Chapter 4: Mask Mingling

“Mercedes is getting upset.”

“I’d call it pissy,” Brielle clarified, causing Elliot to wince before his gaze caught sight of her nearly exposed Double D-cups in the barely there Elsa dress.

With the cool air of the last weekend of October, the reluctant party guest swore that he could see the hard indentations of his crush’s nipples pushing forward. Thankful again for the bandages and goggles that covered his reactions, Elliot forced himself to ask why the bitchy party-thrower might be upset. Of course, I know it’s because Graham slipped up about the reason why we’re here. The news of a threatening letter and possible robbery has probably spread like wildfire.

“No, she’s annoyed,” Kayla replied, always looking for the bright side. “Alright, maybe she’s perturbed.”

“I’d imagine she’s perturbed, even during sex,” Bash remarked, chuckling.

“I’d hope so. Angry sex is hot,” Antonio cracked, showing no fear of Mercedes while in his Daredevil costume.

“Guys, please,” the peppy brunette responded.

“Sorry, Kay,” both guys apologized before Karsten and Diego dragged them away, leaving Elliot and Graham to their fate.

“She’s mad at us?” Elliot questioned.

“Primarily you, but Higbee is also catching shit,” Brielle revealed.

“Me?!”

“I don’t know why she’s mostly mad at me. I’m not the one who screwed up and told–” Elliot began to defend himself until the busty blonde interrupted.

“It’s a party, and you’re supposed to be on the lookout for a thief. So, standing over in this corner next to the guest house is why she’s fuming. Get out amongst the people and mingle,” Brielle directed, passing along the order.

“That’s it?”

Surprised that Mercedes hadn’t learned of Graham’s slip-up yet, Elliot sighed with relief. However, the suggestion to act as one should at a party by mingling had Higbee freaking out. A string of panicked, unintelligible mutterings revealed his distress to the other three.

“It’s okay, Graham. Um, I can help by walking around with you until you feel comfortable,” Kayla offered, showing off her trademark empathy. Smiling brightly, she made it sound like a fun adventure. “Think of it like research about how your drunk, horny classmates act while in costumes. Maybe you can even pick up a few pointers for talking to a pretty…”

“Way to go, girl,” Brielle sighed, watching as Graham appeared to hyperventilate. Turning around, the popular blonde scanned the nearby guests until she spotted a sophomore who held a bottle of unopened water. “Hey, let me have that, okay? I’ll grab you another.”

Faced with the request from an older member of the in-crowd, the younger student gladly handed over the bottle. The result of such a simple move turned the girl’s night into the best of the school year so far. She not only had a story to tell, but could brag about her new connection to Brielle Brye, the cheer co-captain. It almost beat out her two classmates dressed as Percy’s Fembots.

“Bree!” Kayla exclaimed, watching her good friend toss the bottle forward several times until she emptied it all into Graham’s face.

“You get Keever out and about, and I’ll do the same for Higbee,” the golden blonde suggested. Before she got a response, Brielle had already started to herd the dazed Graham away from his safe spot.

“Do you think he’ll be okay?” Kayla asked, frowning at the thought of the wild party girl showing Graham around.

Elliot’s shrug didn’t reassure his neighbor, so he muttered, “He’ll probably escape at the first opportunity.”

“Right!” Kayla agreed, relieved to hear a prediction that didn’t immediately make her worry even more. The thought thrilled her so much that the petite brunette hopped into the air. Unfortunately, the move and its aftereffects nearly broke the friendship walls in Elliot’s mind.

“Kay, you’re top,” he hissed, forcing his eyes to look away from the top halves of her breasts that revealed themselves. The dress had held above her nipples, but it still offered a tantalizing sight.

Despite claiming that he didn’t see his family friend that way, Elliot had been lying. He wasn’t a fool. No, he’d long known Kayla wasn’t just a pretty girl; she was gorgeous. Nor did those slightly too large breasts for her small frame go unnoticed. Elliot noticed everything. However, he made a conscious decision to erect walls in his mind to compartmentalize his feelings for Kayla. Life would be full of complications if he let himself develop a crush on, or lust after, his sweet, peppy neighbor. If they ever showed even a hint of more than friendship, their mothers would probably start wedding planning immediately.

