Counterpoints (Counterpoints #1) Read online

  Towards the end of the interview, the questions began to change. They got a little too personal. The journalist tried to start talking about Christopher’s dad, make comparisons but Christopher avoided them.

  The last question was about some rumor that there was a strong competition between him and his team mate. Journalists and their assumptions, they loved to stir things up a little. As if the sport itself wasn’t full of surprises already.

  The two worked silently for a while, Hillary busy reading and taking calls from sponsors and journalists, Isabella busy preparing entries for the internet.

  When Hillary came back in the room, she looked a little beat.

  “They all want my head” she said and walked to the table.

  “Who ?” Isabella enquired.

  “Everyone but you, thank the Lord” she made a funny face.

  “I just want to say thank you for taking my side before. I appreciate it” Isabella said to her. She knew it mustn’t have been easy to go against Mr. Jenkins. Isabella wasn’t sure what kind of relationship they had, but she did know she would get an earful later.

  “Don’t mention it. When you are right, you are right. I’m your supervisor. I authorized you and it worked, the fans loved it. It is time we all behave like adults” she said and then put all her stuff away in her black bag. It was lunch time, it got so late so quickly.

  Isabella began to put her stuff away too, not before sending Hillary the posts she had prepared to put online. Hillary agreed to give her input later in the afternoon.

  They parted ways in the corridor.

  “I have a business lunch with people from MB management and Mr. Jenkins” she said, her voice a little unsteady.

  Isabella couldn’t’ quite tell if it was because she was dreading it or because she couldn’t wait for it. How? He’s probably going to be pissed off.

  As if reading her mind Hillary added: “He’s a tough one, but he knows his stuff. His clients are very important to him. Christopher is very important to him. Trust me, he has his best interest at heart. You’ll see, you two will get along as soon as he understands that you can be trusted”

  “I don’t know why he thinks I cannot be trusted” Isabella commented.

  “He’s just had a lot of issues years back with people that betrayed his trust. That’s all, nothing personal. And he does think you are too young, but that’s because he is so...”

  “Old?”

  Hillary laughed. “I’ll see you later okay?” she waved and walked to the elevator.

  Chapter 20

  Isabella hadn’t been in the field that long, so she knew that from time to time, someone with more experience than her, would point out a mistake of hers or would simply suggest that changes needed to be done.

  Fair enough, she hated it, but she had to accept it.

  She also hated mathematics and physics, which was why she chose not to study much of them in high school and one of her teachers – not so elegantly either- told her that she would never be smart enough, without a scientific background. If only she could give her a phone call now…She was about to prove her wrong.

  Isabella was smart enough to know that, if she stayed in the building or went to lunch with Hillary or anyone else from MB, chances of running into Mr. Jenkins and- to her horror- chances of running into him alone, were rather high. Very high, incredibly risky. She knew mathematics and statistics enough, when she had to save her behind.

  She boarded the first tube to central London from Canary Wharf and decided to have lunch in town and maybe do a little shopping later, before going back to the hotel.

  As soon as she got off thirty minutes later at Oxford Circus, Isabella realized it had been a bad idea.

  Lunch hour in Oxford Circus was like a rat race. People running everywhere, like headless chickens, looking all so determined, so sure of where they were going and couldn’t bother to slow down or avoid bumping into you.

  Ouch. Isabella touched her left shoulder, some man had ran into her on the way out of the train station and of course hadn’t even bothered to say sorry.

  She instantly decided that the only way to get out of there without bruises, was to run in a direction just like the rest of them. And so she did. Although she had no idea where she was going, she started walking fast.

  Isabella crossed the street and quickly grabbed a newspaper from a newsstand.

  Lunch time alone could have been the perfect moment to look for an apartment. Since London would be her base for the duration of the contract- and hotels were really too expensive - she had to look for a place somewhere.

  Rent would have been cheaper.

  Isabella walked for five minutes up Regent street, until she saw the All Souls Church in front of her. She spotted a bar/restaurant on her left hand side, made of wood from top to bottom.

  Inside, there were business men and women having lunch and taking a break from work. The atmosphere seemed pretty relaxed and welcoming. It was the sort of place where most of the people ate alone. Perfect.

  She entered and said hello to the barman behind the counter. Isabella took a seat near the wide glass windows that surrounded the room, so she could still see the busy street life, but couldn’t hear the chaotic sounds from the outside. Strangely enough it wasn’t raining, although the sky was gray and the wind was freezing.

  “What can I get you to drink?” said a cute, blond, young man holding a mini computer in his hands, while she was still taking off her red coat.

  “I’ll have a glass of white wine, please” Isabella smiled and then checked the menu.

  She wasn’t really that hungry. She still felt a little funny after what happened in the meeting room at MB. Something told her that it hadn’t been a good idea, ganging up on Mr. Jenkins like that. He seemed like the kind of person who enjoyed revenge.

  She felt a shiver run down her spine.

  “Where are you, darling?” a text from Hillary read. She texted back where she was and then asked how the meeting was going. “All is good. Enjoy your lunch. I am reading your post now. It’s great. Speak to you later”

  Isabella texted back and then ordered grilled chicken breast with a light green salad.

