Storm Clouds Gather
Elaine's POV
Carlos hated to see Elaine like this. After the confrontation with Jimmy the previous day, Elaine had shared with Carlos, Prince and Bella that she was scared. Carlos had reassured her that they would not let anything happen to her. He knew she believed him but she was still jumpy. A home was being renovated down the block and now and then you would hear the normal sounds associated with construction, but this morning both times the sounds were heard Elaine jumped while she was putting on her makeup. Carlos gathered her into his arms and said "Elaine, I love you, I will not let anyone hurt you". Elaine looked at Carlos. He was so sincere. Did he realize what he had said? It was the first time he had ever told Elaine that he loved her. He kissed her gently on the lips and she said "I love you too Carlos". Somehow knowing how much he cared not only made her feel better but also strengthened her. The previous evening as they were eating dinner, Elaine had watched Bella as she ate and quietly observed Prince. She always seemed to understand what he was thinking and feeling often without being told and she knew that Bella was concerned about him now. Even she could sense his anger at Jimmy Sanders. They had remained in the kitchen to clean up together and Elaine had told her that the day's events had shook her up and Bella said me too. "But I am more concerned about Prince. He is really upset with the fact that Jimmy had scared them and she did not want him to do anything that would put him at risk". Elaine said she understood.
Storm Clouds Gather
Princes POV
The four of them and their body guards had grabbed a quick breakfast before it was time to go to the rehearsal hall. Andy had flown back to Detroit late yesterday afternoon. While they were cleaning up the kitchen afterwards, Elaine told Bella that Carlos had told her he loved her this morning for the first time. Bella smiled and hugged her and said "I am so happy for you". Elaine glowed. This was so like earth, Bella thought, in that in the midst of horror there was still something beautiful to appreciate. Elaine made up her mind, she was going to do everything she could to join Bella in walking across the stage with her Bachelor's degree in May. She wanted to be able to travel with Carlos within reason and knew her parents would veto it otherwise. With her heart lightened a little Elaine went to gather her things for rehearsal. Bella's were already in her tote by the front door. Prince drove the girls, Carlos and Melvin in the BMW Aircar. To avoid traffic he had taken to the air. Larry, Frank and Phil had taken to the air in the SUV also. They landed and went into the Arista Building, got their badges and went to the 3rd floor. The girls, Prince and Carlos waited by the elevator with Phil while the rehearsal hall and the back hallway was checked. Once cleared they went inside. The costumers arrived within minutes and they tried on their costumes. They fit perfectly. Bella really liked them, but she especially liked the Purple jumpsuit with the Bronze Belt that she would wear for her solo. Prince really had an eye for color and design. Prince would be dressed in a white suit with red trim until When 2 R In Love, for which he would be dressed in Black and Silver like the girls. Bella and Prince would change again for Bella's Eyes . His outfit was a purple suit with a treble and bass in bronze trim on the front of the jacket, with a bronze silk high collar shirt. His shoes would be white for the first outfit, black for the second and purple for the third. He wanted Bella's purple jumpsuit a little looser in the area of the draped pockets over the hips as he wanted the outfit to flow with Bella as she moved. The girls would wear red ballet slippers with the red outfit, Black shoes for the black and silver outfit and Bella would have Purple slippers for her solo. The costumers marked the change and said they would bring it back by the end of the day for a final fitting. The band started to arrive and within 45 minutes the instruments were set up and the band was ready for a sound check. As the band walked through the sound check the girls stepped off the choreography. Prince, always observant, watched the choreography as they played. While they were only blocking it, Prince could tell it was going to be killer and he was very pleased.
