Kupid Love
kupid love
. . .
Crown was laughing, but I was so serious. As much as he looked and smelled good, I wouldn’t put myself in that position right now to be in a relationship where a man felt I wasn’t enough. There were a lot of things wrong with all of this. Crown was now my employer. I couldn’t go there with him even if he and I wanted to. I just left a relationship and wasn’t looking to get into another one. Even if shit blurred, Crown was a celebrity with females throwing themselves at him every day. I’ll pass.
What I wasn’t prepared for was being seen in public with Crown, and then blogs made me out to be some hoe or something. I knew that’s what was going to happen. I can hear my mama now.
Alec opened thedoor, and Crown slid out first. He extended his hand toward me. For a moment, I just stared at it.
Crown’s head cocked. “Come on.”
Letting out a soft sigh, I placed a hand in his calloused hand, and he assisted me out of the Hummer.
“Thanks,” I breathed out
Alec nodded at Crown before rounding the vehicle and getting back inside. I wanted to get back inside, too, and go home. Basketball was my favorite sport, and I was excited when he asked, but now I hate that I didn’t think it through.
We walked in sync to the back door. A security guard was smoking a cigarette right outside it.
“Crown Heart,” the burly guy chuckled.
“’Sup,” he spoke with a head nod. The guy opened the door and allowed us in. I kept my head down, not giving him any eye contact. When I say I didn’t want to be seen, I didn’t want to be seen, but it would be impossible in a large arena full of people. The main focus was the ballplayers, but I just knew as soon as Crown stepped in sight, the folks would go crazy. I was going to be in the spotlight right along with his ass. My anxiety was going through the roof right now.
The people in the hallway spoke to Crown as we passed them. I kept my head straight with a slight smile on my face. I was sure they were all wondering who I was to the biggest rapper. It was like my heart started beating harder and harder the closer we got.
“Where…Where are we sitting?” I quizzed, panicking on the inside.
“Floor seats, Kupid. I promise you’ll be alright. Who gives a fuck what story mothafuckas spin if we know the truth. I’m not knocking you down.”
He chuckled, but I didn’t find it funny because I gave a fuck.
We were walking onto the floor, and as soon as fans spotted Crown, phones came out. I told myself to keep my composure because I’d be on the blogs looking like a deer caught in headlights. I wished they’d focus on the game since that was why they were here. Crown waved at the people and even stopped to take a picture with a kid who was in a wheelchair. That made me smile. Once we got to our seats, I gave the game my attention. The Hawks were up by ten and still in the first quarter.
Halftime, they’d put Crown on the jumbotron, and I acted like I didn’t know. I kept my head down on my phone, texting Asia. She was asking questions about Crown, and I welcomed the distraction. Asia and Shamar loved his music. They even went to the concert he had last year, so imagine the scream she screamed in my ear when I told her who my client was.
“You want anything to eat?” Crown leaned over and asked. I quickly shook my head. He rubbed his chin and grinned. “Damn, is it a bad thing to be tied to me? What the streets sayin’ ‘bout a nigga?”
I shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I don’t be into blogs like the Shaderoom. They are too messy for me,” I let him know. And why would I want to be tied to you when I’m not?”
“That nigga traumatize you?” he asked. His brows furrowed.
“I guess you can say that. You know how you can think y’all are in love, but a video can prove you wrong. Like, it all has been a lie.”
“You gon let one nigga ruin it for you?”
“I’m not looking to jump into a relationship with anyone after getting out of one,” I replied.
Around us, shirts were being thrown into the crowd, the dancers were doing a dance routine on the court, and fans were yelling. Why Crown wanted to talk about a nigga traumatizing me at a place like this was beyond me.
“Are you hungry? If you don’t want to grab anything from here, I can take you somewhere afterward,” Crown said.
I shook my head from side to side slowly. “Maybe we can grab something to eat.”
I noticed a hitch in his cheeks and turned my head from him. Crown was fine, and I couldn’t tell if he was flirting with me or not, but I was good on him and every other man in this damn world.
We ended up at this soul food place that remained open until midnight. We sat down at a table at 11:15 p.m. with our food. My container was filled with greens, yams, pork chops smothered with gravy, macaroni ‘n cheese, and a buttered roll. Crown had the same thing except oxtails and hot water cornbread. I watched him dash hot sauce over everything.
“This place is my main spot when I’m home,” he told me before putting a forkful of greens in his mouth.
It was good and might end up being my spot too, on the days I didn’t want to cook. I had to close my eyes every time I took a bite to savor the flavors.
