Graceful Deception

"Let's go mingle," she proposed and untangled herself.

It was a relief she finally let go of him because just at that moment his penis sprang to life. At the same time, he wanted to cling to her. To hold her just a few seconds longer.

The band had finished setting up and were already on their second song, a cheerful medley. All five of them were dressed up as zombies. A couple of people were dancing but they were in the vast minority so far.

It had been a long time since Ryan had accompanied Grace to a company event. Usually, she went by herself to the Christmas party and picnics or she didn't go at all. Three years since the last time, if she remembered correctly. Ethan had still been living at home. Ryan got drunk at the open bar and they had to leave early because he felt sick. That was still during the time when she had been in denial.

By comparison, Ethan was wonderful to show around. She approached acquaintances and introduced "my husband, Ryan" without worrying about whether or not they could smell alcohol on his breath. Nobody would be asking awkward questions why he wasn't there.

It was like a heavy weight lifting off her shoulders. One she didn't even know she carried. Ethan had no idea but he had given her one of the most wonderful gifts possible.

Ethan didn't particularly care for any of these people. The names and costumes seemed to blend into one another. He shook hands with every John from IT and Jane from marketing, exchanged a few pleasantries and moved on, most likely to never see them again in his life. His father must have set an extraordinarily low bar that he had no problem raising.

Every time Grace introduced him as "my husband," goosebumps rose all over his body. Her arm was slung around his waist and his was on her shoulder. The more people they talked to, the happier she seemed to get, beaming at him with those wonderful eyes. She was probably the only woman in the world who could make a skeleton look so damn beautiful.

"Ah, there you are, Grace," said an older man in his sixties, wearing a garish tie and red suspenders.

"Hello, Mr. Davidson. Is that a Lumberg costume?" Grace greeted him with a smile and received a nod of approval. "I want you to meet my husband, Ryan."

Ethan had no idea what a Lumberg was. He shook the man's hand, returning the firm grip. They exchanged greetings and Grace introduced him as the head of something-or-other of the something-something department.

"Ah, so you're the famous husband."

"I am," lied Ethan.

"Just wanted to congratulate you on your amazing wife. Grace is one of our best employees."

"You should probably pay her a lot more, then," Ethan said with a straight face.

Ice cold tendrils of panic raced up Grace's spine. Her son had absolutely no idea who he was talking to. It wasn't just her boss, it was the boss of everyone in the entire branch. The corporate hardass with no tolerance for mistakes. A hard knot formed in her stomach. Why the hell had she gone along with this entire stupid charade in the first place?

For a moment it looked like he was going to explode but to her utter amazement, the man started laughing. His face broke out into a very rare smile and he clapped Ethan on the shoulder. Maybe a little harder than was appropriate.

"That's a good one, Mr. Stone. I'll see what I can do," Mr. Davidson chuckled and winked. "You got yourself a good man," he said to Grace with a nod of approval.

Then he just walked off, still chuckling. Grace was lightheaded from the rush of adrenaline. She couldn't believe that just happened. Her fingers were tingling. She gave her son a quick hug of thanks, unable to find any words.

"What was that for?" Ethan asked.

"You have no idea what you just did, do you?"

"Did what?"

"That was my boss' boss' boss and you just told him to give me a raise."

"I was joking. He thought it was funny."

"Oh god," sighed Grace and touched her temple to try and steady herself.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I just feel... happy. Do you want to dance?"

Grace didn't wait for a reply. She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the music. Plenty of people were dancing now and the band was in full swing. Just like his father, Ethan seemed to have two left legs when it came to dancing but it didn't matter.

Ethan tried his best at what he thought was an appropriate movement of his limbs. It never came naturally to him and the only thing that kept him from panicking was the fact he saw his father dance, once. His mother clearly wasn't expecting pirouettes from him and kept her feet well away from his. At their table, Lydia and Shawna seemed to make an active effort to ignore them.

All around them, singles and couples danced to the casual beat. Ethan felt great. The entire evening had been a success so far and for the first time, he thought that he might actually make it through the entire night without spilling his secret. His mother seemed to be completely oblivious.

