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Ryan Sylander
Opus One Chapter 14: Duets
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/ryansylander/www/
“I’m going to do some theory homework down in the lobby,” Emily said to Sandra. The two of them had just returned to their room after seeing Allison to her car. Richard was stopping at his room for a moment before coming up. There was talk of getting together again with Allison, but she was flying back to Melbourne in a few days. In case it didn’t work out, they had said their goodbyes. Allison had seemed sad to leave them, but she had to get up early to start some experiments. “Homework?” Sandra asked, surprised. “Don’t you want to... you know? Hang out with Richard?” Emily chuckled at Sandra’s evasive language. She could see the look Sandra had. It had been there ever since she had sung with Richard in the practice room for Allison. “No, go ahead. I need to finish this assignment for tomorrow.” Sandra frowned. “Well, maybe we should do some work too,” she said, though her heart wasn’t in the words. “Sandra, it’s all right. You and Richard played beautifully, by the way. It gave me chills.” “Thanks,” Sandra said half-heartedly. Emily watched her for a moment. “If you want to be with Richard tonight, it’s okay. We can’t always be all together every time.” Sandra thought for a long moment, and then laughed uneasily. “It’s so weird.” “What?” Emily said with a frown. “Normal people aren’t upset at the chance to have their lover alone with them.” “You mean we’re not normal?” Emily said sarcastically, but Sandra didn’t laugh. “I don’t know what’s normal anymore!” she suddenly said, voice emotional. “This has been the best time of my life. And yet everything is so... so crazy, so different! I mean, I keep expecting to have chores to do, or hearing my parents nag me about something... or Billy to show up and tell me we’re going back to the farm and the same old beer runs and lake parking lot. But instead I’m in love with Richard, and with you, and with music, and... and everything is so new, and I just can’t get enough of it!” Emily sat next to Sandra on her bed and put an arm around her shoulder, as Sandra let out a few tears. “I’m sorry. It’s been an overwhelming couple of weeks,” Sandra said quietly. “Hey, it’s all right. It’s all right.” “I feel so alive, and I almost can’t handle it.” “I know exactly what you mean.” “You do?” Sandra said, looking at Emily with wet eyes. “Yeah. We’re right where we should be. It feels like... like we’ve been given this chance to do what we love. Not many people have that. I mean, look at Allison. I think she secretly wants to be a musician.” Sandra nodded. “But she’s doing something else,” Emily continued. “She probably thinks we’re lucky. And maybe we are, I don’t know. But it’s amazing to be here. I grew up in a house where music led to the breakup of my parents. Music took my dad across the world. Well, maybe that was good, in the end, since we didn’t get along, but although my parents came together through music, they also went apart by it.” “And yet here you are,” Sandra said. “And yet here I am,” Emily echoed. “And it’s different than I thought. When I got here I was so nervous.” “You were nervous? I didn’t know you got nervous.” “Well, I don’t show it much,” Emily admitted. “But I thought everyone was going to be like some of the people I knew in youth orchestras. Like Jimmy Lemieux. Instead, people like you and Richard were here, too. And all we have to do is learn about music, and play music, and hang out with musicians, and yeah, sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky.” “Is it always going to be like this?” “I don’t know. I’m sure that, like anything, we’ll have difficult moments.” “I don’t want music to tear us apart.” Emily shrugged. “It sure didn’t tear you and Richard apart tonight.” Sandra murmured. “Stay with us when he comes.” “No, tonight you should be with him. When you were singing and looking at him...” Emily trailed off. “What?” “It was beautiful.” There was a knock on the door. “Coming!” Emily called out. The two girls stood and hugged tightly for a long moment. “Anyone home?” Richard asked playfully through the door. The girls pulled apart and smiled at each other. “Come find me later,” Emily said as she pulled her backpack to her shoulder. “We will,” Sandra promised. Emily opened the door and grinned at Richard. “Where are you going?” he asked with a frown. Emily pulled the door shut behind her, forcing him out into the hall. “I’m going to go work.” “Work? Why?” “Because I have homework due.” “But...” “And, Sandra is waiting for you.” Richard frowned again. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing. Finish what you started in the practice room.” Emily kissed him hard before he had a chance to respond. She didn’t care that Joey, the Resident Director, came into the hallway at that moment. Apparently neither did Richard, since he returned the kiss as fervently as it was given. They let go of each other long after Joey had disappeared around the corner. Emily slipped into the stairwell wordlessly. As she made her way to the lounge on the first floor, she felt good about her choice. When she had earlier decided to leave the two of them alone, she wondered why she had made that decision. She still wasn’t quite sure, but she knew it was right. After throwing her book bag onto the lounge couch, she settled into a deep cushion and fingered the remote. She hoped there would be something good on the television to keep her imagination in check.
