Dad's Wife at the Monster's Ball

Trent was hurt by his father. First for marrying someone his own age, then for hiding problems with the family business. Trent blamed it all on his dad's wife, but discovering the truth shocks him and changes everything This is a romantic story with twists and turns and several happy endings.

This is an entry to the Literotica 2021 Halloween Story Contest. I would love it if you vote for me after reading my story! xo

Dad's Wife at the Halloween Ball

"She broke up my parents' marriage, killed my mom, and nearly owns the business," I growled, failing at tamping my anger down. As the son of the CEO, I could not afford to let my emotions become public knowledge.

"Trent, you know it's only going to be worse after your father dies. You need to get it under control, buddy." Having heard it all before, Alan was the proverbial voice of reason. He unfolded his lanky frame from the chair, tapped on my desk and was gone.

I stared out over the city skyline. Usually the view was peace, but nothing could override my anger. It started when my dad walked out on my mom for a gold digger twenty-five years his junior. My dad married someone my age. It devastated my mom. It destroyed my faith in my father that he was so easily stolen from a family and marriage that had just recently celebrated a golden wedding anniversary.

The ink was not dry on the divorce papers, and they were married. Not in a small intimate ceremony, but one that splashed on all the socialite websites.

It was her first marriage, so she wore a white dress, which ironically was the same color as her new husband's hair. She looked much younger than her fifty-three years, no doubt what caught my father's eye. But it could have been she had the classic looks of Jackie O down to her dark brown hair and eyes. The white dress was calf length and skimmed all her curves. Keeping herself up like that would not be cheap and I guessed she might have chosen my father for a sugar daddy, but all the blurbs pointed to old family money.

I did not attend because I was aiding my now weakened mother, dying of a broken heart, while at the same time my dad and his bride were all smiles with her geezer father beaming next to them.

My father owned fifty-one percent of the company; I owned the remaining forty-nine. My father sat at the head of the boardroom table now. When something happened to him, Marleigh, my young, wicked stepmother would take his place.

My anger was consuming, and I knew Alan was right. I had to get myself in check because I did not have a damn bit of control over what was going to happen. It would all unfold with me as a main character without a script. I still mourned the loss of my mother only six months ago, but I had to put the rest out of my mind.

I checked my watch remembering I had a department head meeting in minutes and had just enough time to scan my notes. My obsession with this was interfering with work.

"Don't forget your files," Simone smiled indulgently handing me the files I needed.

"Thanks," I said, gratefully. She would soon be retiring, and I didn't know what I would do without her. She was more than an office assistant. Often more of a confidante.

As I was coming in the door with a big sack of Chinese, a stack of files from work and a bunch of flowers, Alyssa my sometimes girlfriend texted me. I didn't have to look to see she was begging off dinner again. I ate and threw the flowers in the trash.

My inner rage seeped out of my pores and was beginning to poison everyone around me.

My condo was my haven. I liked. I didn't give a damn about matching anything. No decorator. Just what I liked, but anyone that ever visited was surprised. Soft comfortable black leather furniture, black nickel, marble and stainless tables, lamps, and lighting. It was simple but I liked it. At fifty-five I had no one to impress. I did the nuptial thing so long ago and it was so short lived that I barely remembered it.

