The crowd gathered, with me at its center, watches in fascination as he screams, the sounds of sucking ringing in our ears. They pull back, wiping their mouths, and he rises, his skin white, eyes blood red.
We all gasp as he joins them in beckoning us closer, if we dare. Applause breaks out with laughter at its core.
A Papaya Hot Dog turns to me, eyebrows raised. “Billy is amazing.”
I laugh and bite my lip on the way out, because how am I ever going to write about this and do it justice? Some things you have to see to believe.
“Haven! Over here!”
CHAPTER 4
HAVEN
M y roommate waves as her bright blue flapper dress shimmies with her hurried walk. “The other party was lame! We used your name at the door to get past that line. Ugh. What a waste of a night to have to wait in it.”
“Oh no, Bryn, really? Well, at least you got here early.”
Harlow walks up, delayed by the spooky sights. Locking eyes with me, she sees how unimpressed I am with her pajamas. “What? I’m cute!”
“You’re always cute. Maybe try a little?” I smile. “It is Halloween.”
“I wasn’t feeling it. Now I wish I had.” Pulling at her adult-sized, pink and white polka-dotted onesie, she grins, “I look fucking cute. Don’t hate.”
“Like I said, you’re always cute.” I turn to Bryn. “The party sucked?”
“So bad. Nobody was there because everybody’s here. I even saw Wyatt and Nate Cocker stroll in like they owned the place.”
“At the party?”
“No, here!”
Harlow says, “They’re close with Billy, that’s why.”
I nod, remembering Billy’s smile. “That makes sense.”
“Does it?”
I blink at her. “I don’t know why I said that.”
“Have you met Billy yet? Too nice for me, but a real doll. A good guy, you know?”
Bryn laughs, “Harlow, you’ve got to let go of the bad boys one of these days. They will never make you happy.”
“I’m hoping one is good with just the right amount of bad that he seems bad but he’s really good.”
Bryn and I stare at Harlow’s fairy-tale logic, because isn’t that what we all want?
A little wild with a lot of stable.
Or a lot wild with a lot of stable?
Or…
Sigh.
“Your contacts are fucking scary!” Bryn gushes.
“Yeah?” I grin and bat false eyelashes that reach the Carolinas. “You like?”
“Love, I love, I need. Can there be an eerie flapper? Is that a thing?”
“Make it a thing,” I tell her, while Harlow scans the maze of macabre for mojitos.
“I see the bar!” she announces, motioning for us to follow.
We sashay past active male-eyes who are looking for a dance partner, a healthy make-out session…and hopefully so much more.
Bryn says under the music so only we can hear, “Impress me, boys. Why don’t you try and impress me?”
She throws me a wicked smile.
With my mind on Billy, I think to myself, I’ve already found one who has.
CHAPTER 5
BILLY
Wyatt Cocker’s smirk strolls up, “Where are your balls, Billy?!”
Laughing I reassure my good friend, “The meatballs are here, and always will be.” I give him a bear-hug. Literally. Because he’s dressed as a bear. “Happy to be out of that cop uniform?”
He pulls back and looks around the party, his jawline serious as he explains, “If I could wear it all day every day, I would. But when I’m off duty, it’s not allowed. Chief would have my badge.”
“I was kidding.”
“Oh.”
Nate, his slightly younger brother who decided to walk in Wyatt’s serving-the-people-of-Atlanta footsteps, is also dressed as a furry animal. But he chose a marmot.
I think.
I’m not sure I know what one looks like, but it’s the first thing that popped into my brain. He hugs me next, smacking my back. “There’s a good boy.”
“You guys both don’t have to work tonight?” I ask. Nathan just joined our city’s fire department.
“We have three days on three off. This holiday fell on an off-day.”
“I was on, but when I told Chief I wanted to work this shift— it’s fucking crazy out there tonight and that’s when all the fun happens!—she took me off the schedule.” Wyatt’s eyes narrow as he looks at me for empathy.
I shake my head. “Another reason I work for myself. Don’t have to impress anyone but me.”
“You and your assistant hooking up yet?” Wyatt smirks.
I smack his grizzly shoulder. “You know that’s a no-can-do. She’s too valuable to me.”
“Might be interesting if you took that value to a deeper level.”
Nathan chuckles, “And he doesn’t mean that in the lecherous way it came off.”
“Yeah I did.”
“Hide it.”
“Oh, right.” Wyatt’s eyes go blank like he meant nothing sexual. “I’m totally innocent of any sexual leanings or ideas.”
I crack up, and they grin while their gazes swipe the crowd then fly right on up to the ceiling. Closely I watch their reactions because their opinions matter to me.
They’re my buddies.
If they think my party rocks, it does.
And I worked so hard to put this together.
But they both frown.
Oh shit.
“You don’t like it?”
I tilt my head up, wondering what they hate.
Wyatt demands to know, “Are those real bats?”
He and Nathan stare at me until I grin at them. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Tell us!”
“Let’s just say, I go allllllll out.” A familiar profile catches my eye. “Hey guys, I’ll catch up with you later. I think I see Denise!”
Making my way through superheroes, Presidents, and anime characters, I tap on the flirt of my life’s shoulder. She looks back and locks eyes with me. “Billy Cooper, how the hell are you, you dawg!”
“I’m a real dog tonight. How are you? I’ve been wondering why I haven’t seen your sexy smile in way too long. You forget about me and our future?”
We’ve never had a date, but we’ve joked one was imminent.
