Dorothea

Dani shrieked and waved as she saw her best friend, elegantly poised in a sea of people, looking at her phone with a persistent focus. Her attention turned at the familiar sound of Dani’s screech, watching as she tried to run with an abundance of luggage. 

It wasn’t horrendous, thankfully. Most of her bags had been shipped out ahead of time with her tour team when they’d flown out a few days prior. All of Adore’s kit was in place, so she only had to take care of her own personal belongings. That was still a lot of stuff though, considering the length of each leg of her tour. 

She looked fresher than when Ella last saw her, having a brief moment off in between the Europe and UK shows. The rare time to relax had done her the world of good. The stress had really been getting to her, but now she felt revived, her passion renewed. Surprisingly, some time alone had helped her a great deal, but she was equally as delighted to see Ella again as she flew into her arms.

Ella chuckled, fully aware of the ridiculousness of the scene, it was like something out of a fucking romance movie, bags thrown to the floor as Dani wrapped her legs around her in their hug, prompting Ella to slip her hands under her thighs in order to not drop her. It’d be cringy enough for Ella to do with a girlfriend, but Dani? That was a whole other level of laughable behaviour. Not that Ella did date. There were flings, sure, even submissives that she’d gotten a little too attached to, but nothing substantial. Living without love meant living without heartbreak, and Ella was at peace with that. At least, that’s what she told herself. 

She set Dani back on the floor, snorting as Dani pulled her suitcase up, trying to arrange her bags to be able to carry them. Ella shooed her away, rolling her eyes as she neatly stacked them.

“If you put them like this, they stay better.” She explained before handing them back over, not exactly a stranger to travelling herself. “How was your flight?”

“Long. Tiring.” Dani sighed. “I’m exhausted.”

They kept the chatter light walking back through the airport, complaining about the long wait for a cab and Dani commenting that she’d forgotten how cold it was in the UK. Ella hauled her bags into the boot for her, Dani scrolling through emails as the cab drove them through London streets back to Ella’s apartment. 

The traffic was horrendous, but it gave Dani a brief chance to recharge. Ella gazed dazedly out of the window, looking at the familiar posters that lined the West End, a theatre on each corner, paired with novel cafes and highstreet stores. It never got old, no matter how many times she saw herself, or one of her friends on a billboard, but this she never expected. 

Up in lights, with legs a mile long and an intense stare she once knew too well. If they hadn’t just pulled up at the red light, Ella would have questioned if she could believe her own eyes, but faced with the opportunity to stare deeply at the billboard, there was no mistaking what she saw. There never was mistaking her for anyone. 

It was a part of her life long gone, but she felt the energy shift and it played on her mind as she went through the motions of getting ready for dinner, no matter how much she tried to shake it away. She didn’t think it would bother her now, she’d grown so much, and it was so long ago, but now, sitting across from Dani, it all felt a little too familiar. Ella watched her rant with joy in her eyes, her smile wide and pure whilst she spoke so openly. There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Dani’s voice, the carefully constructed way that Ella would generally speak couldn’t be any further away from Dani’s ramblings. Ella picked mindlessly at her salad while Dani stuffed pizza into her mouth shamelessly, glad they’d picked an Italian to satisfy both of their cravings. 

Ella’s mind was working overtime as she tried to stay engaged in Dani’s conversation, but she couldn’t control her drifting mind. Maybe it was her energetic mannerisms reminding her of a time past, or maybe her brain really was just hyper-focusing on that damn billboard, but whatever it was was coming back to haunt her again.

-

She made her feel alive. Truly alive, not in the way that you envision, but in a way you can only experience. Being around her felt like every inch of her was being lit from the inside, like breathing freely for the first time or the feeling of poetry read under the stars on a cool summer evening. 

She was wild, free, and everything Ella wasn’t. But she brought it all out in her. A certain energy surrounded her, and it made Ella want to release herself from the constraints she set on to herself. 

