Rick or Cheat?

"Are you ready yet Cassie?"

"One minute, nearly done." Cassie picked up the plastic devil fork from the edge of her bed and angled it behind her head. She looked at herself in the full length mirror, tilted her head to one side and tapped her phone screen. The flash briefly lit her dim room and and she straightened up, looking at the selfie. "Oh god...I'm really not sure," she murmured under breath as she zoomed in on her dress.

She took a deep breath, looking at her reflection again. The invitation had specified 'sexy devil' and at the time, browsing the internet with her flatmate Lauren, the outfit had seemed perfect. But they'd been drinking that night, and in her sober state now, she felt less sure. It wasn't that she was shy to wear fairly skimpy, revealing clothes but this was borderline outrageous.

She took a step forward to her mirror, looking at her own face. She adjusted the headband to ensure the devil horns were perfectly placed atop her jet black hair, tied into long pig tails that fell across her bare shoulders. She'd used black mascara to accentuate the lashes of her wide narrow eyes. Her pale skin, slightly long thin nose and high cheekbones were, as with her eyes, features inherited from her great-grandmother, who had hailed from Singapore and come over to England when she met her great-grandfather in the 1950s. Three generations on, she was proud of the subtle Oriental hint of her appearance.

She adjusted the plastic choker bow around her slim neck and let her eyes cast down her body. She bit her lip, that sense of uncertainty coming over her again. It was technically a dress, though the description was loose at best. Bright red, it was off-the-shoulder, with with sleeves that started about 5 inches from her pale bony shoulder to just below her elbow. The inner part of the sleeves matched the outer panels of the dress, a tight yet stretchy material that clung to her body and accentuated the curve of her hips. The outer part of the sleeves were a diamond net pattern, which not only extended to the entire back of the dress but also formed the central section of it. She was 170 centimetres in her bare feet, and very slender. She was thankful her tummy was flat, given that it was clearly visible through the diamond net material. For a moment, she wished she had a belly button piercing, but as her eyes cast up her body to the shallow V of the dress, she wished she had a strapless bra instead. Standing with a straight back, the red panels did cover at least three quarters of her small breasts but the inner quarters were obviously visible through the diamond netting. Too late now though!

The dress was shorter than she had envisaged when she'd bought it, and despite pulling it down as much as she could, it barely covered the bottom of her bum cheeks, and left the gusset of her black panties on view. It also made her realise how thin the panelled sections of the dress were too; her black panties were visible, especially the lacy band through the net section.

At least the final part of her 'costume' coordinated perfectly. The lace tops of her thigh high stay-ups matched her panties, as did the black diamond net pattern covering her long slim legs.

She actually found herself giggling when she realised the amount of bare thigh between the stocking tops and the hem of the dress matched well with her bare shoulders.

"Come on, we're ready to go," shouted her boyfriend from the hallway.

"Just putting my shoes on Richard," she shouted back. She sat on the edge of her bed and slipped on the red strappy open toe high heels she'd bought to go with the outfit. She was more of a Converse girl, so she stood up carefully, taking a few steps to familiarise herself with the four inch heel. With her devil fork in hand, she opened her bedroom door, wondering if Richard would be pissed off that she would now be a good couple of inches taller than him.

"Oh my god," Richard exclaimed, turning to see his girlfriend emerge from her bedroom. He stared at her, eyes wide open as Lauren appeared from her bedroom opposite.

"Wow! Cassie," she gasped. "Fuck...you look awesome!"

"Let's see," Ben said, peering over Lauren's shoulder from behind her. "O...M...G," he added simply, his eyes wider than Richards.

"Oi, keep your eyes on me," Lauren laughed, digging her boyfriend in the ribs with her elbow. Ben feigned pain and chuckled "sorry babe."

Cassie looked at her own boyfriend, then at her flatmate and her boyfriend. "Is it too much?" she asked, that uncertainty putting doubt in her mind again.

"Too much?" Richard replied, raising his eyebrows. "Don't you mean too little? For fuck's sake Cass, you can't go a party dressed...like that!" She could see how unimpressed he looked, and felt a pang of disappointment.

"Bloody hell mate. You should be grateful you've got a bird that looks like that!" Ben grinned, before groaning as Lauren elbowed him in the ribs again.

