Page 126 of Obey

The difference is immediate. Elias doesn't bother with Jace's flourishes. His hand rests firmly against my back, his steps unhurried as he draws me closer, guiding me through a slow, smooth rhythm that makes the crowded ballroom feel strangely distant. Before I can get comfortable, he turns me toward Nate as Jace slips away to intercept a board member headed our direction.

Nate catches my hand and draws me into a flawless ballroom hold. Where Jace plays and Elias takes his time, Nate leads with absolute precision. Every turn is deliberate, every step perfectly timed, and somehow, even when I don't know what he's about to do, my feet follow his.

“Having fun, Sola?”

“Fun.”That’s what we’re calling this?”

“What would you call it?” He spins me, silk whispering against my thighs, and draws me back in closer than before.

“A distraction,” I murmur, my voice a thread beneath the music. “Everyone in this room angling for thirty seconds with the three of you.”

"True," The line of Nate’s mouth quirks. “But when you’re at the top of the food chain, the bottom feeders tend to mistake proximity for importance.”

The music lifts, and across the floor, Jace is laughing at something a client said, easy and bright, without once letting us drift from his periphery. Elias has settled at the edge of the dance floor, close enough to intercept if needed.

I’m just about to make a comment to Nate when…

“Mind if I cut in?” The voice cuts through the noise behind me. Smooth, unhurried, each word filed to a point.

Nate's hand remains steady at my waist as Adrian Cross approaches. "I'm afraid she's occupied."

A beat stretches between them before Adrian's eyes slide to me, and the way his gaze trails down my body feel like there's a greasy film left behind.

"I was wondering when I'd see you again, Ms. Harper." He says, completely ignoring Nate.

“Really? Because I was hoping for the opposite." I retort, my smile tight.

His mouth curves into a condescending half-smile. "Still quick." His gaze flicks to Nate. "I really wish you'd let me take you out and show you everything we have to offer at Obsidian."

“No.”

“Ms. Harper, I seriously think that if you—”

Nate suddenly steps between us, cutting Adrian’s sentence short. “She said no.”

Adrian’s gaze shifts between us, interest sharpening. “Protective for an employer.” He lifts a brow. “Last I checked, she was just your assistant. Unless I’ve completely misread what this is.”

Nate doesn't explain. Doesn't correct him. Doesn't even look at me.

And I’m not sure which stings more: Adrian reducing me to “just an assistant,” or the fact that Nate let it sit there between us without correcting him.

"If you ever decide you're tired of settling, my door will always be open," Adrian offers, “It'd be a shame to watch someone like you spend years standing behind someone else's spotlight.”

Then he's gone, melting back into the party as if he were just another shadow.

Taking a breath, I look at Nate, waiting for him to say something, anything that explains why he hadn’t corrected him. But apparently Nate’s gone mute, because he just stands there, his jaw set, his eyes tracking Adrian’s retreat like a predator registering a threat.

Fine.

Clearing my throat, I excuse myself before stepping away from him and make my way to the bar, needing a moment to get the fury still thrumming under my skin under control.

“What can I get you?” The bartender asks.

“A Negroni,” I answer, pasting on a practiced smile.

“Somebody’s pissed,” Jace whispers, and I cut him a look that could peel paint. He raises his hands in surrender, and I turn back to the bar just as my drink is placed before me, the orange slice bleeding across the ice.

“Sloane,” Nate sighs as I sip my cocktail, doing my best to fight the urge to throw the whole thing back and order another.