by Lee Dorsey
Actors and staff began to file into the room and take their seats. At exactly nine o’clock, Mr. Golden entered the room. He walked to the center of the marked off stage. "Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to our first rehearsal. I would like you to understand how I work. Some of you have worked for directors that allow their actors to move aimlessly about the stage until they block the play themselves. I spend many hours before coming to my first rehearsal staging a play that I direct. If you find yourself uncomfortable with the blocking, I want you to see me immediately after the rehearsal. I won’t guarantee I’ll change it, but if you have a legitimate argument, I will take it into consideration. What I’m saying to you this morning is the staging belongs to me; the character you’re playing is your responsibility to develop. If you need help, I’m here to assist you.”
He held up a rehearsal schedule. "This rehearsal schedule is my scripture. We will comply with everything that is written on it. There will be no deviations. Take notice of when it indicates you are required to be off-book. I expect you to have your lines down cold by that time.” He motioned to the stage manager to come to the center. "Steve is the stage manager. If at some point you blank out while doing a scene off-book, I expect you to call for a line. Steve will assist you. Once the show opens, Steve will be in charge. Any problems that may arise will be addressed to him. Are there any questions? Good, then let’s begin. Turn your attention to scene one, act one.”
After Mr. Golden explained the set for that scene, we began the blocking. He was very emphatic about everywhere he wanted us to move. After he finished the staging of the scene, he called a meeting with Jim, Steve and me. The other actors were allowed to go on a break. He said that since the first scene was during prehistoric times, Jim and I would only be wearing loin clothes. In other words, I would be exhibiting my bare breasts. He asked me if that caused me any problems. I told him I wasn’t ashamed of my body. He said that the two other women actors in that scene would be wearing similar costumes. After a short break, we went back and ran the scene for blocking. By the time we ran the scene twice, it was time for lunch.
Jim and I went down the street and dined. Many of the actors and crew had brought their lunches. There was a soda machine in the lobby that provided beverages. We had exactly one hour to eat and get back to the rehearsal hall.
We followed his regimen for one week. The next week, we began to run various scenes off- book. Mr. Golden gave notes after every scene. Then we began to have complete run-throughs.
A week and a half before we were to have a pre-opening, we began dress rehearsals. Then we moved into the theater. We were going to have pre-openings for five days before the official opening. The pre-opening was to give the company an opportunity to play to an audience and before we were to be reviewed by the press.
The pre-opening was sold out. I have never been so nervous in my life. As Jim once said, "It’s good to be nervous. It brings a lot of energy to the role. The actor will not get complacent.”
Our first performance before an audience was flawless. Mr. Golden was very pleased. He came back to my dressing room after the show. He praised my performance. He said that at intermission everyone was talking positively about my performance. He assured me that I was on my way to becoming a star.
After the opening night performance, the entire company retired to the restaurant down the street to await the reviews. Around twelve-thirty that morning, we got the first notices. The headline read, ‘New Play in Village a Hit.’ Everyone got favorable reviews. They singled me out saying, "New acting talent, ‘Androgyny,’ discovered by Ed Golden, has a promising acting career.” The reviews kept coming. Every review was more praising than the other. Mr. Golden sent me a large bouquet of red roses to my dressing room the day after opening night. The note attached to the flowers said, "I have big plans for you.” I didn’t know what that meant. I wouldn’t find out for several months.
A few months after we opened, I got a call from Colin. He said that "Boys in the Band” was getting rave reviews in every city where they played. There was talk about extending the tour. He said that he missed Jenny and me. He also said that he fantasizes frequently about the night we had that threesome. At the rate things were going, he didn’t know when he was going to be back in New York. I was glad for him. Colin was truly a very nice person and a good lover.
About two months into the run, Jim invited me over to his house in the Village for a private after the show dinner. I had a suspicion about what he wanted. Ever since I had been wearing the costume that revealed most of my body, there were times when he would give me these lusty looks. There was one scene where he comes up behind me as I’m in a kneeling position. This one night, as I was kneeling with my ass pointed up in the air and Jim was kneeling behind me, I could feel his hard penis pressing between my cheeks. I even kidded him that night after show. I did a rendition of that old Mae West line, "Was that a banana in your loin cloth or were you just glad to see me.” He got all embarrassed.
Then he recovered. He said, "When I see a woman’s ass as perfect as yours, I can’t help myself. I would be dead if I didn’t react.”
"Well, I knew you weren’t dead tonight. That thing gave me a good poke.” We both laughed. I didn’t tease him about it again. It did occur to me from time to time, however, wondering what it would be like having it inside me. It was inevitable it would happen sooner or later.
We left the theater right after the show. He only lived four blocks away. I knew I was going to be spending the night. I had packed an overnight bag with a change of clothes and other sundry items that included my tube of KY. Of course, there were other things I would need in the morning.
Jim told me that many of his neighbors were celebrities. He named a few just to impress me. The interior of his house was something like one would see in a "Better Homes and Gardens” magazine. He gave me a tour. Before we retired to the dining room, we walked through the kitchen. I was introduced to the Head Chef. In addition, there were two Sous Chefs and one Pastry Chef. There was a butler and two maids there to serve us. Jim had more personnel working for him than most restaurants.
