by Silvia Rojas
“You mean, unrealistic expectations.” I countered, taking a swig of my own drink. “And, I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but this stuff is pretty good.”
“If you say so.” She shrugged, walking to the main parlor, where people were gathered in circles, chatting amongst themselves.
We found an open sofa and sat down.
“Have you noticed all the people that are here?”
“How can you recognize people if everyone is in costume?” she asked, running her finger along the rim of her cup, producing a soft humming noise.
“So? Look! There’s Heidi Klum dressed as Jessica Rabbit!” I pointed excitedly.
“How do you know?”
“Uh, because she posted a picture of it on her Instagram and tagged this place. Besides, who else would put that much effort into a Halloween costume? Everyone knows she’s the Halloween Queen.”
Ebony had her heart-shaped lips pressed together, her green eyes looking dull.
I scanned the room, searching for someone else that might spark her interest. “Look! There’s Joe Jonas as Derek Zoolander.”
“Who?”
“You know Joe Jonas, from the Jonas Brothers…?”
“You mean that boy band everyone was obsessed with in the fifth grade?”
“Yeah!”
“He’s still considered a celebrity?” she asked, taking a sip of her drink. Her cup was already half empty.
“You’re impossible.”
She shrugged. “I just don’t see what all the hype’s about.”
I sighed in exasperation. “You know what, let’s dance!” Before she could protest, I grabbed her hand, yanking her off the couch.
“Essie!” she screamed, trying to get away but I simply tightened my grasp, determined.
“You’re going to dance whether you like it or not!” I bellowed, tilting my head back, letting out an evil laugh.
Maybe I should have dressed up as Maleficent…
Chapter 4
ALLEN
“Are you almost done?” I asked, looking down at Gretchen as she adjusted the tongue of my boot.
“I just need to do a few more things…” she answered, sewing needle in hand.
Anxiously, I glanced at the clock. The first guests were due to arrive at any minute. What kind of host would I be if I kept them waiting?
“Was that the door?” I tilted my head, listening carefully. Doing so, the tiny hat on my head nearly fell off. “Also, we need to secure this hat better. Don’t you have some of those magical bobby pins girls always use in their hair?”
Gretchen nodded.
I jumped down from the stool I had been standing on, heading for the mirror. “The costume came out quite nicely, didn’t it?”
“It did, sir.”
“Do you think I should put on some makeup? Johnny Depp wore makeup in the newest movie… But, then again, it didn’t do that great.”
“I think that you look…” she paused as if choosing her words very carefully.
“Hideous?” I suggested, frowning deeply. “I knew I should have been Robin Hood. Who can resist a hot, sexy vigilante?”
Gretchen’s cheeks colored slightly. “Um…”
“Too late now. Anyway, do come here with those bobby pins.”
She quickly snapped back to reality. “Could you… um… bend down for me?”
I smirked, about to make a dirty comment, but I held back, knowing Gretchen didn’t handle them very well. “Sure.”
Carefully, she tethered the hat to the wig I was wearing. “H-how's that?”
I shook my head like a rabid dog. The hat stayed in place. “Perfect! You’re a miracle worker, Gretchen. You really are!” I hugged her tight before I walked out of the room, sliding down the banister, just in time to see Kirk walking through the door.
“Allen! You look quite… mad.” He grinned, his joker lips twisting manically. “But tell, have you ever been insane enough to dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?”
“Batman, 1989.”
“Damn, I thought I’d get you with that one.”
“You forget that’s the version I grew up with.” I patted him on the back. “And to answer your question, I’m crazy enough to take on Batman and the IRS.”
Kirk was silent for a moment, rubbing his hands together like he was hatching some evil plan. “The New Batman Adventures, 1996?”
“Damn. We’ve watched way too much Batman.”
“There’s no such thing as too much Batman.”
“Hmm, I think you’re right.” We laughed.
“Where is everyone?” he asked after a moment.
“They should be trickling in shortly,” I answered, and just on cue, a group of girls dressed as the seven dwarves walked in. “Welcome! Welcome!” I bellowed, taking Sleepy by the hand and twirling her around before I reeled her into my body.
She looked up at me with great big eyes. “C-Chris Grave!”
I instantly let her go.
“I’m offended that you would confuse me with my brother.”
“Oh!” The girl gasped, turning red when she realized her mistake. “I’m sorry!”
In response, I grabbed my retractable cane from my pocket, snapped it into place and walked off.
Kirk followed me, grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the serving platters. “Hey, don’t look so glum, it’s an honest mistake.”
I turned suddenly. “An honest mistake? What a regrettably large head you have. I would very much like to hat it… And hit you upside the head for making such a comment,” I growled.
