Page 45 of Rogue Royal
“Not yet, Your Highness.” And he wouldn’t unless he had to.
“I think I need to have another chat with our son about his behaviour.” King Andrew faced his wife.
“Why don’t you let Maverick deal with this? He seems to have the social media aspect sorted, and he’s done wonders with getting Douglas involved with the charities. He might be an excellent influence on him.”
Mav swallowed hard and refused to glance at the king when he knew what kind of influence Douglas had been having on him the other night.
The silence was complete, and Mav had to tense his muscles to stop himself from fleeing the room.
“Agreed. Maverick, please speak with Douglas about this situation. I thought we had stopped these…visits of his, but obviously not.” Mav’s heart slowed. “A private meeting might be beneficial for you both.”
Mav darted his gaze to the king, his jaw dropping. He had an idea what the king was implying, but he cleared his throat. “I think the extra duties at the club helped, Your Highness.”
“I doubt that was all. See to it.”
Mav nodded, palms sweating. “As you wish.”
“It seemed to have stopped these visits before; it might again.”
Mav glanced at the queen, who wore a faint frown as she stared at her husband. He licked his lips. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
King Andrew stood. “All arranged then. Please give us an update tomorrow afternoon. Check with Randall for an appropriate time.”
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Mav did an about-face and left the room, exhaling as the door shut behind him. Shaking his head, he strode down the corridors to Douglas’s room. This job would be the end of him, he was sure. He knocked.
“Come in!”
Douglas sat in his usual seat as Mav entered. He was freshly showered if his wet hair was any indication, but he wore a navy suit with a crisp white shirt and a pale blue tie. He had a tablet perched on his crossed legs and was holding a cup.
“Mav! I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.” Douglas’s smile radiated warmth, but Mav didn’t have it in him to respond.
“The king has requested I speak with you regarding your continued extra-curricular activities.” Mav lifted the tablet to bring up the latest picture and spun the tablet around for Douglas to see. “The king wishes these visits to stop.” Mav clenched his jaw.
“Fuck! I checked to make sure there were no photographers around before I left the house. How the hell did they get this photo?”
“It’s next to impossible to hide from them. With cameras built the way they are now, they could be several streets away and have a picture seeming as if they were right next to you.”
“I can’t stop visiting the subs. I need to make sure they’re okay.”
Mav said nothing, not meeting Douglas’s gaze. “The king has requested…” His heart pounded, and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to explain. “The king has requested that our…private meetings continue in the hopes these visits will end.”
Douglas was silent, but Mav could feel his stare burning into him. The prince stood, drifting over to the window, and Mav realised he was staring at him and averted his gaze.
“You don’t believe me.”
The words were softly spoken, scarcely audible despite the silence.
“It doesn’t matter if I do. The king has made a request.”
Douglas snorted. “Yeah, and everyone has to obey the king.” The tone was uneven as if he only just held his emotions in check. “If there is no trust in a relationship, there is no relationship.”
Mav frowned. “What do you mean?”
Douglas faced him with his arms crossed and a neutral expression. “Trust is a huge aspect of the BDSM lifestyle. If there is no trust, neither participant will feel comfortable.” Douglas took a step closer, though he was still halfway across the room. “You don’t trust me.”
Despite the monotone delivery, Douglas’s voice held a tremor, and Mav could tell the idea hurt him, but what did it matter? Douglas had plenty more people he could teach, and it was no issue for Mav.
