The Masquerade

Last Halloween, my friend Jen held a Halloween masquerade. Never one to pass up the opportunity for a party, I quickly mailed back the RSVP after receiving the invitation in the mail about a month prior to the holiday. I didn't have a clue what I'd wear, but I was certain I could find something with the aid of the local costume shop.

The following Saturday, I headed downtown to browse around and see if anything caught my eye.

After spending several hours in the store, I found a cute Cleopatra costume with a long, slinky gold dress. I liked the idea of changing my normally blonde, curly locks by donning a black wig and thought my hours in the tanning booth would help pull off the Egyptian bronzed skin. I immediately rented the costume and began to look forward to the upcoming event.

When I arrived at Jen's Halloween night, the house was packed. Her husband answered the door, dressed as a butler. Even though he was masked, as were all the other guests, Jen and I had spoken earlier in the week and talked about our costumes. She told me then that she and Brian had decided to attire themselves as servants for the evening. He was the butler, and she was the maid. She casually asked what I'd be wearing, so I told her.

I spotted Jen when I stepped into the living room and walked over to say hello and ask if she needed any help with anything. I'm rather polite that way. She thanked me, of course, and said no because they had hired a caterer. The catering staff walked around serving drinks and appetizers. Jen told me to just go dance, grab a drink and have fun.

All the guests enjoyed mingling and using their masks to their advantage as they flirted and cajoled one another in ways most of us wouldn't have done otherwise. I was standing near the fireplace, opposite the foyer, having a drink and conversing with Cinderella and Prince Charming. From my vantage point, I could easily see the comings and goings of the many people who filtered in and out of the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall, tanned, dark-haired man dressed as Mark Antony entering the room. I was amused at this turn of events, since I hadn't brought a date to pose as the other half of the Shakespearean tragic couple. I noticed right away that he seemed to be lacking the female half of the duo. A quick glance at his left hand indicated he wasn't married, unless he just didn't wear a ring. Brian strode over to greet him with a hearty handshake. He was probably someone with whom Brian worked, I remember thinking.

I also remember thinking that this man had one hell of a body. He was at least 6'2"; broad shouldered and had a wide chest, besides his solidly muscular arms and legs. I watched as he and Brian chatted. When he smiled, his white, straight teeth were a perfect compliment to his tanned skin. I could tell he was handsome, even behind the mask. There was no question in my mind; I wanted to meet this man.

I was just about to excuse myself from the company of Cinderella and her Prince when I got the introduction I'd hoped for, but it wasn't in the way I had intended. I was taken aback when he suddenly appeared at my side, momentarily towering over my 5'5" frame. Then he knelt down on one knee and very loudly proclaimed his undying love.

"Cleopatra, my darling!" he exclaimed with wide-open arms. He took my hand and kissed it repeatedly. "How I've been longing for you, my love. What a pleasant surprise to find you here. Have you missed me as much as I have missed you?"

My cheeks were flaming with an embarrassed blush as everyone turned around to stare and good-naturedly laugh at his outlandishness. I decided to play along with him.

"Antony, my sweet! My heart has been aching to see you again and be in your arms. Come to me, my love," I dramatically proclaimed and opened my arms to receive him.

Not missing a beat, he rose to his feet and wrapped his arms around me, then proceeded to plant a breath-takingly deep kiss on my mouth, which elicited a chorus of whooping and hollering from the others watching our little exchange. We both laughed as he turned and told everyone jokingly to go back to their business and leave us alone, while he kept his arm securely around my shoulders. Naturally, this brought on more laughter from the witnesses to our drama. They did turn back to their conversations, but not before getting in a few friendly "way to go" comments from the men and "why don't you ever do that for me?" remarks from the women.

I laughed and teased him with a smile on my face. "That's quite an approach you have. Do you often go around making declarations of love and kissing strange women?"

He shook his head and clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth with a sigh. "I've only tried this twice," he replied solemnly.

Not missing the stolen movie line in his answer, I asked, "Oh? How did you do?"

In Tom Cruise fashion, he answered with mock seriousness, "I crashed and burned on the first try. It wasn't pretty."

"And the second?"

"I don't know, but it's looking pretty good so far. Ask me again in the morning."

