Prince performs a couple more songs with several of the musicians that were invited. I'm still trying to grasp what this whole evening was supposed to be, Prince performed, but that's what he does. He took several long breaks talking and cutting up with everyone that showed, so it was like a party, it was obvious he was comfortable and in his element among friends. I finally decide it was just a way to introduce me to a lot of people he cares about all at once and to share our engagement properly, since the tabloids ruined his surprise.
I'm pretty sure this whole thing wasn't planned too far in advance, because the people that came, even though they obviously enjoyed themselves, started cutting out somewhat early. It's possible they might have known there would be a noise curfew, most everyone was gone before 10pm and a crew has already came in to remove the instruments and return our yard back into a yard. One of the last to leave was Tyka, who Prince invited inside for her to fix a plate before she left. Of course, she declined, giving us each a big hug before leaving. I remind her to call me whenever she wants me to come help her, and give her my cell phone number.
We head back into the house as Ray is carrying out the last of his supplies, he stops, setting everything down and warns Prince, "I'm going to hug your fiancé," and he does just that. "Welcome to the family," I'm released and he gathers his things again, saying goodbye as he heads to the van.
As I stand there in the foyer I look around, I'm mystified in the way Prince can make things happen, and unhappen, so quickly. As soon as the men load up the last of the audio equipment, you would never have known the house and yard were a flurry of activity for the past seven plus hours. These thoughts are running through my head as Prince watches me, his index finger resting on his lips, "Penny for your thoughts, Sugar?"
"You," I shake my head, "are unbelievable."
He pulls me into his arms, "So are you." He presses his lips to mine for a moment, but doesn't push the kiss any further, "Everyone loves you, you know?"
I raise one eyebrow skeptically, "I doubt they love me."
"Well, okay, everyone seems to like you."
I smile and nod, "You surround yourself with a remarkable group of people. I like all of them, too."
He pulls himself away, "Are you ready to look at the pictures with me?"
"Of course," I put on an excited face, I really am exhausted. Meeting people and social settings really wear me out, but I know he's not even close to being done for the night. I perk up a little bit when he flashes his toothy smile before pulling me into his office.
We get into his office and he pulls out his chair for me, I sit as he leans over his desk working the mouse. A couple clicks later, the screen floods with thumbnails of us, I involuntarily slump in the chair. Prince laughs, "I know, it's a lot." He kisses my head, "we don't have to go through all of these tonight, but I do need to email a couple for the press release tomorrow."
As we view them, it's plain to see that finding a 'good one' won't be that difficult. With Prince's posing and positioning me, really it all comes down to which background and lighting we prefer. We come across the candid shots and I adore them even more on the larger screen, I look at him to see a smile on his face, "These are not going to the press, I want to use these for our personal announcements."
We get to one near the end where we aren't in the matching outfits that I really like, I have him pause here while I scrutinize it. We are in front of a grouping of larger trees, in an area where I had planted a lot of green large-leafed ground cover, with magenta and white colored blooms scattered between. The urns with the purple flowers bookend the concrete bench, so we are surrounded in color. Prince looks dapper in his black outfit as he's seated on the bench, I'm sitting on the lawn in front of him. My dress is a rosy blush cloud at his feet, my left arm is draped over his thigh, and my hand is resting on his shin, displaying my ring. We had done this pose in the matching outfits, which left a lot to be desired, but the contrasting clothing really makes it work.
"This one?" I ask, hoping he'll agree, I'm starting to see double at this point, we've been doing this for over an hour.
He studies it for a second, then nods, "This one it is," he kisses my cheek before copying it to the desktop. I turn my head as I try to conceal a yawn, he says, "I saw that, I know you're tired, Baby."
"I am but a mere mortal," I remind him jokingly.
He laughs, "That you are, but you're my mere mortal." He pulls me from the chair, "I had wanted to get you out of that dress all night so I could make love to you, but it looks like I will have to settle for bathing you."
"We can still..." I start to say, but he places a finger on my mouth, silencing me.
"I don't mind, really, I enjoy bathing you," he leads me to the elevator. "I may have to have you put this dress back on tomorrow, so I can take it off," he grins naughtily as we step out and head to the bedroom.
"Shower or bath?" he asks when we get into the bathroom.
"Bath, if that's okay?"
He smiles, "I was hoping you'd say that," he starts the water running. I have a feeling he would have said the same thing if I would have chose the shower. He motions me to sit at the vanity, stepping behind me, he pulls my hair into a messy bun, then goes about removing the many layers of makeup that Kim had applied. I watch him as he works, my mind flashes back to the night of the event when he tried to remove my ruined makeup, his actions and expression are the same, gentle and caring.
I reach up to stroke his cheek, "Do I get to remove yours?"
He looks baffled as he leans back, "If you really want to." He checks the water level in the tub, then we trade places. I smile as I remove his makeup, this is my favorite way to see him, the real Prince. I know he has a public image to uphold, but when it's just us, his natural beauty surpasses anything that he tries to enhance with the makeup.
Clean faced, he returns to the tub, turning off the water, then back to me, unzipping my dress, I allow it to fall. When I step out of the pile of fabric, Prince scoops it up, and disappears into my closet for a moment. When he reappears, he strips, but his beautiful outfit is left where it lands. Seeing him nude makes me second guess my exhaustion, he's amused as he watches me scan his body. "I thought you were tired?" he ribs me.
"I am, but I'm not dead."
"Shhhhh," he walks to me, and begins to remove my bra, "then you just relax tonight." I'm left in just my panties, he hooks a finger on each side and slides them down. As he lowers to remove them, his head stops level to his favorite place to play, I see him wet his lips, then bite the bottom one. He recovers quickly, standing again. He pulls me toward the tub, entering the water first, he guides me in.
The warmth of the water has such a calming effect on me as I relax onto the seat. With him sitting patiently beside me, he allows me to give in to the tranquility of the moment, I rest my head back and close my eyes. His hand seeks mine under the water, and our fingers interlock. His other hand begins to soothingly stroke my face and I take a deep calming breath and whisper, "How on earth did I get so lucky?" I open my eyes to look at him.
His fingers pause on my face as he gazes at me, "I ask myself that all the time, Sugar." He kisses me softly before he reaches for the bath sponge.
The bathing is done leisurely, but meticulous, and the pressure on the sponge is just right. His face is focused but relaxed as he soaps and he smiles when he catches me watching. When he's completed this process, he stands urging me out of the tub. "What about you?" I ask.
"I'm clean," he says softly before wrapping himself in a towel. It's impossible not to notice that he's slightly aroused, but I stay silent about it as he dries me, then leads me to the bed.
He waits for me to get comfortable before dropping his towel and snuggling in against me. The warmth of the bath, coupled with all the emotions of the weekend and the warmth of his skin against mine, I fall asleep almost immediately, I never feel him leave the bed.
