah, well, it’s like with the shoots we’ve already done. My clients like to see if a girl can, um, handle herself on camera.”

“What? So you take care of the cameras while this guy takes care of the women?”

Ben nodded. “That’s about the size of it.”

Gina was looking at him wide-eyed, but with a glint of something else lurking at the back. “So what does this entail, exactly?”

Ben got the sense that things were picking up again. Even if Gina was taking a stand, she wasn’t picking up her clothes and leaving. He shrugged. “Well normally it, um, involves a bit of a blowjob and then, um, doing it in different positions; to see if there’s any promise there, like.”

Now Gina’s expression changed. “That’s not for me,” she said. “Definitely not. Not the blowjob. It has to be really special for me to do that.”

Ben nodded. He had the feeling he had to play this right. “I’ve come across that quite a bit,” he bullshitted. “But, um, like I said, there’s plenty of variety. It all depends on what the girls, women, um, what they’re into, you know? Like I said, there’s a whole interview process to find out.”

Gina was thinking again. It seemed to Ben she was smiling inwardly at some private joke. “Just out of curiosity, from the little I’ve told you about myself, what kind of… What would you…?”

She was having trouble spitting it out, but Ben got her drift. “Well, we’ve established that blowjobs are out,” he said. “But how do you feel about receiving, um, oral stimulation?”

It was an awkward turn of phrase, but Gina seemed amused by it, even giggling a little. “What girl doesn’t like that?” she asked.

Ben noted the inequality inherent in her position, but decided to ignore it. “Well, that would be one way to go,” he said. “Like I said, you have, um, a nice growth of hair, so if you were, um, on the receiving end of…” He could have cursed himself loudly for being so mealy-mouthed and unsure of himself. It had all started out so well, and now he was losing his nerve totally.

Gina giggled. “You know, Ben, you’re really sweet. In fact you remind me of someone.”

Ben’s heart practically gave out. He was trying to think of something to say when Gina continued.

“In fact you’ve almost convinced me.”

Convinced her of what? Ben felt completely lost and tongue-tied. He couldn’t be sure if this was what persuaded Gina, if she somehow felt sorry for him, but it was the only way he could explain the turn events took when he thought about it later. Gina shifted ever so slightly, then her hands were moving in. Ben felt his amazement shoot through the roof as Gina placed her hands on either side of her labia, using her fingers to pull them apart, displaying the smoothness inside, and the gateway to paradise.

“I won’t masturbate for the camera, but is this the kind of pose you had in mind?” she asked.

Ben realised he’d completely forgotten about the camera he was holding. Now he aimed it at Gina’s pussy, nodding. “Beautiful,” he said, meaning every syllable. “That’s the kind of thing the punters like.”

Gina gave another funny little smile. A thought occurred to Ben. “You know,” he said, “if you were, um, up for it, you could do teasing.”

“Teasing?”

“Yeah. You wouldn’t have to, um, do anything much. Just, um, well, tease.”

Gina frowned.

Ben couldn’t find any other way to say it and steeled himself. “Encourage the punters to jerk off,” he said.

Gina looked at him. For a second he thought she was going to tell him where to go. Then she gave another of her introvert smiles. “Like this, you mean?” she said.

Her hands left her pussy, but roamed swiftly up to her breasts. She cupped them, jiggling a little, then let her fingers slide over the bulging fruits. The nipples had a slight swell to them. “Do you want some of this?” she asked.

There was absolutely no titillation to speak of. She was smiling, treating the whole thing as a joke. Nevertheless Ben said, “You’ve got the idea. Keep going!”

Gina slid her hands over her breasts again, cupping them, then sliding her hands down her body. “Do you want me?” she asked. “I bet you do.”

There was a soulless quality to her voice, but it was all Ben could do to stop from crying out, “Yes! I want you!”

Gina’s hands were back on her breasts. “I’m here, waiting for you.” Her fingertips circled her nipples. “I want you. It’s been so long since I had a man.”

Ben suspected this wasn’t true, though he couldn’t know for sure. “That’s great, Gina!” he said.

She gave an awkward smile. “This feels really weird,” she said, hands still resting on breasts.

