A New Year, New Challenges
Bella's POV
"This is the Captain speaking", Greg Landers said in his distinctive voice. " Flight Attendants please prepare the cabin for landing". A female attendant said "Ladies and gentleman, please bring your seat backs up into the locked position and have your trash ready for pickup. Please also stow your tray tables back into the locked position. We will be landing in 15 minutes". Bella and Prince had been napping but heard the directions of the flight attendants and let their seat backs up and closed their tray tables. Prince stowed the headphones back into the passenger seat pockets and holding Bella's hand said "we are almost home". She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. They once again would clear customs on the plane thanks to Greg and would remain on the plane until their security pulled up the SUV and Bella's Nissan air car. Within 20 minutes of landing they had their luggage and were in the air cars headed to their home. The two cars landed, pulled into the driveway and then into the garage and waited in the vehicles while Frank and Larry disengaged the alarm system and walked the house. They returned to say all was clear and they piled out of the car. All of the wives except Melvin's girlfriend had taken flights back to their home cities. Helen had traveled back with them as Los Angeles was home for her. Melvin took the Nissan to drop her off at home. As the four entered the house, security brought their bags in and took them to their bedrooms.
Bella and Elaine busied themselves with unpacking the suitcases and sorting out the clothes that needed to be washed. They took those into the laundry room and put them into their individual hampers after combining a first load which they would wash tonight. Elaine started the load of clothes. Bella went into the kitchen and poured four glasses of Grape Juice and took them back into the family room. The security men had gone into their rooms and would not resurface until tomorrow for breakfast. She then went back into the kitchen and pulled some turkey sausage patties out of the freezer for in the morning They would need to go to the store for some fresh eggs and bread though. With daylight savings time, the sun was still up and she was almost tempted to run to the store herself, but remembering what had happened while they were in Detroit quickly abandoned that thought. She returned to the family room where Prince and Carlos were looking at some of the many photos that they had taken while on vacation, both in Detroit and in Paris. "Baby we need some eggs and bread for breakfast in the morning", Bella said. Prince and Carlos called Frank and he went with them to the store. While they were gone, Bella and Elaine had examined their designer dresses and the pants and tops from Chanel and decided that the dresses needed to be cleaned, but the Chanel outfits just needed to be pressed. They would take them to the cleaners on the way to or from Arista tomorrow. The pressing they would do themselves. Prince's white suit also needed cleaning, so Bella bundled it with their dresses. As she examined Carlos' suits, Elaine found only the one he had performed in needed cleaning, so it was bundled with the others. When the guys returned, the girls sat down next to their men and told them how much they had enjoyed the trip. They laughed about some of the things they had seen and experienced and then turned the conversation to a more serious focus. They of course spoke about Uriel's appearance in saving the little boy.
Tomorrow the work started again. Elaine would be working on the screen play, while Bella tackled the book release and tour with Prince's help. They would all participate in proofreading the screen play before submission to U of M or to Arista. They talked about the fact that the girls would graduate in 4 short months...but they would be working their tails off until then. Add to the known items to be scheduled the fact that Christian was also talking about a limited release of the album in Paris, which Prince instinctively knew would be expanded to at least one if not two other countries, they faced an incredibly busy 4-6 months which if the screenplay was accepted would turn into far more like 10 total months of solid work what with the recording of the musical sequences and the story line, editing and subsequent release appearances. They would probably not come up for air until the end of October and then they had a wedding to plan. They would need all of the discipline they could muster and Prince would have to make some tough decisions because a tour would be expected right after the release of the film. Bella knew he did not want their wedding to be eclipsed by all of this and so they would need to talk it out and be prepared for push back from Christian. Prince would not allow anything to minimize the importance of a once in a life time event with his Bella. While they were talking, Bella and Elaine were taking notes so that they would have a record of all of the items they had identified needed to be planned for. Looking at the clock it was already 9:00 PM California time, but that was 3:00 in the morning Paris time. They decided they should get some sleep so they would be fresh for the meeting at Arista tomorrow. Bella went and put the clothes in the dryer and returning, she and Elaine hugged saying to each other, "we can do this" and went to their rooms with their men for the night.