I went down to the condo building gym to run off some of the tension that has become my life.

~~~

"You all ready for the meeting, dad?"

Because of the pandemic, the company had struggled. The only positive aspect of his marriage was he was inspired and got the company turned around. I ruefully admitted he was happy with Marleigh. But at what expense... And that is what I could not get past.

"I am, son," he said smiling because he was ready to deliver good news at the meeting. "I didn't know if this day would come. And that we can keep the company private..." he trailed off, not wanting to again think about the loss of the company to our family.

"Dad, you did a great job, I can't tell you how proud of you I am," I said. I had my arm around his shoulders as walked down the hall to the board room.

The room was packed with anyone within the company that wanted to come. At dad's announcement, the relief in the room was palpable. Many lingered to socialize and celebrate and indulge in the food trays we had brought in.

Dad came up while I was talking with our employees, and I stepped away. "Marleigh is picking me up for lunch to celebrate. We'd like you to join us, son." His words were measured and sincere. It had been no secret that I held no love for the situation.

"Sorry dad, I just can't." He nodded.

I saw a cloud pass through his eyes before he clapped me on the shoulder and smiled.

"This has been a great day in this company."

Marleigh stepped out of the elevator and my gut clenched. She had a siren's smile that could crack the ice of the hardest male heart and I could understand why she turned dad's head. A younger woman giving attention to an older man that had long ago lost that sizzle in his marriage.

She had her cashmere coat up around her neck and commented to dad how the temperatures were dropping. Her eyes were liquid espresso with minimal makeup

She turned to me, ratcheting that smile up a notch and asked, "Trent, can you join us for lunch?" Adding, "It would mean a lot to your father to have you join the celebration."

I looked at dad and said, "I can't, remember I have that meeting with marketing?"

It was a legitimate excuse, but I saw the flash of disappointment in his eyes. "Sure, that's right. Maybe next time." I nodded and fled back to my office, hating to disappoint him about anything.

I picked up a stack of mail from Simone's desk.

"Your Monster's Ball invitation is here," she smiled, knowing that I never went.

It was an annual charity event held every Halloween. An excuse for the social set and philanthropists to mingle with the heavy hitters of the business community, which amounted to old money and new money mingling for fellow man. The night would herald millions of dollars from the unselfishness of benefactors.

Although we had never had representation of the family or our company at the ball, my father set up a foundation through the company twenty years ago. I personally donated to help children and animals, both of which depended on adults to do the right thing.

I tossed the envelope in a desk drawer and began sorting the other mail.

After the meeting Alan popped his head into my office, and seeing that I wasn't busy, sprawled his tall form on the chair across from me.

"So, I suppose you got your Monster's Ball invitation and you're already deciding what to wear?" he asked sarcastically and laughing.

"Yes, I did. I suppose you're going?" I replied, equally as sarcastic.

Alan and I were college roommates. When he graduated dad was happy to bring him into the company and since then considered family. My dad, Alan and I were the only ones to get the invitation. Five-hundred dollars a ticket narrowed down the prospective list to only those that could afford it.

He crossed his leg, his ankle on his knee and I laughed at today's choice of socks, which were his trademark and endeared both men and women to him.

"What?!" he said, fighting back a grin. "You got something against goldfish?" We laughed. "I am thinking this year I might go and see what it's all about."

"Okay, now the truth."

"Okay so the girl I'm dating mentioned something about going," he said, sheepishly.

"Ah ha!"

"What ah ha?! She's the giving type!" That naughty boy grin I knew stopped women in their tracks.

I rolled my eyes. "Moving on."

"Hey, is wicked stepmother and your dad going?"

"No idea."

"Okay then." He got up and did a comical tip toe out of my office.

An hour later Simone came into my office and closed the door. Her face was white, her eyes wide with shock.

"Do you have your cell phone on?"

I picked it up off my desk and saw six missed calls from Marleigh. My heart thudded in my chest and my gut turned upside down as I looked at Simone. By then tears were rolling down her face. She steadied herself on the back of the chair.

"It's your dad, Trent." Her voice trembled "He had a massive heart attack. He's gone."

"He can't be dead. I just saw him..." I said, knowing that meant nothing other than it would be the last memory I would have of him.

"I'm sorry, Trent." She turned and left just as I saw her face crumple in sobs.

I poured a shot of whiskey I kept in my bottom drawer and wondered when I cracked it open last. I knocked it back and called Marleigh.

"Where the hell have you been, Trent?" Her voice was angry, but throaty rasp told me she had been crying.

"I uh... I'm sorry." I simply said. Sorry for not answering. Sorry she lost her husband. Sorry I lost my dad.

"He had made all the arrangements and they're in motion," she clipped.

"Okay, let me know what you need," I said and heard the silence because she had already disconnected.

