Chapter 16: 16.

• • •

"No."

"Yes!"

"I will not!"

"Yes you will!"

"I'm leaving."

I sit here in the corner of my own bedroom, watching two woman who are currently only in their undergarments arguing back and forth.

Today's finally Saturday, the day of the Halloween party we've all been looking forward to. Even Ally. But when she got to know of the outfit I specifically chose for her, she began to curse herself for her hasty decision.

"It's not even that bad, Edison." I stand up to approach her in which she quickly takes a step back. "Tell me what's scaring you about this dress."

Earlier in the week, I had my eyes set on a matte leather body-hugging dress for her. Ally has always been the more conservative one among the three of us (yes, even me whose half of the closet is long-sleeved), and I knew then that I wanted her to try something different for once.

"Everything!" She exclaims, throwing both her hands up for extra effect. "First and foremost, it's frickin' leather. Leather! It makes me... makes me feel like I'm a dominatrix!"

"I'm flabbergasted that for a virgin, you know of such a kinky term." Cass teases her, earning an eyeroll from the brunette. "Look at the bright side, darling. At least it isn't glossy leather!"

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" She puts an arm on her hip. "Then, let's go into details. Look at how much skin will show wearing this! I don't know if you forgot that I'm two inches taller than you are, Kelsey, but this is barely even going to cover my bum!"

Well, in my opinion, it will fit her just fine. With two thin spaghetti straps holding the dress, the neckline is straight as hell, hiding any trace of cleavage. Also, it wraps around her little perky butt just right, ending with a good inch below it. But no matter how many reasons we come up to assure her, she refuses to believe it.

"Okay? Thirdly, a cat. You want me to dress up as a cat! How cliché is that?" She grumbles in frustration.

Cass and I shares a look before we burst out laughing at her third breakdown of the evening. Our hair and make-up are all done, only the dress part left which Ally has delayed us for.

"Oh please, look at these furry things!" Cass holds up the kitten ears and tail that I bought to match Ally's dress, stroking it. "Besides, we're all going as animals. Quit being whiny about it and wear the damn dress!"

———

When we arrive at the given location, we are all left dumb-struck staring at the enormous house in front of our eyes. Screw that, it's like a fucking palace. The gates are all so high, deterring anyone from ever wanting to climb over without the help of a firemen's ladder. And stationed at the sides of the main entrance are guards, dressed in all black, acting like a security camera with the way they turn their heads every so often to monitor the surroundings.

Like you'd imagine, the Grays' house is situated above one of the rich people's hill where only the most wealthy few lives. The entire land itself is even comparable to our college campus, not kidding.

I expected them to be rich, but not that rich. This is a whole other level.

"Hurry up, I'm shivering!" Ally yells, turning her head back to glare at us. Zac gave a few of his closer friends privilege, yours truly included, to park right outside their porch instead of the streets like others do. But the house is so big, you can expect the parking lots and the front door to be a distance still.

Ultimately, Ally surrenderred and wore the cat costume as planned since it was two against one. She couldn't stop complaining about feeling like as if she's only wearing a towel around her, hence feeling the cool breeze of mid-Fall hitting our skins must've made her feel even more naked.

Cass though, is completely comfortable despite her being the least covered up one. She sashays as if the cold's nothing at all, dressed in only a tube silvery bodycon dress with a matching cute shark hat. Undoubtedly, she has the best body to flaunt and I've never seen her insecure about revealing clothes.

"You're turning heads, sexy." I whisper to her as we make our way to the party inside. There're a couple of Jokers, zombies, skeletons and even a hotdog bun lurking nearby the entrance who all stole glances at Cass as she sways her hip confidently while she does her catwalk to the door.

"I know," she giggles. "That's my plan. You're gonna give it all up tonight too, right? You haven't been laid for like what, two months?"

The friendship between Cass and I have surely taken a new step-up as we now not only memorize each other's schedules like the back of our hands, we also keep track on each other's sexual life and even our menstrual cycles. Or at least, she keeps track of mine since she knows I'll MIA for the first two days now.

