"If We Shadows Have Offended"
by Geonn Cannon
neil_j_miser@yahoo.com
We left the bar together, all buzzed on countless shots and the drunk that comes with a successful opening night. Meghan brought a bottle of Scotch, clinging to it with one hand as tightly as she clung to Sofia's hip with the other. I trailed along behind them, invited by Sofia just as they were falling through the door.
Before long, we reached a brightly-lit alleyway off the main drag. Sofia slipped away from Meghan and fell against the white-brick wall, eyes to the streetlight. "Do you think anyone will remember it tomorrow?" she asked the streetlight. "Do you think anyone will feel the way we will feel about it tomorrow? When we wake up with it in our bones, when we look back on tonight and realize how... fucking... marvelous we once were?" She looked at Meghan and asked again, "Do you think anyone feels the way we feel?"
Meghan pulled Sofia away from the wall, wrapped her arms around her and swayed in the high-intensity spotlight. "You mean drunk?" she asked.
I felt like the outsider I was and just watched them. They were so gorgeous, just as they had been on-stage. Sofia had an indefinable beauty; when she smiled, you could almost see the words Cosmopolitan or Elle written above her head. Her blue eyes came with a built-in sparkle, her cheekbones high and natural. Thousands of women paid millions of dollars to look as good as Sofia Chambers.
Meghan, Sofia's live-in lover, was more subtle. She was lovely, but not in the way Sofia was. Sofia made people stop and stare. Meghan made people who had known her for a while suddenly stop, look deep into her eyes and try to recapture their train of thought.
Sofia took the bottle from Meghan and took a swig. She wiped her mouth on the edge of her hand and, while swaying in my direction, held the bottle out to me. "I could have danced all night, I could have... pranced all night..." she sang. Her voice didn't betray how drunk she was. She danced Meghan in a perfect circle, no wavering or drunken stumble in her dainty ballerina feet.
"Those aren't the words," I laughed as I brought the bottle to my mouth and took a swig. I pretended I could taste Sofia's lips on the cold glass and kept it against my mouth a moment longer than necessary.
"Then sing it for us, Elaine," Meghan said.
I didn't bother to find a rhythm or make sure it was in the right key. Leaning against the wall, Sofia and Meghan swaying a few feet away, I just closed my eyes and began to sing. "I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night, and still have begged for more."
"I could have spread my wings," Sofia sang. Gorgeous, and a voice like a nightingale. Most women would kill her just on principle. "And done a thousand things..."
"I've never done before," Meghan sang. She pressed her lips to Sofia's cheek. Sofia turned her head and I was suddenly watching a full-blown make-out session. It was nothing I'd never seen before. It was nothing most the people in our company hadn't seen two or three times during rehearsals. I sipped the Scotch and moved closer.
Sofia turned her head, her lips parted in a half-gasp, half-moan and looked towards me. She smiled with half-lidded eyes and I knew where the love-at-first-sight myth came from. Earlier that night, Sofia had loaned her ethereal looks and bright blue eyes to Fairy Queen Titania. It was easy for me to believe that some of the magic from the stage still lingered as I drew closer to the couple.
Meghan looked at me as I approached, but she didn't seem surprised. She kissed down Sofia's throat as Sofia's fingers cupped my cheek. I looked at Meghan, mostly because Sofia's eyes were too intense for me to think, as Sofia recited, "Fetch me that flower, the herb I showed thee once: The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid will make man or woman madly dote upon the next live creature that it sees."
It was her husband's line, but the instruction had been given to me in the play. I played Puck, Robin Goodfellow, the troublemaking sprite that causes all the mayhem in the play. Sofia's fingertips moved to my chin and angle my head up. I felt like I was being weighed, examined, deemed worthy as she dipped her head towards mine.
Meghan still swayed to unheard music as her girlfriend kissed me, their bodies still locked tight together as if still in dance. When Sofia pulled away, she turned to her lover and kissed her as well. Sofia's hand moved down my body, over my breast and down my side to finish in the small of my back. She pulled me close and I could hear quiet noises being passed between them in their moment of passion.
