I cracked my eyes open slightly as the early California sun peeked in through the tall windows.
I yawned a bit; I was still exhausted from the long, amazing night.
I felt so warm and peaceful. I felt Michael's arms around me as he spooned me from behind.
I looked over my shoulder at him; he so looked worn out. His head rested by mine and his mouth hung open slightly as he snored quietly. His beautiful long hair framed his face and neck.
As quietly as possible, I tried to turn over in his arms, careful not to wake him.
I lay there just looking at him. He had to be the most beautiful person in the entire world.
The look on his sleeping face was a mixture of fatigue and satisfaction. I watched him as he steadily inhaled and exhaled. Memories of the night began to pile in my mind...
I shivered a little, and Michael cracked his eyes a bit.
A big, sleepy smile spread across his face.
"Goodmorning, beautiful," He said, tightening his arms around me and yawning.
"Goodmorning," I said, brushing his hair from his face. I let my palm rest on his cheek.
I felt his hands begin to rub my back.
"How do you feel?" He said, glancing at my lips then back at my eyes.
"A bit sore, actually," I said.
His eyes became worried. "Did I hurt you?" His voice was so small and innocent, I had to smile.
"Well, a little. But that's okay. I was expecting it," I said. It was my first time, after all. My amazing first time...
"I'm really sorry, baby," Michael said, smooching my neck. "But you did enjoy it...?" His smile indicated he already knew the answer, he just wanted to hear me say it.
I grinned. "I very much did... You are so good..."
Michael blushed a little.
"So are you..." He kissed me tenderly.
"I love you so much," I said, kissing him back.
His hand came up to stroke my forehead.
“I love you too, babe,” He leaned in to kiss it.
He raised himself up against the frame of the bed, the covers just above his hips.
I looked his beautiful chest over. Gosh, he was so perfectly toned; not ripped, he was just right.
“Michael, you’re so beautiful,” It just came out of my mouth.
“Please. I’m a freaking Dalmatian.” Michael’s voice became extremely disgusted as he traced the outline of one of the lighter patches of skin on his stomach.
He had been diagnosed with Vitiligo in 1986, and ever since, he had been extremely sensitive about it. And it didn’t help that the nasty press was capitalizing on it like they’d never seen such a thing before; accusing him of having skin peels and not wanting to be black. It angered me, and I know it angered him twice as much. But he would rarely ever talk about it.
“You’re not a Dalmation. You’re beautiful. Just the way you are.” I moved so that I was sitting on top of him. I felt him stiffen a bit.
“You’re my wife. You have to say that,” He said, half-smiling. “But seriously, I hate it. I wish it would just go away.”
“I honestly don’t think you need to hide it anymore… If you’d just let them see it without the makeup, they might stop printing all that garbage… They could see what it really is.”
“Evonne, I’m sure they know good and well what it really is. It’s not hard to get. They just wanna make money. So they’re gonna tell lies all they want, no matter how much of the truth they know. And what makes me so mad, is how there are people out there who actually believe it! It’s the most ridiculous thing ever!”
Michael’s eyes became a little watery and he looked away.
“Why would I not wanna be who I am…?” He breathed, looking out the windows.
He was getting really upset. I scooted myself up further on him and pressed my cheek to his.
“Sweetheart, maybe you should tell the world. You know, in an interview or something. And then all those naïve people would know.” I stroked the side of his face.
“I shouldn’t have to do that. It’s none of their business.”
“I know, Michael. I know. But what I’m saying is, if you want the rumors to stop, maybe you should. That’s the only thing I know to do…”
He placed his left hand over my right and intertwined our fingers.
I looked back up at him.
“I suppose you’re right,” He said, looking down. “I’ll think about it.”
“Atta boy,” I said, kissing his nose.
He grinned and placed his hands on my bare waist.
I was immediately turned on as his touch ignited more memories from the night…
I could still hear him moaning…
It was the most satisfying sound I had ever heard.
I watched his face closely as he looked me up and down…his eyes stopping on my chest.
His mouth opened a little.
“You’re the beautiful one…”
My hands instantly flew to his hair and my mouth to his.
I pushed my tongue into his hot, smooth mouth and he groaned in pleasure instantly, painfully pushing me down on him.
I screamed out. Whether it was from the pain or from the pleasure, I wasn’t even sure.
He broke away and his hands flew to my face.
“Oh no… Babe, are you alright? I’m sorry! I lost control!” He panted.
I was still very, very sore. Tears came to my eyes and I realized it was more from the pain. I could feel the ripping sensation all over again.
Losing my virginity to Michael had proven to be more of a pill than I thought it would be… Don’t get me wrong. It was lovely. More lovely than I could ever put into words… But he was just so… gifted, if you will.
I’ll be honest; it had hurt like a mother.
From time to time he would breathe in my ear, “Are you okay? Is this okay?”
And of course, I’d lie and say I was fine.
But it hurt so good.
It was painful as heck, but I didn’t want him to stop. No way had I wanted him to stop.
I adjusted after a while, anyway.
But what he had just done to me, I wasn’t ready for. I needed a bit more warming up.
“Yeah… Yeah… I—I’m fine…”
“Eve…”
“Okay, so I’m still sore…” I winced, my nails digging into the skin on his neck. Oh, how it hurt…
I slowly raised myself off of him, careful not to hurt myself any more.
“Baby, why didn’t you tell me?” He pinched his eyebrows together and soothingly rubbed my tummy.
“I didn’t want you to stop,” I breathed.
“Well, we could’ve done something else… Just as fun…” He grinned.
I gave the most pleading look I could and rolled over on my back.
Michael knew what I wanted, and he gave it to me for the next hour of the morning.
***
We lay there just breathing and looking deep into each other’s eyes.
It was now 9am.
“I guess we should get around?” I said, remembering we had to leave at noon. We were catching a plane to the Dominican Republic for our honeymoon. I was so excited. I had never been anywhere out of the country!
