Chapter Nine - Ev

It took Ev a few minutes to convince himself to leave the bathroom after his shower. He'd changed into comfy pants and a tee like Gabe told him, but he was starting to second-guess this plan. He needed this—needed to get out of his head and stop obsessing over the last few hours—he needed a break. But what if letting Gabe take over screwed things up more than it helped? What if it messed with Ev's head too much? What if Gabe saw him differently after? What if—

Fuck it. Ev screwed up his courage and left the bathroom. When he stepped into sight, Gabe gave him one of those approving nods. The ones that made his whole body warm. It melted some of the tightness in his chest. Nothing was better than the rush of getting something right, even if it was something as little as putting on the clothes Daddy asked for. With an extra spring in his step, Ev went to climb back on the bed and oh. His Switch was out. He snagged the controller. Gabe had connected it to the flat-screen, and his game was cued up. This TV was so much bigger than the one at home. Awesome. A video game marathon was exactly what he needed to get his mind off things. Ev settled cross-legged in the middle of the bed and hit start. He barely registered Gabe ducking into the bathroom and the shower turning on again. The game world opened up in front of him and sucked him in.

Someone was knocking on the door, but Ev was way too busy to get it. He was almost at the end of the level. It was fine, though. Daddy was out of the shower.

"Pause your game, tiger. It's time to eat."

Bummer. "Yes, Sir," Ev sighed. As he turned away from the TV, his eyes went wide. "Ice cream before dinner, Daddy?" he mock-gasped, clutching his invisible pearls. "Isn't that against the rules?"

Daddy smiled and set the bowl and spoon in front of Ev. "Are you saying you'd rather have melted ice cream?" he asked in his most serious Daddy voice.

Ev squinted thoughtfully. "Wouldn't that just be a milkshake?"

Daddy narrowed his eyes right back at him. "Well, if you want to wait…" He reached for Ev's bowl.

Ev leaned away and quickly scooped up a big spoonful of ice cream—complete with chocolate sauce and whipped cream—and shoved it into his mouth. His eyes slid shut, and he let out a groan of pleasure that turned into a pained whine. "Oww, brain freeze," he complained, rubbing his forehead vigorously.

Daddy chuckled as he settled on the edge of the bed with his own, much smaller, dessert. "The most natural of consequences."

Ev huffed and licked the back of the spoon, chasing the bits of chocolate he'd missed. "Worth it, though," he declared.

Daddy just shook his head and murmured something that sounded like, "Such a tease."

Ev ignored that. It was Daddy's own fault if his mind went dirty places. Ev was just eating ice cream over here. Though Daddy was one to talk! He was a tease too in his loose gray sweats. Don't think it got by Ev that he wasn't wearing anything under them. He sneaky-sneaked another look, licking his lips at the thick outline of—

"Everett," Daddy said, his voice stern with warning.

Ev pasted on his most innocent face. "Yes, Daddy?"

Daddy gave him a look that sent shivers down his spine. "Do we need to have a discussion about consequences?"

Ev flicked his tongue against his piercing. As much as Ev loved a good spanking, he wasn't in the mood tonight, so he shook his head. "I'll be good, Daddy. I just want to eat pizza and play my game and snuggle."

Daddy's gaze softened. "We can absolutely do that."

Ev gave a happy little wiggle and finished his ice cream. The spoon rattled when he dropped it back in the empty bowl. "How much pizza can I have?" he asked as Daddy stood and took the bowl from him. A minute later, the open pizza box was on the bed between them.

"As much as you want," Daddy said.

Ev grinned and grabbed the biggest slice, taking a huge bite. "You're th'best Daddy ever," he said around crisp crust and ooey-gooey cheese.

Daddy chuckled as he slid his own slice onto a plate. Ev gave him the stink eye, but luckily, Daddy didn't try to eat with a knife and fork. Ev would have had to put his foot down if that happened. Pizza was not fork food. That was a fact.

Ev scooched over until he was close enough to lean against Daddy's shoulder. In response, he got a kiss to the top of his head. Ev grinned in triumph, then he had a thought. "Did you get sauce in my hair, Daddy?"

Daddy just laughed.