  While she waited, she checked the newspaper for apartments or flats as they called them in England. Having a vague idea of what zone one, two and three were- and after checking out the prices for a one bedroom apartment- she came to the conclusion that she should check out zone two, as it was near the center and it was an easy access to the MB headquarters. The best solution was to look for a studio apartment or a room in a big apartment.

  Half an hour later, her glass almost empty and her half eaten lunch sitting in front of her, Isabella felt her stress level increase drastically. It was so complicated to look for a place to stay.

  She called a few people up and organized viewings for the afternoon. Maybe after seeing the first five, six places, she would have a better idea of what to look for. She just hoped she had picked up the right areas, that they weren’t dodgy or anything.

  It wasn’t her first time in London, but it was the first time she was actually checking out rooms and flats on her own. Last time she had been in town, she had slept in a summer accommodation for students.

  When she heard her phone ring, Isabella jumped from the chair.

  Christopher’s name flashed on the screen. She smiled and, as she took her phone, she noticed her hand was shaking a little. Act cool, calm down.

  She put her fair hair behind her ears, cleared her voice and then answered.

  “Hello you” good girl, keep it nice and casual and relaxed. Don’t let him see how excited you are to speak to him. But Isabella had a silly grin on her face.

  “Ciao, Ms. Bresciani” his sexy voice said on the other end.

  “Mr. Taylor, are we in school? Because last time I was called Bresciani like that it meant I was in trouble at school” she smirked.

  “You naughty girl, what did you do in school to get into trouble?” Chris
topher asked. Isabella could hear noises in the background.

  “Nothing. Haven’t you noticed my sweet, angel face?” she grinned again, as if he could see her.

  “I have and I have to say…it is something” she could hear him smile on the other end. “What are you up to?”

  “I just had lunch and I’m checking out flats on a newspaper. What about you?” all her time at MB, she had wondered where he had been all morning. He had been in the same building as her, but they hadn’t bumped into each other.

  “The usual: training, simulator... And then I saw Mr. Jenkins to discuss the details of an agreement with a sports apparel label. He didn’t look too pleased and I got a feeling it was about you and Hillary, Signorina Bresciani” he teased but he was right, spot on. Dead on bull accurate. It was because her. Damn it.

  “What makes you think he was upset because of me?” she bit her lip a little worried.

  “No worries. I’m sure he’ll get over it. Whatever it is you did, little trouble maker. Anyway, The House Hunt isn’t a good newspaper to look for a flat, despite the good name it has”

  “Where should I look then?” she bit her lip again, feeling stressed once more.

  With all the things going through her head, Isabella just wished she didn’t have to waste her time looking for a place to live. If she could, she would have closed her eyes and chosen an apartment at random. She just couldn’t be bothered.

  “You sound worried. As anyone ever told you that there’s a cute dimple on your right cheek, when you make that face?” he sounded so intrigued.

  Isabella touched her right cheek and felt it. There it was. Right in the middle of her cheek she felt it. No, nobody had ever told her that and how did he know what face she was making?

  “I never told you I was reading The House Hunt” she suddenly realized. She stood up and checked the room. “Where are you, Christopher?”

  “I’m right here” he stepped forward from the bar. How long had he been there? Had she been so worried and busy that she had missed him coming in? She was sitting quite far from the door, but still, had she been so concentrated on the flat hunt that she had missed Christopher walking in the place?

  “What are you doing here? How did you find me?” as he walked towards her at a slow pace, Isabella thought she could hear the thumps of his steps sounding in her chest.

  He was so good looking as always. He was wearing a casual jumper and dark jeans. His hair a mess like always, but so sexy.

  “Hillary told me you were here. I was in the area, I had lunch with a friend” the word friend echoed in her ears.

  Friend, girl friend? Boy Friend? Or girlfriend? It couldn’t be, he said he didn’t have a girlfriend. Then again, what were they really? Nothing.

  She silenced her thoughts standing up to kiss him. That did it, her mind cleared up. She was so happy to see him that she didn’t think about it twice, she didn’t care who was looking or if anyone had figured out who he was. Somehow in the intimacy of that small bistro, Isabella felt at ease enough to make the first move. Or maybe the place had nothing to do with it, she was just desperately craving his lips.

  Christopher held her tight, his hands reached her back and kissed her passionately.

  “You ARE naughty, Isabella” he said, his green eyes looking into her honey brown ones.

  “You are a bad influence” she said and smiled, when he gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

  They sat down and Christopher ordered water. He explained that he didn’t feel like drinking too much before the race, understandably.

  They talked awhile about what they had been up to after Sidney and then she asked him what he had heard about the meeting at MB.

  “I just heard Hillary and Mr. Jenkins talking about it”

  For Isabella the worst part of it all was that Hillary was fighting her own battle. She felt so sorry, she hadn’t meant to. Isabella should have never of suggested it to Hillary, never of even proposed to publish something without Mr. Jenkins consent. She should have just sucked up to his silly requests.