Prince ran a bath for them and added both bubbles and bath oil to the Lavender brew. Bella loved the fragrance. She picked out a short silk purple gown to sleep in. Prince selected a pair of silk short purple pajamas. Bella pinned up her hair and waited until Prince had climbed into the bath. She immediately joined him, leaning her head onto his chest behind her. "Bella, I know that it is a daunting list of things to accomplish", Prince said. "We just have to remember to focus on each item one day at a time and to assess our progress weekly and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that we stay on pace". Bella was tired and said," I know baby and I am certain once we adjust to the time difference and I get some rest, I will be ready to tackle the next mountain. Right now though, I just want to lay in your arms". Prince smiled and kissed her on the neck. He bathed her and himself and then getting out of the tub dried off and then getting her out dried her off too. He slathered lotion on her from head to toe and then she put her gown on and brushed her teeth while he cleaned the tub. He then brushed his teeth, moisturized himself and joined Bella in their room. He pulled the bed down and said "climb in Mama". She did and so did he. He laid down and then put his arm around her as she snuggled up against him. He turned out the bed stand lamp and within minutes his Bella was asleep. He said "Father, please show me how to best help Bella get through everything we have to do and then closed his eyes and slept himself".
The next morning, Bella woke at 9:00 AM and got up to do her morning business. She then went into the kitchen to make the coffee. Prince was up right behind her and joined her in the kitchen after making his morning water and washing his hands and brushing his teeth. "Morning Bella" he said. "Morning Prince. I am going to make a sausage and egg scramble if that is alright with you". "Sounds great", he said. While she broke up the sausage into bits, he got out the black bread that he had bought the night before and began to butter it to make oven toast. Bella had the sausage going in no time, and he went ahead and popped the large tray of toast into the oven. Bella poured off the excess oil and added the eggs to the scramble and he went to knock on Carlos and Elaine's door to say come and eat and then stopped back by the kitchen to check the toast...just another minute and it would also be ready. He used that minute to knock on Frank's door and ask that he tell the others to come and eat. He pulled the toast out and then set the table while Bella put the huge platter of food on the table. She cut the toast pieces in half and put them on a serving plate on the table as well, along with some strawberry jam. Prince poured the chilled Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice in the glasses on the table. Everyone had assembled in the kitchen and after saying their good mornings, sat down to eat. Prince said grace this morning thanking the Father for getting them home safely, for the wonderful holiday and asking Him to bless all of them with wisdom on the best use of their time and with heightened sensitivity to what each of them would be dealing with in the next 9 or 10 months. They all said a hearty Amen and enjoyed the lovely meal that Bella and Prince had prepared. Ross and Melvin took kitchen duty and the rest went to dress for the day. They would leave for Arista at 12:30 PM and they wanted to be relaxed as they entered this very important kickoff meeting for this very busy year.
While they were dressing The doorbell rang. Ross went to the door and answered it and signed for two Fed Ex packages. Looking at the labels he saw that they were from the University of Michigan. He knocked on Prince and Bella's door and said I just signed for a package for you. He did the same with Carlos and Elaine. Both girls headed into the family room and were followed by their men. The packages held their final grades for the last semester. Well here goes nothing Elaine said and both of them pulled the tab on their envelopes and opened them. Bella studied hers closely and let out a whoop...so did Elaine. Bella had finished with a 4.0 and Elaine with a 3.89. They were ecstatic and Prince and Carlos were too. Prince pulled Bella into his arms and whispered in her ear. "I am so proud of you". Carlos was kissing his future wife after saying "Congratulations sweet Elaine"! "Now let's go get dressed", Prince said "and get us a best seller published"! They returned to their rooms to finish dressing.
