Caesar and Cleopatra

The last leaves fell from the tree in my yard as the cool October breeze slid through the branches, knocking them loose. I was standing amongst them, rake in hand, as the first Trick-or-Treaters walked past me to grab candy from the bowl on my porch. "Nice costumes, guys," I told them as they walked away with their spoils.

"Thanks," said the diminutive Pirate Captain as he, Spider-man and Mario headed off to the next house. I turned and went back to raking. Oh, the joy of homeownership, I thought wryly. I wasn't even a homeowner, just a 21-year-old in college living in my parents' house while my parents spent their winters in Florida. They'd left last week, planning on visiting home at Thanksgiving. In the meantime, I was responsible for the house and yard maintenance including, but not limited to, raking leaves and shoveling snow.

I kept at it, slowly clearing the lawn and bagging up the leaves. I didn't see the point, but I'd been given specific jobs and I'm certain my parents were checking on their doorbell camera to make sure they were getting done. I heard footsteps crunching the leaves on the curb and turned, expecting to see more costumed kids continuing their pursuit of sugar.

"Hey Liam," said my neighbor, Alyssa, with a wave as I turned around. Alyssa was a year younger than me, attending the same community college I was. I'd had a crush on her for years. She was walking her dog, a Golden Retriever named Apollo.

"Happy Halloween," I said back. "How's it going?" Alyssa stopped, letting Apollo sniff his way around the plants my parents had around the mailbox. She was wearing a loose sweatshirt and baggy jeans, good lounging clothes. She was pretty, if in a nerdy sort of way, and I'd been attracted to her for as long as I could remember. We'd hung out plenty as teenagers, but I'd never pursued her, primarily because she only dated girls.

"Not bad, just hanging around until a party tonight, what are you up to?" she responded. Her dark hair fluttered in the breeze as she watched her dog moseying about.

"Nothing much, just chores. My usual Halloween party isn't happening this year, my friend who throws it is out of town. Figured I'd end up watching a Halloween movie or two when I finished. Is Ellie going with you?" I leaned on my rake as some more kids came walking up the drive.

"Ellie and I broke up. About a month ago," said Alyssa.

"I'm sorry," I said. Ellie had been around for a couple of years. She was nice, and always seemed pretty cool when we hung out together. "That sucks. You all good?" I asked.

"Yeah, it's getting easier. She transferred to the University downstate, and we made it about a month-long distance before we decided to call it off. What about you, no girls around?" asked Alyssa.

"Not for a while, unfortunately, been on a bit of a dry spell," I responded.

"Why don't you come with me to the party later? It's just off campus, going to be a bunch of people our age, lots of cheap beer and bad decisions, you know the deal," she laughed. I thought about it, and decided it was preferable to spending the night on the couch eating too much candy.

"Alright, yeah," I said, then hesitated. "Costume party, right? I'll have to throw something together."

"Yeah," she said. "You're a history nerd, right? You'll like mine."

"What is it?" I asked curiously.

"You'll just have to wait and see. I'll come back over here around 7? You drive, I'm hoping somebody takes me home tonight," she said with a wink as she led Apollo back toward her house. All I could do was wish she wasn't a lesbian. Oh well, I thought to myself. Maybe I'd meet someone else at this party.

***

I looked in the mirror, checking my appearance before going to answer the doorbell. I'd thrown on a costume I'd worn senior year of high school. I had a short toga (more of a tunic) with a purple sash and an olive wreath on my head. I thought it looked pretty good for a last-minute party invitation. I ran downstairs and answered the door.

Alyssa waved her fingers at me as I opened it, looking like an absolute vision. I'd known for years she was pretty, but tonight she looked... hot as fuck. There was no other way to say it. She was wearing a sexy Cleopatra costume, complete with an Egyptian Pharaoh's headdress. The costume consisted of a white cloth top with gold piping that was little more than a bra, and a white cloth miniskirt that hugged her hips tightly, with a gold mesh cape that draped over her arms and fell down her back. I stared, speechless, and she giggled.

"I take it you approve of the costume," she said with a smile. She looked me up and down, then frowned for a moment, and then grinned. "Guess we won't be hooking up with random strangers tonight, everyone is going to think we're a couple, Julius."

"Augustus. And shit. I had no idea, I don't really have another costume laying around," I said.

