Their Virgin Mistress, Page 31

  I’ve handled it. We won’t have to risk prison or try to find a sneaky way to impregnate her. I think she’ll fall into our hands quite smartly soon.”

  A little flare of hope sparked through Cal. When that look filled Oliver’s face, it meant he knew something the rest of them didn’t and he thought his next card would win the game.

  Before Callum could speak, the door swung open and a somber-eyed Claire walked in.

  She was dressed casually, but a determined look flashed through his sister’s eyes. “I’m here to help now. I think it would be best if Callum made himself scarce for the rest of the afternoon.”

  He would love to, but there was a problem with that scenario. “If I don’t make an appearance, Thea won’t sign the documents. That’s the entire point of this meeting. She swears she’ll sign the nondisclosure agreement. If she manages to fake her way through a whole pregnancy and produce a child, I’ll take a paternity test. It will be administered by a doctor of my choosing and processed at a lab she can’t bribe. That’s the agreement.”

  Claire shook her head. “No. We’re not going to reward her poor behavior. And she won’t stick to it. She’ll simply switch to feeding the tabloids through ‘sources’ and it will continue on. There is no negotiating with a woman like her. She believes she can have whatever she wants because up until this moment she’s been dealing with a bunch of men. I’m going to take charge and absolve her of those ridiculous notions. She’ll learn quickly that I won’t be moved by false tears or promises of sexual favors.”

  Rory frowned down at his sister. “I wasn’t promised sexual favors.”

  “I was,” Oliver admitted with a sigh.

  “When?” That was news to Callum.

  “Back in London. She stopped by the office, tearful and pleading, trying to get me to talk to you.” Oliver looked all too calm for a man whose world might fall apart in fourteen days. His lips even curled up like a cat who’d managed to steal all the cream. “I wish I’d taped the meeting. She even got down on her knees, begging me to think of my nephew. The position was perfect for oral. I think she was trying to get me to marry her to save her child. She’s read far too many novels.” Oliver turned to Claire. “You’re right. I don’t think we should be dealing with her. I suspect she’ll be far off kilter if we make her deal with another female.”

  What the hell was Oliver doing? Thea hated all other females. She never listened to anyone, especially a rival female.

  Claire’s jaw tightened. “I know Tori should be stepping in to end this nonsense but…”

  Callum looked over Claire’s head to eye his brother. Rory did the same. Had Oliver persuaded their sister to step in and take over? Why?

  Oliver took Claire’s hand. “It’s all right. We know Tori isn’t as invested as we’d like.”

  “Well, I had a talk with her,” Claire admitted. “I explained that if she couldn’t find the strength to take care of the men in her life, then I would have to do it for her. She can sit and read that bloody journal of hers all day. It doesn’t solve the problem. I always thought American women had more backbone than this.”

  “You should point that out to her,” Oliver agreed.

  Claire’s chin came up stubbornly. “I shall. After this is over, I’ll ‘chat’ with her. You’ve obviously allowed yourselves to be used for sexual purposes, and if no one else is going to explain to her how wrong that is, I suppose that task falls to me. I won’t allow her to blatantly use my brothers and toss them away like so much rubbish.”

  Oh, dear lord. Did Oliver know what he was starting? Did he understand what could happen when two women decided they had the same place in a family?

  Would Tori even care?

  “You always watch out for us.” Oliver squeezed her hand. “Let us know if you have trouble with Thea. I, for one, am so much happier now that you’re in charge. You’re right. We were making a terrible mistake.”

  Claire nodded, then turned to Callum, pointing at him with a very judgmental finger. “You stay away from that woman.”

  He watched with wide eyes as she walked out the door, her shoulders squared.

  “What the hell just happened?” His sister had always been so quiet and retiring. “Did you pit our sister against Tori?”

  Oliver sighed. “I simply talked to Claire about how vulnerable I’ve been feeling. You have to admit, Tori is using us shamelessly.”

  Callum rolled his eyes. “She’s thinking. She’s not using us for sex. She’s scared.”

  Rory smiled. “I like the way Oliver thinks. And he’s simply given her something else to ponder. Tori is a very responsible woman. She’s also competitive. She’s not going to like another woman taking her to task.”

  “She definitely won’t like another woman assuming her role.” Oliver took a sip. “But I also seem to have unleashed a tigress in our sister. I wasn’t really expecting that. I might have miscalculated a bit there.”

  The door flew open, and Tori hovered impatiently in the doorway. “Where is she?”

  Callum had to stop himself from taking a step back. Tori looked the tiniest bit wild. Her hair looked windswept, as though she’d gone for a walk in a storm. That was when he noticed she was carrying a riding crop in her hand. “Love, maybe you should sit and have a drink.”

  She didn’t budge. “Naturally you’re all hiding in here drinking. Well, you can stay right here, but I need to talk to your ex, Cal. Also, I need to talk to our lawyer. Is he here, too?”

