A Quartet of Pleasures – Four Steamy, Symphonic Shorts

Ruby and Jonathan’s contentious relationship was a longstanding Gold Quartet tradition. “I’m not that good of an actor,” said Jonathan. “I mean, it’s Ruby.”

“What the fuck does that mean?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “You don’t have to be like that about it.”

“I’m just saying, I don’t think of you that way.” As he said it, he glanced at Ethan, but she and Ethan didn’t have an exclusive relationship. Their occasional hookups were sensual fun, nothing more. Ethan actually looked amused.

“C’mon, Jonathan,” he said, winking at her. “Take one for the team.”

She and Jonathan pissed each other off a lot—a whole lot—but he was still one of her three best friends. If she could help establish a “Not Available” mindset in Jonathan’s dreamy-eyed fangirl, they’d all feel relieved. It would just take a little acting…

“All right,” Ruby said, turning toward Jonathan, making sure Jessa could see. She wrapped her arms around him and gazed into his eyes. “I’ll pretend to be your doting girlfriend tonight, but only so she’ll figure out you’re not interested in her. We can do that, right?”

“Ask Ethan,” he said under his breath, but he managed a smile as he stared down at her.

“Ethan doesn’t own me.” She gave him a sassy look. “Plus he’s a pervert. He’s probably getting off on watching me touch you.”

“Yep,” Ethan agreed.

“I’m having fun, too,” said Steve with a wink. “Ethan and I have always thought you two should fuck out your differences. You know, really go to town on each other. I guarantee Jonathan’s thought of it more than once.”

“Steve!” Ruby protested.

“I mean, you’re first and second violin. Everyone in the audience is thinking about you two getting it on, every show.”

“Yep,” Ethan agreed. He nudged Steve. “Come on. That girl isn’t going to buy that Ruby and Jonathan are in a hot and heavy relationship if we’re hanging around.”

“You’re both a couple of degenerates,” said Jonathan as they walked away.

“Do you think the audience really thinks about us sleeping together?” asked Ruby.

Jonathan shrugged. “Maybe, when we’re really in tune. You know, emotionally in tune, playing together.”

In tune. That was one way to define their relationship, after all the hours they’d spent playing music together. But hot and sexy? As he reached for her hand, she realized they’d never held hands before, not once. How weird.

“Okay, how do we do this?” She studied his fingers as he narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. He had a violinist’s fingers, calloused but strong.

“Maybe we could talk really close, like we’re sharing secrets,” he suggested.

“Good idea.” She gave him a sparkling smile, in hopes Jessa was watching. “What kind of secrets should we share?”

He twined his fingers with hers. “Dirty secrets, obviously. How old were you the first time you had sex?”

“Wow, you’re just going for it.” She laughed. “I was eighteen. Prom night. I know, it’s such a cliché. I was mostly worried about my dress getting jizzed on.”

“So classy, Ruby.”

She ignored his sardonic insult and fake-laughed again. “So, is she looking at us?”

“I think so.”

She let go of his hand and touched his face. “Your turn. How old were you the first time you had sex?”

“Sixteen,” he said. “With my violin teacher.”

“That is a fucking lie,” she practically shouted. “For real? That’s so perverted. Did she molest you?”

“Oh no, I wanted it.” He smiled, a raunchy, sexy smile that was so unlike the serious Jonathan she could only stare. “I was her whore for a couple of years,” he went on, “until I left for college. She was thirty years older than me, and she changed my whole fucking world.”

“Wow. Are you still in touch with this cradle robber?” She’d forgotten all about Jessa now, fascinated by this new, lurid side of Jonathan. “Did you love her?”

“I wouldn’t say I loved her. She fascinated me, though. She inspired me and taught me to play with passion. She was the first person to show me the connection between music and sex. And no, we’re not really in touch anymore. I see her now and again when I go home.”

“Wait. Back up.” Ruby held out a hand, then realized she should touch him for Jessa’s benefit, and stroked her palm across his chest. “Tell me more about this connection between music and sex.”

He gave her a strange look. “Don’t tell me you don’t connect the two.”

She opened her fingers against the front of his tuxedo shirt. A moment ago she’d been very aware of Jessa, of being watched, but now all she could really see and hear was him. “I connect music and sex…sometimes,” she said.

“I mean, you and Ethan….”

“What happened with me and Ethan was more about that wild BDSM wedding reception we played that day. I had a lot of questions, and he had rope in his luggage.”

“Are you two still sleeping together?”