Page 3 of The Minotaur’s Maze (Bathhouse Beasts #3)

My back arched as pleasure shot through me like lightning. His expertise was obvious, the way his throat relaxed to accommodate me, how his tongue pressed against the sensitive underside of my shaft. I was helpless beneath his worship, reduced to nothing but sensation and need.

"Fuck," I groaned, one hand moving to cup the back of his head. Not pushing, just resting there, feeling the rhythm of his movements. "That's... incredible."

The bathhouse around us seemed to fade into a blur of steam and shadow. I was vaguely aware of eyes on us, of the Kraken's tentacles writhing in pleasure as he watched, of other men drawing closer. But none of it mattered compared to the wet heat of this stranger's mouth.

He hummed around my cock, sending vibrations that made my toes curl. When he pulled back to focus on just the head, swirling his tongue around the sensitive ridge, I had to bite my lip to keep from crying out.

"I'm close," I warned, my voice strained. "If you keep that up?—"

He responded by taking me deeper, his hands gripping my thighs with bruising intensity. The message was clear. He wanted everything I had to give.

The pressure built at the base of my spine, my balls drawing tight. I was teetering on the edge, every nerve ending alive with electricity. When he moaned around me, the vibration was the final push I needed.

"I'm cumming," I gasped, my fingers tightening in his hair.

My orgasm crashed through me in waves, each pulse more intense than the last. He didn't pull away, swallowing everything I gave him, his throat working as he drank me down.

Even as I began to soften, he continued to suckle gently, drawing out every last aftershock until I was shivering from overstimulation.

When he finally released me, I slumped back against the tile, boneless and spent. The tension that had been coiled in my body for months seemed to have drained away with my release.

"Thank you," I whispered, not caring how vulnerable I sounded.

He smiled up at me, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "My pleasure. Truly."

His own cock was still hard, jutting proudly from between his legs. I reached for him, wanting to reciprocate, but he caught my hand.

"Not necessary," he said, his voice gentle. "This was for you."

I frowned, confused. "But I want to?—"

"Another time, perhaps." He pressed a kiss to my palm before releasing it. "You looked like you needed that more than I did."

Before I could argue, he was pulling himself out of the pool.

Water cascaded down his muscular back as he stood and reached for a towel.

I watched him, still dazed from my orgasm, as he walked toward the door on the far side of the room, the one that led to the dungeon full of sex swings, crosses, and stockades.

Whatever he needed, he was going to get in there. And if I wanted to follow, I could.

However, now that I was finally feeling a bit less tense, I figured it might be a good idea to head to one of the private baths downstairs.

There I could just focus on myself and not have to worry about being approached again.

The blowjob was great, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted just a little time to myself.

I made my way down the familiar tiled steps to the lower level where the private baths were located.

The hallway was dimmer here, lit only by soft blue lights that cast everything in a dreamy glow.

The sounds from upstairs, the splashing, the murmured conversations, the occasional moan, faded with each step I took.

The private baths were smaller, meant for one or two people at most. Each was enclosed by frosted glass doors that provided just enough privacy while still allowing shadowy silhouettes to be seen from outside, another subtle tease that I'd always appreciated about this place.

I chose the last bath at the end of the hall, slipping inside and closing the door behind me. The small room was filled with steam, a single recessed light illuminating the square tub sunken into the floor. The water was perfectly still, reflecting the light like a mirror.

I eased myself in, sighing as the hot water enveloped me again. This bath was hotter than the communal one upstairs, and scented with something earthy and masculine that I couldn't quite identify. My muscles, which had tensed up again during the walk downstairs, began to relax once more.

Leaning my head against the edge of the tub, I closed my eyes and let my mind drift. The stranger's mouth on me, his dark eyes looking up at me, the way he'd seemed to know exactly what I needed, it all replayed in my head. But instead of arousal, what I felt now was a strange melancholy.

When was the last time someone had touched me with any real tenderness? Not just sex, but actual care? I couldn't remember. Work had consumed everything for so long that I'd forgotten what it felt like to be seen as more than just a department manager, a problem solver, a corporate asset.

