A final recap of the Story Thus Far: Rural paramedic Nettie Hastings finds herself in the middle of a flurry of unexplained overdose calls and, with the help of her best friend and former lover, Terry Wilder, puts clues together to link the source of this mysterious unidentified drug to her own hometown. A DEA agent named Bridgette Ramscone is brought in to work the case, and she takes a special interest in Nettie who, in the meantime, has entered into a clandestine affair with Terry’s preteen daughter Halee. It turns out that Terry’s ex-wife Kathryn is the linchpin of the criminal enterprise behind the overdoses. A showdown occurs in which Halee is shot, and Terry taken hostage. Thankfully, Terry escapes, Halee survives, and the drug dealers are all arrested or killed. While Halee is recovering in Intensive Care, Nettie meets an anesthesiologist named Hannah; both feel an immediate attraction. In addition, Hannah recognizes the special love Nettie holds for Halee, which leads her to reveal that she is sexually intimate with her thirteen-year-old daughter Bethany. Shortly thereafter, Nettie is invited to visit Hannah and Bethany for a home-cooked meal… and all the pussy she can eat for dessert.
For a more detailed breakdown of this story’s chapters, please consult the Chapter Links.
by Rachael Yukey
We didn’t visit Halee at the hospital that weekend as planned. Terry and I both caught the cold that had been going around and agreed it would be irresponsible to carry that into a children’s hospital. Instead, we FaceTimed with Halee several times, both together and individually, and Hannah told me Bethany had asked to visit both Saturday and Sunday. I was more convinced than ever that those two were going to be especially close and soon. Hopefully, I’d be there when it happened.
Even better, Terry was informed on Friday that Halee’s wounds were healing nicely, and if the doctors were satisfied after Monday morning rounds, she could go home.
Meanwhile, I stuffed back the symptoms with a small pharmacy worth of over-the-counter cold medications, and set about making Dad’s place my own. I gave notice to my apartment manager and got to packing, separating out boxes of stuff that would come with me from the portion that was headed for the Goodwill. It’s amazing how much unused detritus can accumulate when you live in the same place for six years.
On Sunday Terry and I were both feeling better, and he brought his pickup to help me move. By the end of the day the garage was piled to the ceiling with boxes, and I realized the even bigger task would be going through Dad’s stuff, deciding what should go and what should stay.
Monday morning found us en route to Minneapolis in Terry’s Equinox. He’d arranged a sitter to get the girls off to school so we could be on the road at five AM; barring an unforeseen problem, discharge was anticipated by eight. We found Halee in good spirits and more than ready to leave the hospital. She still had dressings over her wounds, with firm instructions for their care, but the docs weren’t anticipating any real trouble. I’d hoped to see Hannah, but she was in surgery. She did visit Halee prior to scrubbing in, and sent me a selfie of the two of them side by side.
A few days after that, the dressings came off. Halee had weaned entirely off the analgesics, and reported only occasional pain. The doctors pronounced her fit to resume normal activities, so long as those activities didn’t involve athletics or heavy lifting. By that time I’d cleared everything out of my apartment, abandoning most of the furniture at the curb. I was busy integrating my stuff into the house, starting with getting my audio system set up in the living room. While it was disconnected anyway, I’d splurged on a new turntable, and was eager to try it out.
I FaceTimed with Hannah a few times during this period, culminating in some extremely hot cybersex each time. On two of these occasions, Bethany joined in. Late Friday evening, as Hannah and I lay naked on our respective beds in post-orgasmic bliss, she mentioned having overheard Halee and Bethany cybering a couple of hours prior as she passed her daughter’s bedroom.
Saturday night found Halee and me in my new living room, snuggled up on the love seat. Naomi was spending the night at Chelsey’s grandma’s house, where Chelsey was still staying for the moment. Her mom was out on bail pending legal action, but had been deprived of custody – for good, I hoped. Long-term arrangements were still very much up in the air. Halee’d informed me that Chelsey and Naomi had been spending a great deal of time together, mostly behind closed doors. We had a good chuckle over that.
