The MasqueRave — Chapter 1

I didn’t even wanna go…

While I was always CeCe’s first choice to take to The MasqueRave—a rave-themed masquerade orgy—it wasn’t until her plus-one, Faith, bailed due to a family emergency that my bestie begged me to loosen up for once and join her for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

So, I reluctantly went, checking into the event as Faith. Despite having no intentions to partake in the debauchery, I unexpectedly met a sweet, sexy guy named Carmelo who made me comfortable enough to wanna get naughty with him in the middle of the dance floor. Why not, right? I had a mask on and used an alias, and it’s not like he or anyone else there knew me except for CeCe.

Well, I wish I hadn’t given in to my carnal urges. I wish I didn’t let myself fall for him. Because the most magical night of my life ended in the worst way, leaving me more confused and hurt than I’ve ever been…

And now that I’m burdened with the consequence of what happened between us at MasqueRave, I—Monica Morello—vow to unmask Carmelo and figure out why our night ended the way it did.

I just hope it’s love that awaits me when I find him and not regret.

Chapter 1:
An Unexpected Plus-One

Monica ‘Momo’ Morello | 18
Saturday Morning, October 1st

The moment I step out of Magnolia Hall, the sunlight bakes my slightly olive skin like there’s a cafeteria heat lamp being held right over me. Today is one of those sweltering, disgustingly humid mornings in Tallahassee where even a leisurely stroll from my dorm to the nearest lecture hall would have me all sweaty and sticky. Surely not the best day to wait until 11:00 a.m. to finally go out for my run but, as a Florida native, I don’t let that stop me.

Using my smartwatch, I hit play on my running mix then break into a jog, heading left down Collegiate Loop. Instead of following the road back around toward my dorm, I cut across the sidewalk bordering the north end of FSU’s Landis Green then hang a right down Honors Way. From there, I run south along the Green and, a few feet before hitting Citrus Way, I turn right down the walkway that runs along the park’s southern end, heading back toward my dorm. This rectangular route is only 0.5 miles, so when I pass my resident hall, I keep on running and do it again.

By the end of my second lap, I’m drenched in sweat, my strawberry blonde ponytail is clung to my neck, and it feels like attempting to make it an even 2 miles will put me in the danger zone for sunburn. Screw it, I’m done, I think, slowing to a stop outside of my building. Not like I don’t run at least a mile every other day.

The second I step through the doors of Magnolia Hall, chilled air washes over me. “Ahhh,” I sigh in relief.

It always feels like winter in here, which is nice after being out in the heat but, by the time I get to my room on the fifth floor, I’m basically shivering. Especially when I’m this sweaty. Actually, even when I’m not sweaty I’m usually shivering if I don’t have on a hoodie.

Per usual, Cecelia Cohan—my roommate and best friend of 13 years—still isn’t back in the room when I walk in. Figures. Ever since she got the bid to join Sigma Lambda Tau, she pretty much lives at the sorority house from Thursday to Sunday night. And following last Sunday’s official initiation into the sisterhood of S.L.T. or SLUTs, as they call themselves, I’ve barely seen her at all.

The only good thing about CeCe being gone so much is that she’s not always hogging up the bathroom anymore, I think while stripping in the middle of the room and tossing my clothes into my laundry bin.

Not only do we not have to deal with communal showers, but our two-person suite has a private bathroom instead of the ones that are shared between two rooms. That’s the only perk of getting assigned a dorm right beside the RA’s. Still, I’d take living next to an RA who complains whenever we listen to music at a normal volume than share a bathroom with anyone other than CeCe. Because I’m a bit of a germaphobe.

As I pass the mirror hanging over the sink, I briefly meet my gaze, catching a glimpse of my light green eyes with pupils encircled by amber rings. My gaze then falls to my barely A-cup breasts, and I smirk at the sight of my pink nipples that are erect due to the frigid temperatures in here. After admiring my washboard abs, I turn my sweaty, petite body sideways to check out my butt—my best physical feature next to my eyes. I mean, many guys have called me pretty but, since my tits aren’t much to look at and my body is skinny to the point that I look a few missed meals away from appearing anorexic, my perky ass is my saving grace from being flat as a board on both sides. And all the running and leg workouts I’ve been doing since starting college six weeks ago are really making my glutes start to pop, taking my booty from grabbable to ‘juicy.’

