The Once and Future Queen

The Once And Future Queen

by Ann Douglas

(ann_douglas@hotmail.com)

"Are you having a good time?" the young actress whose name escaped Jane at the moment asked.

"Oh I'm having a really wonderful time," Jane replied with a broad smile.

"I guess something like this is really old hat to you," the actress went on as she gestured to the large crowd that filled the even larger garden where the party was being held. "You must've attended hundreds of parties like this before. This is my first." she gushed.

Jane just continued to smile. Truth be told, this was the first party like this she had ever attended as well. Even in her heyday in Hollywood, she had never been invited to an A-List party. Especially not one in a setting like that around her.

The large twenty-six-room mansion on the seacoast had been built by one of the great actors of the nineteen twenties, one of those people who had practically created the movie industry. Its current owner and their host for the weekend, was one of the new boy wonders of Hollywood. With six blockbusters and two Academy Awards behind him, the studio just couldn't say no to him when he'd come to them with the idea for the project he was now celebrating the completion of.

"Mara, Queen of the Jungle" was a multi-million dollar remake of a early nineteen eighties television show that Jason Flynn had been fixated on since his teen years. A sort of female version of the classic Tarzan story, it had been the thirty-six year old's lifelong dream to remake it in his image and he was now in a position to do just that.

Back when the show had been on television, it had definitely been low budget. It lasted only a few seasons, despite achieving almost cult-like status, especially among teen-age boys and was soon consigned to what was expected to be the oblivion of cancellation.

But then, like a few other shows of the era, it went into syndication and became a greater hit than it had ever been when it was first run. Even today, the seventy-two episodes could be found running on one cable station or another.

So, with an abundance of old television shows being made into big budget films, the studio was willing to green light the project and make Jason happy. Even if the film was a bomb, they reasoned, enough ticket buyers would go to see it based on Flynn's reputation for them to at least break even. At worst, if the film tanked, it would take the maverick producer/director down a peg or two and make him easier to deal with.

But the studio bosses greatly underestimated Jason and the lengths he was willing to go to insure his dream picture would indeed be a hit. This was a film he'd been thinking about for half his life and he already had a long list of things to do and people to see to make that happen. At the top of that list had been Jane Parker, who had retired from the motion picture business over a decade before. As soon as he got the commitment from the studio, he sought out the former actress and offered her a role he created especially for her.

To anyone who had loved the show of course, and their numbers had been legion, his action was both predictable and made perfect sense. Jane Parker had been the original Mara. In the new version, the now forty-six year old would play an explorer who discovers the Jungle Girl and brings her back to civilization.

When first approached with the offer, Jane had been a little reluctant at first to take on the role. But she had agreed to see Jason later in the month when he was on the East Coast where she'd relocated. It had been years since she'd set foot in front of a camera and she liked the idea of her fans remembering her as she had been, not as she was now.

Having spent more than half of her life in Hollywood, where looks were everything, Jane was oftentimes much too critical of herself. The reality was, which others could see even if she couldn't, that a dozen or so extra pounds and a few age lines had done little to lessen her beauty. In fact, many people thought she was more attractive as a mature woman, standing out among her peers in a way she never did back when she was just one of a thousand pretty girls in a bikini making the rounds and looking for their big break.

After Queen of the Jungle went off the air, Jane had appeared in a number of roles in the years that followed. True, most had been B or made for television movies with few starring roles, but at least she'd been a working actress for most of her career, something few of her contemporaries could say.

When she made the decision to quit the business before it quit on her, she also made the decision not to capitalize on her one great role. Oh she would answer the occasional fan mail that managed to come her way, but she refused to appear at any of the science fiction and fantasy conventions that sent her invitations. She didn't want to become some old lady trying to remember her glory days.

It was only recently that some friends had finally convinced her to attend one of those gatherings and she was overwhelmed to finally realize that she had been the only one who saw herself that way. She hadn't even been a guest at the convention, but someone had recognized her and word quickly spread. In no time at all, close to a thousand fans had abandoned the stars of current shows on the ballroom dais to gather around her in an empty room and engage in an impromptu question and answer session.

So when Jason came to see her in person, he found her in a much more receptive mood than she might've been only a few weeks before. Still, she only accepted the role when she was sure it was going to be a real part, and not just some quick cameo that might wind up on the cutting room floor.

His proven talent aside, Jane found Jason to be pretty much an adult version of the geeky teenage boys who had drooled over her when the show was on the air. In their chats over a two day period, he'd even let it slip that he'd had his share of fantasies about her character while growing up and had gone so far as to buy one of her original costumes at an auction to put on display in his new house. Jane also got the impression that even though she was a decade his senior, the filmmaker would be overjoyed to live out some of those fantasies even now.

If that was the case, Jane thought, then Jason was going to be greatly disappointed. It was true, she'd slept with the executive producer to get the role of Mara in the first place, and in the later part of her career, a few blow jobs might've helped pave the way to an audition or two, but those days were far behind her. Not knowing the reason for the little smile on the corner of her mouth, Jason droned on about his plans for the new rendition of Mara. No longer really listening, Jane found herself remembering how she'd gotten involved in the original version.

The producers of the original Queen of the Jungle had been looking for a fresh new face for their Jungle Girl and invited the talent agencies to send around some of their unknowns to read for the part. Jane knew going in there that she had little more going for her than a few small guest star roles, a couple of commercials and a resume that held little more than a minor national beauty title and a 38-26-38 figure. The funny thing was that in the end, it all pretty much came down to her being able to fill the costume.

The problem was, Jane remembered, there was another, younger actress, Juliet Newman, also fit the costume. And, despite only being in Hollywood a few years, Juliet had nearly twice Jane's experience. If it had been up to the studio, Juliet would've won the leading role.

