For the second time that day, Amber and I gaped at her. How had we not known any of this? True, Emma had just joined our school in September, but this was major information!
Emma continued in a whisper as Amber and I leaned in. “Abby found a job out of town, and refused to speak to me for three months, even though I hadn’t done anything wrong. She only just agreed to come home for Christmas like a week ago. So, no. I am not inviting Ethan to the party… no matter—”
“Okay ladies, I think I found the shoes you’re looking for.” Ethan came bouncing back through the door. His face fell when he saw us huddled together. “You told them? Come on, Emma. That was ages ago.”
“It was in April.” Emma rolled her eyes. “Just give us the shoes, Ethan. Amber is running late, and I don’t want to rehash this whole thing again. It’s fine. We don’t need to talk about it.”
“Emma, when we kissed—” he started.
This time, Emma’s face turned red from anger. She grabbed the shoes out of Ethan’s hands and marched out of the dressing room.
Amber and I looked at each other. She quirked an eyebrow at me, and I knew she was thinking the same thing I was. Emma hadn’t been able to finish her sentence, but we both knew what she had been about to say. “I am not inviting Ethan to the party. No matter how much I might want to.”
Amber whispered something in Ethan’s ear and handed him a card. I could see Becca’s address written on the back. Tonight was going to be a lot more interesting than I originally thought.
Liam
Becca greeted us at the door wearing a top so tight, I thought her tits were going to pop right out of and say hello. “Liam!” Becca cooed. “So glad you could make it. Nice costume.”
Knowing she kicked someone out last year for being “lazy” and wearing a sheet as a ghost costume, I didn’t tell her it was just my uniform. Instead, I said, “Thanks. Are you going to be able to hold your liquor a little better this year?” Last year, after the “incident,” I had to take my costume back to the place where I rented it and pay a $70 cleaning fee.
Becca slapped my arm, playfully. “You know I was going through a bad breakup. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and Logan and I were supposed to wear a couple’s costume. He ruined everything, and I had no one to kiss during the games.”
I knew, as well as Becca did, that she was trashed well before midnight, and she had kissed at least two guys that night—one during spin the bottle, and another during Seven Minutes in Heaven. Why she still played these games when we were well into our twenties was beyond me. But, Becca never struck me as the most mature person in the world.
I didn’t call her on it. Instead, I said, “If you like my costume, you’ll love Oliver’s. He really went all out this year.”
Oliver couldn’t comfortably sit in my pickup truck wearing his costume, so he decided to slip it on over his t-shirt and jeans once we found a place to park. Now, he came lumbering up the front steps, causing Becca to let out a mocking laugh.
Oliver stopped just before the door, looking down as if he had made a mistake with his costume. I felt bad for the guy, especially when Becca said, “Oliver, half the point of this party is to hook up. How are you going to hook up with anyone wearing that?” She pointed and laughed again.
“I think it’s cool,” I defended my friend. “No one else is going to be wearing anything it.”
“That’s for damn sure,” Becca said.
“I mean,” I continued, knowing my next words were going to piss her off. “It’s not like he just threw on some witch or wizard costume like half the people here are probably going to do. Oliver’s an original.”
Becca glared at me and straightened her pointed witch’s cap in annoyance. “Get in here. I have cookies in the oven, and I don’t want to waste any more time standing on my front porch.”
I grinned and slapped Oliver on the back. “Don’t worry,” I whispered. “Once she’s liquored up, you can ditch the costume, if you want. I’ll even lend you my helmet. You can be an off-duty firefighter or something.”
Oliver grimaced, but didn’t argue. The party was already in full swing. A table was set up in the corner for pumpkin carving, and there was a large barrel next to it, which Becca always filled with water and apples for apple bobbing, even though only a few of the guys were willing to take part in the game. Fake cobwebs hung from nearly every inch of the ceiling, and I was unsurprised to see she’d sprung for a smoke machine this year.
The crowd of costumed dancers looked like they were immersed in fog, and orange lights blinked at us throughout the dim room. “Food first or drinks?” Oliver asked.
