Page 36 of Obsessive Love
“It has citrus in it,” she mumbled.
I picked up a slice of peach and took a bite. “You could substitute the fruit, right?”
“I could, but it wouldn’t be right,” she answered with a shake of her head. “When I think of a recipe, I have everything in mind to make it. I won't substitute something because, in my mind, it won't be right.”
“So this recipe is no good?”
“The entire notebook,” she answered as she flipped the page in the notebook she was using. “That entire notebook has citrus or honey recipes.” She cut her eyes at me and smirked. “I may not like you, but I won't put your life in danger.”
“Damn, that may be the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me,” I chuckled. “But just so you know, my allergy isn’t that bad. I usually break out in hives and get an itchy throat if I eat something I’m not supposed to.” I continued flipping through the notebook, surprised at how quickly it had filled up. “When you asked me for the notebooks this morning, was this what you had in mind for them?”
“Yeah,” she answered. “I already planned to talk to you about adding Story Time to your spaces somehow.”
“Cool.” I laid back, put my hands behind my head, and looked at the ceiling. “So tell me your full plan because I know you ain’t just stopping at having your name linked to mine.”
“My name will never be linked to yours,” she sighed. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but you legally own Story Time, right?”
“Yeah,” I answered. “But that shit is yours. I don’t know anything about this. I’m following your lead.”
“Don’t give me permission to be in control, Pyrite,” she said, using my own words against me.
I chuckled lowly and nodded. “Alright, you got it; now tell me your ideas.”
“What makes you think I have ideas? I could just be winging this entire thing.”
“Yeah, alright, keep lying and see what happens.” I moved one of my hands from behind my head, put it under my shirt, and rubbed my stomach. “Tell me that shit.”
“I gave you the basics earlier with your family,” she said while coloring in her picture. “Each starting player for each team will have their own dessert. They can decide what they want; we will sit down, go over the basics, then do a custom order and design.”
“That’s a lot of players and egos,” I mentioned, and she shrugged. There was no doubt in my mind that Fable could and would handle all the egos that came with dealing with professional athletes, but I was going to make it clear that no disrespect would be tolerated, especially from the Kings players. I’d kill each and every one of them if they got disrespectful with Fable. “Tell me how you plan to market them.”
“As a player special,” she answered. “You have a photographer, right?” I nodded. I didn’t, but I knew I could call Sunday Rollins in for a personal favor with no problem. “We’ll do a photoshoot of everyone in the kitchen. The players, no matter the sport, will each get one. It’ll probably take a few days, if not a week, but it’ll be worth it.”
“I’ll make it happen,” I said, then yawned and closed my eyes. “What else do you need?”
FABLE
I pacedthe floor between the bed and where Pyrite slept on the floor. Sometime during our conversation, he’d fallen asleep. I didn’t mind it because talking to him while I worked through my recipe ideas was calming. Usually, I hated being around people while I worked, but something about being near Pyrite calmed me. I would never admit it to him, but his presence calmed me.
The round, oversized clock on the wall opposite the bed told me it was nearing two am, yet I wasn’t tired. I was amped at the thought of being able to get back into the kitchen. When I’d come downstairs earlier with Pyrite, the last thing I expected was to have to bake, but the second my hands touched the ingredients, I knew I was going to kill it. There was no chance that my plan wouldn’t work. I was getting out of here and putting my brand in millions of people’s reach that I would never have been able to in the past. It was a win-win for both of us. And as soon as I got out of here, I was going to find Javien Sr. and Jr. and pray that Pyrite hadn’t killed them yet so that I can beat their asses one last time for putting me in this situation.
I grabbed a blanket from the bed and covered Pyrite. His smart mouth ass didn’t deserve for me to be nice to him, but Icouldn’t help it. I sat back on the floor, grabbed my notebook, and continued working. I had a million ideas that I wanted to jot down.
“Lay down, Fable,” Pyrite said lowly. His voice was laced with sleep, and his eyes were closed. “Those notebooks will be here in the morning for you to occupy your time.”
“I’m not tired,” I said, then yawned.
Pyrite chuckled and slowly opened his eyes to look up at me. “Yeah, you are, but you're being stubborn. Lay down, get some rest.” I looked over at the bed, wondering how comfortable it was. “Ain't nobody ever laid on that mattress, and Zane custom-built everything here.”
“Who’s Zane?” I asked as I looked around. The bedroom set was beautiful, and knowing it was custom-made made me appreciate it even more.
“She builds shit,” he answered, then wiped his hands over his face. “Been knowing her for years, met her through Xoey plus twelve.”
“Shit, at this point, who doesn’t she know?” I laughed softly. “Does she call Zane her bestie, too?”
“Yeah,” Pyrite chuckled. “She does.”
“Figures,” I laughed as I started cleaning up my stuff. Once I was done, I looked over to see that Pyrite had fallen asleep again. He lightly snored, and I couldn’t help but enjoy the peaceful look on his handsome face. I stood, put everything on the dresser, turned off the lights, walked over to the bed, and climbed in. Instantly, I relaxed and loved the softness of the mattress. I pulled the comforter back, adjusted the pillows, and closed my eyes.