There was a small crowd here, and it was probably because it was too late at night. Most people would have been asleep by now to prepare for the work week. If I hadn’t been out, I would have been one of those people.
“You ready to deal with me tomorrow?” Crown smirked.
I rolled my eyes.
“I still don’t understand why I can’t just work from the comfort of my own home, but yes, I’m ready, and I am grateful for the opportunity,” I told him.
My phone alerted me to a text message from Asia. When I read her message, my eyes ballooned.
Bitch! The blogs are saying you are Crown’s new lady! Omg! You looked cute at the basketball game, girl! I love that look! Call me when you can.
I groaned, and when I picked my head up, I could see Crown on his phone. His eyes met mine.
“I’ll have my publicist fix this in the morning.”
“I need her to wake the hell up and fix this now,” I hissed. My hands were trembling.
“It’ll die down, Kupid. I’ll have her fix it tomorrow,” Crown rebutted.
I had nothing else to say. I won’t be seen out with his ass after tonight. If Asia had seen the pictures, I was sure my mama did, too. She lived for laying in bed reading messy blogs and watching the messy reality shows. I placed my phone on DND. I hadn’t talked to my mama since the move, and she still didn’t know I no longer lived in Crest Grove.
“Are you not goin’ to read the comments? They’re saying how pretty you are. Granted, there are some jealous hoes talkin’ shit as if I would give them a chance, but most of the comments about the lady beside Crown Heart are sayin’ that she’s pretty and thick as fuck.” A throaty laugh escaped from him.
“No, I’m not. I moved to have peace, and now I’m in the blogs. I haven’t been in Heartville for a week,” I mumbled. I pushed my plate away and took a long sip of my Cosmo. As a matter of fact, I needed a slight buzz right about now, so I went ahead and finished it off.
“You want me to order you another one?” Crown pointed at my empty glass and asked.
I shook my head from side to side.
“I’m ready to go. Can you make that happen?” I asked with an attitude. At this point, I didn’t care that he was now signing my checks; I was irritated to be in his presence.
A sly grin spread on Crown’s lips. He nodded.
“Yeah, we can go,” he said.
“Great.”
Pushing my chair back, I stood. Crown dropped bills on the table, and I started off toward the front of the restaurant. We didn’t talk on the way to the Hummer or on the way to my home. Crown was laid back with his eyes closed, and his legs parted. I wondered what was going through his mind.
“Stop looking at me,” Crown uttered.
My head snapped forward, embarrassed that he’d caught me staring. I still couldn’t believe I was even outside with a celebrity. This was unreal. Usually, I didn’t meet the clients that I worked for. It was usually just a phone interview.
The vehicle stopped, and I was home. Alec stepped out first to let me out. Instead of opening my door, he rounded the Hummer and opened Crown’s door. My brows bunched together. Crown slid out and, just like before, held his hand out for me.
He helped me out, and I turned to thank him for the night, although I was glad it was over. Crown motioned for me to start walking to the building. I turned and thanked Alec before trekking toward the condos, with Crown falling in line beside me and his hands in his pockets.
“Are you sending your address to me in the morning?” I asked him.
“I’ll send a car.”
“I can drive,” I shot out.
“I know you can, but I’ll send Alec or another driver named Lee to scoop you.”
I stopped walking and turned to Crown. “The game and dinner were pointless. I still don’t know much about you, Crown. Do you take all the females you have working for you out?”
Crown pulled the door open for me. “Only the pretty ones.” He winked. “Sleep tight, Kupid.”
Blushing and not knowing what to say, I mumbled a “You, too,” and took off inside my building. I think working for Crown was going to be a huge mistake.
With a cup of coffee and my canvas bag containing my MacBook, the charger, my phone, notebooks, and pens, I hurried to the Hummer that was waiting for me. It was Alec who had picked me up.
“Good morning, Miss Love,” he spoke first.
With a smile, I replied, “Good morning, Alec.”
I hopped inside, and he closed the door. I didn’t bother looking at the blogs when I woke up this morning. I still hadn’t called Asia. Seeing negativity this early would ruin my whole day.
I had no idea what the dress code was, even though I would be in an office in Crown’s home, so I chose dark brown dress pants with a lighter brown body suit that snapped at the crotch. Choosing to be comfortable, I wore brown Coach slip-ons. My hair was half up and half down. I had a hair appointment on Friday, and I needed to ensure Crown knew that. It had been booked since I moved to Heartville.
