Graceful Deception

The phone on the small desk in the small dorm room of Harper College buzzed loudly. Ethan gladly looked up from his textbook on Roman architecture. It was a crime that so many of his professors had assigned reading over the weekend before Halloween, according to him. The cause of the distraction was a text from his mother.

GRACE: Hey can u check up on dad please I am at the party waiting

GRACE: love Mom

Ethan's already bad mood soured. Not because she had interrupted him, he would gladly help her out in any way he could, but because he was pretty sure he knew why his father was running late. He sighed, pulled on some socks, and grabbed his keys.

Thirty minutes later he arrived at his family's house on Grover lane. The sun was already low on the horizon and most of the houses in the neighborhood were ablaze with decorations. There would be even more in the coming days. Ethan pulled his beaten up Golf into the driveway and glanced at the telltale blue flicker of the TV emanating from the living room.

Just as he expected, his deadbeat father was on the couch, slumped over. Three cans of beer on the coffee table. Half empty bottle of Jack next to them. Another can in his hand. Sweat stained t-shirt. The air stank.

With only the bare minimum of respect, Ethan shook his father's shoulder. "Ryan? You awake?" He just couldn't bring himself to call the man in front of him "Dad."

Ryan started and grunted. "Wasap?" he mumbled, his voice slurred.

"Did you forget about the party? Mom's waiting."

"I don wanna go anymo. Her frens are all boring bitches."

"Fucking pathetic," Ethan muttered but Ryan had already drifted off again. He sighed and left the room again, glad to breathe fresh air again.

The thought of his mother waiting at her annual company Halloween party for a man who'd never arrive was excruciating. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to relay the bad news but he couldn't even bring himself to type it. The party was something she'd been looking forward to for weeks. She'd even bullied his father into promising he'd go. That's how much it meant to her.

Ethan felt the almost painful longing to be the one who could be her partner instead. He'd never let her down and he'd be the man she deserved. That need had only grown during his time at college. To wrap his arms around her soft, curvy body and hold her. To kiss her. To make love to her.

Just thinking about his mother made Ethan's cock grow hard. Until he remembered that she was stranded at the party. All alone. He put the phone back in his pocket and went upstairs into his father's bedroom.

The costume laid neatly on top of the bed. A black sweat and stretchy pants with bones painted on them. It had a skull hood and black gloves. Ethan's heart leaped in his chest. He was taller than his father by two inches and definitely not as bulky but if he kept his clothes on under the costume it might not be much of a difference.

Ethan's mind was racing with thoughts of being his mother's partner for the night. Dancing and laughing together. Cuddling. He slipped into the costume and checked himself out in the mirror. The black silhouette of the cloth worked well to disguise his actual frame and the hood only revealed his eyes. They were the same shade of brown as his father's.

Just before he grabbed the keys to his father's car, he sent a quick reply to his mom.

ETHAN: He's on his way

*** *** ***

The Carlton Hotel was one of the fancy, all glass structures they erected in downtown New Haven over the last decade. Grace's company, Gruber Solutions, rented out the convention floor this year. The company's stocks did exceptionally well in the last quarter and they wanted to treat their employees to something nice for Halloween. Other than a raise, of course.

Ethan arrived ten minutes past eight, with the party already in full swing. He pulled into the spacious parking lot and parked in one of the few remaining spots in the back.

Grace waited for him in the grand entrance hall, looking almost unrecognizable. She wore a skeleton costume, too, but whereas Ethan's was baggy, hers clung to her curvy body. She had foregone a hood in favor of doing the makeup herself. Bone white foundation with thick black circles around the eyes and on the nose. Black lipstick. Her black hair was shoulder length in an asymmetrical bob.

The moment Ethan set foot on the polished marble floor, Grace wanted to laugh. There was absolutely no way she couldn't recognize her own son, dressed in Ryan's costume. If the height and weight weren't indicators enough, the two of them carried themselves completely differently. Ethan always walked with the spring of youth still firmly in control, not the shuffling gait of her husband.

No, the man who wore the skeleton costume was most definitely her son. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened. Ryan was already one beer in by the time she left and by now he was likely sitting in front of the TV, too incoherent to talk. She felt the gut stabbing sensation of betrayal. Ryan had promised he would finally show up this time and she thought he might actually have meant it. She even rented a room at the hotel, so he wouldn't have to worry about driving home. The keycard was in her pocket, next to her phone. It was wasted money, now.

