TWENTY

the landing and paused outside the door to Arturo's office. Should I knock, I wondered? Or would that be too formal? I lived here now, too, didn't I? And besides, I didn't want to ask his permission. I wanted to surprise him.

I wrapped my fingers around the handle and pushed, allowing the door to swing open just a crack. I peered inside. Arturo was sitting behind his desk, focusing his attention on a pile of papers. I watched as a small crease formed between his brows with concentration, his elegant script dancing across the page.

I pushed the door further, and cautioned a quiet "hello."

His pen paused on the page only momentarily. "Where is Marco?"

"Eating pizza," I admitted. I wanted my voice to be strong and certain, but I couldn't push it beyond a raspy whisper. It certainly wasn't conducive to the sort of situation I had in mind... I knew I was no devastatingly irresistible temptress, but still.

"He and Sofia get on well, actually," I observed, continuing my way across the room. Arturo didn't glance up as I slid into the leather chair opposite his own.

This was going to be more difficult than I'd anticipated.

I kicked off the too-big socks that Lucas had lent me before they were noticed, letting them pool beneath the chair out of sight. My clothes had mostly dried off now, thankfully - a black pencil skirt and cream silk blouse. I could work with that.

While Arturo continued writing, I considered what to do next.

"You work too much," I said quietly. To my intense surprise, my voice came out softer than I had anticipated, earning a glance from Arturo.

"Business never stops," he replied, eyes settling back on to his paperwork. "Not even when I do."

"So it will still be there when you get back," I hinted. "If you...stopped." My voice dropped a little lower, yet Arturo kept his gaze focused down. Was he trying to make this difficult?

"Not necessarily."

"But you're only human," I pressed, "like the rest of us."

Arturo shrugged, but I could have sworn his hand hesitated on the paper. I leaned closer, allowing the top of my blouse to fall a little lower. His eyes flickered to the pale skin of my half-exposed chest, then away.

"Marco should be here," Arturo said, his voice strained.

"Relax," I whispered, and though I didn't have his eyes on me, I knew I had his attention. He had stopped writing altogether. "I'm here instead." I slipped the first button of my blouse unfastened.

"Florence," Arturo warned, making my pulse race.

The desire that burned under my skin was matched by his dark eyes.

"I want you," I admitted as the buttons on my blouse fell open, one by one. "Don't you want me too?"

The cool air of the office electrified my exposed skin as the last button came undone. My cheeks were blazing red, but still I looked straight ahead as Arturo's eyes raked down my chest. They lingered on the pale protrusion of my collarbones, the white lace of my bra.

Arturo's hands were clenched as he hissed, "desire does not begin to describe what I feel for you."

There it was again, that familiar jolt of my heart. I yearned to run across the room and sink into his lap, into his touch, but I held myself still.

The soft whispering of air echoed around the room as I shrugged off the blouse. It heaped on the floor in a pool of silk, leaving me exposed. My skin prickled with the change in temperature.

A low growl forced its way from Arturo's chest as I lightly traced my fingertips across my stomach, up between the valley of my breasts. My blush vanished as I pulled on the back of my bra, then let it go. The elastic smacked against my skin, and Arturo flinched, his hands curled into fists.

"If that's true..." I purred, carefully unhooking my bra. It, too, fell to the floor, with a noise that was much more final.

As my nipples hardened in the cool air, I heard the irregularity of Arturo's breathing. His chest heaved as his eyes grew somehow even darker.

"Take me," I demanded.

I stood at last from the chair, skin still prickling with fear, and began to pull down the zip of my skirt. The sound echoed loudly through the office, and as it did Arturo unfastened the knot of his tie. My skirt fell to the floor.

"In here?" he asked, voice strained. I nodded coyly, and he slipped the tie from around his neck.

Without breaking eye contact, I leaned down and began to tug my lace panties down my legs, hooking a finger around the waist.

"Don't," he commanded. I froze, heart pounding. Then his voice softened as he drew his index finger from one end of the sleek black desk to the other, "on here?" he asked.

I removed my hands from my underwear and instead began tracing them across my body. Arturo watched every move. "Haven't you always wanted to?" My voice was breathy.

"You have no idea the things I have dreamed of doing to you on this desk." His storm-grey eyes flickered up to meet mine for a fraction of a second before he abruptly stood and shoved all of the papers and clutter off it. The mess clattered to the floor, and I shivered.

When Arturo straightened up, his chest was heaving. He stared at me, apparently waiting for me to make the next move. I happily obliged.

"If you've thought about it," I whispered, "then do it."

"Come here." There wasn't room in his tone for a fraction of argument, and my skin prickled deliciously at the thought.

