The Liberation Of Kate Shaw Ch 11

A few weeks after the party, I came home late from rehearsal, my neck and shoulders aching. I was exhausted beyond anything I’d ever felt before. The apartment was dark and quiet when I walked in, and I experienced a tiny stab of guilt at the relief I felt when I remembered Jordan telling me in the morning that she’d be working late and would probably stay at her loft tonight. I was looking forward to a long, hot, steamy bath and a nice soft bed to fall into. I loved Jordan dearly; sometimes her energy level was enough to make a room feel pretty crowded. Besides, she was deeply involved in her project with Marta, spending long hours shooting at the studio and even longer hours in her darkroom.

My initial misgivings about Jordan’s project had taken a back seat to the mental and emotional energy I was putting into my rehearsals. The symphony was preparing to go on tour, and as guest soloist I was being billed as the top attraction. Although most of me was thrilled to death at this opportunity to get my name known outside the small musical circles in which I traveled, there was a tiny part of me that was terrified at the prospect. Jordan, who took her growing popularity completely in stride and seemed unfazed by it, could not understand why I was so wound up about the upcoming tour. As far as she was concerned, the more people that knew about and appreciated her work, the better. She didn’t seem to understand that her work was completely her own in a way mine would never be.

When I tried to explain this to her, her reply invariably was, “Hey, it’s YOUR interpretation of the music that people love, Kate. Sure, the music has been around for hundreds of years, but it’s YOUR heart and soul people want to hear.” I agreed with her in principle, but the thing that amazed me about Jordan’s work was that it was totally unique, completely created by her and her vision. She could hide her shortcomings; all she had to do was throw the bad shots away and try again. It was different for me. Music people are very particular about how the music of the masters is interpreted, and I only have one shot at getting it right every performance. If there was any source of friction between Jordan and me, that was it.

I checked messages and smiled when I heard Jordan’s voice, reminding me she’d be at her loft for the night. I thought briefly about calling her back, but decided it could wait until after my bath. I figured she was probably in the darkroom anyway and wouldn’t answer the phone.

I started the water, lit a few candles, and walked into the bedroom to take my clothes off, then went back to the bathroom and sank gratefully into the steaming water. I could feel the heat start working on my tired muscles immediately, my eyes closing at the warmth surrounding me. I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was completely asleep, so I forced myself to stay awake until the water started getting cold, then got out, dried off, and climbed naked into bed.

I must have fallen asleep the second my head hit the pillow, because the next thing I knew, I awakened to a soft feathery touch on my shoulder. In my exhausted state, I could barely get my eyes open, and I was half-convinced I was having a dream.

“Kate?” Jordan whispered.

I was lying on my left side, facing away from her, so I turned over onto my back and saw her looking down at me, smiling.

“Hey there,” I mumbled, stretching and reaching up to touch her face. “Am I awake?”

“I certainly hope so,” she said, leaning down to kiss me. I could taste alcohol on her breath, probably Guinness (which she knew I hated, but for some reason I loved it when I tasted it on her lips).

“I thought you were staying at your place tonight,” I said, turning to snuggle into her.

“Well, I was going to, but I decided to take a break and went out for a drink with Marta. I couldn’t stop thinking about you so I came home,” she said, leaning down to kiss me again. I could feel the urgency in the way she kissed me, her tongue probing into me, and my body responded to her in spite of how tired I was.

“Mmmm that’s nice to hear,” I murmured somewhat breathlessly, ignoring the way my stomach dropped at the thought of her at a bar with Marta. Her kisses had moved from my lips down to the hollow of my throat, and then down to my breasts. I put my arms around her, noting in the back of my mind that she still had her clothes on, smelling the cigarette smoke in her hair and the beer on her breath, but then I moaned, her touch as always setting fire to every part of my body and sending everything else right out of my mind.

She moved to lie on top of me, her shirt and jeans still on, and I put my hands in her hair as she kissed me deeply, her body rubbing up and down against mine. The rough fabric of her jeans sent sparks through me as she rubbed my bare skin, and I slid my hands down her back and into her jeans. She pulled back and looked into my eyes as she slowly began to thrust her hips into me, grinning when she saw the look on my face as I felt a strange hardness between her legs and a leather strap down the back of her jeans.

