Mark had often described women as “stunners” but this was the first time he had actually been stunned into silence by an attractive woman. She sat across the pub, drinking very little and looking beautiful.

In fact he’d been so transfixed by her that he’d failed to notice that she’d come in with her boyfriend. He’d also failed to notice that right now that boyfriend was standing right beside him looking quite cross. This didn’t occur to Mark until he felt someone clip him across the ear.

“What?” said Mark.

“You looking at my girl?” said the boyfriend, indicating his girl.

“Ah,” said Mark. “Tricky question. If I say ‘Yes’ you’ll thump me for looking at your girlfriend. If I say ‘No’ you’ll probably thump me for thinking your girlfriend isn’t worth looking at.”

“I might not thump you,” said the boyfriend. “I might just nut you or something.”

“Well, that’s worse.”

Mark awoke moments laying in a ditch outside a pub. It was not the pub he’d been in, and knowing his luck probably wasn’t in the same town.