I hadn’t seen Rick since we left school almost twenty years ago, but we instantly recognised each other. I paid for my pint and went over to his table in the corner of the bar.
“Long time, no see”, I said, “I didn’t know you were still around.”
“I moved back here last year but my business means I travel around a lot”, He replied.
“What business are you in?”, I asked.
After a second, he replied “Making people’s dreams come true.”
“A bit like Jim’ll Fix It?”, I suggested.
“Yes and no”, he answered.

I was genuinely curious now.
“How do you mean?,” I asked.
“Well, I don’t arrange kid’s trips to Disney Land”, he replied with a knowing look. Being a bit slow on the uptake that evening, I asked him, “What sort of things do you arrange?”
“What’s your favourite sexual fantasy?” His directness threw me for a moment.
“That’s not your business”, I asserted.
“On the contrary”, he responded with equal assertiveness, “it’s precisely my business. Whatever your desire is, I can make it happen for you.”

He looked directly at me while my brain struggled to process what had just been thrown at it. I decided to throw his attack back at him.
“What about you then?” His reply amazed me.
“For years I fantasised about being a ballerina. Then I decided to do something about it. I went to ballet classes for adult beginners and I found a teacher who would teach me to dance on my toes. For two years I did special exercises to strengthen all the right muscles. I can’t tell you how fantastic I felt when I put on a white tutu, tights and ballet shoes and danced on my toes for the first time. I started up a website for other male ballerinas and now we have regular get-togethers. Here, have a look.”

He handed me a pocket digital image viewer and I looked in amazement at pictures of him dressed in his ballerina costume and several short videos of him dancing solo and with other male ballerinas. He was a good dancer and, in his white tutu with little frilly skirt, white tights and white ballerina shoes with ribbons tied neatly round his ankles, his shoulder length hair tied back in a neat ballet bun with a little diamante tiara on top and with perfect make up on, looked very feminine.
“What I’m saying”, continued Rick, “is that I thought I was the only guy who felt the way I did until I took some positive action and discovered hundreds of other guys doing the same thing. And for every one of them are hundreds who haven’t got the guts to act on their feelings and do what they really want to do. I decided to set up a business to help at least some of them live their dream. Now do you have the guts to take the opportunity I’m giving you now to do what you really want to do?” He continued looking directly at me, waiting for my answer.

I was convinced, “OK, what do I need to do?”
“First tell me what you really want”, he said. After a deep breath, I began.
“OK. I’ve always had this fantasy about being kidnapped and taken to a hideout where I’m made to strip naked. Then I’m tied up and gagged, then forced to have sex with a girl who’s also been kidnapped and is also tied up and gagged. She’s tied down on her back on a bed with her legs spread apart and I’m put on top of her while someone gets hold of my prick and sticks it in her cunt, then we’re tied together and have to fuck while the kidnappers watch us.”
I paused for another deep breath. Rick had listened attentively and, it seemed, with genuine respect for my frankness. He encouraged me to continue.
“Any other details you want to add?”, he asked.
“Well, I have a fetish for wearing white plimsolls with white ankle socks. So it would be an even bigger turn-on if we were both wearing them.” Rick made a few notes in a personal organiser.
“I can set it up for you for a few days time if you can afford £500 right now”, he said.

I was really interested now, but I wasn’t jumping for it straight away.
“How do I know you aren’t a con merchant?”, I asked. Rick remained completely calm at this suggestion.
“My business depends on trust. If my clients can’t trust me then I have no business. I guarantee to do what I say I’ll do and ensure complete discretion.”
He handed me a sheet of paper, saying “These are clients who are prepared to give a testimonial if requested. They’re all local. You may know some of them.” I studied the list of about 30 names, men and women, and indeed recognised several of them. I was convinced.
“What do I need to do”, I asked. “Sign this contract and give me a cheque for £500. The two important things you need to know now are that none of the money is refundable under any circumstances and you must do everything you are told to do until you sign a receipt stating that the contract has been fulfilled.” I signed the contract and handed over the cheque. Then Rick gave me a list of dates. “Pick the earliest date you can meet me outside here at 8pm sharp.” I ticked the earliest date.
“See you then. Don’t be late.” he said as he left.