I didn't fully understand that I was being brought into this moment until Meghan turned to look at me. Sofia's lips on the cup of her ear, Meghan leaned in to me and took my lips as if trying to reclaim the caress Sofia had just honored me with. Her tongue slipped across my mouth, but she retreated as soon as I parted my lips for her. She smiled, put her hand on my neck and pressed tighter against Sofia.
"Let's go," Sofia whispered.
"Yeah," Meghan said.
Sofia pulled away and trailed her hand across my hip. She walked backwards, arm around Meghan's waist, and smiled. "Need a ride?" she asked over Meghan's shoulder.
I started to follow them slowly, letting the distance between us grow so I could think clearly about what was happening. "Are you going my way?"
"No," Sofia said with a laugh. Her eyes flashed, her lips revealed teeth a Cheshire cat would be envious of. She flipped her red hair over her shoulder, laughed again and took Meghan's hand. She turned away and ran down the alley. Meghan laughed and kept up with her. They both disappeared around the corner and into the street before I realized what was happening.
My heart began to pound. Suddenly afraid I'd missed whatever chance I was being offered, I broke into a run and hoped I could catch up to them. I was cast as Puck because I was small and fit, like a gymnast, strong enough to do all the acrobatics that were required of the character. I made it to the end of the alley without breaking a sweat and was surprised by a pair of arms grabbing me around the waist as I stepped onto the sidewalk.
Sofia held me as tightly as she had Meghan, her hair tickling my face as she spun me around. "We wouldn't have left you," Sofia said against my throat. "Not unless you told us to." She laughed and lifted her head. Her lips found mine again and this time I responded. I touched my tongue to hers and thought I felt a spark.
My feet touched the ground and she guided me backwards until I felt a soft weight against my back. I broke the kiss and looked over my shoulder at Meghan. Her hands wrapped around my waist and she nibbled my earlobe as Sofia kissed both of my cheeks like a chaste aunt. Her hands smoothed down the collar of my shirt and fiddled with the top button.
"We're going to go home now. To our apartment. If you want to join us, we would be more than happy to put you up for the night."
I looked over my shoulder again and saw Meghan's eyes, bright and willing. "Is this really happening?" I asked her.
She smiled and nodded.
I looked at Sofia again and leaned in for another kiss. She smiled and kissed me, her hands covering Meghan's on my waist. "Yeah, okay," I managed to say when she pulled back. "Take me home."
Sofia smiled wickedly. "I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again; mine ear is much enamour'd of thy note."
"Thou art as wise as thou art beautiful," I said.
"That's my line," Sofia said and she laughed.
I tried again: "Follow my voice; we'll try no manhood here."
Both Sofia and Meghan laughed at that. Sofia caressed my cheek, leaned past my shoulder to kiss her lover and then released me. "Come on. Come to my car. Attend and mark; I do hear the morning lark."
"Now you're stepping on my lines..."
"Shakespeare never wrote 'hurry up and fuck me, I'm fucking horny.' We make due with what we have." She tugged my hand and I had no choice but to follow her and Meghan down the sidewalk to where they'd parked.
~~
Sofia and Meghan lived in a loft over a converted warehouse. Sofia parked in the alley and led us up an outside staircase. Meghan put her arm around me, whether to assure me I was invited or to keep me from fleeing I'm not sure. We followed Sofia, my eyes even with the tight seat of her jeans, into the dark apartment.
She turned on her heel and smiled. "What, wilt thou hear some music, my sweet love?"
"Talk normal, you freak," Meghan laughed.
"As m'lady wishes," Sofia said. She bowed and went into the kitchen. Meghan led me into the dark living room and guided me towards the couch. There was no TV that I could see, just a stereo on the bookshelf and a ring of chairs around the coffee table. When I was comfortable, Meghan went to the stereo and began digging through a stack of CDs. "You'll have to bear with Sofie," she said with her back to me. "She likes a show."
"Oh," I said. It didn't seem prudent to say anything else.
