She twirled her skirt around her legs, showing off her outfit. Her black hair was long and loose, and she had several chunky necklaces on.

“You look great. What are you supposed to be?”

“A gypsy.”

“How is it any different than what you usually wear? You should have at least been adventuresome enough to raise the hemline above your ankles,” Shade said, taking a change of clothes out of a drawer.

Shade saw Lily looked down at herself.

He walked to her, cupping her cheek. “You look gorgeous. Who got it for you?”

“Beth,” Lily said, twirling away.

Shade looked at her dress closely. “Remind me to thank her.”

He was going to have a long talk with Beth to thank her for buying Lily the gypsy costume for the Halloween party. The dress had a shimmering fabric which was practically see-through when the light hit it.

“Why?”

Shade merely shook his head, going into the bathroom. “Never mind. I won’t be long.” If he told her what he could see, she would take it off. He wasn’t about to deny himself a glimpse of that ass.

Shade took a quick shower then changed before going into the main room of the basement and taking a seat on one side of the couch.

Several club members were already there. Beth was sitting on Razer’s lap next to Evie on the couch, eating snacks. Viper and Winter were dancing among others who had toned down their usually more suggestive grinding.

“How was Georgia this week?” Beth asked Lily, putting her arm around Razer’s shoulder.

“Fine.”

“Lily, would you mind getting me a beer?” Shade requested. “The new prototype came back today with suggested changes from the manufacturer,” he told Razer.

“Figures. What do they want done now? It better not change the cost of production.”

Lily got up from the couch to go to the table where the beer had been set up at and got him one. When she came back and handed it to him, Shade reached up and pulled her down on his lap. Lily tried to wiggle off.

“Sit still,” Shade ordered.

Lily quit wiggling.

Shade ignored her rigid posture, resuming his conversation with Razer about the production of one of the tools which was selling well.

“The only way to increase production is to go with another manufacturer,” Razer said.

Their conversation continued while Lily and Beth talked about the church store Lily had volunteered to put together with Rachel Porter.

It wasn’t long before Train and Jewell came downstairs and started dancing alongside Viper and Winter. Train wasn’t wearing a shirt, but he had on a bandana over his hair and a patch over one eye. Jewell was wearing a pirate wench outfit which left most of her breasts bare, and the short skirt showed the long length of her shapely legs.

As the song changed, Razer got to his feet. “Let’s dance.”

With that, Beth and Razer joined the couples dancing.

Halfway through the song, Evie came downstairs dressed as a French maid with Cash dressed as himself.

Lily laughed, looking into Shade’s eyes. “Train is the only one who dressed up?”

Shade shook his head. “Rider dressed as Tarzan, but I threatened to kick his ass if he came down here.”

Lily’s giggles were cut off as Shade got up, setting Lily on her feet before taking her to the dance floor. She tried to get away but he snagged her around the waist, pulling her close.

“Dance with me, Lily.”

“I don’t know how,” she protested.

“That’s okay. They don’t, either.” Shade pointed his hand at Evie and Cash.

She began moving, and by the third dance, Shade could tell she was relaxed.

The other members came and went, moving back and forth between the two floors, everyone seemingly enjoying themselves.

Shade pulled her closer as someone turned off a couple of the lamps, dimming the room without making it too dark. The thin material of her dress let him feel every inch of her body. Yes, he had a lot to thank Beth for.

Beth, Razer, Winter, and Viper had gone upstairs while Cash, Evie, Train, and Jewell were still dancing. She seemed to have grown comfortable enough around the members to have a good time. It was definitely a party unlike any at the clubhouse. While upstairs the usual ‘anything goes’ was in effect, the downstairs was tame in comparison.

“Are you having a good time?”

Lily smiled up at Shade. “Yes, I am.”

“Don’t seem so surprised,” Shade said, his thigh sliding between her legs as his hand dropped to circle her waist.

“I just thought it would be wilder.”

“It is, upstairs.”

Lily blushed, turning her eyes away. “If you want to go upstairs, I won’t mind.”

“Shut up. I’m exactly where I want to be.”

Lily smiled.

Shade lowered his head then, his lips briefly touching hers. Lily didn’t move away from the brief encounter, so he did it again, lingering against hers. He increased the pressure on her lips, trying to get her to part them. When he slid his tongue along the seam of her lips, she gasped and Shade took advantage, sliding his tongue inside her mouth.

Lily’s hands grabbed his T-shirt, but she didn’t push him away; therefore, he gently explored her mouth, giving her the first kiss from him, one she would remember. He wanted to replace each memory from her childhood with something which could be cherished.

Then Shade lifted his head, breaking the tender kiss, continuing to dance as if nothing had happened.

The music ended, and Shade stepped back. “Want to get something to drink?”

“Yes.”

As they moved off the dance floor, an out-of-breath Evie plopped down on the couch next to Jewell.

“I love your outfit, Lily. It looks all demur. Then, when you move, it shows that rockin’ body of yours. I might need to borrow it for the next party,” Jewell complimented.

Lily’s mouth dropped open as she glared at Shade. It was time to beat a hasty retreat. She obviously hoped he would feel guilty for not telling her the dress was sheer, but she was shit out of luck. A person had to have a conscience for that crap.

“The drinks are all gone. I’ll go get some more,” Shade said, making his move to get out of Dodge.

He climbed the stairs, going into the packed kitchen. The parties were getting larger every weekend, and he noticed a couple of new women he hadn’t seen previously at the club. He didn’t let his eyes rest on any of them as he moved across the room, taking a large pack of beer and soda out of the fridge.

Train and Cash came upstairs, foraging for what food was left. Cash swiped a pizza away from Nickel, and Train took a bag of chips out of the pantry.

Heading back down, Shade saw Lily on the pole when he reached the halfway point of the stairs, his feet automatically moving to the bottom as he watched her unconsciously seductive movements.

“It’s great not only for the thighs, but your stomach muscles, as well. Just don’t let your arms do the work for you; let your tummy and thigh muscles do it,” Lily was telling the women.

When no one said anything, Lily rose and turned to see Shade standing there.

“I was just showing Evie an exercise I learned in my pole class,” Lily said, jerking her leg down from the pole and straightening her skirt.