For Life 1

Eric looked at his wet face in the mirror, and let out a soft growl as he squirted the shaving gel into his hand and began spreading it across his face. He rubbed the gel in a circular motion to create a thick lather across his square jaw, between his lip and his straight aquiline nose, and on up his cheeks, stopping just below his blue-grey eyes. Those eyes are what people always noticed first about him. Eric was one of those people that seem to be able to gaze right into the depths of your soul. Right now, looking in the mirror, he was trying to look into his own soul.

He picked up his razor and began carefully removing the whiskers from his face, for the second time that day. Too close, he kept telling himself. Only a day away. Too much of a risk. But Shelly had told him Halloween was her favorite holiday, and so he had given in. He just hoped he made it through the night without regretting it.

Eric finished removing the heavy five o'clock shadow from under his chin, always heavier at this time of month, then took a handful of water from the basin and rinsed the last remnants of the lather away. He poured a bit of the aftershave Shelly had given him for his last birthday, two months before, into the palm of his hand and slapped it on his face, wincing slightly at the sting.

They had met at a Fourth of July picnic, and had hit it off famously. It was one of the few successful mutual-friend set-ups Eric had ever heard of. He smiled ruefully at himself in the mirror as he massaged mousse into his thick black hair, remembering that July 4th had been the day before the full moon. It had not been a problem, then. He'd just met Shelly. The feelings he had now hadn't yet started to form. By the time he took her out on their first official date the following Saturday, everything in his life had been back under control.

Eric picked up the comb and used it to part his hair, then grabbed his brush and brushed it into place. He wore it short and professional looking. The last thing he did before leaving the bathroom was to take the scissors from the medicine cabinet and trim a few wild hairs from his dark eyebrows. Another drawback to this time of month.

Walking into his bedroom, he removed the bathrobe and stood in front of the full-length mirror, checking himself over thoroughly. 6 foot 4 inches, 225 pounds. Eric worked out three times a week, so there was no fat to be found. He had been very careful to maintain a well-toned V-shape without crossing the "over-bulk" line of too many weight-lifter types. His body was covered with dark hair, starting just below his collar bone and covering his chest in what he always thought of as a mushroom cloud pattern, narrowing along his abs and then growing thick and full once more at his groin. He turned to check his back, then, satisfied that he was no more hairy than he had been the day before, walked to the closet.

Hanging there was the Zorro costume Shelly had persuaded him to buy. He took down the black leather pants and slipped into them, leaving the fly unbuttoned as he put on the black silk shirt that went with it. Eric tucked the shirt into the pants, then buttoned up the fly. He threaded his belt through the loops on the leather pants, then took the silk sash and tied it around his waist, effectively hiding the belt. Shelly had been very specific about that...belts weren't worn in Zorro's day.

Eric sat on the edge of the bed and tugged on his shiny black leather boots. At least these I'll be able to get some future use out of, he thought to himself. He couldn't imagine wearing the leather pants or the silk shirt much in the future. But it had been Shelly's wish...and Eric had fallen in love with her. He knew exactly when he had fallen in love with her, too. August 14th...his 25th birthday. They had gone out to dinner to celebrate, and she had given him the bottle of after-shave. When they got back to her place after dinner, she had another present for him.

Shelly went into the bedroom, and came back out dressed in a virtually transparent green baby-doll nightgown. The color of the lingerie set off her golden hair and emerald eyes. She had smiled at him, taken him by the hand, and led him to the bedroom. That night, for the first time, they made love.

Standing at the edge of the bed, Eric had taken her in his arms and kissed her deeply, easing the nightgown off her shoulders and letting it drop down her 6 foot 1 inch Amazon frame to puddle on the floor at her feet. His right hand had cupped her breast, fingers finding the ring through her nipple and tugging teasingly at it, as her fingers unbuttoned his shirt. He broke from the kiss and took a step back, releasing her breast as she eased the shirt from his shoulders, letting it drop down his arms.

Shelly kneeled before him, looking up into his eyes, as her hands began unbuckling his belt. She pulled it free of the loops in his slacks, then unbuttoned the khaki fabric and slowly, teasingly eased down the zipper. The swollen head of his cock sprung forth from the fly of his boxer shorts. Shelly smiled wickedly and leaned forward. Eric felt a shudder shoot through him as he felt her warm breath on his throbbing shaft, then groaned as her lips closed around the head, sucking softly at it like a lollipop. He reached out and stroked his fingers through her flaxen curls, guiding her head...

