Chapter 4

Her blood ran cold.

Her legs wouldn’t take another step but she found the strength to slowly turn around mid-step to see that Noel was no longer leaning against the desk. He had moved a few feet towards her and was watching her reaction to his words with heat and pride burning in his eyes. The office suddenly felt small. The desk, chairs, and beeping computers displaying stocks and trade information suddenly cramped the space. Her throat was tight as she regarded the man she once fooled herself she loved.

“What did you just say?” she asked slowly.

“You heard me,” was his firm reply.

Tears stung her eyes as she opened her mouth to defend her father, a man who had once gladly offered to sell her off to Noel Greer because he wanted to be recognized. Noel Greer was a new name at the time, a rising star to look out for and Hubert Nowak had seized the opportunity to ensnare him into marriage with her. “My father is an artist. He made his living replicating famous paintings, everyone knows that.”

Noel laughed. A sharp, mocking laughter baring his teeth. “While he ran a gang of thieves? My memory must be failing but, weren’t you trained by the man himself. Weren’t you once known as Midnight Fox, the beautiful, charming and cunny replica of the gentleman thief only this time it was a woman? Everyone feared the Midnight Fox, the Interpol is still out to find the woman who once made a fool of them, stealing the Mona Lisa from right beneath their noses. I did my research those years ago.”

Tears threatened to fall with every word but Penny held them back. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Her body trembled as he recanted the past she had tried so desperately to forget. “I paid the price. I left that life behind me years ago as you well know.”

“What price?”

She swallowed. “It’s none of your business.”

His hand shot out and he gripped her arm so tight that it hurt. “I think it is. I am the man you once tried to trick into marriage to cover your tracks, aren’t I?”

She wanted to argue that that wasn’t true but what was the point when he wasn’t going to believe her anyway? To him, she would always be the girl who tried to trick him for her gold-digging father. Her heart broke.

“Penny…”

“Don’t call me that,” she said fiercely. It was too intimate to hear him say her name like that.

At that moment her phone beeped and one look at it sent chills down her spine. A message from the past. It was a simple message from an unknown number but she understood it. ‘The family needs you’ it read.

Of all the worst times. Why did father need her now?

Luckily, Noel couldn’t see it but that didn’t stop the suspicious narrowing of his eyes.

“What was that?” he demanded.

“It’s nothing.”

He reached out to snatch the phone from her grip but she was quicker, holding it away from his reach. He glared in frustration.

“What are you hiding?”

“It’s none of your business.”

He scoffed. “You make it harder, Penny. Give me a reason to trust you! It’s all of my business because if I must remind you we are still married…”

“On paper! And you seem to have forgotten you tore our marriage contract up after calling me a whore in the face of my father 10 years ago.” Her voice was high and tight and Rachel could be listening to that argument with her ear pressed to the door but Penny didn’t care. “Let me refresh your memory, tearing up our marriage contract was the end of our marriage.”

He continued to glare, his lips pressed into a hard line while his olive skin reddened with anger. He didn’t want to let go.

Feeling defeated her shoulders slumped. “What changed? You rejected me 10 years ago, suddenly you want me now. What changed?”

His nostrils flared. When he opened his mouth it wasn’t to answer her question. “You have a lot at stake here. One simple word can send this façade you’ve built crumbling to the ground. Everyone will know you for who you really are.”

“You can’t keep blackmailing me,” she cried.

“I can do whatever the fuck I want!” He yanked her arm painfully. Did you ask your father what he had against me when he sold you to me?”

That new hint of information gave her a pause. Was it possible that father blackmailed him into signing the marriage contract? She didn’t believe it.

But then again her father was ruthless. Digging up dirt was a piece of cake for him.

Yet…

“What did he have against you?” she asked.

Noel locked his jaw tight. He looked away but only for a second. Then it dawned on her.

“So is this revenge for what my father did to you?” The truth of that made her heart bleed. “This is not about Nolan. This is not about my past or our marriage. You hate me so bad that you would punish me for something my father did?”

“I wouldn’t call it punishment. You want me, you can’t deny it. You danced to my tune and obeyed my commands that first night and you loved it. You begged for me to take you. Deny it,” he dared her.

She couldn’t deny it. Not while looking into his eyes and seeing herself 10 years younger clutching to his shoulders as he thrust into her. She looked away from those images.

As if sensing her thoughts, he moved closer to her.

Blinking back even more tears she snatched her arm free and ground her teeth. “Fine. You want your revenge? You can have it. I’ll sign the paper.”

Stalking to the table, she snatched the documents closer and signed them. Noel was a few feet behind her by the time she was done, she thrust the papers into his chest.

“That’s it. I’m all yours. I hope you enjoy being my husband!”

But as she turned to leave he grabbed her hand and pulled her back. She raised her other hand to hit him but he ignored the contact, his other hand dropping to her waist so that he could pull her against his hard body. His heady, pure male scent filled her head but she forced herself to remain focused.

“For clarification,” he whispered, his voice low and deep. “You signed that contract of your free will.”

“To defend my reputation,” she glared at him.

