Hey everyone, I want to say a quick thanks to you all for reading the latest chapter and a special thank you to bee-327, Chelsietx and SchaMG for taking the time to leave wonderful reviews on it for me. You really are wonderful, and I appreciate it so so much.
Here's the next chapter for you all, which I had to spilt again into two as it got a little long, and I didn't want some detailing to be missed. Because, as mentioned before, I absolutely love love love to read when you comment on things happening in the chapter. It's my motivation and keeps me going, those lovely long reviews :).
Also, I would like to say that there are some people out there who believe Clarisse wouldn't behave a certain way. Being Royalty and all. But hey, guess what, it's fiction and all a bit of light-hearted fun. Because who knows how she would behave now that she's free and getting to live her life how she wants?
Now, on with the chapter… hope you all enjoy it!
"Heeeey," Vee smiled as Clarisse sat down in the end seat before shuffling along towards her, for Joseph to sit down next to her. "You're finally joining us."
"Yes we are," Joseph laughed as Clarisse rose to her feet and smoothed her hands down the back of the skirt of her dress before sitting back down and getting comfortable beside him.
"You're just in time, too," Juana smiled.
"What do you mean, just in time?" Clarisse asked and smiled across the table at her just as Gigi appeared at their table with a tray of shots for everyone. And realising who it was, setting the tray down in front of them, Clarisse turned her attention to her husband sitting beside her the whole time that she was at the table.
"Are you okay?" Joseph asked, looking at Clarisse and watched as she nodded before he leant closer to her, to kiss her cheek and whispering in her ear while placing his hand down on her thigh. "There's no need to be jealous."
"I'm no-," Clarisse began and stopped with a shake of her head as Joseph pulled his head back and looked into her eyes.
"Okay, enjoy," Gigi smiled and glanced to Joseph, still leaning in close to Clarisse before walking away.
"You were, my love, I could tell," Joseph whispered as she looked down at the table a moment. "You have absolutely no need to be jealous. Remember that. You are the one I'm with, the one I love, no one else."
Nodding, Clarisse looked back up at him and leant closer to kiss him before turning her head to look at the table. "What's with all the shots?" She asked and looked back at her husband, studying his face a moment, while putting her hand down on the top of his resting on her thigh.
"They are for all of us," Joseph smiled at Clarisse. "You see, it's become a bit of an Elizondo tradition whenever I visit. We all have one or two,"
"Or three or four," Diego pipped up from across the table and smirked as both Clarisse and Joseph looked over at him.
"Yes, or three or four. Except for Diego of course, since he's driving tonight," Joseph laughed while looking back at Clarisse, who remained looking at Diego a few seconds more as he laughed and shrugged, before finally looking back at her husband, "anyway, we have a few shots together."
"Sounds like an interesting night," Clarisse smiled and watched him reach his arm across the table to the tray to take one of the shots and set it down in front of him while lifting his other hand from her thigh and slipping his arm along the back of the seat behind her.
"Oh it is, it can get very interesting indeed," Joseph smiled cheekily and looked back at her, "you don't have to have one though, unless you want one of course," he smiled as she averted her gaze away, contemplating the idea a moment before looking back at him. "Are you thinking about it?" He smirked.
"Well, I want to be more adventurous and I am an Elizondo now so it's only fair that I join in too," Clarisse smiled while reaching her arm across the table and picked up a shot from the tray before looking back at her husband. "Right?"
"Oh I love it when you reference your married name," Joseph growled while leaning in closer to her as she set the shot down on the table in front of her. "I want you, Clarisse," he whispered against her lips and kissed her.
Pulling back, Clarisse smiled and studied his face. "You'll have to wait until later, I'm afraid," she said and took her bottom lip between her teeth as he leant closer to her once again, to whisper in her ear.
"I know a quiet place we could go?" He whispered and lowered his head to kiss her neck.
"Joseph, no," Clarisse laughed as she pulled back a little more to look at him now, his eyes so full of desire for her. Smiling, her own desire for him building within her, she raised her hand up to his face and pressed her forefinger to his lips. "Behave, you," she whispered as he kissed her finger, causing her tummy to flutter. Oh, how she wanted him and couldn't wait for them to be home. But they had to get through the rest of the night with his family first.
"You're telling me to behave, but yet you have done nothing but tease me all evening," he smirked and watched as she tipped her head back, laughing a moment. That deep belly laugh he loved so much. Before she lifted her head to look back at him. A flirty smile on her lips.
"Come on now, we have shots to drink," she smirked mischievously and put her hand down on his thigh while lifting the shot glass up from the table with her other hand.
"I love what you did there," Joseph smirked and studied her face as she gasped.
"What did I do?" Clarisse laughed and bit her bottom lip as he leant closer to her. To whisper in her ear.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about, but it's okay because I'll get you back later," he smirked while pulling back to look into her eyes.
"Oh you will, will you?" She smiled and tilted her head while studying his face. Contemplating his words a moment as he laughed beside her. "And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Okay, here we go," he said, picking up his shot glass and holding it up in front of him, completely ignoring her question as she laughed and shook her head. "On the count of three," he smiled, glancing to her. "One, two, three, go!"
And there, on go, they both downed their shots before Joseph leant closer to her while laughing, as she gasped and put her free hand up to cover her mouth in surprise. "Oh my god," she exclaimed and waved her hand in front of her face. "It's burning my throat."
"It does, it certainly packs a punch that's for sure," Joseph laughed while looking down at the shot glass in his hand a moment before setting it down on the table and looking back up at Clarisse. "Are you okay?" He asked, putting his hand out onto her thigh.