But the decision wasn't up to the studio, however, and Jane got a first hand lesson in how things were sometimes still done in the business, at least on this level. Rebecca Simon, who had spent the better part of two decades establishing herself as a power to be reckoned with, had signed on as executive producer as a favor to an old friend. After climbing her way to the top over every obstacle they could put in front of her, the fifty-nine year old felt entitled to the perks that came with it.

That Rebecca was as gay as they came was no secret, or the fact that the quickest way to a role in one of her productions was through her bed. Juliet, who despite having already done her share of auditioning on her back, including securing a top agent by letting him fuck her ass, inexplicably decided that such things were now beneath her. If they really wanted her for the part, and in her mind they'd be foolish not to, then it was going to be on her terms.

"Who does that fat old dyke think she is that I'm going to crawl down between her legs and get her off?" Juliet had been heard to say within earshot of several people who had been more than happy to repeat it for the producer.

Rebecca, who stood five foot one, weighed in at almost two hundred pounds and couldn't be described as attractive by even her closest friends, was understandably upset when she'd heard the comment. While the description might indeed be accurate, it had been a good many years since anyone had dared voice it. Especially not someone as, despite her high opinion of herself, easily replaceable as Juliet.

The chance for the role was quickly offered to Jane, who it turned out, had no problem with crawling into the older woman's bed. While it had been her first time with a woman, the twenty-two year old didn't view rumpling the sheets with Rebecca any differently than with a man under the same circumstances. Looking back even now, Jane remembered the orgasm the very talented woman had given her as being quite memorable indeed.

The experience hadn't been repeated, at least not with Rebecca, who it seemed had a distinct preference for Sapphic virgins, and Jane was on her way. It was such a small price to pay for the rewards that followed, she always thought. As for Juliet, it was only a few years ago that Jane learned from a friend that despite a later willingness to go that extra yard for a role, her career had pretty much never gone anywhere. She did however gain some fame as the mother of a rising young star who had his own hit TV show.

"Oh my goodness, isn't that Cynthia Thomas?" the young actress who Jane finally remembered was named Debbie Ford gushed as she spotted the legend on the other side of the buffet table. Her excited voice snapping Jane back to the present.

Jane looked in that direction and nodded that indeed it was. Now in her late sixties, the star of stage and screen was attended by a young man four decades her junior. May/December romances were hardly unusual in Hollywood with the women now catching up to the men. But unlike, say in the case of Kate Douglas who Jane had seen at the party earlier, Cynthia's companion was hardly the boy-toy of the week. As Jane understood it, the young man with Cynthia had been her inseparable companion for almost ten years.

Yes things certainly had changed in Hollywood since she'd left, Jane reminded herself. Two actresses, stars of a hit show about a group of friends in New York that had just gone off the air after a ten year run, had even shown up with each other as an escort, making little effort to discourage the suggestion that they were more than just friends.

There had been a few other stars that Jane recognized from her actress days, but few that remembered her. In most cases, that was understandable as she'd barely knew them then. But in one case at least, the lapse seemed intentional.

Barbara Seward was now an Academy Award winner and had her choice of film roles to pick from. Still, Jane found it hard to believe that she had so easily forgotten co-starring with her in The Lost Legion, one of those B movies that had been the staple of both their careers a decade and a half ago. Especially since the two of them shared a trailer and Jane knew first hand how Babs had worked her way through a number of the young students who had been hired as extras on the film.

Far away from the comforts of civilization, there hadn't been much else to do on those long desert nights but play cards, get drunk, or fuck. Jane had hardly been an angel out on location either, but at least she hadn't been running up a scorecard.

Unwilling to take her snub graciously, Jane again engaged Barbara in conversation, this time while she was surrounded by adoring fans. Using the excuse of introducing her to Debbie, Jane again reminded her of their prior collaboration, this time not accepting the brush off "you must be mistaken" comment that Barbara had given before.

A look of abject horror appeared on Barbara's face as Jane alluded to those late night entertainments and for a moment the Academy Award winner feared the details were about to follow. Then Jane laughed, said that those were fun times and then just took hold of Debbie and walked away. She'd made her point and was satisfied with that.

As she picked up another drink from a passing waiter, Jane wondered if Barbara's admirers would've found it shocking that the star used to enjoy, and perhaps still did, taking on teenage boys, sometimes two or three at a time.

After thinking about it a minute, Jane decided probably not. This was Hollywood after all, and as long as the money kept rolling in, little was shocking.

Ten minutes later, Jane noticed the crowd had begun to gravitate to the far end of the clearing where Jason was giving a familiar speech about the film and how it was a dream come true. Having heard it all before, and not being among the many who needed to stay on the boy wonder's good side in the hope of future roles, Jane decided to take the opportunity to explore the old mansion. She'd always been interested in Hollywood history and this old building held enough of it to totally fascinate her.

It wasn't like she was trespassing she told herself. After all, she and a few others on the film had been invited to spend the weekend. Jason himself had told her to look around when she had a chance and now seemed as good a time as any. Leaving Debbie to go and listen to the speech, Jane walked into the house through two large double patio doors.

-=-=-=-

Looking around the eighty-year-old mansion, Jane couldn't help but be impressed. People certainly had a lot more style back when it had been built, at least those who worked in Hollywood. Rather than just demand the biggest and best, the original owner had the house built to reflect his personality and, in an action that increased his standing in her eyes, Jason had sought to accent those original designs with his additions rather than obscure them. Too often newly rich stars had tried to show how much style they had by buying classic houses, then gutted them to the walls, to be rebuilt in their own plebeian image.

