Flight into Fantasy M/F F/M

A few years ago, I posted the first four chapters of this story because at the time, that was all I had written. Since then I have completed it. I caution any readers that this is a rather lengthy bit of fiction, so if you're up for it, go get a warm cup-o-joe, and get comfy cuz it's gonna be awhile before you see the words "THE END". But along the way, I can promise you tons of tickles that just might make the read worth the effort.

As always, feedback is not only welcome, but also eagerly anticipated. Good, bad, or indifferent, I would truly like to know what you thought of it. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read it. I hope you enjoy!

Tickles,
Maggie






Chapter One: The flight

I had waited a long time for my vacation, and it was finally here. Work had become nothing more than a daily grind for me. There was an almost tangible weight on my shoulders every time I had to walk into my office building. My mind and body were screaming for relief, which in my head was at a fever pitch, but from the outside barely snuck out as a whisper. I was so sick of having to affix the plastic smile on my face every morning like it was some cheap thrift store accessory just so I could please my boss and my clients. At this point, I would have loved nothing more than to tattoo the words “fuck off” on my forehead, and tell my boss that he could stick my job and his condescending attitude right up his ass. But thankfully, my vacation time had come just before I made the appointment at the local tattoo parlor.
I had been planning my trip to the west coast for over six months, and at long last my patience and precise planning had paid off. I was going to spend my 30th birthday basking in the warm sun on the west coast. When planning what I wanted to do for my birthday, I thought that I would like to spend the big 3-0 somewhere far away from all my friends and family who would inevitably do something completely embarrassing for my celebration (like blow up life size pictures of me as a baby in the bathtub for all to sign their names to, or decorate my place with black streamers and signs which read “over the hill.”) Thanks, but no thanks. I guess they’ll just have to save their predictable humiliations for the next poor sap that has to cross this hurdle. I knew 30 was going to be a hard pill for me to swallow, and I also knew that it would go down much easier if followed by a huge margarita while I lounged on the beach.
My plane was due for take off in one hour, which gave me enough time to grab a couple last minute cocktails at the airport bar, and screw up enough courage to board the plane. Flying wasn’t my favorite mode of transportation, but in the interest of time (or lack there of) I decided that it was the only way to get to the other side of the country and leave enough time to enjoy the week that I had planned.
“Flight 5496 to California now boarding at gate 18.” came over the loud speaker, pulling me from my musings.
“Well, here goes nothing.” I said in a muffled tone, and then drank down the last drop of my cosmopolitan.
Once we got off the ground (and I stopped gripping the armrest for dear life and praying to God to spare my pathetic little life), the cocktails and Dramamine that I had before I boarded the flight kicked in and I dozed off. I slept most of the flight, and probably would have slept for all of it had the way-too-perky stewardess not woke me up to give me my complimentary bag of sodium saturated nuts, and a flat soda. It was just as well though because I needed some time to hit the cramped box they call a bathroom and allow the crease marks from the airplane pillow to fade from my face. I had no intention of stepping off the plane in sunny California looking like I had crawled all the way from New York. A little primping was definitely in order. I barely had time to sit back down in my seat before the seat belt light went on, and it was time for our plane to land. After another plea with God, I locked my belt and resumed my firm grip on the armrest.
“I didn’t get this far just to have my plane crash and burn now, so how’s about a nice smooth landing, huh?” I prayed out loud. The gentleman next to me looked over and grinned. I caught sight of his glance out of the corner of my eye, and turned to face him.
“Don’t worry...I’ve done this a thousand times and survived every one of them.” he said with a boyish grin.
“Thanks. I’m sure I’ll live......just can’t wait to get my feet back on the ground.” I said with a forced smile.
He looked down at my white-knuckle grip on the armrest and chuckled. “I don’t think your death grip on the chair is going to prevent us from crashing. If you loosen up you’ll feel much better. Promise.” he said still maintaining a smile that made me want to kiss his lips.
“I don’t think I can. I may be bringing this chair with me on my vacation.” I said.
He laughed out loud this time, and said “Here, let me help.” He then lightly tickled the back of my hand with his fingertips. My hold on the armrest loosened immediately and I jumped at the sudden, unexpected ticklish feeling.
“Hey! No fair. I can’t be tense if you’re gonna tickle me.” I said in feigning an attitude.
“Exactly. Now, if you go back to holding that armrest I may have to try more drastic measures next time.” he said with a laugh.
“Oh really. Well, just keep in mind that I tickle back.” I said, still attempting to play it cool. Although with the grin that was starting to spread across my face (the first real one in a long time) it became very difficult to hold onto any semblance of a New York attitude.
“Good to know. Although, unless you plan on ripping off my shoes, you won’t have any luck since my feet are the only place I’m ticklish.” he said with a satisfied grin.
This entire conversation had made the nervous jitters that I was having disappear and the giddy butterflies in my stomach spring to life . I felt my face blush, and I was finding it increasingly harder and harder to make eye contact with him. However, his stare seemed unwavering, and the smile on his face had taken on a devious quality that wasn’t there before.
“Well, a girls got to do what a girls got to do. A little thing like shoes isn’t going to stop me from defending myself.” I said back with a smile.
“Well, judging by the reaction you had from just the brief tickle I gave you on the back of your hand, I’m betting that you are way more ticklish than I am. So, if you go for my shoes, I may have to defend myself too.” he said, now playing along very nicely with the game that I had started.
“We’ll just see about that.” I said.
As I stared at this handsome yuppie beside me, I couldn’t believe the bond that had formed between us so quickly. I normally didn’t let down my guard to complete strangers, but it was somehow different with him. I felt our connection form the minute we started talking to each other. This kind of kismet had happened only once before in my life, and the girl it happened with became my best friend for life (since the fifth grade). This man beside me felt as comfortable and familiar to me as my favorite pair of blue jeans. But along with our instant bond of friendship, I also had the unmistakable urge to rip his clothes off (which definitely didn’t happen with the girl from my fifth grade class). I knew that if this plane didn’t land soon, I was going to quickly become the latest member of the mile high club.
Just then a pocket of turbulence pulled me from my fantasies of airborne adventure, and began to jostle us around a bit more than I felt comfortable with. A small gasp escaped my lips and I instinctively went back to gripping the armrest without even a thought as to the potential consequences.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” he said and then gently pried my hand away from it’s safe hold on the armrest. My arm was now tucked in between his arm and his suit jacket. I looked over his arm and saw that he was turning my hand palm side up, and using one of his hands to roll my fingers back so that my hand was open. He then took his other hand and traced slow circles around my palm with his fingertips. My immediate reaction was to try and pull it away, and when I realized that he had a firm grip on it, I began to giggle.
“Hey! ” I said, amidst the giggling that continued to bubble out of my mouth. I was now squirming in my seat and trying very hard not to make a scene.
“I told you what would happen if you gripped that armrest again, didn’t I?” he teased and continued to tickle my palm.
He then dragged his fingertips passed my wrist and up the inside of my forearm. My giggles turned into laughter and I was trying desperately to free my arm (without much success.) He began to laugh too, and that made it even harder for me to control my laughter. His fingers continued to dance their way up and down my forearm and I now had my face buried in his shoulder in an effort to try and muffle my laughter.
“Okay...Okay...you win! Stahahahap!” I managed to get out.
He stopped and gingerly released his hold on my arm. My laughter quieted down to soft giggles, as I tried to compose myself again.
I playfully punched him in the arm. “That was so mean! How could you do that to me?” I said, still giggling.
“What else could I do? I’m a man of my word.” he said with a crooked smile.
“I bet you are. That was totally unfair though. Your shoes might as well have been a hundred miles away! I never had the chance to fight back!” I said, returning his smile.
“I told you you were unfairly matched. Maybe next time you’ll believe me.” he said.
I just stuck out my tongue like a defeated five year old and crossed my arms in front of me. “See if I ever give you the chance for a next time!” I said back, but couldn’t quite erase the traces of the smile that he created.
“Awww....don’t be such a sore loser!” he said and poked me in the ribs.
I jumped and broke my defiant pose. “Hey! Now don’t start that again or I’ll have to dive under the seat and go for the shoes....and this time you’d better believe I’ll get ‘em.”
“Just remember to unlock your seat belt first.” he said as if to dare me.

Just then, I realized that the giddy feeling in my stomach was no longer due to the playful banter between my new found friend and I, but rather because the plane was beginning to make it’s descent, and a bit unsteadily at that. I couldn’t believe that this guy managed to distract me from my fears so well that I totally forgot all about the fact that I was even on a plane at all. Unfortunately, the enjoyable distraction was short lived. He must have seen my smile beginning to fade and the panic start to slowly rise in behind my eyes again because he just gently joined his hand with mine on the armrest.
“Don’t worry....we’re almost there.” he said in a comforting tone.
“Yep. No worries.” I said trying to appear nonchalant, and then I shut my eyes. I tried to keep my grip loose on the armrest, this time remembering what white knuckles would result in.
“Ya know, I didn’t even get your name.” he said.
I opened up my eyes, and looked over at him. “You’re right. I totally forgot about introductions. It’s Maggie. And yours?” I asked.
“Sam, and I don’t usually tickle women before I get their name....but in your case it seemed more important to prevent your anxiety attack than to make your acquaintance.” he said with a smile.
“True. I guess I don’t make for such a great flying partner. I swear I’m much more relaxed with my feet on the ground.” I said with a small smile.
“I’m sure you are.” he said and gave my hand a squeeze.
“Do you live in California? Or are you going there on business or vacation?” I asked, trying to create another distraction which would take me away from our impending touch down.
“I live there.” he said.
“What do you do?” I asked.
“You mean besides tickle nervous women on airplanes?” he said jokingly.
“Yeah, I already know that part.” I said with a giggle.
“I’m an agent for the a few of the stars out there.” he said matter-of-factly.
“Really? Wow, that sounds kind of exciting.” I said.
“It can be, but generally it’s a pain in the ass. They can be pretty demanding at times.” he said.
“I’m sure. Who do you work with?” I asked.
“Umm....let’s see. There’s Pierce Bronsan....Michael Keaton...Sandra Bullock....Kevin Spacey....”
“KEVIN SPACEY?!!?” I interrupted frantically.
“Yeah, why? You a fan?” he asked amused.
“Oh my God, he’s my absolute favorite!!” I said excitedly.
“Well, maybe this is your lucky day.” he teased.
“What do you mean?! Sam, don’t tease me like that...it’s not funny.” I said seriously.
He laughed, and said “I’m not teasing. I have plans to meet up with him this week to check over some things. What do you have planned for the next week?” he asked.
“Well, I’m on vacation this week. I booked a room at a hotel on the beach and had nothing but some R&R on my agenda.” I said.
“Wanna change your plans?” he asked.
“Are you kidding?! What do you mean? I can’t just run off with a complete stranger....can I?” I asked, more to myself than to Sam.
“Well, you could. Look, I’m not asking you to share a bed with me or anything. I’ll book you a room in the hotel near my condo complex. We can hang out, maybe catch a bite to eat, I can show you around.....and perhaps introduce you to a few people.” he said with a nudge of his elbow.
I couldn’t help it, I was totally star struck and drunk with the possibilities that the week might hold. I felt like a giddy school girl, and decided to accept Sam’s offer before my sensibility took hold of me and talked me out of it. I reasoned that the worst that could happen is that Sam turned out to be a total liar and a psycho, in which case I’d show him what five years of Tae kwon do lessons had taught me, and then book a flight home.
“Sam, you’ve got yourself a deal. Whatever you come up with has got to be better than room service and pay-per-view.” I said with a mile wide smile.
“I can pretty much guarantee that.” he said with a grin.

As we touched down I could feel my muscles relax, and I took a deep sigh of relief. I unbuckled my seat belt, and stretched so I could allow my muscles the first real chance at relaxing since I boarded the plane. I could feel all the muscles in my back, arms and neck elongate....what a relief! I glanced over at Sam as I had my arms stretched above my head and caught him looking me over as my t-shirt slid up to reveal my flat stomach.
“Feel better?” Sam asked.
“Much! I don’t feel like I’m wadded up into a tiny ball of knots anymore.”
“Well, you certainly look more relaxed.” Sam said with a smile.

It was our turn to exit, and we both grabbed our carry-on luggage and headed off the torture device numbered flight 5496. We made our way to the baggage claim, and once we both got our luggage we went to find the limo that Sam had already booked to come pick him up upon his arrival. I walked out into the sunny state of California, and took in the landscape outside. I couldn’t see much beyond the airport grounds, but the sky never looked bluer to me. As Sam hailed his limo over to where we stood, I silently marveled at my amazing stroke of luck. Not only did I meet a handsome guy on the flight over who acted like my guardian angel sent down to earth, but I’m also getting the chance to see California the way it was meant to be seen....in style!

But just as my thoughts of good fortune seeped their way into my brain, another dark cloud was there to haunt me. The gravity of what I was about to embark on hit me all at once. How the hell could I compete with all these people?! My idea of a big night out was a trip to the movies and a beer at the local bar afterward. What did I know about Hollywood? I also realized that the only clothes I packed were ones that I planned to lounge on the beach in, and I seriously doubted that a bikini and cut-off denim shorts were going to be appropriate for what Sam had hinted at on the flight over. As my panic took hold, Sam looked over at me, ready to usher me into the limo, and picked up on my mood change.
“Maggie? What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Ummm...I didn’t exactly plan for all of this Sam. I’m not really ready for it.”
“You said that you wanted to....” he asked confused.
“Oh no, I do.....it’s just that....” I trailed off.
Sam left his position by the door of the limo, and came over to me. He placed his hands on my shoulders, and looked deep into my eyes. “It’s just what?” he asked softly.
“I’m totally unprepared for it. You probably run in very elegant circles, and I’m just a plain Jane from New York City. I don’t know if I’ll fit in with all of this, Sam.” I said.
“Hey, you are anything but plain, Maggie. Don’t let all the glitz and glam of Hollywood intimidate you. You’re going to do just fine. Promise. And if you recall, I always keep my promises...I mean, you landed safe and sound, didn’t you?” he said with a wink.
“Yeah, but....I don’t have anything to wear.” I said in a tone just above a whisper.
Much to my surprise, Sam burst out laughing at my last statement. It took him a few seconds to compose himself, but then he managed to stop laughing long enough to say “Is that what’s bothering you?! Oh Maggie, you are too cute.” he giggled. When he saw that I wasn’t laughing along with him, he took on a more serious tone.
“Hey, I may be a guy, but I happen to know all the hottest places to shop. I guess it comes kind of part and parcel with the biz.” he said and then placed one of his fingers under my chin to lift my face up from it’s slumped position. “We are going to make you sparkle, kiddo. Promise.” he said and then gave me a soft peck on the lips.
I nearly melted into the sidewalk. The tingle from his kiss traveled it’s way down from my mouth to my toes, being sure to pass all the hot spots along the way.
I couldn’t help but grin like a giddy school girl, and I let out a small giggle. “Okay, Sam. If you say so.” I said.
“That’s better. Nothing but smiles for you for the next week. You just leave everything to me.” he said, and then ushered me into the limo.
“Driver, take us to Rodeo drive please.” he instructed.