"Nerd. I do, but I look fucking hot in this, so I'm not changing. It is what it is, I guess," she said with a smirk. "You ready to go? If everyone thinks we're a couple we'll just have to sleep with each other tonight, I guess." She grinned mischievously.

"Tease," I said, wishing it could be true. She just wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, then laughed.

I dumped some more candy into the bowl on my porch for any straggling kids. "Should be good now," I said, deliberately trying not to look at her ample chest as it strained against the fabric of her costume.

"Let's go then," she said, and turned to walk to my car. Her heeled golden sandals clicked on the walkway as she stepped down from my porch. I watched her hips sway as she walked, her round butt swaying enticingly in its tight cloth wrapping.

We drove the short distance to campus, Alyssa laughing at my jokes and teasing me about random stuff from our teen years the whole way. She was being open and flirtatious, and I was glad she was able to go out and have fun after her breakup. A couple of times she put her hand on my arm or shoulder, and I found myself desperately wishing things could be different between us.

When we got there, she directed me down a side street where a bunch of college students rented houses. Most people who went to the local community college lived at home, but a few streets around campus were rentals for people who wanted to get "the college experience."

"So, whose party is this?" I asked.

"A couple girls in my biology classes," she said. "They're really nice, I made friends with a couple of them and I'm pretty sure their roommate wants to fuck me, but I'm not really interested." I coughed, trying to cover my surprise at her forwardness. She giggled again; a sweet laugh that filled the car. "Feel free to step in and help me out if you see me talking to a short blonde named Sarah, deal?"

"Deal," I replied. We parked on the side of the street, loud music audible as soon as we opened the car doors. We walked up to the door and knocked.

"Alyssa, glad you could make it!" said the blonde construction worker who answered the door, pulling her into a hug.

"Happy Halloween, Sarah!" Alyssa replied, her eyebrow raised towards me as the busty girl hugged her tighter. I choked back a laugh.

As they pulled apart, Alyssa introduced me. "This is Liam, my neighbor," she told Sarah. Sarah said a quick monotone hello, then pulled Alyssa inside. I followed and closed the door behind me. We walked into a sitting room full of people, all in costumes. A few were clever or well made; most of the guys' were fairly lazy and most of the girls wore lingerie barely disguised as a costume. I certainly wasn't complaining.

Alyssa got free and stood next to me, waving to people she knew. I thought I recognized a few faces from around classes, but nobody I knew by name. Two very attractive women came over to say hi, a blonde and a redhead. The redhead was in a sexy Black Widow costume, the neckline plunging halfway down her chest, showing off her cleavage. The blonde was dressed as a cat, or maybe a fox, or a dog of some kind? I wasn't sure, all I could tell was that she had a nice pair of smaller breasts in a bra, a bubble butt and sexy thighs in fishnets and a thong, and some ears on a headband.

Alyssa introduced me again, before telling me their names. "This is Elena and Beth," she said, pointing to the blonde and redhead respectively, "they're the ones hosting the party with Sarah."

"Nice to meet you both. I like your costumes," I said. Beth smiled, her freckled nose wrinkling cutely. Elena looked me over curiously before replying, "Yours too. I take it you're Alyssa's boyfriend?"

"Her neighbor," I replied. As soon as I clarified that, Elena smiled, a bit suggestively.

"Sorry, I just thought, the costumes... Well, welcome to the party," she said, looking me up and down and winking at me before turning around and heading to the kitchen.

Beth laughed. "No subtlety, that one," she said to Alyssa and me. Alyssa smirked.

We made our way around the party, Alyssa introducing me to some more friends of hers. Elena brought us some beers, and then insisted on doing shots with us. The taste of cheap tequila on my tongue, I sat down in the corner and watched the room while Alyssa chatted with Elena, who kept looking over at me and smiling. No subtlety indeed.

The party was picking up steam, more people trickling in over the next hour or two. I hung out mostly with Alyssa, although I did talk to some more friends of hers. Drinks kept flowing, although not as much for me since I was driving. People were starting to succumb to the allure of the makeshift dancefloor that had been set up in the four seasons porch, complete with flashing lights and a disco ball.

"So what's wrong with Sarah that you aren't interested?" I asked Alyssa. "She seems nice enough," I added noncommittally.

"You're just picturing those massive tits of hers," Alyssa said with a smirk, "which admittedly are really nice, but we have nothing in common. I prefer to date people I can share stuff with."

