Damon
Decorum. Rules.
I hated the bullshit that came along with being the head of the royal family. Ayla pointed Molly to a room across the hall from mine.
We couldn’t stay in the same suite when we traveled. The country would lose its fucking mind if the citizens thought their unmarried king slept in the same bed as a woman.
“I’ll have her ready by five,” Ayla assured me, guiding her out of my reach.
I shoved my hands in my pockets. It was absurd. Molly should be with me in my suite. At my side. In my bed.
“She doesn’t know about the surprise,” she whispered.
“Thank you.” I walked into my rooms, closing the door with an irritated thud. I walked to the bar and poured a drink.
There wasn’t anything that could quench my thirst for her. The bottle wasn’t deep enough.
I sat on the couch and grabbed the remote. I rarely watched TV unless it was football, but I turned on the flat screen.
“Fuck.”
The headline flashed across the screen.
American caught by His Royal Highness
There was a succession of photos that blurred in random order of Molly losing her balance and me stopping her fall.
This trip was supposed to be about support for irrigation funding, not about Molly. I stormed to the hallway.
“Yes, Your Majesty?” The security officer nodded.
“I need Sutcliffe and Kenley on the phone immediately.”
“Yes, sir.”
I slammed the door and paced in front of the TV. There was very little coverage about the event today, and an abundance of speculation about Molly. Who was she? Where did we meet? Why was she on a domestic trip with the king?
I groaned. I knew she would be photographed, but I underestimated the press’s interest in her. The fact that I scooped her up in a heroic gesture only fanned the flames.
Security knocked before entering with two phones.
“Kenley is on this one and Sutfcliffe on the other.”
“Thank you.”
Kenley was the go-to on royal damage control. I told Sutcliffe to hold the line a minute.
“Kenley, have you seen the headlines?”
“Yes. They are taking over social media. I’m afraid the entire country knows about Molly Washington’s trip into your arms, Your Majesty.”
Damn it. I closed my eyes. “Is there any way to extract more coverage on the olive groves? That’s the point of my being here. That needs to be the headline.”
“I can release a memo from the palace regarding the trip today. I’ll update all of our sites.”
“But that’s it?”
“Sir, I think you need to be prepared for the frenzy over Molly. You have never taken a companion on a trip. It was bound to cause questions. Her citizenship creates even more interest. Americans in Galona. You might as well have caught a unicorn.”