A Beautiful Friendship

The characters in this story were introduced in a story called “A Pleasant Surprise” which is about Lance losing his virginity with Gena. While it is not necessary to have read that story to enjoy this one, I hope that if you like this you will travel back in time and get to know Lance and Gena better.

It had been almost two months since the weekend when I lost my virginity and things had never been better. Gena and I were getting along great. Every chance we got we snuck away to some secluded place and attacked each other. After years of wondering why my friends were so fascinated and daring about sex, my raven-haired beauty was showing me what I had been missing. Every day I got to know her body’s mixture of hard muscle and soft curves a little better. Every time we made love I was better at it, and I was getting lots of practice.

Even though Gena was by far the best thing to ever happen to me, it was not just my relationship with her that was going well. The band in which I played, a heavy metal outfit calledAssassination, had gotten a gig almost every weekend. Rehearsals are great, but nothing pulls you together as a unit faster than playing in front of a crowd. Ok, “crowd” may be a little strong, but even playing keggers seemed like a crowd instead of the normal audience of just our girlfriends. We were making more money than we were spending for the first time in the year we had been playing together, and Sean and Jimmy were writing some great songs.

As a matter of fact, the only really bad thing in my life was my stupid car. I was tired of sinking money into it and was saving up to buy a new one. A friend of my Dad’s had an old VW bus he was willing to sell me, and as soon as I could save a thousand dollars, it was mine. Not only would the VW make for an easier way to haul my guitars and amps but it had a bed in the back. Gena and I could not wait.

So even though the band was doing so well, I was still working thirty plus hours at “the Box”. Flipping burgers wasn’t glamorous, but it paid steady and I had been there long enough that I was making almost a dollar more than minimum wage. At $4.80 an hour, that thousand bucks was not that far off. Besides, it gave me a chance to get paid for being with my best friend.

If Gena was my muse, Sandy was my mentor. Sandy was a few years older than me on the calendar but she was light years ahead in experience. At 26 she had already been dealt a rough hand by life but she just kept going. Being a single mother was hard, even in the modern world of the eighties. Yet she never complained much. A couple of times she had confessed to me how lonely it could get, but with her mom and dad helping with her daughter and the life insurance money socked away, she was better off than most people in her situation. Becoming a widow at 22 could have killed her spirit, but instead she was the strongest lady I had ever met.

I told Sandy everything of course. After all, she had been my confidant long before Gena came along and I still trusted her opinion and loved how she did not treat me like a child despite our age difference. She was very excited for me. She never made it to gigs because of the kid, but she had started taking Tae Kwan Do lessons at the same dojo where Gena studied. Gena and Sandy hung out together quite a bit lately, and I think Gena knew how much I told Sandy, but she never seemed to mind. Gena told me she was glad I had a friend like Sandy.

One September Thursday, Sandy gave me a surprise.

“Lance, all these months I’ve heard how great you are on that guitar,” Sandy said to me as we were getting ready for the lunch rush, “I think it’s time I heard it for myself.”

“What do you mean?” I replied.

“Well, Gena told me you have a real show this Saturday night, not just a party. She said you’re opening for a band from Hollywood at a little spot in North Park.”

“Yeah,” I said with pride, “Our first time on a real bill. I’ve got a flier in my locker. But how can you come? What about Missy?”

“Greg’s parents are picking her up from school on Friday and are going to take her to Disneyland all weekend. I think they’re crazy to take a five year old to D-land two straight days, but I can use the adult time. Besides,” said Sandy, “This means I can sit stage right with Gena and play groupie.”

“Yeah right,” I replied with my best wicked little grin, “You have no idea how much I’d like you to play groupie.”

“Why Lance,” said Sandy in a false southern drawl, “Whateva must y’all mean?” So saying she brushed past me to go back to the cooler. As she moved past me I could have sworn I felt her fingertips run across my ass! But no, I must have been imagining things. Sandy was a sweetheart and a great gal, but she had already proven that she had no interest in me that way.

