The Secret Life of Em de Mone (Part 1: The Intro)

Ruby Hood is back from the beta reader and needs some reworking. In the meantime, I'll be sharing a new short story: The Secret Life of Em de Mone

Em is a character in another series, but here's a snippet of her early years in Vegas.

Happy Reading. ~Aspen

Part 1: The Intro

Chills ran up her fishnets as she strode through the sliding doors of the ever-elusive Luxor casino. Every time she entered this casino that haunted vibe rushed through her. Every time. But she brushed it off and let it go. She had no time for that. Not tonight.

It was last Saturday of October and Em de Mone had places, well a place, a very specific place, to be. Weaving in and out of maze after maze of touristy folks lingering, clearly not in a hurry, she followed the signs: Fetish and Fantasy Halloween Ball 2002.

She was almost late. Almost. She’d swapped her usual night shift serving drinks and sophistication to the high rollers at the Foundation Room, next door at the Mandalay Bay. It paid the rent and bought luxuries, lots of them. Plus she enjoyed her job. People watching amused her to no end, especially at the top of Vegas.

People let their crazy fly high when they came here. It was some sort of weird rite of passage, people felt the need to fulfill. Sometimes, it was fun to watch. Sometimes, it was sad. But it's always interesting. Like right now, Em thought, stopping briefly as some poor schmuck got harassed by plain clothes security. The guy’s demon costume was great, complete with glowing green eyes, and they very were real looking. Em cringed as he screamed obscenities and made a scene, but security didn’t care. Not at all.  Stoic and straight-faced, the big guys from upstairs, dragged the monster out.

The hustle and bustle disappeared into the crowd and Em continued her journey, thinking again about those glowing eyes. A pang of envy stabbed at her. Not only had they looked authentic, but some red ones would’ve gone fantastic with her costume. For a quick second, she’d wondered what that monster-man had done to get thrown out of a Fetish Ball, known for its ‘anything goes’ attitude. And so early in the evening. With a shake of her head, she dismissed him and all things public people. It was time to indulge her own fantasies, starting with finding her friends. The train of masqueraded people and the thumping bass led her right to the entrance.

As she stood in line, Em gave herself a quick once over in the large ornate mirror on the wall next to her. She’d been working on her costume for months…a Vampire Biker. Her long slender legs rocked the tiny black leather shorts, fishnets and Dr. Martens. Her too-tight t-shirt was both sweet and hilarious: I ♥ Grandma (front) Even though I ate her (back). With the help of lots of powder, Em had made her fair skin almost translucent and unnaturally pale. Expertly she’d darkened her eye make-up and added artful blood droplets on the corners of her mouth, bringing out the red heart on her shirt. She wore her short hair spiked with blonde tips. Perfect for this costume. A quick glance at her watch told her she had 10 minutes to meet Renee and Maria at the center bar. She was right on time. Things had a funny way of working out.

“Your costume…” the hot young thing said with googlie eyes as he wrapped the wristband around Em’s wrist. “…looks amazing.”

“Thanks, sweets. Just for that…maybe I won’t eat ya later,” She flashed her killer vampire teeth. He gulped. She laughed and blew him a kiss as she entered the Ball. 

I do hope you enjoyed The Intro, and I would love to hear your thoughts! 

Next week, The Setting and the Characters will give you a more in-depth look into Em's life. I can assure you, it's not what you think.  😉

The Secret Life of Em de Mone

Keep Reading:

Part 1: The Intro

Part 2: Characters and Setting

Part 3: Problems

Part 4: It's All Fun and Games, Until...

Part 5: The Plot Thickens

Part 6: Two Fortune Tellers and a Monster