Six months later...
"Paige!" Santana knocked heavily on the door that was just across the hallway from her own bedroom door. When Rachel had gotten her bonus for winning her Tony she had insisted that they get real walls in the loft. She had wanted to put it all in the vacation fund but Santana wouldn't let her. She had argued that it would mean Rachel paid for the vacation and Santana just kind of contributed what she could. Santana wanted it to be as even as possible so Rachel had decided to get real walls instead.
Even if Santana had argued that she should chip in too, Rachel wouldn't let her. It had turned into a fight but eventually Rachel had used the fact that it was her money and she could do whatever she wanted with it. Santana had given in only because fighting over money was the last thing she wanted to do. It was like the number one reason relationships ended and they just weren't that petty.
"I'm coming!" Paige called out loudly in response to the knocks at her door. When the knocking stopped, she smiled and looked back at the mirror. She wanted to look good that night. It was Rachel's last show and they were all going out to support her. There was even going to be a wrap party afterwards that they were all invited to.
"Hurry up!" Santana called to the door before turning and heading to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror and smirked at how hot she looked before she started to look through her scattered jewelry cup for some earrings to wear.
"Emily is meeting us there?" Paige called out as she left her room and headed toward where she kept her shoes near the door.
"Yeah. She is going to the theater straight from the airport." Santana clipped her earrings on then stepped back and looked herself over again. She looked good. Her hair was wavy, flowing down her back and shoulders, just the way Rachel liked it. She had gone for Rachel's favorite little black dress and matching heels. She had to look good that night. Since they had gone public with their relationship there was hardly a moment where they were out of the spotlight when then were out together. With the play wrapping that night there was going to be even more press than usual. She had hated it at first but now she was used to it.
"You ready?" Paige asked as she slipped on her own heels. When Santana walked out of the bathroom, Paige looked her over and she let out a soft laugh before pointing at herself "Okay one of us is going to have to change."
"Yeah, you are" Santana said with a nod, motioning to Paige and the small black dress she had put on for the occasion.
"Why me?" Paige's eyebrows knitted together in a frown as her arms folded tightly.
"I'm older" Santana shrugged. "I look better in black than you do" She motioned to Paige and laughed softly. "I don't know, because I said so. Just go change!"
Paige would argue but she knew she wouldn't win and they had to be at the theater soon. So she just rolled her eyes and let out a huff as she marched back to her room to find another dress.
Paige had been living in the loft with Rachel and Santana for just about a month now. Emily and Paige had kept their relationship when both had returned to their own colleges in the fall and after traveling back and forth between Ohio and New York both agreed it wasn't enough. So after talking to Rachel and Santana both, they decided that if they were still together by Thanksgiving that Emily would transfer to a school in New York and the two of them would move in with Rachel and Santana.
Rachel had been all for it. She thought it would be great to have her friend Paige nearby and she liked the idea of getting to know Emily better. Santana, of course, had fought the idea at first. She had actually liked the fact that she and Rachel had the place to themselves. But eventually Rachel and Emily had worn her down and, if she had to admit it now, she did like the idea of being close to Emily.
Emily had just finished moving in that day. Her parents had come from Ohio to bring the last of her things. That is why Emily had to run to the airport. She had to drop her parents off for their flight before she would make her way to see Rachel's show for the last time that night.
"How's this?" Paige stepped out of her room now in a suit. She had decided to forego the dress idea altogether and pulled out her old dress suit she had worn to a high school dance back in the day. She ran her hands over herself to smooth out a few creases then looked at Santana with a grin.
Santana glanced up from where she had been searching for her keys in her little clutch purse to look at Paige. She did a quick double take and when her eyes landed on the girl for a second time an eyebrow perked and a smile came to her lips "Not too shabby, McCullers."
Paige smiled shyly and moved to grab her phone off the table near the door. To get a genuine compliment from Santana Lopez was a gift and she wouldn't take it lightly "Thanks."
Santana looked the girl over once more before letting out a laugh and pulling at the loft door "Are you ready?"
"Let's roll" Paige said with a nod. She motioned for Santana to lead the way and soon they were headed out of the building and toward the car that Rachel had sent to pick them up.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
As the cast gathered on stage for their final curtain call, the crowd went wild. There were warm applause all around, a few yells and hollers, and a sudden shower of flowers. As the secondary actors took their bows then stepped back to let the main actors take their bows the applause just got louder. When Rachel stepped forward to the crowd to take her solo bow there was a roar from the crowd. There was no doubt that it had been Rachel Berry that had made this show what it had been.
Rachel stood on the stage, spotlight shining down on her, and hands to her heart. She was fighting off tears as the overwhelming love from the crowd poured onto her. This was what she had wanted from the time she was three years old. This had been her goal her entire life. This moment made every slushie in high school worth it. It made every tear she had cried in high school worth it. This moment made every hater worth it. This is what she had been meant for in her life and she would never forget it. She couldn't wait to get another chance to feel this moment again.
As the applause died and the actors finally disappeared before the curtains, the crowd all started to shuffle out of the theater. Paige, Emily, and Santana all just stayed seated. They were in no hurry to leave. They had to wait for Rachel. So they stayed seated and watched everyone else move out and on with their lives.
It was a while later when Santana pushed her way into Rachel's dressing room with the other two girls behind her. She smiled when she saw Rachel at her vanity and moved right over to her "You were amazing, baby. Even I cried tonight at the last song."
Rachel turned around and looked up at Santana and frowned. There were tears in her eyes and she gave her head a shake "I don't want this to end, San. Did you hear that ovation at the end?"
"It was incredible" Santana said with a frown as she leaned down in front of Rachel and slid her hands along her legs lightly. "But it wasn't your last one. You are a Tony winning actress. You already have offers coming at you. You will be back on that stage in no time."
Rachel just pouted out her bottom lip and lifted a hand to wipe at a stray tear "But it won't be the same. This is my first show and it was an original. What if every show I do from now on isn't as good?"
"Then they aren't as good" Santana said with a shrug. "But that doesn't mean they are bad. You got lucky with this show. It doesn't make something you do in the future less amazing. It just means this was special. Trust me, Rach, anything you do from here on out will undoubtedly be amazing because it will be you up on that stage each night. You aren't capable of doing anything any less than amazingly."