A record was playing. Halee wanted to check out some of my music, and had plucked an album at random from my vast collection. After checking her selection to make sure it wasn’t a dud, I’d put it on. I was basking in the pounding strains of Savatage’s underappreciated The Wake of Magellan, the new turntable and cartridge defining the mids and lows in a way that my old rig never had. Halee, on the other hand, had a more critical look on her face.
“It’s… interesting,” she said. “I like how aggressive it is, and this guy can really sing. But it’s like… I don’t know. What’s the word I’m looking for?” She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I guess the word is busy,” she said. “It’s too busy. Like they’re trying to do too much.”
I chuckled. “That’s a matter of perspective, isn’t it? I think your music is too simple. It’s all chug-chug or strum-strum, and lacks musical depth. To my ears, at least.”
She let out a snort of laughter. “That’s fair. It’s what Dad says, too.”
“As if he knew anything about good music,” I said, making a dismissive gesture. “So… how are you feeling, really?”
“Good,” she replied. “I can do most normal stuff, and it stopped hurting a couple of days ago. I’m not supposed to lift more than fifteen pounds, but I can do everything else.”
“Are you up for a little fun, then?” I said, going for a sultry tone.
She favored me with a smug little smile. “Who says I haven’t already been having fun?”
I grinned. “Hannah told me she overheard you and Bethany having some cyber-fun yesterday. What else have I missed?”
Halee’s cheeks flushed a bit. “Well, if you must know… Naomi came to my room a couple of nights ago, asking for ideas. Y’know, about sexy stuff she can do with Chelsey. I don’t think she realizes I’m not that much more experienced than she is. She figures you’ve taught me pretty much everything there is to know.”
“Believe me, kiddo, you’re learning fast,” I said. “So what ended up happening?”
Again, the Patented Halee Wilder Sarcastic Grin. “Well, up till a couple of days before that, even trying to play with myself hurt. So I hadn’t gotten off in a while, and Naomi talking about it got me all wet and ready to go. Let’s just say it ended with both of us naked and happy.”
“That’s great!” I said.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure how much longer she’ll want to fool around with me. I think her and Chelsey are turning into a thing. I’m hoping I can get with both of them a couple more times before they make it official.” I felt her fingertips lightly trace the back of my neck.
I laughed. “My God, I’ve created a monster.”
She was cupping the back of my neck now, thumb and fingers lightly teasing me there. I reached back to capture her wrist. “Stop that, you,” I said in teasing tones. “You know damn well what that does to me.”
“Uh-huh. That’s the point.” Freeing herself from my grip, she resumed her caresses.
I closed my eyes and let Halee touch me, arousal quickening my pulse. Still teasing, I said, “Aren’t you all worn out, between Bethany last night and your sister the day before that?”
She snorted. “Are you kidding? I’m sitting in a puddle right now. I have two weeks of catching up to do.”
“Well, then,” I said, my tone changing from teasing to sultry, “How’d you like to meet a nice lady who’s just dying to make your acquaintance?”
Halee’s eyes widened. “Um… you have my attention.”
Once I filled her in and got the hoped-for response, I picked up my phone and called Bridgett Ramscone’s number. “Hello, darling,” I said, in the sexiest tones I could muster. “Operation Shuddering Climax is a go.”
***
Fifteen minutes later, Bridgett was in my entryway, kicking off her flats. She was dressed in evening wear; a form-fitting green dress over hose, and a simple emerald necklace.
She took my face in both hands, stood on tiptoe, and kissed me full on the mouth. I met her with equal enthusiasm, slipping my tongue between her lips. When we pulled apart, she turned her attention to Halee, who was smoking hot wearing the deliberately ripped jeans she’d received for her birthday and a snug Siouxsie and the Banshees t-shirt with nothing on underneath. Her hair had been freshly dyed black with blue highlights, courtesy of the gift certificate I’d given her.
“Hello, Halee,” Bridgett said. “I’m Bridgett. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“I know you,” Halee said. “You’re the DEA agent. Dad was just talking about you today.”
