Mari was pleasantly exhausted, having finally put the finishing touches on her Hudson Valley, New York shopping spree, with a last minute excursion through the tantalizing offerings of the local Bath and Body Works. And, of course, a shorter – but no less rewarding – jaunt through Victoria’s Secret. So delighted was she with her purchases at those fine establishments, that she simply couldn’t wait until she got home to hold them in her hands again, read their wondrous promises and smell their heavenly scents.
For that reason more than any other, she found herself hurrying to the mall’s food court, where she quickly purchased a thirst-quenching bottle of water and just about jogged to a table to dive into her bags of divinely selfish indulgences. She squirmed happily in her seat, browsing through her new acquisitions and getting tingly all over just thinking about the hours of luxuriant self-pampering – with all things frilly and feminine – that were to come, thanks to those most excellent retail chains. In her personal estimation, those incredible stores should be PERSONALLY blessed by the Pope, and possibly even designated as holy shrines!
Remarkably, even after she’d purchased her evening supply of liquid replenishment, she didn’t begin fondling her stash of goodies right off, even though it had originally been her number one priority to do so. Instead, she sipped her water slowly, savoring it’s soothing coolness, looking out the far glass-paneled wall and admiring the beauty of the Hudson Valley.
As she watched the sun slowly setting, relishing the brilliance of the descending orb as it slipped beneath multi-colored clouds to eventually take refuge behind tall, leafy trees – not a one of which had palm fronds on it – she realized she’d made an excellent decision to travel north at this particular time of year. She’d heard that the Hudson Valley was full of vibrant hues and spectacular scenery in the early fall, and she could not have agreed more. This one simple sunset alone took her breath away, and had her on the verge of tears from the power of its sheer, overwhelming beauty.
She stared at that resplendent sunset for quite some time, letting it bathe her in its magnificence. How long she watched that lazily dropping ball she had no idea. But, eventually, the bright hues dimmed, and the sky prepared to welcome its other regular visitor, the moon. And Mari could once again focus on her bag of body-pampering wonders. Sighing a deep sigh, taking a last glance out the glass wall, she took a sip of water and began rummaging through her bag, suddenly bubbling with schoolgirl giddiness.
A chill ran down her spine as she gazed at one delicious product after another. Body oils, powders and lotions to spoil her soft skin religiously. Perfumes to make her smell simply scrumptious. Bath oils and foaming bath flakes to pamper herself in the sensuous waters of a luxuriantly dreamy bath. Nail polish and other “prettying” things to make her feel beautiful. And a few more…”naughty” items. She’d found two intriguing massage oils, both of which had called out to her, beckoning her, pleading with her to take them home with her. She’d succumbed, lured by their sensual promises. You never know, was her reasoning. Who knows when a woman might meet some really sexy man who wanted nothing more than to massage her from head to toe for hours on end. Perhaps this handsome benefactor would prefer the lavender massage oil for its sensual fragrance, or maybe he’d prefer – Mari giggled and squirmed just thinking about it – the flavored massage oil, so that the lucky gentleman could partake of its delicate taste – and hers – after completing the massage proper. She grinned widely, envisioning it vividly, then sighed, realizing that such dreams rarely come true. But then, she told herself, stranger things have happened, and her string of lousy luck had to end sometime.
As if to give credence to that hope-filled sentiment, Mari suddenly noticed a man at another table looking at her. His table was just ahead of hers and to her left. And she was sure that he’d looked back at her a second time. Once he’d stolen a quick glance at her face, and another time his eyes darted from her neck down to her calves. Both times he smiled what appeared to be an approving smile, and then he’d quickly turned back around to resume sipping whatever beverage he held just out of view behind his body. Mari was most pleased that he’d felt compelled to check her out a second time. Once meant nothing. Curiosity, probably, or maybe just his reacting to some unconscious movement on her part that he’d caught out of the corner of his eye. Twice, however, meant possible interest, a follow-up glance to check out something that his eyes found appealing the first time around.
