I managed a shaky smile and tugged at the hem of my charcoal skirt. The tension was rising at the imminent arrival of Athena Mayhew. I don’t know who looked more terrified, me or her two colleagues. The glass doors let out a faint whisper as they opened.

I didn’t turn around. I didn’t want to fan the flames of trepidation burning away inside of me as it was.

Athena Mayhew swept in and took up her chair. She didn’t raise her eyes for a few moments, preferring instead to scan my CV in front of her. After a few more torturous moments, she flipped her charged light-green eyes over me, as though she were bestowing upon me a huge privilege. Raven lowlights glowed around her chin. “Leonie Baxter,” she rasped, as though my name were a medical condition.

I straightened the collar of my striped shirt. “That’s right, Ms Mayhew.”

She grimaced, showing a set of tiny, pearly teeth.

I watched the three of them flick through the papers on the table in front of them.

“Journalism degree. Ad agency employment. Local newspaper. Freelance work.” Each word Athena Mayhew said was delivered like a bullet. She steepled her hands together on top of the polished glass table. The gold serpent buttons of her blouse glittered at me. “So why you? Why here?”

I flashed what I hoped was a confident smile at an expectant-faced Barbara and grim-mouthed Oli. “Why not me? I’m a dedicated and hard-working journalist with a solid background in news reporting.”

I gestured to my CV on the table. “Goddess magazine doesn’t just look good. It’s making a difference to women’s lives and I want to be a part of that. I can produce concise, sharp copy—”

Athena Mayhew remained impassive as she cut me off. “And who do you see as the average Goddess reader?”

“In my opinion, there is no such thing,” I answered, trying to blank out my protesting toes in my pointed heels. “Anyone who reads a magazine like Goddess is insightful, interested in the world around her, and wants to be a part of something bigger.” I gathered myself together and ploughed on. “Goddess readers are all united by one thing: they want to enrich and better their lives, no matter who they are or where they come from.”

I took a breath. All the soundbites and positive compliments were waltzing out of my mouth. “I especially enjoyed the features on female airline pilots and the article highlighting the struggle of female boxing promoters.”

One of Athena Mayhew’s dark-chocolate brows twitched. She shot an indecipherable sideways glance at her colleagues.

“What would you like to see in the magazine?” piped up Oli Noakes. “What would you wish to report on?”