Page 46 of Solomon’s Temple

He smiled wide. “Sí. Good eye.” He winked.

“Oh my goodness. I loved watching your season.”

“I am very humbled. Now you get to experience it in person.”

I beamed. This was crazy work. No way did Solomon know a world-renowned chef to invite him to teach us one of his recipes.

Who is this man?

Solomon may have been on this righteous journey, but his demeanor, aura, and clearly deep pockets gave me the impression he wasn’t just an ex-cop.

It was then I realized I needed to find out everything I needed to know while on this trip.

If he wanted to take me as a wife and make an honest woman out of me, then there were some things I needed to know before I said I do.

“Okay. It’s story time,” Beauty said, walking into the living room where I sat surfing the channels to find something for us to watch.

After our cooking session with Marcille, we sat and dined over roasted chicken piccata with lemon sauce, steamed asparagus with honey drizzle, and garlic mashed potatoes.

Temple was quiet for most of the dinner, only speaking when I’d ask her something. She seemed happy and excited when we were cooking, but something must have been heavily on her mind once we sat down to eat.

“No movie?”

She shook her head. “I have questions, and you have the answers.”

“I’m with that.” I turned the television off and summoned her to me. She walked over and sat beside me. “Talk to me, love.”

“Before you were a cop, what did you do?”

I leaned back and studied her. God, this woman was beautiful. That stunt she pulled in the great room almost had me about to give in.

I had to pray heavily and talk myself out of going into her room and giving her what she’d been begging for. She didn’t realize how much sex was a part of my love language. I could do it all day, every day and never get tired of it.

My near-death experience changed me. While I still had those urges, I was now able to control myself way more than I used to.

“I worked a few dead-end jobs before becoming an unofficial bodyguard for my cousin and his friends. Back then, they were into a lot of things. Some legal and illegal. I knew I wanted to be a cop after high school, but I wanted to help my family first. Made a lot of money doing so, too.

“After I graduated from Saginaw Valley, I went straight into the academy. It took a few years before I got out of rookie status, but when they finally gave me my time on the streets, I took them by force. I won’t lie to you. I wasn’t a squeaky clean, by-the-book cop. My cousin and his friends were heavy in the drug game and needed my protection. I was their mole until I forced them to get off the streets because I knew I didn’t want to be a cop forever.

“I wanted to make detective, and the chief was playing on my top. So, I was already getting my team together to transition from a cop to owning my own security company. The night of the robbery solidified my decision to leave.

“The money I made from my cousin and his crew, plus the money I made in the force, allowed me to make a smooth break. I already had a business degree and a bachelor’s in technology, so once I opened my business, my pops ran an ad, and I got a lot of contracts. Now, here I am four years later, and my business has turned into a multi-million-dollar company.”

Temple nodded and relaxed against the couch. “So, how does a man who owns a security company know a world-renowned chef?”

I smirked. Now I knew why she didn’t talk much at dinner. She was processing everything and trying to understand how her man could do what I did, without having to ask directly.

Since she couldn’t, she had to inquire what her analysis of me couldn’t understand.

“I secure celebrities, baby. From politicians to rappers and singers, and even chefs. When Marcille came to the United States, he hired my company by word of mouth. Since I knew he was back home, it was a perfect time to call him over to set up the perfect date for us.

“I didn’t know you knew who he was, but that just made the experience that much better.”

“Wow. I have to say that I’m very impressed. Not by the money you make, but just your ambition, survival, and generosity. I just knew before you started your journey to God, you were a heathen.”

We laughed.

“I was doing a lot. Way too much if you ask me.”