Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: Second Best
Part: 008
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 rom

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 8
Dinner & Philosophy

      Ricky had picked Mandi up at 6:30, and they had wended their way,
after some fits and starts, ('Where do you wanna go?' 'I dunno, where do
you...') to a local restaurant where they could get a burger in an
environment slightly more private and upscale than McDonalds.  Once settled
in the booth, the waitress having departed, Ricky picked up the
conversational challenge: "I'm sorry about what I did to you last night - I
wasn't thinking what it looked like when I wandered off."  Mandi nodded, her
eyes locked on his, so he continued, "I was worried about expectations.
We'd had a couple of wonderful dances, but I had nothing to compare them
with.  I didn't feel it would be fair to either of us if we got all wrapped
up in those feelings, then discovered that they were the tip of the iceberg,
and we were better off elsewhere."

	"I admit I didn't think anything about that..." admitted Mandi, "I
was sort of caught up in the moment!  It seems to me that it's a pretty
adult attitude."

	"Well, I try - and 'conventional wisdom' isn't always a help!"
declared Ricky.  "By the time I'd hopped around a bit, I figured out that I
was lucky the first time... But I'm not sure you were..." he mumbled,
staring at his plate.

	"I'm not too concerned," announced Mandi, "but that WAS a hothouse
environment, and as a group, we're about as volatile as an old chemistry
set!"

	Ricky nodded his approval, "Too true.  Just because we're late
bloomers, doesn't mean we'll get it right.  If anything, a certain amount of
desperation..." At this point, he realized what he was saying, and,
belatedly, shut up.

	Mandi, however, avoided offense and evaluated the statement based
upon its merits.  "True.  I was willing to settle for a lot less.  Of
course, all I was really looking for was a Prom date."

	"Me, too.  And, given the timeline, that's a pretty good
justification for diminished expectations.  You should probably look some
more, anyway, just to be sure you can't do better..." Again, Ricky found
himself staring at his French fries.

	"You're sure going to a lot of effort to be fair and honest!" Mandi
exclaimed, "Another girl might assume that you were giving her the brush-
off!!"

	Ricky's eyes widened, and his hands came up, "Oh, no!  That's not at
ALL what I mean!  I didn't... I'm sorry; I'm not too good at this..."

	Mandi dimpled, "Its OK - I'll take honesty over social skills every
time; I don't have many, either!"

	Ricky relaxed, and pondered the conversation of the last few
moments.  He had "fouled up" not once, but several times - but Mandi had not
been offended, but rather responded intellectually to what was said without
stereotyped responses.  Cool!

	"I have a kind of non-standard 'world view'", he continued.  "I tend
to look at things logically, and where local morality comes into conflict, I
go with what seems to make sense. Some morality is OLD, and based upon
conditions that don't exist anymore - like the Jewish dietary laws... No,
I'm not Jewish - that was just an example."

	Mandi replied, "Yes, but it could be an explosive one.  I'm not
either - but religion is one place where logic appears to have no home."

	Ricky nodded, "Too true.  While it appears to have its benefits,
religion seems to require that you check your brain at the door when you
show up to worship. I haven't found one I could get behind in more than a
general way."

	"Yeah, I think the idea's great, but the implementation hasn't been
done right yet!"

      "Kind of like Socialism," Ricky grinned.  "Great idea - but humans
can't seem to make it work!"

      "Morality takes a million years to root out, once it's set, too,"
Mandi replied, "It's been 200 years since the original settlers around here
brought in their restrictive beliefs, and in many ways, we're still stuck
with them!"

      "I've got a favorite controversial subject:  sex!" announced Ricky.
"Everybody loves that one, but I've been looking at things that some people
would consider to be side issues.  Incest, for example:  While the genetic
good sense of the moral proscription on incest is obvious, the availability
of modern birth control reduces its applicability."

      Mandi frowned, "What's the benefit?"

