Page 48 of Dancing for the Minotaur

“Thank you,” she said, looking up at him. “You don’t know what this means to me. My ex never pays any child support so my mom and my kids…uh, but you probably know all that already,” she said, stopping herself.

“No, I only got a few flashes when I touched you.” Taurex looked at her earnestly. “I can’t read your mind, if that’s what you’re worried about. It’s just that my kind of Monstrum is able to form a…connection with the right kind of woman.”

“Is that why you offered me a job?” Terra asked bluntly. “Because I’m the ‘right kind of woman?’”

“That and I could tell you didn’t like your current occupation,” he said gravely. “I won’t lie to you, Terra—I find you incredibly beautiful. And now that I see how intelligent you are, it only adds to your appeal. But I didn’t ask you to work for me in order to abuse you or pressure you into a relationship. As you can see, I genuinely need your help.”

He nodded at the office filled with paperwork again, as if to prove his point.

“Well…that’s true enough,” Terra admitted.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m your boss and I hope we can have a professional relationship, despite the way we first met,” Taurex told her.

Terra thought again of how it had felt to dance for him, to grind against his thick shaft and feel those golden eyes on her as she stripped…then she quickly pushed the thought away.

“Thank you,” she said simply. “That’s what I hope too.”

“Good. Then we are, as you humans say, ‘on the same page.’” Taurex nodded in evident satisfaction.

“Yes, we are,” Terra agreed. “Er, but would you mind coming down with me to the lobby and telling the front desk people that I work for you?” she asked. “They gave me a hassle this morning. I guess because I don’t look like I belong in a place like this,” she added, looking down at her clean but cheap clothes.

Taurex frowned, his face suddenly thundercloud dark.

“Someone tried to prevent you from coming up to meet me?” he asked, his voice a low rumble of anger.

“They just wanted to be sure I belonged in the penthouse, I think,” Terra told him, thinking of the snooty way Marissa had looked her up and down.

“You belong with me, whether in the penthouse or anywhere else.” There was a possessive growl in the Monstrum’s deep voice that sent a shiver down her spine.

It was different from when Viktor Orlov had claimed she was his, however. There was a protective note in Taurex’s voice too. And he had promised not to try and pressure her into any kind of relationship—which was nice, even though Terra couldn’t help feeling a tiny bit disappointed that he appeared to want to keep things strictly professional between them.

“I will come down with you at once to be sure that there are no problems in the future,” Taurex told her. “Are you ready to go?”

“Oh yes—I am.” Terra got up and gathered her purse and keys.

“Good—then let’s go.”

14

TERRA

The ride down the golden elevator was even faster than the ride up, but it felt slower because she was crammed into a small space with her new Monstrum boss who smelled amazing. Every time Terra found herself in a confined area with him, she felt her body reacting to his scent and his presence. Though she tried her best to ignore it, she could feel her nipples getting tight and she had to press her thighs together to try and get relief from the ache she felt there.

She was glad to step out into the huge lobby but then she wasn’t sure what to do. Taurex, however, didn’t hesitate for a moment. He walked right up to the broad counter and addressed the well-dressed staff standing behind it.

“Did one of you give my new office manager trouble when she was trying to come up to my apartment this morning?” he demanded, his voice a low, threatening rumble.

The well-dressed staff went pale and Marissa, who was standing near the end of the broad marble counter, looked like she wanted to sink into the floor.

“Well? Did you?” Taurex demanded, when none of them answered.

“She…didn’t look like she belonged here,” Marissa said at last, stepping forward and giving Terra a once-over. “Especially not in the penthouse.”

“Well, she does belong here,” Taurex told her. “Terra has my full trust and authority to come and go as she pleases from my domicile. And none of you is to bother her or try to stop her from accessing my abode. Am I understood?”

He glared at all of them, and they nodded quickly with respectful murmurs of,

“Yes, Sir.”