Legend

The travelers

Damian had very little work in London, actually, just three fairly brief meetings scheduled. He spent the rest of the time showing me the city. We hit tourist highlights like the London Eye and the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace, the V&A and the British Museum, but he also took me shopping and added to my wardrobe as much as I'd let him. He liked a strapless evening gown, but I was a little self-conscious; the surgery on my shoulder had left two scars, despite the tissue accelerator, and I'd become pretty notorious in New York as a result of the Joker thing and was self-conscious. Damian kissed one of them and told me never to be embarrassed by them, that they were tokens of my strength and skill. After that, I had to get the dress. London was wonderful, an equal mix of sun and rain. I enjoyed the rain, Damian did not.

"You won't melt, sweetheart," I said fondly as we strolled along.

Damian shuddered. "It's not so much the rain as it the clamminess," he said. But he was in a good mood. He'd had a last-minute meeting and come back with a big smile on his face. I'd been out on my own looking for a present for him and I'd found one at Graff. He met me just outside and he looked a little panicked when he saw where I'd come from.

"Relax, honey," I said as I took his arm. "I'm not going to be dragging you into any stores."

"You never do," he said, amused, relaxing. "I drag you." It was getting dark, and we returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner, which we had in the hotel, then retired back to the suite. The ceiling was glass, open to the sky, so we could see the stars or the storms, and we made the most of it, making love and talking as we watched the sky.

The next morning after breakfast, the hotel conveyed us to the airport, where we took off for Prague. A short flight in the luxurious jet was nothing, the trip through customs brief, and soon we were checking into the Hotel Paris, a delightful Gothic Revival/Art Nouveau place. Damian had reserved the Tower suite for us. It was fantastic. The bedroom was on one floor, and above, using a beautiful cast-iron spiral staircase, was a room that had a 360 degree view of Prague, including the castle and Old Town and New Town. The bedroom was very cozy, decorated in a soft red, cream, gold, and black. The bed faced a round window reminiscent of the suite Damian and I had had at the St Regis back in the city, but with an amazing view of the castle.

The weather was chilly but perfect, and on our first day, we went to Old Town and caught the famous Astronomical Clock on the hour, with its display of the twelve apostles, Tyn church, climbed the Hall Tower for a look around, Wenceslas Square, the Powder Tower, and the beautiful Municipal House. We walked Charles Bridge and climbed the towers for the view on each side. We had dinner out, then returned to the hotel for a nightcap up in the lounge. I felt decadent sprawled on the sumptuous sofa in the new silk robe Damian had bought me in London. We cuddled and talked about the day, what we'd liked the best, what we wanted to see the next day. Then I brought out a small box from my pocket and gave it to him. "This is such an amazing trip. I've loved having you mostly to myself, and I wanted you to have a reminder of it." He opened the box to find white gold cufflinks set with square-cut sapphires that sparkled just like his eyes.

"Sweet pea. These are fantastic," he said, watching the stones catch the light. "Thank you. Now I know what I'll be wearing to my business meeting."

"I hope more than cufflinks," I said, then melted into his kiss. He chuckled.

"Yeah, there'll be a suit involved. Don't want to intimidate them too much with my manly physique," he said, and it was my turn to laugh. "So that's what you were doing in Graff. I thought you might have picked something up for yourself."

"I've got enough jewelry that you've given me," I said.

"Did you see anything you like?"

"Tons, it was all sparkly in there and you know how I am." He guffawed. "There was a pretty bracelet that looked like stylized flowers, but nothing I can't live without. And I don't want you going back and buying it. Or getting on the phone or the internet or having somebody buy it. It was pretty, but I prefer the bracelet you gave me for my birthday."