I've never feared Halloween, but I've never been a big fan of the holiday. Never was really into dressing up or dragging my kids around in lousy weather to beg candy from the neighbors.
But this year...this year we got talked into dressing up with a group of friends and going out to the local Legion to compete in their Halloween costume contest. Of course, there was dancing and drinking involved. And a lot of laughter as well. You see, we dressed up as crabs!
When the costume parade started (yes, we had to parade around the room twice!) we were wrapped up in a net (black snow fence) and hauled around by a guy dressed up as a lobsterman. We won best group prize!
Of course, the prize wasn't the point. It was getting together with friends and not being afraid to be absolutely ridiculous. And having a great time doing it! I enjoyed Halloween a lot more this year.
And as long as we're talking about Halloween, I'll take a moment to mention my only story that is holiday related. It was my very first release and it still remains one of my best sellers, so if you haven't read it yet, and like a little bondage with your community Haunted House, you might want to check out Nothing to Fear.
Mason Blake's dark good looks and domineering personality give Kelly Long all sorts of forbidden fantasies that frighten her. When she agrees to help out at the community Halloween haunted house, she never expects to be tied to a bed, playing damsel in distress to Mason’s masked, whip-wielding villain.
Kelly can’t run away from Mason this time. He knows she’s fighting her sexual needs and he hopes that a few hours of playing out her fantasies with him will prove to her that bondage - and Mason - are nothing to fear.
And here's an excerpt:
Kelly’s heart pounded as Lisa led her up the long, steep staircase with its intricately carved spindles. The old Bartholomew mansion was the perfect venue for the haunted house, with its many rooms and dark, old-fashioned décor. There was a rumor that this house on the hill had been a bordello in the old days.
“You just have to scream your head off whenever the door is opened,” Lisa was saying.
“What?”
Lisa sighed. “Pay attention, hon. I have to get everyone else set up too.”
“Sorry.”
“We’ll be taking groups through the house one at a time. They’ll have to wait in the spider web room. Cool, huh? When it’s really busy, you could be on every fifteen minutes or so. I’m going to be leading each group through, telling scary stories to lead up to each room. The doors will be closed until I open them. So when your door is opened, you need to scream for help at the top of your lungs and the villain will charge the door with his weapon and the group will scream and I’ll close the door again. Nothing to it. You just have to be ready when I slam the door open.”
“Got it.” Tied to a bed. Straining at the ropes. Begging for help. Why was she getting all excited at the thought? Kelly knew it was wrong. She should be frightened. She was frightened…by how aroused she was at the thought. By the way her nipples were prickling. The way her skin tingled. Her panties dampened.
They passed by the first door at the top of the stairs. Looking down the long, straight hall with all the doorways, Kelly could believe the bordello stories.
“Matt Dunn and Kyle Parker are ghosts in the first room,” Lisa said. “You’ve got the second room on the left.”
“Wait, Lisa,” Kelly called out. “Who’s going to be the villain?” Who was she going be shut up with? Tied up with?
But Lisa was already pushing the door open. Faded red flocked wallpaper covered the walls. A four-poster bed sat in the middle of the room, covered with a black bedspread. The floor was worn wood. “Hey, you look great!” But Lisa wasn’t talking to Kelly, she was talking to someone already in the room.
Kelly froze in the doorway as a tall masked man, dressed from head to toe in black, stepped away from the bed. A black hood covered his entire head except for holes for his eyes, nose and mouth. The sleeveless black T-shirt clung to his sculpted chest and his muscled arms were tanned. Black pants and shoes completed the intimidating outfit. Her heart pounded so loudly she couldn’t hear what Lisa was saying. “Dress? Did you say something about a dress?”
Lisa rolled her eyes. “You can change behind that screen in the corner. The dress is on the chair behind it.”
No way was she going to be taking off her clothes in the same room with…who was this masked man? This tall masked man dressed like a…a…
Kelly whipped around to look at Lisa. Wasn’t she supposed to be her friend? “What’s wrong with what I have on?”
“Jeans and sweatshirt just don’t project the same image as a dress,” Lisa said, already walking toward the hallway, ignoring Kelly’s pleading look. “Gotta run. You and Mason can work everything else out.” She glanced at her watch. “You’ve got less than half an hour before the first group will be coming through.” Then she was out the door, shutting it behind her.
The slam of the door echoed in the silence. Kelly turned around slowly and looked up into the deep, dark eyes staring at her out of the mask. Of course, it was Mason. Her hands shook as she clasped them together in front of her. Oh God, it was Mason.
He slid the mask off his head. His eyes were what had first attracted her to him, and they were still like melted dark chocolate. His head was shaved smooth as always, a dark shadowy hint of hair on his head and jaw. The diamond stud in his ear twinkled beneath the light from the chandelier.
“Hello, Kelly.” His deep voice was a touch amused. Well, she didn’t find anything amusing in the situation. He was the one man whose mere touch frightened her because it made her desire things she shouldn’t want. Made her crave things she didn’t understand. Just a glance from him made her weak in the knees and made her want to drop to her knees before him.
And right now the thought of being tied to that bed with Mason standing over her froze her to the spot at the end of the bed. She avoided his eye, but in doing so focused on the bed, the black velvet bedspread, the tall thick bedposts at each corner. Would he stretch her tight when he tied her to the bedposts? Or would he give her wiggle room? And the thought of her body wiggling beneath Mason’s heated gaze made her shiver. But was it from fear? Or excitement?
“You better get changed."
Hope you have a great Halloween. And if you don't get dressed up, I hope you at least have a chance to laugh with some friends.
Natasha
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