Like A Mask Removed
Volume Two: Erotic Tales of Supervillains
Edited by Bethany Zaiatz
Circlet Press, Inc.
Cambridge, MA
Like A Mask Removed, Volume Two: Erotic Tales of Superheroes & Villains
Edited by Bethany Zaiatz
Copyright © 2010 Circlet Press, Inc.
Published by
Circlet Press, Inc.
39 Hurlbut Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
Smashwords Edition
This ebook was converted to multiple formats using the Smashwords Meatgrinder. Please report any problems you find with the ebook to us by commenting in the Bug Report section of our web site (www.circlet.com). Circlet Press has specialized in erotic science fiction since 1992. We'd also love to hear if you enjoyed the book!
License Notes
Please do not support online piracy of copyrighted works. This ebook is licensed for the personal enjoyment of the purchaser only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, or if you received this ebook copied from a friend or by other means, please support the writers who made it possible by purchasing a copy yourself from Smashwords.com or one of the publisher's other retail partners. Thank you for your support.
Table of Contents
Invisible Touch by Erin O'Riordan
Pow! Bash! Yes, Yes! by Sophie Mouette
Those Who Favor Fire by Layla Lawlor
Jetstream by Pencildragon
Bridge Over Shifter's Chasm by Raven Kaldera
Introduction
You don't have to be an evil genius to figure it out-- superheroes are hot (and I don't just mean the perfect bodies clad in spandex, leather, or stylized body armor). Film adaptations of our favorite superheroes remain on the rise and more often than not, these films prove to be staggering box office successes thanks in no small part to buzz created from now widely attended comic book conventions. Something about our old comic book heroes has taken a powerful hold over our collective imaginations, making their most recent surge in popularity so much more than a passing fad.
When I first put out the call for submissions for Like A Mask Removed back in February 2009 there had already been at least three mega huge superhero movies in recent pop culture memory, so I was expecting the subject to stimulate enough submissions for a decent sized ebook anthology. But once we'd reached the deadline, I was completely caught off guard by the sheer number and length of submissions. I was more surprised still when, after reading through each story, I found so many stories of fantastic quality, as well. In fact, there were so many sexy and powerful stories that deserved to shared, we decided to publish two volumes of Like A Mask Removed simultaneously.
In this second volume of Like A Mask Removed, you will be treated with five new, previously unpublished, original stories of the smoldering dynamics found between noble, honorable, well-meaning superheroes and their provocative nemeses. Whether courted during a peace-keeping mission, a chance meeting while off duty, an abduction, or an infiltration into head-quarters, these superheroes find that they are all too human and the temptations offered by sexy supervillains are much too powerful to resist.
It is with great pride and pleasure that I, on behalf of Circlet Press, now offer you Like A Mask Removed, volume two: Erotic Tales of Superheroes & Villains.
Bethany Zaiatz
February 2010
Invisible Touch
Gwendolyn set down her keys and her Prada handbag. She took off her coat, but as she turned to hang it on the coat rack, she froze.
"I know you're here, Invisible Man," she said. With a self-satisfied smirk, she added, "I can hear your heartbeat."
The air between Gwendolyn and the coat rack became wavy, then shadowy. Gradually a solid form emerged. She saw his face first: black hair, five o'clock shadow to match, olive skin, sad-looking hazel eyes. Why did these hero types always look so doleful?
She took a step backward and continued. "How did you get in? Just because you're invisible doesn't mean you can walk through doors, and I flatter myself to say I have a pretty damned good alarm system on this place."
He turned his head to the side and laughed slightly. She watched his chest rise and fall under his simple black turtleneck. No need for a fancy costume when your power is invisibility.
"I didn't need to get past the alarm system. Remember the work order you put in for the leaking bathroom faucet? Lucky me, I showed up on the day your super finally got around to fixing it, Fate."
"I hate that name," she said impulsively, although it was none of Invisible Man's business. In the superhero world, she may have been known as Fate, master thief, a villain so daring she robbed the very powers from superheroes themselves, but in her own mind, she would always be plain ol' Gwendolyn Thanos.
"I suppose you've come by to bring me to justice." She threw herself onto the leather sofa. "I hope you realize I'm not going to come along quietly."
Invisible Man swallowed hard. "It was never my intention to pick a fight with you tonight, Fate."
"Then what, exactly, were your intentions?"
He looked away, out the window. Gwendolyn's guests always looked out the window; the view from the penthouse was spectacular. Of course, none of them were her sworn enemies. "I came here to make you an offer."
Gwendolyn smiled. "Are you allowed to do that, Invisible Man? I thought you superheroes had to follow some kind of code of ethics. You know, always do the righteous and noble thing. Isn't it against the rules to proposition the bad guys?"
He ran his hands through his messy, dark hair, but some of it still fell in front of his eyes. "I'm not breaking any rules by asking you to use your powers to help us instead of fight us. You could be a really great superhero, Fate."
"Moi?" she said with a chuckle. "I told you I could hear your heartbeat, Invisible Man. Do you know how I acquired my sense of super hearing?"
He nodded his head.
Of course he did. Every superhero in the world knew she stole super hearing, along with the powers of super strength, super speed, and flight from The Wonder, right before she dispatched him to wherever aliens from the planet Cryptos go when they die.
Subtly, his heart rate sped up. She could hear it. "Does that frighten you, Invisible Man?"
"No," he said. "You don't frighten me at all, Fate."
Maybe he was lying. Maybe he was braver than she'd given him credit for. "You've seen me in action, Invisible Man. You've seen some of my other powers. You know I can move objects with my mind. You, Invisible Man, are an object. If I wanted to, I could toss you out the window without lifting a finger. Your power of invisibility would do you no good, would it?"
"You don't want to kill me," he said softly. "You would have done it by now."
"Let's just say I'm intrigued by your proposition." He raised his eyebrows, and his face looked faintly hopeful. "Don't misunderstand me; I have absolutely no intention of giving up my life of crime. I'm merely intrigued by your ulterior motive. You do have one, don't you?"
Invisible Man stood before her, sad eyes cast down at the floor, saying nothing. He looked utterly lost, just the way Gwendolyn liked her heroes.
"But where are my manners?" she said. "You're a guest in my home, or at the very least an interesting trespasser. Please, sit down." He sank into the leather chair adjacent to where Gwendolyn sat, still refusing to make eye contact. "Can I offer you a drink? I have a decent viognier chilling in the fridge."
"No, thank you," he said.
Gwendolyn smiled. "That's right, you hero types don't drink on the job. Always alert, always on the look out for the supervillain. Well, you've found me. Tell me, why did you take the time to find out where I live? Not only did you find me, but you also watched my apartment. You found out about the work order, and you waited for the building super to get around to fixing my leak so you could just waltz in here, undetected, without breaking a sweat, or breaking and entering. How many days did you have to wait before you got your opportunity?"