The Calm Before The Pleasure

"We want music!"

CLAP CLAP

"We want music!"

CLAP CLAP

"I think the DJ knows that, Yumi. And he seems to be setting up as fast as he can," Kaitlin informed her chant-starting friend.

"We want music!"

CLAP CLAP

"Okay, which of you gave Yumi candy?" Caterina demanded after running out of impatience.

"Don't look at me. I know how her sugar rushes work," Roxanne replied. Then, after a second, she added, "Is that why she picked at her dinner?"

"Alright, admit to it. Which one of you brats caused this annoyance?" Cat challenged, glaring at where the Babybees, Zoey Gibble, and Ariel Satine huddled. "Kizzy?"

"Dammit, Kizz, it was you, wasn't it?" her older sister added.

"Argh! What?!" Kizzy nearly screeched at getting interrupted. "Yeah, I did! Yumi wouldn't stop whining about being hungry. It's not a big deal. I had some chocolate in my purse that Mom gave me."

"You didn't tell me about--Wait, Mom gave you chocolate? It better not have been those weird-ass aphrodisiac chocolates that she gives her clients. Is it?" Kaitlin challenged.

"I don't know. Probably not," Kizzy responded, shrugging. "Now, leave me alone."

"Not a big deal? Then, you can babysit Yumi until we know for sure!"

The younger Beal sibling dismissed the older one with a flick of her hand before returning to the interrupted conversation.

"So it was big? I knew it!" YoYo squealed.

"What's your rough estimate of its length and circumference?" Zara queried.

"I don't know! It was this huge tower tenting up," Kizzy replied. "Tell them, Harls."

"A skyscraper," the shy redhead described.

"And his cousin seriously had an orgasm in front of all of you?" Beatrice questioned.

"Well, Dr. Tarver didn't notice, but Sean's aunt watched it happen. Not his cousin's mom, but the other one," Kizzy continued.

"Brandy," Harley clarified. "And Kizz tried to get her turn. She even asked Bridget if she could sit on Sean's lap."

"No way! You little slut," YoYo squealed, punching the youngest Beal in the upper arm.

"Whitney said we can get a turn later for pictures on his lap."

"I don't think she meant a turn like Sean's cousin," Harley corrected Kizzy.

"Hey, why didn't you tell us about Sean's manhood?" Zara questioned her study buddy.

"Are you trying to hoard the big dick for yourself, Zoey?" YoYo questioned.

"I-I didn't know."

"Does your sister know?" Beatrice inquired.

"Ooh! Maybe they're best-friends-with-benefits," YoYo squealed, loving the concept. "Shit, I need to find me a hung guy in my neighborhood for that setup."

"Jo doesn't think of Sean like that. They're like brother and sister," Zoey pointed out.

"So Sean is like your brother?" Ariel asked.

"No!" Zoey exclaimed before lowering her voice. "And I doubt it's that huge. I'd have noticed if it were a python like Kizzy called it. So stop acting as if he's a porn star dick."

"Hey, what about you, Cadence? You're always at family parties with Lacey. Doesn't Sean show up there?" Zara interrogated.

"Is your whole hating Sean thing an act? Are you cockblocking us?" Kizzy challenged.

"That's not how--never mind," Zoey began before dropping the matter.

"Sean Tarver? Ha! He's not worth my time," Cadence scoffed.

"Please! I bet you're all big talk and wouldn't know what to do with a big dick if it bobbed in front of your face," YoYo shot back.

"Me? Kizzy's just exaggerating as always. The is no way that loser has anything worth sneezing at," Cadence sneered.

"Loser? Why I'll kill--"

"Cadence is right," Caterina proclaimed. The Babybees hadn't noticed that the older cheerleaders, minus Yumi, had started to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Kizzy exaggerates. And if Tarver were packed, I'd have heard about it."

"You sure about that? You're not an expert on cocks as you think."

"Kizz!" Kaitlin exclaimed, shocked that her little sister had talked back to her friend in that way.

"Have you ever even seen one in person?" the cheerleader co-captain challenged. "I didn't think so."

"W-Well, Whitney has, and she wheeled Sean away to play with his dick."

"I highly doubt that," Caterina responded.

"I don't know, Cat. Remember the talk up in Whitney's suite," Kaitlin reminded, not so confident as her friend. She began to wonder if her sister might be right for once.

"Whitney straight up told us that she was going to go drain his cock. Didn't she, Harls?" Kizzy looked at her BFF for backup.

"That's pretty much what happened."

"Hmm," Caterina and Kaitlin sounded.

Suddenly, music began to play.

