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Ryan Sylander
Opus One Chapter 7: Theme and Variations
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ryansylander/www/
Sandra poured the last of the second wine bottle into Emily’s glass. She thought it would help slow Emily down, but she seemed to get better at playing games the more she drank. The game of choice for the evening was admittedly puerile. Emily had voted for Trivial Pursuit. Sandra had voted for Spit. She was in the mood for something less cerebral, and mention of it the night before had stuck with her. Richard broken the tie in Sandra’s favor. After the vote, Emily rolled her eyes. “Fine, we’ll play Spit,” she had said. “I’ll warn you, though, I’m a champion Spit player.” Richard and Sandra had laughed, but Emily turned out to be right. She had lightning hands and eyes, and she always got the smallest pile. Plying her with wine had not helped either. It was now the final round of the game, as Emily had only a few cards left. Unless Richard or Sandra could slap the empty ‘pile’ before Emily did, she would remain undefeated in all their games to date. “Spit!” Emily cried, and the three of them began to throw cards onto the two piles. Richard was funny, Sandra thought. He always seemed to put a card down a split second after Sandra or Emily did. After letting out an expletive, he’d be forced to remove it, losing precious time in the process. And one time, he had actually finished his cards first and had slapped the largest pile. Not the best strategy for a game where you win by getting rid of all your cards. He quietly admitted he had felt some confusion in all the excitement of having finished first. Emily quickly disposed of most of her cards. Sandra just waited, and watched Emily closely. Richard seemed oblivious of the impending finish as he slowly went about putting down cards. Emily caught Sandra’s eye as she held her last card in hand. For a few long moments, the two girls stared each other down, eyes glinting and smiles broadening. As soon as Emily put her card down, Sandra would have to grab the empty pile. Otherwise, Emily would win. Emily dropped the card and both Emily and Sandra slapped the empty place on the rug. Richard was brought out of his concentration by the shrieks. Then he realized Emily was finished. There was a hand wrestling match to prove which girl had gotten to the rug first, or most. “Emily! I’m there! Look: your hand is on top of my finger!” Sandra said. “Because you moved it!” “Richard, you judge. Who is on the spot?” Before Richard had a chance to even wonder where the invisible pile they had grabbed for actually was, a wrestling match broke out. Apparently they are trying to claim the pile with their bodies, now, he thought. The game was over. Cards scattered across the rug and under the beds as Emily and Sandra squirmed and pushed against each other, trying to gain ground to claim the magic spot. Shrieks punctuated the increasing laughter. Richard watched for a bit, laughing, and then he remembered that last time the girls had started play fighting he got in trouble for not joining in. And, after all, he had as much right to fight for the winning pile as they did! Nothing is decided yet. With a yell, he jumped into the fray...
“Have those always been there?” Richard asked, pointing to a line of Christmas lights hanging over the window. The three of them were sprawled on the rug after the wrestling match, looking at the ceiling. Richard had eventually placed his body flat on the floor over the entire game area, and was unmovable despite fierce tickling. The girls eventually conceded that he had claimed the pile. However the cards were irreparably scattered around the room, and thus Emily declared herself the winner. No one had the energy left to protest, so instead the girls rolled off of Richard and everyone tried to regain their breath. “No, just put them up this morning,” Emily said. “Still, unpacking, you know.” “Cool.” “When did you start playing piano?” Emily asked. “I was six,” Richard said. “Why?” “Just wondering. For someone who’s played piano for twelve years, you sure have slow hands.” Sandra sniggered. “Thanks, Em,” Richard said sarcastically. “Did you start in school?” Sandra asked. “No, at home. My dad was painting a house and the people were selling their piano. So he traded some painting work for it. He always wanted to learn, but his family in Italy never got him an instrument. They lived out in the sticks, and didn’t have much money.” “That was nice that he got it for you, then,” Sandra said. “Yeah. I came home from school one day and there it was. I took to it pretty quickly, and they found a good beginning teacher for me.” “And the rest is history,” Emily said. “Not really,” Richard countered. “I went through a number of years where I didn’t really want to play.” “Didn’t we all?” Emily said. “No, I never really did,” Sandra said. “I loved singing my whole life.” “Well, you’re just weird,” Emily teased. “And you’re drunk!” “No, I’m not!” “Ladies, please,” Richard