“I suppose,” Michael said, yawning. He got up from bed. Oh gosh, he was so beautiful…
He took my hand and I got up, too, leaning into him.
“Wanna take a shower?” He asked, a huge grin on his mischievous face.
“We’ll never leave,” I said, laughing.
“Aww, I suppose you’re right. Well, I’m gonna go take one downstairs. You can have this bathroom,” He said, heading to get some clothes from the chest-of-drawers beside the bed. He put on his robe, picked up his garments, and headed downstairs.
I stumbled groggily into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. My hair showed exactly what I had been up to all night. My body was covered in bluish-purple splotches from Michael’s many love bites (which I had enjoyed tremendously). I kind of looked like a zombie; my makeup was slightly runny, despite it being a top brand that Karen had used on me. My eyes looked like they had large rings around them and my mascara had produced fall-out all over my face. It was a lovely sight. Not to mention a small amount of blood was visible running down my inner thigh. I sighed unhappily and went over to get some bath-tissue and began to wipe it off my leg.
Just then I heard footsteps.
I looked up to see Michael looking around the room frantically.
“Sweety, I forgot my shampoo, have you seen—oh my lord…” He covered his mouth, looking at what I was in the middle of doing. His expression looked like he had seen a ghost. I couldn’t help but smirk at his overly-concerned face.
“Michael, I’m fine—“
“No you’re not! You’re bleeding terribly! This is my fault. I’m telling you, you should’ve said something to me!” His eyes were glazed over with anger; more of it directed at himself for doing this to me. He went over and stood beside me, his hand rubbing lightly over my back, watching me clean myself up with a twinge of horror on his face.
What looked like a small little trickle had now turned into an active fountain. I guess that was the effect of standing up.
More came out and I felt Michael tense up.
“I’m so sorry,” He said in a light whisper. He was so disgusted with himself, and I could feel the guilt rolling off of him as he stood next to me.
I looked up at him.
“Michael, this is just what happens! It’s okay.” I said, trying not to let the pain on my face show. My abdomen was beginning to ache.
“Are you hurting?” He said, bending down to look me in the face. I couldn’t lie with his beautiful eyes staring deep into my soul. The pain was getting worse, and it began to show on my expression.
“Oh gosh. Baby, I’ll go get you some pain medicine.”
“No. No, I’ll be fine. I just need to relax and take a warm bath. That’ll probably help,” I said, finishing up with one last tissue.
I stood up and before I knew it, he had me in a tight, apologetic hug.
He slowly swayed me back and forth and I wrapped my arms around his waist.
I kissed his bare chest and nuzzled my nose into his neck.
“What kind of monster am I.” He said in a deep tone.
“You are pretty sizable, but I wouldn’t call you a monster,” I looked up at him, giggling a bit.
He blushed a deep red.
I stood on my toes to lightly kiss him and his hands went to cup my face.
“Want me to get your bath ready?” He asked closely to my lips before stealing another kiss.
“If that’ll make you feel better,” I said, guessing it was another apologetic gesture.
He giggled and kissed my cheek. “Thank you. Go down and get you some breakfast real quick; Nena’s fixed some biscuits and gravy.”
Nena was the personal chef Michael had hired when he bought the ranch. She must’ve got there early in order to have our breakfast already made. I was grateful for it though, because as soon as I put a robe on and walked down stairs, the heavenly aroma of black pepper gravy and hot-drop biscuits filled my nostrils and made my stomach rumble. She always made the best meals.
“Morning, Mrs. Jackson!” She said upon my entrance to the kitchen. I saw Frank Dileo and a few of Michael’s staff sitting around the table with bright smiles as they looked up at me.
I felt my face go hot and I immediately wished I had put more than a robe on. I didn’t know we had company.
“Morning… What’s everyone doing here?” I said, looking at the four men sitting at the table who were sipping hot coffee and reading newspapers. Their smiles were a bit too big to have been drawn from just seeing me. I was nervous that maybe they had been there ever since Michael and I woke up; what if they had heard the interesting noises from upstairs?? I blushed again.
“We’re here to escort you kids on your honeymoon,” Frank said, folding up the newspaper and smiling even bigger.
“Oh, right,” I didn’t mean to sound disappointed, but I kind of was. I forgot who I was married to. It was sometimes easy to forget that Michael was a superstar and needed protection anywhere and everywhere he went.
I went over to the stove and Nena gave me a hug while I fixed my plate.
“Eve, don’t be put out. We’ll give you two space. Plenty of space…” Frank said, chuckling a bit and nudging the bodyguard next to him.
That definitely confirmed my theory; I almost lost my appetite from the embarrassment.
I forced myself to go over and sit down before the four joking men.
Just then Michael came down the stairs and saved the awkward day.
He bent over my chair and kissed me on the cheek. “Your bath’s hot and ready,” He whispered happily before going over to the stove and fixing himself a portion.
He came back and sat down beside me.
“Morning Frank… Joe, Dean, Stephen…” He nodded his head at the four men and took a bite of his biscuit.
“That was a beautiful wedding last night,” Frank said, looking up at the two of us. We glanced at each other and smiled.
“Does anyone know yet?” Michael asked, referring to the press. “Who knows what they’ll be saying now.”
“There was a brief section in the paper. Nothing exotic or wild at all. But just wait until the tabloids get their nasty hands on it,” Frank said, taking out a cigar and beginning to light it.
“Frank, do you mind…” Michael said, stopping him politely.
“Sorry, Mike. Habit,” He said, putting his lighter and refreshment back into his coat pocket.
“But anyway… I’m just nervous. I wonder how the fans will react. Remember when they first found out you were dating?” Frank said, his eyes widening.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much hate-mail in my life.” I said, jumping in.
