Page 77 of The Naughty Virgin

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Karina

Somehow everything’s spun around once again. Whereas the initial outcry from the rape scandal was outraged, somehow the tables have turned and Brenda’s story is slowly being discredited.

The first week after the article was terrible. There were protests in the main quad, Gloria Steinem made a speech about sexual violence on campus, and all Greek activities were temporarily suspended. Plus, the Police Department opened an investigation and all anyone could talk about in class were the horrific events of that night.

“Did you hear?” whispered a girl in back of me. “I heard that Brenda Bey’s the victim.”

“Oh really?” chimed in another, in a hushed voice. “I heard it was Vera Mack, but the Sterling twins’ involvement is what gets me. I mean, really? Plus,” she added in a scandalized whisper, “I heard that the twins dance at a Vegas club in their free time. Can you believe it?” she giggled. “Billionaires dancing for dollars? Oh my god, one of them’s here!” she squealed. “Is that Caden or Caleb?”

I’d just seen Cade walk in as well, sauntering like he owned the place, his backpack slung casually over his shoulder. He wasn’t in our class – he was just picking me up.

Unaware of the girls in back of us, he leaned over to give me a casual peck on the cheek. “Hey sis, ready to roll?”

“Yeah,” I said tightly. “Come on, let’s go,” I said, refusing to even look at the women in back of us. It was so humiliating so I walked fast, refusing to look at my step, my eyes on the ground with my cheeks flushed.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked, easily keeping up, loping by my side. “Why are you so defensive today?”

I didn’t even slow. “Let’s go,” I said shortly. “Keep moving.”

“Hey hey hey,” he said, holding his hands up. “No need to act like you’re guilty. No one’s looking, you know.”

That made me stop short, gazing up at him with searching eyes.

“Cade, everyone’s talking,” I told him. “Those girls giggling when you swung by – they were gossiping about you. They knew, somehow they knew, that you guys danced in Vegas.”

That made my brother frown. “Shit, damage control isn’t doing enough,” he growled. “We’re going to have to settle this once and for all.”

When we got back to the apartment, Caleb was lounging in the love seat, desultorily looking over the school paper, which of course, was covered with news about the scandal. The headlines hadn’t improved. “SEXUAL VIOLENCE REACHES A PEAK ON AMERICAN CAMPUSES,” “DID WE DO ENOUGH FOR OUR GIRLS?” that kind of thing. I almost cried, I was so exhausted from the turn of events.

“What gives brother? Sister,” Caleb nodded, looking up as we rushed in. He flashed a million dollar smile and I melted a bit, still undone by that amazing physique, the big body imposing yet relaxed in the armchair.

“Seems like Phipps hasn’t done quite enough,” replied Cade. “We’re going to have to pull out the big guns.”

“Hold on,” said Caleb. “Jake’s called in the troops, we just need to let everything seep in. Bey’s going to pay, just wait and see.”

I was totally confused. “What do you mean, called in the troops? How is Jake involved in this?” I asked. Jake was their older brother, but he had a full-time job as CEO of a biotech. What could he do about a campus rape crisis?

Seemingly reading my mind, Caleb said, “Sterling Pharma didn’t get to where it is today through sheer luck. Jake and Matt pushed Sterling products, they know how to work the press, how to spin a story, they know all the right people to sway public opinion,” he said simply. “Trust me … the Sterling machine is already in play.”

I gasped. “But how? How are you going to disprove a Rolling Stone piece?”

Both men laughed.

“Little sis, not everything you read is accurate,” assured Cade. “You know that, there’s so much bullshit out there, the right-wing press, the left-wing ultraliberals, that sort of shit. Everyone has an agenda, and now it’s time to put our interests in the forefront.”

“But … those girls today, they knew about your stripper past,” I said slowly. “I’m not sure they knew about Lucky Paradise Two per se, but they were discussing rumors that you guys moonlighted as dancers.”

Caleb shrugged. “It’s collateral damage,” he said tightly. “Of course, we’d rather the world not know, but if it came down to stripping versus a twinsex reveal, we’d take the stripper story any day.”

I shook my head, confused. “But there’s video footage of you guys at the club, grinding on each other, right? How are you going to control it?” I asked plaintively. “This thing has a life of its own.”

“Well for starters,” drawled Cade, “There’s video of us dancing together, sure, even grinding, but nothing ever penetrates, we don’t do anything but rub. It’s a dirty rub,” he acknowledged, making me flush, inadvertently aroused by the mental picture of their cocks in banana slings, “but there’s nothing actually pushing into holes or that kind of thing.”

“Yeah,” I said slowly. “But more generally, how are you going to combat all these details that are coming out?”

“We’re discrediting Brenda,” said Cade simply. “Making her seem like a fool and pretty soon, anything associated with her is going to be bullshit,” he said. “It’s already started. We don’t want the world to know that we’re behind it, so it’s got to seem independent, but … she’s on her way down.”

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