Back when I first started working at JB’s, I was paired up with Sandy on my very first day. By the time I went to lunch I was in love. OK, maybe that is a little bit strong. I was in lust. Sandy had the blond-haired blue-eyed surfer girl look down perfectly. Her body was trim and hard. She was not super thick in any place, but she was very muscular. I imagined her build must be similar to that of a ballerina or jazz dancer, although I had never met one to test the theory. Her skin was very tan, since she still spent a lot of time out in the sun when she was not trapped in the grease pit we worked in. She looked like the kind of girl the quarterback would have dated in high school. In other words, way out of my league.

It actually kind of calmed me down to think of her that way. Knowing I did not have a chance, I never tried to impress her. I think that is what paved the way for us to become friends.

Despite the age difference and the fact that she was technically my boss, Sandy and I talked a lot at work. We also flirted outrageously. It was all in fun, but it still felt good when she would make teasing little comments to me or when she would deliberately make them to someone else in a way that assured me it was really for my ears. In a way, Sandy was the best thing to happen to my self-esteem in my whole life until Gena came along. She helped me overcome enough of my shyness that when I did finally get the chance to get to know a girl like Gena, I managed not to blow it. I would be paying that one back forever, even if Sandy was not really aware of it.

Like I said though, I knew pretty much right away that Sandy was out of my league, and as I learned more about her this was reinforced.

Sandy had a thing for pilots. Not airline pilots, or guys that flew piper cubs. No, Sandy had a thing for the best in the world. I knew for a fact that she often would go hang out at the officers club up in Miramar. Seen Top Gun? That is what I am talking about. Sandy had a thing for guys who faced danger as a daily business. That was how she had met Missy’s father.

Greg had been one of them, the best of the best. I knew Sandy would never forget him, because our friendship went both ways and I had held her a few times while she cried over what had happened. I told her Greg was a hero. He could have bailed out when the F-14 was still over houses and saved himself, but instead he and his navigator rode the jet right into the side of a vacant hillside. Greg and I had never met, but I knew he had given his life to save others. I respected him for it. I also thought he had been crazy.

Once he knew the plane was pointed into the hills he could have got out. How could you give up a gal like Sandy? I wonder if it would have changed things if he had known about Missy.

Before I met Gena my number one goal had been to try and get Sandy in bed. Like I said, I knew it was a long shot at best, so I stayed playful and unassuming about it, never arrogant or pushy. She would play along and flirt with me, but whenever we were alone it toned down instead of heating up. For a while I kidded myself. Told myself that I could tell Sandy was holding back. I even thought I had figured out her reason. She did not want to get involved with me because she thought she would be taking advantage of an innocent boy.

After I turned eighteen it was a little harder to convince myself of that. Eventually, I realized that flirting was all that was ever going to happen between us. Mind you, I still tried to change her mind.

Then I met Gena, and everything changed. Sandy and I still flirted but now I had a reason to end it there. I did not want to do anything to cause a rift between Gena and I. I was head over heels for Gena. Still, every time I looked at Sandy I remembered why I had wanted her in the first place.

So even though Gena and Sandy becoming friends was the best thing that could happen, sometimes it was a little bittersweet. There they were, my lover and my wildest fantasy, walking side by side. What would Gena think of me if she ever knew that?

Sandy knew of course. How could she not? I just hoped she would keep it to herself and never tell Gena.

I got out of work around seven and headed to the parking lot, praying that the car would actually start. It did, so I figured I was already ahead of the game for the night and headed over to Gena’s dojo to pick her up after her lesson. Not one she was taking, but one she was giving. Even after three months to get used to it, it was still weird to think that my girlfriend could kick my ass. Of course, she could probably do the same thing to every guy I knew. Once I tried to play macho when a guy was bugging her at a party. Gena told me in no uncertain terms that she could take care of herself.

So the asshole thought that meant he was in like Flynn. Big mistake. Gena had him on his knees and begging her forgiveness within thirty seconds. Idiot should never have tried putting the arm around her shoulders. What could I do? I just walked back to my bandmates with a shrug as they all busted up laughing.

Gena was waiting for me outside the dojo, talking to Sandy. I forgot she had a lesson tonight. That explained the early departure from work. As I pulled up in a cloud of burning oil, Sandy and Gena hugged each other and Sandy headed for her truck with a quick wave and a wink for me. Gena slid in as I left the motor running. I dared not turn it off.