Walking from room to room, Jane found the little extras she expected a man like Jason to have. The audio-visual extravaganza with the latest in stereos and high definition television, complete with satellite hook-ups. The game room with a video arcade that looked more like mission control than anything you'd find in the best amusement parks. There was a full sized Olympic pool in the basement, put in by the original owner, which had also been restored to pristine condition.

Off to the side of the pool was what Jane knew was a party room of another type, complete with large plush sofas, a bar and adjustable lighting. Even today, the stories of those old time parties, one might even call them orgies, were legendary. Who exactly had taken part in them were secrets that for the most part had been carried to the grave. The whispered lists of suspects had included some of the biggest stars of the screen in the thirties right up to the nineteen fifties. Jane idly wondered if Jason used the room for the same thing or had merely restored it to its former glory as a homage to what once was.

Moving back to the higher floors, Jane found most of the rooms to be more conventional, most not much different than her own modest home except for their sheer number. She didn't feel envious or anything like that, she had long ago made peace with what her life had been and the third tier level of stardom she'd achieved.

She'd had her fun, sowed her wild oats as they say. A few affairs and one-night stands, plus a marriage that turned out to be a major mistake and had quickly ended in divorce. It hadn't taken long for her to find that Edgar Rice, who at first seemed every girl's dream, was more in love with the cards and horses than any woman. She really never fell in love until she was away from Hollywood and despite losing her second husband in a car accident two years ago, she wouldn't have traded their time together for an Oscar. Johnny had left her with a son, Clayton, who meant everything in the world to her.

Reaching the top floor, Jane discovered a large room that took up half the landing. Filled with oversized windows, she surmised that at one time it had been intended to be a solarium. Now it served as what Jason probably thought of as his own private museum. Scattered across the floor were dozens of glass cases filled with movie memorabilia. The movies and television shows the artifacts represented ranged from the well known to the obscure, many of them going back to the early days of film and TV.

"Oh my God!" Jane blurted out loud as she spotted a case at the far end of the room in a central place of honor. "He really did buy one of those damn costumes."

Moving over to the display to get a better look, Jane was captivated by an outfit she hadn't seen in twenty years. Made of a soft brown material designed to simulate lion fur, the costume, if you could really call it that, had less material than most of the bikinis of its time. The network censors had rejected the original and each succeeding version had literally grown inch by inch until they finally, if reluctantly gave their approval. As it was, there had been more than a few what they now called wardrobe malfunctions on the set, the films of which, Jane was thankful, were long ago destroyed. Today, pictures like that would most likely find their way onto the Internet within hours.

The costume was worn by a mannequin of which Jane had no doubt, probably had the same dimensions as she had back then. The features of the facsimile bore a certain resemblance to her, right down to the long red hair she had in her twenties. It was almost like looking through a reflection into the past, she thought as she walked around the case and compared the body she once had to the one she looked at in the mirror this morning.

"Still not too bad," she mused as she looked down her back at an ass that was only slightly bigger than the mannequin's. Despite their size, her boobs had held up pretty well too she told herself, making those daily workout sessions worth the while.

"I wonder if it would still fit," she contemplated as the temptation to find out just that filled her.

Thankfully that idea faded as she remembered how easily those outfits seemed to rip. So much so that they had to have four always on hand. All in all, seven were made during the series with three of them ruined beyond repair. It wouldn't do to damage what had undoubtedly cost Jason a large amount of money to whatever collector had previously owned it.

"I wonder which one this is?" Jane asked herself as she took a closer and longer look at it. The close examination answered her own question.

"I don't believe it," she said as she suddenly realized what set this version of the costume apart from any of the others. "It has to be," she went on, "I can see where I tore it and Julio had to sew it back together."

She wondered if Jason knew the history of this particular costume, but then again how could he? Only she, Julio, who was the wardrobe seamstress, and one other person knew how it had gotten torn. It was unlikely that either of them had told anyone else.

"I wonder how Jason would react if I told him that this was the costume that I wore the night I fucked `Big Bill' Watson in my dressing room," Jane grinned as she thought back to that night after a long day of shooting the second season finale.

Twenty years older and black as the night, the veteran actor had been a guest star on the episode. He had agreed to play the part of Chief Bokari of the hidden T'Lara tribe because his son by his third ex-wife was a big fan of the show.

It wasn't until he was out of costume that Jane really understood why people called him `Big Bill' and it wasn't because of his six foot two height. Previous to that night, Jane had never believed that myth about black men and size, but she quickly learned that even myths sometimes have a basis in truth. If he hadn't become a serious actor, Bill Watson could have given Johnny Holmes a run for his money in the porn industry.

The episode had turned out to be one of the fan's favorites and hers as well, but understandably not for the same reason. The late night encounter had left her sore for the last two days of shooting and few members of the cast or crew weren't able to guess the reason why. Thankfully, no one ever said anything about it but there had been a number of playful smiles from both men and women on the set.

"Why don't you try it on?" a familiar voice unexpectedly said from behind Jane. "I bet it still fits."

Jane turned around quickly and found Dawn Russell, the twenty-three year old star of Mara, Queen of the Jungle, standing less than ten feet away. When she had first heard someone behind her, the older woman had been filled with a sudden dread that it had been Jason and he had taken her interest in her old costume as an indication that she might have changed her mind about making his fantasies come true.

"I don't think it would stand up to my trying it on," Jane said, a touch of relief in her voice that it hadn't been Jason, "I've put on a few pounds since then and it was fragile enough back in the day."

"Nonsense," Dawn said as she moved closer and took her own look at the costume in the case. "I'd bet that you still look better in that get up than I do in mine."