I was ten minutes early. Rick appeared on the dot of 8. We crossed the road and walked to a white Transit van parked in the far corner of the car park. As we stood at the back of the van Rick said to me, “Before you get in the van you have a final chance to back out and sign the receipt.” After a second I replied, “I’m up for it.”
Rick replied, “In that case I must remind you first that you must do everything you’re told until the contract is completed.”
“I understand”, I replied. He dialled a number on his mobile and said one word, “Confirmed!” Then he opened the doors.

Two men were sitting in the back, obviously waiting for us. As we got in I could see they were real night club bouncer types, dressed smartly in dark suits and ties with white shirts. “Let me introduce you to Number 1 and Number 2”, said Rick. “They will not speak at any time. They are here to ensure your co-operation and I assure you that in the unlikely event of it being necessary, they will only use the minimum force required. Do you understand?”
I gulped slightly and replied, “I understand”. “Excellent”, said Rick. “Now sit on the floor with your legs stretched in front of you.”
I did as I was told. Number 2 knelt behind me, took hold of my wrists, brought my arms behind my back and tied my wrists together with cord. Then he bound my upper arms to my sides with more cord. At the same time, Number 1 pushed a small rubber ball into my mouth and then stuck a large rectangle of white sticking plaster across my mouth and cheeks. He stuck another length on one side of my face, pushed it hard under my chin and stuck the other end on my opposite cheek, clamping my jaws firmly together. Then he tied my legs together at the ankles and just above the knees. I had often tried to imagine what being bound and gagged was like and now my heart pounded and my body shook with fear and with deep sexual arousal. I felt a huge hard on bulging inside my trousers and was glad to be able to hide it from my captors by lying on my side with my knees drawn up when told to lie down. We started off with Rick driving and the others guarding me. After a while the van stopped. Rick told me to sit up and Number 1 placed a canvas bag over my head. I felt myself led out of the van and into a building. When my hood was removed I was amazed to see a scene right out of a gangster film.

We were in a large empty room. In the middle was an old-fashioned wrought iron bedstead with a thin mattress on top. It was surrounded by portable lights on tripod stands. Several chairs and tables were the only other furniture. I noticed something lying in a corner and my heart lurched as I suddenly realised it was a girl. She was tied up and gagged as I had been in the van and lay on her side with her knees drawn up as I had done. She looked about 25-30, slightly below average height and had quite a good figure if a little on the thin side. She had shoulder length straight black hair parted on one side and brushed over. The part of her face not obscured by her gag looked pretty. Her darkly attractive eyes assumed greater emphasis with her mouth taped over. She was neatly and conservatively dressed in a black roll neck sweater, short skirt in a scarlet tartan pattern fastened with a white leather belt, grey woollen tights and black patent leather pumps fastened with a thin strap and buckle which made her small feet look very sexy. She was being guarded by the other member of Rick’s gang, an athletically handsome woman who I guessed correctly was Number 3, also dressed in a dark suit but with an open-necked blouse. I was sure she would have been more than capable of keeping the girl in her place if needed.

“Have no fear for her welfare”, Rick said to me. “I can assure you that she, like you, is here at her choice and everything that happens will be between consenting adults. Is that correct?” He looked at the girl. She nodded and made a slight muffled noise in her gag. I could see from her eyes and from her body language that she was nervous and uncertain rather than in fear.

“We will begin”, said Rick, after I had been made to sit down and my legs were rebound. “Female will be untied and will strip naked, including all jewellery”. After being untied, the girl remained seated while she took off her shoes and tights. She stood up and slowly took off her jewellery: a pearl necklace, matching drop earrings, a watch and several rings. Then she carefully pealed off her sweater, revealing a pair of beautifully rounded little breasts snuggled invitingly in a low cut white bra with little red polka dots and a frilly edge around each cup. I was delighted.
“Too bad I won’t get to feel her tits. Still, can’t have everything”, I thought. “She may look like a nice girl but I bet she can be really naughty when she wants to be!”

She undid her skirt and for a few seconds I enjoyed the sight of her in her matching bra and panties as she tidied her things into a neat pile, which I guessed she did partly out of habit and partly to steady her nerves. She took off her bra and her breasts bobbed as she placed it on the pile. In the harsh light the pink aureoles circling her nipples contrasted with the pale skin around them. They were large in proportion to her breast size, which somehow made her breasts look bigger. Finally she removed her panties. Now she was naked I could easily see she was as much turned on as I was. Her nipples stuck out stiff and swollen from her pert, pouting breasts which rose and fell with her heavy breathing. Her cunt was open and deliciously pink inside and already glistening with her pussy juices. Her mound was covered in a thick coat of short black hair.