Chapter two: A determined Prince Charming

When we reached Rodeo drive, I thought that it was a shopper’s paradise....if you like that sort of thing....which I usually don’t. When it comes to dress shopping I’m fashionably impaired, well retarded really, and never find anything that I like. I usually only torture myself with dresses when I have a wedding or funeral to go to. I basically live my non-professional hours in my jeans and t-shirts, and hate anything dressier than the suits I wear to work. Tomboy you say? Yeah, that would be a fairly accurate description of me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not hard as nails or anything. I definitely have my softer side. Instead of spending time and money on getting fancy clothes, I usually pay more attention to my hair and nails. I love to go to the beauty parlor and get a total make-over. Nothing makes me feel sexier than freshening up the highlights in my hair, getting a manicure and pedicure, and perhaps even a facial.
But something told me that this shopping trip was going to be different. I had seen similar shops like these in the affluent areas of NYC, but had never dared to go into them before. My budget didn’t include spending $250 on a pair of pants, and another $200 on the cute shoes to match. I generally lived at the Gap, and only window shopped the stores that I knew would probably ask me for my first born as a down payment upon entrance.
The limo pulled up to a cute little boutique, and Sam stepped out, extending his hand for me to follow him. “To the nines” was the name of the store, and Sam opened up the door for me to walk inside...and who says chivalry is dead? Sam walked right up to the counter, and tapped the little bell on the counter. It looked like he had just rang for the bell hop at a hotel. At the sound of the bell, the curtain which divided the store from the backroom rustled. A woman appeared just seconds later, and was there behind the counter to greet us with a smile.
“Sam!” she said, and leaned over the counter to peck him on the cheek.
“Hey, Julia. Long time no see, huh?” he said and returned her kiss. “This is my friend Maggie, and she’s looking to get a little spoiled today. Think you can help her out?” he said and then gave me a wink.
“Hi.” I said a bit sheepishly. I had to admit that I was more than a little jealous that Sam knew this elegant beauty by name, and had such a friendly rapport with her. It made me wonder about their history together.
“Oh, I think I can manage that. Why don’t you come this way sweetie, and I’ll see what we’ve got for you.” she said and led me into the heart of the store.
Julia looked me over from head to toe, with one finger posed on her chin. I blushed under her gaze, and suddenly felt very exposed. She looked like she was mapping out all my measurements, and locking them away in that fashion wizard brain of hers.
“Hmm...size 8?” she asked.
“Wow...that’s pretty good. Now what’s my sign?” I asked in an attempt to lighten things up a bit.
She chuckled, and said “Honey, I’m not psychic. I just know my business. Now, what kind of attire are you looking for?” she said, getting back to business.
“I have no idea what Sam has planned for me this week, so maybe you should ask him that question.” I said and looked over at him.
“Well, we’re going to need something appropriate for a black tie event, and perhaps one or two things that she can wear for a fun night out on the town.”
I was sure that “a night out on the town” meant something completely different here than it did back home. I couldn’t see one single pair of jeans amidst the sea of elegant evening wear, and as far as I was concerned, jeans was what you worn for “a night out on the town.” I watched as Julia quickly sifted through the garments on the rack. Her nimble fingers picked out several outfits before she returned to where I was standing.
“Right this way sweetie.” she said and then led me to the dressing room. “Go ahead in there and try these on. We’ll wait out here, and you can give us a little fashion show .”
“Um, okay.” I replied and took the garments from her.
I took the first dress off the hanger. The black material slid easily through my fingers as I ran them over the length of the dress. I looked at the tag...old habits die hard. I gulped hard when I saw the price. My entire summer wardrobe cost less than this dress. How the hell was I going to afford all of this?! Oh well, I guess that’s what credit cards are for. I peeled off my clothes and slipped it on. Even a dress hater like myself had to admit that this dress felt great against my skin. It had spaghetti straps, fit me tight to the waist, and then slightly flared out until it rested just below my knees. The sheer top fabric had tiny black beads that shimmered beneath the dressing room lights. I zipped up the back, and then stepped out so Sam and Julia could see.
Sam stood up from the seat he had taken by the dressing rooms, and stared at me. I met his gaze, and they shied away, feeling very self conscious.
“Wow, Maggie...you look amazing!” he said.
He walked over to me and took both my hands. As his eyes lingered over every inch of my body, I had an unbelievable urge to make love to him right then and there. He spun me around, and watched as my dress flared out. He dipped me as if we were dancing, and as he brought me back up to a standing position he gave me a quick kiss. He took one of his fingers and gently ran it up the length of my back, sending shivers up my spine, and we both smiled.
“I think that will do quite nicely for your formal night out. I’m sure I can also find some shoes and a bag to match. “ Julia offered, bringing me back to reality.
I had to admit that having my own personal shopper to do the legwork for me made dress shopping a lot more fun. I tried on a few more outfits, most of which looked as though they were made just for me (Julia wasn’t kidding when she said she knew her business), and then went up to the register to settle the (insane) bill. I just reasoned that this trip was once in a lifetime, and I could spoil myself rotten now and worry about the bill when I got home. As I reached for my purse to pull out my credit card, Sam put his hand on mine to stop me.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked with a sly grin.
“What do you mean? I’m pretty sure that Julia isn’t giving this stuff away.” I laughed.
“No, but I am.” he said.
“Sam...I couldn’t....” I said, shocked that he would even offer.
“You can, and you should. This week is on me, Maggie. Please....let me.” he said sweetly.
“I don’t know, Sam. It’s...it’s too much. I mean, we just met, and....” I said.
“How can I sweep you off your feet, if you insist on planting yourself so firmly on the ground?” he interrupted.
I laughed. “Okay. I guess I can’t fight a determined prince charming.” I relented and then replaced my wallet back into my purse.
“Now you’re learning.” he said and gently brushed my cheek with index finger . He placed his credit card on the counter and added another chapter to my fairy tale.



Chapter Three: Coming out of the closet

Sam got me settled in a spectacular hotel room, and made sure that I had everything I needed. From my seventh floor balcony, I had a gorgeous view of the beach. I stood out there and watched as the sun shown high in the noonday sky. I stood there basking in the sunshine and my unbelievable good fortune. A knock on my hotel room door roused me from my daydreams, and I went to go answer it.
“Hi there.” I said to Sam and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
He had his hands behind his back, and I tried to peer behind him to see what he was hiding.
“What’cha got?” I asked like a nosy little girl.
“Little something for you....no peekin’ though.” he said and hid what he was holding.
“Oh, c’mon...tell me!” I said impatiently.
“Hmmm....I think I should make you wait for it.” he teased.
I decided to see if Sam was telling the truth when he said that his only ticklish spot was his feet, so I scribbled my nails all over his belly to try and make him bring his hands out where I could see them. He laughed a little, but I couldn’t tell if it was because my fingers tickled, or because he liked the game we were playing. My nails danced a little higher towards his underarms, and that’s when he jumped.
“Hey! Now you’re gonna get it!” he said and quickly stashed his present inside his suit jacket before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.
I was giggling uncontrollably and he hadn’t even tickled me yet, but I knew from his playful manner on the plane that it was definitely coming. He tossed me gently on the bed and straddled my waist.
“Now you’re going to see what happens to girls that can’t be patient.” he said and wiggled his fingers above me.
I screamed and began to laugh even harder. I tried desperately to wiggle out from underneath him before he had the chance to start tickling me, but he outweighed me by too much.
“Sam don’t! I’ll be patient....PLEASE!!” I began to plead.
“Please what?” he asked, feigning innocence.
“You know what!” I said, still giggling.
“No I don’t...I just know that you look awfully nervous about something.” he said still wiggling his fingers above me.
“Don’t tickle me!” I blurted out.
“Tickle you? Why...I hadn’t even thought of that! Thanks for the suggestion.” he said and then dug into my ribcage.
Laughter exploded out of my mouth, and I began to thrash on the bed. In my efforts to wiggle free, I managed to turn myself over onto my belly, but couldn’t actually move out from underneath him. I began to try and grip the headboard and pull myself out, but Sam picked up on that plan before I was able to get a good enough grip.
“Oh no you don’t....come back here.” he said and tickled my underarms.
My arms shot back down to my sides, failing at both my effort to grip the headboard, and to stop his tickling. I had only managed to wedge his hands in between my sides and my own arms, where they continued to tickle me senseless. Now, at even more of a disadvantage on my belly, I could do nothing more than beg him to stop, and kick my feet.
“Sam!! Stahahahp!!” I squealed.
He paused his tickling fingertips and asked “are you going to be a good girl?”
I just nodded my head in agreement, too out of breath for actual words. He flipped me over onto my back again, and smiled down at me.
“Okay, I’ll let you go this time, but I’d better not see you trying to hunt around for any of my ticklish spots or I’ll be forced to defend myself again. And believe me, when it comes to tickle fights....I never lose.” he said and kissed me on my forehead.
I just giggled and smiled up at him. I was able to breath a bit more steady, and my heart was beginning to slow it’s pace. He brushed the hair from my face, and leaned down to kiss me. This was our first real, slow kiss that amounted to more than a peck on the lips. He cupped my chin with one of his hands and met my lips with his. As our tongues mingled, my fingernails ran gently through his hair and then trailed softly down his back. He then broke our kiss and moved slowly down my neck, leaving traces of tiny kisses all the way down until he reached the spot where my neck and shoulders meet. I felt a giggle beginning to surface because he had just unknowingly found a very ticklish spot. I didn’t want to ruin what was a very passionate moment with a lot of girlish giggles, but I couldn’t hold back for long. He nibbled and kissed me until I couldn’t take it anymore and the first giggle escaped.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Nothing. I’m fine.” I said trying to hold back a smile.
“You giggled. Something funny?” he asked, beginning to guess the reason why I laughed. He then connected his lips on the same spot as before and continued talking to me so that the vibration of his words and breath began to stir up the ticklish sensations again. “Now let’s see....why would you start to laugh at such a tender moment?” he asked.
“I...I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to. Really.” I apologized lamely, still giggling.
“You didn’t answer my question.” he said and began to swirl his tongue around my collarbone area. The giggles got more intense, and this time I also tried to push him away from me so that I wouldn’t lose total control. He slid his arms behind my back, and gripped both of my shoulders from behind with his hands, making it nearly impossible to push him off.
“Sam!” I squeaked, and began to laugh out loud.
“What? I’m just kissing your neck. I can’t imagine why that would be so funny.” he said muffled against my neck.
“It tickles!” I finally admitted, and broke out into giggles again.
“Oh! It tickles...I had no idea!” he teased and continued his kisses and nibbles. “So tell me, is there any part of you that isn’t ticklish?” he laughed.
I couldn’t answer because I was laughing too hard, and trying desperately to push him off. He paused his ticklish assault on my neck, and looked at me with a huge smile.
“You’re a lot of fun, you know that?” he asked and kissed my mouth.
“I am? Why’s that?” I asked, returning his smile.
“I just haven’t smiled like this in a long time. I’ve gotten so caught up in my professional life that I’ve forgotten how to cut back. Ya know? You just reminded me that there’s more...that’s all.” he said.
“It’s funny....I was just thinking the same thing about you. Before today I can’t remember the last time I really laughed.” I said.
“You mean like this?” he asked and then went back to tickling my neck with his mouth.
I screamed and then dissolved into giggles again until he relented. “Yeah, like that.” I said when I regained my breath.
“Can I ask you a personal question?” he said.
“Sure.” I said.
“I know we’ve just met each other, so if I’m getting too close, too fast just let me know. But I’ve been wondering something since the plane, so I’ve got to at least ask. Do you like being tickled?” he asked, being sure to make full eye contact with me.
“I...umm...” I trailed off, and shied away from his stare. I could feel my face blushing.
“Umm...what? Is that a yes?” he asked, using his hand to turn my face back so I was looking at him.
Still not able to answer him, I turned the questions back on him. “What would make you ask something like that?”
“I’m only asking because I’ve never been with a girl that seemed to enjoy tickling as much as you do. You never seem serious when you tell me to stop tickling you...in fact, you almost seem to instigate me into tickling you. Am I way off base on this one?” he asked.
There was no way that I could verbalize to Sam, a total stranger before a few hours ago, that I had a tickling fetish. I was almost 30 and still in the closet about my kink. I just looked over at him, face probably as red as a tomato, and shook my head no.
“So, I’m right?” he asked.
I just covered my face with my hands and nodded my head yes. He laughed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to laugh at you, but I feel like I’m playing charades.” he said, and we both laughed.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that....I’ve never told anybody this before.” I said shyly.
“Well, I’m glad you did because it’s going to make our week together a whole lot more fun.” he said and gave me another kiss.




Chapter four: Beach day paybacks

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. How about we hit the beach before our little night out on the town?” I asked.
“Um yeah, that would be fun. I think I’ve got a gym bag in my car with some shorts in there that I can put on. Let me just make a couple of phone calls and cancel my afternoon appointments. ” he said.
“Okay. I’ll just go into the bathroom and put on my bathing suit. Be back in a sec.” I said.
I slipped on my bikini with the daisy pattern on it, and my denim cut-offs. I had a feeling that this was going to be one of the only chances I got to actually wear some of the clothes that I brought from home. After Sam made his phone calls, he went back down to his car and returned with his shorts. He slipped into the bathroom and got changed out of his three piece suit and tie. When he got out of the bathroom, we stood facing each other and both of us were giving each other the “once over.” I couldn’t decide if he looked better with his suit on or off (I’ve always been a sucker for a man in a suit). He stood probably about 6 foot, and had a nice build. He wasn’t overly muscular, but he did have a nice strong frame. My fingers were itching to touch him, but I held back until he made the first move.
“Well, don’t you look cute.” he said as he approached me.
“You don’t look so bad yourself.” I smiled.
He walked over to me and ran his fingertips from my shoulders to my wrists and back again. He got me to squirm, which obviously delighted him because he stood there smiling down at me. I wrapped both of my arms around his neck, which was a bit of a stretch for me because I’m only about 5 foot 6. I had to stand on my tip toes to do it, but we seemed to fit together quite nicely. I loved the feeling of having his arms wrapped around my waist. I could feel the heat that was being generated from our skin to skin contact. He arms wrapped all the way around my waist, and he was able to give my sides a little tickle with he fingers. I giggled, but couldn’t bring my arms back down to protect myself. He had me in a ticklish bear hug, and he took full advantage of his position. He lifted me off the floor, and buried his face in the hollow of my neck while his fingers continued their ticklish torment. I was laughing out loud, and kicking my feet but couldn’t get away.
“Gotcha now. Don’t I?” he said as his face was still against my neck.
“Sam!!” was all I could get out because I was laughing too hard.
He started to growl and make loud munching sounds against my neck as he nibbled. “I think I need to get a bite to eat before we go to the beach.” he said and then continued his munching sounds again. My laughter was unstoppable now, and I could do nothing but squirm in his arms. When he had had enough, he set me back down on my feet. “Mmmm....I think that should satisfy me for awhile.” He said and then wiped the remains of his mock meal off of his mouth with his forearm. Still giggling I gave him a playful punch on the arm.
“I’m gonna get you back for all these tickles one of these days, so consider yourself warned.” I said.
“Oh yeah? Well, getting your revenge might be kind of hard since I’m not really ticklish.” he said defiantly.
“We’ll see about that.” I said with a grin.