"I get it," I told her. She took a sip of her beer. She was beautiful.

I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I saw Alyssa on the dancefloor, dancing with Beth, Sarah, and another girl in a sexy Pirate costume. I watched the hot foursome for a few moments, my eyes lingering on Alyssa's fit stomach as she gyrated to an old Brittney Spears song. Not for the first time that night, I wished she was into guys. My eyes briefly roamed over the other girls as I tried to decide whether I wanted a hookup or not.

Someone's fingers brushed my forearm as I stood there, nursing my beer slowly. I glanced aside to see Elena standing next to me. "Hi. Great party," I said rather lamely. Elena smiled.

"Yeah, I can see you're having fun," she said jokingly. "Normally instead of watching the dance floor, you could ask somebody to dance."

"And that somebody would be you?" I asked her, smiling.

"I wouldn't have minded, you're cute. But it's pretty clear that you're into your 'neighbor,'" she said, watching me for a reaction.

"Maybe. Still, obviously not going to happen, she's not into guys," I told her.

"She told you that instead of just saying no to a date, huh?" Elena said with a straight face, before grinning at my confused look.

"No, she just got out of a relationship with a long-term girlfriend. It's not going to happen, I accepted that a long time ago, we've been friends since we were kids," I said.

"Huh, that explains why Sarah was happy we invited her, probably wants to get in her pants, she is gorgeous," she said with a smile. "Since you're just a lovesick puppy tonight, dance with me, maybe I can take your mind off of her," she offered softly, grabbing my beer and setting it down before grabbing my hand and leading me to the floor.

As soon as we were out there, she turned her back to me and started to grind on me. I moved to the beat, enjoying the feel of her body against mine. Elena was hot, and while I still wasn't sure about a hookup tonight, I could certainly do worse, and she appeared to be willing.

Turning my head, I scanned the floor. Alyssa caught my eye, her expression unreadable. I figured she was hoping I'd save her from Sarah, who was starting to move on her with the same sexual rhythm that Elena was displaying in front of me.

My dick was starting to swell a bit from the constant bumping and sliding of Elena's sexy body on mine. I still wasn't sure if I was into it, but she seemed content to tease me with her dancing for the time being. We danced to a few more songs before Elena excused herself to go check on the snacks and drinks. I stood against the wall for a moment, then saw Alyssa trying to extricate herself from Sarah, so I walked over towards her and asked her if she needed another drink. Nodding, she followed me.

"Thanks," she shout-whispered into my ear, loud enough to get heard over the music but not by anyone but me. We walked to the kitchen, and I handed Alyssa another beer from the cooler next to the counter. Elena walked over with a small cooler in her hands.

"Liam, can you put this over by the dance floor? It's water bottles in case people overheat, it was getting hot and sweaty in there," she asked nicely. I told her I would, and she assumed a southern accent. "Oh, Liam, you're my hero," she said, then laughed and leaned in to talk to Alyssa. I walked the cooler to the other side of the living room.

Right as I put it down, Beth walked off the dance floor and reached for it. "Thanks," she said, "I needed one of these before I collapse."

"Yeah, dance floor is getting crowded, it was getting hot," I said back. We made small talk for a bit while Beth caught her breath. I looked over at the kitchen and saw Alyssa saying something to Elena while Elena was laughing. She looked at me, smiled and winked. Alyssa turned around and smiled at me, too. After another back and forth between them, Alyssa walked over to me and grabbed my hand, leading me onto the dance floor. Elena blew a kiss as she did.

Alyssa started to dance on me, much to the surprise and chagrin of an annoyed looking Sarah. "Thanks for coming to this party with me," she said into my ear. I figured she was trying to get Sarah to leave her alone, so I went along with it, her hot body setting mine on fire wherever it touched me.

This girl could move. Her sexy stomach rippled as she moved her hips, her arms swaying with her body. Alyssa's bare skin had a light sheen of sweat covering it, making her look even sexier than before. I couldn't take my eyes off her while I did my simple dance moves, trying to keep up. Her hands reached around my neck, entwining her arms around me, her body pressing against mine and driving me mad.

Sarah left the room, so I let Alyssa know. She must not have heard me, because she continued to wind her hips against me as we danced, her bubble butt straining to escape the confines of her skirt. She'd abandoned her cape when we arrived, giving me a full view of her body as she moved. I was getting obviously aroused and hoping she didn't mind; there was no way she hadn't felt it as she pressed into me. After another song, she looked at me curiously, before grabbing my hand and leading me out onto the deck.

