"Oh, I'm just trying to follow the flow of the conversation," Richard said. It might almost have been mistaken for honesty, if it hadn't been trying so hard to sound earnest. He got the feeling that flirting with Lia would be fun, like a guitar duet between Clapton and B.B. King. Any other time, he would have kept going.
But this was supposed to be a business meeting, wasn't it? It was probably better to wait until that had played out one way or another. There would be plenty of time to flirt once they were working together, and if he didn't get the job, well, there would be even more time then.
Time to shift the topic back, then. "It would be nice to have some idea of how much you can tell about me, though. Then I would know how likely I am to get a good word for that job you mentioned." He shrugged, faking a look of hopelessness. "If you already know all of my horrible secrets, I might as well just give up now."