Rick spoke again. “Female is to put on footwear provided.” Number 3 handed her a pair of brand new white plimsolls matched to her shoe size from a collection on the floor and a pair of new white ankle socks. She looked at them in surprise and then shot me a questioning look over her gag. I could only shrug my shoulders in lieu of an explanation. Then, to her everlasting credit, she fully entered into the scenario.

She sat down sideways on to me so I could enjoy the line of her body from her head to her feet and of her slender arms down to her hands, which trembled slightly as she put on the ankle socks and plimsolls. Neat and tidy in all things, she carefully folded down the top of each sock and smoothed it sexily around each slender shapely ankle and made sure each plimsoll lace was tightened properly and finished with a symmetrical double bow. She moved each foot in turn so I could see every movement clearly.

Then she stood up and, shifting her weight onto one foot and then the other, extended her legs, pointed her toes and turned her feet one way then the other so I could have a good look. Her neat and pretty little feet looked gorgeous in her little white plimsolls. I have always longed to stroke a girl’s feet through crisp, smooth, white plimsolls and feel her ankles through the soft cotton of her ankle socks. I longed for just one touch of the girl’s feet. But I would have to keep on dreaming on for that. She even did a little curtsey to complete her splendid performance. Suddenly she remembered where she was and, struck again with embarrassment, assumed the classic pose of a woman trying to preserve her modesty: hand and forearm over her breasts, other hand covering her private, knees together, toes turned in. “She sure has guts”, I thought admiringly of her.

Rick continued. “Female is to be retied and secured to bed in appropriate position.” Number 1 tied her hands behind her back, fastened her upper arms to her sides with more cord that went round her body just under her breasts and then pushed her towards the bed. Number 2 lifted me into a chair so I could see what was happening and guarded me while the others saw to the girl. She was made to lie down on her back with her legs spread apart. A length of cord was tied to the right upper bedpost, threaded between her back and upper arms and wrapped around her body, then tied to the opposite post. She was now unable to move her upper body. Meanwhile, another cord was tied from one side of the bed to the other side across her waist several times. Her ankles were tied to the bottom posts by short lengths of cord. And she wasn’t finished with yet. Rick’s next order was “Female is to be shaved”

It was my turn to look quizzically at her as that part of her face not covered by her gag flushed pink for a moment. Number 3 put on a pair of white surgical gloves, then produced a safety razor, a pot of shaving foam and a brush and expertly removed the girl’s bush with deft, confident strokes. The effect on the girl was marvellous to watch. Her breasts heaved up and down like waves in a storm. She made mewing noises in her gag that made her sound like a contended kitten. Pussy juices continuously leaked from her glistening cunt. She flexed her feet and pointed her toes so that in the bright light her plimsolls looked more like ballet shoes. I was fantastically turned on by now and felt like I had a large cucumber sticking up from between my legs. Number 3 finished drying the girl’s crotch and lifted the towel to reveal a perfectly smooth pubic region, to which she then applied some baby oil. The girl gave a final kitten mew and relaxed. Now it was my turn.

“Male is to be untied and will strip naked, including all jewellery.” Rick’s words made my heart pound. I thought nothing of stripping off in front of the lads in the changing room every Saturday but this was way, way different. Leaning forward on the chair while I was untied I wished that the ground would swallow me up. After taking off my watch, shoes and socks I stood up feeling very self conscious.

I couldn’t hope to match the girl’s bravura performance so I just played it straight as I took off my outer clothing. However, I made sure she got a good view as I straightened up after removing my briefs. I had never seen my prick look as stiff and swollen as it did now. The sight of it standing up ramrod straight, the head bulbous and already glistening with pre-cum somehow gave me courage, and when the girl saw what was coming to her she let out a long low moan through her gag, which encouraged me even more.
“Male will put on footwear provided”, Rick continued. I had really been looking forward to this bit. As I sat on the floor, naked and still gagged, my whole body trembling with sexual excitement and nervy anticipation, I could hardly keep my hands steady enough to pull on the new white ankle socks. Then as I felt the gorgeous feeling of pushing my feet into brand new white plimsolls, always a fantastic turn-on for me, I almost passed out as my heart pounded within my chest. Rick went on: “Male will be retied and can choose to be shaved.”
“Fantastic!”, I thought. I’d often wondered how it would feel. I nodded and grunted my acceptance.