  “Don’t make that face again or I’ll do things to you in public that aren’t considered decent in this country” he said and touched the dimple on her right cheek. She had that troubled expression on her face again. Isabella looked up and gave him the best of smiles.

  “Like what?”

  “Don’t tease me, Bresciani” he pointed his finger at her, with a sly smile on his lips.

  They were sitting in front of one another and Isabella felt like her hands were on fire. She wanted to touch him so badly.

  “There is one thing that I want you to know about him” he started saying, his face serious now. It took Isabella a few seconds to understand he was referring to Mr. Jenkins.

  She nodded and let him carry on.

  “Someone that worked for me tried to damage my image, putting both me and Mr. Jenkins in a rather difficult situation” he put his hands on the table and took a deep breath “Thing is, that person didn’t even face the consequences… It’s a long story” he ran a hand through his hair, not knowing if it was best to tell her everything or not.

  Maybe it wasn’t the best moment, they had just started seeing each other, or whatever it was they were doing. Was it really necessary to make Isabella aware of how fame could mess up your life?

  Isabella sat up straight. She had no idea what had happened, nobody seemed eager to talk about it but she sensed things had gotten ugly.

  “I’m not justifying his rudeness towards you. I actually told him to calm down this morning, I told him that you are not a threat, but he said I am a terrible judge of character” Isabella squinted at the sound of that.

  Ouch. What kind of person did Mr. Jenkins think she was?

  “All I am saying is that he’s like that, with everyone he doesn’t know well. I don’t know if Hillary told you, but he made her cry a lot the first year they worked together” he shook his head at the memory.

  Yes, Isabella knew this already. Was that supposed to make her feel better or worse?

  “I don’t know what happened” it seems like a bloody secret, she said to herself “but I would never do anything to jeopardize MB or you or Noah for that matter” Even though Noah kind of jeopardizes himself, with his terrible attitude towards the press and his fans.

  “I know that”

  “I take my work seriously”

  “I know that” he smiled. “So seriously, you don’t even want me to kiss you in public”

  There was a pause and they sat there in silence as Christopher checked his phone and Isabella thought about everything that was going on.

  There were so many things that she ignored, she wasn’t made aware of. It was all so confusing, but in the end she got it, she understood what Christopher was trying to tell her.

  Mr. Jenkins was doing exactly what a father would do. He was protecting Christopher, who apparently in the past had trusted the wrong person.

  He didn’t hate her, he hated to feel insecure about someone or something. Right now, Isabella was that someone.

  “What are you up to today?” he asked, interrupting her thoughts.

  “I’m going to check out five flats. Actually I better go” she stood up as she checked the time. She had ten minutes to get to Paddington Station.

  Christopher stood up too and took out his wallet.

  “I paid already” she grinned. “What are you up to?” Isabella grabbed her stuff and her newspaper and headed to the door.

  She said goodbye to the nice guy at the bar and, when they stepped outside, a gust of wind caught them both by surprise. It was freezing.

  Luckily, Christopher’s hand was right behind her back, that kept her nice and warm. Boiling hot.

  “I have to go see my therapist because my legs are a little sore. What about this evening?”

  She raised her shoulders. “What am I doing this evening?” she teased him.

  “I’d like to make you dinner” he gave her that look that made he
r crazy, that half smile of his.

  She thought about it before saying anything back. Isabella would be alone with Christopher, in his house, no stress about people actually seeing them together, no impediment whatsoever.

  Did she want to take things a step forward? Because that was exactly what was going to happen and she knew it. She looked at him and felt breathless as usual, as his intense stare never left her for a second.

  Christopher waited patiently for her answer, but despite his usual cool, relaxed façade, Isabella made him nervous, unsure. That was quite new –and thrilling- for him.

  “That would be nice, thank you” she said and she saw the relief in his eyes.

  “This is where I live. Shall I send someone to pick you up at the hotel?” he asked.

  “This isn’t Eighteen fifty-five, Christopher. I’m sure I can get there myself” she took the card with his address and couldn’t stop smiling, knowing what was coming next.

  He kissed her slowly, holding on to her as long as he could and then smacked her bottom gently. “That’s for mocking me” he teased and walked away.

  Chapter 21

  All the way from the bus stop to Christopher’s house, Isabella kept thinking she was in a different city. She was in between zone one and zone two –technically his house was in zone two- but it seemed like she had stepped out of London and into a residential, small little town.

  The streets of Saint John’s Wood and Maida Vale were very much fairy tale like. Big- at least two story- houses, either Edwardian or Victorian style, all with gates, gardens and beautiful alleyways. She checked the address again and saw that she was getting closer. His number was 236.

  Isabella checked her reflection in the cars she passed by, hoping that her make-up was still intact, despite the heavy rain. Her umbrella wasn’t helping much because of the wind. Perfect weather to be walking around looking for a place. She knew she should have taken a cab.

  When she saw the number on the brown brick wall, she swallowed hard.

  Christopher’s house was amazing. Not the fanciest or biggest one on the street but definitely the most gorgeous, at least to Isabella.