Once the fans had found out in 1984, they had become angry at me. Not so much at Michael as me. Many women were very jealous and verbally violent in their letters. I had received many, many threats. So many that Frank and Michael had to hold a press conference to tell everyone to lay off. It was amazing how the fans had turned so quickly upon finding out. I even experienced a drop in my book sales that year. But I guess eventually the fans adjusted to the change; they were very happy when Michael had proposed. I supposed they had realized they should be happy for their idol, instead of envious to the point of acrimony toward him.
“Good times…” Frank wisecracked, sipping some coffee.
“They seemed more than happy for us onstage Monday night. I think they’ll be fine. They have no choice but to be; this is a much more permanent step than dating. They’ll have to grow accustomed to it,” Michael said, taking another bite and glancing up at Frank.
“Hope you’re right, Mike,” He said. “We need to leave soon, ya know.”
“Yeah, we should probably start getting ready. I’m gonna go upstairs,” I said, rising and kissing Michael’s hair.
“Be down by 11:30, Eve,” Frank said as I headed up the stairs to my warm, soothing bath.
***
“So where in the Dominican Republic are we headed?” I asked curiously as we boarded Michael’s private jet at the LAX. Cameras flashed and people screamed from a distance away.
He put his hands on my hips from behind and nudged me inside the plane and out of the wind.
Frank and Michael’s bodyguards followed behind.
“That, Mrs. Jackson, is a surprise,” Michael whispered in my ear, nibbling my lobe slightly as he walked us to the back of the plane.
“Oh. Well how long is the flight?” I asked, nearly jumping with childish excitement.
“Five and a half hours,” Michael said, taking a seat on the nice leather chair and patting the seat next to it.
“Not bad, not bad,” I said, sitting next to him. “I am so excited, Michael. I have never been anywhere outside of America,” I said, grinning ever so brightly as I looked out the window noticing we were starting to take off.
“I’ve never been to Dominican Republic. But the brochures I’ve seen make it look like absolute paradise. A beautiful place to spend time with a beautiful woman,” Michael said, turning to me and placing his warm hand lightly on my lower abdomen. I closed my eyes and melted to his light caress, resting my head back on the chair.
He leaned in and kissed my cheek tenderly. “You still hurting?” He asked, his eyes looking me over with concern.
“No, not really. But don’t stop. This feels good,” I said, turning toward him and scooting closer.
He flipped the arm rest up which was dividing us and I scooted right next to him.
“So… what do you wanna do for the next five hours?” I asked, kissing him lightly but steamily on the lips. He gasped a bit then leaned in to kiss me back, but with a lot more passion. I felt his hand start to caress my neck and the other snuck around my waist, pulling me ever so close to him as he slid his hot, restless tongue into my mouth, making me moan against his lips.
I unbuttoned the bottom of his shirt, sliding my hand underneath, wanting to feel his toned bare chest. I sensually ran my fingers up his abdomen and over his left pec, making him gasp into my mouth and whisper my name as he ran his hand over my thigh.
We heard a loud cough and immediately broke away from each other to look up at Frank who was standing about 20 feet away from us with a big grin on his face.
“Frank?” Michael said impatiently, wondering what was so important.
“Just wanted to ask if you guys wanted anything to eat. There’re refreshments on the top deck. Would you like anything?”
“No—“ Michael began, wanting to get rid of him so we could continue.
“Do you have any chocolate sauce?” I blurted out.
“Chocolate sauce? Why not chocolate ice cream or something?” Frank said, eyeing me weird.
“I don’t know. I’m craving something weird right now,” I said, seriously not sure why I just wanted a bowl of chocolate syrup.
“Well, er, alright. Be right back,” He said, raising his eyebrows at my request then heading up to the top deck.
“Chocolate sauce?” Michael said, looking at me.
“We can share,” I said, making a sexy face. An idea popped in my head.
“Ahhhh, I see…” He said, suddenly biting my neck.
I felt his hand start to creep under my dress.
“Michael, he’ll be coming back in a second,” I breathed.
He squeezed my butt, making me gasp.
“Uh huh,” He hummed, continuing to smother my neck in his saliva.
He planted kisses along my jaw and under my chin.
I lifted his face up, returning his sweet lips to mine as he continued to rub my thigh under my dress.
I nibbled aggressively on his plump lower lip, licking the outer perimeter of it slowly and teasingly.
“Eve…”
“Hmm?” It sounded more like a moan.
“Eve, I need to calm down,” He said, freeing his lips from mine as I started to lick his jaw and neck.
I bit his caramel skin just below his ear, making his breath increase.
“Eve, seriously,” Michael begged. “I’m gonna lose control.”
“No one’s looking…” I said, hardly caring about the men who were sitting and chatting at the front of the plane, or Frank, who would be back shortly. I was under the influence of intense passion.
“Baby, no.” He said, trying to sound firm. “Just let me calm down for a minute, Frank is gonna come back and notice.”
I glanced down a bit and could see what Michael was talking about. He seriously did need to calm down.
I reluctantly backed off of him, and just then Frank came back holding a plate of strawberries and chocolate sauce.
I looked back at Michael who immediately turned red and folded his hands over his lap, trying to hide from Frank.
“I thought maybe you’d want more than chocolate syrup, so here are some strawberries to go with,” He said, placing the delicious plate on my lap.
“Thank you, Frank,” I said, dipping a strawberry in chocolate.
“No problem. Yell if you need anything else,” He said, turning to go back to his seat at the front.
I noticed two curtains which were pulled apart in the middle of the plane.
“Frank?” I said before he reached them.
He turned around, raising his brows.
“Could you, um, pull those curtains back?” I asked, smiling sheepishly.
He smirked at me as if to say “you kids behave” and pulled them back after stepping through the middle.
“I can’t believe you actually asked that,” Michael said. “He totally knows. Frank is smart.”
“Oh I know he is, and he can hear pretty well, too, apparently.” I said, putting the chocolate strawberry in my watery mouth.
“What do you mean?” Michael said, dipping one in the chocolate sauce, too.
I put my knee on the seat and turned toward him, placing the plate between us.
