16. Felix
16
FELIX
I ’ve googled the hell out of Harper’s ex the last couple of days of our stay in Paradise. What kind of man goes to the press like a squealing pig and tries to defame her like he did? He looks like every other clean-cut, asshole, finance guy in New York. He comes from family money, probably has a pin dick, and his socials are full of thirst traps. I don’t know if he had any photos of Harper before their breakup or if he’s deleted them since, but he looks very much single. I found some photos of them together at events, Harper looking her stunning, bubbly self and her ex looking like he would rather be anywhere else. It’s not weird googling your friend’s ex, is it? It is when you’re sleeping with her and trying to work out what her type is. As a friend. Liar. I have a crush on Harper, I’m not going to deny that, but she isn’t interested in dating, and neither am I. But if she was? I’m not going to answer hypothetical questions. That’s a yes. That’s a, it doesn’t matter. As we’ve talked about before, neither one of us is ready to go through dating someone again. Why the hell am I arguing with myself?
“Can you believe how quickly this week has flown?” Harper says, taking a seat beside me as we wait for the boat to take us back to reality.
“It’s felt like forever and yet feels like a day,” I say.
“Right?” Harper nods. “I’m not looking forward to facing reality.”
Reaching out, I take her hand in mine and give it a squeeze. Since the news dropped of her breakup, Harper’s phone has been blowing up. As much as she wanted to forget about it, she couldn’t, and it kind of ruined the last couple of days we had together. Not that it’s her fault, but she had a dark cloud hanging over her and was easily distracted. I suggested that she contact her friend who found out about Cynthia to see if he could find out about Josh and his intern. Like she told me, it’s always good to have information in her back pocket. She agreed and she contacted her friend. It didn’t take them long to find out information because Josh was not as sneaky as he thought he was. Apparently, he’s been fucking his intern since she started, which was almost a year ago. That felt like a dagger to her when she found that out. She then got someone in her office to send the information and photos to Page Six, and the article went out today. Things blew up. So, I can understand her apprehension about going home.
“You did the right thing,” I reassure her.
“Or I’ve just made it worse,” she says, giving me a sad smile.
“He could have left things alone, but he’s the one who went to the press first, trying to paint this narrative that you were the faulty one when, in reality, it was always him.”
“You’re right,” she says, nodding as if trying to convince herself.
I lean over and whisper in her ear, changing the subject. “I’m going to miss fucking you.” Harper gasps, and I love that her ears have turned red. “Next time my cock is in my hand, which let’s be honest, will probably be tonight, I’ll be thinking about you.”
She bites her lip. “Is that so?”
“Don’t play coy with me, princess. You know my dick is perpetually hard around you. Just say the word and it’s yours again.” Harper blinks at me surprised by my offer. “Yours, anytime, know that.” I watch as Harper swallows, and her cheeks burn bright.
“Quite the offer.” She smirks.
“And it’s a serious one, too.”
“You’re not joking?” I shake my head. “Why?”
“Why not? I had fun. I think you’re hot. I like fucking you. I’m not looking for anything serious. I like hanging out with you, plus I trust you,” I tell her honestly.
“You mean that?”
“Yeah, of course. But I’m also happy just being your friend,” I add.
“I appreciate it,” she says as the boat arrives.
After what seems like an eternity and a day on all modes of transport, we arrive back in New York. Harper was gracious enough to let me join her on her private jet. There was a sleek black car waiting for us on the tarmac as we arrived.
“The driver is going to drop me off first and then take you to Issy’s home as it’s a little further,” Harper explains.
“Sure, no problem at all. I appreciate the ride.” Harper gives me a look. “That wasn’t supposed to be an innuendo, but it works, too.”
Harper kept her word as soon as we stepped off the boat, away from Paradise, there was no touching. I understood. Still, I guess I had become so used to being able to touch her anytime I liked now that just stopping cold was hard. We get into the car and Harper buries herself in her phone.
“Hey, have you worked out what you’re going to do about your LA house, isn’t the week almost up?” she asks, not looking up from her phone.
“Wasn’t sure what to do. I was going to have a meeting with Issy tomorrow to nut it out.”
She nods. “I think you should get your lawyer to mention that you know about her close relationship with her best friend, her husband, and some of your other teammates during girls’ night. I know you’re a good guy, and fighting dirty might not sit right, tell her you’ll give her one hundred grand, but she must sign a non-disparagement clause.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“That she can’t talk about you and your relationship negatively in the press.”
Oh wow, never heard of that. “You think she would do that for a hundred grand?”
She looks up at me. “You think she wants to open the can of worms that you have in your pocket? She might try to negotiate and see if you’re bluffing, but, in the end, she will cut her losses and take the money. I mean, you don’t have to give her a dime, she doesn’t deserve it, but that’s just how I think it might play out.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to my lawyer about that.”
She disappears into her phone again and doesn’t raise her head until we arrive at her brownstone. Wow. This is stunning, and the location is so close to Central Park. She’s really rich.
“This is me,” she says, putting her phone away in her purse. “Thanks for a fun week and I guess I’ll be seeing you around.”
“Don’t forget axe throwing,” I remind her, hoping I don’t sound desperate, but it’s the only way I think I’ll get to see her again, judging by the walls she’s now put up.
