Chapter 7
In the bathroom,she spread her makeup out on the counter and went to work.She had a good base already on,the light,barely-there makeup she wore every day to work,but now she wanted something smoldering and hot for the evening.So she went with a smoky eye with thick black liner in a cat’s eye swoop that emphasized her upper lid.Heavy mascara,glitter under her brows,peach blush to make her cheeks look rosy,and adark garnet lipstick completed the look.Next she curled her usually straight hair,adding volume to the long locks,and pinned up the front in strategic spots to pull it off her face and highlight her makeup.When she was pleased with what she saw staring back at her from the mirror,she eased on the headband with the cat ears on it,careful not to mess up her carefully coiffed masterpiece.
But crap.She was still shirtless.The globes of her breasts glistened from glitter that had fallen from her brush as she powdered her face,which was why she hadn’t put on a shirt before putting on her makeup.She’d been thinking of wearing ablack crop top that would show off her midriff,but she didn’t want to ruin her hair…
Maybe she had something else that would work even better.
She hurried to the closet,glancing at the clock on her bedside table;Eric would arrive any minute.It didn’t take long to find the shirt she had in mind.It hung near one side of the closet,almost out of sight,because she hadn’t worn it in ages,but only because she didn’t really have any place she could really wear it to.It was as short as the crop top,so it would still show off her taut tummy,and it was black,so it would go perfectly with the rest of her outfit.But it was also made completely out of a sheer black organza.As gorgeous as it was,only the cuffs on the sleeves and the collar were opaque.Jenny bought it because she’d seen it on the clearance rack at Marshall’s,and promptly stuck it in the back of her closet because,seriously,where could she ever wear something like itout in public?
On Halloween,anything goes.
It looked incredible over top of her new bra,and fit in perfectly with the rest of her costume.She couldn’t wait to see Eric’s face when he got a look at her,but hadn’t the sexy cat been his idea in the first place?
****
Jenny got a text from Eric a minute before seven o’clock.Almost there.Pulling into your apartment complex now.
I’ll wait outside,she texted back.Tucking her phone into a handbag,which was little more than a black wallet on a long strap,she draped the bag over her head and arm,and made sure it rested on her hip where she could keep it within reach.It was small,barely big enough to fit her iPhone,her driver’s license,a credit card,and a folded up ten dollar bill,but shemanaged to squeeze in her house key,as well,after taking it off her keychain.She wouldn’t need the rest of the keys,anyway,the ones to the office or her car,at least not for the night.With a final check in the mirror to ensure her eye makeupwas perfect,her teeth free of lipstick,and her hair still in place,she headed out,locking the door to her apartment behindher.
Her heels made a satisfying click-click-click on the steps downto the sidewalk,where a late evening breeze caught her skirt and swirled it around her thighs.She felt like Marilyn Monroe as she pushed down the skirt with a laugh.Then she caught sightof Eric’s car turning into a space in front of her apartment building,and she waved.
Eric was in the passenger seat;Jenny recognized the driver beside him as Mike from the photos on Eric’s desk.When the carstopped,Eric opened the door and jumped out,a black silk cape billowing out around him.“Dah-link!”he cried in a fake accent.
His hair was combed back in a 50’s pompadour that exposed a widow’s peak Jenny had never noticed before,and at first she thought he’d been punched in the face because his eyes looked black.Then she noticed it was just dark makeup ringing his eyes,which made them stand out in his powdered white face.A trail of red dribbled from the corner of his mouth.As she approached,she reached out and pointed at it.“You got a little something there…”
“Don’t you get it?”Grasping the ends of his cape,he held out one arm and brought the other up to his face to hide behind.With a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows,he told her,“I’m a vampire.I vant to suck your blood.”
Jenny giggled.“It looks like ketchup.Don’t vampires have fangs?”
Eric bared his teeth,which looked perfectly white and straightand normal,same as they always did.When she didn’t flinch in fear,he ran his tongue over them.“Oh!They’re in the car.Hold on.”
“It’s okay,I believe you.”Jenny laughed as Eric ducked back inside.Leaning down over him,she waved at the driver,who wore an orange reflective safety vest and construction helmet.“Hey,you must be Mike.I’m Jenny.”
In the photos she’d seen,Mike was cute but nothing to write home about,but when he smiled at her,Jenny felt her knees go weak.There was something about his pale blue eyes,the cleft in his chin,and the crooked way he grinned that clicked together when seen in person.His rough and tumble voice seemedto come from somewhere deep inside his brawny body,and when he nodded at her,he actually touched the front of his hat a little,a gentlemanly gesture that made her want to swoon.“I’ve heard a lot about you,Jen.”
Jen.The word caught in her mind like a thorn on a rosebush.God,we just met and he already has a nickname for me.How cute is that?
“Only good things,I hope.”She leaned on the car door and tried hard not to sigh as she stared over Eric’s shoulder at Mike.