"Great job everyone," Tom announced when dress was over. "Opening tomorrow night should be a winner. Break a leg and I'll see you tomorrow at seven sharp. Don't any of you give me a heart attack and come late."
The theater was packed for Thursday's opening night. The play was a big hit. I suddenly understood why Tom had rehearsed the play backwards. It was a brilliant move on his part. Because the actors knew how dark and horrifying the ending was, they failed to recognize the humor that infused the opening half of the play. But the audience didn't know. The audience thought the first act was hilarious. So, the actors on stage never knew to 'play for laughs' as they might have. The result was a completely natural delivery.
When Tristan came backstage for the first intermission, he and the guys were all flabbergasted at the uproarious response they were getting.
"Tom's a real cagey one. I would never have imagined we'd be so funny," Brian chuckled.
"It was a stroke of genius that's for sure," Tristan agreed. "Did you realize how funny the first act is, Raina?"
"I was as in the dark as the rest of you."
After the bows had all been taken, it was off to Suze's house for the first of the nightly cast parties that Jenn told me were the real highlight of the Little Theater's productions. Every party giver tried to have the most lavish feast, the best liquor and the liveliest music.
Suze had a gorgeous house just outside of town. The entire lawn had been transformed into a fairy-lit park and a jazz trio played discreetly on a small stage.
Tristan pulled me into the shadows at the first opportunity.
"I don't know how much more of this I can take. I need to have you, Raina."
"And I you."
"My cock is aching for you. My mouth waters every time you're near me."
His words made my clit do a little happy dance. "Mom and Dad are going to come back to New York next weekend, Tristan. So what's the point of hiding our relationship? If the thugs want to find them in New York that's easy enough. The connection to your house in Maine becomes moot."
"I still worry about your safety, though."
"Being with you doesn't make me any less safe. It may make me more so."
He pulled me against him and held me in a fierce embrace. "When the play closes, let's go away. Let's have a week or two just for ourselves."
"Tristan, I told you the other night I have three interviews scheduled for the week after the play closes. I have to get a job."
"You were serious about that?"
"Why would I kid about job interviews? I haven't exactly built up a vast fortune this summer."
"I assumed you were just baiting me. Surely you know I'm not going to let you take some menial job that is going to run your life and take up all your time."
"What do you mean 'you're not going to let me'?"
"Just that. For god's sake, Raina, do you think I'm going to just allow you to float away from me?'
I was caught between the urge to slap his face for assuming he could dictate my life to me and the desire to have him tell me how he intended to keep me from 'floating away'.
"What do you suggest I do?"
He brought his hand under my chin and lifted my face to his. "I suggest that after our final Saturday night performance, we skip the godawful cast party and get on my plane headed…I don't know yet, but somewhere spectacular. After we have fucked each other senseless and are at the brink of a passion induced coma, I suggest that we put our heads together and figure out something you'd like to do with yourself when your legs aren't wrapped around some part of my anatomy."
When I didn't answer immediately he went on.
"I assume you won't allow me to just 'keep' you." I shook my head. "I thought not. Marjorie and Donald would disapprove at any rate and that won't do. So that leaves a number of options. You could work for me…"
"Doing what?" I shook my head again. "I don't think that's a very good option."
"How about a business? Or a consultancy? Or freelance writing--I'll buy whatever you produce! Or websites. There are endless possibilities."
"You make it sound easy."
"It is easy. We'll sort it out on our vacation."
"You certainly manage to take plenty of vacations."
"I'm filthy rich and self employed. It's a beautiful thing."
"Modest, too."
"Modesty is overrated." He burst into a big grin. "Ah-ha! I've just hit on where we're going to go on vacation."
"Where?"
"So you agree that we're going on vacation after the play?'
"That was a trap."
"Effective, wasn't it?"
"Where, Tristan?"
"Somewhere where modesty is not permitted. Let it be my secret."
***
Tristan went into New York on Sunday night, after the matinee performance wrapped up. Tom had asked for a run through on Wednesday night to refresh the cast before the last Thursday performance but that met with universal thumbs down. All the men were tying up the loose ends of their summer and their minds were switching into 'work mode'. They'd all be using the few days in between the weekend performances to wrap up last minute things they needed to do to close their houses and return to the city as soon as they closed the last play of the season.
Monday night Mom called to give me an update and let me know that they had decided to return to the city a few days earlier.
"Your Tristan has been a godsend. For some reason he seems to be the only person your father has met in years who's able to break through that man's pigheadedness."
"I wouldn't call him 'mine', Mom. But I'm glad he's on our side."
"His private detective has been up to see us and debriefed us on what he's learned about the men who attacked Don."
"And?"
"They're bad business. I wouldn't say your father is scared, because other than the time you girls got lost in Manhattan I've never seen him scared, but he has accepted that this is something he can't just handle with his fists and maybe a wrench."
"So, what's the plan?"
"Tristan's man, Kwan--what a nice young fellow--has gotten a couple of his associates who'll be staying with us until we're satisfied that the threat has been 'neutralized' as they put it. I guess that means arrested."
"That's one thing it means."
Mom chose to ignore the implications. "Tristan has had a company 'secure' the house in Park Slope. I guess I'll find out what that means when I get home."