Corruption of a Princely State

[Trillian]

IT WAS THE sixth visit to Phinn\'s bedroom, as Hew entered the room.  They\'d done much in the meantime, with the visit beforehand almost being a turning point for the prince as he considered offering his sex.  They\'d been rubbing and groping, fingers inserting and getting all hot when Phinn had been very close to placing himself inside and Hew had squirmed away a little - just enough to send the message that he hadn\'t wanted anything beyond fingers in there.  Phinn had let him, but had made a comment that let Hew feel like he wasn\'t the adult he pretended to be.

They\'d done so much, Hew\'s boundaries had disappeared so that he did all manner of things with his mouth, his hands, his body.  He was beginning to explore as Phinn wanted, earning himself praise.  Certain deeds, certain tastes, certain touches, they were all allowed and now there was sex facing him.  He\'d been worried that it would hurt, as Phinn\'s finger had hurt before he\'d found the pleasure place, and then there was always more decisions to be made, more boundaries challenged.

Hew had visited again and again, not letting so much time lapse between them now.  He was infatuated with Phinn, desiring him and his knowledge, his lust and love.  He adored the man that guided him through such a personal and intimate process, his heart skipping a beat now even thinking of him.

Last night in the palace he\'d realised how far he\'d come to wanting what Phinn wanted, to know sex, to give up his virginity.  When he\'d snuck one of his mother\'s hairbrushes out of her room - the handle crafted round and fine, like the hilt of a sword though smooth and wooden, rounded and sturdy - but not quite as thick or hot as Phinn when he was aroused and throbbing in Hew\'s hand or mouth.  He\'d used that handle on himself while thinking of the man he considered a lover, but hadn\'t earned that title just yet, the pressure against the bundle of nerves that Phinn had showed him inside with his finger and then gripping and tugging at his own erection had him at his peak so soundly that he\'d had to sneak out sheets and replace them with nervous excitement.

Phinn was already in the room, expecting the Prince\'s visit for Hew had declared which night he was returning.  As soon as the door was closed, his tunic was off and he was heading straight for the older man, intending to touch and kiss, cupping then fondling, working at Phinn\'s pants - which was all the other was wearing and soon would not be if Hew had his way.  Tonight was the night, he was decided, and he began the night be dropping to his knees to let Phinn know how things would be.  His mouth a great deal more expert, his tongue and teeth applied the way he knew Phinn liked.

[Existentially Odd]

Phinn was somewhat staggered by Hew\'s entrance into his bedroom, having rolled off the bed to greet the boy and put another couple of sticks of wood on the fire, only to be held, mesmerised, by the disrobing of the boy.  He was on his knees and opening the ties on his pants before Phinn knew it, causing him to tangle fingers in the prince\'s hair and chuckle.

"What?  No hello?" he murmured huskily but a moan quickly followed the words out of his mouth and his eyes closed as his head dropped back on his shoulders.  Such a clever, clever pupil was the prince.  "Of course... some greetings don\'t \'ave the requirements of such trivialities," he sighed towards the ceiling, his leg and ass muscles already clenching as it became an effort to remain standing.

He reached down and tugged slightly on Hew\'s shoulders, urging him to get up.  "Hew-lad," he breathed, "can\'t we even get to the bed now?"  He laughed at himself, though it became a moan again, as teeth were clamped briefly around his hardness while some scrotum hairs were tugged - as he\'d shown Hew he liked.  The rush of the pain subsided and only made the wet heat around his manhood all the more sweeter for it.

[Trillian]

Hew breathed gentle laughter at the bed comment, his hands reaching around to grip Phinn\'s ass and hold him close as he deep-throated, another thing he was taught a technique how not to gag.  After another few minutes of this, Hew pulled away and worked at his own pants while toeing off boots, desperate to get clothes off so they could lie together naked, warm and horny.

"Bed sounds good," he said as he undressed, grinning unabashedly at Phinn once he was fully naked and half-crawling, half-leaping onto the mattress.  "I\'ve been thinking about you," he said, then dropped the bomb of his secret.  "Was thinking about you in bed last night, put something in me and pretended it was you," he admitted, gone was the shy boy from a mere three visits ago as the natural progression and education of his sexual being made him a great deal more confident about his place in things.  He wondered what Phinn would say to that, wanting him to be shocked or pleased.  The former was something he\'d never been able to do, but perhaps at the very least Phinn would be surprised, and that would make Hew happy, to know that he\'d finally given Phinn something new.

