After redoing her make-up, Clarisse made her way back down to her office. Where she found Joseph alone, bent over the coffee table straightening out the vase of flowers, a box of tissues, a stack of books and a tray with three different size candles on it. All the items that had been on there before they removed them for the rings Steve had brought for them to look at.
"Enjoying the view, are we?" Joseph asked as he put his hands flat on the table and twisted his body to look over at her standing beside the door, her hand still on the handle.
Smiling, Clarisse nodded. "Oh, of course," she said and finally closed the door before turning back to him as he laughed at her response. "Has Steve gone?"
"Yes, he had to get back to the shop," he nodded as he stood back up straight and turned to her slowly walking over to him. "But he told me to tell you that it was a pleasure meeting you."
"Well, I hope you told him I said the same," Clarisse smiled as she stepped closer in front of him and put her arms up, snaking them around his shoulders.
"Of course," Joseph smiled as he put his hands on her sides under her jacket and snaked his arms around her waist. "I said I will pop into the shop later to collect your rings while I'm out and about."
"Alright," Clarisse nodded, moving a hand onto the back of his neck. "I'm sorry again for getting emotional earlier."
"You don't need to apologise, I understand," Joseph said as he looked into her eyes. "How are you feeling now?"
"Better," Clarisse nodded.
"Good," he smiled, "and listen, I have been thinking."
"Okay," Clarisse smiled as she tilted her head, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of his head. A favourite thing she now loved to do. "Go on?"
"Tonight I'm going to take you out to dinner," Joseph smiled, his hands smoothing up her back under her jacket.
"Like a date?" Clarisse asked, thinking a moment. "Do you realise that we have never actually been on a date? We have snuggled once or twice in front of the fire over the last few years, but never actually had dinner together."
"No we haven't," Joseph said, contemplating a moment. "Well tonight we will be and I'm going to take you somewhere special. Just the two of us," he said and turned his head a little to the side, "wow how strange does that sound, just the two of us?"
"It does, it sounds very strange," Clarisse laughed lightly as Joseph looked back at her and smiled. "It's going to be bizarre not having several guards there too, but it'll be nice. Just the two of us."
"Yes, it will be," Joseph smiled and kissed her a couple of times. "I better go now and let you prepare for your meeting. Please make sure you eat something before the Prime Minister arrives."
"I will," Clarisse nodded and reached up to kiss him once more before they stepped apart. "I'll see you later."
"Can't wait," he said and watched her walk over to her desk before he made his way over to the door where he stopped and turned back to her. "We will be leaving about seven, is that okay?"
Looking up at him from behind her desk, Clarisse nodded. "Yes, the meeting will hopefully be finished by four so that'll give me plenty of time to get ready."
"Okay," Joseph said and flashed her a flirty smile before leaving her.
Putting a hand down on her desk, Clarisse bit her bottom lip and pressed her other hand to her stomach as it fluttered with butterflies. To say she was nervous was an understatement. She had never been on a date before, heard about them all the time from her sister and friends but had never experienced being on one herself. Royals never went on 'dates' it wasn't the done thing, being seen out for a romantic dinner together and now here she was, about to go out on one that night with her husband.
"And my god," she suddenly panicked, "what am I going to wear?"
Trying desperately to think clearly, she picked up the phone and dialled through to her assistant.
"Hello, Your Majesty," Charlotte said, answering the phone. "How may I help?"
"Hello Charlotte, I was wondering if you might come and see me in my office," Clarisse said as she pulled out her chair and took a seat behind her desk. "I require your assistance on a personal matter."
"I'm on my way," Charlotte replied.
"Thank you," Clarisse said hanging up and leaving her hand on the handset a moment. Trying to keep her composure.
Once the meeting with the Prime Minister was over, Clarisse finished the odds and ends that she needed to do before gathering up the few bits she had requested Charlotte's help with earlier on, a new dress, matching floor-length jacket and lingerie set, and a pair of matching shoes, plus a few other little bits, all things that she would be wearing to dinner tonight, and made her way up to her suite. It had been a long day, and she was tired, but she was really looking forward to spending the evening with her husband. Her husband. That thought made her smile. The thought that he was now her husband and was finally hers after all these years still made her feel all giddy. Young. Weak at the knees.
Walking into her bedroom and seeing him lying on their bed in his robe with his arm tucked up under his head, his other hand resting on his chest and his legs crossed at the ankle made her smile. "Hello you," she said softly and closed the door behind her.
"Hello you too," he smiled and lifted his head as she walked over to stand in front of the bench at the foot of the bed.
"Were you asleep?" She asked.
"Nearly," he smiled and rested his head back down on his arm. "How'd the meeting go?"
"As well as can be expected, although I'm sure Sebastian thought I had gone loopy," she said with a smile, making her way across the room to her closet door.
"Why would he think that?" Joseph asked, sitting up and resting back on his pillows piled against the headboard as Clarisse disappeared into her closet.
