All Dressed Up – A Lost Kings MC Short
Copyright Autumn Jones Lake 2017
WRATH
“What about me says ‘hands out candy to kids?’”
Sully has the nerve to roll his eyes. “Come on, these are the younger version of the kids you used to train at your gym. Have a heart, bro,” he adds in a pathetic attempt to guilt me into the annual handing-out-candy to neighborhood kids he holds at his gym every Halloween.
“Asshole,” I grumble, even though we both know I’m going to help him out. “What’s your delinquent brother up to?”
Another eye-roll. Sully’s living dangerously tonight. “What do you think?” He stares at me for a few seconds. “Come on, Trinity even said she’d help.”
I turn to my wife and raise an eyebrow. “Did you now, Angel?”
She lowers her camera and slides her gaze my way. “Well, I have a costume.”
“Really?” The night’s looking up.
“Uh, this is a kid-friendly event,” Sully reminds us.
“Pipe down.” I hold up a hand in his direction and put my attention on Trinity. “Tell me more about this costume, Angel?”
She huffs out a laugh and goes back to shooting pictures of Sully. “Get your mind out of the gutter. I’m going as Princess Jasmine.”
“Who?”
“My king of Disney movies doesn’t know that one?” she teases.
I flex my arms and give her my best bear-grunt. “You should be the one who falls in love with the beast.”
“That’s not much of a stretch,” she answers, blowing me a kiss.
“Amen to that,” Sully mutters.
Trinity’s laughing so hard she has to set her camera on the table behind her. “I think we’re done for the day. Thanks, Sully.”
“No, I should be thanking you. I’ve had new clients showing up at my gym because of your photos.”
“Really? That’s awesome.”
“Sounds like we’ve done enough for you, Sully,” I say. “Sure you still need us tonight?”
“We?” He lifts his chin at Trinity. “She’s the artist. You’re the mean muscle.”
“I create better with my beast on set,” Trinity says.
Sully laughs at the raised eyebrow so there face I give him.
Trinity strolls across the room, eyes locked on mine the whole way. It’s time for Sully to get lost.
When she’s within grabbing distance, I hook a finger in one of her belt loops and drag her into my arms. “That’s right, I’m your beast.” I rumble the words against her ear and she sighs, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.
“I have a costume for you too,” she whispers.
Nope. Spell broken. I release her and she stumbles backward a few inches, laughing at my reaction.
“Don’t worry,” Sully assures me. “You can come dressed as scary biker man. It works for you.”
“You keep it up, I’m going to spend the night as man-who-stays-home.” In a lower voice, I add, “And fucks the hell out of his hot wife.”
“There’s a curfew. We’ll be home by nine,” Trinity says. She leans closer, raising herself on tiptoes to whisper in my ear. “Then you can be Beast of the Bedroom.”
Another growl rumbles out of me and I yank her close, squeezing her ass with both greedy hands. “Fine. Deal.”
Sully holds his hands in the air. “I don’t want to know what she promised you. I just appreciate the help, man.”
“Anytime,” Trinity says.
“Don’t get carried away, Angel,” I warn.
Sully packs away his props from the photoshoot and shakes my hand.
“See you two around six?”
“We’ll be there.”
Heidi
“Do you realize you’ve bought me all of my most important outfits, Hope?”
She turns to me with a raised eyebrow and questioning smile. I feel silly for blurting that out, so I rush to explain. “My prom dress, wedding dress, maternity clothes, and now Alexa’s first Halloween costume.”
“Oh.” Her smile softens and she rests her hand on my shoulder. “I’m happy to do it.” She glances at Alexa. “You didn’t dress her up last year?”
I shrug, uncomfortable talking about how Axel thought dressing a baby up for Halloween was stupid, so I didn’t even bother.
“Well,” she says, tickling one of Alexa’s pink, fur-covered feet. “I have a feeling she plans to wear her unicorn costume for more than just tonight.”
Again, I have a stab of guilt for not remembering to do this sooner. “I should’ve done this earlier instead of waiting until the last—”
“You’re a busy mom, Heidi,” she cuts me off. “School, work, baby. You have enough to worry about.”
“Thank you.”
She pulls out her phone, checking the screen quickly before shoving it back in her purse. “Do you mind if we make one last stop before heading home?”