I slowly walked around the desk, tracing my index finger across its edge until I came to a halt in front of Arturo. He was stood very still, eyes closed, breathing strained. The red silk tie was pulled tightly between his two fists.

"Close your eyes, Florence."

Hesitantly, I did. My whole body felt electrified, awaiting some kind of touch or movement. A hot yearning had erupted in my lower stomach, burning through my veins and all of he places that Arturo had awoken.

I flinched with surprise when I felt his lips brush my throat. I leaned closer, desperate for more touch, for more of him, but he quickly pulled away. "Stay still," he groaned. Maybe it was just as hard for him to control himself as it was for me. I tried to do as he said, desperately awaiting the next moment of contact.

I couldn't help but release a sharp breath when I felt something silky across my eyes: his tie.

"Steady," he warned lowly, pulling the knot tighter around my head. His fingers skimmed down my back and I took my lip between my teeth to stop the sigh of pleasure that wanted to escape.

Before my body had time to react, two strong hands had wound their way around my waist, lifting me up onto the cold desk. I let out a quiet scream, half from surprise and half from the bracing temperature. I felt my nipples straining even harder, the only relief coming in the form of Arturo's low chuckle that somehow seemed to warm me.

"How am I supposed to undress you?" I pouted.

He took one of my hands in his own and brought it up to his body, which, surprisingly, was bare. How had he taken his clothes off already? The carved planes of his chest felt delicious beneath my palm as he carefully led me down. The notches of his six pack were both rough and smooth, hard yet yielding. His spare hand cupped my left breast, fingers squeezing and playing with the nipple. Behind the blindfold, my eyes had rolled back in my head.

"No need, Bella," he rasped.

(Beauty)

As our hands dropped lower still, I felt a blush colouring my cheeks in anticipation of where this was leading. I had wanted to be powerful and in control, but I couldn't argue that Arturo controlling my movements like this was hot as hell.

When my hand met the fabric of his underwear, my first instinct was to tug it down. He quickly grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands behind my back forcefully. "Ah, ah, ah," he teased. "Not yet." I groaned in frustration. "You first."

Suddenly I felt his hands on my shoulders, pushing me back until I was lying flat across the empty desk.

"Florence," he murmured, lips suddenly back at my throat.

"Mmm," I moaned in pleasure; it was all I could do to respond.

"Ti amo." His voice reverberated over my skin as his lips trailed down my chest, tongue leaving a damp trail that cooled in the air and made me shiver. He took care around my hipbones, nipping the sensitive skin there, swirling his tongue over my body until I felt my toes curl with anticipation.

"T-ti-" I tried to reciprocate his affection but my words were cut short as the heat of his mouth spread over my panties. I could feel him through them; his nose and lips against the thin fabric, the perfect way they moulded to me. My hips bucked off the table, eager for more contact, but he quickly forced me back down.

"Rilassere," he commanded softly, the vibrations from his mouth making me writhe beneath him. His fingers dug in harder to my hips. "Relax."

Did he have any idea how hard it was for me? To feel him so close, to smell and touch him yet not be electrified by it? It was an impossible feat; especially with the darkness of his tie making me even more desperate. The intensity of lust and love I felt for him were profound, I realised: earth-shattering. I had never experienced anything quite so strong, so consuming.

My thoughts were quickly diverted when Arturo's teeth grazed my skin, tugging down my underwear at last. He pressed a quick, hard kiss to the inside of my ankle before letting the material fall to the floor with the rest of my clothes.

Then he began work on my legs, kissing and licking his way up them slowly - so slowly. If I'd thought it had been hard to stay still before, it was near impossible now; I reached for the curls of his hair blindly, fumbling until I had them in my grasp.

"Please," I moaned quietly, urging his head in the direction I really wanted it.

I could feel the smile in his kiss. He detached my hands effortlessly, holding them above my stomach as he continued his endless assault.

"Patience," he mumbled into the skin of my inner thigh. His voice was so husky his accent had thickened, and now he was so close. I could feel his breath flowing over me, cool then hot.

Then he was gone from my body; gone from everywhere. Disappointment coursed through me and my whole body ached with the loss. I scrambled to reach for my blindfold, to see where he had gone, but his demanding voice cut me off.

"Stay still." I froze. "Hands down."

The following moments of silence, of nothing, were the longest of my life. I waited, panting, listening and feeling for some sign of touch.

It came all at once; his mouth folded over me, hot and damp, so intense I forgot how to breathe. He was everywhere, his tongue stroking my entrance, my clit, his teeth grazing me just enough to make me whimper with pleasure, then cry out. The long, slow motions of his tongue grew faster as I felt my legs beginning to shake, his hands digging into my thighs. I wrapped my own over them, curling my fingers tightly around his own.

