Page 46 of Seduced in Ink

Arden:Are you okay for real?

Bristol:Do we need to hurt someone for you? Because we will. Or we’ll send one of the guys.

Holland:We could totally do it ourselves, Bristol.

Madison smiled.

Madison:I’m fine. Really. It’s just the guy that my mother tried to set me up with.

She looked at the group chat name and was grateful it was only them and not Julia because that would have been another lie she’d have to deal with.

Arden:We’re setting up a girls’ night, and you’re coming. We can all talk about your date and everything else that you might not want to talk about. You’re one of us now, even if you don’t think so.

Tears stung the backs of Madison’s eyes. What could she say?

Bristol:A nice girls’ night, and I promise not to be annoying.

Madison snorted.

Holland:She’ll do her best, haha.

Bristol:You know I’m sitting in the car next to you. I could hurt you, Holland.

That made Madison laugh out loud.

Madison:A girls’ night sounds great. Be safe, and don’t actually hurt each other.

They all said their goodbyes, and she grinned, setting her phone down on her desk near her computer. When it rang, she picked it up without looking, wondering if it was one of them.

“Hello?”

“Madison. I cannot believe you threw Guy out like that. How could you?”

Madison groaned, knowing this was all her fault for not looking at the phone. She truly deserved this.

“Mother.”

“Don’t sayMotherin that tone. I have a proposition for you.”

“I’m still dealing with your last one,” she said, tired. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

“Tone.”

“You work on yours first,” Madison said, proud of herself.

“The proposition, like I said. You’ll come to your father’s retreat at the lodge. No excuses. Bring Aaron. And if I approve, I’ll call Guy off. But you better do well.”

“Mom, no. I have a life. I have to work. Aaron has to work. We can’t just drop everything and come to the lodge.” She hated the lodge. It was always full of people who wanted something from her family, and therefore, tried to get it from her. She wasn’t about to throw Aaron to those wolves. And she knew they would want him there. He was an up-and-coming artist, and his family was connected to certain circles that they would want to be a part of. No, she wouldn’t do that.

“I don’t care,” her mom said.

“Mother.”

“Do this, and we’ll stop. We’ll let you be. Do this now, or we’ll never quit. We just want what’s best for you.”

Madison closed her eyes and counted to five, trying to breathe. She would have counted to ten, but she knew her mother would never let her have that time. At least it sounded like her mom that sometimes Maeve stepped over the line. Did Madison believe it would change anything?

She wasn’t sure.

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