Once Cara fully dressed and left, after fixing her makeup and standing in front of a fan to get rid of the red-tinted flush in her cheeks, I was free to get ready. I myself needed a more thorough cleanse, so I took a shower. Ana joined me and made it that much better, being the one to soap up her hands and rub me down from top to bottom. Things came close to starting up again, as Ana's body being dripping wet made it all the more perfect, but we both agreed to wait. It would be more fair for Kiernan and Hailee, who wouldn't arrive until later. Nevertheless, there was some making out, and a *little* teasing from Ana's mouth.
After that, I got dressed. The affair being a formal masquerade, I hoped I wasn't doing too much, but knowing Anya my outfit was just right. I had an all-black tuxedo, complete with a black shirt and a black silk tie. Then, to go with the theme, I had a black cape that wrapped around my shoulders and connected across the base of my neck with a thin black chain. And of course, a mask. I had it made special. Covering the top of my face, it was a pointed, almost jagged shape, pointing down at the bottom and splitting at the top to almost look like it gave me devilish horns. Almost.
Ana watched me get dressed with great interest, smirking to herself from the bed. Even something as simple as tying my tie had her biting her lip and lightly rolling on the bed as if she were getting giddy at the sight.
"It's not often that you dress up for us, is it?" Ana asked with a grin.
"I can if you want me to," I winked.
"It'll just slow me down," Ana said right before her tongue ran over her top lip.
I put the final touches on, and Ana rolled off the bed to join me. She ran her hands over my chest, giving an 'mmm' of approval at my outfit, and then pulling me by the tie to kiss her.
"When Kiernan and Hailee get here, make sure that they don't get started until I come back," I instructed.
"I'll try to keep them ready," Ana smiled. "And I'll get ready, too."
"I think you're ready enough already," I grinned, looking down at her body. Ana had never bothered to get dressed.
"No, I have other things to get ready," Ana said, biting the corner of her lip in that teasing way she did as she popped her eyebrows one time.
With that, I got one more teasing kiss, and then set off.
The night was well underway, the sun having gone down some time ago, and the eerie glow of darkness cut by dim light making the canals almost spooky in their majesty. I boarded a water taxi outside my hotel, and was off. It was a strange feeling, being here and looking around to see what was all around me. Buildings that were practically ancient, and streets of water made for a very jarring change of pace to what I usually saw in Los Angeles. And then there was the feeling of wearing a mask, while going somewhere very few people knew me. I had to laugh at myself at the irony of how many secrets were kept on behalf of the Lodge. Myself and all the Lodge's guests wore a certain mask at all times when we were out in the world. Tonight, mine was literal.
I arrived at the awe-inspiring building that was hosting the masquerade. It was a hotel, the entrance of which was right off the short dock that we arrived at. Funnily enough, I still had to wait in a line in order to disembark, just like one would attending a red carpet event and getting out of a limo. Except in this case, there were no photographers waiting for us, and no red carpet. Just a great number of people dressed as exquisitely as possible. I climbed out of the boat, and silently joined the line up to the front door. Security was noticeable, checking seemingly everyone that stepped onto the dock. Luckily, flashing my invitation and confirming my name got me a nod of approval.
Through an open gate of elaborately twisted metal, and I was in.
Everything was tinted dark. Perfect for those like me that needed to stay incognito. The only illumination was from candles or tiny candle-shaped bulbs, the light of which was either swallowed by the dark wood or reflected off the metal trim and marble floors. Most of the crowd was already inside, and I slowly began to weave my way through just to take in the sights.
A lot of mingling was already happening. I weaved my way through the crowd, keeping my eyes sharp. For the sake of blending in, I made my way to the bar. En route, I gave a silently impressed 'ooo' as I walked past Julia Garner standing in a small crowd. She too was wearing an elaborate mask, but there was no mistaking her once I saw those blonde curls emerging from the top of it. Then I passed Cara, who did a double-take when I caught her eye, and then gave a sly wink. To my relief, she was now with her girlfriend, reassuring me that she hadn't been caught or it hadn't turned into a whole thing.
As I closed in on the bar, I passed another woman. A rather short woman with a tiny frame, wearing a wonderfully goth black dress. Only the neckline covering her tits was completely solid, and the rest was of a see-through black lace, draping down her petite body and revealing black panties hugging her slender hips. Hair slicked back, and black lipstick that made her pouty lips look even fuller. She caught my eye immediately, but at first I was too busy trying to be subtle in my checking her out, that it took me a moment to realize who she was. Aimee Carrero. Who had played with Anya in 'The Menu' and had a number of other roles, many of them playing up a cutesy persona. She looked anything but cutesy here.
"Pardon me," I said as I slid past her carefully.
"Mi 'scuzi," she said with an exaggerated tone and a black-lipped smirk as she looked up at me. I was probably a foot taller than her.
I gave her a smile as I passed, but then continued to the bar. I got a drink that was featured on a sign on the bar, which turned out to be something whole-heartedly Italian, in that it had some kind of aperol or some other Italian liqueur to it. Not my taste, but it gave me an excuse to sip slowly and not lose my head.
"How's it going?" I hear in one ear.
I turned to see Cara leaning on the bar, not looking at me, but definitely talking to me.
"Good. This is a nice place. Very Anya," I said with a chuckle.
Cara wasn't drinking at this point, so I set my drink on the other side of me as I leaned on the bar.
"Have you talked to her yet?" Cara asked.
"Nope, I just got here. Still catching glimpses of who's who."
"Not scoping out for *more* chicks to bring back to your room, are you?" Cara teased.
"Are you kidding? I don't have the energy for more since you showed up. Ana's probably still passed out from what you did to her."
I looked directly at the side of Cara's face as I said it. Even in the dim lighting, I could tell she was blushing.
"Shut up," Cara fought the smirk forming on her face as she avoided looking at me. "I got carried away."
"Understandable," I said, adding, "But your girl's still gonna get hers tonight, right?"
"Oh yeah," Cara nodded.
"Nice," I nodded with her.
"I'll text you updates," Cara said as she stood back up.
"So will I. And pictures. Probably shouldn't open them if she's looking over your shoulder," I teased.
Cara gave me a playful punch on the arm as she walked away. I picked my drink back up and took another sip, looking around. Talking to Cara had basically exhausted my entire social connection to this party. Aside from Anya, and I wasn't ready for that conversation yet. So, I did what I would do at any party where I didn't know anyone. I began to mingle.
It actually wasn't difficult. I Just veered from person to person, group to group, joining in what conversations I could find. One good thing about a masquerade party like this, if someone doesn't already know who you are, there's a good chance they're not going to bother to find out in a way that they then remember you without the mask later. Which made things quite easy, and downright amusing.
Rarely did I mingle with anyone in the Hollywood circles outside of the Lodge, yet here I had a full-blown conversation with Nicholas Hoult, stood in a circle with Julia Garner and a handful of other people in a group conversation (although I was mainly picturing my fingers in Julia's hair as she begged me to fuck her harder), and avoided Miles Teller because I still haven't forgiven him for Fant4stic. Between them and some other random people that I encountered and had pleasant chats with, I was starting to enjoy myself.
Eventually, I decided to step out for some air. Since the masquerade was being held in the ballroom of a hotel, there was plenty of space to move to, but what I found was a brick-walled area out the back. It was nice and quiet, allowing me a moment to catch my breath, and rub my face under my mask.
Then I heard a clicking. High heels approaching me, tapping the stones underfoot.
