A few weeks later the tour started. Beforehand, I had realized I would need a receptionist to answer the phone and make appointments for clients while I was gone. Employing someone is scary. Now I have to make sure I can pay her salary. Wow. I never thought I this would happen. When I'm gone, I call the receptionist at the end of every work day to go over the upcoming appointments. My business isn't turning much profit yet but I'm able to pay all of my bills and run everything. It's a lot of work and tons of arranging but I wouldn't have it any other way because I'm a photographer and I get to spend time with my man every month even when he's touring.

I go along with Prince for a week or two, come home, do photo shoots for a couple weeks, go back out on tour, repeat. I'm really racking up the frequent flyer miles. Prince and I talk on the phone every day when I'm home and I always put notes in his luggage before I leave. After I got his okay, I started calling Annette sometimes while I was home(I thought maybe if I was nice to her she might not take my man.) Annette likes it when I call her. We talk about sight seeing,rehearsals, my clients and we of course, talk about Prince. He seemed happy when I asked if I could call Annette .

What has surprised me about the tour is the photographers taking Prince's picture just about everywhere we went. I have no respect for that type of photographer. And the amount of clothes I needed to pack just because I'm his girlfriend and the pressure is on to look good all the time was surprising. Naturally I ended up on a shopping trip with Grace and a withdrawal from my bank account before I went out.

I wanted to lose some weight really bad so I kind of quit eating very much. Basically three pieces of fruit and a couple of rice cakes a day. Unfortunately I managed not to lose much.

I talked to Prince the morning before he was to come home for some Minnesota shows. He told me when he got home he wanted to see me "wearing nothing but perfume." I even bought a new scent for the occasion. I hope he's not allergic (That sounds like something that would happen to me)

I baked some heart shaped cookies from scratch and left them on a tray with a note that says : You know where to find me.

That evening. Prince storms into the bedroom with the tray. I've never seen a man so upset while holding cookies. "I'm wearing nothing but perfume, just like you asked."I say. I'm laying down sexy on the bed.

"I don't care" he says, anger building in his voice.

"I see you found your cookies"

"Yeah,I did." He throws the tray onto the bed as though it were a frisbee. A few cookies stay on the tray but others get on the bed and some fall on the floor and break. I'm speechless. "Why don't you have one?"

He is too angry and insistent sounding for me to disagree. I take one off the tray and eat it while he glares at me.

"These smelled so good in the oven I had to resist eating them" I say.

"From what I've heard you have been resisting eating a lot of other things. When I got home someone from the staff told me you've eaten DAMN NEAR NOTHING FOR TWO WEEKS!"

"Why are they so nosy?"

" THEY THOUGHT I SHOULD KNOW BECAUSE YOU'RE MY GIRLFRIEND! THEY KNOW THAT I LOVE YOU AND THAT I GIVE A FUCK!" He's yelling in my face now. I start crying. I can't feel loved when someone is screaming at me. "DON'T START THAT AGAIN!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" I yell.

"WHAT MAN WANTS TO COME HOME FROM TOURING FOR AN ALBUM THAT ISN'T DOING WELL, ONLY TO BE TOLD HIS GIRLFRIEND IS STARVING HERSELF PROBABLY BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T BELIEVE HIM EVERYTIME HE TELLS HER SHE'S BEAUTIFUL?"

I want to cry but I don't want to be yelled at. "I'm sorry about the album. Maybe the next single will help things."

"Yeah, right. Have you had dinner?" he asks

"Yes"

"What did you have?"

I'm not going to lie to someone in that temperament. "I had a orange and a rice cake,"I stammer.

He throws his hands up in the air in frustration and leaves the room in anger. I can't stay here tonight. I just can't. I put some clothes on and fill an overnight bag. My two best cameras and my portfolios get packed too. I can't fit my tripod in the bag but I take it anyway. I keep extra equipment here. When I leave the bedroom, I don't even bother to pick up the cookies. Passing Prince on the way out, I see  he's on the phone. With Annette. Sigh.

He says to me "Do you always take your tripod when you run away from home?"

Home? Home is not where the one you love throws the cookies you made and yells at you. "Yes, I do, doesn't everyone?" I say. I forget to tell him where I'm going.

I'd called Grace, she had a date but cancelled it so I could come over. Grace greets me with a hug "You were always too good for him" She says. "What were you fighting about?"

I tell her the whole story (she didn't know I wasn't eating much) and how he was on the phone with Annette .

"I didn't fix dinner because I was going out, but let's see if we can't find you something to eat." She says. We settle on sandwiches. "I can't believe he was talking to Annette after your fight."

"She's his confidant."

"Do you think you'll go back to him?"

"Yes. I just love him so much. I shouldn't have dieted so hard. It didn't work anyway. Grace, I'm going to go to sleep now." I head to the couch.

Grace takes my hand and leads me to my old room. There's an air mattress on the floor and it's got sheets, a blanket and pillows. "I set that up the day you moved" She says proudly."Just in case."

We hug each other. I get into bed and go to sleep.

The next morning we're eating waffles. I hear the doorbell ring."I'll get it." says Grace.

Whomever it is Grace doesn't sound happy to see them. Her voice drips with the disdain she reserves for the men she dominates as she says,"Why are you here?"

I know the voice that says "I'm here to see Penelope" It's Prince!

I forget about my last two bites of waffle. I know I'd better get out there before she ruins everything by running her mouth. I'm in my pajamas and haven't brushed my hair but I go into the living room anyway. "Hello,Prince" I say as I notice he's carrying his album. I have no clue why.

