A Fare To Remember_ Just Whistle_Driven - Vicki Lewis Thompson [120]
He ran around the front of the car, jerked open the driver’s door and turned the key he’d left dangling in the ignition. “You in?” he called over his shoulder as he slammed his door.
“I’m in!” The back door shut with a solid thump. “Go!”
Josh glanced toward the church, where Brad, followed by a churchful of folks, was hotfooting it toward the limo. Josh checked for traffic, saw there was none, and shoved his foot to the floor. The limo leaped forward right before Brad reached it.
“Where do you want to go?” Josh asked as he fought the urge to speed away. The narrow streets of this tiny town had more cops per square block than New York City.
“I don’t know. Take the turnpike north. Just drive. I don’t…I don’t want anybody to find me. Not until I figure this out.”
The walkie-talkie on the dash crackled. “Base to Aladdin One. Come in Aladdin One.”
Josh picked up the mike. Oh, yeah. He worked for a limo company. They might not be thrilled that he was taking this gas-guzzler on some yet-to-be-determined journey without prior arrangements being made. “This is Aladdin One. What’s up?” A quick glance in the rearview mirror told him Pris was pulling off her veil, scattering bobby pins everywhere.
“Hi, Josh,” said Rachel, the new dispatcher. “We have a request for a limo at seven tonight, and yours is the only one we have potentially available. I have you scheduled to return at six. Can you take this other assignment at seven?”
“Let me check.” Josh switched off the mike. “Pris? How long do you need me to drive you around?”
She greeted the question with silence.
“Pris? The dispatcher has another gig for me at seven.” Josh guided the big car onto the ramp leading to the turnpike. “Do you figure we’ll be back by then?”
Finally Pris’s voice drifted up from the back of the limo. “Look, I don’t have anything with me, no cash, no credit card, nothing, but…”
“What?” His heart hammered. “What is it you want?”
“I want the limo for the whole night.”
CHAPTER SIX
FINALLY FREE OF HER VEIL, Pris leaned back against the leather upholstery and gazed up at the quilted headliner above her. In her entire thirty years, she had never done anything remotely like this. But when Brad had told her that he didn’t think his sexual problem was important, she’d panicked.
Now all she wanted was to stay in the comfort and seclusion of this limo for as long as possible, until everyone had a chance to cool down and think logically, including her. It was worth the hundreds of dollars it would cost her.
“Can I pay you when we get back?” she asked Josh.
“Uh, sure, I guess.” He sounded reluctant.
“I don’t want you to get in trouble. I’ll bet my Visa’s on file at Red Carpet, because I’m the one who made the arrangements.” Her mother had tried to talk her out of it. They’d had their only wedding fight over hiring Josh to drive the limo, so Pris had decided to handle that expense by herself.
“I won’t get in trouble. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”
“Well, I don’t, okay? Listen, if this won’t work, just drop me at the next exit. Find a convenience store. I’ll call…somebody.” She had no idea who. Everyone who cared about her was still at the church and would want to haul her back there for an explanation.
Josh laughed. “I’m not dropping you off at some convenience store, Pris. If you really want to hire the limo for the night, you’ve got it.” He spoke into his mike again, telling a woman named Rachel that he’d need the limo for the entire evening, and the charge would be handled by Ms. Adams.
Pris decided Rachel must have been hired by Red Carpet in the past six months, because she didn’t recognize the name. She wondered if Rachel was single, and if Josh had dated her. Not that it was any of her business who Josh dated. She’d lost that right when she’d broken up with him.
Damn, but she had a lot of white satin to deal with. She sat up and fumbled behind her for the buttons on her detachable train. They were small and difficult to reach.