“Why not?” Suzie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. “We could start a new tradition… the valedictorian fucking the salutatorian in front of the administration building.” She pressed her lips against Antoine’s, pushing her body against his. He had always smelled vaguely of vanilla, and as she kissed him, his mouth seemed to taste of the same vanilla. She let one hand travel down his body to the front of his pants, and the bulge there let her know that despite his hesitation, he was interested in her proposition.
She took a small step away from him, only so she could take his hands and push them against her breasts. He needed only slight encouragement before he was eagerly fondling her. She stretched her neck out to kiss him again, and let his tongue slip into her mouth.
Suzie caressed his erection where it strained against his pants. She pulled away from him with a smile and lightly dropped to her knees. She undid the front of his pants and reached inside to pull out his throbbing penis. It quickly glistened with a sheen of her saliva as she painted it up and down with her tongue. She let the penis enter her mouth, gently moving her lips up and down Antoine’s shaft while he let out a long exhale. She could feel his swollen organ pulsing in her mouth as she gently sucked on it. Her tongue coaxed a salty ooze from the tip, which she rubbed against the top of her mouth as if sampling a fine wine.
It was clear that Antoine was ready to enter her. Suzie stood and pulled him over towards the fountain. The edge of the fountain came earlier than expected and caught her by surprise; she started to fall backwards, saving her balance only by gripping the edge of Antoine’s jacket. Antoine didn’t pull her up; instead, he caught her under her upper legs and lowered her onto the edge of the fountain. His initial shyness had given way to an animal passion, and he clutched her body against his chest while greedily pressing kisses on her mouth and neck. Suzie’s legs were split on either side of his body, and his penis probed the warm spot between her thighs. He slid into her easily and began thrusting against her. Suzie clutched him tightly, concerned that he might forget himself and thrust with such vigor that they would both topple over into the fountain.
His breath caught suddenly, and Suzie knew he was about to climax. He exhaled slowly, and his penis began to jerk, sending streams of hot goo splashing inside her. He held her tightly, still buried inside her even as his orgasm slowed and finally stopped.
“Suzie…” he breathed against her cheek. “I’ve wanted to do that for so long…”
“I know,” she said.
A door slammed from somewhere inside the administration building, and Antoine abruptly remembered where he was. He stood quickly and scrambled to put himself back inside his pants. Suzie giggled. She stood languidly and accepted a loose dress that was offered by Tonya. Antoine watched her as she slipped the dress over her head, refusing to look away from her body until her nakedness had been completely covered.
“We have to go,” she told him. “We’re in the play, remember?”
“Ah. Yes.” He fidgeted. “What’s your part, again?”
Suzie grinned wickedly at him. “Tonya and I are both playing whores.”
Antoine straightened, as if a jolt of electricity had gone up his legs. “Really? Do you… you don’t have any nude scenes, do you?”
“Oh, much more than just nude scenes. I have to do things up on that stage that you wouldn’t believe.” She started to walk away, with Tonya beside her. “Well… see you, Antoine!” They strolled towards the theater. When they passed the corner of the administration building, Suzie glanced back over her shoulder. Antoine stood exactly where they’d left him, gaping at the fountain, as if he’d lost all memory of who and where he was.
“Maybe we’ll be seeing him in the audience tonight after all,” Tonya remarked.
Suzie shrugged. “It doesn’t matter.” She felt like she had finally shed the last remnants of a chrysalis. She felt free.
Tonya reached an arm around her and squeezed. “That was amazing, darling. I could see you suddenly change from Suzie to Jenna, just like that. The way you stood, the way you walked… your whole aura changed.” She regarded Suzie gravely. “You’re going to blow them away tonight, darling. I really mean it.”
“We both are!” Suzie returned. Leaning against each other like tipsy lovers, they paraded to the auditorium.
