Royal Stripper

by Sienna Valentine

  The sea air in her hair felt good. The sunshine made her feel like she could melt into the light and never come back, and part of her was definitely okay with that idea.

  Clarice’s insides were battling, a civil war of trust and worry, pain and love. She didn’t fully understand what was happening to her, but to be honest with herself, she didn’t want to understand.

  If she looked at what was happening, she would have to face the reality that she had fallen in love with Harrison, and was about to have her heart broken like a fool. She wasn’t ready to face that. She just didn’t want to think at all.

  But the end was coming regardless of what she wanted, and Clarice knew she would have a much bigger regret living inside her if she left Bali without telling Harrison the truth of what she felt. Even if he laughed in her face and sauntered off into the sunset with two babes on his arms, at least she would have her closure, and she had lived enough years to know that was worth its weight in gold.

  Her plan was to sit on the beach until she got the nerve to go find Harrison to speak with him, or until it got too cold to be outside, whichever came first. She was almost certain it would be the latter until she heard a familiar voice behind her that took matters out of her hands.

  “Waiting for the tide to take you out, love?”

  She didn’t have to turn to know it was Harrison. Instead she closed her eyes as her chest clenched up tight at the sound of his soft accent.

  “I wouldn’t mind it,” she said back. Her voice had barely been used all day, and it came out cracked and sullen.

  A few moments later, his tall form approached her and then dropped down to sit next to her in the sand. He looked happier and lighter than she had seen him all week. Freshly showered and shaved, he had ditched the tailored suits for comfy board shorts and a flowing white button-up that made his tanned skin pop. The brooding and darkness that had been on his face the night before was nowhere to be seen.

  He was so handsome he made Clarice’s heart hurt.

  “I’ve been searching everywhere for you,” said Harrison. “You weren’t answering you phone.”

  “Oh,” said Clarice with sudden realization. She looked around the sand, but her only belongings were the sandals she had removed when she arrived. “I must have left it in the room… I didn’t even realize.”

  “That’s alright. It’s been a trying couple of days,” said Harrison. He was shifting in the sand like he wanted to touch her, put his arm around her, but he wasn’t sure if he should. “Are you still upset with me?”

  Clarice turned to him, and the look in his eyes melted what little anger remained at the depths of her sadness. “No,” she said with a sad half smile. “I’m not still mad.”

  “I tried to find you a gift to make up for my bullshit, but… nothing seemed to be quite right.”

  “You don’t need to get me anything. You’ve given me a lot already,” she said. “Though, I do think you owe it to me to make sure the bartenders keep serving me for the last day I’m here. I’m not actually pregnant, and this is still supposed to be my vacation, after all.”

  Harrison let out a surprised chuckle. “Done deal. Sorry about that… you know father.”

  For a moment the conversation died and the sound of the ocean and sea birds filled in between them. Everything was serene. Before she could talk herself out of it, Clarice leaned against Harrison and put her head on his shoulder as she watched the sea roll in. Harrison tensed at first, as if he was surprised, but then he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and lay his head on top of hers.

  Clarice wanted this perfect moment to last forever.

  “I’m sorry for what I did last night,” he said. “It was foolish of me, and disrespectful. I shouldn’t have done that to you.”

  “You didn’t know you were doing anything to me,” said Clarice. “I believe you when you say that.”

  “That doesn’t matter,” said Harrison. “It was foolish nonetheless. I had your trust and you certainly had mine, and then I went and fucked it up like an idiot.” He laughed softly, but it had a bitter ring to it. “I suppose that’s the whole reason we’re here now, isn’t it? Me fucking up.”

  “You have a bit of a point there,” said Clarice with a small, sly smile. “That is how this started.”

  Harrison sighed. “I don’t want to be a fuck-up anymore.”

  “I was just kidding, Harrison. You’re not a fuck-up.”

  “I am,” he said. “I have been. I’ve been running from ghosts for almost ten years instead of turning around and facing them and moving on with my life. It’s left me with a lot of empty spaces where there shouldn’t be, Clarice. I didn’t realize that until this week.”

  She lifted her head up to look at him. “What do you mean? I thought you loved your life here.”

  “I love parts of it, of course,” he said. He swept his arm towards the scenery. “Have you ever been to England? This place is one long acid trip in comparison.”

  Clarice giggled and put her head back on his shoulder. “But you don’t love all of it?”

  “No, I don’t. Not anymore. Or maybe I never really did,” he said. “Honestly, I can’t tell anymore. Everything in my head is all mucked up.”

  “I know how you feel,” she said softly.

  An electric, silent moment passed between them.

  Harrison said, “If I ask you something, will you promise to be honest with me? I know I don’t deserve it, considering. But will you?”

  Harrison’s eyes were deep and thoughtful as she lifted her head to look at him seriously. “Sure.”

