Page 35 of Rogue Royal
His father’s eyes bored into him. “Hmm. I don’t like it but never mind. Have a good evening, Douglas.”
His father left the room, and Douglas blew out his cheeks. He hoped he hadn’t been too forceful with his words because it would be the first thing his father would pick up on. He needed to make sure none of this touched Mav.
Draining his water glass, he exited and strode to his rooms, having a shower before dressing for his teaching lesson. Each lesson was an hour long and based at the club, but as soon as he finished, he’d be back to monitoring the crowd instead. He enjoyed the teaching aspect of it more than being a Dungeon Monitor, and as far as he was concerned, he would’ve preferred to be teaching every day instead of monitoring. He supposed that was why it was a punishment and not something he loved.
With a few days left of his penance, he could manage. It wasn’t like it varied in his usual life, after all. He wished he had more time with Mav, but as soon as his punishment was over, he would be with him as much as he could.
He let himself into the teaching room after signing himself in at reception and checked to ensure the items he needed were present. Tonight’s lesson was about caning. The couple who had requested the lesson wanted to try something different and asked for help. That was one of the best things about the club. It didn’t matter what someone wanted to be taught; they could find someone who would advise them.
When the couple arrived, Douglas went through the first aspects of caning: discussing the different canes and the maintenance and care of them. Once completed, Douglas explained how to use a cane and the areas of the body that were low risk compared to the higher risk areas. He also troubleshot a few issues they might come across and highlighted what to check for in body language. When the instructional part of the lesson was complete, he demonstrated on a sub who entered the room for that specific reason.
Once the demonstration finished, the couple left the room, and Douglas took care of the sub. He spent several minutes holding her after he wrapped her in a blanket once he’d ensured she had taken some paracetamol and he’d applied some lotion. When the aftercare was complete, the couple returned to the room, and Douglas witnessed their first caning experience. Finishing with a few tips, Douglas left the couple to their aftercare routine and returned to the changing room, sitting with a cup of tea and some food.
Pulling out his phone, he opened a message thread to Mav.
DOUGLAS: Don’t work too hard tonight. You need your rest for tomorrow.
Smiling, he finished his food, locked his phone away and stepped back into the fray. He had plenty of hours to decide what he was going to show Mav tomorrow.
“You need to stay away from my sub, Master Douglas.”
Douglas turned to face his cousin Charles, whose expression was less than kind, as usual. Charles was Albert’s brother and the son of Aunt Charlotte, Douglas’s father’s sister. Aunt Charlotte was a vicious woman who believed LGBTQ+ people were less than she was and had no place in the royal line. She had never quieted her opinions, even when faced with her brother, the king.
Douglas had never understood how Albert had become such a pleasant person with Aunt Charlotte as a mother, whereas he could tell who Charles took after.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“I saw the video of you speaking with Juliet. There is no need for you to speak with her when I’m not present.”
Douglas raised his eyebrows. “What video? And anyway, she’s my cousin. Why wouldn’t I talk to her? If I remember rightly, we were discussing your birthday.”
Charles sneered, stepping closer. “I doubt it very much. She is not your concern. She is my wife and sub, not yours. Stay out of it.”
“I wasn’t getting into anything, Charles. We crossed paths, and I mentioned your birthday coming up. She said you weren’t planning a party this year. Why not?” He tried to divert the subject, knowing he couldn’t give Charles an inch because he’d run with it, and he’d expose Douglas’s secret.
Charles narrowed his grey eyes, then straightened. “I didn’t see the point. It would be the same people who turn up each time. I’d prefer to spend the time with my family instead.”
Douglas smiled. “How are Alex, Lizzie and Charlie?” He purposefully called them by the names the children preferred instead of the full names, knowing it would annoy Charles. His children were eight, six and three, respectively, and were named after their great-grandparents, Alexander and Elizabeth, and their grandmother, Charlotte. No wonder they wanted nicknames.
Charles’s body language softened somewhat, but he glared at Douglas. “They’re doing well. Charlotte starts preschool next week.”
“That’s splendid news. I’m sure she’ll love it.”
Douglas glanced over Charles’s shoulder, seeing a server several steps behind him. “I’m sorry, Charles, I have to go. I’m monitoring tonight. Have a good evening and say hello to the kids.”
He stepped past the man, expecting him to grab hold and whirl him around, but when nothing came, he let out a breath and approached the server.
“Is everything okay?”
The server dipped their head. “Yes, Master Douglas.” They wrung their hands together, not meeting his gaze. “I’m sorry to step over a line, but it appeared as though your conversation was…upsetting?”
The slight inflection in their tone made Douglas smile. “Thank you, little one. I appreciate it more than you know.”
“You’re welcome, Master Douglas. I’ll return to my duties now.”
“Thank you once again.”
The server lowered their head and rushed away while Douglas watched their retreat, perplexed. He’d never had anyone step in when he and his family were talking, but he understood the ramifications if emotions heightened too much. While it was confusing, he let it go. He’d mention it to Clarice before he left, ensuring he didn’t mention any names.
