He heaved a shuddering sigh and groped for the glass of water beside the bed. In the dream hed been falling to, and then through, the tiles of the supermarket floor.
On the other side of the bed Carla stirred and laid a hand on him.
Chris?
sokay. Dream. He gulped from the glass. Bad dream, sall.
Murcheson again?
He paused, peculiarly unwilling to correct her assumption. He didnt dream about Murchesons screaming death much any more. He shivered a little. Carla sighed and pulled herself closer to him. She took his hand and pressed it onto one full breast.
My father would just love this. Deep stirrings of conscience. Hes always said you havent got one.
Right. Chris lifted the alarm clock and focused on it. Three-twenty. Just perfect. He knew he wouldnt get back to sleep for a while. Just fucking perfect. He flopped back, immobile. Your father has convenient amnesia when it comes to clearing the rent.
Money talks. Whyd you think I married you?
He rolled his head and butted her gently on the nose. Are you taking the piss out of me?
For answer she reached down for his prick and rolled it through her fingers.
No. Im winding you up, she whispered.
As they drew together he felt the hot gust of desire for her blowing out the dream, but he was slow to harden under her hand. It was only in the final throes of climax that he finally let go.
Falling.
It was raining when the alarm sounded. Soft hiss outside the open window like an untuned TV at very low volume. He snapped off the bleeper, lay listening to the rain for a few moments and then slid out of the bed without waking Carla.
In the kitchen he set up the coffee machine, ducked into the shower and got out in time to steam milk for Carlas cappuccino. He delivered it to her bedside, kissed her awake and pointed it out. Shed probably drift off to sleep again and drink it cold when she finally got up. He lifted clothes from the wardrobe - plain white shirt, one of the dark Italian suits, the Argentine leather shoes. He took them downstairs.
Dressed but untied, he carried his own double espresso into the living room with a slice of toast to watch the seven oclock bulletins. There was, as usual, a lot of detailed foreign commentary and it was time to go before the Promotions & Appointments spot rolled around. He shrugged, killed the TV and only remembered to knot his tie when he caught himself in the hall mirror. Carla was just making waking noises as he slipped out of the front door and disabled the alarms on the Saab.
He stood in the light rain for a long moment, looking at the car. Soft beads of water glistening on the cold grey metal. Finally, he grinned.
Conflict Investment, here we come, he muttered, and got in.
He got the bulletins on the radio. They started Promotions & Appointments as he hit the Elsenham junction ramp. Liz Linshaws husky tones, just a touch of the cordoned zones to roughen up the otherwise cultured voice. On TV she dressed like a cross between a government arbitrator and a catered-party exotic dancer, and in the last two years she had graced the pages of every mens lifestyle magazine on the rack. The discerning execs wet dream, and by popular acclaim the AM ratings queen of the nation.
very few challenges on the roads this week, she told him huskily. The Congo bid play-off weve all been waiting on is postponed till next week. You can blame the weather forecasts for that, though it looks from my window as if those guys have blown it again. Theres less rain coming down than we had for Saunders-Nakamura. Still nothing on the no-name orbital call out for Mike Bryant at Shorn Associates. Dont know where youve got to Mike, but if you can hear me were anxious to hear from you. And so to new appointments this week - Jeremy Tealby makes partner at Collister Maclean; I think weve all seen that coming for a long time now; and Carol Dexter upgrades to senior market overseer for Mariner Sketch, following her spectacular performance last week against Roger Inglis. Now back to Shorn again for word of a strong newcomer in the Conflict Investment division
eyes flickered from the road to the radio. He touched up the volume a notch.
Christopher Faulkner, headhunted from investment giants Hammett McColl where hes already made a name for himself in Emerging Markets. Regular Prom & App followers may recall Chriss remarkable string of successes at Hammett McColl, commencing with the swift elimination of rival Edward Quain, an exec some twenty years his senior at the time. Vindication of the move came rapidly when Excitement ran an abrupt slice into her voice, Oh, and this just in from our helicopter team. The no-name call out on Mike Bryant has broken, with two of the challengers down past junction twenty-two and the third signalling a withdrawal. Bryants vehicle has apparently sustained minimal damage and hes on his way in now. Well have in-depth coverage and an exclusive interview for the lunchtime edition. Looks like the start of a good week for Shorn Associates then, and Im afraid thats all weve got time for this morning, so back to the Current Affairs desk. Paul.Thank you, Liz. First up, the falling rates of production in the manufacturing sector threaten a further ten thousand jobs across the NAFTA territories, according to an analysis by the Glasgow-based Independent News Group. A Trade and Finance Commission spokesman has called the report subversively negative. More on the