That sentiment made Jane think of something she'd noticed the first day on the set, at least the first day Dawn had appeared in the Mara costume. Despite the two-decade difference and the current easier going attitude about nudity, or at least semi-nudity, Dawn's version of the costume had twice as much material as her own had . There weren't going to be any costume malfunctions on this film.

Then again, Dawn was hardly an unknown actress getting her first big break as Jane had been. Since the age of ten, Dawn had practically grown up on television. First as one of the children on a family oriented sitcom, then as a teen as part of an ensemble cast on a musical variety show. Finally, as a nineteen year old with her own show that ended last year after a three year run.

In that time, Dawn had developed a reputation as being a sort of virginal all American princess. So much so that one columnist had gone so far as to label her a 90's version of Annette Funicello. Making a public declaration that you wouldn't have sex with a man until your wedding night had become the in thing to do among teen stars, and Dawn had been no exception. But what was exceptional was that in her case she actually seemed to mean it. Unlike her peers, no hint of scandal had ever been connected with her or her relationship with Ronnie Cunningham, the boy she'd met on that variety show and had dated on and off in the years since.

When Jane first learned that Dawn had been signed to star in the film, she wasn't sure how she was going to get along with the younger actress. For all she knew, the girl might even be one of those bible thumpers that look at anyone who has a little fun as being on the express elevator to hell.

So when Dawn showed up at a small, casual get-together that Jason arranged to acquaint the principals with each other, Jane almost burst out laughing when the new Mara walked up and introduced herself. It wasn't so much anything Dawn did or said as much as what she was wearing.

With long blonde haired tied in a ponytail and deeply tanned skin, Miss Goodness-And-Everything-Wholesome was decked out in low cut jeans and a light blue tank top that while not exactly see through, was form fitting enough to show that she wasn't wearing a bra and that it didn't have to be translucent to display exactly what it supposed to be covering. Additionally, the almost blouse bore the legend "Good girls are just bad girls who haven't been caught."

In no time at all, despite the difference in their ages, the two of them became friends. At least friends enough to have no problem working together. Despite her star status, Dawn never looked down at Jane, who many others looked at as a has been, if not a never was. Still, there was something in the way the younger actress looked at her at times that Jane could never quite put her finger on. But she finally decided it was only her imagination playing tricks on her.

"I was looking for Heather, have you seen her?" Dawn asked Jane as if to explain what she was doing here.

Heather Cox was one of the co-stars of the film. Three years older than Dawn, the dark skinned actress played Mara's best friend and the daughter of Chief Bokari. Having paid her dues in the soaps and a few guest shots on network shows, she had graduated to big screen after Jason had seen her in one of the latter roles. A chance that she had taken to heart and worked harder than any two people to give the best performance possible. She had also, Jane recalled, become close friends with Dawn, which was understandable seeing they were of the same age.

"I'm afraid I haven't seen her," Jane replied, "maybe she's listening to Jason's `I had a vision' speech."

"If that's the case then I feel sorry for her," Dawn laughed, "I've heard that one too many times."

"I guess attendance is sort of mandatory if you want to stay in his good graces," Jane replied in kind.

"Fortunately, you and I don't have that problem," Dawn pointed out. "In our cases, he needed us more then we needed him."

"That much is probably true," Jane agreed.

"So what do you think of the way the film turned out?" Dawn asked as she circled the display case containing the original Mara costume. "Do you think that the fans are going to accept me as Mara?"

"How could they not," Jane said. "You're a terrific actress."

"So were you. After all, you created the role."

"I don't see how you can compare the two versions," Jane said in surprise. "You're a real actress, I was just some beauty queen who got lucky. Would you believe the only reason I was even considered for the role was that I had the boobs to fit into the costume."

Dawn's face filled with a funny look and Jane thought for a moment that maybe she'd been offended by what she'd said. Or at least how she'd said it. Quickly, she offered an apology.

"I happen to think that you have great tits," Dawn countered unexpectedly, brushing aside the apology. "And at least they're real, unlike ninety percent of the other actresses in this town. I wish mine were half as nice as yours."

Jane was taken back by what Dawn said. First that she had said it in the first place, and then what she had said. Thinking back to that Annette Funicello analogy, the younger actress was hardly lacking in that department.

"Shocked that I referred to your breasts as tits?" Dawn laughed after Jane had been silent for a few seconds. "Don't be. In fact, I've been know to say things like fuck' and shit' when the mood arises, but not of course in the hearing of some nosy reporters or paparazzi. Don't believe all the PR bull that my agent puts out. I'm far from the angel that they sometimes like to portray me as."

"I never really thought all of that was true," Jane confessed, wondering not for the first time what was true and what wasn't.

"When you get to be the big star there are always people around you making sure you don't do anything to upset the apple cart," Dawn lamented, "or more accurately, the gravy train. God forbid I should do something that doesn't fit in with my `I'll wear virginal white on my wedding day' image. You know that scene in the movie where I take a shower in the waterfall?"

Jane nodded that she remembered.

"At first they insisted that I used a body double but I refused," she explained. "Then they made sure that I was only shot from the back and the camera image ended above the crack of my ass. Finally, because I turned around so that people could see that it was me and not some body double, those assholes went over every frame of the scene with a magnifying glass to make sure that there wasn't any part of my nipple showing. Is that fucked up or what?"

Jane had to agree it was. In a way, having only been a B movie actress at best didn't seem so bad after all. At least she never had anyone telling her what she could or couldn't do.

"I wish they had let me wear the same costume that you did," Dawn said as she changed the subject back to the display case. "What's the point of working out everyday to have a kickass body if you can't show it off."

