Disclaimer : Characters and situations are all from my imagination.
Warnings : Sex and love between women
Feedback : Constructive criticism and feedback, both welcomed at geonncannon@gmail.com
Copyright © 2011 Geonn Cannon
For Ari, Halloween was about wish fulfillment and living out childhood fantasies. Her weakness was for women who dressed up like the fantasy girls Ari had grown up with. Her favorite conquest had been finding Cheetara from Thundercats . Two years ago she'd gone back to a loft with Smurfette and smurfed her brains out.
This year, she was sitting on a stool in the back room of a bar while Betty Rubble went down on her. Wilma Flintstone was standing behind her and licking the shell of her ear, hands under Ari's shirt to play with her breasts while Betty teased with the tip of her tongue. Forty-five minutes ago, Ari was at the bar when she started talking to Betty and Wilma, and it was about ten minutes before she admitted that she stopped watching The Flintstones because of "inappropriate thoughts" she'd started having. Fifteen minutes after that, Betty returned and whispered an invitation into Ari's ear.
Ari's discarded overalls provided padding underneath her on the stool, her bare legs draped over Betty's shoulders. Her hands were behind her, holding up Wilma's skirt to touch her. Ari came first, and then she and Wilma teamed up to finish Betty. While Ari kissed her, she kept her hand under Wilma's skirt and fingered her until both women were tipping over the edge. The door to their little corridor opened three times during their playtime, but it always closed quickly following the sound of laughter and whooping. Ari didn't care, and she figured her prehistoric hook-ups didn't much care either.
When both Rubble and Flintstone had been satisfied, Ari straightened their costumes. She adjusted the bow in Betty's hair, and Betty carefully reconstructed Wilma's bun. She kissed them both, and let them slip back out into the party while she got back into her overalls. She wore a gingham shirt underneath it, the sleeves rolled up nearly to the shoulder. Her hair was in pigtails, and she was wearing combat boots to complete her costume of 'tomboy.'
Once she was dressed, she wiped her lips and returned to the party. The lights were turned high enough that people could still see, but dim enough that it obscured the flaws in their costumes and made them look more authentic. She passed a Wonder Woman, a Queen Cersei from Game of Thrones , Peppermint Patty, and more than a few men and women who may or may not have been cross-dressing.
She found Dale sitting at a table near the front windows, still dressed in her work clothes. Her contribution to the festivities were a pair of cat ears on her head and a belt with a long black tail attached that was currently hanging down from the back of her chair. Ari sat down and picked up the beer she'd left behind.
"If Fred and Barney ever hire us to find out if their wives are cheating, we'll have to refuse the case."
Dale laughed. "I'm pretty sure that particular Betty and Wilma left the boys for each other a long time ago. You're safe."
Ari mimed wiping sweat from her forehead. "Did you see anything while I was, ah, questioning the witnesses?"
"Not a thing. Our little witch has been a good girl all night."
Ari scanned the crowd until she spotted their client's girlfriend. She wore the typical pointed hat of Gabby Pierce's witch costume was easy to find in the crowd. She wore a black shawl and a normal party dress so she wouldn't have to sacrifice her attractiveness for the party. She was currently dancing with a woman Ari assumed was disguised as Alice from Resident Evil , but it was nothing damning. She looked at Dale and nudged her.
"I've got this if you want to go have some fun of your own."
"I'm not big on anonymous hook-ups." She smiled. "Nothing against you, but I'm just not very good at them. I always feel awkward and weird, and then there's the moment when things are wrapped up and you don't know what to say. 'See you later' seems disingenuous, and 'That was fun' just seems silly."
"You're overthinking it. Anyone who says yes to a hook-up at a party is looking for the same thing you are. No strings attached, no commitment, just good old-fashioned sex. Have you been with anybody since you and Natalie broke up?"
Dale tensed slightly and shook her head. "Not really looking for anything right now."
"Right. But it could take you months before you feel ready, and women have needs."
"I can take care of my own needs, thanks."
Ari grinned. "But why should you?" She gestured at the room around them. "It's Halloween, Dale. The one night a year women dress up in revealing outfits. Women wear masks and dance with total strangers. Do you think I have any idea what Betty and Wilma's real names are? Do you think they know my name? It's Halloween, it's a party, and there are at least forty women out there who have looked over here and checked out the sexy kitty cat."
Dale laughed. "Forty, huh?"
"Bare minimum. If you're not comfortable hooking up, at least go out and dance. Have a drink and let loose. At the very least you might find someone you want to know a little better."
Dale sighed heavily. "All right. I'll dance. For one song."