Most days, Elliot could handle the eye candy or the awkward situations that the petite yet busty brunette put them in. However, her skimpy Tinker Bell dress and the blonde wig had a way of slipping through that barrier’s cracks. Also not helping were others' comments that they might be destined to be together.

“Whoops,” the fairy giggled, tugging the top of the dress over the exposed skin. “Thanks for the warning.”

Acknowledging that he’d landed in the cheerleader’s realm of weekend fun, Elliot let her lead the way to a group of friends and classmates. The appearance of an auburn-haired Peter Pan helped provide a smidgen of caulk to shore up his mental wall for Kayla’s beauty. Of course, Peter leaned down and gave Tinker Bell a quick kiss that lingered as she moved to his side.

“Honey, have you been drinking?” Kayla asked, shooting him an inquisitive look. “You’re the designated driver for your group.”

“Wha? Naw, I’m only drinking the punch,” Linus replied, sounding slightly tipsy.

“Good. I swore to Dad that you weren’t sleeping here tonight. And I don’t think Mercedes’s parents have any extra room, even in this huge place. They have a lot of guests staying over,” Kayla relayed. “Cede struggled to find a spot for Ellie and his friend.”

Wait, what? I’m not planning on staying over. I only brought an extra outfit in case…Ah, hell, that uppity brat tricked me! Elliot screamed in his head. Mercedes had told Kayla to pack an extra pair of clothes to keep his identity secret. He’d taken it to mean in case he had to follow someone around after the party ended.

“Hey, right!” Linus responded. The usually friendly yet soft-spoken basketball player reacted loudly. Elliot chalked up the change to alcohol. A question hung in the air: Did Linus lie to Kayla, or did one of his teammates slyly slip him a drink with liquor in it? Either way, he reached out to fist-bump his girlfriend’s neighbor. “How’s it going, man? It’s great to see you out at stuff like this again!”

"Shhh!" Kayla shushed, checking whether anyone heard. Mercedes insisted on keeping Elliot's identity a secret from most people, except a select few, after she saw his costume choice.

“Oh, crap. Right, sorry,” Linus responded sheepishly. “Love the costume, buddy. Really old school.”

“Thanks.”

Elliot scanned the nearby group that Kayla brought him over to. Only Ryle, as Superman, knew the identity of the person under the bandages. The popular heartthrob greeted him again while Tinker Bell actually sprinkled glitter over Elliot’s head.

“Don’t even try to guess the handsome face under these bandages, girls. My pixie dust will make him too happy to reveal any hints, no matter what wicked charms you use,” Kayla announced, giggling at the end.

“I think you brought him over to the wrong group, Deam,” Isannah, aka Cupid, replied.

The flirty, social media-obsessed senior had opted for a homemade, female version of the matchmaker. Her honey blonde hair was adorned with a headband featuring two red hearts that stuck up into the air, almost as if floating above. A pair of white wings was attached to the back of her satin, lace pink demi-bra, which flaunted her medium-to-large breasts. Red boots and a white towel wrapped around Isannah’s waist like a skirt finished the look.

Elliot did not doubt that Isannah’s social media pages had tons of pictures of the slutty Cupid already posted. Although she called herself a model, many classmates expected the blonde to end up in porn or at least on SpicyDevotees, the provocative subscription service. I should check her pages tomorrow. I bet they’ll get better as the night progresses.

“Is that so?” Kayla challenged coyly.

Elliot could've groaned. While his neighbor was a sweet, kind girl, she had proven to be a terrible matchmaker for friends over the years. Always seeing the best in people, Kayla often ignored the obvious signs of incompatibility. Did Mom put her up to this, or is it her own idea?

“See this?” Isannah asked, holding up the small bow with an arrow already taped or glued in as if notched. “My love arrow can have him ripping those bandages off in no time.”

“Or I can use my psychic powers to compel him to reveal his name,” Pomona, aka Psylocke, proclaimed. “Or I can just use this body. That usually works.”

