Chapter 14: Duets

"I'm going to do some theory homework down in the lobby," Emily said to Sandra.

The two of them had just returned to their room after seeing Allison to her car. Richard was stopping at his room for a moment before coming up.

There was talk of getting together again with Allison, but she was flying back to Melbourne in a few days. In case it didn't work out, they had said their goodbyes. Allison had seemed sad to leave them, but she had to get up early to start some experiments.

"Homework?" Sandra asked, surprised. "Don't you want to ... you know? Hang out with Richard?"

Emily chuckled at Sandra's evasive language. She could see the look Sandra had. It had been there ever since she had sung with Richard in the practice room for Allison.

"No, go ahead. I need to finish this assignment for tomorrow."

Sandra frowned. "Well, maybe we should do some work too," she said, though her heart wasn't in the words.

"Sandra, it's all right. You and Richard played beautifully, by the way. It gave me chills."

"Thanks," Sandra said half-heartedly.

Emily watched her for a moment. "If you want to be with Richard tonight, it's okay. We can't always be all together every time."

Sandra thought for a long moment, and then laughed uneasily. "It's so weird."

"What?" Emily said with a frown.

"Normal people aren't upset at the chance to have their lover alone with them."

"You mean we're not normal?" Emily said sarcastically, but Sandra didn't laugh.

"I don't know what's normal anymore!" she suddenly said, voice emotional. "This has been the best time of my life. And yet everything is so ... so crazy, so different! I mean, I keep expecting to have chores to do, or hearing my parents nag me about something ... or Billy to show up and tell me we're going back to the farm and the same old beer runs and lake parking lot. But instead I'm in love with Richard, and with you, and with music, and ... and everything is so new, and I just can't get enough of it!"

Emily sat next to Sandra on her bed and put an arm around her shoulder, as Sandra let out a few tears.

"I'm sorry. It's been an overwhelming couple of weeks," Sandra said quietly.

"Hey, it's all right. It's all right."

"I feel so alive, and I almost can't handle it."

"I know exactly what you mean."

"You do?" Sandra said, looking at Emily with wet eyes.

"Yeah. We're right where we should be. It feels like ... like we've been given this chance to do what we love. Not many people have that. I mean, look at Allison. I think she secretly wants to be a musician."

Sandra nodded.

"But she's doing something else," Emily continued. "She probably thinks we're lucky. And maybe we are, I don't know. But it's amazing to be here. I grew up in a house where music led to the breakup of my parents. Music took my dad across the world. Well, maybe that was good, in the end, since we didn't get along, but although my parents came together through music, they also went apart by it."

"And yet here you are," Sandra said.

"And yet here I am," Emily echoed. "And it's different than I thought. When I got here I was so nervous."

"You were nervous? I didn't know you got nervous."

"Well, I don't show it much," Emily admitted. "But I thought everyone was going to be like some of the people I knew in youth orchestras. Like Jimmy Lemieux. Instead, people like you and Richard were here, too. And all we have to do is learn about music, and play music, and hang out with musicians, and yeah, sometimes I wonder how I got so lucky."

"Is it always going to be like this?"

"I don't know. I'm sure that, like anything, we'll have difficult moments."

"I don't want music to tear us apart."

Emily shrugged. "It sure didn't tear you and Richard apart tonight."

Sandra murmured. "Stay with us when he comes."

"No, tonight you should be with him. When you were singing and looking at him..." Emily trailed off.

"What?"

"It was beautiful."

There was a knock on the door.

"Coming!" Emily called out.

The two girls stood and hugged tightly for a long moment.

"Anyone home?" Richard asked playfully through the door.

The girls pulled apart and smiled at each other.

"Come find me later," Emily said as she pulled her backpack to her shoulder.

"We will," Sandra promised.

Emily opened the door and grinned at Richard.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a frown.

Emily pulled the door shut behind her, forcing him out into the hall. "I'm going to go work."

"Work? Why?"

"Because I have homework due."

"But..."

"And, Sandra is waiting for you."

Richard frowned again. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Finish what you started in the practice room."

Emily kissed him hard before he had a chance to respond. She didn't care that Joey, the Resident Director, came into the hallway at that moment. Apparently neither did Richard, since he returned the kiss as fervently as it was given. They let go of each other long after Joey had disappeared around the corner.