[Existentially Odd]

Phinn straightened from putting those bits of wood on the fire that he\'d intended (though it had been extremely difficult not to follow Hew to the bed and return that suckling favour) and turned towards the bed very slowly and deliberately.  His eyes were alight with interest and he stepped lightly over to the bed as if he might be walking amongst a field of eggs.  Once there, he gripped the bars of the bed\'s end and tilted his head at the prince.

"Did you?" he breathed, his half smile obviously delighted and a little wary - almost as if he couldn\'t believe what he was hearing.  After a few moments of observation, he circled around the side of the bed and got in beside Hew, lifting the sheets and sliding beneath with very precise, almost dreamy movements (like it was a dream he was being careful not to wake up from).  "How very intriguing..." Phinn mused, his gaze roving down over the boy as he lay on his left elbow, his right hand reaching out to touch.

He watched his fingertips trail over flesh he\'d become very familiar with recently, that same, idyllically inclined smile twisting his lips.  As his hand closed firmly around Hew\'s length, though, his gaze lifted to meet the blue ones opposite his own.  "Tell me what you used... how you did it... what it felt like," he entreated wonderingly, the adoring and fascinated aspect having switched from the prince to him at long last.

[Trillian]

Hew related his tale to Phinn, omitting only the parts that would make it sound like the palace instead of a noble\'s home, not mentioning the sheets either because it wasn\'t as sexy as the rest of the tale (or so he believed), but describing how much of an explosion he\'d arrived at because of what he\'d done.

As Phinn touched him, Hew did the same, though in his own way now - exploring his palms over Phinn\'s body, and when the recount reached its conclusion, he pushed himself up and forward while pulling Phinn down so they could kiss.  A desire to tell Phinn he loved him was pulsing in his veins but he was worried about the outcome, so squashed his words though it left an ache in his heart.  He decided to say something else instead.

"I didn\'t come here tonight to say no to you," he whispered, struggling for the best way to tell Phinn that Hew was his.  "I want to do everything with you.  I trust you."  Trust was the closest he could come to declaring his love without saying it.

[Existentially Odd]

Phinn\'s lips pursed as he looked into Hew\'s eyes, his own selfish heart swelling at the adoration he saw there, the supplication spilling from those beautiful lips.  Here he\'d been, thinking that his ultimate claim to fame would be having the one-day king sucking on his member and swallowing down his essence, now he learned that he would be permitted inside that royal body?  Oh, moments like these were too good to let pass quickly and he smiled in the savouring of it.

"So," he murmured, sliding his lower half around and across Hew\'s while he reached down to grab the boy\'s hands, intending to pin them on the pillow either side of his head, "you think, because you had ye\' mam\'s brush inside yer ass, that yer ready for me now, mmm?"  He ground deliberately with his hips, to make the insinuation perfectly clear.  He had plenty of grease that would make the whole process easier, but he rather enjoyed seeing fear crawling into his lover\'s gaze and implying that he would hold Hew down now and slide himself in without preamble was very likely to do that, in his opinion (and when he relented and used grease after all, he\'d be that much nicer and accommodating, wouldn\'t he?).

Just as Hew was toying with revealing his love, Phinn was toying with revealing his knowledge of who the boy really was, but he couldn\'t decide if that would alter their dynamic for the better or worse.  If he did it right, he should come off looking a lot more concerned and understanding of Hew\'s life position, so he could then start offering to be snuck into the palace. Oooh, he wanted that quite badly, but these things had to be done properly.  He decided that he\'d better wait until this deed was done before he said anything, otherwise his little foal might well buck and bolt again.  That would do him no bloody good at all.

[Trillian]

Phinn\'s attempt at getting Hew worried worked minutely, but the trust was indeed there.  He frowned a little at being pinned but liked the way Phinn was rubbing against him, the implication behind Phinn\'s words were something he\'d already thought of, and had to acknowledge the correctness.

"It wasn\'t as big as you," he said softly, "but I liked it," he said, panting a little now as he thought to thrust his hips up at Phinn, to give the grinding more presence.  "I did it slow at first," he whispered, "so it wouldn\'t hurt so much... but you know best."  He swallowed after that and now a little fear crept into his gaze, knowing that Phinn liked pain with his pleasure, while he tried to make himself feel better by telling himself that Phinn also knew he wasn\'t that big on it.  The fact Phinn was well experienced made him feel better about things, and also a little jealous, that perhaps he was just another conquest - such was the reason he was scared to speak of love.