The crowd around them chuckled as they surveyed the gymnast's superhero costume. As an X-Man, Psylocke wore a sleek, dark purple ninja-style uniform with a spandex bodysuit, arm gloves, and thigh-high boots. A red sash around her waist topped off the sexy superhero look.

The sleek, slinky gymnast had the figure to pull off the sexy mutant. Besides her long, lean legs and toned ass, Pomona had perky, medium-sized breasts and long black hair, which had a touch of purple highlights mixed in for the party. Elliot would always recall their gym class together last year. In the first class of the day, Pomona had been one of several gorgeous girls who'd helped wake him up with their looks.

“Doubtful. I don’t see your psi-blade, Betsy,” Elliot replied, deepening his voice to say her character’s real name.

“Ooh! That’s one tell. We have a comic book nerd, girls,” Pomona declared. Tilting her head, she studied the Invisible Man before adding, “Don’t worry. You’ll feel my power when you succumb to it. All men do.”

Oohs and ahhs rang out from the small group around them. The flirty gymnast had a reputation for getting any man she wanted, and she appeared intrigued by Kayla’s mystery man. Then, a sexy student from Hogwarts School of Sorcery stepped in front of Pomona. She raised a wand in the air before twirling it around.

“I think a simple spell should suffice, ladies. Hmm, oh, ever what Hermione should cast,” Valeria, aka Hermione Granger, asked aloud. Although a brainy girl in the books and films, Val had opted to make her version of the character as sexy, if not slutty, looking as possible. “Let’s put it to a vote. Should I enchant Deam’s surprise riddle with a love charm? I’ll have him eating out of at least one portion of me in no time. Or perhaps I should bewitch him with a lust spell? I wouldn’t mind being thrown down or ravaged to end this party?”

“If so, you might want to conjure up a growth curse for his cock,” Isannah suggested.

“How is that a curse?” Val questioned. “Are you drunk already, bitch?”

Elliot ignored the back-and-forth and stared at Valeria’s outfit. The ex-JV cheerleader-turned-fashion-diva had absolutely gone all-out for the slutty Hermione look. The black robe Hogwarts students wore looked like a small vest that barely covered her super-tight white blouse and gray sweater. The tight, tiny gray sweater with a deep V-neck worked more as a corset than anything, stopping under her bust rather than covering it. The popped-off buttons of the blouse also provided a full view of the scarlet-colored push-up bra, which Val’s D-cups didn’t need any further enhancing.

An extremely short schoolgirl skirt in the scarlet and gold Gryffindor colors matched the even shorter tie that rested high above Val’s cleavage. Gold thigh-high socks and black wedge heels finished off the outfit. However, besides the wand, Valeria had also curled her hair to resemble the good girl gone bad.

“I’m not! And I still think you should’ve kept that necklace on,” Isannah shot back.

“Not after Zayn’s comment about the hourglass being used as a dicksucking timer,” Val reminded.

“Whatever. Wesway is annoying. I’m more interested in our mystery man,” Pomona interrupted. “Either you accidentally cast the growth spell, or he doesn’t require one. Goddamn!”

“Goody!” Isannah squealed, clapping.

“Nice,” Val added.

Immediately, Elliot followed their eyes to his groin. He'd chosen to wear white tights and attached bandages to them to sell the Invisible Man costume. The hope was to sell the outfit without getting too hot and sweaty in the extra layer. However, they offered no support or restriction. So, after checking out the three costumes standing before him, Lil’ Elliot got excited enough to peek through the smoking jacket.

“Eek!” the high-pitched squeak informed Elliot that Kayla had witnessed his predicament.

As he moved to cover the bulge, Elliot found two of the girls had grabbed his hands. The final member of the friendship trio, Val, reached out to grab the incriminating evidence. Staring at her through the goggles, Elliot groaned at both the touch and her gleeful expression.

“No trickery or fakeness here, girls. This is one hundred percent real meat!”

“Uh, oh, shit,” Kayla whispered, feeling highly uncomfortable with the situation she’d created. Glancing over at Linus, she saw his shocked expression. “Um, let’s go check on your friends!”

“Wait!” Elliot yelled, forgetting to mask his voice. Luckily, nobody paid attention to his voice this time.

