They didn’t walk into work together. Evan wanted to. He wanted to show Simon off to everyone, as though they’d never seen him before.

It was Simon who had pointed out what a bad idea that was. He’d been lying naked in Evan’s bed, the sheets twisted around him, one leg bare in the cool morning, when he advised a note of caution.

“I think it’s risky,” he said.

“Says the guy who sucked me off in the middle of the public part.” Evan, busy with his tie, caught Simon’s eye in the mirror’s reflection. “Are we just going to have all our sex in public? Not that I’m objecting, I just think my dick got frostbit.”

“That didn’t seem to stop you when we got home,” said Simon. He put his hands behind his head, and Evan could have sworn he was showing off his chest and arms, like Simon was inviting him for one more roll in the hay before work. Evil tempter!

Last night had been as amazing as it had been exhausting. An empty box of condoms was there on the floor beside the bed, torn and empty wrappers scattered around it. The lube had lost its top at some point in the night, knocked over onto the floor, and what little of it was left was now soaking into the carpet.

The soreness in Evan’s muscles thrilled him. He hadn’t been this tired in years. Even moving all his stuff into this apartment in one night, hadn’t worn him out the way Simon had. And if what was poking up in that tangle of sheets was any indication, Simon was ready for more. It’s always the quiet ones, Evan said to himself with a smile.

“Come on, get dressed,” he said to Simon. “Time to be responsible again, remember?”

Simon threw his head back on the pillow. “Seriously, we can’t go in together. It’s one thing for us to be…well, us. But I don’t want to cause you more friction with your family.”

“I don’t care, Simon. I don’t want to keep you a secret.”

“I do care. There’s no way your uncle won’t use this against us. He’ll say you’re bringing shame on the family or something, and he’ll try to wedge us apart, and everyone will get hurt. I’m not saying it’s always got to be a secret. God knows you have enough of them to carry around already, and I don’t want to make it worse for you…but your uncle finding out right now will make it worse.”

Evan sat on the side of the bed, pulling on his socks. He stopped long enough to stroke Simon’s muscular calf. “You’re so wise. Fine. We won’t go in arm-in-arm, singing the praises of each other’s cocks.”

“Besides,” added Simon, “we’re at your apartment. I have to go home and change, if I don’t want to go to work in the same clothes I had on yesterday, except now with the bonus of smelling like your cum.”

“Eau du Evan,” he said, swatting Simon on the leg. “I’ll see you there, then. I’ll miss you, you strange creature.”

The Records Department might not have been the most bustling, exciting office in Cray Reliable, but today it was buzzing with electricity. Evan and Simon were being good boys, hard at work, but it was impossible not to look up every few minutes, catch Simon’s eye, and then they’d both start laughing. Evan had thought about joining Simon for his morning swim, and maybe some locker-room frolics, but Simon had absolutely forbidden it, leaving Evan pleasantly horny all morning, thinking of that sleek, powerful form moving beneath the water.

The weird thing was, even though Simon was constantly on his mind, he had to admit he was getting good at this job. He didn’t know how that worked. He’d never been very good at anything but spending money and drinking and throwing parties. But something about the records made sense. It was little things, like the way the accounting records were as far as possible from the patent records…because his dad had hated money, hated the way the company had to work as a business, instead of just a laboratory for him to play in. Simon was right, the whole department was a little like being inside his dad’s head.

So yeah, maybe not the best place to get all up on my new boyfriend, he thought, chuckling to himself as he filed a few more charts.

Every once in a while he’d just randomly open a drawer, pull out a file and study it. Copies of property deeds, memos about more efficient ways to handle the mailroom, invitations to conferences; everything found a place here.

Naturally, this being Evan’s life, this quiet camaraderie couldn’t last for long. There was a knock on the open office door, and they both turned to see who it was.

“Er, hi Uncle Archie,” said Evan.

Simon shot him a look, as though to say he never comes all the way down to the second floor.

“Evan, good to see you. And you as well…ah…er…Simon, is it?”

“Yes sir. Nice to see you again,” said Simon. So respectful. Evan would’ve rolled his eyes, had Archie not been standing right there.

“To what do we owe the honor?” asked Evan. He closed the file drawer he had been looking through.

Archie strode into the room like he owned the place. Which, Evan supposed, he did. Archie took in the cabinets, the dark doorway of the records room, the desks stacked high with papers. He barely managed to hide his look of disdain, and Evan had the strangest sense he was about to rub his finger on top of the cabinets to look for dust.

