#para:cj

“I’m sorry, can we do that last bit again? It sounded a little forced to me and I can do better.” Rachel took a sip from the bottle of water on the stand beside her, then lightly pinched the shoulder of her top to dry the the tips of her fingers of the condensation beaded along the sides of the plastic bottle. 

“Sure thing. How far back do you want to go.”

Rachel looked over her script, the answer already on the tip of her tongue but she wanted to be sure. “I think ‘Is that package for me?’ should be far enough, yes?”

“Hey, I think you nailed it the first time but when you’re happy, I’m happy.” The sound engineer -- Rick, Rachel had learned after her last session -- flipped a few switches on his end and Rachel watched the timing track -- a spanish video titled ‘Lo marrón puede hacer por usted’ -- rewind back to just before her chosen point.

“And when Cassie’s happy, we’re all happy.” She said, earning a chuckle from Rick, though she only caught the tail end of it as he flicked on his end of the intercom to give her the go ahead.”

“True. In three, two, ...”

“Is that package for me?”

Rachel smiled to herself as she waited for her next cue, much more satisfied with the reading this time.

“It’s so big. Help me get it inside?”

If she didn’t stop smiling, she was going to have to ask for another take. it was one thing to sound like she was enjoying herself -- that was half the job -- but another to sound like she was grinning the whole time. Who would have thought getting past all her little, lingering hang-ups would have made the job harder, not easier. 

If only the dialogue wasn’t so incredibly cheesy. 

“Here, let me get the tip.”

Rachel had to bite down on her lip to suppress a giggle. She would get through this, dammit. She was a professional and she would be professional. Her first film of the day had been far easier, a simple ‘moan and groan’ re-dubbing. No real plot or dialogue to speak of -- which had made Rachel wonder why they were bothering with the re-recording at all but it’s what Cassie wanted and Rachel wanted to please the older woman.

... With her performance, of course. The fact that she’d gone without panties again today, not just for her session but for the whole day thus far was only because it did help her get into character like Cassie had said and not for any other reason. 

“You know... I take deliveries around back too.”

She had to step back from the mic after than one, a hand clamped tight over her mouth. 

The playback on the monitor stopped and Rachel was already framing an apology when she turned to look at Rick.

“Something funny?”

“No Miss July. I mean Cassandra.”

“Relax kid, happens to the best of them. There’s only so much double entendre a body can take before it cracks under the pressure. Take five before the giggles get a chance to set in and you can pick it up from here.

“I can-”

“That’s an order, Berry. Get your cute little butt out into the hall asap.”

“Yes Cassie.”

“You do have a cute butt.” Rick offered once Cassandra had stepped out of the recording booth.

“And here I thought it was my legs you liked.” Rachel teased, giving her hips an extra little wriggle as she turned her back to him and headed for the exit.

“I can’t like both?”

Rachel was still laughing when she stepped out into the hallway to find Cassandra waiting for her. Her hand quickly flew to her mouth as she tried to stem her giggles.

“Looks like we got you out of there just in time.”

“No, I’m fine. Really. I’ll be ready to record as soon as you let me back in there.”

“I meant we got you out of there before Rick really got his flirt on.”

“Oh.” Rachel glanced back at the door to the recording booth. “I didn’t-”

“No, you really didn’t, did you?”

Rachel turned back to Cassandra to find the other woman had closed to within a few inches of her and was carefully studying her face. “Mis-”

“Cassie. Why does everyone around here keep calling me ‘Miss July’?”

Rachel took a half step back only for Cassie to take a matching half step forward. “B-Because it’s your name.”

Whatever giggles she may have had before were gone. She could practically feel the heat from the other woman’s body through her clothing and Rachel had to squeeze her thighs together to keep the heat that was suddenly flooding through her sex from dripping down her legs.

“Rachel?”

“Yes Cassie?”

“Why aren’t you dating anyone?”

Rachel swallowed, trying to breath through her mouth as subtly as possible to avoid breathing in Cassie’s perfume which was starting to make her head spin.

“I-I told you. It’s complicated.”

“Yeah, but you’re way too good at this job not to be a freak between the sheets and a girl like that not having anyone to keep her satisfied, that can’t be easy.”

Rachel swallowed again.

Cassandra edged a little closer and Rachel’s eyes went wide at the thought that her boss might try to kiss her.

“Now you’re ready to go back in.”

“... What?” Rachel blinked. 

Cassandra pulled back. “I said now you’re ready. Nothing like getting a little flustered to chase away the giggles.”

“I-”

“Try not to tease Rick too much, okay. You’re extra sexy when you’re like this.”

“I-”

Cassie flashed Rachel a wink before she walked away. 

Rachel took several deep, shaky breaths.

