Title: Carnivorous Whisper (3/?) Authors: Diane and Chris (aka Anja Lapp and Ginger Snapp) Rating: NC-17 sexual situations Summary: A young woman enters a whole new world... Feedback: You'd better believe it!! There she was, completely still. Eyes shut, her naked body covered by Dero's leather jacket. When Dero came to tell me that his efforts to wake Nina had failed, I'd had to laugh. I remembered all the times in college that I'd had to wake her because she'd slept through her alarm again. She'd obviously never outgrown her deep sleeping problem. Even in her unconscious state, Nina's hands clutched tightly at the collar of Dero's jacket. She looked so content, so peaceful, I hated to wake her, but it was going on 4:00 am and the club would soon be closing. "Nina," I tapped her shoulder as I spoke. Nothing. Louder this time, I repeated, "Nina!" Still no movement. I decided a different tactic was needed and, knowing how ticklish Nina was, I gently pinched her above the knee as I spoke once more. "Nina, time to go!" Her eyes opened as her body jerked. She looked up at me, eyes still bleary from sleep, and smiled. "Where's Dero?" she asked, while her eyes combed the corners of the room. "He left, he tried to wake you but, well, y'know." She let out a chuckle at that, but I could tell she was upset by the fact that there'd been no good-bye. I didn't have to ask her - I knew what'd gone on. Even through the closed door, I had heard what was done. And as I saw her reaction to his disappearance, I knew he'd deflowered her. I smiled reassuringly at her as I said, "I'll wait in the other room while you get dressed." She nodded, a baffled look on her face, as she threw her head about trying to see where Dero had strewn her clothes. I closed the door behind me and made my way to Christoph. By the look on my face, he could tell that something was on my mind. "Everything OK?" he asked, as he looked up at me from one of the couches. I felt a warmth inside at his words - he was always so sincere with his concern. "Yeah, all is good - she's getting her stuff together." Part of me felt bad for Nina, she'd seemed so upset to awake and find Dero no longer there. I knew Dero wasn't a jackass, or I would never have brought them together. But she didn't know him at all, and I knew she was feeling as if he didn't want to be bothered with her, now that he'd had her. Just another 'wham, bam, thank you ma'am'. She'd always had a problem with her self-esteem which I'd personally never understood. She was a beautiful girl, and her natural blonde hair and long legs were always a favorite amongst the men. She just never chose to believe it. One thing I knew for certain - I didn't want her to feel bad about her actions. As I sat down, Christoph grasped my back with his arm and pulled me into him. I could feel his lips on my head as his hand stroked my hair. "It'll all work out, don't worry," he said. He'd read right through me. It seemed he was always able to tell what I was thinking. I guess you learn alot about someone after being together for a year. Nina emerged from the other room and she still seemed to be in a complete fog. The main room was empty except for myself and Christoph. We stood and said our good-byes. "I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered, as he pressed me into his chest. His lips met mine in a tender, remarkably chaste kiss. Didn't matter - his kisses still sent shivers down my spine. As he backed away, he held my hand in his and repeated, "Till tomorrow." I nodded as he slowly let my hand drop. I turned to Nina. "You got everything?" I asked as I approached where she stood. "I think so," she replied. "Who's is this?" She lifted up the leather jacket that had draped her minutes before. "It's Dero's. He didn't want to leave you lying naked in the room," I replied. Her face suddenly seemed to light up. I put my arm around her as I led her out to the car. "So, did you enjoy yourself last night?" I asked, an impish grin on my face as we settled into the car. She blushed and smiled. "Oh, yes, I think you could say that..." "Really? Hmm, so what did you two get up to in there?" The look of shock on her face almost made me laugh out loud. "Eva! That's none of your business!!" she said, finally laughing herself. "Oh come on, since when has anything been a secret between us?" I snorted. "You've always known all about my escapades, it's only fair!" "Well, you know that stress I've been complaining about?" I nodded. "Let's just say that Dero went a long way towards relieving it." She seemed embarrassed to be talking about it, but I could tell that a part of her also wanted to share the newness of her experience. "And about damn time, too!" I laughed, slapping her on the back. She giggled and, since I wanted to give her time to sort things out in her head, we moved on to safer topics. The long drive went by quickly and, before I knew it, we were pulling into the street in front of my apartment building. Leading the way to my door on the second level, I showed Nina inside and to the room she'd be using during her stay. Exhausted and still slightly drunk, we said our goodnights and quietly went to bed. