Page 60 of Resisting the Temptation (Broken Shelves #3)

Ben

I ’m on cloud nine walking into the office on Monday. Emma didn’t agree to spend the night with me last night, since she wanted to unpack and catch up with Jordan about the trip and Jordan’s conference.

It was the worst night’s sleep I’ve had all week.

But even though I’m running on two hours of fitful sleep and four shots of espresso, I still feel fantastic.

Emma and I are going to talk to Papà today so she can have the peace of mind that she’s not going to lose her job, and I’ll finally be able to show her off. If I know Papà, he’ll just be happy that I’m happy. He would never jeopardize either of our careers.

I came in early today to catch up on emails, and apparently Emma had the same idea.

I hear the click of her heels before I see her, and the sound brings a smile to my face. I stand from my desk and lean against the doorway of my office, taking her in before she sees me .

She’s wearing a black bodycon dress that hugs the dip of her waist and the flare of her hips and falls just above her knees. Over it, she’s got a burnt orange cardigan, and on her feet are heeled black boots, which hug her calves and reach up to her knees.

I know it’s been less than twenty-four hours, but I spent nearly every second of last week with her, so spending one night without her was agonizing.

“Good morning, gorgeous.”

Her head whips up from her phone, and she glances around at the empty offices before scurrying over to me and throwing her arms around my neck. I kiss her, probably a little more sensually than I should at our place of employment, but I don’t care.

I missed her.

“Hi. I missed you,” she mumbles against my lips.

“God, I missed you too, honey. Promise me you’ll spend the night with me soon.”

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” Papà’s voice comes from down the hall before she can answer. Luckily, he sounds amused and not upset, but Emma probably can’t tell the difference.

Emma tries to step away from me like we’ve been caught doing something bad, but I keep an arm around her waist and give her a tug so she’s standing at my side. We’re in this together.

“Good morning, Mr. Rossi.” She gives him a wobbly smile.

“Emma, no need to be so formal. It’s good to have you back. I take it things went… well in Utah?” Papà’s eyes dart to my hand on her hip.

Emma nods as her cheeks turn pink. “Yes, thank you. It’s good to be home, though.”

I clear my throat. “Can we talk to you in your office, Papà ?

He nods once. “Yes, of course. Come on, you two.”

Emma looks up at me while she shakily inhales and exhales, anxiety swirling in her eyes. I give her hip a reassuring squeeze. I’m positive there’s nothing for us to worry about.

We follow Papà to his office and sit in the two chairs on the opposite side of his desk.

He leans back and steeples his fingers, looking between Emma and me with a scrutinizing expression.

“ Papà , Emma and I are together.” No point in beating around the bush. This conversation needs to happen.

“Is this true, Emma?” Papà asks, and Emma nods her head.

“Yes, Mr. Rossi.”

“ Sono innamorato di lei.” I’m in love with her. I declare in Italian.

His thick eyebrows raise to his hairline.

I didn’t think he’d be so surprised, but I probably should have.

I mean, I haven’t had a serious girlfriend since Janessa, so for me to show up with the coworker I was adamant about not hiring and declare we’re not only in a relationship, but I’m in love with her is probably a total surprise.

Even if he’s the one who sent me with her to Utah in the first place.

“ Lei si sente allo stesso modo?” She feels the same way?

I look over at the girl of my dreams, the one who declared her love for me in a gas station parking lot. “ Sì .” Yes.

Papà beams, glancing between the two of us with something akin to pride in his eyes.

“This is excellent news! Let me get Katrina to draw up some paperwork for you to sign just to make it above board. As long as you’re not neglecting your duties because of your relationship or being inappropriate in the office, I see no issue with this. ”

Emma’s shoulders slump with relief. “Thank you, Mr. Rossi. I promise this won’t affect our work.”

Papà waves his hand. “ Bella, for the last time, call me Enzo. Or better yet, call me Papà ! We’re family now. And I’m not worried about you at all. You work much harder than any of the boys. Beniamino , however…” he trails off and shakes his head.

Emma’s answering giggle is so sweet it makes my teeth ache in the best way.

“Perhaps you should trade offices with Alex, so Ben can’t spend all day staring at you.”

“Absolutely not. She stays right where she is. If my performance starts lacking, then we can talk about it, but I promise I won’t spend all day staring at her.” Just… some of the day.

Papà clearly doesn’t believe me, and he’s enjoying messing with me. “I’m in the process of getting Emma her own truck—”

I shake my head. “I can take her where she needs to go.”

“Ben,” Emma chides. “Our jobs aren’t always going to align. I can’t keep relying on you to take me to job sites. What happens if we have emergencies at two different sites? ”

I don’t think I’ve ever pouted in my life, but boy do I want to right now. “Fine. But once you move in, your work truck stays here, and I’ll bring you to work and take you home.”

Papà laughs, and Emma looks at me incredulously.

“We aren’t moving in together anytime soon,” she argues, but it’s weak.

“We’ll see, Dulzura . We’ll see.”

