Sweet Candy

It wasn't fair.

She'd never had a boyfriend.

She'd never been kissed.

She'd never felt a man's touch, and certainly not his kiss in her most intimate places.

Candace wanted these things desperately, and Crystal was throwing all that away!

Last night, before she'd had the opportunity to remove her listening device from Crystal's room, her sister and her friends had the door closed, and the giggling sounds began. Unable to resist, she'd listened in and heard her sister's guilty confessions.

Candace bit her lip as she imagined Greg's mouth caressing hers, his hands in her hair, his hard body pressed against hers. She suddenly recalled when he'd bumped into her in the hall.

She moaned slightly, and Greg's eyes slowly opened. She froze.

"Candace?" he asked quietly, his voice rough with sleep.

She didn't know what to do. She was risking everything by being in here. Greg was waking up, and he was watching her curiously so far. He didn't seem alarmed to find her in his room.

"Is Crystal here?" he asked, and she heard the hope in his voice. She felt her heart ache for him.

After hearing Crystal talking with her girlfriends last night, she knew what was in store for Greg. If Crystal didn't succumb to her selfish desires again, that is. Candace wouldn't bet against it. She knew how self-indulgent her little sister had become.

While she didn't really know Greg that well, from the few occasions when he spoke to her, she knew he didn't deserve to be treated so poorly. He seemed like a genuinely nice person.

"Is everything all right? You seem sad."

His voice brought her back to the moment, and she forced a smile onto her lips. His eyes moved to the door as if expecting Crystal to walk in to visit her boyfriend.

It was too painful to watch, so she quickly turned away and slipped outside the room. She collected her cart and moved on.

She couldn't keep one thought from circling around in her head again and again.

It wasn't fair!

Chapter 6

Monday afternoon after school, Tim and Heather visited Greg and found him awake.

"Hey, buddy! Sorry we didn't come by yesterday, but the doctor said you needed to rest and to give you some time. How are you feeling?" Tim asked as he shook Greg's hand.

"My head no longer immediately hurts when I think," Greg admitted.

"Wow! You're better than you've ever been!" Tim teased.

"Jerk!" Greg scoffed with a grin.

Heather shook her head with a smile at the clowning and leaned in to give Greg a kiss on the cheek. Her eyes went to his mouth as her mind replayed Crystal's confession.

Greg's eyebrows rose as he looked back at the woman. "Thanks, but what was that for?" She'd never kissed him before.

She blushed. "Y-you just gave us all such a scare!" she said, flustered by her own behavior.

Tim snorted with a grin. "Oh, I see how it is, Greg! You injured yourself purposefully to steal away all our girlfriends with this invalid act!"

Greg laughed and smiled back at his friend. Truthfully, while his brain had needed the quiet time, he'd been a little lonely. His mom had visited for a few hours on Sunday, and he'd seen Candace several times as she poked her head in his door for a smile. He missed his friends and was grateful Tim was here.

The tall blond bowed ceremoniously to him. "On behalf of the team, I'm here to thank you for your sacrifice, which drew the team together like never before. It unified us so completely we crushed our opponents 47-3 and won the state championship."

Greg smirked at Tim's speech. "You were actually able to use butterfingers Ron as your receiver?"

Tim laughed. "Ron was so inspired by your sacrifice that he caught everything I threw at him. His new nickname is peanut butterfingers, as every catch stuck."

Greg's stomach growled. "Great! Now I'm craving peanut butter."

Tim's face fell. "Dammit, I left the donuts I picked up for you in my truck. Hang on a sec!"

Heather remained behind as Tim rushed out.

After an awkward pause, she suddenly sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the sheets tight across Greg's lap. She stared in shock at the clear impression of Greg's cock against the sheets.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry!" she stammered as Greg loosened the blankets from the other side to hide his contours. Having seen the evidence, her mind again flashed back to the confession. "Crystal mentioned you were too big," she gasped quietly in her flustered state.

Greg was surprised that Crystal would be talking about their intimate times then he froze as he realized what she'd said. Too big. His eyes locked onto Heather's.

As she struggled to calm herself, her mouth continued to run wild. "But she sings your praises for your oral technique!"

Greg's face heated with a deep blush as his anger and embarrassment surged.