What was Ethan doing here? she wondered. Did he really not expect her to notice? That made her smile. The idea that he'd pretend to be his father just so she wouldn't feel bad was adorable.

Ethan confidently approached his mother. They always said on the online forums about how nobody would question your presence anywhere as long as you acted with enough confidence that you belonged. It must have been true because his mother's face lit up with a smile. If she suspected anything was wrong, she wouldn't smile at him like that.

He risked a glance at her body, only to reaffirm that she was the most beautiful woman on the planet. The black stretchy fabric accentuated her hips and her ass. Except for the rectangular bump that was the outline of her phone.

"I'm so glad you made it, Ryan," she asked with a twinkle in her eye. She definitely wanted to know what his plans were. Was he seriously going to pretend all night?

"Hi, erm—" he cleared his throat and suddenly his voice was deeper. It was a fairly good impression of his father, one he'd practiced on more than one occasion. "Hi. Sorry, I think I have a bit of a sore throat. That's why I'm late."

"We can see if they have some tea here."

"That's not—uh, yeah. Okay. That sounds good. Has the party already started?"

"Yeah. Come on, I'll show you around."

Grace hooked her arm into her son's arm and steered him towards the large double doors. She was bursting with pride at how well he was raised. As ridiculous as his pretension was, it was a wonderful gesture. That he would sacrifice his own evening just to try and make her happy. She didn't know anybody else in the world who would have done that for her.

Everything Ethan knew about office parties, he learned from watching TV. There'd be a table with punch and snacks. The boss would walk around and make inappropriate jokes, while everyone else pretended to have fun.

When the two of them entered the spacious hall, it was what not at all what he had expected. Two dozen round tables, each capable of seating eight, with orange, white, and black tablecloths. Apart from the garish tables, the decoration was muted.

The people made up for it. The costumes ranged from regular clothes to full body getups. The majority of them sat around the tables, conversing, and eating snacks, but there were plenty of masked figures standing in groups or walking around.

Ethan's eyes were immediately drawn to the back third of the room where a group of performers danced, but not in any way he had ever seen. All thirteen women had rich, dark skin. They wore identical red skirts that rippled with every shake of their hips. Other than that, they only wore flimsy bras and jewelry. A lot of jewelry. Rings, necklaces, armbands, ankle bracelets, nose rings, chains. Thirteen pairs of breasts jiggled in unison to the rhythmic belly dancing to the exotic music.

"Those are the Bombay Babes," explained Grace, following his gaze.

Ethan felt like she caught him with his hand in the cookie jar. He wasn't acting at all like a husband was supposed to, checking out flimsily dressed dancers. "They're not as lovely as you," he said and meant it. If someone offered him a choice between fucking all thirteen of the hot dancers or cuddling for an evening with Grace, he'd pick the latter every time.

Grace was taken aback by the unanticipated flattery. She had expected him to stammer and get embarrassed, watching such a titillating display in front of his mother, but he seemed to be committed to the act. "Thank you. You're awfully nice tonight, dear."

"I'm just in a good mood."

"Despite the sore throat?" she teased him.

"Uh, yeah, because I'm already starting to feel better. Maybe I just needed some fresh air." Ethan watched his mother smirk and wondered if he just overplayed his hand. If he did, she didn't show it.

"It's okay, dear. They're pretty good and I don't expect you to avert your eyes later when they take their tops off," Grace said nonchalantly, enjoying the fact that her son almost tripped over his own feet. She decided that if he was going to pretend to be her husband, it was her right to tease him a little.

Ethan wasn't sure if he heard her right. The Bombay Babes were going to dance topless? Heat flushed to his face and he was glad he wore a hood so that nobody saw him blush. He had no idea what to reply to that but fortunately, they arrived at their seats. The table was at the very front of the room, directly in front of the stage.

The only people Ethan recognized were Lydia, dressed as a mermaid with a flaming red wig and showing a lot of cleavage, and Shawna, dressed in all white with a cap and tennis racket. They were Grace's best friends and they had been over at their house so often, Ethan thought of them as aunts.

