Author's Note: I'm sorry it's been a while since I updated, but I've been rather busy... I should be more regular from now on!
Thank you to all my loyal readers- you all rock!
The Princess Diaries doesn't belong to me
"You two still know how to, simultaneously, make an entrance AND silence a room!" James observed with a grin as, after greeting Sebastian and Sheila when they made their entrance, Joseph and Clarisse joined him, Charlie, Lisa and Marion, as well as two other couples Clarisse knew. "You would have thought everyone had seen a happily married couple before!"he added loudly, spying a few people still staring at them, and Clarisse chuckled at the joke, but she was more pleased that Charlie and Marion had made it.
"Jealous, are we?" she teased, in a far better mood now that she knew Joseph's feelings for her hadn't changed one iota... How could she have doubted that, even if there was some distance between them- their marriage was just as important to him as to her, and they would work out any problems... Still, she wished that they could be doing that now rather than attending a ball... before she quickly turned her attention back to James.
"Ï honestly don't understand the continuing fascination with us- Amelia and Nicholas are the modern royal couple- they're young, attractive and happily married..."before James interrupted her.
"But so are you and Joseph- they may be younger,"James was quick to emphasise the "er"in younger, much to Clarisse's amusement. "But you two are also very attractive together, are happily married and... this may be your most endearing trait... you're obviously crazy about each other. Many Genovians are happy that you...:" he looked seriously at Clarisse. "... You have found personal happiness, so no matter what you do or say, I can guarantee that you will be considered an intriguing couple for a long time to come," James concluded with a grin, and Clarisse rolled her eyes, knowing that he was right.
"Whatever,"she finally said, adopting another of Mia's favourite slang words, causing both Charlie and James to erupt into chuckles of mirth, and Clarisse looked perplexed.. "What's so funny?
"Just you... you using one of Mia's...whatever... I never thought I'd see the day when you would use slang- you never used it when the boys were teenagers!"Charlie managed to gasp out.
"Times have changed,"she shrugged, a smile on her face before there was the sound of a cane tapping on the floor, the announcement and the subsequent arrival of the couple, Mia radiant in a white strapless ball gown on Nicholas' arm. She gave Clarisse and Joseph a brief wave before turning to speak to Sebastian and Sheila.
"They make a very attractive couple,"Clarisse heard a few people murmuring, and she suddenly recalled that the same description had been applied to Rupert and herself that while Mia and Nicholas were genuinely happy together, Rupert and Clarisse had led separate lives most of the time.. the description had been a facade...
"Time to greet some guests,"she murmured to Joseph as Mia approached- it was tradition that the sovereign personally greeted the guests, and Mia had thought that it would it would be fun to do it together...
"Is everything alright between you two?"James asked shrewdly, watching Joseph watch Clarisse join Mia. "I don't want to pry but... it seems a little strained between the two of you...."
"We're fine,"Joseph shrugged before deciding to admit something as Charlie stepped closer to listen. "Actually, things have been a little cool between us lately, but I think it's because of the accident..."
"Oh..."realisation dawned on both men's faces at that.
"I just thought she needed a little space,"he brooded musingly. "Maybe she had too much, but I think she did need it..."and James' face broke into a broad grin.
"You DO know Clarisse very well- she's lucky to have you, and she knows it too!"
"You sound surprised that I know her that well,"Joseph joked back with a grin before James laughed and signalled for a waiter.
"Let's have a drink.... and no, I'm not at all surprised- I always knew it!"
0
Clarisse and Mia, meanwhile, made their way through the crowd, stopping to greet and briefly chat with all the guests, Mia enjoying it more than Clarisse. Clarisse had forgotten how difficult it was to act interested and maintain conversations when one was wanting to be elsewhere, but she didn't want to let Mia down. She was, however, greatly relieved when they finally ended up back near the doorway, task completed as everyone else milled around them.
"Thank goodness that's over,"Mia echoed Clarisse's feelings as she accepted two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter, and handed one to her grandmother. "I don't know how you did this year after year after year, Grandma!"she laughed cheekily, Clarisse joining in momentarily.
