All In The Family: A Long Tale Of First Experiences

Write here your dreams, your stories, your experiences of footsie or other situations where a foot had been used to seduce

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paradigm88
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Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:54 am

All In The Family: A Long Tale Of First Experiences

Post by paradigm88 »

A little scroll down the page, there's another story of mine I finished last year: "An Easter Lilly In Bloom," in which one of my characters spends an Easter afternoon with her boyfriend's family (and spends most of it playing with her shoes). At one point, she's talking with her boyfriend's cousin Erin, who admits that she knew her cousin had a thing for feet.

So how, exactly, did she figure that out?

"All In The Family" dives into the complexities of two cousins, one with a foot fascination and one who slowly learns that she's encouraging it. I figure many of us have encountered someone who's "off-limits" for one reason or another.

I've been writing this for the better part of a year now, and it is admittedly a long story. I've tried to edit some out, but that leaves unsightly gaps, and this is prose, not a research paper. Besides, it's descriptive, so you can imagine a young lady's stockinged feet the way they were first imagined.

Enjoy!

---

Erin Sullivan studied her feet in the sunlight, as she rubbed her toes up and down the arch of her sore right foot. Her stockings shimmered as she stretched her legs along the length of the lounge chair. In a matching chair, her cousin’s girlfriend Lilly reclined similarly, her long legs stretched out, her toes stretched against her left heel as if she were trying to pry a shoe from her foot. Like Erin, though, Lilly was shoeless, the two girls carrying their dressy shoes up to the sunroom after Easter dinner. Lilly was wearing opaque white tights, and Erin was the slightest bit envious.

Lilly was explaining what shoes she usually wore with white tights, though when they had met over an hour before, Lilly was socializing in her stockinged feet. Her boyfriend, Erin’s cousin Ryan, was retrieving her shoes from wherever she had left them. Erin was jealous at first, but as the two women kicked their shoes off under the dinner table, they bonded over conversation. And now, here they were in a sunroom overlooking the ocean as they continued to chat.

Erin watched as Lilly rubbed her white-stockinged feet together. “Ryan just loves them,â€￾ Lilly said, explaining her choice of hosiery.

Erin rubbed her sore feet together, scratching the arch of her right foot with her toes. “Brady’s indifferent,â€￾ she said with a sigh. Erin had only been dating Brady for a few months, and he was nice, but he was quirky. She had discovered he had an aversion to feet, never taking his shoes off in her presence, and always acting uncomfortable when she took her shoes off around him. Earlier in the day, he had chastised her after church, because she had taken her heels off late in the ceremony.

And Erin was quite aware that not only would Ryan be comfortable with Lilly’s shoelessness, but he would encourage it. “But I always figured Ryan was a foot guy,â€￾ she added, glancing across the room where Ryan was talking to Brady. She hoped he had not heard her, and at the same time, she sort of hoped he had.

“How did you know?â€￾ Lilly asked, rubbing her ankles together and wiggling her crisp white toes.

“We were at a family wedding,â€￾ Erin said, thinking back.

…

It was a family wedding, and an early fall wedding. Erin had had to make a special trip home from college for the ceremony. She had remembered her new dress, but in her rush to pack after class, she had left her best pair of pumps at school, a few hours away.

Fortunately for Erin, she still had a lot of her wardrobe at her parents’ home, and she was able to find a pair of stunning silver heels in her closet. They were the same pumps she had worn to her high school prom, but she had not worn them in three years, and they were far less comfortable now than Erin remembered them being then. Combined with the fact that Erin mostly wore comfy, flat shoes around campus, it made for a very long day.

By the reception, Erin’s feet were killing her. Her shoes were pinching her toes, the heels were uncomfortably high, the seams of her nylons kept sliding under her toes, and the reception hall was stifling hot, so her feet were sweating in her shoes. Erin had wanted to take her shoes off at dinner, but imagined she would never get them back on her feet for dancing afterward. As she walked back to her table with a cocktail in hand, she thought now might be the time. There were stray shoes left under every table already. No one would notice.

Erin sipped her drink as she leaned against her chair, arching her right foot to pop her heel from her shoe. A couple tables over, she noticed one of her cousins, Ryan Baker, standing by a table with a beer in hand, chatting with someone still sitting at the table. Ryan and Erin were not terribly close. She tried to remember who his parents were; technically, they were second cousins or something in that ballpark. He had graduated college four or five years ago, making him something like 26 or 27. They had probably talked one or two times at a family gathering, if that.

But he was glancing in her table’s direction now.

Erin waved and smiled as Ryan nodded back, acknowledging her. He was still in conversation at the other table, so she eased into a chair, crossing her right leg over her left. Sitting down was an improvement, so Erin took another sip of her drink and watched her family out on the dance floor. Every so often, she glanced across the room at Ryan’s table, where he was still in conversation, but glancing back in Erin’s direction all the same. Erin looked down and realized she had let her heel slip from the shoe completely, dangling the silver pump from her toes. She reached down and rubbed the exposed arch of her foot.

A few minutes later, Erin was still rubbing her arch when she heard someone approaching the table. She sat up and pulled her right shoe back on as she looked over to see Ryan closing in. “Hey, Erin,â€￾ Ryan said, still holding a beer in one hand.

“Hi, Ryan,â€￾ Erin said. Ryan may have been Erin’s cousin, but she had to admit he was handsome, tall and clean-shaven and well-dressed in a dark suit and coordinating shirt and tie. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since Clara’s wedding.â€￾ Their cousin Clara had gotten married two years before. It had been a while.

“That’s probably about right,â€￾ Ryan said, sitting down in an empty chair and setting his beer bottle down on the table. “I think you were just finishing your freshman year.â€￾

Erin nodded as she took another sip of her drink.

“How is that going, anyway?â€￾ Ryan asked. “You’re a senior this year, right?â€￾

“Yeah,â€￾ Erin said. “It’s actually going really well. I did an internship this summer, so that was really good.â€￾

Erin noticed that Ryan kept his gaze cast downward as they spoke. Erin tried to see what he was looking at, but the only thing in his line of sight was her bouncing right foot, her shoe once again dangling from her toes. Finally, Erin asked, “Is something wrong with my shoe?â€￾

Ryan’s gaze snapped upward. “Oh, no,â€￾ he said, almost stammering. “I was just thinking, my last girlfriend had a pair of those. I was trying to think where she got them.â€￾

“Oh, I’ve had these for years,â€￾ Erin said, reaching down and taking her dangling shoe off to check the insole. “Honestly, I think these came from Walmart. I wore these to my high school prom.â€￾

“And they’re still comfortable?â€￾ Ryan asked.

Erin laughed. “I don’t think I’ve worn them since,â€￾ she said. “They’re terrible. I had to sit down because my feet are killing me.â€￾ She cradled the empty shoe in her hands, then went to slide it back on her foot.

“Well, don’t put a painful shoe back on,â€￾ Ryan said. “Take them off.â€￾

“You’re right,â€￾ Erin said, setting the silver pump on the floor. She uncrossed her legs, using her right toes to push her left shoe off her heel, then slipped her foot from the shoe altogether. “Ooh,â€￾ she said as she recrossed her legs, folding her left foot under her chair with her toes touching the carpet. “That is better.â€￾

“Why do you think there are so many shoes under the tables?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“Yeah, good point,â€￾ Erin said. She curled her toes and stretched her feet, the hot inside air feeling cool against the moisture of her soles. She wished she had taken the shoes off hours ago.

Erin and Ryan talked a while longer, returning to the bar for new drinks and even walking around the reception hall. They caught up on Erin’s internship adventures, Ryan’s new job in the city, and all the family gossip each of them had heard that the other had not. Erin had felt a bit detached from the family through college, and it was oddly comforting to know that one of her cousins felt the same way.

As they returned to Erin’s table, Ryan said, “It’s a shame we don’t keep in touch better. What’s your cell number?â€￾

Erin gave Ryan her number as she found her own phone tucked into her tiny purse. “We should definitely try and catch up more often,â€￾ she said as she programmed Ryan’s number into her own phone.