Prince called a take 10 and then said they would run through each of the songs for the videos next. They would start with If I Love You. Prince walked over to Bella and embraced her and said, "the choreography is beautiful baby. Thank you"! He hugged Elaine too, because he knew she had helped. The break was over and they began rehearsal in earnest. The first three songs went like clockwork. Prince had a few comments for the band; the dance though was perfect. The costumers came back with Bella's costume and Prince asked her to keep it on and rehearse in it so he could assess the final product. She did as she was asked and when the opening bars of the music began, she began to move. Prince watched while they played. He was so moved at her interpretation of the song that his eyes filled with tears. Hers did as well as she danced. This song told of the time they were separated when he left heaven and how he clung to her memory throughout this new incarnation and used it to spur him forward in school, then college and then with his music toward success. It was a very important part of their story and to see it come to life touched both of their souls deeply. When the piece was finished the entire band, Elaine, Carlos and the costumers applauded. This song would be a true weapon of success in the making of this Album. Prince was so proud of Bella. And Bella...was blown away at the talent of her man.
Unnoticed by Prince but observed by the bodyguards, Christian had stepped into the rehearsal and watched and listened to Bella's Eyes. What an amazing piece of music and the choreography...Wow! You could feel Prince's love for this woman in both the music and the lyrics and you could see Bella's love for him in her movements. This was a truly blessed couple. He knew he was experiencing something special. It was more than a hit. It would be a phenomenon! Christian walked up to Prince and asked if he could speak to him for a moment. He complimented him on Bella's Eyes addressing how beautiful it was and how Bella was amazing, and then said, he wanted to let him know that his father, Christian Sr., had put Jimmy on a forced leave with pay pending an investigation. Some disturbing information had come to light and if true, it violated both the mission statement of the company and the law. Prince knew underneath the PC language, they were dotting their i's and crossing their t's to ensure that the termination would stand up in court if necessary. Jimmy would be angry, really angry and Prince felt he would make a move soon. Prince thanked Christian for the heads up, Christian apologized for Jimmy's behavior and said, let him know if he could help in any way. Prince asked that he pray for the girls and the band. Christian shook his hand and promised to do so. Prince went to the control room and told Frank and Larry he needed to speak with all of the security guards. Frank called Phil from the front hall and Melvin from the back Prince told them what Christian had just shared with him. The good news was that he was barred from the building, the bad news was that he could come at them at anytime since he was on a forced leave and therefore free 24/7. Security thought it time to tell the band what was going on and they would have a protocol to share after they had checked out the two television stations for the first two shows. "Be observant and focused and do your thing", Frank said. "We will take care of the rest". Prince dismissed the band and said he would see them tomorrow at the same time.
Storm Clouds Gather
Jimmy's POV
Jimmy could not believe it when Christian Sr. had said that he was putting him on a leave with pay to conduct an investigation as some disturbing things had come to light. When asked what, the old man had refused to say. He told Jimmy that security would walk him to his office and out of the building as was their procedure. He said he would be notified of the outcome once the investigation was complete. He asked him for his keys and recommended strongly that he not have any contact with Royal or Carlos, any of the band members or dancers or any other Arista Acts. With that a security team of two walked him to his office and waited while he collected his personal things...his vial from the drawer was still in his pocket from earlier today. They then walked him to his car and once he was out of the garage they called Christian Sr. to let him know. Jimmy was furious. He wanted to hit something. He needed to hurt someone, He needed to hurt Royal's bitch Bella. But for now he would find someone else to hurt. He drove down the Gentlemen's Club strip, picked one where he was not known and after two good snorts went inside and ordered some Hennessy. He watched the girls working the pole, picked out a young one with dark hair and big tits and when the dance ended told the bartender he wanted a date with her. She was too young for dates the bartender said, but the blond haired girl next to her was available. No he wanted the dark haired girl. He flashed $500.00 in $100.00 bills. The bartender pocketed the money and walked to the back. He came back with the girl whose name was Rhonda. They talked he asked her if she liked Coke...she said yes and he asked if they could go somewhere private. She took him to one of the lap dance suites in the back. He gave her some Coke...two snorts per nostril and he did the same. She was not a regular user and started to feel the effects right away. He had her drink a shot of Hennessy and then started to kiss her. Then he started to feel on her breasts. He tore her clothes off of her top and started to suck on her breasts and then she cried out at the violence of the act. He slapped her hard and said he would hurt her bad if she made any more noise. He pushed her down and pulled off her thong. She begged him not to do anything else. He told her to shut up and pulled out his huge dong. He rammed it into her and realized he had hit the jackpot. She was a virgin. He stopped long enough to ask her what she was doing here....earning money for school was her answer through her tears. He continued to ram her until he came. When he finished, he got up, wadded up $500.00 in cash and threw it on the floor and pulling up his pants left the premises. He felt a little better now...he just needed some more Coke. He got into his car and went home.