Jim acted in quite the gentleman role. The meal was served in seven courses. Everything was perfect and delicious. I was accustomed to good cooking since I’d been living with Jenny. But the food that was served this night was beyond good, it was wonderful.
Jim served very expensive French wine before, during and after dinner. Jim gave me some inside information about Colin from while they were doing Summer Stock. He said that Colin was seriously dating one of the actresses. Apparently, he made promises to her that he didn’t honor. She was telling everyone that Colin had proposed to her. They were going to get formally engaged at the end of the summer. After the last show that season, Colin disappeared. Jim said he didn’t see him again until the audition for "Haven’t We Met Before?” He was curious as to how I knew him. I explained about meeting him in the theater school. I also told Jim that I didn’t know Colin very well. We had only been hanging out for a few weeks. Jim warned me about getting too involved with Colin. If you let him, he’ll break your heart.
I didn’t want to talk about Colin. I don’t think it’s cool to talk about one man when you’re with another. After dinner and while we were having dessert, I looked across the table at Jim and said, "Are you planning to take me to bed tonight?” A shocked look came across his face. For the moment, he was lost for words. I continued. "When we’re finished here, if you’ll direct me to a bedroom, I’ll get prepared to receive you.” I don’t think in all his years seducing women, he ever met one as frank as me.
For the next ten minutes, we sat quietly and ate our dessert. He stood from the table and picked up a three quarters filled bottle of wine. Then he said, "Follow me.” He walked around the table and helped me to my feet. I had left my overnight bag just inside the front door. Taking me by my hand, we crossed out of the dining room. We had to cross to where my bag was lying on the floor. I picke
d it up. We went up the stairs arm in arm. There were several doors at the top of the stairs. We walked past the first two. Then we stopped in front of the third one. Jim opened the door and we entered. Jim found a night table lamp and turned it on. It had a low wattage bulb, giving off just enough light to wash the room in a sexy ambiance. I sat my bag down and turned toward Jim. He took me in his arms. Our lips touched, as his tongue darted into my mouth. He tasted like the dessert we had just finished eating. I put my hand on his crotch. He was already hard. Before he had an opportunity to do anything else, I began to take off my clothes. It became a race to see who could get naked first. I won.
Jim was hot. When his boxer shorts dropped down around his ankles, I reached out and took hold of his erect penis. I’m confident Jim has had many women in his life, but I would bet he never had one as aggressive as me. I was intent on screwing his brains out tonight. I reached down and picked up my bag. I climbed up on the bed. I opened the bag and took out the KY. I moved the bag to the side. I got down on my hands and knees. Then I said, "Does this remind you of anything?”
He climbed on the bed in back of me. He let his penis slip under the cheeks of my ass and into my folds. The natural lubrication began to pour out.
"I’ve thought about doing this every night since we started doing the play. It’s everything I can do to control myself. After tonight, it will probably be even more difficult. If I begin to reflect back on what I’m doing now, I’ll forget my lines.”
He entered me.
He was in a pretty good rhythm. I was building for an orgasm. I was afraid he may have one too. I didn’t want this session to end that way. I pulled away from him. His penis came out and I rolled over on my back. He was kneeling between my legs looking down at me. He had a questioning look on his face. "I have a question for you. Have you ever had anal sex?”
I could have almost made book that he hadn’t. I know through my research that few women do it. Fewer women will admit it. Not too many people will even talk about it. Taking his silence as a negative answer, I said to him, "I’m going to introduce you to something that’s going to blow your mind. I reached into my bag and retrieved the KY. His penis was still hard and erect. I put some of the KY in the palm of my hand and applied it smoothly all over his appendage. I rolled over on my stomach. "Now what I want you to do is take your manhood in hand and place it between the cheeks of my ass. Then slowly, but firmly begin to insert it. Once it is in as far as it will go, you may begin to move it in and out. I handed him the KY. Put some in between my cheeks. He did as I directed. Then he pressed down. I could feel him entering me. It wasn’t too long before I could feel his pubic hair resting against the cheeks of my ass. "How does it feel?” I inquired of him.
"It’s the most incredible sensation I’ve ever experienced. It’s wonderful. This isn’t hurting you, is it?” he asked.
"It only hurts if your partner gets too anxious and shoves it in without ample lubricant, or you hurry the procedure. Once your penis is firmly in, it becomes a sensual experience for me as well as you. Now slowly move in and out. You’ll find that an orgasm in this position will be more intense than any you have experienced in the past. I could feel his penis pulsating. My anal canal was tightly wrapped around his penis providing him with unimaginable pleasure. As he moved slowly in and out, I would tighten my cheeks around the part of his penis that wasn’t inserted in the hole. I could feel from his pulsations that he wasn’t going to hold on much longer. Then he gave me one big push. I could feel him unloading. For the next thirty seconds this was more sexual pleasure than anything he’d ever experienced.
He lay on me for about twenty minutes. I still wasn’t satisfied. I had my head turned to the side. "Are you still with me?” I asked.