      "Who would you rather have your first experience with:  Someone with
whom you already have a close, loving relationship, who is likely to take
your comfort and needs into account - (that would be a brother,
theoretically) - and who knows what he is doing - (that might be a father or
an uncle), OR the current option - some boy who has no idea what he is doing
but manages to override all of your defenses in the back seat of a car
somewhere?"

      "Put that way, I see your point," said Mandi, "but you hear all the
time about sexual abuse in the home..."

      "There's abuse under the law - which includes spanking, which is
ridiculous - and there's real abuse - rape, and so forth.  I'm definitely
all for punishing the kind of asshole who rapes children - but kids play
doctor all the time, and shouldn't have to be packed of to the shrinks when
it's discovered.  Likewise, if the young person is an active participant and
has control over the situation, it's an ideal teaching situation if boys
learn how to please a woman from their mother and daughters learn about sex
from their father.  Parents are a lot more likely to see to it that their
children enjoy the experience than another young person who, at best,
doesn't know much, and at worst has no control and will ruin several
partners before he or she learns any!" Ricky continued, "The proscription
against incest actually acts to ensure that parents tell their children
little or nothing about sex, partially in fear of being singled out as a
child molester.  This just propagates the whole ignorant stereotype.  The
law doesn't discriminate between consensual sex between children or adults
and children and rape.  That means when it's done right, you don't hear
about
it, because anyone letting out such a secret faces jail!"

      Mandi had begun to look distinctly uncomfortable, which Ricky failed
to notice immediately as he plowed on in his passion, "Even male-male or
female-female sex within the family is considered 'incest', even though
there is absolutely no genetic basis for it.  And it could provide a good
deal of comfort in situations such as single moms trying to raise teenage
girls..." Mandi's blush was un-ignorable. "Ooops!  I hit something..."

      Mandi looked up with pleading eyes, "Momma hasn't had a man since Pop
left, and she's pretty tightly wound, sexually.  We... help... each other
out, sometimes..."

      Ricky sat back, nodding in satisfaction, "See, that's what I mean!
You'd both be miserable, otherwise!"

      Mandi took a shuddering breath, surprised and relieved that Ricky
hadn't reacted stereotypically, once the discussion had made the transition
from theory to reality.  She decided to get brave, "Momma's always
encouraged me to enjoy sex, but I don't know how many times I could bring a
man home, before she'd start climbing the walls."

      Ricky grinned, "Sounds like you're telling me that anyone who gets
into a serious relationship with you might find a third in bed!"

      Mandi looked him dead in the eye, "It's possible."

      Ricky sobered, somewhat, "Well, if I come to your house, it's to see
YOU.  I'll do whatever you deem necessary to maintain the health of OUR
relationship, including THAT, but I'm not out to start a harem!"

      Mandi looked pleased with his answer - as indeed she was.  "You know
that most of this stuff will never fly in the real world!" she declared.

      "Yeah, I know.  Actually after some education, it might start
happening behind closed doors.  Sort of like oral sex - everybody does it,
and everybody turns a blind eye, but it's still illegal, many places!  As a
matter of fact, that's another one of my pet peeves!  Who was the sick
bastard who came up with the idea that oral sex should be illegal?  What in
the Hell is the justification?"

      The conversation ambled on for a while, wandering all over the map.
Mandi learned that Ricky had some serious 'rules to live by' that boiled
down to the idea that anything you do that hurts another is wrong, but
anything else should be the business of the individuals involved, and no one
else - and that he was serious about them.  She also learned that Ricky was
cautious about starting a relationship with her as much in fear that he
would do her an injustice as he was that it might be wrong for himself.
Mandi had no such fears - in fact, the more she learned about Ricky, the
more certain she was that she did NOT want to have him absent from her life.

      Sitting back and sucking on the straw in his soda glass, Ricky
reflected, "I don't understand; why does your momma have trouble getting
sex?  From where I sit, it's a buyer's market!  She should be able to pick
up a man just about anywhere..."

