What Lies Beneath the Mask

“Come on Mia, what are you afraid of?” asked Sue.

“Do you have an hour or two?” Mia answered. She shifted in her seat and pulled her cape more tightly around her. Her eyes wandered around the room, watching people come and go. She wondered how many of them had come to Sue’s Halloween party just to make an appearance and avoid the wrath of her friend and how many were actually having a good time. 

“I am not kidding, Mia. Just because Jeff was an idiot and he hurt you, doesn’t mean that you need to walk around with your shields up all the time.”

“I am getting up and leaving, if you start making Star Trek references,” said Mia with a grin. “Some people are afraid of ghosts, witches and demons, me, I think people are pretty frightening all on their own. Maybe, I am a tad cautious.”

“A tad? My God, I would say that I am a tad cautious. You make me look like a slut,” she laughed, as Mia rolled her eyes. Sue grabbed the arm of her chair and tried to inch it closer to Mia’s, but the edge of the rug kept her from pulling it right next to her friend.

“Let’s pick out somebody for you to talk to.”

“No.”

“We should be able to tell something about the guy from the costume he chose for the party, right?”

“Oh, I am sure that is an air tight way to determine a person’s personality, intelligence and social skills.”

“Smart ass.”

Mia smirked a little, enjoying her game of thwarting her meddling matchmaking friend. 

“Okay, who should we start with?” Sue asked, as her eyes scanned the party goers. “What about the werewolf over there in the corner, Mia?”

“He isn’t a werewolf, he is the big bad wolf and I think little red riding hood, might mind me approaching her date,” Mia said nodding toward the woman dressed in red, making her way back to the wolf guy. 

“Frankenstein looks kinda cute,” Sue said.

“Did you hear what you just said?”

“What?”

“Frankenstein isn’t supposed to look cute. That guy probably has a giant ego and couldn’t stand to come to the party looking less than his best. As if I would want to talk to him.”

“Ugh, you are too picky, girl. I’m not letting you off the hook that easy. Be right back. I’m just going to get a drink. Want something?”

“No thanks, I’m fine.” Mia checked her watch, as soon as Sue turned her back and walked away. Twenty more minutes and I can leave, she thought. Her eyes carefully examined the contents of her glass, before returning to jump around the room from face to face. She looked to her right and saw Sue walking back to her seat. 

Sue’s chair squeaked announcing her return. “I figured everyone out while you were gone, Sue, to save you time. Dracula is a night guy and I am a morning person, so that won’t work. Spider man is always getting into sticky situations, so he isn’t for me either. The Incredible Hulk has a wicked temper and has severe violent tendencies. The magician has commitment problems, always disappearing, when things get tough and Prince Charming is full of himself. Although, I have to admit he has a very cute butt. I noticed, when he lifted his cape up a few minutes ago.”

“I’ll pass on the compliment to Rob, the next time I talk to him,” answered a deep voice, making Mia’s head turn sharply to look over her shoulder. Oh shit, she thought, which was reflected in the deep blush on her cheeks.

“Um, I thought you were Sue, my friend.”

“Uh huh, I gathered that. Sue and I work together. My name is Jack. I noticed you two across the room and I wondered what you were so intently discussing. So, I came over to find out; very interesting, not what I would have guessed at all. I am curious. Had you rated me, yet?” Mia couldn’t tell if he was kidding or if he was pissed off at her presumption that most of the men in the room had something seriously wrong with them.

“I’m Mia. No, no, of course not, I didnt see you, err, I mean we weren't rating anybody,” she said, as she reached out to shake his hand and tried to recover some dignity.

“How come?” Ack, I can’t possibly recover here. Run away, fast as you can, Mia, she thought.

She set her drink down on the table to her right. “I was just on my way out Jack. I’m feeling kinda tired. It was nice meeting you,” Mia lied, as she started to rise out of her chair and glared over Jack’s head at a beaming, smug Sue, who obviously didn’t seem at all unhappy at her seat being stolen. 

She didn’t get far though, before she realized that Jack had no intention of letting go of her hand. “Don’t leave. Stay.” He smiled. “Stay with me or I’ll walk over there and tell Rob what you said.” Jack chuckled at Mia’s groan.

“Oh, God, no, please don’t tell anyone what I said. I was just kidding, honest.” His thumb stroked the soft skin of her wrist. She shivered. The warmth of his fingertips as they ran over her skin left a wake of awareness.