Richard stood for a few moments, trying to figure out through the haze of the kiss why Emily had gone off to work instead of hanging out. Before he had an opportunity to come up with a reason, the door to the room opened again. Sandra’s face emerged from the darkness within. “Hi,” she said softly. “Are you coming in?” “Yeah,” Richard said, with one last glance at the stairwell. Joey rounded the corner at the far end of the long hallway, just as Sandra pulled Richard into the room. He was glad to avoid having to talk to him, especially after Joey had seen Emily and him kissing. Sandra closed the door, and then wrapped herself around Richard. He returned the hug for a long time, closing his eyes and floating in the room. “Is Emily all right?” he finally asked. “Yeah. She wanted us to be alone tonight.” “Why? Is she... having...” Richard fumbled for words. “She said she needs to work.” “But...?” “I think she just wanted us to be alone.” “Is that okay?” Richard asked. “I asked her to stay, but she insisted.” “Mm. I tried too, but she didn’t really let me talk.” “Maybe she does have a lot of homework.” Richard shrugged and kissed Sandra gently. “Thanks for playing with me earlier tonight,” Sandra said. “That was amazing,” Richard said with feeling. “Your voice... it’s just exquisite. I kept wanting to stop playing just so I could listen to you.” “Thanks, Richard. That means a lot coming from you.” “I’m sorry I didn’t do too well on the accompaniment.” “Oh no, you did fine,” Sandra said. “Just fine.” The connection he had felt with Sandra in the practice room was returning. There was something about striking the notes together, hearing the piano blend in with and support her voice, that had been so satisfying. And the way she was looking at me while she sang. Her eyes had held such... “I love you,” Sandra said. Richard opened his mouth, but Sandra spoke again. “And I love Emily. I love what we have. Thanks for being my friend, Richard.” For the second time that evening, Richard found himself being passionately kissed before he could speak. He had a feeling words weren’t going to be very useful for a little while. Sandra pressed herself so firmly against Richard that it felt like she was trying to get inside of him. Her tongue was so smooth and silky against his. Her hands ran desperately across his back, trying to find the grip that held them the closest. With staggering steps they moved to the center of the room. What had been a suspended hug and quiet chat about the evening had suddenly turned into an urgent attempt to get naked. Sandra ripped her shirt off, and then pulled at Richard’s pants. When they were off, she retraced her hands up his chest and under his shirt so that he could take it off. Bra and underwear went to the rug, as did Sandra’s knees soon after. Richard wanted to scream as she swallowed him. Her lack of experience was unnoticeable as she lavished her attentive tongue on him. Overwhelmed by the moment, Richard felt dizzy. As the room spun and Sandra provided an ever varying oral assault, he fell back onto the bed. Sandra never skipped a beat. Moaning softly, she dug her fingers into his flesh, trying to please Richard, her lover, like he never had been pleased. She wanted him to come a hundred times for her, to feel the elation she felt right now. Richard prolonged the tension he was holding as long as he could, but the feelings Sandra were giving him were too much. His breathing increased, and Sandra could feel the imminent explosion as his butt clenched. She increased her efforts, letting out a pleased moan as he coated the inside of her mouth. Nothing mattered right now except feeling Richard’s pleasure blend with her own. She didn’t care that she couldn’t swallow it all, and that some of it escaped the warmth of her mouth. She didn’t care that he had frozen stiff in hyper-stimulation as she continued to work him past the most sensitive part of his climax. While he was still hard, she crawled up over his body, and lowered herself onto him. He still was pulsing heavily from his orgasm, and the way he was so taut and arched made him feel a mile long inside of her. She lowered herself to his root, and even past it, and filled herself with him. Richard was about to have convulsions as Sandra started bucking on top of him. He was unusually sensitive after coming this night, and Sandra was keeping him right on the sharp edge of his climax. He twisted his head in pleasured agony, unable to control his voice for a moment. Sandra surprised herself, even, at how quickly she reached her plateau. She smothered her body over Richard’s, pressing her hard nipples against his, dragging them over his skin and feeling pricks of energy as they caught on the subtle edges of his chest muscles. Her hair was in disarray, some of it tickling his face, some of it caught up in strange waves. She wondered how high she could go. Richard answered her thoughts by responding to her motions, having finally released the vice-like tension that had gripped him. He pulled her by the head towards him, locking her lips onto his. Sandra arched her back, trying on both ends to allow him fullest depth. Richard rolled them both over with a powerful thrust of his body. Their kiss never ceased, and neither did the meeting of their thrusting hips. Sandra closed her eyes, seeing spots as Richard inched her towards the wall with each plunge into her. Sandra lost track of time. All she felt was Richard. She thought of how they had played music together. How they could talk to easily, how they could make love so easily. It was ecstasy. Richard finally finished within her. With a few stuttered strokes, he groaned and buried himself to the end. Sandra was lost by then, barely feeling him coming inside her. Her whole body was filled with him now, and even as his movements stopped and he collapsed onto her, she continued to reach higher heights. “More,” she whispered into his ear. She had said it jokingly, but didn’t protest when Richard started moving slowly inside her again. She held onto him so tightly her arms hurt, but it didn’t matter.
