Along Came A Prince (13 page)

“Clay explained
how upset you were by some of the references made in the tabloids,” his father
said. “I want to assure you that you are protected here from any further
exposure.”

“Do you two mind if
I show Stacia around?” Clay asked.

“Of course not,
dear,” his mother said.

“Even though
they’re a king and queen, they act like my parents do toward me. I can feel
their love for you,” Stacia said as she and Clay left the atrium.

“And I learned to
love from them. I hope what they taught me will help me now and in the future.”

Now? Future?
Stacia
was quiet. She had given up trying to find answers for his responses in that
arena.

He seemed
satisfied with his remark hitting his intended target and reached for her hand
to place it in his. “Do you want to start sightseeing inside or out?” Clay
asked.

She smiled at him.
“You decide. You were a perfect tour guide in London.”

After winding in
and out of the castle’s elegant hallways and rooms, he opened an exit door next
to a security guard station. “We have another choice to make,” he said as he
led the way to a parking lot.

Stacia couldn’t
believe her eyes when saw the multi-colored golf carts parked there. They were
so luxurious-looking that calling them golf carts was like calling a cruise
ship a fishing boat.

“We have a fleet
of limos to meet my father’s planes when they land outside SwissDen’s gate. The
limos are permitted in the front of the palace only and are for the convenience
of the guests. That’s also where the entrances to the guest chateaus are. Once
they’re settled in, their only mode of transportation is these golf carts, and
the back of the palace has been designed for their use exclusively. Since we
maintain a temperature of seventy-two degrees, we need no roof canvas on the
carts. My mother wouldn’t permit it anyway, because she wants everyone to be
able to see out the domes and into the mountains whenever and wherever her
guests are outside their quarters.”

“Your mother
certainly put a lot of planning into making her guests comfortable and
welcome.”

“You’re just
beginning to see how much. Which color cart do you want to use? No, let me guess,”
Clay said, then laughed. “You want the red one, right?”

“However did you figure
that out?”

“Better look out,
I’m getting to know you quite well,” he said. “Are you ready to start your
tour?”

Stacia nodded and
climbed into the cart. Clay expertly maneuvered it out of the driveway and onto
the concrete roadway. Golf carts, filled with smiling and waving people,
appeared as if by magic.

“This is where the
real action is. It’s designed to be like an adult Disney World.”

“I see what you
mean. This feels like the main street of a small...excuse
me...not-quite-so-small resort town.” Stacia saw store-fronts attached together
in neat rows on both sides of the street as they drove by them. There was a
clothing boutique. A pharmacy. Restaurants. One store sign stated, “Books and
Gifts.” Others advertised a golf shop, a toy store, and a jewelry store.

“My mother wants
her guests to have everything they need.” Clay pointed to a huge glass building
tinted green with its own dome also tinted green. “That’s my father’s bank.”

 “Is that why you
have all those armed guards outside the castle?”

 “Father is rather
fanatical in his security measures, but he has a lot to protect, both in his
role as ex-king trying to recoup his throne and as bank owner,” Clay explained.

“And his family?”

“Fortunately for
my mother and me, we’ve always came first.”

“I feel like a
child in Fantasyland,” Stacia remarked as she enjoyed the reflections of the palm
trees and overhead clouds dancing on the building.

“There’s a small
golf course hidden behind the bank,” he said. “As you can see, it’s very close
to the building for those afternoon breaks, or it’s lit up at night, if you
choose to golf then.”

“Is there anything
else? You must have shown me everything.”

“We’ve only just
begun. We have a movie theater that shows the latest films, or any others you
may request. We have a non-denominational church with a full-time chaplain. A
small medical facility. An Olympic-size swimming pool and ice skating pond.”

“And a casino.
I’ll bet you have one of those,” Stacia said.

“No, you lose that
bet. My mother wouldn’t allow my father to have one here. She was adamant that
as long as she was queen, her guests would not be allowed to lose their money
in her home. But if guests want to gamble, they can hop on one of father’s
planes and jet off to Monaco. He goes often with his guests. Mother never does.”

They continued
their tour, ending up at a pond nestled at the side of the royal family’s
living quarters.

