All for a Cup of Coffee

"Berry, I think you win. Based on your exuberance alone I think I like you." I said, stepping down off my crate to hold my hand out to her.

Berry scooped me off the ground in her arms and hugged me to her chest, "Oh Harrold! Thank you! Thank you so much! I'll work super hard and do anything you want!"

I choked as my back cracked and I fought to breathe. I had to slap her on the arm a couple of times to get her to let me go. I gasped deeply and heaved out, "G-Great. Let's... let's get back and discuss it."

*******

We, Cherry, Berry, and Harry, sat around a table in the High-Tail. Berry had also grabbed Cherry up in a big hug and thanked her profusely. Cherry grunted in pain and mumbled something about getting her mom in for a free meal. Berry was extremely excited about that.

"I guess you two know each other?" I assumed.

"Before I had the High-Tail a few years ago I needed a place to stay here in town. Berry's mom runs an inn down on the docks and I stayed there for a few weeks. I got to know the two of them pretty well." Cherry shrugged.

"You didn't mention the cooking you did with your mom was for an inn. That's perfect." I said with a smile at Berry.

Berry blushed again and smiled back, "I didn't think about it like that! I'm just so excited to have a job away from home finally! Mom's going to be so proud."

"Okay, so you said you were also a mage. What can you do?" I asked as I crossed my arms.

"Uhh... well not a lot. I can light fires..." She held up her hands and, after a moment of focus, a small spark of fire appeared between them. She held it for a moment before letting it flicker out and continuing, "And I can move things around a bit." She held out her hand towards the table, screwing her face up in focus again. Cherry's paint brush lifted from the can of paint before falling back in with a little plop.

That was much less impressive than I had hoped. But then again the mage thing was just an afterthought. I shrugged and said, "Can you recharge a rune?"

"Oh! Oh yes! Yeah, I can! I do the fridge at home all the time!" Berry nodded eagerly.

"Wonderful. When can you start work?" I asked.

"Right now!" Berry hopped to her feet.

I raised a hand and gestured for her to sit back down, "That's good. We're starting with breakfast tomorrow so you're going to be learning on the job. Next I want to discuss payment and benefits of being my apprentice."

Berry cocked her head but nodded.

I had learned a lot more about money in this world as we made the menu and planned out costs. I also learned the value put on work, as well as material values. The bronze, silver, and gold coins used in this world didn't exactly have a correlation to dollars like I had hoped. Many things didn't line up quite right, but I had a good idea of it. A single bronze could get you a cheap beer while a few bronze could get you a quality one. A silver could get you a shot and a few silver got a plain meal. A gold could net a good meal or a good amount of produce. A sack full of gold was worth about as much as a wallet full of twenties. Some things converted between the currencies well, some didn't. But I had a solid idea and could extrapolate from our previous income.

"While you're working, we'll obviously give you a meal and you get a half hour break in between rushes to rest as you like. You'll work from breakfast until we're cleaned up after dinner, and we'll need you here six days a week right now. If things go well with the business, I may hire another to take some of the load." I said and she seemed to like this. I then dove into the more uncertain topic, "And you'll be paid ten gold per day."

Berry seemed to stiffen up at that and her jaw clenched. Her hands squeezed into fists and she shuddered. Cherry reacted too, her eyes going wide and she looked between us quickly.

"What? What's wrong? Is that not enough? That seemed like a good amount from the way I understand things." I said, concerned I had insulted our new hire before we even got started.

"Not enough? Harrold! I used to make that much in an entire day while running the business my-!" Cherry exclaimed before she was cut off.

"It's too much!" Berry said abruptly.

"Really?" I said, honestly confused. By all the math, it seemed like a perfectly fine offer for someone who would be working as much and as hard as I expected Berry to. She'd have to keep up with me for ten to twelve hours a day. I knew career chefs that didn't like the pace I coule set in my kitchen, let alone new trainees. I expected it to be hard on her and I expected her to fail a lot before I got her trained. She'd need the incentive to keep going.

Cherry huffed and rolled her eyes before getting to her feet. She grabbed my arm and pulled, dragging me through the doors and into the kitchen. I looked back to see Berry still sitting there, watching me with a look of mixed shock and confusion.

