A Quartet of Pleasures – Four Steamy, Symphonic Shorts

“I’m sure we should go to Berlin,” she said, and she meant it this time. “This is a huge opportunity for us. And it’s going to be fun, right? First class flight, sexy hotel—”

Jesus, she’d meant to say swanky hotel, not sexy hotel. The guys all gave her that look—the sexy look. They could bang in Berlin. She could sleep over with Ethan if she felt like artful rope and soulful fucking, or Jonathan if she wanted bondage and strict orders. She could bed down with Steve if she wanted fun, nasty, athletic, rough sex. Maybe she could sleep with a different guy every night while they were there.

Or…

Or what, Ruby? All of them together, at the same time, ganging up on you the way they do during rehearsal arguments sometimes?

Ruby had never said the word “ménage” out loud. Never asked for it, never hinted at it. What did you even call a ménage with more than three people? A gang bang? That wasn’t what she wanted. A ménage à quatre, because there would be four?

A ménage à quartet?

“We should go,” she said, glad the guys couldn’t hear the kinds of thoughts running through her head. “Don’t even think about my birthday getting cancelled or anything. Don’t even mention it again.”

“We can celebrate your birthday over there,” said Ethan. “We’ll be in Europe, in Berlin. There’s tons to do there.”

“Yeah, for sure,” said Steve. “We’ll plan something fun.”

Ménage à quartet, her unruly mind whispered.

“We can talk about this later,” said Jonathan, going into boss mode. “Ruby, thanks for your flexibility. If we’re in agreement that we’re headed to Berlin, then we need to dive into this concerto and start practicing the hell out of it. Let’s run through and see what we remember.”

Ruby lifted her violin and placed it beneath her chin, watching for Jonathan’s down bow. Thank God he was forcing her to focus on the music rather than the raunchy—and unrealistic—fantasies tumbling through her brain.

Like they’d even be able to share her. They were way too different for that.

“Earth to Ruby,” Jonathan said, lifting his bow after she made her second error in as many measures. “Should we start again?”

She nodded, squelching the urge to say “Yes, Sir” in front of the others. She bit her lip, steeled herself, and gave the Schoenberg piece on her music stand the attention it deserved.

2.

They only had a few weeks to get ready for the Berlin appearance, so they spent every day rehearsing. They perfected the third movement first, since the Allegretto grazioso was the hardest, then the fourth movement, since it was the most fun to play. After that, they worked on the two opening sections carefully and deliberately, with Jonathan monitoring every note.

By the time April rolled around, they were exhausted from all the preparations, but also eager to perform. Sometimes Ruby remembered her canceled Vegas trip and felt a fleeting pang of regret, but she didn’t say anything about it. The guys had promised her a special dinner the night of her birthday, since they had an early rehearsal, and since she was giving up so much.

She started packing early for Berlin to be sure she wouldn’t forget anything, and the night before their flight, she set three alarms because the car was coming at 4:40am. When Jonathan called up, she shouldered her violin backpack, grabbed her other bags, and headed for the stairs. He met her halfway up to help with her luggage. Before she could even greet him, he tilted her head back for a kiss. His lips caressed hers as he squeezed her in a quick, hard embrace.

“Berlin, baby,” he said when they parted. “Sure you have everything?”

How the hell was she supposed to remember that now? “I think so. I’ve been packing since last Monday.”

“Come on. The other guys are in the car.”

“The car” was a black Navigator limousine, large enough to hold the four of them and their instruments. She sat between Steve and Ethan and tried not to drowse, but the streets were empty and the ride was smooth and quiet. Soon she was resting her head against Steve’s shoulder, strains of the Schoenberg Concerto playing beneath the hum of the limo’s engine.

When they arrived at the airport, the bright lights pierced even the limo’s tinted windows. The four of them went into a familiar routine, wheeling their luggage and hard-sided instrument cases through the terminal to the service desk. Their bags were checked, but the instruments always flew in the cabin, so they had to go through security along with their Vatelots and Bergonzis, and Jonathan’s Rinaldi violin that he wouldn’t let anyone else touch.

Once on the plane, they sat together in the center of first class, with Steve’s cello taking up its own very expensive seat on the aisle. As people moved around them, scoping out her handsome quartet members, Ruby felt proud and happy to be flying to Berlin with them. She’d never been much into guys growing up, because she’d been so busy learning music and perfecting her technique, but if she’d known then the embarrassment of riches that awaited her, she wouldn’t have gotten so upset on those lonely nights.