Sakura, Akira, and Conrad’s photo shoot took place by the pool on the nineteenth-floor. In the late afternoon, the light perfectly shone on the trio dressed in Mr. Tachibana’s newly designed clothes.

Sakura, in an elegant lacy, flowy summer dress that enhanced her slender figure, looked enchanting as her long hair danced in the gentle breeze. Her smile was radiant as she faced the camera, one hand over Conrad’s shoulder. Akira, in a sexy black, flowy dress, stared smolderingly at the camera as she rested her elbow on Conrad’s other shoulder. Then there was young Conrad himself, dressed in a classic, stylish three-piece suit, looking as though he were on top of the world with a beautiful woman on either side of him.

Mr. Tachibana was extremely pleased with the trio as he encouraged them to pose as though they were having an awesome time at a summer party, which indeed they did, especially Akira, who rather enjoyed herself tremendously.

Then, all too soon, Jason said, “That’s it. Well done, you three.”

Sakura laughed as she fanned herself with her hands. “Wow. That was good. And it’s hot out here, too.”

Akira nodded.

Conrad was chuckling. “I wish we could go on. That was fun.”

Tristan shouted from the sidelines. “Hurry up, you three. We still have one last photo shoot to go until our day ends.”

With that, Jane shooed everyone back to the makeup rooms to get them ready for the last session of the day, the group photo shoot in the restaurant.

About an hour later, Sakura found herself in another corner of the restaurant with its great view of the ocean in the distance. With her were Akira, Sosuke, Tara, and, of course, the Princeton siblings, Nicolas, Tristan, Logan, Sebastian, Hayden, Darcy, Conrad, and Alaina. Every one of the men was in a sleek three-piece suit, while the girls wore cocktail dresses.

With her long hair down, Sakura wore a pale-pink satin and lace sweetheart gown. She was directed to sit in the middle on the antique sofa. Meanwhile, beside her on her left was Sebastian who looked like some young, arrogant business tycoon, sitting there with one leg crossed over the other as he leaned back against the seat.

On her right was Logan, smiling cheekily as he was instructed to lean forward, to direct his eyes and hot smile at the camera. Half sitting on the arm of the sofa next to Sebastian was Nicolas, who had Akira intimately in his arms. Leaning slightly against the arm of the sofa next to Logan was Tara and beside her, slightly to the back, was Alaina. Sosuke was standing right behind Sakura, his hands in the pockets of his trousers, while he stared smolderingly at the camera.

Sitting in the armchair next to the sofa was Conrad, who was supposed to look relaxed. Meanwhile, half sitting on the arm of that chair was Darcy, hands in the pockets of his trousers, looking broodingly handsome. Lastly, leaning against the window were Tristan and Hayden, all aloof and stunningly hot.

Once everyone was where Mr. Tachibana wanted them, Jason started shooting rapidly, taking in wide-angle shots where every one of the beautiful people was in the frame. Some fifteen minutes later, Mr. Tachibana asked them to change position, and then the shooting continued again.

Some half an hour later, Jason finally said, “That’s a wrap for today, everyone.”

A loud cheer went up, followed by Sakura heaving a deep sigh.

Beside her, Akira chuckled, “Finally, eh?”

Sakura nodded. “It’s been a long day.” She turned to the window and looked outside. “And the sun is setting, too. It must be pretty late.”

Akira nodded. It was after six in the evening.

“Good work, everyone,” Mr. Tachibana said. “Let’s cleanup for the day. Remember, we have an early start tomorrow, too. Please don’t exhaust yourself partying. Wait until tomorrow night.”

A chorus of yeses came from his staff and, of course, the models, including Sakura.

Once changed into her normal jeans and T-shirt, Sakura, along with Akira and Jane, met up with the Princeton brothers and Sosuke at the elevator. The group then headed out of the hotel and into the van.

Sakura sighed as she took a seat at the back. “I’m beat.”

Conrad came to sit beside her and said, “You worked hard today, Sakura.”

Turning to him, she said, “Yeah. At least I didn’t mess it up.” She was glad, because she’d thought things might have been pretty bad.

In front of her, Akira said, “You did good. I’m sure Tachibana-sensei is pleased, especially with that bedroom scene.” She even winked at Sakura.

The reminder of her session with Darcy in the bedroom made Sakura blush. Of course, it didn’t help that she chanced to glance away from Akira, only for her eyes to meet Darcy’s, who gave her an endearing smile that made her heart leap with joy.

He looked rather pleased, and that made her happy.

