Sara was thrilled when she read that the famous conductor, Hermann Strauss, was coming to lead the Symphony Orchestra for several concerts in the fall, and even more thrilled when she learned that he would, as part of his musical education program, also conduct the community orchestra. Sara's duties at JenLiz Productions were not so onerous now that the company was comfortably on its feet, and with more time to practice, she had advanced to first chair in the viola section. She would be playing practically underneath the man she had admired since childhood, a man who had made dozens of well-reviewed recordings with almost every major symphony orchestra in the world, and was now in great demand as guest conductor. His famous great-grandfather was a devoted family man, but Hermann Strauss had been married several times. These marriages never seemed to last for very long, in spite of his apparent desirability, and Sara had a feeling she knew why. Along with his musical fame, there were titillating rumors that he liked dominating young women, and she was curious to see if she could tease out more about this part of his education program too.
Conducting is good for the body and mind, and Herr Strauss was a healthy, handsome sixty three, relatively young to have achieved such renown. Moderately tall, his trim, muscular form gave him an air of authority, making him look even taller. Looking up at his crisp angular features and bright intelligent eyes, Sara felt a thrill of excitement each time he mounted the podium and raised his baton to lead the orchestra in rehearsal, and especially at the performance. The joy of making beautiful music was Sara's main reason for playing in the community orchestra, but the sheer sensuality of fifty or sixty human bodies all twisting, bending, blowing and fingering together, under the direction of one, yet intimately connected with each other, was heady stimulus, especially on this occasion.
Herr Strauss had a reputation for severity when rehearsing with major orchestras, but he was a perfect gentleman with the community orchestra. Everyone played their very best, and though he made a number of critical remarks, they were always to the point and not especially unkind; the performance was by far the best that the orchestra had ever delivered. Sara was irritated at the way he seemed to mentally undress the youngest women in the orchestra when he looked at them, but she did her best to ignore it. Sara was a bit older but very attractive, and her precise and articulate phrasing captured his attention also. She put on her best seductive smile when he looked at her, while taking care to concentrate on her instrument and the music. The post-concert reception would arrive soon enough. He had disappeared quickly after the rehearsal with one of those young women in tow, but Sara had managed to deliver an invitation to come to dinner and stay at her house after the concert, and he graciously accepted, with a rather sly smile of his own. He was becoming intensely curious about this woman who dressed with tasteful eroticism and played so well on a rather more valuable instrument than most in that orchestra. Her prestigious address and obvious comfort with her body were not lost on him either.
Sara's housemate Michael and their friend Gabe attended the concert, hurrying to Sara at the reception to congratulate her and introduce themselves to Herr Strauss. Hermann Strauss recognized Michael's name, having read his article on the neurobiology of consciousness in Scientific American, and he greeted them all enthusiastically – he too had been pleased at the performance, the best in his experience by far from an amateur orchestra. Once he knew them a little better he looked forward to dinner with Sara's friends also, though he hoped he and Sara would be alone before the evening ended. Sara remained in the conversation only briefly, subtly conveying that she and Michael were just housemates, not a couple. For the rest of the reception Herr Strauss and Sara circulated separately, but sparks were already starting to fly. Even as they mingled with others, they glanced frequently at each other, each anticipating when they could gracefully leave together, and it wasn't long before Hermann's limousine drove by to pick them up, dropping them not long afterwards in front of the attractive town house Sara called home. Sara sometimes called it the House of Bondage, but she didn't mention that to Hermann Strauss. Dinner, perhaps a little music, and, if it worked out, a pleasant night together in bed were the only expectations. Michael and Gabe had left the reception a bit earlier to get a head start preparing the first part.
Michael came out to greet them, taking Hermann's bags from the driver, and the three of them went inside. Hermann was impressed by the comfortable elegance of the house, as Sara took him into the living room while Michael continued past the front stairs to the elevator with his suitcases, cheerfully calling to them that he'd be right back down but then needed to help Gabe in the kitchen – they should make themselves comfortable while waiting. Sara offered Herr Strauss a drink, which he accepted graciously, also accepting her invitation to sit.
"You have a musical household?" he remarked, looking at the handsome Steinway standing in the spacious, comfortably furnished and surprisingly intimate living room.
"Gabe plays the piano pretty well, but he doesn't actually live here. We all enjoy music a great deal - we often have guests for musical evenings," Sara replied. Looking at her full figure, rather hidden by her concert dress except for a teasing hint of cleavage, he imagined the room filled with attractive musicians playing enthusiastically in more revealing garb, all entertaining erotic as well as lofty musical thoughts, his fantasy remarkably more realistic than he could know.