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ The alarm blared next to me and I was tempted to hit the snooze, but just barely remembered in time that Nina had wanted to get in some shopping today. In her ranting last night, she'd mentioned getting some new clothes. Since I was also in need of something new, myself, we'd made plans to head to the local Marketplatz. I made my way to the kitchen to find Nina already awake. She was sitting at the small kitchen table, drinking some coffee. "Good morning," I mumbled, as I glanced over to see her holding her hand to her brow. "You feeling OK?" "Yeah, just a bit hungover, that's all." "You want some Tylenol?" "I already took something. Thanks, though," she said. I stumbled over to the pot of coffee and poured myself a cup. Once I'd put the cream back in the fridge, I joined her at the table. "You have any idea what kind of store you want to go to today?" "None," she responded. "I need to get a couple of new outfits." "What kind of outfits you looking for - casual or dress?" "More casual, I guess. I didn't bring much with me since I never get the chance to actually be casual," she laughed. "Good, then you can buy something for tonight." "Tonight?" she asked, confused. "Yeah, we've been invited to band practice," I explained, with a slow smile. "Oh my God, band practice? Who invited us? Christoph or Dero?" "Both, of course," I laughed at the flummoxed expression on her face. "How am I going to face him? What will I say? What will I wear? Oh God!" she panicked. "Don't worry about it - everything'll go fine. Just be yourself and, as for the dress? We'll find you something!" ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ The water felt so good hitting my back. The shower was more than cleansing - it brought me to life. I'd drank a bit more than I normally did last night and I was having difficulty keeping my eyes open. I could hear the hairdryer in the other room as I moved the bar of soap across my stomach. I was relieved to see Nina's spirits rise after her initial response to me last night. Now if she could only let go of her hangups, everything would be fine. It was just Dero, the same kid that used to dunk me in the pool at least once every summer while growing up. His younger sister, Liesl, and I had become close when they'd moved in down the street from my family, about 20 years ago, and I'd watched him grow up. I'd seen him at every stage of his life and the fact that Nina was so taken by him kind of freaked me out. Then again, I'd felt the same when Dero'd introduced me to Christoph. As I toweled myself off, I heard Nina singing slightly off-key, along with her tape of Dero. I couldn't help but laugh. I quickly covered my mouth with my hand, for fear that it would echo through the bathroom walls and embarrass her. Before leaving the bathroom, I made as much noise as possible so that she'd know I was coming out and have time to stop her impromptu vocal performance. As it so happened, I entered the room only to find her still singing. "Have you decided which stores you're gonna take me to today?" she asked, glancing up. "Yup, I've got a few in mind," I said. Once I was dressed, we were off on our adventure. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ After the shopping, and our quick dinner, we found ourselves back at my apartment, to place ourselves within our new images. I was inspired by Nina and her newfound need for something different. Since I had talked her into buying the clothes she did, I felt obligated to do the same and wound up buying a black lycra dress that clung to every curve of my body. As I was putting it on, I confirmed that it did, indeed, leave nothing to the imagination - not even my nipple piercing. When Nina came out of the bathroom, I couldn't believe my eyes. The quiet accountant was now dressed to kill and Dero would fall victim. The leather hip hugger pants adhered to her long legs as if they'd been painted on. "Help?" she asked as she turned around to show the untied strings of the burgundy halter top that I'd insisted she buy to show off the tattoo on her lower back. I proceeded to tie the two knots needed to keep the shirt on. She turned back to face me, with a devilish grin on her face. "Wow, look at you! Christoph will definitely feel feverish tonight," she laughed. "And Dero's mouth will drop when he sees you," I shot back at her. As I sat down to tie my boots, I couldn't help but catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I looked so exposed. I wasn't used to seeing myself this way. I'd always been the jeans and T-shirt type - I'd never tried the glamorous approach. I'd always been happy with the way I was, and never felt the need to impress anyone. Nina was right when she'd said I was going to effect Christoph. He wasn't going to believe it when he saw me. Since I couldn't get away with the tight dress showing every imprint under it, my underwear was one of the things I'd had to sacrifice in order to pull it off. Nina stared at me in awe when I arose from my bed. "What?" I asked. "Nothing. I'm just shocked to see you joining me in this escapade, that's all." "You sure my nipple ring isn't too much?" "No, not at all - it'll drive him mad." I believed her. She was a dear friend that could say anything to me. "How's the hair?" she asked nervously. "Looks great. You ready?" I asked and, after a deep drawn breath, she nodded. We made our way down the stairs to the driveway. