That night, Kate arrived home with a look of absolute dreamy bliss still on her face. Julie and Scott looked up from the television to see her beaming at them as she floated across the room. Neither of them said a word, but they turned to each other and laughed as soon as she was out of sight.
"About time she got lucky," Julie said.
"Does this mean no more shows from you like last night?" Scott asked.
"We'll see what she does next before I'll promise that," Julie replied crisply. But then she turned to Scott and kissed him, and had to admit to herself that the recent jealousy over her friend had done their relationship some good.
As she was sure there would be nosy questions from Scott and Julie and she might even be tempted to answer them, Kate opted to stay in her room for studying that night. Finding her mind wandering and her hands tempted to follow just as she had expected, she forced herself to set goals -- masturbation breaks every three chapters, among others -- and it worked. When she finally turned out the lights, the delightful memory of Seth's fingers in her vagina had not gone away and neither had the persistent itch to play some more; but at least she had managed to get her studying done. It took yet another round of humping the bed before she was relaxed enough to have any chance at sleeping, and it was quite late when she finally drifted off.
Dress rehearsal came and went the next day, and with it an extra-long class. Kate and Seth had a delightful time helping one another out of their clothes and into their dancewear beforehand. But when class finally ended, Kate was too tired to try to top yesterday afternoon. One look at Seth convinced her that he was feeling the same. "I just want to shower and then get some rest for tomorrow!" Kate admitted as they headed for the changing rooms.
"I'm so glad to hear you say that," Seth said. "I was thinking all through class, how do we top yesterday when I'm this tired?"
"No pressure," Kate assured him, taking his arm and kissing his cheek once she'd confirmed that no one was there to see them.
In the changing room, they both wearily set about undressing. By now Kate found it felt perfectly natural, not embarrassing at all anymore, yet still a thrill. The reflection made her very happy, and Seth turned to see her grinning just as she pulled her tights off. The look on her face made him laugh. She joined in as well and then pulled him into a joyful nude hug. "Tomorrow will be beautiful," she vowed.
"I'm sure it will," Seth said.
"Are you?" Kate looked up into his eyes. "You can be honest with me, sweetie, you know that."
"That's how I know it will be beautiful," Seth told her.
"Good answer!" And she kissed him. This time in the shower, he let her wash him down without ever flinching, and comfortably returned the favor. They enjoyed the steamy water for a long time, and were feeling refreshed and just a bit less tired when they toweled off. Kate was just as hungry for Seth as ever, but she felt unexpectedly satisfied at how comfortable they had come to be with one another.
Her sleepy contentment was still on display when she arrived home that night. Feeling less keyed-up, she had no fear of Julie and Scott's questions this time. It was a good thing she didn't, she learned halfway through the first gulp of wine.
"You look awfully relaxed, dear," Julie chirped.
"I am," Kate admitted, hoping her old friend wasn't going to get obnoxious again.
"Did Seth wear you out in the shower room?"
So much for friends-again! "Why yes, Julie, he did. Three times in the shower, and once over the barre as soon as the kids were gone!"
"Kate! That's disgusting! Don't share that at dinner!" Julie looked repulsed.
"Then don't ask, dear," Kate said.
"She's right, you did ask," Scott pointed out.
"You stay out of this!" Julie snapped. "Kate, enough is enough. I was only joking!"
"So was I!" Kate said.
"So you didn't really have sex in the shower today?"
Now it was Scott's turn to snap. "Julie! None of your business!"
"That's right," Kate said. "Besides, do you really want to know or not?"
"I'm not sure what I want to know about you anymore, Kate," Julie said. "I mean, did I ever overshare with you about my sex life?"
"You think I can't hear the two of you from my room?" Kate asked.
"Oh, stop it!" Julie set her glass down firmly and stood up.
"You started it," Kate sing-songed. "And did you really like it better when I was a prude?"
Julie stopped and thought about that. "You know, Kate, I did. It meant I could feel like a bad girl without being too bad. My mistake, I guess." Though she sounded sorry, Julie nevertheless resumed her retreat to her room without another look at Kate.
"Deep down, she's glad," Scott told Kate. "You've really spiced things up around here. We both like it."