“This is one place
my parents won’t share with their guests. That’s why it’s away from the
resort
area, as you described it.”

Stacia was
entranced by the beauty and view of nature surrounding her. Black and white
swans came swimming by, as well as Canada geese and many species of ducks.
Brilliant blue and green peacocks, their turquoise and blue tails fanned out,
strolled the shores. A bridge crossed the water, and they walked across it. To
her surprise, a path led into a tiny wooded area, so pristine and private no
one could have guessed it was there.

“You have it all,
you really do. And it’s so peaceful here. It must be great to be able to go
anywhere and just be yourself. I haven’t had that opportunity in the last few years.
But then, I love my life as an actress, so I suppose you always have to take
the worst with the wonderful.”

“Tell me about the
movie you’re starting soon.” Clay sat down on a wooden bench on the side of the
path and motioned for her to join him.

“I assumed you
knew all about it.”

“Not really.”

“It’s a remake of
a 1949 movie called
London Affair
. The difference is that I’ll be the
only new person, place or thing in it.” She explained the whole movie concept
to him.

“That sounds like
quite a challenge.”

“It will be
because I’ll be acting in front of a life-size movie screen by myself. And the
hardest part is, I not only have to learn the script, I also have to do all of
Audra’s movements, and they must match hers exactly.”

“This could lead
to a whole new wave of remakes, couldn’t it?”

“The producers are
optimistic – if this one turns out to be a success. They believe George
Clooney’s a match for Cary Grant’s movies. Or Tom Hanks in James Stewart’s
roles. And Derek Hough would be a natural in any of Gene Kelly’s or Fred
Astaire’s parts. Think of Derek dancing with Ginger Rogers. Harrison Ford, they
claim, has already proven he can do Humphrey Bogart’s roles. He’s a terrific
actor. Just watch him in the remake of
Sabrina
if you have any doubts.
Try thinking how he’d be if he acted in the original with William Holden and
Audrey Hepburn. If you can do that, then you’ll understand the premise of
London
Affair.
It would almost be like bringing these famous actors to life again
because they’d be paired with today’s actors. It also puts a new spin on the
film itself, seeing everything the same, yet different.
”

“And your choices
for women’s roles would be...?” Clay asked, sounding as if he were announcing
Oscar nominations.

“Women would be
great. I’d like to see Gwyneth Paltrow doing Audrey Hepburn’s or Grace Kelly’s
roles, or how about Michelle Pfeiffer doing Rita Hayworth, especially in
Gilda
with Glenn Ford? Possibly Meg Ryan with her comedic flair could tackle
Carole Lombard’s films. And if anyone can match Bette Davis’ eyes, it’s Susan
Sarandon. There are also many exciting roles for young actors like Jennifer
Lawrence and Bradley Cooper. The list, fortunately, is endless, both for actors
and movies.”

“And you get the
first shot at it? How did you get chosen to be the lucky one?”

“That’s the
mystery I don’t understand. I was approached at your ice show by Nathan
Sterling and Arthur Keyes to do this.”

“Sterling and
Keyes. Hmm, I’ve heard of them. They’re supposed to be very talented and
creative at what they do.”

“So I’ve heard
also. My agent was given two tickets for me and a guest to attend your party.”
Stacia tried to catch Clay by surprise with an unexpected question. “You
wouldn’t know anyone who might do this, would you? I mean, this was your night,
and you travel in the world of the super-rich.” By the expression on his face,
she shouldn’t have asked that question. “I’m sorry. Forget I asked you.”

“Maybe you should
handle it like the old saying goes, ‘Never look a gift horse,’ etc.”

“No. I’m positive
there’s a reason why I was given the tickets besides the one Nathan admitted
to. He said they sat next to me to talk about the movie and see if we’d be
compatible working together. Then along came a prince, and they didn’t get to
finish their plans for the evening.”

“I’m sorry,” Clay
said.

“No need to be. It
all turned out very well thanks to my agent. However, I intend to find out who
that generous mystery person was and why he did it.”

“Knowing you,
Stacia, you just may.”

