Page 26 of Resisting the Temptation
“Amor senza baruffa, fa la muffa.”Love without a quarrel, it makes mold.
An Italian saying meaning disagreements keep a love alive. But this isn’tlove.
I roll my eyes.“Non sono innamorato di lei.”I’m not in love with her.
“C'è una linea sottile tra amore e odio, figliolo.”There’s a fine line between love and hate, son.“You never know when you’ll cross it,” he says as he stands, knocking on my desk before he leaves.
I want to shout after him, “I’m never going to cross it!” but I don’t. Clearly, he’s delusional if he thinks I’m going to fall for a coworker. Why would he want that anyway? If things went badly, he’d lose one of us.
Sure, she’s gorgeous. She’s witty, smart, and sassy as fuck. She takes no shit from me, even though she could. She’s incredible in a scene…
I scrub a hand over my face and shake away the thoughts threatening to take over my brain again. I can’t think about her in that capacity again.
We’re coworkers. Not even friends. There’s nothing more to it, and there never will be.
Chapter 13
Emma
Yesterday was… odd.
I figured Ben was upset with me because of what happened with Derek, but I didn’t knowwhy.
Hearing him say I only got it because I’m a pretty face was a blow to my self-esteem. I’ve been working my ass off to be a vital part of the team and prove I belong here.
Alex and Drew came to my office before Ben came to apologize and assured me they didn’t agree with him. They told me they were excited for me to work with Derek and enjoy having me here, which helped ease the sting of Ben’s words a little.
Although they assured me I was doing a good job and praised my work ethic, it didn’t seem to hold the same weight as when Ben said the same thing.
I hate that my brain craves the morsels of praise he tossed at me.
I hate that my body still craves the attention he gave me.
I haven’t been with anyone since him, and my body is in desperate need of a release that doesn’t come from a battery-operated companion.
Kiera was able to expedite my membership since I was already approved as a guest, so I’m getting dolled up to head over to The Temptation Lounge tonight to get out of my head and find someone who can help distract me for the night.
The black dress I’m wearing is tight enough that I don’t need a bra, contouring to my body like a second skin. I swipe on red lipstick and put on a pair of matching red chunky heels before sliding my phone, lipstick, keys, ID, credit card, and shiny new Temptation Lounge membership card in my little clutch.
Jordan is on the couch when I come out and wolf whistles when they see what I’m wearing.
“Oh stop, you’re going to make me blush,” I tease.
“Someone’s going to make you blush tonight, but it won’t be me. You look hot! You plan on coming home later?” Jordy asks.
“I’m not sure. I have my keys though, so don’t feel the need to wait up for me.”
“I’ll be awake for a while, probably. Moss is coming over to play some Animal Crossing and chill…” They shrug.
I narrow my eyes at them. “Is there something going on between you two?”
“What? No! We’re just friends. Their roommate is having a kegger, and they don’t want to be there.” Jordan’s pale face turns redder than a ripe tomato.
I don’t believe them, but I’ll let it slide for now since they clearly don’t want to talk about it. “Alright. If they want to crash here, you know it’s fine with me.”
Jordan nods. “Of course. I’ll let you know in case they’re on the couch when you come home.”
“Sounds good. Oh, my Uber is here. Have a good night! Love you!”