“Jordan, what…?” I began, but she bent down and kissed me again, then took one of my hands and slid it between us, between her legs. I gasped at what I felt there…the unmistakable outline of a very large erection. She kept moving her hips into me, keeping my hand on the hardness there until I started rubbing it on my own. After a few minutes of this, I moved my hand and spread my legs wider apart so she could settle into me more comfortably, and I gasped as her erection began rubbing directly against my clit. The hardness of it combined with the rough feel of the fabric was almost enough to send me right through the roof.

Jordan began to moan, and I realized that she had probably positioned her new toy so that she could feel it against her own clit, so I wrapped my legs around her and pulled her in tighter.

“You like this?” she whispered in my ear, still moving her hips back and forth.

“Yes,” I whispered back.

“Me too,” she said, breathing faster.

“Jordan,” I whispered.

“Yes, my love?”

“I want you inside me,” I said.

“Oh god, YES,” she groaned, then sat up and started fumbling with the buttons on her jeans while I unbuttoned her shirt and helped strip her naked. I saw then that the leather strap I’d felt was part of the harness she was wearing, and I stared in fascination at the very realistic dildo she had protruding in front of her. She looked at me, her jade eyes dark with lust, then pushed me down and got between my legs again. My own breathing had grown ragged while helping her strip, and I watched as she took the dildo in her hand and began to stroke it.

“Have you ever done this before?” she asked hoarsely.

“Only with a real one,” I replied, and she looked confused for a moment.

“Oh,” she said, nodding. “Paul.”

“I don’t want to think about Paul right now, Jordan. I want you inside me,” I said, sitting up and reaching for her.

She pushed my hands away and made me lie back again, then leaned forward on her knees until the tip of the dildo was touching me, then she started rubbing it against my clit. I gasped and arched my back, but she pulled away again and kept just the tip on me. I cried out in frustration, but she stayed where she was and kept teasing me.

“What do you want, Katie?” she asked, an impish grin on her face.

“You know what I want,” I gasped, trying to raise my hips up so her erection would be inside me.

“Tell me,” she whispered, moving back and still rubbing the tip of the dildo on my clit.

“Ohhh Jordan,” I groaned. “I want you inside me…please baby…”

She leaned closer and slid the tip of the erection inside me, then back out again, but would go no further. I could feel my pussy contracting, wanting so badly to feel that hardness thrusting in and out of me.

“Katie, tell me what you want,” she whispered again. “Tell me, say it…say the words.”

“Jordan…I…,” I gasped, my hips moving toward her of their own accord.

“Come on baby, tell me what you want,” Jordan insisted, and finally I could take it no more.

“Fuck me, Jordan,” I said through gritted teeth, grabbing her arms and wrapping my legs around her. “Please…I want you to fuck me…ohhh yesss.”

She gave a small cry and slid smoothly inside me, our naked bodies finally meeting full length as she began to move in and out of me. Her arms were cradling my head and our lips met in a frantic kiss as she filled me the way no woman had ever filled me before. Her thrusts were deep, touching places inside me and triggering pleasurable spasms that seemed to course through my entire body.

My legs were wrapped around her waist, and I could feel the muscles of her ass clenching as she began to move faster. She moved her head so that my face was notched in the hollow of her throat, and I could taste the saltiness of her skin when I licked her there. My body seemed to gather into itself as I began to come, and I raked my nails over Jordan’s back and down to her ass, feeling like I wanted to scream as my pleasure mounted. Jordan looked down at me, right into my eyes, and watched my face as my orgasm surged through me, my pussy contracting and squeezing the erection inside me.

“Ohh my GOD,” I cried out as my body arched, then went limp as all the strength drained out of me. Jordan moved her hips slowly, riding the waves as spasms went through my body, the aftershocks of a truly powerful orgasm. Slowly, she withdrew the dildo from inside me, then settled down next to me and held me in her arms while our breathing returned to normal.

“Holy SHIT,” I said, when I was finally able to talk again. “What in the world came over you?”

She laughed and kissed my hair, her right hand lazily caressing my body from the top of my pubic hair to the space between my breasts.

“Oh, it’s something I’ve been wanting to try for a while,” she replied, pulling me closer to her.

“Well, GOD, what’s taken you so long?” I asked, and we both laughed.