By the end of the next week, everyone is over the shock of our relationship, and everything is back to normal.

Well, a new normal.

A new normal where Emma and I eat lunch together in one of our offices. A new normal where I get to kiss her when she comes into the office. A new normal where on Friday mornings, I pick her up for work, and she brings a bag to sleep at my house all weekend.

Emma didn’t want to move too fast, so she refuses to spend the night during the week. I know she’s still worried about me getting sick of her, but she doesn’t need to be. I want more time with her, not less.

I’d pack her stuff and move her in immediately if I thought she’d agree to it.

I can’t get enough of her.

But I know this relationship is new, and she’s still wary, so I’ll be patient and take whatever she’s willing to offer. I’ll earn her trust one day at a time and prove I’m not going anywhere .

Once we’re off work today, I took her back to my place so she could change. We’re going to dinner with her friends tonight, and I can tell my girl is nervous.

I have just the thing to take the edge off.

She’s currently in the bathroom, fixing her makeup, and I’m sitting on the bed waiting for her to come out so I can give her the things I’ve picked out.

The click of the door opening draws my attention, and I nearly swallow my tongue as I see Emma walk out of the bathroom in a pale pink lingerie set.

“ Santa cielio, Dulzura. Are you trying to get me to cancel dinner?” I rasp.

“Is it working?” she asks with a seductive smile but an undertone of anxiety.

I stand and cradle her face in my hands. “What are you worried about?”

“That they’ll think we’re moving too fast. That they’ll tell me I’m crazy because we work together. Or they’ll think I only got the job because we slept together. Or they’re just waiting for our relationship to fail like all of my previous ones have. Or—”

I place my finger over her lips so she stops talking, and she scowls. “I think those are all anxieties your family has put in your head. I’ve met Jordan, and I’ve met Kiera. I don’t think either of them are going to think any of those things.”

“You’re right. Jordan has been supportive the whole time. They would have told me if they thought this was a bad idea.”

“Good. They’re very wise, you should listen to them more. Now that we’ve got that covered, I have something I think will help take your mind off the anxiety.” I grab the small black box off of the bed and hold it out for her.

Emma’s eyes light up as she takes it. I’ve noticed she likes presents, even if it’s just a simple bag of chips from the gas station.

I already have a list a mile long of things I plan on buying her, just to see her reaction.

She opens the box and gasps as she sees what’s nestled inside. She takes the plug out of the box, holding it up and examining the hot pink heart shaped jewel on the back and testing the weight of it in her hand.

“Turn around, honey. Hands on the bed. Let me see that beautiful ass.”

Like the good girl she is, she turns and braces herself on the bed.

I grab a bottle of lube from the bedside table before coming back and pulling her panties down until they’re hooked around her ankles.

As I kneel behind her, I see the plump lips of her pussy begging to be tasted, so I lean in and lick from her clit to her asshole, circling my tongue around her tight hole. Emma gasps, rocking her hips back into my mouth as I probe it with my tongue.

“Someone’s eager to have her asshole fucked, isn’t she? Does it feel good, Dulzura? ”

“Yes, Daddy. So good.”

I drizzle some lube over her asshole, rubbing it with my pointer finger, and she tenses. “I’m going to stick my finger in now, take a deep breath for me.”

She does as she’s told, and on the exhale, I gently press in to the first knuckle. She tenses again, so I use my other hand to find her clit and rub gentle circles, helping her relax as I slide my finger in further.

Once she starts rocking back into my touch, moaning and whimpering with each thrust, I add a little more lube and a second finger, stretching her so she can comfortably take the plug.

“I wish you could see how beautiful you look stretched around my fingers, honey. I can’t wait to feel this tight hole stretched around my cock.” I can’t resist taking a bite of the meat of her ass as I continue working my fingers inside her.

Her whimpers grow, but I don’t want her to come, so I pull my fingers out and spank her when she protests. “Patience, Dulzura. ”

I pick up the plug and drizzle some lube on the end before pressing it against her hole. It’s bigger than my fingers, so I instruct her to take another deep breath while I work her clit again, pushing the plug past the ring of resistance until it’s fully inside her.

I twist the jewel on the end, and Emma moans.

“How does that feel, honey?”

“S-so full. Fuck. ”

“Not as full as my cock’s going to make you feel. But we don’t have time for that now.” I pull my fingers away from her and pull her panties up her legs. “We have to go. Get dressed.” I punctuate my command with another gentle swat to her ass before I go to the bathroom and wash my hands.

“You’re not going to let me come?” she pouts.

“No. And unless you want me to keep you on edge all weekend you’ll go get dressed right now so we aren’t late.” This weekend we’re testing out her limits with free use. Any and all of her holes are mine to use however and whenever I please until she goes home Sunday night.

“Okay, Daddy,” she acquiesces before pulling on a hot pink, long sleeved jumpsuit that hugs her curves.

“Let’s get this over with,” she grumbles as we head out the door.

Tonight is going to be fun.