by Lynn Hagen
It was the high school dance all over again. Everyone was having a blast except me. My leg started to bounce as I watched Will make himself a sandwich.
“You look incredible.”
I turned my head, and my breath caught. In front of me stood a man dressed like a treasure chest. He also had a ton of ginormous, fake gold chains around his neck that looked to be made of plastic, and he wore a hat made of gold coins.
I pressed my hands against my mouth, stifling a cry of relief that he hadn’t stood me up. Then I laughed. “Are you my hidden treasure?”
Vincent shook his head. “It’s the other way around.” He held out his hand, and I took it. Vincent pulled me from the chair and led me to the food table. “I hope you don’t mind, but I skipped dinner in order to get ready on time, and I was still late.”
My stomach rumbled. “No problem.”
Vincent handed me a plate then turned to make another. We ended up sitting on the front steps eating while people came and went.
“I meant what I said.” Vincent wiped at the side of my mouth. I let him, enjoying his attention. “You really do look great.”
“And I absolutely love your costume.” I was touched that he’d gone through so much trouble to match my pirate costume.
I finished my sandwich, chips, and the dessert Vincent had given me. I felt much better since I’d skipped dinner, too.
“You wanna go see if the backyard is decorated too?” Vincent set aside his empty plate. “Maybe there’s a haunted forest.” He wiggled his brows.
I laughed. “Just so you know, I’m a big chicken.”
Vincent stood and pulled me to my feet. “I’ll protect you from the ghosts and goblins.”
He wrapped his arms around me. I tilted my head back, and he kissed me. I was becoming quickly addicted to his lips. They were soft, and his breath smelled like the chocolate mint cookies he’d just eaten.
“I could kiss you all night,” he said as he pulled away. “But we have some exploring to do.”
My heart raced. Because of the thought of haunted woods, and because Vincent was holding my hand. I was embarrassed that my palm was so sweaty, but he didn’t seem to mind.
I gasped when we entered the backyard. There were torches set apart from the trees, and skeletons hung from branches. A howl ripped through the night, and fog hung heavily in the air.
“So spooky,” Vincent said with excitement.
I, on the other hand, was terrified. “I’m not so sure about this anymore.”
Vincent dragged me into the woods, and I wasn’t afraid to admit I turned into a little bitch. I clung to his arm as a plastic skeleton brushed against me.
“Okay. I came, and I conquered. Can we go now?” Had I just seen glowing red eyes, or had that been my imagination? I was ready to bolt, but Vincent had other things in mind.
He pressed me against a tree. “Where’s your sense of adventure?”
“I left it on the front steps.” I slid my arms around his treasure chest, which wasn’t easy, by the way. Have you ever tried hugging a human-sized chest? It was like trying to put my arms around a coffee table.
“I can think of a way to take your mind off your fears.” Vincent gave me the sweetest smile, and there was no way in hell I could resist him. I also liked that he didn’t get all handsy. He stood there as if waiting for my permission.
I bit my lower lip. “And what did you have in mind, handsome?”
I heard a howl close by. That made me jump, but Vincent captured my lips, and I forgot about the noise. Mostly. I was still afraid, but he was doing an excellent job of helping me tune everything out.
Including my fear.
His hands slid around to cup my ass as he yanked me closer, devouring my lips then sliding his tongue into my mouth. I was in heaven and never wanted him to stop.
But we had to come up for air.
Vincent kissed his way around my jaw, and I groaned at how good it felt to have his lips on me.
“Keep making that sexy noise and I’m gonna take you right here, Chester.”
“Promise?” The word had come out of my mouth before I could catch it. I wasn’t taking it back, though.
His smile was devastating. “Now there’s the adventure I was looking for.”
I sobered. “You wanna have sex…now?”
In truth, I’d shoved a condom and packet of lube in the pocket of my trousers. A guy could dream.
Vincent took a step back. “Not if you don’t want to. I’ll totally respect your decision if you want to wait until we get to know each other better. We don’t have to rush into—”
I shoved my hand up his treasure chest and found the gold I wanted. I curled my fingers around his hard cock, which proved to me just how much he wanted me.
“Okay then,” he whimpered. He actually whimpered. “We’ll go with your plan instead.”
I didn’t have a plan. I was winging this shit. I might’ve been shy when asking a guy out, because more times than not I was politely turned down, but when it came to sex, my bashfulness melted away.
And damn, from the feel of his cock in my hand, Vincent had quite the package to offer. “This adventurous enough for you?”
Vincent fucked my fist. “God yes. Do you know how many times I thought of fucking you when I saw you come into the coffee shop? I’ve wanted you for some time, Chester.”
Those words thrilled me enough to make me drop to my knees. Vincent slid the lower half of his costume down, exposing himself to me. I sucked his fat cock into my mouth and twirled my tongue, inhaling his musky scent as he moaned. It was as though the primal impulses inside me were taking over.
Allowing my instincts to guide me, I pulled off his dick and buried my face in his balls. I snaked my tongue out, licking them and tugging at them with my hand.
“Damn, pirate. Enjoy your treasure.”
