Chapter 6

Although I had gotten Fran home before her mother returned from work, the date was still discovered. What gave us away? The rose, of course. There were dark clouds in the McNair household when I came for the Saturday ride. Fran's face was completely blotted from crying - she looked a mess. "Is that your pimp?" her mother called disagreeably.

I didn't think that warranted an answer. "Get your bike gear on and let's go Sweetheart," I said quietly.

We rode off in silence at very high speed. We were well out of town and on to a rarely used path before Fran got off the bike, sat down on the ground and started crying inconsolably. I didn't know what to do except just sit and hold her. After a while she quieted down a bit. "She called me a whore!" she got out between the sobs. "She said I was 'servicing you sexually' in return for the gifts." I was paralyzed with anger, and yet I sensed there was more - and worse - to come. There was. "When I said all we'd ever done was holding hands and kissing, she said that was because you, you," - it was drowned out by her crying.

"Hush Sweetheart. She is mean and horrible. Don't listen to her," I said to her. "Remember that I love you."

That seemed to help her get it out. "She said that you didn't have sex with me because you couldn't stomach it and that no-one would ever want me," she got out in a constricted voice. That seemed to be the worst; she wept quietly.

"I guess we both know that isn't true," I said. "You found that out yourself last night, didn't you? One might even say you found 'hard evidence', 'eh?"

To my immense relief and joy, she could giggle between the tears at that little joke. "Yes, that's true, I suppose."

"Suppose?" I said in mock outrage - deciding that shock therapy was in order. "I nearly came in my pants when you touched me! It took me less than 30 seconds to bring myself off when I got home and I have never come so hard in my life!"

Fran's face was a study. She was so shocked she forgot to blush - I think she finally was on the brink of allowing the overwhelming evidence to overrule her low self esteem. She was finally facing the fact that someone, me, wanted her in the worst way.

"Listen," I continued. "I don't know what your mom is on about, but she seems to stop at nothing to put you down. I just don't get it. When I told Dad we had a date last night he yelped with joy. That's what parents are supposed to do."

"I think she may be concerned that I will end up pregnant and dumped just like she was," Fran said with a loyalty towards her mother that, while praiseworthy, was complete unwarranted or at least unearned. "I said that if we ever got to having sex, we would take precautions, but she said that contraception wasn't always effective, or I wouldn't be here."

She was quiet for a while. "It was after that Mom said we hadn't had sex because you didn't want me anyway."

Charming mother, I don't think. But I knew what had to be said. "Fran, love of my life. You know I want you. I dream about you. I would be lying if I said I wouldn't leap at the opportunity to make love to you. But I will never ever hurt you. And I can wait. Considering what you're up against, we should wait. I promise you here and now that we will not go all the way before you have my ring on your finger."

"But you could have sex with anyone you want!" she objected.

Duh! Fran was the one I wanted. Flippancy seemed the best way forward. "Thank you," I replied. "I am looking very much forward to that Miss McNair, very much indeed!"

She finally blushed, extracted her self from my arms reluctantly and got up. "We'd better get going. I am told that physical exercise is helpful against impure thoughts," she teased.

"That was obviously said by someone who has never tried having to ride a bike with a massive erection," I replied in kind.

Here eyes sought out my crotch. It is impossible to hide anything in bike attire and her eyes widened. "Poor baby. That must be so uncomfortable."

"Kiss and make it better?" I asked hopefully.

"You wish!" she laughed out loud. "Not a chance." And then, to my utter amazement and delight added "Well, at least not in public."

That thought didn't exactly make the problem less, shall we say, prominent, but after a while it subsided enough to make following Fran's pace possible.

When we got to my house, I decided to test the waters. "I have it on good authority that the clothes fairy might come today," I started.

"Oh goody," Fran said with animation in her voice. "I LOVE the clothes fairy."

I smiled broadly. "He might be late - what if he is still there when you come out of the bath?"

Fran bit her lip. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that yet."

Oh well, we can't but try. I hid my disappointment. "That's perfectly OK Sweetheart," I said and kissed her. "Perfectly OK. As I said, I can wait. I love you, you know."

We made do with kissing and external groping after we had showered and changed, but that was nice too. Very nice. I was kept in an almost permanent state of arousal as she kept running her hand over my crotch. I decided to reciprocate by fondling her breasts. Even through her bra and shirt I could feel her nipples stiffen and after the initial shock she made some very interesting noises from the stimulation. Things were progressing nicely.

"So, how was your date last night?" Dad asked later in the afternoon when I returned from taking Fran home.

"Very nice indeed!" I replied - and remembering the strange phone call Friday afternoon, I added in an innocent voice "And how was yours?"

"Oh, very good too!" Dad replied with a big smile, then spluttered, coughed, and tried to recover. "I mean, the dinner was excellent, and 'eh the 'eh meeting 'eh went well. I..."

Hook, line and sinker! I just smiled and went to play the piano. If Dad was seeing someone, great! He had never done any serious dating since Mom died. Probably for my sake, but I think that was a mistake, and with me being nearly an adult and likely to leave home relatively soon, I was only happy that he might not remain single. Anyway, I was not going to pry into his affairs. He respected my personal space, and I would certainly respect his.