The shrilling of the phone snapped Eric out of his reverie. He reached over to grab it from the nightstand and groaned as his erection wedged between his body and the tight leather pants.

"Hello?" He rasped into the phone.

"Happy Halloween, sexy!" Shelly shouted into the phone. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Ermmm...no...I was just...ummm...never mind. What time is it?" He asked.

"It's 7:15...which means you have 15 minutes before you need to pick me up. Can you stop and get a bottle of Bacardi on the way?"

"Bacardi? Sure...need anything else?" Eric asked. Eric could almost hear Shelly smiling evilly on the other end of the phone line.

"Oh, I definitely need something else, big boy. But it can wait until later."

Eric grinned.

"Let me get my hat, mask and sword, and I'm on my way." He told her.

"Hurry up, stud. Oh, and one more thing."

"Yes?"

"I love you." She said, and hung up.

Eric smiled and returned the phone to its cradle, then stood and walked over to the mirror again. He tied the mask around his head and put on the hat, cocking it at a jaunty angle. He smiled at his reflection...a smile which slowly withered as his eyes caught sight of the moon-phase window on his watch, sitting atop the dresser.

"A day away." He muttered to himself as he walked to the living room and took the theatrical sword from its place in the coat closet and buckled the leather sword-belt around his waist. "I must be out of my fucking mind."

He grabbed the cape Shelly had made for him out of the closet and tied it around his neck, then slipped his money-clip, his driver's license, and his keys into the hidden pocket inside. Eric locked the front door of his apartment behind him and walked to his car parked at the street, waving to his laughing neighbor as he slid behind the wheel.

Eric stopped at a liquor store and picked up a bottle of Bacardi, then proceeded to Shelly's house. He pulled up in front of the three-bedroom ranch she shared with two roommates and honked the horn. The clock on the dash read 7:40.

Shelly came out of the house dressed in the silks of an Arabian slave-girl. She slid into the passenger seat and grinned at him.

"You're late." She teased, sticking out her tongue.

"You're the one that wanted me to stop for booze." He countered. "And I love you, too."

Shelly leaned across the gearshift and kissed him, then sat back and strapped the shoulder belt on. Eric put the car in gear and got onto the highway.

Some friends of Shelly's owned a farm about 20 miles outside the city, and had agreed to host the Halloween party this year. As Eric pulled up in front of it, he was impressed with the job they had done decorating the place for the occasion. What was normally the pleasant home of a gentleman farmer and his wife had been transformed into a setting worthy of any horror film. Thick cobwebs hung from the porch and eaves. Windows had been boarded up. An ominous looking scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern for a head sat in a rocking chair on the porch. Shelly and Eric walked up the steps, and knocked on the door. As they knocked, they noticed a red pentagram painted on the door.

"That's a nice touch." Shelly commented. "But Dick and Teresa are going to have to repaint their door now to get rid of it."

Eric's nostrils flared, and he felt a familiar, but unwelcome, stirring deep within.

"Blood." He said. "Chicken, I think."

Shelly looked at him curiously, and appeared to be ready to say something, when the door creaked open and revealed Dick and Teresa, dressed as Herman and Lily Munster.

"Welcome to our home." Said Teresa. "Enter of your own free will."

Eric grinned at that line, recognizing it from Dracula. He took Shelly by the arm and guided her over the threshold, handing the bottle of Bacardi to Dick. They walked into the huge living room and saw that the decorations had continued in here, with cobwebs and ghosts apparent everywhere. Flickering candles and jack-o-lantern's provided the only illumination. About two dozen other guests, in various costumes, milled around the large empty room. Music pulsed from a stereo in the dining room, and some of the guests were dancing.

Eric noticed something else, as well. More pentagrams and mystic symbols had been painted on the walls of the living room. The smell of blood filled his nostrils, and he momentarily panicked, feeling his control being to falter. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Something wrong, handsome?" Shelly asked, laying her hand on his arm in concern.

