‘I’ve been offered a new job.’
Kate stopped drinking, mid-sip, and lowered her glass to the bar.
Leonie leaned in excitedly. ‘Where?’
‘Within Senate. It’s . . .’ Alexa found herself struggling to say the name out loud. ‘It’s . . . you know the lads’ mag, Banter?’
‘Oh my God!’ Kate gasped. ‘Of course we know it! Are they asking you to be editor of Banter?’
Alexa hesitated. ‘Sort of. It’s similar to what I’ve been doing at Hers. Finding new revenue streams, new channels, that kind of thing.’
‘Oh. Wow.’ Kate rocked forward on her bar stool, looking respectfully into Alexa’s eyes. ‘Lex, that is amazing.’
‘Well done, mate.’ Leonie raised her glass. There was hesitation in her voice.
‘But . . .’ Alexa squirmed, avoiding Kate’s open-mouthed stare and Leonie’s wary expression. ‘I don’t think I’ll take it.’
‘What!’ yelped Kate.
Leonie just looked at her, waiting.
Alexa sighed. She had been half expecting this set of responses. For Kate, the most important thing in life was career progression. Her beliefs were based on a kind of post-feminist mantra that went along the lines of: women should feel the same pressure to succeed in the workplace as men. She intended to become a partner at TDS before she hit thirty next year and, as far as Alexa could tell, there wasn’t much standing in her way. Leonie, however, was naturally cautious and saw life through the lens of a secondary school teacher – always thinking about the bigger picture.
‘Have you ever looked at a copy of Banter?’ asked Alexa, by way of explanation.
Leonie replied with a loaded nod.
‘What’s wrong with girls showing a bit of ass?’ Kate was clearly outraged that Alexa might be considering turning down such an opportunity. ‘That’s what men want! It makes money! Banter is one of the UK’s biggest brands.’
‘Yeah. For all sorts of reasons,’ Leonie said pointedly.
Alexa ignored this comment and turned to Kate. ‘It doesn’t make as much money as you might think. I looked at their financials. Even stripping out the cost of lawsuits, they only make a few pence profit per copy.’
Kate looked at her, smiling a little. ‘So, you’re already looking at their financial model, then? You want to take this on, don’t you?’
Alexa shrugged helplessly. No, she wanted to say. No, she didn’t want to take on the role because it was inappropriate and unethical. But there was something inside her that wouldn’t let her rule it out. Peterson had given her two weeks to decide and she had already used up one of them, yo-yoing between the arguments for and against.
Leonie cleared her throat. ‘I can see why you wouldn’t.’
‘What?’ cried Kate, staring accusingly at Leonie. ‘Sorry, but what’s wrong with working for Banter? We’re not prudes, are we? There’s nothing wrong with lads’ mags. Hey,’ she nudged Alexa in the ribs and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, ‘it’s less shameful than saying you work for Tedious Consulting.’
Alexa smiled lamely. Kate was wrong. It was far, far worse to tell someone that you worked in the soft porn industry than one of the soulless but highly respected consultancy firms like TDS – especially when that someone was your mother.
‘Have you told your mum?’ asked Leonie, right on cue. She knew Alexa’s mother from their school days.
Alexa raised one corner of her mouth in a wry smile. ‘What do you think?’
Leonie matched her expression. ‘I think she’d disown you if you told her.’
Alexa sighed. Leonie was probably right. A sudden, unwanted image flashed across her mind of the two of them, aged nine, scrambling up the stairs of Leonie’s parents’ house, wearing various lacy garments sourced from Leonie’s mother’s wardrobe and their own interpretation of pop star makeup. Her mother, arriving early to pick up Alexa, had turned purple with rage at the sight of them. It was only the presence of Leonie’s mother, hovering nervously in the doorway, that had saved them from the initial outburst of rage. As it was, Alexa had suffered alone, on the journey home, and the mental scars would probably stay with her forever. Alexa knew exactly how her mother felt. She was a Class A prude and nothing would ever change that.
‘Who cares what your mum thinks?’ Kate screwed up her nose. ‘She’s probably about fifty years behind the times! Fuck that. You don’t need to pander to her way of thinking.’
Alexa and Leonie looked at one another.
‘You haven’t met Lex’s mum, have you?’ asked Leonie, politely.
Kate looked nonplussed, then quickly brightened again. ‘What about Matt?’ she asked. ‘What does he think?’
Alexa allowed herself a little smile. Six months had passed and still it felt new and exciting – or rather, it still felt unreal. For once, things were working out on the man front.
‘His first question was whether he’d get free copies of Banter.’
Kate hooted. ‘Typical! That is so Matt!’
Alexa smiled. She didn’t mind that Kate took the credit for setting her up with Matt, or that she pretended to know him when in fact he had simply been one of the hundreds of guests at her New Year’s Eve party. She didn’t mind, because frankly she was grateful – to Kate or to fate – for getting them together.
‘Then he kind of went a bit . . . weird.’ Alexa squirmed as she remembered the way Matt’s expression had changed. It was as though he had flipped from being excited to lukewarm, in an instant.
‘What sort of weird?’ asked Leonie.
‘Well . . .’ Alexa hesitated, unable to think of a better description. ‘I think he just has some reservations.’
‘What?’ Kate screwed up her nose. ‘Matt’s not a raving feminist, is he?’
‘No. I think it might be more . . .’ Alexa hesitated, unsure as to whether her theory stood up. ‘I think it could be the male-dominated environment.’
Kate’s expression intensified. ‘He wouldn’t be jealous, would he?’
‘He’s too good-looking to be the jealous type,’ said Leonie.
Alexa shook her head, thinking of Matt’s piercing blue eyes and his fine blond hair. ‘I think he’s probably just worried. He said he’s seen what lads can be like. He said something about a “lions’ den”.’
Kate rolled her eyes. ‘Like he’d know, from his experience in a city law firm!’
Leonie flashed Alexa a warning look. ‘He’s probably had some experience on the rugby pitch.’
‘Oh . . .’ Kate waved a hand. ‘That’s bollocks. Totally different. This is the workplace. You can handle it, Lex.’
‘So, is it all men, on the team?’ Leonie persisted.
‘Apart from one.’
The first thing Alexa had done following her meeting with Peterson had been to grab a copy of Banter and tear out the credits page. There were twenty-four men on the staff and one woman – an editor’s PA/editorial assistant named Sienna Pageant.
‘One girl, eh? I bet she has a laugh,’ remarked Kate.
Alexa nodded, wondering, not for the first time, what type of person Sienna Pageant might be. She glanced at Leonie, who didn’t need to voice her