This whole night was just perfect. They'd cleaned up the pizza—well, Daddy had cleaned up while Ev was in the bathroom getting grease off his fingers and sauce off his cheek—and now Daddy was leaning against the headboard, reading something on his phone. Ev had claimed the spot between his legs, his back to Daddy's chest and one of Daddy's strong arms wrapped around his waist.

Ev was doing his best not to jostle Daddy, but this part of his game was really, really intense. He was so close. He leaned to the left. Oh crap! No-no-no. He flicked the controls, dodging right. Just a little more…

Daddy groaned in Ev's ear, his arm tightening.

Ev went still and licked his lips. Was that—? He wiggled again experimentally and got a bitten-off curse in reply. Yep. Ev's cheeks went warm. That was Daddy's hard cock digging into his spine. He lowered his controller, suddenly much less interested in what was happening on the screen. "Um. Daddy?" he asked, feeling a little shy.

"It's okay, tiger," Daddy said, his lips near Ev's ear.

Ev swallowed hard and tried not to squirm. "Is that— Do you want—" He dropped a hand to Daddy's thigh.

Daddy caught his hand before Ev could do anything more and drew it up, pressing a kiss to the back of it. "Not tonight," Daddy replied, his voice rough.

Ev bit his lip, something shriveling up in his chest. "Sorry, Daddy," he managed to whisper.

Daddy brushed his lips to Ev's hand a final time, then lifted him and set him on his own side of the mattress. "None of that, baby," Daddy said, "You keep doing what you're doing. Daddy will be right back."

Ev watched him cross the room, the bathroom door shutting with a click behind him and the water turning on.

Ev's eyes stung. He'd been staring at the screen for too long, that was all. Sometimes he forgot to blink. He shut off the game and set the controller on the nightstand. He took slow, even breaths as he listened for the water to turn off. It was okay. It would be okay. Daddy hadn't been mad or anything. He'd said no, and that was okay.

Ev shivered. It was colder in the room than he'd realized. He crawled under the blankets and curled up, carefully staying on his side of the bed. It would be okay.

Ev woke up with the sun in his eyes and a twisting in his gut. For a minute, he thought he might have had too much to drink again. Then he remembered. Ice cream and pizza and Daddy. Fuck. He dragged the pillow, which smelled distractingly of Gabe, over his head and tried to smother himself with it. What part of stay away from his boss was so fucking difficult for his brain to comprehend?

Ev dug himself out from under the covers and was relieved to find that—though he was on Gabe's side of the bed again—he was alone. It was late enough that Gabe had probably gone down to the gym. Ev took the opportunity to get dressed and head off in search of breakfast. Their first meeting wasn't for another hour, and with any luck, Ev could avoid the morning-after awkwardness.

Had he really spilled his guts to his boss about all of his so-called childhood trauma then dived headfirst into his middle space? God, how embarrassing was that? He'd probably sounded like a whiny brat who fell apart when things didn't go his way. He couldn't even blame alcohol for the word-vomit. He'd only had a couple drinks at the party.

Gabe had been way too nice about everything, getting Ev comfort food and letting him play video games until he felt better. Why did he have to act like such a perfect Daddy? Ev needed him to be off-limits. Ev was supposed to be keeping his distance. Instead, he was all twisted up and aching for more.

The sick feeling in his stomach wasn't easing. Ev was definitely regretting all of his life choices this morning.

He was just putting his shoes on when the door beeped and Gabe walked in, dressed in workout clothes as Ev had expected. His tank top had a dark vee of sweat down the front, and his skin was still rosy from exertion. And his shorts. Unf. Daddy had fantastic, thick, muscular thighs that Ev wouldn't mind having wrapped around his—no.

Ev turned back to his shoes.

"Morning," Gabe said, his back to Ev as he retrieved a change of clothes from the dresser.

"Mo-morning," Ev replied, trying to clear the raspiness from his throat. It didn't help.

"I already ate, so you should head down if you want to get something before we leave," Gabe called over his shoulders as he walked into the bathroom. The door closed behind him and the shower cut on, leaving Ev at a loss, standing in the middle of the room and waiting for the other shoe to drop. Was that it? Was Gabe just going to ignore everything that had happened the night before? Ev blew out a breath. That was good, right? It was what they'd agreed on. Professional was what Ev wanted—had insisted on.

