The final crescendo of Lizt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 came crashing down and  I the celebrated 'Angelique' stood from the piano stool. The roar and the clapping of the audience deluged over me as I took an exhausted bow. Sweat streamed from every pore of my body as I strode off the stage despite the clamour for an encore.

As I went through the corridor to my dressing room, the impresario grabbed my arm as I passed by and told me to go out and give the audience more. The acclamations of the audience were still making the air vibrate around us..

"There's no more, Max," I said. "I am totally exhausted. These have been challenging days for me, and I just gave it my all."

"Just because that loser you were dating cheated on you with another woman? For that, you will let your fans down?"

"Max, you don't really care about me. All you want is another triumph for yourself. Also, your proposition to replace the 'loser' in my life is less than honourable, and it will never happen."

With that, I stormed into my dressing room and slammed the door shut. I dropped to the seat in front of the makeup table and laying my head down started to sob uncontrollably.

The loneliness of my situation overwhelmed me. It had been over two months and I still yearned for human contact.

The loser had not only cheated on me but delighted in humiliating me and had taken an extraordinary pleasure in causing me pain in our lovemaking. He had resented my successes as a pianist as he had never succeeded himself as a musician. He felt that demeaning her made him better than she was.

Initially, I had delighted in my submission to him as he brought me to sexual plateaus I had never reached with anyone else. All the previous men in my life had left me wanting more as they seemed to only consider me as a convenient receptacle available to them to achieve their own satisfaction.

That was over! I would never tolerate to be used that way again. In fact, I was disillusioned by all men for now.

My upbringing had been in a very religious Catholic family in France, and I would be ashamed to face my parents. They had never failed to remonstrate with me about the string of lovers I had entertained since leaving their home.

My sobs turned to a full flow of tears as I thought back on my life to date.

There was a soft rap on the door of the dressing room.

"Go away," I yelled.

I heard a key inserted in the lock and the door swung slowly open.

"Mlle. Angelique, let me assist you in removing your makeup and changing into your street clothes."

"Sarah, leave me alone. I just want to die. Nobody cares about me, and I don't care for anyone right now. I feel alone and unloved. Just go!"

"I can't do that, Miss. I have been your dresser, makeup artist and hairdresser for five years. I just can't leave you in this state," said Sarah moving to where she was standing behind me.

"Here take this tissue and blow your nose and I will go through our after show routine."

"Sarah, for five years you have called me Miss, or Miss Angelique can you relax enough with me to call me Angie?"

"If you wish Angie."

"It would make me feel better. I would feel less alone if you were a friend rather than an employee. You have always taken care of me through the years and shared in my triumphs and my failures. I just realized that you are a person I have always trusted to be here for me."

Sarah ran her fingers through Angie's blond hair and gently unwound the coils which she had so carefully arranged into a chignon scant hours before. Her fingers started kneading Angie's scalp and neck.

"That feels so good," Angie muttered, "don't stop. I am so tense and sore."

"That's not surprising considering the effort you put into the piece you played tonight as well as all you have been through the last few days."

"You listened to me play?"

"I always do. I have never failed to stand in the wings to listen."

"Really? I didn't know. Come to think of it after five years. I still know very little about you."

"I'm a very private person, Angie. You never pried into my life, and I was content just to be around you and your talent. To do my bit to make you shine."

"Tell me, do you have a man in your life?"

"No."

"Good for you, all men are rotten."

"Now that's not true. There are good men around. You, unfortunately, have seemed to pick up the ones who weren't."

"Well, that's true. I don't seem to have a great track record in that domain."

"So tell me why aren't you with one of those good men?"

"Hmm… I guess its truth time. Angie, I prefer women to men."

"Really! You're gay?" Angie blurted out.

"Yes, I am and very happily so."

"You have a regular girlfriend?"

"No not at this time. The last woman I was with moved back to Europe and I chose to stay here."

"Why?"

"I had you to take care of, and I did not wish to abandon you."

"But did you not love her?"

"I still do, however, I did not wish to stand in the way of the opportunity that came her way. Now stand up so I can help you remove your dress. Tell me, Angie, have you ever been with or interested in a woman?"

"Well, some touchy-feely stuff when I was at school. My parents found out and there was a horrible scene and then soon after I discovered men. Are your parents aware that you are gay?"

"Yes."

"They accept that?"

"My parents only wish for me to be happy and if I am, they are happy for me."

I stared at Sarah with bewildered eyes. To have had her around me for so long and yet I knew so little about her and who or what she was. I did not know even where she lived. She had the dress off me, and I was standing there in my bra panties and hose while I watched her choose a street dress for me.

