Chapter Six - Gabe

That could have gone better.

Granted, fucking Ev before talking to him had been a mistake, but Gabe hadn't been thinking clearly. The boy had been pushing Gabe's buttons, thinking he was safe from consequences when he was anything but. It had been immensely satisfying to bend him over the desk and do exactly what Ev had been begging for.

Except it had backfired. Ev's face had gone from dazed and rosy with pleasure to pale and horrified in a moment. And then he'd run. Goddammit.

Gabe shoved a hand through his hair, then sighed. Well, nothing to do now but deal with the consequences of his actions. Of course, that meant actually talking to Ev, and Gabe knew better than to let it wait until morning. That would only give his boy more time to panic.

He collected Ev's phone from the sofa and shut down his laptop. Well, that was as good of an excuse to track him down as any. Ev would need his phone before the morning.

It took a few minutes to pull up Ev's address in his employee file. A quick call to his driver, and Gabe was on his way across town. Luckily, traffic was moderate this time of night.

His boy lived in a sixth-floor walk-up, and Gabe's thighs burned by the time he reached the door. If he had to climb those stairs on a regular basis, he could skip the leg press at the gym. He knocked, then waited, turning Ev's phone over and over in his hand and wondering what he was going to say to fix this mess.

Finally, the door opened, the chain still in place, and Gabe caught sight of a blue eye and a head of curly blond hair that was very much not his missing boy.

"Apologies. I'm looking for Everett Bailey? Ev?"

The door shut. All right, then. Gabe checked the number on the wall against what he'd saved in his phone. He was in the right place. He reached up to knock again, but before he could, the door swung open all the way. The boy inside was dressed in an oversized sweatshirt that was long enough to make it unclear if he was wearing shorts or not. It took a moment for Gabe to place him as Ev's friend from the club who must also be his roommate. What was his name?

"Ev's not home."

Owen. That was it. "I probably beat him here." He held up the phone. "He forgot this."

Owen blinked big blue eyes at him. "Oh." He held out his hand. "I'll give it to him. Thanks."

Hmm. That wasn't going to work. He kept the phone out of reach. "Actually, I'd rather wait, just in case. I'm concerned about him traveling in the city without it. I'd prefer knowing he's home safe." He gestured into the apartment. "If it's all right with you?"

Owen heaved a silent sigh but nodded. "Of course, Sir. Please come in."

The honorific gave Gabe pause before he realized that Owen only recognized him from the club. Ev must have kept their other connection to himself. He let Owen show him into the small living area. Their apartment was tight on space, but what they did have, they used well. There were two doors. Through one, Gabe could see a bedroom, and the other, a bathroom. A heavy curtain sectioned off the sitting area from what appeared to be a second sleeping space. He moved a video game controller and settled on one end of the sofa. On the other end, Owen seemed to have set up camp with several blankets, empty glasses, and a bowl of melting ice cream. A stuffed bunny that had seen better days was perched on the center cushion.

"Can I get you something to drink, Sir?" Owen asked, already walking into the kitchen. "We have beer, soda, and juice. And water, of course."

"Water would be great, thanks." Gabe picked up the stuffie to get a closer look at its worn fur and kind face. "Who's this?"

Owen set a glass of water on the coaster in front of Gabe then reached out and took the bunny from him, hugging it to his chest. "I'm sorry, but I'm a little confused. How is it that you have Ev's phone? He was working late tonight."

"I guess you don't know who I am."

Owen's brow furrowed. "Master Jack said you're an old friend of his and that you help out the club from time to time."

Gabe nodded. "That's true. I'm also Ev's boss. He's my PA."

Owen's eyes went wide. "You're Gabe. Oh crap."

Gabe had to chuckle. "Oh crap is probably right. He and I had a bit of a misunderstanding this evening, and we need to talk it over. That's why I came here."

Owen was about to respond when a key scraped in the lock, and the door swung open. Ev took two steps inside before he spotted Gabe and froze like a startled deer.

Gabe stood, keeping his posture as nonthreatening as possible. "You forgot your phone at the office."

Ev didn't seem to have a reply to that. He opened his mouth and closed it again. Then he turned to Owen.

Owen dropped the bunny back on the sofa and hurried over to Ev, then began speaking in his ear, quiet and rapid.

Ev nodded several times and seemed to relax, albeit slowly. "Yeah. Okay," he said finally.

Owen gave his arm a squeeze, and then, with a warning look at Gabe, he went to the back bedroom and closed the door with a click.

