All the World's a Stage

"Holy shit! That felt so good!"

"I was doing it right?"

"I'm pretty sure you were. Fuck..."

Jenny opened her eyes, to find Ryan's fevered, wild eyes looking back down at her. He had pulled his hand away, but now he reached down and tried to lift her skirt. She gently put her hand on top of his, stopping him.

Disappointment colored his expression.

"I love you, and I want to, but I'm not ready yet. I do want to do something for you if you'll let me?"

Ryan let Jenny push him back into the passenger seat. She reached across him to tilt his seat back, and then, with his eyes growing wider by the second, she started to undo his pants.

"Jenny..." he moaned.

The denim of his jeans spread back in a "V," and she pulled the elastic top of his underwear down. Ryan's stiff, hairy cock sprang up like it was trying to escape. Jenny took it in her small hand, marveling at how hard it was, how the thick veins throbbed with the blood that swelled Ryan's shaft to its full size. She stroked it a couple of times experimentally, afraid she would do it too hard.

"Faster...please..." begged Ryan.

"Okay. Tell me if I hurt you."

Jenny moved her hand more quickly, watching Ryan's eyes get a glassy, far away look.

"More...faster...Oh, GOD! Jenny! Faster!"

A little fearfully, she stroked it harder, quicker, fascinated with the way Ryan grabbed at the seat.

"Tell me when you're going to cum," she whispered, and before he could ask why she leaned down and pushed her mouth over the head of his quivering penis.

"Holy MOTHER!" cried Ryan, grasping the door handle in a death grip.

Jenny was the kind of girl who liked to be prepared. She had learned that in Girl Scouts growing up. That had led her to seek out the advice of a few trusted girlfriends, which, in turn, led to a few embarrassing nights practicing on zucchini and carrots to get ready for this moment.

The practice was paying off.

Ryan tasted different than she had expected, not bad, just odd.

His cock was thicker than the vegetables she had used to get ready, but her saliva was more than lubricant enough, and his noises spurred her on. The head seemed to swell even more in her mouth, a salty discharge rubbing onto her tongue. Ryan was moaning so loudly she was afraid someone might hear, but she was too turned on to care.

"This is sucking cock? Huh? I like it..." she thought, loving how powerful it made her feel like she was in control.

"Fuck! FUCK! FUCK! Jenny! NOW!" he cried.

Jenny pulled away and jerked Ryan's dripping cock in her hand. She didn't have to wait long for the explosion. His penis jumped like a scalded cat, spewing thick gobs of sticky semen up into the air.

"Oh, JENNY!" gasped Ryan.

She kept pumping it, wondering if he would ever stop. Cum was getting everywhere, all over his stomach and down into his dark, tangled pubic hairs, running down her hand.

The cleanup took both of them and most of an opened box of tissues in her glove compartment.

"That was some show. Do you always shoot so much?"

"Not hardly. I think you brought out the best in me," said Ryan, who was grinning so hard it made his face hurt.

"I'm sorry that I stopped you from...you know...I just..."

"Hey, it's alright. We talked about this before, and we're not on anyone's time table but our own. When you're ready."

"That, right there, is one of the reasons I love you," replied Jenny.

They started to kiss again when headlights illuminated their vehicle. His dad's car turned into the driveway, and Ryan and Jenny stepped out to meet him.

"Dad! I'm glad to see you. We were worried something might have happened to you."

"If you kept your cellphone charged, I could have let you know," said Matthew reasonably.

"Did you not get my message about the ice cream parlor? Tricia was supposed to call you for me."

Matthew hesitated awkwardly before answering, "I saw Tricia when I came to pick you up. She mentioned she forgot."

"I guess I should have known better than to count on someone else. Where have you been this whole time, then?"

"Oh...Uh...The power was out at Tricia's house, and she was scared so...I stayed with her until it came back on."

Ryan raised an eyebrow at that, "You stayed knowing I was at the ice cream parlor without a ride?"

"You're an adult now I knew you would figure it out. Tricia was really in a bad way. I didn't feel like I could just leave her. I could have told you that if you had your cellphone working," shot back Matthew, trying to turn attention away from Tricia and keep Ryan on the defensive.

Sensing a brewing argument, Jenny intervened to keep the peace.

"Hey, Guys! It all worked out in the end, and everyone is home safe. Isn't that what's important here?"