Alan appeared at my door. His eyes were red rimmed. I nodded and waved him off. We both knew there was no need for talk right now.

Dad had arranged everything be hastened and the next week was a blur. We quickly arranged for family to get here from across the country. I was an only child and our family was small, but they wanted to pay their respect. Like a general, Marleigh issued orders for everyone, including me. To be fair though, picking up family at the airport was not exactly a hardship.

What was uncomfortable was bringing them to the big house that I grew up in. That my parents lived in until their divorce. Dad did want mom to stay, but she refused so he bought a condo which was not only more the size she needed but did not come with the baggage of memories. She had enough of those already rattling around in her head and they never did allow her any peace. Mom never knew, but dad paid for everything right down to her end-of-life care.

Not long after that he brought Marleigh into the house as his bride and as any woman would, she redecorated every room. Mostly to exorcise the memories for dad, I'm sure. No matter, it was the first time I'd been in the mansion since she moved in. They were only married two years, so I did not have but a couple of holidays to beg off.

I introduced Marleigh to the family and she greeted them with a sincerity that was likable. She wore an understated Chanel suit in grey with grey suede high heels. They all commented on how she reminded them of a former first lady, enamored with her at once. Only I saw through her façade.

"Trent, your family is so nice. I'm sorry your dad didn't have time to see them more," she murmured later.

"No, he stayed pretty busy once he married you." She recoiled. A slap could not hit the target more perfectly.

"I loved your dad and he loved me," she stated flatly, her brown eyes sparking. "Had you spent some time with him, he would not have had to shoulder the load alone." The click of her heels as she walked away might just as well have been the shots from a gun.

Marleigh began showing up for board meetings, albeit leaving the talking to Angus, dad's assistant. He and dad often spoke in tandem, so used to his presence and input. She listened attentively and often took notes but never interjected her opinions. Yet. I knew that would not last long. As the current majority owner, I was sure she would not let that detail slip away from her.

After the meeting I overheard her tell someone that she had plans to go to the Monster's Ball. My vision dimmed. I was incensed. Dad hadn't been gone two weeks and she was already preparing to put herself back on the market. I strode past Simone's desk into my office and slammed the door behind me. I rarely even closed my door but knew I wouldn't be bothered when I did.

Dad, you're not even cold in the ground and your bride is already going on the prowl for another husband. Alan warned me that it would be worse once dad was gone, and he was right.

I picked up my keys from the desk and threw them in my desk drawer. Seeing the invitation made my blood boil all over again that my stepmother was attending such a gala. I picked it up, slit the envelope open and read the invitation. I tapped the edge of it on the wood, thinking.

Then it hit like a two-ton truck, and I smiled at my own duplicity and tossed it back into my drawer.

Another month until the Monster's Ball, which I would need every day of. I was at the end of wrapping up my dad's estate. He of course had everything clear so there was no room for squabbling. Since the family was small, everyone was remembered. I found my eyes tearing as I ran down the list of who was to get what. All our long-term employees were listed.

He was very generous to us all, but I would rather he still be here with us.

Marleigh got the mansion, cars, and the fifty one percent of the company. Surprisingly, she was not listed for a monthly payment. The next line though sent a shockwave through me.

Marleigh's father was to receive one and a half million dollars.

I went to the window and my city view trying to come up with some explanation for that.

There was a tap on my door, and I knew the only one that dare do that would be Alan.

"Come in, Alan."

He quietly closed the door behind him and did another comical tip toe to the chair. "Is it safe?"

I handed him the estate list. As he scanned, he smiled fondly when he found his name on the list. When he got to the end, he looked up at me with the same shock I had.

"One and a half mil?! What the ever-loving fuck."

"Right?"

"You have no idea?" he asked.

"Not a clue, no."

"And she gets no monthly reward," he said, the sarcasm dripping.

"Nope. Unless that has something to do with it... But that makes no sense either."

Alan pointed out, "Her family has enough money on their own. But I wonder if her dad was in a monetary bind?"

I shrugged. "You'd have thought dad would have just lend it to him, instead of waiting until his death. I really don't know, Alan. No idea."

He tossed the paper on my desk. "So have you decided to go to the Monster's Ball?"

"Are you joking? No fucking way," I said, laughing. "But you're going right? You and Honey?" He laughed.

"You call everyone I date, honey. You give them a complex before I even get the chance." We both laughed.

He stood up to his six-foot two inch eight. "I'm going to leave you to your conundrum." He hesitates, his hand on the doorknob. "I can't believe your dad included me," he said softly, his voice full of emotion.

"You're family, dude. You're the brother I never had." He didn't look back and just slipped out the door.

