Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: Second Best
Part: 086
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 86
Thursday

      The next morning saw quite a stir at the normal gathering of the group
before school.  Dolores' engagement to Tim vied for everyone's attention
with Bobby's run in with his brother over Jackie's mother, although the
latter was considered to be more humorous than serious.  The girls were all
agog over the engagement, while the guys jokingly checked Tim for fevers and
other ailments, but everyone was pleased.  Mandi considered hinting to Rick
that doing similar might improve THEIR situation, but decided that she had
better sense.  Rick wasn't stupid; it would have occurred to him already,
and for her to hint at such a thing would seem like she was trying to set a
bear trap that she had given up the right to own.  Rick rubbed her back and
nibbled at her ear while they stood there, and she knew she'd been right -
it HAD occurred to him.  "I have a dress fitting this afternoon, Love," she
murmured quietly.

      "And your mother is coming to my house tonight.  I hope we can pull
this off!" Rick replied.

      "We will, eventually, Love.  We're more determined than they are!"
Mandi smiled as Rick nibbled at her neck in reply.

      Jackie took some heat over her mother's choice in boyfriends, but it
was largely offset by the satisfaction of pointing out that Bobby's big
mouth could even alienate his relatives.  "One day that hole under your nose
is gonna get you killed, Bobby!" she announced, to general laughter.

      "Anything to avoid having you for a sister-in-law!" was Bobby's
obnoxious reply.

      Tim pulled Dolores aside, and murmured, "Mom's having fits!  She
insists that she has to talk to you and your mother! I don't know where it's
going - Dad actually helped me cool her down! - but you guys have to get
together..."

      "Okay, I'll call Mama and she can set it up," promised Dolores. "She
probably just wants to be let in on things..."

      Tim frowned, "I sure hope so..."


      Big Al called Jennifer under the pretense of letting her know that he
had arranged for the delivery of a rental from the local Rent-a-Wreck.  "You
need to talk to Mike, Missy," Al advised, "He's worried about you!"

      "I-I can't, Al," Jennifer wailed, "I'm too embarrassed!"

      "Of having a healthy libido?" Al returned, "There's worse things,
Honey.  Let it go."  But this was too much for Jennifer, and she shut him
down, closing out the call with a hurried thanks for the rental
arrangements.


      Thursday morning seemed to be rife with embarrassments.  When Merry
got to work, Ann was unable to look her in the eye.  She took it until
lunchtime, then took Ann to task over the issue: "What's the matter, Ann?"

      "I - um - well, I embarrassed myself pretty seriously last night, on a
number of accounts," Ann replied diffidently, "First I went after your..."
she glanced around, "Master, hammer and tongs, then  - or maybe
simultaneously - I got aroused!"

      "So?" Merry replied, matter of factly.  "As far as the first item
goes, you were looking out for my welfare.  We both recognized that, and
commend you for it - you're a good friend to be concerned and to be brave
enough to take action on it!  As to the second..." she shrugged, "I was! I'm
sure my - Robert - was, too!"

      "Why?"

      "Why what?" asked Merry, perplexed.

      "Why were you aroused?" Ann asked.

      "Well, let's see," Merry teased, smiling, "I was buck naked, relating
the details of my sexual rebirth while my titties were being played with in
front of an audience.  Hmmmm, nope  - nothing there to get excited about...
What about you?"

      "Um," Ann blushed.  "I'm not sure.  I got excited right away - you
were so poised when you came to the door..."

      "An act, I assure you.  I was NOT prepared for you; Robert had tricked
me.  It was the first time I answered the door that way for someone who
wasn't expecting it."

      "...Then we went into the den and you started telling your tale.  That
was stimulating, too, but the capper was watching you un-self-consciously
enjoying the feel of those big hands on your breasts."

      "What was there about that that you found arousing?" Merry asked.

      "I haven't been able to figure it out.  Was it him?  Was it the idea
that he could do anything he wanted?  Was it that you could just enjoy it?"
Ann stopped.

      Merry didn't let her off the hook.  "Or was it just - me?"

      Ann blushed crimson. "I don't - I never..."

