(Audrey is fully awakened)
Audrey stood unseen in the doorway of her bedroom watching Jessie and Jo making love--for that is what it was, making love. It wasn't just sex or even fucking for the physical pleasure of it. They made love--lying in missionary position, moving only slightly, their bodies writhing together with such an exquisitely sensual slowness that Audrey's breath caught in her throat.
Jo's legs were wrapped around the small of Jessie's back--the muscles in his buttocks flexing, ever so sensually without thrusting his hips--kissing passionately as they gazed into each other's eyes.
"I love you," Jo murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Oh, God, baby..." gasped Jessie, "I love you so much."
"Cum with me, Jessie," said Jo as she gripped his shoulders tightly. "Cum inside me, baby... fill me up... I want to feel you cumming inside me."
"God YES," gasped Jessie as he began to thrust his hips into her.
"YES... oh, God, yes, baby..." gasped Jo as their bodies moved together in perfect rhythm. "Just like that... Oh, God, yes... Cum with me, Jessie... Cum with me."
Jo's lovely face began to contort as if she was in pain, her mouth and eyes wide--suddenly she cried out, her body shuddering almost violently beneath him as her toes curled and she surrendered to the pleasure of her orgasm. At the same moment, Jessie cried out and began to release into her, thrusting his hips forcefully and sighing her name with each ejaculation.
Audrey closed her eyes and smiled as she backed out into the hallway. She leaned against the wall and wiped the tears from her cheeks. Their lovemaking had been so achingly beautiful that her tears had streamed freely down her cheeks.
While she loved them both dearly, she felt not even the tiniest shred of jealousy or animosity. She knew in her heart that Jessie and Jo loved her very much as well--but knew their love for one another was something special--transcending. They were the ideal couple--perfect together, physically, emotionally, and musically. She could not imagine a more perfect union.
From the very moment she had first connected with Jessie sexually, she harbored no delusions of a long-lasting love affair--there would never be any manner of fairytale ending--no riding off into the sunset together. They cared deeply for one another. But in the end, it had always been about the pleasure of sex--the most pleasurable sex she had ever experienced.
When Jo came into their lives, Audrey had been pleased and excited when she and Jessie had made such a strong connection, not only musically, but also emotionally. Jo had even initiated her into the exquisite sensuality of sex with another woman--a pleasure that opened her eyes and allowed her to better understand and awaken to her own sexuality.
She smiled broadly as she listened to them giggling and talking softly. And, rather than intrude on their postcoital moment of bliss, she silently descended the stairs to the kitchen. She had been up and around for several hours, unable to sleep as so many thoughts of her future coursed through her.
Being the pragmatic woman she was, Audrey understood her life had completely changed. She was no longer the dedicated wife and mother she had always foreseen as her primary objective in life. She was instead something new--something different--an independent woman. A woman free to express her own thoughts and desires above those of husband and family.
She thought of it almost as a rebirth--an awakening--to a new and different potential for life and living. She had been somewhat fearful of the prospect at first--unsure of herself--like being on a trapeze with no safety net below her.
She couldn't help but make the comparison to Claire Beauchamp, the character in the television series, Outlander, who awoke from a post-WWII era in the 1940s, to suddenly find herself alone in the highlands of Scotland--two hundred years in the past.
Audrey smiled at the parallel, not the time juxtaposition per se, but certainly the quantum leap in reality where she was quite suddenly in a place she never expected--and made to deal with the consequences on her own.
She sat at her kitchen table, pouring herself another cup of coffee to contemplate. Three things became crystal clear: One--with such a long residency at the Stratosphere, Jessie and Jo would certainly be moving to Las Vegas. Two--she was NOT about to live alone here in Los Angeles without them. Jessie and Jo had become her new extended family. And Three--she would also be moving to Las Vegas to be with them.
But... exactly where and how did she fit in with this whole new Nightingale enterprise? She wanted to be a part of it all and not just a hanger-on--a third wheel--a groupie.
While she knew relatively nothing about the music business, she had many years of business experience running her own wool and craft shop--dealing with suppliers, negotiating prices, and coordinating work schedules, employee salaries, and maintaining profit and loss and accounting spreadsheets.
A smile formed on her face as she began to contemplate herself in some sort of managerial position for Nightingale--she had often heard Jessie expressing his distaste for the business end of the music business, and she thought it very likely that Jo might share the same sentiments.
Knowing Jessie and Jo hoped to find a venue to play before beginning their Las Vegas residency, she wondered if she might be able to make that happen for them.
Larry's name had come up yesterday evening over dinner with Isaac and Laura as a possibly good contact--apparently, he had taken a new job in a new nightclub.
Thinking she might possibly get things started, she took it upon herself to make a call to Larry on their behalf.
"Mrs. A?" said Larry curiously once she had identified herself. "Is everything all right?"
Once she assured him that all was well and told him the reason for her call, Larry responded excitedly. He explained that he and his wife had decided to relocate to Las Vegas, where she still had family.
"I apologize for not calling to let you guys know, but it all happened so fast for us," he explained, telling her how a good friend had offered him a managerial position in his new nightclub in Las Vegas. "It was just such a great opportunity for me and Silvie, I couldn't turn it down," he said. "We're still in the process of moving most of our things here from LA."
Las Vegas?--she thought with a smile that might work out perfectly.
She then told Larry the news from her end--Jessie and Laura were divorcing, meeting his friend Isaac, and that Laura and Isaac were now engaged to be married.
"Wow," said Larry, "It's a little creepy how so much has happened to all of us in such a short time."
"I agree, Larry," she said with a little laugh. "Isaac suggested I call you to see if you knew of a venue for Nightingale to perform live before they opened at the Strat," she explained.
"Hell, yeah!" exclaimed Larry. "We're going to have the grand opening of our new nightclub... and it would be amazing if Jessie and Jo could be the band for that occasion. I will definitely present that to the owner. But... tell me, Mrs. A... have you cleared any of this with the Stratosphere management? Casinos tend to be notoriously proprietary with their contracted entertainers."
Audrey gasped, she hadn't even given a thought to the fact that Nightingale was under an exclusive contract with the Stratosphere. She thanked Larry for bringing that to her attention and told him she would speak to the Stratosphere management right away and get back to him as soon as she knew one way or another.