The firefighter diet was going to have to be put on hold for the evening. Becca was a sloppy drunk, but one of the best bakers I’d ever met. Throughout the house, she had stacked up platters of witch finger cookies, mini Bundt cakes decorated like pumpkins, homemade marshmallows shaped like ghosts, caramel apples, and Rice Krispy treat tombstones. It also looked like Becca’s “signature drink” this year was an alcoholic milkshake, tri-colored like candy corn and served in a mason jar.
After drinking green juice for the past few weeks, my stomach rumbled. “Drinks and maybe one snack.”
Oliver shook his head. “One? One? That’s sad, man. Last year, you at nearly an entire tray of Frankenstein cupcakes all on your own.”
“Three years ago, I ate an entire tray of cupcakes,” I reminded him. “That was before I got fit, obviously. Last year, I went home after fifteen minutes because Becca had too many Witch’s Teats and…”
“What’s a Witch’s Teat?” Oliver asked.
“Her signature drink last year—homemade blackberry liqueur, apple brandy, and grenadine.”
“Sounds too sweet.” He made a face.
“I don’t know.” I grimaced. “I never got to drink mine.”
Oliver laughed, and I joined him. “I’m sure this year will be different. Let’s just have a good time. I can forget all about my relationship problems with…”
I trailed off, staring open-mouthed at the door.
“Holy shit,” Oliver said.
I shook my head, as if that small action would clear the thoughts racing through my brain. I couldn’t take my eyes off the girl in the doorway. “I know. She looks exactly like Nicole. I almost thought it was her, for a second.”
“She doesn’t look anything like Nicole.” Oliver sounded mesmerized.
I gazed at the girl as she came toward us. Long, light brown hair, green eyes, freckles across her nose, and a figure that would make most men weep, tightly bound up in the sexiest kitten costume I’d ever seen. It looked like leather was fused to her curves. There was a zipper running from her collarbone to her navel, and all I wanted to do was pull it all the way down. I was glad my pants were loose fitting because just the sight of this girl made my cock harder than a diamond.
She smiled at me shyly and whispered something to her friend. They giggled and turned off into the kitchen. It took everything in me not to follow. “I have to talk to her,” I said to Oliver.
“Talk to her? No way! You have a girlfriend, and anyway, she’s mine.”
I finally ripped my eyes away from the door she’d just walked through. “Yours? How is she yours?”
He pointed to his costume. “Hello! I’m a Nintendo controller. She’s dressed up like a sexy Super Mario. We’re a perfect match!”
“Sexy Super Mario?”
“Yeah. Did you not get the reference?” He shook his head in disgust.
“The girl in the cat costume was supposed to be a sexy Super Mario? Like, when he eats the star and turns into a flying cat or whatever?”
Oliver ran a hand over his face. I’d seen this move before. It meant, “You are so wrong here, I don’t even know where to begin.”
“Not the friend in the obvious costume choice,” he said. His words made me angry, though I couldn’t say just why. “And not the blond who was with them, either, the one in the short huntress outfit. I’m ta
lking about the hot girl with the black hair and the red shoes.”
“Oh, the friend,” I said. That was clearly the case. I hadn’t seen or noticed the blond, but the shorter, pale black-haired girl had “hot girl’s best friend” written all over her.
I immediately felt bad about this assessment because it wasn’t fair, and I’m sure Oliver felt like he got the same treatment when he went out with me, but the truth was, once Cat Woman had walked through the door, I stopped noticing everything else.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s check out the kitchen. I’m sure those cookies of Becca’s are done, and I know you need a wingman to help you talk to Luigi or Mario or Princess Peach or whoever you’ve got your eye on.”
Katie
I could hear “The Monster Mash” playing as we approached Becca’s house, and groaned because I knew she would play it at least once an hour, and I couldn’t stand that song.
“Cool,” Emma said. “I love this song!”
Amber pulled down her top an inch and hiked her skirt up another inch. “Amber, come on,” I said. “You’re already going to be the hottest one here. Give girls like Emma a chance.”
