Warning: Foot worship and Ticklegasm
Tess and Jon chatted through dinner, laughing together often. She complained about an irritating professor with strict policies regarding certain tests they had to take. Jon commiserated with her politely, but she could tell he didn't really understand. Not wanting to bore him with nursing school drama, Tess changed the subject to the concert they'd just seen. Their fourth date was passing like a flash of lightening, and she didn't want it to end.
After sharing dessert, Jon drove them back to her house and she invited him inside. Unfortunately, her parents and brother were home. After a brief introduction, they headed down to the basement. She went to the Amazon Prime app and started scrolling through movies. Although they'd both seen it a few times, they settled on Princess Bride since it was one they both enjoyed quoting.
Tess sat beside him on the couch and her pleated skirt hiked up a little. The motion exposed the top of one of the shear nylons gripping her thighs. His eyes flicked down and bulged slightly. A narrow strip of her sun-kissed skin was visible between her skirt and stockings.
Giggling nervously, she crossed her legs. His gaze leapt immediately back to her face, and she noticed his skin go a little pink around the ears. She smiled. Tess knew how difficult it must have been for him to maintain eye contact when he could almost see her underwear. It was commendable.
He returned her grin, and her stomach did a small flip. She pressed her shoulder into his and he draped his arm around her. Warmth washed through her as she turned to watch the movie.
They sat comfortably for nearly an hour before they changed position. Jon rested his hands in his lap as Tess crossed her legs the other way. This time, she noticed his eyes following a different part of her body: her foot. He looked back to the movie at once, but that prolonged glance sparked her curiosity.
She wriggled her toes, furtively loosening her high heel so it slid off her foot a little. Jon continued facing the tv, but his gaze strayed to her nyloned foot. He watched it out of the corner of his eye until her shoe was dangling haphazardly from her toes.
Nothing happened. He didn't make a move toward it. Tess sighed and turned her attention back to the movie.
A few minutes went by before she suddenly felt something poke her sole. She moved instinctually, pulling her foot away and letting out a squeak. Her high heel fell to the floor as she looked at him in surprise.
Jon grinned. "Oh sorry. Are you ticklish?"
"You just... surprised me is all," she replied. Regret flowed through her. Why did I pull away, she thought, annoyed with herself. He finally did what I was hoping for, and I pull away. I'm such an idiot, she scolded inwardly.
Tickling was a bit taboo to her. She'd had a sheltered childhood with very few playdates or sleepovers. One she remembered was with a girl from school. They'd stayed up late drawing pictures on each other's backs with their fingers, trying to guess the image. It was innocent fun. But their giggles had drawn the attention of her mother.
When she saw Tess with her shirt pulled up to expose her back, she lost her temper. You would have thought the two of them had been kissing. She made her friend sleep on the couch and Tess had never been allowed to have anyone stay the night again. And sleeping over at someone else's house had been completely out of the question.
Since then, tickling had become mysterious and alluring. It was intertwined with sex in her mind. The thought of it even aroused her sometimes.
She hoped her parents would relax a little after she graduated, but they were just as bad once she started nursing school. Last semester during finals, she'd accidentally fallen asleep at her friend's dorm while studying. Her mother showed up and started shouting up and down the halls for her.
Her mom woke up so many people that Tess's friend got in trouble with the Residence Assistant. She had to go on housing probation, and Tess wasn't allowed back at the dorm. It was the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened to her. She looked forward to the day she could afford her own place and wouldn't have to live under her mother's strict "roof rules" as she called them.
This was only the second time Tess had ever brought a date home. And it was the first time she'd considered exploring this particular interest with anyone. Jon just made her feel comfortable. She snuggled closer to him, bringing her foot into his line of sight. She even took to shaking it in time with the background music.
He didn't glance at it again, and Tess felt crestfallen. Perhaps she'd been imagining things. Maybe he hadn't been admiring her foot at all.
Wishful thinking, she thought with a quiet sigh. There was one last thing she could try, but she didn't know if she could manage it without being obvious.
Tess lifted her arms up and stretched dramatically. The motion drew his gaze. She watched him as her sleeveless top exposed smooth, bare armpits. He swallowed, eyes widening. They lingered on her underarms until she slipped off her remaining shoe, dropping it to the floor. Then she sprawled out across the couch and rested her feet in his lap.
He looked at her for a long moment before saying anything.
"Comfortable?" he finally asked.
She shot him an innocent smile. "Definitely."
"Good." Jon rested one of his thick hands on the side of her foot. But he didn't start rubbing or tickling it as she hoped. He just chuckled and looked back at the movie.
After a few minutes, Tess started rubbing her feet together ever so slowly. He didn't seem to notice, so she moved them a bit quicker. The nylon material made a soft sweeping sound as she rubbed her feet together.
He cleared his throat, but he didn't say anything. That's when she felt something poke the side of her foot. She inspected the rigidity with her toes, and a thrill ran through her when she realized what it was. Then she froze.
Jon cleared his throat again and muttered, "You better be careful there, Tess."
She licked her lips. "I have no idea what you mean," she replied innocently. Though her feet had stopped moving, he was still growing harder.
"Uh-huh," Jon said, sounding unconvinced. He seemed to know exactly what she was doing. She turned back to the movie, face going pink, but Tess could still feel his eyes on her. She twitched her feet again, wanting to keep his interest peeked.
A few minutes later, the basement door opened at the top of the steps.
"We are heading to bed," her mother called down. "You two doing alright?"
Tess was still lounging on the couch with her feet in Jon's lap. Luckily, her mom didn't come into the basement.
"Yes," Tess shouted back.