Halloween Masquerade

Our sex life hadn't been as happening as before. In fact, I was happy if we managed to get under those white cotton sheets once a week. Cotton sheets. Just that sounded boring and far too ordinary. What ever happened to the satin sheets I used to bring out whenever Eric slept over? But, that's married life for you. After ten years of married bliss, the birth of our now seven-year-old son, and full-time jobs, it was getting harder to fit in quality time together.

Quality time. How I used to love those lazy Saturday mornings. Sleeping in and making love, then back to sleep. At times Eric would not go back to sleep, but instead make breakfast for us. Then he would come back with it on a tray and we'd share a croissant in bed. How I missed those times.

Lately our Saturdays consisted of Brad knocking on our door, reminding us to drive him to his football matches. During the day there were other things that had to be done, all the domestic stuff none of us could be bothered with during the week. Grocery shopping, errands, laundry, cleaning and so on. The list goes on and on.

Now, don't get me wrong, I loved my life, and I love my son and husband to death, but I did miss feeling like a woman. I missed the time Eric and I used to have together. We still did things like taking walks and watching TV together after Brad had gone to bed, but when it came to love making we were usually too tired. The lust was there, but the energy wasn't.

The problem wasn't that big in the beginning, after all we had heard of several couples who had gone through the same thing.

"But, how did you get out of that slump?" I had once asked my friend Sandra.

"It wasn't easy," she replied. "It took a lot of communication and work."

"So what exactly did you do then?"

"We started to set up a schedule, and yes, I know how unromantic it sounds, but it does help." She smiled reassuringly. "Our schedules were packed, but after talking it through we decided that Satuday nights were ours."

"Saturday nights?" I said. "I can probably manage to do that. What else?"

"Well," Sandra continued. "We asked my mom if she could take care of the kids for a night or two. She was fine with it as it gave her some extra time with her grandchildren."

"My mom lives too far away, and so does Eric's," I sighed.

"Then get someone else to take care of Brad. Doesn't he have friends he can be with?"

"Well, I guess so, but I can hardly ask him to be with friends every Friday, can I?" I looked at with an unsure expression.

Sandra looked at my pitiful face and lay a hand over mine. "You know, what? Why don't you leave Brad with me on Fridays?"

"What? But I can't do that!" I protested. "You have enough on your plate as it is; Thomas, Patrick and Lynn."

"Seriously, it wouldn't be a problem," Sandra assured me. "The kids get along great and play all the time anyway, I don't mind having Brad over for a night. Besides, it's Halloween and Patrick already invited Brad over." She smiled and at that moment I just wanted to hug her. So I did.

"You're the best!" I said and squeezed her tightly.

"What are friends for, eh?" Sandra said and hugged me back. Then she looked at me with a grin on her face.

"So, what are you planning for Friday now? Didn't you mention something about a Halloween party?"

I had forgotten all about the party. "Oh my gosh, yes. Eric mentioned his office is having a big fancy dress party. All his work buddies will be there with their spouses."

"That's perfect!" Sandra exclaimed. "A costume party is the perfect foreplay for a hot night at home!" I laughed at her excitement.

"I don't know what to wear..."

"Whatever it is, it has to be hot," Sandra concluded. "Do you want to go as the usual witch, vampiress or spiderwoman? Or would you perhaps prefer something sexier like Catwoman?"

"I would never fit into a latex outfit!"

"Sure you would! You'd just be a lot curvier than Michelle Pfeiffer..." We both laughed. It was nice to have a bit of girl talk with Sandra. I missed that too and valued our friendship immensely. After all, if it hadn't been for her, Eric and I would never have gotten together. She was the one who used to date him before me. At first I was a bit worried she would be mad, and I did my best to hide my growing feelings for him. It wasn't as if they were together when I started to like him, they had broken up months before that, but still, it felt a bit strange. Thankfully Sandra could read me like an open book, and told me to go for it. Gotta love a friend like that.

"You need to look sexy. Hot. Lecherous."

"Geesh, and how do I do that, then?"

"Ok, so if Catwoman won't do, how about Wonder Woman then?"

"Don't have the boobs for it."

"Xena?"

"Don't have the boobs for her either. You might as well ask me to go as Pamela Anderson."

"Heck! Julia Roberts didn't have the bust for Erin Brockowich, it was all in the bra. Padding baby, padding!"

"I just can't do the blonde and big busted thing," I told her.