“Stay with me and I won’t.” The pressure on her arm was light, but each time she tried to pull her hand back, he tightened his grip just enough to hold her there. “So, you don’t like people to know what you're really thinking, you have a wicked sense of humour and you have been friends with Sue for a long time. What else do I need to know about you? I know you're dying to get your hand back. I wonder why?”

Mia looked up into his eyes. “Because I don’t know you, Jack.” Oh, liar, liar, pants on fire, her juvenile conscience screamed at her. You are afraid of him because you can’t dismiss him as easily as the others, she thought.

“Ah, I see. You need to be very well acquainted with all people who touch you? Even just your arm?” Jack said with an easy smile. His simple touch was a constant distraction and she realized to her horror, that she craved the contact, almost as much as she feared the disappointment that could come with accepting it. She left her hand in his, but her body remained stiffly upright, resisting the urge to lean toward him, despite her spine’s protests at its unnatural position. 

“Are you staying in one of Sue’s guest cabins tonight?”

“Yeah I am. I love it up here,”she said, trying to relax. “I love Sue too, of course, we have been friends forever,” she added with a smile. “This place is amazing, so different from the city. It isn’t really quiet like people say, but here the noise is soothing instead of jarring like in the city. I love sitting on the deck looking out over the lake and watching the wind lift the water in the little waves that catch the sunlight and the geese honking, as they fly overhead. I always wonder if all the honking is a big argument about who should be leading the “v” formation.” Mia smiled again and looked at Jack, “Sorry, I’m babbling. I love it here so much that I came for a visit, despite knowing that I would have to attend some heinous costume party and suffer through Sue’s not so subtle attempts to fix me up.”

“You don’t like dressing up? I think you make a delightful,” he paused, as he lifted her arm and her cape fell off Mia’s shoulders and dangled from the clasp around her neck, “angel?” He finished with a wink and a wicked grin.

“I’m not-,” before Mia could finish her sentence, a woman dressed as a cat, interrupted her.

“Jack, you sexy thing, this is where you ran off to?” Cat woman commented, as her latex clad bottom helped itself to Jack’s lap. 

Well, that settles that, thought Mia. She was surprised by the pang of disappointment she felt, when she looked down at her now freed hand. Not wanting to hear awkward excuses from Jack and totally uninterested in watching Cat woman at work, Mia quickly got up and wove her way through the crowd to Sue, said her goodnights and left the main house for her smaller cabin. 

The smell of burning wood met her as she stepped outside and the air felt clean and cool. She pulled her cape tight around her body. The white flowing fabric gave her little protection against the night air. She walked slowly down the path that snaked through the small woods that separated her cabin from the main house. The brittle leaves crunching with each step. Sue didn’t know how lucky she was to live out her, she thought. 

A shadow off the path ahead of her moved and Mia stopped walking. She froze, like a rabbit suddenly caught in front of a wolf. Nothing else moved though. Idiot, she thought, too many martinis so now you are afraid of trees. 

The natural sounds around her continued undisturbed and so reassured, she started to walk again. She was listening though, and stopped again when a stick snapped and she knew she had not broken it.

“Okay, who’s there?” She waited. The beats of her heart ticked away the seconds. She whirled around when somebody stepped into the path behind her. 

“Sue is that you?” Mia asked, hoping it was just her friend behind her.

“Nope not Sue, but I know you are gonna have a whole lot more fun with me than you would with some chick named, Sue.” The unfamiliar voice felt like a slap in the face. She tried to see the man’s face, but still could not make out his features. They moved like they were dancing. She took a step back for every step he took forward, until she was backed up into a large oak tree. 

“You can call me Teddy,” he said chuckling to himself. “Get it, teddy, as in bear,” he said laughing harder at his joke, as he motioned to his bear costume. 

“Yeah, ha-ha, I get it.” Still hoping to get out of the situation easily, Mia started to turn to walk away, any way she could. “Very cute, but I am tired and I’m going to meet a friend at my cabin up ahead,” she lied. 

Shit, she thought, as his straight forearms trapped her against the fat trunk of the tree. The scratchy bark pressed through the material of her costume, but she was totally unaware of it, she just wanted to be as far away from this guy as possible.

“Not so fast cutey. I noticed that you didn’t really talk to anyone at the party tonight and I am betting there isn’t anyone waiting for you down there. How about youse and I have some fun,” he said, while his fingers trailed along her cheek and down to her shoulder. Mia stiffened.

