Page 44 of Something Unprofessional

Finny made a sound next to him, but Ev was too distracted bypancakesto worry about it.

Daddy sighed. “Please don’t make yourself sick, tiger. We have a lot planned for today, and I don’t want you to miss out because you gave yourself a stomachache.”

Ugh. Why did Daddies have to have good points? Ev gave his plate a mournful look. Crap. Fine. He pushed his plate toward Daddy and watched as Daddy transferred half the pancakes to a separate plate.

“If you’re still hungry after you finish these, you can have the rest.”

That made Ev feel better about the whole situation, and he accepted his food back with a smile. “Thank you, Daddy.” He dove into his food for real this time, and it turned out Daddy had been right—dammit—and he didn’t need the other half of his breakfast after all. The pancakes were super rich and filling.

As he was licking some of the whipped cream off his fork, Finny leaned in and whispered in his ear. “I thought you said you weren’t going to date Gabe?”

Ev shrugged and stole a piece of bacon that Finny clearly wasn’t going to finish. “I’m not. I mean, we’re not. Dating.” He crunched on the bacon. “It’s just a kink thing.”

Finny’s forehead creased in confusion. “What does that mean? You call him Daddy and he tells you not to make yourself sick, but you aren’t together?”

His sweet, innocent BFF. Finny was adorable, but really new when it came to—well, a lot of things. But kinky stuff, especially. “It means we do the fun stuff, without all the relationship stuff.” He leaned closer and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “My ass is so sore right now. I’mlucky this chair is padded.”

Finny’s eyes went big, and his cheeks flushed as red as Ev’s hair. “He—” Finny’s voice dropped to a whisper that Ev had to strain to hear. “He spanked you?”

Ev grinned. “Until I cried,” he confirmed. “It was awesome. Best spanking ever. I’m going to have Daddy’s handprints on my butt for a week. Wanna see?”

Xavier cleared his throat, catching Ev’s attention. “Why don’t we save the rest of that conversation for another time, hmm?” He nodded to the waiter, who Ev hadn’t noticed refilling their waters. The guy looked a little flustered, but Ev didn’t see the issue. It was New York. He was sure the guy had heard worse, and it wasn’t like Ev had pulled his pants down at the table to show Finny his pretty, purpling bruises.

“Maybe it’s time we did presents,” Daddy cut in, seeming way less concerned about the conversation than Xavier. But then, Daddy was more used to Ev than Xavier was.

Wait.

Presents?

He bounced in his seat, then froze. Owwww. Fuuuck. Bad move, Ev.

Daddy caught what happened a moment before the others and huffed an exasperated laugh. “On second thought, let’s head back to the apartment first. If only to stop our poor waiter’s ears from bleeding.”

Ev tore into thecolorful paper and sent it flying. “Oh my god!” he shouted as he held up the brand-new Xbox console. “Best. Birthday.Ever!” He hugged the box to his chest, then put it carefully aside before crawling across the sofa, over Finny, and into Daddy’s lap to hug him as tight as he could. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Daddy laughed and hugged him back. “You’re welcome, tiger.” He kissed Ev’s forehead. “There are a couple of games in that other bag, but if you want something different, we can go to the store and exchange them.”

“They’re perfect,” Ev insisted, even though he hadn’t seen them yet. He didn’t want Daddy to think he wasn’t grateful. He snuggled closer, his knees on either side of Daddy’s hips and his face tucked into the warm curve of Daddy’s neck. An Xbox from Daddy and a super-cool new smartwatch from Finny and Xavier. Today couldn’t get more perfect.

Daddy started rubbing his back in firm circles, and Ev sighed happily. He had the best Daddy ever. “We have a few hours before the next thing. Do you want me to set it up, then you and Finn can play some?”

Ev nodded but didn’t lift his head. Yeah. That sounded good. In a minute anyway. Right now, he just wanted to cuddle. Daddy didn’t seem opposed. His hand didn’t stop its circles, and his breathing stayed steady—Ev could feel it where their chests were pressed together.

Xavier and Daddy started talking about work, of all things, so Ev figured he was safe to staywhere he was for a while. He peeked out and caught Finny’s eye just as he lifted a hand to hide a yawn. “Are you tired, sweetheart?” Xavier asked. “We were up early.”

“Just a little,” Finny admitted. “I’ll be okay.”

Xavier’s voice was skeptical. “It’s going to be a long day. Why don’t we swing by the condo for a little so you can nap?”

“He can nap here,” Daddy offered. “I think this one could use some sleep too.” He poked Ev’s ribs just enough to make a whine of complaint leave his throat. “Trust me, tiger. You want to be rested up for later.”

Ev huffed. “Can I nap with Finny?”

He didn’t see Daddy’s reaction, but Finny giggled. “I don’t mind.”

“Watch out for his octopus arms,” Daddy warned. “I think I’ve almost been asphyxiated twice.”

Well, how rude! Ev didn’t even have to move to get back at Daddy for that one. He just opened his mouth andbit.

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