I.

The studio had sent a sleek black Cadillac to take Ricky and Lucy to the premier at Radio City Music Hall. He was nervous. It was a big night. If the movie he had starred in wasn't a hit, it would be the end of his film career, he was sure. The reviews of the critics who'd seen it early were promising. But the proof would be in the dollars paid by the viewing public after tonight.

Clad in his tuxedo, he looked over at Lucy, who was looking out the window as the car approached the theater. At least if the movie was received poorly, he thought, the way she looked would be a distraction for the press. He smiled unconsciously at the sight of her flaming red curls, swept up by sparkling crystal combs. Her gown was the color of deep turquoise, strapless and long with an elegant slit that was lined with navy blue satin and showed a glimmer of the ivory skin of her thigh inside it.

As the car stopped in front of the theater, Ricky suddenly felt as though he were frozen. The plush red carpet that led inside was flanked by red velvet ropes and security agents who were holding back hundreds of people. He was shaken into reality when Lucy spoke. "Ricky, look at all those people! I had no idea!"

Ricky didn't have an opportunity to respond before his car door was opened by the driver. The muted sounds they had heard from inside the car were suddenly thrust into the full blown volume of shouts and cheers from the people outside. He looked at his wife one last time before he started out of the car, feeling nearly blinded by the bright white camera flashes that made popping noises as they went off in a flurry around him. He turned back to the car and held out his hand for Lucy, who was looking overwhelmed. "Come on, honey," he mouthed quietly with a gentle smile.

Lucy took his hand and climbed out of the car delicately, the flashes of the cameras renewing their frenzy as she stood beside him. She linked her arm into Ricky's as they started walking down the carpet, neither of them really believing what they were witnessing.

A reporter suddenly appeared in front of Ricky and started asking questions at a rapid pace. He answered graciously, flashing his best smile and praising the film, just as he'd been instructed by the studio's publicity machine of agents.

After a few minutes of interaction with the reporter amid the shouts of the fans around them, they were waved into the theater by more security agents. Behind them, the other stars of the movie were starting to make their way.

They were all guided up to a large balcony, furnished with plush velvet chairs and tall ice buckets which contained chilling champagne.

They sat, talking and laughing together as the public filled the theater below them. Everyone hushed as the lights began to lower and they were all plunged into darkness.

Ricky took Lucy's hand and leaned close to her ear. "Do you remember when we used to sit down there in the corner?"

Lucy smiled in the dark. "Yes," she whispered. "And now you're on the screen."

Ricky looked toward the screen, which brightly lit the theater as the movie began. He sighed as Lucy's hands moved to grip his arm and his hand fell softly to rest on her bare knee.

II.

Halfway through the movie, Ricky looked over at Lucy beside him. As much pride as he had in the film, he was growing weary of looking at himself. But Lucy never took her eyes from the screen, sometimes breaking into a smile and squeezing his arm. Feeling his eyes on her, she turned to face him and smiled. "Ricky Ricardo is dreamy," she said quietly.

Ricky chuckled. "Is he?"

Lucy nodded. "He's my favorite movie star."

Ricky looked back at the screen and drew in a breath. He hoped that America would agree with her.

III.

For an hour after the movie had ended, the stars and their spouses posed for photos and took interviews. Men from the studio who had flown into New York for the premier gave their hearty congratulations and slaps on the back before climbing into their limousines for the airport. It was straight back to Los Angeles for them, armed with the task of reporting to their bosses whether this film (and Ricky) was destined to be a hit.

An after-party was planned at the Waldorf-Astoria and the stars were eager to leave the theater for the festivities. As the theater emptied little by little, Ricky and Lucy lingered.

"Ricky? Do you want to go to the party?" Lucy touched his arm gently as he stood at the back of the theater, looking at the blank screen.

He turned to her. "Yes, darlin', we will."

Suddenly, they were dipped back into darkness as the house lights were turned off again. Lucy giggled. "Oh, honey, come on. They must think everyone has gone…"

She felt his hand grab for hers in the dark. "Not yet," he whispered. "Come on."

Ricky pulled her quietly into a corner of the theater, which, if it was possible, seemed even darker than the rest of the large empty room.