  Rory held a hand up. “I’m acting as our solicitor in this matter.”

  “Good, you should probably witness this. Is she in the dining room?” Tori glanced to her right, toward the room in question.

  Oliver tipped his drink her way. “Yes, but Claire is taking care of everything.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “No, she isn’t. I’ll be having a talk with her, too.” She pointed the riding crop. “You three stay out of my way.”

  Callum couldn’t help it. This decisive side of Tori not only got him a little hot, it also brought out his Dom side. “Tori, I don’t like the way you’re talking to me, love.”

  She stalked right up to him and turned her chin up. “I don’t like the way your slutty past has come back to haunt us all, but I still have to deal with it. And you can spank me later, Master, but you need to let me handle that bitch now. I need to do this. She’s coming after my men, and I won’t have it. I certainly won’t hide behind you. If she wants you, she’s going to come through me. And she won’t like how I handle her.”

  He stared down at her. His brothers seemed perfectly fine with sending Tori in to tame the Thea beast.

  If Tori had her spirit back and she was calling the three of them her men, Callum was all for it—with one caveat. “I’ll let you handle her as you see fit, but there’s no way I’m sending you in alone.”

  “She doesn’t get to see you.” Tori’s blue eyes went hard.

  Oh, he was going to enjoy this evening. “I want to spank you. I’m going to tie you down and spank that saucy arse of yours, and then I’m going to ease my cock into that tight little hole. Do you understand?”

  Her breath hitched. She wasn’t unaffected.

  “Are we negotiating?”

  “Yes.” He brushed his thumb across her lower lip. “I’ll stay back here and let you handle the situation if I can do wicked, nasty things to you later on that will make me feel like your man again.”

  “Done.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “But I suspect I’ll have to take Oliver and Rory with me. Am I right?”

  Such a clever girl. “Exactly. You do your thing. Then you come back to me and present yourself. Tonight’s play starts early.”

  She nodded, suddenly somber. “I’m done running away.”

  He pressed his forehead to hers. “I can’t tell you how glad I am to hear that. I love you. You won’t regret this.”

  “I’m done regretting things. I also won’t regret this.” She kissed him one last time and turned away, still clu
tching that riding crop in her hand. “Let’s get this bitch out of our lives for good.”

  As Oliver followed her, he leaned toward Callum. “You’re welcome.”

  “I’m not thanking you. You made a monster.” Cal smiled as he said it.

  “Well, I’m thanking you, Ollie. Damn uncomfortable not knowing whether Tori intended to stay or go.” Rory hurried after them.

  Callum was fairly certain their woman was about to cause trouble. And he was going to be a good boy and let her do it. Then he would have his revenge on her sweet ass.

  He poured himself another Scotch and wished he could see his woman in action. He was sure she would be spectacular.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Tori paused outside the dining room. She could hear voices inside, and her sister-in-law was definitely out of her league. She didn’t stop to correct herself. Claire was going to be her sister-in-law and it was time Tori taught the woman a few things.

  “I’m advising my brothers to not make any kind of a deal with you.” Through the slightly open door, she saw Claire sitting across from the platinum blonde. Thea was decked out. She wore more bling than a hooker looking for a “date.” It fit. Thea was the sort of girl looking for a man to pay her way through life and wasn’t above using her body to get it.

  She was done preying on Callum—or any of the Thurston-Hughes brothers.

  “I don’t care what you advise your brothers to do,” Thea said in a nasally voice. “I only care about Callum and what he promised me. When we made this baby together, he promised me we would be married. I need to talk to him, to remind him of how good we are together.”

  Claire shook her head. “I think it’s best if he doesn’t see you again.”

  “Then you should be prepared for me to write a tell-all book about how your family works and how that whore took my husband. I’m not stupid. I know the great and almighty publicist hates her real face being shown to the world.” Thea’s overly long nail tapped against the conference table.

  Tori wondered if Thea would sound so confident if the woman knew what Callum had done to her on that very table. It had involved some rope, an anal plug, a paddle, and some screaming hot sex. Oliver and Rory hadn’t been shy about joining in.

  The world hadn’t ended when her nipple graced the cover of the tabloids, and she would survive the Thea mishap, too. Somehow since that moment she’d read her father’s words, she’d found a strength that she’d been missing for years.

  “Not at all. Tori simply wouldn’t lower herself to be in the same room with you.” Sweet Claire. Even as angry as she was, her future sister-in-law hadn’t thrown her under the bus.

  It was time to save Claire. A good publicist knew that a client should always stay calm, always face the event in question with grace and dignity.

  She wasn’t a publicist today. She was a wife—and not a very happy one.

  “If you make her bleed, get her off the rug. It’s antique Aubusson, worth a fortune, and stains like that are hard to remove. Best to kill her on the hardwoods,” Oliver said without a hint of teasing in his voice.

