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Extra Bonus Chapter Twelve — Testing the Waters
publish date:
2026-03-11 17:57:55
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Inappropriate Conduct Extra Bonus Chapter 14 — Coming Clean
Bonus Chapter 14 — Coming CleanLevi's POVLevi had faced board meetings that could tank a company, hostile takeovers that left blood on the conference table, and the gray, quiet morning his father died without ever flinching.But standing outside Jamie’s apartment on a rainy Saturday morning, Avery’s hand warm and steady in his, he felt actual fear.Not the adrenaline kind that made him run or fight.The quieter, deeper kind—the fear that made him want to get this exactly right, because this mattered more than any deal or deadline ever had.Avery squeezed his fingers once—tight, reassuring, like she could feel the tremor he was trying to hide.“We’ve faced worse,” she whispered, voice barely carrying over the soft patter of rain on the awning above them. “Like that time the printer ate your quarterly report five minutes before the presentation.”Levi huffed a laugh despite the knot twisting in his chest.“Jamie’s scarier than a printer.”The door opened before he could raise his hand
Inappropriate Conduct Extra Bonus Chapter Thirteen — The First Argument
Chapter Thirteen — The First ArgumentAvery's POVAvery had always believed she was brave.She could face down difficult clients without flinching, call out bad ideas in packed meetings with calm precision, and tell Jamie the unvarnished truth even when the truth felt like broken glass in her throat. Bravery wasn’t something she summoned; it was her default setting, stitched into her spine years ago.But standing outside Levi’s loft at 7:12 p.m. on a Friday, plastic takeout bags cutting into her palms and a bottle of decent red wine tucked under her arm, she felt anything but brave.They’d agreed last night—quietly, between kisses—that the hiding ended here.No more slipping out of the office ten minutes apart.No more pretending their late-night “meetings” were strictly professional.No more treating this thing between them like it could be contained in supply closets and stolen weekends.Tonight was supposed to be simple: dinner at his place, no curfew, no alarm set for 5 a.m. to be
Inappropriate Conduct Extra Bonus Chapter Twelve — Testing the Waters
Chapter Twelve — Testing the Waters Levi's POVLevi had spent years mastering the art of distance.He kept people at arm’s length with polite smiles, clipped answers, and the kind of deliberate calm that made most assume he was cold rather than careful. It was a practiced skill, honed through too many betrayals and too many goodbyes. It had always worked—until it became second nature.Until Avery.Now that careful distance was shrinking every single day, eroding like sand under slow, persistent waves, and he had no idea how to rebuild the wall. He wasn’t even sure he wanted to.It had been ten days since their “not-date” at the quiet Italian place with the candlelight and the too-good Chianti. Ten days of moments that no longer felt stolen—they felt earned, almost ordinary in the best way. Ten days of texts that began with innocent work questions and drifted, inevitably, into “come over after this call?” or “still thinking about that tiramisu… or you.” Ten days of waking up with her
Inappropriate Conduct Extra Bonus Chapter Eleven: The First “Not-Date"
Chapter Eleven — The First “Not-Date" Avery's POV Avery Delgado did not do dates. She did drinks—quick, dirty martinis in dimly lit bars where conversation was optional. She did hookups—hot, urgent, no-strings nights that ended with her slipping out before sunrise. She did “let’s grab food after work” that inevitably concluded in someone’s bed, clothes scattered like evidence, no promises exchanged. She did **not** do nervous butterflies at 6:47 p.m. on a Thursday while standing in front of her closet like it had personally betrayed her. But here she was—half-dressed in black lace underwear she hadn’t worn in months, staring at a rack of black tops and dark jeans, heart doing stupid little flips because Levi had texted her at 5:32 p.m.: **Levi:** Dinner. 8 p.m. That Italian place on Halsted. Not a date. Just food. She’d stared at the message for two full minutes—thumb hovering, stomach twisting—before replying: **Avery:** Fine. But if you order salad I’m leaving. His reply ha
Inappropriate Conduct Extra Bonus Chapter Ten: The Close Call
Chapter Ten — The Close Call Levi's POV Levi had always believed control was the only thing that kept chaos at bay. He controlled his calendar down to the minute—color-coded, synced across devices, alerts set to silent but vibrating. His workouts were non-negotiable—five-thirty a.m., rain or shine, same playlist, same sequence of lifts. His coffee was black, no sugar, poured into the same matte-black ceramic mug every morning at exactly 6:17. His words were measured, his reactions calculated, his life compartmentalized into neat, manageable boxes labeled Work, Gym, Family, Alone. He did not control Avery Delgado. And that was starting to scare him more than anything had in years—more than boardroom battles, more than the nights he still woke up tasting grief from his father’s funeral, more than the quiet fear that Julian might one day look at him and see only the older brother who couldn’t fix anything. It had been four weeks since the rooftop client dinner where everything had
Inappropriate Conduct Extra Bonus Chapter 9: The First Crack
Chapter Nine — The First Crack Avery's POV Avery had always been good at keeping secrets. She kept Jamie’s hookup secret for weeks—long after the hallway whispers started, long after she caught the way Jamie’s eyes lingered on Julian during meetings. She kept her own doubts about the agency secret—how the creative floor felt smaller every day, how the politics were starting to choke the work she actually loved. And she kept her feelings for Levi secret—even from herself—until they became too loud to ignore, too heavy to carry alone. But secrets have weight. And this one was starting to crush her. It had been three weeks since the client dinner where everything shifted. Three weeks of “one more time” turning into “one more time after that,” then “just tonight,” then “I can’t stop thinking about you.” Three weeks of sneaking into empty conference rooms after hours, supply closets during lunch breaks, the back stairwell when no one was looking. Three weeks of stolen kisses that tas
Inappropriate Conduct Jamie
Chapter 33: Almost Goodbye POV: Jamie The office was empty by the time Jamie shut down his computer. Darkness pressed against the windows, the city glittering beyond like it was mocking him—bright, untouchable, alive. He rubbed his eyes, exhaustion dragging at every muscle, but he couldn’t make
Last Updated : 2026-03-21Inappropriate Conduct Jamie
Chapter 39: Breakthrough POV: Jamie Jamie stared at the blank whiteboard, marker in hand, feeling like his entire career balanced on the tip of it. The conference room buzzed with low chatter, coworkers shifting in their seats, tapping pens, scrolling through phones. Amanda from strategy was
Last Updated : 2026-03-22Inappropriate Conduct Julian
Chapter 32: Appearances POV: Julian Julian Black had never been told to “tone it down” in his entire career. He’d been told he was too aggressive, too ambitious, too relentless—but those were compliments disguised as criticism. He wore them like armor, because they meant he was winning. But no
Last Updated : 2026-03-21Inappropriate Conduct Julian
Chapter 40: Pulling Away POV: Julian --- The laughter carried down the hallway. Julian slowed as he passed the open door of the creative bullpen, his stride faltering. Jamie was in the center of it, leaning against a desk with his curls a little wild, his hands moving as he told a story.
Last Updated : 2026-03-22
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