Eric opened his eyes and tried to smile. Shelly could almost swear his teeth looked sharper in the candlelight. "Are the..." he began, his voice gruff. He cleared his throat and began again.

"Are these symbols painted on the walls in blood?" He asked Dick.

"Yep...chicken blood." Dick answered proudly. "Teresa convinced me since we were moving all the furniture out of the living room to have room for the guests anyway, we might as well repaint. Then she convinced me that some pagan symbols painted in blood on the walls would add to the atmosphere, so this afternoon I went out and grabbed three fat fryers out of the yard."

"Don't worry." Teresa piped up. "We froze the chickens after we were done, and will have them for dinner later. It just seemed to be a fun thing to do to get into the spirit of the holiday." Dick handed Eric a 7&7, giving him a slightly suspicious look.

"You're not one of these animal rights activists are you, Eric? The no fur, no meat crowd?"

Eric grinned, then shut his mouth suddenly as the tip of his tongue grazed the side of his right canine tooth, which had become longer and sharper suddenly.

"No...not at all." He assured Dick. "I eat meat all the time...and I've even been known to wear fur on occasion."

"Good to hear." Dick said, clapping him on the back. Dick moved off to mingle with other guests, and Shelly walked back up to Eric. She looked at him strangely, then took his masked face between her hands and turned him so she could gaze directly into his eyes.

"Are you feeling okay, baby?" She asked. She used her hand to wipe away a droplet of perspiration that had formed on his upper lip. Eric caught a whiff of her scent as she stroked her finger under his nose, and flinched.

"I'm just a little warm." He told her. "Maybe I should go out and get some air."

"I'll go with you." She said. He started to protest, and she placed her finger to his lips. "Hush. I'm going with you."

Eric sighed and nodded to her, taking her hand and threading their way through the crowd to the front door. Shelly left him standing there for a moment, and he continued leaving before she returned. He was still debating that action when she walked back up to him, grinning, with the bottle of Bacardi and a 2 liter bottle of Coke in her hand. Eric gave her a weak smile and took the bottle of soda. He would have preferred to be alone, but figured once he got out of the room, and away from the blood, he'd be fine. And maybe having Shelly there would give him added strength.

He yanked open the door, holding his nose to keep from breathing in the smell of the blood on it, and stumbled down the front steps, dragging Shelly along behind him. He walked a few shaky steps out into the yard, then leaned over, placing his hands on his knees, and took in several deep breaths of the crisp October air. The moon, almost full, had darted behind a cloud, but he could still feel it. After a moment he straightened back up and looked at Shelly.

"Cold?" He asked, hoping she'd say yes so he could send her back inside.

Shelly walked up and pressed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his neck, and kissed him. He concentrated on the feel of the kiss, ignoring the scent of her close to him, feeling the beast begin to subside within him now that he was away from the blood. Then she untied the cape from around his neck and placed it around herself, wrapping herself in it.

"I'm fine now." She told him, smiling. She started to walk towards a stand of trees to the left of the house, putting an exaggerated sway in her hips. After a moment, she looked back over her shoulder at him and winked.

"Coming?" She asked.

Eric sighed and walked after her. Shelly grabbed his hand when he caught up to her and once again headed for the stand of trees.

"Where are we going?" He asked.

"We're going to take a moonlight walk in the woods." She informed him. "IF the moon comes out from behind that cloud, that is."

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Eric asked her, allowing her to pull him along behind her towards the trees. "There could be animals."

Shelly giggled. As the moon came out from behind the cloud, he could see that she was guiding him towards a trail. Shelly stopped and took the the cap off the bottle of rum, swallowing a long swig of it, then took the bottle of Coke from him and took another swig as a chaser. She offered the rum to Eric, but he just shook his head. Shelly pointed down the path.

"Teresa and I used to play here when we were kids. When I'd spend the night, we'd sleep out in a little playhouse her father built in a clearing just a little ways in. The only animals we're liable to encounter are drunken teenagers! I'm sure you can protect me from them, can't you, my big strong handsome Zorro?"