Jane had to also agree with her there. Back when she wore the costume, she used to get an almost perverse pleasure knowing everyone was looking at her in it when she walked across the set.

"You think that the boy wonder sits in here and imagines you wearing that costume?" Dawn asked.

"I think it's a pretty strong possibility," Jane offered as she recalled his mentioning of the fantasies he'd had about Mara.

"I bet you he sits here and jerks off while he looks at it," Dawn unexpectedly added.

"That's not an image that I think I want to entertain," the older actress laughed, thinking at the same time that it was probably true.

"Well I guess you can't blame him, he really is just a little kid who never grew up, most of the really good directors are," Dawn pointed out, "and after all, you and that costume got a lot of boys through puberty."

"I guess so," Jane said, not wanting to really admit that having millions of teenage fans over the years jerk off to her image had been a secret turn-on.

"But you know, it wasn't only the boys who had fantasies about you," Dawn said as she moved even closer to Jane.

"Excuse me," Jane said, sure that she'd heard Dawn wrong.

"You know, I really wasn't all that interested in making this movie until Jason told me that you'd agreed to do it as well," Dawn went on as she moved close enough to reach out and run her fingers down Jane's arm. "If he was your biggest fan, then I think I might've been a close second, or at least in the top ten."

"I'm not sure exactly how I should respond to that," Jane replied, trying hard to ignore the tactile sensation of Dawn's fingers against her skin and doing a lousy job of it.

"Well I hope one of the options going through your mind isn't running from the room in disgust," Dawn said as she reached out with her other hand, a sense of vulnerability in her voice.

"That," Jane answered after taking a deep breath, " could never be a consideration, much less an option."

"Good," Dawn smiled as she leaned in closer to Jane, "I was a little worried for a moment that you might not be interested. This isn't a side of myself that I open up to many people."

"It's just that it's been so long since I..." Jane said as her thoughts flashed back over a decade to the last time she'd been this close to another woman, "and I'm so much older than you."

"Does that really make a difference?" the blonde haired girl said, cutting her off.

"No, I guess it doesn't make any difference at all," Jane smiled.

Dawn closed the last few inches between them, her lips brushing against Jane's. When they made contact a second time, the kiss was as soft and sweet as any Jane could remember. A third and fourth were even more desirable as Dawn brought her hands behind Jane's head and pulled them even closer together. Their bodies pressed against each other, their nipples growing hard. Jane felt a long absent wave of wetness between her legs, one that, based on her own reaction, was mirrored in her younger counterpart.

It almost seemed like a dream, as if it was happening to someone else and Jane was just an observer. When Dawn suggested that they take it to her bedroom where they could have some privacy, the older redhead heard a voice that sounded just like hers saying yes.

-=-=-=-

"What the hell am I doing?" Jane asked herself as she followed Dawn down the narrow wrought iron circular staircase to the floor below where both of their guest rooms were.

It had been well over ten years since she'd been with another woman, much less one practically half her age. In fact, she hadn't even been with another man since Johnny died. It was one thing to reminisce about the naughty old days, she told herself, it was quite another to relive them. Yet, only a few short minutes before, she had been playing tonsil hockey with the young woman in front of her and without any hesitation, had agreed to go back to her room.

"I'm a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the PTA for Christ's sake," Jane thought as Dawn looked back at her and smiled warmly. "What would Clayton think if he could see his mother now?"

"I'd say go for it, Mom," the voice of her teenage son seemed to say in her mind. "Look at her, how could you even think of saying no?"

Clayton had indeed been quite taken with Dawn when he had flown out to the set with his grandmother during filming. Even before his father had died, mother and son had been as close as could be. They had few secrets from each other and he constantly urged her to go out and have some fun. That, both he and her mother-in-law insisted, is what Johnny would've wanted. If this was the sort of fun they envisioned was another matter.

"Well here we are," Dawn said as they reached the main guest bedroom down the hall from Jane's.

Dawn opened the door and stepped inside, turning on the light to her left. She took another step, then paused, realizing that Jane was still standing outside.

"Is something wrong?" Dawn asked as she saw the look of indecision on the older woman's face.

"No, nothing's wrong," Jane replied as her look turned to one of reassurance and she silently told herself she was being silly. She was, after all, a single woman free to be with whoever she wanted.

As she followed Dawn into the room and closed the door behind her, Jane could almost hear Clayton yelling out "all right!" Then she put any thoughts of him and the world outside far from her mind.

"I've been thinking about this since the first day I met you," Dawn said as she tossed her arms around Jane's neck and gently kissed her.

Jane returned the kiss, her tongue brushing against the younger actress's lips and any sense of hesitation began to slip behind her. A second kiss followed and this time Dawn opened her mouth to pull her inside.

"Would you like something to drink?" Dawn asked as they broke their embrace.

"No, I'm fine," Jane said, thinking of the number of drinks she'd had out in the garden.

"I was hoping that you would say yes," Dawn replied, a small look of disappointment on her face. "They make sure I don't drink at public functions because I tend to get very flirtatious when I do, and I hate to drink alone."

"In that case I'll have whatever you're having," Jane said, changing her mind.

"Great," Dawn grinned as she disappeared below a small cabinet that quickly revealed itself to be a refrigerated bar, "I think there's still a bottle of white left, yes here it is," she added as she came up with the chilled bottle of wine.

Pouring the two of them a glass, Dawn handed Jane one of them and raised her glass to make a toast.

"What shall we drink to?" she asked.

"How about the end of a great movie?" Jane suggested.

"Nah, there was more than enough of that outside," Dawn replied as she tried to think of something more appropriate. "How about we drink to beautiful women?"