The rest of the brothers boarded the van a moment later, and Nicolas, the driver, started the engine.

“Everyone ready?” he asked from the front. A chorus of yeses sang back at him, and he started driving out of the parking lot.

Some twenty minutes later, the group arrived back at the holiday house, and the instant they got out of the van, the delicious smell of food reached them.

“Oh, God,” Sakura said. “I’m starving.”

“Me, too,” Jane said. “I ran around like a headless chicken today.”

That made Sakura laugh. When she stopped, she said, “Yes, you did, didn’t you? Back and forth and here and there.”

“Can’t be helped,” Jane said. “It’s my job after all. And I do like it.”

Sakura and Jane waited for Akira while the brothers and Sosuke headed into the house first.

“Sorry,” Akira said. “I was just checking to see if I got all my stuff in my bag.”

“No worries,” Sakura said. “Shall we go in?”

Akira nodded, and the trio headed toward the house. As they approached the stairs, Beth announced to the new arrivals that dinner would be served at eight, which of course made both Sakura and Jane groan in despair, while Akira laughed.

Once inside their shared room, Sakura requested to shower first, since she wanted a little rest before dinner. Jane and Akira agreed.

“You do that, Sakura,” Jane said, “while I sneak into the kitchen and see if I can find something for both of us to munch on until dinner.”

Sakura nodded. “Good idea.”

Akira said, “I’ll come, too. After all, I am a bit peckish.”

As Sakura headed into the bathroom, Akira and Jane headed out the bedroom door. Then some twenty minutes later, Sakura reemerged feeling refreshed after a good cold shower. She crashed on her bed with a satisfied sigh. It was then that Akira and Jane returned, along with a tray of goodies and, of course, a tagalong, Michael.

“Hey, Sakura,” the boy said, coming in through the door.

Sakura rolled onto her side as she returned the greeting. “Hey, Michael. How was your day today? Fun?”

Michael came to sit on her bed as Jane put the tray of food on the table between them. Meanwhile, Akira came to join the group, after shutting the door.

Sakura eagerly reached out and got herself a piece of club sandwich. She took a bite and smiled with appreciation. After swallowing, she asked, “So, what have you and everyone else been doing today?”

As Sakura, Akira, and Jane ate silently, Michael recited his adventures with everyone on a tour to the city, and then the beach that day. By the time he was halfway through his narration, Sakura was on her fifth piece of club sandwich.

Akira said, “You should stop eating, Sakura. Otherwise, you won’t be able to eat dinner. You’ll be too full.”

Sakura nodded at that and reluctantly pulled her hand back.

Time passed quickly as Michael continued to relate his adventures with the families, and by the time he was finished, it was almost eight o’clock. Thus, the girls and Michael went down to join the others for dinner, a loud and cheerful affair as everyone enjoyed the meal.

Tristan and Logan, of course, entertained everyone with their jokes, per usual.

They were having dessert and sitting around the living room when Daddy James came to sit beside Sakura. “How was your first day on the job?”

Sakura smiled, pleased that he was asking her about her work like any nice adoptive father would. “It was better than I expected. I mean, it was nerve racking when I first went in, but after I got used to the people and the surroundings, it was good.”

Of course, she didn’t tell him about the intimate scenes she had with his six sons. He’d probably flip upon hearing the full details. God, she hoped he wouldn’t see the catalogue when it came out next month.

James said, “Yet, you look worried.”

Sakura blinked. “Do I?” She chuckled nervously.

It was then that Conrad interrupted. “Sakura was beautiful today, Dad, in Mr. Tachibana’s clothing. I mean, she looked like an exotic princess.”

James chuckled in amusement. “Did she now?”

Tristan said, “Yep. A hot princess all right.”

Beside her, Michael suddenly said, “Sakura, do you know that you have bruises on your neck? Did you get insect bites at work today? Is it common to get insect bites in Hawaii?”

That drew everyone’s attention to Sakura, which made her blush profusely.

Her hands flew to her neck, touching the marks. “Hmm. It’s nothing, Michael.”

Akira, of course, only added fuel to fire when she said, “Yes. Pests to be precise. Two of them I might add.”

“What is this?” Tristan suddenly stood from his seat and came toward Sakura. “Pests? Bites?” Up close, he bent over and inspected her neck.

Sebastian said firmly, “Tristan. Get away from Sakura.”

“Stop making such a big deal out of it,” Darcy said with a dark frown.

