Read Online A Man of Affairs by John D. MacDonald - Free Book Online
Authors: John D. MacDonald
Tags: Suspense
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bright boy named Dave McGinty. Dave is involved in a practically perpetual audit of Mike’s current affairs by the Bureau. Mike is in a bracket that calls for an automatic audit each year, and each year the return weighs about three pounds, so it takes most of the year to get through it. I don’t think Mike has the faintest damn idea of what he’s worth, and I don’t think anybody else does either. If anybody could make a close guess, it would be Amparo Blakely.”
“Speak of the devil,” said Amparo Blakely softly at my elbow.
“The question of the hour,” Cam said, “is what is Mike worth?”
“I didn’t bring it up,” I said.
She smiled at me. Even in her low heels she was almost six feet tall. “I didn’t think you did, Sam. I’ll give you an answer, Cam. Mike is worth a good deal of money sometimes. Other days he’s hardly worth anything. It all depends.”
Cam said, “Anything you want to know about Mike, just ask Amparo. She’s the perfect confidential secretary. She won’t even tell you what time it is by Mike’s clock.”
“Oh, poo! Cam, I worry about you. You ought to put some weight on. You’re a rack of bones, actually. It would take three of you to make one of Sam.”
“I like to have you worry about me,” he said. They smiled at each other with obvious affection. She stood close enough to me so that I got more of the physical impact of her. She was built to my scale. She outweighed Cam and looked perfectly capable of snapping his spine with her thumbs, but that did not make her look less feminine. She was of the female persuasion, brushed, scrubbed, scented, and packed tightly and pneumatically into her bronzy hide.
“You shouldn’t look so worn and frail, Cam,” she said.
Cam looked beyond her and said, “I am not so frail but what I feel a basic urge to tweak the place where those green shorts of the lady editor are the tightest.”
Amparo turned and looked and said, “Go ahead, darling. I dare you. They look slightly fraudulent. I pray to God we’re not into a new age of fundamental falsies.”
“Murphy called that rear elevation saucy,” I said.
“And saucy it is,” Amparo said. “Our Miss Hallowell has a nice way with words. Elda Garry is, I am afraid, not entirely oblivious to the general impression created. Try a tweak, Cameron. Think of it as character analysis. Maybe she’ll go seven feet into the air and give a hoarse cry of anguish,”
“Or lust. That would be worse,” Cam said. “I don’t think I could adjust to that.”
“It would give her such a pretty problem though. Mike is Guy’s valued client. What happens to the valued contract if Guy’s favorite lady editor makes a scene over a gesture of affection on the part of one of Mike’s bright young lawyers?”
“She looks as though she could make her decision in midair and come down with her script all planned,” Cam said.
“Poor Guy,” Amparo said. “He seems to be inevitably and fatally attracted to tailored women who jangle. But I’m afraid we’re talking out of school in front of Sam. Sam, we’re both fond of Guy and you would be too if you could know him. He’s a very sincere man, and he has a genius touch for public relations. But he has foul taste in women, and each new one breaks his heart, and this one is just a bit more grim that the last two or three.”
“Now?” Cam asked.
“You really mean it, you wretch! All right. Now.” Cam winked owlishly and strolled over to where Elda Garry stood talking with Bundy and Jack Buck and Warren Dodge, laughing her silvery and shimmering laugh at them, inundating them with her fashionable little restaurant chatter.
Cam edged in beside her, between her and Warren, and put his arm casually around her narrow waist. Amparo and I watched intently. We saw her stiffen and attempt to pull away and glance around at where Guy stood talking with Bridget. But Cam blithely hauled her back and she apparently decided to suffer the unexpected
“Speak of the devil,” said Amparo Blakely softly at my elbow.
“The question of the hour,” Cam said, “is what is Mike worth?”
“I didn’t bring it up,” I said.
She smiled at me. Even in her low heels she was almost six feet tall. “I didn’t think you did, Sam. I’ll give you an answer, Cam. Mike is worth a good deal of money sometimes. Other days he’s hardly worth anything. It all depends.”
Cam said, “Anything you want to know about Mike, just ask Amparo. She’s the perfect confidential secretary. She won’t even tell you what time it is by Mike’s clock.”
“Oh, poo! Cam, I worry about you. You ought to put some weight on. You’re a rack of bones, actually. It would take three of you to make one of Sam.”
“I like to have you worry about me,” he said. They smiled at each other with obvious affection. She stood close enough to me so that I got more of the physical impact of her. She was built to my scale. She outweighed Cam and looked perfectly capable of snapping his spine with her thumbs, but that did not make her look less feminine. She was of the female persuasion, brushed, scrubbed, scented, and packed tightly and pneumatically into her bronzy hide.
“You shouldn’t look so worn and frail, Cam,” she said.
Cam looked beyond her and said, “I am not so frail but what I feel a basic urge to tweak the place where those green shorts of the lady editor are the tightest.”
Amparo turned and looked and said, “Go ahead, darling. I dare you. They look slightly fraudulent. I pray to God we’re not into a new age of fundamental falsies.”
“Murphy called that rear elevation saucy,” I said.
“And saucy it is,” Amparo said. “Our Miss Hallowell has a nice way with words. Elda Garry is, I am afraid, not entirely oblivious to the general impression created. Try a tweak, Cameron. Think of it as character analysis. Maybe she’ll go seven feet into the air and give a hoarse cry of anguish,”
“Or lust. That would be worse,” Cam said. “I don’t think I could adjust to that.”
“It would give her such a pretty problem though. Mike is Guy’s valued client. What happens to the valued contract if Guy’s favorite lady editor makes a scene over a gesture of affection on the part of one of Mike’s bright young lawyers?”
“She looks as though she could make her decision in midair and come down with her script all planned,” Cam said.
“Poor Guy,” Amparo said. “He seems to be inevitably and fatally attracted to tailored women who jangle. But I’m afraid we’re talking out of school in front of Sam. Sam, we’re both fond of Guy and you would be too if you could know him. He’s a very sincere man, and he has a genius touch for public relations. But he has foul taste in women, and each new one breaks his heart, and this one is just a bit more grim that the last two or three.”
“Now?” Cam asked.
“You really mean it, you wretch! All right. Now.” Cam winked owlishly and strolled over to where Elda Garry stood talking with Bundy and Jack Buck and Warren Dodge, laughing her silvery and shimmering laugh at them, inundating them with her fashionable little restaurant chatter.
Cam edged in beside her, between her and Warren, and put his arm casually around her narrow waist. Amparo and I watched intently. We saw her stiffen and attempt to pull away and glance around at where Guy stood talking with Bridget. But Cam blithely hauled her back and she apparently decided to suffer the unexpected
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