And then the fucking Bluetooth rang through the speakers.
Loverboy calling.
It flashed up on the dash, the bleep bleep bleep blaring through every bastard speaker. It connected automatically, and Katie’s eyes were still wide, waiting for the words on the tip of my tongue.
“Hey, hot ass, where are you? Are you in the car? I can hear myself. La la la, ooh ah, I can hear myself…”
“Yes, in the car,” I said, but he wasn’t really listening, he was still chirping on to himself, caught up in his own echo. I could picture him in his loose jeans, tracking about the house with a hand down his boxers. He usually called then. “I’ll call you back…” I said, but he continued on regardless.
“She stayed until almost lunch. And it’s love, man, it’s fucking love. I’m in fucking love with that girl.”
I watched Katie’s cheeks flush, they pinked in front of my eyes, and her mouth hung open.
“…She’s incredible. She’s so fucking funny, Carl. And she’s sweet, and cute. And fuck, the asson her. Seriously, Carl, she’s the fucking dog’s bollocks. Next weekendit’s a double team, I’m potting the fucking brown and don’t try and stop me. You can fill her pussy, and I’ll take my time on her sweet little asshole.” He laughed to himself. “Don’t try and tell me you don’t feel the same about our pretty lady. I know you fucking feel the same. She’s it. Our fucking keeper. I just fucking know it.”
I kept my eyes on Katie’s. “She’s here,” I said. “Katie’s in the car with me.”
Silence. Then he laughed. “Nice fucking try, dickhead. Nearly gave me a heart attack.”
“I’m not joking,” I said. “She’s here.”
He laughed again. “Why the fuck would she be in the car with you?”
“Because she had a meeting at my office today. Because her father is David Faverley. Because she’s in my internship programme, we’re on our way back to the Cheltenham office now.”
It took him a few seconds, and Katie grimaced. Screwed her eyes closed and pinched her bottom lip.
“Katie?” he said. “Katie, are you really there? What the fuck?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I’m really here.”
“Fuck!” he said. “Is this for fucking real? You’re David’s daughter?!”
“Yeah,” she replied, and she looked horrified. “I’m David Faverley’s daughter. Biologically.”
He blurted out a laugh before composing himself. “Shit. This is like something from daytime TV. I fucked my boss’s daughter, and so did my boyfriend.”
“Thanks for that,” I said, and my hand was at the dash controls, all set to cut him off.
“Look, Katie, I’m sorry for that a minute ago. I was just gushing, you know? Getting carried away, excited.”
“It’s ok,” she said, but she had her palms to her cheeks.
“And the ass thing, that’s only if you want to… I’m not gonna… Jeez, crap. You know what I meant.”
“I know what you meant,” she said. “It’s all good. It’s cool. I’m cool.”
“David’s daughter. That’s mad.”
Of course it’s fucking mad, idiot. I tossed Katie a look. “Look, Rick, we’ve got to get moving. Time’s getting on.”
“Yeah, sure. Cool. Where are you, anyway? You parked up?”
“We were, but we’re leaving now.”
“Right, cool,” he said. “See you later. Love you guys. Both you guys.” He laughed, and then he hung up. A crackle on the line and then a bleep. I turned it off.
I rested my head back against the headrest. “He wears his heart on his sleeve, that one.”