Venus Envy [antikvár]

Chapter 1'Alan Pell's coming round in five minutes,' Keisha announced.'Lucky you,' I said grumpily.'Yeah.' Keisha preened, stretching her elegant black back like a prizewinning Siamese. 'He says there's a job going down at Up and Running.' She tugged her tiny Gucci cardigan disapprovingly round her polished-ebony shoulders and flung an expressive glance at my work station. Bits of clay and sweet-wrappers from my latest avant-garde creation littered my side of the room. 'Maybe if you carry on like that he'll recommend you for something at Blue Peter.''I'll clear it up,' I said gloomily. It did look like a reject from the Play School arts department.'And yourself,' Keisha said not unkindly. She spoke in the tone of someone addressing a poor unfortunate fellow creature. 'I can lend you my black Ghost dress.''What's wrong with this?' I snapped.Her glance at my tattered jeans and paint-spattered shirt was eloquent. My nails were broken, my hair was straggly, and my clothes were a style-free zone.'He works in the record business he knows lots of people in TV,' Keisha said temptingly. 'Interesting people . . . with money. And power.''I don't care about people with money and power!' I lied fririously. 'I only care about Oliver.'My latest greatest love had just dumped me yesterday. By fax. From the set of his new movie, although obviously he hadn't had time to do it himself I must be the only girl in the history of dating to be dumped by a secretary.'Oliver was a loser. And so will you be, if you keep dressing hke a refugee from the bypass protests,' Keisha insisted. She opened her