A Tempest of Blondes

ngele

aving its feet up on the cool blue of the Pacific Ocean to lie back into the golden glow of evening. But there was nothing laid-back abou

gaga over her. She was beautiful, and not a few admirers had observed that she ha

ise. Was i

had

dical doctor, did okay and could afford to give his children an Ivy League education and keep them in pocket. But she did

ifornian kid, an ok

than

ryone k

pt K

heard he had been at Eton and even the more famous Oxford, and was at the Un

cious and provincial, carrying their hoods in their baseball caps. But Kolade wasn't a home boy, wasn't hoody. He was f

ing you first had, and if it was good, you then took the trouble of asking the girl's name. But Shanice wasn't bro

e? How could anyone not be interested in her? It mad

his wrist, and the cards flew to the table, fanning out. As his hand went down to gather the cards

, startled by the firmnes

teady. "Traty is all

dn't see her, couldn't see the woman before him. He couldn't see who but only what she was – a requir

ight and black." The anger in her voice was spurring cl

his eyes. His face was without strain and

was there. It had been only a br

wall had always been there, and the wall posters and pin-ups had always bee

her pellucid shoulders, was restrained from leaping into Kolade's lounge only by the poster's laminati

field, and Avril Lavigne, and even went back through the years to find Blondie. But that wasn't fa

zed, but was a shrine to glittering gold. Here incense was burned to blon

she murmured. "But what this dude n

t in a cheat. His eyes jerked up

t. It's none of my business," – she rose and headed for

e hurled Kolade

t another dude... at t

le

*

ust stared at the door. Then he got up a

nitor. There were times he wanted to see pictures and times he didn't. Now

ally have meant it when she said they no longer had business together? She was his lieutenant, his top assistant in the

n Klein socks, oddly appreciating the silk red and grey designer ar

he could still make it against Jason. He

spected university don, had introduced Wotzit to the lads, saying his father

left Eton, he was reputed to be the best card player Eton had ever produced. Poker and gin rummy were a coffee break t

quired luck, yes, but the best of them required brains and skill. In any case, if you kept on being lucky and kept winning an

ud of his

Balliol College, he was happy to find a covert gaming window which he fully

as at most American youth-centred institutions, popularity-winning contests came and went,

blicity and honour that went with winning. It was no coincidence that in the last three years

he sofa, his cosy pocket apartment rocking with the music of Riva Diva, he went to his mini bar and mixed himself a Tai-pan cocktai

control at the 54-inch plasma TV, and the blond

sta

Div

ever have

to see if he could give more

ld never h

ottest blonde on campus. Riva Diva's look-

, al

nearly

ere, striding leggily across the walkways of UCLA and raising the blood pressure of every campus brat, black, white and well, whatever. She was platinum,

let Shanice go. He had to be amply

*

Sculpture Garden and hurried there. She didn't look at him as she cau

etter, she let the small envelope slip from between her books and turned ont

t would be disastrous if word went out at this stage that Kolade's lieutenant was sneaking a note to his chief rival. H

would take her to the quad and the fountains by the Powell

*

e a look-over before starting towards him. The glance had been perfunctory, but Jason reflected that nothing more sedulous was required, for UCLA denizen

ays assayed to remove the "cat" from her walk when not on the runway, but any discerni

om Jason, Shanice said without preface, "I'll be joining Team E

for some kind of betrayal, but this was

and went and came again with the smoo

uld cost a good deal more than they did in the Village, but

to an explanation of her decision to leave

found her story to be a true account of the situation. He would know. He

gone beyond the delightful shock of her defection to devise a sting. "You kno