Breathless (18 page)

“I bet that’s just a story someone started cuz it happened so close to Halloween,” Cali said. “Trying to make the whole thing scarier. The news said her throat was slashed, not bitten.”

“Either way, you know how guys are,” Caitlin said. “There’ll probably be
more
vampires now because of that.”

“And probably some girls with fake bite marks on their necks, too,” Stacie said, shaking her head.

“No doubt,” Cali agreed, getting up and moving toward Leesa’s closet. “C’mon, Leesa, let’s see what you’ve got in here that we can start turning into a pirate costume.”

“I’ve got some gold hoops and a red bandana that should help,” Caitlin offered. “I don’t think any of my push-up bras will fit, though.” She hefted her full breasts and laughed.

Leesa blushed, but joined the others in their laughter.

“Don’t worry, Lees, you’ve got plenty up there to make sexy,” Cali said. “And I think I have just the bra for it.”

“Oh, great,” Leesa said, grinning. “I can’t wait.”

There were a quite a few Halloween parties on campus, but the biggest by far was being held in the old facilities warehouse, which boasted the largest indoor space on campus. The Borderlines had joined with two other fraternities to host the bash. Andy had provided passes that allowed the girls to avoid the long line of costumed students at the front entrance and enter instead through a side door manned by a trio of Borderlines. One was a tall, muscular guy showing off his physique with a leopard skin loincloth; the other two were dressed as a pirate and a vampire, verifying Cali and Caitlin’s prediction about popular costumes. The guys checked the girls’ passes and marked their hands with a black skull and crossbones stamp without bothering to ask for any proof of age.

The doorway let them into a small meeting room open only to fraternity members and their guests. The room was cluttered with coats and sweatshirts piled atop tables and hanging from metal hooks. Music from the band in the main room filtered in through the cement walls. Leesa and her friends wasted no time peeling off the sweatshirts they wore over their skimpy costumes and hanging them on a couple of empty hooks.

“Look out, guys,” Cali cooed. “The hotties have arrived.”

Leesa’s pirate outfit consisted of a white button shirt tied in a knot just below her breasts to bare her abs, a pair of black shorts, and loose, knee-high black suede boots Cali had found at the local Goodwill store. Caitlin’s gold hoop earring dangled from Leesa’s left ear and her red bandana covered the top of Leesa’s head. A curved plastic sword hung from a black sash around her waist. The two highlights of the costume were both Cali’s idea. The first was one of her bras, which as promised, pushed Leesa’s breasts up into an enticing amount of cleavage. The second was to cut a jagged slash into Leesa’s right boot and to cover the suede and Leesa’s leg with red nail polish, simulating a bloody wound to explain her limp. Leesa had been a good sport and gone along with only a minimum of protest, secretly hoping the bloody boot might draw some attention away from her pushed-up breasts.

Cali’s dominatrix outfit was far more provocative, which was fine with Leesa. The costume centered on a tight black leather corset covering so little of Cali’s breasts that the tops of her rouged areolas peeked out above it. Leesa was afraid to ask whether the corset had been purchased for the occasion or was part of her friend’s regular wardrobe. Dark red fishnet stockings extended from the bottom of the corset into a pair of ankle-high black boots with four-inch stiletto heels. Cali’s eyes were painted heavily with purple eye shadow, and her lips were covered with dark red lipstick matching her stockings. In her right hand, she carried a leather riding crop, which she suggestively tapped against her thigh every few minutes.

Caitlin made an especially slutty hooker in a tight gold lamé top worn with black leather hot pants. Gold lace garters held up black fishnets at mid thigh. Her black eye shadow—even thicker than Cali’s—was flecked with gold sparkles, and her lips were painted a bright, garish red. Stacie wore a white nurse’s shirt unbuttoned almost to her waist and white shorts hemmed so high they were barely wider than a belt. White tights covered her slender legs, and a pair of white sneakers and a small white cap pinned demurely atop her head completed the outfit. She looked virginal and dirty at the same time.

The girls used the privacy of the room to do some last minute primping and to make sure their costumes covered—and didn’t cover—their bodies exactly the way they wanted. When they all passed one another’s inspections, they left the room and crossed the hallway into the party.

