The Mask from Babe-a-lon (A Halloween Story)
by Denny Driehoek
Kerry sighed as she pulled into the parking lot at the strip mall. She parked close to the one store she truly dreaded to shop at, for many reasons. And other than an obligation to attend Deanna's bridal shower, she would never consider shopping at such a store as Babe-a-lon. It was Kelly, Deanna's maid of honnor and co-worker at the accounting firm of Klein Schulmann, who had insisted that all were to bring a sexual gag gift.
Kelly was their fun loving, uninhibited, let's-play-truth-or-dare gal pal whom Kerry found it impossible to defy. An easy solution would have been to order something online, but Kerry's revulsion for those things made her procrastinate even searching for such sites until the day before the shower. She simply refused to pay expedited shipping costs, and now, the shower was a mere twenty hours away.
That first step into Babe-a-lon was so difficult for Kerry mostly due to her upbringing under evangelical Christian parents and attending an all-girls school until college. Other than overhearing a few conversations, there had been zero sexual education for her. An exemption from lascivious attentions had been given to her due to an appearance that was charitably described as "plain-looking." Her facial features, while far from revolting, just did nothing to take attention from her flat chest, hips and rear. In contrast, her intelligence was quite superior. She graduated tops in her class and was valedictorian. Now, in her mid-twenties and with a second graduation, which netted her an MBA, behind her, she limited her social life to occasional partes with her coworkers. Her close contacts now saw her for the kind, funny genuine person she truly was.
Over the few years at Klein Schulmann, Kerry's close circle of a half a dozen friends had become engaged then married until only Deanna and Kerry were left single. Deanna's shower was likely to be the last Kerry would attend for quite some time. The previous four bridal showers had all been full of high spirits, laughter and letting-your-hair-down fun. Skipping Deanna's was not an option, neither was disappointing the maid of honor, Kelly.
Still, Kerry was having trouble getting out of her car to go into a shop devoted to sex. Her Christian upbringing had so serverely suppressed her own sexuality that she had trouble looking at attractive people of either gender. She continued to wear an abstinence pledge ring, and, yes, she was still a virgin. There had been a period of self-exploration including numerous, guilt provoking, auto-erotic acts. Then, one Sunday, their preacher talked about how dangerous such behavior could be to a young person's self-esteem, health and faith. So she worked hard to overcome the evil habit of touching herself.
Early in her freshman year in college, after her eighteenth birthday, Kerry would again give in to temptation, briefly. She awoke one night to her slightly older roommate trying to be quiet while having relations with her even older boyfriend. From across the room, she could hear them moving, breathing, moaning and grunting. At first, she was revolted by Sally's ( her roommate ) behavior, but intrigued enough to not cover her ears. When the couple was done and the boyfriend had slipped out, Kerry asked Sally, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine. You didn't hear that, did you?"
"Yeah, kinda."
"Oh, sorry. I thought that you were a sound sleeper."
"Usually. Except when the seasons change. And now...well, this is embarrassing, I have to change my panties."
"Wow. You got wet listening to us."
"I'm sorry. I haven't wet the bed since I was little."
"You don't think that you peed in the bed. Do you, Kerry?"
"Uh, yeah. My panties are really wet."
"So is my sheet, but I know that it didn't come from Brad. He had a condom on. And I know that I didn't pee...Did nobody ever tell you about getting wet when you're...excited?"
"No. So it can happen when you're not on your period?"
"Oh yeah. Try this; touch yourself on your nob."
"Oh, I don't know. Our preacher said that really bad things could happen."
"It's okay...I'll do it with you. Alright?"
"I guess...I'm still really wet."
"Me too. Brad didn't stay long enough for me to get off...Mmmm."
"That feels weird, but good...Oh my! Oh Lord! Oh, oh, oh! Ohhhh!"
"Oh yeah! We got off together! Wasn't that fun?"
"Was that...sex?"
"Yeah, Kerry. You just masturbated and lived!"
So, Kerry put her fears and revulsion aside to step into Babe-a-lon for a good cause. Immediately on entering the sex shop, Kerry was nearly face-to-face with a realistic mannequin dressed as Catwoman. As a Batman fan, she recognized the costume as a take on the Halle Berry Catwoman. The head piece was black vinyl with plastic ears, but the face mask was a bit too ornate for the rest of the outfit. The half mask was all black with Venetian scroll work and lace outline. The rest of the outfit consisted of a see-through lace catsuit with a plain black bra and panties underneath. Kerry considered herself a true Catwoman aficionado. Since she was a young girl, she had kept pictures from magazines of every version of Catwoman from Julie Newmar to Anne Hatheway. It was her secret fantasy to style her own version, someday.
Kerry was shocked back to reality by the question; "Would you like some help putting an outfit like this together?" It came from an older woman with a friendly smile, unlike anyone Kerry expected to be working at a sex shop. The woman identified herself as Mary, the co-owner of Babe-a-lon.
Kerry clasped her purse tightly and stammered, "Oh...uh, no. I...I was actually looking for the uh...you know...bridal gifts."
"Of course, right this way. I can show you more costumes later, if you like."
"Well, I don't know...I can't imagine going anywhere in a costume that, you know, revealing."
