‘I know that,’ said Damon. ‘Obviously she isn’t going to out-act her own boyfriend, particularly if it’s going to ruin her career, but since he’s promoting her, think how wonderful it would be if she failed. Not only failed but failed in front of a really big audience – an audience who mattered.’
‘I don’t see how, we could make that happen,’ said Esther. ‘It’s a brilliant idea but it isn’t feasible.’
‘I think you’re wrong,’ said Damon. ‘We do have one advantage.’
‘What’s that?’ queried Esther.
‘It’s the fact that I’m playing Rebecca’s husband in the middle act. I have to show that I’m a bully who dominates her, and that’s a dreadful contrast between the way things are at the beginning and end of the play. The audience are meant to be shocked to realise that this pretty girl with the whole world at her feet is quite probably going to end up married to a man who treats her appallingly and doesn’t even love her. They’re meant to feel really sorry for her, and at the moment they probably do.
‘The thing is, I could be far more dominating than I have been and I could also play things slightly differently in the first act so that Rebecca will already be on edge by the time the second act starts. She’s the sort of person who has to feel in full control. It will only take a couple of fluffed lines and she’ll totally lose her cool. I think that if I manage to make her feel I am dominating her, that she’s paling into insignificance, then she’ll start to fall apart. Christopher warned me not to overshadow her before we left London, remember?’
‘That’s true and I suppose it’s possible,’ conceded Esther. ‘If you are successful, where are we going to get a really big audience who matter?’
‘Haven’t you heard?’ asked Damon.
‘Heard what?’ asked Esther.
‘About the grand finale,’ explained Damon. ‘At the end of the tour we’re giving an open-air performance of Time and the Conways in Regent’s Park. Christopher’s been pulling strings all over the place and he’s got loads of agents coming along with a couple of American talent scouts. Obviously he’s invited them there to see him and, presumably, either you or Rebecca, too. I imagine that at the time he hadn’t decided which of you it would be. Now, if Rebecca and Christopher both give poor performances on that night but you and I give strong ones then we’d feel that we’d really got our revenge, wouldn’t we?’
‘I imagine so,’ said Esther, although she was slightly doubtful.
Damon’s eyes narrowed. ‘Of course, I forgot, you wanted to be sleeping with Christopher.’
‘Not necessarily sleeping with him,’ said Esther quickly. ‘Quite honestly I’d rather I didn’t any more, but I’d quite like people to think that I was.’
‘Even if he’s going to fail?’ asked Damon. ‘If you and I are going to shine you’d be better off if people thought you were sleeping with me!’ He laughed and Esther wished that he hadn’t.
‘Do you really think we could manage it?’ she asked anxiously.
‘Yes, if we work bloody hard between now and then,’ said Damon.
‘I shall have to string Christopher along a bit,’ said Esther. ‘I’m going to tell him that I’m channelling all my energy into rehearsing my part. That way I can avoid sleeping with him without denting his pride.’
‘Good thinking,’ said Damon. ‘One possible thing that could bring us down is if you and I don’t perform well enough. Have you thought of that?’
‘I’ve thought about it with regard to myself,’ said Esther, gloomily. ‘You won’t have any problem but heaven only knows what I’m going to do.’
Damon leant closer to her across the table. ‘Listen,’ he said softly, ‘I’m more than willing to give you as much tuition as you need. We can work on all the parts you’ll be playing as often as you like but we’ve got to do it in secret. Neither of us must give any suggestion of how well we’re going to act until that last performance. I shall continue playing Ernest Beevers the way I have been all along, and as long as you give a reasonably competent performance, both in that and as Ophelia, when you play opposite the great Christopher’s Hamlet, then no one will get suspicious. We’ll only pull out all the stops on the final night.’
‘It means we’re going to have to spend a lot of time together,’ said Esther.
‘I’ll try and make it as painless for you as possible,’ Damon said dryly.
‘I didn’t mean I wouldn’t enjoy it,’ said Esther.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not like Christopher. I don’t expect you to sleep with me as well. In fact I’d rather that you didn’t.’