No wonder I’ve caught so many guys checking out my ass lately, I think, reaching into the tub and turning on the water a few notches below the hottest setting.

Because music is everything to me, I power up the Bluetooth speaker that we keep on the three-tiered toiletry shelf across from the sink. Only once my favorite indie mix has begun do I step in the shower.

Four songs later, the water gets cut off. Since I don’t wanna freeze to death, I towel off my body before opening the shower curtain and letting the steam out. Now I stand before the mirror while drying the curtain of naturally strawberry blonde hair that hangs a few inches past my shoulders. Only after I’m no longer dripping do I wrap the towel around my torso and step out into the room so I can grab the panties I forgot to bring in with me. As I do, the door flies open, startling me so badly that I yelp and jump back in a spastic way that makes my towel slip down.

“Yay! You’re home!” my raven-haired bestie shouts, smiling brightly at me.

“I should be saying that to you, CeCe,” I say bitterly while quickly pulling the damp towel back up over my breasts. “I was starting to forget that we even went to the same college.”

“Uh-oh… I know that tone… Same tone you used when I accidentally broke your doll in first grade… You’re pissed at me for neglecting you, aren’tcha?”

Without even looking her in the eyes, I grab my underwear and start heading back to the bathroom. “I thought you were going out of town with your sorority bestie, Faith.” The words come out sharp instead of playful as intended.

“Okay then… You are mad at me…”

I shut the bathroom door behind me.

“C’mon, Momo!” she pleads, calling me by the nickname that only my immediate family and oldest friends use—a moniker that’s a partial amalgam of Monica Morello. “You knew I wasn’t gonna be around much once I got into the sorority! You said you’d be okay with it!”

“Yeah,” I say, pulling up my panties, “but I didn’t think I’d legit never see you. Like, had I known it was gonna be like this, I would’ve gone to Brown University like I wanted to, or to one of the other schools I got into instead of following through with our Momo and CeCe against the world plan from ninth grade.”

“Monica… Have I or have I not been insistently going on for the last two years of high school about joining a sorority? You even said that you would too if we got into the same school! If it was really Momo and CeCe against the world, you would’ve just rushed Sig-Lam-Tau with me, then we wouldn’t be apart so much!”

I reemerge from the bathroom, pulling my FSU shirt over my head. “That’s before I knew what being a full-time student meant… I’m a biology major…” I snatch my favorite hoodie off the bed then start putting it on. “I don’t mind partying with you on weekends but, with my course load, I’d never be able to juggle studying, homework, and sorority stuff. And I was right. Sig-Lam-Tau has been more of a time-suck for you than your classes have been… Like, you barely passed your last few psychology exams because you had zero time to study during rush.”

CeCe sighs. “Listen, you’re right. This sorority has been a way bigger time suck than I thought it’d be, and I totally get why you didn’t rush with me. I’m sorry for giving you crap just now. And I’m sorry that I’ve been M.I.A. since, basically, move-in day when you only came to FSU to be with me.”

I offer her a warm smile as I flop down onto the edge of my bed. “It’s alright. I guess seeing you a few hours a week is better than being all the way across the country at Brown or Stanford and not seeing you until the holidays.”

“Exactly!” she cheers, flopping down beside me. CeCe wraps an arm around me and rests her head on my shoulder. “Starting today, I’ll be better at spending time with you. I promise!”

“Wait, is that why you’re here right now instead of on the road to wherever it was you were going with Faith? Felt bad about abandoning me so you canceled your plans?” I smirk at her now that she’s lifted her head off my shoulder.

“No, I’m here because her mom is in the hospital or something and I don’t wanna go unless you come with me!” She flashes me a wince-smile.

I arch a brow. “I am sooooo honored to be your backup trip buddy now that you’re in need of an unexpected plus one!” I say sarcastically.

“Um, you aren’t my backup, you were my first pick,” CeCe speaks in a serious tone. “I asked you to go with me weeks ago—before I asked Faith—but you said ‘hard pass.’”

“What? Why don’t I remember this?”

“Oh, you’ll remember when I tell you…”

“So, tell me!”

“Promise me you’ll go with me first!”

I narrow my gaze at her. “Why would I promise you that I’ll go if it’s apparently something I already said no to?”