“No, no, you’re doing great!” Ben said. “Just, um, just tell the punters what you’d like them to do to you.”

Gina giggled. “That’s crazy.”

Ben’s heart was beating hard. Again he felt himself right on the edge, balancing between everything he’d dreamt of, and the whole thing ending. “Look, Gina,” he said. “You’re a very, um, sexy lady, and I’m sure you’d, um, be a great success if you did go in for the whole teasing thing.”

She was looking at him skeptically. He couldn’t believe she was buying into this, but then he hardly knew if any of it was real. There was, after all, a man with a pixelated head in his kitchen. Nevertheless, he ought to be telling her to look into the camera, behaving like a proper director or something.

“I’m not sure,” Gina said.

Ben, feeling that this was the last chance saloon, said, “Look, Gina, don’t take this the wrong way, but would it, um, help if I behaved like a punter?”

“How do you mean?” He was relieved that she at least looked inwardly amused.

“I mean, um, if I pull up a chair and watch you…”

“You’ve been watching me all the time.”

“Yeah, but, um, like the guys in front of their computers… um…”

He couldn’t bring himself to say it, but Gina unexpectedly helped him along the way. “What, naked and…?” She moved a hand away from her breast to simulate masturbation.

Ben hoped he wasn’t blushing. He nodded. “Yeah…”

The look Gina was giving him renewed his hope. It was her ‘this is crazy but anything for a laugh’ look. “Why not?” she said. “But after that we’re done, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ben agreed, wondering again how he was going to take the vital step. For the moment he went back behind his desk, pulling off his t-shirt, his jeans, his socks, his underpants with his back to Gina. He turned, carefully concealing his erection from her with the office chair that he wheeled before him to a metre or so in front of her. When he finally sat down in it, exposing himself to her, he was encouraged by the gleam in her eye.

“Well look how hard you are from watching me!” she exclaimed.

This was working much better, Ben thought. Obviously she needed something real to play off. He smiled encouragingly as Gina’s hands began stroking her breasts again, cupping, squeezing.

“You want me, don’t you? I can see it?” Fingers slid over nipples. “I like it that you want me.”

There was still something in her voice suggesting that she was treating this as a joke, but also something else.

“I like it that you’re big and hard,” Gina said. She was looking straight at him, or rather at his big, hard cock. “Why don’t you play with yourself for me?”

Ben smiled to lend encouragement, his right hand moving to his erection, as she’d suggested. He gripped his cock, moving his hand slowly.

“Ooooh!” Gina exclaimed in an exaggerated fashion. “I like that!” Fingers moved across her breasts. “I like it that you’re big and hard and want me!” She pushed her breasts together, rubbing the nipples with her thumbs. They swelled a little. “Do you want these? Do you want a taste?” She looked at him, appraising him. Her hands slid off her full breasts, moving down her sides.

Her breasts heaved. “You’re so sweet,” she said. “And because I like you, I’m going to do something I wouldn’t normally do.”

He got the feeling she wasn’t acting. But then she giggled as her hands continued downwards, one of them stroking the smooth growth. She reverted to treating it as a lark. “Just look at your big, hard cock,” she said, pronouncing the word ‘cock’ as if it were a bit of a joke. “Do you want me? Do you want some of this?”

Suddenly Gina was opening her pussy lips again, displaying herself to him. Ben felt his cock twitch. Gina was smiling, looking as if she was having fun teasing, even if she couldn’t take it seriously.

“I bet you do want some of this! Do you want a taste? I’ll let you have a taste. If you want it.” Ben sat there, holding his cock, waiting for Gina to play on. And then she said, “You were the one who asked if I liked receiving oral. What are you waiting for?”

It was like a dream. For that matter it might well be, Ben thought. But hadn’t the man with the pixelated head assured him it was for real? How did this work, exactly?

“The offer lasts exactly thirty seconds,” Gina said. “After that, I’m out of here.”

