Page 3 of Marked by the Wild Orc (Heat & Ink)

Chapter 3

Krissy

T alon was able to pay me so quickly for Sunday’s work because his business is cash only. When we closed last night, the intimidating orc handed me two hundred dollars in cash for six hours of work. “Here, I’ll pay you right now.”

Of course I was grateful, I desperately needed that money. He’d also insisted on giving me cash to get us both pizza for dinner, which was lovely because that was much better than what waited me at home.

The money he gave me is already in the ATM and in my account. Last night I went to the cheapest gas station in town and filled my tank so I don’t have to worry about not being able to get somewhere farther to find a better job. And the good news is that I’ll get paid again next Monday.

What a blessing.

I should be thrilled to receive cash as my payment, but this leaves me not knowing yet what my hourly pay rate is and will this job count toward taxes? I’ve never had a job, besides babysitting, where I was paid cash only. I’m now worried that Talon Overtree isn’t just a tattoo artist but is also running some sort of orc money laundering mafia business and I’ll always be paid under the table, constantly worrying that there’s going to be an FBI raid of the place.

I know this is terrible to think, considering I spent most of yesterday with him, in his shop, watching him work and getting to know him. But there’s something wrong with how he’s running his business and I can’t move forward until I get to the bottom of this mystery—what if this business is illegal?

I’m annoyed because I specifically told my brother I was willing to do any type of work as long as it wasn’t illegal, and I wasn’t doing any sex work either because that’s way out of my comfort zone.

I walk over to the strip mall for my next shift and send my brother a text. Kavin, you said this tattoo shop wasn’t an illegal business.

He answers right away. It isn’t.

Then why is this a cash only business with a set of books that is messily written in a spiral notebook like this is a 1960s casino or something.

It’s probably because orcs have never had to pay human taxes or run human businesses.

Never?

Never. But now that we’ve recently become citizens, all of us, including those that now own businesses, have to start paying taxes this next year. He’ll learn and change.

I respond with a thinking emoji.

He leaves a laughing emoji. You good?

Yes, thanks…back to work

Me too.

I reach Heat the office door slams loudly behind him.

“What was all that about?” I question the cats.

They give a chorus of tinkling meows.

Then I get right to work, first feeding all three cats their mid-morning snacks and giving them fresh water. I clean out their kitty litter box and make sure their beds and their whole little area is neat and clean. This is no hardship and I’m happy to keep them entertained with the toys that are in a box for them. I even find a catalogue to look through for more cat paraphernalia and I find a darling cat tree that I plan on talking Talon into ordering.

I’d like to think that my grandma would be thrilled to see me finally living my dream of having cats I can be amongst day in and day out. She always felt bad that I couldn’t have a cat because of her allergies.

I continue to focus on my work, making sure that my boss never has any idea of how I truly feel about him. He would consider my attraction annoying, like a bug to be swatted away. And I’m going to have to somehow get over this over-the-top attraction I have for this orc, because nothing is ever going to happen between us. I’m most likely going to work here for only a few months and then find another job elsewhere.

It's for the best.

Orc customers soon arrive for their “ink” and I greet them, take their payments, show them to Talon’s room and get them set up for their next appointments. I’m getting good at answering the phone, although at this point since I don’t know much, I always forward calls to Talon, but hopefully in the future I’ll be able to answer some of the questions myself, so he doesn’t have to be burdened with everything.

Finally, after lunch, two other orc employees arrive and I get to meet the other tattoo artists in the shop. They stomp over and greet me with typical orc gruffness. “I am Oreg and this is Doril.” They gaze at me with serious expressions, not bothering to smile. Both are also covered in tattoos that I believe aren’t as good-looking as all the ones on Talon’s chest. And I think Oreg is probably older than Talon and I assume Doril is the same age as me.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” I say with all honesty.

Neither of them are as intimidating as Talon and seem easier to get along with, similar to my brother. They each have their own rooms too with chairs and their paraphernalia all set up. On weekdays, these two males will be here until closing at two in the morning. I cannot believe they stay open so late, but apparently, they get an influx of orcs that late at night because the orc brewery closes at midnight and they come over afterwards in groups. Most stores would close on Sundays and Mondays. But Mondays apparently are their busiest day and they are instead closed on Wednesday and Thursdays.

I notice that these two are wary of the cats, which is surprising. They walk around them and act scared and are both truly stunned that the cats seem to like me.

“I have never seen this before,” Oreg says when Cole jumps onto the counter and rubs against my hand.

“They’re sweethearts,” I comment.

“They’re furry demons,” Doril responds.

I’m about to deny this when Shadow hisses at Oreg and the large orc rushes into his room and shuts the door. My jaw drops open because I’ve never seen this cat act this way, I’d only heard rumors. But as the day progresses I see it’s true, they hiss at the customers they don’t like, and at the other orcs who work here. They are only one hundred percent loving towards me, and Talon, the owner of the shop.

“Why do they like you so much?” one of the orc customers, who is a regular, questions.

“I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. “Maybe because they can sense that I adore them?”

“That’s not the reason,” Oreg grumbles.

“You know why?”

“I do but I’m keeping my ideas to myself.”

Business picks up later in the day. The afternoon and early evening were spent juggling a steady stream of orcs and humans, keeping all three rooms full, with customers waiting for their next openings.

Talon seems to have the most customers who are here with appointments. Doril and Oreg are always full with walk-ins.

Doril and I end up taking a dinner break at the same time. We leave together and walk over to the pizza place at the end of the strip mall and order enough pizza for all four of us. And when we return together, laughing over a shared joke, Talon is immediately rude to Doril for an unknown reason. “Get back to work,” he barks. “You shouldn’t be wasting time talking with the new human. Your booth isn’t even properly set up for your next appointment.”