“I’m going to go roam the tables again,â€￾ Ryan said. “I’ll catch up soon.â€￾

Erin settled back into her chair, where one of her high heels remained upright next to the chair, and the other lay on its side. She propped her feet up on the rung of the chair Ryan had been sitting in, and she watched her family dancing. Erin was an introvert, and she enjoyed the people-watching as much as others preferred participating. Every so often, Ryan would glance back in her direction, smiling if they met eyes. Erin was amused. If anything, it took her mind off her sore feet.

The wedding came and went, and on Monday, Erin was back to the normal college routine, the wedding weekend just another weekend away. Despite the phone-number exchange, Erin had not heard anything from Ryan, though even if she had, it wasn’t as if she had the time to do much about it. At best, maybe they could catch up over her Christmas break.

And then, one Thursday afternoon as Erin wrapped up her classes, her phone buzzed in her purse. She found the phone and saw Ryan’s name flash across the screen. She flipped open the phone anxiously. “Hello?â€￾ she said with a lift in her voice, even though she knew who was on the other end.

“Hey, Erin, it’s Ryan,â€￾ Ryan said. “What’s going on?â€￾

“Just got out of class for the day,â€￾ Erin said. “What about you? Isn’t it work time?â€￾

“Sort of,â€￾ Ryan said. “I’m on my way to a conference tomorrow, but I’m passing by your school in like an hour. Want to grab some dinner?â€￾

Apparently Ryan had been sincere in his hopes to keep in touch. “Sure,â€￾ Erin said. “Where did you want to meet?â€￾

“Campus is fine,â€￾ Ryan said. “Maybe you can show me around.â€￾

“Sure,â€￾ Erin said. “Do you know how to get here?â€￾

“I have my GPS,â€￾ Ryan said.

Erin gave Ryan the address for the main campus. “There’s a sign for parking,â€￾ she added. “Just give me a call when you park and I’ll come meet you.â€￾

“Okay, sounds good,â€￾ Ryan said. “Bye.â€￾

“Bye,â€￾ Erin said, flipping her phone closed.

Erin felt excited as she walked back to her dorm. She rarely got visitors on campus, and it would be nice to see Ryan again. At the dorm room, she kicked off her worn-out black flats and decided to upgrade her drab college-student outfit. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a college t-shirt, so she swapped the t-shirt for a white long-sleeved top, layering a blue cardigan over it. She hurriedly brushed her hair, then applied new lip gloss and freshened the little makeup she usually wore.

As Erin opened her closet to find a better pair of shoes, she wondered why she was preening so, especially given she was only meeting a family member. But of course she was preening, she told herself. Ryan was a college graduate. The last thing Erin wanted was for him to look at her like she was a lazy college student, dressed in a sweatshirt and leggings or pajamas like half her classmates in an early-morning lecture. Erin was not above wearing pajamas to a lecture if it meant sleeping in another half-hour, but she did not need to broadcast that.

And Erin finally found the shoes that seemed to fit her current outfit best, a pair of dress loafers with silver buckles across the front and a modest inch-and-a-half-high heel, far removed from her abused black flats. Erin slipped into the loafers and felt a little more confident about herself, no matter who awaited downstairs.

Erin’s phone buzzed a few minutes later, and she flipped it open as she pulled on her charcoal hooded peacoat. “Hi, Ryan,â€￾ she said.

“I just parked,â€￾ Ryan said. “So where do I find you?â€￾

Erin rushed downstairs and walked briskly to the parking lots, where she saw Ryan walking over from the far end of a lot to the walkway. Erin waved, and Ryan waved back. At last, the two met on the walkway, with Ryan leaning down to give Erin a hug. “This is a gorgeous little campus,â€￾ he said.

“Imagine what it’s like in spring,â€￾ Erin said. “Or in the daylight.â€￾

The two cousins caught up with conversation as Erin showed Ryan around her college campus, pointing out the academic buildings, the athletic fields, the campus theater. Erin enjoyed playing tour guide, and Ryan was quick with comparisons to his own college. The two stopped for a coffee on their walk to keep warm, before winding up at the student union building’s sub shop for dinner. They took their dinner on the road, Erin finding more facets of campus to show off to Ryan under the lights.

As they found a trash can for their sandwich wrappers and napkins, Erin asked, “Where is your big conference?â€￾

“Stamford,â€￾ Ryan said. “I have a hotel room down there.â€￾

“Ooh, OK,â€￾ Erin said, nodding. “That’s not too far.â€￾

“No, about another hour,â€￾ Ryan said.

“I just didn’t want to keep you too late,â€￾ Erin said.

“No worries,â€￾ Ryan said, smiling. “Though is there a bathroom nearby?â€￾

“We can just head up to my dorm,â€￾ Erin said. “That’s probably the easiest.â€￾

Erin and Ryan headed up to Erin’s dorm room. Erin unlocked the door and stepped into the suite. She and four other girls had private bedrooms that opened into a shared living room, kitchen and bathroom. Ryan ducked into the bathroom while Erin tidied up some clutter on the coffee table. She sort of hoped the tour was coming to an end; as much as she enjoyed it, her loafers were not the right shoes for the adventure, and her toes had been sore for a while.

Ryan emerged from the bathroom as Erin set some mail down on the table. “So which one’s your room?â€￾ he asked.

Erin motioned to the door closest to the kitchen. “That’s mine,â€￾ she said. “Room three. Want to see?â€￾

“Sure,â€￾ Ryan said, walking over. “I feel like I’m in the inner sanctum.â€￾

“It’s just a dorm room,â€￾ Erin said, laughing as she unlocked her door. “Just probably smells prettier than a guy’s room.â€￾

Erin swung the door open and Ryan stepped in. Erin momentarily wondered if she had left anything in plain sight that should not be, but she was always cautious about that anyway. Not that there was much room in the tiny bedroom for clutter to gather.

“It’s small,â€￾ Ryan said after a pause. “Kind of tiny.â€￾

“Perfect for me,â€￾ Erin said, leaning against the doorframe. She popped her right heel from her shoe, but it did little to relieve her cramping toes.

The tour was indeed over, but Ryan had some family gossip to share, tidbits from the wedding that Erin had not heard. As he told the stories, Erin stood in the doorway of her room, struggling with her sore feet. She thought about just taking her shoes off, but felt awkward about doing so. Instead, she reverted to her usual habit, balancing on her left foot while she slipped the right foot from her shoe, wiggled her toes, and slipped her shoe back on. Her sheer nylon socks made the shoes slide off and on easily, and the cooler air was relieving on her hot, tired feet.

Erin dipped in and out of her shoes, taking turns and taking care not to tap her heels on the threshold as she dipped out of each shoe. It was a little relieving, but her toes still hurt, and she felt an itch on the sole of her right foot, so as she slipped her right shoe off the next time, she scratched her sole against the buckle atop her empty loafer. As she did, she realized Ryan’s words had slowed, and she also noticed that his gaze was cast down, watching her rub her pale nylon foot against her shoe. So much for discreet, she thought.

“I’m sorry,â€￾ Erin said, slipping her foot back into her loafer.

“Sorry?â€￾ Ryan asked, snapping up to look at Erin. “Why?â€￾

“My feet hurt,â€￾ Erin said, bending her left knee so she could pop her heel out of her shoe.

“Why didn’t you say so?â€￾ Ryan asked, stepping back into Erin’s room. “You should sit down and take your shoes off.â€￾

Erin stepped into her room and closed the door behind her. Ryan’s suggestion seemed rather eager, but he was right. “Okay,â€￾ Erin said, sitting on the edge of her bed. Ryan sat down next to Erin as, one by one, she slipped off her loafers. The heeled shoes fell softly on the rug next to the bed, and Erin felt relieved as she stretched her toes and feet.

“Is that better?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“God, yes,â€￾ Erin said. “I’ve been walking around all day and my feet are hot and itchy and tired, and oh my God does that sound awful. Don’t look at my feet.â€￾

“Why not?â€￾ Ryan asked, with sudden alarm in his voice.

“Because they’re probably gross and sweaty,â€￾ Erin said.

“I think they look fine,â€￾ Ryan said.

Erin looked down at her own feet. Her feet felt sore and her soles felt moist, but at least from where she and Ryan were sitting, they still looked clean and presentable. She had not painted her toes in a month, but the chipped and worn polish was masked by the reinforced toes of her nylon socks. “Well, thank you,â€￾ Erin said, laughing. “I’m glad you think they’re cute.â€￾ She crossed one leg over the other, dangling one tired foot in Ryan’s direction.

