Chapter 23

"Why does it take all of you to go shopping for a dress?" Sam asked as everyone was leaving school.

Sammi and Anna smiled at each other. "We just do," Anna said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sometimes I wonder how boys can be so clueless," Sammi said. She saw Jeannette and waved her over. "Want to go dress shopping with us?"

"Dress shopping? Why?"

"For the Formal, of course," Anna said. "Surely you know about that."

"I've heard a couple others mention it," Jeannette said. "I didn't know what it was."

"It's a formal dance," Sammi said, and laughed. "It's a lot more than just a formal dance."

"Historically it would be a 'coming out' party," Anna added. "Only it's not put on by our parents or families as they 'present' you to Society. You have to be either 17 or in your last year of high school to attend. Everybody from the whole Valley is there, and everybody dresses up. The boys wear tuxedos, and we wear long formal dresses. This kind of thing is sort of a tradition all over First Phase. Surely you do something like this in Seaside?"

Jeannette shook her head. "No, not really." A ghost of a smile touched her lips. "In case you hadn't heard, we aren't big on dressing up."

Anna dismissed that. "Yeah, I guess it wouldn't make sense. But you probably have some big party for the kids."

"Not really."

"You're missing a lot."

"I suppose you have one of those pool party things afterwards."

Both Sammi and Anna shook their heads. "No way, not that night," Sammi said. "You might, later, but the night of the Formal is for glamour and romance. C'mon, or do you have to get home?"

"I can tag a long for a while."

"Have you done much looking?" Anna asked Sammi as they boarded the trolley.

"I saw this one peach-colored dress," Sammi said. "I liked the color, but it fit like a sack of potatoes."

"I don't think peach would go well with your skin tones," Anna said. She looked around. "Suzy. What do you think of a peach-colored dress for Sammi?"

"Devinitely not," Suzy said, shaking her head. "She's dark complected, and it would just be wrong. I think I saw that dress, and I thought 'no way', not for her, not for me."

"That's the only one I saw that I even remotely liked," Sammi said.

"I'm sure we can do better," Anna said.

They got off the trolley in Midtown, and Anna headed for the nearest dress shop. "Looking for the dress is half the fun," she told Jeannette. "This is where I think you guys in Seaside miss out. You want to look pretty, but more important, you want to feel pretty."

With those words Anna almost dove into the display racks. Sammi, with Jeannette tagging along with her, went in the other direction. She could see the peach dress in the corner, and ignored it. There were other girls in the store, and they all took turns looking at the dress. Finally one girl tried it on, and a few minutes later left with it.

Sammi didn't like anything she saw in that store, and headed down the street for a different one. By the time she called it quits for the day she'd looked at over a hundred dresses. She saw things she liked, but she saw things she didn't, either. Either the dress fit, and she didn't like the color, or vice versa.

The next day she found a yellow dress with spaghetti straps that fit and that went well with her hair, but there was something in the fabric that made her itch. When she was changing back into her regular clothes she saw it had given her a small rash. That one definitely went back on the rack, and she told the store owner.

Three days later, in Valleys End, she found a strapless sea foam green dress that fit like it had been designed with her body in mind. She modeled it in front of the mirror. It seemed to flow down her body, emphasizing the few curves that she had. She checked her profile, and nodded. She had enough of a bosom she could get away with a strapless dress. It might need a little tailoring, but she had time to get it done.

She changed back into her school uniform and carried the dress to the front. "I still have to find accessories," she told the woman.

"I'd suggest white," the woman said. "What color gloves did you have in mind?"

"White."

"Well, let's see what we can do." She led Sammi to another part of the store. "I have shoes against the wall. Purses, I'd suggest a clasp purse, and have you considered what jewelry you'll want to wear?"

Sammi sighed happily. She saw a whole rack of earrings, another of necklaces, a third of bracelets, and three racks of clasp purses. She checked her watch. She could happily spend the rest of the day, and most of the evening, trying and choosing what she was going to wear.

She got home late. Her mother was in the study with a pile of scripts next to her. She recognized Sammi's smile. "You found it."

"And the accessories. I found everything I wanted at a store in Valleys End. You're going to have to come with me tomorrow. Wait until you see it."