Tim burst into the room, slightly winded but grinning with a donut box in his hand. His smile slipped away as he saw Greg was upset and Heather's desperate expression. "What's going on?"

His girlfriend no longer trusted her mouth and just shook her head. She looked miserable.

"Crystal has been loose-lipped about our time together. That's gotta stop if she wants to remain my girlfriend," Greg insisted.

Heather's head dipped to hide her expression, but Greg and Tim knew something was up.

Tim dropped the box on the little table next to the bed, then reached out to lift Heather's chin to look into her eyes. "I think it's time to come clean."

Heather's eyes flicked to Greg and back to Tim. "He'll know later today when Crystal comes to visit. It's not for me to say. I've already made a mess of things. Crystal will tell him."

"Shit. She's going to dump me." His mind spun as it felt like this was coming completely out of left field. He thought they were doing so well. Sure, she seemed to have a hang-up about his—

"Is it because she thinks I'm too big?" he asked quietly.

Once more, her expression told him he'd guessed correctly.

He glared at Heather. "Why? Why did she lead me on for all those months? She used me to get her rocks off and left me with blue balls so many times. I-I was willing to be patient—FUCK!"

Heather winced at Greg's shout and looked to Tim for support, but his sympathies were clearly reserved for his friend.

Nurse Stewart pushed through the door with a frown on her face. "What's going on in here? Who was shouting? There is no shouting in the hospital."

Heather stood and stepped next to Tim with a sad expression.

The head nurse took in the upset on Greg's face. "Perhaps visiting hours for your friends are over for you today, Mr. Hughes."

"That's fine with me. Other than Mom, I don't want to see anyone else anyway." He looked into the woman's eyes. "Especially Crystal," he forced out, and the nurse nodded.

Greg looked to Tim, who gave him a nod, so he returned the gesture. He looked out the window, ignoring Heather.

Nurse Stewart gestured for the couple to leave the room before her, so they did, with her following close behind. She let the other nurses know about the visitor restrictions for Greg, and the ward settled down to its normal quiet state.

-=-

Crystal walked into the ward ten minutes before the end of visiting hours. She'd spent hours trying to devise the words she would say to let Greg down gently. She'd rehearsed the lies until even she'd begun to believe them. She'd run through multiple scenarios in her mind for how he'd react. In her favorite one, Greg graciously requested they remain friends, with benefits.

Walking down the hall, she realized she didn't even know what room he was in. She stopped by the nurse's station. Two ladies were having a conversation behind the desk.

"Excuse me, please? Would you tell me which room Greg Hughes is in?"

The oldest of the two women turned to look at her, and Crystal saw recognition flare. One of the benefits of being a Tafferty, she thought. The woman approached the counter, but she wasn't smiling. In fact, her body language seemed rather stiff.

"Mr. Hughes is not having visitors today."

Crystal stared at the woman in surprise. "What? Did something happen to him?" she gasped in concern. She was worried he was having complications from the concussion.

The senior nurse thawed slightly. "No, he's healing well. He just had a visitor earlier who left him in an agitated state. As he couldn't control his anger, he insisted no more visitors, other than his mother—"

"But I'm his—"

"And especially not you. I'm sorry, Ms. Tafferty."

Crystal took a step back in her shock. Was he angry with her? Wait, he had visitors who left him angry?

"Who were his last visitors?" she asked quietly.

The nurse shook her head. "I didn't get their names. I believe they were friends from school. A tall blond man and his blonde girlfriend."

Heather! That bitch! She betrayed her trust!

Crystal turned and fled from the hospital. Her tears blurred her vision, so she almost collided with a woman entering the hospital. She squeaked, then dodged around, rushing outside to escape in her car.

-=-

Nurse Stewart looked up at the sound of someone rushing up to the nurse's station. It was Mrs. Hughes, and she had a frightened look on her face.

"Greg?"

"He's fine. Resting comfortably and healing well," the head nurse said immediately.

A look of relief crossed her face, then confusion. She gestured back toward the entrance.

"Ms. Tafferty just learned your son doesn't want to see her," the nurse said and shrugged.

"Oh?" She glanced once more back to the front door. Then she looked back to the nurse. "Thank you," the mother said, quickly moving towards her son's room. When she stepped inside, she saw Greg looking out his window. He had a wad of tissues crumpled up in his fist.

"Greg? Honey?" she said softly.

