Last Halloween, my friend Jen held a Halloween masquerade. Never one to pass up the opportunity for a party, I quickly mailed back the RSVP after receiving the invitation in the mail about a month prior to the holiday. I didn't have a clue what I'd wear, but I was certain I could find something with the aid of the local costume shop.
The following Saturday, I headed downtown to browse around and see if anything caught my eye.
After spending several hours in the store, I found a cute Cleopatra costume with a long, slinky gold dress. I liked the idea of changing my normally blonde, curly locks by donning a black wig and thought my hours in the tanning booth would help pull off the Egyptian bronzed skin. I immediately rented the costume and began to look forward to the upcoming event.
When I arrived at Jen's Halloween night, the house was packed. Her husband answered the door, dressed as a butler. Even though he was masked, as were all the other guests, Jen and I had spoken earlier in the week and talked about our costumes. She told me then that she and Brian had decided to attire themselves as servants for the evening. He was the butler, and she was the maid. She casually asked what I'd be wearing, so I told her.
I spotted Jen when I stepped into the living room and walked over to say hello and ask if she needed any help with anything. I'm rather polite that way. She thanked me, of course, and said no because they had hired a caterer. The catering staff walked around serving drinks and appetizers. Jen told me to just go dance, grab a drink and have fun.
All the guests enjoyed mingling and using their masks to their advantage as they flirted and cajoled one another in ways most of us wouldn't have done otherwise. I was standing near the fireplace, opposite the foyer, having a drink and conversing with Cinderella and Prince Charming. From my vantage point, I could easily see the comings and goings of the many people who filtered in and out of the room.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall, tanned, dark-haired man dressed as Mark Antony entering the room. I was amused at this turn of events, since I hadn't brought a date to pose as the other half of the Shakespearean tragic couple. I noticed right away that he seemed to be lacking the female half of the duo. A quick glance at his left hand indicated he wasn't married, unless he just didn't wear a ring. Brian strode over to greet him with a hearty handshake. He was probably someone with whom Brian worked, I remember thinking.
I also remember thinking that this man had one hell of a body. He was at least 6'2"; broad shouldered and had a wide chest, besides his solidly muscular arms and legs. I watched as he and Brian chatted. When he smiled, his white, straight teeth were a perfect compliment to his tanned skin. I could tell he was handsome, even behind the mask. There was no question in my mind; I wanted to meet this man.
I was just about to excuse myself from the company of Cinderella and her Prince when I got the introduction I'd hoped for, but it wasn't in the way I had intended. I was taken aback when he suddenly appeared at my side, momentarily towering over my 5'5" frame. Then he knelt down on one knee and very loudly proclaimed his undying love.
"Cleopatra, my darling!" he exclaimed with wide-open arms. He took my hand and kissed it repeatedly. "How I've been longing for you, my love. What a pleasant surprise to find you here. Have you missed me as much as I have missed you?"
My cheeks were flaming with an embarrassed blush as everyone turned around to stare and good-naturedly laugh at his outlandishness. I decided to play along with him.
"Antony, my sweet! My heart has been aching to see you again and be in your arms. Come to me, my love," I dramatically proclaimed and opened my arms to receive him.
Not missing a beat, he rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around me, then proceeded to plant a breath-takingly deep kiss on my mouth, which elicited a chorus of whooping and hollering from the others watching our little exchange. We both laughed as he turned and told everyone jokingly to go back to their business and leave us alone, while he kept his arm securely around my shoulders. Naturally, this brought on more laughter from the witnesses to our drama. They did turn back to their conversations, but not before getting in a few friendly "way to go" comments from the men and "why don't you ever do that for me?" remarks from the women.
I laughed and teased him with a smile on my face. "That's quite an approach you have. Do you often go around making declarations of love and kissing strange women?"
He shook his head and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth with a sigh. "I've only tried this twice," he replied solemnly.
Not missing the stolen movie line in his answer, I asked, "Oh? How did you do?"
In Tom Cruise fashion, he answered with mock seriousness, "I crashed and burned on the first try. It wasn't pretty."
"And the second?"
"I don't know, but it's looking pretty good so far. Ask me again in the morning."
I had to laugh again. "Okay, Mr. Antony. Pick a century here and stick with it. We aren't quite dressed for Top Gun." I smiled. "In the morning, hm? My, aren't you sure of yourself?"
His brown eyes gazed at me almost unnervingly from behind his mask. "No, just hopeful." His lips upturned in a slow smile that exuded sensuality.
I started to introduce myself to take my mind off his enormous sex appeal and the fluttering of my insides. He pressed a finger to my lips to silence me.
