All the World's a Stage

"Are you sure you don't want to see the house? I would be happy to give you a tour."

The temptation to do as she asked was almost overwhelming. He had a strong feeling he knew where this would lead, but like that moth, he felt inexorably pulled forward.

"Maybe some other time, Tricia."

Disappointment briefly colored her features, but only for a second or two. Before Matthew could react, she leaned across the car and kissed him. It was so fast he was hard-pressed later to recall it clearly, but he did get a sense of her very soft, full lips, all creamy with her dark lipstick pressing on his mouth before she pulled away.

"Thanks for being so sweet. I'll see you at practice."

Tricia was out of the car and headed toward the guard shack before Matthew could even get his thoughts into gear. He watched her walkaway through the big steel gate while his heartbeat so hard in his chest he thought a coronary was not wholly out of the question. When she finally vanished from sight, he pulled away and headed home, his mind awhirl with conflicting thoughts, but one stood out above all the others.

"I'm in big trouble..."

The following week, Matthew did everything he could to keep his distance from Tricia. This wasn't easy to pull off when you're directing a play, and the woman you're trying to avoid is your lead, but he managed to minimize things to just short interludes where he gave out general advice to everyone. When he did have to deal directly with Tricia, he tried to make sure to have other cast members around and not to be alone with her ever. He reasoned it was the best way to keep her obvious intentions toward him in check. Truthfully, though, he was also protecting her from himself. The more time he spent around her, the greater his attraction for her seemed to grow to the point he was getting seriously worried about keeping his libido under control.

"Earth to Dad? You in there?"

Matthew looked up from his script to find Ryan's smiling face looking down at him.

"Huh? Oh...Sorry, Son. I was just thinking about the last scene."

"I'm sorry for interrupting your creative process there, Mr. Director, Sir, but I just wanted to let you know that some of us are going to hang out at Tricia's after practice. I've got a ride there, but I might need one back home later."

"Yeah, sure. I could do that. When?"

"It's not supposed to be a drawn-out thing. Say, ten maybe. I can meet you outside the gate."

"Fine. Have fun, and stay out of trouble."

"Dad! Look who you're talking too."

Ryan punched his shoulder and walked off with such a self-confident air about him that, not for the first time, Matthew was left to wonder which of them was the parent.

He was actually kind of grateful not to have to worry about cooking that night. It had been a long week, and he was pretty tired. He ended up dozing off on the couch after dinner, and thankfully he had remembered to set the alarm on his phone to wake him in time to pick Ryan back up.

The night had turned nasty while he slept. A thunderstorm had swept in, pelting the city with rain and strong winds. The power at his house flickered a couple of times but held steady finally as he made to leave out the front door. By the time he reached the main road, the storm was going all-out, making it hard to see through the sheets of rain. He felt terrible about Ryan having to walk to the guard shack in this weather and tried to call him to see if maybe Tricia could let him inside to do the pickup, but Ryan's phone went straight to voice mail.

"He better not have let his phone go dead," groused Matthew.

It was one of Ryan's less endearing habits. He always forgot to charge his phone, and it would go dead at the worse possible moment. Matthew had cautioned him to keep a charging cable with him when he was out, but Ryan never remembered to do that either, or to keep the charging pack Matthew had gotten him for Christmas in his backpack.

Lightning was flashing across the sky when he arrived across the street from Gable Meadows. The first thing he noticed was how dark the neighborhood was, and it soon became clear they had lost power due to the storm. He pulled up to the guard shack, but there was no one inside. The main gate, bereft of electricity, had swung open without its magnetic locks. Matthew glanced around but didn't see the harm in hurrying in to fetch his son and get out. He pulled through the open gate and turned onto the third street down. He recalled Tricia's address from the Drama department's parent directory, so it wasn't a big deal to find the right house.

Ryan hadn't been kidding. Tricia lived in one of the largest homes on a street full of small mansions that made his little three-bedroom house look like a hut. He pulled into the driveway and ran up the walkway to the towering front door, still getting wet despite his efforts. The sound of his fist hitting the door reverberated in the interior of the cavernous home, and at first, it seemed as if no one was there. He hammered on the door again.

"Damn, Kid. I'm going to kill him for letting that cellphone die."

