35 Candles - The Sequel of « **Dancing on a Purple Cloud ** »

One blow at a time

We had been together for at least more than three and a half years. We were now used to eachother. We even knew when or how to step in and out of the space we called home. I was looking at my reflection in the mirror and smirked while adjusting my collar with my matching jacket puffy sleeves.
-« Mama, Time for work! Are you about ready? » I knocked on the bathroom door.
-« Give me 5, OK? »
-« I' ll wait for you in the conference room. »
-« I'll be right out. » Carla chanted.
I had hired a whole new staff at Paisley Park and it was the first day of spring. Each season meant a different schedule and brand new perspectives. I was excited for my new projects and studio A had been totally refurnished to my likings with the help of my beautiful partner. Auditions were about to start again and probably not going to end until late past midnight.
I sat at the kitchen table with James and Robin. They were counting the drinks and putting away all the catering inside the refrigerators.
-« Put all the sparkling waters at the bottom, so we will have more room for the cakes. » I advised them while drinking my first mug of mint tea of the day.
-« Where would you like the snacks to go, Sir? » Robin asked almost leaning backwards from caring all these oversized boxes.
- « Drop them slowly on the storage floor, please. James knows exactly where all of these go, right? » I looked over in his direction and waited.
- « Sir, Yes, Sir » James clicked his heels on cue.
I smirked in amusement, took my mug and left the room to head to where Carla and I had agreed to start our productive day. The elevator dinged and I felt a hand slowly caressing my back.
- « I was ready to call the cops on you!» I warned Carla half jokingly.
-« Oh, do you think they would have enjoyed my steamy nudity? » She whispered in my ear.
I furrowed my brows and hit the upper floor. Carla almost made me spill my tea while attempting to eat a piece of me only with her batting eyes.
-" Don't make my suit all wet!" I put my steamy cup right between us in self- defense.
- " Try me!" Carla slowy blew vapor back in my direction.
The elevator dinged again and it marked the end of our little round.

The conference room table was filled with old and new drafts of past albums and tour books. Some of my most notable costumes were neatly hanging from a portable rack and their matching shoes  neatly placed at the bottom. My stage clothes designer and her assistant were already discussing colors, sizes, textiles while comparing mood boards. I had helped writing them notes and OK'd over a thousand fashion magazines covers.
-" Good morning, ladies!" We both greeted them while entering the room.
-"Good morning, Boss! How are you today? " They both stood and bowed lightly.
-" Quite well, thank you. Are the seamstresses already here?" I asked knowingly flipping through the last Vogue issue.
-" Yes, they are, putting the last touches on the Gala suit and dress we talked about last night." Stacia replied while inverting patterns on a cardboard.
-"Good, good! Babe, could you please go to the sound stage to see if the band has arrived and let them know I'll be down in a short bit. Ring me if they are, OK? I'll stay between here and the workshop right across the hall." I smiled.
- "Okay. Anything else? " Carla asked without missing a cue.
-"No, I'm fine." I moved the rack of clothes to the back of the room so I could have more space to walk around.

****

I walked towards the main reception to see if the musicians had arrived.
-« Good morning Miss Johnson. How are you today? » The young lady welcomed me with a timid smile.
-« Good morning, Ayana ! Has anyone checked in yet? » I asked trying to read the register from a distance.
-« Oh, just let me see...We have Mr Hayes and Mr Barbarella in the Sound Stage...Mr Parke in the editing room and ...3 ladies for the dance audition are already waiting in Studio B. » Ayanna kept the book close to her chest.
-« Ok, I'll go to the soundstage and let them know Prince will be down shortly. Thanks! » I gave her the thumbs up and walked away.
- « Anytime...» She bowed and waved shyly.
I walked down the corridor, passed the vestibule then turned the corner and saw that the double doors were ajar. Morris Hayes and Tommy Barbarella were already on stage apparently in the middle of soundcheck playing a few of Prince's biggest hits on a loop.
- «  Hey, Tommy! Have you seen the two dancing chicks in Studio B? Ooowweee! Boy, I wish I was doing the audition this time! » Morris Hayes said bopping his head to the blasting music.
-«  Nuh, Man! I came in late. Missed them about the second. I know Prince asked me to play for the audition a week ago, tho' ! Wanna swap? » Tommy Barbarella was being the nice guy he usually was not missing a note.
They were both playing, modulating and doing the cable management at the same time. This is how professional they were just juggling from one task to an other. But they remained men and I already knew this conversation was going to drift below- the-belt.
- « Are you sure? Cause, we both know Prince is gonna be mad! » Morris Hayes was getting over excited but in the meantime he knew his boss. Getting in trouble was not really what he preferred in their professional relationship.
-« Yeah, Man! No big deal! I'll just let him know I still have some important adjustments to make for tonight' s set list and we'll see if he sees any difference. »
- « Man, these two are pure Hot Chocolate! I wouldn't mind putting some whipped cream on it. » Morris' s melodious voice changed while he tested it with the new tube microphone which had just been put on stage to give new vocal vibrations to certain songs.
- « Morris Mo', you haven't changed a bit in years, have you?! Will you ever stop chasing? » Tommy had become very laid back and the marrying kind was doing him good.
- « Tommy! The day I die will be or maybe not! Can't stop this feeling I got! It's A.U.T.O matic, Baby! » Morris Hayes punctuated Prince's words with his own grotesque impersonation and suggestive pelvic movements. They burst out laughing.
Walking out of the obscurity with folded arms and into the only spot light hanging over the middle of the stage, I let myself heard.
-« Mr Hayes? I'm sure your boss will be delighted to hear all about it! Why don't you call him! Line 1! » I expressed sternly, turned and finally stepped away.
I almost heard their jaws dropping, difficult swallowing and only a few words from the rest of their conversation.
-« Wait? What? For real? » Morris Hayes questioned the air gaining upon his seriousness.
- « Mo'...Oh, Man...I smell trouble... » Tommy Barbarella shook his head went back to his piano playing and pushed some buttons.
- « Yeah! Well, you know how the old saying goes: "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" ! »Morris Hayes tried to follow Tommy Barberalla's lead and they got into a improvised psychedelic rock piece.

