Page 10 of Something Unprofessional

Kelsey’s mom was wrapping things up with Gabe, so Ev saved the file and shut his laptop. “You should tell them,” he suggested, catching Gabe’s eye and tilting his head toward Kelsey. “You aren’t going to be happy if you let this go on without giving your input. It’s your career. You need to own it.”

Kelsey frowned, but it was thoughtful instead of annoyed. “How do I even start?”

Ev gave her a lopsided grin. “Start by making your mom listen. That’s the hardest part.”

“You were good withher,” Gabe said. He rested his hip against the edge of Ev’s desk, his arms folded over his chest, his sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and his thick forearms on display. “The last two times I met with them, she never got off her phone.”

Ev kept his eyes on his laptop, trying to get through the last few emails of the day. He shrugged. “We have a few things in common.”

“It sounded to me like you understood where she wascoming from.”

Crap. How much had Gabe overheard? Ev’s ears burned. Ugh. He hated blushing. Luckily, it was hard to embarrass him, but when it happened, his whole face, ears included, went bright red. “I guess,” he said, hoping Gabe would drop it.

Gabe hummed and seemed to settle in. “Do you want to tell me, or should I Google you?”

Ev’s nausea came roaring back, and he forced himself to breathe through it. “I’m surprised you haven’t already. You don’t seem like the type that worries about things like employee privacy.”

He realized how bratty that came out a moment too late. He winced, and his eyes flew to Gabe’s face.

Instead of the expected anger, Gabe’s lips curled in a slow smirk, and his blue eyes seemed to glitter with amusement. “I’m not,” he said. “Usually, I would have done my research the minute you applied for the job.”

“But I didn’t apply,” Ev said dryly. “Nepotism.” He made jazz hands.

Gabe’s hum of acknowledgment sent a shiver down Ev’s spine. Fuck, he was sexy, and Ev was totally failing at ignoring it. “So,” Gabe said in a tone that screamed “Daddy.” “Are you going to explain yourself, or do I have to get my answers another way?”

Ev nearly whimpered. Fuck.Fuck.He needed more details on option B. Like, did they include coercion? Because Ev would be totally down for finding out just how creative Daddy could get as he convinced Ev to tell him the truth.

“Everett,” Gabe said, expectation in his tone.

Ev blinked out of his inappropriate daydream. Crap. What was the question again?

Daddy looked Ev up and down, and Ev’s cock took an interest like the desperate slut it was. He was a second away from moaning in encouragement when Gabe interrupted him again.

“What did you say to get Kelsey to open up?”

The question was like being dunked in cold water. His arousal fled, leaving him hollow. He’d walked into that one, hadn’t he? He sighed. “It’s possible I had my five minutes of fame and didn’t enjoy it.”

Gabe’s eyebrows went up. “I’m going to need a little more than that, Everett.”

Of course he did. For fuck’s sake. Ev groaned and typed a search into the web browser. He clicked on the first video to pop up, titledSixteen-Year-Old Everett Bailey Wows the Judges!,and hit play. Before he could turn the screen, Gabe was beside him, one hand on the desk and the other on the back of Ev’s chair. He froze as Gabe’s clean, subtle scent flooded his nostrils. He’d almost forgotten how good the man smelled. He couldn’t help but take a deep breath. Gabe must have misunderstood the reaction, because his hand moved to rest on Ev’s shoulder, giving him a supportive squeeze.

Ev leaned into the touch, trying to focus on that and not the sounds coming from the laptop speakers. The host playing up Ev’s youth, the judges’ sarcastic comments fading into awed exclamations as Ev began to play, and then the audience screamingin excitement when the buzzer was pushed and his world erupted into metallic gold confetti.

The video ended, and Gabe shifted to stop the next one from starting. “You’re extremely talented,” he said, tone matter-of-fact.

Ev let out a shaky breath. “So I’ve been told.”

Gabe snorted, then gave his shoulder a little shake that helped Ev snap out of the past. “So, you were a piano prodigy.”

Ev flinched. “I hate that word.”

Gabe shrugged it off. “Did you win?”

The roar of the crowd filled his ears again, but from the stage, it was hard to tell if they were pleased or disappointed. “Came in second, thank fuck.”

Fingers gripped his chin, and Ev nearly jerked away before he realized where he was. Gabe tilted his face up and examined his expression, seeming more curious than anything. Ev’s heart started thumping harder. Daddy was touching him. “What happened after that?”

Ev broke the contact then, heat returning to his cheeks. “I did the post-show tour, then I retired. I went to college.” And went no-contact with his parents, but he wasn’t saying that. Ev cleared the lump from his throat. “Graduated. Got a real job. Et cetera, et cetera.”

---