He WAS rather cute, she thought, though certainly not what she’d consider a heart throb by any stretch. His glances back at her, both rare and discreet – for several more did indeed follow -were within the bounds of good taste. He didn’t stare or ogle, he simply glanced back, admired her pendik escort briefly, and then withdrew his info-gathering eyes before they could become intrusive. But Mari was convinced he approved of her appearance, and it made her feel warm inside – almost as warm as that beautiful sunset had made her feel not more than a few moments ago. With a bagful of sensual miracles in her possession, and an attractive man showing interest in her for the first time in ages, she was beginning to fly higher than the clouds. She suddenly felt beautiful, desirable and oh, so feminine. She found herself wanting the man to look back again, hoping she could this time make eye contact…just to see where it might lead, or even just how he might react.
While waiting for the fellow to show his interest again, Mari took her turn at checking HIM out. He seemed of average height, perhaps a bit stocky – though it was difficult to tell seeing him only from behind. If he was stocky, he certainly didn’t appear soft, by the looks of the muscles in his arms and the broadness of his shoulders. Physical attributes aside, the most obvious thing about him was his attire. He wore a complete set of denim hospital scrubs, with only white sneakers and socks breaking the overwhelming dominance of blue that covered him from his neck to his ankles. When he finally again turned to peer back at her, she immediately noticed still more blue, in the form of shining blue eyes that sparkled with a kind of mischievous good humor.
Tearing her eyes away from those hypnotic blue gems, she scanned the rest of his face in a heartbeat, before he again turned back to his drink. She’d seen a trim, dark brown mustache and beard that surrounded full, sensually attractive lips. The chin portion of his beard, along with the edges of his sideburns at the temples, was dappled with thin wisps of gray.
Unconsciously, her mind roamed back to those blue eyes. Difficult to see from this distance, they nonetheless easily gave away their owner’s secrets. Not only did those twinkling eyes clearly show humor, but deeper still there was definite, though partially hidden, mischief. Incongruously, they also hinted at a shyness on their owner’s part, probably the reason he only stole quick, discreet glances at her, and then instantly turned away so as not to make eye contact. Mari found herself intrigued by those blue eyes, and what lay behind them. They drew her in on several levels. She liked them very much, even more so than she cared to admit to herself.
Still thinking about those impish blue eyes, Mari sat back and crossed her legs, slowly sipping her water and waiting for “blue eyes” to look back once more. It took a while, but eventually he did indeed peek back again, but when he saw that she was looking directly at him, his head darted back around, as if he’d been embarrassed to be caught looking at her.
But, just as quickly as his head whipped forward, it whipped back around again, his eyes having apparently seen something this time that they appeared to want to spend more time looking at, regardless of the risk of getting caught doing so. Mari was surprised by the sudden double-clutch neck action, even more so when she saw a wistful smile cross the man’s face. But the trajectory of his gaze was a puzzle. He wasn’t looking at her face or even her legs as he had before. He appeared to be looking lower still.
Puzzled, Mari tried to follow the angle of his stare. She looked down at her calves, wondering if she’d spilled water on them. Seeing nothing, she looked lower still. The only thing she noted anywhere in the range of the man’s interested angle of vision was that she had at some point begun rocking her top leg up and down – probably from sheer nervousness – and her navy blue, open toe pump was dangling from the tips of her toes. It swayed back and forth precariously, threatening to drop to the floor if she happened to rock her leg with even the tiniest bit more force or speed. Surely, THAT couldn’t be what the man had been looking at! But then… what?!
She looked quickly back at the man, but he’d since turned back around. It was maddening! She shook her head, thinking she must have either misjudged the angle of his sight or had imagined the whole thing altogether. But then, just that quickly, the man again looked around. Again his eyes made no attempt to scan her face, her legs, or even her breasts! No, they forsook all of these treasures in favor of again looking down in the direction of the floor at Mari’s feet.
Again perplexed, Mari looked down more quickly this time, thinking that maybe this time she was going to catch something, perhaps something she’d dropped from one of her bags onto the floor by her chair, or some mesmerizing insect that was scurrying grossly about at her feet, that the man was looking at. Again she saw only her rocking leg and the dangling shoe.
And then, finally, it sunk in. Oh my God! she thought. She’d heard about men like this, but never in a million years thought she’d ever encounter one! The man must be looking maltepe escort at her foot! Her shoe was dangling from it – through no conscious will of her own – and he was obviously intrigued by that fact. Maybe he was hoping her shoe would drop off, and he’d get a look at her entire foot, instead of just the toes that peeked out from around her pump’s cross strap! That MUST be it! What else could it be? This guy must have a foot fetish!