“Believe what you want but you could have fought harder.”

“I signed that contract because you want me to, not because I wanted to.”

His voice dropped an octave lower. “Are you sure?” When his eyes dropped to her lips she licked them subconsciously. He smiled. “Your body is a terrible liar.”

When she opened her mouth to protest. His lips closed on her in that instant. Forceful.

She fought him. Hard.

Maybe not hard enough because her clenched fist hitting his chest for release soon softened. He expertly seduced her lips with his, teasing her mouth open with his tongue. She always knew he spoiled her for any other man. No man kissed or touched her the way he did, not even Matt Wolffe who she once convinced herself she was in love with.

He slipped his tongue in, gently, silkily. Teasing her, making her hungry for more.

When he withdrew she followed his mouth hungry for more. He chuckled against her lips and indulged her desires. While one hand continued to hold hers up, the other left her waist to the front of her skirt where he undid the fly. Before she knew it she was parting her legs for him but he didn’t go further.

His erection strained against his pants and she rubbed herself against him, enjoying the groans escaping his throat.

Hungry lips slipped from her mouth to her throat, sucking and teasing the sensitive skin. Penelope bent her neck back to allow him access to the throbbing pulse at the base of her throat. He bit the skin and caressed each bite with his tongue making her shudder.

She wanted more. She wanted him to push her onto his desk and make love to her. Fuck her hard once again until she was begging for release.

“Pull down your zipper,” he ordered.

She obeyed. Her fingers brushed his erection as she reached down between them to unzip her skirt, fingers longing to hold his pulsing cock in her hand.

“Don’t think about it, Penny” he warned. She swallowed with a nervous nod.

His strong hand took charge, sliding into the waistband of her skirt and palming her through her sensible cotton panties.

Noel’s mind went wild at reminder of the sweet innocent girl of 18 who had thrown herself at him. He groaned, sensing his control slipping.

 His warm hand moved in silky circles until she was straining to keep her knees from buckling.

“Mine,” Noel growled. “You are mine.”

His voice came through the haze of her own ferocious hunger.

His lips found hers again and she swung her arms over his neck, hanging on for dear life.

“Please,” she begged. My body on fire, strung so tight she feared she would be consumed before they even began. “Noel, please.”

“I call the shots here, Penny, don’t forget that. Understood?”

She managed a weak nod.

“Good girl. Bite your lip.”

She pulled her bottom lip in and bit lightly on it. Noel’s eyes turned into sinfully dark pools of desire. He pinched her clit and she squealed.

“Ssh,” he cooed. “You are doing great baby.”

She reveled in his praise. Gasping and smiling.

“Do you want me?” He asked, placing a hot kiss on her neck, her chin while he toyed with her below.

When she didn’t answer he pinched her clit again and delicious spasms shot through her body.

Two can play in the game.

“Say you want me, Penelope. You want me to fuck you, you want me to own you, you want me to…”

Without warning his door swung open.

Her eyes flew open and felt a moment’s pity for Rachel who stood by the door with her mouth agape.

Suddenly feeling foolish and embarrassed, she started to unhook her arms from Noel’s neck but he wasn’t done with her just yet. Without missing a breath Noel turned to Rachel who was trying hard to recover from her shock.

“What do you want?” he calmly asked.

Penny tried to squeeze her legs together when with the slightest movement he moved the seat of her panty aside and thumbed her clit causing me to cream all over him. She tried not to bite her lip too hard.

She pleaded with him with her eyes but his stoic face gave nothing away as he waited for Rachel to fully recover and give him an answer. Poor girl must be having a heart attack.

“Rachel?”

“Uh…oh yes, sir…um…”

Penny hid her flaming face in his shirt wishing the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

Rachel finally found her voice and when she did she was bearing news bad news. “Your ex-wife…second ex-wife is here to see you, sir,” her voice was frosty.

Noel didn’t stop what he was doing but his body turned rigid. “I see. You can leave. Send her in after 5 minutes.”

“But…Okay, sir.”

As soon as the door closed again Noel groaned and reluctantly let her go. “Sorry about that. We can continue tonight.”

Second ex-wife. It was like ice cold water on her body.

 How had she forgotten that he was thrice married and thrice divorced in the past 10 years?

Feeling foolish Penny stepped back and put her clothes in order with jerk movements. One finger came to rest beneath her chin to lift her face.

“You are thinking too much, Penny. Let’s see tonight.”

She shook his hand off. “I will be busy tonight.”

“Doing what?” he demanded.

The message she had gotten earlier was urgent. Being with her father was better than being with Noel at that moment.

 “Things,” she answered vaguely.

 How foolish I was to let him touch me. Foolish, foolish Penny.

“You are mine now, Penny. I’ll see you tonight.”

Resisting the urge to scream she calmly responded. “I have a meeting with some clients for a winter fashion campaign. I have a business to run, Noel, am I not allowed to manage my business too?”

He stared at her for a moment, not saying anything at all. Then he nodded. “Fine then, I’ll call you.”

“Sure.”

Picking up what little was left of her dignity she walked away from him, aware of his eyes watching her every move.