Rachel just kept pouting. She let out a sigh and turned back to face her mirror on her vanity. She used a wipe to start removing her stage makeup, her eyes still full of unshed tears. "What if I never get another show?"
Santana let out a huff of a laugh and stood back up. She shook her head and looked at the other girls behind her with a smirk before looking at Rachel through the mirror "Now you're just talking crazy. You already have an audition for when we get back from Sundance."
"Oh I forgot about that" Emily said with a wide smile. She had an arm around Paige and was leaning into her slightly. "When is that again?"
"Next week" Santana smiled almost shyly and tried to shrug as if it were no big deal.
"Are you excited? Your first film festival!" Emily bit her lip and fought the urge to squeak.
Santana just nodded and shrugged again "What I am excited about right now is this wrap party." She looked back at Rachel and offered her a loving smile "So hurry up so we can get our party on. You've worked hard, you deserve it."
Rachel just rolled her eyes but managed to smile. Santana was right, as always. She did have an audition. She would definitely get another part on Broadway. Most of all, she had earned the right to have a little fun. Between school and the play the last year she had barely had time to enjoy herself. She was going to enjoy her time off and let Santana take the spotlight.
She turned in her chair again as she started to brush through her hair. She looked up at the other girls and gave them a little smile "You all look very lovely tonight. Paige..." Rachel nodded and motioned to the girl "The suit is fantastic. You should wear them more often."
Paige blushed slightly and looked down at herself with a shrug "I don't have a lot of reason to dress up like this but I will keep that in mind."
"Speaking of" Santana said with a quick nod "You two have to pack at least one nice outfit for the premiere. It's not like a real red carpet like in Hollywood, but there will be a small one with photographers and interviewers and such so I want you two to look good since you will be my guests."
"We've got it covered" Emily said with a smile.
"Good" Santana nodded then looked back down at Rachel with a grin "Now hurry your ass up. I want to know what exactly happens at a wrap party!"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The wrap party was unlike anything these girls had really seen before. There were celebrities everywhere. There were reporters and cameras everywhere they turned. There was food and an open bar and people bursting out into random song. Okay, so it kind of looked like when the Glee club had a drunken party and pretended to interview each other but this was a lot more fun. Santana was having a blast. She imagined this was what it had been like after the Tony's and was glad she was getting the chance to experience this with Rachel.
"Take it easy, you two" Santana pointed at Paige and Emily who were just turning away from the bar with new drinks.
"Oh come on, we have a car to take us home. How many of these parties do you think we're going to get to go to?" Emily let out a laugh and took a sip of her drink.
Santana rolled her eyes and waved her hand to the side "Just don't make an ass of yourself. You have to remember that what you do now reflects on Rachel."
"We know" Paige said with a smile. "We won't do anything to embarrass her."
Just then, Rachel's co-star walked up and slid his arms around both Paige and Emily's shoulders "I heard you two love karaoke! You must sing with us!" He motioned to a tiny stage where a group of people were already cuing up music and grabbing microphones.
Paige laughed and agreed with a nod. Before Emily could argue she was being pulled in that direction. She glanced back at Santana with a look that was crying out for help but it was no good. As soon as they reached the group she was swallowed by arms as they all grabbed her and tried to convince her to sing a song.
Santana just laughed and turned away from her cousin's pleading eyes. She knew she would be alright. She glanced around and wondered where Rachel had been pulled off to. She had been in demand all night. From interviewers to cast mates to other celebrities wanting to praise her, Rachel had been completely occupied. It was fine. Santana wanted Rachel to enjoy every moment of this. She had earned it.
"Miss Lopez" A voice came from behind Santana and she turned around quickly to find the source. Behind her just a few feet away was a small, middle aged woman she didn't recognize. She perked an eyebrow and glanced around as if maybe that wasn't the source of the voice. But when the woman gave her a wave and a smile, she knew it had come from her.
"Yeah?" Santana asked curiously as she moved over to the woman carefully. She knew people knew her name now but that didn't mean she got a lot of attention whenever she wasn't near Rachel.
"My name is Misty Gunn and I am a reporter for 'Filmmaker'. It's a magazine about independent films. I was wondering if you have a moment to speak with me?"
Santana glanced around again before looking at the smaller girl. She eyed her carefully and after deciding she seemed pretty harmless, and legitimate considering she did have a press badge on, gave her a nod "Sure."
The woman smiled and motioned for Santana to move to a table nearby. She sat and pulled out a small voice recorder and notepad. She looked up at Santana who had yet to sit and nodded to the seat near her "I just have a few questions about your upcoming film. It won't take long, I promise."
Santana finally slid into the seat near the woman and set down her drink. She eyed her as she prepared her notepad and turned on her recorder. Santana arched an eyebrow at how official it all seemed. She wondered if the girl had come specifically for her or had just managed to get the chance to talk to her and decided to take it.
"So, first of all, I want to say thank you so much for sitting down with me. There is a lot of buzz around your movie. It is premiering next week at the Sundance Film Festival, right?"
Santana nodded and smiled widely "It is. We are all very excited for the world to see it."
"Have you seen it already?"
"I have" Santana slid her finger along the glass that held her drink. "I don't want to toot my own horn but it's pretty amazing."
The woman took a moment to take a note then looked back at Santana and smiled "Can you tease with anything? Anything you can say that will want to make people to go see it?"
"Let me just tell you this. This story has more twists than an order of curly fries. If you like mystery and you like gore, then this is the film for you. You might actually find yourself sleeping with the lights on after you see it, it's that good at finding that place inside us all where our deepest fears live and ripping the lid right off it."
The woman smiled and made another note before looking back up. She looked around now and motioned to the room they were in before looking at Santana "This is your first movie but it looks like you are already getting a taste of the celebrity lifestyle."
Santana let out a laugh at that and shook her head "This is my first party like this."
"But your name is out there and it's attached to the star of the play that closed tonight" Misty smiled and wrote something down "How does it feel to know that your name is already helping this movie gain steam?"
Santana frowned a little at the question "I know that a lot of people are proud to know their name is what is getting attention but that has nothing to do with this-" She motioned around them then looked back to the woman "I've known Rachel since high school. I would never use her name to make myself famous or whatever you're insinuating here."