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ There were alot of cars in the studio parking lot, some of which I didn't recognize. Christoph's late model BMW was closest to the entrance and Dero's Opel was parked next to it. They'd obviously gotten there early. I parked close to the gates leading to the street. With the interior light on and the mirrors drawn, we did a last minute touch up. I hadn't worn dark lipstick in quite some time and it seemed like too much, but Nina assured me it complemented my look. We both stepped out of the car and walked along the gravel lot to the entrance. I could see Sascha, the studio's owner, sitting at the desk. He waved as he buzzed us in. "They're waiting for you... Studio 3," he said, as he gave us the once over. "Thanks," I said, smiling. As we walked down the hallway, I could actually feel butterflies in my stomach. I was quite nervous to see Christoph's reaction. I pushed the button outside of Studio 3 which sent the light flashing. Richard, one of the sound guys, opened the door for us. As we entered, the boys were in the middle of one of my favorites, "Deine Maske". Even though I'd heard it hundreds of times, I never got sick of it. Christoph had a way of playing with such a powerful, driving beat to this song - I found it quite sexual, a big turn on. Walking past the coat rack, I saw them - 5 women, 3 of whom I recognized, sitting there visually raping the band. The three I knew were allowed, they were girlfriends or friends of the other bandmembers. But the other two? I didn't care for the way they were gazing upon Christoph. Didn't like it at all. And I could tell that Nina didn't like any of them. We went further into the room, where we got our first direct sight of the boys. Christoph, with his eyes closed, beating out the rhythm that was driving me nuts. He was wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans, with the right knee worn out. Every time he brought his foot down on the bassdrum pedal, the white stitching would stretch so tightly over his knee, I'd swear it would tear open. Christoph opened his eyes and looked up, only to lay his eyes on me. He gazed in disbelief at the tight, revealing dress I wore, and I could hear his rhythm become more compelling. His eyes narrowed as he absorbed all of me. It was the same look he'd given me when we first met, and it made my legs weak. I felt a tug at my arm and turned to face Nina, who simply pointed to the couch with a questioning look. She was obviously unsettled by the other guests, and moved a little closer to me. As she inched over to where I was standing, she got her first sip of Dero. She stood there staring, frozen at the sight of him singing. He stared back at her in astonishment. I could tell he liked her 'naughty' look, and I had to stifle a giggle. As the song wound down, Christoph leaned into the microphone. "Hello girls," he waved. Dero grinned at Nina. The 'silence' sign flashed off, and a break was announced. Christoph fumbled over his drums as he made his way towards us. Dero went off to the cooler, where Rebecca and one of her friends cornered him. "Hey, babe," Christoph greeted me with a kiss and a grin. "Are you trying to torture me with that dress?" I laughed at the expression on his face. "No, I went shopping with Nina and she thought I looked good in it. So here I am." "Well, she certainly was right. Damn, I could attack you right now, in front of everyone," he said, as he placed his hands on my hips, his forehead resting on mine. His smile shot right through me, down to the very core of my being. I believed him when he said he could attack me at that moment, and I wouldn't have a problem with that. With my venture into the wilder side of me, I seemed to have awakened something within him. He'd always been willing, but never in front of a crowd. Hell, he had enough problems with my cat in the room. "Hello, Nina." He turned towards her and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for taking her shopping today." He glanced back at me, his eyes lingering over my body, and he smiled - like a little boy getting away with something he shouldn't have. Suddenly aware of Nina's silence, I turned to find her staring at the girls surrounding Dero. From her angle, she couldn't see his annoyed facial expression, as he sipped out of his glass. I knew that Nina thought he was blowing her off, avoiding her. Just as I leaned in to tell her about Rebecca, Christoph pulled me into him again. This time, twisting my fingers in his grasp behind my back. His tongue flicked out to lick at my lips, as I leaned my head upwards. He backed me up into the crevice in between the coatrack and the wall. He leaned his tall slender body into mine, while kissing my neck. His fingers encompassed my head, to gently slide through my hair, to my shoulders and arms. He pushed my arms together and pulled my body, as if he was trying to lift me up. His tongue traveled lower on my neck, until it invaded my