They reassembled in the family room at 12:30 enjoying each other's company for a bit and went out to the car right on time. They took to the air and even with landing and parking were in the lobby by 12:45 PM. They reported to the receptionist station, got their badges and waited for Christian to come down to greet them. He was in the lobby at 1:00 PM on the dot and greeted each of them enthusiastically and then took them up to his suite. The conference table was set with the normal camel colored leather notebooks but there were no name placards this time. Prince discerned rightly that those were only used when Christian Sr. attended a meeting and Prince gathered, therefore, he would not be attending today. During the early banter, Christian said that his dad sent his New Year greetings, but that he was in Tiburon, California playing in a golf tournament that he played every year. Christian guided them to the tables down near the firepit and lunch was served. As always the food was wonderful. Over coffee, tea for the four performers, Christian began the meeting by saying that the 15,000 advance copies that had been ordered had already exceeded the break even point for the book by 8,000 units. In addition they had decided to sell hardbacks only for advance sales so the the 15,000 were guaranteed to bring in $389,000 gross and about $200,000 after expenses. Once the orders were paid for, Bella would receive a check for $50K as her advance. Further the book was already profitable and she had already earned over $100K total on the advance sales alone. The additional $50K would be paid immediately after the orders were shipped. "Good" Prince said smiling. "Now, here is what I would like to recommend" Christian said, moving the group back to the conference table. The orders we received were from Los Angeles Spectrum Streaming and Colony Books, Chicago from the same brands and from Detroit and Minneapolis MN; Malcolm X Books and Colony ordered in Detroit and Paisley Park Books in Minnesota. We will need to arrange book signings and televised local interviews in those four markets as soon as the book is released. "When will that be" Prince asked? The book will be in print by Valentine's day as that will be our first book campaign event. We will want to shoot an author commercial to launch the Valentine's Day kickoff." I will only be available on weekends" Bella said, "as classes will come first". But the interviews may need to be on weekly AM type shows, Christian said. Prince said quietly, "Christian, this is Bella's final senior semester. Classes come first. So with that in mind, perhaps we do the interviews as pre-taped events or by remote view if they must be live", he said. "And, if we go the remote route, they will need to happen when Bella is not in class. Those points are not negotiable" he added. Christian looked at him and knew that what he said was not only right, but he meant it. " I will talk to Marketing and Promotion and see how we can make one of these methods work. When will you be able to provide me with a class schedule Bella"? I will email it to you once I get home today, she responded. "Okay. Next, signings are generally only one day per outlet from say 10-4 or something like that". Prince said, "I would like to see them limited to no more than 4 hours and preferably 3. We should create demand by having limited accessibility". Prince had been through this in his former life with album signings...once again Christian knew that he was right. "I will present that to Marketing and Promotion as well", Christian said. " I think we have hammered out a good beginning to a plan", he added. "Yes", Prince said. "Let's plan to meet on one of the days that Bella can be available to finalize things, Christian said. "Great, we will let you know some dates this evening. Oh and Andy and David may want to attend the next and final meeting", Prince said. "Sounds good. Well I know you guys have to be tired with all the travel. Let's get you back home. Elaine, when do you think we can see a work in progress of the screen play". "How about the week of Valentine's day" she said? "That would be fine", Christian said. With that they went back to the elevator and Christian took them down. They shook hands again with enthusiasm and then the body guards escorted them back out to the SUV. Once inside the car, Carlos and Prince fist bumped. "Man you were smooth like butter", Carlos said. Bella said "thank you Prince. You were remarkable and I am very proud of you and grateful for your help" she said kissing him on his cheek. Elaine said "great job Royal Prince"! On the way home, Prince dialed Andy and set up a 3 way with David. He informed them of what had happened in the meeting and they too expressed their pride in him. "Do you want to attend the next meeting". "You betcha we do" they said. He told them he would let them know the potential dates tomorrow or the next day. Right now he was taking his tired lady home to rest.
