Page 11 of Obey

"Wait." He holds up both hands as though he's negotiating a hostage situation. "Easy, Sugar. Give Nate a few minutes and he might remember how to behave in the presence of a lady."

"Narváez," Nate warns.

Jace ignores him. "Please don't go. The interrogation portion is almost over."

“I highly doubt that.”

“Fair,” he admits with a wink.

I consider walking out anyway. But Jace hasn't done anything to deserve my irritation, and Elias is the reason I came back in the first place.

So I return to my chair. Nate gets one more chance.

"What first assessment?"

Elias remains calm, his fingers loosely linked in front of him. "There was an incident in the lobby yesterday."

"What kind of incident?"

"Miss Taylor had certain biases that didn't align with our company's values. From what I overheard during her conversation with Miss Harper, I also have reason to believe she'd been making decisions on the company's behalf without authorization."

Nate's attention sharpens. “What kind of decisions?”

“She informed Miss Harper that she lacked the polish to represent SOLAÉ. Then suggested she seek employment as a housekeeper or at one of the gentlemen's clubs along the waterfront. That encounter has given me reason to believe that she's been blocking applicants she deemed unfit; especially if they applied for an executive position.”

Jace stops smiling.

Nate's expression hardens. "I want every application she handled reviewed. Find out how many qualified candidates she may have turned away and whether anyone else has raised concerns. If she's been doing this regularly, we've got a bigger problem."

"Already on it," Elias replies.

“Good.”

Jace shakes his head. “And this bitch was sitting downstairs representing our company?”

“Not anymore,” Elias answers.

Nate nods before turning back to me. "Are you familiar with our competitors?"

“Such as?”

“Obsidian.”

The name alone explains enough. Luxury intimacy. Exclusivity. Aggressive marketing disguised as sophistication.

“I’ve heard of them.” I shrug lightly. “And I understand why they’re in second place.”

Jace chokes on a laugh. Nate’s expression doesn’t change, but Elias’s attention sharpens almost imperceptibly beside him.

“And why is that?” Nate asks.

"Obsidian knows how to sell an image. Their branding is beautiful, their campaigns are provocative, and they know exactly who they're marketing to." I pause before continuing. "But SOLAÉ approaches intimacy differently. You don't just focus on what the product does. You focus on how someone feels using it. The anticipation, the experience, everything leading up to the release."

I glance at Nate.

"Obsidian sells the orgasm. SOLAÉ sells everything that comes before it."

Jace looks impressed, but it's Nathaniel who catches my attention. His expression softens into something dangerously close to approval before he schools it back into that familiar scowl.