Page 152 of Key of Kink

Elliott nodded solemnly. “Yeah, it’s standard procedure.”

Sebastian folded his arms. “Every new person has to pass it.”

I gaped at them. What test? Theo seemed puzzled too.

Quinn looked around the table, clearly delighted rather than worried. “Oh good. I love tests. What are the rules?”

Finnley pointed at me. “You have to tell us something embarrassing about Max.”

I spluttered my beer onto the table, and hastily wiped it with a napkin.

Quinn looked thoughtful. “You do realise I’ve known him for about five minutes.”

“That’s enough,” Milo said.

“Just one story,” Elliott added.

Quinn leaned back in his chair, turned his head, and studied me.

Oh God.

“Well,” he said slowly, “I did watch him rehearse earlier.”

“That’s not embarrassing,” Sebastian said. “We were there, remember?”

Quinn lifted a finger. “I’m getting there.” The entire table went quiet, and he

continued. “Max sings like a man who has never once considered the possibility that he might be wrong about anything.”

The room detonated. Theo doubled over laughing and had to put his glass down before he spilled it. “God, that is so accurate,” he managed.

I stared at Quinn. “That is not embarrassing.”

Quinn shrugged. “No,” he agreed. “But it did make me realise something.”

Finnley leaned across the table. “What?”

Quinn took a thoughtful sip of his drink. “If I ever want to irritate him, I just have to sing slightly flat.”

Milo slapped the table. “Oh, that’s evil.”

Julian’s eyes gleamed. “Weaponised incompetence. I love it.”

Finnley pointed at Quinn, his eyes bright with amusement. “Do it during rehearsal.”

“I will ban you from the building,” I ground out.

Quinn looked at me with an innocent air. “You already let me in once. Your standards are clearly slipping.”

Everyone howled again.

Theo wiped his eyes. “Yeah, he’ll fit in just fine.”

Milo nudged Finnley. “Max is so unbelievably doomed.”

“I think it’s time we called it a night.” I finished my beer.

No one reacted. Finnley leaned back in his chair, still studying Quinn as if he was an interesting new species.