The Costume Shop

Damn, he needed a stupid outfit for the yearly office Halloween costume party and he hated shopping for costumes. All the noisy kids yapping. Oh well, just have to gird the old loins and hit the party store...shit.

He pushed open the front door and saw a scene of pandemonium -- kids shoving skulls in each other's faces and shouting, "Boooo -- gotcha!" Ugh. What a fucking mess. He made his way to the back of the store where they sold the adult-sized costumes and half-heartedly began to paw through a rack of outfits. Darth Vader, Pirate Captain, Vampire, Convict...boring...

He yawned and stretched his back, turning left and right. Out of the corner of his eye he spied a good-looking blonde sorting through a bin of harlequin masks. She looked familiar, but he couldn't quite place her.

He eyed her up and down thinking, "Christ, I'd sure as hell remember a killer ass like that!" She was bending over, and the black nylon pants she wore showed the womanly curves of her behind in all its glory.

She straightened up suddenly and caught him staring at her ass. He glanced away quickly but thought he saw a smirk cross her features briefly. Hot! Where had he seen her? At the grocery? At the drug store? Nah... He snapped his fingers and looked back at her. The new doctor in town -- he had seen her photo in the local paper. "Big city doc buys family practice in town." Right. A real looker and a physician besides...he sidled closer to get a peek at her left hand.

As he was trying to glance at her hand he heard a sultry voice say, "See anything you like?" He looked up and it was her -- waiting for an answer!

His first thought was to blurt out, "Oh hell, yeah!" but he controlled his seething thoughts. "Oh, just looking for something for an office party. Same thing every year -- just trying to spice it up this time around," he responded.

She smiled a smile that lit up her face and melted his underwear. "Like it spicy, huh? Me too! I'm new around here...any good Mexican eateries in town?"

"Well, the best and hottest is in my kitchen," he said, then blushed at the possible double meaning, "but there is Rosie's over on Spruce. It's not bad."

"Thanks for the hot tip," she said, extending her hand, "I'm Beth."

"Dave, ah, Dave Williams. I read that you're a doctor?"

"Yup -- just moved away from the city to chill out a bit -- but I do so like it hot..." again with a gut-wrenching grin that caused his testicles to tighten.

"Got a question for ya, Dave: Whaddaya think of this pirate wench costume...too racy for this town?" she asked. She held up the costume she had draped over one arm.

"Try it on and I'll let you know!" he blurted, feeling the heat radiating from his face.

"You're on," she replied, and slipped into a fitting room.

He swallowed hard, shifting his weight back and forth, unable to keep still. This woman was unbelievably hot -- smart, buxom and dead sexy. And she was bantering with him...this could get interesting.

He heard her voice from inside the small changing room. "Dave? Could you give me a hand for a minute...I seem to be stuck."

"You bet!" he said and rushed to the door. He opened the door a narrow crack and slipped inside. She was standing with her back to him, hands at her waist, holding several layers of fabric and lacings in place and the back of the costume together somewhat. She had pulled her long hair around to the front, so the open zipper showed a long V of soft, pale skin.

"I think I have the lacings right, but I can't hold everything and close the zipper at the same time. Can you manage it for me?" Swallowing once, he reached out with both hands, and while holding the zipper at its base with one, managed to slide the tab of the zipper to the top with the other. He could not help but process the information...she was not wearing a bra -- nor had he seen any hint of panties. Not even a thong. Well, that did explain how those nylon slacks managed to be so revealing....

She wiggled a little, settling the dress on her hips. He found himself a little lightheaded at the sight. Still facing the mirror, she tossed her hair back over her shoulder and with two swift movements, reached inside the dress and lifted each breast so the fabric more effectively outlined their upper curves with a neckline that could only be called 'daring.' She was watching his face in the mirror and was very pleased at the effect she was having. She spun around, dress flaring a little at the hem.

"So," she cocked an eyebrow at him, "how's it look? Too much?"

She was having an awful lot of fun with a complete stranger. She was not usually this bold. But there was something about this man -- about the way that he looked at her. She had not felt this kind of attraction to someone in a long, long time.

