Page 34

PIERRE

M y phone rings and I reluctantly grab it, when I look down at the screen, I see it’s Harper. What the hell is she calling me for so early in the morning? Issy is naked and snuggling in my arms, she groans at the early morning wake-up call.

“Harper, it’s fucking early,” I grumble as I pick up the phone.

This gets Issy’s attention. She rolls over, grabs her phone, and stares at it before she starts cursing. Oh no. What the hell is going on?

“I know. But massive news has just dropped. There are images of Bill and Kitty in Capri together. And Bill is very handsy,” Harper explains.

Issy opens her phone and shows me the images.

They were taken with a telescopic lens, and it’s of Bill and Kitty at dinner together, and his hand is under the table and up her skirt.

There is no denying what is going on. She is laughing and having a great time unaware that her life is about to blow up.

“Holy shit.”

“Everyone knows that the man Kitty was cheating on you with was Bill Reeves. They just outed themselves, which means all those Devils fans who roasted you in the media, and those former teammates who stopped talking to you, they will now understand why you left,” Harper says.

This is great, but all I can think about is poor Michelle and her family.

“Thanks for the heads up, Harper.”

“You’re going to have to be ready, this is huge, and now the media knows you are in New York they are going to try to find you,” she warns me.

“I assumed I was living on borrowed time. I better go, my phone is going off,” I tell her as I hang up.

“Are you okay? You seem a little freaked out,” Issy asks me.

“I don’t know how I feel,” I tell her.

“Come on, let’s go downstairs and grab some breakfast. You think better on a full stomach.” She grins. That is true.

Frankston jumps up from where he was sleeping and rushes out of the bedroom. That was strange as we both get up and follow him. Moments later, the buzzer to Issy’s apartment goes off, but Frankston is there angrily growling at the door, his hackles are up.

“Check the security cameras,” I tell Issy, who quickly opens the app, and when we see the media throng congregated outside Issy’s apartment, my stomach sinks.

Our little bubble has just blown up. “Close the blinds,” I yell at Issy, who clicks onto another app and hits a button that closes all the blinds in her home, throwing the home into darkness.

I put my hands on top of Issy’s shoulders.

“I’m so sorry I brought this to your front door. ”

“This isn’t your fault,” she reassures me.

“How did they find me?” I ask her.

“Someone noticed and tipped them off.” How is she being so calm? “Look, how about I go get dressed and speak to them. They are trespassing, walking up the stairs. Maybe I can get them to move on.”

“They’re vultures, Issy.”

“You eat, and I’ll talk to them. Maybe we can get Harper to come up with a statement regarding the matter,” Issy reassures me before she walks over, wraps her arms around my neck, and kisses me slowly.

Moments later she is dressed in a killer suit looking like a badass as she walks toward the door. I grab Frankston and hold him by the collar, he isn’t happy about her answering the door. “It’s okay, boy, she’s got this,” I reassure him.

She steps outside and I hear the shutters start and people screaming questions at Issy.

“I can’t answer your questions if you are talking over each other,” she says sternly.

“Look, I understand you are here after witnessing some photos online. Now I have no idea if the photos that have been published are real, and I think until they are proven, my client will not be making any statements.”

“Is it true that you and Pierre used to date?” a reporter asks Issy.

She laughs. “We did as teens, but we are nothing but friends now. As you know, the St. Pierre boys are close to my family. My dear father being both boys’ first agent.

Pierre and I are friends and when he needed somewhere to stay after what happened at his wedding, I said yes without hesitation.

Pierre has asked for this time to heal, and I hope that you will all respect that.

This is my home. My sanctuary, and coming and knocking on my door will be considered trespassing after this point.

I respect that you have a story to write, and this does appear to be salacious, but Pierre will not be giving any more statements on the matter.

You can contact Pierre’s media team which is represented by The Rose Agency if you wish, but please do not come to my home or my office for comments.

” Everyone starts shouting, but she closes the door and comes back inside.

I let Frankston go, and he rushes over to her, she gives him a big cuddle.

“You were such a good security doggy this morning.”

“Thanks for doing that. Do you think it will work?”

“Not a chance. I did warn them. I’ll give my security company a call and get some people to man the stoop,” she explains.

I walk over and wrap her in my arms. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. This isn’t your problem,” she says, kissing me.

After the media ruined our morning, Issy and I went back to bed and had a nice destress session which included many orgasms until my phone started ringing again. This time when I look over, I see it’s Michelle Reeves calling me.

“Shit, it’s Michelle,” I tell Issy.

“Answer it,” she tells me.

“Hey, Michelle,” I say, putting the phone on speaker.

“Why didn’t you tell me? You knew they were fucking each other, and you didn’t tell me.” She swears down the line at me.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t. He made me sign a contract,” I tell her.

“He did what?” she screams. Hope that wasn’t breaking any clauses, shit.

“How long have they been messing around for?” she asks me.

“I don’t know, she wouldn’t tell me.”