      "Me, neither.  So what?  That still could be it..." Merry replied.

      Ann cleared her throat.  "I, uh, like men."

      "Okay.  Any special type?  Aggressive?  Powerful?  Gentle?  Quiet?"

      "Uh, from my history, I'd have to say commanding, self-assured,
masterf..." Ann stopped as the realization hit.

      "Uh huh.  Now we're getting somewhere!" Merry grinned.  "I don't think
that's all, though.  I think that there were a number of factors at work.
All of which begs the question: What are you going to do about it?"

      "Huh?"  Ann was perplexed.

      "Robert offered to help you discover what it is, and maybe enjoy it a
bit.  That's the first time he's ever made such an offer - you made a good
impression!  Would it hurt to find out?  Think about it," Merry advised.

      "I don't know..." Ann vacillated.

      "There's no hurry.  I'm sure the offer was open-ended.  I know Robert
thought about gentling you through the thing last night - but he didn't want
to scare you, or shock you, or put you in a position where you would be
uncomfortable today.  Give the whole thing some thought.  If you think you
can deal with it, give Robert a call.  I'm sure he'll put any boundaries
around it you think you need..."  Merry walked out, leaving Ann pondering.


      Jennifer arrived at work about an hour late and very subdued.
Everybody let her distraction ride until lunchtime, then the hens descended.
"Honey, what's wrong?  Was the accident that bad?" asked Christine Hunt, the
design firm's large blonde fabric specialist.

      "Well, it was scary, but, no, that's not it," Jennifer sighed.

      "Give, then," Christine prompted, "You're one unhappy camper!"

      "I met a man - and lost him!" Jennifer shrugged.

      "In 24 hours?  Men!  What did he do to you?" Men were Christine's
favorite targets, Jennifer reflected, grinning.  Then she stopped, belatedly
realizing that Christine had a lot of GIRLfriends, but... "More like, 'what
did I do to him?'!"

      "C'mon!  What did he do?  Run like a rabbit?" Christine snorted, "Drop
you like a rock when your legs didn't open?"

      "Oh, no!" Jennifer replied, "You don't understand!  Mike rescued me
from the truck!"

      "And then tried to take advantage of you?" Christine guessed.

      "Shut up, Christine, and let her tell it BEFORE you paint all of the
men in dark colors!" Hilda Barrett, the short woman with flyaway red hair in
charge of production snapped.  "Poor thing can't get a word in edgewise!"

      While Christine pouted, Jennifer related the events of the previous 48
hours.  "I had a flat tire on 295, and while I was trying to change it, the
jack tipped over and pinned me under the truck!"

      "Omigosh!" another listener interjected.

      "Anyway, it was rainy, and I was stuck there for a good hour, when
Mike, the tow truck guy, showed up, all on his own, to see what was up.
Mike was a perfect gentleman," Jennifer continued, giving Christine the eye,
"I'd managed to shred my blouse and was half-naked above the waist and he
gave me his jacket to wear to get warm while he got me out.  Then the semi
smacked the truck..."

      "Jeezus!" Hilda interjected amidst the collective gasp.

      Jennifer nodded, "And Mike leaped under the truck and got HIS leg
pinned trying to protect me!  He was so sweet - lying there with a wheel on
his leg, soothing ME and telling ME that things were going to be all right!"

      "Okay, so I'm missing the part where everything went wrong..." Hilda
prompted.

      "We both ended up at the hospital, and Mike had to stay overnight.  I
went in to visit him, and, well, he made me feel so cozy and protected - I
went to give him a 'thank you' kiss and made a fool of myself and got up on
the bed with him!" Jennifer ducked her head and blushed.

      "And then he took advantage of you?" Christine prompted.

      "Not at all!  I was the fool pushing the limit!  He just held me and
made me feel warm and protected - and I was sucking it up as fast as I could
get it!"  Jennifer smiled.  "Our relatives came in and pulled me off him,
with an embarrassing reminder that hospitals were highly public places, and
I went home."

