Billy's Halloween (pt 5)

The elevator doors opened on a white, impassive corridor with minimal furnishings. Julie put her finger to one ear like she was a secret agent and said, “Let Martin know I’m incoming with Elvira.”

Billy smiled to himself, feeling a little uncomfortable about being called “incoming”, like a heat-seeking missile, but happy to be referred to as ‘Elvira’. He concentrated on maintaining his best feminine stance in his imposing heels as the elevator slowed to a stop, and the doors opened.

Immediately he could hear the muted thump–thump–thump of repetitive music coming through the walls. As he stepped out of the elevator, the sound made him look right, where he saw some frosted glass doors, behind which were flashing lights and that thumping bass. Party located.

Julie, however, was shepherding him left, toward another set of frosted glass doors. Behind them was nothing except soft lighting.

“I thought I’d give you a chance to freshen up,” Julie said. “There’s a few things I need to tell you as well, before we go on in.”

“Sounds good,” Billy said, following Julie obediently as she swiped her ID card and walked inside.

It was an open-plan office, heavy on computer equipment, light on personal touches. Definitely not the kind of office Billy hoped to work in, and also not somewhere Linda would be that comfortable. He knew she preferred life on the road, making sales, versus being cooped up in a “rat trap with air conditioning” as he’d heard her refer to offices in the past.

“This way,” Julie said, as she turned left again, walking a few dozen steps to a restroom as Billy trailed. “Shall I leave you to it?”

“Yep, that’s fine,” Billy said.

“Let me know if you need anything.” She pushed open the door for her guest.

Billy stepped inside the restroom, letting the door shut behind him. His heels clicked on the bathroom tile, echoing.

Somehow that sound, the lone noise in an otherwise silent environment, reminded him that he was a stranger here – an intruder really, sneaking in, unknown and undercover. They’d let Linda Merrill inside the building, and that’s who the people were expecting to see; Billy was only inhabiting her form temporarily, while also donning a third layer of disguise as Elvira.

To make this work, he would have to maintain Linda’s personality, while layering the distinctive look and ‘vibe’ of Elvira on top. All while performing in front of hundreds of people.

“No pressure, then,” he murmured in his own voice as he stepped in front of the bathroom’s large mirror.

It didn’t really surprise him any more to see Linda’s face looking back at him. Some days, it almost felt strange to see his own face in a mirror, he was so used to seeing Linda there. Her skin felt almost as comfortable these days.

But he knew that he was looking at a facade, a carefully constructed illusion, all the result of his own efforts – with a little help from his half-brother’s company, Secondskin. He lifted Linda’s chin, smoothing down the mask across his throat, feeling the material shift slightly. Everything seemed fine there; Jonathan’s amazing craftsmanship in mask-making once again shining through.

Beyond his fake face, Billy knew one other thing was going to be ogled throughout the night. He lifted up his false breasts, feeling their realistic weight in his hands, adjusting the dress’ cleavage.

“We’ve got to make sure these babies are visible,” he muttered, “but also not offend any uptight party guests. Think about the tips, girl.”

Billy was thinking about more than tips. The image before him of Linda deliberately arranging her dress to attract maximum attention was beguiling, to say the least. He felt a slight shift between his legs, his deeply hidden cock straining.

“Feel free to just tuck that right inside there,” Linda said in the mirror, as Billy imagined someone folding a bill and placing it inside Elvira’s cleavage.

Tempting as it was, he couldn’t spend all night groping himself. He let his gaze move to the rest of the Elvira look, ensuring that every seam was glued, every eyelash was in place, every detail was perfect.

Finally satisfied, he beamed Linda’s most photogenic smile, a particular arrangement of muscles he’d learned from the hundreds if not thousands of photos he’d posed for at Comic-Con. She looked stunning as always. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary – except that she was dressed as a 1980s-era horror movie hostess. “I’d have killed it at the cosplay competition,” he murmured.

With one last minor adjustment to the tall black Elvira wig, he was ready. Linda stared deep into his eyes. Her reputation was on the line. Everything depended on him. His stomach twisted, a physical reminder of the stakes ahead.

“My name is not Linda Merrill,” he said softly in his mother’s voice. “I am not a cosmetics representative, nor am I an actress. Tonight, I am Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, hostess of these festivities.”

She looked believable. She sounded believable. And, he had to admit, extremely hot. He smiled Linda’s smile, looking at her through lowered lashes.

“I’m also an undeniably fuckable sex symbol,” she said.

Billy allowed Linda to smile, then chuckle at her bold statement. “That’s right,” Billy said in his own voice. “You’re going to drive these tech nerds absolutely crazy, mom.”

With a chuckle, he turned away and rejoined Julie outside the restroom.

///

As they walked back the way they’d came, Julie filled him in on the “few things” she’d mentioned.

