Dear readers,
I would like to thanks you all for the encouraging and favorable words I had received through the comments section or by PM for the first chapter of Hidden in the Snow.
Also, I would like to apologies for the ridiculous long delay between chapters. I truly tried to publish this quicker, but, you know, sometimes life just gets in your way.
Thankfully the long wait is over. If you haven't read it already, I would suggest starting from chapter one as it is essential for understanding the story.
Any comment is, as always, more than welcome.
Funtoppings.
*****
They once had a snowstorm as horrible as this one. It was the Christmas family vacation circa '04. Julie's dad had told her at the time that the two greatest comforts on a stormy night were: heating and a TV with a good reception. Tonight, Julie was enjoying both. Sure, the pictures on the TV screen were a little grainy and sometimes they faded out to snow and then snapped back even more muddled than before , but it was still watchable - even in Julie's half-fuddled state.
"This one is for you, Newmie," Julie raised her champagne flute and toasted Paul Newman, whose one of his classics played on the TCM channel.
On top of the coffee table was one of the champagne bottles Krystal had brought; it was near empty. Beside it was a wine bottle - taken out of the fridge with the cork-sealing foil still intact - half drained. After an hour of solid drinking there wasn't much sorrow in Julie any more. All of it was drowned by a sea of bubbles and a rich flavor of ripe Muscat grapes. The heat coming from the fireplace only added to her buzz.
She downed another glass and threw her head back on the couch. A weird drunken smile dawned on her face. Her eyelids were heavy, yet the rest of her body was so light it floated. She didn't even notice Bailey coming down the stairs.
The young eighteen-year-old wore black spandex shorts and a two sizes too big high-school jersey, which would have easily hidden any sign of a chest if it wasn't for Bailey's ample figure.
"Jules?" Bailey approached her cousin tentatively.
"Bailey!" Julie threw her hands up in the air, excitement in her voice. "What up, coz? Come on sit, pour yourself a glass, don't be shy now."
Bailey sat next to her cousin. A line of concern delved between her eyebrows; it looked out of place on her young features.
"Hey, are you okay, Jules? You look kinda' wasted."
"Wasted?" Julie tucked her chin and snickered. "No, no, no, I'm pretty cool. I'm really cool, in fact."
Bailey stared at her cousin and then glanced at the half-empty bottles of booze on the table. She didn't think Julie looked terribly sloshed, but it certainly sounded like Julie was in good spirits and Bailey was sure the alcohol had something to do with that. After all, how else could she explain Julie's excitement in seeing her after all that had happened in the past twenty-four hours?
Earlier in the day, around four o'clock in the afternoon - while Julie was looking for a nice quiet place to catch lunch, and Debra was walking and chewing over what had transpired in her sister's bedroom - Krystal walked into Bailey's room with one of her midday cravings. Bailey was used to it, and most of the times her mother didn't even have to say explicitly that she wanted sex; it was plainly written in the glimmer of her eyes and wanting smile.
"The Black King?" Baileys had asked her mother, who stood at her doorstep in bra and panties, holding a black strap-on between her fingers.
"The Black King," Krystal agreed with a grin.
"I'll bring the lube."
The Black King, otherwise known as the Anal-Only Dildo, was one of Krystal's favorite toys in the pack. It was a large one, and Krystal never used it on her daughter. She felt Bailey was too young and inexperienced to experiment with anal penetration, especially from a device as big and unyielding as the Black King. She, however, absolutely
loved
it.
"I got something to tell you, Bai," Krystal told her daughter as she crashed on the bed and removed her undergarments."Your aunt Debra stopped by my room this morning. And, boy, did we have quite the talk..."
At that moment Krystal told Bailey about Julie catching them having sex, and how she had confessed to her mother about it. She also told her about the sexual encounter she shared with Debra.
And later on in the night, minutes after the date had changed on the calendar, Krystal brought to Bailey's attention the fresh news of all that had occurred between Julie and her mom. She explained that in a moment of weakness - though she could hardly blame her - Debra had tried to seduce Julie, which, unfortunately, backfired. She then politely asked Bailey to spend the night in her room and refrain from going downstairs, as per Debra's request. Bailey had only offered her mother a tightlipped smile of agreement.
"Hey, you know who else is cool?" Julie asked as she swayed in her seat.
Bailey paused, drew a nervous breath, and opened her mouth: "What? Oh, no. Who?"
For a moment there, Bailey was positive that Julie wasn't going to answer her. Worse, she was sure that Julie was going to smack her instead. She wasn't sure why she felt like that, but there was a slightly uneasy shift in Julie's demeanor; it was like her sparkling sapphire eyes suddenly turned into cold little ice pebbles.
"Why, Cool Hand Luke of course!" Julie finally said and burst into a hysterical laughter.
Bailey politely smiled at her cousin in a manner she would smile to a person turning mad before her eyes. "Cool Hand... who?"
"Cool Hand Luke!" Julie pointed at the television. "Paul Newman? Cool Hand Luke? Come on, it's one of my all-time favorite movies."