Sipping my coffee, I kept my eyes out the window. Valentine’s Day was approaching, and seeing the shops with pink lights was cute. I bet it was really beautiful at night. Some had yard decorations in front of their businesses. On Valentine’s Day, Shawn always woke me up with lovemaking, then breakfast in bed after we showered together. We’d both go to work and then have dinner at Ruth’s Chris at night, watch a movie together, and then end the night with more lovemaking. For five years, we did that. This year would be so weird. It was still weird sleeping alone. I was used to being held every night. I chuckled at the thought, catching Alec quizzically staring at me in the rearview mirror.
Ten minutes later, the vehicle slowed down at a gate. Alec rolled his window down, and the gate opened for him to pull through. My eyes stretched at the massive houses. They were gorgeous. Every single one of them is different than the rest.
“Wow,” I gushed aloud.
“He puts in the work,” Alec spoke.
Alec stopped at a vast all-black house. Even the trimming was black. The yard was well-kept. I figured he had maids, a chef, and a lawn care operator. The house was so big, and with Crown on the road most of the time, he couldn’t keep it up alone. I was drooling over the house; I didn’t hear Alec exit the car until he opened my door with a huge grin.
“Have a great first day, Miss Love,” Alec said with a wink.
“Thanks, Alec.”
Heading towards the front door, I realized Crown was standing outside in a black crew neck t-shirt and sweats. My eyes went to where it shouldn’t go and then shot back up to his face. He was smirking.
“Good morning, Kupid,” he greeted me. “You look nice.”
“Good morning, and thanks. Are you home all day?”
Crown stepped to the side, and I entered his home.
“Yeah, I am until tonight. I’m hosting a party at a club, which is your first task. I need you to post it on all my socials. Please remove your shoes, and I’ll take you to your office. I like that you dressed up. Very professional, but over here, you can come in sweats. I want you to be comfortable.”
I stepped out of my slip-ons and followed Crown. The ceilings were high with black beams. The walls were so white, with the curtains pulled back and the blinds open. Without any light on, it was still bright inside. I’m just going to guess that black was Crown’s favorite color because the enormous living room we passed by had a large black sectional, and black-and-white wall art was behind it. There was a wooden black coffee table in the middle where a remote, ashtray, cigar papers, and a bag of weed lay.
“Here is the kitchen. You can break anytime and help yourself. It’s fully stocked, and if you give me a list of your favorite foods and snacks, my assistant can grab it for you. I don’t do Wal-Mart delivery, UberEATS, DoorDash, Instacart…none of that. I don’t let too many know where I live. If you ever need anything. My assistant’s number is on your desk.”
Crown’s kitchen was beautifully decorated in black and gold. The state-of-the-art appliances were black with bronze hardware. The island was black marble with black pots and pans hanging above it. The floors were black marble porcelain. It was so pretty. I wondered if he bought the house like this or renovated it to his liking.
“Okay,” I replied, and he closely stepped by me to head out of the kitchen. The manly soap he’d used this morning evaded my nose. I couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
Crown showed me his game room, movie theatre, in-home studio, basketball court, extra bedrooms and bathrooms, and the outdoor pool. Being in his backyard and inhaling the bleach made me want to bring a bathing suit one day and swim. I might talk to him about that.
The tour ended in a room that he made into an office. It was close to a room with two large wooden doors—a room we didn’t go in, so I assumed it was his bedroom. The office was pretty, and Crown told me I could decorate it how I saw fit, but I liked it just as it was. I would be here for work and then back home, so I wouldn’t need to do too much.
There was a clear desk with a white plush chair behind it. The walls were bare. On the desk held an iMac, a keyboard, and a mouse. When I walked around the desk, there were a few sticky notes on the bottom of the iMac.
“All of my social media logins are written down. My assistant’s number is on one of those sticky notes. Hit her up for anything you need.”
I sat my coffee on the desk and dropped my bag.
Crown had a hand up his shirt, rubbing his stomach, which was painted with tattoos. Last night, I was on Google, making notes about him. I ended up on his photos. His body was littered with tattoos.
“What do you need me to do first?” I questioned, rolling the seat back and sitting down.
“My assistant, Nisha, will send you the flyer to post on all my socials. My tour flyer will be sent later today; you can post that, too. Other than that, I’m ‘bout to go down to the studio and listen to a couple of my songs to see if I need to tweak some shit. You’re welcome to come down when you have time,” Crown replied.
He offered me a boyish grin while stroking his chin hair. My stomach surprised me by fluttering.
“Um…okay, I’ll start working now. I need to get familiar with your social media.” It came out as a squeak, bringing me to clear my throat.
“Aight. Bet. My number is on one of those stickies. Lock it in.”
Crown left, and I felt like I could finally breathe normal again. Crown was gone, but his scent still lingered.