"Ooohhh, well look who it is, if it isn't the elusive Mr. Stone," jeered Shawna.

Grace groaned silently and slipped into the empty seat next to Lydia. Neither Shawna nor Lydia held her husband in any amount of esteem. They had heard far too many complaints about Ryan from her and, of course, met the man himself. The problem was that the man at her side wasn't Ryan, of course, and now her son would have to endure very pointed barbs all night. She decided that if they went too far, she'd have to spill the beans.

"Good evening, Shawna. Lydia," Ethan said, keeping his cool. If either of them were sober, they'd no doubt have seen through the disguise as well but they'd been slamming back mimosas all evening.

"See, I told you he was coming," Grace gloated and patted Ethan on the arm.

"Yeah, that's the only kind of co—" Lydia abruptly cut off mid-sentence as Grace kicked her legs under the table. Grace shot a pointed glare at her and received an eye roll.

"Anyway, I don't know if you've met some of my other co-workers. That's Betty, her husband Andrew, Alexandra, her boyfriend Tom, and Ramona." She pointed at the woman in the bee costume next to the beekeeper, the 60's wife and the macho, and the sexy nurse.

"Nice me to meet you," Ethan told the round.

"We've heard so much about you, glad you could finally join us," Ramona fired back pointedly, putting emphasis on "finally."

Desperately, Ethan wished he could tell them all that he wasn't a bad guy. That he wasn't the absent asshole they thought he was. But he had to content himself with the fact that it was better they thought he was his father.

It was a little overwhelming for Ethan. An hour earlier he had been focused on his reading and all of a sudden he was thrown in the deep end. Surrounded by people he didn't know, with his mother's hand on his wrist. Half naked women dancing. Music playing. An enormous pile of snacks in front of him. He took a very deep breath and wondered if he made a mistake.

Grace could tell her son was being overwhelmed. He definitely wasn't listening to Lydia prattle on about this new bath and body shop on Erwood Avenue. She wanted to tell him that it was okay. Just showing up was enough for her and he really should just ogle the half-naked Bombay Babes. She reached over and grabbed his gloved hand. He started and looked at her but she intertwined her fingers with his.

Growing up, Ethan always loved to cuddle. She remembered the hours they laid on the couch together. He watched TV while she was on the phone or read a book. Her hand softly stroked his brown curls. He really was an amazing young man.

*** *** ***

Grace caught it far too late to react. While Lydia distracted her with a question about a key account of a client in West Virginia, Shawna made her move. It seemed so accidental if you didn't know her. With her elbow, she tipped over the glass of water standing in front of Ethan.

"Ah!" Ethan called out and jumped as cold, wet liquid poured on his crotch. Everyone around the table burst into giggles except for mother and son. Ethan shot up and with an, "I'll be right back," stalked off to the bathroom.

"What the fuck?" Grace barked at Shawna. She grabbed one of the cotton napkins and soaked up the water still dripping on the worn carpet.

"You what the fuck. What the hell is up with you and Ryan today?" Shawna confronted her.

"Yeah. Is he on drugs or something?" asked Lydia.

"No, he's not on drugs," Grace insisted through clenched jaws. She heavily weighed telling her friends the truth but there was no way that Lydia could keep her mouth shut after she found out.

"Alcohol is a drug, dear Gracie," Shawna reminded her.

"Will you just back off?"

"You're taking his side now? Oh no, please tell me you're not trying to get back together with him," Lydia groaned.

"He promised you before that he's gonna stop but that's only because he's not getting any on the side. Seriously, sometimes you are just so gullible."

"Yeah. In a month from now, you're just gonna be back on my couch bawling your eyes out," Lydia piled on. "We all know it's gonna happen."

Grace abruptly stood up. Her mind was so clouded with anger, she didn't even notice the chair toppling over and crashing to the ground. At that moment, she wanted to launch both of her best friends into the sun.

Without saying a word, she stalked off in the direction of the bathrooms.

Lydia's last comment really set her off. "We all know it's gonna happen." The words rang in her skull. She hated it because it was true. She hated her estranged marriage.

What made it worse was that Lydia had an amazing boyfriend. They went on date nights three times a week. They traveled. They still had days where he showed up at the office for a lunch quickie. She always smiled the rest the day.