[Existentially Odd]

Phinn chuckled, relenting in his hold mmediately, simply because Hew had told him exactly the right thing.  He knew best.  Yes, yes he did, and the complete innocence and absolute faith with which the statement was made only served to warm his heart.

"That\'s true," he said immodestly, giving another husky laugh as he took more of his weight onto his knees and slid his hands off Hew\'s and up along his arms to his chest.  Sitting back almost on his heels, Phinn watched the lad squirm beneath his touch, his young body practically glowing with the attention it was receiving as he caressed.

With a smug smile, Phinn then suddenly climbed over Hew\'s leg and got off the bed, prowling towards the dresser by the door.  He opened the top right drawer and withdrew a varnished wooden bowl with a lid that slotted on top of it, large enough to cover his whole hand.  Just as nonchalantly, he then strolled back to the bed with it and once more climbed between Hew\'s knees.

"With this... it will be even better," he smiled mysteriously, lifting the bowl slightly for his partner\'s attention, before he removed the lid and placed it on the bed beside him.  Inside the bowl - which he tilted for Hew to look at - was a concoction specially made for the whores at his mother\'s brothel, which he always kept a good supply of.  Based on animal grease, it was an ointment filled with preserving herbs that somehow not only kept the stuff from turning rancid, but gave it an exotic and very enticing scent (musky, although that was not a word in his vocabulary) into the bargain.  He\'d known it for so long in his life that he couldn\'t smell the stuff now without being aroused, for it always meant play time for him.

Dipping two fingers into the mix, Phinn scooped a generous amount out and began smearing it on his erection, making it glossy with slickness and spreading it all over the inside of his hand by the end.  When that was done, he got another, smaller amount on those same fingers and reached forward towards Hew\'s entrance.  He watched the prince with glittering eyes while he inserted his middle finger first, the digit sliding easily to the little nugget of flesh buried within.  His left hand had automatically closed over Hew\'s manhood and stroked slowly up and down while he nudged the prostate with his finger, establishing a rhythm that was extremely slow and meant to be enticing.

The boy\'s facial expressions were entrancing but Phinn watched his lips most intently while he inserted his second finger, thinking about that mouth pressed up against his, wrapped around him, telling him his dirty, dirty secrets without a qualm at last.  My, how far they\'d come since that first interview in Phinn\'s parlour - why, the slumlord was almost melancholy just thinking about it.  Almost.  There was work to be done, after all.

He scissored his fingers as he drew them out of Hew\'s ass with painful slowness, stretching his opening very carefully.  To add a little anticipation into his movements, he hovered at the very rim of Hew\'s entrance for a count of  one, then two, three and up to five each time after that, dragging his actions out before plunging in again (far more rapidly) and starting the whole process once more.  He wanted Hew ready to cry out his name when he finally got inside him and was taking absolutely no risk that the prince would complain of pain or discomfort; this was very important to him, to the way he would weave his tale in future.

It was imperative to Phinn that Hew always remember his first time as something extraordinary - magical, even.  That was how he\'d remember Phinneus himself, in that case, and his favour would be eternal.  There wasn\'t enough money in all the kingdoms that could buy a wondrous sexual experience and he was interested in offering the boy who had everything something that could never be purchased or found trivially.  He would be unique and special to the king of his land, one day, and these moments were the stepping stones where all that began.

When Phinn was absolutely certain that Hew was on the verge of not being able to take his deliberate manipulations any longer and he was all but ferally writhing on the bed before him, the adult entered the boy.  His extensive attentions paid off, which he felt immediately, for his greased dick slid home easily (he\'d had cause to re-apply the grease once more while he was fingering Hew, but then the container had been left on the floor beside the bed).

Phinn\'s eyes fell closed and he savoured the moment by sliding into the tight tunnel by degrees.  As much as he\'d worked at the entrance, inside there was enough resistance that he decided he would go slow and nudge his way in.  He watched Hew the whole time, an automatically sexy smile on his face.  "Alright?" he breathed, though he knew it was.  He just liked to hear his own praises sung.

[Trillian]

Hew had watched Phinn leave him on the bed and rejoin him with a strange little wooden bowl in hand.  He was naive and innocent, but he wasn\'t stupid enough to not know what that stuff was going to be.  Phinn was worldly enough to have such things in his possession, to make the act of sex easier, and smoother, and Hew had banked himself on it and come up trumps.  It was exciting, yet still scary to know that his virginity would be given over to this man - not something Hew had ever thought would happen, let alone with another of the same sex.  Even so, he didn\'t understand the noble dandies, who acted and spoke as though they were women in men\'s clothes and men\'s bodies, even though he was sharing the very act that would cast him as such.  Phinn was a secret for so many things, and slowly becoming an obsession that Hew was unable to go without.  After this act, if it was as good as he overheard people say, if it was as good as he thought, he could see himself unable to resist indulging with Phinn - he was barely able to resist now.

