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

her skin, a thin sheen of sweat popping up between her breasts. Her throat clicked as she swallowed, the air crackling with sex.
    The look he gave her made her toes curl, a combination of smoke and smolder and amusement and questions. Then his eyes went neutral, as if he flipped a switch and pulled himself back. Whatever edge he had just been standing on, she wanted to join him, grab his hand, and jump together.

    The effort it took not to look down her shirt, not to touch the silk collar and just keep moving down, not to stand and lean forward and kiss her, not to roam through her hair with hands that were hungry for those soft breasts, those luscious hips, and that creamy skin – that effort told him how strong he really was.
    Atlas, really.
    A disciplined man, he wasn't accustomed to fighting urges like this. Something about those almond eyes, that rich, chocolate voice, those flared hips and the delicate, yet confident way she carried herself, made him wild and untamed inside. Rational thought normally was enough to tuck away whatever irrational feelings might drive an impulsive response. If it didn't make sense, he didn't do it.
    Lydia, though, made perfect sense. in his lap, on him, his tongue in her mouth, his hands burning through her skin, tantalizing and taking and claiming.
    Deep sigh. Fight for control. His hands nearly shook as he reached for one of the graphics, desire wildly coursing through veins as his mind tried to tame it. Say something.
    So he said, “Retail algorithms don't readily predict consumer behavior, though.” Cleared his throat. Tried to shift imperceptibly. Anything to reduce the tightness in his pants. And, he remembered – to make nice with the cameras. They were rolling, of course, and he could imagine the producers' glee. Fifty Shades ? Sex toys? It's as if Lydia were in on the stunt and planned the most targeted, trending topics she could for this discussion.
    His erection, thankfully, wasn't on stage, buried beneath his desk. Right where it needed to stay.
    “Since when?” With an expression that said what the fuck? , she gave him a condescending look and a professional tongue-lashing. “You call yourself a social media expert? I can deconstruct a mailing list and extrapolate plenty of behaviors – and be nearly dead on – from the right data. Social media's no different.”
    She sounded like him , more than ten years ago, trying to persuade his dad to let him try the data mining route. Crossing his arms, he heard her out. “You can?” The look on her face told him he'd chosen the dead-wrong response, as she collapsed all emotion into a pin prick of indignation. What had he said? Why the sudden change?
    “I may be just an administrative assistant,” she began, cheeks bright red and eyes narrowed in anger. Ah. That's what he'd said.
    “I wasn't implying – “
    “Yes. You were,” she retorted, establishing control once again. Accustomed to having the upper hand in every business situation as Michael, he found himself unsure as Matt. Should he let her win this one? With cameras rolling, maybe that made better television? He frowned. Thinking like that wouldn't get him anywhere with Lydia.
    Yet thinking about Lydia right now wouldn't help him raise profits.
    Her idea, though, might.
    “Don't tell me what I'm thinking,” he said, voice low and rough. He waved his hand, knowing it would piss her off, wanting to see how much fire she had in her belly.
    It worked.
    “Don't snow me and claim I'm wrong,” she answered back, voice steady, jaw clenched, standing ramrod straight now. The business suit she wore was more formal than her normal dress, which tended toward tasteful V-neck sweaters, dressy skirts and leather heels. Why the heathered grey wool suit and silk shirt? Lilac suited her, the blouse's shimmer bringing attention to her rich hair, those dark eyes, and adding a femininity to her carefully-cultivated professionalism. Quite different from her frumpier, casual look on