"Grace, is there a place we can be alone with this?" he asks holding up the album.

"The sound system is better in my bedroom than the living room."she says.

"How did you find me?" I ask.

"That was easy. You're too cheap to pay for a hotel and I don't know where Vickie lives" He says.

"You know me well. Vickie lives in that nice area with all the beautiful old homes. She lives in the really pretty blue Tudor one."

"Let's go to Grace's room."

Grace's room is set up with basically one thing in mind: sex. The television is basically only used for watching porn and pair of handcuffs sit next to it. In a corner there's a standing coat rack with sexy lingerie hanging off of it and a whip where the umbrellas should go. A couple pairs of stripper heels sit nearby. There's a full length standing mirror that I imagine Grace checks herself out in. I know I would if I had her knockout body. Scented candles and lamps with dimmer switches are on the nightstands. I don't want to think about what's in the drawers. Of course her bed is beautiful with an upholstered headboard that we did and covered in really nice sheets and throw pillows.

 Prince is putting on his album. "Grace spent a whole income tax refund on that system" I say.

"I can tell." He replies.

"She thinks good audio is very important in the bedroom"

"It is."

Since there's only one chair in the room, we sit on the bed together." I wrote this about you, Penelope" , he admits. He turns the music on. It's very sexy love song. I never realized I was the subject of that one. I feel silly because at this point I've heard it a lot. He shuts off the music and holds my hand. "I told Annette about our fight. She instantly took your side. I didn't know it , but she was anorexic as a teenager. She told me I used the worst approach with you .Even before she said that, I knew I did the wrong thing. She said I should throw myself at your feet and beg for mercy."

I kiss his cheek. "You don't have to go that far. You were upset about the album. Then you had something else to be concerned about. That's a lot. Running off was immature but I didn't want to do or say something I'd regret." I say. "Just so you know, I believe you think I'm beautiful. You just wouldn't catch me telling myself that"

"That's my new fantasy."He says. I start giggling. He kisses me.

"I think we're both going through shit and need to be there for each other." I tell him.

"Yeah"

"I've never had to see a man through a difficult time. My dates never turned into relationships. So it would be a big help to me if you would let me know how I can help you."

We start kissing and touching each other. He starts unbuttoning my pajama top. "This is Grace's room!" I gasp.

" Who cares?."Prince says with a laugh. He takes his shirt off.

"Whoa! You're serious!"

"Yes" He pulls me close.

"Let's make it quick. This feels wrong"

We're both naked now. I get on top of him, with my back facing him. I tease him by running my hands slowly up and down his legs. He runs his fingertips down my back over my ass.Oohh.When turn my head sideways I can see why the mirror is where it is. From that angle I can see the whole bed and Prince arching his back as he makes sure he's as far in as he can go.I slide my body forward and back, varying my speeds without warning. Slow, fast, in between, fast again... I glance into the mirror to see his reaction. I smile because he's got hand over his mouth to conceal his sounds of rapture.

We get out of bed and I notice something as I walk past that full length mirror naked: my ass is looking better than ever. Jasper, the trainer (and client) I hired a few months ago really knows what he's doing (Alas, I can only afford to hire him once a month). Sadly not even Jasper seems to be able to help my legs.But I think my stomach is a little smaller. I have to force myself not to look in the mirror. "Stop thinking it," Prince insists, obviously thinking he's a mind reader. 

But I noticed how happy he was with his view earlier. I look at him and smile. "You liked looking at my cute ass, didn't you?" I ask.

He looks a little surprised. I'm not sure he's ever heard me say something nice about my body. I mainly try not to mention it one way or the other. He gives me a big smile and a hug and says "You know I did".

We dress. I open the door there's a neatly folded up sheet set with a note saying: I knew you'd do it. I start to change the sheets. Prince doesn't stray too far from my side. He doesn't want to be alone with Grace. I know he thinks Grace hates him. Which isn't true, she hates his job and the couple fights we've had. 

Prince and I are ready to go. Grace turns to Prince,"I'll say one good thing about you-you were one of very few musicians at First Avenue who didn't hit on me. "

He, perhaps wisely, says nothing to that.

I follow Prince home when we get there he says "There's something else on my mind. Not just the album"

"What?" I ask nervously. I'm very concerned.

"I'll show you. You should probably know if something happens." He takes me to his closet and pulls out a box. He opens it. There's letters, recordings labeled "phone messages" with dates on them and a couple pictures of flowers. "I called the cops after my ex Gloria crashed the party here. I don't know how she got in. There was no way she should've gotten in. They  said 'She hasn't threatened you. You're Prince, of course women want to party with you.' No help at all. I started putting letters she sent after that in this box. Gloria has been leaving messages at every hotel I go to. I don't know how she knows where I am. Sometimes, when you weren't along she sent flowers. Yesterday I called the police again. I got the same officer. He said 'I told you, she just is infatuated with you. You must be used that. She's not a threat.' I ended up screaming at him because her knowing where I am is a threat" He's sounds frustrated.

"Thank you for sharing that with me. It must be so hard to deal with." I kiss him. He puts the box back.

Very sternly he says," If anything strange should happen to you, Penelope; document it, tell me and put your evidence in the box"

I hug him and look him in his beautiful eyes. "I can do that." Maybe it wouldn't hurt for me to be more careful in my surroundings if this whore is going to be around...