He took a breath. "It looks....fine," he managed to choke out. "No....good....I mean."

"I was thinking of wearing it at the office -- under my white coat, of course. The kids really enjoy it when we all dress up. It helps the day go by. But this one is probably a bit too ... unprofessional." She sighed and turned back to the mirror. "Too bad. I love Halloween...but I don't have any place else to dress up for this year."

His vision darkened a little. Was that a HINT? Directed at HIM? He decided to go for it. "There's a Pirate Captain outfit out there as well -- how would you like to attend a local office party? Most of the employees bring their spouses or a date. It's actually not a bad bash, really...they hold it in the local library -- that real Victorian place on the square?" He stopped suddenly, out of breath.

She looked up at his face reflected in the mirror just above her shoulder. She really had no idea of who this man was ... other than his name. But a costume party? And it WAS in a public place. After all, she had already allowed more familiarity in the current situation than she usually allowed men she had dated for weeks or months in the past. She felt safe for some imponderable reason, but .... "Sure!" she said, not giving herself a chance to back down. "I'd like that a lot -- thanks!"

They spent the next few minutes working out the details. She used the opportunity of retrieving pen and paper from her purse to be sure he got a good look at all her assets. She didn't let him leave the fitting room until she had his number and he had hers, and she had the address and time for the party. She used the excuse of needing a surface to lean on to write to have him turn and present his back for the purpose. Then she leaned into the task more than she needed. The connection was just as electric as she thought it would be. Arrangements complete, they stood facing each other again in the tiny fitting room.

She smiled and turned her back, pulling her hair forward once more.

"Um...Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"I had better change out of this outfit so I can take it to the register...would you handle that zipper again?"

"Sure." He stood gazing at her face in the mirror for another few seconds -- then suddenly realized he had been given a task. He started a little and reached out for the zipper a second time. He watched, mesmerized, as his hands formed the soft V of bare skin down her back once more.

She turned to face him, hands crossed at her breast to hold the loosened garment against her. "Thanks," she said.

A few quiet seconds passed and her smile broadened. He smiled back...and then started again, suddenly realizing she was waiting for him to leave so she could finish changing. He bumped and mumbled his way back out through the fitting room door.

He was a nervous wreck. He was often shy around women that he was attracted to -- but this gal was different. Smart. Saucy. And there was a ... buzz between them. It was a new sensation.

He drove to her house at 7:45 sharp expecting to have to wait. But there she was, at the door, dressed and smiling. She had altered the costume a bit -- removed some of the heavier layers. The result was an outfit that was soft and even more flattering to her full figure than he remembered. And what a smile -- half impish grin and half pleased school marm. It delighted the eye and yet promised much more...

"Hey Doc -- looking great! You were made to be a pirate wench...up for some looting and pillaging?" He hoped that didn't sound too stupid -- he'd been rehearsing that line all day...

"Hey, Dave! Ready to fly! But isn't that 'raping' and pillaging?" she shot back with a look that flew straight to his gut.

He rocked back a bit. He had tried and discarded that phrase as going too far for a first date. "Oh man! I'm never gonna let this one outta my sight," Dave intoned to himself. "This might actually be a great Halloween after all."

She flung a dark cape over her shoulders, pulled the door closed behind her and skipped down the few steps to the sidewalk. Dave followed just behind her with a warm hand in the small of back, leading her gently to where he had parked. She focused on his touch......already he was having an effect.

He turned her gently toward the passenger door of his car, reached past her to open it and held it for her. She was impressed. It had been a long time since she had been treated so courteously. Not that she minded fending for herself. She was perfectly capable of protecting her own interests -- and could be a lioness when championing a patient. But the small, gallant gestures were so rare these days. And this fellow seemed very at ease in this role...not overbearing or controlling. He seemed simply generous of spirit and....lighthearted. She smiled happily at him as he climbed in the driver's side and fastened his seatbelt.