Chris Isaak began playing from the speaker. Meghan sat next to me on the couch, close enough to imagine we were the lovers, and draped her arm across my shoulder. As Chris sang about his baby doing a bad thing, Sofia returned with three glasses and a bottle of wine. She had kicked off her shoes and untucked her blouse. She smiled and rocked her hips towards the couch. "Oh, I love this song..."
Meghan scooted closer to me as Sofia put down the glasses. She stood in front of the coffee table, framed by the window behind her, and began to dance. "You ever tried with all your heart and soul to get your lover back to you," she sang, hands on the clasp of her jeans.
Meghan nibbled the flesh under my ear while I sat transfixed on Sofia's fingers working the catch of her pants. Sofia smiled, turned her back to us and slid her pants down. "You ever pray with all your heart and soul just to watch her walk away?" she sang as she slid her pants down. Her panties were coral pink, and lace, she was shaking them at us. She looked over her shoulder and arched her eyebrow.
She let her jeans fall and turned to face us again. She rounded the coffee table as the bass beat of the song echoed off the walls of the apartment like a heartbeat. She stepped out of her pants, put a hand between her legs and casually straddled Meghan. "Feel like crying," she hissed. "Feel like crying..." Her fingers were working between her legs, casually masturbating. "Feel like crying..." she repeated.
She drew Meghan's face away from my neck and passionately kissed her. Like I said, it's nothing new to see Sofia and Meghan going at one another with purpose. But here, in a quiet apartment with one of them half-naked? Quite a different story. I was breathing hard, eyes wide, trying to decide whether to look at their faces or watch Sofia touch herself.
When they broke the kiss, Sofia put her cheek against Meghan's and looked at me. "Do you want to join us?" she asked.
"Yes," I said. I surprised myself with the quiet submission in my voice. I moved closer, my thigh pressed against Meghan's, and put my hand on Sofia's arm. She leaned towards me and we were kissing again. Her pants were off and she was still humping her hips against Meghan's lap, but her tongue was in my mouth.
A hand began to roam my chest and I opened my eyes to see who they belonged to. Meghan, pinned beneath me and her lover, was making the most out of her position. One hand was on my breast, squeezing and testing its size, while the other had covered the hand between Sofia's legs.
It dawned on me that, at that moment, Puck was making out with Titania, while Hermia felt them both up. It was a scene Shakespeare had never intended, I'm sure. I pulled back from Sofia, put my hand in her gorgeous red hair, and guided her to Meghan. They laughed into their kiss and I gasped, finally taking the time to appreciate how beautiful they looked together.
Sofia seemed to be getting lost in the kiss, so Meghan pulled back and said, "Now, honey. We have company..."
Sofia gasped and said, "Right. How rude of me. Would you like a taste of my girlfriend?"
Meghan laughed and leaned over to me. Sofia was the better kisser, but in a situation like this, no one gives grades. I moaned into her mouth and cupped her breast through her shirt. Sofia broke the kiss and brushed her lips across my cheek. She whispered, "I'm going to the bedroom. Meggie can show you the way." Her hand slid down my back to my ass and she gave it a squeeze before she slipped off the couch.
I waited until Meghan paused to take a breath and pushed a lock of blonde hair out of her face. "Your girlfriend went to bed."
"We'll catch up to her in a minute..." She moved her hands to the collar of my shirt, to the top button, and began to undo it. "I want to see you naked first."
My heart skipped a beat. I watched her undo my shirt, slowly getting each button loose before spreading the material. She leaned in and kissed a wash of freckles that ran across my chest and put her hands inside my shirt to cup my breasts. I arched my back into her touch and moved closer. I took Sofia's former place on her thigh and shrugged out of my shirt. She unclasped my bra and pulled it down my arms.
As she cupped my breasts with both hands, I looked at the doorway Sofia had disappeared through. "Do you guys do this often?"
"Not often," Meghan said. She leaned in and kissed the curve of my breast. "But you're not the first." She looked up at me, fingertips rolling around my nipples. "That doesn't bother you, does it?"
