Getting out of his car, Mark turned to look at his sister, Katie, shaking his head. Once more she had talked him into another crazy idea and he couldn't quite figure out how she'd done it. Ever since they had been young children, his twin had the uncanny ability to bat her eyes at him and get him to do her biding. He contemplated getting back into his car and going back home, but his sister stopped him before he'd completed the thought.
"I know what you're thinking Mark, and you can forget about it. You are going to have a good time tonight even if I have to beat it into you." Katie was only a few minutes older than himself and took the role of bossy big sister very seriously.
Even as he allowed her to drag him into the large foyer of the hotel, Mark protested. "I don't like crowds, Katie. I don't want to be here."
"Too bad," Katie said, grabbing his arm again, the purple wings of her fairy costume jostling him as she pulled him toward the Celino Hotel Ballroom.
Grumbling to himself, Mark handed his ticket over to the costumed man at the door; taking the simple black mask he was given. Katie received a mask as well, only hers was a deep red.
For the third year in a row, Celino Hotel was hosting the Midnight Madness Ball. The invitation only event was a huge success with many local business men and women who preferred something a little more grown up than the rowdy crowds found at bars on Halloween. Normally it was just a costume party but this year the owner and host for the Ball had decided to go with a masquerade theme.
Mark would have been content to stay at home, curled up in his favourite chair by the fireplace, reading. Instead he found himself decked out in full pirate ensemble, complete with sword and eye patch. Although he thought that he looked absolutely ridiculous but Katie had told him that he looked hot.
She hadn't been the only one.
When Mark had come downstairs at home after donning the costume, his seventeen year old daughter, Kaylee had whistled at him and his twenty year old daughter, Olivia said that he was definitely going to be getting hit on that night. Mark hoped that the girl was wrong because he wasn't interested and he'd told them so. His daughters had simply laughed at him and told him that he was just being silly. Then they'd told him to have fun and not come home until late.
Kaylee didn't know he only planned on staying for an hour or so. That was the amount of time he'd promised his sister he would stay. Mark had no intentions of staying any longer than that. The minute he was free to leave, he was out of there.
"Come on Mark," Katie said, nudging him out of his memory. "Put the mask on and let's go already."
In order to wear the mask, Mark had to take off his eye patch which he was sort of happy for. A few years before he'd been in a car accident that had left him blind in one eye. For months afterward, he'd had to wear an eye patch and the damn thing was uncomfortable. He didn't relish the idea of wearing the mask though, because it would prevent him from seeing what little bit he could.
Still he put it on because his sister was glaring at him and no one was ever able to stand up to one of his sister's glares, not even him.
"There you go," she said with a smile. "Now remember your promise. You have to stay for at least an hour. I'm going to mingle and have some fun. You do it too, find some hot guy to flirt around and have fun with."
Mark sighed heavily, watching his sister the fairy walk away from him. Then he turned and headed toward the bar area of the ballroom, smiling at the bartender. He didn't drink alcohol often and tonight would be no different. He knew damn well that Katie would be drinking and he was going to have to be sober in order to take her home. There was no way in hell he was leaving his car behind.
Ordering a soda, Mark leaned against the bar, looking out over the crowd, trying to see if there was anyone he recognized. Of course that was impossible considering everyone was wearing masks and all were in costumes. He'd be lucky to find his sister now, since he'd seen no less than three women and even one man wearing the same sort of fairy costume.
Glancing at his watch, he sighed again. Five minutes in. Fifty five minutes to go before he could leave.
"Mmm well hello there sexy."
Mark near about jumped out of his skin when he heard the sultry voice at his side. One of the main reasons he hated being blind in one eye was the fact that he could never tell when someone was approaching him from the left. That of course, meant that he was constantly being snuck up on and startled.
He turned to better see the man who'd come up to him and instantly wished he hadn't. Whoever it was couldn't have been more than twenty-one or so and he was clearly drunk. Mark could smell the stench of stale beer and sweat permeating from the guy.
"Want to dance, gorgeous?" the man asked Mark, his speech slurred and his footing unstable. He grabbed onto Mark's arm to keep himself from falling over, giggling like a child.
"No thanks," Mark told him, carefully prying the man's fingers from his arm. He really, really wanted to go home now. The last thing he needed was a bunch of drunk people getting after him. Especially ones young enough to be his own children.
Even though his sister had told him to have fun and find a hot guy to flirt with, Mark doubted even Katie would blame him for not wanting to be bothered by this one. Twinks weren't his cup of tea and hadn't been even when he was one himself.
"Oh come on," the man was whining now. "It'll be fun. I can show you a really good time ..."
It took everything in Mark not to physically cringe when the other male ran his fingers down his chest, hooking into the open front of his shirt. He brought his other hand up, wrapping it around the guy's fingers. "Don't touch me," he said through clenched teeth. "I'm not interested in anything you have to offer."
The guy pouted at him, wavering on his feet again as Mark pushed him back a bit. "Party pooper." He leaned in close once more, his hand reaching out to brace himself, narrowly missing Mark's crotch. "Oops." There was that damn giggle again.
"The man said he wasn't interested," another male voice said as a third male joined the group. "Come on now, let's go find someone else who would delight in your little ass. Over that way. Go on now." The man steered the young drunk in the opposite direction, giving him a tiny nudge.