"You make it sound like I've done this forever,"she said ruefully, but her eyes were twinkling. "I should like to be around when YOUR granddaughter says exactly the same thing to you!"
"Yes, that would be rather ironic," Mia agreed with a sheepish grin, before sipping her wine and watching Clarisse carefully. Her grandmother seemed restless this evening, the opposite of her usually calm, collected demeanour. She had still followed through with all the usual greetings, even remembering the little details Mia still struggled with, but Mia sensed her heart wasn't in it... She wondered if her mood had anything to do with Joe- she had felt an odd, strained atmosphere between them when she saw them the previous afternoon, and even that morning... things seemed a little cold between them... She sincerely hoped that there weren't any serious problems between them- not only were they, in her opinion, 'so cute' together and obviously belonged together, but she had the feeling Clarisse was happier with Joseph than she probably ever had been with Rupert...
Before she had more time to ponder the situation, Sebastian stood in front of her with a charming smile.
"It's that time of the evening, is it?"she joked, but Sebastian didn't seem to be at all offended as he laughed and led Mia out onto the dance floor. Clarisse smiled as she watched the two of them chat as they danced- Mia had really grown into her role as Queen- before she heard someone step next to her and say:
"Would you like to dance?"
She turned to see Nicholas standing there with a bashful smile, and she smiled warmly at him before accepting his hand.
Nicholas was just as smooth a dancer as Joseph, and she enjoyed it very much- so much so that she was startled when Mia and Sebastian danced up to them.
"May we cut in?"Mia asked with a cheeky smile before they swapped partners.
"She's certainly quite a Queen,"Sebastian said with a fond smile as they watched the younger couple dance, oblivious to the rest of the world.
"She certain is,"Clarisse agreed- Sebastian had captured her thoughts perfectly.
Once the dance had ended, Sebastian disappeared in search of Sheila, and Clarisse began to make her way through the crowd, towards Lisa and Marion, before she was suddenly whisked back onto the dance floor, a firm arm around her waist.
"What on earth..."she began, indignant that someone felt free enough to grab her, and she was just about to say so, before she looked over and her expression instantly lightened- it was Joseph!
"Were you just about to tell me off for whisking you back onto the dance floor, my darling wife?"he teased, an amused smile on his lips. "I didn't think that was a crime."
"It isn't,"Clarisse replied just as jokingly, relieved that some of the tension between them had dissipated somewhat over the course of the day. "It's just that I don't appreciate men other than my husband putting their hands on me... thankfully, it was you!"
"Yes, lucky it was me, otherwise there would have been a fight on the dance floor!"
"Of course, you would have won,"she almost purred as she relaxed into his arms, and he laughed, looking slightly bashful.
"I think you may over-estimate my abilities just a tad..."
"No, I don't,"Clarisse replied stubbornly. "You were my HOS for over 25 years, so I must be right!"
"I thought you LIKED dancing, Sir Joseph!"Charlie cried in mock astonishment when they returned to them when the dance ended. "I thought that you would be showing your wife off all night on the dance floor, giving your granddaughter and grandson in law a run for their money!
"Why aren't you doing it then?"Joseph retorted quickly, instantly kicking himself as the rest of the conversations faltered and Charlie's expression turned serious.
"Alas, dear Joseph, there's a reason for that,"Charlie still looked sober. It's because..."he paused again before bursting out laughing. "...Marion and I would dance you all off the floor!"
James , Marion, Lisa and Clarisse all joined in after a moment, Joseph finally, albeit reluctantly, but he still felt dreadful- how could he have forgotten?
000
The rest of the evening glided by smoothly, and everyone had to agree that Mia had done an incredible job planning and executing the entire day's festivities- in fact, some of the more hard core parliamentarians had to admit the date change hadn't affected anything. The hostess, meanwhile, spent much of the evening on the dance floor with her husband, looking radiant, much to Clarisse's delight. She was very proud of her that night, and she wished she could have been that at ease when she had been Mia's age.