He texted Finn on his way downstairs, but his friend was just waking up and had a lazy morning planned with his Daddy. No big deal. Ev was perfectly fine eating on his own and wallowing in his misery.

The buffet was filled with sizzling-hot deliciousness, and Ev went a little overboard. Then he found a table near a window with a view of the pool. He bit into a slice of perfectly crispy bacon as he watched the sunlight glint on the water. It was crazy to think they'd left the icy cold in New York only the day before yesterday and would go back to it on Monday. Ev didn't mind the winter, and New York was a hell of a lot better than Chicago, but there was something to be said for low seventies and sunny in January.

Ev was tackling his blueberry muffin when Remy dropped into the empty seat across from him. Ev stared at the tanned, blue-eyed man, completely at a loss. Did you just say good morning to a god?

"I hear I owe you an apology," Remy said, biting into a half-peeled banana as he sprawled back in the chair, knees wide, his head propped up on his fist.

Ev's mouth opened and then closed again. "For what?" he finally managed.

Remy eyed him, expression serious. "Finn chewed me out for last night. He said I put you on the spot by convincing you to play, and you don't like being the center of attention like that."

Ev stared, dumbfounded. "Sorry. Finny chewed you out? My little Finny, who lets people cut in line at the grocery store because he doesn't like confrontation?"

Remy flashed his perfect teeth in a smile that made Ev feel a little off-balance. "He doesn't seem to have an issue when he's defending his friends."

Ev shook his head to clear it, bemused. "It's fine. I'm sure people were more interested in Kelsey than they were in some piano player in the background anyway."

Remy winced. "I guess you haven't been checking social media this morning. I think it's safe to say the two of you went viral."

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, and the 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 good thing, Ev told himself for the millionth time. He needed to do this. He needed a reminder that there were 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, vodka tonic, 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.

He sighed. "Okay, so I have type. The Daddy type, clearly." He waved a hand in the vague direction of his hotel room. "And it always ends badly."

Remy frowned. "How so?"

"Well, the first guy turned out to be married with kids nearly my age, which, no shame if that's your thing, but it's not cool to lie about it. And the last guy cheated on me. Then when I broke up with him, he got pissed off and fired me." Ev held up his hands in a "what are you gonna do?" gesture.

Remy made a face. "What a piece of garbage." His expression turned thoughtful. "I gotta say, I can't see Gabe pulling anything like that. And if he did for some reason, Xavier wouldn't let him get away with it. The Daddy-types I know are all overprotective as fuck. It doesn't seem to matter if the boy is theirs or not—they aren't letting anyone get away with that shit."

Remy was right, and he wasn't the first person to say it, but that didn't help with the rock that appeared in his gut every time those damn "what-ifs" popped into his head. He couldn't risk it. Could he?

Ev let himself into the room quietly, not that it mattered because Gabe was still at the desk. Ev paused in the doorway, just looking. The overhead lights were off, and Gabe was only lit by the desk lamp and his laptop screen. He'd discarded the jacket and tie from earlier, but he was still in his dress shirt and slacks. Ev really, really liked the way he filled out his suit.

After a while, Ev realized that Gabe wasn't going to acknowledge him. Which was fair. Ev wasn't all that pleased with himself either. He hung his jacket back in the closet and toed off his shoes before padding over to hover between the desk and the end of the bed. His palms were damp, so he rubbed them against his pants as he gathered the courage to say what he'd practiced all the way up in the elevator.

"Are you okay?" Gabe asked, breaking the silence just as Ev was about to start.

Instead of his rehearsed speech, Ev blurted out, "Yes, Daddy."

Gabe went still for a moment, then sighed and shut his laptop with a click. "Everett."

"I'm sorry," Ev said. Meaning it. He turned away and scrubbed his hands over his face. Why was this so hard? Why did he have to want things that he shouldn't?

Gabe sighed. "We can't go on like this."

Sudden dread made Ev break out in chills, his throat going tight. "What?" he managed to ask.

"You're scared," Gabe said, voice clipped. "You've had shitty experiences with people who shouldn't be allowed to call themselves Doms, much less Daddies. I don't blame you for protecting yourself."

