Gangster's Ball

Tracy sat and starred at the glop of pumpkin innards on the newspapers. Ben and Tim were both outside now with their father, trying to get a candle to light in the jack-o-lantern and she was stuck with cleanup duty again. Sometimes it felt like she had three kids instead of two. She didn’t really mind all that much, but Tom was taking the boys with him to Jersey for the weekend and she couldn’t go. She had to agree with Tom’s logic, Bergen County was a much safer neighborhood than the crowded apartment complex they were living in while he finished law school. She just hated the fact that she had to work and was missing so much of the kids' growing up. It also rankled that he always took the boys to his parents instead of letting them spend some time with her Mom.

She had a decent job in a small shipping firm based in Manhattan, but she didn’t want to be a working mother. She had greeted her husband’s decision to go back to school at age thirty with some trepidation and there had been several quarrels since then. Tom was good looking and she couldn’t help but suspect that his return to school was actually an excuse to surround himself with nubile co-eds. At thirty-two she was still very attractive, but she could see where time and gravity were catching up to her. She really needed to be told she was still beautiful, but lately compliments from her husband were as rare as kids who didn’t already have a costume picked out. The thing that really upset her was his new sports car and the late nights he spent with his “discussion group”.

As she tossed the messy newspapers into the garbage she glanced out the window. Tom and the boys had the jack-o-lantern lit and seemed to be having fun, but somehow she was removed from it. She felt like she was no longer part of the family. Knowing they would be leaving for his folk’s house for the weekend while she had to stay and go to work made her feel so sad she could cry.

Tom hadn’t helped matters, she mused as she opened the door and joined them on the balcony. He hadn’t touched her intimately in over a month and she was as randy as bitch in heat. On evenings when he wasn’t up studying case law until three in the morning or out to all hours with his group, he was in bed by eight. She had fought the demands her body was making, but it was getting out of hand. With sole charge of the kids, as well as a fifty plus hour workweek, she hadn’t even had time for her vibe and a good book. Tom hugged her as she came out, said goodnight to the boys and left her with the job of getting them to bed. By the time she made it to their small bedroom he was sound asleep.

----

“You all right Trace?”

“Hmm? Yes, fine,” Tracy replied as she looked over her shoulder. Carla, her boss was looking at her with concern on her face.

“You sure? You look like someone just kicked your dog,” the tall brunette said as she entered Tracy’s cube.

“Yes, it’s just…Oh, I don’t know,” Tracy said as the tears she had been fighting all morning burst out.

“Shhh, there, there baby, tell momma all about it,” Carla cooed as she massaged Tracy’s shoulders. Carla was the best boss she had ever worked for. She was kind, understanding, ready with a joke whenever things got too hectic and in Tracy’s estimation she personified what a manager should be. She was also drop dead gorgeous and several years Tracy’s junior. Despite the disparity in years, there was something extremely comforting in her touch and demeanor. Tracy gave in to it completely and the words poured out in a torrent. When she finally ran out of words, anger, dark suspicions and hurt feelings Carla cocked her head to one side and stared thoughtfully at her.

“Well, that’s just like a man. Midlife crisis gets them all in the end. Tell ya what, I have tickets to the big masked ball over at the Plaza. I can’t really help with the kids and all, but there’s no need for you to have to be home alone tonight,”

“Oh Carla, thanks, but I don’t want to impose,” she said, but she could hear the pitiful tone in her voice.

“No imposition, besides I needed a date anyway,” Carla said with a wink.

“But I don’t have a costume,”

“I’ll take care of that. Just get the Drusman shipment out then take the rest of the day off, paid. Go home, have a nice soak in the bathtub. You still living over at Oakgrove?”

“Yes, apartment 216,”

“Great, I’ll be over about six with the costumes, we can change at your place and make it to the party in plenty of time,”

“Thanks Carla, I really didn’t want to spend the evening alone,”

“Don’t thank me yet girl, the night hasn’t even started,” Carla said with a grin before leaving the cubicle.

Tracy finished up the paper work and headed home. She took a long shower, shaving her legs and pits carefully and then on a whim she shaved her blonde pubic hair off as well. Tom had tried to convince her to do so on numerous occasions and she felt a little naughty, like she was taking some measure of revenge by doing it while he wasn’t interested in her. Once she had toweled off she worked some moisturizer into all the areas she had shaved. Her hands felt so good on her now bald mound that she was tempted to get off, but she wrapped herself in a terrycloth robe and went to make coffee instead. She started when the doorbell rang, but quickly answered it. Carla was there with several boxes in her arms.

