Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) by J. C. Reed, Jackie Steele Read Free Book Online Page B

up with effing Acapulco Beach.
    I dialed my
friend Jude’s number, which I knew by heart and listened to the ringing sound
until it went to voicemail.
    Apparently
she was too busy to answer, or so her voicemail said.
    Trust Jude
to miss one of the most important phone calls of my life.
    “Hey, Jude.
This is Laurie again,” I whispered, silently imploring her to pick up. “I know
how this sounds, but it’s not a prank. I’m still in Mexico, in prison. You need
to get me out as soon as possible. Call my lawyer and—”
    The line went
dead. Confused, I looked from the finger that had just interrupted my call to
the smirking police officer.
    “Your
time’s up.”
    “But I
wasn’t done. I—” I swallowed hard and clamped my mouth shut in the
knowledge that the guy was most certainly not up to date with my criminal
status. I knew I had done nothing
wrong, but he most certainly didn’t. And even if he did, I doubted that he
cared.
    “Fine,” I
mumbled and followed him back to the detention cell, where I curled up on an
uncomfortable chair and pulled my legs to my chest, thinking the chair was less
dirty than the stained and sticky tile floor.

 

Chapter 8

 
 
 
    The doors
seemed to open and close at regular intervals. Women came and went, some
cursing, some mumbling, others quiet as zombies. I had tried to talk to the
guards several times, then eventually gave up as I realized I wouldn’t get more
than a glare and a few words I didn’t understand.
    “Hanson.”
    Through the
fog of tiredness engulfing my brain, it took me a while to grasp that the
strange pronunciation was my name. I struggled to my feet and almost toppled
forward, inwardly cursing the fact that I hadn’t moved from my perched position
in what had seemed like hours. With no windows and no working cell phone, I had
no idea how much time had passed, but I was thankful for the attention.
    Someone was
ready to talk to me.
    Finally.
    “Coming,” I
croaked, my throat sore and dry.
    A hand
wrapped around my upper arm and I was guided into the same hall as before. But
instead of turning toward the cluster of offices, we walked past those, through
barred doors into—
    The
entrance area.
    Holy shit.
    My gaze
swept around me in a frenzy.
    Were they
really letting me go, just like that?
    “Here’s
your stuff. You’re free to go.” A female police officer pushed my handbag into
my hand and quickly retreated, her gawk nervous, frightened even.
    Jude hadn’t
come, but she had done it.
    A miracle
had happened.
    Or she had
really pulled all the strings.
    I couldn’t
wait to get to the hotel, pack up and leave, because I couldn’t get home fast
enough to the safety of my boring, jobless and penniless life, and forget all
about the little, embarrassing incident I knew I wouldn’t tell anyone about.
    A smug
smile spread across my face. In spite of the stiffness in my bones, I almost
danced out the sliding doors into the hot Mexican—
    Midday?
    I had been
in there all night and morning?
    I blinked
against the glaring brightness as the sun blinded me and bumped into what felt
like a statue.
    “Whoa,
steady there, birdie.”
    The
voice—so deep, so manly—grated on my nerves and made my blood
freeze in my veins.
    It couldn’t
be because it was impossible. And yet—
    I lifted a
hand to shield my eyes from the relentless sun and looked all the way up into
gray blue eyes that seemed to shine just as brightly as the sun.
    Chase.
    Mr. Fucking Liar.
    Earth swallow
me up whole!
    I was so
shocked I took a few steps back, then turned.
    “What are
you doing?” his voice, deep and dark, bellowed behind me.
    “I’m going
back.”
    “Fuck,
Laurie. No, you won’t.” His hand clutched my shoulder, stopping me in my
tracks.
    My hands
balled to fists, and for a moment my anger rendered me speechless, though I
wasn’t sure whether to be angry with myself for calling Jude, with Jude for
possibly calling Chase, or with Chase for not realizing that he was