“Hey, no need to get your panties in a bunch, man.”
“If I was dressed as a werewolf right now, I wouldn’t hesitate to tear you limb from limb.”
“Chill man, chill. No need to get so worked up. Look at all these beautiful ladies.” He swept his arms out to encompass the entire gallery. “How can you be angry in the presence of Mona Lisa?” he asked, walking up to her painting. Of course, it was just a replica, but it had still cost me quite the pretty penny.
“I can’t fool around with a painting.”
“You obviously haven’t tried hard enough,” Kirk answered with a grin.
“And I thought I was the pervert…”
He chuckled.
Eventually, we made our way to the ballroom, sitting down at one of the tables lining the perimeter of the dancefloor. The DJ was already playing a mash-up of popular Halloween songs.
“Do you see Jasmine and Aladdin getting down right now?” Kirk pointed to a couple who were grinding on one another, their hands roaming each other’s bodies.
“Oh yeah, huh?”
“When are you going to find yourself a girl like that?”
“Tonight,” I smirked. “Just you wait and see.”
“You say that every year.” He pointed out before calling over a butler and snagging one of Kathy’s spider cupcakes. “You afraid to commit or something?”
“What? No. I just like to keep my options open.”
Kirk looked unconvinced.
“Who are you to lecture me on commitment anyway? The last time I checked, you were just as bad as I was at keeping a steady relationship.”
“What are you talking about? Kiki and I have a very healthy relationship!”
“Your cat does not count.”
“Of course it does.” He finished off his glass of champagne, already looking for a refill. “We’ve been going steady for two years now!”
As he did so, I scanned the crowd. No one really perked my attention. Even Taylor Swift dressed as a Unicorn didn’t really phase me.
“Spot anyone worth trying to catch?” Kirk asked, popping one of the spider legs into his mouth.
“Not yet, but just you wait. By the end of the night, I’ll have the hottest girl around my pinky finger.”
“You sure you don’t want her wrapped around something else…?”
“Oh, I think you know, that for me, it’s always tea time.” I winked.
Chapter 5
ESSIE
“I refuse to go in there.” Ebony dug her feet into the ground, trying to stop me from dragging her any further into the mosh pit of people that had gathered on the dancefloor.
I stopped, looking annoyed. “If you aren’t going to dance, what are you going to do instead?”
“We just passed a pretty nice library. I think I’m going to check it out.”
“Don’t tell me that you came to the Graves’ Estate Annual Halloween Ball to visit their library.”
“What’s so wrong with that? Hell, I’ll even read a scary story from Edgar Allen Poe if that makes you feel better. How about Tell Tale Heart? There’s some dismemberment in there. Maybe I’ll go read it in the kitchen under all those hanging body parts.”
I rolled my eyes. “You’re hopeless.”
“If you say so.” She shrugged, turning on her heels and disappearing down the hallway.
Sometimes, she could be so lame.
Refusing to let her sour my mood, I melted into the crowd of sweaty bodies. The floor vibrated underfoot as a remix of Thriller blasted through the speakers. In the middle of the room, a group of werewolves and vampires were dancing in perfect sync. Suddenly, ablack Michael Jackson slid into place, snapping his head to the side, initiating the main dance.
A circle formed around them, clapping to the beat. I watched their performance, wondering if they were random guests or professional dancers the Grave brothers had hired to put on a show.
The song faded to an end before the theme music from Halloween built up to a spooky crescendo. I glanced over my shoulder, half expecting Jason to come jumping out of the shadows.
Instead, the DJ slipped on a hockey mask just as soon as the song hit its drop. Everyone started to bounce and grind into one another. I was quick to join them.
Beside me was a sexy police officer. I grabbed him by the belt, pulling him closer. “Is that your nightstick in your pocket or are you just happy to see me…?” I asked, a grin on my face.
His hands rested on my hips, his fingers holding on a bit too tightly.
“Come on, officer, don’t you want to check if I’m concealing any illegal substances?” I pressed my body to his but still, he didn’t react. He was much too stiff, and not in a good way.
“Bill! What the hell are you doing?” Someone dressed as Ariel stepped between us, the color of her cheeks matching her fake wig. “Get off my man!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, we didn’t even do anything,” I said, holding up my hands in innocence. “Doesn’t matter anyway because I rather go swimming in a pool of scorpions than hang out with him.”
Ariel just gaped at me, unable to respond.
I ventured deeper into the dance floor, submerging myself in the heart of it. Here, even more couples were grinding together and making out. I cringed, about to walk away when I caught someone’s eye.
He was dressed as the Mad Hatter. Fitting.