Ella could be a bit of a control freak at times, the desire for perfection meant that letting go of control was always a challenge. She thrived under pressure but the stress was too much sometimes, Tayce was her relief.  A reassuring calm within the great storm of her mind. 

The dark-skinned beauty led her up the hill, the beautiful landscape of the park was a sight for her eyes, a picnic basket slung over her shoulder as she surrendered to being dragged around on yet another of her girlfriend’s adventures. 

Tayce finally led them to a secluded spot, well, as secluded as you could get in Hyde Park, located conveniently close to their studios. The cute little section was lined by birch trees and boasted a wide space of fresh green grass. Tayce set the blanket on the ground, holding her arm out to Ella, grabbing her hand and pulling her over next to her. Ella squealed and then giggled, shoving Tayce playfully.

“Careful!” She laughed. “I have back to back auditions, I can’t get hurt or bruised up if I’m working!”

Tayce shrugged, her cheeky grin making Ella melt. “Sorry.” She whispered against her lips before they kissed, the casual romance felt so comfortable. 

Ella had been so stressed. Tayce had been too, but she was much less high-strung than her girlfriend was. They were in their third year at drama school, and auditioning for their final showcase as well as engaging in external professional auditions was a lot to handle. The showcase would be attended by agents and casting directors, and auditioning was essential to their future careers. Their futures rested widely on these next few months. Ella had considerably more pressure on her, the talented girl was playing the lead, and with her focus being in musical theatre, she had to give a perfect performance if she wanted any chance of succeeding in the West End. Tayce on the other hand was a dancer, classically trained in ballet and jazz, whilst also excelling in her other styles. Whilst she had a tonne of material to learn, it was nowhere near as strenuous as the work of the main cast. 

Tayce had been trying her best to take care of Ella, despite the fact that she was stubborn as fuck and insisted that she didn’t need to be taken care of. Bringing her out of the studio or her room where she’d been hauled up with a very battered script for one of her signature adventures or picking up coffee before a long rehearsal day. The last couple of months had put a lot of strain on their relationship, too busy to invest the proper amount of time in each other, but Tayce felt like they were finally getting there again. 

The couple met in the first week of drama school, the dance and musical theatre degree kids introduced in a group circle time. She’d met Tayce’s eye in yet another game of ‘Two truths and a lie,’ rolling her eyes semi-affectionately at her tutors' seeming obsession with the activity. Typical fucking drama teacher, with her circle time and her long cardigans and curly hair. Ella liked her, she was a little unhinged, but you have to be in that job, and she seemed like she knew what she was talking about. Tayce had tried not to giggle too hard at Ella’s anecdote from a family holiday, later revealed to be her lie, and stolen from her best friend, Kitty. 

Ella liked her immediately, her casual demeanour refreshing in a pool of driven theatre kids. Their attitudes were professional, but she couldn’t help but find all of that ambition a little draining. Tayce was different. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, because she really did, it was more that she didn’t show how much she cared. It was weirdly attractive, and Tayce was probably queer, this was in fact the theatre, and she looked the part. 

Tayce had hung about outside the studio whilst Ella pulled sweats over her leotard, leaning back against the wall as Ella walked out. She grinned, her dark stare intense as she looked into Ella’s eyes, just long enough to make sure there was no way her flirting could be misconstrued, before saying simply, “see you around, Ella.”

Their flirting continued way longer than what was necessary. The game of the chase was too exhilarating to stop. They communicated in glances and teasing and knowing comments until Ella couldn’t stand it anymore, pulling the fucking tease in by her waist. She paused for a second, her grip tight so she couldn’t wriggle out before she kissed her deeply, wanting to repay her for the weeks of taunting. Tayce deepened the kiss, shoving her tongue down Ella’s throat, fiercely attracted to this beautiful girl. 

They’d gone on a couple of dates, and their relationship blossomed, quickly becoming inseparable. They’d had ups and downs, but the last three years with each other had been the best of their lives.