Bridgett rolled her eyes. “So you know me as Special Agent Perky Tits. Wonderful.” But those eyes were dancing.
Halee grinned. “Actually, he referred to you as Special Agent Delectable Tushie.”.
“Terry has a few of them,” I said with a chuckle.
Bridgett stepped past me, facing Halee directly. They were roughly the same height. “A handshake is the traditional form of introductory greeting,” she said, “but under these circumstances, I feel like a kiss is more appropriate. May I?”
Halee surprised us both by taking one step forward, lacing her arms around the woman’s shoulders, and pressing her mouth to Bridgett’s. Lips parted, tongues engaged.
When they separated, Bridgett’s color was high. “My God,” she said, “this young lady isn’t just fooling around, is she?”
“Neither am I,” I said, placing a hand on each of their delectable asses to indulge in a bit of freelance exploration. Bridgett fixed me with an almost predatory gaze, and Halee shivered deliciously as I ran my fingertips along the crack of her ass.
“If this is the way it’s going to go,” said Bridgett, “why don’t we take this to the bedroom?”
Halee grabbed Bridgett’s hand, turning on her heel. “You just follow me.”
As Halee led her across the spacious living room, I fell in beside Bridgett, still fondling her ass along the way. Down the short hallway, though the door into what was now my bedroom, me bringing up the rear… with both hands on Bridgett’s rear.
I’d replaced Dad’s old queen-sized bed with a brand-new California king; there was plenty of room for it, and I was anticipating lots of company. Halee marched Bridgett right over to the edge of the bed, then lay down, stretching like a lazy cat. Her toes were curled, arms spread high above her head.
Bridgett and I exchanged a glance. “Wanna make a sandwich?” I inquired. Not waiting for a response, I slid into bed alongside Halee, wrapping an arm around her and slipping my tongue into her eager mouth.
“Right behind you,” Bridgett exclaimed, scrambling onto the bed and enfolding the girl from the other side. She slipped a hand under the Goth tee, stroking Halee’s belly as the other hand brushed the blue-highlighted hair off to the side, clearing the way as her mouth descended to the teen’s neck.
I trailed my hand downwards, slipping over Bridgett’s until it rested on Halee’s leg. I caressed the bare thigh where it showed through the deliberately placed holes in the fabric.
Halee was shuddering, hips undulating. I broke our kiss, moved my hand from her thigh to the hem of her shirt, which I gently tugged upward. Getting the hint, Halee lifted her body. Bridgett and I pulled the shirt over her head and off, each of us working on a different side.
Halee lay back down again… and despite her assurances that she was back to normal, I noticed she lowered herself carefully as opposed to just flopping in place. I reminded myself to be gentle.
Bridgett was playing an index finger up and down across Halee’s belly, lingering a little near the gunshot scar on the lower right abdomen. She looked into Halee’s eyes. “No pain?” she asked.
“No pain,” Halee said, her voice slightly hoarse.
Bridgett nodded, drew her finger across the entrance scar just below Halee’s budding breast, and ran that finger lightly around the circumference.“So beautiful,” she murmured.
Halee moaned as Bridgett dipped her head, taking a nipple into her mouth. My hand was playing across the other breast while I placed delicate kisses across the girl’s belly. Unbuttoning her jeans with one hand, I slipped my tongue below her waistline, then pulled the jeans down and slipped them off over her bare feet, pausing to give each one a kiss.
I nuzzled my way up her legs, moving from one to the other, taking my time. Bridgett and Halee were kissing again, their tongues dancing back and forth. Suddenly Bridgett got to her knees and lifted both arms above her head, her eyes pleading for a helping hand. I slipped my hands beneath her green dress, raising the garment as my fingers made the journey from the backs of her knees to that delectable ass.
Bridgett and I kissed as I fondled her butt, then I felt a small hand on my own backside. Looking down, I saw Halee grinning up at us, rubbing my ass with one hand, Bridgett’s with the other.
