Author: Thinking Horndog
Title: Second Best
Part: 099
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: exhib

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 99
The main event

      The Prom was an assault to the senses.  The Regency Ballroom, which
had events of this and related types as its sole business, was a superb
facility.  The refreshment area was as well lit as certain areas of the
dance floor were not, and there were areas offering privacy interspersed
with some that were VERY public all around the room.  The room was chock
full of young people, the band was jammin' and it was LOUD!  Tim, following
unconscious habit, staked out a fringe area along the edges for himself and
Dolores, and Rick and Mandi flowed into it on arrival without question.
Dina, however, would have none of it, and with Bobby's assistance and
reminders from Terry and Jackie that they all HAD dates and weren't there to
sit this one out, they settled in a relatively quiet spot guarded by a
pillar and a screen, but much closer to the dance floor.

      Student politics had gone relatively unaffected by the group's
emergence as a force, despite consternation in some quarters.  The beautiful
people were too well ensconced to be shaken out of their cozy positions in a
mere couple of weeks, no matter how notorious the newcomers were, so the
Prom court remained unaffected by events.  Dolores and Tim would have been
surprised at how many votes they got, however, Tim's long-term popularity in
sports multiplying his more recent fame.  And the court wouldn't have had to
grow much to have included Rick and Mandi.  Frankly, however, the idea never
occurred to any of them.

      On the other hand, notoriety was Dina's stock in trade, and she was
making the most of her appearance on THIS scene.  As soon as they cleared
the cluster of chaperones and other wet blankets guarding the entrance, Dina
disappeared to the ladies room to implement some long-prepared for
adjustments to her gown.  The opaque modesty panel in the bodice
disappeared, having previously been carefully separated from its moorings,
and the pins that had fixed the semi-transparent bodice panel in position
(after Dina had carefully untacked it) were removed, allowing its position
to be adjusted freely by sliding it up and down on the spaghetti straps
supporting it.  Dina left it in place, however; Phase One's objectives could
be met by merely exposing her nipples to the extent that the removal of the
modesty panel allowed, allowing the groundswell of male interest to get well
under way before Phase Two.

      Bobby made the perfect date.  While another boy might have been
embarrassed escorting Dina in her current outrageous costuming, Bobby
grinned from ear to ear.  Not only was she arguably the sexiest thing in the
room, she was on HIS arm!  And if she was up to something outrageous... So?
Bobby was up for outrageous - no problem!  He would back her to the hilt!
In this dimension, if in no other, they were the perfect couple.

      Even in this environment of youth and deliberately augmented beauty,
the blatant sexuality of Dina's display created a shock wave of lustful
attention from nearby males and anger from females as girls who were attired
as well as they would ever be in their lives had the attention of their male
escorts wrestled away from them.  Boys would unobtrusively position their
dance partners so as to provide them with a view of Dina and her group over
their shoulders - an action that tickled Dina's sense of humor no end.  And
she wasn't the only female under examination; Dina acted as a lightning rod,
attracting increased attention to the other three girls.  That attention
tended to remain, for a reason not immediately evident: Terry, Rick, and Tim
were NOT paying Dina much attention, being concentrated on their own dates,
which led to the unconscious conclusion among observers that if they could
hold their own in Dina's orbit...

      In fact, in a room full of impressive displays, Mandi, Dolores, and
Jackie were surprising, as well as impressive.  For Mandi to be on display
at all was surprising, given her history; on this night she was not only
displaying a good percentage of her considerable charms, but recent
experience with public nudity had lent her a poise that was totally
uncharacteristic for her.  Dolores, while more prone to physical display,
normally did it in pants.  But the way she carried off wearing the slinky
low-cut cocktail dress caused more than one eye to blink, and the casual
bonelessness with which she draped herself over Tim left no doubt as to
where their relationship was headed.

      Similarly, Jackie's display was a shock to those used to her normally
unobtrusive look.  Obviously, her days of hiding from her reputation were
over, and just as obviously, the whole thing mattered not to her; she and
Terry spent much of the evening in a world of their own, as if a bubble
surrounded them.  While certainly the others in the group could penetrate it
at will, seldom did their attention stray beyond.  This level of visible
devotion caused not a few provisional re-evaluations of Terry - 'way too
late to do the evaluators any good...

      As for Rick and Tim, being already somewhat popular within their own
circles, the telling issue was that they first discerned the potential in
their dates, then managed to realize it - apparently from a standing start,
as neither of them had a track record with dating.  This was particularly
impressive to the more thoughtful of the other guys present; they began to
examine their surroundings for girls that were acquirable but might have
unrealized potential, rather than concentrating upon fantasies of the
unattainable.

      This crystallization effect had already been triggered during the past
couple of weeks, but tonight's display of obvious successes would catalyze
it as the girls present recognized the same fact: they had been totally
ignoring males with arguably more potential than the 'A' group, which in
reality were primarily relying upon their looks or sports prowess - items
which, while desirable in the short run, weren't necessarily characteristic
of serious breadwinners, for example...