“Also, I can see your panties,” Emma said, covering a hand over her mouth to hold in a giggle.
Amber shrugged. “I thought about not wearing any,” she admitted. “I am a huntress tonight, ladies. I am on the prowl. I’m going to seek out the hottest guy here, get down and dirty with him, and take him home… if it even takes me that long.”
“Don’t tell me that you and the surfer?” I asked.
“What?” Emma looked back and forth between us.
“Last year, Amber hooked up with a surfer dude,” I started.
“And his girlfriend,” she bragged.
“And you did it here? Right in Becca’s house?” I couldn’t believe it. But then, I’d been too annoyed with her for ditching me to ask.
“We didn’t do it,” she scowled. “I mean, we didn’t go all the way. But we did lock ourselves in the upstairs bathroom. Surfer Boy undid his pants while Surf Bunny and I went down on him.”
“Both of you?” Emma’s mouth dropped open.
Amber smiled, looking smug. I knew she was trying to play it off like it was no big deal, but as far as I knew (and I knew a lot about Amber’s sex life) she’d never been in another threesome.
“What was it like,” Emma couldn’t help but ask.
“It was so hot, I nearly came,” Amber said. “Honestly, I was aching inside, and touching myself the whole time I did it. Instead, he came pretty quickly. His girlfriend was about to rip my top off, but he told her they better leave. I think he felt kind of embarrassed that they had taken things that far with someone else.”
She paused, considering. “Or, he was jealous of the thought of his girlfriend being with anyone else, even if it was just another girl ready for a random hookup.”
“Do you think they’ll be here again?” Emma asked.
“God, I hope not,” Amber replied.
“I don’t know why you’re so hot and bothered when you’re boning Noah,” I said as we made our way up to Becca’s front door.
“Because Noah is big, but I get bored easily. Besides, it’s not the size of the package that’s important. I want someone who knows what to do with his hands.” She ran her own hands up and down her body.
I guessed that Amber’s voracious appetite for men had as much to do with her own self-esteem and need for approval and admiration as much as it did her physical desires. But, the last time I’d come close to telling her anything like this, she snapped, “Why are you even with Ben? You guys have nothing in common, and the sex is lousy. Do you not feel good about yourself, Katie? Do you not feel like you deserve more?”
And she was at least half-right, so I didn’t say anything else. Since then, there was an unspoken agreement between us. I didn’t try to armchair psychologist her relationships, and she didn’t try to analyze mine.
Dry ice fog creeped out beneath the door, and I couldn’t help but smile. I made a note to try to get to know Becca better. Anyone who put this much effort into a party was probably pretty cool. I didn’t know why we didn’t hang out more often.
As soon as she came to the door, I remembered. With her low-cut pleather top and micro-mini tutu skirt, Becca was practically identical to Amber. The only difference was that Becca’s outfit was black, and Amber’s was hunter green. Amber had arrows strapped to her back, and Becca had a witch’s cap on. Otherwise, the effect was the same. We already had an Amber in our group and didn’t need another one. Even if I could put up with the antics, Amber would never allow it. Too much competition.
We walked in, and Amber immediately started scouting out the room. “There’s a cowboy over there who looks like he wants a ride.” She sashayed away to the dining room, and I knew that was the last Emma and I would see of her for at least the next hour, if not the whole night.
“Alright,” I said, taking Emma’s arm. “Now she’s out of the way, maybe some guys will actually look our way. Let’s find you a man who will take all thoughts of Ethan right out of your mind.”
“That’s not so easy…” her words trailed off. I glanced down at Emma, and saw her, staring across the room.
“Hot damn,” I couldn’t help but utter. My mouth went dry and my palms started to sweat.
Through the haze and crowd of dancing couples, I spied what could only be described as a bronzed god. Six feet of sex on a stick. I couldn’t rip my eyes away from his rippling muscles. He was wearing yellow suspenders, holding up what looked like authentic firefighter pants. Underneath the suspenders, he was shirtless—exposing every inch of his gorgeous, naked torso.
