Page 116 of Strange Seduction
“What?” she said, all innocence. “You don’t wanna relive Halloween at Eden?”
I shot her a warning look. “You mean the night I almost got caught with my fingers in you on your front steps by your friend?”
She grinned proudly. “Iconic.”
“I haven’t been able to look Izzy in her face without thinking about it for years.”
“Well,” she said, tossing the mask back. “You should’ve putonthe mask.”
“I should’ve taken you back to my dorm.”
She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, Catwoman and Ghostface it is.”
“Of course it is.”
She smiled as she walked by me. “Trust me, Theodore. Just trust me.”
The cashier barely looked up when we approached the counter. Carmen tossed the Catwoman mask, along with other items she picked up, onto the conveyor belt, then plucked the Ghostface one from under my arm and added it to the pile.
The cashier finally looked up and blinked at the pile. Then, as if the universe had a sense of humor, the guy reached behind the counter and set down a box of condoms like he was tossing napkins into a takeout bag.
“Nel caso in cui,” he said dryly.Just in case.
Carmen choked on a laugh.
I blinked. “Condoms and costumes go hand in hand now, huh?”
The cashier shrugged. “It’s summer. People do all kinds of crazy shit.”
The cashier bagged everything without so much as flinching—Catwoman mask, Ghostface, lube, condoms, and one mystery pack of glow-in-the-dark stickers Carmen had slipped in while I wasn’t looking.
“Have a good day,” he said flatly.
Carmen grabbed the bag and sang out. “Oh, we will.”
I held the door open for her, the bell chiming overhead as we stepped back into the cool evening.
“We’re really doing this,” I said aloud as we walked toward the car.
She swung the bag by her side. “Yup, and you’re gonna enjoy every minute.”
“Of course I am,” I smirked and unlocked the car. “You gonna let me take your’s off in the middle? I need to get that pretty cum face on camera.”
She slid into the passenger seat, already buckling up. “Depends. Are you gonna be a good boy?”
“No, not in the slightest.”
She glanced at me with a wicked grin. “You’re gonna regret that.”
Doubt it.
?????
Back at the hotel, Carmen dropped the Halloween store bag on the coffee table and kicked off her shoes. She stretched her arms over her head with a lazy yawn, shirt riding up just enough to tease. My eyes trailed the soft sliver of skin, anticipation curling low in my stomach.
She caught me staring. “You gonna help me set up or just stand there and stare?”
“Staring feels appropriate,” I muttered, toeing off my boots. “But fine. What’s the plan?”