Ari smiled. "Good girl. I'll keep an eye on the target."
Gabby left Alice and went to the bar, chatting with the angel next to her while she waited for the bartender to acknowledge her. Their client was Gabby's girlfriend-slash-fiance, Shannon Thayer. They'd been engaged for over two years, and Shannon was starting to realize she was more eager for the wedding than Gabby. On top of that, she had more than a sneaking suspicion that Gabby was seeing other people behind her back. So she hired Ari to keep an eye on her while Shannon was out of town for business.
So far the costume party was the only time Gabby had left the apartment. She was friendly, but there was no crime in that. Ari was considering another drink when a soft hand brushed the back of her neck. She twisted to see a dark-haired cowgirl smiling down at her. "Dorothy? Or just a regular ol' farm girl?"
"Tomboy, actually."
"Hm. Care to dance, tomboy?"
Ari bit back a whimper. "I'd love to, but I kind of have obligations. Rain check?"
"No promises." She winked and slipped back into the crowd. Ari watched her go with regret and checked back in on the witch. The spot at the bar had been taken over by Princess Leia, and Gabby was nowhere to be seen.
"Crap." Ari scanned the crowd for the pointed hat, but it was nowhere to be found. She left the table and mingled through the crowd. The club wasn't large, but there were a lot of bodies and more than a half dozen witches. Ari feared she had missed her opportunity, that Gabby was somewhere cheating and Ari would miss getting the evidence. She checked the corridor where she got yabba-dabba-done, but it was empty. She checked the ladies room and, just for the sake of completion, the store room at the end of the hall. She was about to back out when she heard a whispered question.
"You carrying anything?"
"No, officer."
Ari arched an eyebrow and slipped into the store room. The voices were too hushed to identify, but the second one had sounded familiar to her. The door fell shut behind her and the two people in the room with her fell silent.
"Did you hear anything?"
"I don't think so."
Ari moved closer when their costumes started rubbing against each other again. She crouched down and looked through the boxes stacked on the shelves. From that position, she could see the shadowy forms of two women. One had a belt with fur-lined handcuffs and an orange plastic water gun in the holster. The "officer" that had been referred to, no doubt.
Her companion was wearing regular clothes with a belt that had a cat's tail attached. No wonder the voice had seemed familiar...
"I'm going to have to frisk you. Any objections?"
"No."
"No..."
"No, ma'am. Officer."
The cop chuckled and turned Dale to face the shelf. Ari leaned back out of instinct, even though there was no way Dale or her friend could have seen her. The cop slipped her hands around Dale's waist and flattened them over her stomach, up to her breasts. Dale pressed back against the cop and twisted, and moments later Ari heard unmistakable sounds of kissing.
She looked toward the door. She could make a break for it. But if the cop heard a sound again, if Dale got freaked out and decided they shouldn't do this after all, Ari would never forgive herself. She retreated to the wall, laced her fingers behind her head, and squeezed her head with her forearms to block out the sounds.
After a few seconds of silence, however, she couldn't resist peeking. She leaned forward and relaxed her arms just a little. Dale's pants were undone, the cop's hand inside her underwear. Judging by the sounds Dale was making, she was doing an excellent job. Dale rocked her hips, her hands still resting on the shelf, making it rock slightly as she pressed back against her anonymous lover.
Dale was groaning, and Ari found herself getting turned on by the sound. She's just your friend. She's your very attractive friend. And you're both single, so why not? But she couldn't. If she was ever going to be with Dale, it wouldn't be in some random storage room of some bar in the middle of a case. Dale twisted around and pulled the cop's hand out of her pants. They sagged as she pulled the cop to her, kissing her hard as she worked the buttons of her shirt.
Ari retreated again. She couldn't invade Dale's privacy like this. She sat with her back against the shelf, eyes closed with her hands over her ears, resisting the urge to hum to block out the sounds that managed to slip through. She heard Dale cry out, and her instincts made her lift her head. She heard Dale say "Oh, God, yes, there," before she squeezed her arms around her head again. Her nostrils flared and she smelled sweat and arousal. She couldn't cover her nose without freeing one of her ears, so she pulled her knees up and pressed her face between them.
She counted off the seconds, turning her head just enough to see dim shapes and vague movement as Dale and her new friend got to know one another. Finally, after what seemed like ages, the room was flooded with light. Ari watched as Dale slipped out first, followed by the cop. It was Ari's first glimpse of the cop, and she was impressed; tall, slender, with broad shoulders and shaggy blonde hair. She put on a pair of mirrored sunglasses before she stepped out into the corridor again.