"I would never insinuate that" Misty shook her head quickly. "Forgive me. I was simply asking how you felt knowing that you are the driving force behind the buzz of this movie. An unknown actress has never helped bring a movie to light like you have."
Santana frowned and looked around herself. She really wished Rachel would come save her. But alas she was nowhere to be seen. She sighed and looked back at the woman with a shrug "Look, I love Rachel and I knew going into a relationship with her that we would be in the public eye together. Did I for one moment think that using her notoriety would help this movie? Not once. But since it has, I am not going to say it's a bad thing. I want this movie to do well, I put my heart and soul into making it. So if my dating Rachel is helping, then so be it. But I will never use my relationship as a vehicle to gain attention."
"Of course not" Misty nodded and made another note. She reached out and turned off the voice recorder and frowned slightly "I am sorry to have upset you. I do want to thank you for the interview and I will most likely see you at Sundance."
"You didn't upset me" Santana mumbled as she stood with the woman as she gathered her stuff.
"Have a nice evening, Miss Lopez" Misty offered her hand out for a shake before quickly turning and rushing off.
Santana had started after her but was stopped by a hand on her arm. She turned her head to see who it was and instantly smiled when she saw Rachel beside her.
"What was that all about?" Rachel asked, looking a bit concerned at what she had just seen happen.
"She was a reporter for some independent film magazine" Santana said with a shrug. "I think I offended her or something because she suddenly rushed off." She stared in the direction of where the older lady had disappeared before looking back at Rachel with another shrug "Whatever. It doesn't matter."
"Do you think it's smart to offend someone interviewing you about your upcoming movie?" Rachel perked an eyebrow at that.
"It's fine. Doesn't even matter. What matters is tonight" Santana slid her arm around Rachel and turned with her until they were facing toward the party now. "Let's just have some fun. This is your night." She wasn't too worried. She was sure the story wouldn't even get printed because the interview had literally taken about two minutes. And if it did, oh well. She wasn't going to get in the habit of playing nice just to save face in Hollywood. If people didn't like her attitude she didn't care. She wasn't going to suck up just so people would see her movie.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
It was a week later and the girls had all just settled into their hotel suites in Park City, Utah where the film festival was held each year. It was the middle of January so it was freezing. Not that it was much of a change in weather considering New York had just seen a blizzard the day before they had all left. That didn't stop them all from bundling up head to toe before stepping out to explore the city.
The premiere of Santana's movie wasn't set until the day after they had arrived so the girls had taken the chance to see the city around them. They had explored all of the shopping, walked along the streets among the crowds of fans in relative anonymity, and taken way too many pictures of the group standing near all the random art statues that adorned the small town.
After a day of sight seeing and blending in, they had all dressed to impress in order to attend numerous parties that were being held by various celebrities and production companies. Santana got invited through her director, cast mates, and producers of her film. Rachel got invited because she was a Tony award winner. Between the two of them they had invites to pretty much any party going on and they took advantage of as many as possible.
After a long night of partying and mingling, the four girls made their way back to their hotel to call it a night. They had been given two rooms, thankfully. Santana had not wanted to hear Paige and Emily drunkenly hiding the fact that they were fooling around. It was bad enough to hear it at home but having to hear it in the same hotel room? She would not have been happy if that had been the case.
The morning of the premiere, Santana had been pulled out of bed at the crack of daylight to start preparations. She had about a billion appearances to make before the movie would even have it's premiere that night. She had to sit and do interview after interview with her co-star. She was only about two hours in when she started getting sick of hearing the same questions over and over again. Luckily Rachel was there to remind her to just smile, breathe, and be polite. This was, after all, part of being in movies.
When lunch came, Santana thought she might get a break but that was not the case. As she tried to eat the provided meal, she was being primped and touched up. She almost snapped and told all of the hair and make up people to leave her alone for five seconds, but again Rachel was there to remind her that this was part of the job. Once the movie premiered that evening the bulk of this would all be over with and they could go back to their quasi normal lives in New York.
Santana envied Paige and Emily. They were out and about, hopping from movie to movie, mingling with other celebrities, and probably already drinking. She had to remind herself it would all be worth it in the end. She would get to party that night and have everyone singing her praises. That is what got her through the day. That and the look of pride on Rachel's face every time she looked at her.
When the interviews finally ended and Santana was allowed to leave and go get ready for the evening, she nearly knocked the light guy over in her haste to leave. She had grabbed Rachel, said a quick "see ya later" to her co-stars and bolted. She could not wait to get back to the hotel and relax for five minutes without someone asking her a question or touching up her lipstick. If those hair and makeup people came anywhere near her while she was getting ready for the premiere she was sure she would have an Incredible Hulk type fit of rage.
Santana let out a heavy sigh of relief once they were in their hotel room. She walked right over to the bed and dropped onto it face first. She bounced a few times on the mattress then reached for a pillow to pull under her head. "I want to sleep for seven days. I am so exhausted" She mumbled as her head hit the soft pillow. It felt so good. She never wanted to move from that spot.
"Oh come on it hasn't been that bad" Rachel gave a chipper smile as she kicked off her shoes and shrugged out of her heavy coat. She had been having an incredible time that morning watching Santana talk about the movie. It was amazing to be on the other side of things.
"Not that bad?" Santana grumbled against the pillow, her eyes closed now as her body started to relax. "Have you ever been asked the same damn question a hundred times in the span of like five hours?"
"Well, no" Rachel shrugged and moved to sit on the side of the bed next to Santana. She reached out and put a hand on her back, rubbing it soothingly "But you know they are all told by their bosses which questions to ask, right? A lot of publications need to know the basics of each movie like your favorite scene to shoot, your favorite thing about the movie, and what it was like to work with your co-stars. It's the type of things that readers like."
"So can't they just all read the same interview so I only have to answer each question once?" Santana let out a sigh and hugged the pillow. She was so tired she wasn't sure she would be able to stay up through the premiere.
"Will you just appreciate all of this?" Rachel said with a soft laugh. Her hand moved now to unzip the top that Santana had put on for the press junket that morning. Her hands pushed the two sides of the top aside and started to lightly rub at Santana's back. "Just take a few deep breaths and relax a little bit, okay? You have some time before we have to head to the premiere so let's forget about it."
