Bad Reputation Read online

  “What do I have to be stressed about? I love my job, I’m healthy, I have a great family…”

  Annie raised a brow.

  “Okay, not great but they’re decent human beings…most of the time.” Well, barring the cake incident. “Finding your fiancé making out with someone the day before your wedding doesn’t have to ruin everything. Single is the new black, right?”

  “I love you, Darcy, but this #foreveralone thing is stopping right now.” She set her drink and half-eaten dessert down on the table. “You need to break the dry spell.”

  After the split, getting back into the dating scene had gradually moved from the “too hard” basket to the “never, ever again” basket. Except there had been this little voice in the back of her mind lately, whispering dangerous thoughts to her, asking questions she wasn’t sure how to answer, like whether she was happy being alone. Or if she’d be able to watch her beautiful friends walk down the aisle and be okay missing out on that experience herself.

  Despite hating her mother’s über-conservative ways, deep down, she still wanted the white-picket-fence dream—a wedding, a loving husband…even the babies.

  But all that required her to date. And that meant facing up to the fact that she had no idea how to date. She’d given up her chance of learning those lessons when she’d fallen head over Dr. Martens at nineteen. Now, eight years later, she was starting from scratch with no skills and no real experience to draw on.

  Casual sex might sound like a piece of cake to some people, but the idea of dating was terrifying enough. As for casual sex? Darcy had never had a one-night stand. Ever.

  “I wouldn’t even know where to go to meet someone,” she muttered. “And I deleted Tinder the second I started getting dick pics. Not to mention that I’m so out of practice even if I could make it past a first date. I can’t flirt. I can’t do witty banter. I can’t play the temptress. So how am I supposed to have casual sex?”

  And that wasn’t even the hard part. Being able to trust someone again and not be paranoid that they were secretly living a double life, now that was the real challenge.

  “Being celibate is so much easier.”

  “Hey, if that’s what you want, I support you one hundred percent.” Annie reached out and squeezed her shoulder.

  “Say the word and we won’t mention the dating thing ever again,” Remi chimed in.

  Darcy scratched at a fleck of dried paint on her dress. “I do want to get back out there,” she admitted. “But I’m scared I’ll pick the wrong guy again.”

  “Then you need to find a guy who’s trustworthy,” Annie said, pausing to sip her drink. “Someone who wants the same things you do.”

  “And how would I find a guy like that? It’s not like I can trust what they write in their dating profiles.”

  “You could try the Bad Bachelors app,” the photographer piped up. All eyes turned to the young man in the vest and bow tie. A heavy-looking camera hung from a thick strap around his neck. “I read about it the other day.”

  Darcy shook her head. “What on earth is the Bad Bachelors app?”

  “Oh!” Remi bounced up and down in her seat. “I heard about this. Apparently, someone started this app that has all the single guys in New York listed and you can rate and review them.”

  “You’re kidding.” Darcy blinked. “So it’s Yelp…for guys?”

  “Or Uber? You know, go for a ride and then rate your driver,” Remi said and Annie choked on a mouthful of cupcake.

  Darcy shook her head and downed the rest of her champagne, immediately reaching for the bottle to refill her glass. “You’re making this up.”

  “I swear, I’m not. Does anyone have the app?” Remi asked, but the girls shook their heads. “Give me your phone.”

  Within minutes, they’d downloaded the app and were browsing through profile after profile of gorgeous, single New York men. Each profile had at least one photo, a brief description, and a star rating. It looked as though the app was fairly new, but there were already a ton of reviews posted.

  “These are hilarious,” Remi said, swiping across the screen. “Look at this one. ‘Trenton Conner, thirty-eight. Doctor. The only thing that’s large about this guy is his ego and his credit limit.’”

  “Let me read.” Annie grabbed the phone and swiped a few times. “‘Jacob Morales, thirty-nine. Technology executive. Things were going well until he rolled over and fell asleep right after sex. Then his maid came into the bedroom to shoo me out of his apartment.’”

  Darcy laughed. “Oh my God.”