They sat next to each other, his arm resting around her shoulders as she rested her head against him. Lucy placed her hand on his leg. "You're a star now, Ricky. A real, honest to goodness movie star."

Ricky left a kiss on the top of her head. "Maybe to everybody else. But I'm the same guy who took you to the movies here fifteen years ago."

Lucy raised her head, unable to see him at all. "All those women outside the theater before! They all would want to be in here with you right now…"

She felt his other arm reach around her waist. "But they aren't here. You were here then and you're here now."

As though powered by magnets, their lips found each other and it took only a moment for Ricky to hungrily thrust his tongue into Lucy's mouth to tangle with hers. Her hand inched upward until her fingers were nestled into the thick black waves of his hair.

In the dark, Ricky's hands grazed the familiar swell of his wife's breasts, causing her to gasp quietly, breaking their kiss. "Ricky, won't they miss us at the party? And we're IN THE THEATER!"

Ricky laughed softly. "We'll make somethin' up…an' nobody's gonna know."

With that, he swiftly pulled her into his lap. His hands found the slit in her dress which had tantalized him all night, and he caressed the smooth thighs he found within. He pressed his lips gently against her neck as she sighed, losing all of her senses and straddling him the way she had wanted to all those years ago before they were married.

"Ricky…" she breathed into his ear as he pulled her closer. Her heart quickened when she felt him growing against her and she remembered how it had excited her so.

Ricky's hand slipped up Lucy's arm, caressed her bare shoulder and settled gently on her cheek. With his lips brushing hers, he whispered to her softly. "No importa cuantas peliculas que hago o cuantas personas estan fuera. Tu es ella que quiero en me brazo."

Kissing her again, his hand moved quickly to release his erection from the prison that his tuxedo pants had created. Lucy bit his lip gently when she felt him move the silky fabric to the side of her throbbing center, always surprised at how nimbly he was able to do such things.

She lowered herself onto him as he nibbled the skin of her neck, a small cry escaping her lips as he entered her for the first time, despite her best efforts to remain silent. She whimpered softly into his shoulder when his hand cupped her breast through the fabric of her gown.

Ricky pulled Lucy's face closer to his and took her lips in a purposeful kiss as he felt her reach her climax in his intense thrusts. His lips muffled her cry as he released into her forcefully and they parted when her quick, shallow breaths began to calm.

Lucy moved to sit beside him as she straightened her gown and he fastened his pants. She grabbed his arm when they heard a call from out in the lobby. "Mr. Ricardo? Are you here, sir?"

"Ricky, what do we do?" Lucy hissed, scared that they'd be caught.

"I don't know…" Ricky held his breath. The possibility of bad publicity was now very real if they were caught in a dark, empty theater even if it was with his own wife.

Lucy looked around in the dark frantically before her eyes fell on a very faint "exit" sign behind them. "Ricky, look," she whispered as they heard the man in the lobby call for him again. "An exit over there.."

"I see it, c'mon." Ricky clasped her hand and they made their way toward the exit. He pushed on the door, but it was very tightly closed.

"Is it locked?"

Ricky didn't answer her, instead giving one more hard push as it finally popped open into an alley alongside the theater.

They rushed out, laughing softly. "C'mon, we'll walk around to the front…"

Lucy linked her arm with his, smoothing the front of her gown as they walked out to the street, the sounds of traffic becoming clearer as they approached.

When they got to the sidewalk, they saw the studio's car sitting on the street in front of the theater. "The car, I forgot!" Ricky's eyes widened.

"He must've been waiting out here the whole time!" Lucy's hand flew over her mouth.

They reached the car just as the driver was wandering out of the theater. "Mr. Ricardo! I've been looking for you, you're late for the party at the Waldorf, sir…"

"I'm sorry, we forgot. We…." Ricky stammered.

"We went to the coffee shop around the corner. We always do when we go to the movies," Lucy jumped in.

"Yeah…yeah, always…" Ricky smiled.

The driver laughed, opening the car door for them. "You're going to have to start being careful about that, ma'am," he nodded at Lucy. "You're going to get caught by somebody now that your husband is a star!"