"Been a long time," he said.
"Yes. I'd forgotten how nice it was!" Julie added.
"Let's get some sleep."
They crawled under the blankets.
There it was. The sign she had dreamed of:
OPENING TONIGHT: MISS LINDY TRAVIS MAIN BALLROOM
She stood there for a moment as the men hoisted it from the truck and secured it beneath the hotel's bright marquee. She had finally made it.
The rehearsal was a kind of walk-through, just something to do with the afternoon, a few intros and the opening lines of songs, but nothing that amounted to hard work.
Gerry came by her dressing room when rehearsal was finished, kissed her on the cheek and wished her well. She was feeling the jitters – opening night jitters. She slugged down a glass of gin and took one Librium – she limited herself to that.
Telegrams began to arrive, some from people she didn't even know, fans of her late mother, wishing her well. Others invited her to join them after the show to discuss her "future" or her "career". Those she'd show to Ron, that was his business.
Julie came around to add some names to the list of Hollywood stars and people from the industry who were coming. Lindy had never seen Julie so excited.
Ron was busy with last minute arrangements and last minute fuck-ups – such as her name being spelled Travis on the special napkins they'd ordered. Things like that.
Lindy went out by the pool to be alone. Someone was swimming. It turned out to be Terry, and she felt relieved. "Hi, swimmer idol," she kidded, and sat down on a deck chair.
Terry climbed up out of the water and sat next to her with a towel on his shoulder. "Nervous?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact. But I feel better now that I've found someone sane to talk to." She smiled.
Terry nodded. "We never seem to get together. You're rehearsing, or I'm rehearsing or meeting people. Records, openings, concerts, ugh. I'm sick of the whole thing already."
She gave him a knowing look. "You're no more sick of it than I am."
Terry looked up at her and nodded. She was right.
"Terry, do you think after all of tonight is done with, I could see you?"
He was surprised. "Sure, yes, of course. I'd love it. We can have out own little after-the-party party."
"Good." She took his hand. "I'll need someone to lean on after I get through this evening. It's really going to make or break me forever. This is it. Mama's ghost is watching!"
"You'll be fantastic!" Terry said, gripping her cold, trembling hand.
And she was! Lindy Travis was a triumph! She received four standing ovations and had to do three encores before the big-name crowd would let her off the stage. All the dancers and chorus and orchestra gave her roses, and she cried big honest tears at the end of the ordeal.
Terry had been at the first table, and the thing that had really touched his heart had been something he totally didn't suspect. About the middle of the show, Lindy said, "And now I'd like to do a sweet, wonderful song, one that you all probably know. It's very popular right now and Terry Peerce, sitting right down there, wrote it and recorded it. I only hope he won't mind what I do to it…" And then she sang it like no one had ever heard before. Terry was in tears by the tune it was finished.
At the reception afterward, Terry finally made his way over to Lindy, and as soon as – they were together Julie gave the photographers the okay to start flashing. The room filled with popping flashbulbs and Terry posed close to Lindy, just the thing to start rumors of a romance – just what Ron and Julie wanted.
Lindy didn't know what was happening regarding her "future". Ron was busy talking to many people who looked as if they were either rich or influential or both. She didn't much care, she knew she'd get offers. Her performance had been electrifying – she'd been as good as her mother ever was, and she was determined to get better.
She waltzed through the crowd, meeting famous stars, some for the second or third time since some of them had known her mother and she'd met them when she was growing up. She kept receiving greetings and accolades. But her mind was on that sign outside, and on the signs that were to come. The sweet taste of success was in her mouth.
Finally, at five in the morning, she went to her room after Ron and Julie walked up with her. Terry had turned in early, waiting for Julie in his room. Julie took off her gown, stripped naked, and put on her yellow robe. Then she crept down the hall and knocked softly on Terry's door. He opened it immediately and then locked it behind her.
"You survived it!" Terry said, hugging her.
He was only wearing his undershorts.
"Barely. But I want to forget about it, Terry. I want to completely forget about it." She walked to the bed with him and sat down. She felt better now – she had popped a tranquilizer into her mouth when she changed into her robe.
"Terry, let me suck your cock. I've been thinking about doing that for a long time now…"
Terry was a little surprised by her sudden turn toward sex, but he was willing and ready. He stood in front of her and pulled his shorts down to his knees. His half-hard cock sprang up and she bent forward to take it in her mouth.
"Oh, Lindy, that feels good," Terry said, wiggling his shorts down to his ankles. He stepped out of them as his cock started to harden in her warm, wet mouth.
"I love your cock, you beautiful boy," Lindy said, licking under it, over his balls. "I loved singing your song tonight – I thought about sucking your cock when I was singing it!"
"I had an erection under the table," Terry lied.
Lindy nibbled at his cockhead, kissing it as it lengthened in front of her. "You have the greatest dick! It's the most perfectly shaped I've ever seen, better than Ron and Gerry put together." She took it in her mouth again, and then pulled off it, hitting it with her cheeks. She grabbed his balls with her hands and played with them, pulling on them gently, and then forced her hand between his legs and found his asshole.
Suddenly his cock jerked and she could feel his entire body going stiff as her finger probed his anus, he shivered and shook with passion. "Lindy, I love you! I love you!" he said over and over.
"I love your cock," she purred, and then pushed her lips down on it again. This time she didn't release it – she started sucking in rhythm, moving her head back and forth, digging her finger up his asshole, rubbing his balls, flicking her tongue over the tip of his swollen cockhead.
He rubbed his hands through her hair and sighed. Then he grabbed her shoulders and pulled her robe apart. She moved one hand and pulled out of it, and then the other, and finally the garment dropped to the ground. She was naked, on her knees, and he sat on the edge of the bed as she twisted around, switching places so his cock was at the perfect position for a blowjob.
She sucked him hard and good. He flopped back on the bed and lifted his legs so she could fingerfuck him at the same time. He was close to shooting, and had to hold back several times.
"You like getting fingerfucked, don't you?" she asked.
"Yeah, I love it…" he moaned.
She darted her finger all the way up his ass and pulled it out. Then she released her lips, letting his cock slap up against his abdomen, and started in sucking on his balls, one at a time, until she was able to pull them both into her mouth. She swirled them around with her tongue and pulled them into her throat. Then she went down to his asshole, spreading it with her fingers, darting her tongue in and out of the hot passage.
"Oh, Godamnit, I can't stand it!" Terry cried out on the bed. He was in heaven, in pure bliss. He never wanted her to take her face from his ass – the same face that had sung those beautiful songs, the powerful singer with the cute little half-cocked smile like her mother had…