"But who's going to protect you from me?" Eric mumbled to himself. Shelly kept walking, not seeming to hear him, pulling him along by the hand. She stopped a couple of times to take another mouthful of rum with a cola chaser. After about ten minutes, they came to a clearing. The moon filtering through the trees revealed a playhouse, once painted in a gingerbread pattern. The paint had long since faded, leaving the playhouse looking less like a little girls secret hiding place and more like a hermits shack. He heard Shelly sigh.

"It's a shame Dick and Teresa don't have kids. They've really let this play get run-down."

Shelly turned the doorknob and giggled when it came off in her hand. She reached into the hole left and grabbed the doorframe, yanking it open. Then she turned to Eric.

"Do me a favor, lover?" She asked, raising a perfectly sculpted blonde eyebrow inquisitively. Eric noticed she was swaying just slightly from the rum she'd been drinking.

"Anything for you, beautiful." Eric answered with a grin. He was feeling completely in control again since getting away from the blood. As long as he kept reminding himself that the moon wasn't full for another day he'd be fine.

Shelly moved close to him again, tilting her head up and kissing him softly on the lips.

"Carry me over the threshold. Be my handsome prince carrying me back to our castle."

Eric smiled and took her into his arms. He bent at the waist, sliding his left arm down under her knees, and lifted her into his embrace. At the same time her arms went around his neck, holding him, pulling his head down into a deep kiss. He cradled her to him and stepped across the threshold of the playhouse.

Inside, the playhouse was divided into two rooms. The main room held an old cardboard table with a plastic tea set, covered in dust and cobwebs, still set out, and the rusted remains of a child's toy oven. Eric carried Shelly through the open doorway into the second room, where the skeletal remains of a bunkbed still stood. He set her down in the middle of the room.

"Looks like the mattresses are gone." Shelly said, untying the black Zorro cape from around her neck and spreading it out on the floor. "We'll just have to make do."

Eric watched as Shelly slowly, sensuously began removing the silk and velvet slave-girl costume. First she pulled off the diaphanous green silk blouse, pulling her arms from the puffy sleeves, and draped it over the bedframe. Then she reached behind her and unhooked the green velvet bra, letting her magnificent breasts spill free. The gold rings through her nipples glinted in the moonlight filtering in through the windows.

Shelly kicked off her slippers and eased the green silk harem pants over her waist, then down her long, smooth, perfectly shaped legs. Then she stood up, and locked her emerald eyes on his as she slowly removed the green velvet thong. She lifted her left leg, stepping out of the thong, then let it slide down around her right ankle. She kicked her foot, sending the thong flying towards him. He caught it and raised it to his nose, smelling her scent.

She took a step to him and reached up, removing the hat from his head, and tossed it onto the frame of the bed. Then she untied the knot at the back of his head, and pulled off his mask. She raised up on her toes and softly kissed him as her hands began unbuttoning the black silk shirt, revealing the dark hair on his chest. He kissed her way down over his chin, down the front of his neck, and began kissing and licking a trail down the center of his chest as she sank slowly to her knees.

Kneeling before him, Shelly untied the sash around his waist and began working on the buckle of his belt and the buttons of his leather pants as Eric let the shirt slip down his arms and tossed it to the bedframe. Shelly unbuttoned the fly of his pants and spread it open in a wide V, letting the swollen eight-inches of his cock burst out into the cool night air. She leaned forward and teasingly placed a kiss on the engorged purple head, then rocked back, sitting on her heels.

"Lift your left foot, stud." She told him. Eric complied, and Shelly pulled the boot and sock from it, then set it back down on the tiled floor. Then he lifted his right foot and she removed that boot and sock as well. As Eric stood barefoot before her, she reached up and grabbed the waistband of his leather pants, yanking them down his long legs. Eric stepped out of them and she cast them to the side, then lay back on the cape she had spread out.

"See anything you like, handsome?" She asked teasingly.

Grinning, Eric sank to his knees on the edge of the cape. He slid his hands under her thighs, spreading them in the process, and lifted her knees. Then he lowered his head, breathing in the perfume of her arousal, seeing the moonlight reflecting teasingly off the moisture flowing from her and the gold ring piercing her clit. He extended his tongue and began flicking at the ring, teasing her, then sucked her clit into his mouth. He grazed her throbbing button with his teeth as he sucked at it, laving it with his tongue. Shelly writhed on the floor beneath him, her hand reaching out to stroke through his thick black hair.