      "Yesterday, he came home from the hospital and I went to see him.  We
were in his room and started making out a little - kissing and stuff, and I
got carried away.  Next thing I knew, I was coming down from a screaming
orgasm, and there were six people in the room trying to find out what was
going on and making snide comments about my sexual response!"

      "So then what happened?" Hilda asked.

      "I got out of there!  I was SO embarrassed!  Mike was still fully
dressed, and I found myself holding his head to my breast and his hand up my
skirt!"

      "I don't understand.  How did he bring you off?" Christine wondered.

      "I don't get much sex.  I kind of swore off sex a long time ago.  I
guess I just had a lot built up.  He was sucking on my titties, and he just
touched me down there, and I went off!" Jennifer shrugged.

      "So he showed you the door?" Hilda asked.

      "No, I just ran, basically.  I couldn't face him - I'd been such a
total slut!"

      "Honey, I have to tell you, I fail to see where he's gone!  I see YOU
pushing him away, probably because you scared yourself - but I don't see
where you even gave him the opportunity to express an opinion, let alone
dump you!" Hilda laughed.

      "But I can't go back there!  His little brother Bobby has a terrible
mouth on him, and he knows Jackie!  It'll be all over!" Jennifer wailed.

      Christine sniffed, "Well, he only wanted one thing, anyway - feeling
you up on the second date!"

      Jennifer blushed, "Um, it didn't really happen like that... He didn't
do anything I didn't send strong signals over.  I've been ducking sex
basically because for me, it's an addiction.  It got me Jackie when I was
just a kid, so I went cold turkey.  Mike kind of offered an opportunity for
me to fall off the wagon."

      Hilda eyed Jennifer. "So, how long were you on the wagon?"

      "Um, Jackie's seventeen..." Jennifer replied.

      "Jeezus!  And how many boyfriends have you had?" Hilda asked above the
collective gasp.

      "Two?  Jackie's father - and Mike..." Jennifer replied.

      "Honey, it's a wonder you didn't tear him in half!  I would have, if
I'd done without sex for seventeen years!"

      Christine piped up, "You masturbate a lot, don't you, Sweetie?"

      "Uh uh!" Jennifer shook her head, "I found out that if I did anything
like that, it just made me want to uh, fuck, worse!"

      "You poor kid!  You need to get back into the ball game!  Get yourself
some toys and take the edge off, then do some careful looking around for a
man!" Hilda advised.

      "Huh!  Good luck with THAT!" Christine interjected, her lip curled.
"Men are pigs!"

      Hilda eyed Christine.  "I've seen some of YOUR girlfriends on the way
out..."  Turning to Jennifer, she added, "Don't count this Mike out, either.
He may not view the incident the way you think he does!"

      Jennifer made noncommittal noises and returned to work.  She couldn't
see how THAT could happen...


      Helen picked Mandi up from school to take her to her dress fitting
then went to McCormick's to fix dinner.  Bobby walked home, however - he was
in no hurry to confront his elder brother, so he walked Dina home and
stopped in for a bit.  Rick was walking the floor, worrying about the
upcoming family interview with Helen.  "What's going on over there?" he
wanted to know, "Is there anything I need to watch out for?"

      Bobby shook his head, "No - biggest news is Mike and Jackie's mom -
and I'm in deep shit over that.  Auntie Helen's generally sweet, so I'd go
with honesty.  You'll be all right.  She's pretty pleased with you for
dragging Mandi out from under her rock."  Rick nodded and fidgeted some
more.

      Dina stomped her foot and complained, "Watching him is making me
jittery.  Come on up to my room - I want to neck, and if you're good, maybe
I'll let you play with my titties."

      "If YOU'RE good, maybe I'll do more than that!" Bobby replied,
smirking, and they retired upstairs.

      But they weren't to get much opportunity to do anything, because as
soon as they were upstairs, Bobby's cell phone rang.  It was Mike. "Awright,
Asshole - you got Jackie's number?" he demanded.

      "Uh, no - but I'm with Dina..." Bobby covered the phone. "You got
Jackie's number?  I need it for Mike."

      "Yeah, gimme a sec," Dina called it up from memory in her cell phone,
and related it to Bobby, who forwarded it to Mike.  "See if he's gonna let
you off the hook," she advised.

