Along Came A Prince (31 page)

“I remembered you talking
about Sedona, so I searched the web for meditation and Sedona. I flew there to
see if it would help. Before I got there, I felt better, until I went to a
psychic who confirmed my thoughts of death.”

“You went to
Sedona? You were that close to me, and you didn’t even call or come to see me?
You rescued me when I needed you. Why couldn’t you have given me a chance to do
the same thing for you? I remember you saying that together we should be able
to solve most anything, yet you didn’t even want me around you.”

“You need to
understand the frame of mind I was in. The last thing I could have done was rationalize
or put things into the right perspective. As depressed as I was, seeing you
would have been more painful than not being with you at all. I believed one of
us would die. As bad as I felt, I couldn’t subject you to that kind of thinking.
I had to fight it myself, and I did...and I won.”

“You could have at
least called Josie.”

“That would have
involved you, and I needed time to heal.”

“Were you
regressed in Sedona?”

“Accidentally,”
Clay said. “I bought a CD on meditation. The one disc was on meditation. The
second happened to be past life regression. I played the wrong disc, but it
worked out okay.”

“Did you discover
what your dreams were all about?”

“When I left
Sedona, I went home. I meditated every day, but so far, nothing.” He flipped
the palms of his hands upwards and shrugged his shoulders.

 “We could call
Josie and ask her about it.”

“I’d rather
not...for now, at least.”

“So, what about
us?” Stacia asked.

“That depends on
you and whether you think we have a future together. Has Josie helped you
figure out your dreams?”

“Not entirely. She
regressed me though and thinks I probably was Audra in a past life.”

“Audra? I have to
admit she keeps turning up in your life recently,” Clay said. “First, as the
actress in
London Affair
, and then in the stalking.”

“And don’t forget
my dreams. Also, Farrell Fontaine came into my life, and he was involved in
hers too.”

“The synchronicity
of the Universe, right?”

 Stacia nodded. “According
to Josie.” She stood up and went over to look out the window again and up at
the blue, cloudless sky, wondering what was really up there, then she turned to
face him. “What happens now?”

“I vote we start
over, that is, if the time is right with you.”

“I think perhaps
it is.” She was disappointed he hadn’t said he wanted to take up where they
left off, especially after his last kiss, but starting over meant being
together, and that’s what she wanted most.

“Perhaps?”

“The time is
definitely right to begin again,” she said with a smile and in a more positive
manner. “Can you live with that?”

“For now.” Clay glanced
at a nearby clock. “We have time before the wedding. Let’s see what Sam ordered
to stock our refrigerator. Bellagio has my standing order, but I’m sure he
figured out something he thought you’d like.”

“Whoa, he must
have ordered everything on the menu,” Stacia said when Clay opened the
refrigerator door. “Wow! There’s shrimp and oysters, caviar, even vodka, cake
and all those different colored cookies. Look at the fruit bowls.”

“What looks good
to you?”

“Hmm. It seems
like I’ve heard that question before.” Funny how he could turn her appetite
into another completely different desire.

Clay laughed. “I
just wanted to see if girls thought the same as boys.”

She gave him a
sideways glance and grinned. “On behalf of all the girls in the world, I am
happy to tell you, they do.”

“And as a female,
that includes you, too, right?”

“Well, you might
have gotten a clue about that on our picnic at SwissDen.”

“I got it loud and
clear, and you don’t know how hard it was to resist you and your little green
top.”

“It’s okay. My
damaged ego and I survived.”

He grinned. “I’m
glad and sorry at the same time. Moving on though…what are you hungry for?’”

Stacia laughed. “I
wouldn’t answer that for anything.”

“It might be worth
it if you did.”

“I’ll bet it would
be, but for now, let’s check out these masterpieces. Chocolate-dipped
strawberries. Yummy.”

“I’ve heard girls
like to feed those to boys.”

“Heard? You’re
kidding me, right? I’ll bet you’ve had lots of food fed to you. Grapes. Cheese.
Cavi–”

Clay interrupted
her. “I’m speaking from experience here. It’s much more fun to feed someone
like you.”