Emily slipped into the stairwell wordlessly. As she made her way to the lounge on the first floor, she felt good about her choice. When she had earlier decided to leave the two of them alone, she wondered why she had made that decision. She still wasn't quite sure, but she knew it was right.

After throwing her book bag onto the lounge couch, she settled into a deep cushion and fingered the remote. She hoped there would be something good on the television to keep her imagination in check.

Richard stood for a few moments, trying to figure out through the haze of the kiss why Emily had gone off to work instead of hanging out. Before he had an opportunity to come up with a reason, the door to the room opened again. Sandra's face emerged from the darkness within.

"Hi," she said softly. "Are you coming in?"

"Yeah," Richard said, with one last glance at the stairwell. Joey rounded the corner at the far end of the long hallway, just as Sandra pulled Richard into the room. He was glad to avoid having to talk to him, especially after Joey had seen Emily and him kissing.

Sandra closed the door, and then wrapped herself around Richard. He returned the hug for a long time, closing his eyes and floating in the room.

"Is Emily all right?" he finally asked.

"Yeah. She wanted us to be alone tonight."

"Why? Is she ... having..." Richard fumbled for words.

"She said she needs to work."

"But... ?"

"I think she just wanted us to be alone."

"Is that okay?" Richard asked.

"I asked her to stay, but she insisted."

"Mm. I tried too, but she didn't really let me talk."

"Maybe she does have a lot of homework."

Richard shrugged and kissed Sandra gently.

"Thanks for playing with me earlier tonight," Sandra said.

"That was amazing," Richard said with feeling. "Your voice ... it's just exquisite. I kept wanting to stop playing just so I could listen to you."

"Thanks, Richard. That means a lot coming from you."

"I'm sorry I didn't do too well on the accompaniment."

"Oh no, you did fine," Sandra said. "Just fine."

The connection he had felt with Sandra in the practice room was returning. There was something about striking the notes together, hearing the piano blend in with and support her voice, that had been so satisfying. And the way she was looking at me while she sang. Her eyes had held such...

"I love you," Sandra said.

Richard opened his mouth, but Sandra spoke again.

"And I love Emily. I love what we have. Thanks for being my friend, Richard."

For the second time that evening, Richard found himself being passionately kissed before he could speak. He had a feeling words weren't going to be very useful for a little while.

Sandra pressed herself so firmly against Richard that it felt like she was trying to get inside of him. Her tongue was so smooth and silky against his. Her hands ran desperately across his back, trying to find the grip that held them the closest.

With staggering steps they moved to the center of the room. What had been a suspended hug and quiet chat about the evening had suddenly turned into an urgent attempt to get naked.

Sandra ripped her shirt off, and then pulled at Richard's pants. When they were off, she retraced her hands up his chest and under his shirt so that he could take it off.

Bra and underwear went to the rug, as did Sandra's knees soon after. Richard wanted to scream as she swallowed him. Her lack of experience was unnoticeable as she lavished her attentive tongue on him. Overwhelmed by the moment, Richard felt dizzy. As the room spun and Sandra provided an ever varying oral assault, he fell back onto the bed.

Sandra never skipped a beat. Moaning softly, she dug her fingers into his flesh, trying to please Richard, her lover, like he never had been pleased. She wanted him to come a hundred times for her, to feel the elation she felt right now.

Richard prolonged the tension he was holding as long as he could, but the feelings Sandra were giving him were too much.

His breathing increased, and Sandra could feel the imminent explosion as his butt clenched. She increased her efforts, letting out a pleased moan as he coated the inside of her mouth. Nothing mattered right now except feeling Richard's pleasure blend with her own. She didn't care that she couldn't swallow it all, and that some of it escaped the warmth of her mouth. She didn't care that he had frozen stiff in hyper-stimulation as she continued to work him past the most sensitive part of his climax.

While he was still hard, she crawled up over his body, and lowered herself onto him. He still was pulsing heavily from his orgasm, and the way he was so taut and arched made him feel a mile long inside of her. She lowered herself to his root, and even past it, and filled herself with him.

Richard was about to have convulsions as Sandra started bucking on top of him. He was unusually sensitive after coming this night, and Sandra was keeping him right on the sharp edge of his climax. He twisted his head in pleasured agony, unable to control his voice for a moment.