Tristan, of course, ignored the two as his eyes zoomed in on Sakura’s neck. Suddenly, he said, “By Jove! There’re two bloody hickeys.”

At this, Logan demanded, “Hickeys? On Sakura! Who would dare do such a thing to our sister princess?”

Everyone in the room laughed out loudly.

Mary said, “Sounds like you’re jealous, Logan.”

“I am not,” the man retorted.

“Who’re the pests?” Tristan asked, making a show of looking around the room, searching for the culprits.

Michael asked, “What’s a hickey?”

Mary said, “There’s no need for you to know what that is, Michael. It’s an adult thing.”

Michael asked, “So, some pest did adults things to Sakura?”

At this, the whole room roared with laughter again.

Sakura blushed even more. Thank God her biological mother Haruka and adoptive mom Brenda weren’t around, as well as Mr. Tachibana and Miss Ruka, to hear this ruckus. Otherwise, she’d be even more embarrassed.

Across the room, Sebastian and Darcy were frowning.

James finally said, “All right. That’s enough, everyone. You’re making Sakura uncomfortable.”

“The uncomfortable ones should be the pests,” Logan said, eyeing Sebastian and then Darcy.

Sebastian said, “Stop blowing things out of proportion, Logan. And Sakura looks tired.” He turned to her. “We have an early start tomorrow.”

She nodded. “Yes, we do.” She stood up and said, “Good night, everyone.”

A chorus of good nights was said in return, and she, Jane, and Akira left the room.

Up in their bedroom, Sakura found that she was restless, despite her tiredness from the day’s work. As she lay there with her eyes closed, her mind kept wandering off, thinking about Sebastian and Darcy, about their confessions to her and their love for her.

Decide.

She had to decide by tomorrow which brother she would choose to date, to become a couple with. But was that even possible? To choose one and not the other when she loved them both? When they both were good men and had been so good to her?

Was it even possible for her to leave one with a broken heart? Could she handle knowing that she was fully responsible for that man’s unhappiness?

Oh, God! The decisions. The pain. The torment. And the confusion.

She opened her eyes, frustrated.

There was no way she could delay much longer. After all, she owed it to them. She couldn’t leave them hanging. She had to tell them something.

But what is my final decision?

Should she choose Sebastian? The man who had always been there for her, and had helped her since they had been young. The one who had saved her numerous times, and at times had even risked his own life for her.

Or should she choose Darcy? The man who had loved her since they’d been young. The man who had been her best friend and stuck by her side. The man who had made her smile when she had been so alone and depressed.

She let out a big sigh, her mind now more confused than ever.

No, she thought. Just for a moment, she wanted to stop thinking about them, about the decisions and the pressure. Just for a moment.

She shut her eyes again and calmed her nerves. Then Akira’s and Jane’s whispery voices reached her sensitive ears.

“Wow.” Jane was giggling. “I wish they could all live together. I mean, a threesome sounds awesome. Even though they’re gay.”

Akira said softly, “Of course. It’s a thing in the Yaoi world. Threesomes are the best. Three best friends living together as lovers. Can you imagine how wonderful that would be? I mean, every day would be like heaven.”

“And the two seme?” Jane asked.

“Yes, Jane, very good. The two hunks are semes. They’re the tops, the chasers.”

Jane said softly, “Two hunky semes chasing after the uke, who is so cute.”

Akira said, “Yes. He is cute, isn’t he? The artist is very good. I like that he’s an airhead and his expression is just so adorable. I mean, he’s only nineteen, but man...”

“I could read this all day,” Jane said, giggling.

Akira chuckled. “Be careful. You might become a fully pledged fujoshi and an otaku.”

“I think it’s too late now.” The girl admitted. “You’ve opened doors for me, Akira.” Jane whispered, “So, in a Yaoi world, what do you think your brother is? A seme or a uke?”

Akira chuckled with amusement. “He’s definitely a shy seme.”

“Is there such a thing?”

“Hmm. He’ll top but would probably be too shy to admit he likes the uke, considering his personality.”

Jane nodded in agreement. “Nicolas?”

Akira frowned. “That man is definitely an aggressive seme.”

“Tristan?”

“A flirty seme.”

“Logan?”

“Another flirty seme.”

“Sebastian?”

“An arrogant and aggressive seme. He’s the type to always get what he wants.”

“Hayden?”

“A mysterious seme that every uke falls for.”

“Darcy?”

“Another mysterious seme. He’s the lone wolf type, I think. The aloof type that makes the uke’s heart beat faster every time he sees him.”

“And Conrad?”

“Definitely a uke.”