"To beautiful women then," Jane agreed as she raised her own glass, "in whose company you certainly belong."

"No more than you do," Dawn offered as she took a large sip of her wine.

Jane followed suit but the expression on her face said that she didn't totally agree with the statement. Dawn took note of it at once and wasn't going to let it pass without comment.

"Do you know why women are so beautiful?" she asked after taking a second sip, "It's because they, like this wine, grow more attractive with time. Whereas men for the most part only grow older."

"So do you prefer a more vintage wine?" Jane asked out of curiosity as she took more of her drink.

"I wouldn't say it's a preference really," Dawn said as she finished her own and put in down, "as much as just an appreciation of all the variety different vintages might offer."

As she spoke, Dawn had brought her hands to the top button of her blouse and began to undo it and those beneath it. The expanse that had already provided an ample view of her not unimpressive chest grew ever wider as Jane found her eyes fixed on the sight.

Unlike many stars of her generation, Dawn had never appeared or been photographed nude. Her shower scene in "Mara" would be the most revealing that she'd ever done. Various tabloids and men's magazines had offered large sums for even a nipple slip or an embarrassing upskirt photo, but all anyone could ever come up with were the obvious fakes that circulated around the Internet. It was one of Dawn's little secrets that she collected all of those fakes and had even once doctored a photograph of herself with "fake tits" and posted it online. It was so obviously a fake that most people just laughed at it. Dawn had the biggest laugh of all because she'd used another photo of her own breasts to make the composite. So in a way, it really was a genuine nude of her but no one realized it.

Dawn's orange skirt followed her white blouse and her matching shoes a moment later. Standing in the center of the room in only a lacy bra that looked too fragile to contain the bust within and a even skimpier white thong, the actress turned to the right and then left to give Jane a full look at her body. It was a sight that half a million young and not so young fans would've given most anything to see.

A sight that grew even more spectacular as Dawn undid the clasp of her bra and slid it down her arms, letting it drop to the floor next to her other clothes. Jane felt no better than one of those teenage boys who used to ogle her, starring at the dark, erect nipples that capped the most beautiful breasts she had ever seen. And in two and a half decades in the business, she'd seen more sets of boobs than she could count.

"I take back what I said about you being beautiful," Jane said, "you're ... you're ... I can't even think of a word to describe how spectacular you are."

Dawn's only response to the praise was a small smile at the corner of her mouth. Instead, she sat on the edge of the large four-post bed and motioned for Jane to also get comfortable.

"I want to see you too," she offered, her voice containing almost the same sense of excitement that one of those teenage fans might've held.

Even having come to terms with the idea that she was still an attractive woman, Jane knew full well that she could never compare to the younger woman. Not even when she'd worn that costume in the trophy room upstairs. Then, after a few moments hesitation, she reached behind her and unzipped the flowered sundress she'd worn to the party. She hoped Dawn wouldn't be too disappointed.

It had been a long time since she'd stripped for someone else's pleasure and Jane knew she was going much too fast. Still, Dawn didn't seem to mind. In no time at all, Jane was down to just her panties, which was as far from Dawn's thong as you could get, having come from a local department store back home. Mimicking the younger actress's motions from before, Jane turned to each side to give Dawn a good look.

"I think if Jason ever saw you like this, he'd have a heart attack on the spot," Dawn smiled as she jumped off the bed and stepped over to Jane. "You ... are a goddess!"

Jane didn't believe that for a moment, but still it was nice to hear someone say something like that.

Dawn took Jane by the hand and started to lead her back to the bed. She took two steps and paused, turning back to the older woman.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, having felt the subtle tremble in her hand.

"A little I guess," Jane admitted, not wanting to admit how awed she was by the younger actress. "It had been a very long time since I've done anything like this."

"Would you rather we didn't?" Dawn asked, her tone saying that while she would've been disappointed she also would've understood.

"No, I'm just afraid that I might not remember how or ..." Jane started to say but was cut off by the press of Dawn's finger against her lips.

"You just relax and let me take care of everything," Dawn said as she guided Jane onto the bed. "If you want to stop at any time, just say so. If not, just enjoy it."

Sitting on the side of the bed, Dawn ran her hand along Jane's legs, rubbing the smooth skin to put her even more at ease. Her other hand took hold of Jane's, lifting it to her own breast and inviting the older woman to feel its softness.

A softness that instantly put to rest any of the rumors that had been circulating for years about Dawn having had a boob job. Jane ran her fingers across the supple flesh, playing with the thick nipple, squeezing it between her fingers.

Leaning in to kiss her, Dawn slipped her hand down between Jane's legs, lightly stroking the cloth-covered mound between them. Her tongue sought out Jane's, even as her fingers danced across her already moist panties.

After a few minutes of caressing and kissing, Jane felt a lot more comfortable. Shifting her body, she replaced the hand on Dawn's breast with her mouth, wasting no time in closing her lips around the areola and running her tongue against her nipple.

"Mmmm," Dawn purred, thinking that it might indeed have been some time since Jane had been with a woman but it certainly was all coming back to her.

Jane was thinking much the same thing as she savored the sweet flesh in her mouth. She had almost forgotten how exciting it could be with another woman, but it was indeed coming back to her with a vengeance. It wasn't that she hadn't had a satisfying sex life with Johnny, the man was practically a jungle savage in his own right in the bedroom. Sex with a woman was different, in a way that only those who had partaken in it could ever really understand.

Dawn was doubly pleased, both with the soothing waves of delight that Jane was sending through her as she moved from breast to breast, and with the fact that she had obviously put behind her the last of her hesitations. With that concern out of the way, she could now concentrate on having real fun.