Jimmy called Daddy Mack, he needed to get him and two other guys to do a ride along. He was going to hurt Royal and then hurt him worse by taking and fucking his woman. Find him two guys that he could trust and call him back. He hung up the phone and spent the rest of the day snorting Coke, watching Porn and masturbating.
Storm Clouds Gather
Bella's POV
Prince went to the television stations with Frank and Larry to check out the 2 locations for this week's daytime performances. He wanted to be familiar with the layout of each soundstage in advance, just in case. The first would be on Thursday, 2 days from today and Friday at the second. They walked into each location, advised security that they were there to see the sound stage. The first was the LA Morning sound stage where they determined the security needs as they were shown around...took the necessary pictures for the protocol plan and moved on to the next station. They went in to the Good morning LA sound stage and developed the same information. They would develop the protocol this evening once they were back at Prince's place.
Bella could not remember when she had seen Prince this angry, if she ever had. Hurt yes, stressed yes, she had seen those things. But not like this. She was worried about him. When rehearsal ended she had planned to speak to him, but he had chosen to go to the security check on the two daytime soundstages with Frank and Larry. She would talk to him after dinner. Nothing concerned Prince as much as Bella and her wellbeing. Bella knew it, but it also made Prince dangerous and she knew that too. Melvin and Phil took Carlos and the girls back to the house. Prince had told Carlos, he would feel better if he was with the girls as well as the bodyguards. Prince knew that he would give his life to protect Elaine and Bella if need be.
When they got there, Bella immediately went into the kitchen to decide what to make for dinner. She decided on Eggplant Parmesan. She knew that Prince liked it so she would look up a recipe and make it for the first time. She needed for her mind to be busy. She had bought the eggplant when they last went to the store. She sat at the table and read the recipe and then began the preparation. Once all the ingredients were prepared, she turned on the oven and let it warm up and then made a green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, shaved carrot slices, and black olives and put it in the refrigerator. She had a light Italian Vinaigrette in the refrigerator as the dressing. For fun, and because he loved them, she also made some Brownies and would pop them in the oven when the eggplant was 15 minutes from being done. Mission accomplished she sat down at the kitchen table and thought about the events of the day. It was not going to be an easy time in the weeks ahead. Until there was some resolution of this Jimmy thing, she needed to be very focused on Prince and what his needs were stated or unstated. She began to pray asking the Creator to sharpen her mind and her senses so that she would discern the best way to assist Prince. She asked that all that was Holy and Divine protect him from harm and she prayed that Michael would be near if needed. As she closed her prayer saying Amen, she heard the garage beeping that the code had been entered and heard the door to it open. Prince walked into the house, greeted Phil and Melvin and then asked Carlos for any news. There was none and he was relieved. He told them about the security check saying that Larry and Frank would brief them shortly. He stuck his head in his bedroom and when he did not see Bella he went into the kitchen. She stood up when he entered and she hugged him tightly. She then kissed him on his beautiful mouth and took his hand and guided him to sit at the table with her. "Baby , you are altogether too tense. I need for you to chill out a little. Everything that can be done is being done...but ultimately it is in the hands of the Creator anyway. Please baby don't stress about things that only He can do anything about", she said. "You have enough to contend with in doing these videos for the new album. Please try to focus on that and let God and the Security team handle the rest". When he had entered the house, Prince had that hard look in his eye that showed up when he was being driven by something unpleasant or uncomfortable. His eyes softened considerably at Bella's words. On top of all of her other worries with the situation, he was worrying Bella too. He could work on that if it would help her to feel better. "I promise I will try Bella", he said. The timer went off on the Eggplant. 15 minutes until it was done. She put the Brownies in the Oven. He smiled and his eyes lit up. "You made Brownies"? "Yes Baby...I know how you love them". He pulled her toward him and kissed her. "Bella...I love you baby". "Every action you take everyday tells me that, and I am ever so grateful", Bella said. "Maybe that is why I love you too". She smiled and he kissed her again. She went into the living room and told Carlos and Elaine and the bodyguards, dinner would be ready in 10 minutes. Elaine came into the kitchen and set the table for them all and Bella took the Eggplant out of the oven noting the additional 10 minutes would be enough for the Brownies. Prince looked at the Eggplant Parmesan and smiled. It looked delicious. She then pulled the salad out and dousing it with dressing put it on the table along with some Italian bread. They all entered the kitchen and sat down at the table. Bella took the Brownies out of the oven and joined them. They held hands and Prince said grace. They ate and chatted a little through dinner. Once they had finished, Elaine and Carlos took dish duty and the Security Team went back into the living room and worked out the protocol for each soundstage for this week. Prince sat in with them as he wanted to know what was being planned. Feeling comforted by the coverage, he then went and joined Bella in the bedroom,. She was watching the news and when he came in said "Prince listen to this".