I had to laugh again. "Okay, Mr. Antony. Pick a century here and stick with it. We aren't quite dressed for Top Gun." I smiled. "In the morning, hm? My, aren't you sure of yourself?"

His brown eyes gazed at me almost unnervingly from behind his mask. "No, just hopeful." His lips upturned in a slow smile that exuded sensuality.

I started to introduce myself to take my mind off his enormous sex appeal and the fluttering of my insides. He pressed a finger to my lips to silence me.

"Not yet," he spoke softly. "This is a masquerade, after all. There will be plenty of time for that later. Now, I would like to dance with you. Would you do me the honor?"

"Fair enough, my Roman ruler," I answered with a twinge of sadness at not being able to find out more about him. "I would love to dance."

He smiled and I felt that familiar twitching again, having been long denied attention other than from my fingers or dildo. He took my hand and led me to the dining room; the designated dance floor. His arm snaked around my waist and he held me securely as we danced to a slow song. It didn't help to calm the gnawing hunger in my pussy, being that close to him.

We chatted about ourselves without giving too much away. I found out he did indeed work with Brian. I explained that Jen and I had been friends since grade school. Conversation was light and pleasant and I found myself enjoying his company tremendously. I was completely at ease and lost in our dialogue, leaving the thought of physical longings behind, but not too far behind.

When the dance was over, he placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out onto the deck to continue our talk. It was a beautiful evening. The stars shined down brightly from the velvet backdrop of the clear night sky. The weather was cool, but not unreasonably so, considering the time of year.

He was an avid listener and conversationalist. As we talked, he often touched my arm or my back in a gentle way. I felt my pussy flutter again and I shivered involuntarily. A courteous gentleman, he attentively noticed the shudder and rubbed my arms with his warm hands, then casually slipped his arm around me and pulled me closer to him.

"By the way," he said. "I didn't mention it earlier, but that was a wonderful kiss we shared when I arrived."

"Yes it was. It was perfect," I spoke the words aloud without thinking, then smiled rather shyly.

I blushed, as I thought to myself, perfectly delicious.

"Indeed, my Queen of the Nile. It was soft and gentle, just like you."

"Thank you. That was a sweet thing to say."

"Sweet, maybe. Truthful, definitely."

The DJ was playing Could I Have This Kiss Forever in the background. My masked stranger looked at me pointedly.

"I'd like to kiss you again."

He paused and I looked up at him.

"May I?" he asked softly.

My breath caught in my throat for a moment and I nodded in answer, leaning in to him as he bent down and tenderly pressed his lips to mine.

His lips were warm and welcoming. Kissing him felt like being at home. Familiar. Comforting. He began to part my lips slowly and his tongue found it's way into my mouth. There was no urgency or pressure in his kiss. No demand. But behind it, there was an undeniable fire.

He gathered me in his arms without breaking the kiss and I slid my arms up around his shoulders. His hands glided slowly up and down my back. My fingertips danced lightly on the back of his neck. Never in my life had I felt light-headed from a kiss, but this man did it to me. I had to pull back from his lips or I'd have fainted in his arms from the sheer depth of it.

"Wow," we chorused and took a deep breath, as if mirror images of the other. Then we laughed at our unplanned synchronicity.

"I could kiss you forever," he leaned down and whispered in my ear, then stood up to look into my masked green eyes from behind his own mask. That line sounded corny coming on the heels of the song, but it worked for him.

It worked for me, too. In that moment, without warning, I fell in love with him.

He took my hand and planted a chivalrous kiss on the back. Then he kissed my palm and pressed it against his cheek. "Bella mujer," he whispered. Beautiful woman. "Come with me."

His hand grasped mine and he entwined our fingers. He led me down the steps and into the backyard gazebo. We were beyond the light shining from the house; secluded, with only the pale moonlight illuminating our private space.

My heart began pounding as he took me into his arms again and this time, kissed me feverishly. Our mouths opened and closed and our tongues swirled around in frenzy as we practically devoured each other. I curled my arms beneath his and clutched his muscular back with my hands. His hands slid down my sides, then up and down my back, stopping just at the base of my spine. I wanted more, but it wasn't to be. He drew back.