It struck me for the first time that she was a stunning woman. Her elfin face was perfect with large lustrous green eyes and a perfectly shaped mouth. She was smaller than me, standing about five foot four or five while I was five eight in my stockinged feet. Small breasts and a lithe long-legged figure for her size cast her into an auburn Barbie Doll look alike.

My mind considered what it would be like to make love to her. When I realized my thoughts, my face turned crimson with shame.

"Angie, if you are doing nothing tonight would you accept to come over to my place and have a cup of tea?" She asked.

"I don't know, Sarah, I'm exhausted maybe I should just go home to bed."

"You know that if you do, wired the way you are right now you will agonize over yourself and how unfair life is. Come to my place. I live very near here and we can have a girls night where at least you will not dwell on your misery, and we can have a good chat."

"I don't know, Sarah…"

She smiled at me and said, "Are you worried that as an avowed lesbian I might attempt to seduce you? Know that I would love to; however, I do not seduce reluctant lesbian virgins or quasi virgins."

"No, of course not!" I lied. In fact, I had been thinking those exact thoughts and wondering what it would feel like to be with a woman sexually.

"Then it's settled. We’ll go to my place, put on some music, have tea and chat."

"Okay."

We walked out of the now deserted concert hall together. As we got to the sidewalk in front of the theatre, Max was standing with a group of people.

"Come join us, Angie. We are going out to the Ritz for a few drinks and some laughs. Come, it will do you a world of good."

"Could Sarah join us?"

"Angie she's just a dresser. She would not fit with the group."

I felt the bile rise in my throat at his words. Sarah stood there with downcast eyes. I wanted to leap at him and tear his eyes out. I controlled my rage and said, "You pompous ass. Sarah is worth ten of you. Not only won't I join you, but this is also the last time you will have me perform on any of your productions."

With that, I took Sarah's arm, and we marched down the sidewalk.

The contact with Sarah as we walked arm in arm was very comforting. I felt a human presence next to me for the first time in quite a while.

Sarah finally broke the silence, "Thank you for taking a stand for me against that miserable excuse for a man."

"Don't worry about it. Max is a miserable excuse not only for a man but for a human being. He has been trying to get into my pants since I ditched the loser. No great loss, my dear."

We wound our way down some quiet streets off the main thoroughfare till we arrived in front of a small brownstone house where Sarah stopped. "This is home," she said.

I looked up at an immaculately kept two story house with a small front yard. Sarah led me up the front stairs, opened the heavy oak door and showed me in.

"Welcome 'chez moi.' Come into the living room and make yourself at home."

I don't know what I had expected in the home of an avowed gay person. My perception may have been clouded by the apartment of a couple of gay men I had known. Their apartment had been so feminine it had been cloying. This was the antithesis.

An eclectic décor of well-chosen antiques and art deco knickknacks gave it a warmth that made it seem both elegant and homey. There were books strewn around on the coffee table and a huge fireplace occupied the far wall facing a love seat and was flanked by two matching armchairs on either side of the hearth.

Above the fireplace hung a large painting of a nude Sarah in all her glory. She looked delectable. I had a vision of being enfolded in her arms and against those fantastic breasts. I immediately chased the thought away with a feeling of shame.

"Sarah, this is beautiful. It looks so comfortable and lived in, by comparison, my apartment is a dump. An expensive dump at that. How can you afford this on what I pay you?"

"You pay me well, and I am fortunate enough to have inherited a modest fortune from my grandparents as my parents did not need the money. It's chilly tonight would you enjoy a fire in the fireplace?"

"That would be awesome," I replied.

"If I go and make us a cup of tea, could you handle that?"

"Sure. I was once both a brownie and a girl guide."

"I'll go and prepare tea."

The wood was already laid out, and it took an instant to start the kindling and get the fire going. I settled myself in the love seat and stared at the painting of Agnes over the fireplace.

I was perusing one of the art books on the coffee table and was starting to wonder where Sarah was when she came into the room clad in a long pale blue bathrobe that set off her long blonde hair to perfection.

"Sorry it took so long, but I decided to go change while the kettle was brewing. Do you take milk and sugar with your tea?"

"It depends on the tea."

"This is Jasmin tea."

"I'll drink that pure and unadulterated. I love Jasmin tea."

"May I make a suggestion, Angie? I have left another bathrobe in the bathroom at the top of the stairs. Why don't you shed those street clothes and wrap yourself up in it? It will help you get rid of your stress and feel more comfortable. Don't worry there's no one here but us girls tonight."

"You sure, Sarah. I would not want to impose."

"Don't be silly, it's no imposition."