This makes her smile. “I won’t forget.”
“Let me help you with your luggage,” I say, trying to extend our time together.
“The driver usually does that,” she says.
“Please, just give me five more minutes of your time.”
Harper’s face softens and we both get out of the car. I tell the driver I’ve got her and that I’ll be back in five. I take her suitcase and follow her up the stone steps to her front door.
“This is me,” she says, pushing open the door.
“This is you,” I say, handing her the bag. We both stare at each other not knowing what else we can say to prolong our time together.
“I can’t believe you fucking told Page Six about me fucking my intern.” An angry deep voice bellows from behind. “Where the hell have you been? I’ve been trying to call you. You fucking blocked me.”
“Josh,” Harper gasps.
“They fired Ashley and I got a written warning. I hope you’re fucking happy ruining our lives like that. Fucking petty bitch.” I turn around and come face to face with her ex. My fists are clenched, I’m moments away from fucking punching this man for talking to her like that. “I see you’ve already moved on. I knew you were cheating on me.” Josh’s eyes widen when he takes me in. “Oh shit, you’re Felix. St. Pierre. I’m a big fan.” The guy’s entire demeanor changes as he smiles at me. What in the fuck?
“Shame I can’t say the same thing about you.”
Josh stares at me in surprise, then looks to Harper. “You spiteful bitch. You fucked my favorite hockey player to get back at me for a misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding? You were fucking your intern. I walked in on the two of you.”
Josh rolls his eyes. “I was stressed, you know I was working on a big project.”
“So, you fuck the intern for an entire year?”
“Babe, you know this is how these things go for people like us. I fuck the intern, you fuck the pool boy, or should I say, hockey player.” He sneers at me.
“People like us?” Harper asks.
“People from our world, Harper. Everyone is fucking someone else other than their partner.” He says this as if she’s stupid.
“Not me.”
“You seem to be catching up now.” He glares at me as he looks me up and down.
“I suggest you fuck off and leave Harper alone. She owes you nothing,” I say, taking a step toward him.
“You’re a fun distraction for her while she licks her wounds because I publicly humiliated her. Which I’ve been trying to apologize for, but she's being stubborn. I get it, baby, you need to save face. I understand. Harper is a Rose, I’m a Fairfax. My family donates millions to her family’s charity every year. People like us will always marry someone of the same station.” What a fucking asshole.
“I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on this earth,” Harper spits.
“I’m sure Mommy and Daddy might disagree on that.”
“Not after that article.” Harper snips back. Josh takes a step toward her as if he might lung, and I stand in her way.
“This conversation is over. I think it’s best that you leave now,” I tell him.
“Or what?”
“I have no problems putting my fist into your face. Actually, I think I might enjoy it. You look like the kind of man who has never had to deal with the consequences of his actions. I’d be happy to teach you a lesson today.”
Josh’s face pales as he subtly takes a step back. Fucking coward.
“Felix,” Harper says my name quietly, placing her hand on my arm.
“I can see we aren’t getting anywhere with your attack dog around. I’ll be in touch later to discuss our situation. This is a temporary blimp.”
“There’s nothing to discuss, Josh. It’s over,” Harper tells him.
Josh’s eyes narrow. “I would think long and hard about breaking up with me, Harper.”
“Are you threatening her?” I take another step closer to him, seconds away from pummeling this man into the ground.
“Oh no, I’m not threatening.” Josh smirks. “I’m just reminding Harper that I have something that she doesn’t want the world to see.” Harper gasps and I see the fear on her face. “Have fun with the athlete. Then once you’ve finished with him, we can get back to planning our future again.”
“Never,” Harper whispers quietly.
“I’ll make you love me again, Harper. Just wait and see,” he says.
Right, I’ve had enough, Harper looks terrified. “Stay the fuck away from her. If I ever find out you’ve come here again and harassed her, I’m going to make it hurt.” I seethe at the asshole as I grab him by the collar.
“Careful who you’re threatening there, boy.” Josh grins up at me.
“He’s not worth it,” Harper says.
“No, he’s not,” I agree as I let go, pushing him backward, and he falls on his ass in the street. He stands up slowly and dusts himself off before turning on his heel and walking away. That man is creepy as fuck. When I turn around, Harper is shaking as she watches Josh saunter away without a care in the world. I cup her cheeks and wipe away her tears. “You’re safe. He won’t dare come back.”
Those blue eyes blink slowly at me as if she is trying to process what just happened. “I’m not safe.”
“You are. He’s nothing but a fucking coward,” I reassure her.
She shakes her head. Her face has paled, and she has a faraway look as if her mind is somewhere else.
“Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here.”
“You would have handled him just fine.” I lean forward and press a kiss to her lips. She stiffens under my fingers. Shit. “I can stay if you want?” I tell her, dropping my hands from her face.
“No, I’m fine. He’s just upset because I exposed his true nature to the world.”
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone,” I tell her.
“My brother lives around the corner, I’ll give him a call. Plus, my home has the best security.”
I still don’t feel right leaving. “If you ever need me, call. Okay?” She nods. “Good. I’ll see you around, princess.” I reluctantly walk back down her stairs. When I get into the car, she is still standing there, her arms wrapped around her, she gives me a small wave before closing the door.