Belle pushed open the door of the fancy hotel room with her hip, her large rolling suitcase in one hand, the door key in the other.
Mallory-Jayne still used old-fashioned, normal keys. The boutique hotel looked and felt like it belonged firmly in the nineteen twenties. Gorgeous art deco furnishings topped off the stylised walls and trims.
“I should’ve worn a flapper dress,” she muttered.
“What was that?”
She glanced at Dante over her shoulder and grinned. “Nothing. I was just thinking about how Mallory-Jayne left renovating for so long that the hotel has become super fashionable again. What goes around, comes around.”
Dante laughed. “Sure does.” He glanced around the room and shut the door behind him. “I can’t believe the shape this place is in. It only looks a few years old, not nearly a hundred. It’s immaculate.”
Max Jameson’s Halloween party was tonight. She’d been looking forward to the opportunity for a little cosplay for months. It was one of the highlights of her year. The Spotted Cow would be packed to overflowing, locals and tourists getting in on the action. No one was permitted through the doors unless they were in full costume.
Belle nodded and heaved her bag onto the bed. Dante set his down next to it.
“What costume did you end up going with?”
She loved seeing what he came up with each year. She loved it even more if it was tight.
He unzipped the bag and pulled out a plastic hanging bag, tags still showing. Belle laughed and shook her head.
“You haven’t even looked to see if it fits, have you?”
Dante grinned and shrugged. “It’ll be right.” He peered over her shoulder as she pulled her own costume out.
Belle held up the glittering, bright purple PVC suit. “What do you think?”
Dante’s eyes widened. “I think that’s awesome.”
Belle held it against herself and nodded. “I’ve tried it on, unlike some people. But I will need you to zip it up for me. The zip is at the back and I can’t quite get it. You have to hold the sides together then zip.”
Dante nodded and turned it around. The bright overhead lights caught the glint of the glitter embedded throughout the whole catsuit. A long tail swung from the base of the zip.
He shook his head, laughing. “You even have a tail. That’s insane.”
Belle pulled a matching pair of cat ears in the same colour and material from her bag. “Don’t forget ears. I have ears, too. And a mask.”
Belle reached for Dante’s costume. He’d been incredibly cagey about what he’d chosen. She unzipped the clothing bag.
“Ooooh!”
“Cool, hey?”
Belle laughed and took the costume out carefully. She held it up in front of him. “Aquaman? The Batman-Superman movie, yeah?”
Dante nodded, pleased she’d picked it. “Coolest costume ever.”
Indeed. She glanced over his body, currently covered by jeans and a loose T-shirt. While not quite as tall as the actor who’d played Aquaman, and not as muscular, Dante would certainly fill the costume out nicely.
A little too nicely for her own comfort.
She squinted and pretended to think about it. “I don’t know. You’re a bit too scrawny to be—”
Dante tackled her to the bed. She squealed and laughed. “Take that back. Scrawny, my ass.”
Belle couldn’t stop laughing at the affront on his face. “That was far too easy, Dan. You wind up so easy.”
He shoved up off her and grabbed his costume. He pointed at her. “Just for that, I’m not helping you into that plastic straight jacket of yours.”
Belle pushed up on her elbows, her legs hanging over the end of the bed, still chuckling. “Oh, come on. It wasn’t that upsetting. I thought it was funny.”
He didn’t try to hide his smile. “Shut up. I’m using the bathroom first.”
Belle grabbed the baby powder from her open suitcase and her costume and bolted for the bathroom. She slammed the door shut and locked it just as Dante hit the door with his fist.
“Ladies first.”
A muffled harrumph, and mumbled words she couldn’t catch made her grin wider.
“Don’t make me come back out there.”
More mumbling. Belle let out a huge laugh. She could just imagine what he was saying.
She tidied up as fast as she could, applied the oddly shaped, adhesive silicone bra, then stepped into the shower to cover herself in baby powder. She stepped into the legs of the revealing catsuit and shimmied it up her hips. It was a tight fit, but she’d wanted it skin-tight and sexy.
She wasn’t going to pretend that she hadn’t bought this costume to try to get a reaction out of Dante. If he looked impressed enough by it, perhaps later in the night he might be convinced it would be a good thing to act on any attraction.
She almost laughed at that. Dante, attracted to her.
“It’s worth a shot.”
She faced the mirror and tugged the sleeves of the suit up her arms, the material squeaking in protest. She positioned the plunging neckline and the silicone sticky bra to show the best cleavage and tried to hold the back together in one hand as she opened the door.
A half-dressed Dante turned at the sound of the door opening. She couldn’t help staring. Bare torso, the top half of the costume hanging from his hips, the bottom half moulded firmly to his long legs and firm butt.
“Whoa,” he whispered.
Belle brought her gaze back to his face, and almost let out a squeal of triumph at the look on his face. Her costume was worth every cent of the ridiculous asking price, just for that expression. Her arms being twisted behind her to hold the sides closed made her cleavage even more impressive than when she’d jiggled everything into place.
She fought the rising heat headed toward her cheeks and spun around before he noticed.
“Could you zip me up? I can’t reach.”
She could feel his heat as he reached her. She wanted to lean back into him, into his warm, bare chest, and see where it might lead.
If she was game enough, that is.
She wished with everything she had that she was that confident he’d say yes to a fun night. But she wasn’t. Not yet.
Maybe never.
But at least she’d gotten the response she’d wanted.
Warm hands took the material from hers and pulled tight. If she wasn’t mistaken, his breathing sounded different, faster.
Are his hands shaking?
No. Surely not.
A happy little smile slipped past her defences.
“Ah, aren’t you supposed to be wearing a bra or something? Won’t that get uncomfortable?”
Belle twisted a little but couldn’t quite see his face. “No. I have these little silicone thingies to help push things in the right direction, but that’s it. I didn’t want to be able to see anything from the front.”
Silence, as if he was thinking. Then, “Aren’t you worried you might fall out the front of this thing?”
Belle snorted a laugh.
“I mean, it’s pretty low-cut, B.”
She bit her lip, happiness flooding her veins. The deep V cut of the neckline was out of character for her. “It’s supposed to be.”
“Oh.” He hooked the eye at the top of the zip and stepped back. “But what if you have a nip slip or something like that?”
Belle turned and tilted her head, pretending to think about it. She looked down.
Why not? Go for it.
She cupped the sides of her breasts and jiggled them as if to check for possible gaffes. “Nah. I think they’re safe.”
A light gasp. Belle caught his stare glued to her chest. He looked away quickly, his cheeks heating.
This could become a very good night indeed.