“I went down to the kitchen this morning and he was sitting there, smirking like he had heard everything.”
“You mean… He heard us—“
“Yes.”
“Lord, have mercy...” Michael put his face in his palm and winced.
I couldn’t help but laugh.
“I was so embarrassed I almost didn’t eat.”
“Dear gosh. Well great, now I’m paranoid. You might as well have kept the curtain open, because there is no way we’re doing anything ‘til we land.”
“But baby…” I pleaded, touching his lips with my chocolate-dipped finger.
“No, sweetheart. It’s too…loud,” He said, licking the chocolate from his lips.
“But what if I promise to be quiet.”
“Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” Michael said, grinning, and putting a huge gob of chocolate on my mouth. I giggled.
“I bet I could keep quiet if I tried,” I said, kissing his cheek and smearing the chocolate all over it.
“Clean that up. Now.” He teased.
I laid my hand on the side of his neck, and leaned in to slowly lick the deliciousness from his face.
He swiftly turned his head, his mouth meeting my tongue. He put his lips over it and sucked aggressively. I groaned at his passion, putting my hands on his chest. He lifted me up and sat me down on his lap as we continued to kiss. I ran my hands through his curly hair and he nibbled at my neck, making me moan lightly.
***
I woke up to the moon glowing brightly through the window. I had fallen asleep, my head resting in Michael’s lap. I looked up and noticed a book over my face.
“Michael?” I said groggily.
He moved the book away from my head so I could see him now.
“Hey sleepyhead,” He greeted me, running his hand through my hair.
“Are we almost there? It got dark awfully fast,” I said, noticing the intensity of the moonlight.
“Yeah, I guess we timed this wrong. We’re not gonna get there during the day. It’ll be 9:00PM. We’ve got about 30 minutes to go I believe,” He said, smiling down at me.
I got up, scratching my head and smoothing out my hair. I leaned into him and he put his arm around me, holding the book with his other hand.
The moon shone on the cover just right and I immediately recognized my own work.
“Finally reading one of my books, huh?” I said, grinning happily at him. “I was wondering when this day would come.”
“Yeah, I finally found some time to do some leisurely reading. This is absolutely amazing, by the way. You have a gift, Eve. A true gift.” He said, turning to me with a sparkle in his eye.
“Thank you,” I said, kissing him softly. “What part are you at?” He was reading “Endless Summer”.
“Chase is being falsely accused of murdering his father.”
“No way.” I said, snatching the book from his hands, seeing that he was already halfway through the story.
“You read fast! How long was I asleep??” I asked, gawking at the page number.
“About three hours.” Michael said, being pleased with my reaction.
“Well dang!” I said, dropping my jaw. How was he that far? It was a 270-page novel!
“What can I say? This book is just so good,” He said, scooping my jaw up and making me blush.
“You must really be into it,” I said, still amazed at his speed.
“Oh, I am. This is amazing.”
“I’m dying to summarize it for you. Can you take a spoiler?” I said.
“Yeah, I’ll still read it. Tell me what happens!” Michael said, turning toward me with childlike enthusiasm.
“Well… So you know how Chase meets Natalie in the beginning and become best friends. Well, it turns out her mother’s lawyer is actually Chase’s father. So he goes off to New York City with Natalie for the summer where they fall in love. In the meantime, her mother is having an affair with Chase’s father. Things get heated between them and he storms off on vacation where he is killed. He happens to be killed in the hotel next to where Natalie and Chase are staying. Since the police can’t find hardly any evidence at the crime scene, Chase is questioned, and when they find out he’s the son, he gets framed because he is the only person who can be tied to the crime. What he didn’t know was that Natalie’s father who had been divorced from her mother for nearly 2 years had went on a revenge trip once he found out Natalie’s mother was getting with another man—that man being Chase’s dad. He flew to NYC to take his revenge on Chase’s dad and then left. Chase goes to trial where he is acquitted and vindicated, but the public refuses to believe him because of all the so-called evidence the defense comes up with. When Natalie’s mother finds out, she is forbidden from ever seeing Chase again because he has been deemed extremely dangerous. She tries and tries to explain his innocence but her mother refuses to believe her. In the meantime, Chase tries to find the murderer of his father; the footprints leading him back to Natalie’s dad. He tries to expose him but he ends up getting killed by him. You’ll just have to read the rest.” I said, taking a deep breath after explaining all of that.
Michael’s mouth was propped open a bit.
“Oh my lord… That has to be the most depressing thing I’ve ever heard. Why so sad??”
“I don’t really know. I just saw the story in my head and wrote it down. It kind of wrote itself I suppose.”
“And all because of one man’s jealousy. Does the public ever find out that Chase was innocent?”
“Natalie finds out about it and successfully exposes her father for his wrongdoing. Most of the public ends up believing her, but some refuse.”
“So why is it called Endless Summer?”
“Because in the book Natalie says she would do everything in her power to make the world see that her other half was completely innocent, no matter how long it took. It’s kind of a play on words, I guess. The murder happened during the summer, and she was going to do everything she could to bring justice to Chase’s name, no matter if it took an eternity.”
“I seriously can’t wait to read the rest of it. That is so amazing.” Michael said, his eyes sparkling and a slow, wide grin spreading on his face. “You’re a phenomenal writer,” He said, kissing my forehead.
“You’re a phenomenal dancer and singer and artist and actor aaaand… am I forgetting anything? Oh yes, husband.” I said, taking his lips to mine. I could feel his face flushing. I nibbled on his perfect plump lips and I felt him smile into the kiss. He sat the book down and his hands went to my waist, pulling me over to sit on top of him once again. I leaned closer to him and he nibbled on my neck then planted soft, wet kisses on my chest.
“This dress you’re wearing makes me want to eat you up,” He breathed, kissing my showy skin again.
I was wearing a light-pink short dress with a v-neck which went down between my breasts. I knew Michael would love it.