He stood there
straight and tall, almost like he had before only minutes ago. The only thing
that was different was a slight change in his body language. She could read his
longing and desire in his stance…the waiting for her to respond. His eyes
didn’t flinch as he gazed into hers. She saw he wanted her as much as she
wanted him. With the utmost control, Stacia forced herself to focus on
something else. She remembered the London restaurant where they had breakfast and
how she didn’t want him to stop feeding her. That was about the biggest
breakfast she’d ever eaten, even on the farm. She never did get enough to eat though,
as she wanted the food to last forever. “Sorry, it’s much more fun to be on the
receiving end.” She reached inside the refrigerator and took out two
strawberries. “Contest time. We have to do this officially now, okay?” She had
to lighten up the situation at hand. She handed him one of the strawberries.

“I like the sounds
of this already.”

“Concentrate,
please. We cross arms and feed each other a strawberry at the same time. Here.”
Stacia handed Clay his strawberry.

“Now, what?”

“We eat them,
silly.”

“How do we judge
who’s the winner?”

“I don’t know. I
didn’t get that far yet.” His strawberry slowly came closer and closer to her
mouth. “Wait. I didn’t get to tell you all the rules.” She took her strawberry
and stuck it in his mouth as he opened it to speak. “I win,” she declared.

Clay laughed. “Do
you always cheat like this?”

She opened her
mouth obediently as he slid the strawberry into it.

He reached into
the refrigerator and took out two more strawberries. “This time, you play
fair.”

She looked at him
innocently. “You got beat by a girl, do you realize that?” He stuck the
strawberry close to her mouth and she bit off half of it.

 “A loss to you in
this game is not a loss.” He stuck the rest in his mouth. “I win.”

“Now’s who
cheating?” Stacia asked. “Ah, let me see.” She checked the refrigerator for her
next choice. “Those shrimp look delicious. Want to try to break the tie with
those?”

“Your rules or mine?”

She laughed and
protested. “You have no rules. I made up the game, so we have to play by my
rules.” She pulled out two shrimp.

They crossed their
arms together…and eating was forgotten... as the kiss of desire began. Stacia
realized the “starting over point” had struck out again. They were now taking
up where they left off before...and then some.

♥♥

Stacia and Clay
arrived at the South Chapel at exactly seven forty-five. Two armed security
guards admitted them into the room. The inside of the chapel entrance was
luxurious. It could have been a church in any city anywhere. It denied the
ordinary white-chapel boxed look Vegas was famous for. The architectural design
was incredible with its primary color brown with all the trimmings. Huge flower
arrangements, reminiscent of the ones in her villa, brought the brown woodwork
on the walls and the carpeting to life. Everything about it spoke of the
elegance that was spread around when it was designed and decorated.

Steps away was the
entrance to the chapel itself.  

Linda and Sam were
already seated in the front pew. “Hal’s in with his mother,” Sam said, pointing
at a closed door.

“Why the guards?”
Clay asked.

“You never know
when you’ll need them,” Sam replied. He turned to the security guards. “Everyone’s
here. You can close the doors now.” The men complied with his request.

“Shouldn’t I go in
there?” Stacia asked. “Don’t I walk down the aisle first?”

 “This is going to
be an informal affair,” Sam explained. “You and Clay can take your places at
the altar with me. Only Helen and Hal will walk down the aisle.”

“Here are your
flowers,” Linda said. She picked up a bouquet made with exotic flowers and
handed it to Stacia. “And here, Clay, this is for you.” She pinned his
boutonniere onto his lapel.

The Justice-of-the-Peace
walked into the room. He took his place at the altar and asked the groom and
the attendants to come forward.

Sam sighed. “Guess
this is it,” he said. “My last seconds of bachelorhood, and I couldn’t be
happier.”

The wedding party
took their places at the altar. The Justice-of-the-Peace motioned to the
organist to start the wedding march. Linda, acting as the photographer,
stationed herself near the door where the bride and her son would be entering.

The door opened. Helen
and Hal came out. She was wearing a soft blue dress and carrying a large
bouquet of white orchids.

Stacia blinked. She
blinked again and then her mouth dropped open.
It couldn’t be! But yes, it
was. Around Helen’s neck was the eight million dollar necklace Stacia’s ice
double had worn at Harrods!
 