~~~

"This is all you have?" Two weeks later I was in the costume shop, and they told me that between the ball and Halloween parties, most everything was rented for that night. I looked at myself in the mirror and laughed seeing how ridiculous l looked with my clean cut looks in this get up. How would I ever pull something just so totally opposite of me off, I thought wondered.

Anyone would recognize me and that is something I did not want to happen. I needed to be able to come face to face with Alan, and him not know who I was. But most of all, Marleigh could never get an inkling of who I was.

Fortunately, I spent a good part of my schooling in England where I spent just as much time perfecting the accent as I did schoolwork. By the time, my years were up I had no American accent. Nothing I could do with my hair but wear a wig. I gathered what I needed and considered myself ready for the Monster's Ball.

It would not be too difficult to find Marleigh that night. As soon as I did, I could set my plan in action. At least for that one night I wouldn't give her time to find another septuagenarian to get her claws into.

I replayed my plan over and over in my head and finally the day of the Monster's Ball arrived.

"Can't talk you into going, eh?" Alan asked, catching up with me in the hallway. "We can find something for you to wear, I'm sure!"

"Nah, I have a hot date with financials tonight. Think of me when the clock strikes midnight or whatever happens on Halloween."

"It truly is All Hallows Eve, so I expect big things tonight," Alan shared.

"Okay, I'll expect a full rundown in the morning!"

Deciding to be as normal acting as possible, I didn't leave early from work so as not to arouse suspicion. Some our execs were going but the tickets were out of the price range for all but the high rollers. The positive to this was the proceeds would go to charity.

I had left everything on the bed this morning so I wouldn't forget any of the details. I showered and snapped up the red western shirt and pulled my jeans on. Black leather chaps went on next.

Before doing any more, I went into the bathroom and wrestled the wig on. It was good quality, and the hair was long and dark blonde, the opposite of my short brown. I would have liked to have left a stubble grow, but what little bit was there would have to do. I lightened my eyebrows with the pencil that the costume shop included with the wig. Contacts came out and I dug out an old pair of wire frame glasses that no one at the company had ever seen.

I stepped back from the mirror and surveyed myself, surprised that I looked strange to me. I was confident this, along with my British accent would get me by anyone that might know me.

An impressive white and black faced Jayleh took my ticket and blinked a yellow eyed greeting. Years back a local group of socialites bought a theatrical mansion that was built and occupied by a nineteen forties screen star husband and wife. Three ballrooms, one with a stage, took most of the main floor. The caterer's kitchen was not part of the house but built apart and connected by an enclosed connector. Bedrooms occupied the two floors above. I imagine more than a few after event celebrations took place up there.

Black duster, hat and gun belt made the decision for whiskey at the bar rather than champagne from the enticingly clad French maids. I propped my elbow on the corner of the bar and began scanning the crowd for Marleigh.

"That's quite a gun you're toting there, sonny." I looked down to see a grey-haired school marm. But even her baggy dress couldn't hide the shapely figure of a petite young lady.

I had a fist on my hip and didn't realize the duster pulled back to show the alarmingly real Colt on my hip.

"It does look real, doesn't it?" I said in my perfect British.

Young sea blue eyes met mine, glanced down, and she said, "I wasn't talking about that gun."

She smiled, picked up her drink and left. I looked down and only then I realized the black leather chaps perfectly framed the crotch of my blue jeans. Another day, another time, another mindset I'd have followed up, but that wasn't what I was here for tonight. Oh, I had seduction on my mind, but I had to pass on discovering the busty body under the costume.