“I know, I know,” she said with a wry smile. “But to be honest, Kate, I didn’t know if you’d want to. I guess I’m not really sure how deep your wild streak runs.”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out, isn’t there?” I asked, kissing the side of her neck.

She shivered, then looked into my eyes. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

I turned on my side so our bodies were full length against each other again, and I laughed when I felt the dildo poke me in the stomach.

“Think you might want to take that off so we can go to sleep?” I asked.

Jordan looked chagrined as she sat up and unstrapped the harness, sliding it off and dropping it onto the floor. She slid back in bed next to me, and our legs entwined comfortably as we settled into each other’s arms.

“So, you think you might want to do that again, Kate?” she asked, and I could almost feel her holding her breath.

“Oh yeah,” I said, “on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“Next time, I get to wear it,” I said, and drifted off to sleep hearing Jordan’s pleased chuckle in my ear.

The phone was ringing, and after about ten rings I hung up in frustration. I’d been trying to get hold of Jordan for about an hour, but there was still no answer. I stood up and paced around my hotel room, feeling like a caged animal. I’d called both our apartments and her cell phone, but had no luck anywhere.

I was at a hotel in San Francisco, the last stop of the tour I was on with the symphony. We’d been touring for about a month, and had one more performance left before we headed home. To say I was more than ready to have this tour finished was an understatement. In addition to being exhausted, I missed Jordan terribly. Even though we’d spoken every night since I left, being away from her was extremely difficult – at least for me. I knew Jordan was in full work mode, and I could tell when I talked to her that, even though she DID miss me, she was anxious to get back to what she was working on. She had promised me, though, that she would be finished in time for us to go on a much-needed vacation once I returned. At this point, there was nothing I was looking forward to more.

I glanced at the clock and saw that I had a few minutes before the tour bus left for the symphony hall, so I tried Jordan once more. Still no luck. Stifling worry, I gave up and checked my suit once more in the mirror, then headed down to the lobby to meet the rest of the orchestra. The manager had told me I was more than welcome to take a cab rather than ride the bus, but I had made several very good friends in the orchestra during the course of the tour and found that riding with them relaxed me more than riding by myself.

I met Laurie downstairs, and she could tell right away that something was bothering me.

“What’s up?” she asked, hugging me.

“Oh, it’s really nothing. I just can’t seem to get hold of Jordan,” I said, trying to disguise the concern in my voice.

Jacob overheard and came wandering over, chucking me on the shoulder like he always did in lieu of a hug. “What’s that? Jordan is missing in action?”

Laurie glared at him and hit him on the shoulder, and he looked at her, confused.

“What? What did I say?” he asked, rubbing his shoulder.

“She’s really worried, Jacob. Don’t be such an insensitive clod,” Laurie said in exasperation.

“Hey, Kate, I’m sorry,” he said apologetically. “I was only kidding.”

“No, no, it’s okay,” I sighed, turning to head for the bus. “I’m sure she just got caught up working and didn’t hear the phone.”

The bus ride to the symphony hall was by far the liveliest we’d had on the whole tour. Everyone was excited about going home tomorrow, so the noise level was a bit higher than usual. I sat next to Laurie, looking out the window and not saying much. She left me alone for a while, then turned and said, “Hey.”

I looked over at her. She had a look of concern on her face, and it hit me suddenly what a really good friend she had become.

“I know, I know – stop worrying. It’s just not like her to not be around when she knows I’m going to call,” I said.

“Well, like you said, she probably was where she couldn’t hear the phone. Plus, you’ve told me yourself how she gets so absorbed in things that she’s in her own world,” she said reassuringly.

“I know you’re right,” I said, taking a deep breath and trying to clear my head.

“Besides, you’ll be home tomorrow night,” Laurie said, squeezing my arm gently. “You can give her hell then.”

I laughed and nodded, finally feeling better. The rest of the bus ride passed quickly after I stopped brooding and set my mind to the task at hand.

It was typical for us to arrive at the concert hall roughly two hours before a performance. This gave everyone time to get settled, put instruments together, take care of any last minute repairs, get tuned up, and generally prepare for the evening. As the guest soloist I was usually given my own dressing room, which gave me the time I needed to go through the music I was about to play.

At about a half hour until curtain time, there was a knock on my door. Thinking it was probably Laurie, I called, “Come in!” but didn’t bother to look up from the score I was studying.

