Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

glares at me crossly. “This is so irritating!”
    “Stop it!”
I hiss furiously.
    “I’m sorry?” Clive knits his heavy brows.

    “Not you, Clive! Just got something caught in my throat…” I grab my glass and take a gulp of water.
    “Have you found my necklace yet?” Sadie demands accusingly.
    “No!” I mutter from behind my glass. “Go
away.”
    “Then why are you sitting here? Why aren’t you looking for it?”
    “Clive!” I desperately try to focus back on him. “I’m so sorry about that. What was I saying?”
    “Admired leadership skills,” says Clive, without cracking a smile.
    “That’s right! Admired leadership skills! Um … so the point is…”
    “Haven’t you looked anywhere?” She thrusts her head close to mine. “Don’t you
care
about finding it?”
    “So … what I’m trying to say is…” It’s taking every ounce of willpower to ignore Sadie and not bat her away. “In my opinion, this job is a great strategic move; it’s a perfect springboard for your future, and furthermore—”
    “You’ve got to find my necklace! It’s important! It’s very, very—”
    “Furthermore, I know the generous benefits package will—”
    “Stop ignoring me!” Sadie’s face is practically touching mine. “Stop talking! Stop—”
    “Shut up and leave me alone!”
    Shit.
    Did that just come out of my mouth?
    From the shell-shocked way Clive’s froggy eyes have widened, I’m guessing the answer is yes. At two neighboring tables, conversations have come to a halt, and I can see our supercilious waiter pausing to watch. The buzz of clashing cutlery and conversation seems to have died away all around. Even the lobsters seem to be lined up at the edge of the tank, watching.
    “Clive!” I give a strangled laugh. “I didn’t mean … obviously I wasn’t talking to
you. …
”

    “Lara.” Clive fixes me with a hostile gaze. “Please do me the courtesy of telling me the truth.”
    I can feel my cheeks staining red. “I was just…” I clear my throat desperately. What can I say?
    I was talking to myself
. No.
    I was talking to a vision
. No.
    “I’m not a fool.” He cuts me off contemptuously. “This isn’t the first time this has happened to me.”
    “It isn’t?” I peer at him, bemused.
    “I’ve had to put up with it in board meetings, in directors’ lunches … it’s the same everywhere. BlackBerries are bad enough, but these hands-free sets are a bloody menace. You know how many car accidents people like you cause?”
    Hands-free—Does he mean…
    He thinks I was on the phone!
    “I wasn’t—” I begin automatically, then stop myself. Being on the phone is the most sane option available to me. I should go with it.
    “But this really is the pits.” He glowers at me, breathing heavily. “Taking a call during a one-to-one lunch. Hoping I might not notice. It’s fucking disrespectful.”
    “I’m sorry,” I say humbly. “I’ll … I’ll switch it off now.” With a fumbling hand, I reach up to my ear and pretend to switch off an earpiece.
    “Where is it, anyway?” He frowns at me. “I can’t see it.”
    “It’s tiny,” I say hastily. “Very discreet.”
    “Is it the new Nokia?”
    He’s peering more closely at my ear. Shit.
    “It’s actually … um … embedded in my earring.” I hope I sound convincing. “New technology. Clive, I’m really sorry I was distracted. I… I misjudged the situation. But I am very sincere about wanting to place you with Leonidas Sports. So if I could maybe just recap on what I was trying to say—”
    “You have to be joking.”
    “But—”

    “You think I’m going to do business with you now?” He gives a short, unamused laugh. “You’re as unprofessional as your partner, and that’s saying something.” To my horror, he pushes back his chair and gets to his feet. “I was going to give you a chance, but forget it.”
    “No, wait! Please!” I say in panic, but he’s already striding away, between the