"The voice of reason," acknowledged Matthew.

"I should get home. It was nice to see you, Mr. Goodwin."

"You too, Jenny. Drive careful on your way home."

"I will."

Matthew stood on the porch, watching Ryan lead his girlfriend back to her car.

He had nearly had a heart attack when he saw them parked out front. He had hoped that Ryan got a ride with someone else and perhaps would be asleep by the time he arrived at least forestalling any awkward questions until the morning.

"It must have been an interesting night of conversation spending so long in the dark with Tricia," comment Ryan when he returned from seeing Jenny off.

"We mostly just talked about the play and acting in general," said Matthew as he unlocked the door to their house.

As soon as they were inside, Matthew feigned a yawn.

"It's late, and I'm bushed. I'll see you in the morning, Kid."

He started to pat his son on the shoulder, but Ryan was looking at him curiously.

"What?"

"You smell like Spring Violets."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Spring Violets, it's the perfume that Tricia wears all the time. I get a nose full of it every day because she sits in front of me in our Civics class. I was also there when John bought it for her."

"Yeah...Well...As I said, she was upset, and she hugged me when I left to thank me for staying with her. I guess her perfume rubbed off on me."

"Must have been a long hug."

"Ah! Get your mind out of the gutter!" shot back Matthew, trying for a kidding, dismissive tone.

He darted toward his bedroom before Ryan could ask questions anymore, but he could feel his son's stare boring into his back.

"Goodnight..." whispered Ryan.

His dad shut the door to his room, but Ryan lingered in the hallway, lost in thought. One of the things he and his dad had in common was that they were both terrible liars. He was overcome with the most definite feeling that his father wasn't giving him the whole story about what had gone on at Tricia's, but the apparent conclusion seemed ludicrous.

"Dad and Tricia? No way..." he thought.

Then again.

"Man...This is too much to think about," grumbled Ryan deciding bed was his best option as well.

THE SHOW MUST GO ON -

Opening night was always stressful for everyone, but this one, in particular, took the cake for Matthew. He had directed many plays, all at the college before tonight, but never had he been having an affair with his lead actress.

It seemed almost cliché, the director sleeping with the star of the show.

"Affair...Who am I kidding? It was one night, and if I'm smart, it will never be repeated," groused Matthew under his breath while observing his techs lighting the stage. The week that followed had seen him ducking Tricia and trying to keep any contact purely professional. The best thing for them both was probably to pretend like it never happened.

He wanted to believe that, but when he had seen Tricia getting out of her car earlier, his heart had fluttered in his chest.

She had been with her friends. That stopped him from even thinking about going over to her. The urge had been there because she looked great, wearing a black and white striped cotton summer dress that hugged her curves. The parking lot had been full of other drama kids as well, so he tried not to stare when she crossed in front of him, but it took a real effort. Seeing her again, brought on a crush of memories from their stormy night together, bodies intertwined, lips and hands moving all over.

"Mr. Goodwin? Does the key light looked centered?"

"Huh? Oh...Yeah, Jeremy. It looks good."

"Get your head in the game, Mr. Director, " Matthew chided himself.

This wasn't the time to dwell on what a mess he may have made of things.

Ticket holders started to arrive, and Matthew went backstage to see how things were going with hair and makeup. He had to admit the kids had done a fantastic job finding clothing that was at least close to the period and creating hairstyles to match. Things seemed to be moving along fine, so he drifted back out to the auditorium where the seats were filling up.

"Mr. Goodwin! I can't tell you how excited we all are to see what you've put together," said Principal Mathers, pumping his hand.

"I hope you'll be pleased," said Matthew, trying to rub the sweat off his hand without Mathers noticing.

"Does this guy ever not have wet palms?" thought Matthew.

"I'm sorry. I have so much to do. If you would excuse me?"

"Of course...Break a leg!"

"Right."

Matthew made a hasty exit, determined to put some distance between himself and the odd Principal.

"Hey! Mr. Goodwin!"

He was almost grateful when the stage manager, Karl, came up to him. Any distraction at the moment was a good thing.

"We might have a small problem."

"What is it?"

"One of the girls told me that Tricia was getting all freaked out in the dressing room. Stage fright, maybe? I don't know for sure, but she won't come out."