Joey stopped whistling as he approached the room. One of the benefits of being director of the dorm is that he didn’t need to have a reason to wander the halls. Dorm security was enough reason, if anyone really asked… which no one ever did. As he paused in front of the doorway, he checked behind him before leaning his ear close to the door. The unmistakable sounds of wild sex made him smile. If Emily had kissed me like that, I’d be banging her that hard too! he thought. He had been wondering for the last few days which girl Richard was seeing, if either. He’d had the good fortune of stumbling upon their kiss in the hall earlier, and then watching Richard get pulled into the room by her hand. And now, after several passages by the room, the story was complete. Even though a small part of him was happy it was Emily and not Sandra, Joey knew there was no possibility of him getting together with the beautiful blonde singer. Regardless of her availability, the rules strictly prohibited that. No sexual relations with the residents, unless he wanted to get kicked out of his job, and the conservatory. Although a night with her might be worth that kind of punishment, he thought, amused. He listened a little while longer, checking the hallway and ready at an instant to resume walking, should anyone appear. The sounds of the bed moving and attempts at keeping their voices quiet made him excited. He needed a girlfriend. Masturbation was getting old. A sound in the stairwell caught his attention, and immediately he was walking away. He looked back and saw Jenna and Jer stumble into the hallway laughing loudly. Another couple of rabbits, Joey thought. Looks like the boys of room 312 are getting lucky tonight. Joey walked back to Emily’s room after Jer and Jenna locked their laughter behind her door. Things had quieted. Instead of risking them opening the door on him, he decided to head back to his room. Although masturbation was getting old, it would certainly do for tonight. Joey made a last pass through the common room to grab a book he had left there. The lounge was almost empty, and dark. As he crossed hurriedly in front of the television with a chipper exclamation of “Sorry!” the channel switched to a bright scene, illuminating the room. He almost choked on his diet coke when he saw Emily sprawled on the couch, toying with the remote. Joey’s mind went through a thousand images. But...? “Are you going to stand there all night, Joey?” Emily asked him. Joey moved out of the way, but stared for a moment more. “Uh, anything good on?” he asked. “No, just flipping channels.” Joey’s mouth moved soundlessly for a moment, before he grabbed his book and headed up to his room. The bastard! But Joey felt bad for Emily. Here she was, bored in front of the television while her boyfriend was up fucking her roommate. The lucky bastard! Should I go tell her? No, idiot, then it’s obvious you are eavesdropping on people’s rooms! If that was Sandra, then she’s even wilder than I thought! Poor Emily... Unless she... The damn lucky bastard!
Sandra didn’t know such pleasure existed. She was prone on the bed, and Richard was slamming into her from behind. She was squeezing her legs and butt around him, and in the process squeezing her finger which she had on her button. She was long past orgasm, long past worrying about being sore. Both were reality, but she didn’t want to stop. She just arched her back to let Richard in differently. Sometimes when he got too broad with his movements he would slip out of her and slide up between her cheeks. Everything was slick and wet, and when he lingered there it sent shivers through her she hadn’t felt before. Then he’d return to her depths. He had asked several times if she was done. She was and she wasn’t. She would simply wiggle her bottom against him, clenching on his length. “I don’t think I will come again,” Richard said, “so it’s all you, now.” “Just a little more. This feels so amazing.” And then he was back to it.