"Cherry-" I started.

"Ten gold? Harrold, you're crazy! We can't afford to pay her ten gold per day! That's so much money! Most people only hire for three or four gold per day!" Cherry said urgently and quietly.

I leaned back against the wall and crossed my arms, "Really? Because you gave me that much to go shopping for a meal."

Cherry shook her head, "That was my silliness in finally having a handsome man around! I still don't believe it and I'm still doing things I probably shouldn't because of you! I can't let you promise that girl so much when we won't be able to do it!"

"But that doesn't make any sense. We are going to be charging plenty per meal. We said we will always be serving breakfast and dinner every day. Assuming we just fill each seat in the house and nothing more, that's eighty meals. Average the price to one gold per and we're making eighty gold. Let's be generous and say fifty gold has to be put back into restocking the kitchen each day. I doubt it'll be more than half, but just for the sake of argument. That means we have thirty gold left for us. That means we would all be making ten gold each." I explained and Cherry started to speak but I held up a hand to stop her. I shook my head and said, "That's not even including drinks, which you know we would sell plenty everyday. Then there's also the days we decide to sell lunch too. Days we don't sell lunch, we'll have plenty of people coming and going for snacks at a few silver each." Cherry started to speak again but I cut her off once more, "And then there's the-"

"Harrold! Fine!" Cherry yelled to cut me off. Her eyes were sparkling and she had that fiery air of excitement about her, "Do you really think we could make a hundred gold a day in sales?"

"Easily. All my guesses here are on the conservative side. I've been rounding everything down. Some days will be that good, others might fall short but not much. It wouldn't surprise me to see a two-hundred gold saturday with enough drinks. So tell me again why I can't pay my assistant ten gold per day? Not to mention, she just told you she can recharge your fridge and your bathtub as part of her job. We might even be able to look into more runes for a larger fridge or maybe some kind of central cooling. That's worth a lot too." I said, gesturing at the door.

Cherry nodded, "This is all just so crazy. I can't believe a man dropped into my lap like you. Not only have you been everything I've wanted in bed, but if your plan here works, you're going to make me the best tavern in Scarborough! Maybe even in this entire area of the Jart lands! We might become well known enough that people actually travel here just to come to the High-Tail!"

I patted her face and kissed her on the lips. "Now that's the kind of thinking I want to hear."

We headed back into the main room together. Berry was sitting with her hands in her lap and her eyes downcast. When we both sat back down, she looked up and said, "I don't want to make any problems. I don't need ten gold a day. That's just crazy. Three gold would be fine."

"Nah. You get ten gold per day, and you can keep any tips anyone gives you. Also I want to offer you the spare room upstairs. You wouldn't have to wake up early to come to work and you don't have to walk home tired everyday." I said, pointing a finger at the ceiling.

Cherry looked at me again but this time she was just a little surprised instead of confused or angry.

Berry was shocked at the realization of how much money she would be making. It took her a moment to shake it off enough to stammer, "O-O-Okay! How-how much will that... um... cost me?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. Part of working for us. You can stay here so you can better do your job. You said you were living with your mom and we didn't have a use for that bed since Cherry likes me sleeping with her."

Berry blushed deeply like she hadn't thought about the idea that Cherry and I slept together. She shakily said, "You're going to pay me to work here and let me have a room of my own for free?"

"Am I really that excessive or is compassion that rare in this world?" I asked Cherry.

She didn't miss a beat, and the smile on her face told me she was loving this. "You are just that excessive, sweetie."

"Uh-huh. I was talking about with my new apprentice, not you." I said flatly. Though if I had it my way, this buff cutie was going to ride my dick soon anyway.

"This is just too good to be true. I must be dreaming." Berry said, her hands trembling on her lap. Tears welled in her eyes and she sniffled out, "With all that money, I-I-I can... help mom. I could pay to fix up some of the inn. I could help out when times are hard. I never thought... Harrold, you're so nice."

Cherry got up and put her arms around Berry, "Yeah. He's like that. I think having him around is too good to be true too."

