Royal Indiscretion, chapter 38 (Patreon)

Doug's cheeks hurt from grinning. “That's awesome,” he said for the third time. “I managed to bag myself a brilliant boyfriend.” He squeezed Yves's hand. Yves was lit from within, and his smile was infectious. Hell, other people in the restaurant who glanced at their table seemed to catch it. That was ironic given that Yves insisted that running around with a perpetual smile was a uniquely American trait. 

“I can't believe how easy the testing was. My language tutors wrote harder tests when I was ten years old,” Yves said with unvarnished glee. Doug wasn't sure whether that was a commentary on the company's low standards or the ridiculous expectations of Duke Gerard and the various tutors. 

“I am so proud of you. You get to be the smart one in the family.”

“Tell that to someone who doesn't know that you have a master’s degree in business administration. We can both be the smart ones in the family.” Yves dug into his gourmet ice cream.

“Trust me, I am nowhere near your league. I'm lucky if I can use English correctly.”

Yves glanced up and gave Doug a sly smile before he said, “My tutors always said that no one spoke their birth language particularly well.”

Doug gave him a mock frown. “Are you agreeing that I am bad at English?”

Yves shrugged. “Maybe?” He laughed. “People learn their native language by ear and don't know the underlying rules well enough to be able to manipulate them. However, I think you are a very articulate speaker and as long as no one asks you to explain past perfect progressive verb conjugation, you are safe.”

“Brat.” Doug finished his chocolate cake as Yves's grin grew wider.

They finished their meal and were heading out into the London night when Doug asked, “When do you start?” A small part of Doug dreaded the moment when they would have to get back to real life. He liked having his life center around Yves. In the past, he could never imagine life after football. That was one reason for wanting a business. He had pitied retired people because they didn’t have anything in life. At least, that’s how he saw it. Now he could imagine mornings walking up with Yves and days spent exploring the world. 

“I told them that I would need a few weeks to get settled in the States, so they set me up with a company email and a whole series of handbooks I need to read. Apparently sexual harassment is a real thing that I need to read about. I don’t plan on sexually harassing anyone, but they need me to electronically sign paperwork to that effect.”

“Reporters,” Doug whispered as they came around the corner. A dozen of them hovered near the gates to the hotel property. Either someone famous was staying at the hotel or more papers were interested in pictures and quotes from them.

“I see.” Yves pulled his hand free, and Doug let go. Before he could regret that loss of contact, Yves moved closer and slipped his arm around Doug’s waist. Doug pulled him closer. “I can do this,” Yves whispered. Doug wasn’t sure if that was meant for him or not. But he decided to let Yves take lead with the press.

One of the reporters spotted them. “Count Yves! Mr. Wasso!” Cameras clicked as they walked closer. Yves smiled at them, but Doug could tell the emotion wasn’t genuine. One of the reporters called out, “Can you comment on rumors that your father asked you to leave your country?”

“I think he would have rather I stayed,” Yves said drily.

“I was the one he wanted out of the country,” Doug agreed quietly.

Yves smiled at him. “He does hate you,” he agreed. “And the Duke is not subtle in his disapproval.” They kept walking toward the pack.

Another reporter called out, “Does the Duke disapprove of your relationship?”

“I don’t care what the Duke thinks,” Yves said. “And it has taken me a long time and a bit of therapy to say that.” Yves paused. He had agreed to start undermining his father’s reputation, but Doug wasn’t sure how far he would go.

“Are you going to go home after this vacation?” Someone called.

“I am not welcome at home,” Yves said, which made it pretty damn clear how far he planned to go. A dozen cameras flashed at once. “That’s why I’ve taken a job as a translator. It’s time for me to create my own life.”

“With Mr. Wasso?” another reporter asked.

“Hopefully,” Yves said. He smiled at Doug.

“As long as you’ll put up with me,” Doug agreed. Warmth spread through his chest. He’d always avoided public displays of affection, but part of him wanted to sweep Yves into another grand kiss. However, Yves was moving forward through the reporters and toward the hotel gate. 