Once we got down to the beach and laid down our blanket on the sand we decided to head for the water. It always takes me 15 minutes or so to get used to the water temperature, so I slowly walked down there and just dipped my toes in the shallow water. Despite the heat of the day, I felt a chill travel up my spine.
“Oh c’mon...you’re not going to take all day to get into the water are ya?” he teased.
“Why, are you in a hurry or something? Got a hot date you gotta get to? ” I kidded back.
“Yeah, actually I do have a hot date.” he said and came over to where I stood.
“Oh yeah? Well, maybe you shouldn’t keep her waiting.” I said and poked him in the ribs. A slight jump from him gave me another indication that he has been lying about his ticklishness. I decided not to investigate further....yet.
“Yeah, I really shouldn’t keep her waiting....she’s a New York girl with an attitude. You know how mean they can get.” he grinned, and then leaned down to kiss me softly on the lips.
“Damn straight you shouldn’t keep me waiting.” I said and kissed him back.
“I wouldn’t dream of it...and you shouldn’t keep me waiting anymore either. Time to take a swim.” he said and then picked me up and threw me over his shoulder.
I screamed, and squirmed desperately in a lame effort to get him to put me down, but I knew the only place I was headed was in the water. He put both his hands on my waist, gave a quick tickle to get me giggling again, and then abruptly threw me into the water. My giggles quickly gave way to a quick scream before I hit the ocean. When I came back to the surface I looked up at him and found him grinning like a school boy that just got away with a practical joke. I didn’t know whether to kill him or kiss him . I decided that in the spirit of my new found sense of fun, I would try for the latter. He dove in the water, probably out of fear of retribution, and resurfaced right in front of me.
“You just keep giving me more and more reasons for retribution, ya know that?” I said, but couldn’t help smiling at him.
“Take your best shot.” he said confidently. He then closed his eyes and put he hands behind his back as if to give me some sort of advantage if I decided to take him up on his offer.
At this point he was completely unaware of my training in martial arts, a piece of information that I was more than willing to impart on him now. I didn’t want to do anything to actually hurt him, so I decided to go for a quick leg sweep knowing that the water would break his fall nicely. I pushed against his chest and at the same time swept my leg behind his so I could throw him off balance. I think he must have been expecting some innocent girly response (maybe some playful tickles or punches) because the look of surprise on his face was priceless before he went under the water. I was a bit nervous about his response, although I was fairly sure that he would take it all in good fun, as it was intended. Although, I had a few boyfriends in the past that felt very intimidated by my ability to defend myself, and always made me feel like a brut, or less of a woman when I would give them back as good as they gave during playful wrestling matches. I wanted to play the helpless girl in these situations sometimes, but I loved the competition aspect of wrestling too much to play dead. I feared that with Sam I was going to be labeled a brut again.
I watched his eyes carefully when he resurfaced. I was waiting for a sparkle to light up his eyes, or a smile to curl his lips. I got neither. Instead the look that he gave me was almost predatory. I felt a nervous jump in my stomach, and I took a couple steps back. He kept advancing, and when he reached me he just looked down at me...met my nervous gaze with one of animalistic intensity.....reached down, picked me up by the waist again and threw me for what felt like the length of a football field (but was probably only a few feet.) When I came back to the surface he was laughing out loud.
“You should have seen the look on your face!” he giggled.
“You son of a bitch...you really had me worried there for a minute!” I laughed back, relieved.
He swam over to me, scooped me up in his arms, and kissed me. “I had you worried? What about that kung fu move you pulled on me?!” he kidded.
“Not kung fu...tae kwon do.” I said and kissed him on the neck.
“Oh, I stand corrected. Where’d ya learn that stuff? Pretty cool move.” he said.
“Well, a girl’s gotta learn to defend herself from dangerous bruts. I picked up a few moves here and there.” I said, trying to downplay my training. I guess I was still nervous of him being intimidated by me.
“Well, where ever you learned it, I was pretty impressed.” he said.
“Really?” I asked.
“Yeah. Why....you didn’t think I’d be pissed, did you?” he asked.
“Well....it wouldn’t be the first time.” I said and looked down.
“Well, a guy that would get pissed over something like that probably also has the antiquated notion that girls should play the submissive role all the time. The ol’ barefoot and pregnant mentality.” he laughed.
I was speechless. I just smiled at him, then kissed him firm on the mouth, and hugged my arms around his neck. I could have kissed him forever, but a big wave came down on us and knocked me out of his arms. We both resurfaced and laughed, joking that mother nature must not be a big fan of public displays of affection.
After that, there was more kissing and playful tosses in the salty ocean until we both grew tired of fighting the current and waves and decided to go back up on the beach. The king size sheet that we smuggled out of the hotel room felt warm beneath us as we dried ourselves in the sun. He lay there on his back, eyes shut, slight grin on his face, looking totally peaceful and content. It made me grin too just knowing that I was the one to put such a wonderful expression on his face. After staring at him for as long as my eyes would let me, I finally succumbed to the exhaustion that came from all our play in the water, and fell asleep on my stomach next to him.
I don’t know how long I was asleep for, but what I awoke to was delicious. At first my brain registered the sensation I was feeling as water trickling down my back. As my brain worked it’s way toward full consciousness, I wondered how I could still be so wet after being asleep for so long. Then I felt the “water droplet” travel back up my spine, and I even though things were kind of different here on the west coast, I was still pretty sure that the water here in the pacific ocean couldn’t defy gravity. Funny how the brain tries to make sense of things as we rouse from sleep, isn’t it? When the “water droplet” made it’s way up my side, stopping just short of my underarm, and then made it’s way deliberately to the ticklish spot on my neck, I knew it was Sam trying to tell me it was time to play. His fingers lightly tickled my neck until a smile came to my face and my eyes fluttered open.
“Mornin’ sunshine.” he said as he lay there on his side.
I stretched, yawned, and said “Mornin’. How long was I asleep for?”
“A little over an hour.”
“The beach always knocks me out for some reason. Did you rest?” I asked.
“Yeah, a bit. But mostly I just watched you sleep. Sorry I woke you up, but I just couldn’t help myself.” he said and fluttered his fingers around my neck again.
I scrunched up my shoulders and giggled. After he relented, I sat up and kissed him.
“Feel like playing in the sand?” I asked.
He laughed. “What, like building sand castles and stuff? I don’t think I’ve dug in the sand since I was a kid.”
I laughed too, feeling a bit like a kid myself. “No, not sand castles exactly. More like human sand sculptures....much more adult.” I joked.
“Sounds interesting. What do I have to do?” he asked.
“Well, first you help me dig a long canoe shaped hole, maybe a foot or two deep. Then you can leave the rest to me.” I said.
With the two of us working together the hole didn’t take too much time to complete. I got a bit of sinister satisfaction knowing that Sam was unknowingly digging his own trap.
“Okay, now what?” he asked.
“Now you lay down with your head at one end and your feet at the other.” I said as nonchalant as I could so I didn’t rouse any suspicion.
“Ooookay.” he said a bit sarcastically. I could tell that he had no idea about what my devious plan really entailed. I guess he just saw this as a weird game that we liked to play on the east coast. At this point the butterflies in my stomach sprung to life. I was surprised at how excited I was getting at the thought of getting this strong, handsome man into a completely helpless position.
In an attempt to put him even more at ease, I thought I might get some conversation going...the least amount of time he spent thinking, the better.
“Me and my siblings used to do this to each other all the time when I was growing up. We got really good at it. Once the person playing the sculpture is in place, then it’s the other person’s job to make a cool looking sculpture around them . When it’s done it’s kind of funny looking because just your head is sticking up out of the sand and it’s being used as part of the sculpture. I can make you look like anything...an octopus or even a pretty little mermaid.” I said with a laugh.
“A mermaid, huh? Can’t you do something a bit more masculine? Man-eating shark maybe?” he said with a smile.
I laughed. “Hmm...never done a shark before. I could probably do that. Hop in and I’ll get started.” I said.
He stepped into the hole and laid down. At first he was in a upright position, but then I adjusted him so that he was laying down like he would in a recliner. I crossed his arms over his chest so that he looked like he was laying in a coffin (although, I didn’t share that analogy to him because I was afraid that he would get too nervous.) I made a nice indentation in the sand at one end so he could rest his head, and once he was in place I began to cover him over with sand. It only took a couple of minutes to replace the mounds of sand that we had dug out. I made sure to pack it down nice and tight, and then I took the water bottle that I had taken with me to the beach and emptied it onto the mound on top of Sam.
“Why’d you do that?” he asked.
“I need the sand to be wet so that I can work with it.” I said.
“Well, don’t get it too wet because you’ll wind up packing me in here so tight that it’ll take forever to dig me out.” he said with a laugh.
“Can you move?” I asked.
He struggled a bit (which I could tell by the way he moved his head from side to side), and then said “No, actually I can’t.” He continued to wiggle around a bit, as if he couldn’t believe that sand could render him so helpless.
“I wouldn’t try too hard. This stuff is better than most bondage toys on the market.” I said with a laugh.
“Bondage toys?? And how would you know about bondage toys?” he teased.
“Oh, I’ve had my fair share of play time with toys like that. But I’ll save that story for another time....at least until I’ve known you a full day.” I joked.
He laughed. “Fair enough. So, what are you going to make?” he asked.
“Hmm....(I said as if I hadn’t had the whole thing planned from the beginning) I was thinking of turning you into a giggling mess.” I said with a devious grin.
“I’m sorry? What was that?” he asked, more than a little surprised at my choice.
“I said that I was going to turn you into a giggling mess. It’s easy really. All I have to do is dig you out from the ankles down and find out just how ticklish your feet really are.” I said smugly.
“What?! Maggie, you wouldn’t dare! You can’t!” he said with a mixed expression of fear and giddiness that I found adorable. He then tried wiggling out of his sandy bonds again.
I laughed out loud and said “Well, I’d say you deserve a little retribution, wouldn’t you?” I wiggled my fingers at him for emphasis.
“For what?” he asked innocently.
“Your kidding, right? You’ve tickled me at least a dozen times since I met you!” I said.
“Yeah, but I was only playing with you.” he tried to justify.
“Well, now it’s my turn to play.” I said and began to slowly dig out his feet.

I was a little surprised to hear him begin to giggle already. It was the sweetest sound I’d ever heard. I had never gotten the chance to play the tickler with a guy before...not for any extended period of time anyway. Whenever I get the chance to tickle a guy, I usually only get in a few quick tickles before they fight back and end up tickling me senseless. I have to admit that all the martial arts training I’ve had doesn’t amount to anything if a guy decides to tickle me. I completely lose all ability to defend myself and the only thing I can do is laugh.
But this time was going to be very different. I had Sam totally immobile, and unable to defend himself. I began to dig a little deeper, all the while humming happily to myself. I guess I was about to hit pay dirt because Sam started to beg.
“Maggie...wait! Don’t do this...I....I wasn’t lying about my feet being ticklish. They really are!” he tried to plead.
“Oh, I’m sure they are. I never doubted that for a minute. I’m almost 30 and I think I’ve only met one person in my life that really wasn’t ticklish at all. Almost everyone has at least one ticklish spot.” I said.
“I’m going to lose my mind, I swear! Maggie, please!” he pleaded.
“I promise to stop tickling you just before the need to drag you off to a padded cell arises. No straight jackets, promise.” I teased.
I continued to dig (I couldn’t believe how deep we had made this hole) and finally hit his feet. As soon as my hands touched his feet he began giggling again. I methodically unburied his feet, but made very sure that the rest of him stayed well covered. I didn’t want to give him any leverage to wiggle his way out of this (at least until I had the chance to tickle him for awhile.)
“Be right back.” I said and then took my water bottle down to the ocean for a refill.
“Maggie, wait! You can’t just leave me here!” he called after me.
I filled up my water bottle with the salty sea water, and came back to where Sam lay, now looking a bit more panicked than I wanted. It was definitely time to lighten things up a bit. I wanted to tickle the guy, not torture him....at least not yet.
“Time to wash up these cute little feetsies of yours. That’ll make you feel much better.” I teased.
He just kept giggling and saying my name. I poured the water over his feet, rinsing all of the sand off of them. I then took the towel that I had snatched from the hotel bathroom and began to lightly dry them off. His giggles turned into laughter when the towel came into contact with the bottoms of his feet. For a split second I almost felt bad for him...but not enough to stop. His feet seemed a whole lot more ticklish than mine are, and I thought that was impossible!
“There now, isn’t that better?” I asked, and then lightly scampered my nails up his soles.
“Mahahaha....” was all he could come out with because he was laughing too hard.
“Did you say something sweetie?” I asked in an innocent tone, and briefly stopped tickling him.
He panted and giggled for a couple of seconds and then was able to speak a bit more coherently. “Oh my God, Maggie...please....”
“Please what?” I coaxed.
“I can’t....it tickles too much!” he said finally.
“Too much? Really? But I’m hardly touching you.” I said and very gently dragged my nails up the length of both his feet again.
He erupted in laughter again, and was trying desperately to wiggle both of his feet away from my fingernails, but couldn’t. I continued for another couple of seconds, and relented.
“Now, what was that you said earlier about not really being ticklish? Looks to me like I may have found a ticklish spot down here. Tell me, are there anymore ticklish spots on you?” I asked.
He caught his breath, and tried to coolly say “No.”
“Hmm...I don’t know if I believe you, Sam. I think I might have to tickle the truth out of you.” I said and began to tickle him again, this time not so gently. I worked over both of his wiggling feet with my fingernails, and didn’t stop again for another 30 seconds.
“Care to change your answer now?” I teased after stopping again. Seeing this gorgeous guy giggling was almost enough to make me want to unburry him and have sex with him right here on the beach. But for now, I would suppress my urges to give into the screaming Id in my head and instead continue my ticklish game of cat and mouse.
“Ma...Maggie. Wait, Please!” He panted.
“I’m waiting...” I said.
Sam didn’t answer me immediately. He was obviously trying to catch his breath, and maybe buy himself some down time before he answered. I didn’t feel like waiting, so my fingers began to dance again. His laughter from my surprise tickle attack was explosive, and his feet began to writhe again. Then I saw something that scared the hell out of me...the sand around his legs and ankles began to crack and crumble. I knew that if he broke out now before I exhausted him, I was going to get the revenge tickling of a lifetime. I immediately stopped tickling him, and tried not to bring any attention to his potential escape route.
“Sam...Sam...Sam. What am I going to do with you?” I asked rhetorically, and every time I said his name I gave the mound of sand on top of his legs a pat with my hands so I could pack the sand (discretely) back into place.
“Okay...okay, you win. I’ll tell you where I’m ticklish.” he said finally.
“Well, that would be the smart thing to do. I was beginning to think that I was going to have to put up a sign by your feet that said ‘tickle me please’, and then go for a long swim in the ocean.” I teased.
“Well.....I guess it’s safe, and fairly obvious, to list my feet among the more ticklish parts of my body.” he smiled.
Looking down at him in the sand, I thought I saw his face redden with his admission. Not knowing whether or not it was the noonday sun or his ticklish admission that put the extra color in his cheeks, I didn’t say anything about it. I know that for some guys, an admission of any weakness can be a very embarrassing thing to have to do, and I had no interest in emasculating him...I just wanted to play with him a little.
“I guess that would be a safe bet at this point. So....what’s spot number two on your ticklish list?” I prompted.
“Ummm.....” he trailed off.
“Oh c’mon. As ticklish as your feet are, there just has to be other spots too.” I said and then lightly tickled his feet to remind him that he didn’t have too much choice in giving me the answers that I wanted.
“Okay!!” he yelled through his laughter, and I relented again. “There is this one spot at the bottom of my ribcage that is pretty ticklish...and I guess my underarms are too.”
“Good boy...now we're getting somewhere.” I teased.

