Page 8 of Never Want to Love Again

Grabbing my phone off the table, I texted my assistant, Nisha, to get me two floor seats for tonight's basketball game. Nisha was my childhood best friend who asked no questions and did as I asked. When I came up, I made sure to bring her, too. I glanced back up at Kupid, who still looked confused.

“Did you have plans this evening?” I quizzed. I took another sip of water.

She scoffed playfully. “Isn’t that something you should’ve asked before making plans? Tell me…what do you need me for at a basketball game, Crown? I don’t mix business with?—”

“Chill,” I said, cutting her off. “What did you know about me before meeting me today?”

“Honestly?”

I nodded my head and licked my lips. “Always.”

“That you’re a big music star, and I only knowThe Queen of My Heartlyrics. That shit…oh sorry. That song is fire.”

I chuckled at her apology. There was no need.

“It’s coo’. I'd rather you be yourself always around me. It’s already too much fake shit in this industry.” I told her.

Kupid nodded as if understanding.

“To answer your question, I want you to get to know me. Maybe that’ll help you to be over my social media.”

A smile tugged at her lips as if she knew my ass was lying about that. Again, I made that shit up.

“I can do just fine without knowing you personally, Crown. I mostly promote your tour dates, events, and anything else you have going on that your fans should know. I clean up your social media and make it more professional, but… I haven’t been to a basketball game and won’t turn it down.” We laughed in unison, hers more angelic.

“Aight, then. I’ll have my assistant draw all the paperwork and send it to your email. I’ll also send you a car tonight,” I told her, once again picking up my phone and hitting Nisha. I was full and sleepy now. I knew tonight would be eventful, so I needed to rest up.

Not only was I sending a car to Kupid, but I also had my stylist drop off a Heartville Hawks jersey to her. She didn’t have my number because I forgot to exchange numbers with the beauty, but I was getting the digits before the night ended.

Like I said, Trae damn near blew a gasket when he found out what I had offered Kupid. It wasn’t like I couldn’t afford it, or was it putting a dent in my bank account. It wasn’t taking from his mouth either, so I let him know what I said goes. Nisha just asked me if the number I gave her was correct. I could be out of my mind, but as Kupid said, she needed to ensure she could live in Heartville off her salary. If I was taking from her, I was adding to it.

I wore black Amiri jeans, a black hoodie, and my red and white Hawks jersey. After pairing it with all my Black Jordans, I stood before the mirror to put my diamond grill in my mouth. Adjusting my diamond Cuban link necklace, I turned my head from side to side to check myself out. After brushing my waves again, I grabbed all I needed from my dresser and headed downstairs. The driver had been waiting for me for at least twenty minutes.

Once I shut the door behind me, it locked. I lived in a gated community with spread-apart houses—just how I liked it.

“’Sup, Alec,” I said, greeting the driver who stepped out to open the door for me. He and another man named Lee rotated, driving me around. “Everything good?”

He nodded. “Everything is everything, Mr. Heart,” he replied.

I slid into the back of the stretched-out black-on-black Hummer and immediately poured myself a drink. While chilling at the crib, I almost talked myself out of tonight. I was still going to the game, but I thought about standing Kupid up ‘cause what the fuck was I doing? She was about to be an employee, and here I was thinking about her thick ass in a way I shouldn’t.

“Where to?” Alec asked.

I got up, dug my phone out of my pocket, pulled up my address for Kupid, and called it out to Alec. Kupid lived on the West End of Heartville, about a twenty-minute ride away. I sat back and sipped my Hennessy. I didn’t want to be messed up when we arrived at the arena. Earlier, after my shower, I smoked a blunt and had a turkey sandwich along with a couple of fruit snacks to satisfy the munchies.

Alec had some R&B jams playing as I sat back and closed my eyes. Lately, I’ve been trying to rest whenever I can. Right after the Sweet Sixteen party in Cali, we flew to Miami for Jania’s birthday bash. She’s a new R&B artist making waves in the industry and gave off a vibe that felt like a blend of Aaliyah and Jhené Aiko. They tried pairing us in blogs whenever they spotted us together, but it wasn’t anything significant—just running into each other at events. The day after her party, a blog announced I had attended, and of course, the internet went wild. The day I choose to settle down—ifI ever do—the internet won’t be the first to know. If I could keep my relationships off the net, I definitely would. They didn’t have to worry about Jania and me because I didn’t want a woman in the industry. They were fine as hell, don’t get me wrong, but I wanted a regular woman out of the spotlight who didn’t want to be in it either.

“We are here, Mr. Heart,” Alec announced. I picked my head up and looked around. I’d gotten Kupid’s phone number from Nisha but decided to go to her high-rise condo and knock on the door instead. I had to make sure Shawty was neat. I didn’t just let anyone in my house.

It was early February, so it was still a little cool out. The weather altered from being in the 70s one day and then down in the low 20s the next. Shit was bipolar as fuck.

Once I reached Kupid’s condo, I chuckled at the mat in front of her door. It read, “This home runs on thick thighs, red wine,and good vibes.” I could agree with the thick thighs, and she had a great vibe at the meeting. I knocked and stepped back so Kupid could see me through the peephole. I knew she would check me out.

The locks clicked, and the door creaked open. Kupid peeked her head out as if she hadn’t checked the peephole.

“Hey, she said softly. “I didn’t?—”

“Think I was gon show? Psh…How you feeling?”

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