Terra #3
The expression on his face made Terra suddenly picture him marching into some downtown government office, ducking his enormous horns beneath the doorway and demanding his money back while a room full of terrified federal employees dove beneath their desks.
She almost smiled at the image, but the look in his golden eyes told her he was considerably more irritated than amused.
“Don't go try to fix it,” she warned. “You can’t solve these things with violence or intimidation. They’ll just throw you in jail.”
Taurex looked at her.
“I was not going anywhere.”
“You were thinking about it.”
His mouth tightened.
“I dislike being cheated.”
“So do I, which is why we're not going to let them keep the money. We'll file a correction and request a refund.”
“Will they return it?”
“They should.”
“And if they do not?”
“Then we appeal.”
Taurex's brow furrowed.
“And if the appeal fails?”
Terra looked up at him and smiled.
“Then we get mean.”
His mouth twitched at that, as though he was trying not to smile in return, and Terra felt an answering little flicker of amusement despite herself.
By eleven o'clock, she had completely taken over the conference table, and by noon she had built a spreadsheet tracking every outstanding invoice she could find.
At twelve-thirty, she finally happened to glance at the clock on her laptop and realized with surprise that she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast. Her stomach apparently chose that exact moment to notice as well, because it gave a loud, embarrassing growl.
Taurex looked up from the documents he'd been reading.
“You require nourishment.”
Terra blinked at him. “I require what?”
“Food. Forgive me–I should not have kept you working so long without feeding you.”
“That’s okay.” She glanced at the time again and shook her head. “Wow, I didn't realize it was that late.”
“Stay here. I have provisions,” he told her, rising from his chair.
Before Terra could ask what exactly he meant by provisions, Taurex disappeared into the enormous kitchen. He returned several minutes later carrying a tray so large that she wondered if he'd misunderstood the concept of lunch entirely.
There were sandwiches, fruit, sliced cheese, crackers and several containers of prepared salads, along with bottled water and enough extra food to feed a small office staff.
Terra stared at the tray.
“What is all this?”
“Lunch,” he said simply.
“For who? The Army?” she asked, trying not to stare at the huge amount of food piled on the tray.
He shrugged.
“For us. I thought we could share a meal.”
She looked from the food to him.
“How much do you normally eat?”
Taurex considered the question as though she had asked him something deeply philosophical.
“A sufficient amount,” he said at last.
Terra felt the corners of her mouth twitching.
“That’s not an answer,” she pointed out.
“Nonetheless, it is accurate,” Taurex rumbled.
Terra shook her head and picked up half a turkey sandwich. “Do you always eat Earth food?”
“Not always, no. I have some food from my home world in the refrigeration unit if you want to try it. I have some raw Jor’ish flank marinated in grellim butter if you like.”
“No, no,” Terra said quickly. “I, er, wouldn’t want to deprive you. You save the, uh, flank for your dinner.”
He shrugged.
“As you wish. We can just have Earth food for lunch.”
“Do you like it?” she asked curiously. “The ‘Earth food,’ I mean?”
The big Monstrum looked thoughtful.
“Some of it.”
“What don't you like?” Terra was determined to get to know him. After all, they were going to be working together for some time–his finances were a mess.
“Marshmallows,” he rumbled.
The answer was so immediate that Terra laughed.
“What? Why? Who doesn’t like marshmallows?”
“I do not like them,” Taurex said. “They are squishy and disgusting, and they have no purpose.”
“They taste a lot better if you melt them,” Terra told him. “Have you ever had smores?”
“Some more of what? Marshmallows?” He frowned. “I told you–I don’t like them.”
She laughed again.
“No–a smores is a kind of marshmallow chocolate graham cracker sandwich.”
He shook his head.
“No, that doesn’t sound like the kind of sandwich I would eat. I thought all Earth sandwiches were savory.”
“Well, most of them are, but there are plenty of sweet ones, too,” Terra countered. “I mean, there are ice cream sandwiches and peanut butter and jelly, and the Japanese have those fruit and cream sandwiches that look delicious, though I’ve never had one–”
“Stop.” Taurex held up a hand. “That is too many sandwiches to consider. I must concentrate on the sandwiches we have at hand.”
For some reason his words struck her as funny, and Terra laughed so hard she nearly dropped her sandwich.
“Sorry,” she wheezed at last. “Too many…sandwiches to…to consider…”
Taurex simply watched her with a puzzled expression, clearly uncertain what he'd said that she found so amusing. Then, slowly, he smiled.
“I do not know why my consideration of your Earth food makes you happy, but I like watching you laugh,” he rumbled.
His words and the change in his face caught her completely off guard and Terra found herself staring at him.
The big Monstrum was handsome in a strange, intimidating way even when he was serious, but when he smiled the stern lines around his mouth softened and warmth entered his golden eyes, making him look less like some massive alien warrior and more like a man who simply hadn't had many reasons to smile lately.
Terra's laughter faded as she found herself remembering how he’d looked at her when she stripped for him. She remembered how hot and bothered she’d gotten for him and the way she’d come so hard while he watched her…
Then she realized what she was thinking. Oh no–this was dangerous. This was definitely not what she needed to be thinking about when it came to her new boss.
She looked down quickly and took a bite of her sandwich, pretending an intense interest in the turkey and cheese between the bread.
Work, she reminded herself. You are here to work. Not do…anything else.
But she couldn’t help remembering how thick his cock had been when she was grinding against him or how good he smelled and how he’d watched her with half-lidded golden eyes…