Jules whimpered in pleasure. “Yes.”
“Listening to you is really turning me on.”
On the other end of the line, Jules went silent. “Shit. Am I being loud? I’m so afraid my mom or grandma will hear me. These walls are so thin.”
“I don’t think they can hear you,” Sophie said. “I’m right in your ear, and they’re downstairs.”
Jules let out a frustrated groan, and Sophie had the impression she’d stopped touching herself.
“Challenge yourself to be as quiet as possible,” Sophie suggested.
“Okay.” Jules exhaled into the phone, and the sound sent a shiver of pleasure through Sophie.
“Now tease yourself a bit,” Sophie said, even as she increased the friction of her own fingers, need rising swiftly inside her. “Just ghost your fingers over yourself until you’re so turned on, you can hardly stand it.”
“You’re bossy all of a sudden,” Jules whispered, but she sounded relaxed again. “Now tell me what you’re doing.”
“I’m…” She paused, stilling her fingers before she carried herself over the edge. “I’m taking my own advice and slowing down for a minute while I wait for you.”
“Oh.” Jules gasped. “It’s working. Sophie, I—”
“Good. You’re doing good,” Sophie told her as she drew teasing circles over her own clit, hips jerking. “Ready?”
“Yes.” Jules’s voice was a whine. “I’m so ready.”
“Go,” Sophie whispered. “Fuck yourself so hard and fast you can’t breathe, and imagine that those are my fingers in you.”
Jules muttered something unintelligible, and then there was a whole lot of gasping and breathing that was impossibly sexy. Sophie closed her eyes, listening to Jules on the other end of the line, letting it carry her right over the edge. She moaned as she came, burying her face in the bedspread to muffle the sound.
Afterward, they lay there, just basking in the satisfaction palpable over the line between them. They talked for a few more minutes before they said goodbye, and when Sophie fell asleep that night, it was with a smile on her face.
* * *
The next morning,Sophie borrowed her mom’s car to drive to the Alton Theater. The day was clear and sunny, if cold. As she parked in the lot across the street from the theater, nostalgia washed over her. She hadn’t made time to attend a production here in a few years, and now she regretted that. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her coat for warmth, she crossed the street and approached the white brick building. The marquee in front advertised a production ofGreasebeginning January 8th.
Sophie pulled the front door open and stepped inside. The lobby was empty on this Monday morning a few days before Christmas. She turned down the hall to her left, headed for Stuart’s office, her footsteps echoing in the hallway. His door was open, so she paused there, smiling as she tapped her knuckles against the doorway to catch his attention.
Stuart sat behind his desk, squinting at a pile of papers in front of him. He looked up, his expression warming as he caught sight of Sophie. Stuart had to be in his late sixties now. There were more lines on his face than she remembered, and his white hair had receded to emphasis the shiny expanse of his forehead. “Sophie, it’s so good to see you.”
“I was about to say the same thing,” she told him.
“Come in. Sit.” He waved at the chair across from him. “How are you?”
They spent a few minutes exchanging pleasantries and catching up. He had two granddaughters in college now, one of whom was studying theater, much to his great pride. “It’s wonderful that you’re understudying the two female leads inIt’s in Her Kiss. An understudy isn’t a glamorous role to people outside the business, but you and I both know how difficult it can be.”
“It’s true,” she admitted.
“It shows your versatility as an actress and their faith in your talent,” Stuart told her. “I’m proud of you. You’ve done well for yourself, just as I knew you would.”
“Thank you.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “I’m still not where I’d hoped to be, though.”
Stuart waved a hand as if brushing away something unwanted. “Well, that’s the nature of the business, isn’t it? There’s always more to achieve, a bigger role, a shinier part.”
“Yes.”
“So I feel somewhat guilty for even bringing you back to the old Alton here, because I know Broadway has always been your dream, but sometimes dreams change as we get older, and you have exactly the skillset and experience that I’m looking for, not to mention a history here at the theater. I had to at least invite you in for a conversation.”
“To be honest, when my mom told me about the job, my immediate response was a no.”