At this, Jane chuckled. “So, the only suitable uke in the Princeton family is Conrad, eh? Poor thing.”

“Hmm.” Akira nodded. Then she moved closer to Jane and, eyeing Sakura’s sleeping form, whispered, “If Sakura was to turn into a boy...?”

Jane giggled. “She’d be a very cute uke. A very adorable uke. God, I can imagine her with short hair. She’d be so kawaii.”

“And the Princeton brothers chasing after her?” Akira suggested.

“That sounds like a dream,” Jane said. “But I can’t imagine a boy Sakura settling down with just one of the brothers. She... he... would have to settle down with two of them, right? The ones that gave her—I mean him—the hickeys.”

Akira couldn’t agree more, and nodded furiously.

Meanwhile, Sakura just lay there, listening to the two girls talking enthusiastically but softly so as not to disturbed her. Of course, she couldn’t help but smile as she pretended sleep.

So, she was now a boy who happened to be a cute uke in Akira and Jane’s Yaoi world, eh? And this boy Sakura was being chased by the seme Princeton brothers. The very idea sounded ridiculously hilarious, but attractive at the same time. She started wondering what her life would have been like if she had happened to be born a boy and Daddy James adopted her.

Would she be a brother to the Princeton siblings? Would she have fit in better with them when she was young—enjoying her time with the brothers and doing boy stuff together as siblings? Would her life have been better? And would Alaina and Tara be less vicious to her because she wasn’t a girl? Even better, would they have left her alone to enjoy her time with the Princeton brothers?

She didn’t know. The fact was Sakura was born a girl, and there was no changing that. This was her life now. Her fate. Her destiny, so to speak, and whichever brother she chose to date, to move into a serious relationship with, he’d join her destiny.

Sebastian? Or Darcy? Which one?

Sakura fell asleep with the two brothers’ names in her mind, and though she didn’t know it, she had a smile on her face as she drifted off.

---

Tara marched through the door of the restaurant with her temper fuming hot. Behind her, Ray said, “Hey, calm down, will you?”

Tara turned and snapped, “Don’t tell me to calm down. Have you any idea what I’ve been through today? Having to watch that bitch being praised by not only Mr. Tachibana, but the Princeton brothers, too.”

Ray looked heavenward. “The Princeton brothers again,” he muttered under his breath.

“Shut it,” she said darkly. “It’s none of your business.”

Ray did shut it as they headed toward the back of the restaurant. There, they met up with Mrs. Clark, or rather, Tara’s biological mother Mrs. Byrd, who was supposedly dead from the fire that burned down Queen Mary Orphanage on St. Joseph Island some eighteen years ago.

Tara came to sit down beside her mother, a dark expression on her face.

Mrs. Clark eyed her daughter and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“It’s nothing.” She changed the subject and turned the tables on her mother. “And what about you? What are you doing here? I thought we were not to be seen together.”

Mrs. Clark narrowed her eyes as she said, “Shit just hit the fan; that’s what happened.”

“What? What happened?”

Ray said, “We’re being investigated by some private detective. This guy is good. He has sniffed out a lot of stuff about us already.”

“And,” Mrs. Clark said, “Now the NYPD is investigating us.”

Tara raised a brow. “You mean they’re investigating you and Ray?”

Mrs. Clark muttered, “Yes. And that’s why we’re here. And that’s why we have...” She lowered her voice. “We have to get rid of her. Apparently, she’s a witness to what happened at Queen Mary Orphanage. If she’s put on the stand and points a finger at me in court, I’m in deep shit.”

Tara sighed. “We already know you’re in deep shit as it is, Mom, considering your illegal businesses.”

Mrs. Clark snapped at her daughter. “Stop that. Stop making things worse.” She turned to Ray then. “And have you met her? Did you get anything out of her?”

Ray leaned back against his seat, a smile playing about his lips. “Yes, I’ve met her.”

His mind reflected to yesterday, late afternoon, when he had seen Sakura with that little boy Michael, on the beach taking photos. He remembered how beautiful she was, and he had been immediately smitten. In fact, he’d want to do her, if he had the chance, but damn, the girl was far too precautious and uptight for his liking. He preferred his women loose and easy to get, because he wasn’t the type to waste time on the slow courting that might end up going nowhere.

He had wanted to get information about her by chatting her up and asking friendly questions. But that had, of course, gotten him nowhere, except for the whereabouts of their holiday house, since he’d followed her. In the end, that was useless information because Tara already knew about the holiday house, having been there numerous times; before she had gotten herself kicked out of the family circle.

