Mafia Desire (Erotica)

Over the next few days Ben pushed himself into his old routine. Get up, work out, breakfast, check the trade blogs, work in his office, eat, and go to bed. The new element was Beth’s visit Tuesday night and she picked up right away that he’d had some kind of emotional setback. She didn’t press but she promised herself she’d speak to the others to find out what happened. It pulled her out of herself to worry about Ben and that in itself was therapy for her.

While Tina wasn’t happy she picked up on Ben’s mental state and didn’t push when he asked for a postponement of her visit to the following week.

Daphne came to visit him Friday afternoon to speak with him about renovations. She’d received the guidelines and requirements for building a daycare to handle twenty children and the team she’d hired to do the renovations were suddenly indicating they’d need a lot more money. She was feeling a little frustrated and cheated and had lost faith in them. She wanted Ben’s opinion on the work required. She laid out the plans on his kitchen table and he made notes. After an hour of review Ben brought out a large sheet of paper and his pencils and rulers. He quickly sketched out her floor plan and showed how he would redesign it to meet the guidelines and make better use of her space. It wasn’t a lot different than her original idea but there were a few brilliant adjustments Daphne immediately seized upon. The visibility was much improved so they could see the children from almost any area. The expanded washroom facilities were safer and child friendly. It was a better plan.

“Ben, this is wonderful! My next problem is how am I going to get this done? I don’t trust the team I hired.” she said, concerned.

“Fire them.” Ben said. “I’ll call a friend of mine and get the name of a dependable contractor team. I have an interest in this. I’d like to enroll Tina’s Christopher in your daycare as she’s going to be attending University this fall. She might even take some summer courses. Give me a minute.”

Ben dialed a number on his cell. “Dominic! This is Ben!… I’m good. Listen, I was wondering if you could give me the name and number of a team of dependable contractors for renovating a home into a daycare. There is a bonus involved if the work can be completed by the end of April beginning of May. Yeah, I got it! Thanks! Give that new grandchild of yours a hug for me… Thanks and take care!”

Daphne was sputtering with anger. “Ben! I can’t pay a bonus!”

“Oh, sorry! I should have asked if you wouldn’t mind me picking up some of these costs. I get carried away when I get in involved in reno projects. I have some connections to get high end fixtures that will wear far longer than the standard stuff contractors use. I’d love to be part of helping you bring this to completion. I understand if you want to do it on your own.”

She was somewhat mollified by his apology. “What percentage of the business are you asking for in return?”

He looked at her in surprise. “Zero. I’m not doing this for the money. I just want to help if you’ll let me.”

It was Daphne’s turn to look surprised. “Zero? Do you want Christopher enrolled for free?”

“No. Yes, I’d like him enrolled but I’ll pay his way.” Ben said.

“You’re paying?” Daphne’s eyebrows crawled skyward.

“Yes, Tina received nothing from the life insurance and all assets James had are going to pay off the lawsuits. She has nothing. I’m helping her get her life back. Nothing more than I would have done for a daughter had I been lucky enough to have one. I’m just paying for her room and board, her education, and daycare.” Ben replied with a smile. “So, can I help you build your daycare?”

Daphne just nodded and smiled.

“As I’ll have to renovate the main floor washroom I could throw in a renovation of your upstairs bathrooms as well. Come see what I’ve done with my master bathroom before you say anything.” Ben grinned.

Daphne took one look as the shower and the soaker tub and gasped.

“Can you imagine soaking away all your tension after a busy day with the kiddies? You think your daughters might appreciate that too?” Ben whispered in her ear with a smile.Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org

“You are a master of temptation Ben! Yes, we’d love this in our home but again I have to ask, how much is this going to cost?” Daphne moaned.

“Nothing. I’m buying the fixtures from my guy and I get an even better deal the more I buy. The stuff for Trish’s place is already on order. I was planning on renovating Tina’s home if I could get it but that no longer looks likely. I think Joanne is going to list hers which I will bid on but I may not get it. I do this work myself with all the required permits and inspections. You can see how mine turned out. If you like you can join Trish and I when we head over to the store I use and choose the tiles for your new bathrooms too.”

“Yes, I’d like that. Can the girls come too? They have better design taste than I do.” she asked as they went back to the kitchen to get the paperwork.

Ben rolled up the drawings he made for Daphne. “Sure. Are they available tonight?”

“Tonight is perfect as they’re coming home from University. Can I get a picture of your bathroom to show them?” she asked.

“Sure. Help yourself.”

Daphne met him back at the front door and Ben helped her on with her coat. “We’ll meet at Trish’s place at 7 tonight. OK?”

“Perfect!” Daphne said. She stopped and took his hand in hers. “Thank you Ben. Truly.”

“What? I’m doing this for me too! I can’t wait to hear the sound of happy children in the park again.” he smiled. He didn’t tell her that the work helped occupy his mind and he desperately needed that at the moment.

She shook her head with a grin and headed home.

Later that evening Ben was parked at the end of Trish’s driveway. Trish climbed in the front seat. “May I kiss your cheek.” she said in an almost perfect imitation of Tina’s soft voice. He stared at her in shock then nodded weakly. He turned his face and she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek.

“I told Tina what I’d done and she seriously put me in my place. That young woman is a tiger! Don’t be fooled. She is VERY protective of you! She told me I had to ask permission from now on and to respect your boundaries.” Trish smiled. “If you choose to expand those boundaries please know I am available.” She buckled in and looked at him. “Are we waiting for something?”

“Sorry, I’m still a little dazed. Yes, we’re waiting for Daphne and her daughters. I’m going to be helping them renovate their daycare and their bathrooms. They’re coming along to choose their tile patterns as well. You’re bathrooms are first. I’ll probably get the daycare contractors to help me with theirs. I’ll just act as foreman on their jobs.”

Trish was looking out her window and spotted the women coming. “Speak of the Devils- woah, have you seen Lisa and Lori lately?”