Page 11 of Indulging Temptation (Tempting the Heart #1)

LORENA

“ B itch, this is juicy,” Sarina mumbles excitedly into the phone.

“Why are you whispering?”

“I’m at work, and I don’t want my boss to hear me.”

“You could’ve waited to call me until after work.”

“Absolutely fucking not. As soon as I’m done here, I head right to Luxe for my usual shift, and I’m not waiting a second more to hear this.

Besides, I’m planning on quitting this firm soon enough, that is if they don’t fire me first. Fuck em’.

Now spill all the veiny, delicious, girth-filled details. ”

I can’t help but laugh; Sarina has such a bubbly way about her, even when she’s speaking bluntly.

“I don’t have any. I couldn’t see.”

Her voice raises an octave. “Lo, you literally texted me ‘I saw it’, with an eggplant emoji and the shocked face next to it. I know you saw his…”

Someone must’ve walked by. I hear her murmur a forced pleasantry their way before cursing under her breath and lowering her tone back to a hushed whisper.

“Jesus Christ, I hate this place. This is what I get for going with the firm my dad has ties to. Big fucking mistake. Anyway. Dick. Details. Now!”

“It was only for a second.”

She scoffs. “This is like pulling goddamn teeth, Lorena. Is Chef Amato packing like we thought? Or is it even bigger than we imagined?”

I interrupt the sound effects she’s making. “It sounds like you want to see it.” The words come out with a bit of an edge. Sarina picks up on it immediately.

“I’m but a woman who has sadly been plagued with an attraction to men. Of course, I’m curious what those slutty gray sweatpants of his attempted to hide. But I’m also a girl’s girl. I would never swoop in on anyone one of my friends wants.”

“I don’t want him.”

“Yeah, okay. And I don’t want a million dollars and my ass eaten by Pedro Pascal. Nice try. Anyway, let’s get back on track. You saw him hard in the shower. Did you see him jerking it?”

“No. I think I caught him right after.”

“Fuck, that’s hot. How did he look?”

“Wet, Sarina. He was in the shower.”

“I bet he wasn’t the only one who was wet.” Sarina giggles. “No, Lo, I mean his face. Did he look embarrassed, or did he look relieved?”

“Honestly? Both. His face was all flushed from what I could see. Oh, and he was biting at his lip.” A detail that seems so trivial.

Though the more I think about the way he was not only kneading his lip when I walked in, but how he was looking at me, it doesn’t feel trivial.

It feels significant, and a bit confusing all in one.

I can hear Sarina mulling over what I just said through the phone. “And you said this was after you all had drinks?”

The pedestrian light across the intersection flashes white as I submerge myself into the sea of people crossing the street with me. I’m now about a block and a half from Tino’s restaurant. “Yes, but what does that have to do with anything?”

“Umm, I don’t know, maybe that you two had a moment in the bar, and then you stormed off, leaving him so desperate and needy for more he had to jerk off in the shower thinking of you?

!” The giddiness that’s flowing through Sarina right now is contagious, and I can’t help but chuckle at it.

“This is so adorable. The stuff of wet dreams. And now you two are going to work together?! I’m dying over this for you. ”

“Stop. It’s not like that. He’s Tomás’ best friend, remember?”

“Boo. Who cares. Please. A little workplace romance meets the brother’s best friend trope? Sign me the fuck up. This keeps getting better.”

“No, you don’t know my brother.”

“Yeah, because you haven’t introduced us in all the years we’ve been friends. Rude.” She sighs jokingly.

“First off, he’s always working. Second, you literally just moved back to the city from Colorado not too long before I moved back.

It’s not intentional, it’s just all our schedules and locations haven’t aligned.

You’ll meet him eventually. And as I was saying, you don’t know how my brother gets.

He’s extremely protective. He would go crazy if there was ever anything between any of his friends and me.

He views his friends as family, and…” My voice cracks a bit.

“I know.” Sarina already knows what I’m about to say. “You’ve told me how he reacted after your dad passed and your mom began dating his best friend.”

I wonder if that’s why Tino denied me. Because he’s afraid of how Tomás would respond.

It’d explain how conflicted he seemed, but it’s not like it matters now.

Damage has been done, and I won’t be making any advances on him ever again.

I’m not that much of a glutton for punishment.