The door opened, and I said, “Well, come on in, for Pete’s sake,” still not looking up.

“Kate?” said a shockingly familiar voice.

I looked up slowly and saw Kelly standing in the doorway.

“Kelly? Oh my god,” I said weakly. I could feel the blood drain from my face as I sat there staring at her.

“Hi,” she said, still standing in the open doorway. Seeing her, after all this time, was what I imagined seeing someone presumed dead must be like. She looked wonderful, her hair longer and a little darker than it had been the last time I saw her. She was deeply tanned, making her hazel eyes stand out more than ever. My heart stopped, and I felt like all the wind had been knocked out of me.

“What…what are you doing here?” I asked.

“Can I come in?” she asked.

“Oh…of course! Come in, come in,” I said, standing up and waving her to a chair. “Here, sit down.”

She walked in, as graceful as ever, and sat down where I’d indicated. She was wearing a long, flowing black skirt and a silk teal blouse, and I noticed with a pang that she was wearing the thin silver chain I’d given her. I could smell her wonderful scent, and in a flash it brought back memories of us together, so viscerally powerful that I had to look away from her for a minute to compose myself.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

“Uh…yeah. I just didn’t…I mean, you’re the last person…I…uh,” I stammered.

“I know. It’s probably unfair of me to pop in on you like this, but I wasn’t sure I’d be able to see you after the concert,” she said.

I stared at her. “You knew we would be here?”

“Well, of course,” she snorted. “It’s only been all over the arts pages, this being your first tour and everything.”

I sat still, looking at her until she blushed and looked away.

“Yes, I’ve been following your career,” she said softly. “It seems you’re making quite a name for yourself.”

I was about to reply when there was a knock on the door, and Laurie poked her head in.

“Kate, we…oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had company,” she said, looking first at Kelly, then at me.

“It’s okay,” I said. “Laurie Weaver, meet Dr. Kelly Owens.”

Laurie’s eyes widened and she shot a look at me, then recovered her senses and held out her hand for Kelly to shake.

"It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Owens,” she said, then looked over at me with round eyes. “Maestro wants everyone ready to go in about five minutes, Kate. Just letting you know.”

“Thanks. I’ll be there in a minute,” I said, amused at her reaction. I knew I was in for a grilling on the way home tomorrow.

She left, saying goodbye to Kelly and closing the door. We looked at each other for a long moment, then I stood and said, “Well, I guess I’d better go,” and walked toward the door.

She stopped me with a hand on my arm, and suddenly we were face to face.

“Kel..,” I breathed, looking down at her hand.

“Kate, wait. Please…I want to talk to you. I know you can’t right now, but can you please meet me after the concert? Please?”

I looked at her, into the beautiful hazel eyes that I used to know so well, and knew I would be meeting her after the performance in spite of my misgivings.

“Okay,” I said, sighing deeply, “where?”

“I’ll meet you back here after, and we can take a cab to my place,” she replied, the relief evident in her voice.

“Your place?” I asked, confused. “You live here?”

“Yes. I moved here about a month after you…after we split up,” she said.

I sighed. “Okay, Kelly. I’ll see you here after the concert.”

“Thank you, Kate,” she said softly, letting go of my arm. “Thank you.”

When I walked to the stage wings, Laurie was waiting for me, nearly dancing in her agitation. She grabbed me and pulled me into an alcove backstage.

“Kate, what the hell?!” she asked, her fingers digging into my arm.

“Jesus, Laurie, what?” I asked, prying her fingers off of me and holding her hand tightly.

“That was…was her, wasn’t it? Your Kelly?” she said.

“Yes,” I answered, “although she hasn’t been MY Kelly for a long time now.”

“Well, what did she want?”

“She…uh…she wants to talk to me,” I said reluctantly.

“WHAT?” Laurie exclaimed.

“Shhh! Keep your voice down!” I hissed as several people turned to look our way.

“Sorry, sorry,” Laurie said, “but what do you mean, she wants to talk to you?”

“That’s what she said. I’m meeting her in my dressing room after the concert, and we’re going to her place.”

“You’re WHAT?” she asked loudly, glancing around as I shushed her again. “Are you insane?”

I sighed, “Laurie, really, I can’t deal with this right now. Please, I’ve got to forget about all this and get my head into this concert, and so do you. We can talk about this later tonight or tomorrow, okay?”