I've just gotten off a red-eye flight for a business conference. Since the airport is some distance outside the city center, I've elected to get a cab directly to the conference rather than stop at my hotel. I figure I wouldn't be able to check in yet anyway, seeing as the breakfast hour isn't even over, let alone checkout time. The downside of this choice is that I had to fly overnight dressed for work, rather than in something comfortable like yoga pants. Consequently, I didn't get much sleep on the plane. I feel fried.
The cabbie loads my suitcase into the trunk. I ease into the back seat. I'm pleased it's a new model sedan; it lacks the odors of old gasoline and sweat one usually finds with airport hacks. The back seat is actually kind of comfortable, believe it or not. When the cabbie gets in behind the wheel, I ask him how long a trip into town we can expect. "Echhh. It's an hour without traffic. Now in the morning rush, it might be an hour and a half, an hour forty-five."
I echo his "echhh." It's a long time, but not quite enough to nap my jet lag away.
"Long flight?" he asks. I nod miserably. I'd bought a bottle of a fizzy caffeinated soft drink in the airport, but I don't want to drink it much before I get to my destination. I don't want the kick just now; better to wait to when it'll do me some good.
"I don't suppose you know any good remedies for jet lag, do you?" I ask, sighing.
"Lots," he replies.
I smile. "Any that can happen in an hour-long cab ride?"
He chuckles a bit. After a moment of silence, an idea comes to him. "Foot massage!"
"What, you're going to rub my feet for me and drive at the same time?"
"Hah! No, you can do it. Just take your shoes off, put your feet up on the seat, and press into your soles."
Now, I like a good foot rub. But my boyfriend usually does the honors, while I'm relaxing with my eyes closed and a glass of wine. On the other hand, I have time to kill and nothing to lose. I slip off my heels and curl my legs up onto the bench seat. I take my stockinged right foot in hand and begin kneading the pad, curling my toes, and rubbing the arch. How do you like that! I can feel the improvement in my mood nearly immediately. "Oh, that's really good," I enthuse.
"See? Toldja."
After a bit, I happily swap feet, giving my left foot its due. The hem of my dress slides up my leg, revealing the tops of my thigh-high stockings, but I calculate it's too low for the driver to see. No need to adjust.
As I work the foot, pleasant sensations wash over me. It's just as if I'm home with the wine and the boyfriend. I must have zoned out for a bit, because the next thing I know, one of my hands is inside my button-down dress caressing my bra-covered breast while the other still kneads my foot. The minute I'm aware, I glance to the rearview mirror to see if the driver has noticed. What I don't do, however, is move my hand. That might be problematic, but gosh, it feels so nice. The driver isn't looking at me at first, but before long, I catch him stealing glimpses. Rats. Now I have to decide whether to make myself presentable, or risk real embarrassment. I can feel myself blushing.