I waved at him, hoping he was available. From what I could tell, he looked cute. Probably the cutest guy I had seen all night.
As he weaved his way through the crowd to get to me, I was surprised to find that it was none other than Allen Grave.
“Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea first?” he asked, bowing down graciously, offering me a white-gloved hand.
“Oh, definitely adventure first…” I whispered. “Let’s go down the rabbit hole together.” I winked, wrapping my arms around his neck.
Naturally, his hands fell to my ass, squeezing my cheeks under powerful fingers. “Have I gone mad?” he asked as he leaned down, letting his lips trail along the side of my neck, kissing me with a soft, gentle touch that made me shiver all over. He blew a strand of my hair out of the way before his lips continued to my collarbone, sucking on the hollow space between them. “Because…” He looked up, his bright hazel eyes almost golden as they locked with mine. “I think you might just be the most beautiful girl at this party…”
I blushed deeply. I couldn’t believe that Allen Grave had complimented me. “I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers,” I whispered, letting our faces slowly gravitate together.
His scent wafted up to my nose. It was a pleasant mint, probably from his body wash. At the thought, my mind wandered, picturing him inside his shower, hands lathering in the soap until he was nice and slippery. My fantasy intensified as I imagined myself joining him. Maybe he would push me against the wall and ravish me or maybe he’d gently massage my body, kissing my every inch, before he finally got down to his knees…
I breathed in deep and opened my eyes, a smirk playing on my lips. “I’ll tell you a secret, all the best people are…” I pursed my lips together like I was about to kiss him but at the very last minute, I pulled away, resting my head on his shoulder as a slow song came on.
“Oh, you may be dressed as innocent Alice, but something tells me you’re a vixen.” He growled into my ear before nibbling on my lobe. “But I can tell you a secret as well. It’s never safe to tempt a man who is as mad as a hatter and twice as twisted.”
Chapter 6
ALLEN
I held Alice close, our hips locked together. The scent of her shampoo nearly drove me insane. A mix between strawberry and vanilla. Sweet and sexy. I could barely control myself from taking a bite out of her right then and there.
As we continued to dance, I thought about her in my bed, a bowl of strawberries on the nightstand, a bottle of whipped cream in my hand. It would be messy, of course, but I always wanted to experiment with the idea. I could lick the whipped cream right off her perky nipples. Follow a trail of strawberries to her cute little pussy. Tease her a bit. And then, taste her right from the source.
Just thinking about it caused the blood from my head to rush between my legs. Alice was rubbing her ass against my crotch and I had no doubt that she could feel the growing hard-on I was sporting. I wrapped my arms around her tapered waist, imagining my hands sneaking under the folds of her dress, making her moan right there on the dancefloor.
Her body was like candy, melting against mine. Her every curve was succulent and delicious. A part of me wanted to whisk her off the dance floor so I could admire her properly.
The song ended and I took my opportunity, leaning down so I could whisper into her ear. “Hey, how about we sneak out of here and get ourselves a couple of drinks?”
“Mmm, you read my mind.” She giggled, lacing her fingers with mine.
I squeezed her hand, guiding her through the crowd. Effortlessly, I navigated through the mansion’s main floor until I reached the kitchen. Unlike the start of the party, it was now stuffed with people enjoying the blood punch. “Let me just get us our drinks and then we can go somewhere a little more… private.”
“I like the sound of that.”
I hesitated to leave her, thinking that someone would snatch her up while I was gone. Quickly, I hunted down one of the staff, grabbing two glasses of Cheval Blanc. When I returned, Alice was in the same spot, leaning against the wall, her bright blue eyes sparkling like a pair of diamonds.
“Did you miss me?” I asked, handing her a glass.
“Perhaps,” she answered in a playful tone, the corners of her lips twitching with amusement. “Now, about that private little getaway of ours…”
“Of course,” I answered, wrapping my arm around her waist and guiding her out of the kitchen. “Elevator or stairs?”
“You have an elevator?” She was unable to keep the surprise out of her voice.
“Did you expect me to climb three flights of stairs every time I want to go to my bedroom?”
“Oh? Is that where you’re taking me?” She leaned heavily on me, her chin resting on my shoulder, her lips just barely grazing the side of my neck. “Because I would like that. I would like it a lot…”
“Would you now?” I raised an eyebrow i
n interest. Excitement bubbled within me at the implications of her request.
“Certainly…” The word rolled off her tongue in such a smooth, honey-like way that I nearly lost all control and kissed her right then and there. Her soft pink lips called out for mine in a manner that was difficult to resist. But, I held back, wanting to have my fun with her first. Make her want me so badly that she would be begging for it by the end of the night.