  “This one’s nice.” Annie held the phone in one hand and her drink in the other. “‘Darren Montgomery, thirty-one. IT manager and entrepreneur. Darren is a lovely guy, very sweet and kind. Romantic. But we didn’t have much in common—I hope he finds the right woman for him.’ I’m going to mark this one as a favorite for you.”

  “Gimme.” Remi grabbed the phone back. “What about this guy? ‘Alexei Petrov, thirty. Investor. This guy will take you on the ride of your life…’ Oh no. Looks like he might’ve being dating a few women at once. Next!”

  Darcy pressed her fingertips to her temples. “No cheaters, please.”

  “Oh dear.” Remi turned the phone around to show a photo of the most beautiful man Darcy had ever seen. And yes, beautiful was the right way to describe him. He was so perfect looking, and yet there was a hardness to him, like a marble statue—beautiful and cold and unyielding. “‘Reed McMahon, thirty-two. Marketing and PR executive. Reed McMahon is a master manipulator. He knows exactly what to say and how to say it. Don’t believe a word he says. He goes through women like candy.’”

  Darcy wrinkled her nose. “He sounds like one to stay away from.”

  “Look, you can sort by highest and lowest rated.” She laughed. “This guy is the lowest rated—number one on the Bad Bachelors list. Fifty women have rated him already. Serial dater, not interested in commitment, colder than an iceberg…looks like he always has a different woman on his arm.”

  “What about the good guys? Are there any decent men on that thing?” Darcy sighed. “I feel like I’m searching for a unicorn.”

  “We’ll find the right guy.” Remi’s eyes sparkled at the thought of playing virtual matchmaker. “Why don’t we swipe through and put a list together?”

  “A list will make it easier. I like that idea,” Annie said.

  Remi rolled her eyes. “Of course you do.”

  “Say I hypothetically agree this is a good idea,” Darcy said, drumming her fingers on the edge of the table. “What am I supposed to do? Walk up to these guys and say, ‘Hey, you’ve got a five-star rating. Let’s date’?”

  “It’s called recon.” Annie grinned and Darcy could already see the cogs turning in her mind. “We’ll go through the top-rated list and help you narrow down some options. You never know, with six degrees of separation and all that, you might have a friend in common who can introduce you. But at least you know up front that the guy is a decent person…unlike if you met someone randomly at a bar.”

  Darcy rolled the idea around in her head.

  Maybe this wasn’t such a terrible idea: a lower-risk, research-led type of dating. As a librarian, that appealed to her. She could get all the information she needed up front and avoid the dangers associated with spontaneous dating.

  Besides, what harm could a little research do?

  For more Bad Bachelors

  check out book one in the series

  Bad Bachelor

  On sale now

  Acknowledgments

  So many people influence the creation of a book. Firstly, I want to thank my parents for getting me started in dance, and for all the hours they spent sitting through my exams, rehearsals, concerts, and competitions. Thanks to my entire family for putting up with me practicing my routines in our lounge room, and especially to my mum for the many hours
she spent sewing sequins onto my costumes.

  Thank you to Cat Clyne for being as excited about my books as an author always hopes their editor will be, and for saying “go for it” when I asked if I could make lots of inappropriate jokes about Wes’s “reputation.” Thanks to Stephany Daniel for her enthusiastic and helpful emails, and to Dawn Adams for the amazing covers. Plus a massive thank-you to the entire Sourcebooks team for helping me bring this series to life. You’re all a dream to work with.

  Thanks to my incredible agent, Jill Marsal, for her invaluable advice, for keeping my schedule in line, and for always being quick with a supportive word.

  Thanks to the Ladies Supper Club for showing me what amazing female friendships look like. Thanks to Jen and Mary for the walks that always clear my head, and to Taryn for your constant positivity and encouragement.

  And lastly, thanks to my husband for supporting me on this journey from the very first step, for helping me when I get stuck with a plot problem, and for always reminding me to celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small.

  About the Author

  Stefanie London is the USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romances and romantic comedies. Growing up, Stefanie came from a family of women who loved to read. Originally from Australia, she now lives in Toronto with her very own hero, and is currently in the process of doing her best to travel the world. She frequently indulges in her passions for good coffee, lipstick, romance novels, and zombie movies. Stefanie loves to hear from readers. You can find her at stefanie-london.com.

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