Just as I was about to probe for more information, I heard Sam’s cellphone ring. He had stuffed it into one of his sneakers before I buried him in the sand.
“Oh shit, Maggie. Quick..get me out of here so I can answer that. It could be important.” he pleaded.
“No problem...I’ll get it.” I said and went to get the phone.
“No, Maggie. Please!” he said and then started to giggle. “Oh, this should be cute.”
I picked up the phone and answered it in my most professional tone of voice. “Hello? This is Sam’s cellphone, how can I help you?”
“Sam’s cellphone??” the guy on the other end of the conversation laughs.
“That’s right. Is there something I can do for you?” I answer, trying to keep myself from giggling.
“Well, you can tell me where Sam is for starters.” he says obviously amused.
“Well....he’s a bit swamped at the moment...or at least he will be when the tide comes in.” I say, and this time start to laugh.
“What?!” the guy asks, with a little more concern in his voice this time.
“Well, we’re on the beach behind the Sunset Plaza hotel. I’ve got him buried up to his neck in the sand, and it looks as though high tide is approaching rapidly.” I say bluntly, and watch Sam’s eyes bug out of his head. He obviously hadn’t thought of that little detail. I just wink at him, and stifle my own giggling.
The guy on the other end of the phone laughs for a good thirty seconds and then says “How the hell did you get him to consent to that?!”
“I guess I can be fairly persuasive when I want to be.” I say simply.
“I bet. What did you say your name was?” he asks.
“I didn’t. It’s Maggie. And you are?” I ask.
“Kevin. Is there any chance that you’re going to be digging him out any time soon?”
Not wanting to divulge too much information about the little game that Sam and I were playing I just said “Of course...after he answers a few more of my questions I’ll be more than happy to dig him out.”
Kevin laughs again, and says “Fair enough. Just let Sam know that I’ll be seeing him real soon.”
“Sure thing. Good talking with you Kevin.” I say.
“You too Maggie.” he says, and then hangs up.
I hang up and look over at Sam. “That was Kevin. He says that he’ll be seeing you real soon.”
“Oh geez...I’m never gonna live this one down.” he laughed.
“I doubt he took me seriously. He probably thought I was kidding.” I said.
“I guess we’ll find out soon enough. Now, can you dig me out?” he asked.
“Hmmm.....I don’t know......I think I may be having too much fun.” I tease and then kneel down by his feet again.
“Maggie, I don’t know how much more of this I can take!” he pleads.
“You’d be surprised.” I said with a grin, and gave him a few more quick tickles.
I could see Sam really trying to struggle his way out now. His head was thrashing back and fourth, and the sand around his legs and ankles was beginning to crumble even more than before. I was very surprised by the rush of adrenaline that I was getting from this game. Being on the giving end of the tickling was nearly as powerful an aphrodisiac as being on the receiving end. I hated to have it all stop now just when things were starting to heat up....at least for me. I wasn’t sure how Sam was taking all of this torture. He hadn’t really gotten mad yet, nor had he made any serious plea for me to stop. He looked as though he was playing the submissive role, and rather well at that. I was trying hard to find a balance between satisfying my own semi-sadistic tendencies, and not pushing Sam too far. After all, we had only know each other for a few hours, and I didn’t want push my luck (especially because it had been so good up until now.)
“I’ll tell you what. When you say the words ‘I give up’, I’ll dig you out. But realize, that your surrender gives me the right to gloat for the rest of the day.” I said with a wink and a smile.
“You want me to give up to you?! Never! The phrase ‘I give up’ isn’t in my vocabulary.” he said, much to my delight.
“Well, I’ve always been a very good teacher...let me see if I can teach you how to say it.” I tease and begin to wiggle my fingers at him again.
All ten of my nails danced on the bottom of his feet for another couple of minutes. I covered all the skin that wasn’t protected by the sand. He had almost as strong a reaction from me tickling the tops of his feet as he did when I tickled the bottoms. I could see him starting to break. He laughter went from being loud, to falling silent every time he tried to take a gulp of air. The guilt of tickle torturing him that I had before dissipated because I knew that he held the key to making me stop. It was up to his stubborn male ego as to how long I continued.
Just when I thought I had him, the very unexpected happened. I felt two hands grab me from behind (both on my ribcage) give me a few quick tickles to make me stop my own tickling assault, and then they picked me up, and tossed me gently onto the sheet that lay a mere foot away from where Sam was buried. I landed on my belly, and my head was facing Sam’s. I could see he was laughing out loud...but this time not because of my tickling fingertips. Before I had the chance to flip over and see who Sam’s cohort was, he straddled my waist and prevented me from catching a glimpse.
“So, you really did have my buddy over here buried in the sand. I thought for a minute you might have been pulling my leg, but just in case, I had to come see for myself. I’m glad I did because this is priceless!” Kevin said with a laugh.
“Okay, you’ve had your laughs, now dig me out.” Sam said, more than a little embarrassed.
“Hmm...well Maggie, as cute as you are, and as much as I would like to see Sam giggle like a schoolgirl, I think I may have to side with my buddy on this one and help him out. I give you an A+ for creativity though.” he said and gave me a few more rib tickles.
I was reduced to laughter myself, and finally said “No, wait!”
“Wait for what?” Kevin asked.
“If you let him out of there he’s gonna get me back with what will probably be the worst tickling of my life! At least give me a running headstart before you let him out.” I said.
“My guess is that you deserve the worst tickling of your life for this stunt. How long have you had him buried like that?” Kevin asked.
“Only about a half hour or so.” I said.
“Only?! Well Sam, I’ve got to give you major kudos for holding up as well as you have. I don’t think I could’ve done it.” Kevin admitted.
“Why? Are you ticklish too?” I teased.
Kevin laughed. “Don’t get any bright ideas, Maggie. I think I’ve got the upper hand over here....and that’s something that I don’t give up as easily as my friend.” he said and tickled me some more. I yelped and began to laugh hysterically because Kevin had just hit the same spot on my ribcage that I’m pretty sure Sam was describing to me earlier when he listed his own ticklish spots.
“You’ve got yourself a little spitfire, you know that Sam?” Kevin said and stopped tickling.
“I’m beginning to.” Sam laughed. “Now get me outta here.”
“Alright, I think you’ve suffered enough.” Kevin said and began to break up the mound of sand with his foot.
“What about my headstart?” I pleaded.
“Sorry, Maggie. Us guys have got to stick together.”
Kevin continued to kick and loosen up the sand on top of Sam until Sam started to be able to wiggle free. Watching him emerge from his bonds was both exhilarating and scary. The anticipation of what he might do to me got my heart racing like a rabbit’s. He stood up, shook as much of the sand off of himself as he could, and knelt down to where Kevin had me pinned. Looking straight into my eyes, he put on a crooked grin, and said “Keep her there for a minute, will you Kevin? I’m gonna go for a little swim to wash out the ten pounds of sand that’s in my bathing suit.” And with that, he walked down to the water, and left me there with this faceless stranger who I had only had a thirty second phone conversation with. Well....this was a bit awkward.
“If I let you up will you promise to stay put?” he asked.
“Promise.” I said, thankful to get him off me. He seemed nice enough, but my New York sensibility finally woke up and began to remind me that I barely knew this guy, and that a little personal distance might not be a bad thing.
He got off of me, and sat down on the sheet next to me. I rolled over, sat up and saw his face for the first time. “HOLY SHIT!!” was what my brain screamed, but thankfully the crude phrase didn’t escape my lips. I was now staring at the same pair of eyes that had haunted me during many a wonderful trip to the movies. It was Kevin Spacey. He must have sensed my shock because he looked at me and gave me a sweet smile. I smiled, probably turned bright red, and broke our gaze. I decided that if I stared at my feet, I might be able to get through this meeting with some sense of dignity. I desperately didn’t want to turn into a star struck idiot that said things like ‘I’m your number one fan!’ and then asked for his autograph.
“You’re not going to get all shy on me now, are you?” he asked and nudged me with his shoulder.
“Umm....it’s just that I......wasn’t expecting....” I trailed off.
“I understand. I’m just teasing.” he said.
“Umm...Sam mentioned that he worked with you.” I said, searching for some conversation that might get my tongue in working order again.
“Yeah, I’ve known Sam for years.” he answered.
“If you don’t mind my saying so....you two seem more like friends than working partners.” I said.
“Well, we were friends first. Sam and I met each other in LA Valley College long before either of us knew exactly where we were headed. Later on, we both figured out that we loved working in the entertainment biz, albeit on opposite sides of things. When I finally broke into the field, I knew that I didn’t want anyone else to represent me.” he said.
“Aww....sounds like a Hallmark commercial.” I teased, relieved to have at least some portion of my personality back after having it temporarily paralyzed by the star struck idiot in my head.
He laughed and said “Yeah, I guess it does. Sam’s a really good guy.”
“I’m beginning to see that.” I said, and smiled towards Sam who was still busy swimming in the water.
“So, how did you two meet?” Kevin asked.
“Well, I’m on vacation from work this week. I live in New York. I was just gonna relax on the beach while I was here, but then I met Sam on the plane ride over here and he seemed to have other plans for me.” I said.
“That’s Sam for ya.” he said with a smile.
“Oh really? Does he normally meet up with strange women and swept them off their feet for a week of romance?” I teased, knowing that I was testing the male code of silence.
Kevin got a little nervous and tried to back track a bit. “No, of course not. He’s just always been the type of guy to go for what he wants. If he decides to do something it’s always full tilt.”
“I’ve already found that out.” I said with a laugh.
“Hey, since you’re going to be in town this week, and since Sam seems to have erased your original vacation plans, how would you like to come to a party at my place? I know Sam is coming, but I thought I’d extend you your own invitation.” he said.
“Sounds nice. What’s the occasion?” I asked. I was so excited I could barely keep myself from jumping out of my own skin.
“It’s my birthday. The big 4-4.” he confessed.
“Hey, it’s my birthday this week too! Only I’m not gonna tell you which one.” I blurted out before realizing that I didn’t want anyone to know about my birthday.
“Aww, c’mon....it can’t be that bad!” he teased.
“To me it is.” I said, mildly depressed at just the thought of beginning this new decade of my life.
“Well, if you don’t tell me, I might just have to bury you in the sand and tickle it out of you.” he teased and gave my ribs a soft poke.
I laughed, and then said “No way! It would take you and half the guys on this beach to get me in that position.”
“Okay then, forget the burying part...I can just tickle it out of you right here.” he teased and put his hand on one of my knees and gave it a few squeezes.
I jumped and tried to pry his hand off of my knee, but his hold was too firm. My laughter got the best of me, and the pleas shortly followed. “Kevin don’t!!” I giggled, still trying to break his hold.
“C’mon...how old could you possibly be? 27? 28?” he teased while he continued tickling.
Since my knees were probably even more ticklish than the spot that he had found earlier on my ribcage, I caved in quickly. “THIRTY!” I yelled through my laughter.
He stopped tickling and said “Ooooo...the big 3-0. Might as well book the retirement home now...they tend to fill up fast.” he teased.
“Don’t joke...I feel ancient. I guess I’ll get over it though...eventually.” I sulked.
“I remember turning 30. My friends threw me a huge bash with all the typical ‘over the hill’ kind of gags.” he said with a look of fond remembrance on his face.
“That is exactly why I came to the west coast to spend my birthday alone. I would rather be by myself than have to go through that.” I said.
“Well, you’re not alone now. And if you come to my birthday party I will promise you that no one will utter the phrase ‘over the hill’...unless of course they’re talking about me. ” he joked, and gave me that dimpled smile that has always been able to make me go weak at the knees. “C’mon, it’ll be like a double birthday celebration.” he urged further.
“Well, I’ll come, but maybe we should just celebrate your birthday. I haven’t even told Sam that it’s my birthday tomorrow.” I admitted.
“Why not?” he asked.
“Just never came up.” I said, lying a bit.
“Never came up? Maybe it’s just me, but I think that birthdays are something to celebrate, not mourn. As awful as you think turning 30 is going to be, you only do it once, and you might regret not celebrating it. I really think you should tell him.” he said.
“I’ll think about it.” I said, just to appease him.
I looked toward the water to check up on Sam, and I saw that he was headed back onto the beach, looking much more refreshed and a whole lot less sandy than before.
“Thanks for hanging onto her for me, Kev. I think that her fear of retribution would have sent her scurrying off otherwise.” Sam joked.
“No problem. It was my pleasure.” he said with a smile in my direction.
“So, I guess you two have made your acquaintances then?” he asked, looking at me with an amused expression. He obviously knew what a shock it was for me to have met Kevin Spacey after being such a huge fan for so long.
“We certainly did. And I was sure to tell her what a self absorbed womanizer you are.” he teased.
“Thanks a bunch, and when you leave I’ll be sure to tell her all about your adventures at last year’s Christmas party.” Sam teased back.
“Now, now boys. Don’t make me have to turn the hose on you two.” I jumped in.
“Well, Maggie. It was great to meet you. I hope to see you and Sam at my party tomorrow night.” he said and gave me a peck on the cheek before standing up to brush the sand off of himself.
“See ya, buddy.” Sam said, and gave Kevin a firm handshake.
“Have fun.” Kevin said back, and gave his friend a wink.
After Kevin walked away, Sam took his place on the sheet next to me. He said nothing, and just stared at me with a sweet expression. He then leaned in for a tender kiss, and lowered me onto the sheet so that I was flat on my back. We kissed for another couple of minutes before I felt a very deliberate hand clamp onto my waist and give a few short squeezes. I let out a little squeak, and giggle.
“I really should tickle the life out of you right now, but I won’t.” he whispered in my ear.
“You won’t?” I asked, surprised.
“No. And for one good reason....” he said, as if to prompt me to ask what the reason was. I took the bait.
“And what’s that?” I asked.
“I enjoyed it.” he said in a tone just above a whisper.




Chapter Five: Finding the Courage to Say Good night

After the beach we went back to my hotel room and washed up. I put on a pair of cut-offs and a tank top, and he put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that he had kept in his car. The plane ride over, and then the day at the beach left me feeling fairly wiped out, so we opted to stay in instead of spending a night out on the town. I figured that we had all week to explore hollywood together, and there was no reason to exhaust myself so soon. We ordered in some room service, which turned out to be better than most restaurant food that I had eaten in the past. We had a table set out on the balcony, and enjoyed the sunset as we savored our dinner together.
“Sam, I had a really great time with you today....best day in a long time.” I said with a smile.
“Me too. Very unexpected, but I guess it just goes to show you....” he trailed off.
“Show you what?” I asked, wanting to know the rest of the statement.
“That fate works in mysterious ways.” he said, and drained the rest of the champagne from his glass.
“You believe in fate?” I asked, almost laughing.
“Yeah, don’t you?” he asked, a bit crushed.
“Well, I guess I never really had a reason to before. I mean, if fate had played a part in my life thus far, I’m guessing that I should be a whole lot better off. Unless of course fate is mean and doesn’t like me for some reason.” I said in an attempt to make light of the situation.
“Think of it this way - if you’d been thrilled with your job, and had met the man of your dreams over in New York, then nothing would’ve made you get on that plane this morning, and our paths never would’ve crossed.” he said.
“Suppose that’s true. So, you’re saying that we don’t have any control over our own lives, and that it’s all mapped out for us already? I dunno...I don’t like to relinquish that much control. When it comes to my own life, I’d like to think that I’m more in the driver’s seat, than the passenger’s.” I said.
He stood up from his seat and walked over to mine. Pulling my chair away from the table, he took one of my hands in his and stood me up. He wrapped both arms around my waist and looked at me with such intensity, that I felt completely exposed. “Relinquishing control doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Could be kinda fun.” he said with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes, and a smile beginning to curl his lips.
The butterflies that I had become accustomed to feeling around Sam, had sprung to life once more. If his arms weren’t wrapped so tightly around my waist I thought that my knees would have given out on me. Blushing under his gaze, all I could say was “might be.”

All of Sam’s romantic ideals were sweet, but they also went against everything I believed in. It was a comfort for me to know that I was the master of my own fate. Whatever happened to me, good or bad, I called the shots. Control freak, you say? Yeah, maybe. To me, fate was just a word found buried in the pages of a Harlequin romance novel. It was for the hopeless romantics, not for me. Even though my heart wanted nothing more than to believe what Sam was telling me, my sensibility was telling me to “get a grip.” I was not some poor damsel in distress, and Sam was not my knight in shining armor. But rather than rain on his parade I thought it better to just keep my cynical notions to myself and play along. No sense in ruining was what sure to be a fun week. I would have my fun, say good-bye to him at the week’s end, and get back on the plane bound for reality. No harm done. I know what you all are thinking, “PARTY POOPER!” But believe me, it’s better this way. I’ve found that any time I’ve fallen head over heels, I’ve also usually managed to fall squarely on my ass afterward...and I’ve got the bruises to prove it.

The rest of the night went on without anymore talk of fate, and destiny. We just had some light conversation, and snuggled on my bed while watching the late shows. In accordance with my better judgment, but certainly against my raging hormones, I decided not to sleep with Sam. It was mostly because of the haunting voice in my head that kept saying “Never sleep with a guy after the first date. It gives them nothing to look forward to, and makes you look like a prize too easily won.” It was the voice of my older sister, and that statement was one piece of advice that I adhered to since I lost my virginity. It made good sense to me, but also made me unbelievably frustrated at times. At one point in my life (during those reckless hormonal years of my early twenties) I couldn’t trust myself to stick with my dating motto, so on my first date with a guy, I used to wear a pair of the ugliest grandma underwear I could find, thus ensuring that my willpower would stay strong (or face embarrassment when my pants were shed.) I had actually broken my motto once during my sexually adventurous years (although I made the guy turn out the light when we undressed so that I could kick off the panties without him seeing what they looked like), and my relationship with that guy lasted less than a week. It just reinforced the fact that most guys lost interest once the prize was won (so to speak).
Well, since I hadn’t planned on meeting anyone on the plane ride over, I certainly didn’t pack my granny panties, and without my safety net it made saying good night to Sam almost unbearable. All I wanted to do was sexually attack him, and then sleep in his arms all night long, but I also wanted to begin our week together the right way. I wanted to make sure that he knew that money, and all the glitz of hollywood didn’t necessarily ensure his place in my bed. I knew I had more substance than that, and I guess I just wanted to make sure that he knew it too, even if it meant a night of frustration for me.
“Well, I guess it’s time for me to catch some shut eye.” I hinted with a yawn.
“Yeah, I’ve got to get up pretty early tomorrow morning and make up for the work that I blew off this afternoon.” he said.
“Okay. What time will I be seeing you tomorrow?” I asked.
“Say....around 5 o’clock?” he asked.
“Sounds good to me. That will give me enough time to sleep in, and then doll myself up for you.” I said and kissed him on the lips.
“Remember to wear that little black number we picked out at the shop. It should be perfect for Kevin’s party.” he said with a wink.
“Sure thing. See you tomorrow night then?” I asked, getting up off the bed and walking towards the door.
“Wouldn’t miss it .” he said and leaned in for one last good night kiss.

As our lips mingled softly, his fingertips ran gently up and down my back causing an outbreak of goose bumps. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled myself up on my tip-toes so I could hug him. He returned my hug and then slipped both of his hands underneath my tank top, and onto my sides. I took in a surprised gasp of air, and then let out a little squeak.
“You had to know that I couldn’t leave without a few quick tickles first.” he teased without moving his hands yet.
“Sam, don’t!” I said with a giggle.
“Now, why would you say don’t, when we both know you really want me to tickle you?” he said, beginning to gently scribble his fingers against my sides slowly.
Knowing he was right, but too stubborn to admit it, I had no answer for him. After hiding my fetish my whole life, it was hard wired into my brain that I had to deny anything that might expose it to anyone.
“C’mon, I want to hear you say ‘I like being tickled’.” he said, backing me up towards the wall.
“I can’t!” I protested, still giggling.
“Sure you can, it’s easy.” he teased, backing me up until my back was flush against the wall. He then slowly took both my hands in his, and stretched my arms up over my head, and pinned them between the wall and his left hand.
The giggles got more intense with the anticipation of what was to come. I tried to squirm my hands away, but he held them firmly in place. With both my hands pinned, and one of his free, I knew that this was a losing battle. He began to wiggle his fingers at me, and inch them closer to my, now very exposed, underarms.
“C’mon Maggie...you know you want to say it. Let that little tickle freak out of the closet, and just say ‘I like being tickled’.” he said in a seductive tone of voice, barely above a whisper.
“Sam, don’t make me say it, please!” I said, now completely unable to control my giggles.
“I’m just trying to help you out, Maggie. Keeping your feelings all bottled up isn’t healthy. You’ll feel much better once you say it.” he said, now a mere inch away from my underarm.
“No!” I said as firmly as I could with a huge smile on my face....probably wasn’t too convincing.
“Have it your way.” he said and began to scribble his fingertips in my underarms.

All composure lost now, my giggles gave way to full blown laughter. My feet were stomping on the floor, but couldn’t actually go anywhere. To make my torture worse, he decided to brush his goatee up and down the inside of my arm, from my wrist all the way down passed the crook of my arm. His teeth coming in for a nibble every so often was enough to put me over the edge. My legs gave out from underneath me, and we both toppled to the floor. It didn’t take long for Sam to resume his hold on me, and once he did, I was now in the same position as before, only laying flat on my back. Rather than using his hand to pin mine this time, he decided instead to kneel up at my head, and trap both of my hands above my head with his knees. Now, at an even greater disadvantage than before, I began to panic.