      "If I was you, I'd craft and deliver a real sweet apology to
Jennifer!" Mike replied, "When I hear from her that she got it, maybe I'll
take down the wanted poster.  In the meantime STAY OUTTA MY SIGHT!"  He hung
up.

      "Well!  THAT was pretty clear!" Dina laughed.

      Bobby pouted, "You don't understand, Dina - Mike's NEVER yelled at me
like that!  He's serious!"

      "Then I guess you'd better do it..." Dina observed.

      "Awwww!!!"


      Robert called Merry at work to remind her that Helen was coming over
that evening.  "You know, we can play this low-key..."

      "No, Master, I think we should be honest.  We shouldn't misrepresent
things," Merry replied.

      "Well, I gave you an out.  She'll be there around seven," Robert
sighed.

      "I'll be ready, Master," Merry assured him.


      Jennifer arrived home to find Jackie and Terry in the den and two
messages on her answering machine.  The first was from Bobby: "Uh, Miz
Hardesty, this is Bobby McCormick.  I, uh, wanted to apologize for the
embarrassment I caused you yesterday.  You know, when you screamed, we
though you might have been hurt - that's why we all trooped into the room.
We don't generally go around watching people makin' out.  Well, most of us
don't - I mean I did once, and Dina has, and Denise... Rick and Mandi just
ignored us, though.  Anyway, I'm sorry.  Please tell Mike I apologized so
he'll let me back into the house, willya?"

      Jackie and Terry, overhearing, burst into laughter. "What was THAT all
about?" Jennifer demanded.

      "Which part?" Jackie returned, "Bobby judging the sexual Olympics, or
being run out of the house?"

      "Um, both, I think!" Jennifer replied cautiously.

      "Well, the way we got it this morning, Mike threatened to beat Bobby
within an inch of his life when you ran out last night - and he was serious,
too, which is not normal for Mike.  Bobby spent the night at Helen's."

      Terry took up the tale, "All that other noise relates to the day Rick
took Mandi's cherry.  They were home at Mandi's and Denise stumbled onto it.
Since Mandi hadn't done much dating, it was an earth-shaking incident, so
Denise called Dina - and Bobby was there.  I was told that when Rick came up
for air after the second pass, the three of them were giving color
commentary."  He grinned.

      "Gawd! What did Helen say?" Jennifer asked, appalled.

      "About the audience, or Mandi losing her virginity?" Terry asked.

      "Mandi!"

      "Well, it's convoluted, but Helen knew about it - even okayed it."
Terry replied.

      "What?!" Jennifer was shocked!

      Terry and Jackie passed one of their signature looks, and Jackie
undertook the explanation.  "Like Terry said, it's convoluted.  But it's
kind of a legend, too, so... Mandi met Rick at the same dance where I met
Terry, and, frankly, it was love at first sight.  Rick won't let his heart
take him anywhere that his brain can't justify, though, so things were a bit
bumpy that night.  For one thing, Mandi gets as wet as you do when she's
excited, and Rick came up with a peculiar - smelling wet spot on his leg
after a particularly hot slow dance.  There's plenty of embarrassment to go
around in these things."  She favored her mother with a significant glance.

      "Anyway, Rick believes that conventional morality is for idiots who
can't think for themselves, and he likes to make up rules for the way things
OUGHT to be."

      "How does he reconcile that with being a white slaver?" Jennifer
asked.

      Terry grinned, "He hasn't yet - but that's mainly because the whole
thing was Mandi's idea, not Rick's!"

      "Oh!" Jennifer's eyes popped.  "Funny, the ideas you could get..."

      "Anyway," Jackie resumed, "Things are pretty casual at Mandi's house.
It didn't used to matter, because the only one of the three of them who had
males sniffing around was Denise, and she always played her games away from
home.  Helen would hang out in an open housecoat - probably still does! -
and Mandi did about the same.  At some point, Mandi mumbled something in
conversation about habitually going out to get the Sunday paper virtually
naked..."

      "I still don't see..." Jennifer began.

