Page 84 of Stripping the Sub
“One of these days,” Andrew muttered. “One of these days someone’s going to get to impart snappy wisdom to her and I really, really want it to be me.”
All of the women started giggling at his aggrieved tone. Olivia did have a reputation for setting the couples straight - especially the Doms - when it came to relationships.
But her obvious approval of Ellie, even after everything, broke the last little bit of resistance. Olivia never said anything she didn’t mean. She definitely didn’t coddle people. Kate, Sharon, the others, even Andrew, they were all kind of softies. Olivia wasn’t. The others might try to build Ellie up, just for the sake of building her up. Olivia wouldn’t. If she had something to say, she said it.
And all she’d said was that Ellie deserved what she wanted.
“I want to be her when I grow up,” Sharon said, still staring at the door Olivia had exited through in a worshipful way. “Can you imagine being so badass you don’t even need to be bad cop? It’s enough to just let people know youcouldbe if they don’t cooperate?”
Straightening up, Ellie pushed herself up off of Andrew. It was time she stopped leaning on other men and actually worked for the one she wanted. After all, he’d spent a lot of time working for her. The thought made her heart pound, her mouth dry, and her palms sweaty, but looking at her friends she thought maybe… just maybe she could do it this time.
After all, the worst was over right? They’d confronted her and nothing terrible had happened. They even said Michael still wanted her. They thought she should be with him. Even Olivia thought so.
She didn’t have to do this alone, because her friends were there with her. Willing to support her. Seeking her out when she’d hidden away. Because they cared. The same way Michael did.
So now, maybe she should try being worthy of him instead of despairing over how she wasn’t.
“Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath as she stood, rubbing her sweaty palms on her yoga pants. She didn’t feel ready for this… but she also felt a lot better than she had all week. It was time to stop hiding, time to be brave. “So what do you guys think I should do?”
******
When the door to Marquis opened, Michael looked up expecting to see Patrick. Or Luke. One of the workers who had managed to sneak out without him noticing. Olivia. Lexie. Pretty much anyone in the world except the person standing there.
She stared at him, looking like a deer about to bolt, and Michael froze in fear of her doing so.
Of course, he’d chase her down - because she’d obviously come to the unfinished club during the day for a reason, and since neither Lexie nor Patrick were there, the only conclusion was she’d come looking for him - but he hoped he didn’t have to. He wanted her to come to him.
Maybe needed her to.
Once she did though… all bets were off. When a subbie offered, a Dom took. And Michael definitely wanted.
Ellie’s hair was pulled into the low side ponytail she favored, the ends curling on the front of her left shoulder, the dark strands standing out against the deep blue of her jacket. It covered her top, but she was wearing jeans which snugly fit her curves in a way that would give him fantasies about peeling them off of her. She stared at him, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, as if doing so might hide how nervous she was.
When she didn’t immediately turn tail and run, Michael silently gestured at the other side of the booth he had taken over. The table was covered with paperwork - not to mention his laptop - but he could push it aside.
His heart pounded in his chest when she obviously gathered up her courage and started walking towards the booth, her shoulders and head slightly hunched protectively. Last night he hadn’t totally believed Olivia when she’d said she was pretty sure Ellie was going to reach out to him soon. Today he was just relieved and grateful the Domme was right.
Apparently his friends were also right that she didn’t blame him for anything. The expression on her face was full of guilt and wariness; there was no accusation or fear or reproach. She nibbled on her lower lip as she slid into the booth, giving herself barely an inch between her bottom and the edge of the booth. Still ready to flee apparently.
Michael closed his laptop and set it to the side, still watching her closely. There was a little wrinkle in the center of her brow, like she was concentrating on something.
“Hello, Ellie,” he said quietly, folding his hands in front of him on top of the table. “What can I do for you?”
“I-” Her head dropped down for a moment and then she took a deep breath before peeking up at him again. There was remorse in her eyes. Unhappiness. Her creamy skin had a pallor he didn’t like, noticeable only now that she was so close and he was studying her so intently. A bit of redness around her eyes said she’d been crying. “I wrote out what I wanted to say to you, so I couldn’t forget, but now that I’m here it seems so… I mean, I made some assumptions based off what other people told me, but… we haven’t really talked and…” Her shoulders slumped again as she seemed to run out of the will to speak, her teeth sinking back into her lower lip.
Keeping his hands still rather than reaching for her was an effort. “Anything our friends told you about me is probably true,” he said gently. “I’ve been pretty open with them, hoping they could help me figure out where I went wrong with you and what I could do to fix it.”
That got her attention, and her dark eyes flashed as she sat up straight, indignation clearly written on her face. “You didn’t do anything wrong!”
Interesting, how she was so willing to defend him to himself. Michael’s lips almost felt like twitching. So she definitely didn’t blame him, at least, but… where did that leave them?
“Why don’t you read what you wrote,” he said, using his acting skills to look calm, even though he felt like he was hanging on the edge of a precipice. She was here. All he had to do was not chase her away again and maybe…
Ellie gave him a little look under her lashes and pulled her hands out of her pockets. In her right hand she was clutching a folded piece of paper, which she stared at as she unfolded it, obviously avoiding his gaze.
When she read, her voice was slightly stilted because she was reading from a prepared script, but it was full of emotion too.
“Michael, I want you to know I don’t blame you for anything that happened to me. I never have. Your friendship and protection made my bus rides not just bearable, but fun for an entire year. Drifting apart was natural and it didn’t have anything to do with what happened to me. Lawrence spent a long time trying to gain my trust and get me to date him, and even though I should have known better, I fell for it, and that’s my fault.”