“Hiya Tiger,” said Gena, leaning over to kiss my cheek. Her face was flushed and warm. She put her left hand on my knee and kept it there. I glanced over as we headed east towards her house. She must have got a good workout tonight, because the ruddiness in her cheeks did not seem to be abating. The warm glow it leant her face made her even more beautiful to me.

“Hey baby,” I growled back, “Did you have a good lesson?”

“You could say that. Sometimes I think I learn as much from giving the lessons as they do from me. Oh, and by the way, you do know that I like Sandy and I am not jealous of how you used to try to fuck her, right?”

I recovered in time to keep the car on the road.

“Um, yeah, well, what do ya mean? I mean, she is just a friend ya know? There is nothing going on, I mean, I never tried anything, I …”

Gena’s laughter brought me out of my stumbling denials. “Lance, relax. I meant what I said. I like Sandy. I’m not jealous. But I’m not blind either. And if you and I are both going to be friends with Sandy this needs to be dealt with sooner rather than later. You wanted her bad. Sometimes you still do. It’s okay.”

“Umm, you’re not jealous? Even though we work together?”

“Lance, I know you better than you know yourself. I trust you. One thing I can be sure of is that you will never cheat on me. Oh, you might break up with me so you could sleep with someone else. But you’ll never cheat. Your honor would not allow it. Plus, and baby, I am not saying this to hurt you; it would be too much like your mom. You would never do to someone what she did to your Dad.”

Gena was right about that. I would never put anyone through the hell I had seen my dad go through. It just wasn’t in me.

“So what time should I pick you up on Saturday Gena?” I asked hoping she would say very early. Despite all the hard work in the garage and at parties I was really nervous about Saturday night and I wanted to have the chance to let loose a little before the gig. One thing Gena and I had discovered in the past couple of months was that I played better right after getting laid. It relaxed me enough that I found it easier to not tighten up my hands and I slipped into what Sean and Jimmy called “the zone”. What they meant was that I became oblivious to the external world and just lived in the music for a while. The guys said when I did that the band went from good to great, and all humility aside, I knew they were right.

“Oh Lance, I’m sorry,” replied Gena, “I agreed to do a private lesson. I won’t be able to ride down in the van with you guys. But I promise I will get there as soon as I can and before the show starts. Sandy is going to pick me up. Don’t be mad, ok? Please?”

“I’m not mad. It’s just that we are already missing out on Friday night because of your parent’s thing and I had hoped that Saturday afternoon…”

Gena laid her finger across my lips to shush me. “I know what you hoped, you slut of a man. But if I promise to make it up to you, starting now, while you forgive me?”

“What do you mean?” I asked as her hand slid up my thigh towards my crotch.

As if to answer, her other hand came across to join the left and she began to unbutton my 501’s. I flipped on the headlights as she moved my boxers aside, thankful that the light was fading and hopeful no one would see her. As her lips touched my cock I prayed I would be able to concentrate enough to get us to her place alive. I barely succeeded.

Friday I did not get to see Gena at all. I told Sandy all about my little adventure in a moving car. Big mistake. For the rest of the day, every time Sandy caught me looking at her, even for an instant, she licked her lips. It was exquisite torture.

Saturday morning came and Sandy and I opened the store. I had deliberately asked for the early shift knowing I needed time to get ready for tonight and would have plenty of rest from not having seen Gena the night before.

Sandy and I left JB’s at 3 p.m. sharp. I was really starting to get nervous now, and I knew Sandy could tell. She stopped me as I was about to get into my car.

“Lance, relax a little. You guys are going to be great. I am so looking forward to this.”

“C’mon Sandy, knock it off,” I replied, “Listen, I am really happy that you are going tonight. But don’t pretend it’s your kind of music. All you listen to is that Urban Cowboy shit.” I said it with a grin. It was a tease, not mean. “Seriously, this is a part of me I’ve wanted to show you for a long time.”

“But not the only part, eh Lance?” Despite all the things I had experienced over the course of the last two months, Sandy could still make me blush red enough to stop traffic. I swear, Gena couldn’t make me blush like that! I tried to fight it off and make a suave comment to follow, but I could not quite get my tongue to work.

