Page 67 of Deposed

I broke the kiss and shook my head. “It’s escaped my mind. We’ll have to start again.”

Blake chuckled and leaned close, when someone cleared their throat. I twisted around to find Duncan sitting on the edge of his seat. He had placed his half-full champagne glass in its special holder, and leaned forward, hands clasped.

“H-Hobson.” Duncan’s voice was breathy, and fog coated the lens of his thick glasses. “Charlotte said I was an exemplary kisser, perhaps I can tender—”

“Stop the car,” Edward barked into the intercom.

The limo pulled over onto the side of the freeway.

Duncan’s eyes widened. “You don’t mean to dump me on the hard shoulder?”

“Take your champagne and sit in the front with the driver,” said Edward.

Duncan’s lips thinned. “This is exactly why Charlotte’s the Queen of Elder House.” He grabbed his glass and the entire bottle of champagne, shuffled to the other side of the seat, opened the door, and stepped out into the left-hand shoulder of the freeway. “She’s giving all the victims of greedy wankers like you a chance.”

Blake pulled the door closed and turned back to me. “What the hell will we find at that party?”

The thought of girls trapped in an apartment with guys who had bought tickets to get close to them sent a shudder down my spine. I climbed off Henry and settled into the seat next to him.

Henry wrapped his arm around me. “Coates might be an idiot, but he and the other members of the rugby team wouldn’t fall for a stupid scam like this, much less expect something from any of the girls. They’re more likely to intervene if anything gets out of hand.”

My mind went back to the comment that injured rugby boy had made to a girl about the party, and I glanced up at Henry, brows drawn together. “Really? They acted like her enforcers.”

“They didn’t do it for free,” said Blake. “Charlotte isn’t squeamish about paying lip service, if you catch my drift.”

“Is that what she did for you?” I snapped.

He sniffed. “I put a condom on it first.”

“I didn’t notice.”

“That’s because you were so dazzled by my cock.” He squeezed my thigh.

I nodded. “Yeah,” I said in a flat voice. “That was probably it.”

The boys continued mocking Blake and his blowjob escapade with Charlotte all the way through London. Eventually, the car stopped at a residential street in Westminster, close to the river, and the driver announced that we had reached our destination. Blake opened the limo door, and we all piled outside. I glanced down a road about four-hundred feet long with over two-dozen monkey puzzle trees on each side.

We hurried down the road, knocking on every house with a red door and a kooky-looking, evergreen tree in front. Very few people answered their doors, and all said they weren’t holding a party of any kind. Considering the absence of loud music, I was inclined to agree with them.

Halfway down the road, we found a house fitting the description. Outside stood a sign that read:

BOURNEVILLES

Property Auctions

For Sale By

AUCTION

I opened my mouth to ask if this was one of his family’s companies, but clamped my lips shut. It would be indelicate to ask, considering why he had been disinherited. A moment later, Blake gave Henry a consolatory pat on the back, which answered my unasked question.

Edward knocked on the red door, and an Asian man answered. “Hello?”

I scrolled up the Saturday Correspondent article and glanced at the picture of the tenant. It was the same guy.

“Good evening,” said Edward. “Is this where Charlotte’s party is being held?”

His lips tightened. “Charlotte who?”