Ryan laughed nervously. “You weren’t wearing those loafers all day,â€￾ he said inquisitively.

“No,â€￾ Erin said, impressed that Ryan recognized her shoe style. “I wear my flats pretty much everywhere.â€￾ She reached to the floor and picked up one of her black flats, holding it up so Ryan could see. Erin preferred to call her beat-up flats “well-loved.â€￾ The flat she was holding showed all the scars and scuffs of being worn almost every day for two years. The finish was worn from the tips of the shoes, and the backs of the heels were worn and cracking where the sole was attached. Inside the shoe, the floral pattern of the insole had been worn away and the fabric was stained tan, the result of hours of Erin’s often-bare feet being trapped inside. While Erin found some comfort in her worn-out flats, she also realized it was probably time for some new shoes. She tossed the shoe back to the floor from where she’d picked it up.

“It’s better than flip-flops,â€￾ Ryan said.

“It’s too cold for flip-flops,â€￾ Erin said, laughing.

After a few more minutes of conversation, Ryan realized it was getting rather late, and he had a hotel reservation an hour or so away. Erin slipped her flats on to walk Ryan toward his car, and they both bundled up in their coats again. At the car, Ryan gave Erin a big hug, and they vowed to talk soon.

When Erin got back up to her room, one of her suitemates, Brianne, was painting her toenails on the sofa. “Who was that?â€￾ the suitemate asked.

“That was Ryan,â€￾ Erin said, kicking off her flats as she curled up onto the opposing sofa.

“New boyfriend?â€￾

“My cousin,â€￾ Erin said.

“Oh,â€￾ Brianne said, capping her bottle of nail polish. “That’s too bad. How close are you?â€￾

“Not very,â€￾ Erin said. “We’re just trying to get back in touch.â€￾

“No, I mean,â€￾ Brianne asked, “how close are you related?â€￾

Erin had to think for a moment. “His mom and my dad are cousins,â€￾ she said. “So I guess that makes us…second cousins?â€￾

“Well, that’s better,â€￾ Brianne said, getting a glass of water from the kitchen.

“Better?â€￾ Erin asked, reaching down and rubbing her feet.

“Well, at least you’re not first cousins,â€￾ Brianne explained. “Second cousins, that’s a little fuzzier.â€￾

Erin was a bit confused, but she could see where Brianne was going. “We seriously aren’t going to start dating,â€￾ Erin said.

“Well, can I date him?â€￾ Brianne asked. “He’s hot.â€￾

“He’s like twenty-seven,â€￾ Erin said. “He lives a couple hours from here.â€￾ She paused. “He is handsome, though.â€￾

“So date him,â€￾ Brianne said. “I mean, don’t have sex with him or anything, but he can still treat you and hang out with you and all. Maybe he has cute mature friends.â€￾

“Maybe,â€￾ Erin said, getting up and picking her flats up off the floor. “I guess we’ll see how much I hear from him.â€￾

The answer seemed to be, at first, not much. Erin was busy with end-of-the-semester assignments and projects and the nerve-wracking emotional rollercoaster of being a graduating college senior, so whether or not her cute cousin was going to call her or come visit was low on her list of priorities. But at times, she would wonder why she had not heard anything new from Ryan. The radio silence continued as she moved back in with her parents over winter break, and through Christmas.

It was just after the new year that Erin, feeling bored on a Saturday, texted Ryan herself. She was going through her closet trying to get rid of some old clothes when the phone buzzed in response. Erin ran to the phone across the room, excited for Ryan’s response. “Hey,â€￾ Ryan had texted back.

“How was your Christmas?â€￾ Erin texted Ryan.

“Warm, some friends and I went down to the Keys,â€￾ Ryan replied. “We just got back last night. You?â€￾

That explained the latest bit of silence, Erin thought. “It was nice, spent with my folks,â€￾ Erin typed. “Feeling kind of cooped up though.â€￾

Erin returned to her chores, but her heart leapt when she heard the phone buzz in reply. Ryan had texted back: “Want to go get a coffee?â€￾

For the next couple minutes, Erin was glued to her phone as she and Ryan quickly made plans. Erin once again preened, trading her sweatpants for some jeans and pulling on a fluffy pink sweater over her t-shirt. She almost grabbed a pair of boots when she instead slipped her bare feet into a pair of glossy black ballet flats with shiny black bows atop each toe. She slipped her feet back out, quickly added some nylon ankle socks, and slipped the flats back on. And with a quick good-bye to her parents, she was out the door and to the car.

Erin told her parents she was meeting someone for coffee, but left out that the coffee shop was a half-hour away. The drive felt like three hours. Erin was nervous with anticipation as she got out of her car and saw Ryan’s silver BMW in the parking lot. Erin walked into the coffee shop and saw Ryan sitting at a table already. He smiled and she felt his eyes study her, from her red hair to her shiny black shoes. “Hey, cousin,â€￾ he said.

“Hi, Ryan,â€￾ Erin replied as Ryan stood up and followed Erin into the line to order their drinks.

The cousins ordered their coffee separately and returned to Ryan’s table, where Erin draped her peacoat over the back of her chair. “So how were the Keys?â€￾ Erin asked, crossing one leg over the other as she sipped her latte.

“Gorgeous compared to here,â€￾ Ryan said. “We stayed in Key West for New Year’s Eve. It was absolutely wild. But the weather was great.â€￾

“I could use a beach day,â€￾ Erin said.

“How have you been?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“Bored,â€￾ Erin answered. “I spent all afternoon so far organizing my closet.â€￾

“And that’s the best you found in there?â€￾ Ryan teased.

“Shut up!â€￾ Erin said. “I was picking out old stuff to donate. I have plenty of cute things in my closet.â€￾ Erin stretched her crossed leg out to the side. “I found these shoes today.â€￾

Ryan looked down as Erin rotated her ankle, showing off her shiny flat. “Those are kinda cute,â€￾ Ryan said.

“I know,â€￾ Erin said, smiling. “I forgot I had them. Now I have to start wearing them again.â€￾

“Where did you get them?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“I forget,â€￾ Erin said, reaching down and slipping one shoe off. Unlike some of her shoes, the brand name was still readable on the insole. “I think Walmart,â€￾ she said, slipping the shoe back on.

As their conversation meandered along, Erin recalled why she had worn the shiny flats sparingly. Erin rarely wore socks or stockings when she bought the shoes, and as they were uncomfortable to her, they wound up in her closet at home. Since then, she had taken to wearing nylons with most of her shoes. Erin’s sheer nylon socks improved the feel of the shiny ballet flats, except that they now slipped uncontrollably from her heels as she sat. As Erin swung her crossed leg, her shoe popped from her heel and dangled from her toes. Erin would try and flex her foot to get the shoe back on, but within a minute, she would feel the back of the shoe slip down her silken heel and fall free. Sometimes she struggled to get her shoe back on, and she would reach down to pull her shoe back on.

And Erin had noticed that Ryan was aware of her shoe dilemma. He had shifted in his seat, and while they talked, he would glance down around the table, particularly when she reached down to her foot. Erin chalked it up to distraction. It certainly did not interrupt the flow of the conversation; Ryan and Erin had a lot in common, and Erin liked having an older, stable relative she could bounce things off. She wished they had been closer when they were younger.

As they wrapped up their coffee rendezvous, Ryan walked Erin to her car. “I don’t know about these shoes,â€￾ Erin said, looking down as they walked. “They’re cute but they don’t stay on well.â€￾

“They are cute,â€￾ Ryan said. “Maybe you just need to break them in.â€￾

“Maybe,â€￾ Erin said. “I’ll give them another chance. Talk soon?â€￾

“Sure,â€￾ Ryan said. “Call me anytime.â€￾

The next two weeks were hectic as Erin moved back to college, settling back into her suite. When she had time, she texted Ryan, who usually texted right back. He was dating someone new, and she found herself oddly jealous of Ryan’s new flame. But they were an hour and a half apart on a good day. Ryan was a businessman, Erin was a college student. And they were cousins. Erin convinced herself her jealousy was rather misplaced.

And then came an afternoon in the student union building, after a particularly dull psychology lecture. Erin had stopped in for a coffee, and found herself at a table killing time before her next class began. And as she killed time, she found herself texting to Ryan. Erin was a bit surprised Ryan had texted back so quickly.