He watched with glittering eyes as Phinn spread the slick stuff upon himself and then arced his back as a finger went inside him, sighing and moaning at the same time.  Phinn knew exactly where to touch him to send pleasurable pulses into his body, knew exactly how Hew was best enticed.  The hairbrush had been slow going and had taken a while before he\'d got himself in a state where he could accept himself ramming it in and out, but this - he could feel his body willing to accept anything bigger than Phinn\'s finger, as though it wanted to be filled to the brim and stretched and didn\'t remember any of the hurt from last night.  How could it possibly hurt when it was feeling this good?  The other finger went in just as easy as you please, and Hew felt that one going in, but it didn\'t halt him from squirming and bucking gently on the bed, thrusting his hips upward toward Phinn in the same rhythm, feeling both filled yet lost without a body near to hold.

He dazedly looked up at Phinn when he thought this part was over and looked at him steadily without question, knowing the older man knew what next move was best, when the fingers returned again and Hew sounded out his surprise, though softly.  He had to wet his lips a few times for all the hard breathing he was doing, drying them out, his eyelids were half closed, but he wanted to watch Phinn as he did this, watching the muscles in his arms move as he stroked both inside and outside while Hew could only clutch bedsheets.  It seemed to last a lifetime, enough so that it seemed to him he couldn\'t take it anymore, when Phinn pulled all the way out and then something very hot was pressed against his entrance.  His gaze dropped from Phinn\'s shoulders, chest and face to between their legs, though he couldn\'t see much of anything there other than to confirm with his gaze what he already knew from his body and mind.

It slid in remarkeably easily; though there was a tight pressing sensation as Phinn pushed himself in all the way, a strange glow slid over Hew, washing him in the light of one thought:

I\'m not a virgin anymore, I\'m not a virgin anymore, I\'m not a virgin anymore

It was a completely irrelevant realisation and only a small and inconsequential buzzing that repeated only at the very back of his mind, covered by a warmth in his chest that he fancied was the growing of emotional love while he performed the act of the physical.  Alright? asked Phinn, and Hew exploded with a flurry of words.

"Yes, oh-yes, it\'s good, it\'s so good, you\'re so good, Phinn," he looked at his partner with a steady gaze and added: "Please... don\'t stop."  Or slow down, he added mentally, but couldn\'t bring himself to give such permission.  He wanted it slow, he liked it this way, he understood that the pace was what had made it so wonderful, that he\'d been taken care of so well - unexpectedly well, for he\'d not anticipated that Phinn would take such consideration with him.  "Take me all the way," he said, paused briefly, then thought to clarify.  "Take me all the way to the end," he amended, an urgency in his voice as he shifted his hips beneath Phinn, wanting it all, wanting to release while Phinn was inside him, wanting to feel Phinn\'s release inside him as well.  He\'d not only permitted this act, he was embracing it.

[Existentially Odd]

Phinn smiled beatifically, feeling a warmth spread through him, knowing the effect he was having on one so important and finding it especially good simply because of that.  It was a surprise to him, but Hew was important to him in and of himself, and not just because of who he was.  He was the hardest won conquest the criminal had ever invested time into wooing and he was a very pretty thing to have panting after him, to add to the mix.
 
He reached forward with his left hand and cupped the boy\'s cheek, hissing in a breath as he wrapped his greasy hand around his young lover\'s erection and leaned over his lovely body at the same time.  "I will, love," he whispered, then he began to move.  He kissed Hew softly while his hips slid forward and back gently and his hand stroked up and down in time.  His left hand had to leave the prince\'s cheek very quickly to support him - and it wasn\'t perfect, for his right shoulder bowed down onto Hew\'s left as well, due to his positioning, but he was determined to keep kissing the boy.
 
Kisses and gentleness were the way to respond to such overwhelming devotion and excitement, he was sure of it.  If it went awry, he would definitely want to know that he\'d tried his damndest, though, so try he did - to hold himself above, while kissing, stroking and thrusting.  Of course, he was only human and, with all the foreplay he\'d engaged in - not to mention the effort of the act itself - it was only a few minutes before he had to break the kiss to warn his royal highness that his very pampered ass was about to be filled quite unceremoniously with his hot seed (and didn\'t the thought of that just send shivers through him and bring it all on faster?).
 