"Because," Clarisse began as she hung up the garment bag, containing her dress, jacket and lingerie, on the back of the door and put the other items that she had been carrying down on her dressing table, to sort out later, before slipping of her shoes and jacket. "I couldn't stop thinking about you."
"And he knew that, how?" Joseph asked as she came back into the bedroom while removing her scarf from around her neck and stopped a moment to look at him, her eyebrow raised. "You said you were sure he thought you had gone loopy."
"Oh, yes," she smiled as she walked over to the bed. "Because I couldn't keep the smile from my face. I just couldn't hide it. Smiling like some mad, crazy woman."
"Ooh well, I'm sure he understands," Joseph laughed and reached out for her scarf, slipping it from her hand as she knelt on the bed beside him and undone the top three buttons of her blouse. "What was in the garment bag and box you brought in with you?"
"You'll find out soon enough," she teased and placed her hands down on her thighs as she watched him playing with her scarf a moment before extending his arm out to her.
"Come here you, I missed you today," he said as she moved on the bed, nestling herself in the crook of his arm. "Mmm hello."
Tipping her head back, Clarisse smiled and reached up to kiss him, "Hello," she said and rested her head on his chest while wrapping her arm around his waist.
"You sound tired," he said, smoothing his arm up and down her arm.
"I am a little, but I'll be okay," she said and they fell silent a moment. Just simply enjoying being together. "Are you naked under there?" She suddenly asked and Joseph couldn't help but laugh.
"Not quite, I have my boxers on," he said, smiling against her forehead. "I had a shower earlier so that the bathroom would be free for you when you came up."
"Ahh okay," Clarisse said before tipping her head back to look up at him. "I see you managed to get the clothing rails down and brought some of your clothes from your suite, but did you manage to get everything else done that you had to do today?"
"Yep," he nodded, "I did, with Nicholas's help."
"Good," Clarisse said, resting her head back on his chest, "and did you have time to go and get his stuff too?"
"We did, luckily his uncle wasn't there," Joseph said, his hand moving around to her back.
"That's good," she said and closed her eyes momentarily. "I better go and get in the shower before I end up falling asleep, but before I do, can I do something that I have always wanted to do?"
"Of course you can," Joseph smiled and watched as she sat up, put a hand on his shoulder to balance herself and slid one leg across his lap until she was straddling him. "Oh my, this is very unexpected," he said in surprise, his hands instinctively going to her sides as she got comfortable on his lap. "Out of all the things I thought you were going to do, this was not one of them."
"I know, I'm surprised too," she smiled, placing her hands on his chest.
"How come you wanted to do this?" He smiled. "Not that I'm complaining, of course, I'm just curious."
"Well I thought it was romantic after reading it in some of the romance novels that I have read over the years, and seeing it in movies too, I wanted to try it myself but never really had a chance to until now," she smiled.
"Well if this is the something that you've always wanted to do, then you ain't gotta ask next time. Just do it." He grinned quite happily as Clarisse laughed and leaned in closer to him. "And if you're feeling comfortable enough, maybe we could try this again later. Let you be in charge tonight."
Running her tongue across her lips in anticipation, her heart rate tripled as she considered the meaning of his words. "Mmm, we'll see," she whispered softly against his lips and kissed him. Deepening it as his hands wrapped around her waist and down to cup her bottom. "I may after a couple glasses of champagne."
"I am really, really loving this new you," Joseph expressed happily a moment later, one hand remaining on her bottom, his other hand going up to brush her hair back behind her ear. "I have really unleashed something in you haven't I?"
"Oh yes you have," Clarisse nodded and kissed him once again. "And you know what I've just realised?"
"What's that," Joseph asked, studying her face.
"You have an obsession with my bottom," she smiled.
"Well what do you expect having to walk close behind you for most of my life," Joseph smirked mischievously and gave her bottom a little squeeze, making her laugh. "Good god woman, I love your laugh. It's so sexy," he said sitting up and nuzzling her neck. "You're so sexy."
"Ah ah, before you, we, get too carried away," Clarisse laughed as she pulled back and cupped his face in her hands, his arms still around her waist, "I need to go and get ready for our date."
"You're such a tease," he said, kissing her on the lips and then her jaw as he reluctantly let her go.
"Payback for earlier," she smirked teasingly and kissed him back once more before climbing from his lap and from the bed.
"You got me, you got me good," Joseph smirked, watching her laugh as she walked around the bed and across the room to her closet. A sway in her hips as she went. "I guess I'll get dressed while you're in the shower then."
"Okay, and remember no peeking at what I brought up earlier. I will know if you have," Clarisse said, looking back over her shoulder at him with a cheeky smile before disappearing into her closet.
"As if I would," Joseph replied with a laugh and tipped his head back against his pillows. Feeling like the luckiest man alive.
He'd had a few girlfriends over the years, but nothing ever too serious. He could never fully commit to them, not when his heart belonged to another, even if she was married to someone else at the time. No one compares to Clarisse, she is certainly one of a kind. The only woman he had ever truly loved and now that they were married he simply couldn't get enough of her.