From Friends to Lovers

Sarah blinked sleepily as I leaned over to kiss her. "OK?" I queried, getting a nod, a smile.

I felt Beth stir, and she sat up, the duvet slipping to her waist. Sarah caught her lower lip between her teeth, glancing at the faint red marks on Beth's skin. "Are you all right?"

Beth nodded. "I'm fine, really. It took me a while to figure out the best way to get the wax off me, though."

She grinned wickedly. "It's even harder than getting Tim's sticky stuff out of my hair when it ends up there."

I tried to look sheepish, and she relented. "Anyway, what's on the agenda today?"

"Something fun," I hinted. "I know we talked about a sherry party at Christmas, but there's something coming up first that we can use for an excuse for a get-together, maybe make it a housewarming."

Beth furrowed her brow, obviously thinking hard. "It's not anybody's birthday. Go on then, what?"

"It's Halloween," I grinned. "Come on, don't tell me you wouldn't be interested in being a somehow-irresistible zombie. Or definitely the sexiest vampire ever."

Sarah's eyes lit up. "I've always wanted to be the vapourish heroine in the floaty white dress who gets captured by the black-caped vampire in his castle - you know, in those silent movies with the melodramatic music."

"Except I'd be the vampire," Beth chipped in. "After all, you can't tell me that the biting isn't a metaphor for rape - I would so enjoy playing that one out with you."

I was reminded of the fantasy we'd shared where Beth's hands were bound behind her; it only seemed fair that Beth should get a chance to have her way with a helpless captive of her own...

I fanned my face as Sarah tried out an expression of terror and loathing, with just a hint that against all her impulses she might be secretly lusting after her fanged assailant. "Phew... It sounds like you two have got this sorted."

I rolled my eyes. "I suppose that leaves me with using endless toilet roll to be a mummy..."

I stuck my arms out in front of me, making what I hoped was a convincing zombie noise.

Beth elbowed me in the ribs, completely ruining my performance. "You're the hero - what is he, a woodcutter? - who comes to rescue the heroine. Trouble is, I'm too strong, and he ends up bitten as well. Same metaphor, right?"

I digested the implication of her words. "You mean -"

"One to work on," Beth promised.

"So who shall we invite?" asked Sarah.

Beth counted on her fingers. "Well, Marie, and Alice. There are a couple of my uni group who I think would take it seriously enough - the costumes have to be good."

She looked sad for a moment. "It's a pity Jake's not up to it, he'd make such a wonderful Count... But we'll send him some pictures, and Francesca too - we're not seeing her till the wedding, but she'd only need to put a white streak in her hair and really overdo the makeup and I could see her as Morticia."

We continued to come up with ideas for the party on and off for the rest of the day - "We should have only red wine to drink, that really dark one," suggested Sarah - and by the evening our Halloween get-together was a firm reality. "We need to send out invitations," mused Beth. "Maybe between lectures tomorrow I'll try and design something."

"How about, 'we request the pleasure of your corpse'," quipped Sarah.

"Actually that's not bad," grinned Beth. "Let me think about it."

The next evening we emailed the invitations out, and by the end of the week Beth had had replies from nearly everyone. "OK, we have till next Saturday to sort out our own costumes, decorate the place, get the food."

"We should have labels where everything has spooky or horrible names," Sarah suggested, "like 'severed fingers' for the carrot sticks or something."

Beth chuckled. "Great idea - see what you can come up with."

"What are we going to do about costumes, exactly?" I asked. "Mine's easy - those work trousers, and I can pick up a shirt from a charity shop. Sarah, you'll do my hair into one of those silly Disney-hero styles, won't you?"

"Sure - we'll need some gel."

"Sarah and I will go into town," Beth decided. "We can see what the fancy dress hire place has, but if we need to buy outfits and make a few adjustments of our own, that'll be fine."

"And we can go into that shop where you get your makeup from," nodded Sarah.

I chuckled. "I can see a whole lot of kohl, and mascara, and white powder, going on there."

Beth made a mildly disparaging noise. "There's a lot more to it than that."

She grinned. "You can do the washing while we're out - your forfeit, remember - and maybe change the bed?"

"Yeth mithtress, of course mithtress," I went back into my zombie routine, sending them into fits of giggles. "Come on, Sarah," Beth finally managed to suppress her laughter. "This is going to be fun."

I pottered around the house while the washing machine ran, hanging the first load in the utility. The second wash was mainly the girls' underwear, and I narrowly resisted the temptation to take a closer look at the items that had been in intimate contact with their bodies, reminding myself that I'd almost certainly be touching them as intimately, if not more so, when they got home from their shopping trip. "Anyway," I muttered to myself, "I'd never be able to look Marie in the eye again if she asked me how the laundry forfeit worked out."

When all the washing was done, I started on our evening meal, and by the time the front door opened, the lasagna I'd made was ready to eat. "Mm," grinned Beth as she took her place at the table. "I could get used to this."

"How did it go?" I queried.

"Oh, you are going to be amazed," Sarah promised. "But you absolutely aren't allowed to peek - we'll put our stuff in the spare room wardrobe, and it's definitely out of bounds."

I held up my hands. "I wouldn't dare. Same with Beth's wedding dress - I wouldn't spoil the surprise for anything."

Sarah stopped with her fork halfway to her mouth. "Beth - we need to get onto that, there'll be fittings and everything."

Beth nodded. "After the party we'll have another trip into town - I saw a couple of bridal shops."

We finished our meal, and I suppressed a yawn. "All this washing, and slaving over a hot stove, even a zombie needs to rest sometime."

Beth exchanged glances with Sarah. "Oh, I don't think we're going to let you close your coffin lid just yet - we had some new ideas for our party piece we want to try out on you."