said. “Mind your manners.” “I want to hear you play,” Sandra said suddenly. “Sure.” Richard turned and watched her for a moment. Sandra smiled expectantly. “You mean right now?” Richard asked, surprised. “Yeah.” “Do you have a piano in your closet?” “The building is still open for another half-hour,” Emily countered, eyeing the clock. “I don’t even know if I can play right now. I’m feeling this wine.” “So what? It will be fun. You can play for us for real some other time,” Sandra said. “Bring your French horn, then, Emily,” Richard suggested. “No way,” she said, waving the thought away. “If I play it now, the horn will surely get drunk. Come on, Richard, play for us.” Emily jumped up and pulled Richard and Sandra to their feet, and a few minutes later the three of them were walking arm in arm to the conservatory building. Emily was singing loudly, pretending to be Sandra warming up. “I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this,” Richard said during a break in her wild aria. “You will think I suck after hearing me play.” “Do you suck?” “No, but...” “Then what’s the problem?” “Nothing. Never played when I was this buzzed, though.” The building was surprisingly quiet. Only an oboe and a violin greeted them as they approached the practice rooms. Most of them were empty. “Guess everyone is at the party,” Sandra said. “Hey, maybe one of the larger piano rooms is open. They’re always taken by the same five or six girls. I swear they tag team for the room. I’ve never seen them empty.” Richard led Emily and Sandra to the piano rooms, and they were indeed unoccupied. Maybe this is the time to be practicing, Richard thought. He turned the light on to one of the rooms and shut the door. Richard stretched and sat at the piano. Emily moved a wooden bench over to one side of Richard, while Sandra pulled a chair up to his other side. They sat close enough that he would have to lean against them when he played low or high notes, but he didn’t mind. “I don’t know what to play,” Richard said vaguely, suddenly feeling self-conscious. “Play something fast!” Emily said. “How about the piece you played in your lesson the other day?” “Probably not,” Richard said. “I’m having trouble walking normally right now, and that’s a lot easier than playing the Liszt.” “Something pretty, then,” Sandra said. Richard considered the pieces he had under his fingers at the moment, and finally settled on something. He ran a few phrases on the piano to test his fingers, and was pleased at the response of the instrument. No wonder those girls practice in here. This piano is much better than the ones in the smaller rooms. “All right, here’s part of a Beethoven Sonata I’m working on. I warn you though, it could be ugly. Any mistakes I make are strictly your fault for dragging me out here.” “Whatever. Let’s hear it,” Emily urged. Richard took a deep breath, and started. The piano rang beautifully as he played the quiet theme that opened the movement. At first he was trying hard to concentrate on playing correctly, but then he realized it wasn’t as difficult as he thought. The music was in his muscles more than the wine was. The peaceful melody was a sudden change from the rowdy evening. Each note sang purely, and he reveled in the sound. He played the theme slower than he had ever played it, dwelling on each note. By the end of the statement of the theme, he found himself sliding into that place where the rest of the world faded away. The first variation of the theme was only slightly more active, and he concentrated on making the melody sing. He imagined Sandra vocalizing it, and he tried to make his fingers push the phrases around like she might. He had planned on stopping after the first variation, but instead continued through the second. This one was a bit more challenging, with its syncopated figures. His fingers nimbly navigated the keys, and he was surprised that he only made a few errors. When he stopped, he realized Sandra and Emily were looking at him intently. “Jeez, Richard,” Emily said. “I know, I fucked up a few times,” he said apologetically. Emily shook her head. “You never said you were awesome.” Sandra held out her arm in confirmation. Her fine hairs were sticking up. “Well, thanks,” he said, not knowing what else to say. He was a little surprised. He had played it a little differently than he usually did, but the girls’ response was more than he expected. “That’s a really beautiful melody,” Sandra said. “Is that where it ends? It seems short for a theme and variations.” “No, there are four more.” “Play, then,” Emily said. “Mm, I don’t know. The next parts are pretty hard.” “Just try it,” Sandra pressed. Richard shrugged. “All right.” Variation three was the most aggressive of the lot, and he had some trouble keeping the finger work clean. But he got through it. He was surprised to feel Sandra’s hand rest on his back as he played. The fourth variation was usually the hardest for him. He still hadn’t settled into playing it comfortably in the few months he had been working