Herman stood up politely as Sara returned with his drink, putting his arm gently around her. Sara shivered with delight as she returned the gesture, maneuvering him through the dining room toward the kitchen. The table was already set with four places, salads ready and a fine Cabernet open to breathe. Michael and Gabe were finishing up as they entered, Hermann once again impressed at the first-rate kitchen and the deft skillfulness of the two cooks. Whoever these people were, they seemed to know how to live, and to have adequate means to do it well. "Gabe, why don't you play some four-hands with Herr Strauss while I finish up," Michael suggested as his hands flew over the stove.
Hermann, like most conductors, was a fine pianist, but he was not above playing four hands with an amateur, especially with Sara for an audience. He was surprised at how good Gabe was, as they tossed off several Brahms waltzes before Michael called them to dinner.
Conversation was lively, Herr Strauss and Michael especially engaging in a rather heady discussion of music and consciousness, with enough reference to the erotic aspects to keep it spicy. Gabe loved these events, feeling pleased that his investment in the house and JenLiz Productions had been so successful in adding, if only in a small way, to the sum of human happiness. As dinner drew to a close he excused himself, saying he had a busy day ahead. Actually, he had a busy night ahead, as he needed to join Liz and Jen at the studio to finish up a particularly juicy filming session with a wealthy bondage enthusiast in town for just a short stay.
Michael, Sara and Hermann returned to the living room, the muffled sound of the garage door closing below and Gabe driving away faintly audible as Sara and Hermann seated themselves together on the sofa, holding hands. Spotting Sara's viola where she had set it down when they first came in, he suggested they play together, Michael endorsing the proposal enthusiastically. Herr Strauss went to the piano while Sara opened the case and tucked her instrument under her neck. There's not a lot of literature for viola and piano, so they soon began improvising, one hinting at a tune, the other taking it away, tossing it back and forth between them. The music swirled and spun, gypsy tunes flying from the viola to the piano and back as Sara and Hermann explored each other's musical minds, all the while wondering what it would be like to explore each other's bodies with similar abandon. Michael left quietly without interrupting and took the elevator discreetly up to his room. Slowly the music became more languid, penetratingly ethereal, as they brought it to a final cadence. Sara and Hermann looked into each other's eyes, the earlier tentative and unspoken agreement now fully ratified. "Sara, you improvise beautifully, " Hermann told her with sincere admiration. "Few professionals can do it half as well."
"Let me show you your room," Sara said softly. Taking him by the hand, she led him to the stairs. "It's a bit of a climb," she warned, slightly ashamed of the elevator, also wanting to pace their intimacy.
"I'd climb a mountain with you, Sara," he replied. She squeezed his hand, not wanting to let him see the fire roaring inside her, wondering if perhaps someday they might actually do just that. Passing the second floor, Sara explained, rather disingenuously, that her other two housemates lived there, but they were both working late that night. They continued up one more flight, where the door to the guest bedroom stood open, light flowing from the door invitingly. Taking in the elegant four-poster bed, the antique desk at the window, the comfortable easy chair, the soft, lush carpet, Hermann reflected that while he would otherwise have been booked at a five star hotel, this room seemed every bit as luxurious, and far more enticing. As they stood tentatively at the door, Herr Strauss started to speak.
"Sara, would you..." She silenced him with a soft kiss.
"Make yourself at home. I'll be back in ten minutes." Sara closed the door softly behind him as he entered, trying to get her fires under control. Entering her own room at the back of the same floor, she considered how she should look upon returning, choosing a delicate jade green silk gown which flowed beautifully over her ample nakedness, a contrasting white cord circling her waist, tassels swaying as she walked.
Hermann prepared himself also, though he had fewer choices to make. Quickly unpacking his essentials, he undressed and put on his luxurious purple velvet dressing gown, quickly attending to his hygiene to the extent possible in the limited time. He placed a white silk tie, almost invisible against the white bedcovers, at the end of the bed, and a costly looking, bulging black silk bag on the carpet just at the corner bedpost. Eleven minutes passed, and the door opened softly, Sara entering without knocking. They fell into each other's arms, kissing passionately.
As they kissed, Hermann worked on maneuvering Sara to the end of the bed. Though she was expecting this, she tried to resist a little, not wanting to deny him the thrill of the chase. She knew she was quite safe, partly because the character of the rumors didn't seem to suggest serious concern, but much more because she knew that Michael was at work at his desk on the fourth floor, and in the corner of his mind discreetly monitoring everything going on in the room below. She had a special call to which he would respond instantly if she needed him. But all that was rather far from her mind at the moment, as she fantasized about what Hermann would do once he got her into position, which he almost had. Sara, always alert in these situations, had spotted the tie as soon as she came in, and had already imagined it fastened in at least a half a dozen places on her body by the time she felt her legs and buttocks pressing against the footboard. Hermann squeezed his body against her, sandwiching her against the bed, loosening the cord of her gown. They continued to kiss as he opened her gown around her body, sliding it down over her arms as he held them gently behind her. Once it slipped past her wrists, he bound them almost instantly with the tie. Sara tried to act surprised. "What are you doing to me, Herr Strauss?" she asked.