  He held her gaze for a few beats, and then licked his lips. “If I asked you to stay here with me… would you stay?”

  Clarice’s heart jumped. The answer burst out of her mouth before she was aware of anything else. “Yes,” she said. “Yes, of course I would.”

  Harrison’s eyes filled with tears. He held her face in his hands. “You mean that, Clarice? You would really want to give me an honest chance? Because I… Clarice, I think I’m in love with you. No, I know I’m in love with you, and I don’t want you to leave.”

  “Harrison,” she said breathlessly. “I love you too. I can’t believe I’m hearing those words come out of your mouth.” She caressed his face with her palm, feeling the smoothness of his handsome skin and the fuzz of his incoming facial hair along his square jawline. “You really feel that way about me?”

  “I do,” he said. “You understand me, darling. You understand that ache for adventure and new experiences and you don’t want it stamped out just because we’re growing old and responsible. All my life I thought I had to choose between a real but lonely life on my own, and a false happiness with a family that would ask me to drench all my fire. I thought that was the choice my father was putting before me all those years, trying to force me to pick his way over mine. But I realize now it was never that simple. I was blinded by youth and pain… I didn’t realize I could actually find a woman that wouldn’t need me to compromise. I didn’t realize I could build a family in my own image. And I want it, Clarice. I want a family, and I want it with you.”

  She took a deep, shaking breath as tears rolled down her cheek. “This feels so perfect,” she said. “I’ve never felt like I was home before, Harrison. I can feel your love. For the first time, I can actually say I know what love feels like.”

  She crawled into his lap to face him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Harrison answered by enveloping her in his strong arms as he brought her down for a slow, sensual kiss. She could feel his tears against her skin.

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever done that for anyone before,” whispered Harrison against her lips. “I didn’t think I was capable of it.”

  She smiled. “I probably would have said the same, but I would have been wrong, baby. You are an incredible man. I can’t believe you want me.”

  “I can’t believe you want me,” he said. “After I’ve made such an ass of myself, and you’ve been such a complete and ut
ter angel…” He nuzzled softly against her face and kissed her deeply. “You really are the perfect match for me. My heart knew it when I saw you.”

  “Don’t you try to rom-com our romance, buddy,” teased Clarice with a pinch. “The first thing on your mind when you saw me was ‘nice rack’.”

  Harrison laughed and bit playfully at her neck. She squealed in his lap, and their wrestling melted into sensual making out as the sun set behind the peaks.

  “I suppose I better figure out what I’m doing from here… since all my stuff is halfway around the world and everything,” she mused, when they finally drew apart. Her eyes went wide in sudden realization. “Oh, your parents, how are we going to tell them about the baby?”

  Harrison quirked an eyebrow. “Well, we could make an honest woman out of you,” he said, his hands roaming down under her ass with a lustful squeeze.

  Clarice laughed. “I think moving to Bali to be with my super-rich boyfriend is enough life changes at once for me, thank you very much.”

  “That’s okay,” said Harrison. “I’ve already told them the truth, anyway.”

  “You sneaky motherfucker.”

  He shrugged. “I had to come clean before I came to speak to you. I’m done living a lie. And I’m done living my life based on fear. I’m not scared of being hurt anymore. I just want to throw my everything into building a life with you, Clarice.”

  “A life with love and adventure,” she added with a kiss.

  “Yes,” he said, pushing her hair away from her face. “I don’t feel scared anymore. With you, I feel whole.”

  Chapter 20

  Harrison

  The sun seemed to shine all the brighter the next morning when Harrison awoke with Clarice’s beautiful naked body tucked in his arms. They had retreated back to their temporary penthouse suite for the evening once their passions became too inflamed to fulfill out on the public beach. The resort was fairly uninhibited, but the beach was no place for the things they wanted to do to each other.

  He held her close against him and planted sweet kisses along her head and face as she cooed her way out of sleep. She smelled like heaven.

  “Baby,” he said against her ear. “We must get up, darling. Your friends will be waiting.”

  “Mmmm,” groaned Clarice, nuzzling tighter against his chest. “Can’t they just come in here and say goodbye?”

  “Certainly, as long as you’re fine with them seeing me naked.”

  “They could stand to be a little jealous of me for once,” she giggled.

  They fooled around in bed a little before Harrison finally insisted they get moving, knowing it wasn’t just Clarice’s friends, but also his parents, who were waiting to visit before they departed the island. They took a quick shower, got dressed, and headed down to the main lobby floor.

  Harrison groaned when they came around the corner and saw that his parents were, again, already waiting for them. But so were Clarice’s lovely friends, and to see the delight in her eyes as she ran toward them made him endlessly happy.