They dropped off the cleaning on the way home and Prince disconnected the call just as the air car landed and pulled into the driveway and then the garage. Ross and Melvin checked the house and after the all clear, they went in. "What shall we make for dinner" Elaine asked Bella. Ross said"leave dinner to me tonight. You guys get some rest". Bella hung up her jacket and changed into some winter weight sweats and then she and Elaine, who had also changed clothes, combined another load of clothes and put them in the washer and then sorted the clothes in the dryer and folded them up. Bella took hers to their room and put them away and then went into the study to get her class schedule. Looking it over she saw that she would be available for a meeting on any Thursday after 2:00 PM and that the best day to do filming of an interview or anything else would be the same or on Friday after 3:00 PM. She would not be available during any morning hours due to her classes, so remote viewing would not work. She laid down on the bed with her head propped up on pillows to watch some Cloud Stream and had chosen a comedy show. Prince was in the family room talking with Carlos and Frank , Larry and Melvin. He came in to check on her after awhile and she shared what she had determined. He went into the study and pulled out his Notebook from the desk and emailed Christian. They would now wait to hear back from him. When he came back into the room, he saw that Bella had fallen asleep. He would let her nap. He got the throw off of the sofa and placed over her and turned off Cloud Stream. Kissing her on the forehead, he headed back into the family room with the guys. On the way, he stopped in the study and called his friend Kevin Durant in Paris. It was 10 PM Paris time. "Hey man. This is Royal". "Hey. I guess you guys got back okay". "Yes we did". "Well the feedback from the show has been phenomenal", Kevin said. The appearance of the Angel didn't hurt either" he said. "Did you see it", Royal asked. "Yes I did...they must be 8 feet tall from the size of that hand. But I guess you can say you, Royal Prince, took Paris by storm". "Has there been any word on how that little boy and his parent's are doing" Prince asked? "Yes the mom and the little boy are doing well. The father is still in the hospital but is reportedly coming along nicely. The press finally shared their names...Jacques and Claudette Benet. The little boy is named Claude". "What about their expenses...medical bills and such", Prince asked? Kevin paused and said thoughtfully "Medical I am sure is handled due to him being a government employee. They have excellent insurance. He is however the only one who worked, so I imagine things are getting tight at home". "What does he do"? "He drives one of the commuter buses in the city". "How can I find out what he normally brings home" Prince inquired? "I can do that man. Since its a government job it is public record info. We just need to know how many years he worked there". "Would you do that for me"? "Of course. I will let you know in the next few days". "Thanks man and thanks for the invite. I will return the favor someday". "I know you will Prince. It was great to be on the same stage with you again. I'll be in touch soon". Prince ended the call. Tomorrow he would call Jacob Donaldson , his personal attorney. He needed to set up a foundation to handle matters like this. He would talk to Bella and get her thoughts before he did though. Prince went back into the family room and started trash talking with the guys.
At about 6:00 PM, Prince woke Bella to say that dinner would be ready at 6:30. Although it was a little cool, Ross had made a veggie grill dinner. He had gone to the store to get all of the fixings and everything else that they needed for the next week. He had made three different kinds of dips and when Bella looked at it, it looked both beautiful and delicious. She and Elaine helped Ross to bring in the food and set the table for their household. He had also made a banana pudding for dessert. They sat down and Carlos said the grace and they ate dinner. Bella and Elaine took kitchen cleanup and then joined everyone in the family room. They decided to play some bid whist with the performers against the security team. After 3 full games they were tied and all were tired as their bodies were still reacting to the time difference. They said their good nights and went to bed at 10:00. Once they were in bed, Prince began to kiss his Bella and as always she responded with great desire. They made delicious love and then fell asleep. Prince woke up at 2:30 AM filled with need for her again...and she was more than happy to please him in a variety of ways before he collapsed exhausted on her. They slept soundly until almost 10 AM in the morning.
So went the rest of the weekend. Bella wanted to go to church, so on Sunday they went to a 10:00 Service at the A.M.E. Methodist church, Prince's denomination, in their community...St. Anne's and then had brunch at the Cheesecake Factory down in Marina Del Rey. Returning home Bella and Elaine finished the laundry and prepared for the first day of classes tomorrow. They both had 8:30 AM starts. Ross had created the dinner schedule for January and had volunteered to take Monday night also as there were plenty of veggies left. He would add a clear Japanese chicken broth to it for tomorrow. Bella had Tuesday and Wednesday and Elaine had Thursday and Friday, then Ross was up again. The year had started...but so far so good. Bella kept thinking about what Prince had said. One task, one day at a time. It would become her mantra for the coming year.