Helen walked
slowly down the aisle, her fingers resting delicately on Hal’s arm. With each
step she took, the lights in the room bounced off the necklace, creating an
almost blinding brilliance.

So much for
keeping this wedding simple!
Stacia thought.

Hal kissed his
mother on the cheek and handed her over to Sam. Helen and Sam smiled at each
other, and the wedding ceremony began.

All through the
wedding, the reception in Helen and Sam’s villa with the chef and butler
present, the gambling Clay and she did later, and even when he said goodnight
to her, he behaved like the gentleman prince he was. There was no touching...no
kissing...just a friendly, have-fun-attitude – the kind she experienced
whenever she was with her…
brother
.

It suddenly
occurred to her that he was now treating her the same way she’d treated him in
the beginning. Lightly. Carefree. And un-sexual. He’d managed to sneak in a
kiss once in a while back then. Maybe that’s what
she
should try now.

After their final
kiss in her villa that afternoon, he had to realize more than starting again
was involved.

However he’d
treated her in the past had worked in his favor. She’d fallen in love with him.
So why couldn’t what was happening between them now work for her benefit? Why
couldn’t he fall back in love with her?

The problem was
they didn’t have much time left to be together. They’d all be flying back to
L.A. tomorrow. Then what? She’d start her next film shortly, and he’d leave for
SwissDen. In approximately twenty-four hours, her life would be what it was a
few days ago –

alone – and
without the man she loved.

But what could she
do about it? How could she make someone stay with her if he didn’t want to? The
answers to both of those questions appeared to be a big fat nothing.

Clay would be at
her door momentarily to pick her up. Then they were going to meet the rest to
have a day together gambling, shopping and sightseeing. She decided she’d enjoy
herself, and let the Universe take care of getting them together – if it was
meant to be.

An hour later, the
entire group was on their way. They shopped and gambled at all the big casinos
along the Strip.

“How does it feel
to be married?” Clay asked Sam and Helen when the couples took a late afternoon
break for lunch.

“Great.” Sam laced
his fingers through Helen’s. He raised her hands to his mouth and kissed her
fingertips. “You should try it,” he said. “I love you,” he whispered to his
wife.

“I love you too.”
Helen said, saving Clay from answering Sam’s remark.

“You certainly
surprised us with that necklace,” Stacia remarked, making sure the subject of
Clay and marriage stayed closed. “I was completely blown away.”

“It was Sam’s
idea, naturally.” Helen looked at him and smiled.

“I wanted my new
wife to have the best, because she is the best,” he said.

Helen kissed him,
and the way she went at it left no doubt in Stacia’s mind that the new wife
adored her new husband. When the couple finally descended from the clouds,
Helen sat up straight.

Sam straightened
up too, bent his elbow and rested his head on his hand. He gazed at his wife,
love written all over his face and smile.

Stacia snuck a peek
at Hal and discovered he had a wide grin spread across his face and was just as
happy as she was for his mother and his new stepfather.

“There was another
reason I was pleased,” Helen said. “Whenever I wear my necklace in the future, I’ll
always think of you two. You, Clay, for your creative genius and caring, and
you, Stacia, for your beauty and friendship. Sam showed me pictures of the ice
sculpture and the necklace when we were at Harrods, but I had no idea of its
magnificence, or that he’d purchased it for me, until he gave it to me for a
wedding present.”

“It really was a
surprise,” Linda exclaimed. “A dazzling surprise, to say the least. I’ve never
seen a necklace as stunning and exquisite.”

“Like my bride!”
Sam inserted.

“Are you two
honeymooners sure you want to be with us any longer? If you want to be alone,
just say so,” Clay said, laughing and shaking his head at Sam’s latest remark.

“Yes,” Hal agreed
with humor in his voice. “It’s time to start your honeymoon –  somewhere else,
please. We won’t mind. Linda and I are an old married couple. Stacia and Clay
are…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess I don’t know what they are?”

Everyone laughed,
even Clay and Stacia. She had to clap her hands because she thought she didn’t
know what they were either…or where they were in their relationship, or if they
were even in a relationship.

“So what’s the
matter with a husband loving a wife, Hal? You say things like that to me all
the time,” Linda said. “And you like to hear them back, don’t you?”