"Shit...I mean...Don't worry about it. I'll take care of the situation."

"Yes, Sir."

Matthew glanced at his watch, fifteen minutes to curtain. This was the last thing he needed, but he knew he had only himself to blame for it.

A small crowd of girls was gathered around Tricia when he arrived. She wasn't crying thankfully, but she did look unhappy, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Why don't you ladies get up to the stage. I would like to talk to Tricia," he said in as authoritative a tone as he could manage.

One of the young women patted her on the arm before she left.

As soon as the door closed, Matthew stepped close, looking worriedly at his star.

"What's wrong, Tricia?"

"Do you regret the other night?"

She looked up at him finally, and the hurt in her eyes was more than plain.

"You want to talk about this now?"

"The way you've been avoiding me all week, I figured you never wanted to have a conversation about it."

"Tricia, it's not about regret, though I would be lying if I didn't say I had reservations about what happened. I'm supposed to be your mentor, your teacher, a person who sets an example for you. Not..."

"My lover?"

He winced at the description. Just hearing it made him even more aware of how wrong the world would see what he had done.

"I'm not sure I would use those words."

To this point, Tricia had been sitting in the shadows in the corner of the dressing room. She rose now and stepped into the light.

Matthew was stunned into silence.

Tricia had modeled her outfit and hair after the photo he had shown her of his great-grandmother, and it was amazing how much she did look like his long-deceased relative.

"What words would you use?"

"I don't know. This situation is complicated, Tricia. There is so much going on here, with you, your parents, the fact that I'm so much older."

"You know who you sound like right now?"

"Who?"

"Joshua Goodwin."

Tricia crossed the room to stand right in front of Matthew, her eyes flashing in the bright lights of the makeup tables.

"You wrote a whole play about the greatest love-affair in your family's history and at the core of it was a man fighting his feelings. Your great-grandfather nearly lost the love of his life because he couldn't put one unfortunate tragedy behind him. Are you any different because you can only bring yourself to see the problems ahead for us?"

"I'm just trying to be realistic."

"If Joshua and Elsa had been worried about being realistic, you wouldn't even be standing here."

"Tricia..."

She came closer, reaching up to put a hand on his cheek.

"I don't want to be just your lover, Matthew."

"What do you want to be?"

"Your Elsa..." she whispered, leaning up to kiss him softly.

The lights blink off and back on.

"You need to get to the stage," he managed to say despite the plethora of emotions that were churning within him.

"Can I see you after the show?"

A knock cut off his answer, and he took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves as he stepped to the front door.

Ryan stood on the other side, in costume and ready to go, but looking worried.

"What are you guys doing? The curtain is about to go up!"

"We're coming. Tricia was just a little nervous."

"Since when?"

Tricia breezed passed both men making her way quickly up the stairs to the main stage. Ryan and Matthew watched her go.

"Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, Son. Just worry about your lines. I need to get into position, and so do you."

Matthew started to step passed him, but Ryan grabbed his arm.

"Can I give you one piece of advice before you go up, Dad?"

"Yeah, Sure."

"You might want to wipe the lipstick off your face before you do."

Ryan walked away with one last look over his shoulder.

"Shit..." said Matthew to himself as he leaned down in front of a mirror to wipe off the evidence of Tricia's kiss.

The play went off without a hitch after that, and the whole cast was brilliant, but especially Tricia, who seemed to embody the role of Elsa perfectly. The audience gave them a standing ovation, and Matthew was justifiably proud of what they had accomplished with this run-through. The U.I.L trophy could be in the bag. If only he felt as confident about his future.

The cast as a group wanted to go out and celebrate, but Matthew politely declined to go with them. Ryan was going, still giving him side-long looks before he took off. It was obvious the two of them would have to have a long talk about things. Matthew wasn't looking forward to that discussion.

He drove straight home afterward, and though he wasn't much of a drinker, poured himself a stiff shot of whiskey and downed it in one go.

The cable guide listed a Humphrey Bogart film festival that night, which ordinarily would have thrilled him, but he had too much on his mind to focus on it. When his doorbell rang at near 11:00 p.m., he was sitting on the couch, lost in thought. Assuming that Ryan had forgotten his key, he went to answer the door.

"Tricia! What are you doing here?"

"The cast party was boring without you. I figured you could use some company."