Prince's POV
The first week of Bella and Elaine's classes whizzed by and was a little painful as the girls were still a bit jet lagged. They got through it, but in the course of that first week, Ross had to take over fixing the lunches daily again. The girls just had too much to do during the day with sessions and study to handle daily lunches too. Sometimes as time went on the lunches would just be for the girls if Prince and Carlos were rehearsing or writing or recording. Sometimes it would be for all of them. This week it was for all of them. Prince was working on some new songs that might or might not become part of the film. Each day after Bella and Elaine started class he was either on the Piano or on his Keyboard working on the new music. Carlos normally joined him on his practice drum pads. He knew that he wanted to do a tighter arrangement for Your Love Heals as the song had gotten a good reception from the Detroit performance and the only tougher audience in the country was New York. So he was working on that one right now. He also was going to do a revisit to Betcha By Golly Wow. Both fit beautifully into the story line and he felt strongly that they should be in the film. Another rework would be I Love You in Me. There were a couple of more he was working on that would be new music. One was haunting him...Without You was what he was calling it right now. It haunted him because it absolutely terrified him, even for art's sake to think about life without Bella...but the angst of both the lyrics and the music would enhance the film. So he had decided to finish it. He had decided not to start rehearsals until he at least had a rough of the new pieces which he figured would be ready by the 3rd week of this month. So he would hold them on Monday, Wednesday and Friday starting the third Monday of the month. As of next week, he and Carlos would be in the studio recording demos to guide the band in rehearsals.
He had discussed the concept of a foundation to allow them to help others financially with Bella and she had loved the idea. They laid in bed at night and dreamed of all the things they would like to do for others in the world and brainstorming about a name for the foundation. Bella came up with The Creator's Touch, A Foundation for Love. Prince felt that was so appropriate...The Creator's Touch it was. Jacob was told to figure out how they could make an emergency donation immediately overseas while he was setting it up. Working with a friend of his who was an expert in international law, he did and the Benets received a check that was equal to Mr. Benet's lost wages and would receive a check each week until he had been back at work for a month. All of this was done anonymously. They would not know who had assisted them for many years which was the way Prince and Bella wanted it.
Christian had set the next meeting for the second Thursday of January, January 16. That would be next week. Prince had let Andy and David know and David would come in on Wednesday night and Andy would fly in on Thursday morning as the meeting was at 3:00 PM. He would fly out on Thursday night but David would stay. The Stork was really jumping with events since Prince's concerts there and there was a steady stream of requests for him to play too. This Friday night they were hosting an event for the International Insurance Coalition which was one of the largest trade associations for the Insurance Industry in the country. He had to be back early for that. Prince's gift of performances had already made a huge difference in business for the club.
Prince was very busy but very happy and Bella seemed to be also. He would be meeting with Christian on the subject of the limited overseas release of the first album, If I Love You the day after the meeting on Bella's book, Friday, which was why David would stay. It looked like he would be here until Saturday morning if everything went well. Prince had some important thoughts about the timing of the European release. He wanted to be certain that they were seriously considered.
