Spending the night at Paisley Park is actually not a bad idea, the Garden center is just five minutes down the road, versus the 10-15 minutes from the house. "I just have to run home and get a change of clothes for tomorrow..."
I don't get to finish because he's already shaking his head. "I already got some new things for you to wear upstairs, so there's no need."
"I need other things, too," hoping he'll understand, but his puzzled look tells me otherwise. I whisper into his ear, "It's my time of the month, remember?"
He mouths the word 'Oh,' then he tells me, "Stay for one song, then go tell Monica exactly what you need, she'll go get it for you." He leans in for a discreet kiss before returning to the stage. Kirk had moved a respectable distance away from us when Prince had come down to talk to me, when I glance over at him, there's now a warmth to his expression as he regards me. Maybe, just maybe, he's letting his guard down a little bit, it has to obvious that I genuinely care for Prince.
Back on the stage, Prince talks to the ladies again, then speaks into the microphone, "Sugar, come up here," as he pats the nearby piano bench. I look at Kirk for help, I'm not sure how to get from here to there, he hops into action and I follow him up. Once I'm seated on the piano bench, Kirk disappears, only to reappear seconds later, back in position at the front of the stage.
The ladies take a second to wave at me, then their full attention goes to Prince, they're ready to play. With the subtlest of cues, the music starts and he takes the mic, singing directly to me:
Hello. How are you?
You're lookin' so fine. No, it's true.
Remember the time we first met?
You think that was good?
You ain't seen nothin' yet.
Like a bee to some honey; a moth to a flame.
You got an addiction and you got me to blame.
You never saw it coming 'cause I make no claims 'til now
You can call it the unexpected or you can call it... wow!
You can call it call it... wow!
You can call it call it call it... wow!
You can call it the unexpected or you can call it call it call it call it...
Sorry, I don't know what came over me.
The cycle of the moon affects the motion of the see what you did.
It's starting all over again.
We both want it now more than we did back then.
Like a bee to some honey; a moth to a flame.
You got an addiction and you got me to blame.
You never saw it coming 'cause I make no claims 'til now
You can call it the unexpected or you can call it... wow!
You can call it call it... wow!
You can call it call it call it... wow!
You can call it the unexpected or you can call it call it call it call it...
Gimme a minute.
Let me get myself together.
I'm never really out of control.
Really, I'm so much better.
Maybe it's your eyes, your stare lookin' like...
Lookin' like you wanna go somewhere.
You wanna go somewhere?
Something about the wild in me; it's never tame.
I think we're both alike; this is how we became.
Like a bee to some honey; a moth to a flame.
You got an addiction and you got me to blame.
You never saw it coming 'cause I make no claims 'til now
You can call it the unexpected or you can call it... wow!
You can call it call it... wow!
You can call it call it call it... wow!
You can call it the unexpected or you can call it call it call it call it...
When he repeats the You wanna go somewhere? part, he places his finger under my chin and looks deep into my eyes. His eyes are filled with so much desire that I gasp and my body shivers with anticipation of what the night might bring. Of course my reaction brings on that signature smug smile of his, the one that says: oh yeah, I know I just wet those panties. He turns away from me long enough to let me regain some of my composure. When he gets to the end of the song, he holds the microphone to my mouth and I let out a breathless, "Wow."
This causes the band to laugh at my ruffled state, even Prince can't contain his laughter as he pulls me from the piano bench. "Go talk to Monica," he whispers in my ear, "I need you in my bed tonight." To which I let out just the slightest whimper, he rewards me with a chuckle.
As I start to leave the stage, Prince says into the mic, "Let's give her a hand, shall we?" Everyone applauds, I laugh nervously, averting my gaze and shaking my head. To thwart the awkwardness of being put on the spot, I take a dramatic bow before hurrying off the stage.
I manage to find the door to the dressing room, go through it, then the lounge, and out into the hallway. I've made it about 30 yards when I hear a jingle of keys behind me, it's Kirk jogging to catch up. As he falls into step beside me he laughs breathlessly, "You're fast, but not as fast Prince. He says I have to cover for Monica?"
I nod as we keep our forward momentum, "She has to run an errand for me."
"I can do it," he offers.
I pause only to wrinkle my nose at him and shake my head, then start walking again as I explain, "It's woman stuff." I leave it there and he says no more as we make it to Monica's desk.
Monica is more than happy to run the errand, although I apologize profusely for the inconvenience. She assures me this is something that she has done many times in the past, she actually welcomes these little escapes. I write down exactly what I need onto a piece of paper, she grabs it and almost bolts out the door, leaving Kirk looking uncomfortable and out of place standing beside her desk. He asks me, "Where are you parked?"
I point in the direction, "Over by the flower beds. Why?"
"You might want to pull around by the garage, your car will be safer there. Leave the key on the driver's seat and I'll pull it inside when Monica gets back."
I head outside and move my car around the back of the building, parking it just outside the roll up garage door. I reach into the glovebox where I had tossed the valet key, and leave that sitting on the driver's seat before walking back to the main entrance. When I enter the building again, I head straight for the stairs, pausing to ask Kirk, "Prince said he had some things up here for me, in his suite?"
He thinks, "I would assume. If it's locked, use your key."
I pause on the third step, frowning, "I don't have a key."
Kirk laughs, "Yes, you do, it's the same one for the house, they were keyed alike."
"Oh," is the only thing I can say as I wonder how wise it is to have so much access with just one key. When I reach the top of the stairs, I turn toward his suite, I can hear the doves cooing in their cage as I make it past and wonder if it's because they can hear the muted music drifting from the sound stage. I stop and watch in wonder as their throats are puffed and they stretch their bodies then lower as produce the sounds, they only pause for a second when I speak to them, and resume as soon as I walk away.
When I reach the door of Prince's suite, it feels odd being here alone, this is his space, just like his office at home, for some reason I feel the need to be respectful of his areas. I turn the knob and open the door, entering cautiously, and closing the door behind me. I make my way through to the bedroom and into the closet, since I see no signs of clothing anywhere in sight. When I turn on the light, I'm bombarded by all luxurious colors and fabrics of his clothes hanging neatly, rows upon rows of shoes and the intoxicating smell of him. The shoes throw me a bit, because I have only seen him wear his signature heels on very few occasions, mostly it's either the white, silver, or black wedges with the lighted heel.
Off to the very right of the room is about a 3 foot section that has apparently been carved out for my things, I cover my face with my hand and laugh at the absurdity of it. After my laughter dies, tears fill my eyes as I realize he really is trying to incorporate me into every aspect of his world, albeit a little at a time. I scan the clothing he has picked out for me, God love him, he knows I hate drawing attention to myself, and he keeps the selections classy in a casual sort of way. I'm happy to see that any heels are also demure, since he knows I'm clumsy, my ever considerate man.
There's definitely something I can wear to the shop tomorrow, so with that worry laid to rest, I turn off the light and leave Prince's suite.