He was turning me on so badly. We only had about 5 minutes till we reached the airport in the Dominican Republic; I wasn’t even sure if I could wait that long. But I wanted to. I wanted to make love to him on the white sandy beach underneath the palm trees and the starry sky. If we did it now, I would be too worn out.
“Mr. Jackson, we’ve landed. I’ll head to the back and get the cargo—ohh oh my… I am terribly sorry!” Stephen, Michael’s bodyguard said, awkwardly going back behind the curtains as soon as he saw the position we were in. It must’ve looked pretty erotic from where he was standing; the look on his face was pure awkwardness.
I moved off of Michael and sat back down in my seat, giggling a little at his surprised expression.
“No, Stephen, it’s fine. We’re decent. You can come back now,” Michael said, laughing his butt off next to me.
Stephen came walking back in, looking at the two of us with such an embarrassed smirk.
“It’s okay, man. We weren’t doing anything,” Michael said, laughing it off to ease Stephen’s guilt.
“Not what it looked like... But whatever you say, Mr. Jackson. I’ll go get you’re baggage.” He said, heading to through the back doors.
I got up excitedly, about ready to jump out of the plane. I was ready to see where we were!
We hurried to the front, walked down the steps, and out onto the landing base.
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
It was nighttime, yet I had never seen such beauty in my entire life. We were close enough to the coast that I could see the line of palm trees and lively resorts. I could hear music playing and people yelling happily in Spanish. The warm breeze blew calmly and the air smelled of tropical fruit and delicious Mexican cuisine.
I looked around and saw a sign that said “Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta Cana”.
“Punta Cana?!” I almost screamed, latching onto Michael and jumping like a little girl.
“Yeah! You know of it?” He giggled, putting his arms around my waist.
“Of course! I’ve always dreamed of coming here! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I’m actually here. And with you. Oh my gosh! I might faint!” I said, leaning onto him.
We loaded into the van and set off along the coastline to head to the resort Michael had rented out for us. He had also cut off a large portion of the beach just for ourselves. I wondered if people would think there was something up. I hoped not, I didn’t want our perfect, beautiful honeymoon to be ruined.
Eventually we came to a large resort on the beach which was lit up beautifully and had a huge pool right in front.
I couldn’t believe this was the place we had been staying in. I thought Neverland was a dream—this was Neverland times 10.
I got out and gazed up at the beautiful structure that was all to ourselves.
“Michael… This—this is perfect…” I breathed, feeling his arms wrapping around my waist from behind. He rested his head on my shoulder. My eyes began to feel misty.
“It’s beautiful.” He whispered, gazing at it with me.
“Mike, we’re heading to the next resort over. I put the phone number and extension of the room on a paper in your bags. Call if you need anything. And please don’t let anyone see you?”
“You got it Frank. Thanks.”
“Yeah. You kids behave, alright?” He said, winking and getting back in the vehicle.
Two of the resort staff members escorted us and our luggage up to our room.
A short Cuban woman came into the room just after. She acted extremely nervous and shy. Probably because of Michael.
“Welcome Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, we have been expecting you! Would you like a dinner for two? We can serve you on the beach if you like? I can go ahead and take your orders also if you like?” She spoke sweetly, in a thick Spanish accent.
Michael turned to me. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ravenous.”
“I’m starving.”
“Great! What would you like?” The woman said, handing us two menus.
I fumbled through and looked for something I’d had before, just to be safe.
“I’ll have two chicken flautas, with a side of rice and beans. Also some salsa to go with that, please.”
“Okay, and for you Mr. Jackson?” She said, turning to him and blushing violently.
“I’ll have the same thing.” He said, smiling at me.
“Okay, if you’ll go straight out the lobby doors downstairs, there will be a line of palm trees. Just go through them and on the other side is the beach. There is a little path you can walk. There will be a single table sat up with an umbrella and candles. If you will just go down and wait there, we will have your meal ready in 20 minutes.” She said smiling, taking the menus, and walking out happily.
I walked over to Michael who was standing up looking around the beautiful room.
“I’m gonna go put a bathing suit on. I’ve always wanted to swim in the ocean.” I said, rubbing his arm lightly.
“You’ve never swam in the ocean before?” He asked, turning to me surprised.
“Nope.”
“Not even in California?”
“Nope. I never had the chance.”
“That’s so sad! We’re doing that first thing after we eat,” He said.
“Fine by me! I’m gonna go change.”
I put on an orange bikini and a cute swimsuit-cover to go over it.
I came out and Michael was already in a pair of black trunks and an open blue button-up shirt. I recognized it from The Way You Make Me Feel video.
“Ready?”
We walked hand-in-hand through the palm trees and out onto the beautiful white beach. The sand was so soft and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore was so relaxing. It was an absolute paradise. I could never in my life imagine a place more beautiful.
The sun had gone down over the horizon long ago, but the moon was bright as ever and cast a romantic glow over the setting.
Michael and I walked to our table which had a big umbrella sticking up through the middle with party lights lining the bottom of it. Two candles were placed in the center and our silverware was awaiting our food. I took a seat across from Michael.
“You are spoiling me.” I said, scooting up to the table and looking at the elegance of the whole situation.
“You deserve the finest, Mrs. Jackson,” He said, putting his chin in his palm and gazing at me.
“I don’t know what I’ll do when we go back to the US.” I said, jokingly.
“Would you like a house down here?” I looked up at him, surprised. I had only been kidding.
“Michael, I already feel spoiled enough,” I giggled, looking at his serious face. He really was asking me if I wanted a house down here. Of course the answer was yes, but it was against my nature to accept such a huge gift.
“I’m serious, we could have a summer home down here. We could come here anytime we want to get away!”
“Well I’m not going to say yes or no… It’s totally up to you,” I said, looking down at my lap.
“This would be an amazing place to raise a family…” He trailed off sheepishly, fingering at the base of the candle closest to him.
I looked up at him, thinking it was about time we had this discussion.