Much time and effort had gone into decorating the place. Black and orange sheets covered most of the windows and the walls, and giant cobwebs festooned with skeletons, headless corpses and hairy black spiders dangled from the high ceiling. Huge orange pumpkins with scary faces were painted on the black sheets; black pumpkins with equally frightening expressions adorned the orange ones. A five-man rock band in the front of the huge room was pounding out Oingo Boingo’s “Dead Man’s Party” as the girls entered, the first of several times they would play the popular Halloween anthem. A couple hundred costumed students already filled the place, but there was room for many more. In front of the band, dozens of kids danced wildly to the raucous music. The back of the room, where four long tables served as a bar, was almost as crowded. The center was less packed, but there were still plenty of kids milling about.

The variety of costumes amazed Leesa. She saw at least a half-dozen vampires and pirates, a couple of cavemen, and assorted devils, hookers, black cats, French maids, princesses and serving wenches. One vampire, already surrounded by a cluster of fawning girls, looked amazingly like Robert Pattinson from the Twilight movies. Leesa was pretty sure he would not be going home alone tonight.

As Cali had promised, the majority of costumes flaunted the wearer’s body in one way or another. The whole place oozed sexuality.
Carpe diem
.
If you got it, flaunt it
. Leesa felt her self-consciousness beginning to melt away. Her costume was pretty tame by comparison, yet she still looked darn good.

What she didn’t see in the crowd was any sign of Rave, unless he was wearing a costume with a mask, which she doubted. He was much too cute for a mask—and way too careful and aware of his surroundings to let a mask blunt his perceptions. She wondered what he would be wearing. She hoped she’d find out soon.

Before the girls made it even ten feet into the room, they were stopped by a trio of guys—a vampire wearing a black cape and plastic fangs, a bearded pirate wielding a cutlass, and a guy in a powder blue tuxedo that looked like something from a very bad wedding. The guys made no attempt to hide their appreciative stares.

“Hello, gorgeous ladies,” the vampire drawled through his fangs. “Anyone up for a bite?”

Leesa stifled a groan. Anyone smart enough to get into Weston should be able to come up with a better line than that.

“If
you’re
up for a spanking,” Cali countered, slapping her crop on her palm.

Tuxedo guy and the pirate laughed, while the vampire gave Cali an even closer look. “That might be fun,” he said, his eyes lingering on her leather-covered torso.

The pirate moved closer to Leesa. “Methinks you and me make a pretty good pair,” he said. “What say you we do a bit o’ burning and pillaging together?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, boys,” Caitlin interrupted. “They’re both spoken for.” She thrust out her hip and rested her hand on it in a very suggestive posture. “But I’m not.”

Tuxedo guy swept forward. “How about a dance, then?”

“Sure,” Caitlin replied. She pulled her stilettos from her feet. “Let’s go.” She strode toward the dance area, giving her butt an extra wiggle as she walked. Tuxedo guy hurried after her.

“What about you?” the pirate asked Stacie. “Wanna dance?”

“Why not? Catch you guys later,” she said to Leesa and Cali, then took the pirate’s arm and followed Caitlin and tuxedo guy toward the front.

“Looks like you’re odd man out,” Cali said to the vampire. “But don’t worry. I’m sure there’s a neck out there somewhere with your name on it.” She turned to Leesa. “I’m thirsty. Let’s get a drink. Then we can try to find our men. Andy’s definitely here somewhere. Who knows about Rave.”

“Okay.” Leesa replied. “Nice to meet you,” she said to the vampire. “Good hunting.”

She and Cali threaded their way toward the bar, drawing lots of looks, but managing to make it across the room without being stopped. One guy in a clown costume tried to engage them, moving smoothly into their path and pointing down at Leesa’s foot.

“Hey, great wound,” he said. “Cut yourself shaving?” He doubled over, guffawing in exaggerated clown laughter at his joke.

While he was bent over, Leesa and Cali swerved around him and continued toward the bar. As they picked their way through the throngs of people, Leesa scanned the crowd for Rave, but there were too many people in too many costumes. She finally gave up. Rave had a knack for finding her—she was certain he would do so again.

