“Did you hear what I just said, how I can’t tell you?” Silas seemed to be enjoying this a little too much. “It’s a secret, Regan.”
“I’m great at keeping secrets.” It was supposed to roll out of my mouth with a fun and flirty tone, but I choked at the end. My stomach bottomed out each time I was reminded of my deception.
Thank God he didn’t notice. “Nice try. You’ll have to show up to find out what it is. You game?”
My pulse jumped. Obviously I didn’t have a problem watching other people have sex; I did it twice a week. Yet it was behind a monitor, and the filter kept me from feeling connected. It wasn’t live or interactive, and the couple usually didn’t have the chemistry of two people in a real relationship. How would Joseph and Noemi compare to the shoot Silas and I had done? I was suddenly anxious to find out.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m totally game.”
Chapter
NINETEEN
Like last time Silas had done a shoot, I sat on his worktable and watched as he adjusted the lights. This time, though, there was no music. He’d said it would be distracting while he tried to give guidance to the subjects. He wore a red printed t-shirt and dark jeans beneath it, and my gaze flitted over his brawny form. He must have sensed my stare, because he turned and took me in, watching my dangling feet swing beneath the table.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked, an amused smile playing on his lips.
“I’m wondering what kind of patterned boxers you’re wearing today. Horseshoes? Shamrocks? One of the other marshmallows from Lucky Charms?”
He must not have remembered. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and peered down over his defined stomach to the orange waistband protruding above where his jeans stopped. “Penguins.”
“Christ, put your abs away or I’m going to need to change my panties.”
Someone cleared their throat behind me.
Joseph. He wore an immaculate black suit with a crisp white dress shirt and a gold tie. Beside him, Noemi looked stunning in a cream-colored cocktail dress that draped over one shoulder and left the other exposed. They were quite the pair, even with fifteen years separating them. She was soft and feminine, and he was hard and distinctly masculine.
“Wow,” I said. “You two look great.”
“Thank you,” Noemi said, her eyes shining.
Silas put his hands casually on his hips. “I’m all set up.” His gaze turned to Joseph. “You ready?”
“I suppose.” Joseph’s hand extended to the white backdrop, wordlessly asking Noemi to lead the way.
She walked on her gold heels and stepped cautiously onto the thick paper. “Just in the center?”
“Yeah,” Silas said. “I’ll need to take some test shots.”
Joseph stepped up and slipped an arm around Noemi’s waist, turning his head toward her so his lips were right by her ear. Whatever he whispered caused a smile, and pink color bloomed over her cheeks. Shit, I hadn’t thought this through. I’d forgotten how powerful it was to see Joseph like this. Intimate, and in love.
Silas snapped his test shots, evaluating the results in the viewer, and made adjustments.
Meanwhile, Noemi fidgeted. “I feel weird not smiling. Should I be smiling?”
“If you want to,” Silas said. “Do whatever makes you comfortable.”
“Are you nervous, baby girl?” Joseph asked, his voice soft and perhaps teasing.
She almost seemed shy, but I’d worked at the club long enough to know looks could be deceiving. There’d been a few quiet clients who’d morphed into alphas the second I’d left the room.
“No, I’m not nervous,” she said, her voice breathy. “Are you?”
“I am, a little.”
H
er eyes went enormously wide and her head snapped his direction. “What?”