My wrists were retied behind my back and my arms fixed to my sides with cord again. The cord they used was a special woven type that spread itself on the surface of my skin instead of biting into it as it was tightened. So although I was securely bound I was in no discomfort. I was made to lie on my back and my legs were spread apart. I began to regret my decision when Number 3, after putting on a new pair of gloves, produced a cut throat razor. But I needn’t have worried because with amazing skill she removed every last pubic hair I had. It felt fantastic. Electric shocks shot through my body every time her latex covered fingers took hold of my prick to keep it way from the blade and I moaned into my gag in deepest pleasure.

I moaned again as she rubbed baby oil onto areas of skin that had felt nothing like it since I’d been in nappies. The girl, her own experience very fresh in her mind, resumed her kitten mewing through her gag in the solidarity of shared sensations.
“Male will be fitted with condom”, Rick continued.
Again I winced with pleasure as Number 3, with deft assurance, took hold of my now hypersensitively swollen prick, wiped my throbbing head clean of pre-cum and rolled a ribbed condom the full length of my shaft. Then she took a length of thin surgical tape and expertly wrapped it round the base of my shaft and the neck of the condom circling it and then tied the ends around the neck of my ball sack, so the condom was fixed in place and couldn’t slip off. I moaned continually through my gag and the girl, who could see everything from her prone position tied down on the bed, mewed along with me. Then I was made to lie back and my ankles and upper legs were rebound.

Now I was ready. I had a few seconds to review my situation. I was naked in white plimsolls and ankle socks, with my pubic hair all shaved off. I was tied up and gagged, with my prick tied up inside a condom. And waiting for me was a really fit girl, also naked in white plimsolls and ankle socks, also tied up and gagged, with a shaved pussy, tied down on a bed with her legs apart and her cunt wide open, dripping and hungering for my fat, swollen prick to fill it up, literally gagging for me to fuck her arse off.

“Male is to be coupled to female and secured. Male and female are to remain still until told otherwise.” This was it. Number 1 and Number 2 brought me to my feet, then, with no visible effort, lifted me horizontally, face down, then carried me to the bed and held me over the girl. Until now her breasts had been heaving with her heavy breathing but now she took a deep breath and kept completely still. she looked at me with wide eyes over her gag. Now I could see she had really beautiful dark brown eyes, with lovely long lashes and carefully groomed eyebrows. I felt a wave of admiration for her. How many other girls would put themselves through something like this in the hope of getting a fantastic fuck? If I was ever going to give a girl the fuck of her life, this was going to be it, I decided.

As Number 1 and Number 2 were placing me on top of the girl I winced again with pleasure as Number 3, who always seemed to get the best jobs, took hold of my prick, placed my swollen head against the swollen lips of the girl’s open cunt, which made the girl tremble with anticipation, and pushed my fat pulsating prick right into her pussy. I gave a deep moan through my gag with the pleasure of first entering her and the girl made a new sound through her gag. She was no longer a contented kitten but a supremely aroused she-cat. She had a fantastic box. Tight, smooth and responsive, it seemed to mould itself to my massive swollen member as I filled her up. Her stiff, swollen nipples buried into me as her tits cushioned against my chest. I could feel her heart pounding and her abdomen rose and fell in contact with mine as our breathing instinctively synchronised. Her skin was beautifully smooth and warm and her smell was a gorgeously arousing mixture of perfume, scented soap, hairspray and sex hormones.

A couple of ropes had been left loose under the girl when she was tied down on the bed. They were now used to tie me down onto her, one round our waists and the other threaded between our upper arms and ribcages to go across our shoulder blades. A vertical wooden board was clamped across the bed just behind my feet. I realised it was there for me to push against as I humped her. Our difference in height worked out so that we could look directly into each other’s faces. So I was surprised by Rick’s next instruction, “Female is to be blindfolded.”

The look she gave me over her gag seemed to be asking me not to take it personally. My eyes smiled at her and I made an understanding “Umph!” through my gag. “I guess there’s no law against girls having kinky sex fantasies too!”, I thought. Number 3 covered each of the girl’s eye sockets with a thick, circular make-up pad, which she fixed in place with another large rectangle of white sticking plaster that covered her eyes and most of her forehead, temples and upper part of her nose. Now most of her face was obscured by her blindfold and her gag. At last, everything was ready.

