Mom's Tough Love

Dee Williams storms into the living room clutching the crumpled report card like a loaded gun. Natalie Knight slouches on the couch, already rolling her eyes. Natalie. The tone is sharp enough to slice skin. Natalie barely looks up. Dee unfolds the wreck of paper and waves it. Straight failures. Every single class. Two months from graduation and the girl acts like diplomas are for losers. Natalie shrugs, blow-job careless. Dee’s temper flares, tries bribes, threats, grounding, hell, even taking the car keys. Nothing lands. Then she swings the last threat, the one that hits between the legs: pussy’s off-limits till grades climb. Two months crawl by on broken glass. Tonight Natalie saunters in, report card fanned open like a winning hand. All As. Dee’s approval is a low purr. Incentive worked, Natalie answers, tongue grazing her lower lip, eyes raking Dee head to toe. Natalie’s fingers start a slow climb up Dee’s thigh. Deal’s a deal, Dee breathes, voice thick as smoke, pulling her stepdaughter into a bruising kiss that tastes like forbidden victory and wet need.