Chapter 27

We were married on Christmas Eve in Monte Carlo.

How that happened so quickly was a minor miracle and the frantic planning of the horde of assistants that worked for Cathay.

After Curacao, Monte Carlo was cool. While we were there, the temperature hovered around fifty-five during the day and dropped into the low forties at night. Baby Girl loved the yacht trip from Curacao to Europe.

I’d always imagined that rock stars spent their every minute rushing from one packed stadium to the next, with plane rides and hotel rooms the only separation between concerts. Cathay seemed to have a very normal schedule. She was accustomed to taking two months off from the concert routine at Christmas to rest and recuperate, learn new music, record an album or TV show, and generally live like a regular girl. That explained why she was free to toss us both into the inferno of wedding plans with only two weeks to prepare.

Baby Girl and I took the yacht to Monte Carlo, while Cathay jetted to our wedding destination, getting a head start on all the things she wanted to personally oversee for our special day.

“You men will only be in the way. I need my staff around me right now, or you will see me walking down the aisle in an old pair of cutoff jeans.” With that I was dismissed to take off on the boat and enjoy the peace.

We spent three days talking about getting married, before I caved in.

The truth is that she had me as soon as she started asking me what I thought about our relationship. When I honestly shared my feelings, I knew that I really could love that whacky woman. There was a magnetism that drew me to her and a joy that suffused her every movement that had me in awe at times, and ready to knock her out at other times.

When I arrived at the dock near the Hotel Metropole I was met by a bevy of hotel staff anxious to make my every wish come true. Baby Girl was greeted with every bit as much warmth as I was. One of Cathay’s assistants, Gaby, was driven to the dock in a hotel golf cart, and she ran to meet us coming off the yacht with a fist-full of instructions from Cathay as to her schedule, where to find her, and where we were sleeping.

“My boss has been beside herself waiting for you to arrive,” Gaby spoke with an urgency that told me that there was more than just schedules on her mind. She was lean and supple. Her breasts competed with her smile for attention, but more than that, Gaby had a true devotion to her boss and wanted me to share that same depth of feeling for her.

“You won’t hurt her, will you? Cathay is very vulnerable right now. I’ve never seen her show the least bit of affection for anyone other than Sheldon, and now you are all she can think about. PLEASE promise me that you’re real...”

Seeing the fear in Gaby’s eyes helped me realize just how big a chance Cathay was taking on me. My smile widened, and I said, “Don’t be afraid of me, Gaby. Your boss is very safe with me.”

I might have said more, but she cut me off. “We checked you out and the truth is that you could buy Monte Carlo. There is no way you are after her money, but she’s been so hurt for so long, I just can’t imagine what it would do to her if you turn out to be some kind of predator.”

She was going to think whatever she was going to think, so I let it drop and escorted Baby Girl to the pet walk, and then allowed the obsequious hotel staff to lead us to our suite. The Prestige Suite was comfortable and rather affordable at just over ten-thousand dollars a night. The view was spectacular, and the roomy balcony was retrofit with a pet comfort station just for Baby Girl.

Cathay was staying just down the hall with Sheldon and his nannies, along with her posse. She needed lots of space to work and make noise. By bedtime she was exhausted, naked, and in my arms. Baby Girl adjusted to her presence and made it a point to spend time with Sheldon every morning after breakfast. They bonded quickly and her loving seemed to help Sheldon connect with the world around him.

Weddings can be trying, and when the world’s biggest star decides to marry a Royal, everything becomes that much worse. The Hotel Metropole was very experienced in keeping paparazzi at bay, and we were pretty much unmolested while things were readied for the big event.

The day before the ceremony, Cathay’s lawyers met with mine and finalized our prenuptial agreements. They were very straightforward. We each keep what’s ours. If I died first, Cathay received one-hundred and fifty million dollars and the island estate. If she died first, everything she owned would be kept in trust for Sheldon’s care until he passed away and would then be distributed as per her instructions.

When her lawyers discovered that her fortune was a bit smaller than a tenth of mine, they stopped worrying about me being a gold digger, and started worrying about the various tax bites. Cathay came to me that night, crawled naked into my lap, and after kissing me almost to death, she said, “I had no idea you were so wealthy. My lawyers were positive that you were one of those men who marry rich women and steal them blind. When they verified your financial disclosures, they stopped worrying and started urging me to find ways to combine my financial planning with yours, since yours is so much more profitable.