Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: Second Best
Part: 036
Universe: Second Best
Summary: A full-length novel that follows several young couples and their
families through the period immediately preceding their Senior Prom.
Keywords: nosex

Keywords for full story:  F-solo, Ff-inc, M+F Ffm MF mf oral anal bd D/s Mg-
inc Fm-inc mm mmf rom MF-reluc

Chapter 36
Preparations

      What is there about Wednesday?  For some odd reason, each of the four
girls left home that morning with a reminder in her ears that the Prom was
only 10 days away, and that now was the time to acquire their wardrobe.
Attitudes in delivery differed - Helen was thrilled, while Jennifer advanced
the opinion that it was a waste of time and expense, because Jackie was
going alone, despite assurances to the contrary - but the content was the
same:  Shopping, tonight!  As they gathered before first period, they
decided to make it a group trip, if possible.  Telephone coordination with
parents over lunch made for the following lineup:  Dolores and Jackie would
be picked up by Padma.  Mandi and Dina would be ferried by Helen.  Marilyn
would meet them at the mall, ostensibly to pass on Dina's selections, but
actually to meet Mandi and Helen.  Jennifer would handle parental approval
by telephone, getting a second opinion from the other mothers; she had
grudgingly parted with $250 in support of the affair.  Immediately after
school, the designated parents collected the girls and the shopping trip
began.

	There were no males present.  All of the girls had discharged THEIR
duty by reminding their dates of their responsibility to obtain a tux, so
the guys executed a separate (and much quicker) trip to the local tuxedo
rental shop.  Robert Nellis and Paul Michaels put in an appearance, in order
to make sure that the rental agent didn't get too expansive with his
recommendations, more than anything else.  Limo service had been saturated
weeks before, but under cross-examination, each of the boys admitted that
they expected significant activity to occur AFTER the Prom (it took Paul 20
minutes and a rack and thumbscrews to get Terry to admit that sex with
Jackie was on the agenda - even though he KNEW it!)  Tim didn't have to make
any admissions per se, and Rick's situation was generally known, but there
was still the issue of WHERE - which was the one the elder males pointed
out.  Bobby got some serious heat over the whole thing from Robert - until
Rick reminded his father that Dina was in the driver's seat, and he might as
well make himself comfortable. "Pop, if Dina says she's going to fuck YOU,
all you can do is save yourself a lot of trouble and drop your pants!"

	After a discussion of price, quality of facilities, privacy, and
convenience, they settled on a pair of adjoining 2 bedroom suites in an
upscale local hotel.  At two couples to a suite, the steep price was
actually more affordable than single rooms, the price for which having
inflated somewhat due to the demand on Prom night.

	The girls descended upon the local bridal shops and upscale
department stores.  Dolores' funds were limited, but not too limited to
allow for a strapless black cocktail dress with a full skirt and a low cut
bodice.  Mandi proved hard to fit - anyone her size was automatically
assumed to be wide in proportion to their size.  Mandi sized up quite a bit
- but she was tall enough to carry it.  Luck was with them, however - they
found a beautiful backless powder blue gown whose full skirt turned out to
conceal a deep hem.  The salesperson offered to alter it for free, and Helen
took her up on it.  Jackie also opted for blue, finding something with a
plunging neckline to emphasize her modest bust and silver stars appliquéd
along the fabric in vertical streams.  Dina and Marilyn had a fight over
skirt length, and for once Marilyn won - but only because the demure,
sweeping black gown was so different on Dina as to be striking.  Part of the
compromise was the fact that the dark lace of the top very nearly exposed
Dina's nipples.  Once gowns were selected, the shoe stores did a brisk
business.  Dina and Dolores had a much easier time of it; Jackie and Mandi
had to order dye jobs.  As the girls took a break in the food court, Helen
broached the subject that had gone unmentioned but not un-thought of all
evening:  "All right girls, how many of you intend to be seen in your
unmentionables after the Prom?"

      Mandi's hand shot up, as did Dolores'.  Dina murmured, "I expect to be
seen in a whole lot less..." Marilyn frowned, but looked resigned.  Finally,
Jackie's hand came slowly up, waving gently above her pink blush.

      "Well, then, we need to go and get some nice stuff!  Eventually, he'll
want to see you naked - but you can drive him nuts before by being
tantalizingly ALMOST naked, first!"

