𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐚𝐧

35. Velvet Fantasy

8 PM

The house lights blacked out and the place came alive in the darkness. Slowly, a large screen lowered onto the stage, the words Velvet Fantasy rippling in an image. The opening audio cut on, sending a low hum throughout the room and the crowd began chanting my name, the only name they ever knew to address me with.

Prince! Prince! Prince!

"Can you hear me?" I teased from the shadows. The reply of screams were loud and clear. Paisley Park was ready.

DAT Intro 2 bled through the speakers, the acapella For You from my very first album, my very first Track 1. DAT Intro was a pre-recording first played during the Nude Tour. This mix was slightly different. Started out the same, but after For You cut off a montage began to play on the screen to go along with the audio and I switched up some of the clips. Everyone was hit with the drumline to Nasty Girl. Images of Vanity 6 flashed across the screen. Some screamed like the trio was 'bout ready to rip through it. Then it was just Vanity and I on the Rolling Stone cover. And more and more of us. That Darling Nikki guitar riff began to loop.

Folks around the world were witnessing never-before-seen photos of Vanity and I. In one, her mouth was on mine.

Your dirty little Prince wanna grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind, grind!

     Shattered glass.

You make me so confused.

     Piano and a scene of Vanity walking off. Susannah Melvoin cut in...

The beautiful ones you always seem to lose.

You see my pattern. Every woman I ever been tied to by the media was on that screen. Sheila E. got a special spotlight too, the audio of me singing Noon Rendezvous as everyone watched snippets of us live on tour together. Paparazzi shots of me and Kim Basinger flew by for a hot second. Private photos of Analia and I too. Even Carmen was put up there. By the end of the film, all the various images were flipping so fast it was hard to catch a glance. It was hard to keep up with Prince's romances.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life. Electric word-life, it means forever and that's a mighty long time but I'm here tell you...there's something else.

Accompanied by a long beep, colorful blocks came on the screen. The sound and image slowly began to fade, and a picture of Aívy and I embraced was coming into focus. The screen was being pulled back up and before anyone could catch the photo in clarity, it was gone and Aívy was there at the piano, playing her Welcome 2 Love composition.

The Diamonds and Pearls Tour ended with her at the piano so I wanted this special to pick up where we left off. Then I wanted to blow minds. For the longest, no one knew her name. Before E.T. they were calling her "the mysterious beauty at the piano". From the buzz, it was clear she was exceptionally talented. But now it was time to start unraveling her.

Aívy stopped, silencing the stage, drawing everyone in as she picked up the microphone that was hidden beside her thigh. Pushing it in place, there in the mic stand hovering over her keys, she brought her red lips to it.

"Down on your knees." Acapella, these were her first sung words to the world. "I said I want you down on your knees." Letting the seduction permeate through the crowd, she paused, soaking in their satisfaction. "Honey..." The keys would accent her words now. "I want you, baby, beggin', me to bed, legs to spread, my love is red, til I'm dead I want that..." She let imaginations run wild, bubbling out an unrehearsed laugh that nearly threw my heart out of work.