      Dina, however, continued to be the fatal attractor of the group;
dozens of junior class boys vowed to give Bobby a run for his money as
Dina's antics on and off the dance floor drew their eyeballs again and
again.  The couples in the group would go out to dance in pairs and trios,
always leaving a couple to hold down the table, and everyone was having a
good time and acquitting themselves well, but Dina's sabotage of her top was
particularly apparent on the dance floor as the destabilized translucent
folds shifted and flowed under the impetus of the jiggling cones beneath.
Dina would deliberately await the actual exposure of a black-painted nipple
to haul the thing back into place, making a production of it that generally
exposed both and riveted every male eye in fifty feet.  Bobby would usually
augment the effect by stopping dead on the dance floor and leering loudly,
"You're showing again!"  By about the third incident, you could hear bones
snap as heads rotated at the signal.

      But it was Rick who signaled the onset of Phase Two, without even
being privy to Dina's grand plan.  Coming off the dance floor with Mandi, he
settled himself against the pillar adjoining the table.  Mandi, shrugging,
backed up to him, balancing herself by planting her butt against his crotch.
This served to produce two things in short order:  A raging hard-on that
nestled itself between those soft cheeks, and a certain amount of discomfort
for Rick, due to the fact that Mandi's position required him to maintain a
rigid stance to support her weight, rather than just transmitting it to the
pillar.  Rick examined the problem for a moment, shrugged, and slid his
hands under her arms and into the bodice of Mandi's dress, trusting that the
action would resolve the situation, one way or another.

      It did.  As his fingers began teasing her nipples, Mandi sighed and
collapsed bonelessly back upon him turning her head and lifting her lips for
a kiss.  This redistributed her weight more comfortably and allowed Rick to
maintain his position.  Rick delivered the requested kiss while continuing
to fondle her rounded orbs, something blatantly visible to anyone looking.
And since a large number of those present had been conditioned by Dina to
keep an eye on that particular spot, a concerted gasp arose that could be
detected even over the music.

      Dina, on the dance floor with Bobby, looked up and laughed aloud.  A
visual survey of the crowd surfaced two majority reactions: shock from the
females, and blatant admiration from the males.  Dina's laugh tinkled again
as whispers of "Shameless slut!" and "lucky sonofabitch!" arose from
different quarters.  She winked at Bobby, "When we get back, let's turn up
the heat!"  This time, as her bodice went askew, Dina did nothing about it -
except possibly help it along.  By the time they returned to the table,
Dina's bodice was very obviously barely being upheld by the tips of her
erect nipples.

      Bobby plopped into his chair, which was positioned along the left side
of the table as seen from the dance floor.  Dina, rather than sitting,
straddled his right knee, pretending to examine activity occurring toward
the stage.  Then she proceeded to stretch, throwing her hands above her and
arching her back.  When she returned to the vertical and put her hands on
her hips, her conical breasts were in full display above the collapsed folds
of her bodice.

      Another, louder, gasp arose as boys all over the room detected the
display.  There was a certain cascade effect as one boy's fixed attention
alerted his friends.  As this effect began to gain ground on everything else
going on in the room, Dina looked down at Bobby and whispered, "Run your
hand up my leg, lover - I brought you a surprise!"

      Bobby slid his hand through the open slit in the back of Dina's skirt,
and slid it upward along the silky leg until he found... fur!  Damp fur!
Not only was Dina not wearing stockings, there were no panties there,
either!  "Ho ho ho!" he announced, loudly, "Pussy!  Wet pussy!"  And he
proceeded to begin dragging his thumb along Dina's labia, teasing them open.

      At this point, if it hadn't been for the band, you could have heard a
pin drop in the immediate vicinity of the group.  All eyes were trained upon
the display, and when Dina closed her eyes and reached up to tweak one of
her nipples, a concerted gasp arose, followed by a murmur.

      Dina opened her eyes and detected concerted movement from the cluster
of chaperones around the main door, uttered an "Oops!" followed by an
unrepentant grin, and dashed off for the ladies room.  Bobby very pointedly
inserted his damp thumb in his mouth, grinning from ear to ear as he made a
production of cleaning it off.

      Rick also detected the movement and grated "Aw, Hell, we'd better
split!"  With a wink and a nod at Terry, he and Mandi, Tim and Dolores, -
and Bobby - faded in three different directions, leaving Terry and Jackie to
hold the fort.  Terry and Jackie pointedly resumed ignoring everything but
each other, and were visibly thus engaged when the cavalry arrived.

      "You, there!" came the demand, "How long have you been here?"

      Terry peered owlishly up at old Mrs. Hufnagel, visibly shifting focus
from a smiling examination of Jackie's eyes.  "All night, off and on, I
guess - except when we've been dancing," he replied, looking anxious.  "Is
anything wrong?"

      Beatrice Hufnagel was pushing 60 and dragging 220 pounds everywhere
she went.  As a result, it had taken her three and a half minutes to waddle
across the room from the entry to this position, and she was winded and
somewhat angry.  Jacob Hesse, however, was half her age, and despite being
over six feet tall, only a large fraction of her size.  Undoubtedly, he
could have made the trip in thirty seconds, but the twinkle in his eye as he
stood behind her and pretended support led to some guesses as to why he had
contented himself with plodding in her wake.  Beatrice gathered her dignity.
"It has been reported that a strange-looking girl has been exposing herself
in this vicinity!" she announced, "What do you know about it?"

      Terry and Jackie shared a (fabricated) bemused glance, and Terry
shrugged.  "Nothing, I guess.  There's nothing strange-looking about
Jackie..."