"They're all brunettes, apart from Pamela," Sandra interjected.

"Yeah, yeah, you know what I mean," I ignored her comment. "It's just not my style."

"Gina, you're planning to make your husband of ten years lust for you in a room of stuffy businessmen and their trophy wives. You're not

supposed

to come as

you

."

She had a point there. If I wanted to seduce Eric all over again I had to find the old me. The wild Gina. The sexy Gina. The woman Eric had fallen in love with. The woman he had married. The woman he had wanted to have children with.

"Ok, what's your plan?" I asked her, sounding a lot more determined now. Heck, if getting Eric's attention meant me dressing up in armour, wear a Wonderbra with maximum cleavage and be a lesbian icon, then so be it. Besides, that lesbian icon thing could always come in handy...

"If you don't want to be any of those characters, then what about wearing a nurse's uniform?" Sandra suggested.

"Nurses uniform?" That wasn't such a bad suggestion. I had seen them in sex shops; white, short and with a small red cross on the pocket. Perhaps even a cute little nurses hat with that distinguishing red cross on. And of course a stethoscope. Don't forget the stethoscope. Oh Sir, your pulse seems to be rising. Oh my, something else seems to be too! Yeah, I could do that.

"I could be a nurse," I said. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"Catholic school girl." Sandra grinned.

"Wouldn't that be blasphemy?"

"Ok, then what about plain 'ol school girl? The outfit wouldn't be hard to fix. Ankle high white socks, grey pleated skirt, white blouse and a tie. Piece a cake!"

"Why do I see an image of myself dancing in a school corridor and singing 'Hit me baby one more time?'"

"Because you know Eric would love it if you did all that!" Sandra grinned once again. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"Personally I vote for the school girl uniform," she added."

"Ok, then school girl it is!" We started to plan for the party.

#

Eric had been trying to find a good costume for the Halloween party. As he was late a lot of them had already been rented out.

"I can't believe it's so hard to get a bloody costume!" he roared when arriving home.

"That's because you're out late," Brad helpfully told him. Eric looked at him and sighed.

"You're right, son. My fault. Wanna help your 'ol man out?"

"Sure," Brad said happily.

"Ok, do you have any ideas what I could wear?"

"You could be that guy in that movie grandpa showed me."

"What movie?"

"The one about that farmer boy and pirate and the princess."

"Hold it son, I'm not following. What farmer boy and pirate? And what princess?"

"I think he's talking about the movie 'The Princess Bride'," I yelled from the kitchen.

"Yeah! That's the one!" Brad smiled widely. "It's a great movie, dad! You should see it!"

Eric sat down in the sofa, grabbed Brad and put him on his lap.

"So, tell me a bit more about this character," he said.

Brad excitedly started to tell him. "There's this farmer boy, you know, and he likes this girl, and then he leaves and she thinks he's dead, and..."

"Why does she think he's dead?"

"Because she hears he has been killed by a pirate, and then she is to marry the prince, but she doesn't want to, and then she meets the pirate."

"Okey, continue."

"Well, she has promised the farmer boy her love, and that's why she's not happy to marry the prince. Then the pirate turns out to be the farmer boy, and then there's this really funny character that is there to kill the man who killed his dad..."

"Brad," Eric interrupted him. "Which character do you want me to be? I'm getting a bit confused now."

"The pirate dad, the pirate!"

"What does the pirate look like?"

"He's dressed in black and wears a black mask. He's really cool dad!"

"Sounds very much like Zorro," Eric laughed. "Hm, honey, what do you think?"

"Sounds good to me, you can easily buy a black mask," I said, coming out from the kitchen. "Besides, I always had a thing for men dressed in black, and Zorro is hot..." I gave him a wink and teasing smile. He smiled back. That typical Eric smile. Warm and loving.

"Then pirate it is.

#

It is Friday evening. Eric's in the bathroom putting on his costume. Me, I'm all dressed up and ready to go. The pleated skirt is shorter than expected. Do school girls really wear this stuff? On my feet I am wearing a pair of black high heeled shoes that accentuate my legs. I put the tie around my neck and am about to start tying it when Eric emerges from the bathroom.

"So, what do you think?" He is wearing black pants, almost similar in cut to those of dancer's, which give a very slim appearance. On top he wears a black shirt. The buttons are open and I can see his naked chest underneath the silk fabric. Around his waist he has tied a black scarf where he has also fastened a toy sword, and on his hands are black leather gloves. As a final detail he is wearing a black mask. I can't help gasping when seeing him in the mask. The way his piercing blue eyes look at me through that mask, it is the look I have been waiting for. There is love and there is lust. There is something else there too. Desire.