Esther’s heart sank. Even as he’d been telling her of his plan she’d been plotting how she could use this to her advantage in getting Damon’s attention directed at her. Now he was making it perfectly clear that he didn’t want her. And yet she was sure that she wasn’t mistaken when she sensed that he was attracted to her.
‘Don’t worry,’ she replied. ‘I’m as anxious as you are to keep this thing platonic.’
‘Good, then we understand each other,’ said Damon.
‘Presumably Ellie will be relieved as well,’ she said.
‘I told you, that affair’s nearly over,’ he replied.
‘There’s a difference between nearly and completely,’ Esther pointed out.
‘I do have to watch my words with you, don’t I?’ said Damon. ‘OK, I admit it. I probably will keep on sleeping with her, and why not? We both enjoy it and we know it isn’t a permanent thing.’
‘Won’t she object to the amount of time we spend rehearsing with each other?’ asked Esther.
‘I don’t particularly want her to know,’ said Damon. ‘If she finds out she’ll probably tell the entire company and then Christopher might start to get suspicious. I shall have to work out what I’m going to say to her, but she’s used to me having odd moods and disappearing. She doesn’t question where I am every moment of the day and night, thank God.’
‘Lucky you,’ said Esther. ‘What a very accommodating girlfriend she is.’
‘Yes, she is,’ agreed Damon with a weak smile.
Esther decided that she wanted to leave. She wondered why he was so firm in his resolution not to become involved with her. Perhaps it was because he knew she’d already slept with both Marcus and Christopher. However, in their profession, the number of partners you’d had wasn’t normally a problem. Whatever his reason he’d made it perfectly clear, and she decided that for the sake of successful revenge she would just have to put her sexual feelings for him to one side and concentrate on her acting. Given her performance tonight it was going to take a hell of a lot of hard work to produce anything approaching a stunning performance by the middle of June.
As they were going, Damon helped her on with her coat and suddenly he caught her face between his hands and looked carefully into her eyes. ‘Tell me, Esther, are you professionally ambitious for yourself or just for revenge?’ he asked softly.
Esther thought hard about the question. ‘Both,’ she said at last. ‘I’ve always been far more ambitious than anyone realised.’
‘That’s good because you’ve got a lot of talent, only somewhere along the way you’ve forgotten how to use it,’ said Damon, releasing her. Striding out into the car park, he started to walk home. ‘Don’t worry about it, though, it’s nothing I can’t put right.’
‘You’re not very modest, are you?’ said Esther, hurrying to keep up with his long strides.
‘I don’t believe in false modesty,’ said Damon. ‘I know what I can and can’t do.’
‘I wish I did,’ muttered Esther, half to herself.
‘When you work it out then you’ll finally realise your full potential,’ said Damon.
Back at the house they slowed their steps and Damon suggested that Esther went in ahead of him. ‘I’m sure people saw us leave together,’ he remarked, ‘but just the same, we don’t want to make a big thing of it, so you go on ahead of me. I’ll follow in a few minutes.’
/> ‘All right,’ she agreed. ‘I take it you’ll let me know when we can start rehearsing.’
‘Sure,’ agreed Damon and then, to her astonishment, he pulled her fiercely towards him and kissed her directly on the mouth. The kiss was a long one, but just as Esther’s knees started to buckle he released her and, with a muttered curse, walked away into the darkness of the grounds. Esther felt a tiny surge of triumph. She was right and had been right all along. Damon did care for her but for some reason he didn’t want her to know. Well that was something she could cope with. If she had anything to do with it they would become lovers before the tour was over.
Altogether, Esther felt far more cheerful than she should have done when she retired to bed that night. The memory of her appalling performance was already beginning to fade and she was looking forward to her private rehearsals with Damon. She looked forward to the end of the tour when the pair of them would finally get their revenge on Christopher.
‘Where’s Damon tonight?’ Mary Fuller asked Ellie as the pair of them left the room where the first-night party was just ending.
‘I’ve no idea,’ said Ellie.
‘You aren’t bothered?’ said Mary in some surprise.
‘Damon likes to go off and do his own thing,’ explained Ellie. ‘If he thought I was trying to keep tabs on him he’d soon lose interest.’
‘It went very well tonight, I thought,’ commented Mary.