“Drink?” Tracy called as she went back to the kitchen.

“Yeah, something strong, what a day,” the tall woman said as she collapsed on the sofa.

“Irish coffee do for you?”

“Perfect,”

Once seated Tracy took a good look at her boss. It was almost like seeing her for the first time; she was so different when not on the clock. Carla was tall and had an almost lanky frame. Her raven hair was worn shoulder length and framed a pretty face with bewitching green eyes. She looked very tired now. Her face was a little haggard and slightly pale, while her posture spoke of great weariness.

“You sure you’re up for this?” Tracy asked.

“Sure, just let me borrow your bedroom, I’ll be fine after a quick shower and another cup of this,” she said as she drained her coffee cup. Tracy went to get her a refill as Carla disappeared into the bedroom with some of the boxes. She had to brew more coffee and by the time Tracy made it to the bedroom she could hear the shower running. Tracy carefully poked her head in and once she was sure that Carla was still in the shower she entered and placed the cup of coffee on the dresser. As she looked up Carla walked out of the bathroom with only a towel around her head.

Tracy blushed deeply, lowered her eyes and started to mumble an apology, but Carla seemed not to mind at all. She took the cup from the dresser and took a big gulp before putting it back down and beginning to dry her hair. Tracy felt strange, embarrassed to be sure, but she also felt a nameless excitement. She thought that she should leave, but her curiosity got the better of her and she hesitantly looked up. Undressed Carla looked even more lanky and thin. Tracy could see her pelvic bones easily and many of her ribs. Her shoulders were exceptionally wide and seemed far too much for the small, pert breasts that rode high on her chest. Her legs were long and lean, but also looked like they were very muscular. Her dark pubic triangle covered her entire mound and Tracy blushed when she realized she was staring. If Carla noticed the inspection she didn’t show it.

“Well, how’s that?” Carla inquired as she wrapped the towel around her chest. Her eyes were sparkling and it seemed the shower had done wonders, removing the cares of the day from her like dirt from one of Tracy’s children.

“Great,” Tracy replied automatically.

“Well, as much as I would like to have you around, shoo, I gotta get into my costume,” Carla said. Tracy nodded and left the room in a trance. She returned to the sofa and wondered what had come over her. When Carla came out of the bedroom Tracy looked up and her breath caught in her throat.

Carla wore an Italian silk suit that had obviously been tailored for her. It was double breasted and highlighted her wide shoulders. Two-tone shoes with white spats graced her feet and a bowler sat on her head, tilted to a rakish angle. A half cape was draped over her shoulders and she held a realistic Tommy gun up from her hip.

“Al Capone?”

“Close enough,” Carla said and smiled. She looked absolutely edible and Tracy felt an unwanted stirring in her tummy. She realized her boss looked a lot like her college roommate, Lindsey. Memories of Lindsey and their two-year love affair were definitely not what she needed and Tracy firmly thrust the images from her mind. She stood up and gave Carla a closer inspection. From the gold watch chain hanging from her vest pocket to the cigar hanging from her wide lips the costume was perfect. Not quite perfect, something kept tugging at her consciousness, but refused to let her grasp it.

“So if you’re a gangster, what am I going as?” Tracy asked.

“My moll of course,” Carla said, indicating the boxes still sitting on the sofa.

Tracy opened the first box and gasped, it contained a black silk dress with a plunging neckline and a ruffle of material that started at the rear and wound around the dress to end at the feet. The other boxes contained a black cloche hat, fake pistol, a cream colored chemise and bloomer set with black stockings and black suede lace up boots. Tracy giggled like a schoolgirl and hurried into her room to change.

The undergarments turned out to be real silk and felt very sensuous, especially where the crotch of the bloomers made contact with her strangely sensitive mound. The dress was tight through her hips and bust, but fit rather well otherwise. The ruffle started at the small of her back and ended at the front of her skirt, showing just a hint of what they used to call a well turned ankle. The boots were lace ups and took a bit of getting used too, but weren’t bad once she got the hang of them. She tucked the plastic pistol into the valley between her breasts and pulled on the hat. A quick look in the mirror showed a short blonde with heavy breasts and a lush figure. She smiled and felt good about herself for the first time in ages; the outfit seemed to be made to flatter her voluptuous figure.

