Page 56 of Entranced
“What?”
Maria pointed to her neckline. “That! What else would I be talking about?”
Oh, right. Belonging to Ellison seemed second nature to her now, even though it had been such a short time. She gave Maria a coy smile. “Yeah.”
Maria jumped up and down clapping before she reached for the collar to get a better look. “That man knows his way around jewelry, I’ll give him that. It’s spectacular.”
“Thanks. I love it. Every time I get a glance of it in a mirror, it steals my breath away. I know a lot of women say this, but I’m the luckiest woman alive.”
“Alive is right. I can’t believe your parents tried to kidnap you. You’re lucky Ellison went crazy after you disappeared and went to find you. That’s really why you’re lucky.”
Teigen needed to set Maria straight. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m so grateful that Ellison came to find me and helped me get away. But if he hadn’t come, I would have found a way myself. There isn’t a chance in hell I would have let them abuse me again. I’ve found my strength over the past few years, and they weren’t going to steal it from me again.”
Maria hugged Teigen hard. “I was so worried when you went missing. I get what you’re saying but I’m still glad Ellison went to find you.”
“I am too. I got out of there a lot faster, and it showed me how important I was to him. I’ll always be thankful to him for that.”
Maria hugged her again. “You deserve someone good in your life. Now, let’s go find something spectacular for you to wear for this demo.”
“Oh, I already have an outfit for that. It’s the most incredible corset, but it’s so tight I’ll need something to wear after it’s over.”
Maria started to laugh. “Oh, you mean like a reception dress.”
“Exactly.”
The two women went arm-in-arm through the racks of lingerie and fetwear, finally settling on a black jersey short dress with lacing up the front, revealing a lot of cleavage. Ellison would like the exposure, and she could still feel covered up, as it skimmed a lot of the bumps she felt self-conscious about.
After shopping they got a cup of coffee. Teigen told Maria about their confrontation with Ellison’s father.
“Boy, you guys have had family conflicts all over the place. I’ll hand it to Ellison that he stood up to his father for you. A lot of men in his position wouldn’t do that.”
Teigen swirled the coffee in her cup, thinking about how the encounter could have gone a lot differently.
“He didn’t even hesitate. I was so proud of him for himself as well as for me. It just worries me. His father has been such a driving force in his life, I hope he doesn’t regret it.”
Maria looked Teigen squarely in the eye. “Do you?”
“Do I what?”
“Regret standing up to your parents. Letting them know that under no circumstances were you ever coming back to them.”
“Of course not.”
“Then why don’t you give Ellison credit for being able to do the same?”
Damn.Maria had a point. Teigen’s insecurities had bled over into her viewpoint of how Ellison would eventually react to his father. She’d assumed at some point he’d need to go back to his family rather than stand by her. If she looked at the evidence without bringing her self-doubt into the equation, Ellison was clearly happier now than when she first met him.
“You’re right.”
“Damn right I’m right. Now treat that man the way he deserves to be treated. He’s put himself way out there for you.”
“I know. He’s been very patient with me. I’m not easy to put up with. If I want to have a full relationship with him, I’m going to have to allow myself to be pushed past my comfort zone.”
Maria nodded. “It’ll be worth it. Master Ellison has been in the lifestyle a long time. I look forward to seeing you open up to new experiences, to letting him guide you through types of play you’d never thought you’d try. Be open to him…and to yourself. I promise you won’t regret it.”
“I will. Saturday night will be a whole new world for me, standing up on that stage allowing myself to be vulnerable to him. Doing a scene centerstage rather than off in a corner somewhere. It’s so scary, but I’m determined to go through with it.”
“Don’t think of it that way. Then it’s something you have to endure, not something new you get to try. He hasn’t steered you wrong, yet, has he?”