thinks.’ He flicked a finger towards her shirt.
‘This? I’ve had it for years!’
‘Bullshit.’
Yuri deflated slightly. ‘Okay, I borrowed it from Sibyl.’
‘I knew it! And you thought I was the shallow manipulative one.’
‘It’s not that far off my usual style.’
‘Sequins?’
Yuri looked away for a moment. ‘Yeah,’ she eventually admitted, ‘I’m trying to play the game too.’
At that particular moment Judy, one of the more senior staff, floated past them in a cloud of Chanel. She was wearing a floaty vintage summer dress. That in itself wouldn’t be odd, but it was soggy grey November and her attire never normally strayed from ubiquitous black trousers and white shirt. Cam and Yuri looked at each other and simultaneously burst out laughing. Judy turned to them and gave them a dirty look.
Cam pointed to his garish scarf and Yuri gestured towards her sequined blouse. Judy glared at the pair of them for a heartbeat, then grinned.
‘Hey, we do what we can, right?’
They nodded. ‘Right.’
*
They took their places around the large walnut table in the conference room. Everyone in Yuri’s team was designated by Yell as a floater. Despite the unpleasant connotations of the word, it was, in Yuri’s opinion, by far the best situation to be in. It meant she wasn’t tied solely to fashion or to celebs or to romance and relationships, but rather that she had the opportunity to write across a range of topics in order to pick up any slack.
‘So,’ said Don, the subeditor, leaning across the table, ‘what do we have then?’
Judy began. ‘Cybercrime. It’s a growing problem and something which our readers are becoming increasingly concerned about. There’s an entire thread on Yell.co.uk devoted to it. I’ve been compiling some data, and I think there’s enough for a serious article. You know, where the danger areas are, what ordinary people can do to protect themselves.’
‘Didn’t we just do that piece on identity theft a few months ago?’
Judy’s face grew more earnest. ‘And it was incredibly popular. We had a lot of letters in response so I think it’s time we did a follow-up.’
‘I like it,’ nodded Don. ‘See if you can get some of those original responders included. It’ll make it more authentic. Send me a draft mock-up by the end of next week.’
Judy grinned.
‘We also have a holiday slot we’ve been asked to fill.’
One of the other staffers groaned. ‘Already?’
Don shrugged. ‘Hey, it’s for February. People are stuck in freezing cold Blighty and starting to think of ways to escape. I was thinking along the lines of how you can still visit European countries who’ve been dogged by economy problems and have a great time.’
Several pairs of eyes around the table lit up. ‘Social conscience and a suntan,’ piped up Cam.
Don smiled. ‘Exactly.’
‘Suck up,’ Yuri hissed to her friend.
He kicked her ankle under the table, forcing her to smother a short yelp of pain. Don glanced at her expectantly.
‘Yuri, did you have something to add?’
‘Er, no. It’s a great idea, Don.’
Cam leaned over and whispered in her ear. ‘Suck up.’
She kicked him back.
‘Greece seems like the perfect location,’ Don continued. ‘Flailing economy, a massive debt burden, pretty beaches…’
‘And ouzo!’ someone else finished.
‘Indeed.’ He beamed. ‘Who’s interested?’
Almost at once, virtually every single hand around the table shot up. This kind of research based article would require a visit to Greece itself. Yell was pretty good about those kinds of things, encouraging its writers to experience their subjects first-hand rather than simply getting information from the internet. Regardless, it had been a while since any of them had been offered an all expenses paid research trip abroad. The look of satisfaction on Don’s face proved that he’d known
‘This? I’ve had it for years!’
‘Bullshit.’
Yuri deflated slightly. ‘Okay, I borrowed it from Sibyl.’
‘I knew it! And you thought I was the shallow manipulative one.’
‘It’s not that far off my usual style.’
‘Sequins?’
Yuri looked away for a moment. ‘Yeah,’ she eventually admitted, ‘I’m trying to play the game too.’
At that particular moment Judy, one of the more senior staff, floated past them in a cloud of Chanel. She was wearing a floaty vintage summer dress. That in itself wouldn’t be odd, but it was soggy grey November and her attire never normally strayed from ubiquitous black trousers and white shirt. Cam and Yuri looked at each other and simultaneously burst out laughing. Judy turned to them and gave them a dirty look.
Cam pointed to his garish scarf and Yuri gestured towards her sequined blouse. Judy glared at the pair of them for a heartbeat, then grinned.
‘Hey, we do what we can, right?’
They nodded. ‘Right.’
*
They took their places around the large walnut table in the conference room. Everyone in Yuri’s team was designated by Yell as a floater. Despite the unpleasant connotations of the word, it was, in Yuri’s opinion, by far the best situation to be in. It meant she wasn’t tied solely to fashion or to celebs or to romance and relationships, but rather that she had the opportunity to write across a range of topics in order to pick up any slack.
‘So,’ said Don, the subeditor, leaning across the table, ‘what do we have then?’
Judy began. ‘Cybercrime. It’s a growing problem and something which our readers are becoming increasingly concerned about. There’s an entire thread on Yell.co.uk devoted to it. I’ve been compiling some data, and I think there’s enough for a serious article. You know, where the danger areas are, what ordinary people can do to protect themselves.’
‘Didn’t we just do that piece on identity theft a few months ago?’
Judy’s face grew more earnest. ‘And it was incredibly popular. We had a lot of letters in response so I think it’s time we did a follow-up.’
‘I like it,’ nodded Don. ‘See if you can get some of those original responders included. It’ll make it more authentic. Send me a draft mock-up by the end of next week.’
Judy grinned.
‘We also have a holiday slot we’ve been asked to fill.’
One of the other staffers groaned. ‘Already?’
Don shrugged. ‘Hey, it’s for February. People are stuck in freezing cold Blighty and starting to think of ways to escape. I was thinking along the lines of how you can still visit European countries who’ve been dogged by economy problems and have a great time.’
Several pairs of eyes around the table lit up. ‘Social conscience and a suntan,’ piped up Cam.
Don smiled. ‘Exactly.’
‘Suck up,’ Yuri hissed to her friend.
He kicked her ankle under the table, forcing her to smother a short yelp of pain. Don glanced at her expectantly.
‘Yuri, did you have something to add?’
‘Er, no. It’s a great idea, Don.’
Cam leaned over and whispered in her ear. ‘Suck up.’
She kicked him back.
‘Greece seems like the perfect location,’ Don continued. ‘Flailing economy, a massive debt burden, pretty beaches…’
‘And ouzo!’ someone else finished.
‘Indeed.’ He beamed. ‘Who’s interested?’
Almost at once, virtually every single hand around the table shot up. This kind of research based article would require a visit to Greece itself. Yell was pretty good about those kinds of things, encouraging its writers to experience their subjects first-hand rather than simply getting information from the internet. Regardless, it had been a while since any of them had been offered an all expenses paid research trip abroad. The look of satisfaction on Don’s face proved that he’d known
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