"Wow, you look...," he continues to stare at me with a look of awe on his face. "You look...great!"

"So do you."

"I didn't know you were going as a school girl." He starts to walk around me, looking at me and admiring my choice in costume. His eyes lingering on my cleavage (yes, I did opt for a Wonderbra, like Sandra said; it's all in the padding).

"It was Sandra's idea," I say.

"Cudos to her then," he smiles, and suddenly kiss me. The kiss is fleeting but passionate. I push him away.

"Not now, we have to leave," I look up at him and smile.

"We still have plenty of time..." He kisses me again.

"Mmm," I mumble while feeling his soft lips on mine. "Darling, not now. We have to go to the party."

"We could have a bit of fun before the party." He unbuttons the top buttons on my blouse.

I can see the desire in his eyes, and boy do I want to stay at home, but I force myself to break free of his hold.

"We're getting late," I say softly. "You wouldn't want to make a bad impression on the boss, would you?"

"No, but I'm starting to wonder what kind of impression you will make at the party," Eric murmurs. "With that short skirt, pigtails and Lolita look, you're bound to turn a few heads."

"As long as you're also looking," I reply in a husky voice.

Eric smiles and give me another quick kiss.

"Wait!"

"What?"

"You forgot your tie." He grabs the ends of the tie and start to tie it, the same way I had done so many times for him.

"Now," he says. "Now we can go."

#

We arrived at the hotel an hour late. Fashionably late one might say. The hotel was nice. Big and expensively decorated. Someone was nice enough to show us the way.

"Mr and Mrs Smythe," the hostess greeted us. "We are please you could come, the coats can be hung in the cloak room." She pointed in the direction of the cloak room.

"Thank you." After turning in our coats we headed for the foyer and the welcome drinks.

The party turned out to be bigger than expected. I had know Eric's firm was big, but it wasn't until this party that I realised how many employees it had. Everywhere were people dressed in both elaborate or more simple costumes. There were the usual werewolves, vampires, witches, Frankenstein's monster, Addam's family rejects, along with celebrities and movie and comic book characters. There was even a man wearing the same costume Tom Cruise wore in 'Eyes Wide Shut'. I couldn't help wondering if he was expecting the party to turn into a similar orgy as in the movie.

"Darling, I have to mingle a bit," Eric said and gave me a peck on the cheek. "I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not," I smiled sweetly. After Eric had left I decided to head for the bar. A cocktail could do me good, and there were some tables and seats available.

As I ordered my drink, I could feel someone coming up behind me.

"Do you have a curfew, little girl?"

I turned around and found myself facing James Dean.

"Well, it depends," I answered.

"Depends on what?" the James Dean lookalike asked, hands in his pockets and hips provocatively pushed forward.

"When I will get kidnapped by that pirate over there," I said, and pointed towards Eric who was talking to Tarzan and Jane.

"Why are you waiting to get kidnapped?" JD asked. "Why don't you hang out with me instead? I'm sure we could find something to do, perhaps go somewhere and park..."

I couldn't help laughing. Suddenly I heard another voice to my left.

"Mmmm, that outfit sure suits you..."

Once again I turned around, and this time found myself facing a priest.

"Child, I am sure you have plenty of questions regarding men and women," the priest said with a serious face expression. "Come to me and I will help answer them all."

"Let me guess, I'm to confess all my sins to you?" I asked with a giggle.

"Oh yes!" the priest said, his face lit up in a wide grin. "And you could always help me see if I've chosen the right profession. Tempt me, and we shall see if celibacy is my call."

I laughed out loud. During the next hours I found myself surrounded by men, anything from Wolverine to Freud and a cuddly teddy bear. They all seemed delighted with my outfit, and for the first time in ages I felt sexy. It had been some time since I had gone out, and suddenly having a bunch of strangers coming up to me, admiring me and flirting with me, well, it was flattering. Very flattering.

While chatting away with the men I looked up and suddenly saw Eric waving at me. He was standing by the balcony door and waving me over.

"Guys, it's been a pleasure, but I think my pirate calls for me." They groaned in disappointment. As I left the bar area I could feel ten pairs of eyes following me. Admiring me. Checking me out. I put an extra swing into my swaying hips, knowing perfectly well the pleated skirt would help draw their attention to my ass.