“Well, well, well...what do I have here.” he said, grinning down at me.
“Sam, let me up! C’mon, this isn’t funny!” I said, trying not to giggle.
“Not funny? Really? I bet I can make you laugh.” he teased, and began to wiggle his fingers again.
I bit my lips, and made a real effort to show how serious I was, but with his ever approaching fingers, it wasn’t easy. A smile began to creep it’s way out, and he knew he was beginning to get to me again.
“Is that a smile? Don’t be so stubborn, you know you want to giggle. Here, I’ll help.” he said, and then began to tickle my underarms again.
All my efforts at seriousness now gone, all I could do was laugh. With both of my forearms trapped underneath him, there was very little wiggle room. All I could do was kick my feet and move my torso from side to side. His fingers were relentless as they traveled into both underarms and then over to my collarbone and neck. I tried to thrash my head so I could block some of his ticklish advances, but whenever I blocked one set of tickling fingers, another one managed to pop up someplace else.
“Just say it, Maggie. I like being tickled.” he urged, never pausing his fingers for a moment.
“OKAY!!” I screamed through my laughter.
He paused, to give me enough breath for my admission, and just sat there grinning. “I....” I stopped, not actually finding enough courage to finish the statement.
“...like....” he said to get me to finish.
“Sam, this is really hard!” I pouted.
“Why should it be? Do you like being tickled?” he asked.
“Well, yeah.” I said shyly.
“Then you should be able to admit it. What are you so afraid of? God knows I’m not going to think any less of you. Just the opposite, really.” he urged.
“It’s just that I spent my whole life avoiding even the word....tickle...(I said, and blushed) that it’s hard to even say that one word, much less to have it in a sentence like that!” I pleaded.
“Well, kiddo. I think it’s high time you got over that, and I’m just the guy to help you.” he said with a wink and began to tickle me again. This time he buried his hands on either side of my neck before I had the chance to scrunch up my shoulders. Now helpless and giggling, I knew that admitting that I loved all of this was the only way to buy myself a break.
“Wait!!” I squeaked, not being able to actually say the sentence that he wanted me to because I couldn’t stop laughing.
“If I stop this time, you’d better be prepared to say it, or get the tickling of a lifetime. No more chances after this.” he warned.
“I will...I will.” I panted.
“So, let’s hear it....with feeling.” he teased.
“I like....being...tickled.” I said, kind of mumbling the last word.
“Oh man, that was terrible! You’re not gonna convince anyone with a mousy statement like that.” he laughed.
“I like being...tickled.” I said with more volume.
“Say it loud, say it proud!” he said, in a theatrical voice that mimicked a southern preacher.
I laughed at him, in spite of my embarrassment, and yelled “I like being tickled!”
“Amen! She has been healed!” he said, still playing the preacher.
“You’re such a goofball.” I giggled.
“So, now that you’ve been saved, you wouldn’t mind me doing this...” he said and then lunged for my midsection. He began to nibble wildly on my ribs and stomach. The combination of his facial hair, and his teeth sent me into instant hysterics. My hands, now free, tried to push him off. Having found that unsuccessful, I tried to tickle him back. Bingo!
“Hey!” was all he said as he tried to capture my hands again so that I couldn’t tickle his belly or ribs.
“I think I might’ve found that spot you were talking about at the beach.” I teased.
“Maybe I should quit while I’m ahead.” he laughed.

He stood up from the floor, and helped me to a standing position. We just looked at each other for a moment, both of us with a goofy smile, and a child-like spark in our eyes.
“Good night, Sam.” I said finally, because if I didn’t I would have invited him to stay the night.
“Good night, Maggie.” he said and gave me one last kiss before disappearing.




Chapter Six: Getting Cinderella ready for the ball

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. It took me a few seconds to realize both where I was, and where the noise of my dream slayer was coming from. Barely picking my head up off my pillow, I clumsily grabbed for the receiver, practically knocking it to the floor.
“Hello?” I said in a tone of voice made by someone who obviously just woke up.
“Morning sleepyhead.” Sam said in a soft, sweet voice.
Hearing his voice again confirmed that the magical day before had been something more than just a figment of my imagination. I was still having a hard time believing that any of this was really happening.
“Morning. What time is it?” I asked, trying to rouse myself to full consciousness.
“9 o’clock. I didn’t wake you, did I?” Sam asked.
“Not at all. I always sound like a drugged mental patient at this hour of the morning.” I giggled.
“Well brush the sleep out of your eyes, you’ve got an appointment to keep.” he said.
“An appointment? But we’re not meeting until 5 .” I asked, puzzled.
“Yeah, but you’re meeting with Sylvia in an hour and a half.” he said matter of factly.
“Who the hell is Sylvia?!” I asked, trying to remember if Sam had mentioned this the night before.
“She’s the one that’s going to get you ready for your big night out.” he said.
“Sam, I’m sorry, but I haven’t got the foggiest idea what you’re talking about.” I apologized, just in case I should know what the hell was going on.
Sam laughed. “You shouldn’t know what I’m talking about...that’s why they call it a surprise.”
“A surprise?” I asked, even more confused than before.
“Yeah. I made an appointment for you at the spa. Sylvia is an old friend of mine that works there.” he said.
“A spa? Um...I’ve never been to one of those. What’s she gonna do?” I asked.
“Well, you’re just gonna have to show up to find out.” he said.
I giggled. “How very mysterious. Okay, I’ll play along. So, where is this place?”
“Don’t worry about it. My driver will be by in an hour to pick you up.” he said.
“Ya know, you’ve got this prince charming gig down pretty good.” I teased.
“Yeah? Thanks. I try. Will you give me a call on my cellphone when you’re finished at the spa?” he asked.
“Sure. You’ve got my cellphone number just in case you need to reach me, don’t you?” I asked.
“Yeah. So, I’ll touch base with you later?” he asked.
“Yep...assuming that Sylvia leaves me all in one piece.” I teased.
“Oh, she’s got strict instructions to take very good care of you.” he said.
“I’m sure she will. Talk to you later.” I said.
“Okay. Have fun.” he said.
“I will. Bye.” I said.
“Bye.” he said before he hung up.

A spa? Holy shit was I out of my element. I had always wanted to try a place like that, but never got the nerve to walk through the doors. I assumed places like that were meant for girls named Buffy and Fifi who had places to go and things to do...but just stopped in for a quick pedicure and a massage before getting there. I feared being met with snide sideways glances from these girls when they saw such a plane jane. I guess I would soon find out if my fears had any merit.
I quickly grabbed a shower and called room service for some tea and toast. At this hour of the morning, my stomach couldn’t handle much else. (My first meal of the day usually came around noon.) After putting on a pair of khaki shorts, a white, short sleeved, button down shirt, and my flip flops, I was ready to go. I went downstairs to meet the driver....who had very promptly arrived at the front of the hotel. He ushered me inside the limo, and away we went. The drive wasn’t too long, maybe about twenty minutes or so. I had no idea where we were, never having been in the area before. It was more than a bit unnerving to be so far out of my element (and time zone, for that matter) without so much as a clue as to what was coming next. Remember me telling you that I liked to be in the driver’s seat? Yeah, well I was so far out of control of this situation, that I may as well have handed over the keys to the car and set fire to my driver’s license. The feeling was both scary and amazingly exhilarating. I suppose that Sam was right, relinquishing control could be kinda fun.
I exited the limo, and the driver (who I still didn’t know by name) said that he would meet me out front at 2 o’clock. I raised an eyebrow, looked down at my watch that read 10:30, and repeated the time back to him just to make sure that I heard him right.
“Yes, Miss...2 o’clock.” he answered back.
“So, that’s....(doing a quick calculation in my head)...over three hours from now?” I said, still not believing that my appointment would take that long.
“That’s what I was told, Miss.” he said with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Alrighty...I guess they would know better than I would. See ya then.” I said.

I walked up to the “Take Me Away” spa and went inside the double doors. I was greeted inside by a very cheerful receptionist with a name tag that read “Amanda”. She ushered me into the waiting area, and asked if she could get me anything to drink.
“Water would be great.” I said, not knowing if I should have asked for a Perrier or something like that.
“Sure thing, be back in a sec.” she said and left.
Well, so far, there were no ladies named Fifi in sight, and this place seemed very inviting. The ‘new age’ music played softly over the speaker system (which sounded like someone playing a piano by a waterfall), and the candles that they had burning filled the place with sweet lavender smell. Running on very little sleep from the night before, I felt as though I could doze off right here in the waiting room, but my nervousness about what was to come kept me awake. The receptionist returned shortly with my bottle of water, and said that Sylvia would see me momentarily.
I hadn’t gotten the chance to drink more than a couple of sips of my water before Sylvia appeared. She was a very attractive, middle aged woman who had a head of dark red hair and eyes the same shade as my mother’s - light green.
“You must be Maggie.” she said with a bright smile.
“Yes. Sylvia?” I asked a bit shyly.
“That’s right. Why don’t you follow me, sweetie.” she said.
We walked through another set of double doors which lead to the inner area of the spa.
“Well, why don’t we start you off with a massage and a facial.” she said.
“Um...okay.” I said.
I had actually had a facial before at the place where I get my nails done on occasion, but the massage was going to be something totally new. It was always something that I wanted to have done, but never had the guts to do. The thought of stripping naked, and allowing some total stranger to become very well acquainted with my body seemed a bit strange to me. But, I reasoned that this trip was all about breaking free from my normal pattern of thinking and trying new things. Lord knows, if I could work up the courage to tell Sam about my fetish, I could do this! Speaking of my fetish...don’t think that my thoughts of tickling had strayed too far from my mind when the idea of a massage came into play. I wondered, as ticklish as I am, how I was going to react to this. I guess there was only one way to find out....
Sylvia’s nimble fingers worked their magic on my face for a little under an hour. I didn’t think that something as easy as washing my face (which normally only took me about five minutes in the morning) would be such a project, but apparently, they weren’t going to leave any pore untreated. They used everything from cucumber compresses for my eyes, to herbal exfloliators for my face and neck. Then after all that, they finished it off with a ‘steam treatment’ which they claimed would clear out my pores. Okay, if you say so. I had to admit that it all felt pretty great though. I felt kind of silly going through it all, but I figured that this was my one chance to see how the other half lived, so I was going to take full advantage.
“How are you feeling?” Sylvia asked.
“Great. My face has never been cleaner.” was all I could think to say.
Sylvia chuckled. “Okay, well my work here is done. It’s time that I passed you off to Adrian.” she said and ushered me into the massage parlor.
“Just strip down, and put the towels over yourself. Adrian will be in in a minute to work on you.” she said before leaving.
I quickly shed my clothes, afraid that I would be caught half naked before I could cover myself with the towels. I hopped up on the table, and tried to regain a small measure of modesty with the fluffy white towels that were provided for me. I laid down on my stomach and tried to get as comfortable as I could...not an easy task considering how self conscious I felt. Now, call me naive, but I was expecting another middle aged woman (probably with a stocky German build and strong hands) to appear from behind the parlor door. Well, if Adrian was a woman, then she was the most masculine woman I had ever met. The nervous jitters that I was feeling before he entered the room gave way to a mild panic attack.
“Hi. My name’s Adrian. And you are....Maggie, right?” he asked checking his charts.
“You’re not a woman.” popped out lamely before I could stop myself. I then bit my lips to stifle any other retarded phrases that might follow.
He laughed. “Thanks for noticing.”
“Um...it’s just that I... didn’t expect....ya know...a man.” I rambled.
“Sorry I caught you off guard. My name sometimes throws people off. Is it a problem?” he asked with a sweet smile.
“Uh...no, of course not. Just a surprise...that’s all.” I said, returning his smile as best I could.
“Good. Then let’s get things started, shall we?” he asked.
Adrian arranged the towels loosely over my lower torso and upper thighs. I could see him lather up his hands with some kind of oil before approaching me.
“Now just relax. I don’t want you thinking about anything but the feel of my hands.” he said in a soothing voice.
“No problem there!” was what I thought, but didn’t voice to him.
“No more thoughts about work, family, or anything else that might make you feel tense. For the hour that you’re with me, I want you to be completely in the moment.” he said in a voice that could lull a baby to sleep.
Okay, this guy was good. I could feel my shoulders begin to uncurl and my arms fall listlessly at my sides. He hands started up around my shoulders and neck. With the lubrication of the oil, his hands glided effortlessly across my skin. After only about five minutes I was wondering if this guy was up for adoption...that German Sheppard puppy would have to wait. He worked his way down both my arms, and then moved lower on my back. Every nerve ending in my body seemed to first respond to his touch with small tingly ripples, and then relax. He worked his thumbs down the length of my spine, and I could feel myself slipping into a state of half sleep as my eyelids closed. Just as I was about to doze off, I could feel his hands curl (albeit firmly) around my waist so that he could give his thumbs better leverage to deeply massage my lower back. My eyes popped back open, and I could feel that all too familiar ticklish sensation beginning to rise. I thought that I could hold out without laughing, if he would just move beyond the spot that he was working on. Apparently, he thought that my lower back needed some special attention, so there he stayed, fingers still curled around my waist. My efforts failed, and out came the first giggle.
“Oops. Did I hit a ticklish spot?” he laughed and pulled his hands away.
“Kind of.” I blushed.
“Sorry. Tell me where it is, so I won’t hit it again.” he said.
“It was just the way you had your hands around my waist. Don’t worry, I can handle it.” I said with a smile.
“Really? You don’t mind being tickled?” he asked.
“Not really.” I said (amazed that I had just said that. I must be getting bold in my advancing years!)
“That’s surprising. Most of the women I work on get so mad when I accidentally tickle them. I don’t mean to do it, but sometimes it can’t be helped on someone who’s ticklish.” he said matter-of-factly.
“Well, considering the amount of ground you cover, you’re bound to find a few ticklish spots along the way.” I giggled.
“True. Well, I’ll do my best to avoid them, but at least now I know you won’t have me fired if I hit one or two.” he laughed.
“Your job is safe with me.” I said with a smile.
“Good to know.” he said and began to massage again.
He spent a few more minutes on my back, being a bit more careful to avoid my waist, and then started to head towards my legs. I knew that this was going to be a big problem for me since my legs are especially ticklish. He began to knead his fingers around my upper thighs and I buried my mouth in the towel that was under my head to stifle any giggles that might come out.
“Maggie? You wouldn’t be trying not to laugh now, would you?” he asked as he continued to massage.
Now that I was found out, a muffled laugh escaped and I just nodded my head. He stopped massaging again, and walked over to where my head was resting.
“I’m so sorry, it’s just that my legs are really ticklish.” I admitted, barely being able to make eye contact with him.
“Don’t be sorry. Do you want me to skip it?” he asked.
“I don’t mind, if you don’t.” I said.
“Well, normally I wouldn’t purposefully massage an area that I knew was ticklish. It’s kind of counter-productive to what I’m trying to do for you.” he said.
“Well, most girls probably don’t find tickling to be relaxing....” I said, not quite able to admit that I did.
“And you do?” he asked amazed.
I just smiled (blushed like a school girl, I’m sure), and broke our gaze.
“You’re the boss.” he said with a grin on his face, and went back to work.
The remainder of my time with Adrian was a wonderful mixture of deep soothing massage and the occasional teasing tickle (that I think he was doing on purpose since my admission.) I wished that it could go on forever, but like all good things, it came to an end.
“You’re all set Maggie. How’re you feeling?” he asked, wiping the remainder of the oil from his hands with a towel.
“Like I want to take you back to New York with me.” I smiled and lazily opened up my eyes.
He laughed, “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day, but it would be a hell of a commute for me. ” We both laughed. “But if you’re ever in town again, I hope you drop in for another massage.”
“You can count on it.” I smiled.
“Great! Well, enjoy the rest of your day, Maggie.” he said.
“If it’s anything like the last hour, I’m sure I will.” I said.

And with a wink and a smile, he was gone. I got my clothes back on, and headed back to the lobby area, where Sylvia was there to meet me.
“I hope you’re enjoying yourself.” she smiled.
“Like you can’t imagine.” I said.
“Great. Well, all you have left to do is get a manicure and a pedicure.” she said as she checked her clipboard.
“Oh, okay. Just lead the way.” I said. Truthfully, I was a bit bummed that I couldn’t just go back to my suite and fall into bed for a long, and (hopefully) dream filled sleep. Adrian’s massage had made me kind of sleepy, but I decided I should finish up things here first since Sam had gone through all the trouble of making sure I got the royal treatment.
Sylvia led me into a small room with a manicure table and a large cushy chair (which resembled my Dad’s old black leather recliner, but without the foot attachment.) At the base of the chair was a large whirlpool bath for your feet. I could hear the hum of the whirlpool, and knew that it would probably feel wonderful. I began to think that maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all. The wall to my right had about twelve small shelves. On them were dozens of bottles of nail polish in every color of the rainbow. They were all arranged by color (for easy access, I’m sure) and I didn’t see how the hell I was going to be able to decide on just one of them.
“Have a seat over there my dear (pointing to the pedicure chair), and Michael will be with you in a minute.” she said and then walked out.
Now, unlike Adrian’s ambiguous name, I was pretty sure that Michael was a guy’s name. A guy was going to paint my toenails?! I began to wonder if Sylvia employed any women here at her spa (aside from Amanda the perky receptionist, that is). “This should be cute”, I thought and chuckled to myself. If Michael was anything like the guys I knew back home, I would be covered in red nail polish from my toenails to my knees. In my experience, most guys didn’t posses the delicate touch required to paint something as small as a toe nail.....the broad side of a barn, maybe...but not toe nails. But then I realized that Sylvia probably didn’t hire anyone but the best. Adrian was a prime example.

I sat down in the comfy chair, leaned back, and put my feet in the bath. The warm whirlpool coupled with my lingering feeling of relaxation from Adrian’s massage made me doze off. My eyes popped open when I heard two guys talking in the hall just outside the room. It was Adrian, and an attractive, black man who I assumed was Michael. I looked up in time to see Adrian whisper something in Michael’s ear, and then look over at me and smile (a smile that had more than a hint of mischief behind it.) Hmmm.... Michael grinned at whatever Adrian just whispered to him, and then gave his co-worker a pat on the back. When Adrian left, Michael entered the room.

