Page 67 of Notorious Park Avenue Prince

King nodded. “I won’t disagree with that.”

“But you’re still standing by your story?” East said.

“Stand by it? I live it.”

East narrowed his eyes. “TerraKohr owns practically every club I’ve been personally invited to in the city.”

“I know. Onyx. Lure. Kyanite. Among many others.”

“Anyone could Google that.”

King asked me, “Would I know that we’ve offered to buy your family’s company twice over the last five years?”

Wait, howdidhe know that? It wasn’t exactly public information, and something my parents had only discussed privately.

“Gossip gets around,” East said. “Big deal.”

King chuckled as he sat up, and it was hard not to get distracted by all those muscles on full display. “You don’t believe me. You don’t have to. You asked, I answered.”

He seemed completely unbothered by the accusations, but it was only because if itwastrue, I didn’t know what to do with it. King kept blowing my mind at every turn. But even though he’dapparently been keeping massive secrets, it didn’t make him a liar. He was usually blunt to the point of brutality, and that had me thinking maybe all of thiswasreal.

“And you keep it private because…?” I asked.

“It’s nobody’s business. The more money one has, the more problems can arise. A professor, however, attracts no attention.”

“Uh, have you seen yourself?” East pointed out. “You don’t exactly look like all the other stodgy Astor professors.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s still a good?—”

“Coverfor you and your hooded friends? Are they all professors too? Oh my God, if you tell me Livingston was there the night you came on our faces, I might just rethink this whole thing.”

“No, Livingston was not there. I’m the only professor.”

“Do they work for you? These hooded friends,” East said. “Are you their leader? Do you punish them the same way you did me if they step out of line?”

King rose to his feet then, his towering presence even more so now that I knew this enormous secret he’d been keeping. Scratch that—thetwoenormous secrets he’d been keeping.

“I’m done talking about this,” he said, walking over to pick up his towel.

“So that’s a yes?” East asked.

“It’s the moment you realize the conversation is over.” King brushed the towel over his chest and leveled East with a stare that would’ve silenced most men. “I told you, I want everyone to feel comfortable while they’re here. That includes me. Know when to stop, East—that’s also part of being an adult.”

King looked to me, probably to see how I was processing everything he’d just said, but I was too blown away to ask anything else. I needed to think. Something King seemed to understand.

“We’ll talk more later,” he told us, and then disappeared inside.

TWENTY-SIX

king

I’D SPENT THE rest of the day giving them a tour of the estate and the island, even taking the Bronco down to the banana trees at the south end to pick a few. Both got the hang of using the cane knife easier than I expected from a couple of city boys, even turning it into a competition to see who could collect the most bunches.

I’d wisely kept out of that argument, refusing to choose sides, but Ididenjoy the fruits of their labor by indulging in the growing piles of fruit in the back of the SUV.

I’d also enjoyed the view of both sporting nothing but shorts riding low on their hips. East’s skin was already turning a darker shade of olive after hours in the sun, while Zac’s was slightly pinker. The last thing I’d wanted was for him to burn, so keeping him lathered in sunscreen was a must, and I’d taken it upon myself to apply it.

Such a hardship, touching him, running my fingers over the smooth young skin I had no business indulging in. But hearing Zac’s breath hitch when my hands were on him… It wasn’t just my cock that was affected.

---