“Um, you know I try never to have fun with anyone who actually uses the term youse so I think I will pass. How ‘bout you step back right now and I will forget that you just acted like an ignorant pig and we will just say good night?” 

Mia felt anger overtake her fear. Fucking moron, she thought, as her hands clenched tightly at her sides. She waited though because he was at least a foot taller than she was. She would have one chance to get away. 

“I don’t think so Baby,” he said. “You are just too hot to pass up, all dressed up like an angel, that long dark hair, and mmmm look at those lips. I know what those would be good for,” he said. His finger moved off her shoulder and under her cape toward her breast.

He is not groping me, thought Mia and she brought her knee up into the drunken idiot’s crotch and pushed as hard as she could against his chest. He landed back on the path a few feet in front of her doubled over in pain, moaning. 

“I am not dressed up as an angel, you fucking asshole of a pig,” Mia said her voice getting louder with each word. “I’m a dressed as a witch, a good witch, and unfortunately for you, this witch has taken a whole lotta self defence classes. Oh, and I like to wear boots.” Mia reared back and kicked him in the thigh and once more in the stomach.

“Never, ever, do that to any woman again.” She punctuated each word with more kicks, viciously hoping that she was connecting with his ribs. She only stopped when she heard voices coming down the path. She looked up and saw Jack moving quickly towards her, talking into a cell phone. She heard him say, I found her.

“Mia, are you okay? Sue was worried because she called you on your cell to make sure you reached your cabin alright and you never answered.” He looked down at the still moaning man on the path. “What happened to him? 

“Apparently, I was female, alone and so he assumed that meant free to be used however he wanted. And, he thought I was an angel. So, he um, ran into my knee and my boots.”

“Bitch,” the man swore at her from the ground. Mia kicked him hard in the shins and would have kicked him again if Jack hadn’t pulled her back.

“Whoa, I think he is down for the count,” Jack said. Before he could say more, he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pressed a button, but instead of letting go when Mia pulled away, he pulled her snugly against him. She pulled away for a second more, but gave up when he persisted and rested her head against him. His voice rumbled deep against her ear as she listened. 

“Yeah, she is fine. Some guy was bugging her. No, really she is fine. The guy is the one rolling around holding his jewels and moaning that he is gonna die.” He laughed into the phone. “Yep, that she is. Uh huh, I will walk her back to her cabin. Make sure somebody comes down here and scrapes this guy off the path and sends him on his way. Okay, night Sue.” He turned to Mia.

“Sue wants you to call her if you need her tonight, no matter what time it is.”

“I’m fine. Just pissed off. I can’t believe there are guys who still think like that.” 

“Yeah. It’s pathetic. Listen, you go ahead. I am just going to help this guy up and make sure somebody comes to get him. I don’t want you to have any more trouble tonight. I can see why they put those signs up all over the place, about not feeding the bears. Nasty creatures they are,” he said trying to lighten the mood.

Mia smiled. “Jack, you don’t have to come down to my cabin. I’m fine. I can take of myself.”

Jack looked down at the guy on the ground. “Yeah, I can see that. Doesn’t mean that I am not coming down in a minute to see for myself that you’re okay.” Mia looked like she might argue further, but changed her mind and said, “Okay, thanks Jack,” as she turned and walked away. She heard muffled male voices, kind of sick cracking noise and shriek that would make any schoolgirl proud.

She stopped and called, “Everything okay, Jack?”

“Yep, I’m fine. He just tripped on some roots and fell down again, might have broken his nose.” 

“Oh, okay,” Mia shouted back. I bet money that Mister Jack’s knuckles are going to be red and swollen. God, It was a nice to feel like someone was on her side, she thought, and to her horror she felt her eyes start to water. 

By the time she reached her door she felt pretty shaky. Her adrenaline spent. The key was just not cooperating for her and the door became a lightening rod for her unsteady emotions. She kicked it and jammed the key in and out of the lock.

“Hey! Hey, Mia,” Jack said, coming from behind her up the porch steps and taking her shoulders and turning her toward him. He was surprised to find her crying. “Aww, you have had one rough evening,” he said smoothing her hair down her back. He reached around, behind her and fully inserted the key in the door and used his foot to push it open. “Come on, let’s get inside, you are freezing.” 

