The applause had died down, the house lights were up and the long table which had held microphones, dice, and laptops was now cleared of all the clutter. A line of fans stood waiting, patiently, impatiently as each person greeted and chatted briefly with their favorite podcasters. Everything had gone well enough with the group's very first live show.
There had been a long discussion about allowing a meet and greet after the show ended. Tom hadn't really been in favor of it. Although he was very grateful for the love and support of their fans, he knew that some had very strong opinions about certain aspects of their episodes and he wasn't certain he would be able to handle the face-to-face feedback, if it came to that. Reading it online had been bad enough. But his fellow creators assured him that if it was too much, he could just hide in the greenroom or go back to the hotel room with no ill will. At least, no ill will on their part, he was certain that some fans might feel a certain way about it if he just left after the show. So, he was trying it out tonight in Seattle, a town known for its epic social freezes and politeness.
The length of the line surprised all five of the podcasters as they emerged from backstage to more applause and cheers. Tom felt his stomach drop at the sight of so many people and wished he had set the precedent for the rest of the shows and just gone back to the hotel. But so far it seemed the stereotypes had proven true; almost every person Tom had spoken to had been kind, or complimentary (which was uncomfortable in a different way, but better than the alternative). Others had been painfully shy, or socially anxious and had just answered the questions that Tom asked them as he signed any merch they had. But the night was wearing on and he was starting to grow weary. He glanced down the line silently gauging how many people were left. Sandra caught him looking down the line.
"Hey!" she shouted. "Pay attention to your fan Tom!" Everyone within earshot laughed lightly and Tom joined in directing his attention to the man standing in front of him gushing about his various skills.
"Sorry man," Tom said as the man kept talking. Finally, fifteen minutes later the line started to dwindle. Sandra was chatting with the last person in line. She blushed violently as they talked in hushed tones. The woman she spoke to looked to be in her late 30's with a cascade of black cherry colored hair. Sandra was blushing so deeply now and fiddling with her phone as the woman moved down the line. Tom did his best to continue to focus on the person in front of him and give them the attention they deserved.
Slowly the woman made her way down the line of podcasters complimenting each one on something specific and unique. Each podcaster blushed as this woman showered them with praise and radiant smiles.
At last, she stood in front of Tom, and he was able to see what all the fuss was about. Her eyes blazed a deep blue, jarring against the darkness of her hair. A black low-cut shirt revealed a generous stack of cleavage. A short red skirt and combat boots finished off her outfit. Tom smiled and felt his face flush almost immediately, blood pounding in his ears. He told himself to pull himself together. He'd met plenty of hot people tonight, this one was no different.
"Tom, it's so exciting to meet you," the woman held out her hand for him to shake. As a rule, he didn't shake hands with fans. As much as he loved and appreciated each one, it was not his goal to bring home a bit of everyone he met. But when Ms. Black Cherry held out her hand, her upper arm pushing her breasts together, creating an even more enticing view of her cleavage, he had to stop himself from lunging at her.
"Oh yeah, thank you so much for coming out," he sputtered. Her hand was soft, but her handshake firm. She smelled amazing and he found himself wondering if it was her lotion, perfume, or if she just naturally smelled so delicious.
"I'm Stella. I was just introduced to your podcast, but I'm totally addicted to it! You all are hilarious. You are one of my favorites, along with Sandra of course. Not to be too basic about it." She laughed lightly, the smooth sound ran right down Tom's spine and nestled into the crotch of his pants. He wouldn't be able to stand up now without causing a fucking scene. He adjusted in his chair a little.
"Oh, wow thank you so much for listening Stella. It's so great when our fans are hot too," he had been saying that all night and had meant it. Their fans were hot, but Stella somehow stood out and Tom felt a little foolish saying it to her. She smiled and gently took her hand out of Tom's grip. Were his palms sweating? Why were they so sweaty?
Monica, Ben, and Ryan had all stood up and stretched after Stella had moved on down to Tom. They began to make their way towards the backstage area and greenroom to gather their belongings. Sandra stayed seated and continued to fiddle with her phone. Monica glanced back quickly but Sandra subtly waved her and the others on. Stella put her program down on the table in front of Tom, along with a T-shirt from the merch table.
"Would you mind signing these for me?" she asked.
"Oh sure, I mean not at all, I'd be happy to," Tom sputtered. He was so frustrated with himself. He had been so chill tonight with everyone else and now he was sputtering around like he'd never spoken out loud before. He looked down at Stella's items all signed by the other podcasters, looking for a spot to put his signature.
"I had so much fun tonight," Stella said leaning on the table. "You all are so very talented." Tom looked up as he finished signing the shirt. He could see right down Stella's top now and thought she wasn't wearing a bra. God, he'd need more than a moment to collect himself before he stood up. She sighed deeply, causing her breasts to strain against her shirt, nipples hard and showing proudly.
"It's a shame it's over," she said.
"Yeah, it really is." Tom surprised himself by actually meaning the statement. Strangely he wished he could spend more time with Stella.
"Well, it doesn't have to be over," Sandra suddenly appeared next to Tom. "Stella is a local and was suggesting a few places to grab a drink." Tom looked up at Sandra from his seat.
"Oh yeah?" he asked, suspicious.
"Yeah, I thought maybe we could grab a drink with her. We don't have a show or an early morning tomorrow. We've got time." Sandra shrugged noncommittally.
"We as in..." he glanced toward the backstage greenroom.
"We as in, the three of us," Sandra clarified. Tom shifted in his seat again and looked up at Stella's blue eyes and coy red lips.
"Uhh, yeah, I don't see why not," he said. "Stella why don't we meet you up out back by the stage door in say 30 minutes? We need to...wrap things up here."
"Really?! Oh sweet! I'm so excited!" she exclaimed. She gave a little hop and clapped her hands once. Tom stared transfixed for a moment and Sandra's blush deepened. All she could think was "her boobs bounced boobily".
"Ok, we'll see you in about 30," Sandra said. The two podcasters watched Stella leave, the last one out, and security locked the doors behind her. Tom turned to Sandra.
"Sandra, what the fuck is going on?" Tom asked.
"It's wild!" she said. "She straight up said she has a crush on me and you!"
"This is probably a bad idea," Tom said attempting to get his boner to go down.
"Oh, it absolutely is. Tom," Sandra said. "Tom."
"What?" he asked.
"I think she wants to hook up with us," Sandra's eyes sparkled brightly. Tom paused.
"What do you mean?" Tom asked.
"She wants to have sex with us Tom. Tonight," Sandra clarified. He faltered.
"I don't know. What if she's psycho? We don't know her," Tom said.
"I know we don't. I know it's risky, but... safety in numbers? She wants a threesome my dude." Sandra's blush was becoming redder and redder.