Ben tried his hardest not to seem unduly enthusiastic, but his pulse was racing as he got up and got down in front of Gina. So often he’d imagined himself like this, venerating her shrine, and now it was happening for real. Or was it? Did it matter? He pushed his lips against her, kissing her, feeling his pulse race. Then, remembering that she wanted a man to take charge, he decided he had to act. She was holding herself open, and it wasn’t difficult for him to extend his tongue and probe her.

He felt obscurely disappointed in the taste. In his imagination, Gina had always tasted of peaches, but reality was far from that. The disappointment lasted all of two seconds before the full implication of what was happening hit him. He had his tongue inside Gina’s pussy! And she was wet!

Resisting the urge to ask if she liked it, or even look at her, Ben withdrew his tongue, instead sliding it over her as he moved his lips; half licking half kissing. When he felt Gina’s body strain and heard a sharp intake of breath, he assumed he was doing something right. He concentrated on the spot, hearing Gina breathe heavily as he moved his tongue and lips against her.

“I hope you realise I wouldn’t do this for just anyone,” Gina breathed.

Ben was afraid to speak, afraid to look at her, afraid to do anything but keep his mouth moving where Gina seemed to like it best. Even if he got to do no more than this, it was more than he could ever have dreamt would happen in reality. He had to make the most of this.

Still stimulating her with his mouth, Ben managed to move his arm into position and slide a finger into Gina. He was gratified to feel that she’d grown wetter since he had his tongue in there.

“Mmmm,” Gina purred. “Just what a girl needs.”

Remembering that the men in the videos he watched always used more than one finger, Ben added a second. The men were always quite heavy handed too, which he felt was beyond him, but he began moving his fingers as hard as he dared, while keeping up the mouth action. Gina gave a little moan and to his amazement and delight, her pussy seemed to speak to him.

Instinct, or something, took over. He pulled his fingers out, only to push his tongue in as far as he could. Gina gasped. He pulled his tongue out, the fingers going back in. He kissed and licked her pussy all over, hardly knowing what he was doing, just overwhelmed with excitement. Fortunately Gina responded to his enthusiasm with more excited gasps. He pushed his fingers harder into her, imagining that the sound of moisture was her pussy uttering cries of delight.

His insecurity still lurked at the back of his head. Should he keep on doing this, or should he attempt more? Would she cum from this, or would she want something more? As far as he could tell, she was as ready for something more as she would ever be, but he had no experience to guide him. But she wanted a man to take control. She gave a new gasp as his tongue struck the right spot, and Ben knew he had to take his chance.

In the event he encountered no resistance at all when he pulled his body up, freeing her pussy from fingers and mouth to push his yearning erection against her. Only when he leaned forward to kiss her as his cock slid into her did she twist her head away. “You’re not my boyfriend,” she breathed. “Just fuck me!”

He lowered his head, unable to resist kissing her neck as he began humping her. In his imagination it had always been slow and tender, but Ben now realised this wasn’t Gina’s way. He wanted to savour the moment; wanted to luxuriate in the feel of her moist vagina holding him tight, but couldn’t. He thrust his cock deep inside her, discovering that there was really nothing to the whole business. Knowing that he had to show her he was in charge, he swiftly increased the pace, driving his cock back and forth, his lips moving against her neck.

“I’ve got very sensitive breasts,” Gina breathed.

He took the hint, enjoying the sound of intense lust that emanated from her as he shifted to suck on a rock hard nipple while driving his cock inside her. His head was spinning from the knowledge that he was actually doing it, and with Gina. If indeed it was real and not just a dream; but the man with the pixelated head had ensured him it was real.

When he shifted his mouth to her other nipple, Gina gave a deep and lusty moan, and he suddenly felt her hand beneath him. She was stroking herself as he pushed and pushed, deep and hard. He moved his hands, squeezing her breasts, pushing down on her as his tongue darted from one teat to the other. A high pitched wheeze came from her, then more heavy breathing, panting.

Ben was panting too. Feelings were flooding through him. He couldn’t help looking up at Gina’s beaming face. “You’re gorgeous,” he told her.

“None of that soft soap,” she breathed. “I need you to fuck me. That’s it.”

