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Partially, I saw my ongoing dry spell as a good thing. Pretty faces didn’t equate to pretty intentions. Considering the incident before Malcolm—which I refused to think about—and then his general recurring presence in my thoughts, I had become weary of every man. I was suspicious of nice guys. The false sincerity was a means to a nonconsensual end because we weren’t equal enough to just be friends; there was a service expected in return for default decency.
Mari broke into my thoughts and said, “It may be forbidden, but it’s a legitimate question. You don’t seem to be in a relationship mood, so do you want to do the hook-up lifestyle?”
Mari made a great point.
I thought out loud, “That’s probably been my problem. I’ve been looking for possible relationship material in an ocean full of one-nightstands.” I shot her a curious glance. “I don’t see the harm in trying this one time, so I’m guessing the answer to my costume conundrum is slutty?”
She released a loud laugh and nodded as she pulled out her keys. Mari took my hand and led me out to our complex’s parking lot. I buckled up while shaking my head at the mess I let her drag me into. When she pulled into the lot of the pop-up Halloween store just a few moments later, we both noticed just how packed it was. Granted, it was a small area, but we clearly weren’t alone in our hunt for last-minute costumes.
On the way over, Mari had bounced around a few ideas: sexy cop, sexy firefighter, sexy nurse. But the more I had thought them over, none seemed quite appealing or were my style.
Could you even have a style of slutty costume wear?
When we merged with the mass of college kids wandering about the walkways through stuffed costume racks, I regretted all of my decisions that led up to this point. We passed rows and rows of neatly packaged costumes, and it seemed impossible to narrow down anything comfortable.
I had my attention on a cheaply configured “Officer Boo-tay” costume when Mari popped up beside me with full arms.
“You know, I was thinking. What about this Catwoman suit? It doesn’t show skin, but leather is sexy. It’s definitely a genre of slutty.” She raised her eyebrow and held out the costume.
I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing fine leather quality was not being sold by the likes of a “Costumes R’ Us” store.
“Well, faux leather, anyways.” She grinned with an eyeroll.
I took the package from her and examined it. I wasn’t too keen on the corny mask they packaged with it, but it was worth a try on. She pulled me through the aisles and gathered crowds.
“The only way to know is to put it on, right?” I said, trying to match her cheerful energy
I shuffled my way into the small-spaced changing room and looked at the package puzzlingly. This was going to require more than my two hands, seeing as the zipper ran from neck to crack.
“Let me know if you need any help,” she called from the other side as she leaned against the door. I managed to squeeze into each sleeve and pant leg. As far into it as I could go, I carefully cracked open the door then leaned into the gap.
“I need you to zip me, please,” I whispered. The door was open just enough so she could get her hands through. Her fingers were inhumanly cold and sent goosebumps across my body.
“My god, woman! Do you have any circulating blood at all?”
“Sorry,” she whisper-giggled to me as she pushed the door back closed.
I looked at the small mirror and was floored. Even in the bad lighting, I looked fucking incredible. The costume was snug, but it hugged in all the right places and showed off curves I didn’t even know I had. I timidly opened the door to show her without leaving the dressing room entirely, but the door was snatched out of my hand as I looked at a jaw-dropped Mari.
“Girl, you are smoking!”
I gave her a pleading look, silently asking her to lower her voice. She ignored me and dragged me out into the middle of the floor to look in the floor-to-ceiling mirror. My bare feet tapped softly against the chilled tile.
The enhanced lighting and bigger mirror made it even clearer that this costume definedeverything.
My attention caught on someone at the edge of the mirror—an unbelievably tall figure just barely in view. I turned around to see none other than Jai Wells, though he might not have noticed my gaze because his eyes were busy unabashedly roaming my pleather-clad body. If eye-fucking needed a visual, he would be the perfect model. He didn’t care who saw him as he ran his tongue across the edge of his teeth. His eyes were dark with lust as he bit down on his lower lip. He embodied carnality.
Something stirred in me the longer he stood there.
I hadn’t let myself admit it until now.
Jai Wells was…hot.
His eyes didn’t return to mine, and I desperately wanted them to. His mouth parted as though he sighed, but he was too far away for me to hear it.Did he adjust his—
“So, what do you think?” Mari’s voice broke the spell, and I looked over at her grinning face.
“What?” I mumbled as I rebooted and tried to catch up to her questions. She shifted the costume she had over her arm so she could gesture up and down at me. I remembered then what we were doing. “Oh,the costume.”
