Everything You Need by A. L. Kennedy

Author:A. L. Kennedy [Kennedy, A. L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
ISBN: 9780307425799
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2007-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

1995

Party time again.

Outside the club’s opened windows, the dark of Soho was slippery with heat: roads and pavements locked into one damp, elbowing, ill-tempered crawl. Inside, as far as Jack could judge, things were pretty much the same. Not that he minded, dear me, no—like this, it was so much more cosy and humane. What better recreation for a gentleman of publishing than to slither and sweat with others of his merry kind while surrounded by emporia of altogether less stimulating perversities.

“Jack, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Lynda smiled in that wonderful I really don’t like you, but I just might fuck you kind of way. “Not a bloody clue.”

“Ignore me, then. I’m being happy.”

“That’s not like you.”

“It’s not like you to even be here. You haven’t cruised this particular circle of hell in years. In fact . . .” He frowned contentedly, enjoying his mind’s random skid and plummet through loose information. “First you were over with Nathan and that mob and then . . . I thought you’d emigrated. Australia?”

“America.” For the fourth or fifth time, she glanced beyond his shoulder and smiled a greeting. “But now I’m back. In the flesh.”

“Yes, quite.” He gave her a meaningful look and got one back. This was all starting to seem quite promising. “But do stop that.”

“What, Jack dear?”

“Dividing your attention. It makes me feel unloved.”

“I was just nodding hello to Benedict.”

“Benedict Kemmler? That shit.” His conviviality briefly threatened to evaporate.

“Now, now. He’s no worse than you.” She moved in to clamp one arm around Jack’s waist. “His heart’s in the right place.”

“No. It’s still beating in his chest.” He turned to deliver his best breathy whisper close to her ear. “If it was in the right place, it would be in my refrigerator.” She shivered against him gratifyingly and he tried to recall unto whom she had given the clap and at what point. He knew it had been a long time ago, back when even he was young and when the clap and the pox were the worst you could possibly catch. Oh, and crabs, of course. Happy days. Although, from wife number two, he’d always suspected a low-grade but persistent rabies risk . . .

Lynda dabbed a kiss at his cheek—magnificently insincere. “Now I’m the one who’s feeling unloved. You’re not thinking about me, are you? And I don’t like that—people’s minds wandering. If I wanted to be forgotten about, I could just go home to Richard, couldn’t I?”

“A thousand apologies. Why don’t we . . .” He pondered fleetingly the likelihood of his being already too drunk to get it significantly up. He decided to introduce a small, transitional step along the way to what he hoped might be a pleasantly meaningless experience. “Why don’t we cut a dash through the soggy mass to that suspiciously darkened corner over there? Then you can tell me all about it.”

“About what?”

She was already moving with him, warm, grinding and nudging aside the usual smug little cliques.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.