The song ended and the band played in a much slower tune. Ethan gulped as his mother hooked a hand around his hip and pulled him closer. Suddenly their bodies were close, bumping into each other with every other step, as she led him in a slow embrace. His heart thumped in his chest.

Grace enjoyed the slow movement. Just as she had expected, Ethan was a terrible dancer. Unlike her husband, however, he seemed to be willing to actually try it. He really was an amazing young man. Time seemed to have flown by. It felt just like yesterday when he started his first day at elementary, all gap-toothed and buzzing with excitement. Today he was a grown man, going to college.

After the third time he stepped on her foot and muttered an apology, she let him off the hook. She hugged him closer, laid her head against his chest, and gently swayed from side to side. She drank in his warm presence.

In just one evening, Ethan had done more for her than her husband did in a year. He would make some girl very happy someday. It was unfortunate that Halloween was the only time he could pretend to be Ryan.

Although she had noticed him helping out more often, in recent times. She would come home from work to a surprise visit from Ethan. The dishwasher was loaded and the trash was taken out. On a recent weekend, he even volunteered to rake the lawn.

It would be so much nicer if Ethan really was her husband. She swayed comfortably, embraced by his body. His hand gently stroked her back. She imagined what it would be like. He was good-looking, the way Ryan used to be when she had met him, but without the hard edge. She envisioned herself kissing him. His naked body pressing up against her. His mouth suckling her nipple. His hard...

Grace abruptly stopped when she felt herself getting wet. What the fuck was she thinking? Ethan was her son. She just fantasized about sleeping with her son and now she was wet. Nausea set in.

"I... need something to drink," she muttered and quickly let go of him.

Ethan wondered what just happened. He followed her quick strides towards the refreshment bar, where she poured herself a cup of the pink lemonade. Their slow, rhythmic swaying had been one of the best moments of his life. It had been so incredibly intimate. He never felt that connection with any of his girlfriends. It made his heart ache.

"Maybe we should go back to the table," Grace proposed, setting down the plastic cup a little harder than was necessary. She sounded slightly flushed, though her skull makeup revealed nothing.

"Okay. If that's what you want," Ethan said.

Grace wanted to scream. Did he have to say it like that on purpose, reminding her that just a few seconds ago she had wanted something completely different? Could he somehow read her thoughts? No, he probably managed to convince himself that she didn't know it was him.

Their return to the table at the front was greeted warmly by Lydia, Shawna, and the others. Their earlier spat was already forgotten. That was how things were between them. Tempers occasionally flared up but they were friends for such a long time, something like that wasn't going to create any lasting adversity.

Shawna told them very eagerly how she spotted Doreen, the new intern of Mr. Mane, who was the head of sales, disappear together into a storage closet. They were both married, although not to each other. It seemed like nothing had changed since they left the table but it felt like everything was different. Grace grabbed a few peanuts out of the bowl and stuffed them in her mouth, hoping it would distract her from the uncomfortable wetness between her legs.

*** *** ***

Grace glumly eyed the noisy couple on her right. Once again, Shawna managed to pick up the hottest guy at the party. A guy in his late twenties with a fantastic gym body, dressed as Superman. There weren't a lot of people who could have pulled that off. Shawna sat on his lap and the two of them were making out.

Lydia had been whisked away by her boyfriend. Everyone's head had turned when the man strode through the hall in the middle of dinner and loudly proclaimed that he just flew home six-hundred miles because he missed her too much and couldn't bear the thought of her being alone on the weekend. He then swooped up the blushing mermaid and, quite literally, carried her out of the room in his arms.

After a performance like that, Grace was sure that there wasn't a dry pair of panties in the entire building.

The downside was that things had gotten pretty awkward. It wasn't so bad during the dinner part. They ate the wonderful pumpkin soup and chicken breast with little ghoul vegetables. Ethan rolled up the bottom part of his hood up to his nose to be able to eat. If anyone thought it was strange that he wouldn't take off his hood, they didn't comment on it.

But now Lydia was gone, Shawna was occupied, Ramona was sitting at a different table, chatting with a co-worker, Betty and Andrew were also getting very touchy and kissy with each other, and only Tom and Alexandra didn't seem to be interested in sex. Other than Grace and her son, of course.