In reality it was a tidal wave of details that Billy was certain he’d never remember; names of executives, “achievements” of the company that year, percentage figures in growth – by quarter! None of it interested Billy, and he didn’t think anyone else was going to be interested either. No one wanted to hear from Elvira about their fourth-quarter results. They’d be much more interested in looking at her tits or maybe getting a selfie, he figured. After all, he expected the party to be a majority male audience. The male CEO had asked for Linda, and he assumed the man knew what his employees would like.

Nonetheless, he nodded, smiled, and listened to Julie as best he could, only really starting to focus when she started to talk about the CEO, Martin.

“Martin is very particular,” she was saying. “He asked for you specifically.”

“You mean he asked for Elvira?”

“No, he asked for you. For Linda Merrill,” Julie said. “I think he’s a fan.”

This didn’t really surprise Billy, but at the same time, he mentally filed it away, having had many encounters with die-hard fans of the short-lived Guardian Girls TV series at Comic-Con. By now, he had memorized far too much inconsequential trivia about Linda’s short time in the TV spotlight, including dozens of anecdotes that he could reel off to make his audience smile, laugh, or hopefully buy one more autograph.

“Well, I’ll be happy to talk to him about the show, if he likes,” Billy said.

Julie shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not sure. He might not. Anyway, like I said, very particular.” She slightly raised one finger in warning. “Also, he is newly-ish divorced.”

Billy suppressed an eyebrow of surprise. “Oh, really? Are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

Julie looked slightly uneasy. “No, I just wanted you to know that he’s single. He’ll likely flirt with you.”

Billy gave the slightest shrug. “That’s fine,” he said. “I’m used to it.”

Julie looked a little uncertain, but nodded regardless. “Just remember if you need me, wave. Okay?”

“Okay,” Billy said, trying to give Julie a reassuring smile. They were stood outside of the doors leading to the party, voices muffled by the music leaking through. “Well,” Billy said, “I’m ready. Let’s do this.”

Julie smiled. “Fantastic! I’ll go in first, make my way over to the DJ booth and introduce you. If you keep the door slightly cracked, you should be able to hear your introduction. Then come on in!”

“Sounds good to me.”

Julie urged him to step to one side as she opened the double doors and slipped into the room, unleashing a quick blast of sound from the DJ’s sound system. As requested, Billy kept the door open just a fraction of an inch with his foot. At first, all he heard was the pumping bass and the murmur of conversation. Then the DJ’s music faded down, and he heard Julie’s voice amplified across the entire room.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s Halloween,” she began. “We only thought it was appropriate to bring someone here who is very much at home with the supernatural and the spooky. I would love it if you’d put your hands together and give an enormous welcome to our visiting guest, for one party only – ladies and gentlemen, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!”

In the split second after Julie stopped speaking, Billy realized that he really didn’t know that much about Elvira. He’d been so focused on her look, he hadn’t given a lot of thought as to how she’d sound. What did he know? She was… sarcastic? Sassy? Some other S-word? He figured anyone who’d wear this outfit professionally had to be throwing barbs if they wanted to survive. That’d be his take, he decided. Lots of dumb spooky references and a lot of attitude. And if all else fails, he told himself, use the tits.

His stomach was still tightening even further as he forced himself to push open the door and step inside, hoping someone would see him in the near darkness.

Almost instantly, he was blinded by the light of multiple phone flashes and lights, taking shots and shooting video. For a split second he felt weirdly exposed, but then he remembered what Linda would do and – just like he had upon greeting his mother earlier that evening – he threw his hands in the air, feeling the sleeves of the Elvira costume flare open.

With a smile as dazzling as he could muster, he called out in a loud, clear Linda voice: “So this is where all the freaks are!” The crowd laughed, and he gave it a moment for them to settle and hopefully, listen.

“Ladies and gentlemen, ghouls and girls,” he continued, as the crowd quieted a little, “I am incredibly happy to be here, if you can’t tell by the smile plastered on my face. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you.” He pointed to a random, dorky looking guy in the front row. “Except you, you’re not working out, so see me in my office later.” They laughed again, apparently warming to him. “For everyone else, if you’d like to say ‘Hi, gorgeous’ please form an orderly queue by the gravestones. Oh and don’t let vampires drink your blood before I get a taste. Speaking of drinking, who’s buying?”

Several men immediately stuck their hands up, and a couple thrust half-finished drinks in Billy’s face. He laughed them off as the DJ turned the music back up and the party resumed, a small queue already forming to get a selfie with ‘Elvira’.

As the first person stepped up to him, phone in hand, Julie seemed to appear by magic at Billy’s elbow.

“What can I get you? Do you want a cocktail? Maybe a mixed drink? Punch? A soda? Water?”

“Strange as it may sound,” Billy said, “can I get a glass of red wine with a straw?” He pointed to his mouth. “This lipstick took an age to put on, and I don’t want to waste it.”

“Absolutely,” Julie said. She vanished before his eyes, efficient, as ever.

Billy turned to his selfie-seeker. “Okay, smile like you mean it!”