“Hi Maggie, I’m Michael.” he said warmly while checking his clipboard (which I assume had my ever growing file on there.) “My, my, my. Getting the royal treatment today, are we?” he asked. “Good for you.”
“Yeah, well it’s probably one of those once in a lifetime things for me.” I said shyly.
“Why?!” he said, with a shocked expression on his face (as if an alien had just popped out of my stomach or something). “Girl, you should definitely be getting a pedicure at least once a month! You wait much longer than that and these little piggies of yours will get a bit too rustic looking, if you know what I mean.” he said with a smile.
“Well, if a month makes them look rustic, then mine are going to look down right beastly because I’ve never gotten a pedicure in my life.” I said and felt a blush rise to my cheeks. I knew such an admission would be seen as some sort of salon sacrilege, but it was the truth.
“You’re kidding, right? You’ve never gotten a pedicure before?!” he said with an exaggerated shocked expression on his face. “Well, you’re in for a real treat sweetie! And since I’m your first, I promise to be gentle.” he teased.
I laughed despite my embarassment, and began to feel at ease around Michael, in much the same way I did with Adrian.
“Well, let’s see these wild child feet of yours.” he kidded and gently grabbed one of my feet from out of the hot, soapy water of the whirlpool bath.
My feet had been soaking for about 20 minutes by now, and had turned a healthy pink from the hot water. I was terrified that my feet were going to repulse him in some way. I didn’t think they were too bad off, but who knew? My feet weren’t something that I paid an enormous amount of attention to normally. When summer came around, I made sure that they looked fairly well kept, but otherwise, they were stuffed in shoes most of the day, and who really cared? Michael apparently.
“Alright Pinnochio, are you really going to sit back and tell me that these feet have never had a pedicure?” he said with a smile as he held up my right foot for me to see.
“I swear to God. Really, I haven’t.” I said a bit puzzled.
“Well then, either you’re walking around on cotton balls all day, or you are one lucky girl. These are way softer than they have any right to be considering you’ve totally ignored them up until today!” he laughed and ran a finger up the length of my foot.
My foot jumped, and I giggled. “What was that for?” I asked.
“Just looking for callouses.” he said with a sly grin.
Yeah, right. Looking for callouses, or taking the tip from Adrian that I enjoyed being tickled. I didn’t dare challenge his motives. If he wanted to play games, I was more than willing to oblige.
“I’m just going to smooth things out a bit.” he said and pulled out his pumice stone and began to work on my heel. The ticklish sensations began to rise, but I managed to keep my reactions under control. I thought that I could hold out for quite awhile, but then he moved the pumice stone up to the ball of my foot. Before I could even attempt to control my ticklish reaction, I jerked my foot out of his grasp .
“Oops, did that tickle?” he asked innocently.
“Just a bit.” I lied.
“I do my best not to, but accidents happen.” he lied back.
“No problem.” I said. “But then again, Adrian probably told you I’d say that, huh?” I added with a smile.
“I have NO idea what you’re talking about.” he said and took my foot back. He started to scrub my foot again with the pumice stone, all the while grinning to himself.

Most of the pedicure went on like that, him tickling me on purpose, and me pretending not to be effected. It was like some kind of playful battle of wills. I hate to admit it, but he won most of the time. He got me to laugh out loud on a couple of occasions, and squirm too many times to count. The worst was when he used the foot scrub lotion to massage my feet. I thought I was going to jump up out of the chair! Those little microbeads, or whatever the hell was in there tickled like crazy! He obviously got a lot of satisfaction when he got to me like that because he would just smile up at me, and feign innocence. Sadistic bastard....I was really beginning to like him!
As I gazed down at my newly painted (cherry red) toenails, I smiled at my sudden good fortune. I was amazed by the fact that a mere two days ago I was sitting in my office, miserable and depressed. And now here I was, on the other side of the country and absolutely tingling with anticipation of what suprises may lay in store for me during the course of the next week. Maybe turning 30 wasn’t going to be so bad after all.




Chapter Seven: Happy Birthday to Us

After my wonderful day of beauty, I got back to my hotel room, and hopped into the shower. After the shower my first inclination was to lay down for a nap, but my whole body was tingling with anticipation over Kevin’s party. I was so excited I could barely blink much less lay down and fall asleep. So instead, I sat up in bed, turned on the TV and only half-paid attention to the shows that were flashing before my eyes. As I watched animal planet’s documentary on Beluga whales, my mind played over all the possibilites of the evening in front of me. Even I had to admit that as shitty as turning 30 was, celebrating it at Kevin Spacey’s house wasn’t such a shabby deal. Experiencing the glitz of a Hollywood party at his house coupled with Sam’s ability to keep the butterflies in my stomach constantly fluttering, sounded like an amazing way to spend a birthday (even if I was doing it in secret). After daydreaming for the rest of the afternoon, and not learning a damn thing about those whales, I finished getting ready for the party.
I was too nervous to eat anything substantial, but I did munch on a handful of grapes from the complimentary fruit basket that Sam had sent over to my room while I was out at the spa. I finished up my hair (in an upsweep), and put on my make-up. Then I slipped on the amazing black dress that Sam purchased for me at the boutique. Now, I’m not much of a girlie girl....but when I put this dress on it made me feel like one. If I was Cinderella, this dress was my glass slipper. I smoothed out the sheer black pantyhose on my legs, and slipped into my black pumps. I don’t think I ever felt sexier in my life.
I added the finishing touches on my outfit - a simple silver bangle around my wrist, and a black handbag to match the dress. After giving myself the once over in the mirror (for the tenth time that hour), I heard a knock at the door. At the sound of Sam’s knock, my stomach did a flip....he got those butterflies jumping already!

“Who is it?” I asked, as if I didn’t already know.
“It’s your rent a date for the evening.” he teased.
“Is that so?” I said with a smile and opened up the door. “Hmm...I thought I ordered a blonde.” I teased back.
“Got something against brunettes?” he laughed and grabbed me around the waist.
“Oh, I guess you’ll just have to do.” I smiled and stood on my tip toes to kiss him.
He returned my kiss. I felt it travel from my lips all the way down to my toes. I had never met a man that could light such an intense spark inside of me with just a kiss. The mixed sensations of his lips gently brushing against mine, and his hands lightly tickling up and down my back were enough to make me want to take off this dress that I zipped up only moments before. I could feel the goosebumps begin to rise on my skin. Before I totally lost myself, I pressed one of my hands gently against his chest, breaking our kiss.
“Um...I think we’d better go.” I said, trying to bring us both back down to earth.
“Okay, but before we do...I’ve got something for you.” he said and brought out a small black velvet box.

I had totally forgotten about the box that I tried to tickle him into giving to me day before. He grinned, and handed it to me.
“What’s this for?” I asked, a bit stunned. I was scared to open the box. I really had no idea what might be inside.
“Just a little something to make you sparkle.” he offered.
I opened up the box and saw a ruby heart pendant. The shiney heart was surrounded by small diamonds and dangled from a silver chain...it was absolutely stunning. “Now, before you get too attached, it’s only on loan from the wardrobe department at Kevin’s latest film. But I thought that it would look amazing with your dress tonight...” he said and took the pendant out of the box. I turned around so that my back was towards him, he secured the pendant around my neck, and spun me back around. “...and it looks like I was right.” he said with a satisfied grin on his face.
“Oh my God....Sam, this is gorgeous!” I said not able to take my eyes away from the necklace. “I don’t even want to know what this cost.” I said and touched it protectively.
“Just don’t lose it and we won’t have to worry about that.” he smiled. “Ready?” he asked, offering me his hand.
“As I’ll ever be.” I said, and took hold of his hand.

During the half hour limo ride over to Kevin’s house, we sipped champagne and I filled him in on my day of beauty at the spa. He was amused with the tickle treatment that both Adrian and Michael put me through. At one point during my story, Sam reached down and gently grabbed one of my feet, bringing it up into his lap. He nonchalantly slipped off the high heel, and lightly tickled up my nylon clad sole. I stuttered and almost sprayed him with champagne, but he acted like he wasn’t doing anything, so I tried my best to play along. Our ticklish game of cat and mouse went on for the rest of the ride, and when we pulled through the front gate of Kevin’s house, he slipped my shoe back on and kissed me. I was about a hair’s breath away from telling the driver to take us back to the hotel room when I heard the limo door open.

We both got out, and walked through the front door. The house was amazing. It was huge, no denying that, but it also had a very cozy feel to it. No stark white walls and crystal chandeliers (which was what I was expecting). It had a definite masculine feel to it. The walls were painted in warm tones and most of the furniture looked like something you could plop down on and take an afternoon cat nap. There were old time movie posters framed on the walls...Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo, and Carey Grant. I felt at home almost immediately. We made our way through the crowd, and then finally spied Kevin out on the second floor balcony making small talk with someone who looked familar, but I couldn’t place.
We headed through the balcony doors, and waited until Kevin looked up from his conversation. His face lit up when he saw Sam.
“Hey! Glad you could make it...and nearly on time too.” Kevin joked.
“You know me, always fashionably late.” Sam said, and shook Kevin’s hand. “You remember Maggie?” he said and looked over at me.
“Of course. How could I forget?” he said and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek.
“Happy birthday.” I said a bit more sheepishly than I wanted...I guess the star struck idiot struck again.
“You too.” he whispered in my ear and then smiled at me.
I looked over at Sam to see if he heard what Kevin had said. It didn’t appear so.
“Sam, you remember Ed?” he said and patted who I now recognized as Edward Norton on the back.
“Yeah...Ed, how’s it going?” Sam asked.
“Not to bad. You?” Ed asked back, and shook Sam’s hand.

Holy shit...I couldn’t believe that I was actually involved with this whole chummy Hollywood scene. I felt like I should be more of a fly on the wall, than one of the people among this elite crowd. Sam and I floated from conversation to conversation. All the while, I tried to quell the star struck idiot in my head, and make semi-intelligible small talk with these people (who I would no doubt never see again). After a break in the conversation with the current couple we were speaking to, Sam placed his hand ever so gently on my lower back, excused us, and walked me out onto the balcony. He seemed a bit relieved to be away from the hollywood hustle and bussle, and out in the fresh air (it was the kind of night that compelled you to take a deep breath upon stepping outside and then let out a contented sigh).

“Can I get you something to drink?” Sam asked
“An ameretto and ginger ale would be great, thanks.” I said.

Sam kissed me lightly on the lips and then made his way downstairs to the bar that was set up outside on the deck. I could see Sam from my vantage point above him on the second floor balcony (I suddenly felt like I was in a scene from Romeo and Juliet). As I was trying to remember the dialog from the Shakespearian scene (what light through yonder window breaks....shit...I forget the rest..), I felt a light tickle on my sides. Thinking that Sam returned (although that would make him some kind of Houdinni), I spun around and found the birthday boy instead.

“Hey you! Having fun?” he asked and playfully nudged me with his shoulder.
“Absolutely. You?” I asked.
“Nah....these people bore the shit out of me!” he laughed.
I giggled, “Well, I say we kick ‘em all out and finish off what’s left from the bar.”
He smiled, “So....have you told Sam that it’s your birthday yet?”
“Umm.....no....not yet.” I half mumbled.
“That’s what I thought. Any reason you’re hiding this piece of information like it’s the map to the holy grail?”
“It’s just that.....I don’t know. It’s really no big deal.” I finished, hoping that my answer would be enough to squash the issue.
“Uh-huh. Okay, have it your way. But I know the truth.....” he trailed off mysteriously and tickled my sides again.

I laughed and reflexively pushed his hands away. With that, he winked at me and left the balcony. I got the nagging feeling that he wasn’t referring to my birthday with that whole “truth” comment, but I shrugged it off and tried to find Sam among the drink seekers down below. I lost him. Before I could leave the balcony to go find him, he was there behind me holding out my drink.

“Such service.” I teased.
“My pleasure.” he said and kissed me on the cheek. “Listen, after you’re done with that drink, I’ve got something to show you in the other room.” he said with a smile that did a crappy job of hiding the fact that he had something up his sleeve.
Thinking that he wanted a little romantic aside with me in a more private corner of the house, I said “Oh really...well, let me just take a few sips and I’m all yours.”

Anxious to kiss him again, I finished only about half of my drink and set the glass down on a table. He took me silently by the hand and led me back downstairs and to the other side of the house. As we progressed through the crowd, and made our way down a hallway, I could hear the crowd noise fading away behind us. The prospect of having another romantic encounter with him was enough to get the butterflies fluttering again. He brought me into a bedroom. It was beautifully decorated in oatmeal and sage colors. The king size bed in the middle of the room was piled high with decorative pillows and blankets.

Sam closed the door behind us and locked it. Now I got to thinking that maybe Sam was looking for more than a kiss or two. Did he really think that our first time together was going to be at his client’s house?? I was just about to protest when he planted a toe tingling kiss on me. As if sensing my hesitation, he said “I know what you’re thinking, and that ain’t it.” he smiled and kissed me again.
“It’s not?” I asked, not really believing him.
“No. But I do want to get you onto that bed over there.” he said and began to back me towards it.
“Sam....we can’t....” I managed to get in before the next kiss.
“I don’t want to sleep with you, but I do want you to trust me.” he said and began to lightly scribble his fingers up and down my back.

My goosebumps were immediate. His kisses travelled from my lips down to my neck (just long enough to get a giggle out of me) and then back up again. I could feel myself getting wet, and my inhibitions getting choked back by the horny-haven’t been laid in over a year-sex starved voice in my head. If ever there was a Nike “Just Do It” moment, this was it. “Fuck it, happy birthday to me” I thought and let myself surrender.

Sam picked me up and placed me gently down on the bed. “Promise me that you won’t say no to what I’m about to suggest.” he said hopefully.
“Umm....(JUST DO IT screamed the voice again)....okay.” I said finally.
“Lay down and kick off your shoes.” he instructed and then opened up the top drawer of the dresser in the room. What he pulled out nearly made me pee my pants. Restraints!!
“Sam....I....I...” I stammered.
“Shh...you promised.” he said and gave me a puppy dog look.
“This is nuts” I laughed, but complied anyway. After all, a promise is a promise.
“Just trust me.” he said, for the second time since we got in the room.

Now I’ll admit that I’m not the most trusting person on the planet. Being born and raised in New York will do that to a girl. My mother’s mantra was “men suck” and so for most of my life, I believed it. But I was willing to let down my guard and give Sam the benefit of the doubt.

I kicked off my heels (quite frankly I was thankful to have the chance to shed those evil things anyway), and laid back on the bed. My head was propped up on a couple of pillows, and I felt (briefly) like I could sink down into the deep mattress and doze, but Sam had other plans.
He got me tied down to the four poster bed so quickly that it got me to thinking that he’s done this quite a few times before. The soft velcro cuffs felt comfy against my skin, as if I had worn them a dozen times before. With the cuffs tied firmly down to the bed, he looked down at me and smiled.
“Comfy?” he asked.
“Actually, yes.” I smiled up at him.
“Good, then we can get started.” he said then reached for something from out of his tuxedo pocket and dangled it in front of me.
“A blindfold? C’mon, I think I’ve been a pretty good sport about all of this, but...” I said and was then interrupted.
“Please Maggie? I’ve got a surprise and I want to make sure you don’t peek.” he said bringing out the hush puppy eyes again.
“You mean you’ve got more of a surprise than this??” I said, took one more look at those eyes of his and caved, “Okay....but this better be good.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, it will be.” he said with an excited grin and attached the blindfold.
I could hear him turn on the stereo. A mellow jazz melody flooded the room. Billy Holiday, I think. I also heard the flicking of a lighter, and then began to smell vanilla...must be those candles beside the bed that I noticed on the way in. I tried to make out Sam’s footsteps around the room, but he was doing a damn good job at being quiet. He must have taken his shoes off along with mine, and been tip-toeing around in his socks. I got nervous that he had actually left the room.
“Sam?” I asked, trying not to sound panicked.
“I’m right here.” he said reassuringly from what sounded like the foot of the bed.
He ran one finger up both of my nyloned soles. I squeaked and jumped upon contact. “Uh-oh....ticklish?” he teased.
The butterflies were back in full force at his use of the word ‘ticklish’, and I was feeling a mixture of wild anticipation and nervousness that was absolutely delicious.
“Who me?” I tried to play coy.
He tickled me briefly again and got me to giggle this time “Yeah, you.”
“Nah...not at all.” I said, still giggling.
“Really? Then you won’t mind if I do this....” he said and scribbled all ten fingers up and down both of my feet for about thirty seconds.

I freaked! I thought for sure that all the guests on the other side of the house heard me scream and then dissolve into hysterical laughter. But my concern at being heard was quickly overridden by the insanly ticklish feelings on my feet. I had never been tickled this long in nylons before and HOLY SHIT did it tickle!! I tried to catch a deep breath, but I any air I was able to take in was quickly forced out of me in a loud, uncontrollable laugh. After what felt like an eternity, I managed to yell “PLEHEEHEE..” Sam knew a plea when he heard one, and stopped.

“Want to recant that last statement about not being ticklish?” he asked.
I could actually hear the smile in his voice.
I tried to regain enough breath to answer him. “Um...perhaps I may have been mistaken.” I admitted, as if he didn’t already know. I hated to cave so quickly, but I thought that maybe my admission would buy me a break. No such luck.
“Perhaps?” he teased further and began to tickle again. This time up both my calves, around my knees, and then back down to my feet.