on the piece. It wasn’t overly technical, but the music was a series of playful phrases repeated over each other, and he always felt like he wasn’t connecting them properly. At first, he almost stopped after the first few notes, since he lost confidence in being able to play it. But then as he started the phrases, the music suddenly presented itself differently. Earlier during the massage, he had been stimulated by the girls in several ways. The kissing, the touching, the movements and the sight of their soft skin was overwhelming. He had lamented how he couldn’t absorb all the sensations he was feeling at once. Richard suddenly realized that that was his problem in this section as well. He was focusing too much on the specific phrase of the moment. It was a trio, three voices singing in harmony. He just needed to put his attention on all of them at once. At first it was juggling, like listening to three phone conversations at once and trying to understand them all at the same time. But as he let the music slip through him, he started to feel the three melodies. He could imagine Emily and Sandra each playing one part, and him playing the third. Each part had to sing beautifully, and yet they had to sing together, between and around each other. Somehow his fingers began to follow his thoughts. They moved smoothly to cover the notes for each melody. Suddenly many of the things Ms. Tertychnaya had said about chords and melody in the Liszt made real sense, now. He stopped after the variation ended, amazed at the revelation. “Richard, that was... amazing!” Sandra said softly. Emily nodded. Richard just stared across the top of the piano, hearing the variation repeating in his head. “Are you all right?” Emily asked. “Yeah. Just found a new way to play that part.” “Well, it was good, whatever you did.” “I’ll play the last two now,” he said, eager to finish the piece. Almost in a trance, Richard started the march-like fifth variation. He tried again to think in terms of voices, again imagining Sandra and Emily playing with him. It was harder with this movement, since it was a bit faster, but he could see the possibilities. He almost got distracted with excitement. The sixth and final variation was his favorite, and he put everything he had into it. He thought of Emily and Sandra, and how he wanted to be with them. The variation started with a quiet repeat of the theme, and bar by bar, increased in intensity. The piano became an extension of his mind. As he heard the music in his head, he willed it through his fingers, through the ebony and ivory of the keys, and onto the strings and wood of the instrument. From there each tone rang out into the room and into his and Emily’s and Sandra’s ears, completing the circle. It sounded just as he wanted it to sound. The climactic moment was almost overwhelming, and he let his fingers cascade across the difficult arpeggios with ease, listening in awe to the music that flowed through him. Finally the variation subsided and he played the solemn restatement of the original theme. Again he played it slower than usual, relishing each note resolving into the next. The final E major chord rang for many long seconds before it became inaudible. He took a deep breath as he let his hands fall from the keyboard. Emily and Sandra were smiling at him. “You know, I just remembered something,” Richard said quietly. “A couple of years ago, I asked my piano teacher if I could play one of the late Beethoven sonatas. He said no. I played him the first few minutes of one sonata, saying that I did have the technique. And he said, ‘Yes, you do. But you are too young. You can’t understand the music yet.’ I told him that I did understand it, and that it was tremendously moving to me. And he still denied teaching any of them to me. “And so this summer I started learning this one on my own. I never really knew what he meant about understanding the music. I thought I was ready. But I just realized that maybe I’m not.” “Why?” Sandra asked. “That was simply incredible. You had me tingling the whole time. And when you played the theme again at the end, I felt like crying.” “I know, me too,” Richard agreed. “I just had a glimpse into the music I’ve never had before. I could feel it coming through me, and it made so much sense to let it play through me like that. The technique and the notes and the fingerings were gone. Instead I just heard the music, and made it happen.” Richard was absently fingering a few chords as he spoke. Suddenly Emily leaned over and kissed Richard passionately. The music had inspired her. Richard’s chords trailed off as he wrapped an arm around Emily’s waist and returned the kiss. A knock on the door startled the three of them. The grinning front desk monitor held his watch up to the little window, and tapped it. The building was closing in a few minutes. “Let’s go,” Emily said quietly. The walk back to the dorm was as quiet as the walk over had been boisterous. None of them spoke. They simply walked briskly back to the girls’ room, arm in arm.