The lights of the auditorium were on although the sun was still up. A few ticket holders had arrived early, and loitered outside the doors waiting to enter. Emma was one of them, and she called out as they passed. Maddy and Alfred were with her, and Ricardo’s brother Arturo. Arturo had a similar face to Ricardo, but he was shorter with wider shoulders. “We drove with Ricardo,” Emma explained. “Now he’s backstage and we have some time to kill.”
Maddy gave Suzie a hug. “Good luck! You’ll be great!”
“Break a leg,” Emma said. “Isn’t that what they say?”
Suzie laughed. “I don’t know what they say. But I’ll take whatever I can get.”
They followed the side of the theater and found a doorway into the labyrinth. Mr. Belfast rushed by them in the hallway. “There you are!” he said, barely slowing his pace. “They need you in make-up!”
Suzie donned a robe and sat still in a chair while Mrs. Archer did her make-up. Mrs. Archer taught English, but apparently also had skill with blush and eye shadow. “It’ll be a little thick, dear,” she murmured as she painted Suzie’s mouth with bright red lipstick. “You’re a prostitute, after all.”
The sound of the audience was a dim mutter that grew louder and louder as more people came. Suzie tied her robe tightly around her waist and rushed to peek out at the noise from the left of the stage. A quarter of the seats were already filled. She picked out Emma sitting between Arturo and Maddy in the middle of the auditorium. They had excellent seats, with a good view of the stage. Suzie looked for her parents, but they hadn’t arrived yet.
She walked back toward the dressing rooms, and passed Ricardo. “Have you seen Brad?” she asked.
“He’s getting himself in character,” Ricardo said. “He told me to tell you that he’s staying away from you right now.”
“What?” Suzie blinked.
“He doesn’t want to see you until he sees you on stage. He thinks it’ll be good for the show if the first time he sees you in costume is when he sees you as Elias.”
“Okay.” It made sense, but Suzie felt some disappointment. She’d been hoping to share the pre-show experience with him. Instead, she contented herself with hanging out with Tanya and the other actresses in the wide room next to the girl’s dressing room, called the “green room” due to its green walls.
“Do you hear that crowd?” Amber, the girl who had replaced Corinne in the show, spoke in an awed tone. The rumble of the crowd reverberated through the backstage corridors.
“It’s exciting, isn’t it?” Tonya said with a grin. “The auditorium hasn’t been this full for any show since I’ve been in high school.”
Suzie scurried back to the curtains to peek out at the audience. She was astonished at the sea of people, filling the vast room to the edges. She checked the front rows and was glad to find her parents there. Brad’s mother and brothers were no doubt out there as well, but Suzie couldn’t find them. She saw Tonya’s mother and father in the third row. Donald wasn’t sitting with them; instead, he was in the front row with a bunch of his friends. He had a big grin on his face, and Suzie hoped she wouldn’t be distracted by his leering.
Emma and Maddy stood out in the crowd. Apparently, Alfred and Arturo had decided to pass the time by encouraging Emma and Maddy to make out with each other, and the two girls had accepted the dare with enthusiasm. They were locked in an embrace, kissing each other hungrily, with most of their clothes already removed and strewn all over the two boys. Only their panties remained, and Arturo was in the process of tugging Emma’s panties down her legs. The audience seemed to accept the brazen display as just part of the show. No doubt that made it even more of a turn-
on for the two girls.
Suzie rolled her eyes. How had she come to have such adventurous friends?
Josh appeared behind her. “Fifteen minutes until Belfast gives the opening greeting. If you have anything left to do, now’s the time to do it.”
“I think I’m ready.” She slid her robe off, revealing the slinky red dress she would be wearing in the first scene. “Do I look okay?”
Josh gazed at her for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was unusually soft. “You look perfect. Have fun out there, kiddo.” He hurried off to finish his own last minute preparations.
Those last minutes passed in a flurry. Belfast found her and whispered some last words of advice, but Suzie was too nervous to remember them. A member of the crew took her arm and guided her to a stool, where she would sit in the darkness until her first appearance. The play started with Elias alone; Jenna didn’t appear until later.