Mari’s first reaction to this was to laugh out loud, though she settled for an inward chuckle instead. Some part of her felt guilty, however, not only for her stifled guffaws, but also for having discovered another human being’s deep, dark secret, the skeleton that apparently inhabited this man’s closet. But, then, like lightning, another thought came bolting into her brain. She realized that this might very well be an incredible blessing in disguise. How many times had she tried to get her ex-husband to rub her feet? How many times had she PLEADED with him for just five minutes of his time, kneading her tired feet back to health? How many fantasies had she had over the years where a totally adoring man held one of her feet by the heel and reverently, romantically kissed her toes while massaging her sole with his thumb? She knew her feet were very sensitive, even erotically so. So, if this man wanted to get a look at them, wouldn’t that also mean he’d enjoy rubbing and kissing them for her? Surely, a man with a foot fetish would JUMP at the chance to pamper her darling, sweet little feet for her, no? Wouldn’t just one little wiggle of her French pedicured toes have him eating out of her hand?Hmmmmm….this chance situation was beginning to open itself up to some most intriguing possibilities.
But first, Mari had to be sure that she was correct in her suspicions. Even if it didn’t lead to anything, she HAD to know for her own curiosity if this man was truly trying to sneak peeks at her feet or not. Besides, she just couldn’t resist a little tease, not to mention showing off the shiny, clear toenails with their pretty white tips that she was so proud of. After all, what good are bi-weekly pedicures if no one else besides herself admires her sexy toes?
Thus motivated, and doing something entirely out of character, Mari suddenly felt the urge to put on a wicked little show for her blue-eyed, scrub-wearing admirer. She would purposely let her shoe drop to the floor, just to see what, if anything, he would do. The next time he looked around, if his eyes were aimed downward, she’d let that dangling shoe fall…then just wait to see what happened next.
But the man wouldn’t look around. Either he’d lost interest, or he was too embarrassed, probably realizing that earlier the astute Mari had caught him looking at her foot. In either case, Mari felt she’d lost her chance. She mentally slapped herself, for not catching on quicker, and thus having lost the moment.
But then, fate intervened. Quite unconsciously once again, Mari’s toes curled downward, and the shoe’s dainty cross strap – which had been desperately clinging to the very tips of her toes – slipped forward just enough to glide unhindered down those smooth, lacquered nails toward freedom. At the last second, those cute little digits seemed to realize that the shoe was escaping, and tried valiantly to curl upward and hook it before it did, but to no avail. With a soft “clunk,” the pump landed on the white tile of the mall food court floor.
And the man’s head whipped around as if someone had yanked it back with a rope!
Mari could see that he was trying not to look like a psycho or pervert, but that he was nonetheless obviously quite taken with her wiggling, shoeless foot. She nearly giggled out loud – not to ridicule the man, but because she’d been right, after all, and thus had become nervously delighted, as well. The cute fellow was trying hard not to, but he couldn’t avoid admiring her foot! He either couldn’t, or didn’t want to, tear his eyes from it, even at the risk of looking like an idiot…or worse. God, how that made her squirm!
So, out of the goodness of her heart – or was it just her vixenish side? – Mari just let him look at it. She wiggled it and flexed it and all around flaunted it for his benefit, wondering how long he’d continue to admire it. She purposely showed him the sleek, soft sole with it’s delicately curved arch, then lowered her foot and clenched her toes downward for him to admire the shiny French tips. She brazenly displayed her foot as if she were showing off a piece of jewelry to a prospective buyer. And those cool, blue eyes took in every offered up detail, twinkling their obvious interest. The wistful smile on his face also had her squirming in her seat. He looked like a man who so dearly wanted something, but knew he just couldn’t have it. So close, yet so, so far away. He almost looked sad, really, which made Mari feel a twinge of sympathy for him, though her heart still pounded with excitement.
And all the while he smiled his wistful approval, Mari looked kartal escort directly at him, in case his eyes should move upward and she could meet him eye to eye. It was quite erotic knowing that this man admired – even desired? – her foot enough to embarrass himself openly like that. As he continued to smile down at her teasing tootsie, she wondered if he would have the nerve to speak to her, or if he’d finally become so embarrassed that he’d get up and walk away. And if he did speak to her, how would SHE react? He WAS looking at her FEET, after all. Was there more to him, or was he really just a pervert, plain and simple? She had no clue what she would say or do if he approached her, and that bit of mystery seemed to add to her excitement, too.