Joseph, on the other hand, was still mortified by his earlier slip of the tongue, despite Charlie's reassurances that he was fine.
"Hey, I've made even worse jokes about other people!"
Still, he was rather quiet for most of the evening, so Clarisse finally took matters into her own hands and led him out onto the dance floor.
"I thought I was supposed to do that,"he joked weakly as she smiled smugly.
"I thought I could do it for once..."she teased before sobering up. "Joseph, are you still feeling bad about what you said to Charlie earlier?"
"I just can't believe I was so tactless to say something like that,"he mumbled.
"Don't worry darling,"Clarisse said soothingly. "Like Charlie said before, he's put his foot into it many a time- he even said something to Rupert when he was so ill,"she chuckled slightly at the memory. "You're not tactless, although you can be with me,"she teased, and he had to grin reluctantly at her as she reached out and gently caressed his cheek with her gloved hand.
"Feeling better now?"
"A little,"he admitted, pulling her closer to no protests, and she rested her head on his shoulder, relieved the lights in the ballroom were dimmed- much as she loved Joseph, she wanted their relationship to remain private when possible.
The current song playing changed to yet another slow song but, after a moment, they both froze, suddenly recognising the tune.
'This is the song that was played at our second wedding- you chose it,"she looked at Joseph with a dreamy expression.
"Everyone was watching us, but I was only aware of you,k"he added softly as Clarisse subconsciously moved closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"I just couldn't believe we were married... again,"she breathed into his ear, her heart beginning to speed up. "Even though 12 months had already gone by..."
They weren't quite sure how it happened, but the room suddenly seemed devoid of people (although they knew it wasn't) as they continued to sway to the music, completely wrapped up in memories of their wedding, as, across the room, Mia grinned at the tableau...
"What are you grinning at?"Nicholas inquired, turning to look where she was looking... Joseph and Clarisse barely moving to the music. "What...?"
"I had the feeling something wasn't quite right... there was no spark... so I had to do something."
"Had to do something?"Nicholas raised an eyebrow in disbelief.
"I did,"Mia replied defensively, before grinning over at the couple in question again. "But I'm glad I did because, I can see that the spark has not only rekindled between them, but I think it's blazing away again!"
Across the roomn, neither Joseph nor Clarisse were aware that they were being talked about- all they knew was that, after a month of distance, they had finally reconnected... As Clarisse realised this, she was suddenly seized by the urge to do something impulsive, something that she never would have done as Queen Clarisse...
"Let's get out of here,"she breathed into Joseph's ear, and he chuckled.
"Shouldn't we be setting an example?"he replied teasingly before looking into her eyes and seeing something akin to lust in her eyes.
"Not tonight,"she purred in a low, seductive tone, and he grinned.
Mia pretended to be surprised when Joseph quietly excused them, but silently accepted the excuse that Clarisse wasn't feeling well.
"Thank you,"Clarisse smiled at her before they hurried out of the room, careful not top meet anyone's eyes.
"That was easy,"Joseph murmured in surprise as they hurried through the hallways and up the stairs towards the suite. "I'm surprised Charlie or James didn't try to stop us."
Ï wouldn't have noticed,"Clarisse said honestly as he followed her into the suite, and locked the door behind them.
"Oh really?" he teased, turning to see her carefully remove her tiara and place it on a nearby table, before tossing her gloves carelessly onto the couch. "Why not?"he asked, walking over to stand in front of her.
"I don't know..."she paused, both well aware of the growing tension between them, before reaching out and gently touching his cheek. "I've missed you."
"I've missed you too," he replied softly, hardly daring to believe it, before he looked into her eyes and saw the same Clarisse he had married, the person she had been before the accident. "I've missed you too,"he repeated huskily before she almost flung herself into his arms with a grateful sob.
"I... I'm sorry,"she managed to say, her voice muffled by his jacket, and he didn't hesitate to tip her face up to look into her anguished eyes.
"You don't have to apologise for anything- I told you I understood, and I do."
"But I kept pushing you away when you wanted to get... close..." she blushed at the word. "To me... and I didn't mean it."