Although Shawna didn't have a steady relationship, she actually was single, unlike Grace. Young guys tended to flock to the MILF like moths to a flame, and she had zero problems taking advantage of their offers. Grace had listened to countless of hours of Shawna gushing over a twenty year old's incredible stamina.

Grace hated, hated, hated, hated always being the odd one out. The one who couldn't share her fantastic dates or gossip about how often she came in one night. It had been so long she almost forgot what it was like.

Tonight would be different. She decided that she was going to indulge herself. For one night, she just wanted to be normal.

*** *** ***

Ethan wished desperately that his father had never existed. The last hour had been torture. Lydia and Shawna were merciless in their sniping but apparently, words alone hadn't been enough humiliation. Now there was an enormous wet stain on his pants, to add injury to insult. It went three layers deep, saturating his boxers.

The only thing that made him stay was seeing how happy Grace was. She had been massaging the back of his hand absentmindedly all evening. Occasionally, after a particularly brutal comment, she looked at him and smiled with encouragement. He gazed into her doe brown eyes and his heart melted. He had been very fortunate that the tablecloth was long enough to hide the erection that kept popping up.

The Bombay Babe' performance was over and now a band was setting up in the corner. He had been surprised and disappointed at the same time when he realized his mother had been joking about them taking their tops off. He wasn't used to raunchy humor from her.

Ethan turned the corner into the hallway that led to the bathrooms. A woman stood in his path, blocking his way. "Hello, Mr. Stone. I've been waiting for you." She was in her late thirties or early forties, like Grace. That was where the similarities ended. She was thin and, although she had nice breasts, her ass was as flat as an ironing board. She stood there, dressed up in a skimpy cheerleader uniform, with one hand on her hip.

"Who are you?" Ethan asked.

The woman frowned. It made her already squat face look even less appealing. Like a wrinkled lemon with lipstick. "You don't remember me, Ryan?"

She stepped closer. He stepped back. She stepped forward again. His back hit the wall. He looked left and right but the short hallway was deserted. He had absolutely no idea who this woman was, but she made him uncomfortable.

"No, should I?"

The woman pressed herself up against him. Her breasts were warm and unexpected. She grabbed the front of his crotch and rubbed his cock through the costume. "Very funny. You know I don't like playing hard to get," she cooed. "Your wife isn't gonna miss you for at least ten minutes and oh, look at that," she said, sliding her fingers along his hard shaft, "someone wants to play." There was alcohol on her breath.

Ethan was close to panicking. Whoever she was, she clearly thought he was his father. She also had a history with him. Was his father cheating on Grace? A shudder ran through him as she massaged his head with her thumb. He felt betrayed by his own cock.

"I need to go," he said firmly. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away. "My pants are all wet and I need to clean up."

"I'm all wet, too," she replied.

The guy inside Ethan groaned. It wasn't often that a woman came onto him, especially not that aggressively. Actually, it never happened. He wondered if he could say yes. Go back to somewhere private with this forty year old cheerleader and get a blowjob. The thought was exhilarating.

But ultimately, it wasn't what he wanted. He sidestepped her next advance and scurried off into the bathroom, hoping she wouldn't follow.

She did not.

*** *** ***

Grace leaned against the navy blue wall of the hallway outside the bathrooms. A small line had formed in front of the women's bathroom. Everyone needed to go before the dancing started, apparently.

At least five minutes passed before the door to the men's room opened and Ethan stepped out. His pants were warm and toasty, having been subjected to the blowdryer.

"I'm sorry about Lydia," she apologized and kicked off the wall.

"It's ok. I think I deserved it," he replied.

She wanted to laugh but limited herself to a smirk. Ryan definitely deserved water spilled in his lap. Ethan did not. She threaded her arms around his waist and gave him a fierce hug.

Ethan's heart thumped in his chest. It was so loud, he was sure his mother would hear it. Only a few minutes ago, a strange woman had pressed herself up against him and rubbed his cock. Now his mother's breasts were pressed up against him and it took all the willpower he possessed not to get an erection. He rubbed her back and she nestled up against his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck. She was careful to avoid smearing her makeup on his costume.