She slipped her hand down past the waistband of Jane's panties and found the thick bush that covered her womanhood. Working her fingers through the tangle, she found the prize beneath and pressed first one, then two fingers deep inside the redhead.

"Ooooooo," Jane moaned into Dawn's breasts as she felt the tips of her fingers caress her sugar walls.

With her free hand, Dawn took hold of the back of Jane's head and pressed it deeper into the valley between her breasts. A soft patch of skin that Jane continued to cover with her kisses.

Then, with her fingers still inside Jane, Dawn rolled the larger woman onto her back and lowered her head level with the redhead's breasts. With a technique that showed she'd had more than her share of practice, Dawn brought Jane her own version of the delights she had given her.

Now fully aroused and just as eager to return as good as she got, Jane slipped her own hand into Dawn's thong and into her deep passage. Skillful fingers traveled a familiar, if abstract, path, sending cries of satisfaction spilling from Dawn's lips. Lips that were soon pressed again Jane's once more as her attention shifted from her wonderful mounds to her even more wonderful mouth.

The motions of their hands equaled that of their tongues, each darting in and out of the other. Passions burned hot as both women climbed the mountain to a much sought after summit. Their bodies rocked back and forth on the bed, sweat running down their backs and forming a thin film over the rest of their bodies. It quickly became raw, animalistic, and oh so much fun.

"I ... I ... " Jane stammered between kisses, and Dawn paused just long enough to agree.

It was hard to tell who reached the summit first, but each planted their flag with incendiary vigor. Their cries of orgasm were lost in the depths of each other's mouth even as the thunderous ripples of their dual climax ravaged their quaking forms.

-=-=-=-

"That, was totally awesome," Dawn said as she rolled onto her back and lay next to Jane.

"Yes, it was," Jane agreed as she tried to catch her breath.

"You don't regret what happened, do you?" Dawn asked, smiling at the look of bliss that filled her lover's face.

"Not at all," Jane smiled as well. "I really had forgotten how intense that could be."

"Tired?" Dawn asked, hopeful that she heard the answer she wanted to hear.

"I probably should be," Jane replied as she sat up in the bed, "but I'm not. In fact, I feel exhilarated."

"That's great, cause so do I," Dawn said excitedly as she also sat up.

It took a second for Jane to realize what she meant, then another to frame a reply.

"Are you sure we shouldn't get back to the party," Jane said hesitantly, "someone might be looking for us."

"Screw the party," Dawn laughed, "although I'd much rather fuck you. Besides, if I know Jason, he's probably still going on about how Mara has been his great dream and all those lemmings out there are too afraid to leave before he's done on the chance that he might see them go."

"I guess," Jane said noncommittally.

"Unless you'd rather we stop," Dawn said, shifting gears as she took the older woman's hesitation as a possible desire to do just that.

"No, I very much want to go on," Jane assured her, "I was just worried about you, that's all. If someone were to find out it could damage your career. I'd never want to be the cause of that."

"Honey, don't you ever worry about that," Dawn smiled reassuringly. "I'm not Angela Foster. The studios have too much invested in me with three other movies waiting to be released to let anything like this get out. Even if we did get caught, which we won't. Trust me."

A few years back, Angela Foster, star of the canceled and best-forgotten television show "Highway Patrol" had showed up at an awards dinner with a heavy set Hispanic woman. Who turned out to be, of all things, part of the actual California Highway Patrol. The story Angela was passing around was that she had brought her to the dinner as a thank you for some professional advice about her role. That hadn't held up too well when later in the evening, the two of them had been found in a state of undress in one of the restrooms. They had been locked in, at the time of their discovery, a very graphic display of Sapphic love.

"Besides, unless I was in here with some underage groupie, who's going to really care," Dawn added.

Jane didn't really agree with the younger woman's logic, since even if she was far from underage, this was exactly the kind of thing editors at the trashiest tabloids lived for. Still, her mention of underage groupies made her think of Barbara Seward and her past, and possible still current, proclivity in that area. If the studios kept that under wraps, would this be any different.

"I'm just being paranoid," Jane finally chided herself. "Here I am having the best time I've had in months and I'm looking for a way to ruin it."

"I guess I'm just being silly," she said out loud as she banished the worries from her mind.

"Silly can be fun at times too," Dawn beamed as she climbed on top of Jane, and kissed her deeply.

A second kiss followed and Dawn began to work her way down Jane's body, stopping at her inviting mounds and taking the time to suck at each of them for a few minutes. A pause that once more brought a broad smile to Jane's face. Then it was once more on to the prize as Dawn reached down and pulled off the older woman's panties, dropping them over the side of the bed.

"God, you have such a beautiful pussy," Dawn exclaimed as she spread Jane's legs wide to give herself a clearer view.

The thick red bush, only slightly tinged with age, fascinated the young blonde as she ran her fingers through it. She had never personally seen such a hairy mound and found it quite sexy. The area between her own legs was carefully trimmed, a necessity for some of the costumes she was sometimes called on to wear, to say nothing of the more daring swimsuits she favored.

Her fingers played with the still damp mound a little more as she leaned up and gave Jane's left breast once last kiss. Then she pulled the older woman's legs even wider, moving down between them as she did.

Parting the folds of Jane's sex with her outstretched hands, Jane pressed her mouth hard against it, kissing it softly. Her tongue pressed deep inside, savoring the still sweet aftertaste of Jane's earlier orgasm. The gentle touch of Dawn's tongue against her clit sent an erotic shiver through Jane, a teasing taste of the delights to come.

It didn't take long for that gentle caress to become a fierce thrust as Dawn explored every inch of Jane's womanhood. The soft ripples that lightly washed over her soon gave way to escalating tremors as the young starlet exhibited a not inconsiderable skill at cunnilingus.