Santana nodded in agreement as she sighed happily at the feel of Rachel's hands on her back "That is definitely helping."
Rachel smirked a little bit as her hands slid off her back and down over her ass lightly. She slowly traced the length of her thighs and calves until she reached the shoes Santana had worn. They were boots, for all the snow, but they were also wedges so she was sure Santana's feet were aching. She started to unlace them one by one, her eyes glancing here and there up toward the side of Santana's face "I was hoping you'd say that."
"Say what?" Santana perked an eyebrow now and lifted her head off the pillow. One eye peeked open and she looked down at Rachel undoing her boots.
"That I was helping" Rachel said with a coy little shrug as she dropped Santana's second boot to the floor then slowly looked up at Santana with a smirk. "Because I had an idea to help you relax."
"Oh really?" Santana smirked at the way Rachel was looking at her. She had something working in her mind and Santana definitely had an idea of what she was thinking. She slowly rolled from laying on her stomach and propped herself up on her elbows to look at Rachel better. The motion caused her top to fall off her body and she smirked at that, raising a challenging eyebrow at Rachel now.
Rachel bit her lip as her eyes fell on Santana's now bare chest. She nodded her head slowly as she moved now to crawl over Santana. With a hand and a knee on each side of Santana's body she slowly moved over her looking like a cat stalking it's prey "I think I know a thing or two about how to relax you by now."
"Oh, you think?" Santana bit her lip, fighting a smirk as she watched the way Rachel crept over her. She had to admit it was one of the sexiest things she had ever seen. But she was trying to play it cool so she gave an uninterested shrug "I don't think I believe you."
"No?" Rachel arched an eyebrow as her hands moved along Santana's thighs slowly. Each inch that her fingers moved pushed up the material of the tight skirt Santana had worn that day. She licked slowly at her lips, her eyes holding contact with Santana's as the material of her skirt gathered around her waist now "Well if you don't think I can help..."
Santana fought a shiver at the feel of Rachel's fingers on her thighs. That mixed with the look in her eyes was making it hard for her to keep playing it cool. She bit at her bottom lip and tried to look completely bored by what Rachel was doing "I mean if you want to try it's up to you..."
Rachel just let out a soft laugh at that. She rocked back so she was sitting on Santana's legs. Her eyes finally broke the stare down she had held with Santana but only to move to where her hands were working. She made sure the material of the skirt was completely out of her way before she started to peel Santana's nylons down her hips "Will you lift your ass, please? It would make this a lot easier."
Santana smirked as her hips lifted and allowed for the material to pass off her hips and down her thighs now "You know you could just take the skirt off and save yourself some time. I have to change out of it for the premiere anyway."
"What fun would that be?" Rachel rolled her eyes as she shimmied the nylons all the way down Santana's legs until she had to move to remove them completely. Once they were free of her body, she tossed them aside then looked back to Santana with a smirk. "Now will you stop talking and relax?"
"I would if you would hurry up and start helping me" Santana mumbled as her eyes took in the way Rachel once more crawled up over her body.
"I thought you didn't think I knew how to relax you?" Rachel fought a smirk with a bite to her bottom lip. Her eyes found Santana's gaze on her and she slowly licked over her lips. Her hands moved up the length of Santana's legs until reaching her thighs and not too gently pushed them apart.
"Well I said you could try if you-" Santana was cut off by the sudden dip of Rachel's head and the feel of her tongue sweeping against her folds. She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes as her thighs pulled apart wider "Shit, Berry."
Rachel smirked against her at the words from Santana. She never grew tired of knowing she could render her practically speechless. She let her tongue move up through her folds slowly, almost painfully so, making sure to tease and taste every inch of Santana that she could.
"Jesus" Santana's head fell back and it took everything in her not to drop from her elbows and lay back on the mattress. She forced her eyes open so she could watch Rachel work between her legs. God she never got tired of that sight.
Rachel let out a soft hum of liking against Santana as she slowly teased up and down through her folds. Her eyes lifted and she saw the way Santana was watching her and it only spurred her on more. She knew how much Santana loved when she did this. As their eyes made contact her tongue moved up and she gently teased the tip against Santana's clit now, smirking as she did so.
Santana pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth as her hips jerked at the sensations from Rachel's tongue. It was almost killing her how painstakingly slowly she was moving. "That feels so good, Rach."
Rachel let out a moan to acknowledge Santana's words before her eyes closed and her tongue moved again. This time as her tongue passed between her folds she pushed inside of Santana completely. She licked in a circle a few times before curling her tongue and giving it a few quick flicks up and down.
"Shit" Santana couldn't help it now and she fell back completely on the mattress. Her hips lifted into Rachel's mouth as a hand dropped to her head. Her fingers gripped tightly at her long brown locks as a throaty moan lifted from her lips.
Another hum of liking lifted from Rachel's mouth as her tongue moved. She flicked back and forth, up and down, swirling it in soft circles a few times before moving it out again. This time her tongue stroked up and down Santana's folds but it was not slow like before. Her strokes were more urgent, more focused. She knew what she needed to do to drive Santana wild and she wasn't going to stop until she accomplished it.
Santana's fingers tugged gently at the hair she held in her hand. Her hips were rocking ever so slightly against Rachel's mouth and her breathing was starting to grow heavy. "Just like that" She mumbled every time Rachel's tongue teased against her clit. The way her mouth was moving was managing to tease every nerve in the best way possible and Santana wasn't sure if she could hold out much longer.
Rachel now moved her mouth to focus on Santana's clit. She sucked it between her teeth, teased it back and forth, up and down, and gave soft sucks against it. As she did that a hand dipped under her chin and she gently slipped a finger inside Santana. With each stroke in, her finger curled upward and her tongue flickered faster.
Santana's body gave a shudder when Rachel put a finger inside her. It was almost too much the way Rachel was touching every spot that drove her wild. She drew in a deep breath and managed to lift back onto her elbow so she could look down at her girlfriend "So close, baby. Keep going."
Rachel had no intention of stopping. In fact, Santana's words only made her move faster. Her hand was moving in and out of Santana furiously now, thrusting so hard Santana's body jolted. Her mouth had her clit trapped, working so feverishly with flickers of her tongue and sucks between her lips that she could almost feel each nerve twitching.