As I walked up the stairs, my naughty side took over, and I contemplated what Sarah wore under the bathrobe. I discovered in myself a mischievous curiosity that I did not know I had about a woman's body. Indeed, in the past, I had fantasized about men and what they looked like naked, but this was different. I found my pussy turning moist and the level of horniness in me rising. This, I thought, was due to my prolonged abstinence from any sexual activity.

In the bathroom, I found the purple bathrobe. I was in a quandary as to which of my clothing to remove and finally said to hell with it, "Angie, take it all off." I ended up keeping my thigh highs and a pair of strappy sandals and covered myself demurely in the bathrobe.

As I walked down the stairs, I was conscious that each step parted the bathrobe, which was for a much smaller person than I was, exposing my leg up to my thigh. I blushed as I rejoined Sarah on the sofa.

We sat in front of the blazing fire, and she poured a cup of tea.

As I accepted, I asked her, "Sarah, have you ever been ashamed by your choice to be gay?"

"Ashamed? Never! I knew after my first heterosexual experience that it was not for me. I finally came to the realization that I much preferred the company of women. After my first encounter with another woman, I knew that was my path through life. I am inordinately proud to have chosen that path."

"Why?"

"It lets me be who I am, and I am proud to be that. It is not about being outside the norm. It's my norm. I know now who and what I am and don't care if the whole world knows."

We sat there in reflective silence as I absorbed what she had just said.

I wondered who I was. I was not ready to risk another encounter with a man. Suddenly I realized that my robe had parted as I sat and that Sarah's hand was gently stroking my thigh. I reflexively drew back when she said, looking into my eyes, "Angie, there's something I've wanted to do for ages." Her face approached mine, and our lips met.

The floodgates opened, and I returned the kiss gently at first. When her soft tongue tentatively touched mine, I discovered the passion of a kiss such as I had never experienced before in my life.

As if my hand had a mind of its own, it parted Sarah's robe, and I discovered her naked chest. Her small breast cupped into my hand, and I felt the nipple hardening in my palm. I toyed with it till it was hard and stiff. I leaned forward and suckled that tender morsel in my mouth, making Sarah moan with pleasure. 

Her hand slid between my thighs, and she gently slid her fingers on either side of my pussy lips as I felt the juices coating my inner pussy walls. A probing finger slid deep into me, and my moans were now pleas. I wanted to cum; however, Sarah bought me to the edge and then withdrew.

"Please… make me cum." I begged.

"Not yet silly girl. We have a full night ahead of us if you wish. I want to make sure that once you are sated, you will not be ashamed of what you've done."

"I don't know if I will or won't be. You have already made me feel like I never have before."

"Come with me," she said. You need to be completely relaxed. I am going to give you a bath and then a massage that will remove all the tension and make you forget your worries."

She took my hand and led me back upstairs through her bedroom and into the master bathroom.

Sarah turned on the lights and lowered the intensity so that we were standing in soft light. She slowly removed my stockings, sliding her hand, provocatively down my legs. Sarah dropped her clothes to the floor until she was standing in front of me in all her beauty. She was mouth-watering, and I yearned to touch her all over. As I reached out for her, she slapped my hand away and told me to behave as I would get my opportunity soon.

She filled the Jacuzzi tub with warm water and added scented foam. The smell of sandalwood wafted through the bathroom, and I found the effect decidedly erotic.

"Get in the tub," she ordered.

I stepped in and sat down. My body was covered up to my neck, and the nipples of my breasts peeked lewdly above the surface.

Sarah stepped into the tub and faced me. She took my foot and proceeded to soap it sensuously running her fingers between each toe then proceeded to do the other foot. My legs came next, and her hands glided along my thighs. I felt the tension leave my body as she deftly rubbed higher and higher while avoiding my pussy.

I slid forward and wrapped my legs against her and circled her body with my arms, drawing her into a passionate kiss. She held me there and soaped my back while our tits rubbed against each other. I could feel my pussy oozing juice as her hands wandered up and down my back from shoulders to cupping my little ass.

I squealed in surprise as her fingers found my rear hole and circled it. I had always avoided any contact there as I felt it a shameful act. When she parted my ass cheeks and slid a finger up my ass it felt so obscene; however, the intimacy thrilled me, and I relaxed and let her probe me deeply as she kissed me with passion.

"Oh, Sarah, that feels so good. You are the first to explore me there. I have never let anyone touch me that way."

"Good I am so glad you enjoy it. I think you have the most delectable little ass and I plan to ravish it."

I blushed at her words, wondering what the ravishing would be like.

"Don't be ashamed little one. Nothing we do is shameful or forbidden."

With that, she soaped her fingers and ministered to my pussy, cleaning it thoroughly and in depth.