dress. My nipples were becoming taut and I could feel the material of the dress stretch around them, exciting me more. His mouth circled over my sightly breasts, nipping at them through my dress, while his hands grabbed my supple buttocks and squeezed. His tight grip seemed to force out the warm fluid that rested in between my legs. "Christoph!" a familiar voice shouted into the microphone. "Your presence is requested behind the drums." He pulled away from me regretfully and looked deep into my eyes. "You just wait till later." He looked upon me for a long moment, with such demonic hunger, and then ran behind the drum set. With my legs still wobbly, I joined Nina on the couch. She seemed extremely agitated. "Who the hell is that girl?" she asked, glancing at Rebecca. "She's just a groupie that's been trying to get in Dero's pants - nothing to worry about." I felt my assurances go in one ear and out the other. She had yet to speak to Dero herself, and it was making her more uncomfortable by the minute. I was watching the boys discuss which song they'd do next, when I noticed Rebecca walking towards us. "Eva, why so dressed up?" she asked snottily. "No reason, just a change of pace," I answered coolly. I'd never cared for her - she was a very attractive girl, but extremely self-centered and willing to hurt anybody to get what she wanted. She turned towards Nina and extended her hand. "Hi, my name's Rebecca. And you are?" "Nina," was all she said, but I could tell she wanted to kill her. Regardless, she covered it up well and shook Rebecca's proffered hand. "You're a friend of Eva's, from New York, right?" "Yeah." With each answer, I could hear Nina's voice tightening with anger. "Oh it must be amazing to live in America, especially New York. I bet there are alot of men to choose from, in a large city like that!" "There certainly is," she responded curtly. Rebecca was testing Nina and I didn't like that. I knew Nina could sense the foe in this girl, but I still felt the need to nip it in the bud. "Rebecca, still unsuccessfully stalking Dero, I see. Well, I hope things work out for you," I said in a voice dripping with caustic sarcasm. She gave me a disgusted look and ,before storming off, turned back to Nina. She just had to get in the last word before she finally left. "May the best woman win." Once she was gone, Nina gave me a desperate look. "I need a drink," she stated. I pointed the table in the corner where Dero had previously been standing. There was a cooler of beer and a couple of bottles of wine. "Help yourself, courtesy of Sascha," I said in response. Sascha always kept the band happy. They used his studio regularly and he didn't want them to find a better one elsewhere. So, he let them run the place when they were there, and the boys were always grateful for that. "You want?" Nina said, standing up. "Yeah, I'll take a glass of white," I replied. She nodded and walked toward the table. I watched Rebecca's face fall, as she noticed Nina's exposed back. I knew she was panicking when she saw the tattoo - Dero was partial to them and now Rebecca had that working against her. I personally knew she didn't have a chance anyway and that the only reason she was ever invited in the first place was because Leo, the bass player, wanted to get some action from her. She thought it was because Dero was finally reaching out to her. I found it extremely satisfying to know the truth and how much he despised her. He often referred to her as 'the tart' when her name came up in conversation. She was perfect for Leo, though, both being whores. If she could just get over Dero and take Leo seriously, I'm sure she'd find her match. I couldn't help but glance towards Dero, to see his reaction as he watched Nina from behind, while she poured our drinks. I definitely got off on the fact that I'd been able to predict the mutual attraction and excitement they provoked from one another. He stood quiet for a moment, as his bottom lip seemed to have fallen open, parting them slightly. I knew he was distracted by the small of her back and the way her shoulder blades moved as she poured. She walked back with cups in both hands, extending a drink to me before she turned around to sit down. I watched her from the corner of my eye, as she lifted the cup to her mouth and took her first sip. I knew what she was thinking - she was hoping the red wine would calm her nerves. I could see her grasping the cup tightly while she waited for the alcohol to kick in. As the quiet signal lit up again, the room went completely silent. The absence of noise only made me concentrate harder on my wet inner thighs, that were now pressing against one another from having the two of us squeezed onto the couch. When I heard the introduction to the next song, I couldn't believe my ears - a song I hadn't heard them play in a very long while. I squashed the urge to giggle again by taking a drink of my own wine - I knew without a doubt that Nina had influenced this particular selection. So I turned to watch her as Dero's voice hit the microphone. "Why don't you touch me, why don't you move me My little darling, why don't you prove me" Nina had her cup raised to her lips again, but all the while