Emily opened her eyes, startled at the lips on hers. It was Richard. “Wake up, Em,” he said with a warm smile, barely visible in the dark lighting. “Shit, I guess I fell asleep on the couch.” The television was off. “Come up to the room.” “Are you all done? You look happy.” “Mm, I am. Anything good on TV tonight?” “Not really.” Richard chuckled, and Emily realized her gaffe. He pulled her up and into his arms. “It’s late,” Emily said, eyeing the clock. “I let you sleep.” “Let me?” “I came by earlier to get you and you were out cold,” Richard said. “How long did I sleep?” “An hour, maybe.” “Why didn’t you wake me up? It’s late!” “You looked so peaceful,” he said gently. “Hmm. Did you and Sandra have fun?” “You should know.” “What?” “You listened in earlier,” Richard said simply. “What? No, I didn’t.” “You were standing outside the door a few times.” “Richard, that wasn’t me,” Emily said, her voice serious. Richard pulled out of the hug. “I could tell someone was standing outside because they changed the light coming in under the door with their shadow.” “Well, it wasn’t me,” Emily repeated firmly. Richard frowned. “We have an eavesdropper, then. Come on, let’s go upstairs.”
Sandra thought she knew who it was. “Jer! I bet he was coming up to try and see what we were doing, and instead listened in.” “Were you really loud?” Emily asked. “Not really, but who knows?” Richard said. “Let’s see how loud it was,” Sandra said. She stood and went to the door, and then looked expectantly at Richard and Emily. “Wait, I’m done,” Richard said, holding out his hands. “Oh, just pretend.” Sandra went out into the hallway. “Pretend?” he echoed, but she was gone. Emily laughed richly. “All right, let’s pretend we’re having sex.” Richard raised a brow. “Come on, Sandra’s running an experiment,” Emily said. “Don’t mess with it.” Richard got up slowly. “How did you do it?” Emily asked. “Um, several ways,” Richard admitted. “Were you on top?” “At one point, yes.” Emily fell to Sandra’s bed and opened her legs. “Climb on, boy.” Richard rolled his eyes as Sandra yelled from the hall. “What’s taking so long?” Richard nestled himself between Emily’s legs. “Oh, Richard! Yes!” Emily called out immediately, in mock bliss. “Can you hear that?” she said to the door. “Move the bed,” Sandra said. Richard made some feeble movements. “If that’s what you call wild, then...” Richard put in some more effort. Not surprisingly, he began to feel aroused as he rubbed himself against Emily. Emily let out a murmur, and Richard knew it wasn’t for Sandra’s benefit. After a moment, Richard had the bed moving like it was with Sandra earlier. “I’m locked out,” Sandra called, knocking on the door. “You’ll have to wait, now. Sorry!” Emily replied, grinning at Richard. “Hey!” Sandra said. “Oh, yes!” Emily cried. “Hey!!” Richard stopped. He was sore and raw from the session with Sandra. He knew he would regret a round with Emily, and if he didn’t stop now, he wasn’t sure he would stop at all. Emily pouted as he got off of her. As he opened the door for Sandra, he gave her a disapproving look, although it was mixed with a smile. “So?” “So these doors don’t really hide much,” Sandra said. “Oops.” “Yelling ‘Move the bed!’ all over the hallway probably didn’t help either, though. Especially during quiet hours.” Sandra laughed. “We’ll just have to be quieter,” Richard said, plopping down next to Emily. “Should we try out some low volume experiments?” Emily asked, rolling over to straddle him. “No, I’m serious. I’m done for the night. And it’s after midnight.” Emily pouted again. “But I’m horny,” she said softly. “I know, I know… I should have thought of that earlier when I left.” “I can give you a massage,” Richard offered. “Ooh, that would be nice,” Emily said happily. “I can help,” Sandra offered. “Sure… I wonder who the pervert is,” Emily mused, as she removed her clothes. “For wanting to help give a massage?” Richard asked, confused. “No, our little eavesdropper.” “I still think it’s Jer,” Sandra said. “Sooner or later someone is going to know that the three of us are together,” Richard said. “Yeah, I suppose so. There’s not much we can do about that.” “Well, except for Allison, no one has really seen us.” Emily coughed. “Well, not exactly true.” “What do you mean?” “Joey walked by when I gave Richard a kiss out in the hallway earlier.” “Oops,” Sandra said. “You know, who cares?” Richard said. “I’m happy. You two are happy. So someone figures it out; I don’t really care. We’re not breaking any laws.” The girls agreed. “Now let’s get to massaging,” Richard said, motioning for Emily to lie on her bed. Sandra and Richard knelt beside her. “Hope you don’t mind that I’m nude,” Emily said with a mischievous grin. “You’ll just have to control yourself, Richard.”