      "...And while I guess it's possible I could expose myself in this,"
Jackie continued, hauling at the bodice of her dress, the plunging neckline
of which, while exposing the valley between her small breasts, was otherwise
rather sturdily supported, "I don't think many would notice."

      "I would, Sweetheart!" Terry announced gallantly, totally ignoring
Mrs. Hufnagel and company.  Jackie reached out and caressed his cheek,
smiling.

      Beatrice rolled her eyes.  "I understand that whoever this person is,
she's with that scamp, Bobby McCormick!" she grated.

      "Scamp?" Terry echoed, and both he and Jackie swallowed a snort of
laughter.  "Well, Bobby's a friend, and he's been around off and on..." He
locked eyes with Jackie.  "Did he bring a date?"

      Jackie looked owlish and shrugged.  "I guess.  I'm not sure..."

      A quick glance at Mr. Hesse showed that he was having trouble
controlling his mirth, so Terry pressed on, "I'm sure he's around here,
somewhere - maybe on the dance floor?"

      Clearly unable to proceed further, Beatrice gathered her dignity and
directed, "When you see Mr. McCormick, tell him to control his date!"  She
wheeled ponderously, and made her exit.

      Mr. Hesse, delayed a moment, however.  Chuckling, he announced, "You
may tell Dina that I enjoyed her little display, and that I'm looking
forward to having her in my Junior English class next year!"

      Jackie's eyes went wicked.  "Having her?" she wondered in a bemused
tone, "What a peculiar turn of phrase for an English teacher!  But again,
this IS Dina we're talking about, isn't it?  I'll be sure to inform her of
the opportunity!"

      Jacob Hesse goggled, stuttered "Ah, err ..." and got out, blushing.

      Terry's eyes also popped.  "Omigod!  I can't BELIEVE you did that!" he
yelped.

      Jackie blinked, surprised, despite herself.  "Neither can I," she
admitted.  "Must be from hanging out with that confirmed wild man, Terry
Michaels!"


      In the ladies room, Dina was touching up her makeup when Claudette
Pinkersley burst in.  "Dina, what do you think you're doing?" she squawked.

      Dina eyed her blandly.  Claudette was a member of the 'A' group - a
cheerleader, and general social butterfly.  She'd been leading Rob Graham,
the quarterback of the football team, around by a ring in his nose for some
time - but rumor had it that she'd not granted him access to any more of her
charms than perhaps a quick feel of one of her 36C tits.  "I'm having fun!"

      Several other girls arranged themselves around the confrontation, but
obviously, support was mixed.  Two or three of Claudette's supporters were
glaring their disapproval, but Dina's quick glance also took in a couple of
grins and a wink; Claudette's 'holier than thou' attitude grated on quite a
number of people.

      "You're working up every boy in the ballroom!" Claudette screeched.
"Quite a few of them have already stopped behaving themselves!"

      "Oh, no!" Dina exclaimed in mock horror, "Does this mean that you're
finally going to have to let Robbie under your chastity belt?"  Amid
Claudette's fuming and a sprinkling of mixed gasps of outrage and chuckles
of appreciation, Dina calmly turned toward the mirror, fished out her black
lipstick, dropped her bodice and proceeded to touch up a smeared aureole.
"Maybe you'd better take him home before he's exposed to sex," she
suggested.

      "I'll get you for this!" Claudette remonstrated, "The whole school is
gonna know what a slut you are!"

      "Don't you think you should come up with a new plan?" Dina asked
reasonably, "I'm SHOWING them, and a picture is worth a thousand words!
What can YOU add?"

      Claudette retreated in a huff, and Dina went back to her touch up.
"Seriously," asked the blonde working on her eyeliner in the next mirror,
"Why ARE you doing this?"

      Dina shrugged.  "I'm an exhibitionist," she replied, "And I'm having
fun!"  Turning to the blonde, she announced, "As for being a slut: at this
moment, I'm still a virgin!"  At the gasp of surprise, she smiled, coyly,
"But I won't be later tonight!"

      "Isn't that Bobby McCormick you're with?" a brunette down the row of
mirrors asked, 'Ewww!' as visible on her face as if she'd actually said it.

      "Yes!" Dina laughed.  "What better boyfriend for an exhibitionist than
the most uncouth boy in school!"  Sincerity replaced humor in her
expression.  "Seriously, though, he's really sweet once you have a ring in
his nose!  And even when he's at his most vulgar, he's being truthful!  In
fact, it's his lack of the social graces that I find most attractive in
him!"

      "Well, if you say so," the girl said dubiously.

      "I DO say so!" Dina declared.  "Sure, Bobby is rude, crude, and
socially unacceptable!  But he's also thoroughly honest, and regularly
complimentary, if you're not sporting virgin ears!  He calls me Pretty Tits,
and by his lights - and mine - it's a compliment!"

      "But isn't he sexually obsessed?"  Twyla, a thin, plain-looking girl
with dirty-blonde hair asked. "How do you expect to hold onto someone so
vulgar?"

