Jesse James Wanted This Hot Blond

Sexy blonde Kristin Gunn, 34, a part-time model and owner of the Austin, Tex.-based company Black Cat Tattoo Aftercare, which manufacturers tattoo healing products, was attending a 2006 New Year's Eve party with her then-husband at Sandra’s Austin restaurant, Bess Bistro, when she first caught Jesse’s eye.

“Kristin never saw him, but Jesse was at the party with Sandra — and he must have taken notice of her,” a friend tells Star. “Later that night, Kristin suddenly got a friend request from Jesse on MySpace. They have a lot of mutual friends in Austin, so it probably wasn’t hard for Jesse to ask around about who she was.”

Kristin okayed his request, and they began to text each other regularly. “Jesse wasn’t overt in the beginning,” says the friend. “He would tell Kristin how beautiful she was, and that she was a ‘sight for sore eyes.’ She thought he was just being flattering and kind of charming, though neither of them ever mentioned their spouses.”

Kristin and Jesse would also cross paths a handful of times each of the next few years at local hot rod and magazine events. “He’d come over to say hello to Kristin only when Sandra wasn’t with him,” the friend adds. “And even then, if there were any cameras around, he’d act like he didn’t know her!”

By late 2008, says the friend, Jesse’s texts to Kristin began changing tone, becoming much more flirty. “He started calling her ‘babe’ and ‘sweets.’ They became way more personal.”

Jesse’s advances came to a head in April 2009, after a party sponsored by the Austin Speed Shop, which he co-owns. “Jesse and Sandra were there, and so was Kristin,” the friend tells Star. “Towards the end of the night, she was talking with some acquaintances when Jesse walked up. Sandra was trailing behind him with her head down, looking like she couldn’t wait to leave.

"Jesse started talking to one of Kristin’s pals, and never said a word to her — but he would make quick eye contact with her and smile. He was being very sly, with Sandra standing right behind him.”

Jesse and Sandra finally left together, though they didn’t hold hands or “look lovey dovey at all,” says the friend.

“But the big shock came just two minutes after, when Jesse suddenly texted Kristin, ‘You look so hot!’ She was really taken aback — you had to figure Jesse and Sandra had just gotten in their car. It’s pretty bold to send another woman a text like that with your wife sitting next to you! At that moment, Kristin obviously realized that Jesse wanted more than a friendship, and she’s not that kind of person.

“Since then, Kristin has dialed back their friendship. And now, with all the news of his cheating, she feels so sorry for Sandra and Jesse. He’s such a mess. He’s his own worst enemy.”