Matthew was about to knock a third time when the door swung ponderously open, and he found himself standing in front of Tricia, who held a flashlight in her hand.

"If you're selling Girl Scout cookies, we already bought," she said with a sly grin.

"Very funny. I'm just here to pick up Ryan."

"Come inside. You're getting soaked," she advised.

Matthew stepped inside, grateful to be out of the rain. The entryway of the big house was almost more extensive than his entire home. He stood, dripping a bit on the cold tile floor. Tricia eyed him with curiosity. She was dressed more casually than he had ever seen her so far, in a pair of shorts and a tank top. The latter dropping low enough to show off the swell of her substantial chest. Her hair was pulled back from her face bringing even more emphasis to her gorgeous eyes.

"Where's Ryan?" he asked.

"I need to apologize right upfront. I was supposed to call you."

"Call me about what?"

"He and some of the others decided to go for ice cream after we got done watching movies. I was too tired to go along, but they left about a half-hour ago. He asked me to call you and let you know because his phone was dead."

"Of course it was..." grumbled Matthew.

"Sorry."

"Which ice cream parlor did they go to?"

"McKellars on Fifth."

"Wonderful. This is such a great night to be driving around. Well, don't worry about it," said Matthew turning to go.

"Wait!" blurted Tricia.

"What?"

"Please...don't go yet. The power went out after everyone left and...Well...It's kind of creepy in this big house all by myself."

"I thought you had servants?"

"Did Ryan tell you that? It's a small exaggeration. We do have cleaning people and a housekeeper that stays with us, but this is her night off."

"You could come with me to get Ryan. Maybe the power would be back on by the time we got back here?"

"You want to run back out into that?"

The storm had gotten worse in the short time since he had come inside. It was raining so hard now he could barely make out his car twenty feet away from where he stood.

"At least wait until this blows over. I doubt a storm this wicked can last long."

It seemed sensible, but it wasn't lost on Matthew that this put him alone with the one person he had been avoiding.

"I don't know, Tricia."

"It's okay. I promise to behave myself. Don't worry, Matthew. Your virtue is safe with me."

"It sure as Hell isn't MY virtue I'm worried about," thought Matthew, but he followed Tricia from the entryway into a large, open living room. The area was so big Tricia's flashlight beam couldn't light enough of it to give him a real sense of the layout, but she guided him to a spacious couch. He took a seat while she fetched him a towel to dry his head.

He noticed the script for the play was lying on the glass coffee table near his legs.

"Were you guys rehearsing?"

"I was before the others got here. I want to nail the scene where Joshua and Elsa finally admit their feelings for each other openly. It's such a wonderful moment. I want to make sure there isn't a dry eye in the house."

"I've watched you perform for weeks, Tricia. I can guarantee you there won't be."

Tricia's smile lit her face almost as bright as the beam of the flashlight she had set down on the table.

"I'm glad you're happy with my portrayal. I love the whole story. Did it happen the way you wrote it? I'm just wondering if you took any dramatic license."

"Not much," he conceded, "it largely transpired exactly as I wrote it out. My great-grandfather kept a journal as well, and it outlined his thoughts quite clearly."

Tricia got up while he spoke and went to the edge of the light, fiddling around inside a cabinet and returning with a large candle on a holder. She lit it with a match sending a tiny bit of smoke wafting up toward the ceiling. As soon as the candlewick caught the flame, she reached over and switched off the flashlight.

"I don't like to waste batteries. It's not good for the planet," she said.

"Very ecologically sound," agreed Matthew.

The switch to candlelight had done more than just save battery life though; it had also bathed Tricia's face in a subtle glow that made her look even more beautiful. He took a deep breath, trying to settle his stomach that was suddenly filling with butterflies. Having to look at Tricia like this wasn't helping matters. In this light, her features had taken on an almost ethereal beauty like some sort of fairy creature that a mortal had no right to look upon.

"Tell me more about them."

"Once my great-grandfather was able to overcome his fear of losing her, they enjoyed a love that was the envy of the township. Everyone in the area attended their wedding. It was quite an event from what I understand."

"It sounds beautiful. They were happy?"

"For many years until my great-grandfather passed on."

