Their Virgin Mistress, Page 32

  Her eyes narrowed. “Single encounter? We were lovers for a year.”

  Not by Callum’s count, but she wasn’t about to argue. It would only feed Thea’s fire, and that was something Tori really wanted to put out.

  “It doesn’t matter. He’s with me. We’re getting married according to British law. In the eyes of my sister’s family, we’re already married. You should know I’m not going to kick them to the curb in two weeks. We’ll have a lovely royal wedding that I will absolutely allow my brother to pay for.”

  Rory gave her a thumbs-up. “Excellent, sweetheart. Charging Talib for our super-expensive wedding is the best idea ever.”

  “Well, he agreed to let you kidnap me. He can pay for my flowers, at least. I want lilies.” She looked back to Thea and decided honesty would serve her best. “I don’t care if you’re pregnant. If you are and the baby is Callum’s, then I will love and adore that child because that baby is a part of my husband. If you think his past is going turn me away from him, you’re quite wrong. We’ll be married within the month, and I’ll be a very good stepmother.”

  “She’s not pregnant,” Oliver said with a sigh.

  “I don’t care. Callum matters. If there’s a child, we’ll welcome him or her with open and happy arms and we’ll give that baby some siblings to love very soon.”

  Rory gazed at her with a soft look in his eyes. “Do you mean it?”

  She’d done a number on them. It was time to let her men know how serious she was. “I mean it. I won’t hold your pasts against you if you’ll do the same for me.”

  “Darling, you don’t have much of a past,” Oliver reminded.

  “And yet I let it almost ruin us.” She wouldn’t again. She would be what a wife should be—steadfast, loyal, deeply in love. “I won’t let that happen and I definitely won’t allow Thea to have any influence on what we do in the future. I’m going to love Callum no matter what. So the deal is off. If Thea can prove the child is Callum’s, we’ll make sure the child has the best we can provide. Until such time, I choose to believe my husband and he couldn’t possibly have fathered your baby. You may leave.”

  Thea leaned forward. “I’m not giving up. I won’t let you take him from me. I’ll grant an interview to every reporter who will listen. I’ll trash your reputation. I’ll tear you apart.”

  Now that she’d calmed down, Tori really did see things from her sister’s point of view. She needed to use her assets. “Try. My wedding will be a royal affair. Every paper who wants those pictures will understand that I’ll cut them off the moment they take your side. The same holds true of our subsequent babies. And if they want access to my sister and her family, they will not print anything negative about me or my husbands.”

  Thea stopped, her eyes flaring. “You can’t do that.”

  “I can,” she said softly.

  “They’ll listen to me.” She’d gone a nice shade of red. “I’ll tell them everything.”

  “And some of them will publish whatever you say, but the important papers will want access to the royal family. The truth of the matter is, all we have to do is wait you out. If you’re pregnant, we’ll get the DNA test and clear everything up. If you’re not… Well, I’m sure you’ve got plans for that. But the story will blow over. The world will continue on. My husbands and I are going to be happy.”

  “I have to advise my client to stop negotiating if the original agreement is now moot.” The lawyer stood up, collecting his paperwork. “You really should decide what you want, girl. You’re wasting everyone’s time.”

  Yes, Thea had done that for a good long while. Tori was done with it. “I know exactly what I want and that’s never to think about your client again. I’ll thank you to take her with you as you leave.”

  Thea stood. Tori didn’t believe that a child could possibly be growing in her super-skinny belly. “I want to see Callum. I deserve to see him. He told me he loves me. He made a child with me.”

  A hint of madness lurked in her eyes. Somewhere in her brain, Thea believed what she was saying. Again, unwelcome sympathy welled in Tori, but she couldn’t back down. “And he married me. Like I said, we’ll sort it all out after you’ve had the baby. Until then, you do what you need to do.”

  “I’ll ruin you. I swear to god, I’ll make sure you pay. You’re keeping him from me.” Her lips turned down in a nasty sneer. “You’ll see. I’ll take care of you. You can’t hide forever.”

  She strode out with her lawyer.

  Oliver followed and murmured to his brother. “I want someone watching that woman. I want a PI looking into everything she does.”

  Rory nodded. “Yes. I think we should look into her finances.”

  “Do you suspect she’s behind the attacks on Tori?” Claire asked. “You think she paid someone?”

  “The police believe it’s a political act.” Tori didn’t agree. Could Thea be crazy enough to hire someone to kill her rival?

  “I don’t think so. If this was a political act, the perpetrators would look for press. This person is trying to hide his identity. I’m not even sure if it was the same person every time. If it’s Thea, I think she’s hiring various thugs to attack you.” Oliver pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going to contact the private investigator and get an update.”

  Rory turned to her. “Why the riding crop?”

  She grinned a little. “I would never go into battle unarmed.”

  Claire’s eyes widened. “Do I even want to know what that means?”