A strangled cry of pleasure left Santana's lips and her eyes snapped shut. She fell back against the bed again and lifted her hips. She started to twitch and jerk, making it almost impossible for Rachel's mouth to stay on her but she somehow managed it. The continuous assault sent shivers through her thighs and tied a knot in her stomach. She knew she wouldn't last much longer now.
Rachel knew it, too. Though Santana's hips were jerking erratically against her mouth she managed to keep with the continuous stimulation. As soon as she felt Santana's hand pull at her hair and her hips freeze she knew she was victorious.
Santana's hips jerked one last time before she felt the knot in her stomach untwist and release suddenly. Her legs closed tightly around Rachel's head and her back arched off the bed. She let out a loud cry as her body trembled with pleasure as it coursed through her body from head to toe.
Rachel smirked when she felt Santana's legs close around her head. She laid a few kisses against her folds before turning her head and kissing along her inner thigh lightly. She managed to free her head from between her legs and let out a soft laugh at the way Santana's body had fallen still against the mattress. She licked over her lips slowly before moving up to kiss Santana's bare stomach just once "So how do you feel now?"
Santana let out a tired laugh and nodded her head against the pillow "Relaxed."
Rachel laughed too before pushing herself up off the bed completely now "And you doubted me."
"Not for a second" Santana whispered, her eyes coming open now to catch Rachel moving away from the bed. She frowned a little as her body started to come down from the high it had been on "Where are you going?"
"Shower" Rachel said with a shrug, glancing back at Santana with a smile. "I need to be fresh and clean for the premiere."
Santana pouted and sat up slightly, looking over herself and how she was only wearing a skirt pushed up to her stomach. "You're just gonna blow me and leave?"
Rachel rolled her eyes at the term Santana had used and shook her head "You could always join me?" She arched an eyebrow curiously at Santana before bolting off toward the bathroom.
Santana gasped and let out a laugh as she scrambled off the bed and followed suit toward the bathroom. They had some time to kill before hair and make up arrived anyway. Besides, Rachel was right. They needed to be fresh and clean for the premiere.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"Okay so how this works is..." Santana's publicist, which she had hired solely to help her through this whole movie premiere business, was rambling on about how the girls would exit the car and go down the makeshift red carpet. She gave instructions about how long to pose for photographers, where to stand, and reminded them all not to talk to anyone shouting out questions. The question and answer portion after the movie was made for that.
Santana wasn't paying attention. She was too busy pouring each of the girls a cup of champagne while they waited in the car. There was a line of cars that were dropping off celebrities and cast and crew members to the premiere. It was funny because this was just an independent film festival but each year it turned more into a real Hollywood event than the year before. She was one of the main stars so she was scheduled to appear in the middle of all the arrivals because it would give her the most exposure. Late-coming photographers wouldn't miss her and the ones that left early to go find good seats in the theater wouldn't miss her. It was perfect timing, so said her publicist.
Rachel was skimming the current issue of 'Filmmaker' that she had picked up earlier that day. She had seen a bunch of important people carrying it around so she decided to grab a copy and read through it. She wanted to know what the independent movie crowd was interested in.
"Here, babe" Santana whispered softly, nudging her to take the cup of champagne. Once Rachel took her cup, Santana smiled and looked at the other girls. She lifted her cup and made a cheers motion toward Emily, Paige, and her publicist "Here's to the craziest thing I have ever experienced in my life."
The other girls laughed then took a drink. Her publicist just set down the cup and continued talking even though no one was listening. Paige slid her arm around Emily and gave her a smile "Isn't this crazy exciting? I can't believe I am going to a movie premiere."
"Let alone a movie that has my cousin in it!" Emily agreed with a laugh as she lifted her cup toward Paige for another cheers. "I am so glad you're here. I can't imagine doing this without you. I'd probably be on the phone constantly so it would almost be like you were here."
Paige just smiled softly and gave her head a shake "I wouldn't have missed this for the world, Em." The two girls shared a smile before leaning into each other for a soft kiss.
Santana rolled her eyes then looked at Rachel beside her. She hadn't touched her champagne. Instead she was intensely staring into the magazine in her hands. Santana perked an eyebrow at that and leaned closer, looking to see what had her attention. "What did you find?"
Rachel smiled slightly and bent the page open enough to show Santana. There looking up at them was a picture of a blood-soaked Santana, a still from the movie, and the title of the movie. "It's just a little snippet introducing the movie, the director, the stars, and the premiere date. But look..." She pointed under Santana's name and started to read the passage that had been included.
"If the name Santana Lopez sounds familiar you must be up on your gossip. Buzz around her and recent Tony award winner Rachel Berry started last summer after Berry's victory speech at the awards pointed to her as one of her major inspirations. Speculation of the nature of their relationship started to swirl but it wasn't until later in the year that the two of them confirmed they were romantically involved. Since then the two of have been attached at the hip and you couldn't mention one without the other being brought up. When asked about how this has helped bring attention to the film, Lopez had this to say-"
Santana grabbed the magazine out of Rachel's hands and shook her head a bit "I can't believe she used any of this interview! I didn't think I had said anything of interest."
"Give it back" Rachel said with a laugh, pulling the pages back into her grasp. She smiled as her eyes found where she had left off then continued reading. "Lopez had this to say: 'Look, I love Rachel and I knew going into a relationship with her that we would be in the public eye together. Did I for one moment think that using her notoriety would help this movie? Not once. But since it has, I am not going to say it's a bad thing. I want this movie to do well, I put my heart and soul into making it. So if my dating Rachel is helping, then so be it. But I will never use my relationship as a vehicle to gain attention.'"
Rachel looked up at Santana after reading the passage with a dreamy smile on her lips "Did you mean what you said?"
Santana nodded and pulled the magazine out of her hands again as her eyes dropped to the pages to read over the passage again "Of course I did. You know I would never use you to get ahead. I'm so over that part of my life."
"Not that" Rachel shook her head and put her hand over the pages, blocking the words from Santana's view. She used her other hand to pull at Santana's chin until her eyes lifted and met Rachel's. She smiled and gave her head a little shake "Did you mean the part about loving me?"