“We’d better hide this man away from the predators,” Isannah suggested, grabbing Elliot’s left arm.

“True. Brielle, Carmen, or Haylee might swoop in to steal our prize,” Pomona warned.

“Shit, Uphoff turned into a size queen since prom. That bitch is after Corbin because she thinks his Big C nickname is for his cock,” Val relayed.

“Shows what she knows,” Isannah said from experience.

“Let’s take him over to that cabana-like setup,” Pomona suggested, gesturing to the other side of the pool, where a canvas-like tent covered a metal frame. She knew from past visits to Panoply Hall that the cabana usually came down once the temperatures cooled. However, it appeared to have been left up or re-erected for the party.

“Hold on…Hey, watch the hand…Look, I have things to…Watch your grip!” Elliot complained while the vixen trio hustled him over to the cabana.

Catcalls rang out as their classmates watched them, with several guys wishing him a good time, while their dates or female friends openly pondered which guy caught their attention.

“Would you stop? This isn’t–”

“Quiet!” Val ordered, pointing her wand at Elliot.

“Where should we—” Pomona began to ask.

“There. The daybed,” Val instructed, her hand still inside the Invisible Man’s tights with a firm grip around his stiff dick.

“Are you girls drunk? Isn't this moving kinda fast—Mmph!” Elliot started to argue until Val jabbed her wand inside his mouth. She used the small wand to push past the bandages that covered all but a small portion of his mouth.

“The hell you doing?” Pomona questioned.

“Buying time until one of you remembers what a tongue is for.”

“Oh, right,” the girl dressed as Psylocke replied.

Before she could react, Isannah took the hint to shove her tongue down Elliot’s throat.

---

“Have you met the Great Pumpkin?” Brielle repeated for the fifth time, while holding Graham tightly with an arm around his neck.

Elliot’s guess about the shy bookworm trying to escape the wild, borderline nympho blonde had been a wise one. However, he’d failed to consider that the cheer co-captain could sense a person’s readiness to bail. While getting a cup of fruit punch for Graham, it had barely taken her thirty seconds to track down and recapture the bright orange costume.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Addison Veith scoffed at recognizing her classmate. This year’s senior editor of the school newspaper, Addison, wasn’t considered the nicest or fairest reporter. She’d long been accused of titling her coverage in favor of her friends or against those she disliked. “How did you get let inside here?”

Cold, arrogant, uptight, and condescending, Addison didn’t seem like the appropriate person in Graham’s mind to represent Padme Amidala. Although the junior journalist’s shoulder-length, wavy chestnut brown hair, dark green eyes, medium-to-large breasts, and curvy ass provided a fine physical appearance to roughly match Padme, her attitude lacked the heroic do-gooder courage that the senator from Naboo represented.

Still, Graham took a moment to scrutinize the outfit the character wore during the final arc in The Attack of the Clones. The white, stretchy fabric highlighted Addison’s curves, especially her butt and sizable bust. The latter was further accented by the tear in the arena scene, where Padme lost the lower portion of her top to a beast’s claws. However, Addison had gone dangerously high with her tear, which allowed a hint of underboob out. Still, despite not caring for the newspaper editor, Graham gave her high marks for the costume, especially the blaster strapped to her belt.

“Ohmigawd! I think Higbee is checking you out, Addie!” Haylee screeched. “Eww!”

Several younger cheerleaders copied their elders by laughing mockingly at the bookworm. They shut up even quicker with a nasty glare from the varsity squad’s co-captain.

“Don’t even think about it happening, and that includes your fantasies, Jiggly Higgly,” Addison warned, using the mean nickname that several guys had given to Graham years ago in grade school, when he’d been even chubbier.

“Nobody is going to fantasize about you,” Brielle stated. “Well, maybe about shoving a ruler up your tight ass to check for—”

SNAP

“Silence!” Jacqueline roared while using the whip she carried for her Ringmistress costume. “I’m cheer captain, and I declare that–”

“Oww! You hit me!” one of the younger cheerleaders cried. Dressed as a Lion Tamer, she matched several other JV cheerleaders in circus costumes to accompany Jackie’s role.

“Ohmigawd! You’re bleeding!” her friend dressed as a Lion shrieked.