“It’s not the
same.”

“Why not?”

“Hey, wife. Stop
cross-examining me, you lawyer you, or we’ll have to sneak away and settle this
alone.” He wiggled his eyebrows and peered at her, then ended up giving Linda a
big full-on-the-mouth kiss, encircling her in his arms at the same time.

“Now who’s being
romantic, Hal?” his mother asked.

Clay laughed. “I
hate to throw ice water on this conversation, but as beautiful as your love
lives are, all four of you, there are two single people here.”

“And whose fault
is that, Clay?” Sam teased. “There’s still time for you two to get hitched.”

Stacia felt her
face turn red.

“Sam, stop
clowning around. You’re embarrassing Stacia,” Helen said.

“I’m okay.
Really,” Stacia replied as coolly as she could under the circumstances. “I’m
used to being around all this love talk. My brother and his fiancée are very
much in love too. They’re getting married in a couple weeks.”

“Is Clay going to
the wedding with you?” Helen asked, sounding way too innocent. Stacia suspected
Helen was once again sprinkling a little of her matchmaking diplomacy.

“I wasn’t asked,”
Clay said.

“I’m sure Josie
and Ryan would love to have you attend their wedding,” Stacia gave him a big
smile.

“I could be
persuaded to accept that invitation.”

What do I have
to do?
she asked herself, then added out loud, “We’d love to have you. It
would give you a chance to talk to Josie, and you can stay with me.”

“You said the magic
words. I’d be happy to go.” Clay grinned.

“That was the
easiest persuasion job I’ve ever seen,” Hal said.

Stacia didn’t
answer his comment. She was too busy thinking how all the slot machines she’d
played in this gambling mecca would only spit out a few quarters or dollars.
Nothing very big or monumental. She was a loser…so far. Now, with Clay going to
Josie and Ryan’s wedding and staying with her, she just hit a huge jackpot and would
be leaving Vegas a BIG winner.  

♥♥

The first morning
Stacia returned home, she awoke with a start and sat upright in her bed. No, it
wasn’t a dream. Clay really was sleeping in her guest bedroom again, and he’d
be staying at her condo until Josie and Ryan’s wedding. With a yawn and a slight
stretch to wake up her body to the new day, she contemplated the situation.

This time she
wasn’t worried about entertaining him in a Hollywood vs. SwissDen showdown. Everything
about this stay would be different, except the prospect of any marriage. She
was still convinced fate would not allow it.

She would have to
be satisfied just being in love with him, plus she had the present which was
the only guarantee anyone had. And she was determined to share as much of her
present as she could with Clay.

Stacia checked her
clock. Their days together would be pretty short if they didn’t get an earlier
start than nine o’clock in the morning. She got up and showered, dressed in
jeans and a t-shirt and went into the living room. No Clay there. She checked
the patio. Not there either. The kitchen was empty also. Was he still in bed?

Maybe he’d changed
his mind and left during the night. Her heart beat faster at that disturbing idea.
She went into the living room and plunked down on the sofa.

“Good morning,”
she heard Clay say behind her.

“Hi,” she said and
turned around to greet him. Her eyes scanned her idea of a perfect man to wake
up with. His hair was slightly rumpled, and his fingers combed through it just
enough to arouse her. A slight beard grazed his chin. He was barefoot and
dressed only in sweatpants, his muscular chest bronzed from the sun. As he
stretched out in the chair across from her, he grinned which made him appear
even sexier.

“I was going to
run earlier, but I realized I didn’t have a key to get back in,” he said. “I
went back to sleep and woke up a couple minutes ago.”

“I’ll get one for
you now.” She jumped up and headed for her bedroom to get an extra key and
handed it to Clay.

“Thanks,” he said.
“I really hate to miss my running every morning.” He stuck the key in his
sweatpants pocket. “Now, what’s on the agenda for today?”

“The last time you
were here, I worried about how I was going to entertain you, but this time I
thought we’d share in the planning.”

“Good,” he said. “What
should we share first today?”

“How about
starting with breakfast?”

“I make a mean
omelet,” he suggested.

“Well, let me lead
you to the kitchen, chef.” She stood and walked toward the kitchen.