I shook my head. "No." On the contrary, it was kind of a relief. There was no pressure to live up to anything. If this had been their long-time fantasy, if the weight of living up to their ideals had fallen on my shoulders, I probably would have frozen. This way, knowing they had done it before gave me a kind of freedom. I cupped her face and kissed her hard. "Why don't we go see what Sofia is up to in the bedroom?"
She grinned and put her hands under my legs. When she stood, she lifted me with her. I laughed and hooked my ankles behind her back. She carried me easily; as I said, I'm the perfect Puck. Lithe, thin and petite. I kissed her as we walked down the corridor to the bedroom. She paused in the doorway and I leaned back. "If you turn on the lights and this is a fucking cast party joke..."
Meghan laughed and nodded over my shoulder. "Does that look like the cast?"
I followed her gaze and nearly fell from her arms. Sofia was sitting in an armchair next to a window. The moonlight was enough to reveal she was still wearing a white tank top. Her leg was hooked over the arm of the chair and she was lightly stroking a large, realistic-looking strap-on. She grinned and spread her legs. "About time you ladies got here. I was getting bored."
Meghan slapped my ass and said, "Well, can you blame me, hon?"
"Put her on the bed," Sofia chuckled.
Meghan walked to the bed and bent over. She deposited me on the mattress and kissed my shoulder before she sat up. Sofia joined her and draped an arm across her shoulders. "Damn, baby," Sofia whispered. "I really can't blame you. Elaine, can I take your pants off?"
"Yeah," I said. My voice was trembling.
Sofia smiled and leaned down. Her lips were against my ear, her hand tracing circles around my right nipple as she said, "You can still say no. It's okay."
"I know," I whispered back. I put my hand around her wrist and guided it down to the button of my jeans. I looked at Meghan over her shoulder. She was undressing slowly, watching us. "But I won't."
Sofia groaned and cupped me through my jeans. She bit her bottom lip and moved between my thighs. She moved her hand from my crotch and unbuttoned my jeans. I looked into her eyes as she pushed my pants and underwear down, pushing my legs apart with her free hand. The bed sagged and I looked to my right, where Meghan was stretching out next to me.
Meghan stroked my breast while Sofia brushed two fingers across my wet slit. "Oh, yeah, you're ready, aren't you?" Sofia whispered.
I nodded and closed my eyes. I lifted my hips and she put the head of her rubber cock against me. She put her hands on my hips, looked into my eyes and thrust forward. We groaned in concert with one another and I held myself still. She pushed her hips forward a little more, pushing deeper into me, and I twisted to one side. I put my face against Meghan's stomach and licked her warm flesh.
Meghan shivered and stroked my hair as Sofia began to rock into me. Her head was bowed, her hips moving to make sure the dildo didn't slip out of me or get bent out of shape. Meghan slid her hand down my stomach and gripped the toy tightly to keep it in place. Sofia whispered, "Thank you, baby," and quickened her pace.
I looked down at Meghan's thighs and let my body drift back down to the mattress. "You're not having any fun," I gasped. "Get over here."
Meghan smiled and straightened her back. She straddled my head and gently lowered herself to my waiting mouth. I closed my lips over hers and moaned, making her shiver. I brushed her clit with my tongue and she moaned. Her thighs tightened around my head and she nearly collapsed onto me. I giggled and felt her free hand on my left breast.
I opened my mouth and thrust my tongue against her, timing my strokes with Sofia's thrusts into my body. Soon enough, Meghan and I were both moaning. I circled her lips with my tongue, found her clit and sucked it, pressed my face tight against her as she trembled with her first climax of the night.
I turned my head to either side and kissed her thighs before she rolled to the side. She collapsed on the mattress and said, "Damn, Sofie. You gotta let her go down on you."
"All in good time," Sofia promised. She moved her hand around to the small of my back and lifted me up. I moaned and put my arms around her neck as she sat me on her lap. "Use your hips," she whispered. "Fuck my cock."