"Yes," Clarisse nodded while putting her shot glass down on the table in front of her and turning in her seat to face him now resting against the backrest of his seat. "Are you?"
"Oh yes, absolutely," he smiled and nodded. "You got to remember I'm used to this, whereas you're not."
"I know, and I definitely think I'm going to regret it in the morning, especially since I usually limit myself to one glass of champagne," she said, and they both laughed.
"It's a good job that Mia isn't here then, isn't it? What with you giving her that advice on not getting too drunk last week," Joseph smirked, and Clarisse nodded.
"Oh, god, could you imagine what she would say?" Clarisse laughed as she looked at the tray of shots on the table a moment as Joseph smoothed his thumb back and forth over the top of her thigh. "You know, apart from the occasional shot of scotch, I have never had this type of shot before."
"I know you haven't," he smiled, and she looked back at him. "You never cease to amaze me, though, you know?"
"Why?" She asked and crossed her legs before leaning against the backrest of her seat next to him.
"Well because you're not afraid to try all these new things," he smiled, lifting his hand from her thigh and raising it up to brush her hair back behind her ear as she leant closer to him and put her arm up around the top of his back.
"It's all down to you, of course. I wouldn't be able to do any of this if it wasn't for you being right there beside me," she smiled and put her other hand up to rest on the top of his shoulder closer to her. Her forefinger toying with his earring and stroking over his jaw and cheek. "It's because of you that I'm stronger. More confident. And it's because of you that I finally know what love is."
Smiling, he leant closer and kissed her. Letting his lips linger a moment against hers before she pulled back and turned to sit properly in her seat, her legs still crossed next to him, as he wrapped his arm around the top of her back, his hand resting over the top of her shoulder while reaching his other hand out in front of him to pick up his glass of scotch from the table. Taking a sip of it as Clarisse cleared her throat and put her hand out onto his thigh next to her.
Smiling, she turned her head to look up at him as she put her other hand up, taking hold of his hand over her shoulder in hers and entwined their fingers together before lifting his hand to her face and kissing the side of his wrist as he placed his glass back down on the table and looked up at her. "I love you," he whispered.
"I love you too," she whispered back and closed her eyes as he leant in and kissed her. His free hand going up to cup her face.
"Okay, who would like another shot?" Isabella asked a short time later and picked up two shots from the tray, placing one in front of her mother and one in front of her aunt Juana. "Tío José, tía Clarisse, would you like one?"
"Oh go on then," Joseph smirked across at her then at Clarisse sitting beside him. "We are on vacation after all."
"Yes we are," Clarisse smiled at him, giving his thigh a small squeeze.
"Great," Isabella smiled while placing a shot in front of Joseph before looking at Clarisse. "Are you having one, too?"
"I'll regret it terribly in the morning, but yes I'll have one too," Clarisse laughed while letting go of Joseph's hand resting over her shoulder, and they both sat up.
"Yes!" Isabella exclaimed happily and set a shot down on the table in front of her before looking around the table. "Everyone's got one. Good."
"Are we doing a countdown?" Vee asked as she picked up her shot.
"No," Isabella laughed while picking up hers. "Let's just do cheers and down them."
"Alright," Vee laughed as everyone else picked up their shots and held them up.
"Wait, wait, wait," isabella suddenly exclaimed and looked down at her phone, still hiding in her lap before looking around them. "I need someone to take a photo of us together," she smiled, spotting Sara and waving her over. To ask if she could take the photo for them.
"This is definitely a picture that we won't be showing Mia," Joseph whispered in Clarisse's ear before watching her turn her head to him.
"Oh, I know," she replied, and they both laughed.
"Okay everyone, say cheese," Sara smiled a moment later as she stood back and held the phone up to take the picture of them all.
"Cheese," everyone at the table said in unison as Sara snapped a couple of photos of them all.
"Thank you, Sara," Isabella smiled and took the phone back from her.
"No problem," Sara smiled and walked away.
"Okay, now we can drink the shots," Isabella smiled, and they all held their shots up. "Cheers."
"Cheers," everyone else said before downing their shots and gasping.
"Oh, I'm definitely going to regret this in the morning," Clarisse gasped and closed her eyes with a shake of her head as Joseph laughed beside her.
"Good job we don't have any plans first thing then isn't it," he laughed and put his glass back down on the table.
"Yes, it is a good job," she gasped, her throat still tingling from the alcohol, and looked up at him before putting her hand up to cover her mouth a moment. "Remind me, what are the plans for tomorrow?"
"Lunch and shopping," Joseph smirked as she finally put her glass back up on the table.
"Oh well, depending on how we are then, I think we might have to do that on a different day," Clarisse said as Joseph leant closer to her and pressed his lips to hers.
"Okay," he said and moved his face closer to her ear. "I'm going to go and get us another drink," he whispered and kissed her shoulder before sitting back.
"Okay," Clarisse smiled and turned her head to watch him.
"I'll be back," he smiled and got to his feet as everyone at the table looked up at him. "Anyone else want a drink that isn't a shot?" He laughed.
"I will, tío José," Isabella smiled and held up her nearly empty glass as everyone else shook their heads. "Same as I had before, please."
"Coming right up," he smiled and turned to walk away from their table.
"Thank you," Isabella called after him and smiled back at Clarisse. "You having a great night tía Clarisse?"
"Oh I am, I'm having a lot of fun," Clarisse smiled and picked up her drink, taking a sip of it before setting her glass back down.
"Good, I am too," Isabella smiled. "Especially with you and tío José being here."
"Good," Clarisse smiled and, with her legs still crossed, clasped her hands together and slipped them down onto the front of her knee.