I felt his legs start to shake as I licked my way around his balls, back up to his cock, using my teeth to give him added pleasure. I was also intoxicated by his manly scent that invaded my lungs.
Screw the party and haunted forest. This evening was all about getting to know Vincent on a more intimate level. I needed this. I wanted to taste him as he came down my throat.
His fingers gripped my hair, using the strands for leverage as he fucked my mouth. I felt as though I was wired, like I could suck him all night. I loved feeling a cock in my mouth, and loved it even more that the cock was attached to Vincent.
He punched his hips forward in short bursts as I slid my tongue up and down the side of his cock. Then I swallowed him down my throat.
“Fuck, Chester!”
My name on his lips was magical. That spurred me on, and I became determined to make him come. Also, there were twigs and tiny rocks digging into my knees, and no matter how I shuffled my knees around, they really did hurt.
Next time we had an adventure in the woods, I was wearing kneepads.
“Right there,” Vincent groaned. “Right there, baby.”
I reached up and tugged at his balls. As if I’d pressed some magic button, Vincent threw his head back and shouted my name as he came. I think I fell a little in love with him in that moment.
I know. That sounded pathetic, but I didn’t care. He’d called out my name. I could’ve come just from that alone.
He staggered backward, pulling his cock from between my lips. I stood, leaned against the tree, and smiled at how unhinged he looked. I’d made him look that way, and that electrified me in ways I never knew were possible.
After a moment of catching his breath, Vincent pulled the lower portion of his costume back in place. He gave me a lopsided smile that was made of pure gold.
“I like this side of you.” He winked.
I crossed my arms over my chest. “There’re plenty of repeat performances in your future, handsome.”
With a low chuckle, Vincent pulled me into his arms and kissed the air from my lungs. Then he returned the favor. It was a very odd sight to see a
treasure chest down on his knees in front of me, but I didn’t care. Not when Vincent took my cock into his mouth and made me writhe against the tree.
The bark dug into my back, but no way would I stop what he was doing. His mouth was magical, and the haunted woods only added to the experience.
I would never look at haunted woods the same.
As he took my dick down his throat, I spread my legs, running my fingers through his hair. I’d knocked off his coin hat, needing the contact, desperate for it. Vincent was a keeper, and I would do whatever it took to make him happy.
Because he was definitely making me happy right now.
Vincent wet a finger and drove it into my ass. I shouted his name, knocking my head into the tree when I threw it back. He worked my ass, sucked my cock, and I was closely approaching the edge of the abyss.
When the fake wolf howled again, I joined him. My cock throbbed as I came down Vincent’s throat.
We hadn’t used the condom, but there would be plenty of time for that.
A year passed, and in that time, Vincent and I got married and shared our own crappy apartment. That didn’t matter to me. I was finally happy, with a treasure chest who loved me just as much.
I knew it wouldn’t be smooth sailing. We disagreed, a lot, but we always managed to talk things out. I was grateful to Caleb for standing me up. If he hadn’t, Vincent never would have offered me that free coffee, and I would’ve missed out on the love of my life.
A Squirrel Chasing a Nut
“I have to go, Mom.” I didn’t mind driving to the boonies to help my mom out. I loved her, and she was really getting up there in age. But whenever I came by, she put me to work, trying to wring every last drop of energy from me.
Today I mowed her lawn, trimmed the hedges, picked up the leaves, and cleaned the gutters. Now she wanted me to move some stuff from the basement to the attack.
I just couldn’t do anymore. For one, I was exhausted. Two, I had to get ready for the Halloween party that was in a few hours. My brother, Clarence, the lazy jerk, just sat in the living room on the couch playing video games.
Too bad I couldn’t smack him on the back of the head. Well, I could, but then he’d go crying to our mom and I didn’t want to get stuck here listening to her lecture me.
Clarence was only sixteen, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t do chores around the house to help out. His bones weren’t broken, so he could’ve done the yardwork. Kids these days. Ugh.
When I’d been sixteen, I’d gone to school, held down a part-time job, and done chores. But that had been before my father had passed away. Jordan Wyeth had run a tight ship, and if he’d still been around, Clarence wouldn’t have been lying around on the couch.
Or getting low grades.
“Don’t you have a party to go to?” I asked when I entered the living room to grab the bag I’d brought with me. I’d gotten my costume last year after Halloween, when all the prices were cut down to practically nothing. The choices had been slim, so I’d purchased a squirrel costume, large, fluffy tail included.
It even came with a large plastic nut. I thought it was a hilarious idea at the time. Now, not so much. But it was all I had, so I went to my old bedroom and changed into it.
When I returned to the living room, Clarence burst out laughing. “That’s totally gay of you. So, are you going to be trying to get other guy’s nuts all night?”
The little shit should consider himself lucky I loved him. “You never answered my question.”
“Yeah, I got a party to go to. Can you give me a ride to Jesse’s house?”
I frowned. “You’re still hanging out with that loser?”
Everyone called him Jesse the Joker, since he loved playing practical jokes. I’d always thought of him as Jesse the Jerk since he was a straight-up asshole.
He still thought egging houses was fun. There was a time in a guy’s life when he had to grow up, but trying to tell Jesse that fell on deaf ears. He was nothing but a juvenile delinquent, but my mom seemed to love him.