“Not at all.” As if I’d tell Hope where to go when she’s been so nice to take us out shopping today.
Although, if I’d known the place she planned to stop was a high-end lingerie store, I might have made up an excuse.
“I’ll be right out.” She winks at me. “I have my own Halloween costume in mind for tonight.”
Living with Rock and Hope already feels like living with my parents sometimes and I prefer not to picture Hope dressing up for my uncle Rock in whatever that pink, white, and silver lacy thing is she’s picking up at the register.
“Guess it’s good we’ll be out most of the night,” I say against Alexa’s ear. She turns and squeals, kicking her feet. Probably laughing at me for my childish squeamishness.
“Okay.” Hope breezes past me headed for her car and I follow.
“I didn’t think Uncle Rock planned to go to the party over at the clubhouse,” I say when we’re all safely buckled -up inside the car.
“He doesn’t,” she says with a sly smile.
***
A few hours later, I’m home putting on the finishing touches of Alexa’s fuzzy pink unicorn costume, when Murphy grabs me from behind. His beard tickles my skin as he nuzzles against my neck.
“Missed you today.”
Alexa squeees and flaps her arms. Against my back, Murphy’s laughter rumbles through me. “What in the hell did you do to her?”
“She picked it out.”
“Seriously?”
“She did,” I insist. “Hope and I showed her a bunch of costumes and Alexa clearly favored the unicorn.”
“Are you sure?” he teases.
I turn, looping my arms around his neck. “I would’ve picked the ladybug costume.”
He leans down and brushes his lips over mine. “No. Only ladybug in my life is you.”
I snort and pull away at the bittersweet memory. “You remember that?”
“Uh, yeah. You went as a ladybug for four years straight.”
“It was an easy costume.” I glance down, a small smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “At least we don’t have to drive Alexa to another neighborhood for the good candy.”
“No,” he answers seriously. “We’ll give her the best of everything. Always.”
I think to ward off any unwelcome memories of our rough childhoods, he squeezes my hip and changes the subject. “Are we still taking her to the clubhouse?”
“Yup, then to see Trinity and then down to my brother’s.”
“Sounds good. Let me grab a quick shower.”
While he’s cleaning up, I slip on a sleek black turtleneck and black skinny jeans. I dab on a bit of makeup and then tuck a pair of black lace kitty ears into my hair.
“Wow.” Murphy lets out a low whistle.
I find him wrapped in a fluffy green towel, dripping water on the carpet. “Wow yourself. Is that how you’re going out?”
“No.” He hooks an arm around my waist. “Let’s stay in.”
Alexa lets out a happy squeal. “Da. Da. Da.”
I pick her up and Murphy leans over to kiss her cheek and tweak the unicorn horn on top of her head. “This is cute. Did you and Hope have fun while you were out?”
“Yeah, until she took me to pick up her adults-only costume.”
He bursts out laughing. “Guess we should stay out late tonight.”
ROCK
“Where are you, Baby Doll?” I call out as I enter our bedroom.
I never get tired of hunting down my wife after a long day.
She always makes it worth the effort.
“In here.”
The water’s not running, so she’s not in the shower. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find her in the bathtub.
I stop short in the bathroom doorway.
And stare.
Hope doesn’t leave me speechless often, but when she does…
“What are you wearing?” I ask, stalking closer.
She turns, nervously smoothing her hands over the pale pink and white, see-through, lace skirt that barely reaches mid-thigh. “My costume.”
Too busy staring at every inch, I don’t have an answer.
“For the party?” She gestures in the direction of the clubhouse.
That snaps me out of my perusal of every curvy inch of her. “Fuck no. You’re not leaving the house like that.”
She glances in the mirror and runs her hands over the tight, strapless top of the contraption. “Why? Does it look bad?” She turns, running her hands over her ass. “Is it too tight in the back?”
“It’s just right. Too right. You’re not wearing that in front of anyone but me.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s a costume party.”
I’ll humor her for now. “Yeah? What are you going as? Visual Viagra?”
So busy staring at my gorgeous wife, I missed the small silver crown and wand sitting on the sink. She picks up the crown and fixes it on top of her head. The wand she twirls in the air as she takes a few steps closer. When she reaches me, she gently taps the wand against my chest three times.