‘With the exception of Esther, yes,’ agreed Ellie. ‘It must have been a nightmare for her. Once she had to have a prompt in the first five minutes I knew she was in trouble.’
‘I don’t know what was the matter with her,’ said Mary. ‘She’s been doing so much better lately. I was really quite impressed and then suddenly she just fell apart.’
‘Perhaps she’s still missing Marcus,’ said Ellie. ‘Anyway, for all our sakes let’s hope she can pull herself together.’
‘What are you going to do now?’ asked Mary, looking thoughtfully at the petite, elfin-faced girl standing next to her.
‘I’ve no idea,’ said Ellie. ‘I shan’t be able to sleep; the adrenalin’s still flowing.’
‘Mine’ too!’ Mary laughed. ‘Isn’t it terrible? You know you ought to sleep after a play because you’re going to be on stage again the next day but you never can because you can’t get rid of that buzz.’
‘I’m not on stage tomorrow,’ said Ellie. ‘Christopher wasn’t silly enough to put me in his potted Macbeth.’
‘Oh, of course, I’d forgotten it was that,’ said Mary. ‘I am in it. I’m the gentlewoman attending Lady Macbeth, but it doesn’t entail much work.’
‘So what shall we do?’ asked Ellie.
Mary glanced at her. ‘Any ideas?’
‘I’ve always got plenty of ideas,’ said George, coming up behind the two women and putting his arms around them. ‘The problem is no one wants to join in.’
Ellie looked provocatively at him. ‘Why don’t you tell us one of your ideas,’ she suggested. ‘Maybe I’d be interested.’
George’s eyes lit up. ‘That sounds exciting. The trouble with my ideas is that they always require a large cast.’
‘Do you mean one large lady or more than one member in the cast?’ enquired Ellie with a grin.
‘Two average-sized ones would suit me nicely,’ said George.
Ellie glanced at Mary. ‘I imagine that would suit you, too,’ she said.
Mary nodded. ‘It would suit me down to the ground.’
‘I’ve got an idea, then,’ said Ellie. ‘Theresa’s been mooning around all evening. For some reason Christopher’s ignoring her. Why don’t I go and see if she’d like to join the three of us.’
‘Join us where?’ asked Mary.
‘I’m sure we could find an empty bedroom in a house this size,’ said Ellie.
‘Do you think she’d agree?’ asked George in some surprise.
‘I think she might,’ said Ellie. ‘She’s been dropping quite a few hints lately and I think her sexual tastes are fairly broad.’ With that she disappeared back into the party leaving Mary and George standing in the hall looking expectantly at each other.
‘Could be our lucky night, Mary,’ said George.
‘It looks like it,’ she agreed. ‘I must say, I think Theresa is delicious.’
‘I prefer Ellie,’ said George. ‘I love girls who are small and boyish and yet incredibly feminine at the same time.’
‘It’s Theresa that drives me wild,’ said Mary with a sigh. ‘Ever since I saw her that night in London I haven’t been able to forget her. Let’s hope Ellie’s successful.’
Ellie was, and within ten minutes the four of them had found an empty bedroom in the guest wing. It was large, beautifully furnished and – much to their relief – it even had a lock on the door. As soon as they were inside George turned the key. ‘Don’t want to be disturbed, do we?’ he said.
‘Definitely not,’ agreed Ellie.
Theresa looked slightly hesitant. ‘What exactly is it that we’re going to do?’
‘I’m not going to do anything,’ confessed Mary. ‘I’m afraid I’m rather lazy. I shall just sit in this comfortable chair here and watch anything you two girls choose to do.’
‘What about you, George?’ asked Ellie. ‘Are you going to be a participant or a voyeur?’
‘I’ll start out by watching,’ said George, ‘but I might join in later.’
Ellie smiled prettily at him. ‘I hope you do.’
After George and Mary had settled in their seats, Ellie moved closer to Theresa. ‘Why don’t we start off by just dancing together the way we do at the beginning of the play,’ she suggested to the red-haired girl. Theresa nodded in agreement and, for the next few minutes, the pair of them danced slowly and sensuously in the middle of the room. It wasn’t really the way they danced in the play but it was far more exciting and very soon both of them were anxious to proceed further.
