Read The Zoo for Free Online Page A

prick, son. Come on, spit it out.’
    â€˜How much do you love me?’
    â€˜More than Mrs Perkins herself, although Lord knows she doesn’t love me too much right now. Now, stop being a bloody Prima Donna and tell me. Did we get it? I assume that’s why you’re in here?’
    â€˜We got it,’ I say, ‘We got it. Got to go in next week for immersion.’
    He gets up from behind his desk and gives me an awkward, bony hug. I keep my arms by my side. Can taste his aftershave.
    â€˜Good work. Good work. You told the others?’
    â€˜Not yet. Came straight in here.’
    â€˜You told Collins?’
    I shake my head.
    â€˜You’re the first.’
    As he sits back in his chair it welcomes him with a leather fart. I sit opposite him. Hilary makes a triangle with his fingertips, elbows on the desk, and peers through the gap. He closes his eyes and I look at the picture on his desk, the picture of him, his wife and his spoiled daughter. I scan the books on the shelves, see the patina of dust that coats them, read the mug that says ‘Trust me, I’m an ad man’ and wait while he murmurs to himself.
    â€˜I don’t want Collins on this,’ he says after some time.
    â€˜What?’ I splutter.
    â€˜I don’t want Collins to manage this account.’
    â€˜I know I’m not his biggest fan, but he is at least partly responsible for winning this account. He worked hard on it.’
    â€˜Which is why I don’t want him to have it. I want to keep him hungry. We’ve seen it happen time and time again. One big win and then stagnate on it for years. He’s an ambitious little prick. I want to keep him that way.’
    â€˜Fuck me. He isn’t going to like that one little bit.’
    â€˜That’s the point.’
    I consider it. Hilary’s eyes are on me. Beady, intense, full of plans and schemes and intelligence. It occurs to me this could be more a test of me than Collins.
    â€˜I’ve got concerns,’ I say.
    â€˜Okay, what worries you?’ The triangle is now flat palms on a big desk, shoulders down, leaning forward.
    â€˜That it’ll have the opposite effect. That it’ll backfire on us. And anyway shouldn’t it be his decision?’ I tip my head sideways at the office next to Hilary’s.
    â€˜I’ll deal with him. You go and speak to Collins.’
    â€˜Oh come on. Me?’
    â€˜He respects you.’
    â€˜He’s going to fucking hate me. What do you want me to say?’
    â€˜I’ll leave that to you. You’re a charming swine when you want to be.’
    He stands and ushers me to the door, puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezes it, says, ‘Well done. I mean it. Really well done.’
    He knocks on Client Service Director’s door. As I cross the office to find Collins I hear him say, ‘Alan, can I have a word? We’ve got some good news.’ He takes a confident, bow-legged stride into the room and then the door closes behind him.
    As I walk through the office I’m aware of a commotion in the studio. Collins is leaning over one of the designer’s shoulders gesticulating at the Mac screen with one hand, the other pressing his iPhone to his ear. I sidle over and stand behind him listening to his half of the telephone conversation. He is dictating changes to a press ad. I read the ad on the screen. He’s changing the offer amounts and with it the lengthy caveat at the bottom of the ad. When he hangs up he realises I’m there. His face is flustered and evasive.
    â€˜What’s going on?’ I ask.
    He shrugs. ‘You know how it is, last minute changes.’
    The designer snorts.
    â€˜Last minute?’
    â€˜Just past deadline.’
    The designer snorts again. I realise I don’t know his name.
    â€˜Quite a bit past the deadline,’ Collins admits.
    I lead him away from the designer and talk to him in a lowered voice.
    â€˜I’m not