Chapter 26
Karter pulled her hair up into a ponytail and gave herself a once-over in the mirror. She was waiting for Creed to pick her up; he was taking her to work, and they were going back to his house after Purgatory closed.
It was the annual Halloween-themed night at work, and Karter had chosen a mermaid costume.
She wore a deep forest-green, strapless bralette top with a black crystal embellishment in the center.
From it hung black, thin jeweled strings that curved and met at the back.
The skirt was asymmetrical, longer on the right and stopping mid-thigh on the left.
The side housed a black crystal that matched the top.
Since she would be working, she’d opted for a pair of sandals that tied around her ankles instead of heels. She’d fixed her makeup in the same shade of forest green and used rhinestones to give herself the illusion of scales on her face. She was happy with it.
Karter had just picked up her purse and was heading out of her bedroom when there was a knock on her front door. She opened it and found Creed on the other side. He didn’t normally dress in a costume for the occasion. However, he’d agreed to allow her to choose one for him.
Naturally, she chose a captain’s costume for him. She felt that if she were going to be a mermaid, then he would be the sailor she lured. He wore black pants and, instead of going for a long- or short-sleeve captain’s shirt, a vest with a black-and-gold tie and a captain’s hat.
Purely for her own eye candy. It put both of his tattoo sleeves on display, and Karter always enjoyed looking at his tattoos. She also knew that during the night, he’d probably unbutton a few of his vest buttons.
Creed leaned down and kissed her softly. “Hey, Kaere. You look...like we may both have to call in.”
Karter laughed. “We aren’t doing that. I have fun at these.” She placed her hands on his biceps. “Besides, the wait will be worth it.”
“It always is. Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she responded, grabbing her keys off the hook and turning off the light.
After locking the door, she let him lead her towards his truck, where he picked her up and placed her inside. It was almost nine, and both of them were taking the later shift.
As they drove through the streets, Karter listened to the soft music that filtered from the speakers. She knew that once they arrived at the bar most of the music would be Halloween-themed, and though she liked some songs, she typically tired of it after an hour or so.
Once they made it to Purgatory, she slid out of the vehicle and took Creed’s hand as he came around. They entered the bar, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. Karter spoke and waved to those they passed on the way to his office.
She put her purse away as Creed went to his desk. They weren’t as crowded as they would be, and she knew that tonight they’d have to keep an eye out to make sure they stayed under max capacity. Karter knew her boyfriend would stay in his office until the place started filling up.
“I’m going to head out front,” she informed him. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Alright, Kaere. Come get me if you need me.”
Karter nodded at him before leaving the office. She found Ilia at the bar dressed in her siren costume with little wings on her back. She knew Eva was there somewhere, dressed in her forest nymph costume. They’d all decided to go as Greek mythology characters.
“Well, don’t you look like a sexy mermaid? I’m loving this makeup and accessories,” Ilia stated.
“And you, Miss Siren, are stunning. There’ll be no need for a song to lure men in. They’ll come from just looking at you,” Karter responded before adding with a smirk, “In more ways than one.”
Ilia laughed, and Karter leaned against the bar, looking out over the patrons. There were a few tables that seemed to have been sat recently, and she headed over to them and took their orders.
Karter had been waiting on tables for about an hour and a half when she saw Creed emerge from his office. She’d just taken an order and was headed to the kitchen to put it in. Once she had, she went to the bar and entered those orders as well.
She was swaying absently to the current Halloween-themed song when she felt arms around her waist. She removed them, turning around and glaring at the random man behind her, because she’d known immediately that it wasn’t Creed behind her. Karter knew his touch.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“You looked like you needed a dance partner,” the man responded, his eyes sweeping over her.
“I don’t. So, unless you need a drink or some food, I need to get back to work.”
“Maybe later then,” he stated before walking off.
She rolled her eyes before turning back towards the bar where Ilia was placing the last drink from her order. Karter put them on her tray and then went to her tables to deliver them.
She wove her way through the throngs of people dancing and throwing darts. She knew the orders she’d placed in the kitchen weren’t ready yet, and she instead made her way over to where Creed was standing behind the bar.
He had a beer in his hand, and while he didn’t drink while he was working, he allowed himself one or two during special events, as well as the rest of the staff.
Karter leaned her hip against the side of the bar, and Creed held the bottle out to her.
She shook her head. She liked to have her drinks closer to the end of the night.
“The contests are going to start soon,” Creed stated.
“I have a few people on my list from my tables that shouldn’t be allowed to participate. They’ve had quite a few drinks, and the last thing needed is them hurting themselves during one of the contests.”
“Do you want to judge, baby?”
“I thought Ilia and I were judging the costume contest.”
“You are. I meant the rest of it.”