Santana blinked just once and her eyes flickered down to the magazine. She hadn't even realized when giving the interview that she had said that. She had said it so naturally, as if it were common knowledge. She had been terrified to tell Rachel how her feelings had progressed because she was still, for some reason, afraid Rachel didn't feel the same. But the fact that she could tell a complete stranger that? It made it a little easier to admit to herself.
She finally nodded and let out a breath of a laugh as her eyes lifted back to find Rachel still staring at her lovingly "Of course I meant that. You know I love you, Rachel."
"I know" Rachel squeaked out, tears already starting to slide down her cheeks as emotion swelled through her. "But you've never said that before."
Santana just shrugged shyly and leaned in to kiss at her lips just once "I guess I was afraid to."
"You're an idiot" Rachel mumbled before letting out a laugh and wiping a tear off her cheek. "You know I love you, too, Santana."
Santana nodded her head quickly as a tear now moved down her cheek "Yeah, I was kind of hoping you did."
Rachel just shook her head and moved her hand to the back of Santana's head, pulling her into a firm, deep kiss.
"Awww" Emily cooed from across the car, her smile so wide it spread across her entire face. "I think we just witnessed the first time they said I love you."
"That was the most awkward thing I have ever seen" Paige mumbled with a soft laugh. She glanced at Emily with a smile, kissed her cheek, then lifted her champagne in the air "To Rachel and Santana, the most unorthodox couple I have ever known!"
Rachel let out a giggle as the kiss broke and she turned to look at Paige and Emily. She lifted her cup of champagne and nodded in agreement to the toast "There is nothing traditional about us, that's for sure."
"And I like it that way" Santana smirked, lifting her cup to cheers the others before taking a swallow and setting her cup to the side.
"Alright ladies, are you ready?" The publicist asked, looking around the circle. She saw the streaks of mascara down both Rachel and Santana's cheeks and let out a sigh. "Here" She pulled out a compact for the girls and rolled her eyes "Touch yourselves up. We're out next and you need to look like a million bucks."
Rachel bit her lip shyly and took the makeup. She turned and started to lightly pat Santana's cheeks to cover the streaks "I guess that was a really bad time for that, huh?"
Santana shook her head, smiling down at the girl as she patted her cheeks "We've never had great timing about anything."
"So true" Rachel did the last few touches then nodded to indicate Santana looked good. She then turned the mirror on herself and started to cover her own streaks. The publicist was giving Santana a run down of what to expect for the tenth time and Rachel fought a laugh at the annoyed look on Santana's face. If she managed to get through the rest of the night without punching someone it would be a miracle.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
After the movie, the cast and crew had participated in a brief question and answer session. Most of the questions had been directed toward the director and writer since both Santana and her co-star were pretty unknown. Once it had finished all of the VIPs and their guests were ushered to the ballroom of the theater for the after party.
Santana had been pulled aside by her director and they were in the middle of a conversation about the film itself and all of the good buzz he had been hearing about it already. It seemed that though horror films were always an iffy route, especially in the independent scene, their film was already gaining a lot of positive attention.
"Oh, hey" Santana interrupted her director when she noticed Rachel approaching her. She turned and reached out her hand, smiling when Rachel took it and stepped up next to her. "Roger, this is Rachel."
"Ah so you are why my star was distracted the entire time?" The man, who was no older than Santana nor Rachel, gave her a wide smile and held out his hand "It is lovely to finally meet you."
Rachel giggled softly and gave the man a warm handshake. "And you. Though Santana might have been distracted by me, she didn't shut up about you once she returned home so I suppose it was a fair trade."
"Okay" Santana rolled her eyes and let out a light laugh "Firstly, I was not distracted the entire time! Just the night of the Tonys because I really wished I was there."
"Oh so all the times I had to pull you off your phone had nothing to do with this stunning beauty here?" Roger motioned to Rachel with a smirk.
Santana shook her head and looked down at her feet. If she was capable of a soft blush, it would have been visible. But, blessed be her genes and her ability to hide the bit of pink that rose in her cheeks. She rolled her eyes and looked up at Rachel, who was staring at her because she knew the truth. "Oh my god" Santana laughed almost shyly and looked away from both of them now "Okay so who needs another drink?"
"I think it's adorable" Rachel cooed as her arm slid around Santana's back now and rubbed it softly. She looked at the man standing near them and shrugged "The funniest part about it all was we weren't even together back then. It was just Santana's huge crush on me coming out to distract her."
"Okay!" Santana yelped even louder and now the blood rushing to her cheeks glowed brightly in a rare blush sighting. "So, Roger, you were saying something about producers being interested in picking up the movie for distribution?"
Roger chuckled lightly at how flustered Santana had become. She had been so quiet and stoic during her time filming. She kept to herself and though she wasn't unpleasant she hadn't let her guard down enough to really let her personality shine. So seeing her now with Rachel was a real treat for him and he knew he had picked the right person to be the face of his movie. He wouldn't pick on her anymore, though, and simply nodded and moved onto Santana's now preferred subject "I have heard a few companies are interested, yes."
The conversation continued for about ten minutes before Roger had to excuse himself to go talk to someone in one of the companies he had mentioned. Santana had never realized how much work it took to get your film seen and she respected everyone on the cast and crew so much more now that she had experienced it first hand.
"Do you want another drink?" Santana asked Rachel softly as they moved through the crowded ballroom together. Though the room itself was large, made specifically for large events such as this, it was still rather filled. It seemed their movie was one of the "must-see films" of the festival and it had gathered quite a crowd.
"I think I'm alright" Rachel said with a nod, motioning with her glass to show she still had half of it left. There was an open bar and people seemed to be taking advantage of it but Rachel didn't want to get too drunk. She wanted to remember this night. It was the biggest night of Santana's life thus far and she wanted to remember as much of it as possible.
It seemed Santana had the same thought because she had only had one drink as well. She was taking in her surroundings and enjoying every second of it. She never knew if she would ever experience anything like this again so she wanted to make sure to take advantage of the moment.
"Wait" Santana paused when they hit a clearing in the crowd and looked around. After a moment, concern painted over her features and she glanced down at Rachel "Have you seen Paige and Emily recently?"
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Emily giggled softly as she wound her way through the crowd, her hand clutching onto Paige's tightly.
