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62 - Locks
She should have worn a different skirt. A looser one. This was - too much. Jia's breath tightened and twisted in her chest until it felt like she was going to wheeze out her lungs, but Atlas had already called her in and she had no choice but to enter.
What had she been thinking? She should have at least worn the open front jacket over her top while rifling through the Tote of Luxurious Mysteries this morning, but after going back and forth between that and the mirror at least a dozen times, she had ended up folding it and putting it away. Because...it was probably going to be too warm, she had told herself at the time, what with all the running around and frantic phone calls she would be handling all day.
Now she felt horribly bare and exposed as she pushed open the door and let herself in. What would he say, she wondered. What would he do? Maybe a cool comment about her ridiculous behavior last night, about how she shouldn't drink in the company of others
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In the Shadow of the CEO 63 - Whisper
Jia couldn't pinpoint exactly when she had become this way. Only a few weeks ago, she had been swinging a wine bottle at Richard's head for trying to grope her, and now she was falling all over herself with a single burning look from Atlas Grayson, the man she would have sworn she hated not so long ago.Since when had his cold, piercing blue eyes become captivating instead of intimidating? No, that wasn't right: they were still intimidating, too, only now in a way that made her whole body tingle with nervous thrills instead of making her recoil in dread.She locked the glass doors with a swipe of her ID on the scanner, and then did her best to pretend unflappable composure as she turned to walk toward Atlas. He was still leaning against the door frame, looking languid and sure with a subtle slouch curving his tall frame. Broad in the shoulders, tapering at the hips; by no account was he excessively bulky and hulking. And yet he seemed to fill the room more and more wit
In the Shadow of the CEO 64 - Clarity
This shouldn't be happening, thought Jia, but she couldn't muster up the will to say it aloud.She couldn't say anything at all, actually, as Atlas's hand continued to slide up her thigh with its electric, callused touch dragging along soft, warm skin. It was too surreal, too sudden after everything that had happened between them. Where had the subtle glances or the long but inscrutable stares gone? And what about the way he would draw close but so rarely ever touch, the way he would only press against her so briefly and make her heart pound as she wondered if she could brush it off as an accident?He had only ever hinted at this before, made her wonder when he would move in for the kill. This week, last week - dozens of times. Maybe more, so many that she couldn't imagine a time when he hadn't been circling around her and making her quiver the way she was now as his warm breath tickled her lips.It was the heat of his palm a
In the Shadow of the CEO 65 - Lull
The metallic clink of his belt buckle piercing the air felt like an arctic wash over her skin, cripplingly cold and thrilling. She tried to control the sharp, breathy sounds trickling from her throat, but when his right hand freed the clasp of her bra and exposed her breasts to the cool air of the office, she sucked in a loud gasp and felt her shoulders curling up of their own accord.
In the Shadow of the CEO 66 - Creativity
Jia’s first thought when she awoke was that she was in pain. Everything was sore and stiff from her neck down to her toes, and her skin felt raw even against the silk interior fabric of the suit jacket draped over her.That was the second thing s
In the Shadow of the CEO 67 - Sate
Atlas kept his promise. He never sent her out of the office and made sure that Lydia never saw much more than Jia’s head above the back of the sofa while the latter kept busy with her work tablet. Any papers she needed to handle were arranged in neat stacks on the coffee table, and she answered any calls that came into her bluetooth in a measured, mellow voice that wouldn’t distract Atlas on the other side of the office while he tended to his own duties.
In the Shadow of the CEO 68 - Chaste
“There’s something I need to discuss with you,” said Jia. “It’s about this weekend.”Atlas looked up, a half-smile lifting up a corner of his mouth. “What about it?”
In the Shadow of the CEO 69 - Invitations
“You can sit there,” the boy said after letting Atlas into the apartment. He pointed at the worn, beige-colored three-seater couch against the wall with a folded blanket left on its rightmost cushion.Atlas took off his shoes upon seeing the boy do so, and then proceeded to where he had been directed. He could hear the sounds of water running somewhere past the narrow hallway toward the back; no doubt Jia had rushed in to take a shower as soon as she entered. He wondered how she would react when she came out to find a surprise waiting for her.“My sister’s coming back in a second. She said she was taking the trash out so that we aren’t overflowing in it when you come in.”Atlas reacted only with a gracious nod, and he was gifted with a grin and disarming shrug.“She still doesn’t like you.”This wasn’t one of his business meetings, negotiating with someone almost half his age in jean
In the Shadow of the CEO 70 - Conflicted
It was the quickest shower Jia had ever taken. By the time she tumbled out of the bathroom, she had scrubbed herself pink, and her clothes clung to damp skin that she hadn't quite finished drying off. But how could she worry about such minor things when Atlas was right there in the apartment? Honestly, how had that even happened!She was still half-hoping that Jisu had been joking, when she spotted an all too familiar figure sitting up straight on the couch. Her eyes darted down to the black socks on his feet. He’d taken off his shoes, and somehow he looked ever so at home despite the small size of the room. It was as disconcerting as it was surprisingly pleasant.But besides that, it was embarrassing to wonder what he must be thinking about the place. His penthouse unit was easily twice as large. As a matter of fact, the entirety of the apartment could fit in his spacious office at headquarters, too. With the four of them all congregated in the tiny space,
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- In the Shadow of the CEO Author's Note
- In the Shadow of the CEO Epilogue
- In the Shadow of the CEO 95 - Offerings
- In the Shadow of the CEO 94 - Choices
- In the Shadow of the CEO 93 - Adjustments
- In the Shadow of the CEO 92 - Games
- In the Shadow of the CEO 91 - Trees and Forests
- In the Shadow of the CEO 90 - Idyllic
- In the Shadow of the CEO 89 - Concealed