“Where?!”

“On your cheek,” a Sword Swallower told her.

“Is it bad? Oh, gawd! I'd better call my mom,” the JV cheerleader cried, with tears forming.

“It’s fine!” Jacqueline declared.

“Do I need stitches? Will I be scarred for life?”

Five junior varsity cheerleaders raced away to find the nearest bathroom and mirror.

“Well, since you are the captain and you caused it, you'd better chase after them,” Brielle pointed out.

“You’re my co-captain. I’m ordering you–”

“No, you caused it. Do you want me to inform Mercedes that we might need an ambulance?” Brielle challenged, noticing Haylee flinch at the name. Still, Addison countered that the injury wasn’t serious enough for an ambulance. “I said, shut up!”

“Find Carmen,” Jacqueline told Haylee after hemming and hawing. Her fellow cheerleader had been acting as somewhat of a mentor to the injured JV member. “She should meet us wherever they went.”

“You do not get to speak to me in that manner, Brye. Understood?” Addison challenged once she’d been left alone.

“I understand that you’ll write a nasty article filled with lies about how I’m a shitty co-captain because that’s what you’ve done for years. It’s how you cleared the captaincy for Jackie, how you set up your friends to run the yearbook, various clubs, and how you helped Travers buy the school presidency.”

“How…dare you?” Addison spat back.

“Evidence does point to these accusations as true,” Graham declared, surprising both arguing parties.

“You'd better keep on dreaming, Jiggly. You’ll never know what’s underneath this,” the chestnut-haired journalist teased, running her hands down the white, stretchy fabric.

“Lady, you do not have the grace or dignity to play Padme Amidala appropriately. You’d need class and kindness, two qualities that will elude you for life,” Graham stated, finding strength in Brielle standing beside him. “Also, Natalie Portman is far prettier than you, and I’m talking about even her older self.”

“Damn, you go, Higbee,” Brielle cheered, laughing uproariously while Addison stomped her foot against the pool deck before storming off. “Nice to see you showing backbone and standing up…Higbee?”

Brielle did a slow spin to find Graham. However, even in his bright orange pumpkin costume, the non-athletic bookworm had managed to flee in seconds without leaving a trace of which direction he’d taken.

“Okay, that might have been a little impressive,” Brielle said, then shrugged. “Oh, well, he’s not my problem anyway.”

---

“Nothing ever changes,” Mercedes muttered, locating her father while he chatted with Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy.

His flirting and seductions never ceased, which greatly annoyed Mercedes. Not that her mother’s behavior could be described as any better, but Mercedes cared about how their actions looked in front of her friends. An additional shudder ran down her spine as she watched Mal brush his hand across Wonder Woman’s bare shoulder. Marching over, the scheming daughter knew precisely how to scatter the fawning flock of floozies.

“Father, did you really get my classmate pregnant?”

Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy nearly fainted in shock and horror. Sighing, Malachi shook his head, then apologized to the two women for his daughter’s behavior.

“We think these fantasies may be a sign of a more serious disorder.”

“Oh, no,” Pam, aka Poison Ivy, said, looking horrified and sympathetic.

“Yes, please excuse us. I’m sure my dad will be available to fill you up with the same mutated genes once the party ends,” Mercedes stated, moving away from them while expecting her father to follow. “Both of you. He prefers partnerships.”

“That wasn’t very polite or smart, Sunshine,” Mal declared, grabbing his daughter's arm to lead her out of the billiard room. “Pam and Annie work for the company. Do you really think it’s wise to spread a rumor such as that one?”

“It’s not a new one. Hell, I scared the shit out of Macon just over the summer. I told him one of the girls he hit on at the beach house might be his half-sister. Actually, I told him that one of the five girls in the group might be your bastard, but I wasn’t sure which one exactly.”

“Mercedes, what is it that you want?” Mal asked, sighing again. Despite adoring his daughter, he sometimes thought she was a cross between his wife and his flighty cousin. It wasn’t a good combination.

“Fire Miss Bishop.”

“Why? She’s doing a solid job,” the CEO of Raddatz & Padfield declared. Then, noticing his daughter’s knowing expression, he added, “No, it’s not like that. I’m not having an affair with Holland.”