***

I watched Carla strangely walking up the stairs from above the rail. I could feel something was wrong. I tried to catch her eyes but she waited to be near me and finally dared to look at me. Her face was gloomy and her arms was crossed. I slowly approached her and kissed her cheek.
-« What's wrong, Mama!? » I asked carefully.
-« Nothing...Morris and Tommy are waiting for you in the sound stage. They're going to call...» Carla's shifty eyes were making me nervous.
-« Babe, what's the matter? » I insisted trying to hold her hand.
-« I said, everything is OK.AY ! » Carla was keeping it low not to draw attention but her eyes were gleaming with fury.
I discretely guided her inside an adjacent rarely used room with a table, a chair, a few awards and a chest drawers.
- « Now, what is it? » I had closed the door behind us and sat on the chair making her sit on my lap.
Carla's red and smoked eyes were now facing the wall and her lips were sealed.
-« Come on Babe! You know you can tell me anything. » I managed to make her smirk using my smooshy Jamie Starr voice.
-« It's not a « What », it's a « Who »! » She finally cringed and mumbled between her teeth.
-« What? Who? » I was confused.
-« Morris Hayes is the damned problem! » She blurted at the top of her lungs.
-« Shhhh! Babe! Calm down! Geezz! » I put my hand softly over her mouth.
-« Yeah! I ain't lying! » She confirmed wrinkling her forehead and pushing my hand away.
- «Mama? What makes you say that? » I chuckled knowing Morris like the back of my hand.
-« Well, he is an ass! » Carla looked straight at me and literally swore for the first time in months.
-« Oh! Well, I know he is! That's part of his personality. You can say he majored in Music and Jokes! » Apparently Carla wasn't in for my comic mood.
- « No, Prince! What I saw downstairs was more than just a few sucker's jokes! » Carla was mad.
-« I know Morris can be off limits sometimes. But he really doesn't mean no arm. » I reassured her.
-« Prince, you weren't there! This dude singed you and mocked your songs! »
She stomped one foot on the floor and you could almost see smoke coming out of her flaring nostrils.
-« Oh! Really?! Morris is a professional jokester. Don't worry, Mama. I' m used to him making fun of people! » I shook my head counting his numerous clown acts.
-« Oh, Yeah?! Well, I bet you twenty bucks he will ask you to be your pianist for the auditions tonight instead of Tommy just to get his way with your half naked dancers! » Carla took out a twenty from underneath one of her bra straps.
I looked at her money and face in disbelief and finally chuckled pushing her money away.
-« Mama! Calm down, OK? I don't know what's bitten ya! I've known Morris for years. You cannot just draw hasty conclusions. Seeing is believing, right?...So I'll just wait... » I replied standing up ready to go back to business.
-« So, you wouldn't take anything from anybody, would you? » Apparently Carla wasn't finished with Morris's case quite yet.
-« That's right! » I stuck to my decision.
- « You know Prince, you're not very hard to figure...Only at times. Sometimes I know exactly what you're going to say, most of the time. The other times...The other times, you're just a stinker. » Carla leaned languorously over me and pressed her lips over mine.
I instantly excused her behavior from meeting with my musicians and not liking it.
-« Why did you do that for? » I looked at her with a puzzled and amazed look.
-« Been wondering wether I'd like it? » Carla had never acted like this with me before.
-« What's your decision? » I tried to decipher her sarcastic and nonchalante attitude.
-« I don't know yet...It's even better when you help. » She reiterated her kiss by inviting her tongue in.
She moved towards the door with a satisfied look.
-« Uh...Sure you won't change your mind about this? » She was still negligently holding her bill like a soggy cigarette and gave me a crooked brow.
-« Uh-Uh... » Not shifting my position.
-« This belongs to me inside of my lips. I don't see any difference. » She spat scornfully.
-« Well, I do. » I've always admired her silver-tongued sensuality and coiled energy.
- « Ok! You know you don't have to act with me, Prince. You don't have to say anything, and you don't have to do anything. Not a thing. Oh, maybe just whistle. You know how to whistle, don't you, Prince? You just put your lips together and... blow."
Carla closed the door slowly behind her and I stayed there whistling at her antics.
That night we recorded and taped « Fury » and Carla requested to be there from start to finish.