“You’d better be careful because I would like to put up with your forever, and if my father has a problem with that…” Yves turned slightly so the reporters had a good view of his face. “That plonker can go play with a fart.”

That phrase caught Doug so off guard that he lost a step while the reporters laughed nervously. Doug hurried to catch up with Yves as he headed into the hotel. “Play with a fart?” he asked once they stepped into the lobby and had a little privacy.

“It’s a Danish phrase, and it does capture how I feel about my father.”

“I’m borrowing that one. Disturbingly vivid.” And as a bonus, that was going to make a lot of people wonder just how horrible of a person Duke Gerard was. Caro predicted that if Yves could stay sober now that he’d left home, the press would start to run with the narrative that a bad home life had driven him to drugs. Which was the truth. 

Yves smiled at him. “I heartily encourage the use of vivid metaphor.” 

They passed people in the lobby, but they were lucky enough to end up alone in the elevator. Doug moved closer, trapping Yves in the back corner. “You’re hot when you’re verbally eviscerating someone.”

Yves raised his eyebrows. “Is that what I did?”

“Step one toward evisceration, anyway,” Doug said. He leaned down and kissed the side of Yves’s neck. “So totally hot,” he whispered into Yves’s ear.

Yves shivered. “The fact that my strength gets you hot is so very attractive.” Yves ran his hands up Doug’s arms.

“So we have a circle jerk of hotness going?” Doug kissed Yves’s neck again.

“So it would seem, but since I don’t know the definition of a circle jerk, I can’t confirm that.”

“I can teach you,” Doug promised. The elevator dinged, and Doug stepped back. His pants were definitely too tight for his cock. The elevator had stopped on their floor, so hopefully they could get to the room without anyone catching a picture of Doug’s cock trying to drill a hole through dress pants. Doug stood to the side to allow Yves out first. That let him get a very nice view of Yves’s ass.

Doug was so focused on it that he almost ran into Yves’s back when he stopped.

“Hagan,” Yves said, his voice flat.

Doug looked up to see Hagan Jarvinen standing next to their hotel room. His suit had been replaced with jeans and a bomber jacket, but he still wore the same disapproving expression.

“What are you doing here?” Yves asked.

Jarvinen glanced at Doug before turning his attention back to Yves. “I need to speak to you… in private.”

Doug stepped forward. “Oh hell no. That is not happening.”

Jarvinen’s back grew straighter. “I have issues I need to discuss with Count Yves.”

“Then you can discuss them in front of Doug,” Yves said firmly.

“That is hardly proper.”

“Tough shit,” Doug said. “I don't care about your opinion. I know what you people think about Americans, so maybe I’ll live up to the stereotype and be rude enough to physically chuck you into the elevator.” Doug stepped forward. He didn’t approve of threats in general, but for the Duke’s henchman, he’d make an exception.

“Doug, don't.”

Doug glanced at Yves. “He pushed his way into our life. I can push him right back out.”

Jarvinen pursed his lips. “Yves is most likely concerned about the fact that I was special forces and have any number of ways to push back.”

Doug offered the bastard his most condescending smile. “But he's forgetting that you're old. And you’ve been sitting behind a desk for how many years now? Trust me, you are not a threat.” Doug crossed his arms. “So you can get the fuck out of our way.”

Again, Jarvinen focused on Yves. “Count Yves. I needed to speak to you and I am appealing to your better judgment since your beau appears to have none.”

“I have good enough judgment to tell you to go fuck yourself.”

Doug stopped when Yves put a hand on his arm. “If you have something to say, Hagan, you can say it now in front of Doug and then you can leave. Otherwise, you can leave without delivering my father’s message.”

“I don't carry a message from your father.”

“Again, I am unconcerned with your lies.” Yves had lost most of the color out of his face, so the bravado appeared rather insubstantial. “My father has no right to tell me what to do or who to, as he would put it, consort with. He lost that power when I chose to walk away.”

Jarvinen pressed his lips together and for one second, he projected anger. Then his expression smoothed. “If you truly believe that your father is powerless simply because you are here, then I did not teach you well.”