Raking my eyes from his navel to his chest, I saw a tribal tattoo on his right shoulder. Normally, I would have thought it a bit tacky, but on this guy, it just made him look more like a magnificent pagan beast. My first instinct was to walk over and lick every inch of his body.
I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. Keep it together, Katie. One tall drink of water and you’re already forgetting about Ben. I tried to calm myself. Besides, walking up to a guy and running my tongue over his chiseled chest was an Amber move. Not something I’d ever dare to do. I had a boyfriend. A really good boyfriend. Who loved me a lot. Right?
Moving my eyes from his chest, I saw the fireman was staring at me as well. Probably because he caught me staring. And, like an idiot, I of course looked at his chest. I was no better than a guy, apparently.
Emma pulled my arm. “I can’t believe there’s someone dressed up like a Nintendo controller,” she enthused. “Do you think he’ll like my Mario costume?”
“Huh?” was all I could muster. I flicked my eyes over and saw the guy she was talking about—a slightly shorter buddy of the copper-skinned fireman. He was wearing what had to be the dorkiest costume I’d ever seen.
I leaned down to Emma and whispered, “He’s perfect. Let’s play it cool, though. He looks like if you flirt too hard, he’d scare off and run away.”
She giggled. “I don’t even think I know how to flirt.”
I looked back up to the fireman and gave him a small, coy smile before leading Emma into the kitchen. The smile refused to leave my lips when I realized he and his friend had followed us in.
“You’re just in time for cupcakes!” Becca crowed. She looked over my shoulder. “Liam, I know you love these. You had an entire tray of them last time.”
“I don’t know, Becks,” a deep voice sounded behind me. It resonated through my body like a vibrator, sending tingles all the way down to my toes. I gripped the edge of Becca’s table, not trusting myself to turn around. I knew it was the fireman.
“I’m supposed to be in training,” he continued. “But, I could maybe spare the calories for just one.” He put a hand on my back as he leaned forward to grab a green, ghoulish-looking cupcake. “Excuse me.”
“No problem,” I whispered, knowing he could barely hear me. I couldn’t help it. As
soon as we touched, it felt like all the wind was knocked out of my chest. He literally took my breath away.
Suddenly unsure what to do, I grabbed a cupcake and jammed it into my mouth. “Slow down, Katie.” Becca gave me a disgusted look. “Save some for the rest of us.”
I gave Emma a nudge, and she finally looked over to her newly-formed crush. “Cool costume,” she blurted out.
“Thanks. Yours too,” the geeky guy replied. He paused for what seemed like an entire minute, and I thought I’d have to nudge Emma a second time to get either of them to talk again.
“Oh my gosh!” the Nintendo controller cried out. “I know where I know you from. You’re Emma Peterson, right?”
Emma looked worried. She let out a slow, “Yeah.”
“I’m Oliver. Oliver Robbins. I came in fifth at the costume contest at Dragon Con last year. Remember? In Atlanta? You came in second, but you should have won. Your Lady Aerie costume was amazing. I can’t believe that rotten Bilbo Baggins beat you.”
“I can’t believe you were there!” Emma enthused. “Who were you dressed as?”
“Just a dragon,” he laughed, “like half the guys there. I had pretty cool articulated wings, though.”
“Red and orange ones, right? I remember them,” Emma said. “What did you use for the opening mechanism? Because last time mine didn’t open all the way, and I remembered how yours unfolded like butter.”
They began chattering about the con and moved back into the living room as if the hot fireman and I weren’t even there. I glanced his way and shrugged, looking slightly over his shoulder and refusing to meet the warm brown eyes, which were piercing into me.
“Should we stay for the cupcakes or follow and make sure those two don’t get into trouble?” he smirked at me.
“I have a boyfriend,” I blurted out.
“And I have a girlfriend,” he countered smoothly. “So, now that’s out of the way, I repeat my question. Stay or follow?”
Hot & Heavy Halloween (Hot Holidays Book 1) Page 3
