Dar Room

Theatre de Amore resides solely in the realm of fantasy. Think of it as a world unto itself. Everyone in this series is a consenting adult, 18+ years of age. (Elements contained in this story include: M/F sex).

Theatre de Amore, Ch. 4: Dark Room

"So this is where you're hiding," Jenny said as she approached, drink in hand.

Johnny, Kate, and Nye followed in her wake. She plopped her bikini-clad body down onto the deck lounger next to mine, and exclaimed, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm fucked out."

We all laughed, agreeing that it had been a tiring, but satisfying, weekend.

"Selena, you should tell Billy to put in a pool," Kate said, dragging a lounge chair into position on my other side.

Johnny took the last nearby chair, leaving Nye standing before us, nervously nibbling his bottom lip, looking uncertain that he was welcome.

I scooted over, making space for him on my chair, and patted the spot next to me. He smiled happily as he sat and snuggled up against me. I draped an arm around his shoulders. He barely topped five feet, and had a willowy, delicate build. If I hadn't personally verified his age during hiring, I would never have guessed he was as old as nineteen.

"Maybe next year," I said absently, gazing around the lawn.

There was certainly enough room for a pool, but I wasn't going to ask Billy to install one. We already had a spacious lawn of grass, where some of the staff were currently playing Frisbee, as well as a large deck, complete with an outdoor kitchen that was presently being used by the catering company staff at present. A hot tub was bubbling away to my far left, and I'd given permission for the staff to make use of the two larger tubs that were on the members' side of the building.

The catering company had set up tables and chairs, as well as strung party lights around the deck. The sun was still up, but the lights would add a nice glow once it sank below the horizon.

I had tucked myself away in a corner, where I could view most of the surrounding activities, not thinking that I would be noticed. Personally, I didn't have the energy to go gallivanting around the lawn playing games, but it was nice to watch the others enjoying some down time in their own ways.

"No, ask him to get us a dog!" Nye piped up, setting his head on my shoulder. "Please, Selena?"

"A dog," I repeated, sharing an amused look with Jenny. We didn't call the staff our kids for nothing. "I think I'll have to say no to that one, Nye." I'd never had a pet myself, and I doubted very much Billy or Leslie would approve of bringing in a dog to live on the fifth floor.

"Awww, I always wanted a dog," he said, disappointment heavy in his voice.

"I'll bring my dog for you to play with sometime before we open this coming week," Kate offered.

I smiled at her over the top of Nye's head. Nye was like a pet to us, in that we looked after him, and he rewarded us with devoted affection.

"I could have done the grilling," Johnny said, watching the caterers tending the flames. "Billy didn't have to hire someone."

"Yeah, I always complain when I'm offered a free fucking three course steak dinner, cooked and served to me by a top catering company, who will also clean up the entire mess afterward," Jenny said. "I swear, we have the worst bosses." Her voice was light, but I didn't miss the warning look she gave Johnny. People were usually careful about making any kind of comments about Billy in front of me, even when they were meant as a joke.

"Where is the big man, anyway?" Johnny asked, smiling sheepishly.

"He had to get back to the city, but he wanted us to know he appreciated how the opening went this weekend. We'll see him Thursday, most likely." I took a sip of my drink, not mentioning that I would join him in the city for a night or two during the week.

"Nye, buddy, I'll be your best friend for life if you go get me another drink," Jenny said, shaking the nearly melted ice cubes in her empty glass. Nye hopped up and went to do her bidding.

"Football!" Johnny exclaimed, leaving us without a farewell and jogging over to where Lucas was organizing small teams for a game.

"Well!" Kate said, clearly put out to be left behind so abruptly. I was sure she was developing a crush on Johnny, one that had likely started sometime during last night's performance. I was also sure she already had a crush on Lucas, dating from our first rehearsal.

I hid a grin by sipping my own drink.

"Go play with them," Jenny prompted. "I'm pretty sure it's just going to be

touch

football. Mmmm! I'm half-tempted to play a round myself." She waggled her eyebrows at Kate, then laughed when Kate excused herself to go join the game.

We sat quietly for a moment, each of us observing the antics of our flock.