"Shut up," I slap her arm lightly. "That'll depend on whether I'm being watched like a hawk again. Although with this mansion of a house, I think it shouldn't be too hard for a quickie somewhere."

"Good luck, bunny! We should probably find someone for Meow over there." Cass laughs, thankfully without Ally hearing since she's a few steps ahead of us otherwise we both would've gotten a smack to our heads.

———

The inside, like you pictured, is humongous, exquisite and well, luxurious. Of course, like every other mansion in all movies, there is a giant chandelier right in the center of the foyer welcoming you. Except now, it's switched off, replaced by automatic flickering orange lamps.

I'm guessing and crossing fingers that their family aren't home. Because if I were to walk in to my own house being littered with practically creatures of all kind, I'm certain I'll scream bloody murder.

The party is now at its peak since the three of us were relatively late due to the dress incident. Shockingly, Ally doesn't seems to have a hard time fitting in as she rapidly relaxes and is back to her smiley self once we weave into the crowd. The foyer itself is already big enough, or at least what we're used to as a makeshift dance floor in other house parties. Here? It's only just the foyer.

We move on forward to where we assume the living hall is supposed to be, seeing as it is a much larger space other than missing furniture. There, with a giant curved screen TV hanging on the wall, is exactly where the dancing is supposed to be. It's pretty dark all around though as the only lights illuminating the room are the small scary lamps and the occasional brightness coming from the TV which's simultaneously responsible for playing the music.

Trust Carson to be playing Soundcloud mixes.

"Are we going to find the guys or what?" Cass raises her voice louder so I can hear her.

"Are you crazy? Of course not!" I declare, smiling slyly. Oh, tell me God, where else will it be more appropriate than here for my rules to apply?

Have I ever mentioned my specific set of rules?

Rule no. 1: I don't date.

Well not like as if I'll magically start dating tonight, so that's out the freaking window.

Rule no. 2: I don't sleep with friends. (Or anyone that I'll end up seeing often)

This is perfect. We're in a costume party! Hell, I don't think I'll want to know how that man bleeding in the face by a drill looks like without all that make-up.

Rule no. 3: No moaning of names during the act itself.

After having been with a couple of one-night-stands, I know better now that it'll be only smart to not leave any trail of hints to remind you of who you slept with last night.

And the goal here? Is not to develop feelings. No-strings-attached sex, that's what it fucking is.

Trust me. Friends with benefits don't ever work. One party always ends up destroying it by falling for the other. This is why I've been so insistent of sleeping with strangers, or at least people whom I won't coincidentally bump into in any way.

"Alrighty! Let's go find some drinks to get the party started!"

———

"Cue the fifteenth missed call," I say with an eyeroll. The guys have been bombing my phone with texts and calls, apparently trying to find us since they've spotted my car outside but not our bodies.

Lucky for us but unlucky for them, this mansion is big enough for us to play a game of hide and seek. We've been constantly on the move for an hour now, an effort to avoid running into any of the four. Also, none of them have any clue what we're dressed up as either; so finding three girls in costumes camouflaged in a flood of people surely isn't going to be easy for the seekers.

After getting our drinks to start off the party with, Ally got all excited to beer-pong that she literally dragged us to the table and demanded spots despite a few others already waiting for their turns. Like the gentlemen they are though, of course they'll let the two alluring ladies skip the queue. Ally and Cass then partnered up— playing against a traffic light and a spandax Spiderman, while I stand nearby one of the many refreshments table to endlessly refill my shotglass of vodka.

Three rounds later, I was getting slightly bored just watching, so I sauntered off to explore a little. The entire first floor is a maze itself, with at least four different hallways leading to several other rooms. Most of the people are hanging out at the foyer, the main living hall and a slightly smaller open area next to it— where the beer-pong table is currently situated at.