That was Gina, he thought, unsentimental at the strangest of times. He upped the pace, resuming sucking on her teats, squeezing her breasts. In the videos he watched, they always did it in several different positions. Should he ask if Gina wanted that? No, of course not. If anything he should demand it, he thought, but feeling her hand working, he decided there was little cause for that. Whatever was going on here, she was enjoying it, and so was he, so why complicate things?

“Harder!” Gina breathed. “Fuck me harder!”

To do this Ben had to shift a bit, and shift her too. He marvelled at the way this seemed to come naturally to him. All the noises in the room seemed to come together: the breathing, the panting, the viscous slurping, flesh on flesh. Everything engulfed him, pushing him to skewer Gina mercilessly.

“Yes!” she cried out. “Oh yes! That’s what I need!”

Sweat broke out on Ben’s brow. He felt like he was punishing her, and perhaps he was. He held her breasts, raising his head to look at her. Gina didn’t look like she was being punished. She looked delirious, her eyes far away, her lips parted. She was breathing heavily, wheezing again. The hand beneath him was working faster as he kept working away, fucking and fucking her.

“Yes! Yes!” she gasped. “Keep doing that! Keep…”

Ben had seen enough videos to realise that she was about to climax. Her nipples swelled some more and he moved his head to suck on one of them. Gina’s hand was working thirteen to the dozen as her body tensed. There were growls and wheezes at the back of her throat. He glanced up to see her eyes screwed shut and her mouth open wide as her body arched. Only when her body began to relax did he allow his own pace to slacken, feeling how tight she was.

Gina’s eyes opened, she looked at him, her breathing slowly normalising. He moved slowly, suddenly unsure of himself. Would she let him cum inside her? Did he want to? There were so many things…

“Come on then,” Gina said to him, still a little breathless. “I suppose you deserve a reward after that.”

He wasn’t sure what she meant.

“Like I said, I won’t do it for just anybody, but you’re sweet and you’ve given me what I need.”

In a flash he understood, and only just caught himself in time. Was she really prepared to…? There was no way he was going to miss out if she was. He pulled out and climbed unsteadily above Gina on the leather-clad sofa, straddling her.

Having to use his hands to steady himself meant he couldn’t touch his cock, but to his amazement, when he looked down, he saw that Gina was holding her mouth open for him. All he had to do was manoeuvre his body so that his cock made its way towards that gorgeous mouth. All he had to do was insert it and feel Gina’s lips close around him. All he had to do was move it inside her, the way he’d moved it inside her pussy, only not so hard, fast or deep. Whether she was for real or not, she was still Gina, and he didn’t want to make her gag the way he’d seen in some videos.

Their eyes locked. She seemed to be telling him that she didn’t normally do this, but that she was enjoying it because he was enjoying it. Which he was. He was enjoying fucking her mouth, her warm wet mouth, with his cock which must taste of her pussy. The thought made him twitch and almost begin to shed. Gina twisted her head slightly, but relaxed again when no cum came. Not that then, Ben thought; no cumming in her mouth.

But she seemed happy enough for him to move his cock in her mouth. She wasn’t doing anything herself, just reclining there is if her mouth was for his pleasure. He could never have imagined this would happen. He was just sorry now that so much had already gone on, that he was so far gone he couldn’t make it last much longer. He could go slower, of course, except that he couldn’t. He was too worked up for that. Gina, the girl of his dreams, was still staring at him. She was there, passively letting him enjoy her; her mouth soft and warm and moist, her eyes laughing behind a veil of mist.

His cock twitched again, having expanded, and this time it was serious. Gina twisted her head again, making sure his cock left her mouth. “Not in my mouth,” she told him. “Anywhere but there.”

The anywhere was already being decided with the first spurts. “Oh shit!” Ben exclaimed.

Gina smiled, the kind of smile only she was capable of. Her hand closed round his cock. She rubbed him hard, pushing his cock against her cheek. He couldn’t believe it. He grunted, breathed, groaned. It was Gina, it was filthy. He felt as if every last drop of spunk was dashing from his balls, anxious to end up on Gina’s face. Spurt after spurt after spurt. Rivers of cum, glazing her cheek until finally he was all spent.

