'Later, you'll see why waiting was worth it!'
Emma whispered her reply, 'Waiting is hard.' Prince went on to say, 'You'll find out just how hard,' while gently sucking her earlobe into his mouth. He thoroughly enjoyed her trembling response to his actions, moving back to her mouth to mute any sounds he might have caused. He pulled away as he heard the elevator door open, enjoying the flustered look on Emma's face as she tried to regain her composure.
The employee placed the meal tag had been ordered on the table and left almost as quickly as they had entered. 'Well, you're certainly good at waking me up!' she said. 'I could get used to that.'
'Mmmm,' said Prince, thinking, 'I hope we do'. 'Let's have a bite and get ready to leave for the venue. Tonight will be a great show!'
'You know, I'll bet you always say that, and it's always true,' Emma replied.
'Oh, I forgot. Here are the earrings we purchased today. You left the bag in the car,' Prince said, opening two small velvet boxes containing the earrings they'd picked out while in town.
'So beautiful,' Emma said. 'Your choice of clothing for me tonight works with the aquamarine set perfectly. You play a long game, Mr. Nelson!'
Prince interrupted. 'I'm not Mr. Nelson. Just call me Prince, that will be fine.'
'All right,' she replied with a shrug. He sure is a man who knows exactly what he wants, and isn't afraid to say it! She went to a mirror to put on the sparkling earrings, admiring them and the amazing makeover simultaneously. 'Thank you for the treat of the spa experience this afternoon. Your team has wonderful skills, and I loved every minute of it!' She turned back to Prince, with a beautiful relaxed smile.
'I'm so glad you enjoyed it. They're great gals, and I agree, they have strong skills, but you don't look any more beautiful to me than you did this morning. There's something about you, Emma. You really are a true example of loveliness.'
There's something else,' Prince continued. 'The after party?' she quipped. 'Yes,' he smiled shaking his head, 'but that's not what I'm referring to. I noticed that your left hand looked pretty bare today,' Prince said more quietly, stepping closer to her.
'About that,' Emma explained, while turning away from the mirror. 'It felt hypocritical to commit so much of myself to you while wearing rings from a marriage that ended two years ago. I put the rings in the room safe this morning. I like to think that Gene is busy on another plane of existence. I don't feel his presence hovering around me, so I don't feel guilty embracing a new direction in my life.'
'That's a big decision to make,' Prince stated, while thinking, 'She said commit! Don't play me now, God, You know how I feel about this woman already.'
'Yes,' she replied, 'but it feels like the right one. I don't know where the future leads, but I do feel it's time to move forward, and not get stuck in the past.'
'Well, I don't like bare fingers,' Prince replied, chuckling as he wiggled his ring covered fingers at Emma, 'so I picked up something on the way back to the hotel today. When I saw it it reminded me of the journey we're on, traveling away from home and finding each other. I hope you like it,' Prince began, taking a ring box out of his pocket. Opening the box, he revealed a beautiful ring with twin oval amethysts, connected to one another by a trail of sparkling diamonds.
'How do you not like a ring like that!' Emma replied. 'It's too much, though. I can't accept something that extravagant.'
'Shhh,' Prince said. Giving her a kiss as he slid the ring on her finger, he continued, 'Remember, I said no arguing.'
'You are certainly used to getting your own way! I'll say thank you, then. It really is beautiful, and definitely isn't something I ever would have considered,' Emma stated, fingering the back of the ring with her thumb.
'Yes, I am used to getting my own way, because I'm usually right. And even when I'm wrong, I'm right. It's a code I live by,' Prince smirked at her and sat down at the table. 'Now that that's settled, let's eat.'
Over dinner, after they held hands and Prince blessed the food, they talked some more, while playing with their food. They realized that the year they were 10 was important for both of them, for different reasons.
'That was the year kids were bused to my school, and my parents asked me to make friends with them,' Emma said. 'They were nice, and we stayed friends through high school. Some of my other friends dropped me because I was nice to kids who didn't look like us. Later on, I found out that my parents received threatening phone calls from folks that disapproved of their choices, and families left the church my dad was the pastor of. It never stopped my parents from including people, though. That was the year I remember deciding I wasn't going to care what color people's skin was.'
'That was the year my parents divorced,' Prince said. 'My mom quickly remarried, and later on I realized that my mom had chosen someone else over her children. My stepdad was a jerk to me and my sister. One summer, not long after they married, he locked me in my room except for meals as a punishment, and Mom let him do it. I moved out within a year. That was when I decided I would have to rely on myself, not others, in this life.'
'That breaks my heart,' Emma said, putting her hand over his. 'I'm sure that helped you stay focused on your goals, but every child should know they are loved and valued. That was something I spent a lot of time showing and telling students at the school I taught in. It's sad that not everyone gets a loving family to grow up in.'
'It also motivated me to motivate others,' Prince replied, giving her hand a squeeze, but not letting go. 'From the beginning of my career, I have made sure there were always groups or individuals that benefited from the blessings I received, whether in the form of money, time, or free performances. Many people don't know about all that, because I feel talking about what I do cheapens it, or makes the recipient feel embarrassed. I still remember how hard it was to ask anyone for help when I was a teenager.'