Impatient to see Bridgett naked, I tugged the green dress over her head, wadded it up in a bundle and hurled it across the room. Her chest was bare beneath. Her hands were grasping the hem of my sweater, pulling it up and over my head. It, too, flew across the room, hitting the wall and landing on top of her dress.
Then Bridgett’s arms were around me to unclasp my bra, which rapidly joined the growing pile of clothing on the floor. Both of us paused for a moment, staring at each other’s bare chests.
“The view is just great from down here,” said Halee, grinning up at us from below. Lying back, she laced both hands behind her head.“Nettie,” she added, “why don’t you lick Bridgett’s nipples.”
I raised my eyebrows, then thought, What the hell. I leaned in, running my tongue up one luscious, round tit and across a nipple, then all the way to the top of the breast. Bridgett shivered, sucking in her breath. I repeated the procedure on the other one, this time eliciting a low moan.
“Nice,” said Halee, her voice a little unsteady with excitement. “Now Bridgett, kiss Nettie’s neck.”
“Hey, no fair!” I protested. Damn her, she knew that was my weak spot. But Bridgett moved in before I could get in another word, kissing and biting me a couple of inches below my ear. Within moments I was breathing in harsh gasps.
Pulling back, Bridgett was grinning. “I see why she wanted me to go there. But I still want to play with these.” I felt her hands cup my tits, caressing and kneading them, then pinching my nipples. We kissed again, and then her mouth returned to my neck.
Jesus Christ! I was out of my mind with helpless lust, thrusting my hips forward and moaning like a banshee.
“Nettie’s about to lose it,” Halee said from below. She reached up with both hands, undoing my fashionable, form-hugging jeans and struggling to pull them down, but it just wasn’t going to happen in that position. I pulled away, got to my feet and shoved the jeans to the floor along with my panties.
Halee was scooting down the bed, creating some space between herself and the headboard. “Sit on my face!” she exclaimed.
I positioned myself over my young lover’s face, lowering my cunt to her waiting, eager mouth. As Halee pressed her tongue to my clit, I felt her fingers slip inside me, and cried out in ecstasy. Straddling Halee, Bridgett wrapped both arms around me, groping my tits.. Her mouth was on my neck once more, peppering me with little love bites. Moments later I was coming, wave after wave of ecstasy coursing through me, wailing with every breath until the torrent subsided and I collapsed sideways onto the bed.
I felt movement to the side and saw Bridgett’s mouth practically devouring Halee’s. Breaking the kiss, Bridgett looked my way. “You taste delicious on her,” she said, and began to lick Halee’s chin and neck, where I’d made an even bigger mess than I usually do. Halee was squirming as if possessed by a very dirty-minded demon, the front of her light blue panties all but dripping with wetness.
“Do you need your pussy eaten?” Bridgett whispered to her. Halee just nodded, seemingly helpless to voice her desire. She lifted her backside as Bridgett tugged away the sodden panties.
Then Bridgett got down on her belly, head between Halee’s legs. She spent a little time teasing the girl’s inner thighs and labia with soft kisses, but not for too long – Halee was beyond ready. Her eyes met mine, but I don’t think she really saw me.
As Bridgett slipped her tongue into those sweet folds, Halee sucked in her breath with a sharp hiss. Wanting to participate, I got behind Bridgett, tugging at her hose and the black panties she wore beneath. Without missing a lick, Bridgett shifted around, making it easy to strip her lower half completely bare.
I teased her buttocks and upper thighs with kisses, making her hump the bed furiously. Hearing the increasing stridency of Halee’s moans told me she was getting close to coming, I abandoned that effort for the moment, moving up the bed to gather my precious little lover into my arms. I held Halee like a child, kissing her cheeks, chin, nose and forehead as she came.
Then Bridgett rolled away. She was panting with lust, her cheeks flushed, hair mussed – a far cry from the cool, always-in-control DEA agent I’d come to know. She beckoned Halee. “I want to have my mouth on those gorgeous little titties when I come,” she breathed.