When our lips parted, he held me tightly against him in a warm embrace, and then he released me, sitting back on the gazebo's ledge, pulling me between his legs. He caressed my face with his fingertips and looked at me.

"Bella," he said. I melted at the sound of the endearment.

"I want to take you home with me tonight. I was kidding earlier when I said 'ask me in the morning,' but now, I'm very serious. Well, maybe I was only half-kidding. I want to take you home and make love to you until the sun comes up, and then make love to you again."

"I…" I started. My heart continued to beat wildly. The sound was so loud in my own ears, I thought for certain he could hear it too.

"Shhh. Please let me finish." He smiled.

"I know you don't know me. If you say no, I'll understand. Whether you say yes or no, I want to see you again. Of course, I hope you say yes. I don't want you to answer right now. Think about it."

He looked up at the house. "We should go back. It's almost time for the unmasking."

We walked back to the house hand-in-hand and rejoined the group. No one paid any attention to the fact that we had been gone or that we were even holding hands. Or so I thought.

He kissed my cheek before walking away to get us both a drink and Jen scurried over, anxious to talk to me.

"You two are looking pretty chummy," she was grinning from ear-to-ear.

I couldn't help but grin myself. "He's sweet, thoughtful and wow, what an amazing kisser he is," I sighed dreamily. We giggled like we were back in high school.

"This guy is something else, Jen. God, he gets me hot from just his kisses and the way he touches me, and it's not even sexual! It's been way too long since I've had sex and he is lighting every fire in me that you can imagine."

Jen smiled. "He does have an amazing amount of sex appeal, doesn't he? I saw you two out on the deck earlier, by the way," she dangled that little tidbit in a lilting "I've got a secret" kind of voice.

"You did?" I gasped. "Did everyone else?"

"Um, no, but it's pretty obvious that there's something starting here. He hasn't left your side all night. I think it's great," she smiled happily.

Before we could continue this discussion, he returned with our drinks and Jen became the polite hostess again, asking if he was having a good time.

"The best," he looked right at me when he said it and I felt my knees shake.

Brian popped up behind us and broke up the conversation.

"Time to get everyone together to see who's who!" He started herding us into the living room.

My tall, dark stranger led me ahead of him with his hand gently laid upon my back to guide me. He had no clue how much I loved him doing that. Guys just don't do that sort of thing anymore. He was a real jewel in a store full of faux gems, as far as I was concerned.

Jen and Brian led the countdown to midnight as if it was New Year's Eve and precisely at the stroke of midnight, everyone ripped off their masks. Everyone did, that is, but my stranger and I.

He pulled me by the hand out into the foyer, leaned down and kissed me as his hand took hold of my mask and removed it. With my eyes closed, still embroiled in his kiss, I reached for his mask and slipped it off. When our kiss ended, I pulled back slowly and opened my eyes. I was stunned into silence for a moment before I found my voice.

"Marco? Oh my God! It's been you all this time?"

The shock and confusion registered on my face as I tried to make sense of it all. I quickly grew angry as I realized what was happening.

"Yes, bella. It's me," he answered sheepishly.

"What the hell…" I started to ask angrily.

"Wait. Before you say anything else, let me explain. Hopefully I can douse the fire that's burning behind your eyes."

He was right. I was fuming. We had met before and the meeting was not a good one. I did not like him in the slightest little bit. In fact, I thought he was a complete asshole, as I recalled the night we met.

He was so drunk he was slobbering and spilling and throwing up all over Brian and Jen's house. He sputtered on about how all women were only good for one thing and most of them weren't even good for that. I could've excused that behavior to a certain degree, knowing about his situation at the time. His ex-wife was a real bitch. What I couldn't excuse was the way he cornered me and pawed at me like a crazed animal. When he started to rip my clothes and forcibly kiss me, grabbing my tits and hiking up my skirt, Brian and some other guy had to pull him off me. It was the final straw.

It all started to make sense.

He works with Brian. He's 43 years old. "Bella mujer," he called me. Spanish. I should've realized it then. Marco is from Spain.

