It appeared we were in Thad's office. Canvases and easels filled an area off to the left, and the back wall was lined with ceiling-high cabinets and shelves. Some looked like oversized lockers. A large wooden desk sat in the center of the room, facing the door, a small couch to its right. Noah slammed the door behind us.

"You are not letting him paint you, do you understand?" He was livid at the thought, and I loved it.

"What if you get to keep the picture?"

"I mean it, Regan."

"So do I," I batted my eyelashes innocently at him and kept pushing. "But instead of my back, I thought I'd kneel on the bed, facing forward." I stepped closer to him, talking softly. "My knees would be apart like I was ready to straddle you. My hair would cover my breasts. It's long enough, I think, and a sheet could be draped over my hips, positioned just so you wouldn't quite be able to see my bare p–"

"Never!" With a small growl, Noah backed me into the desk and whipped me around to bend over its edge, his hands gripping my waist so tightly it was a little painful. To keep from falling, I planted my hands on the desk in front of me and let out a giggle of excitement. I could feel his arousal against me.

"I think you like the idea," I teased.

His hands released me and began grabbing my skirt, bunching it as he pulled it up to my waist, exposing my bare bottom half to him. "I'm going to show you how much I like the idea of another man seeing you like that." And before I could answer, his hand came down with a sharp smack on my ass.

I yelped, mostly from shock, and as his hands smoothed over the cheek he had just spanked, a moan escaped my lips, and I pushed back against him. He gripped me roughly, stilling my movements, and his other hand pushed down on my back, flattening me against the desk, my cheek to its cool surface.

"You will not," he spanked my other cheek. I groaned, my hands clawing the papers on the desk, crumpling them as I whimpered with need.

"Pose nude."

Smack.

"For Thad."

Smack.

"You."

Smack.

"Are."

Smack.

"Mine!"

"Yes, Noah!" I exclaimed huskily, unable to keep still under his grip, his hand caressing my sore and probably bright red ass. I wanted him to keep spanking me, it was so hot and was making me so wet. Only a few more spanks, and I thought I would probably orgasm, which is what I had been hoping to get out of this whole thing in the first place.

"You like being spanked," he observed smugly as I kept wiggling.

Liked was too tame of a word. This man had brought yet another one of my secret fantasies to life. It was like he could read my mind, first with the ropes and now this.

"I love it."

His fingers dipped between my legs, sliding through my wetness, and I groaned, arching back into him. They easily entered me, and he stroked, in and out, in and out, his other hand pressing down on my back even harder to try and keep me still.

"I need you inside of me," I pleaded, not caring that we were risking being caught at any second.

"No, not here." His fingers retreated, and I thought he was going to stop, but then he followed with a slap on my right cheek, and then they were back inside me, pressing right into that spot that made my entire body tremble. He repeated the pattern with my left cheek, and then the right again, then the left. I was losing it, so close to coming, but he would withdraw his fingers just before I crashed over the edge.

"Noah, please," I gasped. "Fuck me."

He paused, maybe really considering it. Then he loosened his grip on me, and I knew I was losing my chance. "No, Reggie. The first time we make love, just the two of us, will not be with you bent over some other man's desk."

I jerked my head around and glared at him, panting. "I need it, Noah."

Not answering, he gave me another smack, massaging my tender skin and placing a kiss on each cheek. Relaxing his hand that held me to the desk, he began smoothing my dress back down over my hips and let me stand, my arms shaky as I pushed myself upright. Slowly I turned to face him, my hands sliding up to grip his shoulders for balance. As I looked into his eyes, I could tell that spanking me had been just as exciting for him as it had been for me. He was panting hard, shallow breaths, his hands fisted at his sides, seconds away from losing what little control he had left. He was beautiful like that.

I scooted onto the desk, wincing a little at my soreness, and he stayed close to me, hips wedging between my thighs, hands un-fisting to rest on my hips. My hand smoothed down the front of his chest and came to rest on his hot, hard erection, and I gave it a squeeze, parting my legs even wider.

"How can you deny me what I so badly need?" I whispered against his lips as I leaned in close, gently nipping at his bottom lip.

"Reggie," he warned, even though he pressed forward into my palm.

"Kiss me, Noah."

His mouth brushed against mine and I pulled back. "No. Not here." I pushed on the back of his head and smiled.

Noah pulled back slightly, trying to understand what I meant. To illustrate my point, I pushed aside my dress and used my fingers to open myself to him as I leaned back on the desk. His eyes widened in surprise.  Then he smirked, dropping to his knees before me. His hands pushed my thighs wider apart to drape each leg over his shoulders, his lips trailing kisses along my sensitive skin. Keeping my hand on the back of his head, I pushed him closer, impatient.

He laughed. "My girl is so needy tonight."