      "Sweetie, YOU have all of the tools necessary to catch and hold a man
- but if you play by the rules your mama taught you, you can't win!  One of
the big problems we have as girls is that society has changed, but we're
still playing by the old rules!  You can't lead boys on and then sponge off
of them indefinitely anymore - sexual equality goes both ways.  Boys want
sex, and historically we girls have gotten our way by dangling it, then not
delivering it, covering our act with Victorian bullshit about what is
morally right and what isn't.  That's the old 'bait and switch' routine -
and it's just as criminal between the sexes as it is in a real estate deal!
Look around - divorce comes too easily these days!  If you want to get - and
keep - a boy, let him know what's available - and KEEP YOUR WORD!  Yeah, I'm
a slut - I like sex!  But I'm NOT a whore, and MY boyfriend won't be
sniffing around elsewhere looking for something I promised but didn't
deliver - which is something Claudette can't say!"

      "I can't compete with you!" Twyla wailed.  "It took me six weeks of
being within reach 24 hours a day while Mickey went through his list of
dream dates before he got desperate enough to ask me!"

      "You have tits, too, don't you?" Dina retorted derisively.  "And from
the looks of them, they're bigger than mine!"  It was true, too.  Despite
her plain face, Twyla's narrow body sported a pair of nice, rounded 34C
breasts, reasonably well displayed in the low-cut cocktail dress she was
wearing.  In addition, the knee-length skirt exposed a nicely rounded pair
of calves, even if the flat slippers she was wearing didn't exactly help
define them.  Dina eyed Twyla and murmured conspiratorially, "He noticed
them when he picked you up, too, didn't he?"

      Twyla blushed.  "He sure did!"

      Dina chuckled, "I think you're out of the woods already!  You're
biggest problem is that you hide your good points, and don't do anything to
improve the other stuff.  But now that he's seen you like this, you'll hook
him."

      Twyla looked dubious.  "Not after he got a load of you!"

      Dina sighed.  "You've got the wrong attitude!  Think of this as an
opportunity!  Let's see, you're here with Mickey LaRue, right?"

      "Uh huh!"

      "Good choice.  He's pretty smart...  You wanna keep him?" Dina asked,
"Or is this only a date?"

      "I want him!" Twyla affirmed.

      "Okay," Dina challenged, "How far will you go?  Can you step up to the
plate?"

      "Uhhh, I dunno... What are we talking about?" Twyla asked cautiously.

      "Okay.  I'm gonna go out there and show off again," Dina announced,
playfully fluffing her hair, "My public demands it!  Here's what I want you
to do!"  Dina moved closer to Twyla, and continued, "Let him get a good
look.  Let him dance you close.  Then take his chin, and look into his eyes,
like this..."  She demonstrated, grasping Twyla's chin and turning her head
toward her.  "Then ask him, 'Do you want to look, or do you want to touch?'
I GUARANTEE he'll follow you off, meekly."

      "B-but..." Twyla interrupted weakly.

      "Exactly!"  Dina replied, holding her locked in place, eyes boring in,
"You have to deliver!  You put 'em in his hands - or you'll be a rip-off
artist, and he'll be gone!"  Dina grinned.  "I didn't say you had to lay him
- just give him something concrete to look forward to!"  She let go of
Twyla's chin, and eyed her sidelong.  "Of course, you don't even have to go
THAT far... You can just say 'Mine are bigger!'  DON'T do anything you can't
live with.  And DON'T do ANYTHING if you can't follow through!"  Dina turned
toward the door, then stopped.  "You know, eventually, if you plan to keep
him..."  She turned away and left.


      Slowly, the four couples reassembled.  First, Mandi and Rick occupied
the table, allowing Jackie and Terry to dance a bit.  Then Tim and Dolores
returned.  Finally, Bobby wandered in from where he had drifted off to the
refreshments, bringing with him a drink for himself and one for Dina, who
appeared beside him from the ladies room as he arrived.  "Where you been?"
he asked.

      "In the ladies room, giving lessons in how to hold your man," Dina
replied, smiling, "Don't make me a liar, now!"

      "When you gonna, uh..." Bobby began.

      "The big scene?" Dina asked, "I've changed my mind.  This has turned
out much better, and you've been perfect.  Besides, if we have a big scene,
I'll be hip-deep in idiots that'll think they might have a shot at me -
which will just confuse things, since I have no intention of taking up with
anyone else." She eyed him sidelong, and added, "For the moment."

      "Speaking of taking up with people," Jackie interjected, grinning,
""Mr. Hesse came by.  Said he enjoyed the show, and looked forward to
'having you' in his English class next year."

      "Oh?"  Dina smiled back.

      "Well, I might have misinterpreted the double entendre..." Jackie
projected unconcern.

      "Well!  That IS something to look forward to - although I'll want to
try him out in private before performing before an audience!"

      Bobby choked and spewed soda all over the table.  "Hey!" he exclaimed,
coughing, "I thought..."

      "Bobby McCormick!" Dina snapped, "You will not OWN me in fee simple
until after I graduate - if ever!  How in the WORLD would I maintain ANY
control over you if you thought you did?  I have quite a bit to learn, and,
at least in the near term, you will NOT be the only rooster in my barn!"
She drew a finger along his chin and smiled at him fondly, "On the other
hand, Dear, your cooperation in this matter will be well compensated, I
assure you - and you will ALWAYS know where you stand."

      Bobby frowned.  "I'm not sure I understand."

      "Come here to me, Love," Dina sighed, hauling him in close, wrapping
her arms around his waist, but leaning back to look into his eyes.  "Surely,
you understand my nature by now?"