“Because you’re my ride-or-die sister for life who’d never leave me hanging. That’s why!”

“Just tell me what it is, CeCe.”

“Promise me that you’ll go!”

“Fine. Whatever. I promise I’ll go.”

“Yay!” she cheers, clapping rapidly.

“Now tell me.”

“Okay, so… Do you recall me telling you that Skylar—my Big sister at the sorority—drunkenly slipped up and told us about this exclusive, super-secret, masquerade-rave party that she went to last year?”

I squint, tilting my head to the side. “Vaguely? A masquerade rave sounds awesome though! Why would I say no to that?”

She smirks fiendishly. “Because it’s not just a masquerade rave… it’s a masquerade-rave-themed, underground sex club party thrown at some secret mansion that they don’t give you the address for till the day of.”

I scowl. “Oh… Yeah… I remember that now… And, like I said last time, hard pass.”

“Nope! You promised already, Momo!”

“CeCe… A sex club isn’t exactly my kinda scene.”

“How would you know? You’ve never been to one! And even if you have, it’d be nothing like MasqueRave! Skylar said it’s like EDC meets Coachella meets a Madi Gras Carnival! Except they give you molly at the door, there’s free booze all night, and everyone is allowed to walk around with their junk out and fuck on the dancefloor or wherever.”

“Eww… I know I won’t like it because it’ll be weird being around a bunch of naked people.”

“But they won’t be naked… They’ll be wearing masks the entire time because no one’s allowed to remove them for even a second.” She smirks wickedly.

“Ha. Ha. Very funny… Aside from being around random nude people, I don’t like the idea of watching people bone all night while I’m tryna party.”

“Me and you literally watched porn together several times throughout high school so we could learn to give blowjobs and ride dick, Momo.”

I snicker. “Yeah… But this is different!”

“How? How?”

“Because I’d be standing a few feet away from them, not on the other side of a computer screen.”

She snickers. “Monica… You’ve seen tits and vadges in the locker rooms, you’ve seen a dick or two in real life, and you’ve watched porn. How is this any different?”

I shrug. “I guess it’s not, but—”

“Exactly! So just go with me! You don’t have to stand around and stare at people while they’re fuckin’, just pop a molly with me, have a few shots, keep your gaze at face-level, and just vibe out to the music while you dance with some random hot guy of your choice! Boom, problem solved!”

“What’s the point of going to a sex party if I’m not going to get it on with some rando though?”

“The point of going is to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience with your best friend at an exclusive event that we may never get the opportunity to attend ever again! Because that’s what life is about! Experiences. Wild times. Sexual encounters. Getting the chance to be naked and free in public at a mask-mandatory event where no one will know who you are! When we graduate, the rest of our lives will be consumed by work. And then, one day, we’ll have husbands and kids dominating our lives on top of that. Experiences like this are things you gotta jump on whenever the opportunity arises.”

She has a point… My high school career was a bore-fest. The only parties I went to were the one after homecoming, the one after prom, the grad party, and the going away party at Connor Cooperman’s house… Also, I’ve only had sex one time. Barely.

I inhale deeply then sigh. “I guess you’re right about that.”

“I am right. And who knows, you might pop a molly and decide you wanna hookup with some man candy who happens to catch your eye.”

“Unlikely…”

“Does you saying it’s unlikely mean you’re gonna be my plus one, or are you gonna make me go to a sex party all by myself?”

“Ugh… Will there be weird old dudes there?”

“Nope! The event is age-restricted. Eighteen- to thirty-two-year-olds only. Also, the people in charge of the event only select the most attractive applicants to be on the guest list, so all the guys will be hot. Side note, me making it on the list basically means I’m among one of the hottest girls in Florida who applied!” She tilts her head side-to-side while smirking and batting her eyelashes.

“As if you needed more of an ego trip.” I giggle. “Alright, here’s a more important question: Is it going to be safe?”

“Yup. Not only did Skylar tell us that there were condom dispensers everywhere but, to even be approved for the guest list, you have to pass a background check and you gotta submit STD test results from bloodwork taken within a week of the event before they send you your e-ticket.”

“Well… Okay then… But I meant, like, sexual assault and stuff.”

