Page 5 of Never Want to Love Again

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“Ahhh choooo!”

I blew my nose into a Kleenex. Suddenly, I got sick. This wasn’t an ideal time. I had a meeting with the manager of a major music artist. I still wasn’t sure who the artist was, but it was exciting, and I could use the extra money. Living in Heartville was going to be very expensive. I now had furniture that I’d paid for in full, a stocked kitchen, and a gym membership. Since I worked from home and wasn’t around people, I decided to join Planet Fitness to stay in shape and meet new people.

“Ahhh chooo! Fuuuuck!”

On my right side was a box of Kleenex and crumpled tissue that I had used. When I woke up this morning, my body felt like I had been hit by a Mack truck. My throat was on fire, and my nose was stuffed up. I was feeling fine just yesterday! Last night, when I received the email about a potential new client, I celebrated with a glass of wine. I celebrated early because I was discussing getting the job. I knew I had it in the bag. Having a major musician as a client would mean big money! How can I show up like this?

Tossing my head back, I squeezed my eyes shut. “Get it together,” I chastised myself. “Pullit together.”

I pulled up my DoorDash app and ordered some medicine to get me through the day and night. While waiting for the delivery of my medicine and chicken noodle soup, which my mama swears by, I took a shower. I set the temperature as hot as I could stand, hoping it would help with my aching body and cold. If I could just get through the meeting without having to excuse myself to blow my nose, sneeze, cough, or deal with watery eyes, I knew I’d have this job in the bag. As soon as the meeting ended, I took my night meds and sank back into my mattress.

After my shower, I picked up my NyQuil, Kleenex, and soup from my front door. My nose was so congested that I had to keep my mouth open just to breathe. I considered the idea of rescheduling the meeting, but that thought quickly faded away. That would just give them the opportunity to hire someone else.

The meeting was in forty-five minutes and not far from where I lived. I was leaving early just to show them that I was serious about bringing them on as a client. Dressed in a black long-sleeved turtleneck dress and black pumps, I stood in front of the mirror adjusting my gold necklaces. My naturally curly hair was freshly permed and hung past my shoulders. I wore the diamond earrings that Shawn had bought for me last year for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day.

It was in a few days, and I would spend it alone this year.

“I rather spend it alone than with a cheatin’ ass?—”

My eyes darted over to the glowing red numbers on my alarm clock. Twenty more minutes before the meeting started, so I needed to get a move on it instead of thinking about Valentine’s Day. It was just another day.

Once more, I peered at myself in the mirror. My cocoa skin glowed. I applied a light touch with just mink lashes, lip gloss,and a bit of blush. Everyone said I resembled my mama, and I could see the resemblance. I had the same oval face with a small button nose, brown doe eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips. However, when I smiled, I revealed two deep craters in my cheeks.

Satisfied with my look, I sat on the bed and pulled on my socks and black Louboutin boots. Grabbing my black peacoat as I stood, I slid my arms into it. Fifteen more minutes. I sneezed as I rushed to grab my purse from the closet. On my way out of the room, I snatched up the box of Kleenex. I was going to need it.

Trae Adams. That was who I was meeting. He was the musician’s manager. He chose to meet at a very expensive restaurant. When I arrived and gave the hostess my name, she had me follow her to the very back. The setting was a little too romantic for me. It was like a dark club setting with soft music playing from the speakers. A vase holding a dozen red roses was in the middle of the table. Confused, my brows dipped, and I looked at her. She offered me a warm smile.

“This room was reserved by Crown Heart himself,” she whispered with a smile. “Theeee Crown Heart.” Before I could question her, she bopped off.

Crown Heart?

He’s the hottest rapper right now. I was more of a 90s R&B girly, but I knew some of his music. I mean, who didn’t? “The Queen of My Heart “was my favorite song. I knew it word for word. Shawn played that song faithfully, and it got stuck in my head. Sometimes I would have the doors off my Jeep and the roof down, blasting that song while taking a late-night drive. Iwasn’t a fan of Crown but would love to take him on as a client… as long as we were never in the same space.

I’ve heard Crown was rude and arrogant. I never actually saw it, but I wouldn’t put it past him. Or maybe I didn’t like men right now because of Shawn. Yeah, I hated them. They were all the same. It didn’t matter if you were with a guy for years. One day he'd wake up and decide he wanted to be with someone else. Okay, not all men. I couldn’t say that about every man because I know some good ones are out there. The ones that really, really love their women and can’t see themselves with anyone else. I had to wait for that one to find me, but I wasn’t rushing. I was in a relationship I thought would be my last for five years, only to find out he wasn’t for me. I needed to take the time to enjoy the single life and to find…me. Being single after that long was going to take some time for me to adjust. I woke up to Shawn, went to bed with him, and talked to him daily, even while he worked. When he found the time to cheat, I had no clue, but he did. I didn’t even care to ask questions. I saw the proof, and it was a done deal.

When the hostess popped back in, followed by the scent of woodsy cologne that damn near snatched the panties off me, the thoughts about Shawn instantly vanished. The hostess herself appeared like she couldn’t keep herself together. Crown Heart stood behind her until she stepped to the side to let him in. I wasn’t expecting him. I was expecting his manager, Traevious Hamilton.

I swallowed as I took Crown in. Tall. I’m thinking at least six foot two. Chocolate. Crown already had tight eyes, but I could tell he was high, which made them tighter. He wasn’t dressed for a meeting at a nice, expensive restaurant as such, but then again, I wasn’t supposed to be meeting with him anyway. Crown wore black joggers hanging off his hips and a black hoodie with his name on it with a crown on top in gold. I couldn’t see hisfeet from where I sat. He had a slight bow in his legs, too. Right now, I wish I had a glass of wine for some liquor courage to be in the same room as a well-known celebrity as Crown Heart. I’ve worked for well-known celebrities before, but Crown Hear was on another level. Just looking at the host unravel…the ladies love Crown Heart. If I had known he would be the client, I would have researched him.

Crown sat across from me, and I could even muster a greeting. He was fine. Like, literally took my breath away. Both hands were tatted. There were big diamonds in both ears, diamonds on his wrist and around his neck, and he smelled so, so good.

“A waitress will be right with you two,” the hostess spoke, more so to Crown than me. She looked like she didn’t want to leave, but eventually she did. That’s when Crown put all his attention on me. Up close, I could now see his eyes were tinted red. When he licked his lips, I almost lost it, but then I remembered why I was here and that I’d sworn off men for a while.

“Um, hi,” I said. “I was actually expecting your manager.”

Crown nodded. “Yeah, you were, but I told him I wanted to handle this. I mean, you would be the one handling my social media and reading my emails, so I wanted to meet you in person. We’re interviewing a few people actually, so…”

A waitress walked over with her eyes zoomed in on Crown. She took our drink orders and left.

“Tell me a little about yourself.”

I took a deep breath. “My name is Kupid. Kupid Love. I’ve been a social media manager for five years and enjoy what I do. I recently moved to the area.”

“From where?” he asked.

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