"I know you didn't... but you're not pushing me away now, are you?"he grinned slyly at her before he kissed her, timidly at first- they were so close, but he had to make sure she wasn't going to pull away... but when she didn't, he kissed her again, this time with all the feelings he had restrained for the past month- he had really missed her and, judging by her responding kisses, she had missed him too...
"Oh Joseph," she murmured breathlessly as his hand caressed her all over before finally fiddling with the zip on her dress. "You never seem to find my ball dresses easy, do you?"
"No, but I always get there in the end,"he laughed confidently, secretly rejoicing that their spark had been reignited as he felt her shiver happily under his touch, and chuckling as he ran his hands through her hair... he always loved doing that... before leading her towards the bedroom, their clothes seeming to melt away, but Clarisse didn't care- they were back together, and that's all that mattered!
0
"I wonder how long the ball kept going for after we left?"Joseph asked much later as they lay together in the dark, Clarisse's head resting on his chest as they listened to the sounds of the night- there were now sounds from downstairs, so he assumed that the ball was over.
"Knowing Mia and Nicholas, they would have kicked everyone out as soon as you, the epitome of good manners and protocol, were out of the picture!"
"Out of the picture, that's nice," Clarisse retorted, but he could hear her laughing in the dark and he smiled as he stroked her hair.
"Joseph..." she said suddenly, rolling onto her stomach to look in his direction. "I need to..." she continued before Joseph interrupted.
"If you're going to try and apologise again, I don't to hear it."
"But I pushed you away- that's not what wives are supposed to do. I know I mightn't have been the perfect wife the first time, but this time...."
"I don't want a perfect wife, I want you- and it's what you do, so I'm not saying anything..."But," he continued, gently tapping her nose gently. "I really will be angry if you continue to insist on apologising!"
"Alright, I won't do it again, sir,"she replied smartly, and laughed, before remembering something.
"Do you think Mia had anything to do with that song...?"
"I think so... actually, I know so," Clarisse said definitely- being the bright young woman she was, Clarisse suspected that Mia would have sensed the distance between them, and had decided to try and fix them herself.... always generous, kind hearted and sympathetic, just like her father... "I though she would try something- Phillipe would have."
"I thought so too,"Joseph agreed. "I suspect Annie would have something very similar... is it just me, or do those two seemed to just as interested in our marriage as we are?"
"It's very sweet of them, but we can sort out our own problems,"she smiled proudly, running a hand down his chest, knowing he was ticklish, and he chuckled appreciatively before pulling her close again.
00000
The next morning, Mia was already hard at work in her study when Joseph and Clarisse called in to say farewell on their way to the airport. Clarisse wasn't sure they needed to disturb her, she looked busy, but then Mia looked up and grinned when she saw them hovering in the doorway.
"Come in... aha!"she cried, a smug smile on her face when she saw they were holding hands. "I knew it would work!" before she stopped short, realising that they may not appreciate what she had done, although they look far happier compared to when they had arrived two days earlier.
"You knew what would happen?" Clarisse asked in a quiet voice, but her eyes were sparkling happily, and Mia quickly realised she was joking. "I don't suppose you had anything to do with a certain song being played last night?"
"I don't know what you're talking about,"Mia looked at her innocently before smiling brightly. "Alright, I may have had something to do with it... but, before you say anything, Grandma, it did work, didn't it?"
"I wasn't going to say anything,"Clarisse said calmly. "We just called into to say goodbye- we're off to the airport."
"Where are you going NOW?"
"To England and then catching a commercial flight to Los Angeles... Annie's film premieres in a few days."
"A commercial flight?" Mia raised her eyebrows in surprise.
""I thought it might be fun," Clarisse shrugged before Joseph decided to add:
"But our security team will be accompany9ing us and, if your grandmother doesn't like flying 'commercial', I'm sure I'll be calling for Genovia One..." Joseph joked, before narrowly missing a playful slap on the arm from his wife, and Mia grinned- she loved seeing all aspects of their relationship, especially the playful side... Clarisse knew they were being watched, but it didn't bother her since it was only Mia... she suddenly wished that Phillipe had seen them together... although, she thought to herself with a small smile, he probably had....