  “Let’s just say Oliver angered our wife one night and he won’t do it again.” Rory winked her way.

  “Oh, I’m sure I’ll do it again,” Oliver acknowledged. “I’ll simply make sure I get rid of all the umbrellas, riding crops, and cricket bats before I do. Tori has a terrible temper.”

  Claire stepped in front of her. “I’m so glad you’ve decided to stay.”

  Tori hugged her sister-in-law. “I am, too. Thank you for kicking me. I promise not to forget my place again.”

  “Good, because it turns out I’m quite terrible at confrontations. That woman was horrible. What was Callum thinking?” Claire asked.

  The door came opened, and Callum stood waiting, staring straight at Tori, a dark light in his eyes. Oh, she was in serious trouble. The Dom had been pacing, seething and impatient. He wanted his due. Tori shivered at the very thought. When Callum decided to top her, she knew she was in for hours and hours of pure pleasure.

  “Callum wasn’t thinking at all,” he said of himself. “I was on the road, and Thea was easy. She found me in a pub and told me all she wanted was one night. I was single and rather easy myself at the time. Is she gone? Am I allowed to come out of the corner now?”

  He might have let her take over, but he obviously intended to shift the power now.

  Tori needed to play this very carefully if she was going to come out of today without a red ass.

  She approached him, hips swaying, and softened her voice. She cast her gaze down as submissively as she could. “Thank you for indulging my jealousy, Master.”

  He gripped her hips, and Tori risked a peek up to see his gorgeous lips ticked up in a playful smile. “Is that how you’re going to play this?”

  She rose on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “I would be on my knees naked in front of you if your sister weren’t here. I know how much you hated not being in that conference room with me, but we couldn’t give her what she wanted.”

  “And why is that?”

  She cupped his face. “Because you’re mine.”

  “And you’re mine, sweetheart. So take that riding crop you found and go to our bedroom. You will take off your clothes and be in the proper position to greet your Masters. Don’t expect to leave there for the rest of the day.” He kissed the tip of her nose, but his voice was deliciously dark. “Understand that I expect perfect obedience for the rest of the night.”

  She might get that red backside, but that wasn’t all. She would also feel the joy of being with
her men. She would finally have them all.

  Tori stepped away and grabbed the crop. It had seemed like a nice little prop to intimidate Thea. She hadn’t really imagined that Callum would turn it on her. Uh-oh. With as much submission as she could muster, she left the room.

  The minute the door closed behind her she practically skipped down the hall toward the stairs that led to the bedrooms. There was no stopping them now. She was married and she was keeping her husbands. Yes, they would have crap to deal with in the future, but who didn’t? She’d been wrong to hold herself back and she couldn’t wait to show them that she would never do that again.

  Starting now.

  When she reached the bedroom, she opened the door and tossed the crop on the bed. She wouldn’t be the one using it. As she turned and began unbuttoning her blouse, a cold chill ran across her skin.

  “You know the old saying, don’t you?” Thea stepped out of the shadows, a gun in her hand. “If you want it done right, you better do it yourself. Open your mouth even a little and I’ll shoot you right here.”

  Tori put her hands up. It looked like her future would have to wait.

  * * * *

  Oliver hung up with the PI. The minute he had any kind of proof, he would have the police move in on Thea. There had to be something to connect her to the attempts on Tori’s life. He hadn’t spent much time with the woman, but the few minutes he’d been in her presence this time made him believe Thea was unhinged—and that the woman wanted his future wife dead. Oliver wasn’t about to let that happen.

  “That bitch is utterly mad,” he growled.

  Callum held a hand up. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t know.”

  Claire stared at Callum like he’d grown two heads. “I don’t understand any of this.”

  “It was dark,” Callum complained. “I’d had a couple of pints. I couldn’t see the crazy eyes. Men aren’t always intelligent creatures, dear, but you should know I intend to only sleep with Tori from now on. Her crazy eyes aren’t insane. Thea was a terrible mistake, and she’s come back to bite us all in the arse. I can’t apologize enough.”

  Somehow Oliver didn’t think Claire was talking about Thea. “We’re not going to hurt Tori. Not really.”

  Rory turned to Claire, concern furrowing his brow. “We’d never hurt our wife. Everything we do is consensual. We can explain it to you.”

  Claire rolled her eyes like the brat Oliver was always sure she could be. “I’m not talking about bondage. Only a complete moron could look at Tori and think she’s an abused woman. Besides, I read quite a bit. I even know what an anal plug is and what it’s used for.”

  Callum went a little green. “I don’t think I needed to hear that.”

  She was their sister after all. Oliver wasn’t sure he wanted to hear about her sex life, either. He’d rather hoped she didn’t have one. Since she’d gotten out of school, she lived like a nun it seemed. “I’m deeply sorry if we’ve been too loud or too indiscreet. I promise we’ll keep it down. I’m happy you’ve been here. I think you were the one to really get through to Tori.”