Ev's nose stung, and he rubbed it vigorously to keep it from spreading. Before he could figure out what to say, Gabe's hands were on his hips, tugging him backward until he was in Gabe's lap.

Ev curled into him with a whimper of relief. He locked his arms around Gabe's neck and buried his face in Gabe's throat.

Daddy gathered him close, his arms strong and solid as they held Ev tight. "It's okay. We're going to figure it out," he murmured in Ev's ear.

Ev wasn't going to cry, dammit, but it was such a huge fucking relief to hear that. All he wanted was for Daddy to make it better. He didn't care about his stupid rules or his past or any of it. He needed Gabe to take over. To take charge and fix it.

"Look at me, tiger," Gabe said, his hands on Ev's shoulders, forcing him to sit back.

Ev released him and wiped at his eyes to remove any evidence of how off-balance he was before meeting Gabe's. He sucked on his piercing, trying to read what he was seeing, but he just didn't know Gabe well enough. Determination for sure, and something else. Concern, maybe.

"There's my boy," Gabe murmured, his hand moving to grip Ev's chin and hold him in place. The words made the ache in Ev's tummy bloom bigger.

"I'm sorry, Daddy," Ev said again, wanting to be sure Gabe understood his regret. But Gabe just shook his head.

"You don't owe me any apologies. Every one of our agreements was very clear, and you did nothing wrong."

Ev's tension left him so swiftly that he slumped. He didn't feel like that was entirely true, but if Daddy said it was, Ev wouldn't argue with him. He wiggled around until he was facing Gabe, his knees tucked along the sides of the chair and his butt on Daddy's thighs. "I don't know what to do," he admitted. "I tried to stay away, but I keep fucking it up."

The corners of Gabe's eyes creased in amusement. "I'm not much better. You're a very tempting boy."

That replaced some of the sick sloshing in Ev's belly with warmth. "Yeah?"

Daddy nodded. "What if we make another deal?"

Ev was nodding before Daddy finished talking. Yes. Anything.

"Everett," Daddy said sternly. "What did I tell you about agreeing before you're heard the terms?"

Ev blushed. Why did his full name sound so sexy when it came from Daddy's lips, but Ev couldn't stand it from anyone else? Daddy said it just right, with a little warning purr that made him shiver and his cock wake up in sudden interest. What was the question again? "Um…"

Daddy pressed his lips together like he was fighting a smile. "Ev," he said finally. "This is important. It isn't a decision I want you to make impulsively." His fingers on Ev's jaw loosened and slipped away, leaving Ev on his own.

Ev sighed. He got it. Grown-up decisions needed a grown-up mind-set, no matter how much Ev would rather let go and have Daddy take over the hard stuff. He straightened his posture and kept his hands, which had been roaming Daddy's—Gabe's—chest, to himself. "What's your proposal?"

There was that flash of amusement again. Ev elected to ignore it. "Our chemistry is clearly strong. And our kinks seem to line up well. But you've been burned by relationships with assholes whom I refuse to call Daddies," Gabe said, his eyes flicking between Ev's, studying his reaction. "And honestly, I'm not looking for anything serious either. So, let's take romance out of the equation. My proposal is a kink-only arrangement. At work, I'm your boss and you're my employee. Outside of work, we schedule times that are convenient for both of us to be Daddy and boy. If you feel uncomfortable, or you want it to stop, you safeword."

Ev's heart was doing something wild and painful in his chest, and he wasn't sure if he was still breathing. "Just like that?" he managed to ask. He could have the best of both worlds, just like that?

Gabe chuckled, and it sounded a little raw. "No, not just like that. We still need to discuss boundaries and limits."

Ev nodded. He'd played casually before. He knew how a scene worked. He gave Gabe a hesitant smile. "And punishments?" he asked hopefully.

Gabe chucked him under the chin in a total Daddy move. "Of course." He slid his arms around Ev's waist, and Ev let his head drop back to Gabe's shoulder.

He should say no. This had disaster written all over it, no matter how reasonable Gabe made it sound. But Ev also knew he couldn't. He wanted this too much to deny it any longer.

"Green, Daddy."