“Whatever, fact remains, he’s Tomás’ best friend, like I said, and it’d just be… ”

“A temptation. Which would make the whole thing that much hotter.”

Can’t argue with that logic. There’s something about going after something or someone that you shouldn’t that adds a level of excitement, or, in this case, arousal to it.

But it’s difficult to read into the way Santino acts.

He’s always given mixed signals. It’s his default.

I mean, he’s a Libra after all. Completely indecisive and a natural flirt.

Just go on any zodiac meme page on any social media account, and nine out of ten times, there’s going to be something saying, ‘I’m not flirting, I’m just being nice’…

that’s Santino. He has an effortless charm to him that makes it easy to misinterpret signals.

Just as I’m nearing the restaurant, my phone vibrates with an incoming message, pulling me from our conversation.

“Okay, Ri, I’ll call you later. I have to catch up on messages before I head in to see Tino.”

Sarina playfully purrs, and once more tries to drive home her point on how I need to loosen up and have fun, ideally while riding Tino’s dick, before she hangs up.

About a half block out, I navigate to my messages to see it’s Owen Conti, the real estate investor I’ve been on and off hooking up with.

I can’t help but giggle at the contact name I have him saved as.

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy.

We met through an online dating app I joined when I was living in Miami.

Well, that’s a lie. It’s an app catering to workaholics who want hook-ups, not relationships.

Owen splits his time between Miami and New York, so naturally now that I’m back home, and made the mistake of telling him, I’m sure he’s texting to continue our arrangement here.

I sit down on the nearest bench to message him back. I could text and walk, but I don’t know if it’s the conversation I just had with Sarina or what, but I feel flustered. I’d rather get this conversation out of the way before I have to deal with whatever mess awaits me at Tino’s restaurant.

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Where were you last night?

I look up to the previous message and see that he left several, wanting to meet up.

As much as I could’ve used the sexual release from how frustrated I felt being around Tino, first at the bar and then our, whatever that was in the bathroom, I ignored it.

Opting instead for a date with my vibrator.

Totally not pretending that it was Tino instead of the silicone, fucking me from behind while I was bent on all fours on my mattress, fucking myself from a contorted position.

Me: Planet Earth

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Very funny…

Me: Thanks, I thought so

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Are you ever not sarcastic?

Me: Rarely

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: I told you I’d be in New York for a week. I thought you’d call me

Me: I don’t contact you unless I want sex

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Ouch

Me: Owen…that’s how it’s always been. Why are you acting surprised? We aren’t dating

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Alright…

Me: You’re being dramatic… stop. I was tired. My bad for missing your texts

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Anyway, like I said I’m in the city. I got this property I’ve been in a bidding war for with this stubborn douche bag via the phone for weeks. I’m about to place the final bid, and I was hoping we could celebrate…

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Thought I could take you to dinner?

Umm. This is different and sounding too much like what I don’t want… a relationship or any strings attached.

Me: We don’t do that

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Eat?

Me: You know what I mean. Of course we do. Just not together

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Well, why don’t we change that? There’s this place I want to try out. It’s supposed to be one of the city’s hottest spots. Thought it’d be perfect to try that wearable vibrator I got you

Fuck, I forgot he had the remote.

Me: Fine, but just so I can get the remote back

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Damn, I’m going to get you dinner and you won’t even get me off in return?

I go right over his message. This is just going to be a free meal, one final orgasm he can give me, then I’ll have my remote and him off my back. That’s it.

Me: When and where?

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: It’s a surprise. How about I pick you up tomorrow night at seven? Just tell me where you’re staying

Panic surges through my veins at the thought of him showing up to Tomás’ place to pick me up.

We’d have to contend with my brother’s usual line of questioning for anyone I’m dating.

Not that I’ve actually dated in recent years.

Still, given the fact that Owen and I hook-up on and off makes it more awkward.

Then there’s Tino, who has never approved of anyone I’ve been with.

If anything, he’s more vocal about his dislike – of literally everyone that comes near me – more so than my own brother.

This has disaster written all over it. Not to mention that I feel an odd tinge of guilt, bringing around someone I’m hooking up with near Tino. I shouldn’t but I can’t help it.

Me: I’ll text you a bar we can meet up at instead

Current Fuck- Real Estate Guy: Sounds good