"Jesus! Get in here before someone sees you!"

Matthew pulled her inside, looking up and down the sidewalk to see if any of his neighbors were still awake, but no one had their lights on.

"How would I explain a teenage girl on my doorstep this late if one of the neighbors saw you?"

"Tell them adult prostitutes were too expensive?"

He locked the door and favored her with a frown, "Nice. You're almost as big a smart ass as Ryan."

"Have you been celebrating alone?" she asked, seeing the whiskey bottle on the coffee table.

"No. I just had one when I came home. Guess I was too lazy to put the bottle away."

"You didn't say what you thought of my performance tonight?"

"Are you asking for notes?"

"You are the director."

"Then, I thought you were amazing. I can't think of anything I would change about it."

"My Elsa met with your approval?"

"Very much so," he confirmed

"I'm glad. I wanted to do it perfectly for you. There are all kinds of things I want to do for you."

She added this last part while moving into the living room.

When Tricia arrived at his house, she had been wearing a long, dark jacket that went all the way passed her knees. She untied her coat right then and turned, shucking if off onto the floor.

"Jesus Christ! Tricia..."

The outfit she had on underneath left very little to the imagination. A black, lacy, teddy with long silk stockings that ended on spiked-high heels with matching panties that hugged her hips. Matthew couldn't take his eyes off her as she moved toward him, one hand on her hip.

"You like it?"

"This isn't a good idea. Ryan might come home at any minute."

"I left him not too long ago. The way those boys were chattering, they're going to be at it for hours. Jenny Parker showed up, so I think that will keep him busy as well. We don't need to worry."

She came closer, and Matthew's heart started to palpitate in his chest.

"You didn't say if you liked my outfit?"

"Um...Well...Shit...You look beautiful, okay?"

Tricia smiled in a very sultry fashion. She had taken the time to remove her stage makeup, and what she had replaced it with gave her a dark, sexy look. Her full lips gleamed all cherry-red in the light of Matthew's house. Her steps brought her to Matthew's chest, and she ran her hands up, letting them meet behind his neck.

"Do you want your Elsa, Matthew?"

This may have been one moment in time, but Matthew sensed the crossroads he had reached. The decision he made now would reverberate for a long time to come. He knew what was right and what was wrong, but to this, he added a third option.

What his heart truly needed.

"Great-grandpa? I read your words, but now I see why you had no other choice," he thought.

"I want more than that. I want my Tricia..."

"I'm all yours."

Their lips met in a hot, searing kiss that became instantly hungry and wild. Tricia's slick lips were like velvet on his sliding so perfectly all around. He took in the scent of her, the taste, her warmth permeating every fiber of his being. His desire for her, like a lump of hot coal dropped into a pile of paper, burned straight through making him mad with need.

Matthew pulled her firm body tight to him and parted her lips wider with his tongue. She sighed in the back of her throat, met the tip of his tongue with hers, letting them move together in a sweet dance. It didn't take them long to end up in his bed, Matthew's clothes tracing a line back to the door.

Their naked bodies pressed together between the sheets while he gently kissed her erect nipples, fully enraptured by how gorgeous her wide, dark areolas were, entranced by their smoothness.

"Need you inside me..." she moaned softly.

He let his weight shift forward, almost imperceptibly, but it was more than enough. Tricia let out an explosive breath as Matthew's steel-hard penis rammed into her flesh. She had never felt anything like his cock as it descended into her body. The head forced a passage to her womb, slamming open her sugar walls. He arched his back, groaning loudly in the small space, loving the caress of her silky cunt on his cock, so tight, so wet, wrapping his prick in its velvet embrace.

They made love at a slow, steady cadence that grew more rapid with their peaking arousal.

Matthew slid one hand into Tricia's, intertwining his fingers with hers and holding on.

When they came, it was together, a violent, mutual eruption of ecstasy that left them weak and trembling.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in for a bit?" asked Jenny.

Ryan would have liked nothing better. His house was dark, and his dad likely asleep. He could only guess at what type of shenanigans he and Jenny could get up to, but given everything that had happened tonight, he wanted to be alone with his father.

"Sorry. I'm exhausted. Can I see you tomorrow?"

"Sure. You were great tonight! I think someday you're going to be a big star."

"Then you'll have to help me keep my ego in check."