Emily placed her horn on the bed and answered the phone. “Hi, Emily. It’s Allison.” “Hey, how are you? Are you still in town?” “Yes, I’m leaving tomorrow at noon. I was just seeing if the three of you wanted to get together this evening for a bit before I go. I know you’re probably too busy and if – ” “No, no, let’s do it. Why don’t you come down and we’ll get some dinner a little later.” “When do you want me to come?” “How about now? I’m done for the day. And Richard...” Emily glanced at the three-way schedule posted on Sandra’s corkboard. “Richard’s done in about an hour, and Sandra at five.” “That sounds great. I’ll come down in a little bit, then.” “Just ring me up from the call box.” A half hour later, Allison was sitting in Emily’s room. “I hope I’m not interrupting your practice,” Allison said. “No, usually I have my lesson on Friday mornings, but I cancelled tomorrow’s since my lip was hurting this week. I need to ease back into it.” “Is it better?” “Yes, but I’m slightly out of shape since I didn’t practice at all for a few days.” “What piece were you working on?” Allison asked. “Oh, some orchestra excerpts. I’m missing rehearsal tonight, too. Luckily I had a few favors due from a friend and he’s filling in for me.” “What are you playing in orchestra?” Allison asked. “Well, the next concert is Beethoven Three and the Sibelius Violin Concerto.” “Nice! Who plays the concerto? Is it someone famous?” “A student, actually,” Emily said. “Every semester they audition the concerto slots for the next semester.” “Wow, that must be amazing, to get up there with the full orchestra!” Allison said, her voice dreamy. “Yeah, I imagine so. I’ve never done it.” “Are you going to audition? I’ll admit I don’t even know if there are many horn concertos.” Emily laughed. “Well, not many, but they do exist, oddly enough. Mozart wrote some, Strauss, Saint-Saens, also, but there’s not as many as there are for piano or violin, obviously.” “The three of you should play a piece together some day. I bet it would be amazing.” “Well, voice, horn and piano is a fairly unlikely combination.” “I suppose it is,” Allison admitted. “But I’m sure someone has written for it,” Emily added. “Can you play me something? I mean, since I have not heard you play yet.” Emily eyed her horn and then shrugged. “Sure.” She considered for a moment, and then played for Allison. She played differently in front of people than when she practiced, and was pleased at how some of her practice had made performance easier. After a few minutes, she stopped. “Beautiful!” Allison said, clapping lightly. “Well, it’s a sonata, so you had to imagine the piano part behind it.” “Who wrote it?” “Hindemith. It’s a neat piece, but a little hard to tell without the accompaniment.” “I know. Some of these modern pieces make more sense played fully. But it was still a nice melody on its own. Thank you.” Emily started packing up her horn. “No problem.” “The three of you are amazing musicians. Is this considered a good music school?” Allison asked. Emily nodded. “Among the top few in the country. Juilliard, Curtis, Cleveland, Peabody, Wexford, Eastman, NEC, a few others too: those are the main ones people want to go to.” “Was it hard to get in?” “Hard? I don’t know. I guess so. It must be like what you did. You audition in front of some of the teachers, and then they let you know.” “Yeah, it was the same back home.” “I got into some of those other schools I mentioned, too, but came here because of the teacher. That’s what matters most, anyway; not so much the school.” “But the name must help when you want to get a job.” “Perhaps. Most orchestra jobs you have to audition for, just like getting into the schools.” “It must be nerve-wracking,” Allison said. “I was petrified for my audition. I still cringe when I think of it, and it was eight years ago! It’s a wonder I got in. I thought I played terribly.” “They get easier as you go along, I think. It’s a performance really.” “But so much hinges on it! A slight mistake, and...” “True, but at some point you get to where you can be consistent about your playing, where mistakes aren’t an issue. Then it’s more about the music, not so much the technique.” “I never got there,” Allison said with a chuckle. “Oh, I’m not there either,” Emily admitted, sharing the laugh. “Most of the time I’m practicing technique, it seems!” Emily closed up her horn case. “Richard should be getting out of piano seminar soon. Let’s go find him before he gets into a practice room.”