"Fuck," he moaned into me, sending another wave of heat across my skin. That was all it took to send me over the edge, crying out Arturo's name as I collapsed back onto the desk, panting.

A moment later I felt the tie loosening around my head, revealing Arturo looking down at me. His navy eyes sparkled, the slight dampness around his mouth making me blush. He dragged his thumb across the colour in my cheeks.

"I love you," I told him, cupping his face between my hands and pulling him closer. "And now it's your turn."

Arturo's eyes softened for a moment as he leaned down to press a kiss to my forehead. Then, when he straightened up, they were darker.

"Give me your hands," he purred.

I stared incredulously at him for a moment, then my gaze slowly wandered to the tie he still held. My eyes widened and I swallowed, hard. I had never been in a situation remotely like this before; this simply wasn't me.

"We don't have to..." he trailed off.

I considered. Maybe it was a little out of my comfort zone, but I trusted Arturo; I felt safe with him.

I held out my wrists. "I want to."

He studied me for a moment longer, gauging how much I meant what I'd said. He must have been satisfied with what he saw - the crease in his forehead disappeared and he leaned closer, his lips brushing my ear, "behind your back."

His hands entwined with my own, helping to pull me up into a sitting position. All the while I took advantage of my newfound vision; my eyes could roam the beautiful planes of his body all they wanted to.

Arturo's torso could have been carved from marble, though he was a little too tan for that, maybe - still the muscles in his chest and stomach were so well defined it was hard to believe he was real. His biceps rippled as he lifted the tie up, kissing me on the shoulder.

He was strong, I realised, and well-cut - but not too bulky.

"See something you like?" Arturo smirked. When the soft silk slipped around my wrists I forgot how to breathe. "Rilassare," he soothed again, sensing my uncertainty. Something about the soft lilt of Italian - or maybe just his voice - had always comforted me.

"Everything," I finally exhaled in answer to his earlier question.

From behind, he rested his chin on my shoulder so that our cheeks lightly brushed. "Then we're on the same page."

Suddenly Arturo's hands settled on my hips and that familiar spark of electricity shot through me. Before I had time to react he was pulling me off the desk, setting me down on my feet. My head was woozy with the thrill of it; I wobbled precariously for a moment while he held me still.

"Now," he whispered, lips pressed to my back. "Which way do you want it?"

I opened my mouth to say it's up to you, but quickly stopped myself. The Florence who had walked through this office door was in control; she was a powerful, confident woman. Despite the limited range of motions my tied hands could perform, I ran my fingertips along Arturo's torso, following the thin trail of hair that led down. I heard his breath catch, and his hands tightened imperceptibly on my hips.

I turned my head to whisper in his ear, letting my cool breath flow over his skin. "Bend me over the desk."

He didn't need any further prompting - spreading the fingers of his left hand between my shoulder blades, he pushed me down, earning a low moan as my chest made contact with the cool surface. Simultaneously, with his right hand on my waist he pulled my hips towards his. I cried out softly as he entered me, hands reaching around to cup my breasts.

Arturo stayed still for a moment as our bodies adjusted, and then groaned, "Florence," as he gently rocked into me.

My eyes closed as waves of pleasure once again began to wash over me, heat tingling deliciously all over my body with each roll of Arturo's hips. His hands wandered my body; tracing the curve of my breasts, my waist, occasionally pressing hot kisses against my back.

His thrusts became harder, faster, his hands more desperate for a hold on me. I was equally desperate to see him, to watch the tick of his jaw as he drew close, the love and need in his dark eyes. I could feel the desire in every place our skin touched; in that strange connection that existed between us.

"I want to see you," I whispered, half of my sentence stolen by another thrust as his chest arched against my back, covering me completely.

"Okay, baby," he murmured, cheek against the clammy skin of my shoulder. His hands wrapped around me, prepared to turn me, but just as his grip tightened a loud bang echoed around the office.

The moment I saw Marco in the doorway a scream tightened in my throat. Immediately I felt Arturo stiffen, his hands rushing to cover the parts of me that belonged to him.

"Close your eyes!" he barked, furiously tugging at the knotted tie around my wrists.

Marco quickly obliged, but his expression didn't lose its panicked urgency. "Boss - "

Another loud crash echoed around the house, cutting off Marco's panicked words. It wasn't the crash of a door being thrown open, it was the crash of a door breaking.

I tried to think through what could be happening, but the blush in my cheeks at the embarrassment of the situation was too much for me to concentrate. It took me a second to realise that Arturo was already half dressed, and he was holding my clothes out for me.

"What's happening?" he demanded of Marco, pulling a handgun out of the desk drawer and loading it.

"It's - " Marco began again.

"POLICE - "