He looked to his passenger -- no seatbelt fastened yet. "Need help with that?" he asked as he reached across her body to pull the seatbelt from its holder. She obligingly leaned back into her seat -- but took a deep breath at just the right moment. She managed to brush the underside of his bare forearm with the curve of her breasts as he pulled the belt across. She shifted her hips slightly and lifted the fabric of her skirt to reveal the belt's buckle nestled against her thigh. With her hands full of fabric, Dave had to slide the clasp home, tucking his hand in beside her hip for a pleasant moment or two as he did so.

"Thanks," she said simply -- and grinned at him again.

He sat back. Was that what he thought it was? Did she actually do that? "I must be dreaming," he mused.

They drove to the party, enjoying some amiable small talk -- where she came from, how long he'd been in town, what sort of people would be at the party...

When they arrived, he hurried to her door and opened it. He offered her his hand, helping her out of the car. As he stepped back to allow her to step up to the curb, he stumbled, falling forward and catching her shoulders to steady himself, pressing against her.

God, she smelled great -- he softly inhaled the aroma of her clean hair. It was then he noticed that she was pressing back...molding herself to him.

He looked at her, their lips inches apart.

"I'm terribly sorry. Please excuse me," he murmured, trying to right himself. But she clung to him, an indefinable look in her eyes.

She was concentrating again on his touch. The connection was nearly tangible. She thought at first she was imagining things but as she really focused -- where his hands touched her shoulders, where her torso pressed against his chest, where her arms began to curve around his waist -- she could almost feel the static prickling her skin. His touch was magnetic -- as if he were drawing her in. She sensed rather than heard his words.

She shifted her gaze to his eyes. She was a romantic at heart, and in that moment of transition thought of looking into his soul ... and was shaken to her roots. She saw him looking back at her -- a kindred spirit. A man she somehow -- knew. She simply could not move -- could not look away.

Tentatively -- gently, he closed the last inches between them and delicately brushed her lips with his own. The sensation of electricity crackled, and she caught her breath. As he drew back to gaze at her once again, her arms went around him completely. "You feel it, too," she whispered, seeing the answer in his eyes.

He was stunned at the amazing feelings overtaking him. He did not want to mess things up with this fabulous woman he'd just met -- but the urgent need boiling between them took precedence. He kissed her deeply, losing himself in the feel of her pliant lips. Her tongue, hungrily dancing with his own, told him that these incredible feelings were shared.

He ran his hands under the layers of the pirate skirt, feeling the wonderful womanly roundness of her bottom. She moaned into his mouth and grasped him harder. "What do you say to our own party first?" he managed to gasp. He couldn't believe he'd said those words -- would have called them back if he could. What if he ruined everything? But the tide of total passion had overwhelmed all the usual inhibitions -- he wanted this incredible woman in every way.

She pulled back to search his face again. She could not believe she was even considering such a proposal! She did not know this man ... they had barely met! Where had these feelings come from? She thought of herself as logical and practical. She was steeped in discipline. Yet ...

His face was completely open. He looked as tortured by these sudden and overwhelming feelings as she felt. He was not being slick or clever ... not trying to seduce her or to take control. He wanted her, yes -- but he wanted to give of himself, as well. She could see it in his eyes, feel it through his warm, strong hands that caressed but did not attempt to possess. She didn't know how she knew these things, she just ... knew.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, yes, yes! I want to be with you -- to follow these absolutely incredible feelings. But..." she paused.

His heart leaped in his chest. Had he heard her correctly? She had said yes!! To his outrageous proposal! Then the last word pierced the rising fog in his brain. With an effort, he calmed his breathing and let his vision clear. Focusing on her eyes, he quietly repeated her cautious word, turning it into a question. "But?"

"But, I do not want to interfere with your social or work obligations. Will it matter if you do not arrive at this event tonight?"

He breathed a cautious sigh. "No," he said. Our department is primarily single guys -- it won't matter at all whether I arrive now, later or not at all." He took another deep breath, "And I don't mean to put any pressure on you. You're incredible ... to the point where I think I'm a little overwhelmed. But," it was his turn to pause.

"But?" she repeated with a small smile -- consciously imitating his tone. He was wonderful!

"But I don't think I'm ready to share your company just yet." He looked at his watch. "What do you say we skip the party and just go have dinner together instead? We have time to go home and change..."

