The California Club Read Online Free

space available in first …' he addresses (or should that be undresses?) Sasha, mentally booking her on a flight to Temptation Island.
    'I'm with my friends – there's five of us altogether,' Sasha informs him.
    His face falls.
    'Unless you can upgrade us all, I'd rather just stick with economy,' she says, simply.
    Brendan is clearly crushed that she won't now be beholden to him.
    'Well, if you're sure. Let's see if we can at least get you by the exit – that way you'll be able to stretch out those lovely long legs of yours.'
    'Can I get the seat next to her?' Zoë pips. 'I have unusually large boobs.'
    Brendan looks up with a start.
    ‘It's like wearing an airbag,' Zoë continues. 'Nobody can get by me if I'm in a normal row. I mean, these seats have 32-inch leg room but I've got 36D boobs. You try getting your tray table down—'
    'Yes, yes, madam,’ Brendan scrabbles to regain his composure. ‘I'll see what I can do.'
    ‘We don't mind where we sit, as long as we're together,' Elise morphs into her girlie-whirlie alter ego, snaking her arm around Elliot's.
    Urgh, get a toilet cubicle, I cringe, silently praying I'm not seated next to the Es. I don't think I could take eleven hours of passive nuzzling.
    Brendan looks up from his clicking. 'We have a band of four with the extra leg room and I can seat one of you in the row directly behind.'
    'You don't mind, do you, Lara?' Elise gives me a look, equal parts patronizing and dismissive.
    'Oh, can't she sit with us?' Zoë wheedles, craning to peer at Brendan's screen.
    'It's a very busy flight!' he snaps, shooing her away.
    'It's fine,' I mumble, nudging Zoë. 'If you recline your seat back you'll practically be in my lap anyway.'
    'Are you sure?' Sasha checks.
    ‘Honestly. I'll be watching the movies most of the time.' As I squeeze a smile I get a horrible sinking feeling that it's going to be me that's the odd-one-out.
    Ding-ding! Round One to Elise.
     
     
    Brendan hands us our boarding passes.
    'Okay, all set and that's two vegetarians: Sasha Williams and Zoë Harriott.'
    'I didn't realize you'd gone veggie, Zo,' Elliot queries.
    'I haven't. I'm not lacto-intolerant, kosher or vegan either, but those people always get their food served first so I thought, for a change …' Zoë shrugs.
    'Did you know there are more vegetarians in Brighton than any other place in Europe?' I announce.
    'Really?' Sasha coos. We love a fascinating fact.
    But Elise has no interest in our smalltalk. 'Shall we meet up again at the gate in an hour?' she cries.
    Unbelievable – she's trying to get rid of us already!
    'What's everyone doing?' Elliot takes the more sociable approach.
    'Well, you'll make a beeline for Dixons,' Zoë makes the obvious prediction for The Gadget King. 'Sasha will be in W.H. Smith, looking for a book for the flight.'
    I know, a model who reads: shocking isn't it?
    'And Lara and I will be in Duty Free!' she cheers, then remembers she's got a letter to send before we get airside.
    'It's actually a job application,' Zoë confides as we two go off in search of a mailbox. 'The closing date is while we're away.'
    'I didn't realize you wanted to leave the Dyspraxia Foundation.' I frown.
    'I don't, but with this new job there's a chance I could go on to become a celebrity PA!'
    It's ironic really, Zoë has by far the most worthy job of all of us and yet she's the one who deep down always yearned to be a finger-clicking, hair-swishing diva. Lately she's modified this wish to fit the current celebrity-ravaging climate, deciding that working alongside a star would mean a good deal of the perks without any of the wild accusations in gossip magazines that she's losing her hair/man/mind etc. Not a bad plan in theory, but I've a feeling the reality would be a nasty wake up call, and then what dreams would she be left with?
    ‘Do you know where you’d be based, if you got the new job?' I ask, hoping there’s a chance she could move back to Brighton.
    'West London, so at least