“Male and female will commence. There is no time limit for completion.” Rick instructed. “Nice to know!”, I thought. The girl had lain quiet and passive until now. But now she seemed to go into panic mode, maybe because of a sudden release of built up tension or perhaps because of shock at suddenly being unable to see. She made desperate “Mmmph! Mmmph!” sounds into her gag. She thrust her stomach into mine and her pussy clenched on my prick so hard it hurt. I made what I hoped were soothing “Hmmm, Hmmm” sounds to her through my gag and hoped she would calm down. It worked and after a couple of deep breaths she was calm again. She mewed apologetically through her gag and I gave her another reassuring “Mmph.” Then I made an enquiring “Umph?” to her to make sure she was ready and she gave me a little “Mmm, Mmm!” through her gag in affirmation.

Pushing against the wooden board with the rubber soles of my plimsolled feet, I began searching for the right rhythm and intensity for my thrusting, taking careful note of her reaction each time. My prick seemed to be searching into every area of her pussy for her G-spot. Her she-cat purr became more intense and then I found a rhythm that really did it for her. Her Mmmphing became louder and came more from within her throat than through her gag. Then she realised she was coming too soon and she made an urgent “MMM! MMM!” I settled back into a gentler rhythm which we enjoyed together for a while, combining my pig in clover grunting with her contended cat purr. In an ordinary situation we could have continued like that for a good while. There was real sexual chemistry and a literally unspoken understanding between us. But I knew she wouldn’t be comfortable under my unsupported weight for much longer. I checked with an enquiring “Mmmph?” if she was ready and through her gag came an affirmative “Mmm-Mmm!” I went back to the rhythm that worked for her and her contented cat purring changed to growling lioness as I hit her G-spot again and again. I felt the tension in her body increase as, breathing progressively faster and harder, she approached her orgasm, then seemed to completely freeze for a second before she exploded spectacularly. She made three loud, muffled, throaty screams into her gag, followed by several long, low moans. I stopped thrusting for a moment to let her enjoy the feeling and was rewarded with the most fantastic feeling of my own as she clenched and massaged my prick and soaked it with her pussy juices in her ecstasy. Then, with firm pushes on the board with my plimsolled feet I thrust into her as deeply and as hard and as rapidly as I could. I grunted into my gag with each thrust and she hooted encouragingly into hers – baritone and soprano in harmony.

As I felt myself on the point of coming, all my senses went into hyperdrive and my brain was flooded with sense impressions. I felt the snug tightness of my plimsolls around my feet, the soft cotton caress of my ankle socks around my ankles, the firm grip of the ropes binding my ankles, legs, wrists, waist, arms and shoulders, the tight grip of the binding around my shaft and scrotum, which held back the pressure developing inside me and delayed my ejaculation until I could hardly bear the wait any longer, the feel of every rib of the condom circling my hot, tingling, throbbing, swollen prick sheathed in smooth latex and in the warm wet pulsating grip of her vagina, the hot sweaty contact of our stomachs rising and falling together, the soft sweaty cushioning of her breasts contrasting with the sharp bullet-hardness of her nipples, and the slightly sticky grip of my gag on my lips and face. I could feel my shaved groin gliding over her perfectly smoothed mound, the movement lubricated by the film of baby oil warmed by our body heat. I smelled the uniquely turning-on smell of the clean new canvas and rubber of our plimsolls. Most of all I was engulfed by her gorgeous smell. That wonderful mix of fragrant femininity and female passion, which I so wanted to keep in my memory. Then I came with several great throaty muffled cries into my gag. My prick tingled, pulsated and throbbed all together and my balls ached as I pumped several great jets of cum, followed by a deliciously long leak, into my condom. I moaned and rested my head next to hers. Aware of the movement, she moved her head slightly to touch against mine. We lay like that for a few minutes as we came down from our climax. She went back to her contended kitten mewing while I hummed in harmony with her.

