Read Online Whispered Confessions (Touched By You) by Emily Jane Trent - Free Book Online Page A

Then I met you. I was crushed that you left me there in the concert hall. I would have gone anywhere with you that night, you know.”
    “I know that, baby.” Tanner kissed her lips.
    “Those four years, when you were gone, and I was alone—that was hard. So hard. Once I met you, I could never get you out of my mind. It was like I was meant for you, and I couldn’t move past that.”
    “I hope you pleasured yourself.”
    Natalie grinned sheepishly. “ That I did. You tortured me by leaving me all alone. I had to find release somehow.”
    Tanner grinned. “Well, now that I know all your dark secrets, and I’ve confessed the wild abandon of my youth, I have to ask—do you trust me?”
    “Yes, I trust you completely. But there is so much temptation out there,” Natalie teased, no longer as worried as she was pretending to be.
    “Maybe so, baby, but our love is stronger.” Tanner kissed her deeply, bruising her lip s, and pressed her body to his.
    God, he is the absolute sexiest man alive .

14 – Crisis Time
     
    Natalie didn’t expect to hear from Cheryl again so soon. She texted saying she was coming right over. It was late in the day, so Natalie had Sara open a white wine and bring it to the terrace with some cheese and olives. The weather was chilly, but the outdoor heaters made it pleasant.
    Hearing commotion in the kitchen, she knew her friend had arrived. “There she is,” Sara said, and went back inside.
    Cheryl went out and sat in a chair next to Natalie, distress showing in her expression.
    “What happened?”
    Cheryl looked out at the view, as if hoping for an escape. Turning back to Natalie, she said, “I’m so stressed. Someone I don’t know emailed photos to me today.”
    “Of what?”
    With a pained look, she said, “Nude pictures of me.”
    Natalie choked on her sip of wine. “What? From where?”
    “Oh, you won’t believe this. My past has come to haunt me. So long ago, when I was first struggling in modeling, I let some idiot take nude photos of me. I just needed the money and the agreement said he’d never publish them.”
    “What were they for?”
    Flushing, Cheryl said, “Artwork. He said he was an artist and used them for sketches, for his paintings. I know—how naïve could I be, right?”
    “But you said he couldn’t publish them.”
    “Right, but do you know how long ago that was? Let’s see…I was just starting, so, oh gosh, more than twenty years, at least.”
    “But the agreement is still valid.”
    “Sure, if I could find the guy. I can’t even remember his name, and I have no idea where he lives. How would I enforce the agreement?”
    “There must be a way.”
    “That’s not what has me freaked, anyway. Nobody has to publish them. It’s the age of social media.”
    “Yes, so you think whoever sent the email will post them?”
    “Of course. My face is known in many countries, because of my modeling. And you know when I married Dani that was big news. A supermodel marries Russian billionaire. That’s why we eloped, if you recall; we didn’t want the media crawling all over us.
    “But now it’s not just that I don’t want pictures of me, naked, blasted through the social media channels. Yes, it would affect my career. Heck, it might help my career.” Cheryl gave a disgusted laugh. “But Dani. What about Dani?”
    “Oh, I see.”
    “Right. He is a respectable businessman in Russia. So now he marries some Italian model he meets in New York, and nude photos of her are everywhere, on every handheld device, computer, probably even in print. The magazines would go crazy over it. Even if they didn’t print the pictures…the controversy, can you imagine?”
    “Not good.”
    “No, not good at all. Dani doesn’t know yet. I’m not sure how to handle this. I just got the email, but that’s a threat. Whoever it is dangled those pictures under my nose for a reason.”
    “Money?”
    “Has to be. I doubt they’d ever see the light of day, except that