Ballers: Special Order of Dark Beef (Preview)

Eventually, the awkwardness was broken up when JD cleared his throat. “Ah, I think I understand. You must be new to this establishment. You’re not used to our level of service and experience, riiiiight?”

Petra nodded. It was true. She was new to Ballers.

The woman had never been inside of the himbo anthro equivalent of Hooters before. The whole notion of going inside made her anxious and uncomfortable. It felt so shameless and silly to go into such a place.

Yet knowing how she felt, her friend, Melissa, recommended the restaurant. She insisted the food and experience was great, and it would do her some good. Heck, she even gave her a coupon for a certain order of theirs, one that was special and a fulfilling experience.

“Well, if you need some time to settle in, I can come back in a bit.” The Umbreon handed her the menu he was carrying. “Feel free to peruse our selection and I’ll be back. Perhaps some complimentary water as well if it helps to cool you down.”

Petra shook her head. Time wasn’t going to fix this. She had to get through this as fast as she could, going with her friend’s suggestion. Then, she could look back on this later in life and just laugh.

“Ummm, actually, I, ah, know what I would like! M-my friend recommended it to me.”

JD smiled. “Ah! An experienced Ballers customer, I bet.” He pulled out his notepad. “So, what did she suggest?”

“It’s called the… ah, Energized, Swolle Beef Special.”

And at that, something in the air changed. The Umbreon’s look shifted, tapping his pen to his chin. The room felt unusually silent, despite them being the only ones in there. It was as if the music on the speakers or the sounds from outside were muffed.

“Hmmm… your friend recommended that, did she?”

“Y-yeah… she said I would love it or it's what I needed. Something like that.” Petra pulled the coupon out of her pocket and handed it to him. “She even gave me this. Is… is it bad?”

“Oh, not at all!” JD looked over the coupon, his smile returning to its original warmth. “It’s just that it is an advanced “meal” for a newcomer.” He put it in between the pages of his notepad. If you want to go for it, I would be more than happy to provide it for you.”

“Y-yes! I want it! Thank you!” Petra blushed. She felt so risky going for something so big and surprising. The tone of the Umbreon was curious, but it wasn’t anything to worry about. It must’ve been one of those super-sized meals that most people can’t take in one sitting.

JD wrote the order down on the notepad and pocketed it and the coupon. He clasped his hands with a small clap. “Alright then! Follow me! Such a special order needs to be done in our “King Maker Room”, sweetie.”

“Wait… what?” The Umbreon would not elaborate further, merely winking and gesturing to follow him. Despite her confusion, she nodded and followed. She couldn’t help it, her curiosity drew her to him like a black hole.

They walked to the other end of the building, past a few other waiters and even another customer or two. The Umbreon whispered to one of the waiters something, the equally beefy beast smiling before leaving.

At the far end was a special door marked, just as he said, “King Maker”. Leading her in, he flipped on the lights. The sight of the room was warm, inviting, and… rather seductive. Center of the room laid a lovely dining table with elegant lighting and setting. The room was splashed in velvet red, adding a romantic touch.

However, her eyes were drawn to the far back. Is… is that a bed?!

Sure enough, there was a lovely bed towards the back all neatly cleaned and done up. The sight was questionable to say the least. Questionable just like the scent of the room. Sure, there was a rose tint to it, but it also felt dense and thick. Something hard to describe, but yet familiar and oddly enticing.

“Have a seat!” JD declared. She did as she was told, rather eagerly. The chair was quite soft and comfortable compared to the regular dining room one. He sat across from her, continuing his warm, inviting smile.

Wanting to avoid any more awkwardness, she got straight to it. “Sooo, what now?”

“Now? Now, you experience the best dining experience you have ever-”

The door opened once more and another waiter entered. This one was of the reindeer variety. He brought over a plate, setting it before Petra. “Enjoy the meal, miss,” he cooed in a sweet, deep voice. He even gave her a wink before departing.

Petra’s face was beet-red at this point. All the waiters were something else. She had to calm herself!

Doing her best, she turned her attention onto her food. It was a plate with a large steak. It was surprising how quickly it was cooked, but even more than that, it looked scrumptious! Steam rose off of it, the scent mouth-watering.

“Wow…” She looked up at her companion. “It looks and smells great!”

“That it is!” The Umbreon seemed to be sitting closer now, no longer across from her but more angled down towards her. “Like my handsome friend said, enjoy the meal.”

Petra nodded eagerly and took the utensils. She cut into the steak and forked out a piece. It was soft, but not too soft either. Just right.

Bringing it close to her mouth, the scent was even stronger as its juices leaked. It smelled better! Her stomach growled, desperately wanting to ingest it.

She gave it another sniff, wanting to savor it first. Her nose twitched taking it in. Ever so slightly, it darkened. Only a little and mostly at the tip of her snout, the tone purplish and texture rather bumpy like a canine. Her nostrils even flared, rising up.

The time for smelling was over, having her fill. She opened wide and bit down, pulling the piece of meat off her fork. She began to chew, trembles breaking out. It tasted just like she hoped it would.

Her teeth chomped and gnashed through the food, taking their time to really take it in. They grew slightly long, their shape narrowing and becoming pointy. They were soon more fang-like and sharp like an animal’s.

At last, she finally swallowed. Her neck subtly bulged as the food went down. “Hmm, that was delicious!”