"I'm not going to warn you again," Lauren said, her tone scolding and but with a grin on her face. "Don't listen to him," she added, nodding towards Richard. "You look fucking stunning babe."

Cassie smiled at her flatmate. She'd only known her for 6 weeks, starting university together and sharing a student apartment with two other girls. They'd hit it off straight away, like they'd known each other for years. Lauren was blonde, a size 14 and fake tanned in comparison to Cassie's almost porcelain white size 6 UK frame, and their backgrounds could not have been more different. Where Cassie came from an upper middle class family - her father was an investment manager in London and she'd been schooled privately, Lauren came from a working class district of Manchester. Both were studying Economics with International Politics, and although they looked like chalk and cheese; Cassie at least 6 inches taller, they'd become instant best friends.

"Thanks...it's not too...slutty though, is it?" She glanced at Richard, whose expression said he thought it was.

"No way...oh my god Cassie, you look amazing. Come on, Flick said it was part of what made the party so awesome, everyone in sexy outfits, it'll be awesome." Lauren grinned and took a step forward, wrapping her arm around Cassie's waist. "Get a pic Ben," she said, turning to stand side by side with her.

Ben grinned and held out his iPhone. Lauren's invitation had said 'sexy witch' and his eyes focussed on her outfit through his phone screen. A steel boned satin corset, which he'd helped zip up at the side, off-the shoulder sleeves, a lace up front and back with a wide detachable skirt and black ruffle panty shorts accessorised with smooth black holdups, elbow length gloves and an oversized witches hat. She beamed a smile towards him, and he noted how skinny Cassie looked next to her. Sexy as hell, but too skinny for him, his eyes were more on the athletic thighs of his girlfriend as he snapped the picture.

Lauren stepped forward to take the phone from Ben. "Right, you two now" she said. Ben took a step to his right, alongside Richard and put his arm around his shoulder. "Smile then Rick," he said with a chuckle.

Lauren framed the boys with the phone camera. She thought Ben was looking especially handsome in the gothic vampire costume, the long black coat with large maroon velvet cuffs and matching waistcoat, which he'd paired with a white shirt, a cravat and grey trousers. Richard looked less impressed, though his expression was fitting for the black skeleton jumpsuit he was wearing. She giggled when he pulled the hooded mask on, the expression replicating the sneer on his face.

She took the picture and handed the phone back to Ben. "So how did they decide on outfits?" he asked.

Cassie shook her head. "I don't know. Flick said it's just random."

Ben grinned and chuckled, "Well, they got you two just perfect." Both Cassie and Lauren smiled back at him. Cassie glanced at her boyfriend, but he still had the hooded mask on. His eyes though told her he was not as comfortable as Ben was.

"Come on, let's hit the road," Ben said, picking up Lauren's overnight bag and taking hold of her hand before leading her down the hallway towards the door.

Cassie looked at Richard. "Guess we should be going then?" He replied with a curt nod, picking up their bag as they followed the other couple out of the apartment.

"I wish he wouldn't call me Rick," Richard whispered into Cassie's ear as they started down the communal staircase.

"Don't worry about it," Cassie whispered back. "It's probably just a northern thing."

This was not the first time the four of them had gone out together. It was actually something that Cassie and Lauren had bonded over, arriving at university each with a boyfriend still back at home. Richard had gone to university in London, and was still living at home with his parents. At 20, Ben was two years older than the rest of them, and worked for his father as plumber back in Manchester. As it turned out, both were only a couple of hours away, and this was the third time the boys had visited at the same time. Like Cassie, Richard was from a fairly privileged background; both his parents were lawyers. And although Cassie couldn't really care less what someones background was, she had the feeling Richard was less accepting. He hadn't said, or done anything in particular, but she could tell he was less at ease in Ben and Lauren's company. She'd really hoped this party would be the night he really relaxed and the group friendship would be cemented.

"So, this Flick, she's loaded right?" Ben chuckled as he led the way to his car.

"Ummm...yes," Cassie replied, giggling. "Like...seriously loaded."

"How come you got an invite then babe?" he laughed, nudging Lauren as he walked hand in hand with her.