“Hey, cuz,â€￾ Ryan said. “How’s school?â€￾

“Good,â€￾ Erin replied. “Between classes, drinking a coffee. How’s work?â€￾

“Work’s quiet,â€￾ Ryan answered. “Still wearing those cute flats?â€￾

Erin smiled. Ryan remembered their coffee-date conversation. But Erin was not wearing the shiny shoes. Erin was wearing a navy cardigan adorned with snowflakes atop a white turtleneck. Instead of jeans, she was wearing khakis. Instead of sheer nylon socks, Erin was wearing blue socks knitted with white snowflakes. And instead of her shiny black flats, Erin was wearing brown clogs with an ivory fur lining and two-inch block heels. “Not today,â€￾ she texted back. “I’m wearing clogs.â€￾ Erin’s toes traced the stitching around the heel of the backless shoe. Wearing was a technical term.

It was a minute before Erin’s phone beeped back. “Clogs?â€￾ Ryan replied. “I need to see this to believe it.â€￾

Erin leaned back from her table and looked down at her feet. Her left foot was only half in her clog, so she hooked the top of the clog with her toes, swung it out around her right foot, and dropped the empty shoe on the floor. Sitting up, she tucked her left leg underneath her on the chair. With a clearer view, she angled her phone just right and snapped a picture. “Believe it,â€￾ Erin typed with a smile as she sent the photo of her empty clog to Ryan.

Ryan finally replied: “I thought you were wearing them.â€￾

Erin laughed: “My foot is hot.â€￾

Ryan countered: “Hot in those nylons?â€￾

Erin shook her head as she typed: “No, wore socks today.â€￾

Erin finally slipped her clog back on to head to her next class. But she and Ryan continued to text back and forth at her next lecture, and at Ryan’s insistence, she sneakily snapped another photo of her socked feet, empty clogs between them, as she stretched her toes under the chair in front of her.

So it went for the next week or two. Ryan would send a teasing text asking Erin about her shoes, and Erin would discreetly snap a photo of her shoes to send to her cousin. The only day Ryan seemed uninterested was the snowy day where Erin had worn boots to class. Erin found it amusing; Ryan would tease her about her socks, and she would tease him back. Or he would chastise her for taking her shoes off in a lecture hall, and Erin would fire back that she had never done that before he asked her.

One morning, before class, Erin was chatting with her suitemate Brianne. The two girls were flipping through Erin’s photos on her phone when they came across Erin’s shoe photos. “That’s a lot of pics of your shoes,â€￾ Brianne said.

Erin laughed. “It’s my cousin,â€￾ she said.

“The hot one?â€￾ Brianne asked.

“Yeah, Ryan,â€￾ Erin said. “He was teasing me about college girls wearing Uggs to class all the time, so I started sending him photos of my cute shoes, to prove him wrong.â€￾

Brianne was studying Erin’s photos closely. “Does your cousin have a foot fetish?â€￾ she asked.

Erin had no idea what Brianne meant. “A foot fetish?â€￾ she repeated.

“Yeah,â€￾ Brianne said. “Some guys are turned on by feet. Or shoes. Or both.â€￾

“I’ve never heard of that,â€￾ Erin said.

“Really?â€￾ Brianne said. “It’s pretty common.â€￾

“I’m a prude, I guess,â€￾ Erin said, laughing nervously. Erin had gone to all-girl Catholic schools, complete with plaid skirts and saddle shoes. College was Erin’s first exposure to co-ed classrooms, cable television, and so much else. Even dating was a new experience, one that she felt woefully unprepared for. Now, she was learning that apparently, her feet could be a turn-on. She felt suddenly silly for thinking she was modestly dressed when they met up.

For most of the day, Erin was distracted from her lectures and classwork, pondering instead what Brianne had suggested. It all sort of made sense. She had seen Ryan at the wedding months ago. She was talking to him when he got distracted by her shoe. He had asked her where she got them.

And he told her she should take them off. Just like he did later, in her dorm room.

Erin was conflicted. Every time Ryan texted her, it brought a rush of excitement. He was her cousin, as she reminded herself every time, but he was interested and he was flirtatious and she felt like someone was noticing her. Now, she wondered if she was just a pair of feet to him. Was there such a thing? Was that how it worked? Erin wanted to ask him outright, but she doubted he would just open up like that.

It was two days, two long conflicted confusing days, before Erin heard from Ryan again. Erin had stopped in the student union between classes, and she was opening a book when she heard her phone buzz. She flipped her phone open to see a new text: “Hey Erin, what’s going on?â€￾

Erin felt excited and nervous all at the same time. Her thumbs could barely work the tiny phone keys fast enough. “Not much, between classes as usual,â€￾ she texted back. She added, “My feet are hot.â€￾

Ryan’s response came quickly after her second text: “Too close to the heater vent?â€￾

Erin laughed. “No,â€￾ she texted back. “I’m wearing Uggs.â€￾ She reached down and petted the sueded boots. In classic college-student fashion, she was wearing them pulled over her jeans to mid-calf. They were ugly, but they were warm, and admittedly comfortable.

“You should have worn thinner socks,â€￾ Ryan replied.

“I’m wearing them barefoot of course,â€￾ Erin texted back.

There was a short pause, long enough for Erin to rethink whether she was going to get any classwork done on this break. At last her phone buzzed with a reply. She flipped it open to read Ryan’s text: “Erin, for shame.â€￾

Erin was caught off-guard. Ryan seemed truly disappointed. “Uggs are meant to be worn barefoot,â€￾ she replied.

“I think they look better with tights,â€￾ Ryan replied.

“I’ve never worn mine with tights,â€￾ Erin replied.

“You should try, it looks cute,â€￾ Ryan said.

Ryan and Erin went back and forth a little longer, but Ryan never asked for his usual picture. Erin was intrigued. After talking to Brianne, she was convinced that Ryan was a foot fetishist. But the mention of her bare feet left her cousin clearly disappointed. She had even repainted her toenails that morning, anticipating wriggling out of her cozy warm boots for a photo. Now, she looked down at the ugly tan boots, and she felt unwanted, unattractive.

Erin moped to her next class, and only halfheartedly took notes, just trying to get through the afternoon after Ryan’s snub. Later that evening, she paged through her text messages, feeling distraught as she rubbed her bare feet against the comforter. It was only then, though, that she caught two of Ryan’s messages. “I think they look better with tights…you should try, it looks cute,â€￾ he had suggested.

Was it possible? Was Ryan suggesting she try tights with her new boots for fashion’s sake, or was he suggesting it for his own interest? Erin glanced at her phone’s picture collection, mostly photos of her shoes and feet that she had sent in the last few months. In every picture, Erin was wearing socks or hosiery. Never had she shared her bare feet with him. Maybe that was it.

The next day, Erin dressed as if she had an interview. She started with a clingy light pink sweater and a pair of gray dress slacks. She agonized, though, over her choice of hosiery. Erin looked at a few different pairs of trouser socks before settling on a pair of nude knee-highs. She pulled on the stockings and looked down at her pale, almost-white stockinged feet. It was a look that had captivated Ryan before. She hoped it would catch his attention again. She considered wearing her black patent ballet flats, but when she slipped them on, they almost seemed too cute. She slipped them back off, and took out another pair of black flats with pointed toes. She saved them for special occasions, and today, she justified, was such a day.

Erin only had one morning lecture, which went past without incident or fanfare. When she got back to her dorm, she excitedly checked her cell phone. No new texts awaited her. Erin sighed as she slumped down in her desk chair. She had hoped to see something. She read through Ryan’s texts again. At last, she typed, “Just so you know, I’m not wearing my Uggs today.â€￾ She took a deep breath, then hit send.

Erin went about cleaning her apartment, when she heard her phone buzz at her desk. Erin rushed to check her messages. Sure enough, Ryan had responded: “Oh yeah? What are you wearing?â€￾

Erin smiled. He had taken the bait. She quickly slipped her flats back on and took a picture, then sent it as a response, without text.