After dinner, everyone was feeling a little tipsy. Emily had ordered wine, of course, and with Sandra deciding to skip German the next morning, no one really had anything to restrain themselves for. As they walked back towards the dorms, Richard looked at his three friends as they laughed about something he had missed. He was somewhat amazed at his situation. He had never been comfortable around the opposite sex. Even in Italy, when he wasn’t having sex with Tonia, their relationship was rather shallow and sometimes awkward for him. He felt so comfortable with Emily and Sandra, though. They were natural friends and lovers. And Allison seemed to fit right in. He was sad that she was leaving the next day, since he had enjoyed her presence. She didn’t seem to be judgmental about the three of them, but rather almost fascinated. As the four of them turned to cross through the park towards the dorm building, Richard remembered the rainy night at the fountain. He wondered who had found Sandra’s underwear hanging from the filigree. “Let’s go to the fountain,” Richard offered. Maybe it’s still there, he thought. As they entered the garden, all eyes went to the centerpiece. It was, of course, devoid of lingerie. Sandra, Emily and Richard exchanged looks, and then started laughing. “What’s so funny?” Allison asked. “Oh, nothing,” Sandra said. “What is something I said?” “No, something Sandra did,” Emily said. “Well, don’t leave me out!” Allison cried. “Last week...” Emily started. “Em!” Sandra exclaimed. “...Sandra and Richard did something naughty.” “Which was...?” Allison pressed, smiling expectantly. “She left her underwear on the fountain,” Emily said simply. “Emily!” Allison laughed. “Why would you do that?” “They were already off,” Richard offered. Sandra looked at him wide-eyed. “Great, not you too! How embarrassing!” “Oh, don’t be embarrassed. I can tell you plenty of really embarrassing stories if you want,” Allison said. “Let’s hear them, for sure,” Emily said. “I want to hear why Sandra left her knickers on the fountain, first.” “You’ll have to ask them,” Emily said, pointing to Richard and Sandra. “Well...” “Um...” Emily rolled her eyes and sniggered, but otherwise kept quiet. Richard threw caution to the wind. Allison was leaving the country in less than twenty-four hours, anyway. “We were, well, you know, busy on the ledge here...” “Having sex?” Allison blurted out. She was glad no one could see her face reddening. “Yeah. Having sex. Exactly that. And we sort of fell into the water there,” Richard said, pointing into the basin. Sandra was laughing, half-covering her face with a hand. “And, well, Sandra didn’t feel it was necessary to replace her underwear.” Allison tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn’t. “You three are crazy, you know that?” “Have you ever had sex in public?” Emily asked her, as if the question was about having ever eaten an apple. “Well, no, certainly not!” Allison said. “And you wouldn’t try it?” “I... I don’t know. I’ve never even thought of it,” she stammered. “Come on, everyone’s thought of it,” Emily pressed. “Well, I’ve never thought of really doing it. I don’t think my boyfriend would go for it.” “Hmm,” Richard mused, “I wonder about that.” “He’s a conservative bloke.” Richard shrugged. “He might be persuaded. I think most guys could be.” “You would do it again?” Allison asked, before she considered the forwardness of her question. “Sure,” Richard said confidently. Allison looked at Sandra, who shrugged and nodded slightly. “Crazy!” Allison exclaimed. Richard just laughed. Allison watched him. He gave her a challenging look. Allison wavered for a moment under his stare, and then let go of the last inhibitions she held. “Would you do it right now if I left the area?” she asked. Richard raised a brow. “What?” “Have a go at it, right now. I dare you to.” “And you think we’re crazy?” Richard said, exasperated. “You said you’d do it again.” “Yeah, but...” “Fine,” Emily interjected. “Fine what?” Richard said, chuckling. “We’ll do it, right here, right now.” Allison laughed as she backpedaled. “I was kidding, really; just teasing Richard.” “It seemed like a real dare to me,” Emily countered. Sandra watched her friends. She knew that deep down, all of them wanted to see it happen, but it was at the edge of their allowable boundaries. It was one thing for her and Richard to have a romp in a spur of the moment bout of lust, and quite another to consider taking deliberate requests to have sex. But she knew Emily wanted to. There might not have been jealousy between them, but perhaps there was still some friendly competition, after all. Sandra recognized the look on her face, even in the faint lighting. And Richard could, as he had put it, ‘be persuaded.’ “We’ll wait over there,” Sandra said, gesturing to the other side of the wall of bushes which enclosed the fountain garden. “This is crazy!” Richard said, throwing his hands into the air. “Oh, you have it so tough, Richard,” Sandra chided as she went through the opening in the bushes. Allison followed Sandra out of the garden. For a moment Richard looked at Emily, feeling completely awkward. To be thrust into this situation was unexpected. Still, he was having trouble keeping in check what was a growing arousal at the possibility. “What are you waiting for?” Emily asked, unbuttoning her shorts. That was all the persuasion he needed.
