Page 13 of Obey

Something moves through Nate’s face. “So you decided that in one interview she should be our Executive Assistant?”

“No. I decided it in the lobby yesterday.”

I watch them circle the decision from opposite directions. Nate builds systems. Elias trusts instincts. I usually make sure neither of them disappears too far into either. And right now, Sloane Harper feels like gasoline tossed between all three.

“You were planning this before she left the elevator,” I say, already putting together the pieces. We bypassed every normal interview protocol. Whatever Elias saw yesterday had already convinced him that she deserved a shot.

Elias shrugs. “She’s worth the investment. We can’t keep this pace forever. If an Executive Assistant means you occasionally remember to eat and sleep, we should consider it.”

Nate plants his elbows on the table and massages his temples, probably trying to fight off a headache. It amazes me that he works himself into the ground and somehow still acts surprised when we notice.

"She knows our market, I’ll give her that." He concedes. "And she identified an interface problem our own testing team argued about for six weeks. That doesn't mean I'm comfortable handing her access to our executive operations."

Nate looks back down at her résumé, fingers tapping once against the paper before sighing. "She'd need direct oversight."

I grin. "That sounds suspiciously close to a yes."

"It sounds like risk management. She'd be working directly with us. Long hours, sensitive information, high pressure. And if she can't handle it, she's gone."

"Three-month probationary period?" Elias asks.

"If she accepts the offer, passes the background check, and signs the necessary agreements," Nate replies.

Elias closes her file. "We have an agreement, then."

"A conditional one," Nate corrects.

"I'll call her," I offer.

Nate looks at me. "And make sure she understands what she's agreeing to. This isn't the position she applied for."

"Relax, cariño. I'll explain everything."

"That's precisely what concerns me."

I grin. "You wound me."

Elias chuckles, and Nate returns his attention to the paperwork like he's already regretting this decision.

Sloane Harper has no idea what she's about to walk into.

And I can't fucking wait.

four

Calculated Risk

The fourteenth floor of SOLAÉ looks less like an office and more like a billionaire’s idea of one.

My circular desk sits directly between three smart-glass offices. An altar. A control point.

Whatever the intent, I’ll always be visible, always within reach.

Jace called three hours after the interview. “Before you say no, hear the number first.”

Smart man.

They weren’t offering Client Experience anymore. They wanted me as Executive Assistant to all three of them, with a salary high enough to qualify as hazard pay and a benefits package that looked fictional.