“If you want me to,” Karter responded. She didn’t mind judging. She knew Creed liked to keep an eye out on the patrons and make sure they weren’t starting fights. It split his attention, and Karter knew he’d rather focus on ensuring nothing happened and everything went smoothly.
He leaned down and kissed her. “Thank you, baby.”
She nodded before turning her attention out toward everyone else.
She found Eva laughing at something one of the patrons said, but she’d seen the laugh enough to know that it was fake.
They all laughed or smiled politely at corny jokes.
Doing so always yielded larger tips. However, it was also tricky because if you didn’t balance it correctly, they might think you were flirting with them.
She stood at the bar for several more minutes, talking to Creed before going into the kitchen. The last of her orders were being plated, and Karter placed them on her tray before thanking the boys and heading back to the main area to deliver the food to her tables.
She glanced at the large clock that hung above the bar. The first contest would start in about ten minutes. There were seven different ones they had planned over the next three hours. They always amused Karter, and she was looking forward to them.
Ravage leaned against the back of the bar as he listened to Karter and Ilia try to decide on who should win best costume.
He knew when he’d asked the two of them to judge the competition, they would take it seriously.
He would have been inclined to just choose someone, but since the prize was a two-hundred-dollar gift card this year, it was best to let them handle it.
There was a little over an hour left until closing, and surprisingly, he hadn’t had to kick anyone out the entire night. It was a first for a Halloween night.
It took a few minutes, but it seemed Karter and Ilia had decided on who the winner was. Ilia went to the control for the music playing throughout the space and paused it.
“Alright everyone, listen up!” she called, gaining the room’s attention, and the noise began to gradually die down as people turned their attention to her.
Once all eyes were aimed toward the bar, she continued.
“We’re going to announce the winner of the costume contest.” She gestured to Karter to take over.
“The winner of the costume contest is Pennywise. Please come to the bar to collect your prize,” his girlfriend announced. Ilia restarted the music as patrons applauded the win.
“Pennywise, huh?” Ravage asked.
“Yes. Our first choice was the Pinhead costume, but they left so we were between Pennywise and Chucky,” Karter responded.
He understood why they’d chosen Pinhead to begin with. Ravage had seen the costume and thought it was cool. It was one of the few that stood out to him.
“I’m going to have my drink now since things are about to wind down. Do you want me to come help you with the deposit when I’m done?”
“I got it, baby,” he responded. “We’ll announce last call in half an hour, and maybe we can all get out of here fifteen minutes after we close.”
The kitchen was already closing down, and they wouldn’t be taking any more food orders. Karter nodded, and he leaned down to kiss her before she went to decide on what drink she wanted to have.
Ravage stayed behind the bar until it was time to announce last call. Once he did, he waited for the servers and bartenders to close out open tabs before he started going down his closing checklist.
Ravage helped Karter into his truck twenty minutes after closing, then went around to the driver’s side and got in. It hadn’t taken them long to get everything done once the last patrons had trickled out five minutes before closing.
The drive to his house was filled with music that was, thankfully, not Halloween music. He was glad there was only one time a year he had to hear “Monster Mash” because it had played what felt like every hour.
When they arrived at his house, they headed inside, and he followed Karter to his bedroom, turning the light on as they entered.
“Are you tired?” she asked as she slipped her shoes off.
“Not really.”
“Do you want to watch a scary movie with me?”
“Sure, Kaere.”
“Let’s shower, and then we can choose one.”
Ravage allowed her to lead him to the bathroom, and he turned on the shower while she undressed.
He took a moment to watch her and wondered if they’d even get to the movie.
As much as he’d enjoyed seeing her in her costume, he always enjoyed seeing her naked.
However, if she was serious about watching the movie, he could allow them to get through it before he indulged in her.
Once they were both undressed, they stepped into the shower, and he washed her.
Just because he was holding out until after the movie, it didn’t mean he wouldn’t take the opportunity to touch her.
Ravage felt much like a teenage boy sometimes when he was with her.
It was as if she were the first woman he’d slept with and he couldn’t get enough.
Though the former wasn’t the case, the latter was very much true.
When they were dressed and lying in bed, he handed her the remote to allow her to choose a movie. He didn’t mind what they watched. They both enjoyed horror movies; Karter as long as there wasn’t an overabundance of gore, so he knew whatever she chose they’d both enjoy it.
They were a third of the way through the movie when she shifted to lean into his side, and he wrapped his arm around her waist. When he glanced at her at the halfway mark, he found she was asleep, and he couldn’t help but be amused.
She’d asked him if he was tired because she wanted to watch a movie, and she was the one who ended up falling asleep.
Ravage would allow her to sleep until the movie went off, and then he would wake her with his tongue.