Chapter 2 #2
“Yes, but hear me out.” Scooting closer until her knee touched Quin’s, Glyma turned the page to show the pictures of the interior. “It’s honestly kind of perfect. It’s already set-up well for a cafe, and there’s even a small flat above where I could live, which would cut down on my personal costs.”
“But it’s in Purgatory,” Quin repeated. “No one goes to Purgatory. The most they do is pass through.”
Glyma shrugged. “So we’ll let them pass through after putting a coffee in their hand and a pastry in their bag.
” Quin didn’t look convinced, but Glyma soldiered on.
“Purgatory is still new, and yes, it’s not a destination.
But there is a lot of foot traffic because people commute, and they all have to go through Purgatory.
The trains are always running late, and there are no cozy places for people to wait.
Seems like a perfect place to set up shop. ”
“And the fact it’s significantly cheaper to rent has nothing to do with it?” Quin said with a playful flick of her keratin-tipped tail, and Glyma rolled her eyes.
“Okay, that’s obviously a nice bonus, but it’s not the only factor.”
To Quin’s credit, she didn’t immediately dismiss Glyma’s claims. She sat back in her chair, clicking the pen in her hand as she contemplated.
Her red tail, which had been lying dormant at her side before, swung lazily back and forth beside her calf.
For the first time, Glyma noticed her hooves, black and shiny, like she waxed them regularly.
Or, rather, she probably paid someone else to wax them.
She was a Duboi, after all. Her family was known all over the Pentagram.
Business tycoons, mostly, with their fingers in every pot imaginable.
Financial markets, real estate, building and development, and pharmaceuticals.
Not all of their dealings were above board—at least, that was what the rumors said—but they were rich and powerful enough to be untouchable.
Glyma hadn’t made the connection when she’d first found Q we’re in your office where you work. So I promise to be entirely professional from this moment on.”
She finished her word salad with another apology before she tucked her hands between her thighs and bit her bottom lip.
Quin was entirely still, except for the flick, flick, flicking of her tail against her calf.
And Glyma waited. The Daemon had every right to kick her out and refuse her service.
She’d be getting off easy if that was all Quin did.
Instead of calling security to escort her—the degenerate—off the premises, Quin swiped a hand absently over one horn and asked, “What kind of grocery stores do you go to?”
Entirely confused, Glyma moved her mouth wordlessly for several seconds before she managed, “What?”
A playful smirk curled the corner of Quin’s mouth. “I was just wondering what grocery store encourages romantic dancing. So I can avoid it at all costs. I don’t want to get grinded on by strangers while buying milk.”
It took Glyma a second to understand, but after replaying her previous speech through her mind, it all clicked. “Oh my gods,” she bemoaned, throwing her head back with a laugh. “I would never accost someone in the dairy section. That is, objectively, the least romantic part of the store.”
“I feel like the grocery store, in general, is not a sexy place,” Quin said as she leaned back in her chair, more at ease now.
“Then you’ve clearly never been in the family planning aisle at Kliko’s Bodega on thirty-second street,” Glyma teased back, and Quin laughed again, fuller and louder than the first time.
“Is that where they have the maternity overnight pads next to the condoms?”
“With the clit-tingling lube and adult diapers one shelf lower,” Glyma said through her giggles.
Scrubbing a hand down her face, Quin shook her head and sighed. “Well, it’s best to be prepared for anything, I suppose.”
As their laughter faded, the urge to fidget returned, but Glyma resisted as Quin placed a hand flat on the closed binder. “I’m going to go through this and do some research on my own. Then I’ll write a business plan. Or two.”
“Two?”
“One for a location in the Pentagram,” Quin explained with a rueful grin, “and one for Purgatory. Deities know, you’ll need to do some convincing for that one.”
“Thank you,” Glyma said, throat constricting with emotion.
She’d wanted this for so long, and she’d never been this close.
There was still a long way to go, yes, but she’d started.
She had taken that first step, and now, she just had to walk it out.
“I know I dream big, and I know it’s not always realistic, but—”
“The world needs big dreamers.” Quin’s hand moved as if to reach out, but she stopped herself, fisting it on her lap instead. “Plus, without people like you, I’d be out of a job.”
Ducking her head, she brushed a flyaway out of her face. “Still, thank you.”
Quin’s responding smile was soft and sweet as she said, “You’re most welcome.”