Page 6 of Minotaur Bar (Minotaur Bar #1)

Fuck, her ass is nice in those pants.

They look similar to mine, and I wonder if she wore them to gain bonus points with me.

If so, it’s working.

Cash is being a dick, but Tess is making it work. I walk to the front of the storage closet to watch her from afar, seeing how she’s handling things.

She’s surrounded by bulls, all vying for her attention.

A big dumb brute named Champ is practically panting as he orders a pint.

Tess cocks her head, looking down at her chest to make sure she understands his line of sight is where she thinks it is.

“You want that pint, honey, then I urge you to be less obvious when looking at my tits, like the rest of your buddies,”

she says as she snatches the twenty out his fingers and saunters away to the tap. I chuckle to myself as his friends hoot and holler, making him feel like the douchebag he is.

“How are they being less obvious if you saw them?”

he asks incredulously.

“What’s your name?”

Tess asks him as she leans over the bar top and pushes her tits together.

“Ch-Champ,”

he stutters, doing his best to keep his eyes up, but failing miserably.

“Well, Champ. How fitting by the way,”

she says as his friends again crack up behind him.

“Judging from the size of your cock, you couldn’t handle me.”

“You were looking at my cock?!”

he guffaws, making me chuckle to myself.

“Mhmm. That’s how you be discreet, sweetheart. And I need a bull packing a lot more than you are,”

she practically purrs, passing him his pint before she turns to ring him up.

She makes eye contact with me as she does, something passing between us silently as she notices me watching her.

She bites her bottom lip, before her eyes drop to my crotch.

That’s right, baby. I’m the bull who’s packing what you need, red.

She looks away quickly, handing Champ his change. She gives him a belittling wink before taking the next order.

I’m impressed. But it’s short lived as I hear breaking glass and look over to see a couple of bulls locking horns. I rush towards them, taking charge of the situation.

“In the ring, assholes! Not in the middle of my bar!”

We have a rule: you wanna fight, get in the ring. It’s impossible to cater to minotaurs without there being violence. So, in order to combat it, I designated a place in our fenced in courtyard where I built a small ring for the bulls to brawl. It’s helped cut down on those I need to eighty-six. Most of the bulls are aggressive but they don’t necessarily dislike one another. They just need to butt heads in order to get their feelings out and then share a drink afterwards.

“Cash!”

I call, the minotaur already on his way over to help me get the fighting bulls outside.

“Hold it down, red!”

I shout to Tess as we pass, hoping that if I take my eyes off of her for one second, she will be ok.

Tess:

Hold it down. By myself. No problem. I’ve got this. Do I got this? Hands pound the bar. Orders are shouted my way. A sea of various sized horns are floating above my head. The threat of incoming anxiety is trying to work its way into my awareness. But I’m determined to fucking secure this job. I spy a horn next to the register and rush to grab it, pressing the button with all my might. An annoying ass blare comes from the canister as all the bulls stop in their tracks and stare at me startled.

“If y’all want drinks, then you’ll take your turns placing orders like civilized minotaurs! Otherwise, there’s the door!!!”

I point to the exit, their heads looking between it and me. I school my face into a mask of authority as I wait to see if they’ll shape up enough to get their alcohol. Sure as shit, the minotaurs calm down and start to place their orders in a more rational fashion. Honestly, I hadn’t really expected that to work, but for some reason, they’re responding to me. I’m not mad about it, especially as Havoc walks back in and gives the scene a once over with widened eyes.

“Cash is overseeing the fight. How the fuck did you get these bulls to behave?”

he asks me after he takes the closest order. Suddenly, we’re both at the beer tap, pouring pints. I like our tight proximity as we brush elbows. Warmth spreads through me at the innocent touch.

“Tits,”

I say with a shimmy as he looks down at my chest and groans.

“Knock that shit off, red. You’re fucking killing me. And it’s more than that. You’re like a fucking minotaur tamer. None of the other human women who have tried to work here have garnered this much respect from the regulars. Quite the opposite, actually,”

he says. He finishes filling the current glass in his hand before grabbing another one.

“What’s your deal?”

“I don’t fucking know. I just know my worth and I guess that’s what I’m putting out there. If they want to be assholes to me, they can try their hand at a human bar and get kicked out there,”

I reply with a shrug.

“I’m here to work. I understand what comes with this territory but they damn sure better tip me if they’re checking me out and say thank you when I put a drink in front of them!”

I grab the four mugs I filled between both of my hands and turn to deliver them to the bull who ordered them. He throws a fifty-dollar bill into my bucket before nodding his head.

“Thank you, sweetie!”

I say kindly as I move on. When I look over at Havoc beside me, he’s got a shit eating grin on his face. He walks over to me and leans down to speak in my ear. The heat from his muzzle and the softness of his voice makes me flood my panties.

“You’re hired, red. Welcome to Bulls & Horns.”

I can’t help but grin back at him when he pulls his face back to look at me.

A sense of pride I haven’t felt since my salon business failed blooms inside my chest. I passed the test! And the owner is smitten with me. I should probably be worried about what that means, but I’m just as interested in him. We’re both playing with fire and we know it. Too bad I can’t wait to feel the fucking burn of his flames.