      "Wait - it's coming," Terry cautioned, and took up the tale, "Anyway,
Rick and Mandi dated a couple of times, totally clean, getting to know each
other and stuff, and Rick's world view was discussed, and so on.  Saturday
night came, and they moved on to the next level.  They doubled with Tim and
Dolores, then went back to Mandi's to neck a little, since Helen had the
late shift.  Mandi was wearing a more restrictive blouse than she had on the
night they met, and she wanted an excuse to take it off, so she proposed
some rules for their relationship to Rick..."

      "It went something like this:" Jackie continued, "If Mandi let Rick
touch her somewhere during a necking session, but didn't let him see it, he
had to go through the usual rigmarole to touch it again next time.  But if
he SAW it, he could have free access to it.  That let her take off her
blouse and leave her bra on, and he could rub her back without a hassle."

      "I think I understand... Now, he could rub her back, but could he play
with her breasts?" Jennifer frowned.

      "Yes," said Jackie, "but if she didn't show them to him - if it was
dark, or she didn't let them out of the bra - he had to get her permission.
He could rub her back with permission or without!"

      "How did he have access to her back?  What was she wearing at the
dance?" Jennifer inquired.

      "A halter," Terry grinned, "Mandi in a halter..."  He shook his head.

      "Hey!" Jackie squawked.

      Terry held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not a breast man, and I love you
just the way you are - but some things demand respect..."

      "Um, okay - but I'm still lost!  Where does this lead to Helen
actually approving his deflowering her daughter in her own bed?" Jennifer
asked, bewildered.

      "Rick told Mandi that her rules probably weren't well thought out, but
Mandi stuck to her guns.  As he left, he remembered the loophole - he knew
of a time when he could catch Mandi essentially naked!" Terry grinned.
"Sunday morning, he was sitting on the porch with the newspaper on his lap
when Mandi walked out to get it, wearing an open robe.  At that point, he
had full visual access to everything from the top of her head to the bottom
of her feet.  By her own rules, she was lost!"

      "So?  Wasn't that cheating?" Jennifer asked.

      "Absolutely not!  Rick even warned her that he thought she was
forgetting something!  Besides, she'd have lost him then and there if she
had gone back on her word!  Don't women have ANY compunction about not
keeping their word?" Terry asked, scandalized.

      Jackie blinked.  "You're right!  If she had reneged, they might have
made it through the morning, but eventually Rick would have had to say
goodbye - he can't deal with that!"

      Terry looked at Jackie owlishly, "What about you?"

      "I," Jackie started, then shook her head, "promise nothing - but I
don't intend to ever mislead you.  If I stick my foot in it, I'll try to
live with the consequences."

      "Okay, so he saw her naked. So?" Jennifer pushed them back on track.

      "Don't be dense, Mom!" Jackie chided.  "If he could see it, he could
touch it, whenever he wanted - those were the rules!  How long would YOU
last if Mike got his hands on your..."

      "Okay, so he had her between a rock and a hard place.  Why didn't
Helen stop it?" Jennifer wondered.

      "Three reasons:" Jackie replied, "First, because she and Mandi had
discussed the rules only moments before, and Helen had told Mandi that if
she wanted to be bound by them, she wouldn't stop it.  Second, because Rick
actually gave her the option of putting a stop to it, proving that he was a
decent guy.  And, finally, because Mandi didn't want her to!"

      "I don't know if I could have done that!" Jennifer declared.

      "Really?" Jackie smirked, "What about yesterday morning?  The only
thing keeping me a virgin is the fact that Terry is a perfect gentleman!"
She leaned over and kissed her boyfriend on the cheek.

      "Okay, I get it - if you're gonna, you're gonna..." Jennifer grumbled.

      "Exactly," Jackie announced with some satisfaction.  "Helen decided
that if they were going to do it - and they were! - they should be
comfortable and not ruin it by trying to do it in a car or something!"

      Jennifer nodded.  "Okay, you're right.  It took a while to get here,
but now I understand." She reached out and restarted the answering machine.