Rick’s head poked through a doorway further down the hall. “You ready?”

“I... just need a quick bathroom break. Five minutes?”

“That was great, sweetheart, but can we do one more for safety?”

Sweetheart. Rachel would normally find the use of such a familiar pet name in a professional setting more than a little offensive but it had actually proven useful in her first session to separate her, Rachel Berry, from Charlotte, a young — but not too young — woman intent on improving her grade average at her private academy through the expedient method of sleeping her way through the faculty. Personally, Rachel would have at least tried a little more time studying before jumping straight to all her time on her back but she wasn’t Charlotte and that was sort of the point of ‘Sweetheart;

“You’re the boss.”

“Actually, I’m the Boss.” Cassandra’s voice broke over the intercom and Rachel looked up from her script to notice the Blonde had entered the booth. “He just works for me. You both do, come to think of it.”

The blush that Rachel had, more or less, been able to fight off during her session quickly started to creep across her cheeks. The appearance of the older woman bringing into sharp focus the feeling of warm air caressing her private parts.

She would never admit it but when Rachel arrived for her second session, she’d actually been a little bit disappointed that Cassie hadn’t been waiting to greet her. The brunette had wanted to show that she’d taken the older woman’s advice — or challenge depending on how you wanted to look at it — to heart and had forgone her panties.

Not for the whole day, though, that would be silly. Rachel had removed the pair she’d put on that morning just before she’d set out for the studio.

Now, after an hour of watching pornography to time her readings to, and the sound engineer patiently waiting within ear shot, she didn’t feel quite as bold.

“Any notes?” Rachel wasn’t sure why she asked the question. Cassie’s assessment of her first session had been ‘won’t leave a soft cock in the house’ which the younger woman translated as ‘acceptable’. She wanted to write the inquiry off as nothing more than what any good employee or performer would do when faced with their employer or de facto producer. Something told her that wasn’t all there was too it. 

But she didn’t want to dwell on that thought any longer than she wanted to dwell on the unfamiliar and highly titillating feeling between her thighs.

“A little more ‘UNF’ wouldn’t hurt.”

Rachel blinked. “ ‘Unphh’?”

Cassie’s face broke into a wide grin. “You are too adorable for words, you know that?” Before Rachel could reply, Cassandra continued. “Universal Noise of Fucking. You’re trying to sell the sound of a woman getting fucked so hard and deep that she’s about to forget her own name. Sex it up a little, throw in those breathy little pants and moans that I’m sure drive your lovers wild.”

Rachel glanced down at her script again, refocusing her efforts on stemming the tide of crimson washing over her cheeks. It was a loosing battle and one that only made her even more aware of the line of liquid heat building between her folds.

“I, uh. I’ll do my best.”

“I’m sure you will.” Cassie cut the intercom and tapped her sound guy on the shoulder. “How’s she doing?”

“I thought she was great but-“

“No, she is. But I want to see what she can do when she really pulls out the stops so don’t be afraid to push her. And when she’s done, I want to hear the track asap, got me.”

“Yes Ma’am.”

“And don’t call me Ma’am. What am I, your grandmother.”

“Fuck, I hope not.” The engineer muttered under his breath, painfully aware just how awkward that would make some of his private fantasies about her. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he clicked the intercom back on. “Whenever your ready, We’ll take it from the top.”

“Mmhmm.” Rachel still didn’t look up from her script, all too aware of the Blonde’s eyes still watching her.

“There’s my girl.”

“Sorry.” Rachel offered as she unwrapped the scarf from around her neck. While she was technically early for her recording session, she was late by her own standards and felt the need to apologize.

Cassie slipped an arm over Rachel’s shoulders as she led them towards the booth. “For what?” She stopped, both hands taking hold of Rachel by the shoulders as she turned the smaller woman to face her. “You’re not backing out on me, are you, Berry?”

“No. No. Nothing like that. I-“

“Good. Cassandra spun Rachel back around, her arm once more resting across the back of Rachel’s neck as they resumed walking towards the studio. “Got your lines memorized?”

“Yes.” Rachel bent her head as she started to pull her script from her purse and decided it was best not to mention how she’d kept the few pages of dialogue hidden under her mattress when she wasn’t committing her part to memory or how she’d blushed the first time she’d read the words she was moments from saying into a microphone.

“Good.” the blonde nodded, the hand not resting on Rachel’s shoulder waving off the script Rachel held up to support her claim. “And you’re going commando?”

“Ye-“ Rachel came to a halt,  Cassie half spun around by momentum, the other half completed to face the smaller woman. “Did you just ask me if I was-“

“Naked down under?” Cassandra grinned. “Yup.”