"How are you doing?" Ethan inquired.

"I'm doing alright, it's just..."

"The party has gotten a little boring?"

"Yeah, a little bit."

"Looks like the band is setting up again. Would you care for another dance?"

Grace pushed down the memories of what happened the last time they danced. She looked to her right and saw Shawna's hand on Superman's crotch. Anything was better than to keep watching that. "Maybe, give me a minute."

She stood up and went to the restroom. There was another line, longer this time, but she skipped ahead. She stared at herself in the mirror. Sometimes she almost forgot she had the facepaint on. In retrospect, it would have been easier to wear a mask.

Whether she wore facepaint or a mask didn't matter, it was just a distraction. She pushed the thought aside. The real matter was what happened to her earlier. She had sexual thoughts about her son. The woman in the mirror didn't look like a monster to her. She just looked a sad, neglected wife.

It was probably just a fluke. One of those random thoughts that people get, nothing more. It wasn't like she was going to act on it. In fact, she wanted to prove that it was just a fluke. She was going to go out there, dance with her son, and nothing was going to happen.

*** *** ***

Ethan was incredibly proud of himself for not having stepped on her toes for a solid minute. It was easier to pay attention to his footwork now that they had most of the room for themselves. After the dinner, barely anyone decided they still wanted to dance and the band was just there to provide background music.

Being able to dance like this with his mother was the most erotic thing he had ever done. Before today, he always had to keep himself in check. Anytime they hugged or he tapped her on the shoulder, he felt like he was doing something he wasn't supposed to. It was different now. As her husband, he was supposed to touch her. Anything less might be suspicious. Ryan certainly wasn't afraid of touching her.

So he firmly placed his hand on her waist. He pulled her close. Pushed her away. Intertwined his gloved fingers with hers. Breathed in her perfume.

Ethan was in his own little heaven. The closest he would likely ever get in his lifetime to making love with her. With his mother. The woman he was head over heels in love with.

Grace was incredibly proud of herself for not thinking even once about her son in a way she wasn't supposed to. Apart from the times that she was proud of not thinking about it. That was unavoidable, though. It was impossible to be proud of something she wasn't aware of. She had to think of it to know that she wasn't thinking about it.

Her son probably had no idea what he was doing to her. He was doing something nice and she was messing it all up. But not anymore. She was, once more, proud of how much she wasn't thinking about it.

"You're beautiful," Ethan said softly.

"What?" Grace asked in surprise. Her pride faltered a little.

"I said you're beautiful. I don't think people tell you that enough."

Grace almost flinched. He was right. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had told her she was beautiful. Of course, Shawna and Lydia did occasionally, but that wasn't the same. It didn't carry the same weight when a man said it. Except, he was her son, she had to remind herself. "Thank you so much. I wanted to thank you for coming tonight. For everything. It has been amazing, more than you know."

"Of course. I love you," he replied.

There was something in the way he said it that made Grace's soul ache. The months and months of frustration that had built up inside of her seemed to have an iron grip on her beating heart. Someone saying "I love you" to her and actually mean it was so liberating.

Her hands moved almost of their own accord. It really was his own fault. She slipped her fingers under the bottom of his mask. All night he had been pretending to be her husband, he had to have seen this coming, right? Why wouldn't a wife do this? She rolled up the mask enough to expose his mouth. It definitely was his fault. She had no idea that he wasn't Ryan, after all. Nobody could blame her.

Ethan's heart hammered in his chest so hard he thought it might break his skin. He cursed himself over and over for accidentally blurting out "I love you" to his mother. It just slipped off his tongue and tumbled into her ear. He knew he had fucked up. That wasn't something Ryan said at all.

When she started rolling up his hood, he knew it was over. He was frozen with fear. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. She would see that it was him and then there would be a shitstorm of epic proportions.

Grace kissed him. Not a peck on the cheek but with her lips pressed on his. Her mind was rapidly spinning out of control. She knew what she was doing was so wrong but she just wanted to know what it was like. Just once she wanted to dance with her husband at a party and kiss him in a loving embrace.