The rest of the week and the beginning of the next flew by and before they knew, it was Thursday. Prince woke up early that morning to find Bella was also awake but laying there quietly thinking about the all that had happened with the book so quickly. "Prince", she said when she realized he was looking at her, "I could have never done any of this without you". He rolled over propping his head up on his hand, with his elbow resting in the bed. "Yes you could Mama, but it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun without me" he said chuckling. Bella looked at him and said "Prince I am serious". "So am I. You are an amazing artist Bella in many areas, dance, choreography, vocals, but I think that you have truly found your niche with this book. You are a great writer and I am honored to be part of the process and your biggest and best cheerleader. Plus I get to cheer on your progress in unique ways". "Like what", Bella asked? Prince smiled and said ,"like this"...and began kissing her neck, while his hand, with its slightly callused fingers found her nipple and began to create the magic feelings in her breast that would travel to her abdomen in waves then to her lower lips and create a river between them. His kiss on her mouth increased the intensity of need and her river flowed and the interior between those lower lips began to throb. "Oh Prince" she said and reached out to touch his bone hard member that had totally unfurled and was also throbbing, in part on her thigh and in part on her lower abdomen. "Prince I need you...please suck me". "What do you want me to suck Mama, he teased"? "My pussy, suck my pussy Prince". He smiled and said "gladly" and he went to work cheering his woman on to the finish line. She came and was so excited she squirted..."that's it baby" he said, "come to me"! And because he continued to rub her clit with his fingers, she came again. "Priiince" she screamed his name as she came. Bella then rolled over pulled Prince toward her and put his big throbbing dick in her mouth. She licked it and them began to suck it slowly allowing the head of it to hit the back of her throat. A shot of pre-cum hit the wall of her throat as Prince was in the throes of raw excitement. He began to thrust faster and faster until a sound somewhere between a moan and a growl came from deep inside him and he came with great force. Bella's name was on his lips immediately after..."Oh Bella" he said. He was panting and his eyes were closed, but he managed to say..."see, told you, I'm your best cheerleader". Bella kissed him on his forehead, before they fell asleep in each other's arms.
Prince woke first and looking at the clock saw it was 7:45 AM. They had to get moving, Bella had a class in 45 minutes. He woke her saying her name softly while kissing her cheek. "Rise and shine Mama. It is 7:45". He headed to the bathroom and then to the kitchen where he put on the coffee. Bella quickly took a shower and put on some jeans, a stark white sweatshirt with a picture of the Eiffel Tower on it, and some navy blue flats. Prince brought her coffee while she was styling her hair into a messy French Braid. Grabbing her coffee mug, she went into the study and fired up her computer. Elaine wandered in with a coffee mug as well. "Overslept" was all she said. Bella could tell she was still sleepy. They were on line, headphones on and ready right at 8:30 AM. Shortly after class had started, Prince came in with 2 Strawberry, Banana yogurt smoothies made with fresh fruit and complete with straws and long, ice tea type spoons. Bella smiled her thanks and threw him a kiss. Elaine gave him a smile and an ok sign. He went back to the kitchen and sat down with Carlos to a breakfast of yogurt, fruit and toast. Security had eaten much earlier, thanks to Ross. Prince had made the smoothies from the girls portions of breakfast knowing they would be easier to consume while listening to their professor. The four of them and Ross and Melvin would leave for Arista at 2:30 PM. They would meet David and Andy there. Prince had spoken to both men last night, David right after he got to his hotel and Andy just before dinner. Andy would come straight from the airport since he was landing at 1:50 PM.
Bella's 2nd class ended at 11:15 , Elaine's at 11:30. They went into the kitchen to see what Ross was making for lunch and caught him putting the finishing touches on a beautiful and huge Spinach Salad. It had boiled egg bites and bacon crumbles in it. It would be served with an original dressing he had created and it was extremely good. They would have either Orange Juice or a Lemon tea to drink with it along with some cheesy biscuits. The household gathered in the kitchen and sat at the table. Prince asked Larry to say grace and they ate their wonderful meal. Larry and Frank took on the cleanup duty and Bella and Elaine returned to the study put on their headphones and attended to their 1:00 classes. At 2:10 PM the girls came out of the study and got ready for the meeting. Bella washed her face and put on a little makeup. She was not changing clothes and looked like the good looking student that she was. Prince also dressed casually in some skinny knit slacks and a pullover shirt in the same burgundy color as the pants. Carlos and Elaine were equally as casual with Elaine also wearing jeans. They went out to the SUV got in and arrived at Arista at 2:45. David was waiting for them in the lobby and already had