"Where are we going?" Paige asked with a bit of concern in her tone. Emily had just grabbed her hand and tugged her along without a word.
"You'll see" Emily said with a quick nod, never once taking her eyes off her goal. She excused herself through a few people and out of the ballroom altogether. They moved into a little side hallway that lead to bathrooms, the coat room, and the exits. Though they were not in a crowd anymore Emily still clutched Paige's hand tightly.
"Wait, we aren't leaving are we? Don't you think we should tell Santana and Rachel?" Paige frowned and glanced around when she noticed they were no longer in the main party area.
"No" Emily glanced back at Paige now and shook her head. "Just trust me."
Paige drew in a deep breath and shut her mouth. She wanted to know where they were going but Emily seemed determined and calm so she would just follow her lead and hope for the best.
They reached the coat room and Emily paused outside the door. She looked both ways down the hallway and once she noticed the coast was clear gave Paige a quick tug and pulled her into the room behind her.
"You know they have someone to get our coats for us, right?" Paige whispered now as if talking any louder would get them busted.
Emily let out a soft laugh as she navigated through the coats "We don't need our coats."
"Then what are we doin-"
Paige was cut off when Emily stopped and pulled at her so fiercely she spun around. Before she could even gain her balance Emily had her pinned against the back wall of the dark coat room and was pressing her lips to her hungrily. She let out a soft moan into the kiss and let it linger for just a moment before finally managing to pull her lips free and look at Emily with a weak smile "Not that I'm complaining but what was that for?"
"I have been staring at you in this suit all night" Emily whispered, her eyes locked with Paige's as her hands moved down the front of her body. "I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to have you."
Paige shivered at the feel of Emily's hands running along her torso. Her eyes flickered closed and she drew in a deep breath to try and steady herself. She gave just a single nod of understanding and a small smile curled at the corner of her lips "I apologize for making tonight difficult for you."
"Don't you dare apologize" Emily whispered as she leaned into her, lips nearly touching for a kiss but pausing just a breath away. When she spoke again her words were felt in each breath she exhaled "Just enjoy."
Before Paige could comment again, her lips were being trapped by Emily's. A tremble moved through her from the point of the kiss all the way to her toes. As her lips parted to welcome the hungry kiss, she felt Emily's fingers tugging at the waist of her slacks and she had to fight off another moan. Had she known Emily would react like this she would have worn a suit a lot sooner.
Emily smiled against the kiss when Paige didn't fight her. She tilted her head against Paige and deepened the kiss, letting her tongue tease against Paige's as her hands worked. They were on a mission and within just a few moments she had the buttons undone and the zipper pushed down. Without hesitation her hand pushed into the opening she had created and gently let her fingers tease up and down along the front of the panties Paige had worn that evening.
Another moan lifted from Paige's lips. Her hips pushed forward, begging for more of Emily's touch. Though she had always thought sneaking away to fool around was tacky, she was starting to second guess that. Each time Emily's fingers teased against her, her heart leaped and her body cried out for more. Each time they heard a noise just outside the coat room door her body heated more. The thought to stop never once crossed her mind, much to her own surprise.
Emily smirked against the kiss at how responsive Paige had been. Not once had she argued it. With each pass of her fingers she felt how much Paige's body liked what they were doing and that was the biggest surprise of all. She loved that it had taken no convincing at all. So with a few more slow teasing passes, her fingers moved to the side, pushed the material of the panties out of the way, slid up through Paige's welcoming hot folds just once, and dove inside her eager body.
Paige's lips broke from the kiss and her head fell back against the wall. She let out a soft yelp of pleasure then bit at her bottom lip to hold back anymore noise. She couldn't explain what was happening to her body but only that she liked it more than she had ever expected she would.
Emily smiled at the way Paige reacted to her. Slowly as her hand worked in and out, fingers curling and pressing into all of her nerves, her other hand lifted and gently covered Paige's mouth. "Shhhh" She breathed out softly, moving her lips now to lay against her ear before she spoke again "You have to be quiet."
Paige nodded her head furiously against Emily's hand. She made no move to uncover her mouth. She liked it. She liked the way Emily had taken charge without hesitation. She liked the way Emily's need for her had taken over in a way that she would not be denied. Everything about this was unexpectedly sexy and Paige wouldn't fight it. She would be an idiot to stop it because her body was crying out for every new sensation.
Emily lightly bit at Paige's ear as her hand inside her started to move more quickly. She knew they had to be quick or chance someone coming for a coat and being caught. So knowing now that Paige was completely for this, her hand picked up speed. Soon she had a furious rhythm going, in and out, fingers curling and scissoring, leaving no needing part untouched.
Even with Emily's hand over her mouth Paige managed to breath out a heavy moan. Her hips were now moving perfectly with Emily's hand. Her legs were growing weaker each time Emily thrust into her. She had to reach out to grasp something to hold herself up. One hand managed to find the rod where the coats hung and grip tightly to it. The other wound itself around Emily's waist and tugged at her dress. She held so tightly her fingers ached.
Emily nodded quickly as she felt Paige's body starting to fall apart. She knew she was close. She pulled back enough to watch the way Paige's face was twisting in pleasure. A smile curled at the corner of her lips with each ragged breath Paige drew in and let out shakily. "Come on, Paige. Come for me."
Paige licked at her lips quickly and drew in another deep breath. Her head rolled forward just enough for her to catch sight of Emily watching her. There was something intense in the way Emily looked at her. Such determination and fire in her eyes. It shook Paige to the very core. She felt her stomach knot up and she knew she couldn't hold back now. "Just a little more, Em."
Emily smiled and leaned in to touch a brief kiss to her lips. It was swift, just a peck, but as she did so she also changed the angel of her hand and her fingers found the one spot she knew drove Paige wild. She thrust into the spot a few times quickly, her movements focused and unwavering as she pulled from the kiss wanting to see Paige unravel completely.
She did. That was all she had needed and Emily knew it. The focused strokes were enough to cause the knot in Paige's stomach to quickly unravel. She felt her hips twitch once, twice, and her body soon followed. Her legs trembled, her back arched, and her hips moved with Emily's skilled fingers as the wave of pleasure rushed through her. She let the heat soak into her body from head to toe, riding out every last ounce of pleasure until she could no longer move. Finally her body fell limp against the wall and had Emily not had her entire weight against her she might have slid to the floor.
