Their Virgin Mistress (Masters of Ménage #7)(82)

So much for avoiding the profound conversation.

Tori tried not to flinch. "I don't know if I can do it."

Her sister took her hands. "You have to try or you will lose them. And you will spend your life alone, regretting their loss every day. Would you rather lose them now, without ever really knowing what their devotion feels like, or what kind of husbands and fathers they would be, or how they would hold your hand through the good and the bad? Or would you rather lose them after years of storing treasured memories you could recall on a rainy day once your hair is gray and you're surrounded by your grandchildren?"

Piper's words hit her like a blow to the chest, and Tori wasn't sure she could breathe. Could she walk away now and never feel them again?

"And consider this," her sister added softly. "They're taking a chance on you, too. They're willing to love you now, knowing loss may come someday. They're willing to trust you with their hearts. Maybe you think that's easy for Callum and Rory. But for Oliver … "

After what Oliver had endured with Yasmin and her betrayal, she couldn't have blamed him for being the most hesitant of all. Yet here she was, holding out on them.

Tori sent her sister a glance filled with uncertainty, fear, and shame. But she didn't know what to say.

"I raised you with love." Regret filled Piper's voice. "I thought I taught you better."

"Piper? Are you here?" a masculine voice called out.

The moment was broken, and Piper wiped her eyes as she turned. "Rafe? We're in here."



       
         
       
        

Tori took a deep breath and tried to hold back tears. She didn't want to cry in front of her brother-in-law. In front of anyone.

Rafe stepped in. "I'm glad you're here with your sister. We need to talk."

"What's happened?" Oh, the look on his face told Tori it was bad. Her hands started shaking. Had something happened to Callum or Oliver or Rory? Oliver had been through so much. He couldn't handle any more. Callum could be reckless. Rory drove too fast sometimes.

She couldn't breathe. Her whole body felt stiff with anxiety. This was what it would be like. She would always worry. "Are they all right?"

"Who?" Rafe gave her a puzzled frown.

Piper raised a brow. "The Thurston-Hughes brothers."

Rafe shrugged. "As far as I know, they're fine. What I wish to talk to you about is this." He held up a paper. "The British tabloids picked up the story of your fall. I'm sorry, Tori. We did everything we could to stop it, but apparently someone took video and it's on the Internet."

She looked at the paper. She'd told herself it was only a little slip and it wouldn't be a big deal. Deep down, she'd convinced herself that it would go away. Talib had a lot of power, but apparently nothing was as big as the Internet.

One look told Tori the images were worse than she could have imagined. It wasn't a single shot but a collage of her gracelessness. There was a shot of her looking grim as she walked down the stairs behind her luminous sister. The second shot showed her tripping, her face contorted in the ugliest way possible. In the third, she was nearly on her ass. The last shot revealed her breast, the mound on full display. It wasn't a mere nip slip. No, this was pretty much her whole boob. The shock on her face somehow looked an awful lot like a smile, one that suggested she'd meant to "trip" and expose herself to be the center of attention.

Bezakistan Shame: Queen's Younger Sister a Graceless Gold Digger.

The headline said it all. Tori wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

She glanced at the article. The scathing write-up was worse than she could imagine. Not only had someone captured those pictures, but they knew she'd been behind closed doors with the Thurston-Hughes brothers all night long. Knowing a video existed for anyone on YouTube to watch only demoralized her more.

She'd helped a starlet once who had a sex tape go viral. The woman had been humiliated, called every kind of name. Tori hadn't intentionally made a sex tape. And who would want to hire a publicist who caused a scandal? No one. These images could kill her career. Once that was gone, she wouldn't have anything left.

She especially wouldn't have the men she loved. 

Panic threatened. Dizziness washed over her. She reached out for anything to balance herself but found nothing. No one.

"Mindy, this is not a big deal," her sister said. She felt a hand on her shoulder. "Why are you crying?"

Her nephews would see this one day. Her prospective employers. Her friends. Her men. Nothing ever went away on the Internet.