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Ellison nodded. “Before my senior year in college, I landed a coveted summer internship with McConnel Douglas. They were one of the biggest companies working in Washington. I got to assist on a project at the Capitol. At the time, my focus was still on historic public buildings. I worked for them for three summers and after I got my Master’s I got a job at the firm. It was a great accomplishment, but they were a big company and I was low man on the totem pole. I learned a lot from my five years there, but it became evident that it would take me forever to get my hands on a juicy project I could direct on my own.”
Ellison got up from the sofa and started to pace. He seemed agitated. As his story continued Teigen understood why.
“I left and started my own firm on a shoestring. Having McConnel Douglas on my resume allowed me to knock on doors for smaller-scale private jobs. I was also familiar with a lot of craftsmen who specialized in historic craftsmanship and would take a smaller job when they had time. But I was only able to secure a business loan because my father cosigned for me. He’d been unhappy with my decision to go into architecture, but he was determined that whatever I did, I should become the best, so he took a risk to make that happen.”
Ellison finally stopped pacing and leaned against his desk. He ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration. “After each successful job, I got a bigger one, and I paid off the loan in record time. But—off the record, please—my father never lets me forget he got me started and keeps pushing for me to take on more high-profile jobs. But my focus has changed, and I’d like to get more into the project we spoke about. I’ve kept it quiet for two reasons. One, it isn’t a fait accompli yet, and two, I don’t want to deal with my father when word gets out.” He came back to the sofa and plopped himself down. “Pretty pathetic, huh?”
Seeing this side of Ellison shocked her. He always seemed so self-possessed. She could definitely relate to the feeling of disappointing his father, yet not really wanting to do what he needed to do to change it. Forging her own path in life was crucial to Teigen, and she could understand the feeling of being between a rock and a hard place the way Ellison was.
“Boy, parents don’t know when to quit, do they?” Teigen mused. “I certainly don’t think you’re pathetic. I know so many people who are still trying to prove something to their parents rather than following their own path. But at least your father cares. My parents threw me away.”
“I’m not sure cares is the right word. He needs his son to be successful because it reflects on him.”
Teigen stopped taking notes. “Can I write about this if I leave your side comments about your father out of the article?”
“Sure.” Ellison came back to the sofa and sat down. “As far as future projects, we have a few more buildings we’re contracted to do over the next year. I’ll send you information about them and you can write whatever you want about them. The contracts have already been signed.”
He slid closer to Teigen. “Now, I hope I’ve given you enough for your article. What I’d like to do now is take you to dinner, and if you feel like it after, we can go back to my place. I’d like to see if any of my hypnosis stuck.” He winked at her, and a shiver went up her spine. She’d like to see that too.
* * *
Ellison
They left her car at his office, and Ellison took Teigen to one of his favorite restaurants. It wasn’t fancy but the food was terrific, and the ambience was warm and cozy. He wanted to set up an environment that would help her relax. It wasn’t that he was opposed to hypnotizing her again, but he would prefer if she were open to sex with him without it. They could save the hypnosis for more fun things.
Teigen beamed with delight as she relayed the information about her story on him. “I forgot to tell you in your office that my editor is going to make the article a cover story. Not the primary cover, but it will be on there. I’ve never had a story featured on the cover before. This is a big deal for me.”
He was thrilled he could make that happen for her. “Congratulations. That’s quite an accomplishment. The magazine is well regarded in the D.C. area. You’re making a name for yourself.”
“Well, I have you to thank. You’re a pretty good storyteller yourself. I didn’t have to do much to make it interesting.” She casually laid her hand over his on the table. He was sure she wasn’t even aware of what she was doing. But he’d take it. He curled his fingers around her hand gently, enough that she wouldn’t take too much notice but ready to hold on if she pulled away. He enjoyed having the connection.
“Don’t sell yourself short. You wrote a good article and your editor appreciated it. Take the win. No one will give it to you if you don’t. If you want to get ahead, you have to take charge of your career and play up your successes.” He squeezed the hand he was holding. Nothing was more important than making sure her confidence grew in all aspects of her life.
“I’ll try. It’s hard to talk about myself like that.”
“One step at a time, but always go forward. It doesn’t mean you won’t have slipups, but keep moving. Do you have another story coming up?”
She nodded and began to sit back, but she couldn’t because he wouldn’t let go of her hand. Blushing beautifully, she said, “It’s going to be hard for me to eat if you don’t let go.”
“When the food comes, I’ll give it back. Until then, I’ll keep possession unless you callred.”
A shy smile accompanied her, “I’m pretty green right now. I like when you take possession of me.”
“Good. Now I asked a question.” His eyebrow quirked to emphasize the fact that she’d been distracted. Not that he blamed her. He might have had something to do with that.
“Oh, right. Yes, I haven’t had approval on it yet, but I submitted a story idea on women’s roles in the preservation of historical sites, how they run historical societies all over the country and keep our history alive to the public.”
“Without them a lot of buildings would have been demolished. It’s a great idea. I’ll be interested in reading it.”
“I’ll definitely show it to you for feedback.”
By the time they’d finished dinner, she’d laid out a lot of the specifics of her article. She’d clearly done a lot of research on the topic and he knew she’d once again write a well-crafted story. He’d told her a little more about his secret project, and by the time they walked out the door to his car, he felt they’d grown closer to understanding the passions that drove one another. Passions he wanted to explore further in his bed.
Once inside the front door of his home, Ellison hung up Teigen’s jacket. Then he asked her, “Are you ready to hand over control to me without hypnosis?”
Her eyes grew wide, and he detected a small shiver of what he hoped was anticipation pass through her. The blush he loved so much returned as she answered. “Yes, sir.”
Yes!Despite his own excitement, he tried to maintain the proper gravitas as he gave her his instructions. “I want you to go to my bedroom and strip. Wait for me sitting on the edge of the bed hands in your lap. I won’t be long.”