I moaned and used my thighs to push myself up. I dropped back down and threw my head back. Slowly, letting her hold me in place, I rolled my hips and used my thighs to rise and fall on her. We kissed as I came, one hand moving to the back of my head while the other cupped my ass. Our kisses became slower, casual, and I smiled against her mouth.
Meghan moved up next to us and kissed Sofia first, then turned and kissed me. I lifted myself off Sofia's lap and sat next to them. "I want to see you two," I said. "I want to watch you make love."
They smiled at each other and then kissed slowly. It was loving, like a good-bye kiss, until Meghan's fingers went to Sofia's lap. She worked the strap of the toy, her fingers dancing expertly across the catches and clasps. Before long, the strap-on lay loose against Sofia's hips and Sofia lay back on the mattress. Meghan leaned back and Sofia lifted her legs. Meghan dragged the harness down Sofia's legs, her fingertips caressing the flesh as she passed.
When she'd freed her lover of the strap-on, she gripped the toy cock by the base and looked at me over her shoulder. Her tongue flicked out like a cat nursing a saucer of milk, the tip moving across the mushroom head of the toy cock. I smiled and stretched and moved my hand between my legs. I brushed my thighs with my fingers as Meghan put the toy aside and bent down over her lover.
Sofia, balanced on her elbows, looked over Meghan's head at me. Meghan kissed Sofia's breasts, taking care on each nipple, and slowly slid down her stomach. She stopped flat on her stomach, head between Sofia's spread legs. Sofia smiled at me, put her hand on the back of Meghan's head and moaned. "Ooh, yeah. Right there, Meggie. Yes, baby..."
I lightly touched myself, gently probing with two fingertips. Sofia's eyes closed and she began to rock her hips against Meghan's tongue. This is how they make love, I thought as I pushed two fingers into my pussy. I moaned and Sofia opened her eyes to look at me.
"Elaine's getting so hot, Meghan... it's making her so hot, watching you lick my pussy..."
I put my hand out and caressed Meghan's ass, squeezing it, moving between her legs to touch her pussy. She moaned and Sofia threw her head back. My right hand copied my left and soon Meghan was pushing against my hand as Sofia was thrusting against her tongue. Sofia came first and collapsed on the mattress, trembling, the muscles of her legs and stomach taut. Her hands hovered over Meghan's head for a moment and then gently pushed her away.
I pulled my hand away from Meghan as she sat up, licked her lips and sat between me and Sofia. Sofia crawled to her, nuzzled her cheek and held out a hand to me. "Sleep thou, and I will wind thee in my arms," she said.
I laughed and joined them at the head of the bed. I kissed Sofia, bent my head to kiss the swell of her breast and reached across her to touch Meghan's thigh. Sofia smiled and said, "Thank you for joining us tonight."
I heard the message implicit there; joining us tonight, meaning this was a one-time thing. No problem. "Thank you for inviting me," I whispered.
Sofia turned to Meghan, kissed her, and said, "The stereo is still playing in the living room..."
"I'll get it," Meghan said. She brushed her cheek across Sofia's and jumped out of bed. We watched her walk naked from the room, then looked at each other and smiled. When Meghan returned, Sofia and I were curled up together, kissing lightly. "I don't think I agreed to this," she said, hands on her hips and playfully glaring at us.
Sofia broke the kiss and said, "Sorry. You wanna get up here and spank us?"
Meghan leapt onto the bed.
~~
After Sofia and Meghan fell asleep, I softly kissed their lips and eased out of bed. I found my clothes and dressed quickly in the living room. I had stayed until six in the morning; early enough for a woman alone to safely wait for a cab downstairs. As I scanned the room to make sure I hadn't left anything behind, I spotted a message pad next to the telephone. As soon as I saw it, I knew that leaving without a word would seem tacky or ungrateful.
I bent over the table and quickly wrote, "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended. That you have but slumbered here, while these visions did appear. Good night unto you all. Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends."
I wrote my phone number at the bottom of my note, glanced towards the bedroom that was quickly brightening with early-morning sun, and headed downstairs to find a cab.
THE END