"Shut up and finish what you started."

He licked upwards through my center, causing me to shudder. He moaned, repeating the motion again. "Christ, I missed this. Craved your taste."

He toyed with me, knowing how close I was already, avoiding direct contact with my swollen clit and taking his time teasing me everywhere else. His hands kept my legs from closing around his head, forcing me to stay open for him to torment and tease. His teeth scraped and nibbled in between licks, and I couldn't stop from moaning loudly when he finally pushed his tongue inside.

"Noah," I gasped, trying to move my hips against his mouth, but his hands kept me in place. "More. I need more."

"I'll decide what you need." His tongue flicked over my clit, softly, and then he did it again and again, driving me closer and closer to my orgasm. And then he sucked my clit between his lips.

I cried out, I couldn't help it. The sensation was just too much after all the torment of the evening. I was on the verge of exploding. Except as quickly as he had closed his lips around me, he stopped, resuming his languid licking. He had the nerve to laugh as I cursed him.

I sat up and grabbed his head with both of my hands, determined to take control of him, when the door to the office opened.

Melody stood there, her words stopped before she could say them as she stared, shocked, at Noah kneeling between my legs.

He stiffened, and I was sure he was going to try and get up, but I pressed hard with my legs on his shoulders, keeping him where he was, my hands also tightening in his hair. I was way too close to finally coming, and my intent was clear. He wasn't to stop. My desire had taken control of me. I don't think it would have mattered who it was at the door, my reaction would have been the same. He looked up at me, his lips turned up in a smirk, as I glared down at him, biting my lip and moving my hips toward him.

"You, keep going," I ordered him. My eyes shot back to Melody. "What do you want?"

Her eyes met mine right as Noah bit me. It wasn't hard, but the feel of his teeth biting my clit forced me to let out a long, low moan, my eyes still locked on Melody. She was frozen in place. I opened my mouth to tell her to shut the door when Noah sucked my clit back between his lips and bit me at the same time, sending me over the edge I had been balancing on all night. As the door slammed, I threw my head back, a loud curse leaving my lips, and Noah's hand shot up to cover my mouth to muffle my cries. He kept sucking and licking and nibbling, my orgasm going on and on until finally, I had to pull him away, yanking him to his feet so I could cover his mouth with mine, tasting myself on his tongue and lips.

"Your turn," I grinned, nipping at his bottom lip before I slid to my knees. He leaned back against the desk, hands gripping the edge as I undid his pants and wrapped my hands around his thick shaft. I was as desperate for it as I had been the last time, eagerly licking at him before sucking him between my lips, the taste of him eliciting a groan from me.

Noah cursed. "You wicked girl. Take all of me in that sweet mouth. Yes, just like that." One hand came off the desk to press against the back of my head as I opened further, feeling him hit deep in my throat. "Fuck yes."

My hands dug into the backs of his thighs as he thrust harder and faster, lost to the lust like I had been moments before. My tongue swirled around him, my lips creating a tight seal as he increased his pace. He looked down at me as I peered up at him, moaning around him, letting him know I loved this as much as he did.

"God, I can feel you moan. So good." His other hand left the desk, fingers digging into my shoulder, holding me steady to meet his forceful thrusts, his hips bucking twice before he threw his head back and yelled.

I drank every last drop of him down, moaning even more as his taste filled my mouth and poured down my throat. As his hands relaxed, I continued lapping at him, licking every inch clean until he had to pull me to my feet, arms encasing me in a tight embrace, my head tucked under his chin.

We stayed like that for a minute or so, tremors still shaking us both, our breath ragged and gasping. I could feel his heartbeat thudding against my cheek, mine echoing the pattern. Slowly, he loosened his hold on me, placing tender kisses along my forehead and cheeks, then took my mouth slowly and gently, our tastes combining. No words needed at the moment, we separated. He began fixing his own clothing while I quite literally stumbled over to a mirror I spotted on the back wall, my shaking hands trying to tame my curls back into place. My face was flushed, my lips red and a little swollen. I could see marks from where his fingers hand dug into my shoulder, small bruises already forming, and I shivered, the marks exciting me. I quickly pulled my hair to cover it as he came over to stand behind me, looping his arms around my waist and holding me to him.

I smiled at his reflection in the mirror. "You may want to do the same," I said, pointing at his hair.

Ignoring me, he dipped and pressed his lips against my throat. "You're amazing."

Saying thank you seemed like an inappropriate response and the longer I thought about it, I couldn't help giggling at the absurdity of what we had just done. He frowned at me, unsure what my reaction meant.

"I can't imagine what you think is funny right now."

"A few things, actually," I answered, looking up at him. "For starters, I totally won."

"Won?"

"I said you'd make me come before we left here tonight, so I won. Go, Team Regan."