"I\'m ready," Phinneus panted, lifting his head so that he could look through heavy lids and down into Hew\'s eyes.  His breathing was ragged and there were chills rolling through him, his every muscle quivering with the strain of maintaining his position and holding himself back; as he watched, a thick droplet of sweat left his brow and landed on the prince\'s chin, which brought a haphazard smile.  "I\'m peaking in you...n...now," he groaned, his entire body tensing for just a moment beforehand, before he threw his head back and growled out the final word.
 
Beautiful, blissful release pulsed out of him, sweeping him up to the point that he woud later wonder if he should\'ve tried to keep his lips in contact with Hew\'s but at least glad that his hand didn\'t stop its stroking.  He could only hope that his partner enjoyed it as much as he did, before he collapsed atop the boy in a pile of sweaty satisfaction.

[Trillian]

He hadn\'t managed to peak himself, but he\'d been close - so close - and it wouldn\'t be difficult to bring him there with some more strokes. Strangely, he didn\'t mind for he was too proud of himself that he\'d had Phinn arrive. Of course he expected that this carnal act was not over - only the first stage of it. Was he being presumptuous? He thought not, considering he had the weight of his lover upon him, catching his breath, and the peculiar sensation of a deflating and leaking out of him that he couldn\'t control. It wasn\'t entirely unpleasant but this wasn\'t the rosy picture he\'d imagined - it was all very real, the smell of their sex mingling with the scent of the lubricant, the slick feel of Phinn\'s skin as he trailed his hands upon his back, the feel of Phinn\'s breath against his skin, cooling it, and the throbbing in his groin that was still wrapped up in Phinn\'s hand, demanding attention.
 
I love you, he so badly wanted to say, yet felt that it would cheapen if he said it now, as though it was some sort of obligation after a physical demonstration of such. He wanted to say it when he knew Phinn would know he meant it, when he knew that he didn\'t need to hear it back. Right now he would be devastated to not hear the words in return, so he wouldn\'t go out on a limb right now. He had to love Phinn enough to not care if he wasn\'t loved back. Right now, with the man inside of him, he could very easily pretend that it was just the two of them, that it would only be the two of them and nobody could interfere or distract. He\'d already seen Phinn\'s roving eye, heard tales of debauchery and indulgence. He knew he wasn\'t the first, nor the last, that there might even be others in the middle; but he loved, and that was important to him, and he wanted to be loved, but it wasn\'t worth risking the souring of this beautiful moment.
 
He was silent, unsure of what to say, not wanting to gush about the splendidness of it all, though after some time passed and nothing was said from his partner once his breath was caught, at the feel of his new lover shifting, he found he had something to blurt out after all.
 
"I\'m glad I chose you, as my first.  I don\'t think I could be any happier."  It was as close to talking of love as he could get.

[Existentially Odd]

Phinn was trying not to frown, finally coming to the realisation that his \'magical\' scenario and all the bloody work he\'d put into the act itself being perfect had come to nothing.  Shit all, in fact.  He was still hanging onto a hot and splendidly eager purple throbber that he\'d not inspired to spill its contents.  He was a failure, the whole cursed setup hadn\'t culminated as he\'d planned and, despite the starry way Hew was yet talking to him and gazing at him, he was extremely annoyed that things he\'d actually bloody worked at should not come to fruition as he\'d planned.  Extremely annoyed.

Still, being left high and dry was certainly not the stuff that magical dreams were made of either, and it was with singular determination that he smirked sexily at the prince before he slid backwards and put on another show, teasing and encouraging - with his mouth and his hand, this time - for all he was worth until his young lover arrived at a peak that Phinn was now at the stage of praying was good.  Frankly, Phinn bloody despised prayer, so his mental genuflections were certainly indicative of how pissed off he was that everything hadn\'t unfolded as he\'d wanted.

Finally able to at least talk beyond his anger, he smoothed the expression of concentration he\'d saved specifically for Hew\'s pubis off his face and crawled up the boy\'s body, tucking him lovingly in against him as he swallowed the last of his salty offering down.  "You know what?  I\'m very glad you chose me, too.  You make me very happy, Hew-lad," he confessed softly, trying to quell the bitterness he was feeling in order to re-capture the beauty that had been there before he\'d realised his enormous cock-up.

He\'d made an ingenue\'s mistake in satisfying himself first and he wouldn\'t let himself forget it.