"Did Elsa ever marry again?'

"No. She said that her heart would always belong to her Joshua. I guess she couldn't see herself being with anyone else."

"That's such a sweet sentiment. I'm glad that things worked out for them, given how much your great-grandfather resisted his feelings at the beginning."

"You can't blame him. He had suffered a terrible loss, and it was just easier to wall himself off than to face having to suffer like that again."

"There's is always a risk when we put ourselves out there, but isn't the reward more than worth it in the end?"

While she spoke, Tricia put her hand on the back of the couch close to where Matthew had laid his after tossing the towel aside. Their fingers were just inches apart.

"I'm sure they thought so, but it doesn't always work out that way."

"You mean you and Ryan's mother?"

"That's one example."

"I never met your Ex. but I suspect she was no Elsa."

Matthew laughed, "No, she was no Elsa. There aren't many women like her."

"Didn't you say I was like her?"

Matthew felt something tickle his hand. He looked over and saw that Tricia was running her nails on the back.

"You have a lot of her qualities. That's true," he admitted grudgingly.

The candle flame had grown brighter as the wax melted away from the wick, and the glow was now reflected more strongly in Tricia's eyes, making it seem like they were glowing as well.

"Is that why you're attracted to me?"

"Tricia!" said Matthew sharply.

"Don't pretend it's not true. I've seen the way you've been looking at me since we took that first walk together in the hallway to the auditorium."

"If I was looking at you in any way that wasn't appropriate, then I'm sorry."

"I'm not. I like the way you look at me. I wish it didn't make you so uncomfortable."

"It should. You're just a kid. I'm the grownup here...I have no right to...to..."

"Desire me? I may be just a kid to you, but wasn't Elsa just a kid to your great-grandfather?"

"That was 1923. Society was different then. It was a very different time."

Tricia slid closer on the couch, and Matthew felt his heart race in his chest. He knew he should get up and walk away, but something held him there. He thought ironically that if he was the moth, then the flame was coming to him.

"Can I ask you something?"

"That depends...I have a feeling it's going to be something I can't answer the way you want."

"We'll see."

"Okay, then. Ask."

"Please tell me the truth, Matthew. Do you want to kiss me right now?"

The room, as gigantic as it may have been, seemed to shrink until all that existed in that small piece of the universe was the two of them. Matthew's heart was pounding, his hands shaking. He hadn't been this nervous with a woman since he had lost his virginity more years ago than he cared to recall. Tricia was waiting patiently for his answer. Her face hovered not more than a foot away from him. It would be so easy to lean over and see if those full lips of hers tasted as good as they looked. He longed to do precisely that, but his morality warred angrily with his desires.

Abruptly, he leaped up from the couch, putting a meter or so of distance between Tricia and himself. He shook like a leaf on a tree, torn between what he desperately wanted and what he knew was wrong. Turning his back, Matthew put his hands to his face rubbing at his eyes as if he could scrub the image of Tricia from them and by proxy from his heart.

"Matthew?"

She was right behind him. Her voice was pleading and pitying him this torture in the same instant.

The worst thing he could do was turn around. If he looked at her again, he knew he would be lost.

A hand touched his shoulder.

He turned.

Tricia was right there, gazing up at him.

God...She was so beautiful.

Matthew's hands rose to cup her face. The skin was impossibly smooth, not a blemish to mar its perfection. He ran his thumb across her thick lower lip. It was covered in some light, berry-colored lipstick, shimmering in the candlelight, so slick and silky. Tricia shut her eyes, the dark shadow on her eyelids making her look even more mysterious and sexy.

Moth meets flame.

He kissed her.

The touch of her lips was like someone brushing a feather across his, and it sent a rolling warmth down through his whole body, making him tremble. It might have been a few years since the last time Matthew had kissed a woman, but he was not inexperienced, yet in an instant, he knew he had never shared a kiss as sweet as this with anyone. Tricia slid into his arms, and he held her to him, letting his hands move down from her face to wrap around her middle. They gently rubbed their lips together, enjoying the contact, the moist touching. She sighed into his mouth, slipping her arms around his neck. Their heads began to move, slowly, side to side, bringing their lips into greater contact. A hunger started to claim them, and any inhibitions that Matthew had been feeling dropped away.