"I saw you together last night," Jenny said suddenly. "You and Billy." I turned my head toward her. She was watching me closely. "I came in to get you to come toast our success, but you were,

ahem

, otherwise engaged. It should have been funny, really. You totally naked and bent over the dressing room table while he was still dressed, except for his pants down around his ankles." She pursed her lips. "It wasn't though. It was sweet. The look on his face was sweet." She grinned suddenly. "I almost stayed to watch longer, you know." She sighed. "But I think that look on his face was only meant for you."

I didn't answer but my lips curled in the smallest hint of a smile, and I let my eyes slip closed. Why my relationship with Billy was a source of constant curiosity to everyone was a mystery to me. Surely there were far more interesting things going on around us.

"There's some weird non-sexual vibe about the two of you most of the time," she continued. "And then, bam! I see something like that and you make more sense."

"He's my best friend," I said smoothly.

"I thought I was your best friend."

"He's my best

male

friend," I qualified, opening my eyes to her grin.

"Do you fuck all your best friends?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes at me while clasping her hands together beneath her chin, dramatically hopeful.

"I don't know," I said, considering it. "He was my first."

"Your first best friend?"

"My first everything," I said softly. It was not something I'd discussed with anyone before, and I hadn't actually meant to confess it now.

Jenny froze momentarily. Her mouth opened, then it snapped shut again. She tilted her head just a bit, appearing to think deeply about what I'd said. The air seemed to go still around us, while nearby, people continued shouting and laughing with each other. It was unlike her to be rendered speechless so easily, or to miss her chance to probe deeper. She gave her head a small shake, and the quiet intensity of the moment slipped away.

"I swear, Selena, you dress like my grandmother," she said, changing the topic. I could hear the amused exasperation in her voice. "How can one woman be so sexy and dress so...so...I don't even know what that style of yours is during off-hours."

"I happen to like caftans," I answered, a touch defensively, from beneath my wide brimmed straw hat. I plucked at the lightweight fabric covering my right leg. My outdoor patio outfits weren't exactly high fashion, but they were comfortable and helped protect my skin from the sun. I learned the hard way I don't tan easily. Or at all, really. "I don't want to end up being a lobster all week."

"Fine. I will grudgingly, and jealously, admit that you look like some glamorous old-time Hollywood starlet in that damn outfit, while I would look like a frumpy housewife wearing a circus tent, who should be sitting in front of a small TV watching game shows, knocking back cheap gin, with a unfiltered cigarette hanging off my bottom lip,

if

I ever dared to wear something like that."

"I think you've been around Billy too much lately. You're starting to get very dramatic about things," I said coolly, trying to suppress a laugh at her mock rant.

She dipped her fingers into her glass and flicked droplets of melted ice at me.

"Tramp," she said affectionately.

I giggled throatily.

We were interrupted from further wardrobe discussion by Nye's return. He handed Jenny a fresh drink, and settled into Kate's abandoned chair. He'd never say it to her, but Jenny intimidated him a little, so he stuck to my side rather than sit in Johnny's abandoned chair next to her.

"Well, well. Look who's coming to dinner," Jenny cracked.

We turned to watch the staff from TOS come striding across the lawn toward the party. It was a fascinating mix, as some of them were dressed in ordinary clothes for a backyard barbeque, while a few others were dressed more for a night in their own club. Leather and latex abounded.

"You know all that staff separation stuff is just Leslie. There's no reason for it, really."

"I don't know. I'm not sure I'd want to wear that hood, or one of those collars," Jenny said, observing one of the men with interest.

"They're no different from us," I insisted. "They just like what they like. Don't be a snob."

"Hello, Rudolph Valentino," Nye said dreamily, drawing his legs up into his chair, crossing them at the ankles and wrapping his arms around them. He propped his chin on his right knee.

"You're too young to know Valentino," I said, smiling at him.

"Who?" Jenny asked.

"Old movie star." Nye gestured carefully to one of the TOS guys, a swarthy, dark-haired man with well-defined muscles. "I'm in love," he sighed.