  She turned to him. “I like the new Oliver.”

  “He’s actually just the old Oliver. Bloody sarcastic,” Rory pointed out. “Actually, the hardwoods are original. Do you know how much they would cost to replace? Maybe you could end her outside. I’ll help you carry her.”

  It was good to know she had backup.

  “I’m going to get everything I have coming to me, Claire,” Thea taunted. “You poor thing. I feel sorry for you. It must be difficult to be the wren among peacocks. Your brothers are so handsome and you’re such a pathetic nothing. Even that fat bitch they’re playing around with is prettier than you.”

  Oh, Tori was so done waiting.

  She shoved the door open, slamming it against the wall, and stared at her rival. She’d seen Thea in pictures but had tried to stay away. She could see now that had been a mistake. “Hello, Thea. I’m glad you could make it today. We’ve needed to talk for a while. I will say that being nasty to my sister-in-law isn’t going to help your case.”

  Claire looked up and smiled. “It’s good to see you.”

  “I’m sorry I’m late. I would have been here much sooner, but sometimes…we all need a swift kick in the pants to get us going. Or three.” She cupped Claire’s shoulder. “I think you’re gorgeous. Plastic Sally over there wouldn’t know real beauty if it bit her in the ass.”

  Thea huffed, then glanced at Oliver and Rory as they entered the room and seated themselves as far away as possible. She stared at the opening, as if longing for Callum to walk through.

  The woman’s lawyer sat at the end of the table, shuffling through papers. If he was upset by the scene, Tori couldn’t tell. He raised grim eyes and sighed as though he’d rather be any place other than here. “Ms. Glen, I don’t see what you bring to the proceedings.”

  “It’s Mrs. Thurston-Hughes,” Rory corrected. “By the laws of Bezakistan, she’s our wife unless she chooses otherwise.”

  “I’m your wife, babe. I’ve already made my choice. I don’t need two more weeks.” She winked his way.

  Tori took a moment to enjoy their shock while Thea simply pouted. “Where’s Callum? He can’t possibly have any interest in this odd marriage. He won’t take his brothers’ leftovers when he can have me.”

  “He’s not coming.” She needed to make that plain.

  “What?” Thea’s eyes softened, her mouth twisting. Somehow she forced out a pretty tear. She stared at the door as if certain her savior would appear any moment.

  Tori rolled her eyes. Claire had been correct. Only another woman could properly deal with her. “He has no interest in seeing you.”

  Thea bit her bottom lip. “I don’t believe you. You’re hiding him from me. Do you get more money if you marry all three brothers? Is this some weird foreign deal you’ve made?”

  “No, I’m marrying them because I love them. And before you accuse me of chasing them for their money, my brother is one of the richest men in the world. I’m not hurting.” She’d wanted to make it on her own. Now, Tori saw that was still possible. This time, she’d follow her own definition of success. She would follow Piper’s lead—be grateful and help the people around her. Tori realized she’d been given an opportunity to make a difference in the world, and she was done shirking her responsibilities.

  “He’s your brother-in-law,” Thea said with venom. “He’s trying to pawn you off on someone else so he doesn’t have to deal with you.”

  “I would love to see you make that statement to the sheikh,” Oliver said, his eyes narrowing. “You should understand he views Tori as his sister. He takes his family seriously. He’s very protective. We had to work hard to get his permission to court her. She’s precious to him, and anyone who threatens her should expect to feel the wrath of the al Mussads.”

  “And the Thurston-Hughes family,” Rory added. “We’re not without some power ourselves.”

  Thea dropped the innocent act. “We had a deal. I won’t sign anything unless I get to talk to Callum. So if you want your precious deal, you better produce my boyfriend.”

  Tori dragged the riding crop across the table once or twice. She didn’t miss the way Thea’s eyes widened. “I found this in the stables. I was looking for something else, but I think the crop will do nicely. Callum will probably be happy I found it later.”

  Rory winked her way. “Oh, I’m sure he’ll deeply enjoy using it on your backside, brat.”

  “Callum would never. He’s a gentleman,” Thea said, her face going red.

  Tori scoffed. The woman didn’t know Callum at all.

  “Not if all that screaming at night is any indication,” Claire said blandly.

  “We’ll attempt to keep it quieter, dear.” Oliver tipped his head toward his sister.

  Thea glared at Oliver, clearly stunned, as if she was just realizing that she’d meant nothing to Callum. She’d been a midnight hookup when he was at loose ends
. It was obvious now that Thea had feelings for him. Tori actually felt a little bad for the crazy lady.

  “If you don’t know this side of Callum, then you don’t know him at all. Dominance and submission occupies an important part of his life. If he chose not to share it with you, I’m not sure how much the single encounter meant to him.”