Travel Weekly’s trusty regional sales manager Mark Rice got more than he bargained for on a night out in Knightsbridge.
Generous Rice took his fiancee Lisa out to fashionable Scalini Restaurant to celebrate her birthday and even promised not to try to slip the bill on expenses.
After doing a double-take at the prices, Arsenal-mad Rice got an even bigger shock when he looked up to see his hero, Croatia’s leading scorer in the 1998 World Cup, the Gunners’ very own Davor Suker.
For once lost for words, Rice was too nervous to go and speak to the soccer star but Lisa had no such qualms and stormed over to have a chat with Suker.
He turned out, as they say, to be a ‘top geezer’ and the trio chatted the night away like old mates.
Despite plenty of wine, Rice tactfully avoided talking about glaring misses in the recent Cup tie with Leicester or how professional footballers should be able to use both feet effectively.
In fact he, or perhaps blonde Lisa, made such an impression that they were invited back to Suker’s West End pad to watch Mike Tyson’s destruction of the hapless Julius Francis.
Surely it was time to thank the host and retire?No, Suker was having none of it and whisked the trio off to Tramps’ nightclub where they all quaffed champagne to their hearts content.
The colour drained from Rice’s face when the bill for £1,200 came – again a difficult one to slip on expenses – but Suker quickly whipped out a credit card.
Since that night, charmer Suker has been calling Lisa, not the Travel Weekly man.
All of which leaves Rice with a dilemma. Is it worth risking his relationship to keep his hero happy and possibly spend more time rubbing shoulders with Arsenal stars?Stay tuned for more installments.