Then, suddenly, the man looked up at her – directly into her eyes. He smiled somewhat sheepishly, knowing he’d been caught, and his secret was out. But now, what would he do about that, Mari wondered.
The man looked away, then rubbed his forehead and chin nervously. He took a deep breath…then several more. He seemed to be trying to come to a decision. It was the moment of truth, for both him and Mari. Then, slowly, haltingly, he stood. But, Mari wondered, would he leave or come over to her? Would he simply apologize for being a voyeur, or would he introduce himself? She was crackling inside, kinetic energy flowing through her like lightning. She couldn’t wait to find out what he’d do.
Her heart started pounding harder than ever when he turned and walked in her direction, leaving his drink on the table. It only took four or five steps for him to reach the table where Mari sat. He stood next to her for a moment, looking down at her, still breathing deeply. She could see he was nervous, trying to collect himself before speaking. He chewed his lower lip lightly, glancing quickly and nervously around the food court as if he might be caught doing something either wrong or just stupid. Mari’s impression of him at that moment was that he seemed like a shy, lost little boy. Nearly chewing her own lip, she remained silent, continuing to look up at him, giving him the time he needed to make his decision. Hell, she wouldn’t have known what else to do anyway!
Then, with a final deep sigh, the man looked into her eyes. With one last nibble on his lower lip, he spoke, softly and quietly. “May I?” was all he said, his hand moving jerkily as he pointed downward.
Mari blinked at him. She’d expected him to say SOMETHING, but “May I” was not one of the many things she’d considered he might say. It took her by complete surprise. But, again, it added to the mystery, the unknown of the situation. She tingled just a bit.
“May you?” she asked, smiling nervously herself now. “May you what?”
“Well,” he replied, seeming to relax just a little, “your shoe. It seems to have jumped off your foot. May I have the honor of putting it back on for you?” Mari saw him grimace, as he chastised himself for making a totally boneheaded offer. A slight, pink glow lightly shaded his cheeks, and Mari wondered whether that blush was from embarrassment…or arousal.
Then she looked down at her foot. With all that was going on in her mind, she hadn’t even realized that the shoe was still on the floor, and that her foot was still prancing around, naked and excited.
“Uh…you want to put my shoe back on for me?” She hadn’t expected that, but deep inside it seemed like such a gallant, chivalrous offer. She loved the very idea of it, though she wasn’t about to let on that she felt that way.
“Well…I know it probably sounds stupid, but, well…yeah. A man should do those kinds of things for a pretty lady. At least, that’s what I’ve always thought.” His teeth resumed munching on his lower lip.
She looked up at him with beaming eyes. Her smile was warm, making her face even more beautiful. “Well,” she said, inhaling a deep breath, “if that’s the way you feel, I don’t mind if you put my shoe back on for me.” She even lifted her leg, holding her foot out for him, giving her newfound knight a more accessible target.
As he knelt to pick up her shoe, he said shyly, “I’m sorry. My name is Tom. I should’ve introduced myself as soon as I came over.”
“That’s alright,” she laughed quietly as he held her foot by the heel and brought the shoe up to it. “I’m Marisol, Mari for short.”
“Nice to meet you, Mari. Lovely name, by the way.”
“Thank you. Nice to meet you too, Tom.”
He held her foot firmly by the heel, the tip of his quivering thumb just touching the hem of her tight-fitting jeans, and began to slowly slip the shoe back on. But, he hesitated. Mari smiled as she saw his eyes looking at her toes, dilating pupils moving slowly from toe to toe, admiring each one. He knelt there, frozen, holding the shoe motionless just in front of her foot, as he slowly enjoyed looking at her entire foot, a contented smile on his face. Mari couldn’t resist wiggling her toes for him, prompting his eyes to dart right back to those impish digits. She felt a little guilty for teasing him, but she just couldn’t fight off the impulse to do so. He certainly didn’t seem to mind, so she didn’t berate herself too much for it. In fact, she rather congratulated herself for it – a small spark of much needed decadence on her part.