[Trillian]

Hew had no idea of Phinn\'s frustration and anger.  All he knew was that his lover had given him the most wondrous experience of his life.  He was a little sore but it was a pleasant kind of pain, which was peculiar, and the orgasm had been so powerful that the afterglow seemed to settle all over him making him feel clingy and cuddly, wanting to bury himself in Phinn\'s arms and cover the man with kisses.  Warmth pulsated throughout his body and a giddy smile came to his face at the words Phinn fed him.  They were so perfect - everything had been so perfect (for he hadn\'t had the singular view about sex that Phinn had, for what had he been able to compare it to?) - that Hew could only grin like the teenager he was and feel both shy and confident about his new status.

Words were lost to him so he chose to cover as much of Phinn\'s face with kisses that he could reach, wrapping arms around him and holding on tight.  Funny how now he wasn\'t so self-conscious about looking and acting needy.  Right now he needed Phinn\'s constant touch, he felt complete with Phinn close to him.

[Existentially Odd]

The kissing assuaged his anxious feelings, finally causing him to see beyond his own temperamental reactions and to the fact that Hew was happy, regardless of how it had all gone in his opinion.  He took a deep breath and released it in a sigh that could have been interpreted as contentment, rather than the calming mechanism it actually was.

All was not lost - nor even tarnished, if the worshipful kisses were anything to go by.  Hew didn\'t know any better than a hairbrush for Talon\'s sake; it may not have been awe-inspiring, but it had to have been better than that.  He needed to keep things in perspective, focus on his goal - which led him back to pondering his little revelation.

Would it be crass to reveal his knowledge of Hew\'s royal status now?  Would it look like he\'d deliberately engineered the whole thing... or could he let it slip casually and roll his dice that way?  Well, he definitely should deliver his news that way but as for the entire declaration itself... would it help or hinder?  There was only one way to find out and he didn\'t think there would be a better time to say it than now.

Phinn chuckled, his mouth circling and swirling through the air as he attempted to capture Hew\'s lips with his own.  When he did, he kissed the boy hard, until the breath he\'d regained was lost again, causing him to speak in a pant and thereby sound enraptured with it all.  He toyed with Hew\'s hair as he spoke, looking into his eyes and at his lips, as if dazzled by what they\'d shared and not really attending to what he was saying.  "That was good, yeah?  Better than the queen\'s hairbrush and lovely enough that you\'re willing to repeat it?" he gushed, putting the emphasis aywhere but on where it should have gone.  He bit his lip coyly and looked hopefully at the prince, as if that final question was everything to him.

Frankly, he was such a good actor, even he  believed himself and was convinced he was desperate not to have disappointed Hew, that he wanted to repeat this wonderful night more than anything else in the world.  He wanted Hew to stay with him, too, but that question would come next.

[Trillian]

The smile on Hew\'s face had been broad but disappeared gradually as the words sank in and he began to understand the depth of understanding behind them.

The Queen\'s hairbrush.  Regardless of what Phinn had wanted to achieve with his statement by placing the attention to other words and giving the impression it was a slip of the tongue - and Hew believed it was a slip, so that part worked perfectly - Hew found himself frowning, losing that happy warm feeling inside him, losing the desire to cuddle and squeeze, losing his smile and his confidence.  It had been a poor choice to announce his knowledge to the prince at this time, for Hew felt small and cheated.

"How long have you known about me?" he asked with a whisper, wanting to let his hands drop from Phinn and hold them primly to his chest, but not allowing himself to so he kept his hold, though it did slacken.  His gaze dropped as well, unable to keep eye contact.

Phinn had known about the lies of being a nobleman\'s son, knew that he was sneaking out of the palace to be with him, was trying to mislead him about who he was.  He\'d let him lie, had let him climb into bed with him, knowing all along that Hew was trying to mislead him about his true identity.  By Talon, it was horrible to conceive it.  He very suddenly felt prone to Phinn, laying beneath him and expecting to be told that his secret had never been secret.  He felt foolish, he felt more like a child now than a young man, and at his age he should be the latter.

His heart ached some more, knowing he couldn\'t speak of love to someone who knew him as a liar.  He was hurt, he was ashamed, he\'d been caught out.  Whatever reason did Phinn have for letting things continue this way?  Was he not aware of the magnitude of trouble he could be in should they ever be discovered?  Did that turn him on too?  Was that part of the reason he\'d been so patient, not because he liked Hew so much but because he was the damned prince?  Feelings in him began to sour but the instant he looked back up at Phinn and into his eyes, he still felt better.  Strange, that this man who\'d only just shamed him, could still make him feel good just by looking at him.