"Dunno mate, maybe coz I keep good company now," she replied, turning her head to grin at Cassie.

Cassie smiled back, shaking her head. "You're the one who befriended her first!" she chided back. She slipped her own hand into Richards.

"You could've at least worn a coat," he whispered in her ear. It was only a short walk to the car, but it was a cold English night and although she knew he meant it as a means of covering up her outfit, she accepted that she could feel the cool air penetrate the thin dress and give her goosebumps.

The lights flashed in the darkness on Ben's car as he unlocked it. Cassie clambered into the back of the sporty 3 door Ford Focus and felt the cold leather of the seats against bare upper thighs. The boys settled in the front and Ben started up the car, the large exhaust reverberating around the student apartment car park. He placed his phone into a dashboard holder, opening up Waze and setting off towards the location he'd entered earlier.

"Sat nav says 1 hour...I reckon 45 minutes" he grinned over his shoulder, and Cassie let out a little shriek as he accelerated out of the car park.

As Ben started to tell Richard about the modifications he'd made to the car, Cassie leaned across to Lauren and said in a low voice "I totally didn't think this dress was going to be...you know...quite so revealing."

Lauren grinned. "It totally suits you babe...honest, you look stunning. Dunno huh, most girls would like a total slut in that but you...well, maybe a classy slut," she laughed.

Cassie giggled and playfully slapped her friend on the leg. She heard Ben talking about the performance exhaust he'd just fitted and noted that it didn't really need explaining, the sound of it almost deafening in the car as he sped out onto the dual carriageway. She could see the speedometer, and felt a little thrill as the needle climbed up towards 90 mph. Her mother seldom topped 70 in their big family Volvo SUV. She could see Richard tense up in the front seat.

The journey passed with Ben doing most of the talking in the front and Cassie and Lauren chatting away in the back. Off the main arterial road, Ben sped along the narrow lanes as the main town gave way to luscious open countryside, though it was too dark to see it properly. He at least slowed down as they entered a village, and Cassie looked out of the window to see children in halloween costumes with their parents, little pumpkin shaped buckets no doubt filled with chocolate and sweeties.

"Not far now," Ben announced, speeding up a little as they exited the village. A couple of minutes later and the sat nav announced the destination was 200 metres ahead. The lights of the car penetrating the dark, they all peeled their eyes for the main gate that Flick had described.

"There, on the left" Richard announced and Ben slowed the car.

"Remember, we're guests of Felicity," Lauren advised as Ben turned into the entrance way in front of large iron gates. He opened his window and reached out to the intercom.

A moment later and the gates opened inwardly in a smooth, steady motion. Ben drove forward, following the driveway through a thick line of trees. They all peered in silence as the driveway curved around to the right and the house came into view.

"Wow," Ben hissed through pursed lips. "It's a fucking mansion."

He slowed the car, the huge stone mansion coming into full view as they approached, the up-lighters on the lawn illuminating the substantial stone structure.

"It's like a bloody hotel," Lauren gasped.

"It was built in 1810," Richard announced. "It was used during the war for military planning and the grounds were used for military training. They extend to nearly 800 acres apparently." Ben looked at him quizzically and Richard just shrugged. "I googled the address."

Ben swung the car into a line of other cars parked out front, and they all clambered out. The dull sound of music seeped out into the wide open silence of the estate. They all exchanged glances and heels and shoes crunched across the gravel as they made their way to the stone steps, flanked by large stone pillars, leading up to the main door. Cassie shivered in the cold air, and the feeling of uncertainty returned. How could she be entering such a grand, stately home dressed like this?

The large wooden doors swung open and a familiar face emerged. "Hi! I am so glad you came!"

Felicity, or Flick as she was nicknamed, was a few inches taller than Cassie, and dressed in the most gorgeous Queen of Vampires costume. Her black and red velvet dress, with a stand-up collar, long draped sleeves, ruched shoulders and red velvet panel running from her waist to the hem almost on the floor looked expensive and classy. Her hair was tightly scraped back, her makeup of red lips and black mascara and eye shadow made her look confident, which was actually not in keeping with her shy personality. Cassie again felt uncertainty course through her, a sickening feeling that she'd misjudged the dress code.