Ella threaded her fingers into her hair, a hand running through her curls. She tightened her fist, applying pressure to her scalp, smiling so sweetly when Tayce looked up at her. She was so gone for this woman, and she never wanted these moments to end. She was all too aware that the year was coming to a close in a few months, and then they were going to be out in the real world. The thought that they might not make it scared her more than she would have liked to admit. She never wanted to lose this love, for she didn’t think she’d ever be the same again if she did. 

They ate their picnic, enjoying a rare moment of peace in between hectic lives, before later running back to Ella’s place, fucking on the couch because Ella couldn’t wait to get her into bed, pushing Tayce’s legs back to eat the gorgeous cunt she knew so well. 

She knew exactly what buttons to push, every swipe of her tongue was meticulously precise. She’d learnt every move to push Tayce over the edge over the course of their relationship, and she was good at what she did. Her skirt framed her round ass so well and Ella took great pleasure in flipping it up, sliding her underwear down her toned legs. 

“Mmmm.” Ella admired her, spreading her folds open before diving in.

Tayce whined as Ella ran her thumb over her clit, the pressure just right. She closed her lips around the bud, sucking roughly with her thumb still pulling back the hood to expose more of her most sensitive area. Her skirt restricted her movement, so she kicked it off, pulling her own legs wide to try and entice Ella.

Ella could never get used to the sight of long legs draped over her shoulders, or dark eyes looking down at her when she looked up smugly, hips bucking against her mouth. She rested her arm over them, pushing them down and making Tayce feel restrained, which was just too much fun. Ella loved experimenting sexually, finding she got a kick out of taking the reins in bed. She’d yet to explore what that meant, but having such a beauty wrapped around her little finger was intriguing, to say the least. It was beautifully invigorating to know that her girlfriend would bow to her every whim.

Tayce felt her legs tremble, the tingling in her stomach intensifying as Ella slid two fingers inside her, massaging against her walls. Ella crooked her fingers, searching for the spot that would have Tayce seeing stars. It was so intense, her fingers and tongue in perfect sync pushing Tayce so close to the edge. 

Her hips shook as she pushed her head back instinctively, her back arching and cunt clenching around Ella’s fingers as she pushed for relief. Despite the ache deep in her stomach, Ella kept her pace perfectly, riding her through an earth-shattering orgasm, Tayce humping her face and hand as she came hard. 

Juices flowed from her pussy and Ella licked them up with long strokes, overcome by her desire to taste such a gorgeous taste. Tayce pushed her head away, overstimulated from her orgasm, letting Ella kiss up her thigh before collapsing next to her on the sofa. 

She couldn’t imagine her life without Tayce. Not until she found she’d have to. 

-

They were never destined to work out. There was a time when they believed they were the great loves of each other’s lives, but that never really was the case. 

The breakdown of their relationship was ruthless as they were thrown into the world of theatre post drama school. Yet no amount of their training could have prepared them for this, a merciless game of constant competition in a dog eat dog world. 

What they once had, it wasn’t the same anymore, but they still loved each other too much to let go of what was nothing more than a rapidly decaying relationship. Ella especially craved the security and the comfort that Tayce gave her, she was familiar, safe even. So much in her life had changed recently: between leaving drama school and trying to build a career, she didn’t want her relationships to change too. She didn’t know how she’d ever get through that.  They stayed blind to reality, not even realising that everything they had was a pretence. Their adventures were replaced with running to and from auditions, coming home in the evenings to sit on the sofa, zoning out at the tv. They cuddled each other over a movie, but it wasn’t with the same affection that was once held between them. Moving in together was probably a mistake, any sense of passion lost to exhaustion, and their routine became monotonous. Even their once rigorous sex lives were reduced to the weekly shag, usually on a Sunday afternoon when they didn’t have to work.

