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Disappointment at his absence overtook her, but she didn’t want to let him know. Forcing herself to be cheerful, she said, “I understand. I’m sorry I fell asleep on you and didn’t get to thank you for a pretty perfect evening.”
“It was my pleasure. I just wanted to call and make sure you’re okay. It was an intense scene last night. If you feel like you want to talk later, you can call me, or even better you can stop by my office.”
“Thanks. I’m not sure what my schedule will be today, but if I can I will.”
“Okay, Teigen. Have a good day, and if I’m lucky, I’ll get to see you later.”
“Bye.”
As the phone went dead, she felt her heart sink. A powerful feeling of loneliness descended on her. She wasn’t sure if it was delayed subdrop, but she didn’t like it. She had a really good scene last night. Why couldn’t she feel high after it rather than like she lost her best friend.
She shook her head as though it would snap her out of it. “Time to get your act together, Teigen. Let’s get ready to go to work.”
Her emphatic pep talk propelled her to her feet. She made her way to the kitchen, downed another bottle of water, then made breakfast. After scrambled eggs and coffee, she began to feel more human. She needed to get out of the house and into the office, eager to hear her editor’s feedback on her preliminary draft of Ellison’s article. She wanted to get it right for both herself and him.
Her editor called her into his office as soon as she arrived.
“Please sit, Teigen.”
Once she was settled comfortably, he told her, “The article is good, but there are a few holes I need you to fill in. We don’t have much background on how he started his firm, and we need to know what’s on his horizons.”
“I’m sure I can get that. Ellison has been pretty forthcoming with information.” Of course, she wouldn’t be able to talk about the most interesting project he had in the future, but the firm would definitely have some other projects she could talk about.
“Good. I’ll expect the finished article by the end of the week to make deadline for this month’s issue. Given what you’ve already written, I think it will be good enough for a second cover line.”
“I’ll be sure to make that happen, sir.”
Teigen could barely contain herself when she left her editor’s office. It was all she could do not to skip down the hallway to her office. She’d never had a cover line before. It was the biggest accomplishment of her career yet, and she couldn’t wait to tell Ellison. She’d definitely make it her business to see him that afternoon.
Ellison greeted her with a quick kiss when she arrived at his office, making her a bit uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure she wanted anyone outside of the BDSM community to know they were dating. It made it look like she got the interview because she was sleeping with him.
“Hey, you okay?” Ellison asked when she didn’t kiss him back.
Not wanting to make a big deal out of it, Teigen avoided the issue. “I spoke with my editor today and he liked the article. He just needs a little more follow-up information. Do you think you’ll have time to talk with me about it?”
Ellison steered her to his office and shut the door. “I’d be glad to answer any more questions you have. But you haven’t answered my question. What’s going on, Teigen?”
As he spoke, he backed her up against the door, his hands on either side of her, caging her in.
“It’s nothing, really.”
He shook his head slowly, his eyes boring into hers. “No, Teigen. That’s not how this works. You tell me what’s bothering you when I ask. You don’t evade and most importantly you don’t lie. Do you understand?”
Uuuuuggggghhhh!She hated confrontation, but clearly Ellison wasn’t going to let her get away not talking to him.
“I’m not sure it’s a good idea to kiss me in front of other people?” She couldn’t help the doubt from affecting her answer.
His eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. “Really? I seem to recall you getting naked and us having a pretty intense scene in public, but you don’t want me to kiss you?”
She tried to keep the impatience out of her voice. “I’m not talking about in a club. I’m talking about in your office, where I’m supposed to be a professional writer not your girlfriend!”Crap!Did she just say girlfriend? She wanted to sink into the earth.
Ellison seemed to take it in stride. He stroked her cheek softly and moved back a bit to give her more breathing room. “I understand your point, and it won’t happen again. We’re a small firm and things are a bit informal around here, so I didn’t think twice about it. I apologize.”
“It’s fine.” She hoped the smile she gave him was reassuring. At least he didn’t say anything about the girlfriend comment.
“Let’s sit and talk about the article if you’d like.” He motioned to the sofa and she preceded him to the luxurious seating area. “Now what do you need to know that we haven’t discussed already. I feel like I’ve given you pretty much my life’s story.”
She took out her iPad and pulled up her notes. “My editor wants to know how you started your own business. He also wants to know what you’re planning for the future.” Before he could protest, she added, “I know you don’t want to talk about the women’s home we discussed, but I need something else you’re going to work on.”
