Crash Read Free Page A

that always looked a size too big, Chris nodded at the chicken and said, "Still on the Atkins then?"
    Unable to get the food in fast enough, Dick loosened his tie and belched. The smell that hit Chris seconds later was like rotting offal. Chris suddenly had too much saliva in his mouth and gently heaved, but too engrossed in his feeding frenzy, Dick didn't notice. Shuffling over to the large window overlooking the city and rubbing his watering eyes, Chris divided his time between admiring the view and watching the glutton speaking with his mouthful.
    "Obviously." His fat face stretched into a childlike grin, his blue eyes turning into slits that threw wrinkles to his greying temples. "Anyway, PIGS, have you heard that's what they're calling them?" He seemed excited by the news.
    The sensationalist headlines dominating the tabloid media were hard to ignore, but because he couldn't say anything positive, Chris didn't reply.
    Lifting the paper he was reading, Dick said, "Portugal, Ireland, Greece, Spain--PIGS. I've also heard that Italy is rocking too. Those countries will be the death of us. And I bet we'll end up with more illegal immigrants stealing our benefits."
    The ignorance of the man was bad enough. The fact that Chris was beneath him on the company ladder made him feel positively suicidal. In spite of his internal resentment, Chris' face remained passive as he reminded himself that Dick got the job because of who rather than what he knew. Daddy was on the board. Having been sold the pretense that he was responsible for a group of hedge fund managers, the reality was that Dick did whatever he was told to do. Chris was sure he spent most of his day idle, his huge computer monitor seeing more porn than spreadsheets. Reminding himself that whatever he thought of this man, he pulled rank over him, Chris took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, Dick, how's Lucy?"
    "The old ball and chain?"
    Another thing about Dick was that he spoke in clichés. Chris offered a polite laugh and hoped his face didn't show what he really thought, or at least that his thick boss wouldn't notice.
    Fortunately, and unfortunately, Dick was permanently oblivious. "She's good... I'm afraid to say." Finding his own joke hilarious, Dick actually grunted while serving up a full-bellied laugh, his gaping chasm of a mouth flinging wide to reveal hippo-like teeth.
    Chris smiled again, wondering who the acronym was more suited to--Power, Ignorance, Greed, Stupidity. Smiling at his own thought, he then quickly dropped it when he realized what he was doing.
    Standing up to practice his golf swing, reminding Chris that at about five feet and nine inches, a good two inches shorter than Chris, this man was almost as wide as he was tall, Dick then said, "And how's Daisy?"
    Because Dick had a big voice and a poor awareness of personal space, Chris had to step back to stop himself feeling overwhelmed by the man. He then said, "It's Diane, Dick, and she's very well, thank you. She's still talking about your last barbecue." He left out the fact that it was for all of the wrong reasons.
    Tipping his plate to allow the chicken carcass to slide into the bin, Dick then shifted Sun Tzu's The Art of War on his desk so Chris' eyes would fall on it, which they did. Chris noticed that the adopted business manual looked like it had never been read. Dick then said, "Well, that's the one thing that can be said for Lucy--she knows how to throw a party."
    "That she does." Although Chris thought that if he had that much time and disposable income, he'd know how to throw a party too; he'd also do it a darned sight better than Lucy, and with much more class.
    Moving back into Chris' personal space, Dick placed a heavy hand on his arm. It felt like being pawed by a bear. "So what do you think about the whole situation with Greece?"
    Chris' blue eyes widened and he said, "It's scary. If they fail--"
    "We'll throw them to the dogs," Dick stated, shaking his head, which made his chin