  Last night, after retreating to their room for hot make-up sex, both she and Harrison took a break to have meetings with their loved ones and tell them about the plan they had come up with. Harrison had to go through the difficulty of breaking his mother’s heart regarding her future grandchild — for which she rightly gave him a slap across the face — but she seemed soothed by his revelation that he had fallen in love with Clarice in earnest, and that her grandchild was at the most, delayed. He promised both of them to make their relationship better, as well, including semi-annual visits.

  Clarice took her girls to dinner and then private shopping at the boutiques on Harrison’s tab, a gift he insisted would soften the blow when she told them she wouldn’t be returning to New York with them. She had saved up vacation time at work and intended to take it all right now, so that she and Harrison could begin laying the groundwork for her permanent move to Bali. She wouldn’t have to work at all, if she didn’t want to, though she was sure she would find something amazing to do eventually. She wanted to build a new life with Harrison, a new adventure here in Bali, helping him run his empire, and starting a family.

  They returned to each other emotionally exhausted, but happier than either of them had been, and spent the wee hours of the morning making love. But morning came, and though it was heavy, their goodbyes now were only the first step on this new road.

  Harrison stood with his arm around his mother as Clarice said her goodbyes to her friends. Each of them gave her a bright, warm hug — especially Trudy, who wrapped her so tight she looked like she was trying to absorb her best friend right into her skin. All of them were teary-eyed except the one called Liz, but even she had a look of sweet emotion on her face.

  “I’ll call you as soon as I get back,” said Trudy, when she finally released her grip. “You’re sure about all this?”

  “I’m sure,” said Clarice with a smile. “Never been more sure. I’m just going to take all the vacation I have left at the publishing house before I cruise home to get the move started. I’m, uh… I’m not quite ready to leave yet.” She turned and gave a wink to Harrison.

  “I did not expect adventure Clarice to come roaring out so boldly again,” laughed Trudy. “I should have known better. She was hibernating too long, prepping for something big.”

  “She was,” agreed Clarice. “And I’m glad she’s back, too.”

  “How the shit are we going to live in the city without you?” said Sophie, with a few sniffles. She patted her nose with a cloth handkerchief she pulled out of her patent leather bag. “It won’t be the same at all.”

  “I know, but that’s not a bad thing,” said Clarice. “Things change all the time. And besides, now you guys not only have the perfect excuse to come back to Bali, but you won’t even have to pay for it!”

  Behind her, Harrison cleared his throat in an obvious manner, and quirked his eyebrow at her sternly. “Oh, is that right?”

  Sheepishly but with her own seductive charm, Clarice gave him a pouty look. “Well, that is if my darling partner approves such frivolous expenses, right sweetheart?”

  “What in the hell have I gotten myself into,” muttered Harrison playfully to his mother.

  “It’s about time someone was able to keep you in line,” she replied.

  “As if I needed another reason to support you finally getting some regular, high-class tail,” said Liz when Clarice pulled her into a hug. “And I will be taking you up on that trip offer probably every single summer until I die at my desk, okay?”

  “C’mon, Liz, we all know the kids will kill you before they’ll let you die of natural causes.”

  Liz gave her a happy, lopsided grin and tweaked her nose between her fingers. “I’m really going to miss you, dummy.”

  “I won’t give you enough time to miss me. You’re all calling me when you get home and we’re getting drunk over webcam,” said Clarice, pointing a sweeping finger at all of them. “I mean it, alright?” Her voice was firm and light, but she was wiping tears from her eyes anyway.

  Harrison put his arms around her gently to comfort her. He smiled at the ladies. “I can’t thank you all enough for bringing Clarice here. If it wasn’t for you, we never would have met.”

  “Yeah, you’re damn welcome,” said Trudy. “You make sure you take care of her and we won’t have a problem, got it?”

  “On my honor,” said Harrison with his hand over his heart. “And on the name of my father. Also, Clarice is right. You are all welcome back whenever you want, no charge. It’s the least I can do to repay you for introducing her into my life.”

  The ladies all beamed and squealed until the bellhop came running up to inform them their car to the airport had arrived. Clarice gave them all one last hug before she watched them wander out the lobby doors, waving as they did.

  “I hope they don’t mind, but I replaced their shuttle van with a limousine. Oh, and I changed their flights, they’ll be taking a private je
t all the way back to New York,” whispered Harrison to Clarice quietly.

  “What were you thinking? They will be furious,” she giggled. Harrison kissed the top of her head and pulled her into his side playfully.

  George Moore cleared his throat, and Harrison turned to watch his parents exchange a glance with each other before his father began speaking. “Well, I must say this is the most unusual engagement holiday I’ve ever heard of. Certainly the most unusual in our circle of friends.”

  Clarice turned a bit red and stuck close to Harrison’s side. Despite his promises that his parents didn’t hold anything against her for the ruse, she was still insecure about her part in it. “Hopefully it won’t turn into some resentment toward your fabulous new daughter-in-law? For real this time?”