Now he laughed. "Your logic is flawed, but I'll still give it to you."

"And seriously, your hair. If you go out there like that, there'll be no doubt what we've been doing."

He ran his hands though it a few times, it falling easily back into place. When he was done, he turned me to him, keeping me close, one hand lightly drawing circles on my lower spine. "Considering how loud you are, I'm sure a few people already know."

I smacked him on the arm. "Would you rather I be quiet and not say anything?"

"I love hearing your moans and cries for me. Your pleasure turns me on." He gave me a deep kiss. "And as much as I want to stay and hear even more of them, we should probably go back out there. I think Melody was letting me know it's time for the speech."

"She sure got an eyeful," I muttered, it being no fault but my own. At least Noah had been clothed because, much like he didn't enjoy thinking of Thad seeing me naked, my stomach rolled at the thought of Melody seeing any part of Noah. "Think she'll be a problem?"

"No," he dismissed the idea, straightening his bowtie in the mirror. "Considering how many times I walked in on her and Riley in comprising positions, you have nothing to worry about."

We exited the room, and I was surprised to see Melody waiting for us. An incredibly pissed-off Mal stood next to her. She wouldn't look either one of us in the eye as she stammered that she was making sure no one else would interrupt us. She then took off down the hallway, adding something about a speech.

Noah met Mal's glare with one of his own. "How'd she get in the room? Walker was out here when we went in."

"There was an incident in the alley out back. He went to take care of it. I was on my way back here when I saw her go in."

"Incident?"

Mal softened his expression before looking down at me. "Nothing to worry about. False alarm."

I excused myself to quickly stop in the restroom as Noah rejoined the party. Mal waited for me, escorting me back to mingle with the crowd. Joshua waved from across the room and Noah smiled but was whisked away by Sean, taking him to a cleared-out section of the floor up near the front of the gallery. I made my way to the front as Noah called to get everyone's attention. The wait staff was passing out more champagne, trying to make sure everyone had a glass. The dull roar of conversation faded into whispers as he began addressing the guests.

"First of all, thank you for coming out this evening to celebrate one of my good friends, Thaddeus Fischer. Our friendship goes back many years. He supported me through some of my darkest times, and I know my father would be ecstatic that we've been able to maintain a successful business partnership. It brings me great joy to see him continue his successes as one of Boston's finest and most renowned artists."

I hadn't realized Thad had come to stand next to me until Noah raised his glass in my direction, and so did everyone else. Thad waved to everyone, a tight smile on his face and he leaned in toward me. "He used my full name, that bastard. He knows I hate it."

Laughing, I raised my glass toward him and drank along with everyone else. Thad rolled his eyes and took a sip of his own.

"And while I'm up here thanking people, I need to take a moment to recognize the most important person in my life."

"I'm guessing that's you," Thad said dryly.

Noah's eyes landed on me and held my own as he spoke. "Regan, I'm not sure I have words to express how much it means to have you here with me tonight, to be a part of this company that your brother and I built. Our past has been rocky, and there were times I was convinced you'd never be a part of my life again. But I've never been in doubt that you are my reason for living, my reason for doing everything I do to try and be a better person. I'm sorry Riley can't be here to see this. See us." He cleared his throat as his words caught on my brother's name. "I know he was proud of you, he was your biggest fan, and there is no one he'd trust more with his legacy and no one I'd rather be running the company beside. You are the love of my life, Reggie."

Oh shit, I thought. Did he really just say that in front of everyone? And how was I supposed to react to that? I plastered a smile on my face and blew him a kiss. That wasn't good enough for him, though; he closed the distance between us and gave me a real kiss, the crowd loving it and cheering as they raised their glasses toward us. He was grinning like an idiot when he stepped away from me and went back to the front of the room. Marci and Viv looked at me like Noah had just proposed, and even Melody dared raise a glass at me and offer a small smile.

"Okay, now let's get on to the real reason you all came here tonight—this amazing new gallery!" Noah continued with his spiel, talking up the gallery, all its new artwork, and, of course, how they could support Thad by buying some.

Thad, who I had forgotten was even there, began to retreat toward the back of the crowd. His nod at me was an invitation to join him, and I gladly followed, needing to get away from everyone's attention. "He certainly has a way with words, doesn't he?"

I glanced back over my shoulder as he interacted with the guests, his smile wide and eyes bright with excitement. He was in his element. "He certainly does."

Thad stopped at the back of the room, several feet between us and the rest of the group. It was quieter and easier to talk. "Given his linguistic talent, you can imagine my surprise when I saw how brutal he was when refusing to allow you to pose for me."

My head snapped toward him. "What?"

"Surely, a man that can capture the attention of an entire room of people with his words shouldn't have to resort to spanking to make a point."