“Oh! The site says security will be abundant and that there’s a strict ‘women must initiate all sexual advances’ rule. Like, the rules page explicitly says that female guests must take a guy’s hand and put it between her legs if she wants to be touched so the cameras know it was consensual. And if two people wanna go somewhere private, the girl’s gotta lead the guy by the hand through the mansion. If security sees some guy hauling a girl off to some room, it gets handled.”

“I guess that’s somewhat comforting.”

“Very! And Skylar swore that all the guys there the year she went were very respectful and followed the rules. Besides, no dude is gonna break the rules at the risk of getting banned from a place where it’s impossible not to find someone to hook up with. Like, Skylar said they had escorts there that people could rent by picking out someone on a tablet and swiping their smart band at the front desk or whatever.”

“Oh wow… Okay.”

“So, you in?”

“I dunno… I’m not even the kind of person who belongs at a rave sex party. I’m shy and awkward and—”

“Something I learned in the one psych class I didn’t skip is that, no matter how shy people are, they always come alive and become different people once they put on a mask. Anonymity makes everyone a little bit wild and act out of character. I doubt even you’d be the exception to that rule, especially after you loosen up with a few drinks.”

I bobble my head side-to-side. “You’re probably right.”

“I am right. So, time to get out of your comfort zone and live a little for once, Momo! Attending a word-of-mouth party thrown by a billionaire who’s, like, our age is legit a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Like, you don’t understand how lucky we were to get selected, never mind be able to get tickets before they sold out. People legit sell their souls to get into these MasqueRave parties whenever they pop up around the country… So, c’mon! I don’t wanna go alone! I want my oldest best friend with me!”

After a brief pause, I sigh and nod. “Alright… If you go, I go!”

“That’s my girl!”

“Hold on, though… You said that they have to run a background check on people and confirm bloodwork before they put them on the list, so how the heck am I supposed to get in if it’s already the day of?”

CeCe smiles, reaches into her purse, and then pulls out a plastic card and a black masquerade mask with gold accents. “Since Faith can’t go, she gave me her driver’s license and the login info for The MasqueRave app so you could use it to get in as her!”

“Oh wow… That’s super nice of her,” I say, taking the license from CeCe.

“I mean, I basically begged her. But the $250 admission fee is non-refundable, and she’d rather me go with you than have that money go to waste.”

“Do I have to reimburse her?”

“Nope!”

“I don’t know,” I mutter, holding this girl’s license up to my face. Me and Faith Hanson sort of have the same tiny nose and complexion, and her face is slim like mine, I guess. I’m an inch shorter than her, but that’s negligible. I might be able to pass for her with a masquerade mask on if it weren’t for my irises being a very rare light green with a ring of amber surrounding my pupils instead of the hazel brown that hers are. And then there’s the fact that my hair is strawberry blonde and hers is mahogany. “The second the bouncer compares me to her ID, they’re turning me away.”

She shakes her head. “Skylar said that they don’t make you lift your mask to get in because rule number one is that masks must stay on from the time you pull onto the property until you drive out, so all you gotta do is just show your ID and scan the QR code on the app. If you dye your hair and put in hazel contacts, they’ll never be able to tell!”

“Ugh… I don’t wanna dye my hair though.”

“Momo, trust me when I say that changing your hair color for once in your life will be absolutely worth it. Besides, you’d look great with dark hair! And it’s not like you can’t just dye it back later.”

“True… Ugh… Fine, I’ll go if you pay for the contacts, the hair dye, and the outfit or whatever, if I need one.”

“Girl. Bet! That was already the plan. You didn’t have to ask!”

I giggle quietly. “Good.”

“Also, Faith gave me her outfit to give to you. But if you don’t wanna wear it, I can drive you to Boudoir Plus so you can shop for something else.”

“Boudoir Plus?” I snap my fingers. “Wait… isn’t that the same adult toy store that you and the girls stole a bunch of stuff from for the sorority heist initiation thing?”

CeCe does something between a wince and a smile. “Oh yeah… I forgot I told you about that… Yup! So I def can’t go in with you if we go…” She cackles.

“Obviously… Also, whatever happened to Taylor?” I ask, referring to Taylor Lawrence, our sweet and innocent friend from the fourth floor of this resident hall—another girl who I don’t see often anymore because Sigma Lambda Tau takes up all her time. “Last thing you told me was that y’all left her behind after getting caught stealing and no one heard from her since.”