Rachel tilted her head every so slightly to one side, sure that she must have missed something in their conversation that led them to this topic. “I’m sorry.”

“You aren’t?” Cassie’s brow wrinkled. “Well don’t worry; take ‘em off and I’ll keep ‘em safe till you’re done.” She held out her hand expectantly.

She looked down at the hand and blinked. She had to be asleep and this had to be some weird dream induced by her lingering doubts over this job. Any moment now the subway train was going to pull to a stop and shake her awake and she’d be back in a world that made sense.

“Well?” Cassandra asked, an eyebrow arched in impatience and the fingers of her extended hand curling in a ‘come on’ gesture. “Lets see ‘em, Berry. Time is money and Sunday sessions aren’t cheap to start with.”

“I- I-“

“Look, we both know you’ve got the talent to pull this off but we both know that neither of us is gonna be happy with today’s session if you don’t put everything you’ve got into this, if you don’t nail every aspect of your character. So look me in the eye and tell me, is she the kind of girl that would balk at talking off her panties?”

Rachel blinked, swallowed, her eyes briefly flicking down to the older woman’s still outstretched hand before turning back up to meet the unflinching gaze aimed her way.

“No.”

“So…”

Rachel swallowed again as her eyes turned downward, this time lower than Cassandra’s hand. She swallowed a third time, half of her wanting to walk out, the other half ashamed at the mere thought of running way. She’d agreed to this job. Yes, this wasn’t something she’d expected when she had but she was a student of live theatre, where the unexpected could happen at any moment and the show still had to go on.

Was this really any different than when she’d bared her breasts during her run in Spring Awakenings? Yes, that was professional theatre and an integral part of the arc of her character but it was also several times a week in front of hundreds of total strangers.

This… this was a single pair of panties that only she and Cassie would ever know about in a secluded studio, a professional studio.

And Cassie did have a point. Her role, however basic and cliched it might be, wouldn’t shy away from something like this.

Hell, it was part of the script.

But still…

The hand rose, gently taking Rachel by the chin and tilting her head back until their eyes met. “Okay, how about this. You think about leaving your unmentionables at home for our next session and for this one, you change into a thong? Unless you’re wearing one already.”

Rachel shook her head, forcing herself to focus on Cassie’s face and not the gentle, strangely tender, pressure of the other woman’s fingertips against her skin.

“No to the thong, or no you’re not wearing one.”

“Not wearing.” Rachel said, little more than a whisper in the wake of bashfulness that swept over her. A bashfulness she hated herself for feeling.

“But you’ll wear one for me?”

Rachel tugged at her bottom lip with her teeth before giving a single, quick nod.

“Great.”

Rachel thought Cassie would have an intern run to the nearest clothing store and fetch a pair or maybe even hand her a spare pair that Cassie had in the office for some legitimate reason. What she didn’t expect was for the other woman to reach under her own skirt as she stood in the middle of the hallway and shimmy her hips until a red, silk lace thong slide down her long, sculpted legs to gather around her ankles.

Cassandra steadied herself with a hand on Rachel’s shoulder as she stepped out of the transparent scrap of material then bent to retrieve them, the hand that had been on Rachel’s shoulder brushing hair out of her face as she stood up.

“Your turn.”

Rachel looked down at the thong sitting in her employer’s open palm then up at Cassie’s face.

“I-“

“Your character would.” Cassie pressed her thong into Rachel’s hand and closed the younger woman’s fingers around it, “Or you can chicken out and duck into the bathroom. Second door on the left.” She pointed back they way they’d come.

Rachel swallowed as she looked down at her hand. Warm… they were so warm.

And so where her cheeks. Rachel gave her head a hard shake and — without looking up — reached under her skirt. It took a few seconds work for her own sensible white cotton boyshorts to appear below her hemline and a few more seconds to get them down to her ankles where she quickly stepped out of them and gathered them into a tight ball in her free hand.

Cassie’s hand appeared in front of her at waist height.

“Unless you want to take them into the booth with you?”

Strangely, it’s not the fear of being discovered that spurs Rachel into action, it’s the challenge in Cassie’s voice. She’s come this far, she’s not going to give the blonde the satisfaction of backing down now, this close to the finish line.

Her panties are dropped into Cassandra’s hand, Cassandra’s quickly disappearing under Rachel’s skirt. With a toss of her hair and a steadying breath, the brunette looks up into the hazel eyes watching her, the blonde making no attempt to hide the smile on her lips as she did.

“If we’re done here, I believe we have a track to record.”

Cassandra laughed, Rachel only mostly successful in stopping herself from jumping at the sudden burst of sound but if she noticed, Cassie doesn’t mention it. Instead she slips her arm around Rachel’s shoulders again.