Page 3 of Something Unprofessional

They were buffeted by bodies as Ev pushed through the crowd, wanting to find the best spot. Before he could get far, Daddy’s strong arms wrapped around him and pulled him back. One large hand gripped his hip, and the other slid across his chest, Daddy’s forearm anchoring him in place. Ev melted intothe possessive hold and reached back to grip Daddy’s ass in return. This was better. Not the same as cuddling, but at least he could feel Daddy everywhere now.

Ev lost track of time as they danced, falling into the hot press of their bodies, the push-pull rhythm, and the thud of the music vibrating through him. Daddy felt perfect behind him, tall and broad enough to wrap around Ev, but not so much bigger that Ev’s ass didn’t fit right up against Daddy’s cock. Ev could have kept dancing all night, but eventually, Daddy steered him off the dance floor and back down to their reserved sofa. They got another round of drinks and caught their breath. Ev was starting to feel the alcohol a little, and it made him loose and happy. Maybe, if he worked it just right, he could convince Daddy to play with him some more. He put a hand high up on Daddy’s thigh.

“It’s nearly midnight,” Daddy said.

Ev’s stomach dropped. He looked down and swallowed. That meant their time was almost up. Ev wasn’t ready.

Daddy gripped Ev’s chin and tilted his face back up. “I’m glad we met. I wasn’t expecting to have this much fun tonight.”

Ev licked his lips. “Me too,” he managed, his heart starting to race. Maybe it was because they were anonymous and there were no strings or expectations, but it had been a long time since Ev had felt so connected to a hookup. “Do you think—”

“Ten!” the crowd shouted, making Ev startle.

Daddy smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling behind the mask as the countdown to midnight began. Ev smiled back andjoined in. At “One,” Daddy leaned in and pressed a lingering kiss to Ev’s cheek. “Happy New Year,” he murmured as he pulled back.

All around them, people were cheering, laughing, and discarding their masks. Ev reached up to remove his at the same time that Daddy did, nerves rushing back. What if Daddy—it was after midnight, Ev needed to stop thinking of him that way. What if Ev’s stranger didn’t like what he saw? It took Ev a few seconds to gather his courage and look up. When he did, he froze.

Oh. Oh, fuck no.

Ev scrambled to his feet. No. No, no, no. Please tell him he didn’t. He was going to be sick.

Gabriel Diaz—his fuckingboss—watched him with an unreadable expression. Ev opened his mouth, not sure what was going to come out of it other than utter panic. He’d fucked his boss.

Again.

Fuck.

This was so many kinds of wrong. Before he could say anything, hands gripped his arm, and his roommate Owen was at his side.

Owen’s eyes were as wild as Ev’s insides felt, and his grip was painful. “We need to go. Right now. Right now.” He pulled at Ev desperately. “Please.”

Ev’s gaze flew from Owen to Daddy and back again. “I—” he tried, but Owen just shook his head, tears welling and spillingdown his cheeks. Shit. Ev wrapped an arm around Owen’s shoulders, looking for Owen’s boyfriend. Where the hell was the guy who was supposed to be taking care of him?

Ev glanced back at Gabe, then shook his head. One crisis at a time. He could deal with his boss at work next week. It was probably a good idea anyway. If Ev said something now, he’d fuck it all up. Instead, he gave Daddy a final look, regretting everything about the last few hours, especially how much he’d liked what they’d done. How much he’d wanted more. Then he hurried Owen away, down the stairs, and out the doors to a waiting cab.

Monday was going to come way too soon, and it was going to be a disaster.

If this was thestart the new year was off to, it didn’t bode well for Ev—or for Owen. It took Ev the whole ride back to their apartment, but he got Owen to explain that he and Scott had some kind of disagreement. Scott had blown up at Owen, then left.

Owen had been devastated. In between offering his shoulder for Owen to cry on and cursing Owen’s hopefully ex-boyfriend to the pits of hell, Ev hadn’t had the heart to explain his own New Year’s fuckup or the fact that he might be getting fired on Monday. Owen didn’t need the extra stress. Instead, they’d turned off their cell phones and spent the weekend on the sofa,eating junk food and watching movies. Well, Ev watched while Owen curled in a miserable ball with all their spare blankets and napped off and on.

Ev was worried that Owen was bored with their Remy Dalton Action Movie Marathon, but Owen said it was fine. Remy was hot—hotter now that it had come out that he was gay—Owen was just tired. Ev didn’t think he’d ever be so tired that he’d sleep through Remy taking on the bad guys. It was crazy to think that his BFF, Finny, had met Remy and hung out with him. Ev was super jealous.

Now the weekend was over, and Ev wanted nothing more than to call out sick. Or dead. His best friend would help. Finny had helped him get the job in the first place. Ev could have Finny ask his boyfriend—who was also Gabe’s business partner—to tell Gabe that Ev had moved to Australia. Except Ev didn’t want to live in Australia. They had cyclones and wildfires and snakes. Really poisonous snakes.

Ev forced himself out the door by promising himself good coffee when he got to work. God, he hoped he didn’t get fired. He needed the money, and Finny would be disappointed if this job ended the same way the last one did. Maybe Ev could convince Gabe it hadn’t been him at the club. He could totally create a mysterious twin that no one had met before and would never meet again. He would call him Bob.

In the lobby of the DeCain PR building, he detoured into the tiny coffee shop, inhaling the aroma of strong, dark beans and chocolate. “Morning, Ev,” Natalie called from behind thecounter. He gave her a wave and eyed the pastry case as he waited in the short line. Ooh. She had donuts this morning. The big, fat bakery ones that were the size of his whole hand and dusted with the perfect coating of crunchy sugar. He had a weakness for sugary bread.

He went to play with his labret piercing, but remembered at the last minute he’d replaced it with the tiny flesh-toned one for work. He’d learned the hard way that people didn’t take him seriously with facial piercings or when he had his hair styled in his preferred fauxhawk. So for the boring businesspeople, he kept his hair slicked down, covered his tattoos with a buttoned-up collar and long sleeves, and replaced his piercing with one that was nearly invisible unless you knew where to look. He’d even traded his contacts for glasses after a client at his last job wouldn’t stop talking about his eyes. They were just green. Which shouldn’t be a shock. He was a redhead—even if he wasn’t one of the ones with pale, ginger hair and freckles. His was a deeper color, and people liked to ask if it was natural. Ev liked to tell those people they were welcome to check…and see if their minds went straight into the gutter.

“Just your order today, or would you like Mr. Diaz’s as well? He hasn’t been in yet,” Natalie asked when Ev reached the counter.

Hmm. That might be a way to smooth things over. He’d had Ev pick up his coffee a few times before. “Can I get two of those donuts too?” he asked, pulling out his card. He had a company card, but it felt weird to use it without asking first.

He paid and moved down the counter to watch as she made his boss’s boring soy latte and his own raspberry mocha with whipped cream and an extra shot. He could almost taste the sweet, sugary goodness. His stomach rumbled.

“Is one of those for me?” a smooth voice asked from behind him, close enough that the hair on Ev’s arms stood on end and a shiver went down his spine. He blamed the volume in the club for not recognizing it the other night. This time, his dick perked up, and Ev bit his tongue until his eyes watered, holding back a whimper.Daddy.

---