      "Missy?" came Mike's familiar voice, "Are you okay?  Look, about last
night: I'm really pissed at Bobby and he'd better apologize to you, but I
don't think anyone meant any harm.  I know it was a little bit embarrassing,
but I wouldn't get too upset about it.  So, uh, when can I see you again?
Call me!"

      Jennifer started to cry.  Terry blinked.  "What's wrong?"

      "I CAN'T see him again!  I can't seem to control myself around him,
and I've embarrassed myself in front of his whole family!  I can NEVER go
back!" Jennifer wailed.

      Terry and Jackie passed a look.  Jackie shrugged.  Terry advised,
"Look, Miz Hardesty - Mike called you; he's not upset!  He very clearly
wants to see you again!"

      "He can't have ANY respect for me!  He probably thinks I'm a slut!"
Jennifer continued to wail.

      Terry thought about it.  "Look, I'm male - I recommend you listen to
the male viewpoint.  You guys apparently hung out for quite a while, just
being comfortable and necking, so it's not like you just dropped your
panties or something... He probably feels that your arousal stems from how
you feel about him..."

      "It does!"

      "Well, that's a big thing with a guy!  Guys spend their entire dating
career trying to get a girl to get so wrapped up in them that she lets her
hair down!  By his lights, things went very well last night, probably 'way
beyond expectation - right up to the point where you got embarrassed and
left!"  Terry admonished.

      "But - the crowd!" Jennifer blubbered.

      "The crowd was unfortunate," Terry replied, "but it was THEIR fault
for being there, and Mike could probably care less about what they think.
Besides, let's look at the list:  There was Bobby, who, frankly, doesn't
count.  Aside from his comments, he's male, and if I know him, he's looking
on his brother with a certain amount of admiration right now.  Dina?  Even
at her age, she's probably more experienced than you are!  She's 15 going on
40!  She won't think any less of you because of last night!  Denise?  Denise
tried to give every boy in the senior class a blowjob on a bet - and was
well on her way to succeeding, when Mandi showed her the joys of having ONE
boyfriend!  Helen?  I guarantee to you that Helen knows ALL ABOUT sexual
frustration, and that her only concern in being there was your welfare,
right Jackie?"

      "Uh huh!" Jackie agreed, "Helen went YEARS without sex, Mom, and was
going quietly nuts until she met Big Al.  The two of them just clicked, and
he lugged her upstairs twenty minutes after he met her and had her screaming
and creaming.  We know - we were there!"

      "Well, what about Big Al?" Jennifer whined, "HE can't think much of
me!"

      Terry shook his head.  "Big Al is male.  If he sees you come unglued,
it's because his son is doing an EXCELLENT job of making you happy!  If
you're easy to arouse, then Mike is a lucky dog - and that's as far as it
goes.  It's not YOUR fault - as far as Al knows, Mike was working hard to
get you there and succeeded!"

      "But I acted like a slut!" Jennifer shrilled.

      Terry was unperturbed.  "Let's work on definitions, here.  What do you
think a slut is?"

      "Well, a whore. A 'loose woman'!" Jennifer replied, puzzled.

      Terry smiled. "And here we have defined our problem," he announced,
turning pedantic.  "A slut is a woman who enjoys sex a lot.  Now, while this
might imply that she's easy to convince to have sex, it's not necessarily a
bad thing to be a slut - from the male viewpoint.  I'm thinking that females
look down on sluts for their malleability and lack of self-control, but
males don't have that viewpoint.  A whore, on the other hand, may or may not
be a slut.  What a whore IS is someone who isn't too particular about their
sexual partners, at best - and who uses sex to get other things that they
want, at worst.  A whore may not enjoy sex, particularly - she just uses it
as a tool to get whatever it is - money?  Protection?  A husband? - that
they want."

      "Being a slut, therefore, is not a bad thing, from the male's
viewpoint - especially if you ARE choosy and HE is the person you've chosen
to be a slut with!  That's more like the male definition of Heaven!"

