Page 12 of Obey

“Right.” Nate clears his throat as he looks down at his papers. “So that means you're familiar with our product line?”

I blink. "Excuse me?"

"You'd be representing SOLAÉ. I need to know if you've actually experienced what we create."

Heat rises to my cheeks, and I thank God that it's not noticeable on my dark brown skin. "I own the Aurelion from your Luxe collection. The SolaFlex. And I managed to get one of the limited Halos before they sold out."

"What about the Celestial? Our newest release?"

"I haven't purchased that one," I admit.

"Any particular reason?"

"I tried the controls at one of your product demonstrations. The design is impressive, but the interface is counterintuitive, and the intensity patterns don't transition smoothly. If I'm struggling to navigate the settings during a demonstration, I can't imagine how frustrating that would be when I'm actually trying to enjoy myself."

“We spent six weeks debating that interface,” Jace mutters, looking over at the duo.

Oh. I may have just insulted a billion-dollar product to its designers.

I clear my throat. “That probably sounded harsher out loud.”

“No,” Nate says carefully. “It sounded honest.”

Elias escorts her toward the elevator, and damn if I don’t appreciate the view.

Her pencil skirt might as well be painted on, every step deliberate enough to look controlled. But I catch one shallow inhale, barely there, before she steps inside.

Most people spend an interview trying to convince us they deserve to be here. Sloane Harper was willing to walk out when Nate gave her every reason to.

“Jace.” Nate’s voice has that edge to it.

“Relax. I’m just appreciating architecture.” I turn back, grinning. “Don’t worry, though; yours still sets the standard."

Something moves through his expression before he locks it down. When Elias returns, he takes his seat and says, “She held up well.”

"She's overconfident," Nate says, his words clipped. "The moment I challenged her, she threatened to walk out."

I tilt my head. “You liked her.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Oh, you definitely did.” I stretch my arms behind my head, enjoying this entirely too much already. “You only get that condescending when somebody actually gets under your skin.”

"She was openly insubordinate, and she doesn't even work here yet."

"You swung first."

The muscle in his jaw jumps once, and he looks like he’s actually considering throwing something at me. Then Elias reaches for her résumé, and the moment passes.

“Well, we all agree on one thing. She’s overqualified for most things below executive operations.”

I sit up a little straighter at that.

Well, damn.

Nate’s arms fold across his chest. “You got there fast.”

“She didn’t make it difficult.” Elias looks up at him, unhurried.