Read Online One Night of Scandal by Elle Kennedy - Free Book Online Page A

in delight, then wandered away without writing a single thing down.
    Skyler leaned close and poked Darcy in the arm, her gaze fixed on their waiter’s retreating back. “Why don’t you ask Tony out? He’s so cute. And he’s single, right?”
    She shrugged. “I don’t know. Those slick Italian good looks don’t do it for me. I like ‘em a little more scruffy.”
    Skyler rolled her eyes. “Says the woman who was dating AJ . Doesn’t get much more clean-cut than that.”
    “I know some scruffy guys,” Jayani said helpfully. Then she made a face. “Most of them are total douche bags, though.”
    “It’s not just the scruffy ones,” Shannon said sadly. “If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say 50% of the male population is all douche.”
    Well, wasn’t that a disheartening thought. Darcy knew the dating pool could get pretty grim, and now that she was single again, she wasn’t looking forward to sifting through a whole lot of muddy water in search of that one sparkling diamond.
    Crap. She was mixing metaphors again. Good thing none of her students were there to witness it.
    “I guess it’s good that I’m taking a break from men then,” she said lightly. “Honestly, I’m looking forward to being on my own for a while.”
    “And hey, if you’re ever feeling lonely, just pull Bob out of the drawer and put him to good use. You still have big green Bob, right?” Shannon teased, referring to the enormous vibrator Darcy had won as a door prize at Shannon’s bachelorette party the previous year.
    “Oh, I still have him.” She decided not to mention that she’d used the toy more than once this week.
    Or that she’d pretended it wasn’t Big Green Bob who was fucking her senseless, but Reed Miller.
    Okay, enough. She really needed to stop thinking about that man.
    Except the universe clearly didn’t want her to stop, because the second she banished his gorgeous face from her mind, her cell phone buzzed with an incoming text message.
    From Reed.
    She knew she shouldn’t read it, but the temptation to do so was too darn strong. It lured her in like a siren’s song.
    Then again, was it the sirens’ fault that all those sailors were too weak and stupid to resist it? So really, weakness and stupidity was what pushed her to swipe her finger over the screen.
    The message was short and sweet: Can I see u 2nite? Need 2 talk.
    Wow. She couldn’t believe the request had come from him and not the other way around. Weren’t women the ones who usually demanded to have the uncomfortable post-hookup talk?
    But she knew she couldn’t say no. The memory of fooling around with Reed had haunted her for days, gnawing at her like a dog trying to chew the last bit of marrow out of a bone. The sooner they spoke and put their transgression behind them, the sooner she could stop feeling like the worst human being on the planet.
    Trying to be discreet, Darcy typed a short response, letting him know she was out but could see him afterward. They arranged to meet at the front stoop of her building, and after she’d tucked the phone away and lifted her head, she found her friends grinning at her.
    “I thought you were taking a break from men,” Skyler chided.
    Darcy’s cheeks grew warm, and she felt like strangling her English heritage for cursing her with a blush she could never hide. “Who says I was talking to a man?”
    Shannon chortled. “You are the worst liar on the planet.”
    “Will you at least tell us his name?” Jayani teased.
    Darcy averted her gaze, staring at the crisp white tablecloth as if it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen. “It’s nobody. Trust me.”
    “Uh-huh,” Shannon said in a singsong voice. “If you say so.”
    Fortunately, her friends didn’t press for more details, and Skyler changed the subject to tell them about her first week at work. The younger woman had just finished her Masters and was now practicing under the supervision of a licensed psychologist, thrilled to finally