Ray noticed that Tara was glaring at him now, which amused him. She asked, “So? What do you think of her?”

He chuckled, because he knew she hated Sakura. “She’s beautiful.”

She sneered at him. “So, you’re in love with her now, are you?”

Ray narrowed his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. She’s beautiful; there’s no denying that. But I have a job to do. She’s a target. She’ll ruin us, and she has to go.”

Tara turned to her mother and said, “I just realized you’re good at hiring the right man for this type of job.”

Mrs. Clark said, “I’m always good. I know my business.”

Ray turned to Tara and asked, “So? This St. Thomas Island. That’s where it’s going to happen, isn’t it?”

Tara nodded. “I’ve been there many times with the brothers when I was younger.”

Ray noticed the dark anger exuding from her pale-blue eyes and thought something was really pissing her off.

“It’s a very beautiful island, and there are places that are perfect for the job.”

Ray nodded. “Then should we discuss this more privately in my hotel room after dinner?”

Both Mrs. Clark and Tara nodded.

Two hours later, their dinner was finished and Mrs. Clark and Ray left to head back to their hotel rooms to do some business. Meanwhile, Tara chose to stay at the bar for a few drinks, because she needed them.

She was on her third glass of vodka when Alaina appeared and took a seat beside her.

“You look like shit,” Alaina said.

Tara turned her bloodshot eyes to the girl and sneered. “So? And what the hell are you doing here? I thought we’re done for good.”

Alaina narrowed her eyes at Tara as she said, “We are done for good, Tara. Thanks to Dad, now I know who you really are.”

Tara chuckled, her eyes watering. “Yeah? Really? Your perfect daddy just decided to help you open your innocent eyes to the real world, did he?”

Alaina shook her head in disbelief. “I just don’t understand you, Tara. I thought we were real friends. I used to rely on you for almost everything. I thought that maybe one day you’d even be my sister-in-law, knowing how much you liked Sebastian.”

“Shut it!” Tara snapped. “I didn’t just like him.” She shook her head. “I loved him. So much so that it hurt right here.” She touched her chest. “And Darcy, too. I love that man, but he and Sebastian, they chose that bitch over me. God! Why? What does she have that I don’t?”

Alaina looked down at her hands, which were trembling in her lap. “I know for certain that Darcy has loved Sakura since they were young. They spent so much time together that I got jealous. I mean, he’s my twin after all, and he was the closest to me, of my other brothers. Then she just appeared and took him away from me, and that pissed me off, I guess.” She sighed, and then chuckled sadly, realizing how stupid and naïve she’d been. “And that’s why I went along with you, tormenting her, because it made me feel better, hurting the person who stole my Darcy away from me.”

She felt tears in her eyes as she glanced away to stare into the distance of the room. “Then I got lost and didn’t know what I was doing. But I kept doing it because you were doing it. I liked being with you because we were friends. You were the only one I could rely on, depend on.”

Tara shook her head. “Shut it, Alaina. I don’t want to hear about the past. It’s sick and it’s dark.”

Alaina moved in closer and touched her ex-friend’s shoulder. “Tara, you can change. I mean, you just have to let it go. Sakura is no longer in your life. No longer in our lives.”

Tara slapped Alaina’s hand away. “Piss off, will you?” She moved her face toward Alaina and said, “Look. I do what I want, okay? And you, of all people, should know when I want something, I want it bad and I’d do anything to get it.”

Alaina said, “I know, and that’s why I want you to stop wanting that something that badly. Please, it’s not right.”

It was then that Tara got suspicious. “What the fuck are you on about?”

Alaina panicked.

“You mean me wanting both Sebastian and Darcy, don’t you?”

Alaina nodded furiously. “Just let them go. It’s not good, this unrequited love. They chose Sakura already, so...”

Tara smiled darkly. “They chose Sakura already. Yeah right. Like that’s going to happen. If she happened to be gone, then there’d be no Sakura to choose, would there?”

Alaina narrowed her eyes. “What are you up to, Tara? What have you got planned?”

Tara raised one eyebrow at her ex-friend. “That’s none of your business.” With that, she slid off her seat and marched out the door.

Alone, Alaina felt shaken. A moment later, she pulled out her cell phone and went through the contact list. When she got to Darcy’s name, she touched the dial button. A few rings followed, and Darcy’s voice came through.

“Hey, what’s up?”

Her voice shaking, Alaina said, “Darcy, I think something bad is going to happen.”