He stumbled backwards, leaving her to make her way to the bathroom to clean off. He sat on the couch, trying to get his head round everything, but failing dismally. When Gina emerged, she was already fully dressed.

“Look,” she said, “on closer reflection, I don’t think I’m cut out for modelling at all.”

Ben blinked, not quite all there. He could hardly bring himself to get back into character, but did his best. “Are you sure?” he said. “’Cause I reckon you’ve really got what it takes.”

Gina just smiled. “Don’t take this the wrong way,” she said. “I enjoyed myself, but…”

“Yeah,” Ben smiled back. “I enjoyed myself too.” He decided the best thing for it was to allay any fears she might have. “Don’t worry. I understand, it’s not for everyone.”

“So you’ll wipe… delete… whatever?”

“Of course,” Ben said, realising he had no way of knowing how this weird parallel universe worked. Would there be files to delete, or would the pixelated man take them with him? Were the images automatically transmitted elsewhere? He hoped the latter wasn’t what happened, though he wouldn’t mind having his own copy of any recording.

Gina was picking up her bag. “Well,” she said, “It was an… experience anyway.” She held out her hand.

Ben took it, resisting the urge to say, “This was fun, we should do it again sometime.” Instead he said, “Thanks for your time,” thinking that in the videos he watched it would never happen that way.

The moment the door slammed behind Gina, he made his way into the kitchen. The man with the pixelated head was still there. “Sounds like you had a good time,” he said. Ben got the feeling he was smiling.

“So how does this work?” he said, scratching his head. “You said it was real, so presumably there are tapes.”

“Digital files,” the man corrected. “And yes, there are. You may keep them if you like.”

This was almost too good to be true, Ben thought. Except… “And you won’t be putting them on the Internet?”

The pixels shifted in quick succession, Ben was just about able to make out that the man was shaking his head. “No, no, that’s not what we’re about.”

“So who are you?”

“No-one you need concern yourself about.”

Ben bit his lip. “You said this was for real. Will Gina remember anything?”

The man folded his arms. “We’re still having a few teething troubles with the system,” he said. “She won’t have any conscious memory of this, but she might subconsciously find you more… attractive. It’s impossible to tell at this stage. Would that be a bad thing?”

Ben wasn’t sure. Of course he wouldn’t complain about more sex with Gina – proper sex. On the other hand, his worry was always that he might ruin their friendship if he came on to her.

“Anyway,” the man was saying. “Can’t hang around. Things to do. Would you get the figurine for me?”

“You want it back?” Ben said.

“Of course,” the man laughed. “Only once per person. At least unless someone further down the chain nominates you again.”

Ben didn’t understand any of this, far less that someone might actively nominate him. “So who nominated me?”

“That’s classified information,” the man told him. “Now fetch the figurine.”

Ben did as he was told, still in something of a daze. Back in the kitchen he held the thing out to the man.

“First you must kiss it,” the man said, “and think about a person you wish to experience their deepest held sexual fantasy.”

Ben just stood there. “I don’t know,” he said. “It would take a bit of thinking about.”

“Just kiss it,” the man said. “Even if you don’t consciously have anyone in mind, the action will enable your subconscious to be read.”

“What?”

“Just kiss it.”

So Ben put his lips against the figurine, offering it to the man when he was done. The man took it, the pixels tilting. “Interesting,” he said. “The girl next door?”

Ben frowned. That wasn’t what he’d expected, if he’d expected anything.

“Who?”

“Natalie,” the man replied.

Natalie? The stuck-up redhead from across the hall who could barely bring herself to say hello to him. She shared a flat with her older sister, who was all right, but Natalie… What the hell was that about?

“Well, I think that will be all,” the man was saying. “Don’t worry about a thing. You’ll find your room just as it was before, and the evening’s entertainment as a file on your desktop.”

Ben frowned, turning. Peeking through the kitchen door, he saw that his flat had indeed as if by magic been restored to its old, slightly shabby appearance. Turning again, he found the man was no longer there. It would have been as if nothing had happened, were it not for the file marked “Gina” on the computer’s desktop that he was almost afraid to open.