Sympathy for the Devil Read Online Free PDF Page A

“I’ve never had any complaints,” I murmured.
           “I’m sure,” she replied just as softly, her eyes dark with irritation.
           Pretentious cow.
           “So what happened on the phone?” Toni prompted, to break the evident vibes of general dislike emanating from Cari and myself.
           Cari tutted. “That prick I spent six months of my life with is still causing me grief. God, it’s a wonder I didn’t fail my A-levels the weak, cheap soap-opera-set-type excuses he plagued me with. So look, I’ve been searching for my granddad’s ring. I’m off down to Brighton next weekend, and the last time I spoke to Pops he asked me if I was looking after it. I realise I haven’t seen it for ages, and when I think about it properly, I haven’t seen it since I broke up with the Prick. So he called me to get back his graphic novel. Admittedly, it’s the Batman v. Spiderman copy, but I found that for him on the internet as a birthday present, and even then it was the wrong one. So he wanted the novel, so I say, good, as long as I can get my ring back. He goes quiet, so I elaborate, telling him it’s the white gold one my Pops had made in the seventies so it was worth shitloads now. The Prick tells me he’s gone and given it to his new girlfriend as he thought he’d bought it for me and I’d returned it. Obviously I went ballistic. And it’s been a week now after he swore on his mother’s life to give it back straight away. Personally, I don’t care if the emasculated, racist bitch lives or dies but I do want that ring back.”
           She’s mental, I thought . She is actually crazy.
           “I called today, his bint new girlfriend picked up, so we had a minor bargee. I expect he’ll call in…Ah…” Her mobile tinkled and an aggressive look of triumph lit her face. “Rick,” she said smoothly, not getting up from the table as one would expect from polite young ladies. I supposed she was saving herself the bother of repeating the story. “How is Greta? Did she really?” She stuck two fingers down her throat and pretended to gag. “Threw the ring off, you say? Oh, you poor darling. No. I know. But it will be good for you to spend some time as a single man.” She grinned. “In half an hour? Well, that just isn’t convenient. Where are you? Oh, for God’s sake, Richard, I’m around the corner. Two minutes. Good.”
           She cut the call. “He’ll be here in a minute.” She sipped at her chocolate like a satisfied cat. “Weak-willed, thick, shadow of a man.” She glanced at me as she bit into her bottom lip. “Sex compensates for far too much. Wouldn’t you say, Pierce?”
           I looked at her blankly for a minute, then burst out laughing. West joined in because he knew it was true, and Cari kicked off as soon as I did. Toni stared at me in amused surprise. She’d never heard me laugh before. I’d spent most of the time in her company scowling, or attached to the face of some blonde.
           “Cari, sex doesn’t compensate for nearly enough,” I told her with a wry smile.
           She tilted her head to one side to look at me inquiringly, her hair shadowing all of the right eye and sweeping to her left. “Let me guess. Stupid, tall, blonde, Daddy’s money.”
           “Is there a sign on my head?” I fumed.
           West and Cari exchanged amused looks. “Your mate told me.”
           West shrugged at such disloyalty. “I said you had a type, and she didn’t believe me. She has this philosophy that no one has a type. I told her you have a very specific type.”
           Toni sent Cari a look. “She also said that men can have their minds changed.”
           “You’re going to change my mind?” I asked sceptically. She lifted a brow.
           “Nope,” she said evenly, then shivered as a blast of cold air indicated another customer. A man came over to our table and spoke