      Bobby's expression turned hangdog, "Well, yeah, but..."

      Dina silenced him with a finger to his lips.  "You won't change me -
but you may provide the inducements for me to change myself!  Neither of us
is the type to operate in a vacuum; I believe that we will both require some
seasoning before we can announce to the world with confidence that we're
made for one another.  So this is my proposal to you:  While you are not the
ONLY rooster in my barn, you ARE number one!  And I will not embarrass you
by operating behind your back - I shall either warn you in advance of any
planned peccadilloes, or at worst, brief you as soon as possible afterward.
In return, I ask the same from you."

      "I'm not planning any such activity..." Bobby groused.

      "Neither am I, Love..." Dina's grin turned catlike, "...actively... at
this moment... although Mr. Hesse HAS presented an interesting opportunity.
And speaking of opportunities, you've had a couple of interesting ones
lately, haven't you?"  She put her hand to her chin in pretense at thought.
"Let's see, there was Auntie Helen," she announced brightly, causing Mandi
to blanch and Dolores and Jackie to gaze first at Dina, then Mandi, and
finally each other in surprise.  Dina plodded blithely on, "And I seem to
remember an entertaining romp through the slave quarters the other night..."
As Bobby began blushing furiously, Dina continued conspiratorially, "I'd
kind of like to see you finish THAT one... Mum needs seasoning, too!  And
don't think Pop doesn't feel that he owes you something!"

      Rick rolled his eyes.  "Sis, do you think we could keep SOME secrets
around here?"

      Dina glanced at her brother, unconcerned. "Among these, our friends?
No.  Besides, I'm trying to point out to Bobby that our relationship
shouldn't blind us to opportunities to enliven and enrich our experience!"
She smiled at Bobby, who was beet red in embarrassment at the revelations,
"You DO understand, don't you, Dear?"

      "Yes, I see," Bobby agreed, somewhat exasperated.

      "Good.  Then give Mama a big kiss and let's go dance!" Dina replied,
smiling.  She leaned forward and provided a searing, thirty second kiss,
then, smiling, tugged a somewhat mollified Bobby onto the dance floor.

      Dolores shook her head.  "Always a treat to see the Mistress at work,"
she mused, then turned to Mandi.  "Are you gonna tell us about it?"

      Rick broke in, "Sure, might as well - but does it have to be TONIGHT?"

      "Well, all right..." Dolores groused.  "But what do YOU have to do
with it?"

      "It was my idea!" came the irritated response.  Rick tugged Mandi's
arm.  "Let's go dance!" he growled in an obvious effort to put an end to the
conversation.  Mandi shrugged and rolled her eyes at Dolores as she allowed
herself to be drawn onto the dance floor.

      "My, my..." Dolores mused, as a quick glance at Tim and Terry revealed
that they were just as surprised as Jackie, "I'm certainly looking forward
to our breakfast together..."

      Tim leaned forward and directed, "The dance floor!  Now!" emphasizing
the directive with a swat on Dolores' butt.  Dolores spun, fury in her eyes
and arm raised to strike, but Tim caught the slap before it landed and just
stood there, looking at her.

      After a moment, the fury drained away, the hand came down, and the
pair, eyeing one another, slowly began to smile.  "That's risky business,"
Dolores admonished.

      Tim nodded an acknowledgement. "I can handle it.  Shall we?" The hands
involved in the incipient slap and block clasped, and they headed off.

      Terry eyed Jackie. "Think we should dance?"

      Jackie looked around, and shook her head judiciously, "No, it's not
worth losing the table.  One of them will be back soon.

      "Okay," Terry shrugged. "C'mere, then."

      Jackie eyed him archly. "Why?"

      "'Cause I want to nuzzle your neck!" Terry declared.

      "Oh.  Okay, I suppose..."  Jackie feigned indifference until the
effect of the lips on her neck no longer allowed it, then collapsed against
him, giggling.

      Only a couple of songs later, the band started something that neither
Rick nor Mandi wanted to mess with, and they returned to the table, allowing
Terry and Jackie to take the floor.  They didn't sit, however, Rick electing
to resume his position against the pillar, and Mandi resuming hers against
him.  After glancing around a bit, Rick resumed his interrupted attack upon
Mandi's nipples, tweaking them while savoring the feel of her globular
mounds.  Mandi gave herself up to the enjoyment of those attentions, and
those of Rick's lips on her neck and ear, as only someone who could care
less about the opinion of others can.

      But Dina had conditioned a forest of eyes to sweep that area, and one
pair of them belonged to Twyla Banks.  Rick and Mandi's courtship had become
somewhat legendary in the last couple of weeks, and one prominent feature of
the tale was Mandi's 'rules of engagement' and her refusal to abandon them
when pressed.  The sight of that happy couple, engaged as they were,
reinforced Dina's earlier injunctions regarding dealing with boys in Twyla's
mind, and determination was born.  Twyla, too, would be happy.  'After all,'
she thought to herself, 'you can't win if you don't play.  And if you cheat,
you might win the hand, or even the game - but sooner or later no one will
play with you!'

