Prince Narrates:

"Why do you think all musicians cheat, Grace?" I sigh.

"Because they have the opportunity."Grace replies.

"Do you happen to know where Penelope is?"

"A hotel. I heard someone come in and offer towels when she called me. Anyway, what did you do?"

"Nothing you haven't."

"You certainly have a complete disregard for your girlfriend's best friend. Speaks volumes about your character" She scoffs.

The slut is right. She's probably my best shot at finding Penelope so I need to play nice. "I'm sorry it seems that way. Has she been in any hotels she really liked?" I ask, thinking that she would go back to a favored hotel.

"When it comes to hotels, she like ones with character. Old or unusual ones. All the traveling you two do, that's something you should know.Of course, I don't think you care about actually knowing Penelope..."

My mouth falls open-how could she say that! I scream, "You arrogant bitch!"

"I'm not the one who cheats on people! Someone did that to me when I was very young and vulnerable. Lord knows I enjoy sex, but I don't want to hurt anyone. It's called empathy, Fool."

I take a deep breath. "Listen Grace, you want to join me for lunch? We really need to talk."

"Yes, we do."

Lunch is served. "Why do you think I don't care about knowing Penelope?" I quietly ask.

"Right from the beginning you put this idea into her head that a relationship is all about sex first. Penelope has had really no relationship experience other than you. Basically, she was a child in a woman's body.For crying out loud, whenever you fight she runs away. That's very childlike. I remember the two of you got into a fight and she ran off to my place."

"We fought about her being an acquaintance of Warhol and she just stayed in her office for awhile until she calmed down. She didn't run."

"Really this isn't a healthy relationship for Penelope. Leaving you would be the best thing."

"Are you testing me? Cause you're damn wrong!" I yell.

"When you met and fucked what did you two know about each other?"

"Names and jobs, I think."

"Yeah...can't build a lasting relationship on a first meeting that ends like that. During that rainstorm when you were in that barn you could've had a real conversation, started a friendship instead of fucking her. "

"If I'd done that, I'd have fallen in love faster. She's amazing." I sheepishly admit.

"Frankly, if Penelope stays with you- I'm going to be keeping an eye on her. Being your girlfriend is bad for her body image issues."

"Grace, we've discussed her feelings about being a public figure and that kind of pressure. Why are you so protective of Penelope?"

Grace starts tearing up a little. What did I say? She looks away before telling me about her late sister Gail who was killed by a drunk driver at age sixteen. Penelope's politeness and innocent mannerisms reminded her of Gail. The sisters were very close in age,Grace being two years older. She always looked out for Gail and was never the same after her death. Penelope helps fill a void left by Gail and keeps Grace from doing things like hitting the bottle too hard. And of course, there was that bond created over coping with a sibling's death."I try not to think about Gail because it hurts-I can't believe I told YOU" Grace whimpers.

I reach across the table and hold her hand" It's okay. It's a shame you've had to go through that." I tell her.

"Well, I'm going home now. There's an old inn outside Minneapolis Penelope likes. My guess is she's there. But don't go after her-let her have a little space."

"Thank you. I didn't cheat on her. There was that opportunity, but I didn't take it. That's the truth."

I see Grace to the door. Funny how after her confession she seems more like a human than a bitch. Knowing that Penelope is probably just relaxing at an inn makes me feel so much better.

Penelope narrates:

I'm getting dressed for the strip show. My travel wardrobe is casual, not "going out" type thing, but I don't care. Jasper was a stripper. but I've never seen him strip, of course. So I have no idea what to expect. I have no hang ups about watching sexy scantily clad men dance. My new red wig completes my outfit.

When I get to the venue, I realize I'm the only woman without a ton of makeup on. All of my makeup is at Paisley Park, except for a small bag for touch ups at my studio. Women stare at me because I look out of place, not as ready to party as they are. All I want to do is forget my world and watching some beefcake seems like a good way to me!

I'm sitting near the stage because I want to see all the muscles. "For your pleasure, the fantastic Gunther!" the announcer yells. The pulsating music begins. Gunther is stunning! Oh my! Am I supposed to be quite so hot and bothered? Of course Prince treated me like yesterday's garbage so it's only fair I check out the studs. No way would I betray Prince. I'm not some heartless harlot. Wow... Gunther has amazing legs. He must know his way around a leg press machine. He is down to his button down and g-string. His glance keeps returning to me. It'd be a lie to say I wasn't flattered. Off goes his shirt. What a six pack, hell it's bordering on an eight pack! He excites the crowd with a series of titillating pelvic thrusts with a pink rose in his mouth. Gunter looks around seductively before playfully tossing the rose at me! Now I'm all flustered, I don't know what to do with attention from a man I don't know. Is what I'm doing wrong? Is this any better than what Prince did?

https://youtu.be/H9tEvfIsDyo

I throw a ten dollar bill at the stage nervously. Gunther leaves the stage and the next stripper comes on and starts dancing to "Kiss"! Yeah, I wanna hear that! I'm not comfortable listening to any Prince song right now so scurry out of the venue as fast as my legs can carry me. Out at my car I fumble with my keys. "Are you okay? Sick or something?" a deep voice asks.

Slowly I turn around. It's Gunther who is now fully dressed. "Uhhh..."I reply.

"The way you ran, I had to check. It's unusual for women to leave like that." He smiles.

"It's nothing. That song just makes me think of my boyfriend. We're having problems right now so I got out of town." Oh, goodness I CANNOT believe that fell out of my mouth to some stripper.

"Did you try having a conversation before you split?"

"No. I just left without telling him."

"If my girl did that, we'd be over. When I love someone I want her to feel she can come to me.It's too cold to just stand here, let's walk around."

"Okay."

"So if it's not to nosey, what problem are you trying to run away from?"

"He was spending time with an ex who is much prettier than me. And he knows how insecure I get sometimes." I mutter.

"That's not nice. You have nothing to be insecure about, by the way."

"Thanks"

"You're welcome."

"My man, he knows lots of people, you know women. I guess he's probably got lots of chances to cheat..."

"Hold up, look at his side. For example, anyone who dates me has to deal with women around me-it comes with the job. An insecure woman would be a bad match. You gotta decide if you can fully trust him. If you can't, find someone else."

This surprises me because I thought I was in the right. But Amber did tell the story like she was more interested in having sex than Prince was. "Gunther, you've really given me something to think about." I say.

"Remember, you can never truly outrun a problem." He tells me.

Does Grace have any business going over to Paisley Park the way she did?

What did you think when she told Prince why she is so protective of Penelope?