Mitch was tired. Work had been a long, miserable grind of one emergency
after another. What he really wanted, more than anything, was a quiet night
in front of the fire. A beer, his favorite book, a warm, glowing fire; yes,
that was exactly what he wanted. He knew it was a lost cause. Tonight was
Halloween.

He opened his front door and stepped into his small, cozy house. He had
worked hard to restore the Craftsman-style bungalow to its original beauty
and he took quiet satisfaction in his accomplishment. Dropping his keys and
the mail on the coffee table, Mitch spied the large bowl of candy sitting on
the kitchen counter. Trick-or-treat was due to start in just a few minutes.
He sighed and grabbed a slice of pizza from the fridge.

‘Chinese food,’ he thought, ‘would go nicely with a beer in front of the
fire.’ Mitch shook his head in regret; that little dream just wasn’t in the
cards for tonight. He turned on his computer, finishing off the pizza while
it booted up. Mitch opened his messenger program, hoping to see his best
buddy online. He enjoyed chatting with her and knew she would be good
company between trick-or-treaters. Damn, Mitch swore silently, she wasn’t
there. Hoping she might show up later, Mitch left the program running as he
answered the door for the first of the kids begging candy.

Two hours later, he turned off the porch light. The children had been
adorable, but he was glad it was over. He was completely out of candy, not
even a small bag of his favorite M&Ms were left. Checking his IM program
one last time, Mitch closed it down. His friend had not shown up. He could
have used her company, especially tonight. He sent her a quick email, just
to say hello, before shutting the computer down.

Just as the computer’s power light blinked off, the doorbell rang.
Irritated at yet another intrusion, Mitch yanked the door open. He blinked
in surprise at the vision that greeted him. The woman standing in front of
him was, in a word, stunning. Her gauzy, semi-transparent dress covered her
completely but left nothing to his imagination. A large pair of silver
feathered wings swayed gently with her every movement. She carried a large
paper bag and grinned at him mischievously.

“May I come in? The food’s getting cold.”

Entranced with her smooth, mellow voice, Mitch moved aside to let her enter.

“Do I know you?” he asked as she came through the door.

“Silly, of course you do.” She touched his face gently. “I’m your birthday
gift.”

“My birthday gift? No one knows it’s my birthday.”

“Obviously someone does. Now, why don’t you build a fire while I unpack
dinner?”

Mitch went to the fireplace, never taking his eyes off the woman unpacking
cartons of Chinese food and his favorite beer. He managed to get the fire
started without burning himself, but it was a very near thing. A dozen
different questions confusing his thoughts, he blurted out the first one
that came to mind.

“What’s your name?”

“Angel, of course. Come eat before it gets cold.”

Mitch sat down on the sofa. Angel, he mused, it certainly suited her. She
continued to fuss with the food until it was arranged exactly right, then
handed Mitch a beer. She tried to sit on the sofa next to him but the large
wings made it impossible.

“Do you mind if I get comfortable?”

His thoughts whirled with the implications of that question as Mitch quickly
consented. Angel reached around to her back and did something he couldn’t
see. Stunned, he watched as the wings came free. She placed them carefully
on the floor, away from the fire.

“They’re removable?”

Her soft laugh warmed his soul more than the fire ever would.

“You wouldn’t believe what I had to go through to get those wings. After all
that, I made darn sure they were removable. As nice as wings are, they
aren’t always convenient.”

Nodding as though this were an everyday occurrence, Mitch reached for his
beer and downed a large gulp. ‘I’m dreaming’, he thought. ‘I’ve fallen
asleep in front of the fire and I’m dreaming.’ It was the only explanation
he could come up with that made any sense. Intoxicated by the scent of Kung
Pow Chicken and Angel’s light fragrance, Mitch answered her questions about
his day. The conversation flowed between them as they shared the impromptu
meal.

Cleaning up the remains took only moments. Mitch carried the leftovers out
to the kitchen while Angel moved the coffee table aside and tossed the couch
pillows on the floor. He returned to find her arranged comfortably in front
of the fire, her hair and skin glowing with its flickering light. Silently
she motioned him over and Mitch went to lie beside her.

They lay there for a long time, watching the dancing flames and talking
softly. Mitch stroked her hair gently, savoring the feel of her silken
curls flowing through his fingers. Angel raised her lips to his and he
captured them in a soft, tender kiss that quickly gained heat. She moved
against him, her breasts pressing into his chest, as she deepened their
kiss. Mitch’s body responded to feel of her in his arms, his penis
stiffening uncomfortably in his jeans. ‘Happy birthday to me’, he thought
as he covered her body with his own.

Mitch woke the next morning, naked except for the soft, warm blanket that
covered him. Angel was nowhere to be found. He searched every room of the
house looking for her. Was it a dream? ‘No’, he thought, ‘it couldn’t have
been.’ He could still feel her skin against his; hear her soft moan as he
sank himself into her. Mitch remembered the way she had bitten his shoulder
as her orgasm surged through her, the pain of it triggering his own climax.
He rushed to the bathroom and examined his shoulder in the mirror. Yes,
there was a distinct mark where she had bitten him; proof he was not losing
his mind. Mitch ran his fingertips over her mark and smiled.

After showering and dressing for work, he grabbed a cup of coffee and turned
on his computer. There was an email from his friend.

Mitch,

I’m sorry I wasn’t online last night. I spent Halloween with someone
special.

I’ll talk with you tonight.

F.

PS Open the box

Mitch glanced down to find a white box sitting next to his computer, a
pretty blue bow holding it closed. He slipped the bow from the box and
opened it. It was filled with hundreds of brightly colored M&Ms, a
beautiful silver feather, and a small card. He touched the feather gently
as he remembered the wings Angel had worn. His breath caught in his chest
as he read the simple card:

Dear Mitch,

I hope you enjoyed your birthday gift.

Love,

Friday