I met up with the guys over at Sean’s about an hour and a half later. I had rushed home and hurried my way through a shower. I decided against shaving because I was short on time and I didn’t have to worry about makeup or anything. We had talked about going glam like some of the bands in L.A. were starting to do but had decided against it. Even though we had that “Hollywood” sound like Steeler or Crue, most of us were more influenced by old gods like Sabbath or Zeppelin and current bands like Maiden. So we nixed the makeup and stuck mostly with denim and leather as opposed to the spandex and bright colors.

Besides, Gena had often said she liked a little roughness to me. Not like a beard, just a five o’ clock shadow. I slipped on a pair of 501’s that were starting to show their age in the right places, slipped on my black motorcycle boots and an old concert tee, and grabbed my fav black leather on the way out the door. My gear was already at Sean’s from Friday’s rehearsal.

We got to the hall just in time to check things out and hear a little from the band that was headlining tonight. They had a guitar player named Jake that could absolutely shred.

Suddenly I was glad that we would be off the stage a couple of hours by the time he took his first solo. There were four bands playing tonight and we were the first. Jake wouldn’t get on stage until midnight and our set would start about 8:30. I knew I was good but I would be remembered better for the time lag then if I had played right before him.

“Dude, he’s almost as good as you,” said Jimmy from behind me.

“Bite your fuckin’ tongue J!” I replied, “He totally outclasses me. He is way cleaner and he doesn’t have to pause between phrases as much as I do. His notes ring out as individuals, mine tend to run together. He’s a pro, I’m an amateur.”

“Yeah,” said Jimmy, a little surprised at my reaction, “Maybe. But you’re faster, man.”

“OK, granted, I might be a little faster. But speed isn’t everything,” I said, enjoying the praise but not willing to let Jimmy win the exchange, “Some things are better when they are done a little slower and cleaner, ya know, more drawn out, longer lasting. At least that’s what your girl Terri told me last night.”

Sean and Rob cracked up as Jimmy tried to make up his mind about whether to be pissed or not. A smile spread over his face as he made his decision.

“Hear that boys, Lance has got his arrogance on! We’re gonna fuckin’ rock tonight!”

Jimmy had been right. It was the best show I ever played and I wasn’t alone. All of us had been at our best. Yet I barely remembered any of it. All through our set I had been focused out and to my right. Gena and Sandy had shown up just a few minutes before we went on and they both looked so fucking hot I couldn’t believe it. Every song I played was for them. Part of me felt a little guilty, like I should be playing just for Gena. But I pushed that part way down.

The two of them standing there, bouncing up and down to the beat. The contrast between the two women, both looking very sexy, was dramatic and alluring.

Gena’s body had muscle, but it also had so much lushness. Her dark hair draped down across her bare shoulders above a leather vest that was filled to bursting. She wore a short black leather skirt that showed off her strong legs. Her red lips drew the eye with the burst of color in the midst of her erotic darkness.

Sandy was the light to Gena’s shadow. Her blond hair was cut just below the shoulders and she wore a tight pale blue tank top tucked into black jeans that must have been painted on. Sandy’s body was hard and muscular, with less body fat but a deep tan that accentuated every curve. Sandy was the athletic farmer’s daughter next to Gena’s smoldering temptress.

After we snagged all our gear off stage we started packing up. I had just stashed my pedals in Sean’s van and was starting to help Rob with the drums when Jimmy walked up behind me and put his hand on my arm.

“Dude, what the fuck are you doing? Get the fuck out of here!” Jimmy pointed out towards the theatre seating area where the girls would be waiting for us. “Jesus, Lance, do you think the rest of us are fucking blind? We’ll take care of it. You need to go get those two out of here before they change their mind.”

“Jimmy, what the hell are you talking about?”

“You really don’t know? So much for me having to worry about you and Terri. Lance, just take my fucking word for it and go! You always do more than your fair share, I gotcha on this one. Go!”

So saying, Jimmy, Sean and Rob basically kicked me out of the backstage area. I made my way forward and out to the “bar” where Gena and Sandy were waiting on me along with Jimmy’s girlfriend Terri and Sean’s fiancé Janet. As I approached the table the girls embarrassed me by standing up and applauding. Janet stood up and kissed me on the cheek.