Bodie had been boasting to Doyle about his latest girlfriend for a few weeks now. He didn't hold back in describing her athletic abilities – on and off the tennis court. That Doyle hadn't currently a girl of his own didn't stop Bodie rubbing it in. Eventually Bodie persuaded Doyle to meet them at a pub so he could be introduced to the lovely Janice and see for himself what he was missing in the female line. Who knows, perhaps Janice had a friend or sister who was desperate enough to want to go out with him? The plan was then to go on to a restaurant afterwards. Doyle was sure he'd have to put up with some ribbing as the evening wore on, but best to get it over with and stop Bodie nagging for a while.
Doyle was late and looked flustered. Bodie sat him down with a pint he'd got for him earlier.
"Thought you were going to stand me up," Bodie smiled.
"Don't think I didn't consider it," Doyle countered – with more honesty than Bodie knew. "So, where's the buxom Janet, then?"
"Janice," Bodie corrected. "Do try to keep up, Doyle."
Then the lovely Janice hoved into view with a wine glass in her hand and very little covering her curvaceous body, sashaying provocatively between the tables, to the appreciation of the male drinkers – and the annoyance of the women! Bodie beamed proudly. Janice was rather myopic but refused to wear glasses, so it was Doyle who recognised her first. Fortunately Bodie's attention was solely on his girlfriend so missed the look on his partner's face. As Janice sat down and Bodie's friend swam into focus, the smile froze on her face. Then shock melted into loathing. Doyle smirked.
"Well Raymond Doyle as I live and breathe," she snarled.
"The one and only," he returned cheerily, winking lewdly.
It didn't take a trained agent to cotton on that these two had a history. Bodie wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was.
"Bodie, let me introduce …" Doyle began.
The table was nearly knocked over as she kicked Doyle viciously in the shins, followed up by a choice, snarled epithet.
"I see you've met," Bodie said dryly, hanging onto his beer as it was nearly knocked flying.
"Under a street lamp somewhere, wasn't it?" Doyle asked nastily.
"That was then, copper," she retorted.
"Yeah. Times move on don't they?"
"Well, now that you two have got to know each other, shall we move on to dinner?"
Bodie wasn't looking forward to the dinner if these two were going to spend all evening throwing insults, and worse, at each other. But Bodie was nothing if not a gentleman and if he'd promised his girl a dinner, then dinner it was going to be. However, his thoughts were already turning to getting out of this relationship sooner rather than later. If Janice was still on the game, and he hadn't noticed her profession, then Doyle was going to spend a lot of time reminding him of the fact! He began to wonder, briefly, if being unattached wasn't the safer option after all.