“I feel like such a prude!” Allison said to Sandra, as they went outside of the bushes and sat on a bench. Sandra idly kept watch for passers-by, more likely tonight than during her rainy tryst the week before. “Prude? Why?” “The three of you are so... free with each other. I’ve never been with two other people before, or had sex outside, or any of the things you do. Or even talked about it, for that matter.” “We’re kind of new at it too,” Sandra admitted. “It seems like you’ve been together for years.” “Weeks, only.” “What’s it really like?” Allison asked. “What?” “When you get together. I don’t mean to pry, and if you don’t want to answer, I understand.” “Do you mean how do we have sex?” “Yeah. Do you watch each other, or is it... Oh, I can’t believe I’m asking these things! Must be the wine talking!” Allison said, shaking her head. “It’s all right, I don’t mind. We do watch each other, yes. It’s actually very exciting, to watch Emily and Richard together.” “And you really don’t feel jealous?” “No, not at all.” “Do you ever, like, all have a go at the same time?” Sandra thought for a moment. “We mostly take turns with Richard.” “So you and Emily, you don’t...” “No, not really, but we do... touch each other, I guess. As part of the whole thing, you know.” Allison realized she was breathing heavily. “Do you think they are really doing it?” she asked, gesturing to the bush behind her. “Probably. Let’s go see.” “No!” Allison said urgently, staying Sandra with a hand on her arm. “Why not?” “I... That wasn’t part of the deal.” “What deal?” Sandra said, chuckling. “I didn’t see you shaking hands with them!” “I said I’d stay out here.” Sandra looked at her with a smile. “Come on, let’s go see what they’re doing.” Allison hesitated, but followed Sandra as she went back through the gap in the bushes. As they rounded the edge of the hedge, Allison could see that Richard and Emily had been serious after all. With her shorts wrapped around one ankle, Emily was straddling Richard on the far edge of the fountain. The sight was intoxicating, and Allison wanted to get closer, but she didn’t dare. “Don’t fall in!” Sandra cried out after watching them for a short while. “Shh!” Allison said, pulling on Sandra’s arm and ducking around the corner of the bush again. Sandra just laughed easily. “Do you want to watch some more?” “No. Yes. I don’t know. It...” “Hmm?” Sandra said. “It is exciting,” Allison said quietly. Sandra watched Allison closely. She seemed flushed, although it was hard to tell. Her breathing was loud and heavy, and her eyes were big and glimmering. Sandra leaned in and placed her lips on Allison’s instinctively. She kept the kiss chaste, but Allison returned the pressure, and made it linger. At the end, Sandra let her tongue find Allison’s for a moment before pulling away. For a long time, they looked in each other’s eyes. “I’ve never done that either,” Allison whispered. “Me neither,” Sandra whispered back. “It wasn’t bad,” Allison said. “No, it wasn’t.” Another kiss followed, this time slightly more aggressive. Allison pulled away suddenly. “I... I shouldn’t. You’re with Richard, and Emily, and... and I have a boyfriend.” Sandra nodded. “I know. That was nice though.” “Yes,” Allison agreed quietly. Sandra poked her head around the bush. “Come on, they are done.” Richard and Emily were arranging their clothes as they approached. “Well, there you are. Dare taken,” Richard said. He looked satisfied. Allison laughed a little wildly, her mind suddenly reeling from the strange sensuality exploding within her. “I can’t believe you actually did it. I was just joking…” Richard shrugged. Emily had her underwear in hand, and dunked it in the fountain basin. After gauging the throw, she tossed the panties at the column of the fountain, where they caught on a protrusion. “Yes! Just like ring toss at the amusement park,” she exclaimed. “I wonder who found the last pair,” Sandra mused. The four of them stared at the black underwear hanging on the fountain. Then they all laughed and headed back to the dorm. “You didn’t take a swim like I did,” Sandra said to Emily. “No. I guess we know who has more balance and poise now.” “Ouch!” Richard said, laughing at the barb. Emily wrapped an arm around Sandra and gave her an impish grin. “You look tired,” Sandra said to Allison, when they neared her car. “Yeah, I am, a bit. Sorry.” “Don’t let us keep you, since you have a long trip tomorrow.” “It’s fine. I can usually sleep some on the plane. Do you mind if I come up to the room for a bit? I’m still feeling the wine a little. Not sure I should drive yet.” “Of course, you can even stay the night if you want,” Emily offered. “I can sleep in Sandra’s bed. Sandra can have the floor.” “Aren’t you frisky tonight!” Sandra said to Emily. “Fine, I’ll let you sleep in your bed with me,” Emily conceded. “There’s no need for that,” Allison said. “I’ll be fine in a little while.” “Well, do whatever you need to do. It’s no problem with us,” Sandra said.