When he turned his head to look at her, she saw his eyes were red from crying.

"Hi, Mom," he croaked.

"What happened? I just saw Crystal run from the hospital in tears."

She watched rage and despair pass across his features.

Greg seemed to be struggling to speak. He swallowed and tried again. "I feel so stupid. All this time. She's been using me."

"What? Crystal? You two seemed so happy together?" The mother moved beside the bed and gently ran her fingers through his hair.

Greg made a choking sound. He tried to clear his throat. Then, he was able to speak again.

"I thought... I thought it was love, but she never did—"

That's all Greg managed before the pain from his broken heart overwhelmed him once again. His body shook as silent tears began once more.

His mother stood beside him, her palm touching his cheek as he leaned his face into the loving human contact.

-=-

Candace stood in the hall, just outside Greg's room. Tears were running down her face, too. She'd heard Greg's confession, and it was tearing her up inside. She was so angry with her sister that she wanted to scream. Greg had been so good to Crystal! He'd loved her! The spoiled redhead used him and tossed him aside.

She desperately wanted to go into the room and speak with him but knew she wouldn't be welcome there now.

"Candace? Come away from there. That's private," Nurse Stewart scolded quietly, startling the younger woman.

"Sorry!" Candace apologized quickly and joined the nurse as they returned to the nurse's station. Her emotions were going off the rails. She usually had such tight control over them but thinking of Greg seemed to kick her feet out from under her. She suddenly reached out and placed her hand on the nurse's arm.

The woman stopped and looked at her. "What is it, girl?"

Her mind spun in circles. She wasn't sure what to do but needed to say something.

"Greg is so sad!" she blurted, then felt foolish, but her tears kept falling.

Margaret's expression softened, and she hugged the taller woman. "Broken hearts are painful but rarely fatal. He has plenty of friends and his mother to help him overcome this. He'll be fine... in time."

The nurse released Candace and gave her a kind smile before heading back to the nurse's station.

Candace stood in the hall and realized she would be useless if she stayed. It was time to go home.

Chapter 7

Crystal slammed back another shot of her father's whiskey and gasped as it burned its way down her throat. When she recovered from this last swallow, she glared at the bottle as it was empty. It'd been half full when she began. She tried to put it back on the bar but missed and dropped it. When the bottle didn't break but bounced and rolled away, her relief was so great she wobbled on her feet. The room swam, and she clutched the back of her father's high-back chair next to the bar.

She was so angry with Greg for embarrassing her like that at the hospital. Couldn't he have had the courtesy of listening to her? She would have broken up with him without all the drama, and they could have gone their separate ways, remaining friends. Maybe... maybe he would have continued to give her oral from time to time.

Crystal squirmed as tingles raced through her body. Then, reality rudely slapped her as she realized Heather had destroyed any chance of that happening. She was so angry with Heather. The woman was dead to her!

She took some deep breaths as her head spun from the booze. She pouted as she knew she'd hurt Greg. She regretted that deeply, but she was sure she could have made it less painful for him if she'd been allowed to speak with him before Heather ratted her out.

Crystal turned back to the bar, grabbed another bottle of something, and poured herself another drink. She thumped the bottle back onto the bar's surface and glared at it blearily to ensure it would stay there. Then she tossed the shot back. It went down her throat, but the burning was much worse. She coughed and dropped her tumbler as she stumbled back from the bar. She hit the arm of the chair and fell across it. She tried to turn on her way down, but the other arm struck her across her tits. Pain lanced through her, and her stomach protested, heaving its contents out onto the carpet next to the chair.

Her head was spinning so badly that she passed out where she was.

-=-

Byron was in a foul mood when he got home. He'd had to fire one of the accountants as he caught him nosing about in places he couldn't afford anyone to be looking.

The new accounts Byron had set up to siphon off the pension fund and the corporate capital were ready to accept the funds. That prick Taylor from his accounting department almost found the entries in the audit logs before Byron had a chance to purge them.

Security escorted the stunned man from the building before he'd had the chance to review the log. Taylor had a few flags on his file, so the quick departure wouldn't cause Byron too much grief.

All he needed was two days, and he'd have a juicy nest egg he'd be able to draw upon from his private estate in French Polynesia.