“Michael..? Do… do you want children? I mean, right now?” I asked nervously.
“There’s almost nothing I want more than to have children with you,” He said seriously, looking me deep in the eyes.
“But right now?”
“Baby, it’s whatever you want. I’m not going to pressure us into having kids right away. I can see you don’t really want that right now,” He said, trying to hide his disappointment. I could see it in his eyes.
“I do… I—I’m just worried…” I said, looking down again.
“About what, sweetheart?” He asked in a comforting tone.
“I just… I don’t want to be stuck home alone with a baby to take care of, while you’re off touring somewhere on the other side of the world. Besides, I’m worried about being a mom. I mean, what if I’m not good enough to be a mom? I haven’t exactly had any parental guidance in my life… How will I be able to give any if I’ve never received any?” It frustrated me deeply and tears came to my eyes.
Michael went over and knelt down in the sand beside my chair, tenderly taking my hands in his.
“Eve, you would make a wonderful mother. I know it. I can see it. I can see it when we visit ill children in hospitals. There’s something that lights up in you, and the kids all love you so much. It really touches me. Sweety, you have what it takes. I’m not just saying that, you really really have what it takes,” Michael’s eyes sparkled in the candlelight and I could tell he was seeing something in me that even I could not see.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Michael propped himself up to tenderly touch his lips to mine.
There was something so comforting about the way he kissed me. It was almost as if he was saying “I believe in you”.
Our dinner arrived shortly and we ate in less than five minutes. We hadn’t had anything except strawberries and chocolate since breakfast, and we were totally famished.
“That was amazing! I could eat like this every day!” I said, sitting back in my chair from a full stomach.
“Well good, because we’ll be eating like this for the next week!” Michael beamed.
“A week?!”
“Yep,” Michael said, rising and stretching after his satisfying meal.
I blew the candles out and stepped over to him, taking him in my arms.
“Time for a swim?” I breathed, smiling up at him. I removed my cover.
He grinned, picking me up and carrying me to the edge of the water.
The waves were coming in more forcefully than they appeared to be from a distance.
Michael stood me on my feet and I let the water brush over my toes.
“I can’t believe this. This is like a dream,” I felt like a child again, looking at the world with such wonderment and magic. The ocean was something I had always dreamed of experiencing. And I never imagined as a child that I would be on the coast of one of the most beautiful beaches in the world alongside my childhood crush and husband.
In that moment I realized how lucky I was. How everything in my life had been working together to bring me to the ultimate goal—true love. Michael. I truly believe Michael was my destiny. I could have went anywhere I wanted; I was an orphan. Yet something so powerful drew me to the west coast and ended up putting me right next door to him. No one would ever be able to tell me it was coincidental. God had a major plan for me, and this was my place on earth.
He put his hands around my waist and we waded deeper into the water, until we were chest-deep.
“So? How’s this?” Michael said, pulling me close to him.
“It’s so… warm. It’s just perfect. Everything is so perfect. You’re perfect.” I said kissing his salty neck and then his soft lips. I shivered in his arms.
“Remember the time we first did that?” He asked, smiling peacefully.
“How could I forget?” I said, remembering how it had ended—with Jermaine and Jackie soaking us in water.
“I’m surprised you let me do it. I would’ve slapped myself for being so forward…”
“You weren’t being forward. I understood that. That’s why I didn’t slap you,” I giggled.
“We had just met… I totally deserved a slap.”
“No, you didn’t. I think we both knew deep down what was in store for us,” I said.
“All I know is from the moment I saw you and realized you were different, something said ‘go after that girl. She needs you.’”
“Really?”
“Yes. I had a strong feeling.”
“I remember the time you first told me you loved me.” I whispered, cuddling closer to him.
I felt him kiss my hair lightly and hum a sweet little tune.
I couldn’t help but shake a little.
“It didn’t happen exactly the way I wanted it to…”
“Well still. It was one of the sweetest moments in my life,” I said.
Michael had been writing the song “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and I found a copy of it on his office desk at his parents’ Encino home with a picture of me next to it. He came in and saw me reading the lyrics and snatched the paper away quickly, and turned around before I could see his emotions on his red face.
I asked him if it was about me and he had no choice but to be truthful.
“You love me?” I had asked him.
“I wanted to tell you, but I just didn’t know how. I couldn’t find the words,” He had said.
“I love you too, Michael,” I had confessed.
“I listen to that song all the time and it just gives me chills,” I said, looking up at him.
He beamed down at me.
I looked into his eyes and could see a fire building; it was the same look I had seen in him last night. I immediately felt a wave of pleasure roll through my body.
He grabbed my thighs and wrapped my legs around his waist, moaning as he aggressively claimed my lips.
I felt him carrying me toward the shore as his hands explored my body and our tongues battled.
We dropped to the sand in raw passion and desire, him rolling on top of me.
My dream was coming true: we would make love on the beach tonight.
“I need you baby. I need you,” Michael moaned into my neck as he kissed it passionately.
There was something so urgent about the way he was acting with me. It was so very passionate, even more passionate than the night before.
I moaned his name in complete desire, cupping his face in my hands trying to somehow push his lips harder to mine, when I felt a wetness on my fingers.
I opened my eyes to see raw emotion on his face; something that made my heart pound.
His eyes were glazed over with tears as he looked down upon my face longingly.
“Have my baby,” He whispered, smiling faintly.
In that moment I felt how much he needed to be a father, and how much he thought I needed to be a mother. Michael was born to be a dad, and that was something I would not stand in the way of, even if it was very soon.
I wanted to bear him children. My mind was made in that moment.
I claimed his lips to mine once again and our emotions began to melt together into the night.
***
Michael and I were both very sad when our perfect week in Punta Cana came to an end.
The locals there were very calm around Michael to our surprise.
We had snuck out to a local restaurant downtown one night in disguise and our waiter was the first to recognize us.
I can still feel the twinge of horror when I realized we had been discovered.