"Come get out now and let me treat you to my patented massage technique."

She wrapped me in a large towel and led me to her bed, where she placed me face down.

After drying herself, she lowered the lights in the room, leaving two small spots that illuminated me on the bed. She took my legs and spread them wide. I felt my private parts totally exposed to her gaze.

I heard and felt her squeeze some liquid over the back of my legs and she started to work the oil into my feet and calves. Her touch was firm but gentle, and I felt each muscle relax under her touch.

I felt her fingers flutter up my inner thigh, and it sent tingles through my pussy as she approached, but she passed it and glided over my ass cheeks. She liberally doused them in oil and parted them trickling some of the warm oil down the crack of my ass.

"Salad dressing," she muttered.

"Salad dressing?"

My answer came as I felt her warm breath against my anal pucker, followed by her tongue licking the tender flesh.

My ass rose to meet her tongue as I lost all sense of shame at that intimate contact. I gasped as she spread me open, and I felt her tongue probe into me. The feeling was indescribable, and when her hand cupped my pussy, it was as an electric current shot through my whole body.

Her fingers found my clit and started rubbing it in rhythm with her tongue thrusting into me, and I exploded in an orgasm such as I had never had.

"Oh! So juicy," she giggled. "Now I want to sample the main course," she said, turning me over, so I was lying on my back.

I lifted my head and saw that my juices glistened in the low light. She bent my knees back and lowered her face between my thighs. Her tender, velvety tongue parted my pussy lips as she lapped all the juices she could coax out of me. Her nose was pressed against my clit, soon I was ready to have a second orgasm.

As I moaned, "Sarah, I'm going to cum," she took my clit between her lips and sucked on it till I literally squirted her with my orgasm that seemed to never want to stop.

She lowered my legs and climbed over my body, so our pussies and our tits were against each other. Her face was coated with my cream, and I tentatively licked it tasting myself for the first time.

"I hope you like how you taste. I simply adore it. You are yummy."

"Sarah, that was sublime. I can't wait to taste you."

"Well, I'm more than ready. Are you sure?"

"I think so."

"No shame?"

"No! Something that feels so good and right can't be shameful. Now lie down and teach me what you want me to do to you."

"Honey, go at your own pace, just do what is comfortable for you."

"Sarah, I want to make you feel as good as you made me feel. Now get on your tummy for me and spread those wonderful thighs."

I got behind her and lifted her foot. I kissed and licked it and finally took her long toes into my mouth, sucking on each one and running my tongue through all of them. She squealed with delight, and I did the second one before teasing her inner thigh with a light scratching motion that made her tremble.

Placing my hands on her voluptuous behind, I mauled and pinched her ass cheeks; this elicited moans as I ran my fingers through the crack and teased her tight puckered anus. I had decided to give as good as I got and lowered my face and proceeded to lick all around her rear hole while her body rose to meet my face. I let my tongue dip into her ass as she writhed all over the bed. She tasted clean and fresh.

My fingers started to play with her clean shaven mound, and for the first time, I was touching a woman's pussy. It was smooth as a baby's bottom.  My finger snaked into a hot moist opening until I found her G-spot and starting to rub it in a circular motion. The sounds Sarah was emitting indicated her approval and my fingers were coated with her fragrant juice. I kept at it while bringing my thumb to bear on her clit, which I felt rise to full erection. The moans and exclamations were all the encouragement I needed. Finally, with a loud keening, Sarah's orgasm deluged my hand. Her pussy was a veritable swamp.

I flipped her over and spread her long legs wide and started lapping at the cream that was oozing out like a starved kitten. She thrust her hips against my face and yelled at me, "Don't stop. Please don't stop baby that feels sooo… good."

She finally came with a gush of secretions, which I carefully cleaned to the last drop. When I was done, I faced her and cuddled her. She lay there in my arms with her head on my shoulder, recovering from her high while I toyed with her breast.

After a while, she lifted herself up on an elbow and looked down at me. "Your first time. So how do you feel?"

"Elated! This is what I always conceived making love to be. I have never felt those emotions with a man."

"No shame, no guilt?"

"None! I'm even proud of myself for having had the courage to overcome my hesitation."

"Well, that is what is meant by the phrase 'Gay Pride.’ It has nothing to do with being a part of a group though that is also important. It has to do with the acceptance of your sexual orientation.

Would you like to spend the night with me? Tomorrow we can talk and see where this is going. As for me, you're a keeper. I never want you to leave."

"Really!"

She smiled softly at my enthusiasm and kissed me.

I fell asleep in her arms thinking that I would like for this to continue, knowing I could take pride in our being a couple.