      "Well, Momma's as big as I am," Mandi replied, "but she weighs more.
She easily outweighs you, and maybe even Tim! She's not, like, totally
gross, but she's seriously husky."

      "Okay, Honey, but 'Different strokes...' - I know guys who wouldn't
quibble at that..."

      "But would you bring them home to Momma?"

      "Okay, I see your point, maybe," Ricky replied, "Still, I can't see
how if she were to show some willingness, maybe flash a little skin..."

      "Momma's pretty shy, even though she's a waitress, and has to deal
with people all day.  She gets a lot of remarks, and they hurt.  Besides, I
wander out to get the paper on Sunday mornings in next to nothing, and no
one has popped out of the bushes and wrestled ME to the ground yet - so it's
not just exposure of a little bare skin!"

      "I don't know about THAT!" Ricky replied, grinning.  "I know
environments where if she were to show up and flop out a tit, it would come
back with a 14 year old boy attached to the nipple - and the bigger the
better!"

      Mandi laughed, "THAT's what Momma needs:  An unending supply of 14
year old boys!"

      Ricky sat back.  "Are you ready to go?"

      Mandi looked up at the clock.  "Ricky, it's after 10:00!  Where did
the time go?"
      "Yikes!  No movie tonight!  I've got a curfew!" Ricky exclaimed.

      They collected their things, and Ricky drove her home.  Once parked
out front, Mandi asked, "Do you want to come in for a while?  We can
continue our conversation..."

      Ricky started to get a bit excited, then clamped a lid on it, "Okay,
but we'll have to watch the clock.  I have to be home by midnight, or all
Hell will break loose!"

      Mandi led him to the door, manipulated the lock, and then grasped his
hand, bringing him along as she entered the house, "Momma?  I'm home! And I
brought company!"  This brought some frenzied scrambling from the kitchen,
and "That's nice, Dear - anyone I know?"

      "It's my date, Ricky.  We're going into the den to talk a while,"
Mandi replied.

      "Fine, Dear, I'll be by in a few minutes to see if you need anything."
More thrashing.

      "What's up?" Ricky asked.

      "She's GOT to see you - which means she's GOT to get dressed!" Mandi
smirked, "We're pretty informal around here - she could have been in
anything from an old housecoat to nothing at all; uniforms bind, you know!"
This delivered with a wink.

      "Ah!" said Ricky.  Mandi led him into the den, where he dropped into
an armchair that made an 'L' with the couch.  Mandi took the couch end.
They continued talking, exploring morality and the strange quirks of human
behavior - while avoiding sex as a topic.

      After about 10 minutes, Helen bustled into the room, dressed in a
wraparound housedress that, properly worn (and it was) met all of the
dictates of decency.  Ricky evaluated it for ease of access, however, and
gave it a '10'.  "Hi, I'm Helen..." to which Ricky murmured "Hello." "You
must be Ricky."  As he nodded, she scanned him from head to toe and back,
then nodded tightly.  For all the speed at which it was given, Ricky felt
like he had been given an MRI.  "Do you kids need anything?  Drinks,
perhaps?"

      Mandi piped up, "Maybe some Cokes, Momma."

      Ricky looked embarrassed, and asked "Mrs. Giannelli, ("Helen,
please.") could you direct me to the restroom?"

      "Sure, Dear.  Down that way, on the right past the kitchen."  Ricky
moved out, somewhat uncertainly. As he rounded the corner, Helen allowed an
expression of approval to appear on her face.  "Nice.  Decent looking, well-
mannered..."

      "...And IQ well above average," Mandi finished.  "It's amazing how
stupid people are - he should NOT have been on the market for the likes of
ME to scoop up!"

      "You're too hard on yourself, Dear.  But you're right - I've seen that
musculature before.  It fools you into thinking he's weak - and he's
anything but!  Your uncle Julio was built like that, and he was an Army
Ranger!  The good news for you is that he won't be interested in little
girls - they're too bony and fragile!"