“Not yet,” Mercedes shot back. “Which is why you won’t replace her before you do.”

“Honey, what’s with this hostility toward Holland? Are you mad that I didn’t hire Misty for the role? You’re the person who suggested I help her land that PR job.”

“I’ve had it with Miss Bishop because she’s terrible at her job. She couldn’t even give a proper tour to my guests,” Mercedes proclaimed, placing her hands on her hips in anger.

“Don’t you mean the two high school amateur detectives that you invited at the last minute? Seriously, do you really think I wouldn’t put two and two together? Mr. Higbee doesn’t seem like your type or the kind of student who wants to be at this party. Also, why would two eighteen-year-olds be more competent than my security detail?” Malachi challenged his daughter.

“Keever and Higbee aren’t detectives. Elliot helps run a mystery book club, and Graham is obsessed with crime. I only recruited them because you won’t tell me a thing!”

“Now, that’s interesting. I just had a most enlightening chat with Avalon Ashmore,” Mal began.

“Who’s that?”

Holding up a finger, they stopped before entering the ballroom. A glance inside showed Mercedes her mother dancing with Carlo Galasso in the center of the dance floor. Realizing the costume that her mother had changed into after a last-minute indecision, the red-haired daughter shook her head while her father directed her to follow him.

“Mom’s seriously wearing that French Maid getup? And you let her?”

“I don’t interfere with your mother’s selections. That only brings trouble and ruination to my night,” Mal replied, having them retrace their steps until they started past the billiards room.

“Aren’t you planning to put a stop to that embarrassing scene? Don’t give me that look! I’m talking about Mom and Carlo,” Mercedes responded to her father’s confusion. “That’s what will bring you trouble.”

“Carlo’s harmless. For him, it’s just another conquest. He’s not going to steal your mother away from us.”

“We’d be so lucky,” Mercedes mumbled, then raised her voice. “I know he’s harmless. I meant Mom. Do you want to risk a seventy-five-year business relationship because Mother caught feelings and went psycho?”

Mal paused their walk for a few moments.

“Okay, that’s a fair point. I’ll deal with it tomorrow,” the latest Raddatz chief executive admitted, resuming their travel toward the conservatory. “I have other concerns tonight to address.”

“So you’re finally going to tell me about this Seeper creep, right?”

“Hardly,” Mal replied, stopping in the doorway.

He gestured toward Francesca Horne, who had chosen Snow White as her alter ego for the festivities. The Frost Diamond Necklace around her neck did clash with the character’s humble origins. Beside her, she chatted with an older woman in a Fairy Godmother costume.

“Who’s the old biddy? Your next conquest?” Mercedes questioned, chuckling.

“No, I have no plans to raid a nursing home ever, even when I’m at that age.”

‘No shit. You’ll still be chasing women younger than me at that point.”

“The woman is Avalon Ashmore. I’m surprised and disappointed that you don’t recognize the name, Sunshine.”

“Why? Is she a special customer?” Mercedes inquired. She’d made it a habit for several years to learn all the current customers of importance.

“In the past, yes. Avalon had a close friendship with your grandfather,” Mal divulged.

“Eww!”

“No, not like that. Get your mind out of the gutter,” Mal directed after a loud sigh. “Ms. Ashmore will be staying with us for a few days. I’ll have her point out the items in our showroom that she helped suggest to your grandfather. The woman has quite an eye for design.”

“Oh, so she worked for Grandpa?”

“Not at all. The Ashmores are a relatively wealthy family from a small city on the southern Atlantic coast. Anchor Rock? No, not that one. Whatever, it doesn’t matter,” Mal said, shaking his head. “However, she told me a fascinating tale about her grand-niece’s wedding. I believe this happened roughly two years ago. A jewel thief had set up shop at the old historic hotel in her hometown. During the wedding, that thief struck, stealing several items, including a bracelet that R&P had made for her a few decades ago.”

“So you think this Seeper might be the same thief?”

“No, no, be patient. A week later, something extraordinary happened. A group of junior high school students, who apparently worked as ghostbusting detectives, caught the thief. Now, they made a deal with the thief: Her freedom in return for Avalon’s bracelet.”