“That fucking asshole. Does he seriously think that tramp is with him because of love?” She hisses. “You saw them at your wedding. What were they doing?”

“They were together in the garden,” I explain to her.

“Fucking?”

“Yes.”

“Fucking bastard,” she curses. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to yell at you, it’s just …”

“Sounds like you were blindsided,” I tell her.

“Finding out the same time as everyone else, yes, that’s pretty blindsided,” she says angrily.

“I wanted to tell you, Michelle, but I couldn’t. Not sure if now that it’s out in the open if I’m allowed to say something or not,” I tell her.

“Don’t you worry about that, sweetheart. That man will not do anything to you. I can’t believe they were screwing each other during your rehearsal party. I am so sorry, Pierre, he did that to you. That must have been devastating to find out,” she says.

“Honestly, Michelle, I was relieved. I should never have gone ahead with the wedding, but I felt trapped and was a coward and went along with it.”

“Oh, sweetheart, I had no idea.”

“I was only with Kitty for a couple of years, you were with Bill for decades. I’m sorry for you,” I tell her.

“You’re sweet, my love, but this isn’t the first time this man has cheated on me.

But it is the first time he has been busted so publicly.

Luckily, after the first time I caught him cheating, I got a post-nup that said I would get fifty-fifty of everything if he was ever caught in public cheating on me.

He kept his affairs hidden for forty-plus years until her.

He’s lost his damn mind.” I’m stunned silent.

“None of the kids knew about our arrangement but they do now, and they are the ones pushing for me to divorce him. And I think I might. He can have his little plaything. Let’s be serious, she is only after the money. ”

“He knows that. He gloated to me about it on the phone.”

“I bet he did. I’m sorry we had to lose you from the team, but I understand now why you left. Hope New York is going to treat you better.”

“I think it will,” I tell her as I reach out and link my hand with Issy’s.

“That’s good. You are a good guy, Pierre, and I wish you nothing but happiness.

You deserve it. I hope one day you can fall in love again, and that little tramp hasn’t scared you for life because she is not worth it.

Take it from this old woman who is now taking her own advice.

There is someone out there who will love you right, and I hope one day I get to meet her,” Michelle says.

I lay a kiss on Issy’s hand. “I’ll let you know when it happens.”

“Good luck next season and don’t be a stranger,” she says before hanging up.

“Wow. That wasn’t at all where I thought the conversation was going. It started off rough, and then once she sort of got her anger out, she mellowed. I really feel for her. All those years married to that cheater,” Issy says, shaking her head.

“Maybe one day I’d like to introduce you to her. I think the two of you will get on well.” I smirk. Issy frowns before shaking off whatever she was thinking.

It has been the week from hell. Every single day Issy leaves for work, she is accosted by the media. They even follow me around Central Park when I go jogging with Sam and Felix. I can see the stress of the situation is getting to Issy, and she doesn’t deserve this.

“How was work?” I ask as Issy walks in, looking exhausted.

“How are they still standing outside a week later? Do they not have anything better to do?” she grumbles. I hold open my arms for her, and she walks into them and hugs me.

I kiss the top of her head. “Sit down, have some wine, while I plate dinner.” She does as I asked and sits down and pours us both a glass of wine.

Dinner tonight is chili herb salmon and salad.

I’m not sure how Issy is going to take my news, but I know it’s for the best. “Hey, um, I have something to tell you.” Issy stills and I can see the concern on her face. “I found an apartment.”

“Oh,” Issy says, sounding surprised.

“I got the keys to it today.”

“Oh,” she says again, putting her fork down.

“I’ve disrupted your life for long enough and it’s not fair.” I reach out and grab her hand, my thumb running along the back of her hand. “This is your home, your sanctuary, and those vultures outside have destroyed it, all because of me.”

“This isn’t your fault, but I understand. It’s probably for the best,” she says quietly.

“I don’t want to stop what we have going on,” I tell her. Issy pulls her hand from mine.

“Those were the rules,” she says, not looking at me.

“Fuck those rules. Things have changed between us, Issy. I know you feel it too. We deserve a second chance at happiness together.”

Issy looks up at me, and I just know the words that are about to fall from her lips I’m not going to like. “We agreed. This was only until you found a place. You found a place, so this is over. We go back to being friends.”

“Issy. No. Come on. Don’t be so fucking stubborn. I know you have feelings for me, and I get it, you’re scared but please, give me a chance. I want a chance,” I beg of her.

“I can’t,” she says, looking up at me with those chocolate-colored eyes.

“You can, you just won’t.”

“Don’t you put this on to me. You promised me. You said it was casual. You agreed no feelings were to be involved.” Tears stream down her face.

“I lied.”

Issy gasps on a sob as she rushes from the table and up to her room.

I was a fucking fool for thinking I could get Issy to fall in love with me again.

To give us a second chance. I thought I showed her that I had changed, that I wasn’t the same guy I was all those years ago.

But she doesn’t want to see it. She is never going to see it.

And that hurts.