Sandra surprised herself, even, at how quickly she reached her plateau. She smothered her body over Richard's, pressing her hard nipples against his, dragging them over his skin and feeling pricks of energy as they caught on the subtle edges of his chest muscles. Her hair was in disarray, some of it tickling his face, some of it caught up in strange waves.

She wondered how high she could go. Richard answered her thoughts by responding to her motions, having finally released the vice-like tension that had gripped him. He pulled her by the head towards him, locking her lips onto his. Sandra arched her back, trying on both ends to allow him fullest depth.

Richard rolled them both over with a powerful thrust of his body. Their kiss never ceased, and neither did the meeting of their thrusting hips. Sandra closed her eyes, seeing spots as Richard inched her towards the wall with each plunge into her.

Sandra lost track of time. All she felt was Richard. She thought of how they had played music together. How they could talk to easily, how they could make love so easily. It was ecstasy.

Richard finally finished within her. With a few stuttered strokes, he groaned and buried himself to the end. Sandra was lost by then, barely feeling him coming inside her. Her whole body was filled with him now, and even as his movements stopped and he collapsed onto her, she continued to reach higher heights.

"More," she whispered into his ear. She had said it jokingly, but didn't protest when Richard started moving slowly inside her again. She held onto him so tightly her arms hurt, but it didn't matter.

Joey stopped whistling as he approached the room. One of the benefits of being director of the dorm is that he didn't need to have a reason to wander the halls. Dorm security was enough reason, if anyone really asked ... which no one ever did.

As he paused in front of the doorway, he checked behind him before leaning his ear close to the door. The unmistakable sounds of wild sex made him smile. If Emily had kissed me like that, I'd be banging her that hard too! he thought. He had been wondering for the last few days which girl Richard was seeing, if either. He'd had the good fortune of stumbling upon their kiss in the hall earlier, and then watching Richard get pulled into the room by her hand. And now, after several passages by the room, the story was complete.

Even though a small part of him was happy it was Emily and not Sandra, Joey knew there was no possibility of him getting together with the beautiful blonde singer. Regardless of her availability, the rules strictly prohibited that. No sexual relations with the residents, unless he wanted to get kicked out of his job, and the conservatory. Although a night with her might be worth that kind of punishment, he thought, amused.

He listened a little while longer, checking the hallway and ready at an instant to resume walking, should anyone appear. The sounds of the bed moving and attempts at keeping their voices quiet made him excited.

He needed a girlfriend. Masturbation was getting old.

A sound in the stairwell caught his attention, and immediately he was walking away. He looked back and saw Jenna and Jer stumble into the hallway laughing loudly. Another couple of rabbits, Joey thought. Looks like the boys of room 312 are getting lucky tonight.

Joey walked back to Emily's room after Jer and Jenna locked their laughter behind her door. Things had quieted.

Instead of risking them opening the door on him, he decided to head back to his room. Although masturbation was getting old, it would certainly do for tonight.

Joey made a last pass through the common room to grab a book he had left there. The lounge was almost empty, and dark. As he crossed hurriedly in front of the television with a chipper exclamation of "Sorry!" the channel switched to a bright scene, illuminating the room.

He almost choked on his diet coke when he saw Emily sprawled on the couch, toying with the remote.

Joey's mind went through a thousand images. But... ?

"Are you going to stand there all night, Joey?" Emily asked him.

Joey moved out of the way, but stared for a moment more. "Uh, anything good on?" he asked.

"No, just flipping channels."

Joey's mouth moved soundlessly for a moment, before he grabbed his book and headed up to his room.

The bastard! But Joey felt bad for Emily. Here she was, bored in front of the television while her boyfriend was up fucking her roommate. The lucky bastard!

Sandra didn't know such pleasure existed. She was prone on the bed, and Richard was slamming into her from behind. She was squeezing her legs and butt around him, and in the process squeezing her finger which she had on her button. She was long past orgasm, long past worrying about being sore. Both were reality, but she didn't want to stop. She just arched her back to let Richard in differently.

Sometimes when he got too broad with his movements he would slip out of her and slide up between her cheeks. Everything was slick and wet, and when he lingered there it sent shivers through her she hadn't felt before. Then he'd return to her depths.