      "Whores, on the other hand, are another matter."  Terry's face
darkened. "A great many married women - including my mother! - are whores,
using sex to manipulate their husbands to get their way.  A woman who is
free with sex until she's married, and then stops providing it is the worst
kind of whore - she misrepresents herself and cheats the man she tricks into
a sexless marriage!"  Terry caught himself.  "Sorry," he apologized, "you
accidentally hit a hot button."

      "Virtually all males are sluts," Terry continued, grinning, "It's in
our software. Similarly, there are a large number of male whores, although
most of them are the innocuous 'not too particular' type.  Unfortunately,
there are male predators, too, who dangle the false expectation of a real
relationship as a lure for the innocent.  The perfect answer is to put a
male whore and a female one together and let them screw each other, but they
seem to be able to detect each other, so it seldom happens.  I, uh,
understand that you've met one."

      Jennifer sniffled, "I'm not so sure, any more," she murmured, "I
wonder if he wasn't just as innocent as I was, and just couldn't deal with
it."

      "Okay," said Terry, "The point is, nobody is going to hold yesterday
against you - especially Mike!"

      "I wish I could believe that..." Jennifer replied.


      Helen picked up Mandi from the fitting and went to Al's to prepare
dinner for the McCormick clan, which was already beginning to feel spoiled
by the attention, since none of them displayed any particular skill at
cooking.  After dinner, Helen reminded a disappointed Al of her appointment.
"You know, Bobby's dating Dina," she reminded Al, "You might think of
putting in an appearance, too, and see what goes on there."

      Al frowned, and glanced at Bobby, who knew instant fear.  "Hmmm, might
be a good idea.  My exposure to Dina has been limited, but she's a wild
one."

      "In that case, can I go along, too?" Bobby asked, with a significant
look in Mike's direction.  Mike returned said glance narrowly.

      Al caught the byplay and crushed the reflexive negative answer.  "All
right, but this is an adult thing.  You and Dina can wander off somewhere
and stay out of trouble while we handle the main event!"

      The foursome got up to leave, and Al took Helen aside to drop the
other shoe.  "Uh, think we could hang out at your place, after?" he pled.

      "Why, you sneak!  You'll do just about anything to be with me, won't
you?" Helen laughed.

      "You're just now catching on?" replied Al, in a voice notably lacking
in apology, "If any course of action leads to me waking up the next morning
in bed next to you, I'll at least seriously consider it!  I'm addicted!"

      "Careful!" Helen joked, "You know where THAT leads!"

      "Yeah," Al replied with a level glance, "I know EXACTLY where that
leads.  Do you?"

      Helen gulped and looked away.  Was he saying what she THOUGHT he was
saying?  Almost certainly not...  After a moment, she changed the subject,
"Uh, well, I guess you and Bobby should collect a couple of things, then..."
and staggered off to the living room to wait.

      Mandi eyed her as she seated herself.  "You look shaky, Momma -
anything wrong?"

      "Al keeps making these broad hints..." Helen husked, fidgeting.

      "Those aren't hints, Momma," Mandi replied, unperturbed.  "The only
person around here who doesn't see where this is going is you!"

      "Al's attraction to me is purely physical.  He'll get tired of me over
time, and look somewhere else..." Helen predicted.

      "Yeah, and I've got four tits, too!" Mandi chided. "Wake up and smell
the coffee!  He's ALL into you!  You're a perfect couple!  Why don't you
just relax and enjoy it?"

      "Oh, I'm enjoying it all right!" Helen exclaimed fondly, "I'm just not
ready to relax yet."

      "Well, I think you two ought to at least settle on one house, if
you're going to sleep together every night..." Mandi opined.

      "Don't think I don't know where THAT'S going, young lady!" Helen
replied tartly.  Mandi had the grace to blush.

      "Girl's got a point!" Al rumbled with a wink at Mandi, causing Helen
to jump in surprise, "We're spending a lot of time trying to figure out
who's packing their overnight bag every night!"

      "Oh, and do you have a recommendation, then?" Helen replied archly.

      "Well, my place is a little bigger - even if it IS ramshackle..." Al
replied blandly.

      "Can we table this for now?" Helen asked, her exasperated glance
crossing with that of her grinning eldest daughter.

      "Sure," Al replied, "For now..."