Chapter 19 Tashi #2
“Everyone doesn’t matter,” Marta said firmly. “The people who love you know better.”
“Do they? My mom’s friends have been calling, and I can hear the judgment in their voices. ‘Oh, Tashi, we’re so concerned.’ ‘Is this really you?’ Like I’m some stranger who replaced their sweet little girl.”
“Your mom’s friends are old church ladies who think sex outside marriage is scandalous,” Marta pointed out. “Of course they’re clutching their pearls. But that doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.”
“I’m sleeping with three brothers, Marta. My bosses. All three of them.” I pulled back to look at her. “How is that not wrong?”
“Were you coerced?”
“No.”
“Were they abusive?”
“God, no. The opposite.”
“Did you want to be with them?”
I thought about Orion’s intensity. Leo’s warmth. Ares’s protectiveness. The way they made me feel seen, valued, and desired in a way I’d never experienced before.
“Yes,” I admitted quietly.
“Then where’s the wrong?” Marta spread her hands. “You’re all adults. You’re all consenting. You’re not hurting anyone. Some people think it’s weird? Let them think it’s weird. That’s their problem, not yours.”
“It’s not that simple—”
“It is exactly that simple. You’re just making it complicated because you’ve spent your whole life trying to be what other people expect.
” Her voice turned gentle. “Tash. I’ve known you since we shared a crib together.
And you know what I’ve learned? You’re happiest when you stop caring about what other people think and simply live your life. ”
“Easy to say when your sex life isn’t viral content.”
“True.” Marta pulled out her phone. “But speaking of viral content—have you seen the support?”
“What support?”
“Girl.” She started scrolling. “There’s a whole movement defending you. #TeamTashi is trending. People are calling out the slut-shaming, talking about polyamory, and discussing consent and workplace dynamics in actually intelligent ways.”
“There are also people calling me a whore.”
“Yeah and fuck those people.” Marta spoke matter-of-factly. “But don’t let the assholes drown out everyone else. Look—” She showed me her screen. “This thread has fifty thousand likes. It’s a breakdown of why consensual polyamory between adults isn’t anyone else’s business.”
I read the thread, then another, then another. And Marta was right—mixed in with the vitriol and judgment, there were thousands of people defending me. Strangers who didn’t know me but understood that my private life wasn’t public property.
“It doesn’t change anything,” I said finally. “The Gaming Commission still has the video. Kurt Wilder is still out for blood. The brothers could lose everything because of me.”
“Kurt Wilder? Daniel’s father?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know he was here. But Daniel did and filled his head with nonsense.”
“And what does he have to do with this?”
“He’s on the Gaming Commission and has it out for me.”
“Like that isn’t personal.”
“It doesn’t matter if the charges seem true. This whole video thing is more fuel on the fire.”
Marta sat with her hands on her thighs, sighed, and then said, “It doesn’t matter.”
“Doesn’t it?” I said sharply.
“This isn’t your fault, Tashi. Someone stole private footage and released it to humiliate you all. That’s a crime. You’re the victim here, not the perpetrator.”
“Then why do I feel so guilty?”
“Because you’re you.” Marta squeezed my hand. “You take responsibility for everything, even things that have nothing to do with you. It’s both your best and worst quality.”
I laughed despite myself. “Thanks?”
“Anytime.” She stood up, surveying the suite with an appraising eye. “Now. When was the last time you ate?”
“I don’t remember.”
“Took a shower?”
“Yesterday. Maybe.”
“Changed clothes?”
I looked down at the same outfit I’d been wearing since the video dropped. “Does it count if I never went to bed?”
“No.” Marta pointed toward the bathroom. “Shower. Now. You get room service here, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes. And the kitchen knows about my food allergies.”
“Good. I’ll order food.”
“Marta—”
“Shower, Tashi. I’m not asking.”
I knew that tone. There was no point in arguing. I dragged myself to the bathroom, turned the water as hot as I could stand, and let it wash away at least some of the weight pressing down on me.
When I emerged twenty minutes later in clean clothes with wet hair, the suite smelled like Thai food. Marta had commandeered the coffee table with her laptop, a notepad, and what looked like a battle plan.
“Better?” she asked.
“A little.”
“Good. Eat.” She pushed a plate of pad thai toward me. “And while you eat, we’re going to talk about strategy.”
“Strategy for what?”
“For fighting back.” Her expression was fierce. “Because I didn’t fly across the country to watch you roll over and let these assholes win.”
I picked up the chopsticks, suddenly ravenous. “What kind of strategy?”
“The kind where we figure out who’s behind this attack and make them pay for it.” Marta pulled something up on her laptop. “Starting with Kurt Wilder and his attack on you.”
“There’s more. A sexual harassment allegation against me from a hotel employee, complete with doctored footage.”
“Really? Daniel is a real piece of work. Look at your social media. Here you are proclaiming the Kolykos brothers were your heroes. You shared different shots of the hotel and the places you’ve visited. Stunning shot of the Grand Canyon, by the way.”
I blushed, remembering Orion between my legs on that trip.
But Marta continued without noticing. “I wouldn’t put it past Daniel that he’s been following your accounts since you blocked him. He probably informed his dad as soon as he noticed you were working for the Kolykos brothers and suggested it to him. But why?”
I thought of Daniel and his mother, and how she had approved of me over his other girlfriends. I remembered his deadline to get married before he turned thirty-five or lose his trust fund.
“Because he wants me back.”