A suspicious smile creeps across her face. “Oh, yeah… Taylor’s fine! She came back two nights later, an hour before our initiation ceremony. Apparently, she just went to her aunt’s place and wasn’t responding because she was upset about getting in trouble and mad that we left her to take the fall.”

“See? That’s how little we’ve seen each other this week! Took you six whole days to update me!”

“I know… I’m sorry!”

“It’s all good… So why haven’t I seen her all week? And why hasn’t she been replying to texts?”

CeCe shrugs. “Olivia said Taylor’s been either sleeping or just lying in bed after classes all week because she’s going through a bout of depression. She hasn’t told anyone what’s got her down though.”

“Ah… That explains it… Alright, back to The MasqueRave… Where and when is this thing?”

“Tonight at 8:00 p.m.,” CeCe says, grabbing her phone. After unlocking it, she taps this app icon that looks like a neon purple masquerade mask. After using facial recognition to open the app, she taps Events and then swipes up. “And it’s here.” She turns the screen to me, showing me a picture of this massive, beachside mansion. From the looks of it, the property is in a secluded area on some kind of peninsula. Beneath that photo, the address reads: 4307 Breakwater Drive, Destin, FL 32541.

“Destin… Isn’t that pretty far from here?” I ask.

“It’s two hours and thirty minutes away, which isn’t terrible considering they waited until literally this morning to reveal the location.”

“Oh, damn.”

“Yeah… But the hotel I booked is six minutes from the mansion, which means we’ll have time to change and stuff so long as we get there with an hour to spare.”

I glance over at the clock. “It’s just past noon, so… we’ve got four hours to find contacts that match Faith’s eyes and dye my hair before we gotta leave. Is that enough time for the color to even set?”

“Since you’re going from a light color to a dark one, we don’t have to bleach your hair first, so it shouldn’t take too long to dye it. There should be enough time to get that done, wash your hair, and straighten it within two hours. Worst case scenario, we can just straighten your hair at the hotel.”

“Alright… CVS is, like, a five-minute walk from here, and they should have dye there… What about the contacts? What store has colored ones, Walmart?”

“CVS usually has colored ones in stock. If not, I can drive around and find you some while you work on your hair.”

“Alrighty,” I say, rising from my bed. “Let’s skedaddle then!”

“Hold on,” she says, springing up from the bed and heading over to where she left a plastic bag by the door. “You need to try on Faith’s outfit first so we can figure out if I need to find you something else while I’m out.”

“Good call,” I say, reaching into the bag she’s holding open for me. I pull out a black, lace-up corset. The moment I unfold it, lacey, fingerless, black gloves fall onto the floor. “Okay, okay…” The next thing I pull out is a black, high-waisted, pleated, lace-up miniskirt with a lace trim. “Talk about skimpy!” I hold it up to my waist. “Where’s the rest of the skirt?”

CeCe cracks up. “That’s all of it, Momo.”

“Sheesh!” I say while taking off my shorts. After pulling up the miniskirt, I turn my butt to the mirror hanging from the door while looking over my shoulder. My jaw drops when I see my booty peeking out from beneath the hem. “Geez… My ass is hangin’ out!”

“Yeah, that’s kinda the point!” She laughs again. “Don’t forget, no one is gonna see your face, and no one is gonna know who you are, so it doesn’t matter who sees your goods. And if your ass is hanging out, so what?! Pretty much all the girls there will be naked, so guys won’t be gawking too hard if you’re covered up with even that little bit. This is your chance to build some confidence and be comfortable in your own skin!”

I nod, pulling the skirt down past my knees and stepping out of it. “You know what? Fuck it. You’re right. Might as well take advantage of the mask and come out of my shell this one time.”

“That’s the spirit, Momo! And if it makes you feel any better, if you wear that skirt and corset the entire night, you’ll probably be the most overdressed girl there!”

I crack up as I put my shorts back on. “If that happens, then everyone will be staring at me.”

“Who knows, maybe you’ll get inspired and shed some clothes when the molly and booze hit ya!”

“After you’ve talked sober me into going and into wearing this, something tells me that getting drunk me to strip isn’t out of the realm of possibility anymore.”

“And neither is the possibility that you’ll finally break your dry spell by having your first one-night-stand…” she purrs while giving me a wink.