When she returned to the living room Carla stood up and gave her the once over. As she did so Tracy gave her boss the once over as well. She looked great, but there was still something wrong.

“Almost perfect, all you need is this,” Carla said, producing a long string of fake pearls. She dropped them over Tracy’s head and then stepped back and smiled.

“Perfect,” she said as she offered her arm, “Shall we go?”

“Wait a moment,” Tracy said and hurried to her bedroom. She grabbed an eyebrow pencil and returned to the living room. Carla was watching her with a quizzical expression.

“Hold still,” Tracy said as she carefully drew a pencil thin moustache on Carla’s smooth skin.

“There, perfect,” she said and smiled as she took Carla’s arm and they headed out to the parking lot. An older gentleman from next door gave them a strange look, but seemed to remember it was Halloween and gave them a smile and thumbs up.

----

The party turned out to be an absolute blast and they stayed until well after midnight. Tracy had the best time, seeing her co-workers in a completely different light. Don Collins, a conservative man from the accounting department came as Bacchus and did his best to get everyone as drunk as he was. Suzy Clarke from receiving showed up as Marie Antoinette and her husband came as Zorro. Jack Segal, a burly foreman from the shipping department came as a hooker and his tiny wife as a pimp, complete with huge hat and fur-lined coat. Scattered among the witches, vampires and monsters were pop stars and even a gorilla. Everyone had fun and she realized that maybe she had been wrong not to get to know her co-workers better. She had it so firmly in her mind that this was temporary and she realized with a slightly guilty feeling that she had been brushing them all off.

Carla didn’t seem to be drinking as much as everyone else, but she was easily the life of the party. Tracy had way too much to drink and found herself in an awkward spot when Bill Perkins, one of the salesmen, maneuvered her in a dark corner and tried to put a move on her. She didn’t really want to cheat on Tom, but his hands felt so good when they closed on her ass. She might have given in when his lips found her throat, but suddenly Carla was there.

“Son of a bitch,” she screamed theatrically. Tracy blushed deep crimson and Bill looked taken aback. All eyes were on them suddenly and the whole ballroom had gone silent.

“Trying to take my woman eh? I see how it is you dirty rat,” Carla said in her best Cagny imitation. When Bill held up his hands and tried to back away Carla went on.

“Tonight, you sleep with the fishes,” she growled and then pointed her gun at him and pulled the trigger. Several sharp retorts echoed in the big room as the caps in the gun went off. People were howling and Bill showed himself to be a good sport by grasping his stomach and sliding to the floor with a melodramatic flourish. Carla put her arm around Tracy’s shoulder and guided her back to their table, shooting menacing looks at all the men and chomping on her cigar.

“Thanks,” Tracy said when everyone’s attention went back to other things and the buzz of conversation filled the room again.

“No problem, no one goes after my girl,” she said as she kicked her feet up onto the table.

“I mean it Carla, I was about to make a big mistake,” Tracy said earnestly.

“The night is still young,” Carla said with an enigmatic smile. Tracy wasn’t sure what that smile or the statement meant.

----

Tracy was giggling and playing with her pearls as Carla stopped the car outside her apartment. The lights of the dashboard winked out and the engine made those peculiar pinging sounds as it cooled.

“Thanks for going with me Trace, I really enjoyed the evening,” Carla said hesitantly.

“You’re not leaving are you?”

“Well, it is past midnight, and we both have to be at work tomorrow,”

“So? Stay here tonight, it’s a lot shorter drive,” Tracy said. She was still giddy from the drinks, but more than that she couldn’t face going up to the empty apartment. She felt alive and happy now, but she knew that the silence of an empty house would send her into a fit of depression.

“I don’t want to outstay my welcome,” Carla said. There was something odd in her voice, but in her inebriated state Tracy didn’t catch it.

“Don’t be silly, come on,” Tracy said. Carla smiled and followed her up. Once inside Tracy poured them both a drink and flipped on the television. An all night fright-a-thon was on and as they sat watching the gory movie Tracy unconsciously moved closer to Carla. She started when the tall woman’s arm settled around her shoulders, but snuggled closer and returned her attention to the movie. Horror movies always gave her the creeps, but in a fun way.

