Page 132 of The Heart You Kept

“Well….” He exhales as if searching for the words. “I know his friends. There’s like six or seven of them. They play in a prestigious Monte Carlo polo team called the Kingsmen and the name stuck, so now everyone calls them that.”

“Who are his friends?” I ask, interested.

“Let’s see, there’s Alexander York and Nicholas Anastas, Sinclair Montague, um, Jacques Vermont and Prince Theodore Chapelle.”

“How do you know them?”

“We have run in the same circles for years.”

“You run in the same circles as the Prince of Monaco?” I frown.

He gives a playful shrug.

“Oh my god.” My mouth falls open as I do the math. “You see women that they know?”

“One woman that they know.”

“Do they know what you do?” I ask.

“I’m assuming they will soon now that Prescott knows.”

“Oh crap, I’ve ruined everything, haven’t I?”

“Not at all.” He puts his hand over mine. “All I’m saying is to be careful. From what I hear, Edward Prescott is ruthless and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

“I’m getting the gist of that, but the thing is he hasn’t made an effort to get me. Sexual innuendo and flirting, sure, but there has been no effort to sweep me off my feet at all. It’s like I’m a big game to him, just because we slept together in the past he now has the right to treat me however he wants.” I sigh, I glance over to the guards and one of them points at Thomas’s hand on mine and I snap my hand back like it’s on fire.

“This is ridiculous.” I think for a moment about what else I want to know. “Does he cheat, is Edward a cheater?” I ask. “Because I really hate cheaters.”

“I don’t know.” He catches his bottom lip with his teeth. “I know women throw themselves at all of them and in the past they have been major players. Nicholas is gay and was married but his husband, Pierre, died in a skiing accident. His husband was a super-wealthy local and that’s how he met the others.” He frowns as if remembering something. “Actually, come to think of it, isn’t Edward going out with Princess Hermione?”

“He was.”

“They broke up?”

“Yes.”

“Because of you?” His eyes widen.

“I don’t know.”

“How did he know you were in Paris?”

“I told him I was coming.”

“So he followed you here?”

“I don’t think so. I thought he came here to meet Nel, a woman he works with, but now that he’s on a date with someone else I have no idea what’s going on.”

“Here you are.” The waitress puts our meals down on the table in front of us.

“Merci.”

We eat in silence for a while. “So what are you going to do?” he asks.

“I need to forget him. I know he’s bad for me.”

“What makes you so sure?”