Free Naughty Nights: A Bad Boy Romance by Sophie Brooks

usually like that. But after another few minutes of arguing, I discovered the real reason she was balking. “I promise, Mrs. T, he is truly stuck. He really will be fired if you don’t help us out. I swear this is not a plan to put you in a home.”  
    I raised pleading eyes to Luke, who had just finished his call. He took the phone. “Please Mrs. T., I really need your help. Darcy is an incredible girl, and if I get fired, I won’t have any money to take her nice places.”  
    I smiled in spite of myself. He was laying it on thick, and he’d made his voice go all low and charming. His triumphant smile told me that Mrs. T. couldn’t resist him any more than I could.  
    * * *
    I was at the window, peering around the edge of the blinds when the honking started. “I can’t see,” Luke complained.  
    “You stay back,” I said, elbowing him. “You’ll be able to hear what’s going on.” The honking continued, and we could hear it twice over—once from where the shuttle was idling in front of the building and once through the phone in my hand.  
    “No sign of anyone yet.” John’s voice was tinny through the speaker. He honked the horn again.  
    Luke chuckled quietly. “I can just picture Barbara at the front desk, wondering why on earth the damn driver doesn’t come in.”  
    A dozen or so horn blasts later, and John reported in. “I think I see someone on the other side of the glass door.”  
    I looked up at Luke. Was that good enough? He glanced at my raised eyebrows and shook his head. “We’d better wait until she goes out, just to be sure.”  
    Anxiously, I peeked out the window. All I could see was the large blue van. With the tinted windows, I couldn’t even see John in the driver’s seat. A minute more passed, and then finally, I heard John’s voice. “She’s coming out.”  
    Yes! I turned to Luke. “Go!”  
    “Darcy, thank you … for everything … ”  
    I looked out the window and could see a very angry-looking Barbara approaching the shuttle. “Go!” I urged again. He planted a quick kiss on the corner of my mouth and took off at a run. In a second, he was out the door, and I couldn’t even hear his light footfalls as he ran for the exit at the end of the hall.  
    Part of me ached inside, wondering when I’d see him next, and if things would be the same when I did. But then I heard Barbara’s raised voice.  
    “Stop that honking at once!”  
    John lowered the window and squinted out at her.  
    “I’m here to pick up one of your guests, Ma’am.” His voice sounded slow and a little confused. He was trying to make Barbara think he was some clueless senior. That made me laugh. He was worth five of her.  
    “Why didn’t you call? You can’t make this kind of racket at a peaceful place of business.”  
    “Sorry, Ma’am, I tried. I must’ve got the number wrong.”  
    “Then you should have come in!”  
    John shook his head. “Can’t do that. There are passengers in the back on oxygen. I’m not allowed to leave them.”  
    I smiled to myself. The van was completely empty—thank god for the tinted windows.  
    Barbara was still clearly pissed at him, but when John gave her the name of the resident he was here to get, she went back inside.  
    It was the moment of truth. If our ace in the hole backed out now, it would look really suspicious. But a minute or two later, Barbara reemerged, followed by Mrs. T. I held my breath as the older woman climbed into the van. I didn’t relax until John pulled away.  
    “Thank you so much,” I breathed into the phone.  
    “You’re welcome,” John said. A moment later the call ended.  
    I looked through the blinds one more time, and Barbara was a few steps closer, looking off toward the side of the building. I grinned. I bet I knew what had caught her attention.  
    I didn’t want to miss the grand finale, so I grabbed my key and stepped out into the hallway. I hurried down the hall and crept to the