his badge. " How is my baby girl" he asked Bella giving her a hug and a peck on the cheek. "Fine Dad" she responded. " I didn't ask how you looked; I asked how you felt", he said and then cracked up at his own joke. Bella and Elaine looked at each other and just shook their heads. David then gave a laughing Prince a man hug and fist bumped Carlos, kissed Elaine on the cheek and shook hands with Ross and Melvin. At 2:54 Andy walked into the lobby and the greeting ritual began again as he moved closer to the receptionist station to get his badge. Christian came down and greeted them and took them up to his suite. They sat at the huge conference table exchanged a few pleasantries and then got right down to business. Christian shared that Marketing and Promotion said that they could work with the schedule that Bella had presented. They loved Prince's idea of pre-taping the interviews for the local morning shows and said they could also tape the author's commercial for use in the same markets as well. They would do the book signings on weekends in Minneapolis and Chanhassen, MN, Detroit, Southfield, Grosse Point and Orchard Lake, MI, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Pasadena, Northridge, Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, and Balboa and Newport Beach, CA and finally Chicago, South Chicago and Highland Park in IL. Once the initial book tours were over, the paperbacks would be released into those markets and all other cities in a general release. They basically would be traveling or engaged in book signings most weekends from February through the first week of April. They would need to ensure that even while they were on the road their time was used most productively like proofreading the screenplay etc. They had to ensure this to meet all of the different timelines they were juggling. With Prince and Carlos directing things they were sure they would. As all parties listened, they were very aware of the huge tasks in front of them, but they were pleased with the plan. They all agreed and Christian told them he would have the filming schedule to them by the end of next week. They would need to film the author's commercial by the last week of January to ensure time for editing...that would be two weeks from today or tomorrow. They already had commitments to run it in each of the markets that were receiving the advance book copies beginning February 12 and running through February 22, 2217. They would determine the impact and then decide if they would run it through the end of the month. They had a plan and now just needed to work this part of it. Prince, Carlos ad David shook hands with Christian telling him they would see him tomorrow about the European release of If I Love You and they then followed him to the elevator and rode down. Christian kissed Bella and Elaine on the cheek and told them all how excited he was about the book and then returned to the elevator.
David and Andy were joining them for dinner tonight and Bella was in charge. She had known that when she cooked last night so she made enough for tonight as well. They would have Winter Green Soup and Garlic Toast Pizza. As soon as they returned home, she went into the kitchen and began to get dinner ready. The household had loved the soup and liked the pizza dish she had put together also. She would serve a White wine or White Grape juice with it. In honor of her dad, she also had made a Yellow Cake with Chocolate Icing since it was one of his favorites. The meal looked fabulous.
Dinner was delicious, enjoyed by good company and quick from prep to serving due to good planning on Bella's part! Andy had said the grace at Prince's invitation and they had gone into the family room for a while to continue chatting. Melvin and Ross did clean up duty and joined the rest of the household when they were done. They talked about the meeting and how pleased they were with the plan. it would be a lot of work...but they felt the result could very well be what Prince had joked about earlier today and every day for the past week...a bestseller. Wow, that would be really something Bella thought. All too soon it was time for Andy to head to the airport. He kissed Elaine and Bella on their foreheads, gave man hugs to Carlos and Prince and said to be sure to let him know how the meeting went tomorrow. Carlos assured him they would and then he and Elaine rode with Andy to the airport. Frank and Larry escorted them. Right after they left, Prince's phone rang. It was Kendra and Linda on a three way call. They were seriously excited about the Chanel outfits they had received today from Paris. They couldn't thank Prince and Bella and Elaine and Carlos enough for the gifts. Neither of them needed any alterations. They fit perfectly. They were so pleased. Prince told them they were more than welcome. He also shared that Andy had just left with Elaine and Carlos, but if they hurried they should be able to reach Carlos before they got out of the vehicle to walk him to security. They said thank you again and disconnected to try to reach Carlos and Elaine. Prince and Bella were both a little bushed and so shortly after finishing the call, Bella and Prince went to their room, showered moisturized each other and went to bed. As they cuddled in the darkened room, Bella said..."Prince, you make even the impossible seem delightful". Prince chuckled and said "I love you too Bella", and they fell asleep in each other's arms.