"Not yet," he spoke softly. "This is a masquerade, after all. There will be plenty of time for that later. Now, I would like to dance with you. Would you do me the honor?"
"Fair enough, my Roman ruler," I answered with a twinge of sadness at not being able to find out more about him. "I would love to dance."
He smiled and I felt that familiar twitching again, having been long denied attention other than from my fingers or dildo. He took my hand and led me to the dining room; the designated dance floor. His arm snaked around my waist and he held me securely as we danced to a slow song. It didn't help to calm the gnawing hunger in my pussy, being that close to him.
We chatted about ourselves without giving too much away. I found out he did indeed work with Brian. I explained that Jen and I had been friends since grade school. Conversation was light and pleasant and I found myself enjoying his company tremendously. I was completely at ease and lost in our dialogue, leaving the thought of physical longings behind, but not too far behind.
When the dance was over, he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out onto the deck to continue our talk. It was a beautiful evening. The stars shined down brightly from the velvet backdrop of the clear night sky. The weather was cool, but not unreasonably so, considering the time of year.
He was an avid listener and conversationalist. As we talked, he often touched my arm or my back in a gentle way. I felt my pussy flutter again and I shivered involuntarily. A courteous gentleman, he attentively noticed the shudder and rubbed my arms with his warm hands, then casually slipped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him.
"By the way," he said. "I didn't mention it earlier, but that was a wonderful kiss we shared when I arrived."
"Yes it was. It was perfect," I spoke the words aloud without thinking, then smiled rather shyly.
I blushed, as I thought to myself, perfectly delicious.
"Indeed, my Queen of the Nile. It was soft and gentle, just like you."
"Thank you. That was a sweet thing to say."
"Sweet, maybe. Truthful, definitely."
The DJ was playing Could I Have This Kiss Forever in the background. My masked stranger looked at me pointedly.
"I'd like to kiss you again."
He paused and I looked up at him.
"May I?" he asked softly.
My breath caught in my throat for a moment and I nodded in answer, leaning in to him as he bent down and tenderly pressed his lips to mine.
His lips were warm and welcoming. Kissing him felt like being at home. Familiar. Comforting. He began to part my lips slowly and his tongue found it's way into my mouth. There was no urgency or pressure in his kiss. No demand. But behind it, there was an undeniable fire.
He gathered me in his arms without breaking the kiss and I slid my arms up around his shoulders. His hands glided slowly up and down my back. My fingertips danced lightly on the back of his neck. Never in my life had I felt light-headed from a kiss, but this man did it to me. I had to pull back from his lips or I'd have fainted in his arms from the sheer depth of it.
"Wow," we chorused and took a deep breath, as if mirror images of the other. Then we laughed at our unplanned synchronicity.
"I could kiss you forever," he leaned down and whispered in my ear, then stood up to look into my masked green eyes from behind his own mask. That line sounded corny coming on the heels of the song, but it worked for him.
It worked for me, too. In that moment, without warning, I fell in love with him.
He took my hand and planted a chivalrous kiss on the back. Then he kissed my palm and pressed it against his cheek. "Bella mujer," he whispered. Beautiful woman. "Come with me."
His hand grasped mine and he entwined our fingers. He led me down the steps and into the backyard gazebo. We were beyond the light shining from the house; secluded, with only the pale moonlight illuminating our private space.
My heart began pounding as he took me into his arms again and this time, kissed me feverishly. Our mouths opened and closed and our tongues swirled around in frenzy as we practically devoured each other. I curled my arms beneath his and clutched his muscular back with my hands. His hands slid down my sides, then up and down my back, stopping just at the base of my spine. I wanted more, but it wasn't to be. He drew back.
When our lips parted, he held me tightly against him in a warm embrace, and then he released me, sitting back on the gazebo's ledge, pulling me between his legs. He caressed my face with his fingertips and looked at me.
"Bella," he said. I melted at the sound of the endearment.
"I want to take you home with me tonight. I was kidding earlier when I said 'ask me in the morning,' but now, I'm very serious. Well, maybe I was only half-kidding. I want to take you home and make love to you until the sun comes up, and then make love to you again."
"I…" I started. My heart continued to beat wildly. The sound was so loud in my own ears, I thought for certain he could hear it too.
"Shhh. Please let me finish." He smiled.
"I know you don't know me. If you say no, I'll understand. Whether you say yes or no, I want to see you again. Of course, I hope you say yes. I don't want you to answer right now. Think about it."
He looked up at the house. "We should go back. It's almost time for the unmasking."
We walked back to the house hand-in-hand and rejoined the group. No one paid any attention to the fact that we had been gone or that we were even holding hands. Or so I thought.
He kissed my cheek before walking away to get us both a drink and Jen scurried over, anxious to talk to me.
