Maliciously Obedient (BBW Erotic Romance) by Julia Kent Read Free Book Online

his hands picking up the first graphic.
    “That's just a fad.”
    “Random House earned more than $70 million from that 'fad,' enough to give every employee, from top management to mail worker, a $5,000 bonus. You know what I got this year from this place?”
    He cringed, which seemed odd. As if he were prepared for some sort of blow. If he was going to work here, though, he might as well know the truth about cheap old Michael Bournham. “What?”
    “A coffee mug with Bournham Industries' logo on it. And a thumb drive on a logo key chain. Give me Fifty Shades any day.”
    Sputtering, he seemed to defend Bourham. “I'm sure there was a perfectly logical reason for that.”
    She nodded. “Yep. The logic is that Bournham's a cheap ass.”
    He frowned. “What does this have to do with Fifty Shades ?”
    “We can target that emerging market and use Fifty Shades to leverage buying patterns and marketing campaigns for existing and new clients. Have you looked at the New York Times' bestseller lists lately? Sylvia Day. The menage series by Shayla – “
    In the middle of taking a sip of coffee, he did a spit take, turning his head at the last second to avoid hitting her papers. “Did you say 'menage'?”
    “Yes. It's a word. Get over it.”
    “Two girls, one cup?”
    “Two guys, one well-loved woman.”
    “You've researched this?” His eyes lit up with mischief and her body began to tingle. What did he consider fun in bed? Ah, how she needed to know. As he held her gaze a little too long, with a ferocious heat that made her simultaneously hunger for his touch and recoil in horror at her own pliability, she broke the look and gave her head a quick shake, resuming her professional stance.
    The twitch of his lips, a seductive look on his face that he respectfully turned away from her, told her the feeling was mutual.
    Damn it. She didn't need actual romance to interfere with the business of romance.
    “Depends on who your target demographic is. For women 26-44, with bachelor's degrees, earning $70,000 or more per year and buying the majority of romance novels, MFM is where it's at.”
    “MFM? Is that like LOLcats?”
    She closed her eyes in frustration, taking a deep breath to center herself. “If you have to ask, then never mind.”
    “BDSM as the wave of the future?” His voice was skeptical. Winning him over was her goal, and if she could convince him, then maybe – just maybe – she could convince their boss, Dave. The Director of Communications. The gateway to promotions.
    “BDSM as a paradigm shift in popular culture, especially among the 26-44 crowd.” Confident now, she used her extensive research and market analysis to push aside the attraction that keep slithering back in and undermining her goal: to win his respect and to be an ally in what she knew would be a battle later.
    “They're not the big spenders – go down an age group.” The words “go down” nearly made her gasp, heat pouring into her belly, her clit beginning to tickle and throb. Even he looked a little uncomfortable at the hint of a double entendre, but quickly covered it up. “Eighteen to twenty-five is where the big money is in social media and pop culture.”
    She nodded, knowing that already after countless hours of research. “Yes – and that's precisely why Fifty Shades is such an enormous shift. Because the buying dynamics for everything from eBooks to print to magazines to personal aids – “
    “You mean sex toys. Don't sugar coat it.” The command in his voice sent a thrilling tingle up her spine.
    “Fine.” Reaching across the desk for her fourth graphic, she came a little too close to him, brushing against his arm. It was intentional. He pulled back, as if burned. “Here's a fact: sales of vibrators shot up 414 percent when suggested to readers of the Fifty Shades trilogy.” Locking eyes with his, she held steady, waiting for him to flinch. When he didn't, she felt her cheeks burning, the implication prickling