Page 40 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“You sure about that, big guy?”

He crossed his arms over his chest, his muscles flexing.

“Yes.”

“How sure?” she probed.

The big Monstrum hesitated, and Terra stared at him.

“We are checking. We need to find out for sure before you sell any more of this dream fruit stuff. I promise you, the state of Florida is going to have something to say if you’re selling fruit that gets people high.”

He sighed and spread his hands.

“Very well.”

She opened another folder.

“What about this?”

“Kelvarian silk. One of my most popular imports,” Taurex said.

Terra ran her finger down the description.

“Temperature responsive?”

He nodded.

“Yes. It warms when the wearer is cold and cools when they become overheated.”

“That sounds amazing,” Terra said honestly.

“It is extremely popular with your fashion designers,” he rumbled.

“I bet it is,” Terra murmured.

The more she looked, the more impressed she became. Taurex had built something real here. This wasn't some eccentric alien's hobby. Intergalactic Imports was a serious business dealing in goods that humans couldn't get anywhere else. And despite the chaos in the office, it was profitable–very profitable.

She found the previous year's income statement and nearly choked.

“You made this much?”

Taurex glanced at the number and shrugged.

“Yes. That seems right.”

Terra shook her head.

“And your office looks like this?”

He frowned.

“What does one have to do with the other?”

“Nothing, apparently,” Terra murmured. She took a deep breath. “All right. We're fixing this.”

For the next several hours Terra forgot to be nervous. She forgot about The Doll House and Marty and Orlov. She even forgot, most of the time, that Taurex was the same man she'd been naked on top of only a few nights before.

There was too much work to do to waste time feeling embarrassed.