Page 7 of Gratification in Gluttony

Zef nodded.

“You look beautiful, Zef.” He headed to the side door, pausing with his hand on the knob. “You’re gonna knock them dead.”

Their confident air returned, and Zef shook out their hair, leveling Toni with a smug stare. “I always do.”

“That’s the spirit.”

As Zef refocused on their lyric sheet, Toni left the backstage, wincing when the loud club music blasted over him. It took a minute for his ears to adjust, and he did his best to force the noise into the background so he could at least hear himself think.

The booth closest to the stage was always reserved for them, and he spotted Quin, Glyma, and Tad already seated. Willow and Gem stood halfway between the booth and the bar, chatting animatedly. Toni made his way to the booth first.

Tad sat on the edge of the table, facing the stage, her stubby legs swinging as she tracked his approach with bulbous eyes. Toni lifted his chin in greeting, and she narrowed her eyes at him. Toni didn’t think Tad liked him much. To be honest, Toni didn’t think Tad liked anyone. Except Zef, of course.

“Ladies,” Toni greeted, and Glyma turned away from Quin to beam up at him.

“Toni, I wondered where you were.”

“Just helping Zef perfect their hair. You know, as I do.” He brushed off his shoulder, bringing a giggle from Glyma. It was a smooth, lovely sound that glided over Toni’s skin like satin. His dicks stirred, but he shut that down quick, shaking off the involuntary reaction.

It wasn’t exactly his fault, the same way it wasn’t Glyma’s. She was a Succubus, after all, and her aura was potent, even if she wasn’t trying to seduce anyone. Plus, she was drop-dead gorgeous, with her lavender skin, dark lilac hair, and rockingbod. She was thick and curvy, with a soft apron belly and love handles Toni kind of wanted to gnaw on. You know, respectfully!

But she was his boss and in a committed relationship with Quin—his other boss—so the physical attraction was easy to dismiss.

Quin was the opposite of Glyma in a lot of ways. She was short and thin with dark red skin and black dreads she kept piled on top of her head between the two horns curling above her ears. And while Glyma was out-going and bubbly, Quin was introverted and down-to-earth, her humor dry and a little sharp.

Toni liked her a lot, and not just because she let him spend his lunch breaks in her office napping on her couch. She knew about Toni’s family but had never judged him for it—probably because she had her own family issues. But even though she often kept to herself, Toni knew she enjoyed it when he spent his lunchtime in her office, talking shit about both their families.

“You’re both looking lovely this evening,” Toni said, gesturing to their cocktail dresses that didn’t exactly match but still complimented each other. “Glyma, beautiful as always. Quin, you are keeping it tight.”

Glyma simpered. “Aw, thank you, Toni.”

Quin frowned deeply. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”

“Duly noted,” Toni said, rapping the tabletop with his knuckles. “I’m heading to the bar. What’cha drinking?”

“Devil’s Breath,” Tad said. “Straight, no chaser.”

“Disgusting, but unsurprising,” Toni said.

“Human bourbon on the rocks,” Quin said.

Toni nodded. “Classic.”

“Hmm, I think I’ll try the bubbly bloody barmy,” Glyma said.

“A fine choice indeed.”

Rapping the table again, Toni straightened. “I’ll be back. Try not to have too much fun without me, yeah?”

Tad grunted and turned back to the stage, mottled green fingers tapping her knobby knees. Glyma laughed good-naturedly. Quin rolled her eyes, but Toni caught the subtle curl at the corner of her mouth, her blood-red eyes crinkling with amusement.

Spinning on his heels, he nearly smacked Willow in the face with his back fin. “Oh shit, sorry, Wil.”

“That’s okay,” Willow smiled demurely, giving his shoulder a squeeze with her rough, bark-like hand. “Do you need help with the drinks?”

“Nah, I got it. Go ahead and sit down. Rest your roots.” He bowed slightly and waved the Dryad into the booth like a gameshow host. “What do you want to drink, baby?”

“Chilled tea with a splash of Green Spirit, please and thank you.”

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