The room was completely dark. No sooner had she closed the door, Emily returned to kissing Richard. Sandra plugged in the row of mini blue Christmas tree lights, bathing the room in dark blue shadows. She went to her CD stack and held a few up to the dim light. She finally found what she was looking for, and put it into the stereo. It was perhaps her favorite piece of music, and now she would be listening to it with Emily and Richard. As she pressed the play button, the thought made her shudder in pleasure. Emily had pushed Richard down so he sat on the edge of her bed, and had removed his shirt. She promptly climbed up onto his lap, and resumed her aggressive kissing of him. Sandra watched intently as her two friends groped at each other. It made her body tingle. Richard reached a hand out to Sandra and pulled her gently over to the bed. With Emily watching from just a few inches away, Sandra and Richard kissed softly. Emily could hear the quiet sound of their lips pulling apart and their tongues raking against each other. Emily and Richard became aware of the music Sandra had put on. It had started low and almost inaudible, and now was beginning to fill the room with basses and cellos playing a canonical theme. Sandra reluctantly released the kiss and backed away to the center of the room. She wanted to kiss Richard all night, except that she also wanted to do other things all night. Since this morning she had been moist and insatiate. She couldn’t wait any longer. She pulled at the hem of her shirt, slipped it over her head. She never stopped holding Richard’s eyes in her stare. Richard watched raptly as her hands went behind her back. The black bra lost its tension and Sandra’s breasts were suddenly free. Richard sat stone-still, watching her pale skin glowing in the faint blue light. Sandra did not stop there, unbuttoning her jean shorts, and then running her thumbs around her waist as she pushed them down over her legs. The curve of her hips as she bent a little to pull each leg out of the shorts was irresistible. Next went the panties. Richard watched as the triangle of light hair revealed itself. Again he watched the bend at the waist, and again he felt a surge in his middle. Sandra stood straight again, watching Emily and Richard. Emily got up from Richard’s lap, and pulled him up. She gently pushed him towards Sandra. Richard took Sandra into a hug, and then kissed her deeply. He could feel her hard nipples pressing into his chest. His hands wandered over her back, and down onto her butt. How smooth she is! He wanted to be fully naked, like she was. As if hearing his thoughts, he felt Emily wrap her arms around him from behind. Her hands squeezed in between Sandra’s and his chests, and then lower until she found his shorts. She made short work of them, baring his body to the blue lights in one quick pull. Richard was pressed against Sandra. She let out a slight giggle as she felt him pulsing against her tummy. It felt so good, even there. She couldn’t imagine how good it would feel later. Emily watched as Richard and Sandra held each other in the center of the room. Richard whispered something to Sandra, and she whispered something back. Their kissing was a little heavier now. Sandra obviously liked what she felt when I pulled Richard’s shorts off! Emily thought. She had never watched anyone have sex in front of her before, and now the possibilities were tearing through her mind. Richard and Sandra were going to do it, but how? And what should I do? Emily ran her hand over Richard’s firm butt cheek. The taut muscle cut in slightly, which she thought was very sexy. Her finger traced the top of his crack briefly, and then she slipped her hand between his legs. She gently caressed him, and then moved her hand further. Her fingers brushed Sandra’s light hair slightly. Sandra felt a little jolt of surprised pleasure as Emily’s hand touched her. Before she could wonder at its meaning, Emily’s hand moved up between them, running up Richard’s length. Richard gasped as she moved her hand slowly up and down. As the multitude of sensations began to fill him, he tried to entertain them all, like he had with the piano music earlier. Opening his mind to the physical and emotional pleasures was incredible. Everything else disappeared, and he was in a state where Emily’s and Sandra’s touches spoke to him, and he felt them all at once. Emily withdrew her hand, and watched as Sandra pulled herself away from Richard’s body. She glanced for a moment down along his body, and then looked at Emily. Emily could tell she was very excited by the deep breath