I cringed, waiting for the crazy screaming and tackling and mobbing to begin…
But all the man simply did was ask for an autograph from Michael and tell him how much he admired his work.
Other people even had the same reactions. We were accepted as normal people wherever we went in the city. It was amazing to me, because I knew how much Michael had longed for an experience like that all of his life. It was a dream come true to him, and it made us long to live there even more.
It was a city of politeness and relaxation.
Not even the press there seemed to spazz about our presence.
They were polite and asked for a few pictures to print in the local paper. It amazed me.
Why couldn’t Los Angeles be like this?
We partied with the locals, their style. It was amazing to see the different way in which their culture celebrated.
And of course, after every exciting day came an even more exciting night.
Michael and I threw away the condoms and birth control.
We were officially trying for a baby.
I almost wanted to cry when we stepped foot on the landing base at the LA-X as the crazed hoard of press almost swooped over us.
Luckily, Michael’s team was able to control them before they devoured us.
Michael was just as devastated as I was; for the welcome was a reminder of the real life he (we) really lived.
In the Dominican Republic, it had been a fantasy land. The rest of the world ceased to exist and it was just me, Michael, and a group of friendly, welcoming locals who only wanted fun and company from us.
Now we had to face sleazy scumbags who would print anything just to make a quick buck, and nasty, blood-sucking leeches who would do anything to get their hands on Michael’s money.
The only thing Michael had to look forward to was beginning work on his new album, Dangerous, and trying to start a family.
That’s what we decided to focus on as Frank and Michael’s staff escorted us back to Neverland.
“Mike, hope you had a nice vacation. But I hope you realize it’s time to get back to work…?” Frank said from the driver’s seat as he maneuvered his way through the crazy L.A. traffic.
“Of course, Frank. You don’t have to tell me twice,” Michael said, putting his arm around me and gazing out the window. The city lights shone on his beautiful face to reveal a somewhat stressed expression.
“So be at the studio at 10am tomorrow. Bruce is gonna be there. He says he has some great ideas he wants to present to you. So does Teddy. He thinks you’re gonna like it,” Frank said confidently.
“Uh huh…” Michael said, still gazing out the window, shifting uncomfortably.
“Mike, are you even listening to me?”
“Yes, Frank, yes. I heard you,” Michael huffed.
Why was Michael being so sour?
“Alright, alright,” Frank said.
No one said another word until we reached the main house at Neverland, where Michael and I were dropped off.
One of the maids came out to help us with our luggage and we headed on up to our bedroom.
She sat the bags on the floor, wished us a goodnight and left the house.
Michael calmly sat down on the bed and began undressing for bed.
I just watched him.
He hadn’t said a single word since the conversation with Frank in the van and his expression was troubled.
I stood there trying to figure it out and I didn’t realize I was staring at him.
He stopped in place and looked at me.
“What…?” He said flatly.
“What’s the matter?” I said, taking a seat next to him on the big bed.
He sighed uncomfortably and shook his head as he finished unbuttoning his black satin shirt.
“It’s nothing, babe.” He slid out of his shirt and began folding it slowly, avoiding my gaze.
I put my hands over his to stop him and forced him to look at me.
“You can tell me.”
He huffed.
“It’s Frank.”
“What about him?”
“Did you hear the way he was talking to me?”
“Well… Yes…”
“Yeah… He’s my manager. He works for me, I don’t work for him. It’s frustrating the way he thinks he runs my life. I’ve about decided I’m done with him.”
“Well, hold on Michael, just slow down…”
“No! I have been thinking about this for a while. It has been going on for way too long.”
“It has?”
“Yes! Ever since I hired him,” Michael threw himself back on the bed, folding his arms over his head.
“How exactly is he running your life…?”
“He arranges meetings without consulting with me first. He hires people to work on some of my projects whom I don’t even want working on them. He tries to run my love life. Sometimes I think he’s just another person who wants to run away with my wallet. I feel so conflicted saying all of this because on the up-side, he has been a wonderful friend and supporter to me. I just don’t know what I should believe. I feel like he’s a copy of my father, trying to keep me under his control to cadre to his dreams.”
“Wait… What do you mean he tries to control your love life?”
Michael raised himself up to look at me.
“Around the time I first hired him, you and I had been dating for quite some time… Well, he would always say ‘I don’t think she’s good for you’ and ‘you can do better than her’ or ‘date someone with a bigger name, like Brooke or Diana’. And you remember how I didn’t want Tatiana coming on tour with me, right? Well, he invited her anyway. Because he thought maybe she could help ‘change my mind’ about you, if you will…”
I felt a bit of pain in my chest at his words. I thought Frank had always liked me. He seemed to approve.
I had always thought I wasn’t good enough for Michael… but hearing others confirm it made me feel twice as unworthy.
“I don’t understand. He seemed to really like me—“
“Evonne, in his eyes, it’s all about image. He wants a good image on me.”
“So I distort your image?”
“NO!” He growled then instantly regretted it, as he looked down and rubbed his temples.
He sighed and started again.
“In Frank’s eyes, yes. Why? I’ll never know. He is a business man at heart, I suppose. And that’s why I’m angry. I will run my life the way I want to run it. He needs to learn to take care of only my career and the parts of it that need managing.”
He was becoming too stressed and I grew worried he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
I climbed behind him on the bed, sitting facing his back and began to massage his shoulders. I felt him relax to my touch.
“You’re right baby. It’s your life. Maybe you should call him tomorrow morning and either talk to him or fire him. Just don’t let this stress you out; you need major rest tonight. I know you’re jet-lagged and tired. Just relax,” I breathed, continuing to massage his shoulders and back, even making my way to the base of his neck, making small circular motions and silently pleading for him to rest.
“That feels really good, Eve,” He sighed.
“You’re welcome, sweety,” I said, leaning down to kiss the side of his neck.
He sweetly took my hands from over his shoulders and drew me close to his back, kissing my right arm and hand. I giggled playfully.