0
The following evening, after meeting BJ and Lynn in England, the four of them boarded the plane bound for New York, and settled into first class, although Joseph was slightly disappointed to discover that Clarisse and Lynn were sitting together on one side of the cabin, and he and BJ on the other.
"This is the life,"BJ said as he settled back in his seat and accepted the glass of champagne from the stewardess. "I wasn't particularly happy when Annie did this, but now that we're here, facing a 7 or 8 hour journey..."
"You've changed your mind,"Joseph finished the sentence for him. "Don't forget, we have a stopover in New York for a couple of hours, so we probably won't be in LA until early afternoon...It's 12 hours all up..."
"I know that... so,"he continued, giving Joseph a sidelong glance. Ï had the feeling when I spoke to you on the phone a week ago, that you and Clarisse were having some minor problems...."
"We were,"Joseph admitted with a shrug, not really wanting to get into it. "But things have worked out, so we're fine."
Fortunately, BJ knew when to back off, so he quickly changed the subject as, across the cabin, Clarisse and Lynn exchanged pictures of the rapidly growing Sean.
As Joseph had said, they had a three hour stop over in New York, which they spent drinking coffee and trying to stay awake, and it was early afternoon when they finally landed in LA. Despite the fact that they had all napped during the flights, when BJ proposed they go back to the hotel and sleep, there was no argument from the other three.
"I was never this tired when we flew on Genovia 1 a couple of years ago,"Clarisse murmured sleepily as she climbed into bed beside Joseph, BJ and Lynn in the room next door.
"That's because you haven't travelled a great deal outside Europe for the past couple of years, and Genovia 1 is very different to a commercial flight... very different."
"Mmm,"Clarisse murmured agreeably. "I guess... you might be...right about... flying back on... Genovia 1..." before she completely trailed off, her breathing becoming deep and even as she slipped into dreamland.
000
By the following morning, the day of Annie's premiere, the four of them had recovered sufficiently enough from their jet lag to be up early, and breakfasting in the hotel's restaurant when Clarisse spied Annie and her entourage walk into the restaurant and begin to look around. When she pointed this out to BJ, he quickly stood up and waved, calling in quite a loud voice: "
Oi... Annie!" as, behind him, Lynn blushed, Clarisse chuckled and Joseph shook his head in disbelief. Annie, however, didn't look bothered as she walked over and hugged all of them, a broad smile on her face.
"I'm so glad you're here- I can't believe it of you two," she grinned at Clarisse and Joseph. "Wasn't the last time you were in America...."
"When Amelia turned 18, yes," Joseph said with a grin. "This is also a special occasion... So, what are we going to do today?"
"If I had a house, I'd be giving you a tour, but since I don't, I thought we could go spotting stars houses (maybe even see a few stars), do a bit of shopping on Rodeo Drive and just have a general tour of LA.... Some of the theme parks might be on tomorrow's agenda!"
"Theme parks?" Clarisse and Joseph glanced at each other and mouthed the word- what on earth was Annie planning for the duration of their stay?
"Don't look so worried," Annie laughed, intercepting their look. "I would never do anything you guys didn't want to do, or I didn't think you would enjoy... but, come on...!"
"We'll see,"Joseph said calmly, before Clarisse added hastily:
"It's not that we wouldn't want to go to them, but it might be difficult in regards to security...."
"It's alright,"Annie replied happily. "I just wanted to see your faces if I suggested it!"
The day was fun, as Annie had promised, although Clarisse was appalled at all the paparazzi that hung around Annie as they walked down Rodeo Drive- of course, it was a good thing that she was being recognised, but still.... there would be some point when it would be an invasion of privacy.... The press in Genovia were intrusive, but they also knew that there were boundaries that needed to be respected.... But this- all the intrusive questions, the continuing flashes of the camera, the shouting over other people... she was very grateful that they were walking behind her....