      Mickey LaRue first noticed the situation when Twyla stopped
maintaining her distance and moved tighter into his arms.  This brought on
the second wave of a watershed change in his opinion of the girl, the first
having occurred when he discovered just how well she filled out that
cocktail dress.  Mickey had been more than pleasantly surprised; Twyla was
great people, and he'd counted her as a friend for ages, but her tendency
toward baggy jeans and tentlike shirts hadn't exactly emphasized the fact
that there was a girl under there... In fact, dating her had at first seemed
somewhat like dating his sister, or going with another guy for moral support
because you can't find a date.

      That had all changed when she met him at her door, and his eyes,
despite his best efforts, had gone swimming in her cleavage.  Her hair was
down from its customary pigtails, and while somewhat thin, it was looong,
lying in a shimmering wave along the upper part of her bare back.  On the
way to the dance in the car, it had slowly percolated through his brain that
perhaps Twyla could be more than just the good buddy, chess opponent, and
lab partner that claimed supposedly to be a girl.  In fact, as he thought
about all of the free 'You're a girl, how would YOU recommend that I
approach so-and-so for a date' advice he'd trolled for in the last few
weeks, totally overlooking her as a potential date, he became somewhat
embarrassed, which had led to some early awkwardness between them.  And then
there was the Dina show...

      Now, however, as Twyla dissolved the distance between them and put her
head on his shoulder, he took a lungful of her hair's fragrance, slid his
hand along the smooth skin of her back, and felt himself slowly drifting
from his moorings.  'Wow!' he thought, somewhat muzzily, 'Twyla's sure a
fragrant armful!'  A few moments later, an adjustment to the tempo of a new
song brought her pubic mound into contact with his right thigh - and it
didn't leave.  A few seconds of that had Mickey thinking 'Aw, shit! I'm
gonna get a...' - by which time his hard-on was already a reality.  Mickey
freaked a bit, and momentarily tried to distance himself, but Twyla merely
stayed with him.  Moments later, when an unsynchronized move ground it into
her right thigh, she froze for a moment - a moment during which Mickey
discovered he really DIDN'T want her going anywhere.  But this was success,
and Twyla giggled, intoxicated.  Obviously, she had Mickey's attention!

      Twyla's giggle and her immediate reengagement were a revelation to
Mickey.  Damn!  Twyla KNEW he had a hard-on - and she came back!  Holy shit!
He'd figured he'd get his face pounded - or at least she'd suddenly want to
sit down!  This was a Twyla he didn't know; had she been there the whole
time?  Just how stupid was he?  Mickey tried to deemphasize the contact, but
he met with only limited success, and the suspicion that Twyla was
deliberately pursuing it stole over him fairly quickly.  The implications,
however, boggled the mind, and Mickey found it better to put them away for
later analysis than to attempt exploration of that somewhat frightening maze
while on the dance floor.

      Twyla opened her eyes, which had been closed since she'd laid her head
on Mickey's shoulder and begun tracking his movements by bodily contact
alone, to find Dina watching her from about fifteen feet away, eyes
twinkling merrily.  When she realized that she'd been detected, Dina tripped
Twyla a broad wink, laughed, and whisked Bobby away, leaving Twyla smiling
into Mickey's shoulder.

      Mickey, meanwhile, was totally adrift.  He knew he had to be dreaming
- nothing this good was for real!  Twyla's scent had his senses focused upon
nothing else but the conditions which allowed him to press himself against
her soft, lithe body - the music, the play of muscles which held her against
him as she moved in synch with him.  He'd become fascinated with an area of
soft skin along her neck and shoulder that was just beyond his lips...He
moved, and Twyla's eyes first widened, then glazed as his lips electrified
the nerves in her neck and shoulder.  She inhaled a great gulp of air as her
hands moved closer on his back to keep him from escaping.  Her nipples
crinkled, elongated, and became rock hard just as she crushed herself to
him, boring them into his chest.

      The pair totally stopped moving, and remained so for a good thirty
seconds AFTER the song stopped - until a passerby whispered "Pssst!  The
song's over!" in a stage whisper that brought a flurry of chuckles.
Somewhat embarrassed, the pair separated, but remained holding hands as
Mickey guided Twyla back to their table.

      "Want a drink?" Mickey asked as he seated her.

      "Sure!  Coke?"

      Mickey nodded and moved off.  There was something really weird going
on here...  Mickey was standing by the refreshments table gathering his wits
when Leo Hoskins wandered up.  "So," he opined, "Twyla cleans up fairly
decent."

      "Yeah," Mickey replied, distracted.

      "Where'd those tits come from?" Leo asked.

      "You're askin' me?" Mickey replied, allowing his confusion to show,
"It's like - suddenly - she's a girl!"

      "She's always been, man," Leo laughed, "But she wasn't in the
competition.  Probably still isn't - them tits gotta be a wonder bra or
somethin'."

      "I don't think so..." Mickey hazarded. "I'm a little freaked.  I
offered to bring her along just to be able to say I had a date.  Then she
showed up in that dress... You know, I don't think I'd EVER seen her in a
dress..."

      "Yeah?  Well, you may never again!" Leo laughed.

      "Not sure about that.  It's kinda like she climbed out of a cocoon or
somethin'."  Mickey shook his head, trying to clear it.

      "C'mon, Mick - it can't be THAT spooky!"  Leo eyed his friend askance.