The closer she and Cali got to the bar, the thicker the crowd got. They inched their way to the far right end, which was reserved for guests with skull stamps, and had a line only a third as long as the others.

“It’s definitely not what you know, but who you know,” Cali said with a grin as she and Leesa moved to the shorter line and fell into place behind guy in a foam bodybuilder costume.

“Ha! I’m sure glad I know you,” Leesa said. “The girl with connections.”

In just a few moments, they reached the front of the line. The bartender, who Cali had met once before at Andy’s fraternity, was dressed as a pirate. He wore a billowing white shirt, baggy black pants, and knee-high black leather boots. A black tri-cornered hat slanted rakishly above his unshaven face, and a stuffed green and yellow parrot perched on his shoulder. He nodded approvingly at Leesa’s outfit.

“Hi, Frank,” Cali said. “This is my friend Leesa.”

“Nice to meet you.” He took Leesa’s extended hand and brought it to his lips. “What can I get for you lovely lasses?”

Leesa asked for a Diet Pepsi and Cali ordered a rum and Coke, which Frank mixed quickly in a clear plastic cup.

“Arrrrrrrrgh,” he said in a pirate brogue as he dropped a wedge of lime into the drink. “A lass after me own heart.” He lifted the bottle of Captain Morgan in front of his lips and started singing in a gruff voice. “Fifteen men on the dead man’s chest, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.”

“Don’t quit your day job, Frank,” Cali advised with a grin. “You seen Andy around?”

“That lucky devil was here a few minutes ago. He should be back soon—he doesn’t usually stray from the bar for long, even if he’s not bartending.” His eyes roamed slowly up and down Cali’s costume. “How come you didn’t make him dress as your slave?”

“I tried, believe me,” Cali laughed. “He wasn’t having it. Maybe after the party, in private,” she added with a wink.

“You should have seen the outfit she had ready,” Leesa said. “She tried to get me to wear it, but I wouldn’t wear that thing even if I was alone in my room.”

Frank gave Leesa the same appraisal he’d given Cali. “Now
that
I would pay to see.”

Leesa felt herself beginning to blush and fought to keep her hand from her hair.

“Can a guy get a drink around here without all this chitchat?” a voice complained from behind them.

They turned to see Andy’s grinning face. The double meaning of Frank’s “lucky devil” comment was clear. Andy was dressed as a devil, complete with red face paint, rubber pitchfork and long red tail. The tight costume showed off his trim physique nicely.

“Wow, you look great,” he said to Cali, giving her a quick once-over before pulling her into his arms for a warm hug. “You, too, Leesa,” he added when he let go of Cali. “Very sexy.”

“Thanks, Andy,” Leesa said. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”

Andy took a sip of Cali’s drink. “Mmmm, rum and Coke. I’ll have what she’s having, Frank.”

Frank mixed another drink and then deftly topped off Cali’s with a splash of rum and some more Coke. “No sense leaving the bar without a full glass,” he said.

Armed with their drinks, Leesa, Cali and Andy edged away from the bar to give the people behind them a chance.

“Did you two hear that another girl is missing?” Andy asked.

Leesa and Cali looked at each other. This was news to them.

“No, we didn’t,” Cali said.

“When?” Leesa asked. “What happened?”

“It was part of the security briefing we get before every party,” Andy said. “Some sophomore from Shelley Hall didn’t come home last night. Her roommates haven’t heard from her.”

“Maybe she hooked up with somebody and decided to spend the day with him,” Cali offered.

Andy shook his head. “Her roommates said that wouldn’t be like her. And she was supposed to meet her mom for lunch today. Never showed, never called.”

Leesa mind began racing. Could there really be a vampire behind these things? Strange as it seemed, she found herself hoping it was just your everyday psycho killer. How weird was that? she thought.

“They’re gonna try to get the word out tonight and tomorrow for everyone to be extra careful,” Andy continued. “We’re gonna make an announcement here when the band takes its next break. Remind everyone not to walk home alone, to call for an escort if they don’t have someone to go with, that sort of thing. There’ll be extra security patrols out every night, too.”