Joey was walking down the hallway when the stairwell door opened up ahead. He smiled at Sandra, who entered the hallway first, followed by Emily, Richard, and someone he didn’t recognize. Cute girl, he thought. They seemed to be quite happy. Emily had a wild look in her eye. Probably found some drink somewhere, Joey thought. “Hi, Joey!” Sandra said lightly. “Evening,” Joey answered, nodding to them. “Visitor for the night?” he asked. That’s my duty, after all. Make sure everything is cool. “Maybe,” Emily said evasively. “Well, you are aware of the rules, right?” “Oh, I’m not really staying the night,” the girl said. Cute woman, he corrected, as he examined her more closely. She was definitely in her mid twenties. “Okay,” Joey said. “Remember, overnight guests need to sign in with me. And it’s getting late for that already.” Emily rolled her eyes as she unlocked the room door. As the four of them went into the girls’ room, Joey walked on. Damn lucky bastard!
Allison woke up suddenly. Sandra had moved, or perhaps someone had coughed. Some remnant of a sense lingered in her head, but she couldn’t pull it out through the haze of sleep. A glance at the clock showed two-thirty. They had played Scrabble. Naughty Scrabble, really, and as promised, Emily had won easily. But it had still been fun. Then Sandra had put on some music while they talked, lying in the beds. And then talk had turned to introspection, and... She debated whether to get up and leave quietly, or turn over and resume her dreams. She didn’t think it would be an awkward morning, and she didn’t think Joey would ever know she had ended up staying here. In the dim glow from the security lights on the adjacent building, she could make out Richard and Emily cuddled on the other bed. She was spooned in front of him. A sheet was randomly covering part of their intertwined legs. It was hard to believe she was sleeping with three strangers. Kids, actually, compared to her. She was eight years older. She would be a doctor in a year. And yet here she was, and really comfortable. She didn’t know what, if any, of this part of her trip she would tell her boyfriend back home. The music? The sleepover? The kiss? With a sigh, she rolled over, pulling the sheet over her shoulder. Reality could wait a few more hours.
The flight to Los Angeles was but a prelude to the long leg to Melbourne. With any luck, the plane would be relatively empty and she could stretch out on a center row. As Allison watched the buildings of the city get small, she sighed. Not unhappily, but rather in response to the impending return of her world. She had, for a moment, lived a little of the life she might have chosen had that coin landed tails. Richard and Emily and Sandra had graciously allowed her to float in their river. She already missed their presence, and was sad she wouldn’t be sharing any more of their journey. She could see the arts district now, with the museum and concert hall framing the college campus where the Wexford Conservatory was situated. Somewhere down there, her friends were playing music. And I wish I was there too. She was looking forward to getting home, though. She would be back in the arms of her lover, and relieve all the passions she had built up over the last week. She had many ideas, and she hoped he would be surprised and pleased. And she would be looking into possibility of playing in a musical group. She realized how much she needed that in her life. The experience of hearing Richard and Sandra perform had revitalized her. Had she forgotten what it was like to play with someone else? It felt like they had made love, when they finished. The city disappeared behind her now. She closed her window shade and pulled out her notebook. The sooner she finished her dissertation, the sooner she would have time to explore her other life.
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