He stood in the cavernous foyer of his mansion and stared gloomily at the portraits of his forefathers. The stern faces all seemed to be looking down on him, judging him.

Fuck them!

The Tafferty dynasty ended with him. His son was a drunk idiot without the ambition or intelligence required to continue the family business. Candace murdered the woman he loved, and Crystal was just another self-absorbed moron.

With the loss of Ellie, Byron's entire world shifted. Every plan he had, every dream for the future, suddenly became meaningless. She'd been the one bright spark in his life. With her gone, his life came to a complete stop, and he took a moment to re-evaluate.

Until that fateful day, he'd dutifully done what his forefathers had before him. He'd dedicated his life and energy to expanding the family business and ensuring the community thrived. He didn't enjoy it, but he understood what was required of him and did it. His father had beaten that lesson into him.

With the loss of the woman he should have grown old with, the role he played in the company and the community felt empty. Instead, he made a new plan that put his own desires ahead of his responsibilities to the business, the community, and even his family.

He'd married Missy to have something pretty on his arm at the social events he was expected to attend. She was a pretty good fuck, but he quickly tired of her as she had nothing between her ears he could relate with. He gave her a child to keep her occupied, though he had no desire for another brat since he already had two, and it was Ellie who'd wanted them.

Twenty years he'd been working on his new plan. Carefully crafted and skillfully orchestrated, he was just days away from liquidating the employee pension plan as the package finally matured. The funds were to be transitioned to a new investment platform. Instead, the funds would move into his personal numbered account in an offshore bank. At the same time, a transfer would move the corporation's working cash into his second offshore account. Then he would fly away to his tropical paradise and be free of the business, this dreary little town, and the parasites he called family.

He sighed heavily. Soon.

For now, he just wanted to have a drink and relax for a few minutes.

The moment he stepped into the study, he smelled the rank odor of vomit. He spotted the empty scotch bottle on the floor, and his son's name immediately sprung to his lips as rage forced him to surge into the room. He stopped short when he spotted Crystal stretched across his chair, her head and arms over one arm and her ass sticking up on the other arm. She stank of his booze, and the carpet next to the chair was a mess.

Byron was sick and tired of the spoiled behavior of this brat! He flipped up her skirt and tugged her panties down. The first crack of skin striking skin jolted the drunkard from her unconscious state. The sharper pain from the second and third dragged her mind from the oblivion caused by the alcohol.

"AAAAAIIEEEE!" she screamed.

The noise just inflamed Byron's rage, and he struck her harder, alternating sides randomly as he slapped her reddened ass.

"DADDY! PLEASE! AAAAAAHHHHH! Huuurr!" Crystal screamed and then vomited again as agony washed over her.

Byron pinned Crystal to the seat as he raised his hand higher to strike her even harder for making more of a mess.

Crystal's screams drew Missy to the study wearing her housecoat and slippers. She rushed to Byron's side to grab his arm.

"Byron! What are you doing?" she shrieked in terror.

He yanked his arm free from her grip as he glared at her. "What I should have done years ago to prevent her from becoming this spoiled slut! You indulge her too much!"

He slapped Crystal's ass twice, drawing more screams from the young woman before Missy broke free from her stunned state to grab at his arm once more. Instead, she caught the back of his hand across her face. She rocked back, tripped over the empty bottle, and fell against the liquor cart, striking her head. She hit the floor with the contents of the cart. Some of the glassware shattered on the floor, and she cut her arm.

"GOD DAMMIT! Look at the fucking mess you've made!" Byron bellowed at Missy.

-=-

Candace stood just out of view in the hall outside the study, her cell phone held up to her cheek. She heard ringing then someone answered.

"911, what's the nature of your emergency."

Candace had to catch herself before she answered, as she still had to stay in character. "Daddy is hitting Missy and Crystal. He knocked Missy down, and I see blood. I think they're hurt."

"Who's this?"

"Candy Tafferty," she said and listened while the operator quietly cursed her luck for taking this call.

"O-Okay, Candy. I'm sending ambulances to your address... and a police car, okay? Stay on the line—"

"You spying on dad, Candy?" Kal snapped as he snuck up on her from behind, yanked the cell from her hand, and slammed her back against the wall, making her head ring. He glanced into the study and saw Missy lying on the floor unconscious, blood splashed across her housecoat. "Shit! Is that blood?"