Her mother nodded. "I'll make sure I get out early. How about I meet you at the trolley station in Valleys End? I can be there about 5:30."

Sammi nodded. "I should be done with tennis practice by then."

"Do you know what Rod's wearing?"

"We have a date for day after tomorrow. I'll tell him then. I'll also tell him what color the dress is, not that that will have much effect. He's a guy, after all."

Her mother nodded. "He might surprise you, dear." She went back to her scripts. "Dinner will be in about an hour."

Sammi went up to her room to change and study. She could hear the murmur from Sam's bedroom. At first she thought it might be Anna, but the second voice was also male. It sounded familiar, too, and after a moment she knew who he was: Craig Thompson. She smiled. He'd been her second partner today in Sex Ed, and she'd enjoyed him a lot more than Bobby Gibbs, her first.

Part of the problem might have been the position they'd been trying. She'd had to lie on her right side. Bobby had held her left leg up in the air while he put it to her from behind. After a while her leg and hip had begun to cramp. Bobby hadn't wanted to lower it, and she'd actually been in pain when he'd finally finished.

She could barely move her leg while they relaxed. She was facing away from him, so she knew he wouldn't see her expression, and she scowled. The whole thing had been exciting, but only at first. She had gotten very little pleasure out of it, and this position was definitely headed for her 'do not do again' list.

When Bobby had recovered he dropped a kiss on her cheek and got off the bed. Craig had replaced him, and he sensed her mood.

"You don't like it?" He slid his arm around her waist and held her against him.

"My hip, well, my leg and hip began to cramp. It hurt."

"Ouch. No pleasure there."

"Tell me about it."

"I don't see why I have to hold your leg up."

"But the teachers..."

"The teachers said to do it that way, and you have. But you know the second half of this is to make sure we both have some fun."

She turned to face him. "You mean... ?"

"Let's see what happens." He kissed her neck, a light, feathery kiss that tickled. Another, and another, he slowly worked his way along her shoulder dropping warm little kisses on her heated skin.

She slid her hand along his leg. He had strong legs, and though she paid more attention to a boy's arms and shoulders, she had to admit there was something about a guy's thighs that could be awfully appealing.

He kissed her cheek, turning her face so he could nibble at her lips. She responded, twisting more to face him, wanting more of his marvelous mouth. His tongue darted out to caress her lips. She captured it, sucking briefly before invading his mouth with her tongue. They dueled, tongues sliding past each other until they had to stop to breathe.

He pulled her down on the bed, twisting so their bodies fit together. He felt so warm and solid against her. She ran her hands over his chest, tweaking his flat nipples. She caressed his shoulders, eyes half-closed as she felt his muscles move and tense.

He began playing with her breasts, cradling, kissing and sucking at her peaks until her rosy little buds stood straight up. While he was going back and forth, paying attention to each nipple, he slipped his hand down between her legs. She instinctively parted her legs, moaning slightly as his fingers slid into her wet heat.

He dropped a few kisses on her tummy, but went no lower. Instead he reached for the foil packet next to the bed.

Smiling in anticipation, Sammi helped him with the condom. His cock felt so thick; she could just barely wrap her fingers around it. She gently squeezed his balls. They'd already drawn up near his body, and she momentarily wondered if he was too excited to last. She didn't think so; he'd never had that problem before.

He slipped between her legs, rubbing his cock over her tummy before bending slightly. She wanted to help--she loved the feel of a guy's hardness sliding between her fingers as he entered her--but she knew he was one of those guys who liked doing it without help. Instead she slid her hands down his sides to his waist.

His pressed down and into her. She caught her breath at the first touch to her core. He felt so big, and for just a heartbeat she thought he wouldn't be able to get the fat head of his cock in her. And then he was in, pushing deeper, opening her, touching every raw nerve as he filled her. She was excited enough he slid home with one thrust.

He shifted, bending over slightly to kiss her. She returned the kiss, wrapping him with her arms and legs. As he moved she tried to pull him deeper. He obliged, giving her a little hitch at the end of each thrust. She gasped, pushing up against him in time with his thrusts.