she took, and her dark, shining eyes. The music continued to grow, like an inexorable tidal wave. Violas and violins now carried the theme higher into the blue air. Emily removed her clothes. She did not intend to give the same show Sandra had, but Richard and Sandra watched nonetheless. She wiped attempts at comparison between her and Sandra’s bodies away, and instead concentrated on watching them. Richard took Emily in his arms now, and pressed himself against her. He was pleased to feel Sandra press herself against his back. Her arm snaked between Emily’s and his bodies. She gripped him and slowly felt his length. She couldn’t wait any longer. Sandra laid herself down on the bed, looking intently up at them. Richard laid down next to her, and pulled Emily onto the bed. Emily let out a surprised laugh as she fell onto their bodies. The space on the twin mattress was minimal, but that was for the best. Limbs intertwined and hands moved everywhere. Legs snaked in and out and around each other. Richard wasn’t always sure who he was feeling at any given moment, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t open his eyes to see whose lips were on his neck, or whose hands were in his hair. He just let his mind take in all the sensations at once. The music subsided some, and eventually seemed to reach an equilibrium. The violins held an unwavering sustained note, while a tone on the piano rung out three times. As if it was a cue, Sandra rolled on top of him. Out of the uncertainty, a female voice began to sing a poignant melody. For a moment Richard thought it was Sandra, but when he looked up at her, her mouth was closed and she was smiling slightly. Sandra lowered herself onto Richard. She was only vaguely aware of Emily now, lying by his side on the bed. Instead the core of her feeling was focused on the intersection of her body with Richard’s, becoming deeper as she relaxed onto him. When she had filled herself, she let out the breath she had been holding and began to move. He met her thrusts a little more urgently each time. Emily watched her two friends as they moved their bodies against each other, and couldn’t help but touch herself. She hoped Richard would be able to go again after he was finished with Sandra; if not, she would wait. Emily kissed Richard, and he reacted feverishly to her lips. His hand strayed from Sandra’s hip to Emily’s arm, and he traced down to where she was pleasuring herself. He grasped her hand and intertwined his fingers with her fingers and her moisture. Emily moved his hand with hers, directing it inside of her slightly, and then up across her sensitive spot, and then down over her inner thighs. Sandra was waiting for the music now. She was on the edge, keeping her climax away by slowing her pace. How many times had she come to this section of the music, she did not know; but it had always been alone. Now she was with two others. The climax of the music approached, and she slowly let herself go. She urged Richard on with a quiet ‘Yes!’ which he responded to by renewing his thrusting. With a last soaring phrase by the singer, the orchestra took over, washing the song away with a return of the previous wave of intensity. Richard felt Sandra’s body stutter against his, and he broke the kiss with Emily to look up at Sandra. She had her eyes tightly shut and her hands pressed hard against his chest. A slight whimper was the only sound she made. Richard moved his hand back to Sandra’s hip and was doing all the work, as Sandra’s body had frozen in place. Emily watched as Richard’s breathing quickened, and soon he tightened up as well. With some last labored thrusts, he let out a groan and then collapsed back into the bed. Sandra fell onto his chest, spent. Over the next several minutes, the music wound through its previous ascension in reverse, and the wave passed and began to dissipate. No one moved for a long while. Richard’s hand was back on Emily’s skin. She smiled as he began to caress her thigh, working his way into her private region again. This time she did not guide his hand, but parted her legs to allow him to enter. His fingers played little melodies on her, and gently explored her entrance. A little rub would seem to be the start of serious touching, but then he would trace his finger over to another part of her. When Sandra rolled off of Richard with a content sigh, she watched him turn to Emily and kiss her gently. The music was echoing in her head as the last strains of the basses faded away. Her body was still pulsing in time with Richard’s final thrusts. She wanted more, but it was Emily’s