I pressed my lips into a line, crossed my arms, and leaned back in my chair as I watched the saccharine scene. All I did was offer fair pay and what benefits I could since I don't have health insurance or a retirement package to give. Room and salary seemed only fair for asking someone to work sixty hours a week with only one day off. Especially because if this all worked out how I wanted it, Cherry and I would end up making four or five times that much. Each.

My feelings had been utterly confirmed once we started training a few minutes later. Berry was a marvelously eager apprentice and she spent that evening absorbing everything I had to tell her. I didn't start her cooking anything, but I did have her learn how to take and deliver orders. She had a pretty solid memory for this kind of work, which was great, and she was damn quick on her paws. We worked on it quite late, making her carry more and more precarious selections of the new set of porcelain dishes spread across one or two trays. She didn't drop a single thing, though the dishes were empty this time around. I was happy overall and told her such. Tomorrow would be more difficult and rather grueling for someone unused to how frantic a single mealtime in a popular restaurant could get.

She then went home, promising to be back at sunrise. Cherry and I fell into bed and, for the first time, she didn't even mention sex. She just kissed me and cuddled close. We were both asleep in minutes.

*******

We both got out of bed and shook off sleep with a vigor we probably shouldn't have had considering how little sleep we both got. But today was the first day for the new and improved High-Tail, and we wanted to make it the best it could be. I got dressed in my same new clothes, shorts and vest. Cherry chose to wear the low-cut white blouse and crimson skirt she wore the first day I woke up here weeks ago. I guess it's one of her favorites, but I definitely noticed a lack of panties this time. She was skipping the underwear all the time now, though perhaps that wasn't odd considering nudity was completely normal. I was yet to actually see her spend an entire day naked, though that habit might've come from all the time she's spent in the kitchen of the High-Tail.

When we got downstairs, Berry was already standing in the main room, a large sack hung over one shoulder. She was completely naked and positively beaming. I couldn't help but notice that, with the fur covering her body,.her pussy was also quite thickly furred and very plump looking. Normally I would try to not stare but I gave up trying when there were naked women everywhere and they all got excited when I stared.

"Morning. Hey, nice pussy. I like em thick. You should let me have a go sometime." I said, pointing at her naked crotch.

Berry blushed and smiled, "Th-Thank you. You're very handsome too, Harrold. I'd love that but I could never afford it."

"Normally, I wouldn't care about a woman being naked around me." I said with a slap on Cherry's luscious butt, "But once I start teaching you to cook, you'll need to wear an apron. I don't want you burning yourself or making a mess. Also pockets are very helpful around the kitchen."

"Oh! Right. Of course." Berry nodded, "Umm... I brought all my stuff. Mom wasn't happy about how sudden all this was, but she was happy that it was with you Cherry. She promised to make it by to take you up on that free meal soon."

"Wonderful. Your room is the first door on the left up there." Cherry said, gesturing to the stairs.

"Just toss your bag in and come to the kitchen, I want your help setting up." I told her as I watched her climb up. For such a muscular and well-built woman, her ass looked delightfully soft and fuckable.

Cherry apparently noticed me looking and said, "Are you going to make me start sharing with her? Is that really why you hired her?"

"Pffff." I scoffed loudly, "You think I needed to hire someone to get more ass if I wanted it? You know I could get as much as I want. If I hung a sign around my neck that said 'free sex' and walked outside, I'd have more pussy than I could fuck in a week."

"Good point." Cherry admitted and then poked a finger at me, "But Harrold, you didn't answer me! Am I going to have to share?"

"Full honesty? Yeah. She's got a pretty sweet body. Plus, don't you think it'd be a little mean to make a young woman like her hear us fucking all the time and not offer her something?" I said with a shrug as I headed towards the kitchen doors. That seemed to stop her roll instantly as she thought.

Cherry slumped, "Yeah, you're right. I'd feel awful to have you pounding me every night and know she was lonely and masturbating right next door. I mean emotionally. Physically I feel amazing with your dick around."

I rolled my eyes at her, "Focus there horny pup. We got a big day today. We can celebrate later."

"Yes, sir!" She said with a cheeky emphasis on the sir. She clearly loved the idea of celebrating and having something worthy of celebration helped.

