Page 49

Chapter 49

Public Relations

Dell

A determined Robyn hauls us downstairs, and my heart races. Look at my queen taking charge like that! God, she’s amazing.

Before my foot hits the last step, I’m swiping open the call as we make our way into her basement office. Like the rest of her place, the space is bright and furnished with white trim, white office furniture, and pale green walls.

“Hello, Stephanie,” I say, closing the door behind me as Robyn takes a seat behind her desk. Zay and I stand.

“Dell Breaux,” she sighs. “I just read your email and saw the deposit. You certainly keep me busy. What’s going on?”

Isaiah and Robyn give me a signal to move forward. “Do you know who Robyn Cassidy is?”

“Of course I do. She and that coach of hers are blowing up right now. Why?”

“Well, she and that coach of hers… are mine. And they’re sitting here with me.”

“Dell, what are you getting at?”

“She’s my girlfriend. He’s my boyfriend. We’re in a polyamorous relationship. I need you to work your magic. I want both of them to keep their jobs. And uh, if there’s some way you can make it so everyone’s real cool with her dating a former porn star, that’d be great.”

Stephanie lets out a weird shuddering breath, and I know from experience she’s closing her eyes and letting it all sink it. Truthfully, I think she gets off on the drama and stress. She’s kind of a freak like that.

“Can you take it on?” I ask.

“Of course I can,” she chuffs. “Robyn?”

“Yeah?” she replies.

“First thing’s first. Do not reply to anyone’s comments online about this. In fact, I need you to be completely offline. You don’t post anything until I approve it, is that clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Isaiah, do you have a social media presence?”

“I’m more of a lurker.”

“Perfect. Keep it that way.”

“Oh, hey Steph,” I grimace. “I forgot to add… I’m Robyn’s personal trainer, and I was Isaiah’s until very recently.”

“Ohhhh,” she says. “The plot thickens. Okay, I’ll handle that later.” She hums to herself and we wait.

Robyn fidgets with her fingernails, and I pray Steph has a way out of this. It nearly killed me speculating that Zay and I may have to break off. I know we didn’t have any idea what was going to happen with us yesterday, but once my mind started reeling with the potential of us sticking through this, I latched on like a spider monkey.

Steph hums. “I’m looking online right now, and this story is everywhere. ESPN is talking about it.”

“Oh god,” Robyn mutters.

“Hang on a second,” Steph says. “Dell? Did you know your ex is out here with his own video?”

A cold sweat breaks over my body. “What?”

“You need to see this.” A moment later, the video link pops up in a text from her. With all feeling leaving my fingers, I press play.

There’s a greenscreen picture of my account with Travis’s ugly mug front and center. “Does someone want to explain to me why my ex-boyfriend, you may know him as TheGymBreaux, or by his OnlyFans name Dixon Hand, is also dating Robyn Cassidy’s head coach and boyfriend, Isaiah Johanssen?”

Oh fuck.

“I just saw Dell a couple weeks ago and met Isaiah myself.” The greenscreen cuts to a screenshot of the now infamous Ring camera porch kiss. “In fact, it was just a couple days before this happened. Looks like Robyn Cassidy has herself a cheater, too.”

“Do not look at the comments, Dell,” Stephanie cuts in when the video replays. I shut it off.

Shit. It’s really happening. We’re all exposed now. But the truth isn’t known—there are too many dots to connect for anyone outside of our bubble to understand.

“This is not the time to spiral, guys,” she says, as if reading my thoughts. “The more we know, the better prepared we can be. There is a bright side! I’m seeing a significant amount of Leave Robyn Alone energy. We can definitely play into that. Robyn, do you think we could gain the support of your teammates in favor of your relationship with Isaiah?”

“Um, probably. I can talk to my teammate Serwaa about helping.”

“Work on that. Isaiah and Dell, I need you to email me all the details about the three of you and your relationship—how it happened and what you mean to each other. Send that to me by noon today and I’ll call you an hour later with a statement.”

“Shouldn’t we wait for the Valor to conduct their investigation first?” Isaiah asks.

“No,” she says. “We can’t let them lead the way on this. To protect Robyn’s image and hopefully save your jobs, we need to curate the narrative that this is true love. That people are rooting for you! Can you see it?” she asks, like she’s envisioning a shooting star… and snorting cocaine. “I’m gonna get an award for this,” Steph says quietly, like sh e's talking to herself.

“No.” Isaiah stands back abruptly and throws his arms out. “Why would we go through all this trouble when…”

I narrow my eyes on him. “When what?”

He tries to swallow the lump in his throat and looks from me to Robyn. “When I should just step back.”

What?!

“We can still play this off as a one-time kiss. We could,” he shrugs. “we could just go back to the way things were.”

“Isaiah,” I warn.

“I’m serious. Things were safer when I wasn’t in the picture! The best way to protect Robyn is to bow out.”

“No, baby,” I plead. “You can’t mean that. We are a three-piece set.”

He shakes his head. “It was better when I was on the outside looking in.” Isaiah looks down at Robyn, whose chin is trembling like his. “I can do a better job at protecting you from afar.”

“But what about my heart?” she whimpers.

Fists clenching, a tear slips down his reddened face. Isaiah’s shiny eyes find mine. “He’s gonna take it all.”

“What? No! I need both of you.”

“How fucking dare you,” I say, my voice wavering. My blood roils with anger and heartbreak. How can he do this to her? How can he just step away like this? For two years she has been my client, and for two years l missed out on being deliriously in love with her, all because I thought my business was more important. I thought keeping the Robyn Cassidy as a client and all the clout it came with would be more important than what my heart wanted.

Why can’t Isaiah see that life with her is worth any price? A life with me…

“And what about my heart, Zay?”

“I still love you,” he whispers, his eyes pleading. “I know you love me, too. Please don’t give up on me. ”

“Are you kidding?” I cry, and I have to press my palms into my eyes to physically hold back the flood of emotion. “Tell me, Isaiah. How do I love a man who breaks her heart like this?”

The words punch him in the chest, I know they do. I hate that they do, but I’m careening into the unknown and don’t know which way to go. For the first time in my life, I’m diving head-first but the thrill is gone. I’m diving because of the pain, and I can only hope the landing will kill me.

“My mom was right,” Robyn softly cries. “I don’t know what I was thinking. None of my relationships last. I was an idiot to think this one would.”

I stand and pull her into my chest. “Baby, nooo. Don’t say that. He’s the reason why they didn’t last. It has nothing to do with you, and everything to do with Isaiah’s goddamn inability to fight for what he wants.”

“But I am fighting for us,” he pleads. “I just have to take a back seat.”

“Until when?” she asks. “I retire? That could be seven years from now.”

“I’m not gonna give up on either of you.”

“Well, it sure as fuck feels like you are!” She digs her forehead deeper into my chest and cries while I stare daggers into him. If I could open my chest and let her crawl inside to protect her, I would.

“Get out, Isaiah,” she whispers.

What happens next might be the most hurtful thing of all. With resignation painted across his face and a heaviness to his stride, Isaiah leaves without a word.

I’m still holding Robyn when the door shuts.

“Guys?” A voice cuts through from my phone on the desk. “I’m still here.”