Ellie made the first move. Very, very slowly she began to unbutton Theresa’s blouse and then stepped back so that Theresa could remove it herself, which she did, turning it into a kind of striptease, moving her body and arms around all the time so that her full breasts, trapped in a tiny half-cup bra, were displayed to their full advantage to the watching couple. When she’d finally thrown the blouse carelessly across the room, Ellie undid the other girl’s skirt, pulling it down so that Theresa could step out of it, leaving her standing in her black bra and G-string with black hold-up stockings and black high-heeled shoes. Mary Fuller gave a smile of appreciation and George leant forward eagerly in his chair.
Luckily Theresa and Ellie were about the same height, so it was easy for Ellie to nibble on Theresa’s ear and plant butterfly kisses on her shoulders before gradually working her way to her breasts. Theresa started to unfasten her own bra but Ellie stopped her and instead signalled for George to step forward. He almost fell over in his haste and then he was standing in front of the red-haired girl, his hands shaking slightly as he unclipped her bra, allowing it to fall forward on to the floor so that her breasts were finally totally exposed. Immediately he reached around to cup the firm orbs but Ellie, with a half-smile, pointed to his chair.
‘You’re meant to be watching this, George,’ she reminded him.
Reluctantly George returned to his chair and now Ellie was able to resume her ministrations on Theresa’s body. She, like the two watchers, was fascinated by the size of Theresa’s breasts with their large rosebud nipples and she closed her mouth over one, rolling it between her teeth and drawing her tongue over the rapidly hardening tip while she caressed both breasts with her hands.
Theresa’s breathing quickened and her whole breast area swelled as her excitement mounted. The silence in the room was a heavy one, full of sexual expectation. For Theresa it was a very exciting moment. With Christopher and Rebecca she always felt that she was the least important person but here she suddenly felt centre stage and this enhanced her natural sexuality.
She wat
ched as Ellie knelt on the carpet before beginning to kiss her feet and then, very carefully, felt her lift one foot and suck on the toes. It was a delicious sensation but it meant that Theresa’s breasts were unattended. Without thinking, she put her own hands on them and started to stroke them softly before suddenly squeezing them hard. Ellie moved her hands and slid them between Theresa’s legs, pushing her G-string to one side. Theresa’s head fell back a little and her long hair caressed her naked shoulders. When she felt Ellie’s hands opening her outer sex lips to reveal the swollen bud within, Theresa pushed her hips forward slightly so that Mary and George could have a better view.
There was no doubt that Ellie was an expert at using her tongue on another woman. As Theresa’s clitoris continued to swell, Ellie circled it lazily with her tongue before taking it prisoner in her mouth, tantalizing it by sucking gently but firmly and then nibbling softly. As she worked on the shaking girl with her mouth she allowed her hands to wander behind the tight buttocks until, at last, she was able to slip one slender finger inside Theresa’s rectum, stroking with amazing lightness on the paper-thin skin within.
Without any warning Theresa’s hips bucked violently as she suddenly came and Ellie sucked even harder on the other girl’s clitoris, keeping it imprisoned firmly in her mouth as it tried to retract beneath its protective hood. The incredible intensity of the sensations drove Theresa wild and she felt sweat trickling down between her breasts and heard herself gasping as the muscular contractions tore though her.
‘Sit on the end of the bed,’ Ellie whispered the moment Theresa’s orgasm had finished. Theresa didn’t argue; all she wanted was for this exquisite pleasure to continue. As soon as she’d done what Ellie suggested, Ellie started to tantalise her once more with her fingers and mouth, using her skilful tongue on her until she was just about to come again. However, as Theresa felt her body reaching the point of no return, Ellie stopped for a moment and Theresa uttered a wail.
‘For God’s sake don’t stop now!’ she cried.
Mary and George were gathered at the end of the bed. They’d been unable to resist the temptation to get nearer and Theresa didn’t care; in fact she wished that they’d join in and stimulate the parts of her body that Ellie was unable to reach. Mary looked into the auburn-haired girl’s eyes and read the silent appeal there. Sitting on the side of the bed the older woman reached out and very carefully began to massage the skin that covered those delicious swollen globes that so excited her.
Dramatic Affairs Page 19