He stopped at the mark on my hand.
“Eve? You’ve never told me the story behind your little tattoo,” He said kissing it.
That cursed tattoo.
“I remember when we first met and I saw it, I thought it was so peculiar that a person like you would have a tattoo. You’re just so meek and quiet. It doesn’t seem to fit your personality,” He laughed, tracing the outline of the biggest star.
“I get that a lot.”
“So what’s the story?”
“Why does there have to be a story?”
“Because I know you too well and everything you do has to have a big story behind it.” He turned around, smiling at me.
We laid down facing each other on our sides.
“Well, if you must know…” I said, building anticipation.
“Yes, I must know.” He grinned, taking my hand again.
“I’m just so embarrassed.”
“Why, babe? You’re killing me, here!”
“I got it when I was 16… I got this job at this… at this freaking tarot shop, okay?” I put my head down on the bed in embarrassment.
“Tarot shop? Like with fortune-tellers and psychics and all of that?” He giggled a bit, obviously amazed that someone like me could ever even think about walking into one of those stores.
“Yes, Michael, yes.” I moaned with my face in the mattress.
“So what’s the story?” He almost yelped with anticipation.
I composed myself and looked back up at him.
“Well, I was in Riverside, California and in desperate need of a job…as you can imagine. And there was this little old lady who worked inside. And when I went in she immediately offered me the job, like she knew I needed one. Whether I believe she truly did know I needed one or not, I don’t know. A part of me says that’s kind of ridiculous. But anyway, upon accepting the job, she asked me if I would be interested in a free fortune-telling. So I said what the heck?
“So she sat me down and told me some vague things about my past to try and prove she was the real deal. She looked into her crystal ball and said things like ‘you have suffered a great loss’ and ‘you come from a troubled life’. Well, that could be true in any individual’s life, am I right? The key to it was to keep it vague so that she would always be right no matter what. It amazed me that people would actually pay her for this crap. And when she told me about my future, she said ‘you have a bright future ahead of you’ and ‘you will be reunited with a lost loved one’. So I’m 16 and skeptical, I don’t think anything about it.
“She gave me a job in the back with her friend ‘Buddy’ who was a greasy, hefty, yet friendly, tattoo artist. I got the amazing job as the janitor in the back room… And on my first day on the job he said to me ‘Welcome aboard! You need a symbol of your occupation.’ And just like that he offered me a free tattoo. At first I was going to decline because I mean… tattoos are not my thing. But I did some thinking and something that my mother always used to tell me kept popping into my head. ‘Always reach for the stars, honey. You are destined for great things.’ And so I told him I wanted a shooting star with a trail behind it, and he gave it to me.
“But the weirdest thing happened when I decided to quit the job six months later. I told the lady I had to keep moving on and that I was sorry to suddenly walk out on her. She looked me right in the eyes as I was about to walk out that door for the last time. She said ‘your destiny lies ahead of you, he waits for you.’ She would say things like this all of the time, so it didn’t exactly phase me. But then she said ‘Evonne, your father loves you and misses you.’ I had never told that old woman anything about my past. Ever. I never told her one detail about where I had come from or what I had endured with my dad. And then she said that to me. I ran away from that place as fast as I could because it seriously shook me to the core. I have never forgotten about that. And this tattoo reminds me every day. I’m starting to realize she was right about a lot of things she had said to me over the years. And in these last few years I have come to realize what she meant when she said ‘your destiny lies ahead of you, he waits for you.’ I mean, it’s crazy. It gives me the chills.”
Michael was staring at me with a blank expression.
“And I thought I had the crazy life…” He wasn’t even joking. “That is downright chilling. You never told her anything at all??” His eyes grew wide.
“Nothing. Ever.”
“Maybe she’s not as crazy as you thought,” He said, sitting up and yawning.
“Apparently not…”
We were silent for a moment.
I was thinking about how crazy all of it really was. I wondered if the things she had said to me about my future were in the process of being fulfilled.
“Well on a less weird note,” I began sitting up beside him, “what songs are you going to present tomorrow?”
“Eve!”
I jumped at his sudden exclamation…
“That reminds me! I have something to show you,” Michael said, taking my hand and running down into the hallway and to the piano room.
We sat down on the bench and he corrected his posture, ready to play a masterpiece for me.
He pulled two sheets of paper out of his pocket and I immediately recognized his handwriting.
“I wrote these for you, love,” Michael said, handing me the two sheets.
The one on top was entitled Remember The Time. I looked at the next one entitled In The Closet.
He tapped his foot nervously as he waited to hear what I thought.
The lyrics for Remember the Time were cute.
“Play this one,” I said, wanting to hear it.
“Okay, but just so you know, if this makes the album, it’s not going to be a piano melody. It’ll be more of a dance groove. But I’ll play what I can,” Michael said.
He began playing and singing to me.
“Do you remember the time, when we fell in love? Do you remember the time, when we first met, girl…”
I couldn’t help but tear up. The words were so special to me.
“Do you like it?” He asked softly.
“Are you kidding me?” I said, taking him in a tight hug. “It’s beautiful…”
I felt him kiss my ear.
“It’s from my soul.”
I took the next sheet in my hand and handed it to him.
“I’ll just sing this one to you,” Michael said, then proceeded to sing.
The words were so sexy; it filled me with desire instantly. Especially the way he was singing it. It was like he was teasing me without even touching me.
“Oh Michael…” I almost groaned, when he finished.
He looked at me expectantly.
“I love it!!” I groaned again.
“Great! Because I’m getting you in the studio for this one,” Michael grinned at me.
“What?! I can’t sing…” I was shocked.
“You won’t be singing. I want you to do some rapping.”
“Like… Run DMC??”
“No, no!” He giggled. “Not like Run DMC. I mean you’ll be talking. You’ll see in the morning, I’m taking you to the studio with me,” He said, grinning so big I was afraid his face might tear in half.