She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the theater. She knew when the lights were flickering because the noise of the crowd swelled, and she knew when the lights dimmed because the crowd fell into a hush. She heard the applause as Mr. Belfast appeared on the stage, and she heard the crowd laughing at the right moments during his greeting speech. The music started, the curtain pulled open with a rumble, and then she heard his voice.
I love him, she thought. And in a moment, we get to fall in love with other again, from the very beginning. How incredible is that?
Applause. The stage lights darkened. No one needed to tell Suzie it was her time. She stood and walked onto the stage, walked to the spot she knew by heart. The lights came up, and she was Jenna. Out on the street. Waiting for a customer.
She heard Elias’ steps behind her, and at the right moment, turned to look at him.
He was right, she thought as she gazed up at Brad. He was right to wait to see her until she was on stage.
Because that look in his eyes when he saw her was perfect, and it wasn’t something that could be faked.
25. Performance
Everything passed so quickly. The words, the movements, the expressions, it all came so effortlessly. The lines seemed to flow, from one to the next, and it seemed absurd she had ever worried she would forget them.
Her first nude scene was electric. She let herself feel the eyes of the audience on her body as Brad peeled the red dress of her. It was a unique experience, knowing that hundreds of people were sitting silent in the darkness, watching as a boy stripped her and fondled her naked ass and breasts. The thrill of it radiated from her in an aura of smoldering sexuality, and she could tell Brad was affected by her obvious arousal. When the scene ended and the stage went dark, they held each other for longer than they should have, chests pressed together, two heart beats beating rapidly against one another.
As many times as they’d run through “Candlelight City”, the presence of the audience added a whole new layer to the play. Suzie knew which lines were meant to be funny, but it made her giddy the first time she delivered one of those lines and the audience roared with laughter. During one of her monologues, a grave soliloquy about Jenna’s difficult childhood, the utter silence of the room gave her words weight. She’d never understood that the quiet of five hundred people could be so palpable until that day.
They reached the third act. Suzie and Ricardo stood together off-stage, waiting in robes as the stagehands swiftly rolled out a bed and arranged the scenery for Carlos’ apartment. Ricardo bounced up and down on his toes, staring nervously at the bed.
“Are you okay?” Suzie asked.
“Yeah.” He licked his lips. “It’ll be just like we rehearsed it.” But his eyes betrayed his apprehension, darting a glance toward the waiting audience.
Suzie smiled at him, feeling like she was already in character. “It’ll be better than rehearsal.” She undid the belt of her robe and carelessly shrugged it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor. Unmindful of the stagehands that passed back and forth behind her, Suzie took Ricardo’s hand and pressed it against the slickness between her legs.
“See?” she murmured to him. “I’m horny as hell, waiting for you to fuck me in front of all these people.” His eyes widened at her boldness. She reached under his robe and found his penis, pulling it free. Only a few strokes and it swelled, hard as a rock in her fingers.
“It’s your stage,” a voice whispered next to them. Suzie took Ricardo’s hand and pulled him onto the stage. He swiftly disrobed and they climbed into the small bed, their bodies pressing against each other under the blanket. Suzie had barely climbed on top of him before the curtain opened.
They made love slowly under the lights as the audience watched in silence. The blanket covered their lower halves, and probably most of those watching suspected they were faking it. But Suzie was glad that they’d made the decision to have sex for real. Aside from the authenticity that she knew it gave the scene, it was also undeniably thrilling to feel Ricardo’s hard penis moving in and out of her in front of so many people, and to know that no one could judge her for it.
Ricardo’s initial nervousness faded, and Suzie could tell by his grip on her hips that he was getting really turned on. She tried to slow it down, worried that he would get carried away and climax, but he kept thrusting deep inside her, and Brad still hadn’t made his appearance.
“Nice and easy,” she breathed. “Slow and sweet…” But Ricardo was too turned on. Before Suzie knew what was happening, he sat up and pulled the blanket off her, exposing her completely. The crowd gasped audibly as he turned her around, pushed her onto her hands and knees and mounted her from behind. Suzie gripped the edge of the bed, unable to suppress her cries of pleasure as Ricardo pounded into her. No one in the audience could have any doubt that this sex was real.