It was a betrayal. The crossing of a very firm line that had been set early in their careers, even before they finished drama school. They didn’t compete for roles. It wasn’t healthy for their relationship to see each other as competitors. Tayce knew exactly how much Ella wanted Fanny Brice, so she’d let her take the audition, watching as Ella prepped meticulously. But they were stupid, young with so much more to learn, and Tayce let the jealousy consume her. 

Weeks later and several begging phone calls later, Tayce managed to get herself an audition. Maybe she’d thought Ella would never know, it's not like she’d ever get it after all, right? It was far above her skill level, she didn’t exactly meet the usual casting brief, but Ella did find out, and that was the final nail in a coffin long-dead. 

“You’re acting like an idiot.” Tayce accused her, but in reality, her defensiveness was only a guttural reaction to being caught in the act. A wave of guilt flooded her, nauseousness filling her body as she avoided her girlfriend’s piercing gaze. 

“You- you screwed me over, Tayce. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel, how I’m supposed to act?”

“I screwed you over? I did what I had to do, El. This is my career, isn't that what you always say? That theatre has to come first?”

“This is your career, but it’s mine too, and when you put yours first, you hurt mine. I would never have done to you what you did to me. Never. There’s putting this first, and then there’s sabotage.”

“I wanted it.” Tayce dug her heels in, but the wobble in her voice didn’t go amiss. “I really wanted it, Ella.”

It was a stupid move, but Tayce wasn’t willing to admit that now.

When Ella looked into her eyes, she couldn’t even see her girlfriend behind them anymore. She should have known, but she never could have expected this, not from her. Not from the one person who was supposed to have her back, no matter what happened.  

“I don’t think I can forgive you for that.” Ella said quietly. 

“Maybe, maybe we have to call it.” Tayce turned around, making sure she couldn’t see the tears that filled her eyes. 

Ella looked so broken as tears streamed down her face, clutching desperately at Tayce as she spoke, her head shaking sadly in disbelief. It was so unlike her that it took Tayce aback, and she almost felt guilty. 

“No, Tayce, no.” She pleaded, but she felt like it only landed on deaf ears. 

They were too young for any of this. Twenty-one, but barely adults, thrown into situations and experiences that they didn’t yet know how to handle. They had yet to learn the arts of proper communication or the understanding of each other’s perspectives, and their lack of respect and emotional intelligence only resulted in misconstrued perception and explosive arguments. 

Ella and Tayce. They were both way too stubborn for their own good, to the point of self-sabotage. They were ambitious to a fault, neither one caring more about anything other than their careers, neither were they afraid to trample on someone, even each other, to get what they wanted. They’d both been trained in nothing less than perfection, and that, combined with their astonishingly similar personality traits had become a recipe for disaster. There was always a fight for dominance, emotionally, romantically, sexually even. It couldn’t continue any longer, they couldn’t let it any longer, but that didn’t make it any easier for Tayce to call it, especially when Ella couldn’t bring herself to admit to the mess that they’d become. 

Tayce couldn’t help but feel like Ella was living in a fantasy, and one she desperately needed to be snapped out of, so she left and never looked back. 

When she got the call for Fanny Brice, she couldn’t help but feel she’d made the right decision. Ella was shattered.

-

Kitty and Ella had met on the first day of drama school, and quickly became the best of friends. They were by each other’s sides for every trial life threw at them, and every celebration too. They built each other up when they were sad, were each other’s biggest cheerleaders personally and professionally and the first person the other told when something big happened. 

Kitty was confident, bubbly and perpetually positive. It was often said that she was the better half of Ella, intrinsically similar but lacking many of the flawed traits Ella possessed. In the musical theatre world, they were Glinda and Elphaba, and right now, Ella needed her bestie.

Ella had never been so thankful to live in the same building as Kitty. Sure, there were times when it could be a little annoying, but being able to have her at her door in two minutes flat was a blessing. 