Ev took off his coat and tossed it over a stool at the kitchen counter, looking anywhere and everywhere except at Gabe. "Thanks. For bringing my phone. You didn't need to wait. I'll, um, see you at work tomorrow. I guess." He paced into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water, chugging and then refilling it. "Unless you're here because I'm fired. In which case, I'll leave you alone."

"Ev," Gabe said, keeping his voice neutral. "Come sit with me, please." He patted the cushion beside him.

Ev looked ready to jump out of his skin, but he did as Gabe asked, settling on the sofa and dragging the bunny into his arms. "Okay. I'm sitting."

Gabe bit back a chuckle, sure it wouldn't be taken well. "Thank you." He relaxed and stretched one arm along the back of the sofa in Ev's direction. "How are you feeling?"

Ev's face went blank with surprise then he frowned. "What?"

Gabe shifted closer but stopped when Ev swayed away from him. "We had what I'd call a pretty intense scene, and then you ran. It would be irresponsible of me not to check on you."

Ev flopped against the back of the sofa and tucked his chin to his chest, making it difficult to read his expression. "Is that why you're here? Look, I'm fine. I'll be great if we could just pretend none of this ever happened." He gestured between them. "Like, total amnesia would be stellar if we could manage that."

Gabe wasn't sure why he'd expected anything else. Ev's reaction made it clear he regretted what they'd done. But if that was the case, Gabe didn't understand why he let it go on as long as he had. "I think I'm going to need an explanation first, boy."

A muscle in Ev's jaw jumped as he clenched his teeth and took a steadying breath. "Don't. Don't call me that. I'm not your ‘boy.'"

Wonderful. This was going swimmingly already. "Fair enough, Ev. Let's start with you explaining why you kept your identity a secret. Or should I guess?"

Ev puffed up, his eyes narrowing. "You're one to talk. When did you realize it was me? 'Cause it definitely wasn't tonight."

"The night we watched Max's demo," Gabe answered easily. "I'll admit the tattoos and piercings threw me off at first, but I'm not blind." He brushed a finger along the stem of Ev's glasses. "And you're not Clark Kent," he teased.

Ev flushed to the tips of his ears, and Gabe wasn't sure if it was from embarrassment or anger. "That was two weeks ago."

Gabe shrugged. "I figured I'd let you take the lead."

Ev surged to his feet and started pacing around the small living room, which amounted to four steps in any direction before he needed to turn. "Take the lead? What does that even mean?" He threw up his hands, then dragged them through his hair, making it stand on end. "Fuck. Fuck, this is such a fucking disaster."

Gabe stood and put himself in Ev's path, catching him by the shoulders to stop his increasingly frantic movements. "Talk to me. I need to understand what you're upset about. It can't be that I didn't come clean, because you knew before I did."

Ev pulled back halfheartedly but gave up when Gabe didn't let him go. "I swore I wasn't going to sleep with you," he snapped, turning his face away and glaring at the wall.

Gabe's brow arched. "Swore to who?" He couldn't imagine Xavier had anything to do with this. If he'd had concerns he would have approached Gabe about it, not Ev.

"Myself," Ev bit out, his blush deepening until his face nearly matched his hair. "I fucking swore to myself I wouldn't do this again." His voice cracked on the last word and he ducked his head, but not before Gabe saw the way his eyes went misty. Shit. Gabe wasn't qualified for tears.

"I assume ‘this again' is sleeping with your boss?"

Ev barked out a laugh. "Good guess." He swiped at his eyes, and when he looked up again, the tears were thankfully gone. "I freaked when you took your mask off, but then you didn't realize it was me and I thought everything would be fine. I could just forget it ever happened. It was nothing."

Ouch. Gabe tried not to take that personally.

"But then it happened again, and I thought, ‘No more. That was the last time.' Except when I looked you up on Exchange to block you, I fucked up again and sent you a message."

"I see," Gabe said, even though he didn't.

Ev shook his head. "No, you don't." He pulled away and started pacing again, his words getting faster, emphasized by his flailing hands. "Back in Chicago, I was in a relationship with my boss. I thought things were good. He wasn't a perfect Daddy, but he tried." Ev snorted. "I thought he was trying. But then I found out it was all bullshit. He cheated on me every chance he got. Then, when I broke things off, the asshole fired me. Some Daddy, right?" He gave a harsh laugh. "I swore I wasn't putting myself in a situation like that ever again. And what do I do first chance I get?" He waved an arm in Gabe's direction. "I fuck it all up." Ev's voice shook. He was doing his best to hide behind a wall of cynicism, but Gabe could still hear the bubbling hurt.