  She waved him off. “I don’t care about the noise. I’m not a prude. I’m just confused as to how Callum seemed to grow two inches and his voice went all…not very Callum-like. Who on earth was that? Because he wasn’t my goofy brother.”

  Rory snorted a bit. “There’s only one place Cal truly takes control and that’s…well, that’s in private.”

  “Are you telling me my football playing brother is the Dominant?” Claire shook her head and held out a hand. “I don’t want to know. It’s actually quite horrifying. I don’t even want to think about it.”

  Poor Claire. He had to fix that for her. If there was one person he knew who could use a Dom, it was his sister. “Talib al Mussad is the Dominant male in his marriage. His brothers top their wife as well, but Talib takes control in the bedroom. Keep that image in your head and I’m sure the one with Cal will go away.”

  She sighed. “Thank you. The concept of a Dom is now back to being sexy.”

  He was glad to help. “Now, I think we should talk about how we’re going to keep our wife safe until we can pin all of this on Thea and have her thrown in jail.”

  Rory sat back down. Cal did the same, propping his feet up and leaning back with a sigh.

  Claire looked between them. “But didn’t you just tell Tori to go and wait for you?”

  “Yes, and she should be naked and kneeling by now,” Callum said with a satisfied little smirk. “She can keep her lovely arse there for the exact amount of time she made me wait in the kitchen. She thinks she can top from the bottom? Not likely. She can think about what I’m going to do with that crop.”

  Claire sighed. “On that note, I’m going to tell the cook that dinner will be served in our respective rooms tonight.”

  His sister did know how to run a house. After their mum died, Claire had taken care of the day-to-day workings. Oliver was grateful but didn’t think he’d ever said so. “Thank you, dear. And thank you for being so understanding about this.”

  “Yes, there are a lot of sisters who wouldn’t understand. I know we’ve put you through a lot, but you’ve been the best, love.” Rory nodded her way.

  Callum stood and enveloped their sister in a hug. “Love you, Claire.”

  There were tears in her eyes as she stepped back. “I love you all. And I will always stand beside you. That’s what we do. Of course I understand, Oliver. You’re in love. You don’t shove that aside because it doesn’t look traditional. You reach out and hold on to it. Now I shall enjoy my dinner and some telly. You should make some babies. I need nieces and nephews to hold.”

  “Only until you have your own,” Rory said.

  She took a deep breath. “Sometimes that plan doesn’t work out, you know. I think I was born to be the maiden aunt. Good night.”

  She stepped out into the hallway.

  “Perhaps it’s time we did something about Claire.” Callum stared at the door.

  Oliver raised a curious brow. “And what would that entail, Master Callum? Do you have a Dom you want to gift her to?”

  Callum shuddered. “Again, let’s not talk about our sister having sex. She has had sex, right? I mean she’s not…she went to university and everything.”

  “So did Tori, but she managed to come out of it a virgin,” Rory pointed out. “I don’t know, but something or someone definitely hurt Claire. She never dates. I’m not sure how to fix that. Perhaps Oliver’s right and we should find her a husband. I’ve got a couple of good candidates.”

  Did his brothers think at all? “I’m sure she’ll be thrilled to find herself back in the medieval period where it’s acceptable for her brothers to sell her off like chattel.”

  “I’m not trying to do that.” Rory’s fingers drummed along the table. “I just don’t like the idea of her being alone. Now that we’re with Tori, who will she take care of?”

  “Rory’s right. Claire’s a born caregiver. I can’t imagine her without a family of her own.” Callum looked back at the door. “Maybe we should look into what happened to her those years she was away at university.”

  Oliver had zero problems with intruding into his sister’s life. She’d taken care of him for years. It was time to do the same for her. “I’ll get someone on it. But for now, I think we’ve made Tori wait long enough. She’s naked by now. I, for one, am ready to celebrate the fact that we’re getting married.”

  He was getting married. He’d never believed he would do it again. He’d been absolutely certain he would never try to love another woman, but Tori had gotten under his skin. She’d been the catalyst for everything. She’d been the reason he’d gone back to Bezakistan and faced his past, the reason he’d learned that it wasn’t everything he’d believed. She was the reason he was strong again and it was far past time to devote his life to her.

  The door rounded open and slammed against the wall. Claire rushed in. “I was on my way to the kitchen when I
found him.”

  A sharp jolt of dread flashed through Oliver. Claire’s eyes were wild with terror. Her hands were shaking. He reached out and grabbed them, hoping to steady her. “What are you talking about? Who did you find?”

  “The solicitor. That man she brought with her,” Claire stammered.

  Callum was on his feet and Rory pulled out his phone.

  “I need a security check,” Rory said immediately. “I want to know when Thea and her solicitor left and I need confirmation they are no longer on the grounds. I’ll wait.”