Ethan's entire world crumbled. All of a sudden his mother's face was close and he felt her warm, tender lips on his. For a second, he was sure that he must have blacked out and it was a dream. A wonderful dream.

After a few seconds, he still hadn't responded. Grace pulled away, disgusted with herself. She'd just forced herself on her own son because... why? Because she had some idiotic fantasy about finally having a real husband again? Ethan would never be able to live this day down. He was probably sickened to his core that his own mother just kissed him on the lips. She wanted to throw up.

Before she had a chance to do anything, Ethan sprang into motion. His arm pulled her into a tight embrace. He was the one that kissed her. She was so surprised, she almost froze up. Almost.

The two of them forgot about the world around them. The band didn't exist. The crowd didn't exist. The Carlton Hotel didn't exist. Ethan was driven by his overwhelming desire for his mother. Grace was urged on by the deep-seated need to be loved. It was the most incredible kiss that either of them ever had.

They broke their embrace to gasp for air. Their chests heaved. Black lipstick smudged his mouth.

Ethan had no idea what was going on. Adrenaline and hormones surged in his veins. The only thing he knew was that the woman in front of him had the most amazing eyes, the most incredible body, and she had just kissed him.

Grace was gasping for air. She had just kissed her own son and it felt so good. It had never been like that with any guy. Not even Ryan. The rush of doing something so incredibly naughty left her hands shaking.

She felt his erection through the pants. A firm presence, pushing into her abdomen. Her knees felt like jelly.

"What...?" Ethan muttered as if he had no idea what happened.

"Follow me," she said, her words filled with an urgence. She grabbed his hand and dragged him toward the exit. Pulled him into the elevator.

They kissed the entire ride up to the third floor. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. She pulled her keycard out and opened the door to room 3092. The room was dimly lit from festive lights outside. Enough to see by.

Even if they had wanted to, they wouldn't have been able to stop it now. Grace pushed down her skeleton leggings, tripped over her own feet trying to step out of them, and tumbled onto the bed.

Ethan kicked off his shoes unclasped his belt. His penis was so hard he thought it was going to break. He watched his mother lying on her back and spread her legs. A sizeable bush adorned her wet pussy. For just a brief moment, he was aware of the fact that he was about to take advantage of his unsuspecting mother, but every fiber in his body wanted to do it.

Grace laid on the bed and watching her son push down his pants, with the mask still covering half of his face. She couldn't believe how big his cock was. Was that six or seven inches? And the girth. She didn't have a lot of time to ponder how he managed to inherit that before he climbed between her legs.

The tip of his cock pushed aside her labia. The thick girth of his six-and-a-half inch cock split her open. She felt every inch of it slide along her most sensitive spots. A shudder ran through her body with the realization that her son's cock was firmly inside of her.

Ethan wanted to scream and howl with excitement. It still felt so surreal. Her warm, welcoming vagina gripped the entire length of his shaft. Her pubic hair tickled his skin. He thrust back and forth, reveling in the knowledge that he was fucking his own mother.

Grace pulled him down for a kiss. His body descended on hers, his weight pinning her against the mattress. Their lips met. She hooked her legs around his back. He thrust into her. A slow, measured pace, as if he didn't want to risk pulling out under any circumstances.

"Ohhhh," she moaned, breaking the kiss.

"I love you," Ethan murmured.

"I love you too, Ethan," she moaned back. He was too lost in the wonderful sensation to notice she had called him by his name. "Fuck me. I need you to fuck me," she rasped.

Ethan obliged. He pulled out halfway before plunging back in with more force. A soft moan escaped Grace's lips. He pushed again and again until the moaning turned into screams.

"Ohhh, ohhh, ohhh," she howled.

Grace's mind went blank. Her whole body was on fire. Nothing mattered except for the cock inside of her.

Ethan felt his mother trembling under him. He pulled off his glove and slipped one hand under her skeleton top and bra. He kneaded and squeezed. Pinched her nipple. Every action heightened the throes of her orgasm.

Her vagina squeezed his cock. He tried to hold out. To make her happier. To impress her. But he couldn't. With a blazing fury, he pumped his seed deep inside of her.