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85 - Reunions
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In the Shadow of the CEO 86 - Wanting
What he wasn't expecting was for Jia to tug him to a stop when he dragged her over toward his desk. He had been about to go around behind it and rifle around for the condoms stored in his bottom drawer; as desperate as he was to have her right now, he was still self-aware enough to want her to know they were always an option. But now she exhibited the first display of force he had ever seen from her - at least when it came to sex. He turned to look at her in surprise, pausing in his tracks and yielding to her little pull."W - wait."Wait? Was she having second thoughts? He was disappointed, but he wouldn't push her for anything she didn't want to give. What they had was still fragile and uncertain to her, he knew, and no doubt there would be times when she was more reluctant. He understood that. So long as she let him hold her, he could wait.Except that wasn't what it was. For the first time in a long, long time, Atlas was struck speechless as she guided
In the Shadow of the CEO 87 - Experimenting
Atlas straightened again, easing his weight off of Jia's back - just in time to deliver another sharp slap of his palm to her buttock. Once again, he groped it with a flex of his fingers, admiring the warmth that was starting to rise from her skin there, and he leaned back to look down and inspect it while she panted on the desk and let out a small, trailing moan at his rough handling.Her hands were still bound behind her back with his tie, and he couldn't remember ever seeing anything so tempting, so divine. Her blouse was almost all the way off, hanging around her arms and bunched around her elbows and forearms. Her bra was somewhere in there, too, no doubt tangled in all the silk. If only he could flip her over and look at her from the front, see his come smeared over her chest and marking her as his, that alone might be enough to send him over the edge a second time.He looked down when his cock twitched in renewed interest, and he was reminded that he was still o
In the Shadow of the CEO 88 - Agreements, Amended
It was telling that Jia didn't even ask where Lydia was. She was exhausted, after all, and rightfully so. Atlas's mouth quirked up in a satisfied smirk when she began digging into a canvas bag with extra changes of clothes inside. She had brought into her office before they took their shared shower, complaining that he had ruined not only her clothes but her underwear as well.Well, if she hadn't wanted him to put tears in it, maybe she shouldn't have deliberately worn lace panties to welcome him back with. He made sure to voice his opinion with a lingering stare that traced down the line of her body, and she had blushed anew at his provocative words."Well," she had struggled to say, "I didn't think you would ruin them! They were expensive.""I'll make sure to buy you more. A lot more...enough to ruin some and still leave you a few intact."She had refused to rise to his bait after that, stubbornly ignoring him even when he teased her with hot touc
In the Shadow of the CEO 89 - Concealed
Jia blinked and stared, not entirely certain that she had heard Atlas correctly. She couldn't have. It was only because she had been thinking hard about how to approach the topic of Ava tonight that she thought she'd just heard him say the name, that was all. She tried to step around Atlas and move closer to Erica to give her a proper greet since they hadn't seen each other since this morning for a cup of coffee (and water), but when she peeked around his shoulder, she found the woman staring straight at Atlas's face instead.It hadn't occurred to her how tall Erica was until now, as she watched them square off in an apparent staring contest. Or was it because she was standing up straight and squaring her shoulders, revealing her true height instead of carrying a moderate slouch when last they had met?In fact, everything about Erica was different now. Her appearance was the same, but her eyes were sharper and colder, and the way she tilted her head slightly at A
In the Shadow of the CEO 90 - Idyllic
Itwas nearly ten. Jia had begun to wonder if perhaps he would show up at all an hour ago, a stray thought that she could feel ballooning into another episode now that she knew what to look for. Knowing the enemy made it easier to fight, so she had spent a little time reorganizing the kitchen to take her mind off of Atlas and Ava and whatever they were talking about for the past five hours.When he did show up, she didn't even answer his call. She simply toed on her sneakers and shuffled out in a hurry with the shoes only half on her feet.He was standing outside his car and leaning against the passenger door. When he saw her appear, a faint smile turned up the corners of his mouth, and he opened it so that it could slide upward to let her in. She was already in a long, worn out white T-shirt and a pair of loose training pants, both of which had seen better days and absolutely did not suit the glamor of the car or the man who owned it -Stop, she told herse
In the Shadow of the CEO 91 - Trees and Forests
"You should come help me."Jia had allowed Ava into the outer office when the woman came knocking, not bothering to ask how she had managed to come exactly at a time when Atlas and Lydia were in one of the conference rooms on the lower floor for a meeting. Then again, those two were getting busier and busier, and nearly a third of their day was simply attending video conferences; perhaps it was a coincidence after all.She had to stop suspecting Ava just because she was jealous. And she knew that was the reason, too. She had promised herself a week ago after the conversation in Atlas's car that she would remain self-aware, that she would handle herself with integrity when it came to the other woman. This was business. This was professional....It was still hard."What can I help you with?"Her response was the right one. She knew it already, but there was a pleased glint in Ava's eye as if she were impressed that Jia hadn't come running up with her
In the Shadow of the CEO 92 - Games
"Mr. Burhock!""Jia, so good to see you again. How are you! You look ten times more lovely than before, how is that possible? Maybe if I spin around once, it'll happen again."Mr. Burhock was his sweet, jovial self as usual as he pulled her into a hug and pounded her back a little too hard with his plump fist. He babbled on about his new grandchild and about the rigors of childproofing his house now that there would be yet another small baby running about wild. No, he wasn't his usual jovial self - he was exceedingly so, more than normal.They were meeting in the hotel lobby of the Ritz-Carlton hotel. Ava would be here in a second as well once she adjusted her makeup in the bathroom. And then they would be off to a eat a celebratory dinner, a reservation at Burhock's favorite Greek restaurant. Jia was looking forward to it for more than one reason. For one, it was the one time Atlas would be eating with them instead of working himself to death in his offic
In the Shadow of the CEO 93 - Adjustments
"How is our new schedule working for you?"Jia pressed her knees together and looped her hands around them as she thought about how to answer. She liked this place more than she had thought she would the first time she came, and the second. It was strange how liberating it felt to be in the one place she felt the most vulnerable."I think it's good," she said. "I didn't think I'd want to be here more than I had to, but you were right. I felt a lot better this week. And I think I was more stable. Well, stronger, I guess.""That's good," Dr. Brody - or Lisa, she preferred - remarked. She smiled at Jia and settled back in her armchair. "Do you want to tell me about it?"She made herself more comfortable on the sofa as well. Their very first meeting a month and a half ago, Lisa had told her that she was free to lie down if she preferred, that the kind of therapy she conducted encouraged her to be as comfortable as she could be physically so that she could be
Latest chapter
- 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
