She’d started using her middle name when she’d realized that going to med school wasn’t for her, after failing organic chemistry. Instead, she’d gone into public relations. Torrance Glen sounded far more worldly and professional—exactly what she needed to become a competent image consultant.
Piper’s nose wrinkled. “You’re my kid sister. You’ll always be Mindy to me. Now stop trying to change the subject. You know I care about Oliver. I think you do, too.”
“Yes, but as the Brits would say, it’s bad form to shag your boss. I’m already considered young in a game usually won by seasoned vets. I don’t need any whispers circulating that I slept my way into this lucrative job. I took on this challenge precisely to build myself some professional credibility.”
Her decision hadn’t had anything to do with being close to the Thurston-Hughes men. Well, not much.
“Oliver needs a woman to love far more than he needs a PR consultant.” Piper paused, as if trying to weigh her next words. “I was there that terrible day Yasmin nearly killed him and destroyed his life. Even when I visited him in the hospital afterward, I could tell he was a changed man. If you can look past his gruffness—”
“I have,” Tori assured softly. She’d seen Oliver’s heart underneath, no matter how desperately he wished to conceal it. “But he’s not over her yet.”
His late wife, Yasmin, had not only lied to and cheated on him, but she’d taken betrayal a step further and aborted two of their children during the marriage. At the end, she’d attempted to kill him. As past lovers went, she was kind of the be-all and end-all of badness.
“Then you could help him.”
Tori shook her head. “I don’t know that he will ever be over her, and I can’t get caught up in his damage. I’m sure that sounds cold. I like Oliver a lot, probably more than I should. But a personal relationship would ruin our professional one. He’s nice to me now because we merely work together, but the man has built an invisible wall around himself, and I think if I ever tried to breach the sucker he would defend himself. It wouldn’t be pretty.”
Piper leaned in with a sigh. “Under all the hurt, he’s a good man with a big heart.”
Yes, but Tori didn’t dare want more with Oliver. “Do you know why Claire Thurston-Hughes hired me?”
The brothers’ sister had recognized how badly the company needed an image consultant. Since Tori had already done some work for the Bezakistani royals, which had led her to a few high-profile European jobs, Claire had assured Tori that she would be a good fit for the Thurston-Hughes company.
“I know the stock has taken a hit in the last couple of years,” Piper replied. “I heard Tal talking to Kade about it.”
“Most of the financial problems had everything to do with the slowdown in the world economy and nothing to do with management. The strange thing is, the quarterly reports are actually on an uptick, but no one wants to hear that. They want to hear about Oliver Thurston-Hughes getting into pub fights. They seem to enjoy focusing on him acting more like a hooligan than a CEO. Then there’s Rory. He’s one of the smartest men I’ve ever met in my life, not to mention rich and incredibly interesting. Apparently, that combination is kryptonite for females. He goes through a six-pack of supermodels each month, like he’s consuming beer, not women. And he’s incredibly generous with them all.”
“I haven’t seen Rory mentioned in the press for a few months.” Piper reached for a scone. “So you must be doing an admirable, if not heroic, job of keeping the gossip about him quiet.”
If Piper thought that, she clearly hadn’t seen the tabloids for the last week. Rory, it seemed, had suddenly embraced his old habits because it looked as if he had a new bedmate. Tori hurt with a physical pang every time she saw photos of him with a “date.” Every woman he showered his time and attention on seemed more interested in fame and fortune than in the man himself. “He’s been more circumspect since I pointed out how much of his trust fund he’s spending on what amounts to high-class hookers.”
Piper’s eyes widened. “You did not say that to him.”
Tori shrugged. She shot straight with her clients and saved her tact for the press. Candy coating a situation rarely benefitted the one signing her checks. She was there to make them look better, not feel better. “Actually, I believe I told him he’d spent the GDP of a small country on the last Slutasaurus Rex he called girlfriend and if he didn’t quit, he’d be both broke and foolish.”
Her sister’s mouth hung open. “Seriously?”
“I stand by my judgment. She was about eleven feet tall and weighed ninety pounds soaking wet. And those teeth could seriously kill a man. I have no idea what he saw in her, except breasts done by the best surgeon England has to offer.”
“You sound jealous,” Piper pointed out.
Tori sipped her tea, hoping the cup hid her grimace. God, she needed to keep her mouth shut. Piper was both astute and happy, so if her sister knew how deep her feelings for her bosses ran, she wouldn’t hesitate to play matchmaker. And if Piper learned how far she’d gone to keep herself “safe” from the Thurston-Hughes brothers, she would gasp in horror. Her sister wasn’t big on lies, even for the greater good.
“I’m simply pointing out that while Rory is an amazing man, he’s got issues, just like his brothers, that I don’t want to deal with,” Tori murmured.