      "Oh yeah?  Lemme tell ya!" Mickey flashed.  "When we got here, she
looked decent, but it was still kinda like dating your little sister.  But
about ten minutes ago, while we were dancing, she slides into me like we're
two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.  Next thing I know, I'm sucking on her neck,
with a boner that could cut diamonds!  And she's rubbin' it with her leg and
leaving nipple dents in my chest!"

      "Twyla?  Secretary of the chess club Twyla?  Math tutor Twyla?"  Leo
shook his head.  "Maybe it's drugs..."

      "Huh!  If it is, I hope she stocked up!"  Mickey collected his drinks
and left Leo standing there, shaking his head and grinning.

      Back at the table, Mickey handed Twyla her drink. "Uh, Twy... Howcum,
uh?"

      Twyla grinned up at him.  "How come you never noticed I was a girl?"
She scratched at some candle wax on the tabletop.  "Well, we've been friends
since before it mattered.  And I guess I haven't been trying too hard to be
noticeable."

      "Maybe," Mickey replied, "But I still feel like a shit.  Some of the
crap that went down while I've been dating... It's a wonder you didn't use a
baseball bat on me when I asked you out, given the crap I put you through
the last few weeks.  Why are you even here?"

      Twyla looked up into Mickey's eyes.  "Because I want to be," she
announced quietly.

      Mickey took the torpedo amidships.  His eyes widened, and he collapsed
into his chair.  "Oh, fuck!" he exclaimed weakly. "Why didn't you move on to
someone with a brain in his head?"

      "It's not your fault you didn't detect my little tiny hints," Twyla
shook her head.  "I didn't want to ruin our friendship - or get stomped on.
So I didn't commit myself.  I was waiting for you to get ESP or something."

      "Not very likely," Mickey admitted ruefully.  Now that he thought
about it, there WERE a couple of occasions... "And tonight?"

      "I was relying on the dress," Twyla replied, smiling.

      "It was, uh, effective..." Mickey admitted.

      "Yeah, as long as you weren't distracted..." Twyla pointed out with a
crooked grin.

      "Um."  Despite himself, Mickey glanced at the table the strange girl
had occupied.  She was there again... Mickey jerked his eyes back but the
glint in Twyla's said he'd been caught.  How could he be so stupid? "You
stopped relying on it," he pointed out.  "Why?  It was the safe course..."

      "I got some advice - curiously, from the same source," Twyla's eyes
flicked to Dina.

      "Really?" Mickey blinked.  "When?"

      "When I went to the ladies'."

      Mickey looked confused.  "So, what did she say?"

      "Essentially," Twyla replied grinning, "it was: 'You can't win if you
don't play.' Oh, and 'If you play it straight, you'll still be playing when
the cheaters are sent home'."

      Mickey pondered.  "Well, the first one makes sense.  The second... I'm
not sure."

      "I'm not sure you really get either of them, so..." Twyla became
pedantic. "A relationship is only as good as the effort you're willing to
put into it.  We have a very healthy friendship - but as long as I was only
willing to wait for you to make the first move, I'd be out of luck, because
others were advertising, and I wasn't.  How were you to know?"  She
grimaced.  "It's the second part that gets overlooked, and it's the one she"
with a nod toward Dina "was harping on.  You see, most of the advertisers
are like used car salesmen - if you buy what they're selling, you're likely
to come up short.  They'll talk a good game, get you to commit to them, take
your money and your trust, and give you as little as possible."

      Twyla's eyes flick back to the table.  "Do you know Mandi?" she asked.

      Mickey glanced over.  "Vaguely.  Not well.  She wasn't easy to know,
before..."

      Twyla grinned.  "Yeah, she's changed recently.  What do you think of
'Mandi's rules?'"

      "They sounded like a guy's dreams come true," Mickey grinned, "But
from what I hear, they landed her on her back pretty quick.  I doubt they'll
see many converts."

      Twyla nodded toward the table. "Take a look at her.  In fact, take a
look at all of them.  Do any of them look unhappy?"

      Mickey took the opportunity for a clear look, since it was following
instructions. "No, she looks pretty happy to - hold it! Are his hands...?"

      "In her top?  Undoubtedly.  She's not exactly screaming, though, is
she?" Twyla chuckled.

      "Nope."  In fact, Mickey had to admit that she looked almost
excessively happy, for a girl having her breasts fondled in public!  Mandi
was collapsed bonelessly against Rick, grinning like the Mona Lisa.  Her
cheeks were a good deal pinker than makeup tended to get, and Mickey was
willing to bet that it was arousal, not embarrassment, driving the blush.

      "Exactly!"  Twyla's assertion caused Mickey's eyes to snap back to her
now earnest face.  "From now on, I'm playing by Mandi's rules!"

      Mickey froze.  "You're wh-what?"

      Twyla eyed him narrowly.  "You heard me!"  Then she grinned, "Let's go
dance!"

      Dina looked out across the dance floor, and swept her eyes around the
other tables.  Everywhere, she met other eyes looking back.  Tim and Dolores
had returned from the dance floor moments before, Tim settling into a chair
and Dolores plopping on his lap.  Now Dolores was wriggling and giggling and
Tim was looking uncomfortable.

      "What's up?" Dina queried, grinning.

      "I'm getting even!" Dolores replied.  Tim used his hand on my butt to
motivate me; now I'm using my butt to motivate him!"  Tim groaned and rolled
his eyes.

      Dina chuckled, "So, have you provided him much motivation?"