My jaw drops open and I confront Talon for his irrational treatment of an orc who is obviously a hard worker and, as far as I can tell, a reasonably kind orc. “It’s not his fault. His next appointment canceled.”

“No, it's okay,” Doril offers. “It’s true I need to get things ready. Might as well start now.”

I put my hands on my hips and step closer to Talon. “No, it's not okay. Doril needs to pause and eat his dinner and it’s not right for you to confront him like that in the middle of his dinner break.”

“Krissy,” Talon growls, “we had an agreement. You knew how I was when you accepted this job.”

I blow out a breath, because I do need this job. And he did warn me. Also, I’m getting distracted yet again by Talon’s perfect chest and that deep voice. The tusks that jut out from his lower jaw are somehow highly erotic. All day I’ve watched other orcs arrive and treat him in a god-like manner because he’s “the best tattoo artist in the Pacific Northwest” and I have to admit it was awesome to see what he was creating on the other orc’s bodies because they’d always show it off to me on the way out. “I know. You did warn me. It's just difficult, okay?”

And then Doril looks between the two of us and steps close. He leans towards me and inhales and then looks over at Talon. He seems to come to some sort of decision and takes a step back. “I have to get work complete in my room during my lunch break,” he grumbles.

“Oh, really, but you don't have to…”

He steps back from me and says with a firm tone. “I'm busy and need time to myself. But thank you, female.” And then he’s gone and shuts the door to his booth behind him.

For the rest of the week, I see the effects of that confrontation.

Oreg and Doril are just as kind to me as ever, always quick to help out with an explanation for the new girl on how things work. Always showing me their tools and ink work, because I’m endlessly curious about what they do.

But neither one of them is ever alone with me. Oreg and Doril now take their dinner break together and my dinner break is with…Talon.

“Don’t you have friends?” Talon questions as we share a pizza inside of his office.

Not that I mind having dinner each night with this amazing male, but it doesn’t help me in the least with my initial plans of getting over my doomed attraction. This last week I’ve spent most of my time with Talon and I still go home at night and masturbate to highly erotic thoughts of my boss. When I’m in here with him like this, the space between my thighs grows hot. I imagine him shutting the door and kissing me. Which is silly because that’s never, never going to happen. “No, I didn’t have many friends locally, back home, and obviously not here either because I’m new,” I answer truthfully and with all the professional detachment I can muster. This orc must never know how much I wish he wanted me as his mate. I’d die of embarrassment if he ever knew of my inappropriate attraction. I’m just an employee and I guess we’re becoming friends? Probably because he’s friends already with my brother. “My friends are all on the internet. They live all over the world.”

“You travel often?”

I’m having a hard time, keeping my eyes off the way his forearms look so strong and sexy. I love watching him devour pizza with gusto. “No, it’s because I’ve been trying to write a romance novella for the last five years. My closest friends are all other women like me, trying to write and publish our first book to no avail. We’ve grown close over the years.”

“Ah.”

I tense at the timber of his voice, which I think sounds a tad judgmental. “It’s hard to write a romance book.”

His lips twitch as he bends down to pet both Ink and Cole. “I understand.”

“You’re making fun of me.”

He sits up. “I do not make fun of you.”

For some reason I’m immediately angry. “You make a living drawing pictures and putting ink permanently in orc skin. That also sounds weird at face value, but it’s important to you and you spend a lot of time getting better and better at it, so I’d never make fun of it and instead take it seriously. I understand that you are a professional at what you do.”

He grunts.

I stand up. “Okay, I’m done with dinner.”

He waves a huge hand over towards the closet. “Why don’t you go ahead and get your pay for this last week.”

I open the closet and then I discover the huge safe in the office holds ridiculous piles of cash. I count out one-hundred-dollar bills in the correct amount, not particularly happy that I’ll be out in public, carrying that amount of cash on me. Then I sit back down to show him and double check it’s correct. “Let me guess, orcs don’t use banks either,” I grumble, half joking.

“No, we don’t.”

I drop my face in my hands. “I can’t believe this. You can’t pay me with cash for forever. I want to be able to declare this job on my taxes like a normal person.”

“I never had to pay taxes because I wasn’t a citizen and was instead taxed by my tribe. Also, I only recently moved into this store. Prior to this I ran my business out of my commune. Human business practices are foreign to me.”

“Maybe you need an actual CPA.”

“What?”

“An accountant. Or a bookkeeper.”

“No, I do not want more humans I do not know meddling in my business. And I do not make fun of your dream to write and publish romance books, therefore you cannot make fun of my lack of banking.”

“This is different. You have been losing money by not investing your profits. And anyone could steal from you.”

“You wouldn’t steal from me.”

“Of course I wouldn’t, but that doesn’t mean that…” I wave a hand.

He looks truly affronted, stands up and starts pacing. “Are you suggesting that customers or employees would steal from me? No one here would steal from me.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Are you trying to say that Oreg and Doril would steal from me?”

I stand up and move closer. “I’m telling you it’s stupid to leave your money sitting in this safe or I’m guessing under your mattress at home, not gaining interest and leaving it exposed to theft.”

His forehead lowers and his lips thin. “I’m not stupid.”

Now we’re close, too close, and dammit, he smells so good. I lean forward and poke a finger against his bare chest. “It doesn’t feel good to be called stupid, does it?”

“Hey,” a deep voice rings out from the open doorway.

I drop my hands and look over my shoulder.

“Can you two stop fighting and get ready for work?” Oreg growls. “All three of us have a busy day. Our next group of customers arrives for their appointments in five minutes.”

I instantly calm down, a bit embarrassed at how this must look. What is it about this orc that gets me so riled up? I’m normally known as calm and levelheaded.

“Get to work,” Talon orders with a low growl.

“Yep.” And I’m out the door, taking my position at the front counter.