The water lapped at my chin as I sank deeper.

My thoughts drifted to tomorrow, another day of impossible metrics, angry customers, and a CEO who couldn't give less of a shit about the human cost of his profit margins.

I'd have to figure out how to cut staff without destroying morale completely.

I'd have to find a way to make fewer people do more work without breaking them.

"Fuck," I whispered to the empty room, the word echoing slightly against the tiled walls.

A soft knock on the frosted door pulled me from my thoughts.

"Occupied," I called out, annoyed at the interruption.

Instead of footsteps retreating, I heard the door handle turn. Before I could protest, the door opened, and a figure stepped inside.

"I said it's—" The words died in my throat as I registered who it was.

The creature that entered was massive, nearly seven feet tall, with skin the deep blue-green of the ocean floor.

His broad shoulders barely fit through the doorframe as he stepped in, his biceps fitted with gold cuffs catching the light.

He was human-shaped, but far bigger and muscular than seemed possible.

His eyes were a warm purple, softly glowing in the darkness.

I had no idea what kind of creature he was. A demon? A Djinn? Something else?

“Apologies,” he said, his accent thick. “I didn’t realize…”

“It’s alright,” I sighed, pushing myself out of the water. “I was just leaving anyway.”

“Are you sure?” He looked me up and down, taking in my naked body hungrily. “I could?—”

“I’m sure,” I said, forgetting my towel and pushing past him. “Enjoy the bath.”

I stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind me before he could say anything more.

Leaning against the wall, I forced myself to take a few breaths.

The man, whoever he was, hadn’t done anything wrong.

But with my brain so full of work thoughts that wouldn’t leave me be, I felt like my entire body was twisted up with stress again.

I had this craving to be alone, but that would only lead to more overthinking.

Maybe I should find someone to fuck, just to get my mind off it for a bit. The problem was, it always came back.

I wished there was a way to escape my mind, a way to let go for more than a single orgasm. But it was impossible. No such power existed.

My feet were silent against the wet tile as I padded back toward the locker room, my mind churning with the same corporate bullshit that had driven me here in the first place.

The brief respite from my racing thoughts was already fading, replaced by mental images of spreadsheets and the CEO's smug face floating behind palm trees.

I was almost to the stairs when I heard it, a low, resonant humming that seemed to vibrate through the walls themselves.

The sound stopped me mid-step, my hand gripping the stair rail as something deep in my chest responded to the melody.

It wasn't coming from upstairs where the main action was, but from somewhere deeper in the building, a part I'd never explored.

And then I realized what it was saying.

“Julian…”

It was my name.

I had no choice but to follow the sound. I'd been coming here for three years and nobody knew my name. I never shared it with anyone. Privacy was rule number one at the bathhouse. I had to find out who was calling me, where it was coming from.

“Julian…”

I walked past all the familiar areas, the main bath, the saunas, and the stairs leading to the private rooms on the second floor.

But as I followed the voice I found myself walking down a corridor I'd never noticed before, one that curved away from the main hallway like it was leading into the building's hidden heart.

The humming of my name grew stronger as I walked, joined by what sounded like the forest sounds of birds and insects.

The air grew warmer, thick with humidity that carried scents that didn’t feel like they belonged, something like damp earth, wet leaves, and burning sage.

Emergency lighting cast everything in a dim red glow, making the wet walls look like they were made of blood.

At the end of the corridor, I found a heavy wooden door carved with symbols that hurt to look at directly.

“Julian…”

The humming was definitely coming from beyond it, along with a faint pale light that leaked around the edges. My rational mind screamed at me to turn around, go get dressed, and drive home to my empty apartment like a responsible adult.

Instead, I pushed the door open.

The room beyond defied physics. It was vast, far larger than the building could possibly contain, with a ceiling that disappeared into shadows.

In front of me was a green hedge some nine feet tall with an arched opening carved into it.

I glanced to the left and right, the hedge going on for what seemed like forever.

“Welcome to the Maze, Julian,” the voice said, deep enough to vibrate me down to the bone.