      Dolores wriggled a bit more, then held up her hands about six inches
apart. "Only about this much so far," she replied, eyes twinkling, "but I'm
just getting started!"

      "You little minx!" Tim roared, grabbing Dolores at the waist and
lifting her bodily off of his lap. "I'll stand from now on!"

      "But Sugar!" Dolores complained.

      "Don't 'Sugar' ME, unless you're gonna give me some!" Tim retorted,
and pulled her to him for a kiss.  There was a brief, playful struggle
before Dolores delivered the goods, laughing.

      Dina let them have their moment in the sun, and, when interest began
to wane, looked over her shoulder at Bobby.  "Darling, will you shuck me?"

      "Why, certainly, Pretty Tits!" Bobby replied, stepping up behind her.
He glanced toward the door, but Tim rumbled, "Go ahead, I've got it."

      Bobby positioned himself behind Dina, and, with great ceremony, lifted
the folds of her bodice aaway from her breasts, then slid it down out of the
way, exposing them.  "How's that, Sweet Thing?"

      "That's nice, Lover," Dina replied, smiling demurely.  "You want to
molest me a little?  Highly visibly, of course."

      "Certainly," Bobby agreed, reaching around to cup her jutting cones.
Dina turned her head and offered her lips for a fiery kiss, then Bobby went
to work on her neck.

      While there were several loud whistles amid the general roar of
approval, the reaction was more natural than the concerted gasp following
her first exposure, so the hounds weren't immediately alerted.  The band
was, though, and broke into a racy little number that brought cheers from
the crowd while further distracting the chaperone corps.

      Twyla caught the action out of the corner of her eye, and positioned
herself and Mickey so that they both could see.  Watching Dina coolly work
the room left Twyla with nothing but admiration, but after a bit she shifted
so that Mickey could watch over her shoulder, unobstructed.  To his credit,
he disengaged after watching a bit.  She caught his eye, murmuring, "Some
show, huh?"

      Mickey nodded. "She's pretty gutsy."

      Twyla beckoned with a finger, and Mickey leaned in.  "I'll make you an
offer, one time only:" she announced.  "You can face this way and look at
hers, or you can turn us around and FEEL mine!"

      Mickey blinked, froze.  "What?"

      "You heard me," Twyla prompted, "You can look at hers or play with
mine!  Make the call!"

      Mickey assumed that the gratification wouldn't be immediate - but
there was still no contest.  Dina was an attractive nuisance, but over the
course of the evening, Twyla had become infinitely desirable.  He never even
glanced back up at Dina. "What do I have to do?"

      Twyla smiled.  "Just turn us around.  It's her or me..."

      Mickey didn't wait.  He caught Twyla around the waist, and they
rotated 180 degrees.  "That good?" he asked.

      "Uh huh!"  Twyla's eyes shone.  She reached behind her, unzipped the
cocktail dress several inches, and flipped down the bodice, exposing her
rounded orbs.

      Mickey was floored!  He'd figured maybe a little touchie-feelie in the
car on the way home - but not full exposure right there on the dance floor!
"Ahhh..." he gasped, literally unable to come up with words.

      "Well, if SHE can do it..."  Twyla stepped up and grabbed Mickey's
limp arms by the wrist, placing one hand on each breast.  The touch of her
soft flesh on his palms galvanized Mickey; he reverently cradled an orb in
each hand, holding his breath as his eyes drank them in.  Nearby couples
whistled and clapped, and Twyla looked up at Dina, who winked, grinning and
making a thumbs-up sign.

      Almost of their own accord, Mickey's hands began gently kneading and
his thumbs began circling Twyla's aureolae.  "Is it okay?" he asked
anxiously.

      Inside, Twyla was shaking like a leaf, but she smiled easily.  "Sure,"
she murmured, "They're yours - forever.  Mandi's rules, remember?"  She
looked up into Mickey's wide eyes.  "Can I get a kiss?"

      "Can you--!"  Mickey waded in, releasing her breasts in order to crush
her to him as he made every effort to do her credit.  Time stopped, for both
of them - until someone shook Mickey's shoulder and murmured , "Better zip
her up!  Trouble's coming!"

      From Dina's vantage, Twyla set off a shock wave.  Suddenly, there were
a half dozen sets of exposed breasts in the crowd, and everyone was going
ape!  The whole thing lasted about ninety seconds before Tim rumbled, "Here
comes the cavalry!" and Dina dragged Bobby into the relative obscurity of
the crowd on the dance floor.  Dolores, Tim, Jackie and Terry followed,
leaving Rick and Mandi to hold the table.  Rick reluctantly withdrew his
hands from their warm den, and the pair dropped into chairs.

      Despite the fact that a half-dozen chaperones came roaring out to
quell the disturbance and capture the ringleaders, they failed miserably.
The offenders were scattered all over the dance floor, and were actively
shielded by the other couples there, making it virtually impossible to pin
anyone down.  Girls who hadn't even participated in the first wave took to
waiting until a chaperone had passed and dropping their tops, adding to the
confusion.  Doubtless a large number of girls who hadn't planned to be got
pawed by their dates, but no one took umbrage, and the party began to really
rock!

      Bobby and Dina surfaced near the stage, and Dina complained, "Damn, I
wish I could sing!"

      "So do I!" the lead singer retorted, "That'd be monsta!"