"It worked. Yay!" Yumi cheered. Then, she reached to grab Cat and Katie's hands to drag them onto the dance floor.

Brandy's eyes lit up as she spotted two individuals standing beside a table. Hurrying over, she threw her hands out to greet them.

"Hey, guys! Auntie Brandy needs a hug."

Her excited expression diminished as she didn't get the expected response. While the younger of the two appeared to be fighting to hold back his joy, the older sibling seemed uncomfortable with Brandy's closeness. She glanced around for help.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Momma said you bad inkoolunse," Theodore "Trey" Day whispered. The eight-year-old's hazel eyes glistened behind his shaggy light-brown hair.

"Trey, Mom said not to talk to her," Tenille admonished her younger brother. The ten-year-old seemed more willing to follow her mother's orders, refusing to look at Brandy.

"Your mom said what? I'm a bad influence? That bitch!" Brandy exclaimed, causing Tenille to break her vow about not looking at the older woman. "Do you know where your dad is right now? He's at the bar buying shots for Finn and his friends. That includes your cousin. And do you know who used to buy me liquor as a teenager? Your dad!"

Trey leaned around Brandy to see if his dad was at the bar, but he was too short to find him.

"I mean, sure, I pestered Teddy until he bought it for me. Or if that didn't work, then I might have blackmailed him. But I'm Brandy and he's Teddy; that's what we do," the blonde ranted.

"Mom said you caused Dad to get arrested," Tenille revealed, breaking her vow not to speak to the woman.

"One time! And getting hauled into the interrogation room isn't a big deal. I had the cops showing up at my house when I was Trey's age. Bunch of bullshit. Don't you ever trust cops, got that?"

"Momma said to always listen to poleece," Trey relayed softly.

"Also, that it was more than once," Tenille said, firmly believing her mother.

"Ask yourself what your Aunt Tinny would say about that. Huh?!" Brandy questioned, pointing her finger at the two grade school students. "Those assholes had a vendetta against my dad, and they passed it on to your family. And you can tell your mother that Teddy only got arrested once because of me. Those other times were just interviews. No charges were filed."

"Mom is always correct," Tenille replied, standing firm and pushing the older blonde's buttons.

"Oh, really? Olympia is also ungrateful! If it weren't for me, Teddy would've married Divinia. Yeah, she didn't know where he was always at because of 'divine inspiration.' The wackjob knew because she stalked his ass. I'm the one who was suspicious and proved she was a crazy bitch right before Teddy bought her a ring. And what about Crystal? What about her?" Brandy inquired.

"Who's that?" Trey asked while Tenille begrudgingly shook her head.

"You've never heard about the woman who crushed your dad's heart? Oh, Olympia's going to hear it about this poor parenting," Brandy remarked. "Alright, imagine you met a person that you thought was your soulmate. Like a fairy tale come to life. The two of you dated for several years until the night of junior prom. Now imagine one of your best friends, maybe not your bestest friend, but the next one. Okay, you picturing that friend? That's the friend you find out has been banging the love of your life for a whole year behind your back."

Trey didn't know whether to giggle at the topic or run away before he got into trouble. On the other hand, Tenille appeared appropriately scandalized by the revelation.

"Yep, that's what Crystal did to your dad. He was devastated. But you know what? Teddy had me, and I have my friends. Oh, we got payback. I can assure you that. And that **** could've sent us to jail for years—or at least juvie until we turned eighteen. So your mother can cut the crap about me being a bad influence. You two wouldn't exist without my help."

Trey finally broke and lunged forward to hug Brandy's leg.

"I know your mother thinks she's protecting you, but raising naive and gullible kids is gonna backfire. Not talk to me? That's insane! Teddy's just as much my brother as he is Tinny's. Ask your grandma; she loves me. Uh, just don't mention that time--you know, I won't tell you about that topic right now," Brandy brushed off. Then, holding her hands out, she told the Day kids to grab hold. "C'mon, it's time that Auntie Brandy teaches you about life with some old stories."

"Finn, you owe us, you know that? Our whole table ended up in tears because of you," Aubrey Dunford recounted.

Becky Horton agreed, while Sage Pierce hugged Finn far longer than he expected. Sage's whisper about how moved she felt by his speech, along with a promise to discuss it sometime later in private, surprised the sandy-haired young man.

"Sure, we can do that," Finn replied. Then, after a moment, he asked, "Is everything alright, Sage? I saw you leave your table. And Whitney...I've never seen Whitney that upset ever. Not even during her parents' divorce. Is she okay?"