Gabe took a calming breath and bit back the rant that he wanted to unleash. If there was one thing he despised more than infidelity, it was someone calling himself a Daddy who had no right to the title. It wasn't surprising that Ev was still recovering from the betrayal. At the same time, Gabe wasn't pleased to hear he was being lumped in with Ev's former boss. He would turn himself over to Max's tender mercies before he betrayed a partner like that. But how Gabe felt was neither here nor there. His word wasn't the reassurance Ev needed. "All right," he said, returning to his spot on the sofa, leaving space next to him. "What do you propose we do?"

Ev hesitated, flicking his tongue against his lower lip and scrunching his nose in indecision. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he sighed. "Maybe I should find a new job," he suggested as he dropped down onto pile of blankets next to Gabe.

"No," Gabe said easily. "That's not an option."

Ev stared at him, incredulous. "Uh. Yeah. It is."

"You're a good PA, and I don't feel like going through the hassle of replacing you. What else?"

Ev's mouth twisted like he wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or scowl. "Well. Then I guess we just need to keep things professional. Stop messaging on Exchange. Stop seeing each other at the Edge. Stop—" His cheeks flushed.

"Stop fucking?" Gabe offered with a wink.

Ev huffed a laugh, but it held more bitterness than humor. "And stop calling you ‘Daddy' in my head."

That was a splash of cold water that Gabe would have preferred to avoid. Sadly, Ev was right. Gabe would need to think of him by his name and not as his boy. Because he wasn't. Not anymore.

"I suppose it's for the best. You really are excellent at your job. I would hate to lose you over a silly misunderstanding."

Ev shifted and looked away, fingers gripping the blanket he was sitting on until his knuckles went white. "Right. I'm glad we agree."

Gabe shut down the warning bells in his head. He hadn't been looking for a relationship—they were messy and time-consuming. But despite his initial reluctance, he'd gotten attached to having a personal assistant, and finding someone to replace Ev would be inconvenient. Particularly right before the event in LA. Stopping things now, before they got in too deep, was the best of both worlds.

Gabe was on his way to the door when he paused and turned back. Ev was still on the sofa, head down, his shoulders hunched as he picked at a thread on one of the blankets. "One last question," Gabe said, making Ev look up in surprise. "Why hide yourself at work? You've seen some of the others. Neither Xavier nor I have an issue with piercings, tattoos, or…interesting fashion choices."

Ev touched the spot below his lip where his piercing usually sat, then shrugged. "People didn't take me seriously before. I got tired of being brushed aside for people who looked more…grown-up."

"Well," Gabe said, "from now on, I want you to be yourself. And if anyone treats you poorly because of it, you let me know and I'll handle it."

The sweet smile Ev gave him at that was almost worth the fact that he didn't get the "Thank you, Daddy" that was so clearly being left unsaid.

Professional. Right.

Nothing could possibly go wrong.

What Gabe hadn't thought through the previous night was that Ev "being himself" meant the person who showed up in the office the next morning wasn't his slightly conservative and buttoned-up PA. Gabe's breath caught when Ev walked in like he owned the world. His hair was swept up in the fauxhawk that was so much more natural on him than the slicked-down look. He'd left his lip piercing in, highlighting his pouty lower lip in a way that made Gabe want to suck on it. Gabe had never seen Ev's eyes in the light without his glasses. They were dark-lashed and distractingly green.

He'd applied Gabe's request that he be himself to his wardrobe as well, and instead of the usual collared shirt and tie, he was wearing a black shirt with a deep V neck, topped with a black blazer that he'd rolled up to the elbows to show off his tattoos. He looked positively edible, and if it weren't for the promise to keep things professional, Gabe would have dragged him into his office, locked the door, and kept his boy to himself all day. Except, he reminded himself yet again, Ev wasn't his.

Ev had caught his lower lip between his teeth when he saw Gabe, the need for approval clear. Gabe had kept his filthy thoughts to himself and settled for a nod that made Ev's eyes light up. Gabe told himself that his satisfaction was just about wanting to see his employees comfortable. Nothing else.

The morning was a wash. Everyone and their assistant had heard about his PA's transformation. They'd had a steady stream of visitors popping in to "ask a quick question" that could have more easily been handled through email.

Fortunately, by lunch, things had settled back into a semblance of normal. Gabe hung up with a prospective new hire, and a minute later, Ev stuck his head in. "You have ten until your next appointment. Do you want to go over the updates to the LA event?"