The huge buffet table itself is placed at the backyard, probably in an effort for people not to dirty the inside with food waste. Although that doesn't seems to be working seeing as plenty of paper plates can still be seen loitering on some of the surfaces. I, too, have a strong urge to sneak some dessert for myself; but hearing that a certain zombie shooting game is happening there, I held myself back knowing that's where exactly Carson might be at.

In the end, I settle down with the idea of blending into the crowd at the main living hall where most of them are dancing, if you'd like to call it that. I decided against snooping at some of the rooms since it'll be extremely risky, especially when I'm separated from the girls. Gulping down one more shot, I put down the glass and navigate my way to the dance floor, to be engulfed in sweaty bodies gyrating to Faded by Alan Walker.

"Hey Judy Hopps," someone says and I look up to the owner of the voice dancing in front of me. The area is extremely dim as the flickering lamps are placed in corners, so the only way to spot people is by noticing their obvious outfit choice.

Oh, did I forgot to mention what I'm dressed as?

Here I am, wearing a denim blue short dungaree with an off-shoulder blue long sleeved crop top on the inside. On my head is a fluffy bunny ears headband with a petite carrot. Yes, I improvised for the Zootopia protagonist look. I ain't gonna wear the original jeans and sneakers if every other girl is already going to be in sexy outfits, so I dug into my wardrobe to find anything else that resembles. Behind my ass is a rounded grey fluff of ball, meant to be my rabbit tail.

"Hey yourself, Batman." Facing me is a dark-skinned muscular dude in all black, his long cape draping down behind his shoulders. He has the entire batman outfit from top to toe, props for the effort. His half-faced mask hides most of his face, but just seeing his grey orbs and neatly trimmed short stubble I could've guessed he must be one heck of a handsome man.

"Lemme see," Batman inches closer to me while we both continue to sway our bodies to the rhythm so we don't look like two statues obstructing the rest. "Is there by any chance a Nick Wilde here with you?"

I chuckle at his method of asking if I'm single, shaking my head. "You? Where's your Catwoman?"

"I don't have a girlfriend if that's what you're asking." He smirks.

"Glad we got that out of the way." My smile mirrors his.

"Drinks?"

"Sure."

Despite being air-conditioned and the weather windy at night, having a hundred people in an enclosed area is sure to bring heat and perspiration. Batman and I maneuvered out of the sardine packed hall without any scratches then head over to the nearest refreshment table to grab ourselves a shot.

Cass and Ally are at their last cup now, their opponents too, and when they spot the both of us entering together, Cass gives me a knowing grin while wiggling her brows.

We lean against one of the walls in the play area, people-watching as we down our shots. Though I'm in my five inches platform heels, the top of my head only reaches the height of his nose when we stand side by side.

"Don't mind me asking, why are you dressed as a bunny when most girls are nurses or cats?" He questions, raking his eyes up and down my attire.

"Is that a bad thing?" I look up to meet his gaze, frowning.

"Of course not!" He states. "I like that you're not taking the chance to show off your tits unlike the rest. It's adorable to see a real bunny standing out among all the barely-clad women here."

I place the shotglass down on the table, taking a step towards Batman while waving him closer with a finger. "I don't like to be called adorable," I seductively whisper into his ear.

I am speeding things up seeing as we have already been in the party for more than one hour, and it's any time soon that the guys will catch us. Or maybe it's because that my period has recently just ended, and I am feeling beyond horny to be this close to a rock-hard chest.

Two months without sex isn't really a long time, but considering the fact that for the past year, I've had at least a once-per-month sexual routine, going two months cold-turkey indeed feels like ages.

"You don't?" Batman stares down at me and smirks, seemingly getting it. His hands however, remain at his sides instead of touching me. "What do you like to be called then?"

Teasingly, I twirl the ends of my high ponytail with my index finger, before tugging at it lightly. The action didn't escape his wandering eyes as I notice his smirk gets wider. "Desirable," I lean in and whisper again, my eyes flickering down his torso to his crotch and I feel myself sucking in a deep breath.