This afternoon at about 2:00 PM, one of the men's clubs on Gentlemen's Club row on Century Blvd. had reported that a belligerent customer had forced himself on an 18 year old Virginal woman dancer at the Metro Club. He had raped her and then thrown $500.00 on the floor at her when he left. The girl had been high on Coke when he raped her and she admitted he had given her the Cocaine. She was not a regular user so it had really impacted her. He was described as a dark skinned Black man, in his mid 40's, about 6 feet tall , good looking and well dressed. She had cried out when he tore her clothes and he had slapped her really hard threatening further harm if she did not keep quiet. Although video cameras were required in these places by law, the system was out of order so no images had been captured. An ongoing investigation was being mounted.
In other news...Bella and Prince looked at each other and Prince said that sounds like it could be Jimmy. I am going to call Christian. He went and retrieved his phone from his jacket pocket and called Christian. He picked up the phone on the first ring..."did you see it too", Christian asked? "Yes" Prince said. Christian said, "I am going to call legal counsel and get him in here with me and my dad and then I am going to call the Police". "I think that would be wise" Prince said quietly. Prince was relieved, as if Christian hadn't called them, he would have had to purely because it was the right thing to do.
Prince sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs in their room. He put his head in his hands. "Bella he said, looking up, I think I am going to send you and Elaine home to your parents. This is too dangerous for you to be here". Bella looked at him like he was crazy. "You are getting ready for the biggest effort of your career thus far and Elaine and I are dancing. It will ruin the videos you are shooting on Friday and that is a huge part of the promotion. I think it okay to offer to send Elaine home if she wants to go...but I am not going anywhere"! Bella said and she meant it. He knew nothing that he could say would change her mind. This woman was as stubborn as he was, especially if she thought she was right. "Okay, okay" he said putting his hands up in defeat. He stepped to the living room and asked Carlos and Elaine to join him. He repeated what he was thinking and Elaine went just as far off. "Look", she said. " I am scared but I am not about to leave you Prince in a lurch, or the man that I love in danger while I run and hide. I am not going anywhere either. Forget about it"! Prince and Carlos looked at each other and just shook their heads. They decided to play some bid whist and went and sat at the kitchen table and played for a while. At about 9:30 they decided to get ready for bed. The day had been stressful enough. Carlos and Elaine and Security had seen the news story in the living room so they all had a lot on their minds. They said good night to each other and went to their rooms. Prince and Bella undressed and jumped into the shower. Bathing each other they then went through their lotion ritual and put on night clothes and climbed in bed. Prince was really wired and after about an hour of him tossing and turning, Bella sitting up in a semi-reclined position, opened her arms to him and cradling his head at her breast uncovered a nipple. He began to suckle it and she sang to him. Lullaby and Good Night. How he loved that song. As it always had, it relaxed him and he fell asleep in Bella's arms. She held him until she was sure he was sleeping soundly and then she laid him gently on his pillow so she could scoot down into the bed and brought his head back to her breast and held him through the night. Despite the stress, Prince woke in the morning, refreshed and ready to face the world and whatever it might bring. His Bella had known exactly what he needed.