turn. The second movement began, shimmering lightly. Richard rolled himself onto Emily, and kissed her neck. “Do you need me to put on a condom?” he whispered. Emily smiled, noting that he hadn’t gotten her meaning earlier, after all. “No.” Richard shifted down the bed some, taking her nipple into his mouth. He was not quite hard again, but he felt the blood returning. The music turned darker as the singer returned. The melody was drawn out, and deeply beautiful. Richard wondered how Emily would react to it. She was so active and wonderfully aggressive most of the time, that Richard thought the music was contradictory. It fit Sandra just right, but he didn’t know about Emily. He had pictured her as a wild lover. He looked over at Sandra, who was watching them with happy eyes. Her hand caressed his shoulder softly as he licked around Emily’s hard nipple, and then she sensuously drew her smooth calf along his butt. He was ready now. He moved back up over Emily, and she could sense the moment. She parted her knees more, and guided Richard to enter her. Emily’s smile grew as Richard slowly moved into her. Sandra turned to lie on her side, facing them. As she watched Richard press against Emily, she saw something in her that she hadn’t seen before. A fascinating delicate passion emerged. Emily’s hand moved so gently over Richard’s chest, and her movements were so graceful. Her look was almost peacefully ecstatic. Emily closed her eyes, and held Richard tight to her. Everything was ultra sensitive. The slightest of his movements was like an earthquake. She kept Richard from moving, and instead she reacted to the music. She drew her legs up and squeezed herself around him inside and outside, gripping him everywhere she could. Richard reacted with a murmur. She squeezed him again, and let him begin to move again. He reacted to her gentle hands on his body. Eventually Emily’s hands fell to her chest, and her head turned to the side. Her legs were locked around his butt, and she began to pull him in, deeper and firmer. But never aggressively. Emily opened her eyes, and saw Sandra smiling at her. Sandra’s eyes went back and forth between Richard and Emily as she watched their expressions grow more intense. She wondered how Emily came. It appeared she would soon find out. Richard had no need to control himself as much as with Sandra, being his second orgasm. He patiently drew himself in and out of Emily, and watched her excitement grow. He took longer strokes, sometimes coming completely out of her, and then parting her again. Emily pulled Richard down onto her as she got close. His hard body crushing hers was enough to tip her over the edge. The climax came tentatively at first, teasing her by flitting at the edges. The music seemed to almost hold it in limbo. Then Richard perhaps sensed it, and he worked slightly faster. It was all she needed. Gently the rings of vibration swam away from her middle and radiated up through her head. Richard’s movements fed them, and they continued to grow until her body was saturated, and they reverberated in her like a hundred echoes. For a while no other sense entered her; the vibrations swept everything away. Richard rolled off of her and into the space between Sandra and Emily. That was different, he thought. So slow, and sweet, and unexpected. Sandra gave him a gentle kiss before laying her head down again.
Emily wasn’t sure if Richard had even finished. A third movement of music had begun, and that had brought her back to earth. What is this music? she wondered. The haunting melody made her want to lie there forever, languishing in the vague cusp between physical pleasure and emotional excess. The slow two note figure which repeated itself over and over again in the strings was trance-inducing. In and out, in and out. Emily, Sandra, Emily, Sandra, Richard thought. He was spent. The music seemed to come from the very air around him, and hold him in place between his two lovers. Sandra had a leg and arm draped over him, and was breathing peacefully into his neck. No doubt asleep, he thought. He turned to Emily. She felt his movement and looked over to him. She turned to her side, face close to his, and put a hand on Sandra’s hand. Both were over his heart. For a long time they looked in each other’s eyes, reading the thoughts that surfaced there. Eventually her blue-tinged face and sparkling eyes faded away. The music turned and turned like a floating leaf caught in the eddy of a slow stream. Richard wasn’t sure if it ever ended. He knew he didn’t want it to.
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