Jesus, if this is how big his bulge is when he's unaroused, can you even imagine what it looks like when he is?

Not that I'm familiar with it, but pornography seems to always have the idea that dark-skinned men comes in a package deal. Mother fucking huge dick.

I glance up to meet his grey eyes again, this time seeing them already carefully watching me. He apparently enjoyed seeing me check him out, his smirk turning into a full blown grin. He downs his vodka in one shot, placing it down next to mine. "Show me."

That's all the response I need, as I immediately cup his jaw with one hand, tilting my head upwards to his, our breath fanning each other's faces. I let my free hand gently trail down his earlobe to his neck with one finger, my own tongue peaking out to wet my bottom lip before tucking it between my teeth.

Nobody seems to mind us since we're mostly in the background. I keep up my act, now letting my finger glide down the smooth latex of his costume material to the middle of his broad chest, all the while making sure my eyes never leave his.

Right as my finger reaches his navel, he rests both his hands on my hips and closes his eyes, taking in a deep breath. When he opens them again, his pupils are slightly dilated and filled with desire. "Let's go somewhere quieter," Batman mutters, his mouth dangerously close to touching mine.

I grin, contented that my plot in seducing worked and nod, letting him interlock his hands with mine as he lead me out of the hall and into one of the four hallways.

"Do you know this house?" I abruptly ask as he pulls me by our hands. Heck, if he does know this house, that would mean he must be somehow associated to the Grays on a close level.

"No," he answers and I breathe out a sigh of relief. "Just trying my luck," he smiles as we proceed down an empty corridor. Batman then pulls down the handle of the first door, only for it to be locked. We move on down the second room, and it is the same. Until the third door, he tries again and the door clicks open. Voila!

He pushes it open and flicks the light switch, revealing a posh bathroom entirely encrusted with jeweled tiles. The orange lights in there gives off a warm aura, drawing you in just to admire the bathroom even if you don't want to use it. In our case though, a diamond covered sink counter will be more than sufficient for our usage.

He exaggeratedly bows and lifts up a hand, signalling me to enter before him. I skip into it like a little girl, even turning 360 degrees just for the sake of it. Batman enters after me and I excitedly jump up to sit on beside the sink. He grins at me when he sees me being all smiley, using the back of his foot to close the door behind him.

But before it manages to click shut, a hand suddenly shoots out to intercept, pushing it wide open and startling the both of us.

Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck.

This is either going to be embarrassing or infuriating. Getting caught or being cockblocked, which is worse?

"Get the fuck out." The deep voice growls, "no sex in this fucking house."

I groan loudly, recognizing the voice in an instant. I remain seated at the edge of the counter, which happens to be at the corner of the bathroom. The door itself opens to display the bathtub and toiletbowl first, only if you peer inwards and turn your head to the left would anyone see me hidden there.

"It's okay babe, let's go to my car." Batman reaches out a hand towards me, waiting for me to grasp it and jump down from the sink.

There's no way I'll get out of this. Knowing the fucker wouldn't budge until the both of us exit, he will surely see my face when I leave and I'll be once again, orgasm-less for the month.

I lean back against the cool tiled walls, sighing loudly as I look upwards to the ceiling and above. "God, why does this keeps happening to me?"

"Babe?" Batman says at the same time the cockblocker barges in and shouts, "what the fuck?"

• • •

A/n: double update this weekend, yay ✌🏻 if you don't mind, please vote or leave a comment on your thoughts!

In case anyone is curious, this book is pretty much a slow-burn since the beginning. We are right now at chapter 16, and the plot is only about to make a dramatic turn at this point.

This book is not pre-planned, instead is written whenever I have an inspiration. So to be honest, I still do not have a definite ending in mind although I've settled with how the story will progress.

Rest assured though, that we're about at least halfway through now, and the following chapters to come will only get more interesting ;)