I waved, and a few of the new arrivals who had been looking in our general direction waved back. Darla was among them. She hesitated a moment before she broke off and headed for our small group.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I've seen all the dripping pussies I can stand for a while," Darla said, grinning at us. "Well, not a long while. Maybe a day or two." We laughed with her, and I invited her to sit with us.

We talked briefly about the results of the weekend. She complimented us on the play, before we progressed to more general chat. People drifted over, and away again.

Finally, the caterer rang the dinner bell, and we moved toward the food like a horde of zombies who'd just spotted the last living humans on earth.

After spending some time mingling at the dinner table, then speaking briefly with the caterer, I returned to my shadowy little corner. The sun had set, and several people who had to drive home to the city departed for the week. The remaining partiers were spread out around the deck and lawn, a constant low buzz of conversation in the air. It could have been a party scene from any neighborhood in any town.

The energy was quieting down. Johnny and Chun started a small blaze in the fire pit at the far end of the patio, and the caterer pulled out the supplies to make S'mores. I was tempted to get one, but felt reluctant to indulge in more chit chat.

What I needed more was to recharge after a weekend of almost non-stop interacting with so many people, on so many different levels. I slipped away to return to my fifth-floor suite, satisfied that everything had gone as planned this first weekend, and that the staff were happy.

In my room, I stripped off my clothes, shook my hair loose from its braid, and opened the closet door to regard myself in the full-length mirror. It was an exercise I'd performed many time now, though usually Billy was leading me through it.

The woman reflected in the mirror regarded me with her emerald green eyes and took stock of what she saw. Her black hair draped like a curtain down to the center of her back, reaching just below her breasts. She pushed her hair back over her shoulders, exposing herself fully in the mirror. Her head tipped just slightly as she examined herself. Otherwise, her posture remained the same; her back straight, her shoulders thrown back, perfectly balanced on her feet.

"If your eyes were blue, you'd be the exact match for a young Vivien Leigh," Billy had pronounced when they'd first met. He had my hands clasped between his own, and squeezed them gently. "I find your green eyes an improvement on an already perfect visage." I'd laughed nervously, finding myself both uncomfortable and pleased with his assessment.

The woman in the mirror moved her gazed down, over her smooth cheekbones, noting her straight Grecian nose, and stopping at her mouth. Her lips were a natural ruby red, with a rounded Cupid's bow in the center. Billy liked to touch his fingertip to this spot, a gesture that always created a soft tingling sensation in the skin there.

The woman's eyes dropped lower, following her long, slender neck to the tops of her gently rounded shoulders. Her eyes skipped to her firm, well-formed breasts. The flesh of her nipples and areolas were the same rosy red as her lips, standing out against her porcelain skin. The nipples were naturally distended little peaks, tipped slightly upward. When aroused, they would grow into prominent nubs. It took very little to bring on the change in her flesh. Her hands lifted, cupping the sweetly curved mounds gently in her palms.

"The perfect handful," Billy had said. "Nothing gone to waste."

I resisted the urge to bring my nipples to full arousal. This was not an exercise in self-fulfillment. I returned my focus to the woman in the mirror, and trying to see myself as Billy claimed others saw me.

The woman's hands moved down over her taut belly. Just below her belly-button, they went separate ways, gliding over the gentle curves of her hips. Her hands rested there while her eyes continued moving down to the nest of dark curls covering her womanly center. An examination of her long, slender legs brought an end to the physical examination.

The woman in the mirror looked up. Her hand lifted and touched the cheek reflected on the silvered surface. She turned her thoughts to the things beneath the surface and took inventory.

The woman in the mirror had a cherished man in her life; advisor, mentor, friend, lover. She had a job she enjoyed, money in the bank, and had made a home here. There were friends in her life now, some she had become quite close to. Her lips formed a broad, happy smile, so different from her typical day-to-day expressions that it startled her.

The woman in the mirror was me. I was finally living her life, embracing happiness, and becoming more comfortable in my skin every day.

* * * * * * * * *

On Friday night, we gave a repeat performance of the previous Saturday's play to an equally enthusiastic audience. While we were cleaning up and changing backstage, an usher brought a handful of notes from our viewers addressed to various cast members.

"I've been invited to a champagne orgy in 4E," Jenny said to me, waving one of her notes. "Want to come along?"