I truly didn’t think anything could tickle worse than what he did just moments before, but I was seriously mistaken. It seemed that the nylons had an equally devistatingly ticklish effect on every part they covered. They were even more evil than the toe squishing heels that I peeled off earlier...mental note...NEVER put nylons on again around Sam.
I was bucking, thrashing, and laughing so hard I actually fell silent. But as torturous as the tickling was, I couldn’t ignore how aroused I was becoming. Knowing that Sam could pretty much do whatever he wanted to do was a powerful fantasy of mine come true. As rough and tumble as I appeared on the outside, secretly hidden deep below my tomboy surface I wanted nothing more than to submit. Granted, I wanted to go down fighting. But in the end, when all my facades were shattered, what was left at my core was a woman that desired to be dominated. Not in a S&M, whips and chains, kind of way. But rather in a forceful, yet playful way that made me want to give in when my stubborn side was screaming “Never!” It was a sick internal struggle, but one that I was having a lot of fun waging.
After almost wetting myself (which would have been fun to explain to Kevin when he noticed the pee soaked blanket on his guest bed), Sam finally relented.
“Now....maybe you want to tell me the truth this time.” he said.
I was panting hard, but eager to tell Sam what he wanted to hear just to get the break I so desperately needed. “Yes! I’m ticklish!” I half-screamed.
He laughed out loud “I had a hunch. So, got any other admissions you want to make?”
My mind was a blank. I think he may have tickled me brain dead...or at least stunned. I had no idea what he was hinting towards.
“I don’t think so.” I said cautiously. I was afraid he would be thinking that I was trying to be coy again.
“No? Hmm....maybe you need some help remembering.” he said and sat down on the bed beside me.
“No! Sam Don’t! Please! Not my feet!” I begged unabashedly.
“Okay...fair enough...how about here?” he asked and then dug into my ribcage. My laughter boomed again as my torso raised up off the bed as much as the restraints would allow, and then came bouncing back down again. I tried my best to move as far away from him as possible, but that, as I was beginning to realize, was futile. It felt as though he had fifty fingers instead of the usual ten. They were everywhere! He worked both sides of my ribcage and occasionally went up into my underarms.
When he paused, I took the opportunity to take a breath and plead with him.
“Sam, I swear to God I have NO idea what you’re talking about!”
“Well then, I’ll give you a hint. What day is today?” he asked.
“July 19th.” I offered immediately, thankful that it was a question I could answer.
“No, I know that already...I mean what day is it?” he said and really emphasized the word ‘day’.

Lightbulb moment. It took until just then for me to realize that my birthday girl secret was blown. SHIT. “I’m going to kill Kevin!” I thought to myself.
“I can see that you and Kevin had yourselves a nice little chat, huh?” I said, a bit bitchier than I intended.
“Don’t be mad at him. He just wanted you to have a good birthday.” he said in Kevin’s defense.
“I don’t need someone singing me ‘happy birthday’ and blowing up balloons to have a good birthday. I was doing just fine on my own.” I shot back.
“Fine? You call running away to the other side of the country to celebrate your birthday alone, fine?” he said and softly caressed my hair.
“I’m not alone now, am I?” I said, softening up a bit.
“No, your not. And I thought that we had a very special connection here. I thought you could tell me anything.” he said with a hint of sadness in his voice that tugged at my heartstrings.
“We do. And I can. It’s just that I didn’t want the whole turning 30 thing to be all blown out of proportion. I just wanted to fly under the radar on this one.” I offered weakly.
“Okay, I get it. You’re bummed about turning 30. Everyone is when they get there. But instead of dwelling on something as silly as your age....and by the way...your a babe in the woods compared to me and the dinosaurs I call friends...how about relishing the fact that, at least for the moment, you’re exactly where you want to be? Not to sound too cliche here, but life really is too damn short.” he said.
I smiled in spite of myself at the dinosaur joke, and felt myself getting drawn into Sam’s ‘carpe diem’ speech. Maybe, just maybe, he had a point.
Now I felt a bit silly at making my birthday such an issue.....and also because I was suddenly aware of the fact that I still had my blindfold on.

“Besides the fact that your pep talk came right out of the movie ‘dead poet’s society’, I guess you have a point. I’m sorry for not telling you that it was my birthday. Really. There is honestly no one else on Earth that I would rather spend it with than you.” I said.
“Thanks. That means a lot....and don’t crack on the ‘dead poet’s society’ movie....there was a lot of sound advice in there!” he said with a chuckle.
“Um, could you maybe take off this blindfold? I feel a bit silly having such a deep heart-to-heart conversation with it on.” I said with a giggle.
“Oh, right. Sorry. I can’t quite yet. Remember that surprise that I didn’t want you to see? Well, I haven’t given it to you yet, so it’s gotta stay put.” he said.
“Alright, so what is it?” I asked excitedly.
“Hang on a sec, I gotta go get it.” he said and got up off the bed.
I heard a door open and close, and then Sam returned to his place on the bed. “Ready?” he asked.
“Ready.” I said, even though I wasn’t.

Then all at once I felt an explosion of ticklish sensations on both sides of ribcage and both my feet. My brain, even though currently on sensation overload, could still process the fact that, even as good as Sam was at tickling, he still couldn’t tickle with both hands in four separate places at once. What the fuck was going on here?? I tried to voice my query outloud, but couldn’t. My laughter took up all my ablitly to make sound. The fingers travelling up and down my feet and calves were lightening quick and didn’t falter at all, and the ones on my ribcage were a bit slower and more deliberate, stopping at all the really ticklish places. The tickling went on until I felt like I was going to pass out. My laughter fell silent, and I gasped for breath. The tickling finally stopped.
“Surprise!” Sam said with delight and took off my blindfold.
After allowing my eyes to adjust to the light, I looked around and saw Sam sitting beside me and Kevin down at the foot of the bed! I was stunned into silence. I didn’t know whether to be mortified or shocked. There was only one thought that surfaced....”he told Kevin about my tickling fetish?!” I could feel the blush rising into my cheeks.
“Sam, untie me.....right now!” I said, tight lipped and on the verge of tears.
Sam looked completely puzzled. He immediately started to untie the restraints. “Maggie...what’s wrong? I just...” he got out before I interrupted him.
“You just WHAT?! You just thought you’d fill your buddy in on what a freak I am? Sam, how could you?! ” I stopped, feeling the tears beginning to well up.
“Oh my God, Maggie...it’s not like that!” Sam pleaded with those hound dog eyes of his. This time his sad eyes were lost on me. He finished untying me, and I sprung up off the bed.
“Maggie, wait.” Kevin said and softly grabbed a hold of one of my arms.
“Kevin, stay out of it.” I said abruptly. “Neither one of you can hold onto a fucking secret for five seconds! You’re like a couple of teenage girls! ” I said and felt the hot tears spill down my face. I looked Sam in the eye and said “I trusted you and you....” I stopped not able to find the words to finish that sentence. I choked back the tears as best as I could, and managed to say “Don’t fucking follow me.” Then I grabbed my shoes and ran out of the room.
Over my shoulder I heard Kevin say “Sam, don’t.”




Chapter Eight: Who’s sorry now?

I got back to my hotel room, ripped off the dress and ran myself a hot shower to clean off all of the make-up and hairspray. As the remnants of my Cinderella evening washed down the shower drain, I felt myself begin to well up with tears. Without the energy to try and talk myself out of a good cry, I let it all go. A mixture of water and tears spilled down my cheeks, and the sobs racked my body. When I felt like I had no more tears to shed, I got out of the shower, put on my PJs, and hopped into bed. With the AC cranked up to the max, I pulled the comforter up over my head. Now enveloped in darkness, I no longer felt so exposed. I felt like no one could see me. I was invisible again, just like I was back in NY. That was the way I should have left it in the first place. I never should have gotten so swept up in Sam’s little fairy tale world. Who the fuck did I think I was? Cinderella? Well, now I know why Cinderella never made it outside the movies....because all of her bibbity bobbity boo crap doesn’t fly in the real world. Because in the real world there’s no perfect fitting glass slipper, no prince charming, and no fucking happy ending.

After cursing myself and my stupidity for awhile longer, and having the final cry of the evening, sleep mercifully came. I awoke to the sound of the phone ringing. Knowing that Sam was the only person that knew where I was, I didn’t answer it. I had nothing to say to him. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was certainly a lot to be said...but I didn’t have the words. Eventually, the ringing stopped.

As the memory of last night resurfaced, it mingled with the memory of Sam’s early morning wake-up call yesterday. How could so much go so wrong in such a short period of time? In just 24 hours I went from being blissfully happy to being more miserable than I was back in NY.

A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door.
“If this is housekeeping, they’re gonna have to vaccuum around me, because I’m not getting out of this fucking bed”. I thought to myself.
The knock persisted, but no one tried to get in, so I ignored it. Finally I heard Sam’s voice. He must have been in the lobby and called me from his cellphone.
“Maggie? Please open up.” Sam said and knocked again. I felt a lump rise in my throat, and I couldn’t respond. “Maggie...please let me explain. Please don’t leave things like this.”
I could feel the anger and tears begin to well up again. “Fuck off.” I mumbled much too softly for him to hear.
“Don’t make me say all of this in the hallway. I want to see your face. I need to see that you’re okay.” Sam pleaded.
“Okay?! Is he fucking kidding me?!” I mumbled again.
“At least tell me to fuck off or something so that I know you’re still alive in there.” he tried to joke.

I got up from the bed, grabbed the pen and pad from the bedside table, jotted down a note, and slipped it under the door. It read simply, FUCK OFF. I climbed back into bed and pulled the covers back over my head.
“Alright, Maggie. You win. You know my cellphone number. I hope you use it. I really need to talk to you.” Sam said. I then heard his footfalls echo down the hallway, growing softer and softer until nothing remained but silence.

I felt a twang of guilt at being so harsh to Sam, but I forced it back down. There was no way I was going to let myself feel bad for him after what he did to me. He deserved to feel as shitty as I did. So, with my guilt being quelled, the only other thing I felt was sadness. It was a kind of sadness that I had never felt before. Loss. Back in NY, the only thing in my life was my job. And quite frankly, if I got fired tomorrow, I wouldn’t miss it. I was just doing the 9-5 bullshit, and praying for the weekend to come (like everybody else) so that I could find a brief distraction from the fact that I hated my life (a night out at the movies, or a few drinks with my friends wasn’t quite cutting it.) Sam woke me from my mind-numbing day to day routine and showed me what it felt like to be truly happy. Well, I guess all good things really must come to an end. And had I not forgotten that (or my mother’s ‘men suck’ mantra) I wouldn’t be feeling this heartaching loss right now. It’s not so much the loss of what Sam and I had these past couple of days, it’s the loss of the promise he held for a wonderful future.

I slept for the rest of the afternoon, ordered up some tea and toast from room service, and then slept for the rest of the night. When I awoke the next morning, I felt claustrophobic. Suddenly, the very blankets that had been my refuge, now seemed to be smothering me. I had to get out. I pulled on my cut-off shorts, a tank top, and my flip flops and headed out the door. I walked down to the beach, and set up my towel about twenty feet from the shoreline. I laid down on my stomach, closed my eyes, and let the sound of the waves crashing against the shore calm me. I dozed off again.
I woke up to the feeling of a very light tickling on my feet. I brushed one foot with the other, scratching the itchy sensation. The feeling returned, more deliberate in tickling me this time. I jumped, nervous I’d see Sam. It wasn’t.
“Thought I’d find you here.” Kevin said with his dimpled smile.
“What are you doing here?” I asked, sitting up. I couldn’t make eye contact with him. The fact that he knew about my tickling fetish now made me feel naked in front of him.
“Looking for you, of course.” he said coming to sit beside me on the towel.
“Well, you found me.” I said, not helping to further the conversation.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I said, not too convincingly.
“Fine...that’s always the kiss of death, isn’t it? People never actually use that word when things are fine. Fine is more of a word that people use when they want the people around them to think that everything’s fine.” he said and gave me the same playful nudge with his shoulder that he had given me at his party.
I smiled weakly. “I’m peachy. How’s that one?”
“Uck...even worse than fine!” he joked. “Seriously Maggie, how are you?” he asked, getting back to a more concerned tone.
“Truthfully? Shitty.” I confessed.
“I figured. May I say something?” he asked.
“Not if you’re going to defend him.” I said bluntly.
“It’s not really to defend him, it’s more of a third party perspective.” he said with a smile.
“I guess.” I said.
“I’ve never seen a plan with such good intentions go so bad.” he said matter-of-factly.
“Good intentions?” I laughed bitterly and rolled my eyes.
“When I told Sam that it was your birthday, he got this ‘kid on christmas morning’ look on his face and said that he had a great idea for your present. He wanted to give you the best day you ever had. Start to finish.”
“Wait a minute....he knew about my birthday before the party?” I asked.
“I told him after I met you for the first time on the beach. I know you think breaking my promise to you was a shitty thing to do, but I really thought it was for the best. I knew that if Sam knew about it, he would make the day really special for you because that’s the kind of guy he is.”
“Special? Well, it was....right up until the part where he filled you in on the details of my personal life.” I said, getting mad again.
“He didn’t fill me in, Maggie. You did.” he said.
“What?! I think I would’ve remembered that.” I said defensively.
“Sam thought some birthday tickles would cheer you up. So, the plan was for me to sneek in the bedroom after he tied you down and for both of us to tickle you until you said that you were happy about turning thirty. It wasn’t until your reaction that I kind of pieced things together for myself.” he said.
“Oh my God.” I gasped. As the realization of what I had done hit me, I felt the tears start up again.
Kevin pulled me into his chest and hugged me. Now I not only felt embarrassed, I also felt completely stupid.
“Shhh...it’s okay, Maggie.” he comforted and stroked my hair.
“No it’s not. I fucked up everything!” I sobbed.
He pulled me from off his chest, put his hands on my shoulders, and looked me in the eye. “Maggie, you didn’t fuck up anything. Sam is crazy about you.” he said.
“How could he be after how I acted?” I asked, still crying.
“After Sam saw your reaction he knew what you must’ve been thinking. So, he tried to race after you to explain, but I stopped him because I knew that there was nothing he could’ve said right then that you would’ve heard...also because as mad as you were, I wasn’t sure that you wouldn’t try to stab him in the eye with one of your high heeled shoes.” he said with a wink.
I stopped crying and giggled. “Smart move.” I said and wiped my tears away with the back of my hand.
“Woa...was that a laugh?” he teased.
I stiffled my smile, but realized that my somber mood was actually dissipating. “No, I’m too depressed to laugh.” I said not aware that I had actually laughed out loud.
“Really? Because I could’ve sworn I heard a little giggle.” he said and began to tickle my sides.
I tried to push his hands away, but every time I did, he just went after a different spot. A real laugh escaped this time when he went from my sides down to my knees.
“This seems to be the magic spot with you. It’s how I got you to tell me your age, and it seems that it’s also a quick cure for depression.” he said and kept tickling.
I was really laughing hard now. Kevin’s tickling fingers were relentless. I was trying to pry his fingers off, and when that didn’t work, I curled myself into a ball and tried to protect my knees from any further attack. When I curled up, Kevin moved his fingers back up to my sides and then up into my underarms. I was rolling around on the towel, not able to do anything but laugh. When I tried to protect one spot, he went for another.
“Stahahahap!!” I pleaded in between the laughter.
“I’m not going to stop until I’m sure that you’re completely cured.” he teased and tickled around my neck.
My shoulders curled up reflexively, and I half screamed-half laughed “I am!!”
“I don’t know....you still sound a bit down.” he joked and kept tickling my neck.
“Kevin!” I squeaked and kept laughing.
“You keep laughing this loud and people are going to start to stare. I’ll wind up in the tabloids tomorrow with a headline that reads “Kevin Spacey tickle tortures unsuspecting tourist.” he said, but still wouldn’t give me a breather.
I actually gave this ridiculous idea some thought, and tried to keep my volume down by rolling onto my stomach and burrying my face in the towel. When he saw that I was attempting to be quiet, he laughed out loud.
“Maggie, I’m just kidding. I don’t think the tabloids are that desperate yet. There’s got to be someone in Hollywood doing something far more scandelous than us right now.” he said and then found a particularly ticklish spot on the back of my legs.
I jumped and my laughter broke new heights. I quickly rolled over onto my back so I could better protect his new area of attack. “Ooo..I think I found a spot that’s even more ticklish than your knees.” he teased and still tried to reach the backs of my legs.
Now in the throws of some sort of tickle induced panic, I managed to find the breath to scream “I’m cured! I’m cured!!”
He laughed again, and finally relented. “It’s a miracle!” he said, and helped me back to a seated position. I tried to steady my breathing so that I might be able to form a coherent sentence again. He smiled over at me with a look of satisfaction. “Feel better?” he asked after he could see my breathing slow.
“Actually, I think I do. At least I don’t want to stick my head in the oven anymore.” I tried to joke.
“Step in the right direction.” he smiled.
“So....what do I do now?” I asked, knowing that I now had to face the task of making things right again with Sam (if that was even possible).
“What you shoud’ve done in the first place....talk to him.”