Halee obligingly straddled Bridgett, bending down to allow access to her chest. Grasping the girl’s shoulders, Bridgett closed her mouth around a nipple. As for me, I lowered my head between our guest’s legs, inserted two fingers and put my tongue to work.
Bridgett was grinding her cunt into my face, so I really didn’t have to do much. She was sliding back and forth across my tongue, fucking my fingers, all hot, slick and gooey inside.
I was in heaven, especially with the view I had of Halee’s bare ass astride Bridgett’s belly, just inches from my face. Suddenly Bridgett gave one final thrust, then went bone-rigid, a choked scream exploding from her throat. Then she squirted, her warm fluid coating my face and dripping from my chin. I sucked at her cunt like crazy, trying to get it all, until she went limp.
We lay in silence for a time. Finally Bridgett propped herself up on one elbow, lightly tracing the right side of Halee’s torso where the scars were. “These don’t hurt at all?”
“Not for a few days now,” Halee replied.
“I feel kind of responsible for what happened to you,” Bridgett said with a sigh.
Halee sat up against the headboard, pulling the blanket up to her chin.
“It’s my fault,” she said. “It was completely stupid of me to rush out there like that. I just got… I don’t know. The moment I saw Mom’s picture on Chelsey’s phone, I knew that she was behind all the stuff that happened. I got so angry, I couldn’t think. That’s why this happened… and why Dad got kidnapped.”
I realized she was almost in tears. Sitting up, I wrapped an arm around Halee’s shoulders. Bridgett laid a hand on her arm.
“It was a rush of blood to the head,” she said. “I’ve seen it happen to trained agents. You’re only thirteen. Besides, if you hadn’t done what you did, your mother would still be out there, maybe starting up the same thing someplace else.”
Halee’s lip curled. “I’m not stupid,” she snapped. “If I’d just told Dad or Nettie, they’d have gone to you, and you’d have gone out there and arrested her. The whole thing was avoidable.”
Bridgett sat up, snuggling Halee from the side opposite me. “It’s not as simple as that,” she said. “I had no basis to arrest her. Think about it – the only evidence you had was a photo. Just being here doesn’t make her guilty of anything. I’d have had to question her before I could even think about asking for a warrant, and that would have tipped her. She’d have been gone in a matter of hours. Minutes, maybe.”
Studying Bridgett’s face carefully, Halee finally said, “No shit?”
“No shit.”
Halee lay back, closing her eyes. “You know,” she said, “I was asking myself, while I was riding out there, if it was a dumb thing to do. I kept going because I couldn’t really believe she’d hurt me, or even Dad.”
“She wasn’t the one that hurt you, or your father,” Bridgett reminded her.
Halee’s eyes opened again, revealing a hardness there I’d never seen before. It broke my heart a little to see such an expression on the face of one so young.
“She didn’t stop her men from pointing guns at us,” she said, her voice bitter. “She used Dad as a hostage, and I’m not so sure she’d have just let him go when she was done with him. Besides…” She hesitated, drawing in a deep breath. “I was hurt, but I wasn’t unconscious. I didn’t miss that Nettie practically had to beg her to let the ambulance come get me. Fuck her. She’s dead to me.”
“I think realizing your parents aren’t who you’d like them to be is something a lot of people have to deal with when they’re growing up,” I said. “It happened to me, and I struggled with it, a lot. But it wasn’t anything like this. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.”
The hard lines in Halee’s face softened as she pondered something, then said, “Do you think that’s why Dad tries so hard? Because of who Mom turned out to be?”
“That might have something to do with it,” I said.
Then Halee chuckled. “You know,” she said, “this is going to sound terrible, but I think some of it’s just ego. I don’t mean that he doesn’t love us, because I know he does, but you know how Dad is. He can’t stand to fail at anything. I think once Mom went to jail he was all like, ‘If I have to be a single father, I’m gonna show everyone else how it’s done. I’ll be… Ultra-Dad!’ Does that make any sense?”
I burst into laughter. “That’s Terry, all right.”
Bridgett was nodding, her eyes fixed on Halee. “It’s also an insight I wouldn’t have expected from someone your age.”