But Emily quickly moved her arm around Paige's waist and pulled her against herself. She held there tightly, feeling the way Paige's body trembled against her. She smiled to herself and kissed a trail of soft pecks along her neck softly until she reached her ear. She let out the softest giggle before nibbling at her lobe. "That was hot."
Paige let out a tired laugh and nodded against Emily's cheek. She turned her head and placed a lazy kiss to Emily's ear before letting out a pleased hum. "Remind me to wear a suit for every fancy thing we ever have to do for the rest of our lives."
Emily giggled again and pulled back enough to find Paige's eyes. "Deal" She leaned in and kissed her once more before pulling back just enough to let Paige find her footing. She held her arm around her waist until she was sure Paige was steady. She then moved both hands to her waist and started to fix her zipper and buttons "Now let's go out there and pretend like nothing happened."
Paige let out a soft laugh and reached down to tuck her shirt back into her pants once Emily had her all done up again. She straightened herself up then looked at Emily with a bit of a smirk. She lifted her hand and pushed some of her hair behind her ear "You somehow have sex hair."
Emily blushed at that and gave her shoulders a slight shrug "I guess I really dedicated myself to the cause." She lifted her hands and started to smooth down her hair.
Paige stopped her and gave her head a shake "Leave it. It's pretty sexy."
Emily bit her lip and nodded, dropping her hands from her hair before reaching out to slide her fingers through Paige's. She let her gaze linger on her for another moment before she turned and started out of the coat room, both of them with knowing little smirks on their lips as the rejoined the party with the knowledge that not a single person knew of their dirty little side journey.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
"There you are" Rachel came up behind Emily who had stopped by the bar to get another drink. She put a hand on her back then stepped around to face her, a frown on her lips "Santana and I have been looking all over for you. We thought you got lost."
"We just went to the bathroom" Emily said with a calm shrug of her shoulders. When her drink was handed over she smiled at the man thankfully then turned away from the bar to face Rachel. "You wouldn't believe how long the bathroom lines are. I almost peed in the hallway."
Rachel eyed the girl up and down just once and lifted an eyebrow curiously at her appearance. Her dress was wrinkled and her hair disheveled. Giving a shake of her head, she turned and motioned for Emily to follow "Santana is over here."
Emily bit her lip at the way Rachel looked at her. She knew she was busted and if Rachel could tell what they had done there would be no doubt her cousin could tell, too. She glanced over her shoulder at Paige who was following close behind and pouted out her bottom lip.
Paige just gave her a little half smile. Hey she had no regrets. Besides, Santana had promised to butt out of their sex life so who cares if she knew, right?
The three of them wound their way through the crowd until they found Santana again. Rachel slid her arm through Santana's softly and gave her a squeeze "I found them."
Santana turned from where she had been listening to two tech geeks talk about lighting a certain scene. As soon as her eyes fell on her cousin and Paige, her jaw dropped and she let out a sort of disgusted laugh "Are you two kidding me right now?"
Emily blushed and looked at her feet. Paige bit at her bottom lip and fought a smirk. When she had first met Santana, she had been intimidated by her and had really wanted to impress her. After knowing her for six months and living with her over the past month she now found it amusing every time Santana was annoyed. Maybe that is why Rachel had stuck it out as long as she had, annoying Santana was fun!
Santana just rolled her eyes as the two of them stood there silently, pretending like nothing was wrong. She looked over at Rachel and motioned with her a shake of her head "Why didn't you think of that?"
Rachel gasped and playfully swatted at Santana's chest before letting out a laugh. "So the hotel wasn't enough for you?"
Santana smirked and slid her arm around Rachel gently, pulling her close and kissing the side of her head before whispering against her ear "Baby, you know I can never get enough of you."
"Santana" Roger approached suddenly from the crowd and gave her a wide grin. Rachel was thankful for the sudden interruption so Santana couldn't see her blush. He reached his hand out and took hold of one of hers, giving it an excited squeeze "I wanted you to be one of the first to know. One of the distribution companies has made a bid. If all goes well the film should be signed for release by the end of the day."
"What?" Santana's eyes went wide and she glanced at Rachel, who was beaming proudly at her girlfriend. She looked around her and saw both Emily and Paige grinning too. She shook her head and looked back at her director with a shrug "Does that mean what I think it does?"
Roger nodded excitedly "People are going to see this film. The distributors said a big part of the reason they were interested was you. They loved your performance and they are interested in releasing the film because they believe you are going to blow up." He let out a soft laugh and patted Santana on the back "You're going to be a hit."
Santana just blinked. She was in a bit of shock. She had thought she had done decently on the film but never thought anyone else would think so. Now she was going to be seen by thousands across the country? She couldn't believe it.
"I'm so proud of you" Rachel whispered as soon as Roger excused himself to go find the other actors to tell them the good news. She took both of Santana's hands in hers and gave them a tight squeeze "I knew you could do it, San. All your hard work and patience is paying off."
"Wow, San" Emily grabbed her cousin and gave her a tight hug before letting her go. "This is so awesome! My cousin is going to be a movie star!"
"Congrats" Paige said with a nod, giving Santana's shoulder a squeeze. "It really is a great movie."
Santana just shook her head. Her eyes had blurred into tunnel vision as she looked around at her loved ones congratulating her. She wasn't sure this was real. She shook her head and blinked her eyes to clear up her vision. When she did so her gaze landed on Rachel, still smiling proudly at her, and she smiled weakly "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. People have to actually see the movie first."
"They will" Rachel said with an excited nod. She leaned up on her toes and kissed Santana quickly before dropping back to her feet. She gave a sort of bouncy shrug and squeezed Santana's hands again. "What do you want to do now?"
Santana just shrugged and looked around at the other girls again. All of her dreams were seemingly coming true. She was finally making strides forward in her acting career, she had a girlfriend she loved, and she couldn't think of a single thing she wanted at the moment. So she just let out a soft laugh, looked at Rachel with a grin, and lifted a single shoulder in a shrug "Can we go home?"
Rachel perked an eyebrow but nodded very slowly. A soft smile spread over her lips and she offered out her arm for Santana to take hold of "I think that is a great idea."