      "Mom!" Mandi blushed.

      "Has he kissed you?"

      "We're moving slowly.  He doesn't want me to close off my options by
getting instantly serious with him."

      "Either he's trying gently to get rid of you, or he's a sweet, sweet
boy!"

      "I believe it's Option B," Mandi responded, "He lives in a land where
things are supposed to be logical, and he has some serious notions of
'right' and 'fair' that even I know that most of the human race can't live
up to.  But HE can!"

      "That could make things difficult - if you use the usual weapons a
female deploys in this situation, ultimately, he won't be able to respect
you."

      "I know, Momma.  I'm doing it the hard way.  The good news is that I
think I'm doing OK."

      "All right - I'll go get the drinks.  Have fun, Dear!" Helen swept
out, passing Ricky as he arrived from the bathroom.

      Ricky turned to watch her departure.  "Did I pass muster?" he asked.

      "I think so.  You passed the 'good customer' test, at least." Mandi
replied.

      "'Good customer'?"

      "Momma can size up a customer as he comes into the restaurant as to
whether he'll be nice or trouble." Mandi amplified.

      "Oh."  Ricky settled himself, gingerly, as Helen reappeared with the
sodas. 'Quick' he thought, 'Too quick'.  Helen dropped them off, and
disappeared without a word.

      Mandi caught his dubious glance, "She probably staged them.  It's
habit.  She IS a waitress!"  She then piped up with "Momma!  Ricky has to go
at 11:30.  Could you let us know?"
      "Certainly, Dear!" wafted in from the direction of the kitchen.

      "That'll keep her busy!" Mandi giggled.

      They resumed their conversation.  They were arguing the virtues of
prostitution when Helen announced "Time, Dears!"

      Ricky slowly got up, and took Mandi's hands in his, "Wow! This was
great!  Just talking tonight was totally different, but almost as good as
last night!"

      Mandi blushed, "You can have BOTH, you know!"

      It was Ricky's turn to blush.  Unable to think of anything to say, he
turned, and they walked to the door, hand in hand.  They stepped out onto
the porch, and Mandi gently shut the door, then turned and looked into his
eyes.  Ricky took the hint, and the resulting kiss left them both flushed
and breathless.  "I still owe you a movie," gasped Ricky, "Tomorrow?"

      "Okay.  6:00?"

      "I'll be here."  After another quick kiss, Ricky clattered off,
worried about the proximity of his curfew.  Mandi watched him leave, then
went inside.

      "So, what did you see?" Helen wanted to know.

      "We started talking at dinner, and ended up blowing off the movie."
Mandi replied.

      "If Denise had told me that, I'd expect wet panties.  You, I believe.
Especially given some of the snippets I overheard in the den!" Helen
declared.

      "Well, what do you think?"

      "Pretty impressive!  Are you going to catch him?"

      "I'm 'way out in front!" Mandi grinned.

      "What about you?" Helen asked, shrewdly.

      "Oh, Momma, I'm done for!  If he gets away, I'll shoot myself!" Mandi
declared.

      "Relax, Dear, and be yourself.  If you don't push him, he'll walk in
on his own.  I don't think that the importance of the fact that you could
carry on an intelligent conversation with him can be underestimated.  I
couldn't usually hear what he said, but I could pick up his tone - and he
was impressed with you!"

      "Momma, he's just so slow and deliberate!" Mandi wailed.

      "Sweetheart, from this side, he's not being slow at all - this was
your first REAL date.  You're going to see him again tomorrow night!  That
will be 3 times in 3 days!  Relax!  Everything will fall into place - and
it'll be sweeter because of the wait!  Be patient and play fair!"

      "But the Prom's in two weeks!"

      "And you're going to need a dress, mark my words.  He'll ask you - and
soon!"

      The girls closed down the house, and went to bed.  Denise arrived home
about 12:30.