I pretended to shrink back in terror, biting my fingers. "Be gentle, please..."

***

The evening of the party came, and once I was ready, I was banished downstairs to welcome guests while Beth and Sarah put the final touches to their costumes. The first to arrive was Marie, making a very passable Morticia, and I gave her a warm hug. "So glad you could make it. Let me get you a goblet of bl-, I mean wine."

She took the glass from my fingers, lifting it to sip. "So, Tim, where are your two companions?"

I wondered a little at her choice of words. "Beth and Sarah are still getting ready - we have some entertainment planned for you when they come down."

"Excellent - I'm intrigued."

Some of the other guests started to arrive, and I excused myself to greet them. "Alice, Phoebe, hi."

Finally everyone was gathered in the hall, and I dimmed the lights, the signal we'd arranged, then waited.

After a few moments I heard footsteps, and at the head of the staircase two figures appeared. Sarah's garments were as she'd imagined, filmy white fabric in layers giving the effect of a nightdress, her face paler than usual, hair dishevelled as though from a flight through clutching branches. But I was sure all eyes would be on Beth, her outfit anything but the clichéd black dress and fake fangs that would be everyone's idea of a female vampire. Instead she was the image of Edwardian elegance, fitted bodice emphasising her figure, skirt in dark satin brushing the floor. Over her bodice she wore what was almost a riding jacket, with fingerless gloves in black lace exposing dark-painted nails. The final touches were her shoes, high at the ankle with a distinct heel, tightly laced, and a short black veil now pulled back to reveal her pale but carefully-rouged face.

Beth's fingers encircled Sarah's wrist, and their progress down the stairs was nearly a dance, but Sarah's face held desperation, her other arm stretched out towards us, fingers reaching pleadingly for help and rescue. Instead Beth drew her irresistibly back, her other arm round Sarah's waist, bending to press her teeth to the white exposed skin of Sarah's neck. Sarah's eyelids fluttered, and Beth moved to hold her face between both hands, forcing her mouth on her in an obviously unfeigned kiss, then slipping Sarah's dress off one shoulder to expose the upper curve of her breast. Sarah's body shuddered, reminding me inescapably of her response to intimate touch, and one bare foot lifted from the floor briefly, then dropped, Sarah going limp in Beth's arms.

Beth released Sarah's body, and my eyes widened at Sarah's now-crimson lips stark against her pale cheeks. Beth lowered her to the floor, then straightened to face us, her expression a mixture of satisfaction, challenge, renewed hunger, seeking her next victim.

I reached for the only prop we'd prepared, a short wooden stake, and stepped forward, reaching for Beth's wrist and raising my other hand as if to strike. But she twisted my arm back, and bent inexorably to press her teeth to my neck. Again her lips were forced against mine, Sarah now propped on one elbow watching, and my eyes widened as I felt Beth's hand press against my hardness.

I feigned falling back in her arms, and again she lowered my body to the ground, standing with palms outstretched for a moment before drawing her widow's veil across her face, turning to walk back up the stairs, leaving only death in her wake.

A few seconds' pause, and Beth returned, reaching to help Sarah then me to our feet, all of us taking a bow. Marie was the first to applaud, our other guests joining in, and she stepped forward to take Beth's hands. "Well done - very creative."

"Please," Beth announced to the room, "enjoy what we've prepared for you, everyone."

She took Marie's hand. "Let me get you some more wine."

I circulated, again admiring costumes and makeup, then rolled my eyes as Sarah cued the playlist we'd worked on. "I guess we have to get Monster Mash out of the way first," I grinned at Alice.

Finally the time approached twelve, and Beth silenced the music and started to intone solemnly. "Now night's swift dragons cut the clouds full fast, and yonder shines Aurora's harbinger; at whose approach, ghosts, wandering here and there, troop home to churchyards: damned spirits all, that in crossways and floods have burial, already to their wormy beds are gone."

She grinned. "And us too, to bed. Thank you so much for coming, everyone."

People made their farewells, Marie the last to leave. "You take care," she wished us.

The lights of her car vanished down the drive, and I hugged Sarah, then Beth. "That was brilliant."

A few minutes later we were in bed, and I glanced at them. "It really is late, and we can do what we like tomorrow."

Beth nodded in agreement. "Let's just get some rest."

I turned over, closing my eyes, drifting off, my mind filled with images of the party, Sarah, Beth...

Afterwards I never knew whether this was dream or reality, but it seemed to me that I opened my eyes to see a ghostly white figure coming slowly through the doorway, turning towards me. At first I thought in my half-waking state that Sarah was back in her costume, had left the room for some reason, but a glance aside showed me the girls together at the other side of the bed, limbs tangled. The white figure continued to approach, and I found myself unable to move or cry out as she slid over me, flowing garments still concealing her body. A still-inaudible gasp escaped my lips as I felt cool wetness surrounding me - how had I even become hard? - and she started to rock silently above me. The white dress slipped from her shoulder, revealing dead-white skin, a bloodless nipple, and pale lips formed an O as she moved more urgently. Somehow I felt myself approaching release, and as though watching from outside my body I saw myself thrust up into her, momentarily squeezing my eyes shut as I seemed to feel my warmth spurting fruitlessly into her cold depths.

She slid from me, unseen feet again gliding across the floor, and paused in the doorway to look back with dead eyes, then she was gone.

Whether I slept once more, or only drifted into dreamlessness, I couldn't say, but when I opened my eyes again it was light, and I sat up, the girls still as they had been. I looked down at my body, but I saw nothing, no sign that I'd experienced anything either with a phantom partner or alone. I shook my head, baffled at the absence of any evidence of my ghostly visitor.

Except for a scrap of white fabric in the doorway, frayed and dusty at the edges as if from a long-forgotten shroud...