"Oh, that feels nice," she said as we stepped out of the house and the cool Halloween air washed over us like a wave. "I needed some fresh air."

She led me to a bench on the side of the deck and we sat down together. I looked over at her and asked, "So, how's the party going for you? Any luck on that hookup? Or still just fending off Sarah?" She turned to look at me, staring at me funny.

"You know, I haven't actually dated a guy yet, but the memes are absolutely right. You men just don't pick up signals," she finally said.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Fine, I'll spell it out for you," she said with a grin. "You are the person I want to hook up with tonight."

"What?" I asked, still confused. She laughed.

"First of all, I am not a lesbian, I'm bi, so maybe that explains most of it, but still," she said. "Second, I walked over to talk to you while you were out earlier, invited you to a party, and went back home. Clearly planned. Then I show up on your doorstep in this," she gestured to her costume, "a costume so slutty I had to sneak out of my parent's house wearing it despite being an adult. You happen to wear the other half of a couple's costume, and I didn't change, I even told you we'd have to sleep together."

"Then," she continued, "I have you drive me because I'm certain I'm going home with someone, and flirt with you the whole way here. I take you onto the dance floor and basically dry hump you while dressed like a Halloween stripper, and you still ask me how my luck on a hookup is going! Not well, obviously," she laughed.

"You're not a lesbian?" I replied dumbly.

"That's all you got from that?" she asked with a smirk. "No, you big dummy, I am not a lesbian. I'm bi. We exist."

"Sorry, I guess I shouldn't have assumed. You only ever had girlfriends though, so I just figured that was what you were into." I said apologetically. "But, you're into me?"

"Yes. Always have been. Didn't say anything because I was dating Ellie but yeah, always," she said, looking vulnerable for the first time, her exasperation with me evidently having run out of steam.

"I want you too," I told her. Her face lit up. "I've been crushing on you for years."

"I know that, now. Thank God for Elena being a good friend," Alyssa said with a smile. "She was into you, if you hadn't said anything about being into me and how you thought I was only into girls, she would have jumped you by now. She sent you off with that cooler so she could tell me she had no idea I was a lesbian and let me know that Sarah wanted to hook up with me, and then I cleared it up, the whole thing just clicked into place, and she said she'd back off you."

"Elena is hot, but honestly I was kind of hung up on you tonight, so I don't know if I could have gone through with it, it just didn't seem right," I told her. She beamed at me.

"Your place? Now?" she asked me. It was only a little after nine.

"Yeah," I said, still a little stunned by the turn the night had taken.

She stood up and walked to the house, looking at me over her shoulder as she did. I watched her sexy, fit body in costume as she walked and she smiled at me. "Come on, Mr. Oblivious," she said. I stood up and followed.

She grabbed my hand and led me through the party to the front door, the music thumping as fast as my excited heart was beating. As we got to the door, Elena and Beth ran up to say goodbye and thank us for coming.

"Heading out already? The night is young still!" Beth exclaimed as she hugged Alyssa.

"Yeah, we um, we have some stuff to get done," Alyssa said back. Elena laughed.

"I'll bet you do. Better get stuff done at least twice, leaving this early," she joked. Alyssa turned red but smiled and wrapped her arms around me. "It's too bad," Elena said to me seductively, then laughed and hugged Alyssa. "Have fun, Happy Halloween! If you guys ever want a threesome..."

"We know who to call. Now get your horny ass back to the party," said Alyssa, laughing.

We made our way out to the car, and I held the door open for her. "Such a gentleman," said Alyssa with a smile as she stepped in. I got into the driver's seat and started the car as her hand fell onto my thigh. She leaned over and kissed me tentatively. After a moment the kiss got more heated; her lips pressed against mine, parting to let her tongue pass through as it became a full make-out session. She tasted perfect, and the feel of her was a reminder that I wasn't just dreaming, and this was happening.

She pulled away and we stared at each other for a moment before we both started grinning like idiots. I put the car in drive and pulled onto the road to head home. As we approached the first intersection, I felt her hand moving up my thigh until she was rubbing my rapidly hardening shaft through the fabric of my toga. I glanced at her as I drove -- she just smiled cutely back at me while she kept up her teasing.