That only told me how senile she was getting.
“I’ll give you twenty minutes to change before I leave.”
“Change for what?” Clarence hopped off the couch.
“Aren’t you wearing a costume?” I asked.
“Costumes are for the lame.” He headed toward the door. “Mom, I’m leaving!”
“Have a good time, sweetheart,” she said as she came from the kitchen. “Be back my ten. You have school tomorrow.”
It was already seven. There was no way my little brother would be back before two in the morning. His grades testified that studying and homework were low on his priority list.
“Sure thing, Mom.” He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. I would’ve thought that was sweet if I hadn’t known better. He was softening her up for the late hour he would be home.
I gave her a kiss, too, and a hug. “I’ll call you later.”
I always became choked up whenever I saw the sheer pride in her eyes when she looked at me. I’d always been the good son, holding down jobs, graduating from high school with high grades, and I’d even gone to college. I was the head of the maintenance department at Crestview General Hospital.
My dad would’ve been so proud of me.
Maybe I could talk to Clarence on our drive and try to get him on the right path. It was never too late.
We waved good-bye to our mom and headed out. Clarence slid into the passenger seat of my brand-new Chevy Cruze Hatchback. It was my very first new car, and I treated it like it was my baby. I also loved that it was cherry red with black interior.
What I hadn’t liked was the fact that my humungous tail shoved me against the steering wheel. I tried to cram it out of the way, but it sprang right back. With a roll of his eyes, Clarence grabbed it and held it down for me.
“Thanks.”
“I’m just helping because I need a ride.”
I clenched my teeth and backed from the driveway. “Why are you always so surly? Don’t you ever have anything nice to say?”
“You look fairy nice in your costume.” He rolled his window down, even though the air was chilly at thirty-five miles an hour. The material of my costume was thin, which made me shiver as the cool air whipped through the car.
I ignored his rude compliment as I concentrated on the road. It was already dark out, and the winding roads made me very cautious.
“You drive like a grandpa,” Clarence complained. “Can’t we go any faster?”
“Nope.” I wasn’t going to argue with him. I just wasn’t. I saw that Clarence had a chip on his shoulder, and I wanted to find out why, but getting into a shouting match—like we always did—wouldn’t solve anything. We had fifteen minutes until we made it to Jesse’s house, and I didn’t want my night ruined. I’d been looking forward to Randall Mercedes’ party for months.
“You wanted a ride from me, so deal with my speed limit.” Yes, I had an attitude, even though I’d tried to remain calm. Clarence’s pissy disposition wasn’t the only thing aggravating me.
The costume itched like crazy.
We rounded the bend, and too late, I spotted the raccoon in the road. I slammed on my brakes and swerved to avoid it. The move had been pure instinct and adrenaline, but I wound up stuck in a concrete roadside drainage ditch. The dip was a good three feet, and there was no way I was getting my car out just by backing up.
Clarence had also screamed like a little girl, and I might have wet my squirrel costume a tiny bit. I swung my head around and looked my little brother over. “Are you okay?”
“What the hell did you do that for?” Clarence shouted. He looked pale, wide-eyed, and was gripping the door.
“It’s not like I did it on purpose,” I shouted back, still terrified from the ordeal. “There was a raccoon in the road.”
“You should’ve just run it over,” he said. “People run over critters all the time.”
I knew it was the fear talking. My brother was a huge a
nimal lover. Still, his response startled me. “You wanted me to kill a poor, innocent creature?”
“No,” he grumbled. “But now what’re we gonna do?”
I reached for my phone and cursed up a storm. I’d left it in my bag, which was still sitting on my childhood bed. “Give me your phone,” I said. “I’ll just call a tow truck.”
Crap. My wallet was in that bag, too. I wanted to bang my head against the steering wheel for forgetting it.
Clarence whipped out his phone then cussed. “I don’t have a signal.”
“Are you shitting me?” Driving would’ve taken us fifteen minutes. Walking would be about an hour and a half. It was dark, and we were on a backroad with nothing but woods on either side of us.
I wasn’t afraid to admit to myself that it was pretty damn creepy outside when the sun wasn’t shining. I was also beside myself because my damn car was brand-new. The repair cost was gonna kill me if I didn’t file a claim. But I needed to worry about that later. Right now I had to get myself and Clarence to our destinations. Or at least Clarence. I was no longer in a partying mood.
Too bad I’d left my bag, because I would’ve changed back into my regular clothes. I really, really hated this squirrel outfit now that I knew I would have to walk in it.
I wanted to find that raccoon and strangle it.
“Let’s walk farther down the road. Maybe you can get a signal.” I opened the door, and it was nearly taken off by a speedster going about eighty. The asshole hadn’t even stopped to see if we were okay.
Clarence shouted some obscenities to the car, which was already gone. He even flipped the person off, for whatever good that would do. I grabbed my keys from the ignition and locked my car.
“Really, you’re gonna lock it?” he asked. “How the hell is anyone gonna steal it?”
“Just shut up and start walking,” I snapped. I was so over his attitude.
“This is bullshit,” he said under his breath as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and walked away.
