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He gave Kodi’s secretary, Carol, a bright smile. “Is he free?”

She was a diamond and never complained about Kodi. Her age was undermined. She could have been forty or sixty, it was impossible to gauge. She just never seemed to age. She was small, and her style was long, flowing dresses that hit her ankles with several crystal necklaces and bracelets. Her hair was a pixie cut that suited her tiny features and pointy chin. Silver hair highlighted ocean blue eyes that had a permanent twinkle in them. Amazing really, when she’d worked as Kodi’s secretary since he’d started working in the family business as a teenager.

“He is, though his mood…”

She never openly criticized Kodi, but they had a good working relationship, and she wasn’t above warning Lennon when Kodi was having an off moment. “Gotcha. I’ll see what I can do to fix it.”

“If anyone can, it’ll be you.”

They had joked about it before, and Lennon prayed she didn’t notice the heat coursing through him at thoughts of how he achieved that when he was carrying the paddle.

“I do my best,” he replied, not quite meeting her gaze, before walking past her to the closed door.

He tapped twice and waited for Kodi to answer before he stepped inside and shut the door behind him. Distracted by the scowl Kodi threw in his direction, Lennon didn’t lock the door behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Can’t concentrate.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and returned his attention to the screen. “The fucking numbers aren’t adding up. I imputed all the figures into the live sheet. I can see Silas and Laken have added to it, now I’m missing data—”

Seeing he was going to start stabbing at the keys and possibly lose more data, Lennon figured he knew what the issue was.

“Don’t press anything else and close the file.” The file had probably been corrupted with so many using it at the same time. It happened from time to time, and if Kodi started to mess with the file right now they’d lose more data.

“What? Why?”

Lennon walked around his desk and considered if it was perverse that he found the returning scowl a turn on. “I’d say the file has been corrupted. We’ll need the tech department to go in and retrieve the file for you. If you continue to use it, you’ll lose everything,” he explained with a patience Kodi needed to keep him from flying off the handle.

He shoved the keyboard away with disgust, sending papers fluttering on his desk. “Why the fuck can’t we use the damn thing the way we want? If they say you can have multiple users on it, then it should damn well work that way.”

Lennon nodded, seeing it was pointless to argue when he was right, but he was also in that frame of mind where it wouldn’t matter what Lennon said, it wouldn’t make it right. He placed what he was holding on the desk, and pulled the keyboard to him to shut the file.

When he was done, he reached for Kodi’s phone and dialled the IT department. He explained what the issue was while Kodi made huffing noises, but thankfully didn’t talk over him. After he put the phone down, he turned his attention to Kodi, picking up the bag with the paddle.

“I believe you need a little help concentrating, hmmm?”

Kodi’s answer was to push back his seat and get up, hands already on his belt buckle. The speed made Lennon chuckle as he moved some of the mess on Kodi’s desk to give him room to lean on it.

Lennon opened the bottom drawer to retrieve a towel from the bundle he kept in there for these occasions, bending under the desk to place the clean towel on the carpet. He smirked when he stood and caught the excitement at what was coming that Kodi no longer disguised.

“Eager, much?”

“Always, when it comes to you.”

There was a sincerity that continued to take Lennon by surprise. Kodi didn’t immediately lean over the desk, instead took the time to kiss him. It was a soft, dreamy kiss, the kind made for a lazy Sunday morning when they had all the time in the world to enjoy it.

He moaned under the onslaught of butterflies doing zoomies in his belly when Kodi cupped his cheeks and finished by kissing the tip of his nose. As if he realized it was a totally romantic gesture, he got the startled look of a deer, before his hands quickly dropped to his side and turned his back to Lennon.

There was a sting of rejection, and Lennon reminded himself Kodi was a complex man. One Lennon was still figuring out, so kept the hurt to himself. Small steps. They were taking small steps.

He stepped in behind Kodi and placed a hand at the base of his spine and waited until his breathing evened out. The simple touch to connect them worked like a charm. The trust and level of intimacy was a given now, with how practiced they both were.

He inhaled deeply and, on the exhale, lifted the paddle. This one was red with holes scattered in a pattern that would allow the air to pass through and give a more intense feeling. They had done some research together and found this type of paddle delivered a more intense pain with the absence of an air cushion. The holes allowed the paddle to move through the air more quickly and led to the immediate and intense impact that Kodi craved. They had tried different levels of force because Kodi wanted the sharper pain and the sting. It sounded louder when it landed, and Kodi’s moan was needy, despite his ass muscles tightening, appearing to want to protect him from the pain. Lennon watched for changes in Kodi’s body language. The noises he made increased with the fiery red globes and scent of Kodi’s pre-cum. With the need to keep Kodi safe, all his focus was on him. It helped take Lennon’s mind off his own desires. He didn’t get his reward until he got home. Except, there would be none tonight. The thought was fleeting when Kodi’s body relaxed fully against the desk, signaling he’d found his happy place.

Lennon knew when he’d gotten it right when Kodi didn’t last over fifteen swats before he was coming and floating around in a cloud of endorphins.

Completely focused on Kodi, it took a second or more to register that the door had opened and the gasp that followed.

Kodi was too far gone to notice when Lennon abruptly stopped and met Booker’s wide-eyed alarm as his gaze moved between Lennon’s hand holding the paddle and Kodi’s bare ass.