Marco spoke as if he knew I was remembering that awful night. "I know you think I'm a dick. Or thought it. Or thought you thought it and now you're confused. But listen, I am not. The last party Brian and Jen had, I was still hurting from my divorce, had too much to drink, and everything just got to me. I let it all out in the worst possible setting."

"You can say that again." The contempt in my voice was evident. "Some men go to jail for what you did."

I continued on angrily, "Then on top of your disgusting behavior the first time, tonight, everything we've said and done..." I trailed off and started again. "It's all one big lie. How could you?" I was shrieking at him and not letting him get a word in edgewise.

Right then, I realized that people were staring and listening to this argument as we stood outside the living room. I was mortified and humiliated. I couldn't believe I actually thought I loved this man! What was I thinking?

I grabbed my keys from the tray on the hallway table and made a beeline for the door, opening it and running down the driveway before anyone could stop me. Marco came running out after me and caught up with me just as I opened my door.

Marco slammed the door and leaned against it.

"Will you get off my car? I'm leaving, Marco. I want to go home and get as far away from you as possible. Congratulations in succeeding to make me look like an asshole right along with you." I angrily spewed the words like venom.

"No, bella. Not until you listen to me," he pleaded with me.

"No! And stop calling me bella. Your Spanish charm won't work. Use it on someone who gives a fuck." I walked around to the passenger side, determined to get in the car to leave him and what had turned into a miserable night, both in the dust.

He jumped over the hood of my car and leaned against the door, blocking my way yet again.

"Please. I'm asking you to just listen. If you still hate me and want to leave after I say what I need to say, I'll let you go and I'll never try to talk to you again."

"Fine. Talk. I want to go."

"Please sit down."

"Thank you, I'll stand."

"Sit," he ordered and picked me up like a rag doll, setting me on the hood of my car.

"Fine, I'll sit. Now talk so I can leave."

"Dios mio! You are such a difficult woman!" he exclaimed. "But that is part of what makes you so attractive. You are challenging and opinionated and intelligent. You're also so damn beautiful I cannot even think straight!

"Bella, I came here tonight because I wanted to apologize and have a second chance at getting to know you and making a good impression."

"Most men send flowers," I shot back.

He laughed. "Yes, they do. But I knew my flowers would go in the garbage after my abhorrent behavior the last time we met."

"It's a little late for making a good impression, don't you think?" The snide tone in my voice was all too apparent.

He grew serious. "I was a pig. I was drunk and said some very wrong things and I practically tried to rape you in public. That wasn't me. Tonight, what you saw, that is me."

"You lied to me in the gazebo, Marco, when you said I didn't know you. That's you, too."

"I did not, bella. You didn't know me. You met evil Marco. He doesn't live here anymore. Brian reamed me a new one the day after everything happened. I deserved it. I deserved more than that. He told me how what I had done to you made you feel. I felt so guilty and awful about how I acted. I ruined everything. I have been kicking myself ever since that day.

"When I heard about this party, I called Jen and asked if you were coming. That's why I came in this costume. I wanted a way to get close to you and show you who I really am. I wanted another chance to make a first impression."

I got angry all over again. "You involved my best friend in this and had her cover for you? I cannot believe you. I cannot believe her."

"Jen is your friend, bella. Don't be mad at her. She was angry with me too because of last time. It took me until now to gain back her trust and show her I was who she thought I was in the first place. She knows me, bella. It was her idea that I dress like this to get your attention. She threatened to castrate me if I screwed up this time."

I couldn't help it and I laughed. That's my Jen, I thought. "She would do it too."

"Yo se! I know! She scares me." He pretended to shudder and I laughed at him before remembering how pissed off I was. He stepped close to me, leaning right against my thigh and he put his hands gingerly on my waist.

"You scare me too," his dark eyes looked somber. "I fell in love with you the first time I met you, only I was such a jerk and had so much else going on in my life, I wasn't ready for it."

"What did you just say?"

"I said I was a jerk."

"That's not news. But not that part, before that."

He smiled slowly. "I said I fell in love with you the first time I met you. I love you, mi mujer bella. Tonight just confirmed it. Sometimes the heart knows before the mind."

The words he spoke rang in my head like little bells. The heart knows before the mind. My mind is pissed, but my heart says something different.