“At first I was going to call you up to my office,” his uncle said finally, “but then I thought, why not come see Evan in his element? See how things were going first-hand, as it were.”

“Swimmingly,” said Evan, waving at his stack of folders. “Much progress being made, lots of effort and responsibility being shown, I think you’ll agree.”

“He’s doing all right, my nephew?” Archie asked Simon.

Evan saw the fear in Simon’s eyes. But his new boyfriend was trying to be brave, under the gaze of the man who could ruin them both. “Yes sir, Mr. Cray. He’s learning really quickly.”

“I shouldn’t think there would be much to learn,” Archie said, picking up one of the folders and flipping through it.

Evan took the folder out of Archie’s hands and put it back on its proper stack. “It’s a lot like shopping,” he said, “but in reverse. Instead of pulling things off shelves, you’re putting them back, all in the right place.”

“Mm. Just so. And your new apartment, are you settling in well there?”

It was almost unavoidable, after last night: Evan glanced at Simon, and they both snickered. Archie’s gaze never wavered, taking them both in.

“Absolutely,” said Evan. “It’s slightly smaller than my old place—”

“Yes, I made sure of that.”

“Not quite so luxurious—”

“I had that particularly in mind.”

“But I think I’m making do nicely.”

Archie scowled, as though he weren’t sure if Evan was making fun of him. Then his face softened. “Very well. I have news for you. The board would like you to offer a presentation. Something small, but representing all you’ve learned about the company thus far. Something to show how you can contribute.”

Suddenly the tips of Evan’s fingers began to tingle, like a warning sign.

“A presentation?”

“You’ve had time now to see how the company operates, from the vantage point of Records. I’m sure you’ve thought of several ways things could be made more cost-efficient.” He glanced around. “Many, many ways.”

Why did it sound so foreboding? “And…after that, I get my trust fund back?”

Archie’s eyes grew narrow. “Consider this a first step on the road to getting it back.”

“But you said—”

“Are you going to argue with me, Evan? You should start working on this now, so you’ll be ready for the board meeting. Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll do well on this, and all future tasks we ask you to do, to get your little stipend back.”

With that, he turned and left.

They waited until his step had ceased echoing from the hall, but Evan poked his head from the office door just to make sure he was out of earshot, and then he turned to Simon.

“What am I going to do?”

Simon shook his head. “You’re going to make a presentation. What’s so hard about that?”

“Oh, come on, don’t be naive, this is part of Archie’s evil plan or something. There’s going to be some trick to it. I don’t know what it is, but I’m going to fail somehow at this.”

Simon put a comforting hand on Evan’s shoulder. “No, Evan, you’ve got this. I’ll help you. It’s going to be fine. You’re going to show them everything you’ve learned so far. Remember, this department, it’s like the nervous system of the whole company. It spreads out. It touches everything. All the board wants is some evidence you’re working hard, learning the business—and learning something to save them some money. You know how these guys are. Just propose, I don’t know, investing in LED bulbs in the subbasement or something like that, dress it up in big business-talk. Use the word proactive a lot.”

Evan laughed. He couldn’t help relaxing at Simon’s touch, and slid closer to him, until their bodies touched, at least as much as they dared, here in the office. “What would I do without you, Brave Simon?”

“Oh, stop.”

“I mean it. I’ve never met anybody like you before. I just…I’m happy about you, Simon.”

“That was an awkward way to phrase it.”

“Would it be more appropriate to say I love you?”

Simon gasped. “What?”

“I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t say it. Maybe it’s too soon. But dude, it’s how I feel. It’s not just the sex or anything, it’s all the stuff we talked about last night, too. It’s about how easy it is to be around you. How your instinct was to just help me there, a minute ago. I love your goodness, and your sexiness, and your…you. I love you.”

Simon melted against him. He put his cheek against Evan’s shoulder. “Oh my god, Evan. I don’t know what to say. This is all so new to me. But I feel it too. I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this, not in my entire life.”

His finger trailed across Evan’s chest. Evan didn’t even want to sleep with Simon, not right this second, he just wanted to hold him, and be held in return. Nothing could stop him, not with Simon by his side. All the Uncle Archies on earth could not defeat him, with this guy on his team.

He kissed Simon’s forehead. “Okay, boyfriend. We’ve got a lot of work to do.”