Page 37 of Something Unprofessional

Great. Just fucking perfect. That was exactly what Ev needed right now. He slumped and rubbed his forehead. He’d managed to stay invisible for six years, and now, he’d blown it all up in one moment of weakness. What if his parents saw it? That would be a fucking disaster. The last thing he said to them was that he wasn’t ever touching a piano again. Fuck. They’d probably take this as an invitation to track him down. He’d never wished harder for a Daddy to hold him and tell him that everything would be okay.

“Hey,” Remy said, leaning forward and putting a hand on Ev’s shoulder. “It’s not the end of the world. I promise. These things always die down after a few days if you don’t feed them.” He gave Ev an encouraging smile. From this close, it was difficult to ignore just how sexiest-man-alive attractive Remy was. He was the ultimate silver fox, with silver hair, the sexiest beard, andthe most gorgeous smile lines, though Ev was pretty sure he was only in his late forties.

Ev tried to look away, but it was a struggle. The blue of Remy’s gaze was really intense too, and Ev felt a little trapped. He’d never imagined having all that charisma focused on him. Okay, that wasn’t entirely true. He’d had more than one fantasy about this man when he was a kid, but those were just fantasies. They weren’t supposed to happen.

Remy’s eyes went half lidded, and his smile morphed into more of a smirk. Ev shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “Finn was right, you know. I did overstep. But I’d like to make it up to you, if you’ll let me?”

Ev’s mouth went dry. “Yeah?” he asked as his stomach did a flip that wasn’t entirely pleasant.

“Are you free tonight? Say, around eight?”

Ev’s throat was tight and his skin hot, but he nodded. “Yeah. We don’t have anything scheduled after dinner.”

“Perfect. How about you meet me in the bar? We can have a drink and see how we feel. Maybe find out where things go from there?”

Ev was pretty sure if he turned down a date with Remy Dalton, his thirteen-year-old self would never forgive him.

This was a goodthing, Ev told himself for the millionth time. He needed to do this. He needed a reminder that therewere men out there who weren’t his boss. Hot men, who might not ping his Daddy radar but were incredibly attractive, nonetheless. And seriously, when would he ever get another offer like this? It was Remy Dalton, for fuck’s sake. If Ev was going to have a hall pass in a relationship, it would have been for Remy—the man he’d had the hots for since he realized that he was more interested in dicks than anything girls had to offer.

He checked his hair one last time in the mirrored elevator doors, then stepped out into the lobby. He could feel eyes trailing him as he walked toward the bar. He knew he looked hot in his suit. It was one of the new ones Gabe had him buy. He’d worn it to the formal dinner they’d just returned from and only discarded his tie in the room, leaving the top few buttons of his shirt open as he headed down to meet up with Remy.

Gabe hadn’t so much as blinked when Ev had told him where he was going. He’d been settling down to finish up some work in the room and only reminded Ev to take his room key with him and that they had an early meeting in the morning.

Ev was pretending that didn’t sting. It was what he wanted, he reminded himself yet again. Gabe was adhering to Ev’s rules.

He spotted Remy at the bar, chatting with the bartender, and made his way over. “Hey.”

Remy turned and grinned, giving him a slow once-over. “Hey there, hot stuff.”

Ev flushed as Remy slipped an arm around his waist and kissed his cheek. The bartender set a glass in front of him, vodkatonic, the same thing he’d been drinking the other night. He wasn’t sure if Remy remembered or the bartender did.

“How was the party?” Remy asked. Earlier, Ev had learned that Remy had declined an invite to the event.

Ev shrugged. “It was okay. Kind of long, and I didn’t think the host would ever stop talking.”

Remy threw back his head and laughed. “Morgan’s been a fan of his own voice as long as I can remember. Why do you think I passed?” With a nod to the bartender, Remy used the arm around Ev to lead him to a nearby table.

Ev smiled and tried to engage in the conversation, but his brain wasn’t cooperating. Remy was great—and smoking hot in a blue V neck that set off his eyes—but Ev felt disconnected. Sure, he could easily have a few drinks and a lot of fun between the sheets, but something was missing. He wanted his Daddy.

The more Ev tried to ignore it, the larger the realization loomed. Eventually, he couldn’t put it off any longer.

“I’m sorry,” he blurted out. “This was a mistake.” His face burned with mortification. What the hell was wrong with him? Was he really going to shut down an opportunity to hook up with his childhood wet dream?

Yeah. Yeah, he was.

Remy surprised him by laughing. “I was wondering how long that would take.”

Ev blinked at him. “What?”

“Trust me, I’ve been around long enough to know when someone isn’t into it. I’m curious, though. Who is it that’s got you tied up in knots?”

Ev slumped in his chair, then snagged his drink and drained the last of it. “My freaking boss,” he mumbled into the bottom of the glass, hoping Remy wouldn’t push for more. He should have known better.

“Ah, Gabriel. I can see the appeal, though he’s a bit too do-as-I-say for my taste. I’m sure you know what I mean.” He gave Ev a wink that made some of his tension unwind. Thank fuck Remy was who he seemed to be and wasn’t going to give Ev a hard time about changing his mind.

“Unfortunately, I like it too much,” Ev admitted.

“So what’s the problem?” Remy asked, leaning forward and resting his chin on his raised fist. He seemed honestly curious, like he wouldn’t mind at all if Ev turned their date into a bitch session about his issues with his boss and Daddies in general. Ev decided to roll with it. He could use someone to vent to who wasn’t Finny.

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