‘I prefer an old-fashioned implement,’ said Jasper. ‘I’m very retro in that respect.’
‘Oh, you and Sarah are so well suited,’ said Rosie with a giggle. ‘The history girl meets the antique-loving man.’
‘I do like a bit of antique loving,’ said Jasper with an eyebrow quirk.
‘But I have real trouble,’ continued Rosie eagerly, ‘in trying to work out whether our kind of relationships are old-fashioned or actually really modern. Or postmodern even.’
Dimitri rattled his bangles and raised his eyes to the heavens as if to say, ‘Here she goes again.’ Clearly he was used to Rosie’s compulsive overthinking.
‘Does it matter?’ he said. ‘As long as we are happy?’
‘Well, I think it does,’ said Rosie with a note of reproach. ‘Because, you know, one day, what we do might be banned. The personal is always political, isn’t it, one way or another?’
I chimed in to agree with her.
‘I know what you mean. I identify as feminist, and yet plenty of other women who do the same would be disgusted with us. But I don’t see why – we aren’t being subjugated by the patriarchy. We are freely choosing to express our sexuality.’
‘So many long words,’ moaned Dimitri. ‘Who cares what other people think? Let them.’
‘I suppose,’ said Rosie, ignoring him, ‘because that sexuality is probably ingrained in our psyches by centuries of genuine misogyny and abuse. But it’s hardly our fault, is it? We can’t switch it off.’
I was enjoying myself now, reminded of the long nights we used to spend in each other’s college rooms with a bottle of red wine and Serge Gainsbourg playing on the iPod.
‘No, and our society is still so stupid about sex anyway that this seems ten times more problematic than it should be.’
‘That’s very true,’ Trix piped up. ‘My friends at Spanking Dreams have a good deal of trouble from time to time with companies that have been happy to take their money suddenly turning puritanical on them. The companies who provide payment services are the worst for this, but they are far from alone. It’s a constant struggle to keep going in a world that seems happy with graphic violence and torture on screen, but incredibly uncomfortable with non-vanilla sex.’
‘I never thought I’d find backing for this project,’ said Jasper. ‘It’s only my name and reputation that have saved it, really. If I was some newbie with exactly the same pitch, I’d have been laughed out of town.’
He picked up his glass and sampled some of Dimitri’s delicious concoction.
‘But there you go,’ he said. ‘You’ve got to fight for your right to have no rights. In the bedroom, and by mutual consent, that is.’
Dimitri laughed and raised his glass.
‘I am drinking to that,’ he said.
‘Dimitri,’ said Jasper, ‘while we’re on the subject of the film project, I must warn you that at some point over the next couple of days I would like to see you in action. I’ve seen Trix, of course, though if she wants to join in …’
‘Gladly,’ she purred.
‘Well, what is that saying? There is no time like the present.’
He put down his glass and struck a ‘bring it on’ pose.
‘Seriously?’ said Jasper, laughing. ‘Tonight? How many of those cocktails have you had?’
‘Only one.’
‘So you’re sober?’
‘Rock cold.’
‘Stone cold,’ muttered Rosie.
‘Excellent,’ said Jasper. ‘Well, in that case, perhaps you could take off all the arm furniture?’
‘The …?’