her eyes remained fixed on Dero. "I'm gonna teach you, you're gonna take it My little toydoll, I'm gonna make it" I could see the wine moving down her throat, as she swallowed hard. When I moved my head back towards the band, I could almost see Dero's voice take shape as it left his mouth and physically impact Nina. I alone, of everyone else in the room, knew that he was, indeed, singing to her from across the room. And I knew that all her previous worries had been blown out the window - the woman was in heaven. Behind Dero, Christoph pounded furiously on the drums, while staring at me. When my eyes caught his, his lips curved upward and he let out a low chuckle. He'd become less of an 'adult' in my presence tonight and his sudden juvenile behavior was quite appealing to me. He was always the 'proper man' in public, and I could tell he had his friends confused with the radical departure from his usual manner. Something told me this was going to be a very strange night. The song continued, while Dero used his long, deep breaths as an instrument, almost inhaling the microphone into his mouth as his hands rested at its sides. Feeling the wine beginning to warm my blood, I ran a hand across my brow and down the line of my neck. A sudden crash came from behind Dero and everyone ceased playing. All eyes turned to the source of the noise and I saw that the high-hat cymbal had fallen over. Christoph waved his hand, fully accepting the blame. He bent over and picked up the cymbals, leaning over into the mic and saying, "Sorry, I've been having problems with this thing..." His face, though, as he looked directly into my eyes, told me the truth - there hadn't been any other 'trouble' before. I couldn't help but laugh out loud. He turned away and, with the help of Richard, he began assembling it again. After the short disturbance, they launched into "Breathtaker", another personal favorite of mine. It quickly came to a grinding halt, when the cymbals acted up again. This time, the foot pedal mechanism was jamming, and the cymbals weren't connecting - causing a horrible racket whenever Christoph hit them. Dero grabbed his cup and announced into the mic, "That'll be all folks." It was nice to see him able to joke, considering he was always so serious. Then, without warning, Leo grabbed the mic from him, adding, "This party'll resume back at my place." The other girls seemed to take great pleasure in the thought that the night wasn't over yet. I myself didn't want to go back to Leo's and I wasn't going to have any problems whatsoever in stating so to Christoph. Besides, I knew Nina wouldn't want to be stuck with Rebecca any longer than she had to. Robert and Leo began packing up their guitars, while Dero and Christoph appeared to be having a conference. "That's it?" Nina asked as she turned to me, obviously wanting more. "I guess so. It wouldn't be the first time practice ran short," I laughed. "Are we going -" I cut her off before she could even finish the question. "No." "What do you have planned?" she said, after a brief moment. "When dealing with these clowns, nothing is ever planned - it's more like whatever happens," I answered, stifling another giggle. Damn wine was going to my head... With that thought, I noticed Christoph walking towards me. He squatted at my feet, and grabbed my hands, looking up at me adoringly. "What do you wanna do? Go? Or hang out for a while?" I answered through my grin. "How 'bout we stay clear of Leo's and find something else to do." I looked into his eyes and then at Nina, to let him know that she agreed with me as well. He nodded back, a slow answering grin spreading across his face. "So we'll hang out here for a while and decide later." "That sounds good," I answered. He leaned over my knees and kissed me slowly. His tongue gently forced it's way past my lips, to run along my teeth, tasting me. I could feel the warmth between my thighs increase and I brought my hand up to entwine my fingers in his hair. He drew away finally, with a sigh. His blue eyes had darkened considerably, and I could read blatant desire in them. "I'm just going to help the others pack up," he said hoarsely. "Get them out quickly," I whispered, raising my eyebrows suggestively. He gave an answering laugh that was full of nothing else but anticipation and ran off to assist Leo in packing up his gear. As I shamelessly admired the rear view, I noticed Dero glancing at Nina as she turned to me. "Is he going to leave with the others?" she asked, trying not to sound as if it mattered too much to her. Over her shoulder, I could see Dero making his way towards us. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" I said as I motioned with my head to let her know he was approaching from her blindside. At that moment, I decided that I needed a refill of my wine and that now would be the perfect time to leave the two of them alone. As I walked towards the others standing around the cooler, my less than chaste thoughts of Christoph were rudely interrupted by Rebecca. "It's too bad you girls aren't joining us back at Leo's. You'll miss out." "Now, why will I miss out if I'm with Christoph?" I replied, as if speaking to a particularly dense child. "Oh I guess I'm wrong - it's Nina who'll be missing out," she stated, refusing to rise to the bait. "And why is that?" I asked, as I knew damn well she wouldn't leave until I'd let her speak her piece. "Cause Dero's going to Leo's," she announced victoriously, a satisfied smirk on her face. I glanced over my left shoulder to see Dero and Nina sitting on the couch. She was intently focused on what he was saying to her, and she didn't seem at all concerned or upset. What was he telling her, I wondered to myself. "Whatever," I said, unthreatened. I threw my hand up in Rebecca's direction, dismissing her as inconsequential, and walked back to the couch. By the time I reached it, Dero had disappeared - probably helping to pack up the equipment. "You OK, Nina?" I asked. She turned to me, confusion at my question plain on her face. "Yeah, why?" "You're OK with Dero going to Leo's?" I asked gently. "Dero going to Leo's? I don't know where you heard that - he just told me that the four of us were going to hang out here," she grinned. Now confused myself, and not about to wait around for someone to explain it to me, I excused myself. "I'm going to see how Christoph's doing with helping the others - I'll be right back." I moved out into the hallway and saw Dero standing there, talking to Leo. Approaching them quickly, I interrupted their conversation. "Dero, can I talk to you?" I motioned with my hand for him to step to the side with me, out of Leo's hearing. "What's up?" he asked, a puzzled look on his face when he saw my sour expression. "I heard from Rebecca that you're going to Leo's, and yet Nina thinks you're staying here. What the hell's going on?" He rolled his eyes at the mention of Rebecca's name. "Oh, that stupid little tart - I only told her that so she'd leave me the fuck alone. If I told her I was staying behind, she'd try to do the same, and we'd never be rid of her," he explained in an exasperated voice. Feeling my fears vanish in the face of such vehement dislike, I laughed out loud. My laughter caught in my throat, as I felt a hand slide leisurely down my spine. I turned to see Christoph behind me, waving goodnight to Robert with his other hand as Sascha let him out. He turned back to me and the look on his face made my stomach drop. "Only a few more left," he whispered into my ear, his warm moist breath making my knees literally quiver. He drew away with a devilish grin on his face that told me he was entirely too aware of the effect he'd had on me. "Yeah, let's get them all out - now," Dero added emphatically. Turning, he yelled, "Sascha!", as he walked towards the studio's owner. Sascha met him halfway down the hall and they bent their heads together in whispered conspiracy. Dero laughed out loud at something Sascha said and, slapping the man on the back, turned back to us. As he headed passed us into the main room, he gave Christoph and I an evil grin. I started to follow after him, but Christoph's hand on my back stopped me. It trailed up and down in featherlight strokes, each pass sending new waves of heat through my groin. He leaned in close, as he whispered into my ear, "Ich will dich, jetzt..." I want you, now... I felt my insides turn to rubble as if swept away by an avalanche of lust and desire. I grabbed his head between my hands, tangling my fingers in his hair and pulling him to me in a rough, passionate kiss. I was vaguely aware of Sascha coming down the hallway, whistling loudly to warn us of his approach. I released Christoph quickly, to avoid embarrassment, but the way he ran his tongue over his lips as he stared at me, made me blush harder. Sascha winked at us both as he started to speak in a loud stage voice. "Guys, I have to kick you out now - I'm having problems with the alarm system and I got a call from the security service requesting that I close the doors early tonight. Sorry!" Grumbling, everyone began moving out. I was still looking at Christoph in disbelief. "You are such a bad boy," I said to him in a low voice, as we went back into the room. His only response was to pinch the muscles at the back of my neck, before resting his hand in the small of my back. Walking suddenly became alot more difficult. Reentering, I noticed Dero off to one side, packing up his personal stuff. He looked up at me and smirked. Studiously ignoring him, I waited near the door as Christoph went to get his own things together. Finally, everyone made their way to the door, leaving only Christoph and Dero behind, and Sascha let us out. We began to walk to the car, desperately trying not to laugh, knowing that it was all just a facade for Rebecca's benefit. Before we even made it to the car, the others had already driven out the gates. As we watched the last set of taillights disappear into the darkness, we did an about face and headed back for the studio doors. Sascha was waiting there, and let us in, laughing. "Great story, Sascha - very convincing!" I said, patting him on the back. He swept into a low, mock bow at my words. "Why thank you, thank you. If you kids need anything else, just buzz me." "Thanks," I laughed. "Have a good time," he shot back over his shoulder as he disappeared into the front office. End of Chapter 3