"It's part of the job," was all Annie said when Clarisse spoke about it. "It's not quite so bad for me as it is for some bigger stars.... but...."her happy smile convinced the others that she was enjoying the attention for the moment. "But, trust me, I will have boundaries in place when it goes too far....!"
"Good," Clarisse said approvingly- she, more than the other three, understood the importance of boundaries, a divide between the public and private lives. "So, what's going to happen tonight?"
"It's relatively easy- the premiere is at about 7:30, so I'll send the car to pick you up, then come back for me... We then go onto the theatre together, but it could be chaotic- apparently I've heard that quite a few stars are going to attend, so no one will probably notice you..."
"We understand... that you're ashamed of your family!" BJ roared with laughter.
"Yes, especially you, Dad," Annie replied cheekily. "Anyway, there's the movie, I may have to do some publicity after it, and then the after party.... it's a fairly big night, but it's also fun!"
0
To Clarisse, the evening seemed to fly by in moments... it seemed like they were stepping into the waiting car, all of them looking very glamorous and, before she knew it, they were pulling up at the theatre. One could hear the screaming and shouting even with the doors closed, and she was momentarily blinded when the driver opened the door for Annie to step out first.
"This is it," Annie murmured with a cheeky grin at the others, before stepping out, and the noise of the crowd instantly increased one hundred fold. For a moment, Clarisse was a little unsure about all of this- of course, it was for Annie, and she did want to do it, but all the cameras, all the journalists... it was more than a little overwhelming, and she had never had had this problem in Genovia....
"Oh boy," she heard BJ murmur from opposite her, and she was suddenly glad that she wasn't the only one that was unnerved by all the press. "Do we really want to do this, or can we just drive away now?"
"You know we can't do that," Lynn chided gently, but even she sounded a little overwhelmed. Joseph, on the other hand, wasn't particularly surprised- Annie had been acting for quite a while now, and it was understandable that she had fans interested... but, then again, he had seen all of this before, with Clarisse, even though she mightn't remember much of it.....
"We'd better go," Joseph pressed her arm gently, before sliding out, ready to help her out. He could tell that she was nervous, but he was fairly confident in these situations- he was amused to see that even BJ looked taken aback...
When Clarisse finally stepped out, she was again momentarily blinded by all the cameras flashing, and she clutched Joseph's arm tightly as they, BJ and Lynn close behind them, followed their guide through the crowd of celebrities and visiting guests to the open theatre door. They passed Annie on the way, who was answering questions for a television reporter, and Clarisse managed to hear them ask:
"Is it true that your aunt by marriage is the former Queen of Genovia, and that she's here tonight?"
Before she could hear Annie's response, Clarisse hastily kept her face averted from the press and hurried inside- this was Annie's night, and she didn't want to detract the attention away from her. Inside the theatre, people were still milling around, chatting, rather than going into the theatre, but Annie had obviously thought beforehand about them, and they were quickly guided to their seats.
"Whew!" BJ managed to say when they were settled, watching people drift in. "That was... astounding!"
"Absolutely," Clarisse affirmed with a smile, before turning to smile at Joseph. "But you didn't seem too worried at all, darling."
"You mightn't remember this, but you attracted that sort of attention... you still do- this, this was a piece of cake..."
0
After the film ended (and Clarisse loved every minute of it- Annie was a very good actress, and she could well see her making a name for herself in Hollywood), their guide (probably someone from the studios) returned to escort them back to the car (a much quieter route than their entrance), and they were taken to the premiere party at a nearby night club.
The four of them didn't know anywhere there, of course, so they sat together at a table with their drinks, but both Lynn and Clarisse were rather excited when they spotted a few actors that they had heard of.
"Next thing you know, you'll be wanting their autographs!"BJ teased as Lynn glared at him, before Annie suddenly appeared at the table.
"Hi... how did you enjoy the movie?"
"I don't know about the others, but I liked it very much," Clarisse said warmly, leaning over and pressing her hand. "You were wonderful in it, darling, and I was very proud of you!"
"I guess I can't tell any embarrassing stories about you now, can I?" Joseph asked with a grin, but Clarisse knew he was very proud of her too.
