Page 12 of Never Want to Love Again

“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’sDay, 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 youdressed 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’tgo 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.

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