I’m here,” he assured me.
"Good. Now I want you to do something for me.” I moved out from under him. I rolled over, opened my legs and presented my pussy to him. "I want you to orally pleasure me for a little while.” He looked down at my wet vulva lips. It didn’t present an appetizing sight. He took a towel that was folded on the night table and wiped me semi-dry. He began kissing my thighs and slowly made his way to my vulva lips. My clit was swollen. I could tell from his approach that he had experience in this area of having sex. His tongue immediately went to work moving all around and finding all the sensitive areas. I began to build for an orgasm. This was going to a big one. I released an amazing amount of liquid as I convulsed in organic pleasure. He stopped moving his lips and tongue. He sat back and took the towel and wiped his face. When he was finished, I took the towel from him and wiped myself down. He rolled over next to me.
"That was incredible,” he whispered. I turned on my side and we kissed. He turned out to be a better lover than I would have imagined. We fell asleep in each other’s arms. Jim was the first leading man I slept with, but he wouldn’t be the last.
We got out of bed early the next morning. I don’t know why, but the two of us felt a certain amount of apprehension being together. We showered and got dressed. Jim had his staff fix us breakfast. Then I had him call me a cab. I wanted to go home and change my clothes before I came back to the theater this evening.
As I walked into the house, Ted was sitting in the living room reading an aviation magazine. Jenny was fixing something in the kitchen. It was a Wednesday. I remembered that Ted had Tuesday and Wednesday off from his job. I had been negligent toward Jenny while the play has been in production. I had gone from having sex with her almost every night of the week to just a few times. She asked me once if anything was wrong. It wasn’t that I still didn’t enjoy having sex with her, but doing the play six nights and two matinees a week depleted my energy. When I would come home from doing the show, I only wanted to go to sleep. At one point, I consulted a doctor and requested some energy pills. He made me submit to several tests before he would prescribe anything. When he did prescribe some medication, it hardly dented my deficient energy.
When I looked into Ted’s eyes as he put the magazine down, I could tell he was lusting for a threesome. I excused myself. I went to my room. I got right into bed until it was time to go to the theater.
Every performance was sold out. Before I realized it, we had been performing the play for nearly a year.
Finally, the closing was announced. It wasn’t long after the announcement that we learned we were going on tour. The plan was to present the play in fifteen cities for six months. Everyone signed on. It’s very unusual for a new play to tour with the original cast. We were making history.
The Sunday matinee was to be the last show in the theater before the tour. Mr. Golden held a closing cast party at his house. He also had a house in the same area of the Village as Jim. The party was catered by one of the most famous catering companies in New York. The food was laid out in a buffet style. I had never seen such a variety of expensive entrees in one place in my life. There was everything to drink. No matter what your taste in alcohol, it was available. Mr. Golden was personal friends with many of his celebrity neighbors. Several of them drifted in as the party progressed.
As I was standing in the buffet line, Margaret Delaney, who I recognized from starring in a current film that had been nominated for an Academy Award was standing next to me.
"I saw you in Golden’s play a few weeks ago. For a newcomer, I was impressed with your performance. Golden did an excellent job directing you. He thinks very highly of your abilities. Maybe one of these days, we’ll do something together,” she casually said.
I thanked her for the kind words and praise. There were tables spread around in a room adjacent to the buffet. When my plate was full, Ms. Delaney said, "Why don’t you grab one of those tables. If you don’t mind, I’ll sit with you.”
"I would be honored,” I told her as I walked into the room. Off to one side was an empty table. Seconds later, Ms. Delaney came over and sat down. For the first few minutes, we made small talk. Then she shocked me with a question.
"Have you slept with yo
ur leading man?”
I didn’t know what to say. I’d never had anyone question me about my sex life in the past. "Why do you ask?” I countered.
"Well, the night I saw the show, I noticed he had an erection when the two of you parted in that kneeling scene. It was very obvious he had a physical attraction for you.”
I attempted to change the subject. "Jim is a marvelous talent. It’s a pleasure to be on stage with him.”
"I’m just saying, almost every actress I know usually winds up sleeping with their leading man at some point during the run of a show. It happens in Hollywood all the time. On location many times there’s nothing to do for days at a time. It gets lonely in that trailer. When the leading man comes over to run lines with you, usually one winds up running them in the sack,” she said with authority.
The conversation turned to "if I like men.” I decided to see if I could shake her. "I like men and women, equally. What about you? Have you ever been to bed with a woman?” I pried.
"Honey, in this business, if you want to get ahead, you have to swing both ways. The first job I got in Hollywood was under a woman director. She made it very clear if I wanted to get along with her, we would have to share a bed. Now, if you want some good advice, when you go to Hollywood sleeping with your director and leading man is expected. But to guarantee security, look around for, and eventually marry a producer. As you get older, the parts you get now will start to become far and few between. Being married to a producer with deep pockets will keep you in the lifestyle to which you’ve become accustomed.” As she was talking to me, a man I estimated to be in his mid-sixties approached the table. She looked up and then she said, "Darling, I would like you to meet Androgyny.”