"That's right... oops, I have to go... I'm sorry I can't spend more time with you...."
"Don't worry about us," Lynn said calmly. "We know tonight is about you, so you go and enjoy yourself!"
The rest of the evening passed by quickly, and Clarisse was somewhat amused when she and Lynn came back from the ladies room to see a group of attractive young women talking to Joseph and BJ, both of whom were rather uncomfortable but also looking pleased with themselves.... But, she was considerably less amused when she saw one girl in particular lean up against him and whisper into his ear, her hand fiddling with his jacket pocket, running a hand up and down his arm, and she quickly stepped over.
"Hello, what's going on here?" she asked in a sweet voice as the girls quickly pulled away from both men, and looked both Clarisse and Lynn down before Joseph quickly jumped in, walking over to stand beside Clarisse.
"Ladies, this is my wife, Clarisse, and this is Benjamin's wife Lynn...."
Clarisse almost burst out laughing at the use of BJ's full name- in the two years she had known him, he had hated being called Benjamin.... but now....
"Nice to meet you," the girl who had been draping herself all over Joseph said with a small smile. "We were just talking... my friends and I were saying that both your husbands are hot... and we thought we'd come over and say hello...."
Again Clarisse was hard pressed not to burst out laughing, particularly at the description of her husband as 'hot', but she also didn't want to encourage the girls to flirt with married men....She, and she was sure Lynn was feeling the same, felt a little old and dour compared to these beautiful young girls, but no one would never know the difference as she quickly thought up something to say.
"Yes, I'm a very lucky woman," Clarisse said, looking at Joseph with a sweet smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt you, darling, but Lynn and I was just saying it was getting late, and we might consider going back to the hotel."
"Sounds like a good idea," Joseph said enthusiastically- thankfully, while he was flattered by the young women flirting with him, he also knew that Clarisse wouldn't stand for it, and he didn't want to hurt her in the slightest... besides, he wasn't at all interested.
"I think I saw Annie over there.....Excuse us, it was a pleasure to meet you all... and good luck in your auditions..." he turned back to the girls and bowed slightly before walking away, Clarisse's arm through his as BJ and Lynn followed.
0
"You were jealous, weren't you?" he teased when they were finally alone in their hotel suite, and she shrugged as she sat down on the side of the bed and kicked off her shoes.
"Of course I was, and you know why," she said calmly, not at all angry as she turned and smiled at him. "If it was someone else, I would be angry, but this.... this was sweet... and they... thought you were HOT," she suddenly burst out laughing, falling back on the bed as Joseph laughed and sat down next to her.
"Are you saying I'm not hot?" he sounded mock insulted as he gazed down at her laughing face. "I could be insulted by that...."
"Oh sweetheart, you know I think you're the most handsome man in the world, but... those girls, just... fawning over you....Yes, I was a little jealous, but...."
"You know I wasn't attracted to any of them- I'm old enough to be their grandfather, for goodness sake.... But yes," he mused with a smile. "I'm glad I've still got it.... But they were only attracted to me because I was married... .Married men are usually unattainable, thus that makes the chase even more fun...."
"Kind of like married women?" she teased, sitting up and stroking his cheek gently.
"Only one married woman... I would not have gone for other men's wives... but you...." he chuckled as he leaned over and kissed her gently. "You had something that was irresistible...."
"Maybe I should get some plastic surgery, just to...." She was only teasing, but he looked alarmed as he grabbed both of her hands in his.
"Don't you dare- you are gorgeous the way you are, and I don't want you to change...." before he realised that she was teasing him. "You little...." before he leaned over and kissed her firmly this time.
"I was also thinking.... "she continued when he finally pulled away, and stood up to continue undressing. "I love seeing how close you and the rest of your family are... I think, when we get back to Genovia... I might tell Mia about her grandfather.... the real story...."
"That sounds like a good idea....I'm sure she'll support you all the way...."
"I hope so," she murmured as Joseph walked into the bathroom.... She would never admit it, but she was worried about Mia's reaction.... She wasn't sure how this was going to go....