Ryan’s response barely took thirty seconds: “What are you up to this afternoon?â€￾

Erin smiled, kicking her flats off and folding her foot into her desk chair as she sat down. “Studying,â€￾ she said. “Not much else.â€￾

“I’m free this afternoon,â€￾ Ryan replied. “Want to catch up?â€￾

“Sure,â€￾ Erin replied. The only question was where; her room was messy, and the common area was too awkward if anyone came home. There were, however, a couple study lounges where she could meet Ryan. “I was headed to the union, should I meet you there?â€￾

“Works for me,â€￾ Ryan said. “I’ll be there in 2 hours.â€￾

In an hour and a half, Erin was waiting anxiously at the student union for Ryan’s arrival. She had staked out one of her favorite study nooks, a padded bench along one wall near the union’s fish tank. Her classwork was set off to the side, to suggest that she had actually been studying all that time. The truth was that Erin had been messing with her makeup and pacing frantically in her dorm room, but Ryan had no need to know any of that.

Erin was going to open a book when she noticed Ryan walking into the union building, smartphone in hand. He was wearing a wool coat over his suit and tie, and he looked like he had just left work. Ryan glanced around nervously, and when he looked in Erin’s direction, she waved to catch his attention. Ryan’s smile lit up and he headed in her direction.

“You’re here early,â€￾ Erin said, standing up for her tall cousin.

“I drove fast,â€￾ Ryan said, laughing. “Coffee?â€￾

The two walked across the room to a coffee bar, each ordering a drink. “So you had this afternoon off?â€￾ Erin asked.

“I took this afternoon off,â€￾ Ryan said. “We didn’t have much going on.â€￾

“Lucky you,â€￾ Erin said, smiling. Did Ryan ditch work because of a picture of her shoes?

“You’re the one without class this afternoon,â€￾ Ryan replied.

“I’m full of class,â€￾ Erin said. “Look, dress slacks, new shoes.â€￾ She stopped at the bench, turning one of her legs out and lifting her pantleg to show Ryan the shiny black flats she had chosen.

“Those are cute,â€￾ Ryan said. “Are they new?â€￾

“I’ve had them,â€￾ Erin said, sitting down on the bench. “But I save them for interviews and presentations and fancy stuff.â€￾

“So what did you have today?â€￾ Ryan asked as he sat down in a chair next to the bench.

“Just a lecture,â€￾ Erin said. “I just didn’t feel like wearing jeans today.â€￾

“You look really nice,â€￾ Ryan said. “You should dress up more often.â€￾

Erin smiled. “Thanks,â€￾ she said, feeling tongue-tied. “I might.â€￾ She rocked her feet in her shoes slightly. The flats fit well, but she wanted them a bit loose for later.

“Maybe I’m spoiled,â€￾ Ryan said, unbuttoning his suitcoat. “But I find it way more attractive when women dress nicer.â€￾

“Well, we are,â€￾ Erin said, grinning. She had wanted to string Ryan along, but she couldn’t wait. Without a word, she shook her shoes loose and slipped her feet out of the flats, then folded her legs under her and sat on the bench cross-legged, her pale stockinged feet exposed.

Erin looked up at Ryan. His attention was fixed on Erin’s feet as she wiggled her toes ever slightly, his mouth slightly open. He said nothing. Erin wondered if he could. After a minute of sitting there, Erin smiling, Ryan staring, Erin asked, “Is something wrong?â€￾

“No, nothing,â€￾ Ryan said. “Do you study here a lot?â€￾

“A fair bit,â€￾ Erin said. She felt a bit guilty as she curled her toes, thinking how Ryan felt seeing her shoeless. She wondered if, for him, it was the same as a girl being topless in public. For a moment, she wondered how many other men across the room were also staring, and she felt exposed. But only for a moment. College girls took their shoes off all the time, especially in the union building.

“Do you always take your shoes off?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“Not always,â€￾ Erin said. “If I feel comfortable, I do.â€￾ She rubbed her right foot with her left hand, flexing her toes back and forth. “Or if my shoes feel uncomfortable.â€￾

“So which is it now?â€￾

Erin thought. “Both, I guess,â€￾ she said with a shrug. “I don’t love these flats.â€￾

“They look very formal,â€￾ Ryan said, reaching down and picking up one of the shoes.

“And they pinch my toes,â€￾ Erin said. “I should have worn my bow flats.â€￾

“Why didn’t you?â€￾ Ryan asked, putting Erin’s empty shoe down.

“Because you liked the picture I sent you of these,â€￾ Erin said, smiling at Ryan.

Ryan’s face flashed hints of surprise and joy, and confusion at which one to share. Once again, she had caught her older cousin speechless.

“Besides, you’ve seen me wear my bow flats,â€￾ Erin added.

“Only once,â€￾ Ryan said. “And they kept slipping off your feet.â€￾ Ryan had noticed, and Ryan had remembered.

“So which is better?â€￾ Erin asked, curling her toes and arching her folded feet. She leaned forward and batted her eyelashes.

“This is less of a tease,â€￾ Ryan said.

Erin unfolded her right foot, reaching out and picking up one of her shoes with her toes. “I could tease you with these, if you prefer,â€￾ she said in a serious tone.

“That’s okay,â€￾ Ryan said. “Besides, that’s the wrong shoe.â€￾

Erin dropped the left shoe back to the floor and used her foot to nudge herself back onto the bench before folding her leg back under her. Ryan inched his chair along the floor, getting closer to Erin. Erin smiled. She had his full attention.

“How did you know?â€￾ Ryan asked in a hushed voice.

Erin considered talking about her roommate, but this already had the potential to be awkward enough. “I guess I wondered why you always wanted my shoe pictures,â€￾ she said. “Except for the day I went barefoot with Uggs. And then I remembered you watching me play with my shoes in my dorm room, and when we went out for coffee.â€￾

Ryan’s face was a bit red. “I didn’t realize I was that obvious,â€￾ he said.

“Me, either,â€￾ Erin said. “Until you were all sad about my Uggs, and then it dawned on me that every time we’ve met since the wedding, I’ve been wearing nylons.â€￾

“And in most of your pictures,â€￾ Ryan added.

“So is it my shoes, or my feet?â€￾ Erin asked, leaning closer to Ryan.

“I think you have pretty feet,â€￾ Ryan said. “And I like that you’re always wearing nylons.â€￾

Erin was flattered. Sitting atop her padded bench in her stockinged feet, she felt like the prettiest girl in the world. “Thanks,â€￾ she said. “I just like how they feel in my shoes.â€￾ She paused. “And how they feel when I take my shoes off,â€￾ she added.

“When you send me your shoe pictures, I imagine you taking your shoes off,â€￾ Ryan said. “Like you did in the dorm that night.â€￾

“My feet were so sore,â€￾ Erin said. “I wore those shoes for you, and they hurt my toes.â€￾

“You wore them for me?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“Well, yeah,â€￾ Erin said. “You’re sophisticated, and I didn’t want to look like a frumpy college girl. So I wore heels for you.â€￾

Ryan smiled. “Is this outfit…?â€￾ he asked, his voice trailing off.

Erin nodded. “Now I can take my shoes off for you instead,â€￾ she said, unfolding her legs and stretching out her pale nylon feet.

“You’re adorable,â€￾ Ryan said, laughing.

Erin blushed. She felt suddenly self-conscious, flaunting her stockinged feet in front of her cousin. Ryan was sitting there enthused, but Erin felt guilty. “Ryan, I’m your cousin,â€￾ Erin said as she rubbed her feet together. The sound of nylon rubbing against nylon seemed loud in their quiet corner.

“Second cousin,â€￾ Ryan said. Clearly he had this on his mind, too. “But we’re not dating.â€￾

“Well, no,â€￾ Erin said, crossing one leg over the other. Her pantleg rode up high on her crossed right leg, and she rubbed her silky ivory ankle.

“So as long as we’re not dating or kissing or anything, I don’t think that’s out of line.â€￾

“I guess not,â€￾ Erin said, flexing her dangling foot as she rubbed her ankle and calf.

“But I like hearing from you, so we should talk more,â€￾ Ryan said, pulling his chair closer to the bench.

“And I should send you pictures of my shoes, so you can tell me if I’m dressing well,â€￾ Erin said, pulling her pantleg down and tucking one foot under her on the bench.

“Does that mean you’re going to wear fancier shoes?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“Maybe,â€￾ Erin said, wrapping the toes of her free foot around the leg of Ryan’s chair. The cool metal felt soothing against her stockinged toes.