      The lingerie shops then did a brisk business in their turn - even
Marilyn acquired an item or two, after Dina whispered to her "Mum, I know
what Pop has instructed you to do - but Helen knows a few things.  Pick
right, and you'll make him very happy!"

      Helen lent Dolores $50 to get her over the hump, allowing her to pick
up a nice red teddy with black lace trim.  Black was the most popular color
in the group, with Mandi, Dina, Marilyn, and even Helen picking up items in
that color. And Jackie found a nice - if brief - ensemble in purple.

      All in all, the evening went quite well - but not everyone was happy.
Jennifer arrived home from her job at the clothing manufacturer at 6:00, and
spent 2 1/2 hours fuming until Jackie got home.  Something about this Prom
thing set her teeth on edge.   The thought of her daughter again exposing
herself to the callous advances of boys, just to be seen at this foolish
ritual... The only time she could get away from it was at work, where she
could enjoy herself creating styles in the comfortable all-girl environment
of the design studio.  Sitting at home awaiting her daughter's arrival with
several hundred dollars' worth of clothing purchased just for what many
tacitly agreed was the party leading up to her ritual defloration left her
seething.

      Jackie came in at 8:45, carrying her dress on a hanger, shoes and
other items in bags, whistling.  One look at her mother stilled the
whistling.  She said nothing, but hurried out of her mother's presence,
intending to put her things away.  At the Nellis and Brown homes, the males
were treated to a quick "fashion show" where the new purchases were
displayed to family members not present at the purchase and fitting.  Not so
at the Hardesty's - Jackie's gown went right into the closet, and the
lingerie got hidden deep in the bottom of a dresser drawer not usually
reserved for underwear.  When Jackie returned downstairs, her post-shopping
high was just about burned off.  Jennifer regarded her with exasperation,
and commented, "I see that you managed to get your things for this meat
market display you're going to.  I still can't understand why you would want
to saddle yourself with some unknown boy for an evening - especially given
the fact that he will undoubtedly expect that in an excess of excitement
you'll let him get into your pants!"

      "Mama!" Jackie replied hotly, "Proms have been going on FOREVER!  It's
not like I'm going to a sex club!  Besides, I'm not going with some 'unknown
boy' - I have a date with someone nice - a boy I KNOW won't make unwelcome
advances!"  Jackie had phrased this last VERY carefully - because just about
ANY advances Terry might make would be welcome at this point.  But her
mother didn't need to know that...

      Jennifer sneered, "What is he, gay?"

      "That's enough, Mama!  Besides, I didn't say he wouldn't make advances
- I said he'd take 'No' for an answer!  What is it with you and men, anyway?
Are YOU gay?"

      Jennifer was totally taken aback.  "Uh, no..."  She knew better -
despite appearances.  She'd had the usual all-girl run-ins as a teen, and
remembered clearly that they were nice, but didn't stack up to her few
interludes with a male lover - in fact, they hadn't been good enough to
consider as a substitute.  "Although I can see how you would think - they
just CAN'T be trusted!"  Delving into memories of sex brought up the entire
emotional maelstrom attached to it, and Jennifer began to stress out again.
"If you mess with boys, they won't be satisfied until they're in your
pants!"

      Jackie reared up. "What if I WANT one in my pants?"

      "THEN YOU'RE A SLUT!" Jennifer screamed, and stomped off to her
bedroom. "You probably asked for it that night!" was her parting shot before
the door slammed.

      Jackie calmed herself, clenching and unclenching her fists and
blinking back tears.  She knew that her mother was concerned for her welfare
- but she also knew that she had descended into a Hell of her own making.
Sure, boys could be ruthless - she knew that first hand - but they could
also be wonderful!  Even in her little group, personalities ran the gamut
(Bobby McCormick, for God's sake!) but each of her friends accepted the
issues that their boyfriend or girlfriend presented - it was a case of
'different strokes...'  'Mama got third degree burns ONCE and stopped being
a member of the human race!' Jackie thought, fuming.  She went to her
mother's bedroom door and imparted this wisdom through it, yelling,
"Everybody gets burned, Mama!  When are you going to grow up and let it scar
over?"  With that, she stomped up to her room for a belated look at her
homework.

      Jennifer lay across her bed in a state of shock.  Her daughter's words
had cut across the physical and mental turmoil she was experiencing at the
thought of sex and boys like a knife!  'Is that it?' she wondered.  'Am I
just feeling sorry for myself?  Then why do I get so tense?'  It took her 3
hours of tossing and turning before her restless mind and body allowed her
to sleep.