Page 99 of The King of Halloween
“Holy…”
Adam turned as the dance floor opened. Dead center was Raj, and a forest of velvety black hair. Adam’s fingers tented, aching to run through it, but he cocked his head and took up his hat. With a flourish, he bowed to the man. “Good evening, fair pirate.” Adam figured out what he was once he caught the boots and took in the rest on the way up.
It was a good costume, no doubt. He was just too blinded by the handsome man inside to care.
“You…you’re…” Raj’s mouth hung low.
More and more people gave them a wide berth as he stumbled closer. Standing in the hot spotlight, there was no hiding who Adam was any longer.
He’d traded his suit jacket for a black corset painted with a rib cage and a red heart below. Instead of his usual no-nonsense trousers, he wore a scandalous black pair of bikini bottoms. But most people were probably gawping at what was below that—fishnets hanging onto his rail-thin thighs thanks to the leather straps, and a pair of bone white six-inch heels.
“What do you think?” Adam asked as he returned his top hat. A skull mask without the jawbone finished off his look. He peered from below the eye sockets, daring anyone to call him out while Raj took his time inspecting every inch of his outfit.
“You’re…” Raj damn near ran the last few feet until he took Adam by the waist. “You’re magnificent. I can’t believe…”
“Really? Even the makeup? I did it fast in the employee bathroom, and I thought—”
“Shhh…” Raj daringly placed a finger to Adam’s black lips. “Let’s dance.”
With a giddy step, Adam took Raj’s arm wrapped around his waist, and pulled the man into a waltz. He had no hope of matching the house beat, but he didn’t care. He was dancing to his own drum, and there the music was perfect.
People watched. People talked.
Maybe they should. Halloween was about breaking out of that comfort zone of life and confronting death head-on. So why not explore the myriad ways of celebrating life while at it?
“You’re getting a lot of attention,” Raj said.
“How do you know it’s not you?” Adam asked. He slipped his arm lower, pulling Raj closer to him.
“Because people didn’t drop their glasses and gasp when I walked into the room.”
“They should have. That chest hair… It’ll set the dowagers’ bloomers on fire.” Tonight, he could walk on air. Leave the pitchforks for tomorrow.
But one question kept pounding in the back of Adam’s mind. He’d put on the costumes in so many relationships, worn the masks for men who were terrified of anything not-masculine on their arm. Taking it off was both freeing and scary. He lost his armor along with the mask.
Slowing his steps, Adam struggled to look through his mask into Raj’s eyes. “You don’t think this is a bit much? Especially the heels.”
Raj licked his lips and spread his fingers up Adam’s spine. “When I saw you in the doorway, all I could think was ‘Step on me, bone daddy.’”
The two shared a laugh, then found themselves gazing into each other’s eyes. Their foreheads slipped together. Adam’s feet stilled, and so did Raj’s, but the music played on. Not caring who was watching, Adam ran his nails down Raj’s cheek, then bent forward for a taste of his lips.
“Voting is now closed!” The blast of the mayor wrenched Adam away. Both men turned to find him standing on a step stool with a megaphone. “We’ll be announcing the new King of Halloween shortly.”
“Huh.” Raj rested his head on Adam’s shoulder as they watched three grown adults count paper ballots. “In all this hullabaloo, I completely forgot about the competition.”
“Hullabaloo? Did you just use hullabaloo in a sentence?”
“Shut up.”
“No. I’m sorry. That’s a deal breaker.” Adam threw his hands up and made like he was about to walk away.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Raj latched onto him. “You’re not going anywhere, Adam Stein.”
“I’m right where I want to be, Raj Choudhary.” Adam lost himself in his eyes, feeling like the luckiest monster in the world.
“All right. I think we’ve got this figured out. Yes, I have it. It’s fine!” The mayor shouted into his megaphone before turning to berate his underlings. “We’ve got the next King of Halloween.”
People gathered around him as he started his drumroll.