His felt strong and solid, and she was swept up in the moment, the heat, the rising sense of urgency as he pushed her to the very edge... and beyond. She clung to him, drawing him in as she arched up, trembling, trying to hold back. But he was too much, and she lost it, coming in one wave of heat after another.

When she caught her breath he was still hard, still moving. She lay there for a minute, but she had to move, feeling the tension already stealing through her. She ran her hands up his arms, his shoulders, his neck, drawing him down for a fiery kiss. He was moving faster, and she could sense he was getting close. It spurred something in her, and she began to twist, encouraging him.

His face rose, tensing, and he gave a grunt. He shifted to short jabbing strokes, and his cock seemed to swell and pulse. His whole body jerked as he came.

She held him as he relaxed against her. His arms slid around her, and she burrowed into the warmth and man-scent of his shoulder. He--

"Sammi," her mother called, "dinner's ready."

With a start Sammi shook her head. Her memory of today's Sex Ed was more vivid than normal. She realized she'd hiked up her skirt and had pushed her fingers down the front of her panties. She was feeling hot, but there wasn't time to finish before dinner.

"Be down in a moment," she called back.

She straightened her clothes, making herself a promise that she'd finish off what she'd started later. She closed her book and headed for the bathroom to wash her hand. It wouldn't do to come to the family dinner table smelling of sex.

As she washed up she thought of Craig, and something she'd overheard when she'd been in Center.

Apparently there were women outside of Three Valleys who stayed married to a guy only because he was a good sex partner. They didn't really love the guy, and if their interest waned in his physical prowess, they left him. She couldn't imagine that happening in Three Valleys. She was sure her mother knew several men who were better lovers than the man she'd married. In Three Valleys her mother probably saw those men socially. And she knew for a fact that her father thought one of their neighbors was the hottest sex partner he'd ever met.

Say, for sake of argument, that she married Stan instead of Rod. If they lived in Center they'd be exclusive to each other. Here in Three Valleys she'd have somebody else she could have sex with while he was gone. She snorted in amusement. She was going to be a teacher. If she ended up teaching in high school she'd have to take her turn teaching Sex Ed, just like everyone else. She'd have a partner every day, and nobody would think anything of it; it would just be part of the job.

At dinner she couldn't stop describing her dress, the color, the fit, and the accessories she'd found for it. Her father and brother both tried to look interested, but when Sammi paused to take a breath they started talking about what her father had done that day.

Sammi grinned ruefully at her mother. "I guess I shouldn't have gone on so much about that dress," she murmured.

"Nonsense," her mother replied in just as soft a voice, "it's only natural. Now, have you considered different accessories? You're going with pearls, but you might want to consider silver. I saw some lovely silver earrings, and..." The rest of the dinner flew past.

The next day in school, when she was in the lunch line, Jeannette pulled her aside. "Sammi, can we talk?"

"Sure. What about?"

"I've got a few questions."

"I'll try." Sammi took her tray and headed for one of the smaller tables set on the lawn of the common. She caught Anna's eye, and shook her head when the latter raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at the empty seat across from her.

"All right," Sammi said as she emptied her tray and poked dubiously at the entrée. "What's up?"

Jeannette had settled opposite her, but didn't touch her food. "Has Bob talked to you?"

"No. Any particular reason why he should?"

"He's asked me to the Formal, and I said yes. I thought he was going to ask you. I thought the two of you were going together."

"We sort of did, but only for a couple of dates." She wasn't surprised that Bob had asked Jeannette. As far as she could tell the two of them had been getting closer and closer these last couple of weeks. That wasn't entirely unexpected. One of the reasons the school insisted that everyone switch partners in Sex Ed was so they wouldn't form these attachments just because of the intimacy sex encouraged. They wanted you to form partnerships because of shared interests, not because of any intimacy from Sex Ed class.

Sammi began picking at her salad, going after the cucumbers. "Rod asked me to the Formal. I suppose I should have told Bob, but we'd really stopped seeing each other, and I never really had a chance to see him."

"Suzy told me you and Rod were seeing each other," Jeannette said. She looked at her food and began eating the fruit salad she'd bought.

"It was probably all over the school by the next day." Sammi looked through the rest of the salad; she really didn't care for carrots, but the small tomatoes were usually pretty good. She isolated those and ate them one at a time.