"Hi there, stranger," Eric said, and handed me a glass of champagne. "I told you you'd turn heads in that outfit."

I blushed. "Yes, seems you were right." I sipped the champagne.

"Did you like it? Did you enjoy being the centre of attention?"

"To be honest, yes," I admitted. "It's been a while since I had men looking at me that way. Lusting for me." I took another sip. "It made me feel good. And sexy."

"Darling," Eric said and leaned in closer. "I know we haven't had much time for each other, but seeing you tonight dressed up like this..."

I twirled one of my pigtails with my fingers, and batted my eyelids innocently at him.

"I want you so bad," he said. "Watching you walk over here with all those men following your every move, it got me so turned on."

"It did?" Now things were getting interesting.

"Yes it did," Eric replied. "Perhaps it's the caveman in me, but seeing them looking at the way your hips swayed, checking out your ass in that short skirt, and lusting for you, it got me really turned on."

Silently I was jumping with joy, but I managed to stay cool.

"They told me they liked my legs."

"I can imagine, they're to die for. Long, lean and nicely shaped. Not to mention those heels, where did you get them from?"

"Oh, a store," I answered vaguely. "You like?"

"Mmm," Eric murmured again. "Very much. May I ask you something?"

"Sure." We were still standing by the balcony door. People were coming and going for a cigarette break now and then.

"If I hadn't been around, do you think you would have done anything with any of those men?"

"You mean apart from flirt?"

"Yes, apart from flirting."

"No, I wouldn't," I answered confidently. "I love you, Eric. I wouldn't be unfaithful."

"And I love you," he said. "But what if I told you it turned me on to see you with another man?"

I almost dropped the champagne glass.

"What?!"

"Well, I don't mean you necessarily would do anything with him...," Eric said quickly.

"Then what on earth are you talking about?" I took a gulp of the champagne.

"Like I said, watching those men lust for you made me really turned on, and eh, I guess a part of me is slightly curious if I'd feel the same if I actually saw you do something with one of them."

I still couldn't believe what Eric was saying! Was he implying he wanted me to get it on with one of the other men?

"What exactly would you, hypothetically of course, want to see me doing?" I asked carefully. Now Eric was running his hands uneasily through his brown hair.

"Eh, kiss," he said.

"Just kiss?"

"Ehm, perhaps making out, touching, you know..." He was squirming slightly.

"You want to see me kiss and make out with another man," I said, still not believing my ears.

"Hm, yeah, it could be interesting," Eric said nervously. "But, of course you shouldn't do anything if you're not comfortable!"

"Have you been thinking about this before?" The question had to be asked.

"Well, the thought has crossed my mind," he admitted. "But it wasn't until now when I saw the way those guys looked at you, and how much you seemed to enjoy it, that I really started to get turned on by the idea."

"Eric, I couldn't... I would never..." I didn't know what to say. It was true I could never be unfaithful to Eric, I loved him too much for it, but if I went along with his experiment, it could hardly be called 'being unfaithful', could it? After all, he was the one who suggested it. I was confused.

"Darling, I know this came out of the blue," Eric said and pulled me close. "You don't have to do anything, it was just a fantasy." He looked at me.

"We both know not all fantasies should be put into practice," he said. "I don't want anyone to get hurt."

For a long time we just stood there. His arms around my body, holding me tight.

Then I met his worried eyes.

"Do you really want me to do this? Would it really turn you on? Not make you jealous?"

He met my questioning eyes.

"I am not sure. There are no guarantees."

"How far would you want me to go?"

"That's up to you, not me. You wouldn't have to do anything if it felt wrong. I don't want to force you into anything."

"Do you really want me to do it?"

"I'm curious, and if you do it for me, I'd be thrilled, but as I said, no pressure. You have to get something out of it too." He caressed my cheek and I could feel the leather glove against my skin.

"And I can choose who it should be?"

"It's all up to you."

I went quiet. It was risky, as he had said; Eric couldn't guarantee not becoming jealous. Was it really worth it? Would we risk a good relationship for some cheap thrill?

As if he had read my mind, Eric started answering my questions.

"I know it's risky, but we have a great relationship. I'll follow you to see that nothing bad happens, as well as be the voyeur," he said. "As soon as you feel uncomfortable you may stop. Never feel you have to because of me."