Page 34 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“Oh my God,” she breathed.

If the lobby had been luxurious, the penthouse level was obscene and there appeared to be only one residence.

A pair of enormous dark wooden doors stood opposite the elevator, each nearly twice the normal width. Terra supposed they had to be wide to accommodate Taurex's horns.

Well, she couldn’t just stand here staring all day. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the foyer and pressed the doorbell.

For several seconds, nothing happened. Then she heard something crash inside. A low curse followed and more crashing. What in the world was going on in there?

Terra raised her eyebrows as more noises came from beyond the door—a scrape, another muttered curse and something that sounded suspiciously like papers falling onto the floor.

Finally, one of the massive doors swung open.

Terra looked up…but suddenly she had forgotten what she had been about to say.

Taurex filled the doorway.

Somehow, she had somehow forgotten how enormous he was.

At The Doll House, the dim lighting and cramped VIP booth had made it difficult to fully appreciate his size. Here, in the bright morning light, he looked even bigger than she remembered. His broad shoulders nearly filled the doorway, and his long horns extended several feet to either side of his head, forcing him to angle himself slightly, even though the entrance had clearly been designed for oversized residents.

He was dressed exactly as a businessman ought to be dressed, though on the big Monstrum, the effect was considerably more distracting than any business outfit had a right to be.

He wore dark tailored trousers, and a crisp white button-down shirt stretched over his enormous chest and shoulders. The top two buttons were undone, and the sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, exposing thick, heavily muscled forearms dusted with short dark hair.

Terra's mouth went dry, and her knees suddenly felt weak.

Oh, Lord, that shirt should not have been that sexy. It was a shirt–just a shirt and men wore shirts every day.

But most men weren't built like Taurex.

Then she wondered if he could see what she was thinking. She hoped not–it certainly wasn’t anything a new office manager ought to be thinking about her boss.

“Terra,” he rumbled. “You came.”

“I said I would,” she said, trying to keep things light.

“Yes. Of course.” He stepped back quickly. “Please, come in.”

“Thank you.” Terra nodded and entered.

Taurex shut the door behind her, then ran one enormous hand distractedly over the base of one horn.

“I, er, have been attempting to organize some things before you arrived,” he told her.

Thinking of all the noises and cursing she’d heard before he opened the door, Terra raised her eyebrows.

“Have you?”

“Yes.” He nodded. But his expression suggested the attempt had not gone particularly well.

Terra glanced past him and saw a sheet of paper lying on the floor. Then another…and another. A trail of them disappeared around the corner.

She looked back at him.

“Paperwork problems?”

Taurex cleared his throat.