Ari gave it a ten-count before she got to her feet and followed them out. The cop was standing right outside the door, facing the women's room. She turned and saw Ari, and understanding passed between them.
"Oh... shit..."
Ari smiled. "I was just looking for napkins. I wasn't listening. I swear."
The blush rose from the cop's collar all the way up to her glasses. "Sure."
Ari hurried away before the awkwardness forced her to say anything else. She spotted Dale at the bar, tapping her fingers on the wood counter as she waited for her order. She touched Dale's shoulder, and Dale jumped. She relaxed when she saw who it was, and scooted to one side to give Ari room to join her.
"Hey. You disappeared."
"I, um... t-took your advice."
Ari smiled. "Really? And how was it?"
Dale's grin widened. She cleared her throat and tucked her hair behind her ears. "Pretty nice. Really pretty nice."
Ari slipped her hand up to Dale's neck and gave her a squeeze. "I'm proud of you, Dale. No strings, no commitment, just a little bounce to get you back into the world."
"Thanks. I'm not going to make a habit out of picking up strange women in bars and banging them in the back room, but I can definitely cross it off my bucket list." She looked at the mirror behind the bar, using it to scan the room behind them. "Any sign of our potentially wayward girlfriend?"
"No, I lost track of her. We may have to consider this one a bust."
"She might have just gone to the bathroom. We'll stick around until we're sure she's gone."
Ari grinned. "Sure you don't just want to run into your cop again?"
Dale turned toward her. "How'd you know it was a cop?"
Ari's eyes widened. "I... don't."
Dale's confusion turned into anger. "Did... you send her? Did you tell her to come on to me? Unbelievable..."
She started to walk away, but Ari grabbed her arm. "Hey. I didn't send anyone. Whatever happened, happened because of you. I knew it was a cop because... because I kind of... saw you guys. I was looking for Gabby, and I heard a noise in the back room, so I went in. By the time I realized what it was, I thought that it would make too much noise to leave, so I just hunkered down and covered my ears and waited you out. Please, Dale, I didn't want to make you nervous or make you want to stop."
Dale shuffled her feet. "You... were in the room?"
"Hands over my ears the whole time." Well, close enough. Why split hairs?
"Well." Dale took a deep breath and looked around. "That's kind of embarrassing."
"Come on. There's nothing to be embarrassed about, Dale. I'm sorry I was there, but I'm really glad it happened. Admit it, you're glad, too."
Dale relaxed and her smile returned. "It was pretty fun."
"There ya go." Dale moved back up to the bar. When Ari turned to look for the missing bartender, she spotted a pointed witch's cap moving through the crowd. She patted Dale's arm and gestured with her chin. They both turned and watched as Gabby Pierce led a woman dressed like a football player toward the door. Their fingers were laced together, and Gabby's body language left no question about where they were headed.
Dale sighed. "Damn it. We never get to give good news, do we?"
"It'll happen one of these days. I have faith."
"Me too."
"Really?"
Dale shrugged and handed the bartender some money. They took their beers and threaded through the crowd to the door. They stopped on the sidewalk and spotted Gabby walking to the east. Ari put her arm around Dale's waist and Dale draped her arms around Ari's neck. They pretended to dance, watching as Gabby pressed the football player against the brick wall and started making out with her.
"Ugh. Damn it. Damn it, damn it."
Ari touched the back of Dale's head. "It's all right."
"People suck."
Ari nodded. It was a hard fact to argue with, especially with Dale's recent break-up. "You'll find someone, Dale. And she'll know how lucky she is to have someone as amazing as you in her life. She's out there."
"I just have to go through a lot of losers to find her?"
"No. You just have to share your amazingness with as many women as possible before you settle down. You have to be an example to them of how to be, so that they can eventually have good relationships, too."
"So I'm their swami."
"Yeah. Spreading your wealth."
Dale sighed and rested her head on Ari's shoulder. Ari put her hand in the small of Dale's back and continued to dance with her. Gabby pulled away from the wall, practically dragging the football player down the street and around the corner.
"She left."
"Do we really have to follow her? We already know what they're going to do, and we've confirmed she's a cheating ho. Can we just stay here? For a little while?"
Ari smiled. "Yeah. We can stay here."
Every now and then someone would come out of the bar, or a group of people would go in. Ari and Dale were far enough away from the door that they didn't impede traffic. They danced slowly, holding onto each other, bottles dangling from loose fingers.
"Tomboy?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks for telling me to have fun tonight."
Ari smiled. "Any time, Miss Kitty."
Sometimes music from the club drifted out through the door, but most of the time they were dancing to no discernable tune. Neither of them cared; as long as they were dancing together, they didn't need a song.
The End