Then Number 3 carefully and gently peeled off the girl’s blindfold and revealed her dark eyes, shining with pleasure. We were untied from eachother and I was laid on my back next to her. Our eyes beamed to each other with mutual pleasure and gratitude and the fellow feeling of shared experience. We relaxed our bound sweaty bodies and watched them come down from their excited state. My prick subsided from firm through flaccid to normal. The cum-filled end of my condom, evacuated by my retreating prick, lay in a squiggle on my abdomen. Her breasts now rose and fell gently as she breathed easily. Her nipples melted from bullet-pointed hardness back to gentle, rounded little hemispheres and her flushed swollen pussy lips thinned and faded to a gentler pink as her cunt closed up.

A wave of tenderness for her washed right through me. I brought my face closer to hers, she responded in kind, and we kissed through our gags. It was only for a second and I only had the faintest impression of her lips on mine through the layers of sticking plaster separating them, but it was a kiss I would always remember. Number 3 then lifted her and carried her in a fireman’s hoist into a side room. My last sight of her was of her draped like a rare and precious carpet over Number 3’s shoulder. In the harsh light the white flash of her gag across her still slightly-flushed face, framed by her dark hair hanging down, counterbalanced the gleaming white of her plimsolls and ankle socks as her feet pointed downwards like a ballerina on her toes, while her pale naked body, beaded with sweat and suddenly looking vulnerable in her bondage, joined them together in a graceful curve. Suddenly I thought how fabulous she would look in a tutu or a leotard, with tights - maybe fishnets, and how lovely her little feet would look in ballet shoes with ribbons tied neatly (of course!) around her incredibly sexy ankles. “How I’d love to photograph her like that” I thought.

My ankles and legs were untied and Number 1 led me to another side room. He finished untying me and left me alone. I got a few pins and needles but was otherwise OK. It was good to move freely again. A notice on a table on which my clothes had been laid said “Prepare to leave. Knock on door when ready.” I gingerly peeled off my gag and removed the rubber ball from my mouth. I opened and closed my mouth a few times. It felt so good. I took off my plimsolls and ankle socks and had a good long wash at a sink using the flannel, soap and towel provided. I drank from a bottle of mineral water left there for me. I got dressed and then noticed a bag on the table. Inside was a coil of the rope used to tie me up and a roll of the plaster used for my gag, along with several of the rubber balls. A note on the bag said “For your future pleasure. Footwear yours also.”

I smiled and placed the still gleaming white plimsolls and the socks with now somewhat less than clean soles into the bag to add to my collection. I knocked on the door. Number 1 returned and handed me a hood and a note which said “Put on hood. Can remove on hearing 3 knocks.” I put on the hood and felt myself led from the building and into the back of a van. It started off and when I heard 3 knocks removed the hood.

As I sat alone on the return journey, with my bag on my knees, I felt grateful to Rick for showing me what can happen when you go for what you most want. I decided to phone him the next day and join his ballet class. I’ve always loved pictures of girls in leotards and tights putting on ballet shoes and tying the ribbons around their ankles and I’d always wanted to do it myself. Rick could get on with the dancing and I’d just sit on the floor being gently turned on by the feel of figure hugging lycra leotard and tights on my body and the sight of my feet in ballet shoes with the ribbons tied tightly round my ankles. I wasn’t going to deny my dreams any more. Tonight, not only had I fulfilled one of my deepest fantasies, I had experienced something far better: true intimacy with a fantastic girl. I wondered how I could see her again. Even if she was local I may not have recognised her. She had been gagged all the time I had seen her and without her mouth my mental picture of her was incomplete. But then I was sure I would recognise her lovely dark eyes.

Then I got a text message. “Female desires contact with Male if agreed.”
My fumbling fingers couldn’t type and send “Agreed” fast enough.
Another text: “Lorna”, followed by her mobile number. Then the van stopped and Number 1 let me out and handed me a sheet of paper and a pen. I signed the receipt and handed pen and paper back to him. He didn’t speak or smile but he winked slightly at me as he got back in the van and drove away. The contract was fulfilled. I was outside the pub again, two hours had gone by. Feeling elated I decided on a celebratory pint. “You look like you’ve just pulled”, the barman laughed. “You could say that”, I smiled. “Lucky bastard! How did you manage that?” he asked.
“You’d never believe me if I told you”, I answered as I carried my pint to a table. I sat down and dialled her number.

“Lorna?…Hi, it’s Steve.It’s lovely to hear your voice at last….How are you feeling?….Me too!….Lorna, do you like ballet?”