Soft groans permeated the semi-darkness, the sounds of two people breathing harder, gasping, needing, wanting.

Matthew tentatively slipped his tongue forward, and Tricia met it with enthusiasm, thrusting hers right back into his mouth. She may have been young, but she French kissed like a much more experienced woman. In no time, she had his knees shaking with her swirling, probing movements. Her juicy lips rolled all over his, sending waves of pleasure running down his back.

They clung to one another, their kisses becoming more desperate and needful.

They parted, taking a step back, panting like they had run a long-distance race. Tricia's eyes were wild, so filled with lust, it was almost scary how primal her expression was at that moment. While Matthew looked on, barely able to hold himself in place, she began to strip.

Her tank top went first, slipping from her body with a whisper of silk. It drifted to the floor, but he hardly noticed. His eyes never left her body. Tricia was surprisingly calm, reaching behind to unhook he bra while Matthew drew in a shuddering breath when it joined her shirt on the ground. If she had a flaw, he couldn't find it. Her breasts were the most perfect he had ever seen. Despite their size, they sat firm and high on her young chest without a hint of sag. In the low light, her erect nipples stuck out like ripe cherries off the vast expanse of bumpy dark pink that contained them.

"Oh...Jesus...Tricia..."

She smiled at his apparent appreciation of her assets but was also still moving, unbuttoning her shorts and shoving them to the ground. An emerald green thong covering her womanhood was all that remained.

Tricia stepped toward where Matthew stood mesmerized by her approach. She stopped in front of him, seeing how nervous he was by the way his hands shook. He didn't make a move, but she knew he very much wanted to and just needed a little help.

Tricia reached down and took his hands in hers, guiding them toward her chest.

"It's okay," she whispered.

The skin against his hands was smooth, warm, and he closed his eyes for a second and just took in the wonderful feel of her breasts.

"God...Tricia."

He ran his fingers around the edges of them, lifted them from beneath, feeling their heft, the way they filled his palms. They were so firm, the solid core of a fruit that had, as of yet, gone mostly unsullied. Matthew couldn't stand another second. He swept Tricia back into his arms, kissing her deeply, with all the passion that was suddenly let loose inside him. She sighed and met his excitement full-on, pasting her creamy, silky lips to his and letting her tongue roam around his mouth. The room filled with the sounds of ragged breathing, quiet moans of desperation.

Matthew let his mouth slide free, covering her neck with gentle kisses, moving ever downward. He took those sweet breasts in his hands again and brought his lips to them one at a time, just brushing across her tight areolas letting the skin rub on his face, his tongue flick out for a taste. The stiff nipple barely moved when his tongue rolled around the edge of it. He licked it harder, listening to Tricia gasp when he pushed his mouth around the whole of it, drawing the entire erect knot inside. Her cries grew louder when he started to suck on it, catching the skin between his teeth and pulling it away from her areola, gripping her nipple hard.

"Ah! Matthew! I've wanted to feel you touch me like this since the first time I saw you!"

He smiled, setting her nipple free only to grasp it again between his teeth. The teasing went on, long licks, running his tongue in circles around her areolas until they shined with his spit. Tricia thrashed in his arms, her arousal blooming into a pulsing heat in the pit of her stomach and spreading down between her legs. She could feel the dampness, her labia swelling and pulling away uncovering her pink fleshy hole.

"I want you, Matthew..." she hissed as he roughly squeezed and suckled her tits.

Her body left the ground, lifted in his arms, but he didn't go far, setting her back down on the couch, then carefully pushing her legs together and sliding her thong off. The secret place between her legs was mostly hairless. The curly pubic mound that adorned the top of her vagina was trimmed close into a small patch of fur, fully exposing her long, thick pussy lips. Matthew brought his fingers to her juicy labia, running them slowly down her slit, feeling just how wet and slippery they had become in a very short time. Tricia arched her back slightly, groaning and biting one nail while looking down at him.

"Tease..." she mouthed.

He gave her a wicked smile that matched any she had bestowed on him in recent weeks before covering her entrance with his mouth and letting his tongue run free.

"Oh! Oh! Yes! Yes...Matthew! Ah! GOD! YES!"