The Spiced Ruby was, undeniably, worth every copper of its logged cost.
Aric leaned against the prep counter, swirling the dark, rich vintage in his crystal glass.
The kitchen was a wall of heat, laughter, and the mouth-watering scent of Brinna’s seared beef.
At the center of the room, Gorren and Rhoz finally called their arm-wrestling match a draw, the heavy oak butcher’s block groaning in relief as the two massive men released their grips and clapped each other on the shoulder.
“Ten minutes!” Brinna yelled over the music, waving a wooden spoon at the room.
“The roast needs to rest to keep the juices in!
Keep your hands off the platters until I carve it, or you lose a finger!” Aric smiled into his wine.
He took another slow sip, letting his gaze drift across the kitchen as the staff broke into smaller, relaxed groups to wait for the food.
Near the pantry, Lyra had finished weaving a complex series of braids into Marenna’s messy human hair.
The centaur sighed in contentment, rolling her human shoulders and stretching her back.
“Alright, turn around,” Lyra instructed, picking up a heavy, stiff-bristled brush.
“Let me get the winter burrs out of your tail before we eat.” Marenna offered a lazy whinny of agreement.
She shifted her massive, dappled brown flanks, turning her horse half completely around so her rear faced the center of the kitchen—and, by sheer logistical chance, pointed directly at where Aric was leaning against the counter.
“It’s thick today,” Marenna warned, reaching back with her human hands.
To give the Kitsune access to the base of the hair, Marenna gathered the heavy bulk of her dark tail, hoisted it straight up, and clamped it high and to the side.
Aric froze.
His wine glass stopped halfway to his mouth.
With her tail pulled completely out of the way and her powerful back legs shifted slightly apart for balance, Marenna’s lower anatomy was put on full, unavoidable display.
Aric’s breath caught in his throat.
He had been so entirely overwhelmed during his first day in the kitchen when Marenna walked in dripping with a client’s cum that he had desperately stared at his bowl of oats.
Tonight, fortified by the wine, his newfound confidence, and the memory of the previous morning on Vaelisse’s rug leaving his body dangerously easy to provoke, he didn’t look away.
Without her tail covering her, Aric was confronted by the plush folds of Marenna’s horse pussy.
Her outer lips were thick and dark rose against the dappled fur of her inner thighs, the exposed flesh glistening in the kitchen heat.
Its scale was intimidating—and undeniably beautiful, built to endure the kind of punishing, multi-partner endurance sessions she sold to the guildmasters.
Aric gripped the edge of the prep counter.
His heart gave a hard, erratic thump against his ribs.
Vaelisse had edged him until his legs gave out.
His body was already primed, running hot and desperate.
The sight of Marenna’s exposed sex sent a massive, violent spike of adrenaline straight to his groin.
Beneath the wool of his trousers, his cock instantly hardened to the consistency of iron, aching with a heavy, painful throb that pressed tightly against the fabric.
He tried to swallow, his throat suddenly bone-dry.
He tried to think about the cellar tallies.
He tried to think about the cost of the soap.
Neither worked.
He couldn’t drag his eyes away from the plump, dark pink folds.
Lyra paused with the brush in her hand.
The Kitsune’s ears twitched.
She followed Aric’s frozen, wide-eyed stare straight to Marenna’s exposed anatomy.
A slow, wicked, incredibly knowing smile spread across Lyra’s vulpine face.
All six of her golden tails gave a simultaneous, delighted swish.
“You know, Marenna,” Lyra purred, her voice carrying effortlessly over the low hum of the kitchen.
“I think you have an audience.” Marenna paused.
The centaur looked over her human shoulder, her dark eyes tracking across the room until she spotted Aric pinned to the counter.
Aric’s face burned a brilliant, immediate crimson.
His provincial instincts screamed at him to apologize and turn toward the wall.
He let the embarrassment burn through him instead.
Marenna was smiling.
She had caught him looking, and she was choosing to make a game of it.
He didn’t look away.
He forced his grip on the counter to loosen.
Marenna didn’t cover herself.
She didn’t drop her tail.
Instead, she offered him a warm, completely unbothered grin.
She actually shifted her weight, widening her back hooves just a fraction of an inch to give the manager an even better view of her heavy, glistening folds.
“Is the manager auditing the livestock, Master Vale?” Marenna teased, her voice rich with amusement.
The entire kitchen went quiet.
Gorren paused halfway through a drink.
Perrin and Rhoz turned to look.
Kaela leaned against the opposite counter, her golden eyes dancing as she waited to see how Aric would handle being caught.
Aric took a slow, deep breath.
He let the heat of the blush remain on his neck, but he channeled the quiet, heavy authority he had practiced in the Silver Swan.
He raised his crystal glass and took a steady sip of the Spiced Ruby.
“I am simply verifying the grooming standards of the house,” Aric managed.
His voice was rougher than usual, deepened by the undeniable ache in his trousers.
“The Hearth prides itself on premium assets.
It is my job to ensure they are being properly maintained.” Marenna let out a loud, delighted whinny of laughter.
Lyra beamed, dragging the heavy brush through the centaur’s tail hair.
“He’s learning!
Did you hear that, Vaelisse?
He didn’t even drop his glass.” At the head of the table, Vaelisse took a delicate sip of her mint tea.
Her cool, gray eyes slid from Marenna’s exposed anatomy to the heavy, unmistakable bulge straining against the front of Aric’s trousers.
“His vocabulary is improving,” Vaelisse noted smoothly, her lips curving into a proprietary smile.
“Though I suspect his ledger is not the only thing currently demanding his attention.” Aric’s face burned even hotter, but he held his ground, taking another slow drink of his wine as Marenna shamelessly kept her tail clamped high.
The Velvet Hearth was systematically destroying every piece of his polite, provincial restraint, and as the heavy ache pulsed in his groin, he realized he didn’t miss it at all.
“Plates up, you heathens!” Brinna suddenly roared, slamming a heavy meat cleaver into the cutting board with a resounding thwack.
“The beef is rested!
Get your food before I eat it all myself!” The tension broke instantly.
The staff cheered, surging toward the center table.
Marenna finally dropped her tail, the heavy dark hair swishing over her dappled flanks and covering her sex once more.
She grabbed a plate and trotted toward the stoves, totally unfazed.
Aric let out a long, ragged exhale, sagging slightly against the counter.
He was saved by the dwarven cook, but the heavy, throbbing erection trapped in his trousers remained an absolute, undeniable reminder that he was surrounded by beautiful monsters.
He pushed off the wood, picked up an empty ceramic plate, and walked toward the feast.