Chapter Nine: Going Home Again

As I sat perched on the edge of the bed staring at the phone in my lap, I wondered what I was going to say to Sam. What could I possibly say that could make up for the fact that I shit all over the perfect day that Sam tried to make for me? If he was smart he would runaway now, and later when telling his friends about the week we spent together, he would preface the story with “I once hooked up with a total psycho from New York....” I knew I deserved it.
“How the hell do I make this right again?” I mumbled. I was so full of nervous energy that my right foot was quickly wagging back and fourth and eventually launched my flip flop across the room. “This is ridiculous. Just push the damn buttons, and call him!” I said out loud, trying to psych myself up. I picked up the receiver, and began to dial. I slammed it back down. FUCK! Attempt number two...got all the way to the last digit, and hung up again. I need a fucking drink. I put the phone down and walked over to the minibar. I grabbed a tiny bottle of Cuervo Gold, opened it, and downed it. I felt a shiver, as the liquid went down my throat, and then a warm sensation took over. Okay, let’s try this again. I picked up the receiver again, dialed all seven digits...holy shit, it’s ringing. Don’t hang up, don’t hang up, don’t hang up.
“Hello?” Sam answered.
All of the sudden my mind went completely blank. The mental apologies that I had been rehearsing in my head disappeared. I had no idea what to say or where to begin.
“Hello?” Sam said again, this time a bit perturbed.
His second hello snapped me back to reality, and a sheepish “Hi” finally came out.
“Maggie?” Sam asked, his voice instantly sounding brighter. “Is that you?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” I said, still not able to find the right words.
“I’m so glad you called. Listen, I...” he started but I cut him off.
“No, Sam. Please don’t say anything. Kevin told me everything.” I said.
“Kevin? When did you talk to him?” Sam asked.
“This morning. Sam...I feel awful about what I did.” I said, and felt the tears beginning to well up.
“Maggie, Don’t. I know how it must have looked.” Sam said.
“That’s no excuse for what I did to you. I’m so sorry.” I said and began to cry.
“Maggie, please don’t cry.” Sam said in practically a whisper.
“Sam...will you just....” I said and had to pause to catch my breath.
“Will I what?” Sam asked eagerly.
“Come over.” I whispered. The tears were still spilling down, and I wanted nothing more than to have Sam hold me.
“I’ll be there in ten.” he said and then hung up.

Out of sheer relief, my crying intensified momentarily. I felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest, and I could breathe easy again. I forced myself to gain some composure after a few minutes, and went to the bathroom to freshen up. Red puffy eyes and mascara stained cheeks was no way to greet Sam at the door. I did the best I could, but it was still obvious that I had been crying. True to his word, I heard a knock on the door about ten minutes after Sam and I hung up. I felt so nervous. What if it wasn’t like it was before? What if now there was this underlying tension between us? I walked to the door, paused a moment, and then opened it.

Sam and I made eye contact, and he smiled. No words said, he wrapped both of his arms around my waist, and I wrapped mine around his neck. I held onto him like a drowning man to a lifesaver. I couldn’t help it...the damn waterworks started up again. I think I had cried more this week than I had in the past couple of years combined. I guess there was nothing in my life worth crying over up until now. When Sam awoke my dormant feelings of happiness this week, it seemed he also roused every other emotion along with it.

After several minutes of silent embracing, he released me. He looked at me, smiled, and wiped away the tears from my cheeks. I met his gaze and noticed that his eyes seemed a bit teary too. I took him by the hand and led him over to the bed. I crawled up onto it, and patted the mattress (universal sign for ‘hey, come join me on the bed so I can rip your clothes off and do ungodly things to you.’) He obliged, and joined me on the bed. We both laid down, he flat on his back, and me snuggled in along side of him with my head on his chest. I truly did want to have sex with Sam right then and there, but I also wanted to cuddle with him and find out whether or not I still felt as safe and comfortable in his arms as I did before...I did.

“So, where do we go from here?” I asked.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m not planning on going anywhere for awhile. I’m enjoying just laying here, smelling your shampoo.” he said.
I giggled. “Well, let me make it easier for you.” I said and nuzzled my face into his neck. He chuckled.

I didn’t think I was ever going to hear his laugh again, and now that I did, I wanted more of it. I lightly ran my fingernails up his side and into his underarm (which was totally exposed since his left arm was under my neck and curled around me). Another laugh escaped, and he quickly grabbed my hand with his free one. I could feel his pinned arm starting to tense up as if he might pull it out from under me if I tried to tickle him again. I leaned on his arm a little harder to make sure that didn’t happen too easily.

“You wouldn’t be starting with me now, would you?” he asked.
“Who me? Never.” I said with a playful grin.
“I didn’t think so.” he said and still held tight to my hand.
“You can let go of my hand now, I’ll be good.” I said with my best angelic expression. He just chuckled. “What? You don’t trust me?” I asked and batted my eyelashes at him.
“In this particular instance? No.” he said.
“I’m hurt. And after all that we’ve been through. Fine...I’ll just have to use this hand!” I said and surprise tickle attacked him with my free hand. I quickly, but lightly tickled his side again.

He burst out laughing, and quickly yanked his pinned arm out from underneath me. Before I even had time to react, he was on top of me, straddling my waist.

“Now you’ve done it.” he said and wiggled his fingers above me.
“Sam, don’t!” I giggled and held up my hands to try and block the tickle attack that was sure to come.
“Don’t? Now what kind of tickle monster would I be if I didn’t tickle someone that was asking for it?” he said and quickly tickled my sides for a couple of seconds. I laughed, and tried to pry his hands away (but I didn’t have much leverage in this position.) He paused for a moment, looked down at me, and smiled. “God it’s good to hear you giggling again.” he said.
“I was just thinking the same thing about you.” I said.


----------------------------------------------------------

That night I decided to give myself to Sam, body, heart, and soul. I didn’t know how long this romance of ours would last, but I was willing to give Sam the benefit of the doubt, which is something that didn’t come easily with me.

In the coming months of dating, I still had impulses to withhold my feelings from him at times or guard myself against possible rejection (old habits die hard). But when those impulses did arise, all it usually took to tear down my walls was his crooked dimpled smile. I found comfort in that smile, and a safehaven in his arms. When I’m laying in his arms with my head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, I feel safe. It's like I'm in a protective bubble, and as long as he holds onto me, nothing could ever hurt me again. I feel like even if the world around us were to fall into utter chaos, the only things I would be able to sense are the strength of his arms, the warmth radiating from his chest, the smell of his shaving cream, and the soothing tempo of his heartbeat. They all mean one thing to me - home.


THE END

Great work Daisycrazy

You warned us it would be long and you were right. It was very long. But it was absolutely outstanding. I like the ebbs and flows of the story. It was great work on your part Daisy. I really hope you will continue to write because I know I will continue to read it. I really loved the story and would encourge you to write more and would encourge everyone out here to read this story. It was lots of fun Thanks Daisy

Best story...this website coule ever.. EVER receive!! No other story of fiction lights a candle..no....burns an olympic flame to this one! I want my whole marriege to be just like this ( minus the argument part). Than you for displaying my innermost fantasy! MWAH!!

Thanks guys....

ticklingfeet4fu - I knew I could count on you! Thanks for a great review. I'm glad that you felt that the story was worth the read. I don't know when I'll be able to post another story. The writing bug doesn't bite me too often, and I'm not the kind of writer that just sits down and cranks something out just to have something to post. Unless the mood strikes, my fingers don't want anything to do with the keyboard. The same doesn't hold true for tickling though...my fingers are pretty much always in the mood for that

Iluv2btickled - As always, I'm humbled by such high praise from you. I don't know about it being the best story around the TMF, but I thank you for the sentiment I'm glad that there are other hopeless romantics out there like me who enjoy these kinds of pie-in-the-sky fantasies. "Sam" may be a figment of my imagination, but he does make for good fantasy material.


As for the rest of you out there in TMF cyberspace that have read this and not posted any reviews.... ...... I'm just kidding. I am disappointed, but I don't know why I expected any different this time around. I know as a general rule, the replies to story posts are always low, but I guess like my imagination, I had high pie-in-the-sky hopes for something different this time. My husband says that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of stupidity....guess that makes me a few cards short of a full deck. Or perhaps I'm just an eternal optimist.

I bet if I said that I would have an online tickle chat with anyone that posted a review of the story I would get more responses! Hmmm....


Maggie

Even though the story was a bit long for my taste, I have to say that you did an awesome job on it. I loved the romance between 'Maggie' and 'Sam'. I loved reading every part of the story. I look forward to reading more stories like this from you.

Eviltickler20 - A bit long? Now there's the understatement of the year! Hell, I wrote it and I was losing hope that there would ever be an end in sight. But I'm glad you liked it. With a handle like yours, I wouldn't have guessed that there was a hopeless romantic underneath Makes me wonder what else you're hiding over there....

lovethemaster22 - Another wonderful response from the "dom" side of things. (of course, that's an assumption I'm making from your handle). Seeing that you two liked it gives me hope that perhaps I don't have to post a kidnapped/tickle torture story for people to enjoy the read. Although I'm sure that most wouldn't object to me doing so

Again, thanks for all who took the time to respond. I'm tickled pink!


Maggie

wow

Maggie,

I'm not sure what I can say that will do this story justice. I really enjoyed it. Although it was long, I was sad when it ended. I didn't want to stop reading. I had to force myself out of my chair to pee and refill my coffee between chapters. I honestly would have enjoyed it even if there was no tickling.

This was the first story of yours I have read. Do you have others? I would love the links to any of your other writing (tickling or not).

Thanks a lot for writing and sharing this Maggie. And if you can, please, write more.

omg what a great story. details romance tickling everything. i loved it. and a great plot. excellent writing. Maggie is truly a fantastic character. and Sam well i fell in love with him also. now i feel stupid trying to write a story. it sure pales in comparison to yours. this was a masterpiece, and the humour interjected was terrific. like when she let out your not a woman that was classic stuff.

isabeau

Great Job

Great Job Maggie,

The story is well worth the read. You do an excellent job of combining the tickling with a romantic tale. It is long, but reads well. For my taste, I would have preferred a little more tickling in the story as most of that aspect was in the chapters you posted previously. Still, you had a nice mix.

Especially considering the length of the story, I would have preferred a link to those chapters you wrote a couple of years ago, and then posted the new stuff afterwards. Since it has been two years since you did part one (you really must not wait that long, and you should continue to post stories more than once every couple of years as you are too talented a writer to deprive your fans for that long), I certainly needed to go back and re-read what you already posted. Still, it would have been easier for me to look at what had already been posted separetly, so I could keep straight in my mind where you left us.

Still, this was an excellent tale and very enjoyable. It is nice to see you are getting some responses (even though it takes a long time to read). I suspect you might well get more it is just that if others are like me, they keep coming back to the story and reading a little more instead of reading it all at one time.

Once again, this was an excellent job.

Bonds1957 said:

Maggie,

I'm not sure what I can say that will do this story justice. I really enjoyed it. Although it was long, I was sad when it ended. I didn't want to stop reading. I had to force myself out of my chair to pee and refill my coffee between chapters. I honestly would have enjoyed it even if there was no tickling.

This was the first story of yours I have read. Do you have others? I would love the links to any of your other writing (tickling or not).

Thanks a lot for writing and sharing this Maggie. And if you can, please, write more.

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Bonds -

Wow! Hearing (from a tickle lover) that you would have liked the story even if it didn't have any tickles in it is some serious high praise! I have written another tickle story (MANY years ago). I can re-post that one again if you want (there are no links to it). It has been (roughly) seven years since I wrote it, and I don't know how good it is. My writing style has changed a bit since then.

As for writing more, I find that my time for writing is seriously limited. I'm married with two kids, and they take up most of my free time. Which is probably why it took me about three years to finish the one you just read. But, I'm sure the writing bug will bite again, and when it does, I'll be sure to post whatever comes out.

Maggie

isabeau said:

omg what a great story. details romance tickling everything. i loved it. and a great plot. excellent writing. Maggie is truly a fantastic character. and Sam well i fell in love with him also. now i feel stupid trying to write a story. it sure pales in comparison to yours. this was a masterpiece, and the humour interjected was terrific. like when she let out your not a woman that was classic stuff.

isabeau

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Isabeau -

I'm so glad you liked it. But PLEASE don't let my story stop you from writing one of your own. If I thought my story did that to you, I would feel awful! I would like to think that I could inspire rather than impede a fellow writer. So now you have to spare my feelings and write one of your own! As long as you put your heart and imagination into it, I'm SURE it will be wonderful. And you should never compare yourself (or your talents) with others. You are unique, and judging by your posts, a very creative individual. I would love to read something by you, as I'm sure would others.

Maggie

daisycrazy5496 said:

Isabeau -

I'm so glad you liked it. But PLEASE don't let my story stop you from writing one of your own. If I thought my story did that to you, I would feel awful! I would like to think that I could inspire rather than impede a fellow writer. So now you have to spare my feelings and write one of your own! As long as you put your heart and imagination into it, I'm SURE it will be wonderful. And you should never compare yourself (or your talents) with others. You are unique, and judging by your posts, a very creative individual. I would love to read something by you, as I'm sure would others.

Maggie

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thank you Maggie actually i did write one. lol..its called melanie's humiliation and the first part is definitely better than the second. i ended it rather silly. and please please continue writing. i loveeeeeee your style.

isabeau xoxo

ctft2001 said:

Great Job Maggie,

The story is well worth the read. You do an excellent job of combining the tickling with a romantic tale. It is long, but reads well. For my taste, I would have preferred a little more tickling in the story as most of that aspect was in the chapters you posted previously. Still, you had a nice mix.

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ctft2001 - I'm so glad you finally got the chance to read it. I know that it's quite a lengthy bit of fiction to wade through, but I'm so happy that you felt it was worth the effort.

It wasn't until reading your review that I realized that most of the tickling was in the first four chapters! That is an interesting observation. Looking back on it, I think that the reason for that was because in the beginning, I was focused on the task of writing a tickling story, and then as the story progressed and the characters were better developed, I got more into the romance and relationship part of it.

Thanks for the praise and the constructive criticism. Always nice to get both.

Maggie

whooo...that was just as great as when i first read it and now it finally had an ending..wow..you didnt need me to help you..it was great in itself..im proud of you..i thought id never get an ending..your the best

request

Maggie please repost the story you've written years ago. Or send it to me if you'd rather do that. I'd love to read it. Thanks.

Bonds1957 said:

Maggie please repost the story you've written years ago. Or send it to me if you'd rather do that. I'd love to read it. Thanks.

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You got it, Bonds. I just posted "Tickled Purple". I hope you enjoy it. Be sure to let me know what you think.

Maggie

Wow, this was amazing. I had to reread the first couple of chapters to refresh my memory and I'm certainly glad I did. This is by far the best story (fiction or nonfiction) on here. Most people write about the same type thing just throw in different names. But, you actually have a story. A story that makes sense and flows. What I love about your writing is that I feel like I am with your characters. I can imagine the situation in my mind as it's happening and I love that.

Your characters are real people as well. Probably people some can even relate to. You have such a great writing style and it's very easy to follow the story and the characters. Your characters also grow as people and develop. They are very well developed and I like how you threw in past things every once in a while to let us know how they were raised. Where they come from. Why they are like they are. etc.

Ah, I'm love with the way you write! It's absurdly unqiue and i hope you continue to write that way. You also write great description. I thought it had a perfect mix. And I wasn't sure how it going to turn out or where it was going. It was a nice surprise! Well done, Maggie. I certainly hope you keep writing because you have it.

tickleactress said:

Wow, this was amazing. I had to reread the first couple of chapters to refresh my memory and I'm certainly glad I did. This is by far the best story (fiction or nonfiction) on here. Most people write about the same type thing just throw in different names. But, you actually have a story. A story that makes sense and flows. What I love about your writing is that I feel like I am with your characters. I can imagine the situation in my mind as it's happening and I love that.

Your characters are real people as well. Probably people some can even relate to. You have such a great writing style and it's very easy to follow the story and the characters. Your characters also grow as people and develop. They are very well developed and I like how you threw in past things every once in a while to let us know how they were raised. Where they come from. Why they are like they are. etc.

Ah, I'm love with the way you write! It's absurdly unqiue and i hope you continue to write that way. You also write great description. I thought it had a perfect mix. And I wasn't sure how it going to turn out or where it was going. It was a nice surprise! Well done, Maggie. I certainly hope you keep writing because you have it.

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Wow! After seeing a review like this one, I think I can pretty much die happy now. Your flattery knows no bounds. Thank you so much. I can't tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to respond. It truly makes my day when I read a review (good or bad) because then I know my story touched that person enough for them to take the time to comment on it.

As for me writing more, it's not always easy. Life kinda gets in the way of my ability to sit down and crank out tickle stories. If I could find a way to shorten things up a bit, then I could probably do better than one story every couple of years!

Maggie

WOW! You have such a talent for writing. I'm so ridiculously pregnant at this time I just sat here and read the whole thing. I laughed, I cried, I felt the character. It was truly the most amazing tickling fiction I have EVER read. I got so giddy while reading this you wouldn't believe it. My husband came over and was like what are you laughing at haha. WOW...this needs to be published...I think you should definately write a novel, you have the talents. You kept my interest longer than anything I've ever read. Loved it...please write more...I need something to do to keep me occupied since I can hardly move :-/

Beth