Page 16 of Entering Stronghold

“I do, however, reserve the right to mock you relentlessly in private.”

Adam sighed.

5

Adam

The lobby where the audience gathered after the show to greet the actors they knew was surprisingly full. Adam and Olivia hung around on the outskirts, in one of the nooks. He’d purposefully placed them near a trio he’d heard mention Angel’s name when he’d walked by them.

It was nice to know her real name, and interesting she’d used a version of it for Chained.

“That was... not what I expected,” Olivia said, looking rather thoughtful. She’d enjoyed the show as much as Adam had, it had been funny and surprisingly easy to follow, despite the dated language.

“Me either,” he admitted.

Partly because he’d expected the vivacious and confident Mistress Angela to be playing Lydia, the vivaciously confident and spoiled heroine. Until she’d appeared onstage, he’d assumed the Angel listed in the program had nothing to do with Mistress Angela. Instead, when she appeared, it was as Julia. A sweet, quiet, wistful Julia who did everything she could to please her love, Tommy, and when he was unable to give her what she needed, broke up with him in a quietly passionate and tearful monologue, setting him up to redeem himself and win her back. In fact, her character could almost have been called submissive.

“She was very good.”

He nodded, trying not to look like he was trying to overhear what the trio nearby was saying. The man was quiet while the two women chattered. Probably mother and daughter, they looked a lot alike, and they were talking about how well Angel had done with her part.

Then his attention was drawn, rather obviously away from Olivia, when the pretty brunette started jumping up and down yelling Angel’s name and waving. Instinctively he drew back a bit, wanting to observe without being seen himself. He almost didn’t notice Olivia as she coughed and hid a smile, subtly moving herself so it would look like they were talking but he could still look past her to where Angel and the brunette were colliding like two trucks.

She looked... very different. Most of her stage make-up was still on, but it was more and less than that. With her curls ruthlessly pulled back into a pony-tail they were obviously trying to escape, a few wisps hanging around her face, and a bright, open expression on her face she seemed somehow younger. More vulnerable. Or maybe that was the impression he was getting after seeing her play Julia... but Julia wasn’t Angela—Angel.

Bouncy. He’d noticed that at the club. Only now she was even bouncier, and she and her friend were talking a mile a minute while the older woman nodded and occasionally inserted a comment. The man stood off to the side looking slightly pained by the high rate and volume of the conversation, until Angel finally turned to him and gave him a hug. Not a romantic prospect, since as soon as she released him, he sidled closer to the unknown brunette and put his hand on her back.

Dressed in figure hugging jeans and a button-down shirt with a ruffle and a high collar with some kind of pin at the throat, she looked like some weird cross between historical and modern. But it was an interesting look. Not one that he’d seen before. It made him want to look at her longer, study her more.

Or that was the excuse he gave himself.

“Is she everything you remembered and more?”

He looked down to see Olivia’s grey eyes laughing up at him. They were more blue than grey right now which meant she was highly amused.

“I’m not sure,” he said honestly. Angel was different than he remembered, but this was a very different setting.

“Do I get to look now?”

Sighing, Adam obligingly moved so they circled each other naturally, allowing Olivia to peer around him without making it obvious they were staring. The redhead watched for a few moments, her face thoughtful.

A wry smile curved her lips. “They rather remind me of Jessica and Hilary.”

Adam had to smile at the observation.

“Do you think she’s submissive then?” He cleared his throat as Olivia laughed again, realizing how damned hopeful he’d sounded.

“I’m not going to be able to figure that out from watching her like this,” she said, shaking her head, grinning. “Man, you have got it bad, don’t you?”

He scowled. “She’s a mystery and I don’t like mysteries.”

“Oh, she’s answering her phone... I think she’s saying goodbye to them... oops she’s headed this way!”

Well of course she was, they were standing right on the way out. Adam’s back was to her but he could still swear he could feel her approach. And after a couple hours of watching her on stage he recognized her voice as she walked by him.

“Hey pretty-boy, give me another second to get outside... it’s crowded in here and I can’t hear a word you’re saying—no stop trying to talk to me!”

Then she was gone and past. He glanced over to watch her walk away. Even without the super high heels she had a nice little swing to her walk that did delightful things to her ass. The jeans cupped and hugged her body, emphasizing the bubble of her bottom in a way that made it hard for him to tear his eyes away, even knowing Olivia was watching and laughing at him again.

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