"Oh my, Cassie! You look amazing!" Flick exclaimed, stepping forward with her arms outstretched. Cassie looked at her, slightly bemused, and felt the soft material as her friend embraced her. "I wish I was a brave as you," she heard Flick giggle. Cassie though, was feeling neither brave nor amazing.

"Guys, you all look amazing...I am so happy that you are here!" Flick continued, stepping back to survey the new arrivals. She'd met the boys the last time they'd visited, and greeted everyone individually with a hug. "Please, come on it." She turned to lead the way into the grand house.

The boys followed first and Lauren whispered to Cassie. "She seems pleased to see us." Cassie nodded in reply.

Flick was an interesting character. She'd kept to herself on the first few days of uni, and it had been Lauren that had approached her first. She lived in a different student apartment to them, and had said she didn't really get on with her flatmates. Over those six weeks they'd discovered that she was from a very wealthy family and had been educated at an all-girls boarding school. She was shy and seemed to lack confidence, but had relaxed with Cassie and Lauren and they'd all become friends.

The vestibule was enormous. Cassie's heels echoed on the marble flooring, the sound of the music increasing from behind large wooden internal doors. She heard Flick explain to the boys what she'd told them just two weeks ago.

"So, I am the youngest of five, my oldest brother is 32. My parents are always at our chateau in France at this time of year and he started what has become an annual halloween party when he was 18 with his friends from Uni. It's grown over the years and this is actually my first year!" Cassie could detect excitement, and a hint of nervousness in Flick's voice. "I am not as much of a party animal as my brothers," she added with a little shrug. "I am just so pleased you all agreed to come."

Lauren stepped forward and slid her arm around Flick's waist. "We're dead excited to be here babe...your house is...well...amazing."

Flick seemed to blush a little in response. "Okay, so it is quite an age range here. All my brothers have their friends here, but don't worry. The rule is everyone is welcome, everyone has to get along and everyone has to have fun."

Flick smiled at her guests and opened the double doors. Immediately, their ears filled with the sound of halloween music and people. Cassie's eyes widened as she looked into the most enormous entrance hall she'd ever seen in a house. A huge sweeping staircase lay ahead with doors leading off to rooms on either side of the hall. People were congregated in groups, everyone in halloween costumes. She saw dresses that were short and tops that were revealing, daring to the level of Lauren's outfit perhaps but none that were as outrageously risqué as her own outfit. Her stomach churned and she wished she was as brave as Flick thought she was.

As Flick led them into the entrance hall, heads turned to see who the new arrivals were. Cassie felt her cheeks burn as eyes fell on her and she instinctively wrapped her arms around her waist, using the plastic devil fork to hide her face as best she could. Richard looked at her with an awkward, almost embarrassed expression and she stood in close to him, as if to try and hide from the inquisitive eyes on her. To her surprise, he pulled the hooded mask over his head, and she wondered if he was ashamed to be with her. She put her arm around his waist, and felt him tense up. Her shoulders dropped and she wished she was invisible.

Flick led them from the entrance hall through to a large drawing room. More people were in here, some stood talking, some sat on the expansive sofas. Again, the costumes were wide and varied. Some elegant, some classy, some sexy. Again, Cassie felt eyes focussing on her. She exchanged glances with Lauren, who nodded and whispered "you look great hunny." Cassie took a deep breath and nodded in reply, and although thankful for her friend's encouraging words, she felt her expression was less convincing.

She was aware that Flick was pointing at pictures on the wall, and noticed a family portrait, but she couldn't hear the words, just could feel eyes on her as Flick led them through a large archway at the far end of the drawing room.

The tour continued, through an ante room where two vampires stood smoking cigars. Flick pointed to one and announced "That is Archie, my eldest brother." Cassie glanced at the man, who nodded his head at her and raised a crystal whisky glass in her direction. She felt her cheeks flush again, cursing how her skimpy outfit made her feel almost naked. They moved out into a huge glass conservatory, the music increasing in volume. It was darker in here, and Cassie felt a moment of relief. A DJ was at the far end, and people were dancing in groups. The little group congregated in the corner furthest from the DJ and Cassie positioned herself so that her friends sheltered her from view.

"How many people are here?" Lauren asked Flick, raising her voice to be heard.