“That could hurt your feet,â€￾ Ryan said. “Maybe I should visit to make sure your feet get massaged every so often.â€￾

“That would be very responsible,â€￾ Erin said, smiling as she stroked the chair leg with her foot, up and down.

“It’s just the right thing to do,â€￾ Ryan said, reaching down and rubbing Erin’s toes.

Erin had expected the coolness of the metal, but the warmth of Ryan’s fingers touching her toes was something she was not prepared for. Erin gasped in surprise, but the feeling of Ryan’s fingers kneading her little toes was comforting. She let Ryan guide her foot away from the chair and into his hand, into his lap, where she felt his suit pants under her soft heel as Ryan kneaded her foot. Erin had never had her feet massaged before. But she understood why other women loved it. She unfolded her other foot and reached down to the floor, rubbing the ball of her foot into the carpet below. The sensations between her two stockinged feet were nothing short of ecstasy.

Erin and Ryan sat there for minutes, Ryan rubbing Erin’s foot in his hands and Erin stroking the floor with her free foot. The two met eyes, and Ryan shifted his body to nudge his chair closer to Erin. Erin stretched her free foot toward Ryan, rubbing her toes on the tip of his dress shoe before sliding her foot into his lap. The wool suit felt smooth and soft in contrast to the rough carpet below, and Erin fanned her toes as she pressed her sole against Ryan’s thigh. Ryan’s eyes grew wide, and Erin smiled as she curled her toes tightly. Ryan switched one hand to Erin’s other foot, and pressed his thumbs against the ball of each foot as he massaged her two feet one-handed. The soft fabric under her heels and the pressure against her soles felt so good, and Erin felt short of breath.

“We’re in the student union,â€￾ Ryan whispered as he brushed his fingers across the top of Erin’s feet.

Erin nodded as her eyes darted around. They were in the student union. And while she had picked a quiet corner for their rendezvous, people were passing through the room in the background, some glancing in their direction. It was one thing while Erin sat there shoeless. It was another story as she sat there with both of her feet in her cousin’s lap, getting a foot massage. “Maybe we should go back to my dorm,â€￾ she whispered with resignation.

Erin and Ryan both stood up, Ryan nudging his chair to the side and Erin packing her notebooks into her backpack. She threw on her peacoat, then looked down at the floor and her still-empty flats. She looked back up at Ryan. “I have to put my shoes on,â€￾ she said, frowning.

“Not for long,â€￾ Ryan said, smiling as Erin stepped back into her flats for the walk back to the dorm.

Ryan left shortly after dinner that night. Erin had offered to cook something for her visiting cousin, but the two ended up at a tavern instead, sharing a loveseat and sipping wine as they shared stories. Erin curled up against one arm of the loveseat, her flats on the floor and her stockinged toes curled around the edge of a cushion as Ryan played with her feet with his free hand. Amid the stories, they drew a line for their relationship. Their liaisons were to stay quiet, so as not to concern the family. Their intimacy would remain limited to Erin’s feet. That, the two of them could agree on.

The next few weeks were the high point of Erin’s senior year. Erin wasted no time in upgrading her wardrobe; jeans and college sweatshirts were set aside, and her skirts, dresses and dress slacks went from interview and presentation attire to daily wear. Erin’s Uggs and sneakers were nudged to the back of the closet to make way for her rarely-worn heels and her fancier flats. “Another interview?â€￾ Erin heard over and over between classes and leaving the dorm. She just smiled, nodded, whatever she could do to dodge the question.

And at first, it was not without its awkwardness. A girl all dressed up stood out on campus. In the dining halls and her classes, Erin felt like everyone was staring, critiquing her skirts and her shoes and hosiery. In her dorm, she felt like people doubted the sincerity of her excuses for her new look. And Erin felt especially tense the first time she posed in front of a mirror to snap a photo of her new style to send to Ryan. She hesitated as she wrote out her email. It was what they had agreed on, but it was still her cousin.

But with time, it felt more natural. Erin felt more and more confident in her skirts and dresses. She would steal away to the union or the library, and take some photos to send to Ryan. She loved teasing Ryan by sending photos of herself in shoes first. Ryan would always respond: “Cute shoes, but what about your feet?â€￾ Erin would often tease back (“But these shoes are comfortable today!â€￾), but she would always relent, sending a photo of her stockinged feet from her bed, or in a couch in the student union, or tiptoeing around the library.

By spring break, Erin was at ease, both in her new style and out of her shoes. For all the flirtation with Ryan, he had been unable to visit her on campus, so she looked forward to seeing him on her week off. She did wonder how she would explain her new sense of style to her parents, but fortunately, “I like dressing upâ€￾ was adequate reasoning enough for most dress choices.

Erin played it safe the first couple days, but on the third day she was home, she was meeting Ryan for a dinner date, so she had an excuse to dress up. She had a new dress she had bought for a spring night out; it was a form-fitting short-sleeved white dress patterned with black and red flowers. Erin added some opaque black tights and a little black shrug. She tied a black ribbon around her waist for a belt, and added a black bow to her red hair. Erin twirled in her bedroom mirror a couple times, satisfied with her new look, before picking out her shoes. Her shoes, too, were brand new: a pair of black peep-toe wedges. They gave her a couple inches of height, but compared to her usual heels, they did not hurt her feet in the first few steps. Even so, she carried the shoes through the house, only slipping them on before she left.

Ryan was meeting Erin at a sushi bar, and he was waiting outside the front door as she walked up. Ryan looked stunned to see Erin. “You’re beautiful,â€￾ he said, hugging his younger cousin. “And taller.â€￾

“I’m wearing heels for once,â€￾ Erin said, hugging Ryan back. For all the photos and text messages and emails they had exchanged, it was comforting to actually see him, to talk to him.

Ryan glanced down at Erin’s shoes as they separated. “Wedges,â€￾ he remarked. “That’s smart.â€￾

“They’re better than heels, so far,â€￾ Erin said as she walked through the door ahead of Ryan.

Erin and Ryan scooted into a booth by a window in the quiet restaurant. “I’m impressed,â€￾ Ryan said as the waiter left. “You’re really pretty tonight.â€￾

“Thanks,â€￾ Erin said, feeling her cheeks flush. “You’re handsome as always.â€￾

“It’s easy for men,â€￾ Ryan said. “I just left work like this.â€￾

“I had to explain to my mom that I had a fancy night out with friends,â€￾ Erin said, laughing. “She’s getting used to my new style.â€￾

“You don’t look twenty-one,â€￾ Ryan said. “You look mature now.â€￾

“That’s the point,â€￾ Erin said. “It’s helping with interviews, I think.â€￾

“How about dating?â€￾

“Well, I get lots of looks,â€￾ Erin said, smiling.

As Erin and Ryan caught up, Erin crossed her ankles under the table. To her dismay, the wood floor of the entryway changed quickly to carpet, and so her shoes failed to click on the floor the way they had down the sidewalks. On the other hand, the carpet muffled shoe sounds, and Erin always liked being discreet. She uncrossed her ankles, the soles of her wedges now flat on the floor. Erin slipped her left shoe off quietly, nudging it to the side with her stockinged foot. Erin rubbed her stockinged sole against the top of her shoe to scratch it, then slipped her right shoe off as well. She nudged the empty shoe off to her right, and rubbed her stockinged feet against the carpet, feeling more comfortable immediately. She wondered if Ryan had noticed. She sort of hoped he had.

Ryan had ordered a bottle of sake, and as it arrived, Erin felt Ryan sweep his foot across the floor under the table. Ryan’s shoe brushed Erin’s foot, and she pulled her feet back under her side of the bench, but she stretched her legs right back. As the waiter left, Ryan asked, “Did you take your shoes off?â€￾

Erin smiled. “Well, yeah,â€￾ she said. “Aren’t you supposed to take your shoes off to eat sushi?â€￾

“If you sit at those tables, maybe,â€￾ Ryan said, motioning across the restaurant to a set of low tables with mats.

“Oh, well,â€￾ Erin said, reaching out with one foot to find Ryan’s shoe. “I’m comfy now,â€￾ she said as she rubbed her sole over Ryan’s foot. The leather felt cool under her soles, and as she felt the shoelaces under her toes, she wished she could untie Ryan’s shoes for him. She tucked her other foot into Ryan’s pantleg, her toes kneading Ryan’s ribbed socks.