"I think I'll pass tonight," I said with a smile.

"And this one likes my tits," she said, waving a second note. "What'd you get?" She peered over my shoulder, trying to read the notes I'd placed on the make-up table.

"Just a couple of invitations."

"A couple? That looks like more than a couple."

"Nothing that interests me right now," I answered, digging a pen out of the drawer.

"Are you going to turn them

all

down?"

"Just for now," I replied.

"Poor disappointed fans," Jenny said with mock sympathy, while nudging me with her elbow. "So what're you going to do instead?"

"I'm sure I'll find something," I said, as my lips curled into a smile.

"Hussy," Jenny said absently, returning her attention to the notes in her hand.

"Mmm-hmmm," I agreed.

I wrote brief notes of apology to each of the four members who had sent requests to meet with me after the play. I simply stated that I was unable to accept the invitation at present, thanked them for the offer, and added a slightly flirtatious notation that I hoped we might find another opportunity to play together in the future.

After the rest of the cast had departed, I took my hair down and shook it loose, letting it flow down my back. I remained sitting in front of the make-up mirror, contemplating my choices for the remainder of the evening. I felt restless, and uncertain about what it was I wanted now that the play was complete for the weekend. I'd woken up feeling off-kilter after a restless night of sleep, and the feeling hadn't dissipated.

I was lacking the mental energy required to find a suitable partner for the evening, but my mind and body were still craving further satisfaction.

Having spent the evening on display, under the eyes of a large group of people who'd watched as my character slaked her need in Billy's play, I now needed to be away from those eyes, if only for a time. I needed the chance to reclaim the part of myself that had been exposed, and restore my inner balance.

An idea came to me and I stood, knowing exactly where I could go to find the physical fulfillment my body wanted, and the mental balance my mind needed.

Striding down the hallway on the second floor in my black kimono robe, I felt a fissure of excitement bloom inside of me. Would someone already be in the room, or would I be the first inside and have to wait on someone else to come in search of their own amusement?

I approached the Dark Room, and studied the dry erase board attached to the door. The note scrawled on the board indicated there was a lone occupant, and he was waiting for a female. I erased his message and wrote 'Room in use, no entry' on the board before I quickly stepped inside.

I entered a small waiting room, which was bathed in low red light. It was low enough that I had to wait a couple of minutes for my eyes to adjust to the darkened conditions. I removed my robe and hung it on the peg on the wall. Another robe hung there already. I smiled with anticipation.

Moving forward, I turned the knob on the second interior door. As soon as I began to open it, the red light overhead clicked off, plunging me into total darkness. No light seeped from beneath the first door, no lights came from within the next room. It was pitch black, just as it was designed to be. The walls were painted a black matte, and the sparse furnishings in the room were black as well. There was little opportunity for any light to seep in, or be reflected from any surface.

I felt my way carefully through the doorway, laying a hand on the silken rope on my left while I pulled the door closed behind me. The lightweight fabric rope would lead me safely to the bed that awaited further in the room.

I'd been in this room before, but never while it was in active use. It felt like there was a vast, endless chasm of darkness around me, though I knew in reality that the room was not very large, just an average 12 x 12 bedroom. I felt a surge of adrenaline. Irrationally, I thought to myself that my next step could lead me to plunge off a cliff in the absolute darkness.

I took a moment to enjoy the thick, plush carpet beneath my bare feet, wiggling my toes. Soft, instrumental music played quietly from an overhead speaker. I inhaled slowly, deeply. My nose found what it sought: the slightly spicy fragrance that wafted through the room, one I had developed specifically for use in some of the Club areas. It was based on my favorite candle, one which put me in mind of the scent of a man fresh from a shower and a shave, clean, but with the musk of arousal about him.

"Hello?" I asked softly.

"On the bed," a low male voice responded. There was a rough note of excitement in his voice. The sound brought goosebumps out on my arms. "Are your clothes off?"

"Yes."

"Are you looking for anything specific?"

"Nothing specific." I paused, considering. "I don't do anal, and I don't do pain," I replied.

"Fine. If you want to fuck, come to the bed. Otherwise, I expect you can find your way back out and I'll keep waiting."