Prologue
16 years ago
Samantha Raney took a deep breath and followed her DSS caseworker into the group home. She shoved her fear deep down and told herself over and over again that this would be a better life, even if she was passed around the system. Her mother died from a drug overdose a year ago and left her in the hands of her junkie boyfriend, Earl. Her mother was never going to win mother of the year, but at least she made sure that Sam had something to eat and clean clothes to wear. Earl was always gone and Sam had to fend for herself, which was difficult since no one was going to give an eight year old a job. She ate as well as she could on the free lunches at school and did her best to make it through the weekends without shoplifting a piece of fruit here and there. She finally reached her wits end and turned herself into the Department of Social Services.
As she stepped through the doors, the noise assaulted her first. She took in the drab but fairly clean living area and scrunched up her face at the smell of feet. A pair of little boys who looked to be about five were fighting over which cartoon to watch and a pair of pre-teen girls were chasing each other around the room squealing and laughing.
Sam sighed and stood quietly while her caseworker introduced her to Ms. Smith, the home director. She was shown her bed, which was in a large room with about 8 other girls. She immediately curled up with a book and tried to block out some of the noise.
About a month later, she walked into the living area and found that the incessant noise was louder than usual.
The majority of it was coming from a boy of about 10 who was yelling at a harried, defeated looking Ms. Smith about it not being his turn to wash dishes.
"This is bullshit! I shouldn't have to wash fucking dishes or sweep floors or any other chores you want to throw at me. You people get paid to work in this hell-hole."
"Derrick Watts, you watch your language, young man! You know that the chores are rotated. That's just how things work. If you don't watch it, you're going to get moved again, and there aren't many places left. Do you want to end up some place where they keep you sedated and make you live in isolation?"
"It would damn well be better than this shit!"
Sam had heard enough. She marched over to Derrick and yanked him away from Ms. Smith.
"Let's go," she said fiercely.
*
Derrick was flabbergasted and didn't resist when she dragged him in the direction of the kitchen.
"I'll wash, you dry," the little girl said.
He stood frozen for a moment before his speech came back to him.
"Who are you?"
"Samantha Raney," she said, holding out a now-soapy hand, "but you can call me Sam. I'm 8."
Derrick looked down into bright green eyes and wondered why such a fierce little thing was in a place like this. At her look at the dishes and then back at him, he automatically started drying the dishes as she passed them over. He didn't know why he was following her lead...he didn't follow anyone's lead, but there was just something about her.
"I'm Derrick."
"Yes, I gathered that from your lovely conversation with poor Ms. Smith, as well as every other yelling match you've had with just about all of the adults here."
Derrick actually felt a pang of guilt and looked over his shoulder to find Ms. Smith. Ms. Smith was watching and actually smiling. A warm feeling started filling him up. He was always the bully. That was his insurance that someone actually saw him. Maybe that was the wrong tact.
He looked down into Sam's green eyes and gave her a slight smile. She grinned back and bumped his hip with hers.
*
It wasn't an instant transformation, of course. Derrick's bullying tendencies still came out and Sam would have to reign him back in, except when he was protecting Sam herself, which he did need to do occasionally.
The years passed and Derrick was never moved again and Sam requested not to be moved into a foster home. It worked for both of them. At 18, he went to a local community college and got his own apartment. Sam spent almost all of her time there. They loved each other like brother and sister and supported each other in all things. When she turned 18, she moved in with him and started college herself. If their feelings for each other started to change, neither mentioned it.
Chapter 1
Present Day
"Ugh," Sam groaned as she walked in the door at 3am on Saturday morning from Friday night's shift. Her feet were killing her after bar-tending for eight hours at club Jade, a local GLBT friendly hang out. She collapsed on the couch and reached for the TV remote.
She heard the telltale creak of Derrick's door before he appeared, yawning and scratching his stomach. Derrick's appearance had changed drastically since they were kids. He had funneled his bad-boy tendencies into his appearance and was now covered in tats and piercings. Body art was as far as it went though, and was quite at odds with his job as an English professor at a local university.
"Long night, Sammy?" he asked before making her scoot over so he could stretch out next to her on the couch. She immediately cuddled into his embrace and sighed.
"Yep. It was packed in there tonight and the new guy quit, so I was by myself."
"Asshole. Meet any hot bi-guys or girls?"
She elbowed him and giggled. "Meet them? Yes. Was I interested in any of them? No."
"Where's Annie tonight?" she asked. Annie was Derrick's girlfriend of about six months. Unfortunately, Sam's tactile relationship with Derrick scared off potential partners for the both of them. Annie seemed to be the exception though.
"I'm right here," Annie replied as she padded into the living room and launched herself right on top of Derrick and Sam. At no more than five feet tall and 100 pounds, Annie was a pixie personified. She accepted Derrick's relationship with Sam for what it was...two best friends that grew up together who were like brother and sister. She occasionally detected undercurrents of something more serious, but didn't feel threatened. She loved Sam and enjoyed spending time with her and Derrick together. In fact, she seemed to be developing feelings for Sam on her own.
She nuzzled into Sam's neck and playfully licked her. "Mmm, beer."
"Ugh, that reminds me. A very drunk twink tried to come behind the bar and walked smack into me with a full glass. I need a shower." She wriggled out from beneath the warm bodies. "Be good, you two!"
Derrick snuggled with Annie and threw a throw pillow at Sam. "Go away," he said teasingly.
Annie started nibbling on Derrick's ear and slipped her fingers into his boxers, lightly teasing his balls.
"Mmm, it's like that, is it?" Derrick ran his hand up her tiny body and tweaked a nipple before sneaking into her panties and rubbing lightly over her clit. "Damn, baby, you're wet already. Did laying on top of Sammy turn you on?"
She wriggled and thrust her hips into his hand and took his lips to avoid answering. Their tongues twined together and Derrick entered her with two fingers, pegging her g-spot immediately. She whimpered and rubbed against his erection with her hip, making him groan.
"You want some of that, baby?" He continued to torment her with his fingers as her hips bucked into his hand.
"Please," she said with a groan, feeling her orgasm approaching.
Derrick quickly removed her panties and his boxers and moved so that he was over Annie, looking into her eyes. He teased her clit with the head of his cock and grinned when she wrapped her legs around his hips and squeezed with a surprising amount of strength, forcing him into her channel.
He groaned and dropped his head to her neck, licking and biting the soft skin he found there. He started thrusting slowly, being sure to grind into Annie's clit every time he bottomed out.
Annie's whimpers turned into grunts and she feverishly moved with him, fucking herself onto his cock. "Come on, baby. Give it to me. You're gonna' make me come and you've gotta' go first." He reached back and teased a finger into her anus while biting her just below her left ear. Annie's entire body stiffened and she screamed silently as spasms wracked her body.
Derrick slammed into her twice more and came with a long, deep groan.
Neither realized that the shower hadn't started yet.
*
Sam's room was adjacent to the living room and she could hear everything through the paper-thin walls. She panted from her own orgasm as she heard Derrick come, wishing she could find someone to connect with. Her BOB wasn't the best companion. At least she always had plenty of sound-track to get off to.
Chapter 2
The following weekend, Annie used her key to enter Derrick and Sam's apartment. "Hello?" she called.