"Do you know a good seafood place?" she said, smoothing the front of her costume. "I kind of hate to waste the outfits." She gazed in his eyes again. "You look quite grand, yourself." He did -- burly and daring and....masculine. She always loved the whimsy of dressing up at Halloween. She was reluctant to forgo this small pleasure in her otherwise demanding life.

He turned over the possibilities in his mind. Of course; it was obvious. "There's always Red Lobster," he suggested.

"Perfect!"

She laughed. He smiled. They moved forward together, treading the water of time and space, wrapped up in each other, reveling in this newfound connection that felt ready made. They talked incessantly -- in the car, while awaiting their table, through ordering and the meal, through coffee and even shared dessert -- and then lingered. He watched her face and drank in every nuance -- every gesture. She listened to a voice that had become instantly familiar. At last, a small silence fell.

She looked up to see him watching her with a small smile playing about his mouth. "What?" she asked, curiously.

"I know it's impossible, but it's already as if I've known you forever."

She dropped her eyes and could feel herself blushing. She looked up at him again. "I know," she said softly. "It seems almost .... unreal. But I feel the same." Her heart was beating harder. She wondered if he could see it in the tremor of her breast.

"May I see you home, madam?" He stood and held out his hand to her.

She slipped her hand into his, and felt the shock -- and recognition -- of his touch once again. This connection continued to amaze and delight her. "Thank you for dinner," she said as she slipped from the booth to stand beside him. "It was wonderful."

"My pleasure," he said sincerely. He gathered her cape and draped it over her shoulders and again placed his hand in the small of her back to guide her back to the car. She was entranced by that small touch.

The trip home was full of more talk and laughter. He pulled up to the curb in front of her bungalow, turned off the engine and turned out the lights. The glow of the light she had left shining beside her door was warm and inviting. She had been thinking, considering, testing herself for the last hour. And she had reached the conclusion which, to her, felt inevitable. So she turned easily and lightly in her seat to face him. "You must come in," she said. Then she suddenly found herself frightened: what if he said no? It hadn't occurred to her until that very moment. She caught her breath and held it .... waiting.

He saw her chest rise -- and then still. He looked a little closer. Was she? She was -- she was trembling. For him. He was amazed. "I'd love to." The truest statement he'd ever made.

She could breathe again -- and was suddenly a little shy. She took the moments while he rounded the car to her door to breathe deeply and center herself -- an exercise she knew well and used to bring herself back to the moment. Letting go of everything else -- past, future, self ... all of it -- she stepped out of the car and into his world. She was soooo ready.

Playfully, he held out his hand, palm down. She laughed and lightly placed hers atop, and they stepped to her front door in style. She had her key ready. They were inside in a blink. She turned on a small lamp on the desk that filled the small room with a soft, warm glow. "I'll get some wine," she said, flipping her cape from her shoulders to the coat stand in a practiced gesture. "May I take your hat, sir?" She curtsied playfully.

He bowed, sweeping his tricorn from his head. "Thank you, madam."

She placed his hat on the rack and skipped to the kitchen. He listened to her soft domestic sounds as he strolled forward into the room, looking at the mementos of a life now familiar scattered casually about.

She floated back into the living room with two glasses of wine, handing him one. He sniffed and sipped, raising his eyebrows appreciatively. "Pinot Noir?" he asked.

"Very good, sir. Handsome -- and a man of sophisticated tastes. I'm impressed."

He blushed a bit and grinned. "Nah, I'm no wine expert. I just like these Pinots. Tried them after reading that book 'Sideways.' They talked so highly of this wine, I had to try some. By the way, nice place -- very organized for just having moved in."

She smiled. "I've yet to really make it mine -- still have to settle in and make it more comfy."

He slid closer to her on the sofa. "Feels pretty comfy to me already. In fact, all of this feels so comfortable that I'm saying and doing things I would normally never do on a first date. Especially one so impromptu."

She liked the way he never broke eye contact. He was obviously being sincere and open -- refreshing in a man. She unconsciously moistened her lips with her tongue. "What sort of things...?" she asked, her voice a bit more husky than she had intended.