Just off-stage, Suzie could see Brad standing and watching. She wondered how long he would wait before he interrupted them. How many positions would Carlos fuck her in before Elias burst in? When the door finally opened and Elias came through, Suzie was in a daze. Ricardo left her on the bed, wrapping himself in the blanket as he and Brad started to argue. Suzie knew that the scene required her to coax the two boys into a ménage a trois. Her mind was too fuzzy to recall the details of it, but that was all right. She only knew she was filled with the need to have them both inside her. The rest of it would work itself out.
She crawled across the stage on her hands and knees, stopping when she was between the two boys. First she pulled Ricardo’s penis out from under the blanket and put her mouth on it. Then she felt Brad’s penis through his pants, undid his zipper and pulled him free as well. She went back and forth, sucking and licking one penis then the other, as their argument wound down above her. The scene ended just the way they had planned it, with Carlos and Elias, once again friends, positioned on either side of her, Elias thrusting deep into her vagina while Carlos made love to her mouth. The curtain closed, and the two boys helped her to her feet. Suzie trembled, her naked body covered in sweat, astounded by what she had just done in front of so many people. After so much planning and rehearsing, it was startling to realize that the scene had just taken place, and had gone almost exactly the way they intended.
The rest of the play passed quickly. Before Suzie knew it, she was on stage in her last costume, a simple long black dress. Jenna, sobbing at the bus station, thinking that Elias had been shot by the local crime lord. Then Elias walked out, revealing that Carlos was the one that had been shot. She flew into his arms. “You can’t leave,” he told her. “I can’t imagine life without you.” As he said it, she felt like it wasn’t just Elias saying it to Jenna. “I love you,” he said, gazing into her eyes. They kissed, and the crowd exploded in cheers and applause. Suzie clung to Brad, amazed at the reaction they were getting but trying to stay in character. The curtain closed.
The roar continued. The other actors and actresses went to the other side of the curtain, and the crowd whistled and applauded for them. Finally, it was Suzie and Brad’s turn. They walked throug
h the curtain, hand in hand, and stood in amazement as the crowd surged to their feet. Suzie stared at the sea of people screaming and applauding for her. For some reason, her eyes were drawn to Tonya’s brother Donald, at his place in the front row. He was standing just like the rest of them, clapping furiously, gazing up at her as if she was a revelation. His cheeks were wet with tears.
26. Congratulations
After the curtain closed, Suzie went to the girl’s dressing room to change. “Come to the green room when you’re done,” Tonya advised her. “Mr. Belfast lets visitors come there.” Suzie carefully hung the black dress with her other costumes and changed back into her shirt and jeans.
The green room was already full of people when she entered. Tonya was there, holding a big bouquet of flowers and talking to a bunch of boys. She noticed Suzie. “There she is!” Tonya proclaimed loudly, and started to clap. The applause spread rapidly, and soon everyone in the room was looking at Suzie and cheering. Suzie smiled and bowed slightly in acknowledgement, wondering if she would ever get used to such praise.
Her parents were waiting for her, and presented her with a giant bouquet of roses. “It was wonderful.” Her mother hugged her tightly. “We’re so proud of you!”
Suzie looked up at her father. “What did you think?” she asked, anticipating some mention of her graphic sex scene.
But Mr. Moore just smiled and said, “I think you’re a hell of an actress.” He hugged her and Suzie knew everything was okay.
Brad’s mother came by with Jack and Marty. “You two were great up there,” Mrs. Harper said. “Perfect chemistry. I think it’s the best production Brad has ever done.”
“Thank you!” Suzie said. “Have you seen Brad?”
“We just left him,” Mrs. Harper said. “He’s over by the double doors in the back. Dealing with his own line of admirers.” Mrs. Harper grinned.
Candlelight City Page 27