Sally Wentworth - A Typical Male Read Online Free PDF Page A

from them—from even a
quarter of them!—it would be a scandal that would rock the country. But surely
all these women would never reveal their secrets to a television reporter, even
if they had a secret to tell. But Tasha wasn't just any television reporter;
Brett remembered her talking to the nurses in the cafe, how they had responded
to her warmth and sympathy, telling her, a complete stranger, the details of
their working lives, and of their own lives, too, he recalled. He stood,
staring into his own mind, as he realised that she
was the ideal person for a job like this; the genuine warmth in her character,
that air of innocence in her eyes—who would hesitate to take her into their
confidence, to help her and tell her all she wanted to know? Especially
woman to woman. And many women might be more than happy to have a means
of revenge in the endless war of the sexes.
    The sound of the shower stopped and he hastily put
down the folder in exactly the same place and went softly back to the kitchen,
remembering to shut the door of the work-room quietly behind him. The kettle
had boiled and he made himself a coffee, took it back into the sitting-room. He
had just finished drinking it when Tasha came back in. She had changed into a
neat, dark business suit with a skirt well below her knees but with a slit up
the side that revealed sheer black tights above her high-heeled shoes. Her hair
was drawn back into a plait and she had remade up her face with subtler shades
of lipstick and eyeshadow. So this was Tasha Briant, career-woman; she looked a completely different
girl from the one who had danced with such natural passion just a few hours
ago.
    She looked a little surprised to find him still
there, but smiled and said, 'I'm ready to roll.'
    He got to his feet. 'I'll lean on you while we go
down all those stairs.'
    Tasha
laughed. 'Once up and down those is usually enough to
convince my dates that they never want to see me again.'
    Brett realised she was giving
him an opening, a laughing way of saying that he agreed and that it had been
nice but it was over. But he thought of the folder he'd seen and knew that he
was not only going to see her again, he was going to get close—as close as a
lover.
    CHAPTER TWO
    When they reached the street
Brett paused and said, 'Where are you heading?'
    'I've an appointment to see someone
near Bath.'
    In his mind he rapidly ran
through the list of names he'd seen and figured out she was probably going to
see the secretary of the university head. 'By train?'
    'No, by car.'
    There were cars parked on both
sides of the road with 'Resident Parking' stickers on their windscreens and he
glanced at them, wondering which one was hers. 'What do you drive?'
    'I've got a little Fiat coupe.'
    'A sports
car? Aren't you afraid of having it stolen?'
    Tasha laughed. 'No. I'll show you. This way.'
    She led him to the end of the
terrace and down what must have once been a carriageway that led to the back of
the houses. A security gate barred the way but Tasha unlocked a door at the
side of it and Brett saw that there were rows of stables that had been
converted into garages. Tasha's garage was almost at the end of the row and the
Fiat was a bright buttercup- yellow. He laughed. 'And there was I, guessing
your car would just have to be red.'
    'So as not to clash with my hair, you
mean?' She gave a groan and put her hand up to her head. 'It's the bane of my
life.'
    'Don't be
ridiculous! Your hair is glorious.'
    She smiled her appreciation of
the compliment but only said, 'Can I give you a lift?'
    Brett could easily have walked to
the nearest tube station but he wasn't going to pass up a chance to be with her
for a little longer—or to ride in that car.
    He was almost too tall for the
car, but he had only been sitting in it a few minutes, while he listened to the
acceleration and the engine, before he knew that he liked it. 'It's quite a
car,' he acknowledged. 'Are you sure you're awake enough to drive all the