Ryan looked a bit surprised. “Have you been practicing?â€￾ he asked.

“Practicing?â€￾ Erin asked as she rubbed her arched feet around Ryan’s ankles and under his pantlegs. The sensation against her soles and toes was amazing. “I mean, I’ve been taking my shoes off in class a lot.â€￾

“No, I mean footsie,â€￾ Ryan said.

“Oh, no,â€￾ Erin said. “Usually I just rub my feet on top of my shoes. It feels really good.â€￾

“So does this,â€￾ Ryan said.

Erin beamed proudly. “Would you take your shoes off and footsie with me?â€￾ she whispered seductively, leaning into the table. She rubbed her toes along the edges of Ryan’s shoes, the shoelaces tickling her soles.

“No, not here,â€￾ Ryan said softly. “But what I could do…â€￾ Erin saw Ryan reach down, and then felt one of his hands closing around her right foot, gently lifting her foot into his lap, where his other hand began kneading her sole and toes. Erin leaned back in the booth, rubbing her left foot against Ryan’s ribbed socks and shoelaces, smiling at her cousin across the table.

The sushi arrived from the kitchen, and Erin noticed as the waiter set everything down at the table and glanced down at Ryan’s lap. The waiter was asking if they needed anything else, but immediately broke it off, mumbled “I’m sorryâ€￾ and left. Erin felt her face flush red. “Did he…?â€￾ she managed in a low voice.

Ryan nodded. “Don’t worry,â€￾ he said. “Women get foot rubs all the time.â€￾

Ryan was right, Erin thought. And how was a waiter to know they were related at all? For all he knew, Ryan was out with his girlfriend. “I guess so,â€￾ Erin said. “I’ve never been caught before.â€￾

“Sometimes it happens,â€￾ Ryan said, grinning as he picked up his chopsticks.

As they ate and talked, Erin rubbed her feet up and down Ryan’s legs, alternating between his hard leather shoes and the ribbed dress socks and his smooth suit pants. The textures were soothing on Erin’s soles. And while part of her wished he would take his shoes off too, there was something scandalous about being the shoeless girl at the table. A few times, Erin hooked her big toes in the loop of Ryan’s shoelaces. She almost pulled them loose, but decided it would be more fun if Ryan did it to her.

After dinner, Ryan excused himself to go to the bathroom. Erin returned her stockinged feet to her side of the booth, rubbing her silky feet together. For some reason, she felt more exposed sitting alone at the booth, so she swept one foot to the side, looking for at least one of her shoes to play with. When she felt nothing but carpet and air, she swept both feet in a circle around her, trying to find her shoes, but nothing was within reach.

Ryan returned to the booth at last, sliding into his bench. Erin looked across the booth at her cousin and smiled. “I can’t find my shoes,â€￾ she said quietly.

“Oh,â€￾ Ryan said, laughing. “I sort of kicked them out of your reach while I was rubbing your feet.â€￾

“Well, that explains that,â€￾ Erin said, reaching her feet out and resting them on Ryan’s shoes again. “I’d rather put my feet on your shoes anyway.â€￾

“I can tell,â€￾ Ryan said with a smile of his own.

Eventually, Ryan nudged Erin’s wedges back across the table, and she grudgingly slipped back into them before she and Ryan left the sushi bar. Ryan walked Erin to her car, where he hugged her and gave her a peck on the forehead. “Let’s do this again,â€￾ he said as he walked off toward his own car.

Erin was on cloud nine. The date night felt like a test, and Erin felt like she had passed. She checked her phone when she got home, and spent the next two hours texting Ryan, occasionally sending a photo of her silken legs and feet stretched across her bed. Ryan’s replies made Erin smile, and she wished there were more potential from their connection.

But there was still the week ahead. Erin met up with Ryan for lunch a day later, this time pairing the wedges with dressy gray slacks, a red top and a black blazer. Erin regularly spent hours lunching and studying at Panera, but as she and her charcoal-suited cousin took over a booth for their own, she felt like she had matured ahead of schedule. And as she felt Ryan’s shoes under the booth, tugging at the thick soles of her wedges and sliding them from her socked feet, she felt the same sense of anticipation that she loved about their dates. Long after their sandwich trays were empty, Erin and Ryan sat at the booth playing a clandestine game of footsie in the shadows. Ryan brought Erin back to his office for the afternoon; while he was in a meeting, Erin kicked her wedges off under his desk and traipsed around his private office in her jet-black trouser socks. The feeling of being shoeless in his office was thrilling; Erin stood at the door, wanting to stroll across the office to see if anyone noticed her lack of shoes, but she behaved, waiting patiently for Ryan to return. And when he did, he looked down at her black silken toes, barely visible under her slacks, and smiled as he closed the office door.

The day after that, Erin went shoe-shopping, sending Ryan pictures of her potential purchases for him to approve. She settled on a couple new pairs of pumps. She had hoped to meet Ryan for dinner that night, but he had a late commitment, so instead Erin walked around the mall, breaking in her new shoes. A couple hours into her shopping, Erin stopped for a cup of coffee and to rest her tired legs. As she crossed one leg over the other, she felt her new shoe pop from her stockinged heel. She stared at the dangling shoe for a moment, enjoying the sensation as the shoe hung from her toes. Erin took out her phone and snapped a couple pictures of her foot to send to Ryan.

Erin suddenly realized that the guy sitting across the coffee shop had stopped working, and was watching her shoe dangle. He was a little older than her, probably younger than Ryan, trying to focus on his laptop, but his focus had clearly been broken. Erin raised her crossed leg, trying to shift her shoe back onto her foot. Instead, the heel just dangled, and the guy across the coffee shop peeked up from his laptop screen. Erin bounced her foot lightly, making her pump swing from her toes. The guy kept watching. So did Erin. It was sort of mesmerizing, elegant.

Erin sat there finishing her coffee, dangling her shoe. She liked the feeling, but at the same time, she felt stressed, worried that her shoe would go flying off her toes. Erin curled her toes, and her new pump slipped free and landed on the carpet below with a thump. The guy across the room perked up at the thump of her shoe. Erin stretched her toes, and the guy watched, riveted. She could have just taken her shoe off and gotten the same stare.

“New heels,â€￾ Erin said, smiling in the guy’s direction as she reached down for her shoe. She slipped the heel back on, stood up, and gathered her things, returning to the mall for a little more shopping before dinner.

Erin had a family dinner out that Friday night. She wore a new teal-blue sweaterdress and opaque black tights with a pair of black heels, and her parents both complimented her on how mature and put-together she looked. At the dinner table, though, Erin slipped her heels off, and wished she had Ryan across the table to play footsie with her. When her parents left for a bathroom break after dinner, she texted Ryan, “I’m at the table and I took my shoes off. I miss you.â€￾

On the ride home, Ryan texted back: “I miss you too. Come to my place maybe?â€￾

“I could do that,â€￾ Erin replied. And so when they got home, Erin hurriedly made up an excuse about seeing some friends, rushed to her car, and took off for Ryan’s apartment.

Erin knew where Ryan lived, but she had never been to his place. And as she climbed the stairs, she felt a bit nervous. She stopped in the hall and made sure her sweaterdress was pulled down, that her hair was straight. At last, she was at the door, and knocked softly.

“Come on in,â€￾ Ryan said. “It’s unlocked.â€￾

Erin opened the door and walked in. She unbuttoned her coat and hung it up by the door. She was going to slip her pumps off, but she wanted Ryan to see them first. “Should I take off my shoes?â€￾ she asked.

“Nah, keep them on,â€￾ Ryan said.

Erin stepped out from the entryway into the living room. Ryan’s place was well-furnished for a bachelor pad, and surprisingly neat. He was reclined on the couch, alone, watching a hockey game on television. He was still in his slacks and dress shirt, his collar loosened and his tie missing. “Hey, Erin,â€￾ he said, sitting up and leaning forward.

“Hi,â€￾ Erin said, walking over and sitting on the couch. “I like your apartment.â€￾ She crossed her left leg over her right, pointing her foot at Ryan and tucking her right foot against the couch.