He had asked several times if she was done. She was and she wasn't. She would simply wiggle her bottom against him, clenching on his length.

"I don't think I will come again," Richard said, "so it's all you, now."

"Just a little more. This feels so amazing."

And then he was back to it.

Emily opened her eyes, startled at the lips on hers.

It was Richard. "Wake up, Em," he said with a warm smile, barely visible in the dark lighting.

"Shit, I guess I fell asleep on the couch." The television was off.

"Come up to the room."

"Are you all done? You look happy."

"Mm, I am. Anything good on TV tonight?"

"Not really."

Richard chuckled, and Emily realized her gaffe. He pulled her up and into his arms.

"It's late," Emily said, eyeing the clock.

"I let you sleep."

"Let me?"

"I came by earlier to get you and you were out cold," Richard said.

"How long did I sleep?"

"An hour, maybe."

"Why didn't you wake me up? It's late!"

"You looked so peaceful," he said gently.

"Hmm. Did you and Sandra have fun?"

"You should know."

"What?"

"You listened in earlier," Richard said simply.

"What? No, I didn't."

"You were standing outside the door a few times."

"Richard, that wasn't me," Emily said, her voice serious.

Richard pulled out of the hug. "I could tell someone was standing outside because they changed the light coming in under the door with their shadow."

"Well, it wasn't me," Emily repeated firmly.

Richard frowned. "We have an eavesdropper, then. Come on, let's go upstairs."

Sandra thought she knew who it was.

"Jer! I bet he was coming up to try and see what we were doing, and instead listened in."

"Were you really loud?" Emily asked.

"Not really, but who knows?" Richard said.

"Let's see how loud it was," Sandra said. She stood and went to the door, and then looked expectantly at Richard and Emily.

"Wait, I'm done," Richard said, holding out his hands.

"Oh, just pretend." Sandra went out into the hallway.

"Pretend?" he echoed, but she was gone.

Emily laughed richly. "All right, let's pretend we're having sex."

Richard raised a brow.

"Come on, Sandra's running an experiment," Emily said. "Don't mess with it."

Richard got up slowly.

"How did you do it?" Emily asked.

"Um, several ways," Richard admitted.

"Were you on top?"

"At one point, yes."

Emily fell to Sandra's bed and opened her legs. "Climb on, boy."

Richard rolled his eyes as Sandra yelled from the hall. "What's taking so long?"

Richard nestled himself between Emily's legs.

"Oh, Richard! Yes!" Emily called out immediately, in mock bliss. "Can you hear that?" she said to the door.

"Move the bed," Sandra said.

Richard made some feeble movements.

"If that's what you call wild, then..."

Richard put in some more effort. Not surprisingly, he began to feel aroused as he rubbed himself against Emily. Emily let out a murmur, and Richard knew it wasn't for Sandra's benefit.

After a moment, Richard had the bed moving like it was with Sandra earlier.

"I'm locked out," Sandra called, knocking on the door.

"You'll have to wait, now. Sorry!" Emily replied, grinning at Richard.

"Hey!" Sandra said.

"Oh, yes!" Emily cried.

"Hey!!"

Richard stopped. He was sore and raw from the session with Sandra. He knew he would regret a round with Emily, and if he didn't stop now, he wasn't sure he would stop at all. Emily pouted as he got off of her.

As he opened the door for Sandra, he gave her a disapproving look, although it was mixed with a smile.

"So?"

"So these doors don't really hide much," Sandra said. "Oops."

"Yelling 'Move the bed!' all over the hallway probably didn't help either, though. Especially during quiet hours."

Sandra laughed.

"We'll just have to be quieter," Richard said, plopping down next to Emily.

"Should we try out some low volume experiments?" Emily asked, rolling over to straddle him.

"No, I'm serious. I'm done for the night. And it's after midnight."

Emily pouted again. "But I'm horny," she said softly. "I know, I know ... I should have thought of that earlier when I left."

"I can give you a massage," Richard offered.

"Ooh, that would be nice," Emily said happily.

"I can help," Sandra offered.

"Sure ... I wonder who the pervert is," Emily mused, as she removed her clothes.

"For wanting to help give a massage?" Richard asked, confused.

"No, our little eavesdropper."

"I still think it's Jer," Sandra said.

"Sooner or later someone is going to know that the three of us are together," Richard said.