Mia swiped at the few tears that escaped down her cheeks and walked inside and made her self busy in the corner of the room, trying to get herself under control to face Jack. 

The cabin was an open concept room so besides the bathroom there wasn’t any place for privacy. When she heard Jack busy him self in the kitchen she came out and sat on the sofa, watching him.

“Why are you being so nice to me, Jack? We just met tonight.” He looked at her, handed her a warm cup of tea.

“I can almost hear your brain thinking of nefarious reasons to explain me being nice to you. There aren’t any, by the way. My reasons are pretty simple.” 

“And they are?”

“Are you fishing for compliments?”

“No, well, maybe. If you run them by me first I’ll tell you if I am fishing for them or not.”

Jack smiled and took a drink. “You don’t get to know everything up front because part of the fun is the finding out. For now, I will say, I am very attracted to you; all of you.” Those must be the magic words for unleash the butterflies in some ancient culture, she thought as her stomach flipped and flopped.

Mia made a joke to hide the intense feelings that were swarming her. “All of me huh? Right down to my toes?”

“I dunno. Let me check,” and before she could protest, he took her legs and swung them into his lap, pulling off her boots, smiling at her bare feet. 

“Stockings would have been too hot with those boots,” Mia answered with a little shrug. She tried unsuccessfully to pull her feet back under her, but Jack held fast and she only succeeded in pulling the rest of her body closer to him. They were eye to eye now. If only I could know how things would turn out, thought Mia. 

“Would you have avoided the woods tonight if you knew the bear man was waiting there for you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Will you never walk through the woods again because of what happened tonight?”

“No, I love walking along that path. I would miss so much if I skipped doing that.” 

The pad of his thumb moved over her lower lip. The room slowed for Mia. “Uh huh, walking is so good for you.”

“Yes, very good,” she said, her voice trailing off. He knew she was thinking, weighing everything so he waited. He wanted her to choose without any promises, without any reassurance that everything would be okay. 

“Sue told me you have been hurt in the past, Mia.” She looked up, surprised. “She talks about you all the time,” he paused, “Twice tonight I’ve seen fire in your eyes, before you could put the cool mask back on, I want to see it again, but not because you are angry.”

He continued, moving closer to her, his hand never leaving her, “Wanna come walking with me, Mia angel?” She looked at him again, his body pulling at her, his smile and ease contagious.

His eyes looked so alive with humour and intelligence. She thought one last time about stepping back and she realized that it would hurt too. The possibilities for something amazing with him, even if it was only tonight, were too tempting to ignore. She wanted him enough to step forward and shut the door on her fears and doubts. Her basic needs to feel, to touch and be touched pushed her forward, past her fear of being hurt. 

Her voice was softer and deeper than before, “Yeah. I do, I want to come with you” she answered and shifted so she was straddling his thighs, punctuating her decision.

She grinned wickedly, “Everyone assumed I was dressed as an angel, but really I’m not. I’m a witch, a good one, though.” 

“Ahh, I see, Mia, the good witch? Maybe this is a good thing. I wouldn’t know what to do with an angel,” he unhooked her cape letting it fall to the floor and leaned back and looked. “That wasn’t very nice of you to keep this covered up all night,” he teased as his eyes swept over her body. 

Jack’s hands rested on her lower back, before they moved up along her spine. His eyes roamed up the subtle curves of her bare legs, over the short flowing skirt that begged to be flipped out of the way, to the tight bodice that hugged her curves. They lingered on her soft breasts as he discovered that she was naked under her dress. Mia leaned in and they kissed, nibbling and tasting, with lips and tongues. She breathed in his scent, a simple mixture of shampoo and fresh air, warmed by his body. 

They groaned together, when the phone rang. They stared at each other for a second before Mia said, “I should get that. It’s probably Sue calling to make sure I'm okay. If I don’t answer she might worry.” She eased off his lap, her hand, sliding over the bulge in his pants. His resulting moan moved through her. Oh God, this better be a quick conversation, she thought. 

She crawled over to the edge of the couch and leaned over the arm to grab the cordless. “Hello? Hi Sue. Uh huh, I am fine.” Is he watching, she wondered. She arched her back further, which placed her ass in an inviting position. The skirt of her costume slid up along her thigh, flowing lightly over her skin. “No, that’s okay, Jack isn’t here anymore,” she said to avoid her friend’s inevitable I told you so comment.