“Hey, I thought we
were going to share,” he said as he followed her.

Stacia laughed. “I
guess that was our deal.” She got out a bowl for the eggs and the omelet pan. “You
should be able to find what you need in the refrigerator. Clay found the eggs
and chunks of ham and cheese. “Where are the spices?” he asked.

She pointed to a
nearby cupboard. “I’ll set the table on the patio.”

“It’s not sharing,
if we’re not together.”

“You mean you need
help cracking the eggs?”

He nodded, a happy
grin lighting up his face.

She stood next to
him at the workplace island in the center of the kitchen. She cracked an egg
and gave it to him. He broke it open and dropped it into the bowl. They
repeated the process until there were enough eggs for the two of them, then Clay
handed her the wire whisk.

“What?” she asked.

“This is a sharing
deal, remember?”

“How do we share
beating eggs?” She smiled up at him.

“Like this,” he
said softly. He walked behind her, put his arm around her and placed his hand
on hers.

Together, they
began to whisk the eggs.

“To make a good
omelet, you have to beat the eggs until they’re fluffy,” he instructed.

She couldn’t
answer. She relaxed under the touch of his hand on hers making circular motions
to blend the yolks and whites to become one golden mass.

“That’s good,
Stacia. You have a real talent for this,” he whispered, his breath brushing her
cheek.

She inhaled his
scent, a mixture of the morning’s warm wake-up smell and the mint toothpaste
he’d already used. The heat from his bare chest against the back of her t-shirt
lit a fire inside her. He reached around her with his other arm and rested his
hand on the counter edge, encircling her completely within his arms.

They stood there
almost locked together, enjoying the pleasure of their bodies connecting with
one another while they continued to beat the eggs. Finally, he turned her to
face him and kissed her.

He stopped
suddenly and dropped his arms. “Maybe...you’d better...set the table now...while
I finish...this omelet,” he said, his words not synchronizing with his
breathing.

“Alone?” she asked
in a small voice.

“Although it’s not
the preferred way, it’s the best choice.” He turned on the stove and placed the
omelet pan on the burner.

All she could do
was stand there and stare at him. “If you’re trying to even the score for what
I did in the woods at SwissDen, you just surpassed me.”

“That wasn’t my
intention, Stacia. I promised myself I wouldn’t kiss you, but when you’re next
to me, you’re too damn sexy for me to resist. I can’t let that happen...yet.” He
kept his back to her as he poured the eggs into the pan.

Frustrated, she
opened a drawer near her and pulled out two placemats and matching napkins. She
shoved the drawer shut, reached up into the cupboard, and took out two glasses
and considered slamming the door also. Instead, she closed it gently and headed
for the patio.

When she stepped outside,
a fresh morning breeze surrounded her, and with it came the realization of the
positive step forward they had just taken with their kiss.

♥♥

Stacia didn’t need
to worry about what they were going to do because Clay and her days were filled
with being together, mostly talking and sharing everything. If they did leave
the condo, they took long drives along the ocean front, or up into the
mountains, anywhere they could continue to be alone. They had dinner one night
with Sam and Helen who announced they were leaving shortly to fly
around-the-world in Sam’s Gulfstream.

Later in the week,
Stacia invited Josie and Ryan for dinner – if they weren’t too busy with their
wedding arrangements, she had stipulated. Assured that they weren’t, she and
Clay planned the dinner menu. They drove to the Farmer’s Market, choosing the
freshest produce, fish and bakery items they could find. Stacia wore sunglasses
and a black floppy hat with her hair tucked inside, as usual, while Clay put on
his Packers cap. They were back in the land of disguises.

They hurried home
with their treasures, and by the time their guests arrived, the meal was ready.

“Hmm, it smells
good in here,” Josie remarked as she and Ryan came into the condo.

“Doesn’t smell
like the charcoal grill is on,” Ryan teased.

“We did a
Josie
meal tonight,” Stacia said. “No meat.”

“We?” Josie
questioned. “Meaning both of you? I’m impressed.”

“Oh, we made
omelets the other day together and decided we made a pretty good team as
chefs.” Stacia looked at Clay and smiled. He winked at her and put his arm
around her waist.