"Oh yes," Jane moaned loudly as she arched back and lifted her legs even higher, her hands taking hold of her breasts and squeezing them hard. "Oh baby, yes, that feels so great!"

During her marriage, Jane's husband had been one of those men who loved to please a woman orally and spent a considerable amount of their lovemaking time doing just that. Still, with billows of joy washing over her with ever increasing force, Jane was reminded of the saying that only a woman really knew how to give another woman great head. It had been true that first time with the executive producer, and it was even truer now. In some ways, Dawn almost made Rebecca seem like an amateur.

Faster and faster her tongue moved, making contact with all the right spots. Simultaneously, Dawn used her fingers to their fullest advantage, nearly doubling the pleasures ravishing Jane. In much less time that it had taken before, she was once more on the teetering edge of an orgasm. An edge that Dawn sent her spiraling over as one last good thrust tripped the magic switch, rocking Jane's body with climactic ecstasy.

"Damn, that was even better than before," Jane said long minutes later as Dawn reached up and slid her hands under Jane's to playfully caress her hard nipples. "I can't remember the last time I came so hard." she added as she lifted her hands away from Dawn's and stroked the top of her head.

Using a gentle pressure to encourage her, Jane lifted Dawn from between her legs and brought her up far enough to kiss her repeatedly. The taste of her orgasm on the younger woman's lips was intoxicating, filling her with a desire for just one thing.

"I want to taste you," she whispered between kisses, "I want to fuck you with my tongue."

Nothing could've made Dawn happier than those words, the essence of a hundred night's fantasies when she'd been a teenager. Dawn and Jane reversed their positions of a few minutes before, this time with Jane between the blonde's legs.

With tiny clasps on the sides, it took little effort to remove the last barrier to Dawn's sex. Jane looked down with both appreciation and anticipation at a pussy almost totally bare save for a tiny wisp of blonde hair at the top. Then, without any hesitation, she dove right in.

The last time Jane had gone down on a woman, the woman beneath her had still been in grade school. But as with so many other things this afternoon, it all quickly came back to her. She'd never had the skill that Dawn had exhibited, but she did have an unbridled enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm that steadily, if slowly, lifted Dawn to a plateau of bliss that was more than pleasing. One that went on for almost a half hour as she drifted in and out of Elysium until finally, she once again reached the zenith and exploded with volcanic eruption.

Nectar, not lava erupted from this volcano and Jane was rewarded with an ambrosia she hadn't forgotten the sweetness of. Eagerly she drank every drop, savoring every morsel. It was her most exciting moment of a most exciting afternoon.

-=-=-=-

Now finally exhausted, Dawn and Jane spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping naked in each other's arms. Every once and a while, one of them would awaken to stroke and kiss the other, then fall back into the slumber of the contented. For all it mattered right now, the world beyond those walls might not have existed. But exist it did and it was only a matter of time before it intruded into the private world of the new lovers.

Jane had always been a light sleeper and as she woke, she was certain that they were no longer alone in the room. Shaking her companion awake, she whispered her concern. Never one of faint heart, Dawn jumped up, ready to face whoever might be there.

"Oh my, what do we have here," the short haired woman in a red tank top and white shorts laughed as she looked at the two naked women on the bed, "the once and future queen having a royal rendezvous?"

"Damn, Heather, you scared the hell out of me," Dawn said, the relief in her voice quite evident. "I thought for sure it was Jason come looking for us,"

"It almost was," the young actress laughed. "The party's been over for more than an hour and he was becoming quite concerned as to where you and his other guest of honor had gone. Luckily, I volunteered to go look for you."

Dawn's lack of concern over having been found in such a compromising position made Jane think that her co-star's lesbian tendencies were hardly a surprise to Heather. In fact, she had a sneaking suspicion that the friendship that had formed between the two actresses might have been a lot closer than anyone else suspected.

"I guess we should get cleaned up and dressed before he comes after you then," Dawn said as she shifted her attention from Heather back to Jane.

"Oh you don't have to worry about that," Heather grinned as she shifted position to get a better look at Jane in the bed. "He had a sudden emergency to attend to at the studio and said he won't be back until late tonight"

"Then there's no need for us to rush, is there?" Dawn pondered out loud, leaving Jane to wonder if she was speaking to her or Heather.

"None that I can see," Heather replied, giving Jane the answer to her question.

The two younger women shared a look between them, then both turned to Jane. The question was unspoken and didn't need to be. She could see it in both of their eyes.

Jane's answer was equally unspoken as the brightest of smiles filled the older woman's face and she nodded her head yes.

"Well then," Heather said as she took hold of the bottom of her tank top, "it seems that one of us is vastly overdressed."

A quick motion helped alleviate half of that problem as Heather unveiled a pair of dark rounded breasts easily the equal of the other two women. Then, just as quickly, the rest of her clothing followed.

Heather climbed onto the bed between the two women and softly kissed first Dawn, then Jane. Her hand brushed across the older woman's breasts, then down across her stomach, coming to rest between her legs. Dawn leaned over and put her own hands around the twenty-six year old, kissing her back while her fingers found the tips of her breasts.

"It's a shame," Jane laughed as the three of them effortlessly drew reach other into their menage a trois, "that Jason couldn't add this little performance into his film. I think we'd definitely be talking a best picture Oscar for sure."

"Oscar isn't the O word I'm thinking of right now," Dawn laughed as Heather tilted her head back over her shoulder and kissed her, "but I think you're right."

With that, they all devoted their energies in search of Dawn's O word, finding it several times in the hours to come.

END

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