"I-I...I'll let you know another time about what's going on. I don't know if Whitney is alright. She always acts so tough," Sage admitted, frowning.

"Excuse me, Sage. Sorry! We just had--Honor!--to say how amazing you were up there," Darcie Dalglish praised. The law firm paralegal also dragged her best friend, Honor Stratton, over to face Finn. "So emotional. I can't recall Ms. Mulberry crying ever before. Wasn't it incredible, Honor?"

Finn watched with a bemused expression as Honor struggled to keep up appearances in front of everyone. Lana and Lacey's cousin wasn't a fan of Finn as a surrogate family member. And while she wasn't as rude as her brother, the brunette's quiet attitude spoke volumes.

"Yes, it was quite impactful, Finley. Uncle Marshall sobbed at our table like a little baby."

"Oh, he wasn't that bad," Darcie commented. "Now Clive and Rachel? They were super proud of you. Your Aunt Blair, too."

"She's not his aunt," Honor hissed through clenched teeth. "Look at that? We need to go, Darce."

"Huh? Why?" the sandy blonde questioned while getting dragged away.

"Enjoying the attention, Finny?' Nate asked half-sarcastically while leaning against the bar.

"You want me to take pictures?" Barney inquired earnestly from his spot next to Nate.

"Oh, please do. Evidence to tease him with is a must. They might even be golden if I use them to rile Lana up," Nate responded.

Finn managed to flip Nate off before more female well-wishers mobbed him.

Women of all ages came over to hug and cheek-kiss the man of the hour. Some more adventurous or tipsy stroked his arm lovingly, rubbed their bodies together shamelessly, or kissed him inappropriately on the lips.

Annette Baris pushed the envelope of taste with her low-cut dress, and she rubbed it on her old friend's son's body. Jewel Romer made a surprise appearance. Teresa Zuccaro's close friend seemed genuine and respectful in her gushing over his teary-eyed speech. When Shelly Wexler (née Penfold) and Cookie Flavin (née Keeble) embraced Finn in a loving hug, Nate nudged Barney in the ribs.

"Check out that MILF combo. Hot, huh? Word is that they double-teamed a few guys back in the day. I wonder if Finn could pull that off tonight."

"You do realize that Penn Wexler is one of our good friends at Zurbrugg?" Barney questioned after rolling his eyes.

"So? I'd totally bang most of my mom's friends if they wanted it."

The two guys stayed leaning against the bar, sipping their drinks. While watching Lainey Jolley and Sutton Tapper greet Finn, Barney wondered about Eoin's whereabouts. It wasn't like their other childhood friend to pass up a chance at a round of shots, especially if paid for by someone else.

"We're so inspired by your words," Lainey gushed.

"And we're not going to let you or your mom down," Sutton promised.

"The Wynwick Foundation is wholeheartedly behind Cassandra's Story Society. It's been the talk around the office for weeks," Lainey revealed.

"I...We're going to need to exchange numbers. You know to keep you updated on our plans and progress. Also, to meet up if we're in the same town or something," Sutton explained while blushing.

"Whoa! Who's the babe in the white dress?" Nate questioned as the woman in question replaced the two program directors.

"She's a teacher at Honey Hollow High," Barney explained, his focus elsewhere.

"You had HER as your teacher?!"

"No, she only got hired after we graduated. Teaches English Lit. Oh, she also took over as the teacher advisor for The Bee this year."

Nate's gaze ran up and down the hot teacher's figure. Admiring how the tight white dress clung to her medium-sized breasts and firm ass, he licked his lips. Everything about the older woman screamed wild in bed to Nate. Visualizing her long, dark hair wrapped around his hand while he fucked her doggystyle, Nate realized that he hadn't imagined her flustered state. Not when she appeared to dry hump Finn's body before catching herself.

"What's teach's name?"

"Resto. Uh, Marissa Resto," Barney supplied.

"Marissa's a sexy name," Nate remarked, more to himself than anyone else. "I think I need to get to know Marissa better."

Unfortunately, the arrival of three beautiful women distracted Nate enough for Ms. Resto to slip away. Momentarily angered by not seeing where the teacher went, Nate's horny state of mind provided a distraction.

"Damn, that would be possibly the greatest foursome ever."

"What?" Barney asked, nearly spitting out his drink.

"Hot mom and two hot daughters. Imagine how kinky that would be," Nate speculated. "See? I told you my mom has sexy friends."

The friend of Tinsley's in question was Lauren Rogers. The only disappointing aspect in Nate's mind came from Loren and Rowen's other triplet. He shook his head at how much more awesome the potential could be if Lexington had been a girl. A fivesome for the legends! Still, a foursome for the ages if I played my cards right. Or for Finn since they seem touchy-feely with him.