Kitty knew instantly that something wasn’t right, her tear stained face and puffy eyes evident. 

“She got Fanny.”

Kitty hugged her tight, feeling the pain of her bestie like her own. 

“Kitty, I’ll never love anyone like I loved her.” Ella cried. “Never again.”

-

“So as I was saying, the audiences have been so amazing! I’m just so glad that I have a couple of days to spend some proper quality time together, you know? Before I start the UK leg. And then Bianca’s coming on Thursday-” She looked up across the table to see Ella’s eyes glazed over with her fork poised into her salad and her head slightly tilted in deep thought. “Hey, Ells? What’s wrong?” Dani waved her hand in front of her face, snapping her quickly back into the present moment.

Ella quickly schooled her face into a smile, channelling the energy that was expected of her in order to throw Dani off, thrilled she was an impeccable actor. “Nothing, no, I’m fine. You were saying?”

The problem was, she’d closed herself off to love a long time ago. Of course, this wasn’t love, or anything even comparable to it. It was just kinky fun, a release of sexual tension between friends that cared about each other. Deeply cared about each other, more than she’d ever known. That care led to affection, and this was where Ella struggled as boundaries blurred. 

Opening herself up again to Dani, after all this time. It felt like a whole can of worms to bring that back around. For too long, she’d seeked sexual gratification from domination, and very little else. That ‘else’, it had the power to hurt her. It made her vulnerable, forced her to give up some sense of her control, and that was something she’d promised herself she wouldn’t do again. 

Ella had met Bianca and Dani about six years ago. The then pretty new couple had produced a drag show, which ran alongside Ella’s run in Wicked. Sharing the theatre was chaotic, their teams running around to ensure everything ran smoothly backstage with Wicked Monday through Thursday and The B&A Show Friday and Saturday. Ella was just setting herself up on Sunday night when Bianca and Adore came to pack their stuff away. 

-

Bianca giggled as Adore jumped ridiculously, opening the door to the dressing room, ready to start packing stuff up before Jamie and Gina arrived and got everything into the back of an Uber. 

Ella jumped as the door clicked, but immediately recognising the pair from the posters outside. She smiled politely as she unpacked the insane amount of green face paint from her bag. 

“Elphaba huh?” Bianca said, looking pointedly at the green makeup. 

“Yeah. Ella Vaday.” She introduced herself. 

“Bianca, and this is Adore Delano.”

“Dani.” She corrected. “Noriega. Dani Noriega.”

“I’m taking it your actual name isn’t Ella Vaday either?” Bianca quipped. 

Ella giggled “Collier.” 

“Nice name.” Dani giggled and put her suitcase by the door for Gina to grab. Do you wanna grab a drink? There’s this great bar down the street.”

-

Bianca held the door open for her girlfriend and their new friend, smiling at the bartender as she approached the bar that she’d been hanging out in all week. 

“Bianca, Dani.” He greeted them. “Who’s your friend?”

“This is Ella.” Bianca introduced her. “She’s playing Elphaba in Wicked.”

“Oh cool! What are you drinking?”

“I’ll just get a diet coke, don’t wanna play with my vocal chords right now.”

Bianca rolled her eyes as a large white wine was pushed towards her. By the end of the night, the three were basically inseparable. 

-

But then again, it had been so long, and it wasn’t just anyone. She trusted Dani with her life. Bianca too, of course, but opening herself up to just one of them at a time was easier. And after all, what was the worst that could happen if she gave into her desires? 

She finished her glass of wine, pouring another from the bottle, topping Dani’s glass up in the process. She’d had quite a bit to drink, more than she usually would, and she could feel her inhibitions slipping as the alcohol went to her head. 

They finished dinner, Dani clinging to her leg in the back of the taxi, and Ella didn’t have the heart to slap it away any longer. Her resolve quickly loosened, growing to new heights as she got Dani into bed and stripped each other down. Ella in just black stockings with a lace trim. Dani found her delectable. 