Gabe waved him in. The trip was still a week off, but with so many moving parts, it was important that everyone stayed on the same page. Ev approached the desk and leaned past Gabe to pull up the spreadsheet. The movement gave Gabe an excellent view down the gaping vee of Ev's shirt to a pierced nipple that was begging to be tugged on. It took all Gabe's restraint to keep from doing just that. His thoughts slid to the way Ev looked, head back, spine arched, writhing on Gabe's cock while Gabe teased his nipples until he came.

Ev stood again, and Gabe shook himself out of the memory so they could focus on the job at hand.

"Since Remy Dalton is attending, I wanted to double-check we have enough security on board. Asher said he tends to attract attention."

Gabe clenched his jaw at the way Ev said Remy's name. He hadn't shown a tendency to starstruck-ness so far, but there were always exceptions. "He's too old for you."

Ev's face went red to the tips of his ears, and he blinked at Gabe a few times. "Uh. I know that?" He flicked his tongue against his lip stud in a way that Gabe found exceptionally distracting.

Gabe jerked a nod and turned back to the spreadsheet. "Call Martin and have him add two more plain-clothes to the roster, just to be safe."

Ev made a note, a frown creasing his forehead.

"And tell Asher to make sure the people at the door have the updated guest list."

Ev grunted an affirmative.

"Also, check that the hotel is prepared with alternative exits. And the staff knows they've signed NDAs."

Ev didn't move.

"Are you writing this down?" Gabe asked dryly, arching an eyebrow.

A muscle in Ev's jaw jumped. "I don't need to. You're telling me things that were done weeks ago," he said, his voice deceptively calm but his shoulders tense.

"You should still—"

"I know how to do my job, Mr. Diaz," Ev bit out. "And I don't appreciate you implying that I don't—or that I have any intentions toward Remy Dalton. Not that it would be any of your business if I were interested."

"As your employer—"

"Remy isn't your client. He's Xavier's. And even if he weren't, your employee handbook is very understanding when it comes to relationships. It's pretty much ‘inform HR, and it's all good.' Trust me, I checked. And I may not have told HR about us—for obvious reasons—but don't think I won't go to them if you start punishing me for turning you down."

Ev's hands were trembling, and his cheeks flushed with anger. Gabe watched as Ev clenched and released his fists and took deep, even breaths. Finally, when he stopped looking like he was going to shake out of his skin or bolt from the room, Gabe said, "I'm sorry. I was out of line."

Ev met his eyes, his own wide and a little bit wild. "Oh—" He stopped and cleared his throat. "Okay. So, if we're done here, can I please get back to work?"

"One last thing," Gabe said, clicking over to the reservation schedule. "Have a driver pick you up and get you to the airport. I don't want you on public transportation that early in the morning."

Ev looked down at him, surprise replacing the last of the wildness in his eyes. "It's not a big deal. I'm used to the subway."

Gabe waved him off, keeping his voice casual. "It'll be faster. And you won't be hauling your suitcases up and down the stairs or across subway platforms."

Ev's eyebrows went up higher. "It's three days. I won't have suitcases, just a carry-on."

"The party is formal, Everett. You can't shove your suit into a carry-on."

Ev took a step back, and Gabe regretted the use of his full name. Gabe knew better. "I have to be there? I'm just a PA," Ev asked, horror in his voice.

Gabe tried not to smile, he really did, but Ev caught his amusement and scowled again, crossing his arms over his chest defensively. "Accompanying me is part of your job, Ev. If I have to be there, so do you. But don't worry, you won't be put on the spot with the clients. That's on me. Now, do you have something to wear?"

Ev wrinkled his nose, then heaved a sigh and shrugged. "I'll come up with something."

That didn't sound promising. He pushed a pencil and a notepad in Ev's direction. "Write down your measurements. I'll take care of it."

Ev's mouth quirked up, the last of the uncomfortable tension draining from the room. "You remember I'm your PA, right? I'm the one who ‘takes care of' these things."

Gabe narrowed his eyes in a playful glare. "Well, do your job, then. But use the company credit card."

Ev shook his head a little. "All right. They're basically work clothes, so I'm not going to argue with that. What's my budget?"

"Just get whatever you need. You know which events are formal. The accountants will expense it."

Ev rolled his eyes. "Okay, so it's cool if I spend ten grand?"

Gabe's hand shot out and caught Ev by the elbow, making him startle. "I trust you," he said, sliding his hand over Ev's tattooed forearm and down to circle his wrist. "Buy what you need. If you spend ten grand, I'll assume it was necessary." He gave Ev's wrist a squeeze, watching as his eyes went a little hazy. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir," Ev replied, his throat bobbing as he swallowed.

Gabe released him, keeping the "good boy" locked behind his lips. See? He was perfectly capable of being professional.