of wall between a T-shirt shop and the walk-up window of a pizza joint. They propped themselves there and settled in to observe.
Dulcinea tipped her cup toward the crowd. “That one, with the purple feather mask and the low-cut shirt. Talk about her cup runneth over.”
Augustine shook his head. “Also trying too hard. Look at all those beads. We’re the only two who haven’t seen her boobs.” His turn. He pointed to a tall guy wearing a white half mask and a black cape. “That one there.”
“The Phantom?” She snorted. “Spare me the dramatics. He’s got potential stalker written all over him.”
They went back and forth, eliminating the passersby until suddenly Dulce straightened, her gaze zeroing in on a man in the crowd. “Hell-o, beautiful.” She made a soft noise deep in her throat that sounded half purr, half meow. “Mama likes.” She motioned to Augustine without looking at him. “See you tomorrow.”
“Later.” And just like that, he was alone. He hung there a while longer, sipping his beer and assessing the crowd. Plenty of them assessed him right back, but he didn’t bite. He wasn’t sure who he was looking for, but he’d know her when he saw her. The right one to start his new year off perfectly. The right one to celebrate his return home. He grinned, thinking about the fun that awaited him.
A trio of masked human lovelies walked past, slanting their eyes at him and preening in their glitter masks and feather boas. They smiled back.
Now that was just too hard to ignore. He’d at least test the waters. “Ladies.”
They stopped a few feet away and waved by wiggling their fingers at him. “Hi,” they answered in unison.
And suddenly he realized his folly. He never should have limited himself to
one
.
“I don’t know about this.” Harlow adjusted the mask over her face. The T-shirt shops were filled with cheap masks, but her mind-set of doing it up big wouldn’t let her settle for a five-dollar bit of felt and glitter. Of course, now that she was standing in the small boutique the concierge had recommended wearing a much more expensive handmade mask, the cheap ones weren’t sounding quite as bad.
“Wait until you see it on,” the saleslady said. “It suits you beautifully.” She brought a mirror over and set it in front of Harlow.
She turned to look. And stopped still. “Wow. Shiny. That is much better than expected.” The raven mask was more of a headdress, its sleek black feathers cascading down over her hair and shoulders, but the small beak sat just over her nose, leaving her mouth and chin exposed. Add in her black bat-wing sweater, leggings and side-buckle boots and she almost looked like some kind of bird superhero person.
Not at all like herself. This might actually work.
“You have the right-color eyes for that piece,” the saleslady added.
“Thanks.” Her amber eyes, another gift from her mother she could have done without, seemed genuinely birdlike behind the mask. Her normal smoky makeup only played that up.
“You might like these, too.” The saleswoman set a pair of black feather-trimmed gloves on the counter.
Harlow picked them up. Even through the gloves she hadon she could tell these new ones were beautiful quality, not just some costume add-on. “Has anyone else tried these on?”
“No. They just came in a few days ago.”
Harlow peeled her gloves off and tried them. They fit like they’d been made for her. “I’ll take them and the mask.” She peeled off a few bills and handed them over.
“Would you like me to box it all up?”
“No, I’m going to wear it. But I probably should get a box to take it home in.” She glanced behind her. The streets were already full of people. She didn’t relish the idea of having to go back to her hotel just to drop off a package. If she didn’t get some liquid courage into her system, she just might chicken out, like she almost had at Comic Con.
As if reading her mind, the saleswoman said,
Dulcinea tipped her cup toward the crowd. “That one, with the purple feather mask and the low-cut shirt. Talk about her cup runneth over.”
Augustine shook his head. “Also trying too hard. Look at all those beads. We’re the only two who haven’t seen her boobs.” His turn. He pointed to a tall guy wearing a white half mask and a black cape. “That one there.”
“The Phantom?” She snorted. “Spare me the dramatics. He’s got potential stalker written all over him.”
They went back and forth, eliminating the passersby until suddenly Dulce straightened, her gaze zeroing in on a man in the crowd. “Hell-o, beautiful.” She made a soft noise deep in her throat that sounded half purr, half meow. “Mama likes.” She motioned to Augustine without looking at him. “See you tomorrow.”
“Later.” And just like that, he was alone. He hung there a while longer, sipping his beer and assessing the crowd. Plenty of them assessed him right back, but he didn’t bite. He wasn’t sure who he was looking for, but he’d know her when he saw her. The right one to start his new year off perfectly. The right one to celebrate his return home. He grinned, thinking about the fun that awaited him.
A trio of masked human lovelies walked past, slanting their eyes at him and preening in their glitter masks and feather boas. They smiled back.
Now that was just too hard to ignore. He’d at least test the waters. “Ladies.”
They stopped a few feet away and waved by wiggling their fingers at him. “Hi,” they answered in unison.
And suddenly he realized his folly. He never should have limited himself to
one
.
“I don’t know about this.” Harlow adjusted the mask over her face. The T-shirt shops were filled with cheap masks, but her mind-set of doing it up big wouldn’t let her settle for a five-dollar bit of felt and glitter. Of course, now that she was standing in the small boutique the concierge had recommended wearing a much more expensive handmade mask, the cheap ones weren’t sounding quite as bad.
“Wait until you see it on,” the saleslady said. “It suits you beautifully.” She brought a mirror over and set it in front of Harlow.
She turned to look. And stopped still. “Wow. Shiny. That is much better than expected.” The raven mask was more of a headdress, its sleek black feathers cascading down over her hair and shoulders, but the small beak sat just over her nose, leaving her mouth and chin exposed. Add in her black bat-wing sweater, leggings and side-buckle boots and she almost looked like some kind of bird superhero person.
Not at all like herself. This might actually work.
“You have the right-color eyes for that piece,” the saleslady added.
“Thanks.” Her amber eyes, another gift from her mother she could have done without, seemed genuinely birdlike behind the mask. Her normal smoky makeup only played that up.
“You might like these, too.” The saleswoman set a pair of black feather-trimmed gloves on the counter.
Harlow picked them up. Even through the gloves she hadon she could tell these new ones were beautiful quality, not just some costume add-on. “Has anyone else tried these on?”
“No. They just came in a few days ago.”
Harlow peeled her gloves off and tried them. They fit like they’d been made for her. “I’ll take them and the mask.” She peeled off a few bills and handed them over.
“Would you like me to box it all up?”
“No, I’m going to wear it. But I probably should get a box to take it home in.” She glanced behind her. The streets were already full of people. She didn’t relish the idea of having to go back to her hotel just to drop off a package. If she didn’t get some liquid courage into her system, she just might chicken out, like she almost had at Comic Con.
As if reading her mind, the saleswoman said,
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