“Glinda the Good Witch.”
Prying the wand out of her hand, I set it on the sink. “You got a cape or something?”
“Maybe.” She draws the word out in a high, teasing tone that makes me lean in and kiss her.
Pulling away, my eyes are drawn to her cleavage. Her ample, very much on display cleavage. She has to be messing with me. Hope’s never wanted to venture out in so little.
Deciding to call her bluff, I nod to her bare feet. “Better find some shoes or are we flying to the clubhouse?”
“The kids are taking Alexa trick o’ treating.” She steps back and raises an eyebrow. “I could be convinced to stay home.”
“Nah, you look hot. Let me show you off.”
The tell-tale twitch at the corner of her mouth says she wasn’t expecting that answer. But she covers it well.
“Great!” She claps her hands together. “I even bought you a costume.”
Again, in my eagerness to get to her, I missed what can only be described as loin-cloth laid out on the bed.
“What. Exactly. Is. That?”
She shrugs. “Tarzan? I don’t know.” She runs her hands over my arms and squeezes. “You’re too sexy to cover.”
With a roar, I pick her up. “We’re staying in,” I mumble against her lips.
“That works,” she says. I drop her on the bed and she smiles up at me. “There’s no place like home.”
TRINITY
“Stop pawing at me.”
My words are pointless against Wyatt’s groping hands. He wraps me up in his arms, squeezing to the point of breathlessness.
“You’ve been prancing around in this sexy princess getup all night. We’re finally home. How am I supposed to keep my hands off you?” he says against my ear.
“It’s just a Halloween costume.”
“It’s hot.” He tugs at one of the long, black curls of my wig. “Although, I prefer your hair color.”
“It’s a costume,” I remind him. “Do you think you can leave it intact for a few more minutes. At least until Heidi brings Alexa by?”
“I’ll do my best.”
“That’s not reassuring,” I mutter, picking up the bowl of Halloween goodies I bought for our lone trick or treater.
“I know we live in the middle of nowhere, but is this the kind of house we are?” Wrath asks, picking up one of the hand-knitted, ice cream cone shaped rattles in my big, pink plastic pumpkin bucket. “Where’s the good candy?”
“She’s too little and I don’t think Heidi lets her have candy yet.”
“Isn’t that the point of Halloween? To sugar them up and send them home with their parents?”
I pluck one of the knit mermaid dolls out of the bucket and wave it in his face. “These will last longer than the sugar-high.”
He digs through the bucket again. “What’s in there for me?”
“Your treats are right here.” I run a hand down my side, shimmying my hips.
“Right. Much better.” He glances at the door. “They better hurry up.”
Thankfully, there’s a knock at our door five seconds later.
“Trick or treat!” Heidi calls out. Alexa mimics her mother and they’re both laughing as I open the door.
“Oh, Trinity! That came out so cute,” she says, eying my costume. “How was it at Sully’s?”
“Busy. Wrath had to run out and buy more candy half-way through.”
“Greedy little bastards,” Wyatt grumbles, not hiding the fact that he had fun tonight very well.
I glance at Murphy. “Where’s your costume?”
“What are you talking about?” Wyatt says. “He’s obviously Paul Bunyan.”
Murphy flips him off. “Look who’s talking. Where’s your ax?”
Ignoring the guys, I squat down and hand Alexa her pumpkin full of goodies.
“Oh, Trinity. Is that all for her?”
“Well, we’re not expecting any other trick or treaters tonight.”
She touches my arm lightly. “Thank you. That’s really sweet.”
Alexa immediately attacks the mermaid, hugging it to her chest. “Somehow I knew you’d like that one best,” I say, kissing the top of her forehead before standing.
Wyatt goes through the rest of the loot with Alexa, but she clings to the mermaid, even when he fake-threatens to eat her ice cream cone toy.
“We’re headed over to the clubhouse next,” Heidi says. “Sparky said he had something for Alexa”
“Hope it’s not baby’s-first-blunt,” Wyatt cracks.
Shaking his head, Murphy guides his family out the door. “Later, kids,” Wyatt calls out, closing the door behind them.
“Hustle them out of here fast enough?”
“Nope,” he says, closing in. “I’ve been waiting all day for this.”
“What?” I whisper.
“You. All dressed up and all mine.”
The End