♥♥

Clay showed Stacia
her suite of rooms when they returned to the family’s private quarters. As was
everything she’d seen so far, her suite was exquisite. It was very feminine in
appearance with everything done up in shades of pink and lavender and endless
yards of chintz and ruffles.

They dined that
evening with the king and queen and several other guests who, she was told,
were in private international banking. After asking Clay what was appropriate
to wear, she’d chosen the red evening gown she’d worn to his Ice-On-Ice exhibit.

After dinner, the
king and some of his other guests jetted off to Monaco. Stacia and Clay had
been invited to go along, but she declined because she didn’t want to be
photographed again.

“How about if we
go to the theater and watch
London Affair
? I haven’t seen it yet,” he
said.

“You have it?” She
was glad for the chance to see it again, especially since she’d be sitting next
to Clay. A romantic movie with a romantic guy. She loved the idea of that.

“Almost every
movie that’s ever been made ends up in our library. My mother is an old movie
buff, and she selects most of her films from America. She especially loves
musicals, so we have an extensive file of those. I’ve been watching old movies
with my mother and father, since I was too young to understand them.”

“I love how your
parents have dedicated themselves to you, and have taught you so much about so
many things.”

“Yeah, ‘I know a little
bit about a lot of things, but I don’t know enough about you.’ That’s a song,
in case you didn’t recognize it. However, with you, it’s true. I really don’t
know enough about you.”

“I’m still learning
things about you too, and you keep surprising me with your knowledge of just
about everything. Ice sculpturing. Dancing. Rescuing a damsel in distress from
the paparazzi…” She laughed at that, and so did Clay. “Now, I find out you’re
also an expert on movies, but you’ve never seen
London Affair.
” How did
you ever miss that one?”

He shrugged.
“Don’t know. Maybe I wanted to wait and see it with you.”

She looked up at
him and studied his face, trying to figure out if he was serious or joking with
his remark. It didn’t seem like he was. “Okay then, I’m ready to see it again,
if you are. And I certainly need all the practice I can get watching Audra’s
movements and acting techniques.”

“Let’s go then.” He
reached for her hand, and they headed out of the palace for the second time
that day. Clay chose the red golf cart from which he removed a sign that read,
“Reserved” and tossed it into the back seat.

Stacia laughed
when she saw him discard the sign. “You think of everything, don’t you?”

“Well, I enjoy
making you happy and giving you whatever you want,” he said and started the
engine. 

When they entered
the theater lobby, a man dressed in a tuxedo came up to them. “We have the film
you requested ready for you now, Prince Clayton. Do you want popcorn, pretzels
or soda, pizza, or anything else? Wine, champagne, caviar, whatever you wish.”

“What’s a movie
without popcorn and champagne?” Stacia asked. She’d had more champagne in the
last week than she’d had in her entire life.

“I’ll serve you
immediately, Your Highness”

Their host kept
his promise, and they settled in their recliner theater seats with an attached
tray between them. The film started. They sat spellbound as they traveled
through the scenes of the movie. As they watched the plot unfold, Clay and
Stacia shared the large bowl of popcorn between them.

At first, they
were very polite when reaching for a small handful of the treat. Then, as they
became more absorbed in the movie, they were unaware when the other would reach
into the bowl until Clay’s fingers brushed her hand as it was closing around a
handful of popcorn.

His unexpected
touch reeled her senses, and she didn’t know if it was his touch or the
champagne that suddenly made her warm and fuzzy all over. She could feel his
eyes on her and wanted to look his way. Before she could decide what to do, she
felt her hand being lifted out of the popcorn, and his lips softly kissing her
fingertips.

Stacia glanced at
him, and he grinned and lowered her hand, but he didn’t let go of it. “What do
you expect when we’re watching an old romantic movie?” Clay whispered.

He stood up,
pulled her to her feet and took her in his arms and kissed her. She felt so right
in his warm embrace, his lips on hers. Of all the men she’d kissed, off-screen
and on, none affected her like he did. None made tingles run through her, or
made her feel like fireworks were going off inside and outside of her. Was it
because it was so romantic in the darkened theater? Or was she dazzled by a
prince kissing her? No, it was deeper than that. It was like their two hearts
were soaring together – as if they had met before – somewhere in time.