“That’s stupid,” Mercedes remarked, rolling her eyes.

“No, no, apparently the thief helped them capture a different thief posing as a ghost. Yes, the whole ordeal sounds far-fetched, but the strangest aspect is that Avalon’s good friend, a famous novelist, has a grandchild as a member of that young investigator group,” Mal recounted. “You should thank Ms. Ashmore. She brought up an interesting point. People your age or younger often notice details or are willing to accept things adults might scoff at or ignore. With that in mind, I won’t order you to stop whatever you brought those two classmates here for, but I also won’t encourage or help with your nonsense.”

“That’s okay, I’ll bug Fleeman.”

“You will leave Fleeman alone. He’s too qualified to follow your impulsive orders,” Mal declared. Of course, his daughter pouted. “Fine. You can pester Mullen if you need someone.”

“Thanks, Daddy!” Mercedes went to hug her father, but she backed away immediately. “Seriously, did you take a pill, or do you want Wonder Whore and Poison Pussy that much?”

“I do not take pills…yet.”

“Ohmigawd! Are you even wearing any underwear? I can see your whole hip and upper thigh,” Mercedes screeched, averting her eyes from where the Roman Emperor’s toga parted. “Close your damn toga!”

“Yes, sorry, honey. I wanted to go with the style of the times, or so I thought,” Mal admitted.

“I doubt that was your primary purpose,” Marie Antoinette muttered.

“Would you believe that Konstantin Brask told me that my costume is not historically accurate? Apparently, this needs to be purple, not white, and feature gold trim. He also said I needed to cover myself more, and he said it in a snooty voice. As if his Roman Gladiator gear is more accurate or covers his body.”

“I can’t believe you invited him. After the run he made through the female employees a few years ago,” Mercedes recalled, shaking her head.

“Yes, I took that into account, but I didn’t invite him here. He was already in River Ripple for business,” Malachi disclosed. Then, he hesitated. “You know, there’s the strangest coincidence here. Avalon said that Brask had been in Edgewater when her bracelet was stolen. Yeah, that’s the name of the city.”

“What, do you think Brask is a cat burglar besides whatever else he does?”

“No, Konstantin is involved in far more sketchy business than stolen jewelry. Still, I thought it seemed like an odd coincidence,” Mal mused before moving on to a final point. “How’s your brother? Is he behaving?”

“Whoa, what? I’m not watching Macon. I didn’t even want him at my party,” Mercedes declared. “It’s bad enough that you let him invite some of his classmates. The only sophomores I planned to allow were the JV squad.”

“Sunshine, we made a specific deal for you to hold this party without any direct supervision. That point was that you’d watch Macon so that he wouldn’t cause any issues with our party,” Mal reminded.

“Oh, hell no! I’m not going to be responsible for that horny brat. At best, he pesters my friends. At worst, well, you know what happens to guests’ lingerie around here,” Mercedes replied, cringing in disgust.

“Why do you think I wanted you to watch him? And try being a good sister to him. Teach him how to behave around girls, how to treat a woman properly. It’s your duty as a big sister,” Mal said, practically begging.

“No, that’s your job when he turns eighteen, and you give him enough money to learn properly from his girlfriend experience in Vegas,” Mercedes half-joked. But her father's stern glare and lack of a laugh made her reluctantly give in. “Alright, I’ll do something about him.”

“Excellent!” Mal said, clapping once with a pleased expression. “Now, I need to check on Yanis.”

“More like his latest escort. Hey!” Mercedes called after her father.

“No, we’re not hiring Xelina for your brother.”

“No, what’s the brat wearing?”

Malachi stopped down the hallway before entering the sitting room. He thought for a moment, then narrowed down the options.

“I believe Boba Fett. Your mother indulged his indecision and purchased three different costumes. Yes, I believe it was Boba. Macon commented on catching some booty bounties,” Mal said, sighing again over another one of his offspring.

“Eww!” the ginger-haired sister groaned in disgust. Then, something she’d seen on the way to find her father resurfaced in her memory. “Boba Fett? Oh, fuck me!”