A minute later, Berry hurried into the kitchen. She was extremely exuberant for someone who woke up even earlier than I did. Her huge chest bounced merrily as she came to my side and waited.

"Alright, so as I showed you last night, we have a menu on the wall in there. We offer five breakfasts: Pancakes, spiced potatoes, scones with fruit, meat empanadas, and omelettes." I told her while I performed the herculean effort of keeping my eyes both off her virgin pussy and gigantic tits. I focused on staring into her soft, sandy brown eyes as I explained how breakfast would be handled.

"How could we possibly do all that ourselves for a whole room of people? Won't they get tired waiting if we have to cook so many different meals?" Berry asked with a scared tone.

"Oh, you're not helping in here during mealtimes. You don't need to worry about that until you're much more experienced. For now, you're taking orders, delivering food, and helping Cherry with drinks and such. I only want your help with setup, otherwise I do it all myself." I explained with a shake of my head.

Her eyes got as wide as Cherry's ass and her mouth dropped open, "You're going to do it all yourself? How can you possibly..."

I held up a hand to forestall her and said, "I've got a lot of years in the restaurant biz. This place is calm, collected, and easy. The only thing you need to worry about is doing what I say. To start with, I need you to dice that entire bowl of potatoes, then do a second."

"Yes, sir!" She said and jumped at the bowl. Her large fingers were surprisingly deft as she scooped up the first potato and a knife. She hardly made a top tier show of cutting them, but they didn't come out looking mangled either. I nodded and started mixing doughs.

*******

Breakfast went fast and hectic. We opened the door and were immediately flooded with what seemed like the entire town. I had fully expected that and already had much underway. What Berry didn't think about was that not everyone ordered at once. In the time it took for her to go out to a table, chat them up and take their orders, then get those orders back to me, I could get a whole helluva lot done. I also never cooked only what was being ordered. I cooked twice what was ordered on any meal and paid attention to the popularity of things. For example, the pancakes were exceptionally well liked so when I started in on a later batch of it, I cooked ten meals worth and they were all ordered and gone before they could cool.

To the naive young woman, it looked like I was performing incomparable magic and presenting near omniscient. I could've told her I could see the future and she still would've been impressed with my work. But in reality, it was just starting as a bus boy at sixteen and busting my ass in restaurants ever since. You get a feel for what works best and you learn how to handle an entire kitchen by yourself through sheer repetition and determination.

When breakfast wrapped up, and by that I mean when I came out and told people we were done taking orders until dinner time, I pulled Berry back into the kitchen to help me clean up. Cherry stayed out front to handle the lingering patrons and turn away new ones. I had served more than a hundred dishes when I had to call a halt to ordering. We probably could've done two or three hundred if we'd had the dishes, manpower, and ingredients. That first one was the part that really burned us. Without someone to wash, I got limited by the time Berry could spare between orders to scrub a few plates clean.

The dishes took nearly an hour to work our way through. Berry was good at scrubbing and she moved fast. She had that energy that only really came from people trying to impress and I approved greatly. She scoured every dish until it sparkled and I put them away as fast as she could give them to me. We scrubbed all the pots and pans, then set about cleaning the stove and counter.

Once things were clean, I turned to Berry with a grin as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. She smiled back and I asked her, "How did you like it? Gonna survive?"

"How did I like it?" Berry beamed and clapped her hands, "Just watching you work was amazing! I've never even known it was possible for one chef to do so much! Let alone a man! To think a man as good looking and hard working as you... Ahhh!" She swept forward and scooped me up in another back-cracking hug, "Harrold, I love it here!"

I appreciated the way she shamelessly pressed her apron-covered tits all over my face, but this wasn't really the time for it. So I patted her arm and got her to let go of me. I turned and pulled over a pan which I had piled with the leftover pancakes, breakfast meats, and the few remaining scones. I lifted it up and said, "Got an appetite then? You haven't had a chance to try my cooking yet. I know it's not hot and fresh but I promise you'll love it."

The look Berry gave the food was every bit as intense as Cherry stared at my cock. She grabbed up the large pan and said, "A man cooking me food! I'm the luckiest girl ever!"