Lost in his lewd thoughts, Nate lurched in shock at who replaced the Rogers women.

"Oh, fuck! Not good, not good."

"What's wrong now?" Barney queried, starting to lose his patience.

"That's what's wrong," Nate answered, pointing toward the young woman who hugged Finn.

"Maddie? I don't see a problem. I like Maddie," Barney stated.

Madeline Stringham had been a year behind them in school. Friendly and hard-working, Madeline had proved to be an asset on The Buzzy Bee. Absolutely solid, there had been no question that Maddie would succeed Finn as the newspaper's editor-in-chief.

"Your liking Maddie isn't the problem. It's Lana's feelings," Nate reminded.

Barney nodded as he recalled all the ways Lana had shown her dislike for Madeline. Despite her status as the most desirable girl in high school, Lana felt threatened by Maddie. She knew the girl idolized Finn while having a deep crush on him. Also, Maddie represented Finn's other part of his life. Newspapers and novels weren't Lana's things. Yet, she knew how much Finn loved them. So, having a good-looking girl who enjoyed them and had a crush on Finn made Lana uneasy while they dated.

"Let's hope that Maddie is gone before Lana shows up," Barney said, mentally crossing his fingers.

"He's a great kid. Takes after your sister in the best ways. Kid like that deserves whatever action he gets tonight, and he's getting plenty," Teddy remarked to Sandy Bank.

"Not everything is about 'getting action' at his mother's event," Sander responded about Finn.

"Finn's had a tough time. He deserves a memorable night. Oh, wait, you didn't have many memorable nights by being overly cautious, did you?" Teddy teased his old neighbor. "Don't give me that look. The one time you did something crazy, it worked out, didn't it? Still can't believe you up and changed your college choice at your high school graduation after Cherry admitted that she liked you too. That took guts."

"It's not the quantity of chances one takes; it's the quality," Sandy responded. "Now, I'd better get my wife and mom those drinks."

"Yeah, knowing your mom, she's getting antsy. Can't say the....what the fuck?"

Busy giving the bartender his order, Sandy ignored Ted's exclamation. To be honest, that phrase was pretty common around the Day and Toone families. Although, to be fair, Teddy had an exceptionally laid-back attitude. He wasn't anything like his sister or the Fallons next door.

"What the fuck is she doing here?!" Teddy bellowed.

"Oh, shit!" Nate reacted to his uncle.

Finn broke off his conversation with Madeline. His eyes opened wide as he realized the same thing as Nate. Hurriedly apologizing, Finn rushed over toward the two men. One was his biological uncle; the other was one of the surrogate family members that he mentioned in his speech, whom his mother left behind for him.

"Why is The Bitch at Cassie's party?!"

"Whoa! It's cool, Teddy, it's cool!" Nate attempted to calm his uncle down.

"No one told him?" Finn directed at Nate.

"No one...you all knew? What the hell!" Teddy erupted.

"What's the problem now?" Sandy asked, turning around with two drinks.

"The Bitch being here is the problem! How did she even get an invite? Rachel wouldn't do that. Nor would your mom. I bet she stole someone's ticket! That's it, I'm kicking her out," Teddy declared.

"Who are you talking about? Crystal?" Sandy queried.

"Don't say that name."

"I swear, we didn't invite her," Finn reassured. He knew that Rachel, Bridget, his grandma, and even Fiona wouldn't have dared. They all knew about Crystal's bitter betrayal.

"I did," Sander revealed nonchalantly.

"You what?!" Teddy bellowed, swinging around to face the other man.

"Why the hell..."Finn started before trailing off.

"What's the big deal? Crystal was around Cass quite often when you two dated all those years. They both enjoyed discussing novels. It's been over fifteen years since you guys broke up. It should be water under the bridge by now," Sandy commented.

"It's still painful to Teddy," Finn stated, nearly growling at his uncle.

"Not cool, man!" Nate stated while helping Teddy. His usually calm uncle had started to hyperventilate. "Barn, get something!"

"Crystal often travels to Eldermoss for business. It so happens that Cherry works for the company that Crystal's does many deals with. So they recognized each other and started having lunch or drinks together," Sandy explained. However, when his nephew continued to glare at him, he took another tack. "My sister believed in forgiveness and second chances. Your mother would've offered Crystal another chance."

"No. She wouldn't have. How can you be so clueless?" Finn challenged

"Where..." Teddy began, gasping for air. "Where is Brandy?"