I caught Bridgett’s eye and grinned. “Told you so.”
***
Bridgett left shortly after that, bidding us goodnight with feather-light kisses, then Halee and I snuggled close and drifted off to sleep.
I awoke in a cold sweat, barely stifling a scream as that same damn nightmare reached its inevitable climax. As always, when the dream was particularly vivid, tears were dripping from my eyes within moments, and I knew I’d be dissolving into sobs soon enough. I started to roll out of bed, to run away from Halee as I’d always fled from Terry and others before him – but this time, something held me back. I had to stop running away.
I gently shook Halee awake. She gazed up at me, saw my tear-streaked face in the moonlight filtering through the window.
“Nettie, what…”
I shook my head wordlessly as the sobs began to wrack my body. She pulled me close and cradled my face to her chest. Finally the worst of it had passed, and we simply lay together, naked in each other’s arms.
“Tell me what it is, Nettie,” she whispered.
“I can’t,” I said, my voice still choked with tears. “Not yet. But I’ll get there, sweetie. I’ll get there.”
The End
Afterword
I have a fascination with damaged people. Think Doctor Cox from the medical sitcom Scrubs, and you’re getting close. Haven’t seen Scrubs, you say? You’re missing out! It’s the best sitcom ever filmed. Go ye forth and binge it on the streaming platform of your choice.
Where was I? Oh, yes: damaged people. Nettie’s been so fucked by her past, she doesn’t even know which way is up. She’s drowning in booze, she can’t maintain a relationship to save her life, and she’s lucky to get a good night’s sleep. Just the kind of person I want to write about.
Or consider Terry Wilder. His beloved wife turned out to be an international criminal, and he ended up with sole custody of four (FOUR!) little girls. His trauma manifests itself in an insane level of perfectionism in everything he does, and a public facade of unflappability. He wears it well, but it slips from time to time.
The kids are fucked up, too. Halee and Naomi are old enough to remember their mom getting arrested, convicted, and sentenced. Chelsey’s mom is the stereotype of small-town meth-head trailer trash. The list goes on.
My creative writing professor in college (I double majored in English and music during my undergrad years) used to hammer the point home: create an outline, and stick to it. To her, plot was everything, and characters were sculpted out to fit the plot you have in mind. Plot was immutable, characters infinitely malleable.
I’ve found her outlining rule to be fantastic advice for academic papers, and one that I impress mercilessly upon my graduate students as they begin their theses. But when it comes to fiction, it doesn’t work for me. At all. At the end of the day, my stories don’t start with plot. They start with people. I have a germ of an idea; a starting point. The characters are shadowy figures in my mind, but quickly take on shape and definition. Going forward from there, the characters determine the plot.
That’s my entire methodology: I have a tiny, almost inconsequential idea, and I dream up these damaged, lovable characters to populate the world in which that idea lives. Then I just start writing. When I wrote the explosion at the meat locker, I had no idea what caused it. I hadn’t even decided for sure at that point who was responsible for the overdoses. It may sound crazy, but that’s how I write.
The sex? It’s really just a fun bonus. I’m a bisexual woman living with a long-term female partner, from whom I’m separated for small portions of each year due to the demands of our respective careers. I also happen to be a woman of fairly strong drives, so during those periods of separation, I indulge in a bit of me-time! Not a big fan of video porn, I turn to written erotica when my imagination needs a boost. I discovered Ff fiction when a Google search led me to Naughty Mommy’s “Teaching Amanda,” and was immediately hooked. The rest, as they say, is history.
It’s been great fun watching “Strange Brew,” publish chapter by chapter over the past year, and even more fun reading all of your responses. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I also thank the Juicy Secrets staff for the tireless and often underappreciated work involved in keeping the site alive and thriving.
It’s been said that to write is human, to edit divine. The biggest thank you must be reserved for my magnificent editor JetBoy, who has been by my side throughout this entire process. His comments, suggestions, and occasional criticism have been invaluable, and unquestionably improved the work. Thank you so much, my friend!