Their Virgin Mistress (Masters of Ménage #7)(110)

       
        

"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."

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."