'I think you are right about quiet philanthropy,' Emma said. 'The results are better in the long run,'
'Mama, do you always use such big old words? Sometimes I wonder if I'm talking with a dictionary,' Prince grinned at her across the table.
'Hey, I'm the child of a preacher and a librarian. Words have always been a big deal in our family,' Emma explained, while a blush stained her cheeks.
Prince began to smirk, then broke into a big smile. 'Ooh, I made you blu-ush!' He exclaimed I'm in a sing-song voice. He sounded like a 10 year old to Emma. 'Score one for me,' he continued, as Emma's blushes turned to giggles.
He looked down at his watch, and looked back at Emma. 'I hate time, but I love playing. We need to get to the venue so I can get ready for tonight.'
'Let me grab my bag and I'll be ready,' Emma replied. She walked into her bedroom, got her trusty crossbody, and came back into the living room.
'Hey, we didn't buy that today, and where is that watch? Try again,' ordered Prince, looking smugly at Emma with his arms crossed, one eyebrow raised in a mock challenge.
'Okay,' Emma sheepishly relented. 'Nothing gets by you, does it?'
'Especially when it comes to you,' he smirked.
After putting on her new watch and exchanging her bag for one of the several purchased that day, they left the penthouse. As they got close to the main floor, Prince said, 'Things might be awkward. Just keep walking.' Emma watched a set, almost guarded expression cover Prince's face, and wondered if she'd done something to offend him.
When they walked out of the elevator to the lobby. Emma noticed a murmur of conversation begin as Prince led her through the lobby. Heads started turning their way, and a couple of folks actually pointed at them. Prince didn't seem to even notice it, or perhaps he had trained himself not to react to that kind of behavior, Emma thought. Someone near them put up their phone to take a picture, and Prince threw his hand up, blocking the shot, without turning his head.
Emma decided she had a clue about his facial expression after that experience. They exited the lobby to find a limo waiting in the courtyard of the hotel.
'I thought you'd have more legroom this way,' Prince smirked as they got seated.
'Oh really?' Emma replied, and playfully smacked him on the arm. 'As if I needed extra legroom. I thought the extra room was for all the music swirling around us.'
'Hey, you're not mocking the way my brain works, are you?' Prince sounded really defensive at the thought.
'Of course not, silly! I've spent a little time in my life with genius musicians like you, and they always have something running right behind their eyes. You get the same look sometimes,' Emma replied.
'And who are these other genius musicians-do I have a reason to be jealous?' Prince looked even more unhappy. 'Every time I think I've got a handle on her, she throws another curveball at me. What the heck!'
'Um, no way.' Emma laughed and shook her head at the thought, confused at Prince's unhappy reaction. 'I better explain quickly, because I don't want him to get the wrong idea about me. I'm not some aging groupie!'
She continued, 'All of them have been conductors, two were also composers. I sang in their choirs, and spent a little time with them socially while on tours. Nothing else in terms of a relationship or anything. All of us were married to other people at the time. I was actually very good friends with the wife of one of the conductors while I was singing for him, and do things with her socially since we're both widows now. Surely you've got married folks touringl with you from time to time?' Emma queried.
'So you really were faithful to your husband all those years?' Prince answered her question with a question.
'Yeah, and he was to me as well. We took vows, and stuck to it even when it wasn't the easiest choice. It was worth it in the end,' she replied.
'This is a one-man woman. How lucky can I get!'
'That's how it's worked for my friends Shelby and Larry, as well. You'll meet them tonight. Just hasn't worked that way for me, yet,' Prince said, sounding regretful.
'Hey, my husband was married and divorced before I met him. I'm not going to hold your past against you,' she said. 'Bless his heart, I'm not sure he's ever had a strong, stable relationship. Maybe I can help with that.' Her thoughts surprised her, and she realized she was falling for Prince much faster than she'd anticipated. That was a little scary.
Changing the subject, Prince handed her a lanyard with a tag attached with his picture on it. He said, 'Here, you'll need to wear this for the rest of the tour-it's an all access pass. You'll need it backstage at all the concerts.'
'What do you mean, tour? I have tickets to your other shows here. Then I'm supposed to go back to Georgia,' Emma replied, completely confused.
'I want to talk more about that tomorrow. Just consider stretching things out a little longer while you enjoy tonight, okay? There's going to be a sofa on stage, but out of view of the audience. I'd really like it if you sat there tonight. There will be a couple of chances to grab a kiss or squeeze between sets, and that would help me out a lot,' Prince said. The begging face was back.
'I'll sit anywhere you want. I want you to have an amazing show and not worry about me at all,' Emma replied. 'I will consider stretching things out longer, but that is a conversation we need to have, not a decision I'm handed with no input,' she continued.
'That's fair,' Prince replied. 'But remember, even when I'm wrong, I'm right.' He looked so confident in his decisions, it was adorable. She could tell he was psyching himself up for the concert.
'Like I said, no need to worry about me tonight,' she said. 'Just do that thing you do better than anyone else.'
'I'm saving that for later,' he smirked, using a suggestive tone of voice. 'But it will be a slammin' concert.' Emma just shook her head and smiled at his confidence. She also felt very nervous at the idea of being truly intimate with Prince. What if she couldn't meet his expectations as a lover? 'Wow,' she thought, 'I'm actually considering this level of intimacy. This is crazy!'
A/N- Vote, comment, and thanks for reading!