Career Girls Read Online Free PDF Page A

Christ Church scarf being looped around her head from behind, knotted and pulled tightly together. ‘Guess who?’ the voice whispered in her ear. A low male voice, laughing at her.
    ‘Cut it out, Kennedy,’ Rowena snapped.
    He loosened the scarf, letting her see again. ‘You’re too easy, Rowena. Don’t look where you’re going. You could get into all kinds of trouble that way.’
    She reached up to her neck and ripped it off. ‘What are you doing here?’
    He raised an eyebrow. ‘Same thing you are. Supporting Sam and the guys.’ He nodded towards the Christ Church boat, moored just ahead of them, where Sam Wilson, Captain of Boats, and the main men’s crew were waiting to race. ‘That is what you’re doing, right?’
     
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    Of course,’ Rowena replied icily.
    Damn, why did he have to look at her like that? Look her up and down like that? What was she supposed to do about it? Say, ‘Hey, you belong to Topaz’?
    ‘Sure you’re not here to hack?’ he teased her. ‘All these votes, within such easy reach … ‘
    ‘Sure you’re not here to relive past glories?’ she countered.
    Last year Peter Kennedy had been Captain of Boats and had led Christ Church to a record victory. There had been talk of Olympic trials, hut Kennedy had chosen to give up sport to concentrate on his finals. Now Sam Wilson looked as though he might be leading them to Head of the River again, and the Olympic coaches were sniffing round new stars, like Johnny Searle.
    ‘You know how to hit where it hurts,’ Peter said, not taking his eyes off her. He made it sound vaguely obscene. ‘Rowing me’ant a lot to me. Still does.’
    ‘I can see that,’ Rowena answered, struck by the closeness of his body, the broad, tanned chest in a white T-shirt inches from her face. Peter Kennedy would have graced any beach in California.
    ‘Are you flirting with me?’ Peter asked, catching her green eyes on his body.
    Ridiculously, Rowena felt her breath catch in her throat.
    Where the fuck’s Topaz? she thought.
    ‘Don’t be absurd,’ she said coldly.
    ‘Maybe you should flirt With me. Kiss up to me a little,’ Peter suggested, smiling at her with a lazy grin. ‘You do
    want my help, right?’
    ‘Not that badly.’
    ‘Don’t be so uptight. I’m just kidding,’ he said, putting one hand on her waist and steering her towards their boathouse. ‘Topaz wouldn’t want us to quarrel.’
    Despite herself, Rowena stiffened beneath his touch. Peter Kennedy smiled.
    ‘Rowena! Peter! Hurry up!’ said James Gunn, a friend of theirs, pulling the two of them into the Christ Church
    ‘
    crowd. ‘You nearly missed it, we’re about to start.’
    Rowena felt herself surrounded by bodies in college colours, hundreds of them, all seething forward towards the bank, shouting and clapping. Somebody flung an arm round her. She flung an arm round somebody. The college
    was going berserk.
    ‘House! House!’
    They were about to cut the boat loose. Rowena was lost
    in a press of navy blue, thrown forward towards the mooring boards. ‘I can’t see anything!’ she complained to no one in particular.
    Suddenly she felt herself being lifted up from behind, as lightly as a doll, and hoisted backwards over the heads of the crowd. Amazed, she looked down, to see Peter ducking between her legs, supporting her on his shoulders. She had a perfect view of the boat, the river, everything.
    The back of Peter Kennedy’s strong neck pressed against
    her white cotton panties.
    It felt good.
    ‘Put me down!’ she insisted, weakly. He grinned up at her. ‘Later.’ With a roar from the crowd, the Christ Church boat sprang away from its moorings, finding the stroke at once. The eight rowers moved in perfect harmony into the water their oars churning it up at terrific speed, chasing the Oriel first boat. The supporters on the bank immediately broke up and started to run alongside it, screaming encouragement at the tops of their voices and cursing the rival crew