Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124077 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 620(@200wpm)___ 496(@250wpm)___ 414(@300wpm)
Then she pressed the button for the penthouse and the golden elevator took her up to her new life.
12
TERRA
The elevator rose so smoothly Terra barely felt it moving.
There were no buttons inside except for emergency controls and the penthouse access panel. Apparently once the proper code was entered, there was only one place the elevator could go.
Up. And up. And up.
In fact, it went up so high, Terra's ears actually popped like she was in a freaking airplane! Not that she’d ever actually gotten to fly in one, but still.
When the doors finally opened, she expected to step into another hallway. Instead, she stepped directly into what looked like a private foyer.
The floor here was black marble veined with gold and a massive abstract sculpture stood against one wall beneath recessed lighting. Tall windows at the far end showed the city of Tampa spread out below, the buildings suddenly looking much smaller from this height.
Terra stood perfectly still.
“Oh my God,” she breathed.
If the lobby had been luxurious, the penthouse level was obscene and there appeared to be only one residence.
A pair of enormous dark wooden doors stood opposite the elevator, each nearly twice the normal width. Terra supposed they had to be wide to accommodate Taurex's horns.
Well, she couldn’t just stand here staring all day. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the foyer and pressed the doorbell.
For several seconds, nothing happened. Then she heard something crash inside. A low curse followed and more crashing. What in the world was going on in there?
Terra raised her eyebrows as more noises came from beyond the door—a scrape, another muttered curse and something that sounded suspiciously like papers falling onto the floor.
Finally, one of the massive doors swung open.
Terra looked up…but suddenly she had forgotten what she had been about to say.
Taurex filled the doorway.
Somehow, she had somehow forgotten how enormous he was.
At The Doll House, the dim lighting and cramped VIP booth had made it difficult to fully appreciate his size. Here, in the bright morning light, he looked even bigger than she remembered. His broad shoulders nearly filled the doorway, and his long horns extended several feet to either side of his head, forcing him to angle himself slightly, even though the entrance had clearly been designed for oversized residents.
He was dressed exactly as a businessman ought to be dressed, though on the big Monstrum, the effect was considerably more distracting than any business outfit had a right to be.
He wore dark tailored trousers, and a crisp white button-down shirt stretched over his enormous chest and shoulders. The top two buttons were undone, and the sleeves had been rolled up to his elbows, exposing thick, heavily muscled forearms dusted with short dark hair.
Terra's mouth went dry, and her knees suddenly felt weak.
Oh, Lord, that shirt should not have been that sexy. It was a shirt–just a shirt and men wore shirts every day.
But most men weren't built like Taurex.
Then she wondered if he could see what she was thinking. She hoped not–it certainly wasn’t anything a new office manager ought to be thinking about her boss.
“Terra,” he rumbled. “You came.”
“I said I would,” she said, trying to keep things light.
“Yes. Of course.” He stepped back quickly. “Please, come in.”
“Thank you.” Terra nodded and entered.
Taurex shut the door behind her, then ran one enormous hand distractedly over the base of one horn.
“I, er, have been attempting to organize some things before you arrived,” he told her.
Thinking of all the noises and cursing she’d heard before he opened the door, Terra raised her eyebrows.
“Have you?”
“Yes.” He nodded. But his expression suggested the attempt had not gone particularly well.
Terra glanced past him and saw a sheet of paper lying on the floor. Then another…and another. A trail of them disappeared around the corner.
She looked back at him.
“Paperwork problems?”
Taurex cleared his throat.
“Earth bureaucracy is confusing,” he admitted. “I have done business on many worlds, but your planet has them all beat when it comes to legal intricacies.”
Terra bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling at the big Monstrum’s obvious confusion.
“I can probably help with that.”
He looked genuinely relieved.
“I am hoping so.”
His expression made her feel better. She’s spent the whole drive downtown wondering if there really was a job waiting for her or if Taurex had just lured her here to dance for him again.
But judging by the paper trail alone, there was definitely work to do.
Taurex led her deeper into the penthouse and Terra immediately forgot about the papers because she was too busy looking around.
The apartment was enormous.
The main living space alone was larger than her mother's entire bungalow in Seminole Heights. One wall was made completely of windows, offering a panoramic view of downtown Tampa. The furniture was modern and expensive-looking—deep leather sofas, low stone tables, sleek chairs—but there wasn't much of it. Everything was arranged perfectly, almost like a furniture showroom.