“Scare tactics?” Doug demanded. “You people are real dicks. You run around saying you're better than Americans because you speak polite words, but you have clearly not figured out the old adage that actions speak louder than words, and your actions say a lot about you.”

Jarvinen graced Doug with a vicious glare. “You know nothing of my actions, Mr. Wasso. I would thank you to stay out of our business.”

“I'm inviting him into my business,” Yves said. “You have my terms, so you can either speak or you can leave.” He lifted his chin.

Shaking his head, Jarvinen said, “You are stubborn enough to be your father's son.” They all stood outside the hotel door staring at each other. Eventually Jarvinen said, “At least let us go into the hotel room. This is not business that needs to be on display for the world.”

Doug looked at the empty hallway in the high-end exclusive hotel where people couldn't get in unless they were paying an arm and a leg for a tiny room. He was fairly sure this was the antithesis of public. Yves rolled his eyes. “Fine, come in. Speak your mind quickly and then get out of my life, Hagan.” Yves headed for the door, and Jarvinen took a step backward. Since Doug had the key, he followed Yves, opening the door and staying between Yves and Jarvinen.  The man represented a murderer, and that was not a good character reference. 

Yves crossed his arms and stood in front of the small couch, blocking the only place in the room that a person could comfortably sit. “You have five minutes and then I will call security and ask them to remove you.”

Jarvinen glanced at Doug. “How long do you plan to stay here before you return to the United States?”

“Why?” Doug asked. “Are you trying to figure out a timeframe on your murder plot?” Doug raised his eyebrows and practically dared Jarvinen to deny that the Duke had any reason to see his youngest son dead. Hagan didn't.

“The king told me that he confided in you.” Hagan had an expression like he had just bit a lemon, so clearly he did not approve of King Alphonse’s choices. “Then you understand why you need to leave immediately. You are still far too close to escape the Duke's reach.”

Yves's hands had dropped to his sides, and he looked shaken. “Why would King Alphonse tell you anything?” Yves asked.

“The king's condition is deteriorating and the parliament is considering a motion of succession. When that happens, you need to make sure that you are far outside your father's reach. Right now, you stand at his fingertips.” Jarvinen had an earnestness to his voice that made the hairs on Doug’s arms stand at attention.

Doug looked from Jarvinen to Yves and back. Since Yves didn’t, Doug asked the obvious question. “Why are you warning us?”

Jarvinen looked Doug in the eye. “Because for some reason the king approves of rude and violent Americans. And I am not going to question my king's choices, even when I question them.” He glared at Doug.

Yves half-sat and half collapsed onto the loveseat. “You work for King Alphonse. How long have you worked for the king?”

“I have always worked for the king,” Hagan said. And I have always attempted to steer you away from the self-destructive behaviors that your father encouraged. And right now, I'm warning you that staying in Europe is self-destructive. You need to flee. Hagan then looked at Doug. “And you need to provide enough security that you can protect yourselves from any potential retribution.”

Yves reached for Doug, and Doug gave his hand a comforting squeeze. “How much time do we have?” Doug asked.

Jarvinen’s shoulders relaxed. “Right now, Duke Gerard can do very little and I know his plans. However, if the Parliament passes a resolution to encourage the transition of power, his resources would grow exponentially, and King Alphonse can only hold off Parliament and Duke Gerard for a limited time, at this point.”

“Then we shall watch the news and prepare to act.” Yves stood up.

“Yves,” Jarvinen said wearily. Doug had heard that tone from his mother, usually when Doug hadn’t done his chores. 

“No,” Yves said firmly. “I am not going to run in terror. I will be cautious and Doug and I will discuss this, but I do not need your approval and I am not interested in your opinions.”

“Count Yves.” Jarvinen sounded scandalized.

Yves stood up. “I gave you five minutes. Thank you for the warning that King Alphonse’s abdication may be closer than we realized. You can leave now.”

Jarvinen opened his mouth, but after a few seconds, he closed it without saying anything. After bending his head in Yves’s direction, he turned and headed out the door. Doug let out his breath once the hotel door closed behind him. 

“Well, shit,” Yves said softly. Doug couldn’t agree more.