“Please?” Dani got up close, licking the shell of her ear. “El?”

“Are you sure this is okay with Bianca?” She checked. The last thing she wanted to do was push a boundary and lose them both. 

“We talked. It’s fine as long as it’s you.”

She’d been thinking about it for a while, the desire to taste every inch of her Goddess growing to an incessant need.

“Go on then.” Ella led back, giving Dani the go ahead to start.

Letting Dani touch her like this was utterly vulnerable, and probably against her better judgement, but she was too horny and desperate to care. It had been too long and her touch was so good. She shook the doubt from her mind and surrendered to the moment. 

Dani’s hands instantly flew to her full breasts, teasing the soft globes framed with stiff pink nipples. Dani took one into her mouth, looking up to match Ella’s hazel eyes with her own green ones as she ran her teeth over the sensitive bud. 

Ella pushed her down. “Bite me again and you’ll pay for it.” She warned her. 

Dani settled for open-mouthed kisses instead. She kissed down her stomach and over her thighs before spreading Ella’s legs wide. 

This woman truly was a goddess. Dani took a second to admire her soft curves, paired with tight muscles in all the right places. She spread her apart, rubbing at her clit with her thumb. Her other hand is back on her breast. This was almost too much for Ella to handle, almost completely overcome by the way the younger woman worshipped her.  

The moan that escaped her lips as she felt the pressure against her clit increase was a little too high pitched and desperate sounding for her liking. No wonder Bianca had married the woman, she was an angel with her tongue. She knew exactly what she was doing and the cocky look in her eyes told Ella that she knew exactly the effect she was having on her. 

“Right there, right fucking there.”

The hand on her breast moved down to lean across her stomach, letting her lower her body down to be eye to eye with Ella’s heat. Ella missed the hand immediately, fingertips flying to toy with her own nipples as Dani worked her magic. She licked up the length of her folds, the taste absolutely divine when the juices cost her tongue. 

Ella moaned loudly, hips trying to fuck her face at this point. Dani slipped two fingers inside of her, her pussy giving no resistance against the intrusion and letting her go knuckle deep straight away whilst also flicking her tongue relentlessly over her clit. 

“More.” She demanded, groaning when Dani slid a third finger in, stretching her out around them. 

Ella threw her head back. She was so close to coming in Dani’s arms. She’d waited so long for this moment. She felt the familiar heat in her lower stomach grow stronger, threateningly close to the edge. 

“Dani. Close.” She managed to make out before she hit the tipping point. 

Her orgasm came in waves, crashing over her as she arched her back, pushing her hips impossibly closer to Dani’s face, her head trapped between her thighs as she helped her ride out the orgasm. 

Ella finally felt her body go limp, holding a single arm out for the girl crawling up the bed tiredly.

Dani absolutely relished the feeling of her bare skin against her own; a rare treat when it came to Ella who usually wore at least a robe post sex if not still fully dressed. Ella felt her snuggle closer and pulled her shoulder in to hold her in a post orgasmic bliss. 

Dani swung her leg over her waist, shifting her weight to be lying on top of Ella. She accidentally rutted against her thigh, soaking wet from the gratification of eating Ella out. Her clit ached against the fabric of Ella’s stockings. 

Ella opened one eye, her smile sideways as she felt the subtle rubbing against her leg. The fabric was rough against her cunt, and she couldn’t help but speed up her thrusts. Ella grinned at her, resting one hand on her lower back to steady her. 

She threw her head back, a loud whimper escaping her lips, her rutting only building. The edge was so close and she just prayed to whatever god she could muster that Ella wouldn’t stop her before she came. She needed this orgasm more than she needed to breathe. 

“Come for me, baby girl.” Ella breathed out as their bodies pressed together, Dani lowering herself to be basically led on top of her. 

Her orgasm hit as soon as she was given permission, her toes curling as Ella held her tight, allowing her to get herself off.