Carla’s hand was resting on her breast and Tracy at first dismissed the stealthy caresses as her imagination. Other than Bill’s abortive attempt, it had been a long time since anyone had tried to put a move on her, but she felt a tenseness in Carla’s body and knew a split second before it happened what was coming. Even knowing it was coming she moaned softly when Carla’s hand cupped her breast and the girl’s fingers brushed over her nipple. Time seemed to come to a dead stop and Tracy found herself having a debate within herself. It was a surreal moment and she almost felt like she was in one of those cheesy sixties shows where a devil stood on one shoulder and an angel on the other.

“I can’t do this,”

“Why not?”

“I can’t cheat on Tom,”

“Fuck him, he hasn’t shown the least bit of interest in you in months. Is it fair that you have to go wanting because he’s chasing coeds? Carla has treated you like you were gold, what are you going to do, hurt her feelings?”

“But, I’m not gay,”

“I seem to remember your roommate in college and…”

“I was young!”

“So is she,”

“But I’m not anymore,”

“No, but she makes you feel like you are,”

“But,”

“Young, sexy, desirable, and admit it - horny. You know you’re attracted to her. You can tell she is after you. Quit being such a prude and live a little, you’re thirty-two not eighty-two for Christ’s sake,”

“But I don’t know what to do,”

“Leave it to her, just relax and let it come,”

Time seemed to jump back on track and Tracy felt Carla gently squeeze her breast again. She shivered as the cool silk of her chemise was pressed into the soft, warm flesh.

“You Okay?” Carla asked.

“Yes,” Tracy replied.

“Want me to stop?”

“No,” Tracy replied in a small voice. Somewhere in her mind she knew she might regret it, but her devil and libido were currently a lot stronger than her poor angel.

Carla gently squeezed her breast again, causing a delicious ripple of pleasure to pass through her.

“Jesus, you have the most beautiful tits, I’ve been dreaming about them since you first started with us,” Carla said in a throaty whisper.

“Really?” Tracy asked. In spite of herself she found the praise to be uplifting and the small ember of desire in her tummy was fanned into a flame.

“Oh god yes,” Carla said as her finger centered on Tracy’s stiff nipple and pressed it into the yielding flesh surrounding it. Tracy whimpered and the flame grew.

The tall girl’s soft lips moved to Tracy’s neck and traced lightly up to her ear. She moaned softly when Carla’s warm tongue began to worry her ear lobe. The brunette’s fingers still gently rolled her nipple and Tracy felt a shiver pass through her when Carla gently exhaled a warm breath over her ear.

“Why me?” Tracy asked. She smiled when she realized she was fishing for compliments. Had it been that long since Tom told her she was hot? I guess it has, she thought.

“Trace, you’re a fucking goddess. I still can’t believe I am here with my arms around you. Every man at work would kill to be me right now and a lot of the girls would too. You’re just so wholesome and conservative, I never honestly imagined you might be bi,”

“I never imagined you were gay,”

“I know, you’re as thick as a brick sometimes, I’ve been dropping hints for months. When Tom left you alone for the weekend I couldn’t believe it and when you said you would go to the party with me I had to go to the lady’s room and take care of myself. Even then I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. When I saw you in that dress I knew I was going to try it. Now just relax cause I’m gonna rock your world,”

With that declaration she took Tracy into her arms and their lips met. It was hesitant at first. Tracy still unsure, but Carla’s tongue was persistent and before she knew it her lips parted and she was sucking desperately on the brunette’s tongue. With Carla’s strong arms wrapped around her she gave in to the need inside and pushed all doubts from her mind. Carla’s tongue was soft and not as wide as Tom’s, but it seemed more agile and soon she realized she had never been kissed so soundly. When Carla’s tongue retreated her own followed it into the warm cavern of her boss’s mouth. Carla’s mouth was sweet and tasted like the drink she had been sipping.

Tracy was clinging to Carla’s shoulders and barely noticed when the girl’s hands found the zipper to her dress and brought it down. Carla broke the kiss and peeled the dress down to the married woman’s waist, her eyes never leaving the soft mounds of Tracy’s breasts and their delicate silk covering. Her hands were shaking as she reached up and hefted the twin orbs, gently squeezing as she did so. Tracy arched her back, thrusting her tits out and smiling at the rapt expression on Carla’s face. How long since you have seen that? she asked herself.