“Thanks,â€￾ Ryan said. “It does the trick for now.â€￾ He paused. “I like your sweaterdress.â€￾

“Thanks,â€￾ Erin said. “It’s brand new.â€￾

“And the heels?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“Not new,â€￾ Erin said, stretching her foot to model the simple pump for Ryan. “They just don’t get worn often.â€￾

Ryan reached down and cupped his hand around Erin’s calf, sliding down to the heel of her pump. “I wanted to take them off,â€￾ he said, pulling the shoe from Erin’s stockinged heel.

“Ooh,â€￾ Erin said as she felt her shoe slide from her foot. She wiggled her nylon toes. It may have been the sexiest thing Ryan had done yet. She wanted to slip her other shoe off, but Ryan clearly wanted to do it for her.

Ryan set the empty shoe on his coffee table, then got up and walked to the kitchen. “Do you want something to drink?â€￾ he asked. “I have a bottle of moscato open in the fridge.â€￾

“Okay,â€￾ Erin said. She tried to peek into the kitchen from the couch, but her view was poor, so she stood up instead. Balancing on her left tiptoes, she walked one-shod to the kitchen, leaning against the wall as Ryan gathered two wine glasses and a corked bottle of white wine.

Ryan stopped as he closed the fridge, his eyes meeting Erin’s before darting downward to her feet. “That’s a good look for you,â€￾ he said.

“Up or down?â€￾ Erin asked, starting with her stockinged foot arched on her toes, then relaxing and landing her foot flat on the floor.

“As long as that shoe’s off, I think either way works.â€￾

Erin smiled. Walking around Ryan’s office in her stockinged feet had been an inappropriate thrill, but there was something exciting about only wearing one shoe. Just the walk from the sofa to the kitchen had been a challenge of grace. “I kinda like it,â€￾ she said as she followed Ryan with careful steps back to the sofa.


tb600
Posts: 34
Joined: Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:13 pm

Post by tb600 »

Great story hope you post the rest soon!!
paradigm88
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:54 am

Post by paradigm88 »

Well, I didn't realize that the post got cut off - I suppose it was kind of likely! Here's the little bit that got missed. Thanks to tb600 for bringing it to my attention!

---

At the sofa, Ryan set two glasses on the coffee table. He turned on a movie before picking up the wine bottle and uncorking it. Erin crossed her feet at her ankles, sliding close to Ryan on the leather couch. Ryan reached for a wine glass, but at the last second, he instead grabbed Erin’s empty left pump.

“That’s my shoe,â€￾ Erin said, laughing.

“I’ve always wanted to try this,â€￾ Ryan said, pouring some wine into Erin’s black shoe.

“Oh, my God,â€￾ Erin said through laughter.

Ryan set the bottle down on the coffee table and held up the shoe. “To cousins,â€￾ he said, pretending to toast, then he lowered the shoe to his lips, taking a sip of wine from the heel of Erin’s shoe.

Erin was amused and flattered and embarrassed. “Ryan,â€￾ she managed, still laughing at the absurdity.

Ryan set the shoe down on the coffee table. “Tastes like pleather,â€￾ he said, laughing. “No, really. Maybe it’s your feet, but I think it’s better this way.â€￾

Erin was curious and picked up her shoe, tipping the heel to her lips and taking a sip of wine. Erin liked moscato, but Ryan was right; from her pump, the wine tasted bettter. Maybe it was just the thrill of the forbidden. “Maybe we should get another glass,â€￾ Erin said, sliding her right leg up onto the sofa.

“Maybe you just want out of that extra shoe now,â€￾ Ryan said, reaching down and slipping Erin’s other pump off her foot.

“Pretty much,â€￾ Erin said, trembling as her right pump dropped to the floor. “I kept taking them off at dinner, but I didn’t have your feet to rub on.â€￾

Erin and Ryan shifted on the couch, trying to settle on a position, at last just sitting close to each other, with Erin rubbing her feet up and down Ryan’s legs. Erin felt relaxed and comfortable, and toward the end of the movie, she felt herself nodding off. During the credits for the movie, Ryan got up, returning with a glass of water for Erin.

And there they sat on the leather sofa, as the credits rolled on the TV in front of them. Erin folded her legs onto the sofa, flexing her stockinged toes and brushing Ryan’s thigh, as if to beg for a foot rub.

“When do you go back to school?â€￾ Ryan asked hesitantly.

“Tomorrow,â€￾ Erin said. “I guess I’m sort of looking forward to it.â€￾

“It was nice having you in town,â€￾ Ryan said.

“It was nice being here,â€￾ Erin said, grinding her toes into Ryan’s thigh, wiggling one foot into his pant pocket.

“So where do we go now?â€￾ Ryan asked.

“What do you mean?â€￾ Erin looked over at Ryan.

“Well, you’re going to be back at school,â€￾ Ryan said. “I’m gonna be back here.â€￾

“I can send you pictures,â€￾ Erin said, twisting her legs to wiggle her feet into Ryan’s lap.

“I know,â€￾ Ryan said. “But pictures are a tease. I kind of want these instead.â€￾ He began kneading Erin’s feet.

“Aww,â€￾ Erin said. “Me, too. I mean, I want your massages.â€￾

Erin and Ryan sat in silence as Ryan rubbed Erin’s feet. At last, Erin said, “Ryan, we are cousins.â€￾

“I know,â€￾ Ryan said. “I like having you in my life, too.â€￾

“Me, too,â€￾ Erin said. “I just feel bad stringing you along.â€￾

“You’re not stringing me along,â€￾ Ryan said. “I know what I’m doing.â€￾

The mumble of the television and the sound of Ryan’s hands on Erin’s tights were the only noises in the room. Erin felt like they both knew what had to be said, and they both knew what response they would have, so there was no need to ruin the moment.

At last, Erin got up and gathered her shoes. She slipped on her right pump first, then her left, her sole feeling cool and moist as the few drops of moscato in her shoe soaked into her tights. Erin disliked having wet feet, but the feeling this time made her smile. As Ryan walked her to the door, Erin gave her cousin a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,â€￾ she whispered.

“For what?â€￾ Ryan asked in a hushed tone.

“For this,â€￾ Erin said as she stepped into the hallway.

Ryan smiled wistfully as he eased the door closed.

Erin took a few steps from the door, then paused. She went back to Ryan’s apartment door, slipped off her pumps, and left them at the door. And then Erin padded down the hall in her black tights, ready to drive home.

…

Erin smiled as she rubbed her feet together. Ryan deserved so much more than a thank-you. Erin and Ryan kept texting after she returned to college, but Ryan lightened up a little on his flirting, and Erin only sent the occasional photo of her shoes and feet. They were cousins, after all.

In many ways, though, Erin was a changed woman. Her attention to her wardrobe, and particularly her shoes and hosiery, was Ryan’s lasting legacy. It probably did not help that as a graduation gift, Ryan had sent her a pair of expensive Wolford stockings, her first Wolfords (and, she thought as she rubbed her right foot in the arch of her left, certainly not her last). And she had had success at finding boyfriends who would indulge in her shoeplay habits, though Brady fell short on that list. Erin was growing bored with his lack of interest. Love her, love her feet, she thought.

Erin looked over at Ryan’s girlfriend Lilly in the chair next to hers, as Lilly played with her white-stockinged feet. She was smart, sweet, and shoeless. Ryan had deserved a girl like her, and at last, he had one. He was the happiest he had been in a while, and Erin could see why.

“He’s only a little more discreet now,â€￾ Lilly continued, laughing. “We were at my nonprofit’s holiday party. I was wearing these four-inch heels and the insole started to come apart, and my feet were killing me. So naturally I started complaining to him.â€￾

“Well, that’s unfair to him,â€￾ Erin said. As she said that, she glanced across the room, where Ryan was talking to Brady. Ryan looked over at just the right time. Erin flexed her toes back and forth, and smiled at her cousin. Erin knew a little something about being unfair to Ryan.

Ryan’s eyes met Erin’s for the slightest instant, and he smiled back.

---

As always, comments are welcome!
OceanWaves3947
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:19 am

Post by OceanWaves3947 »

I have to say that this is, by far, the best story I have read (well, technically, listened to; I usually highlight the text and have my phone convert it to speech with most stories that I consume on this forum, as I find it more convenient, given the text being small and closely-spaced on my phone’s screen, and strange characters appearing at random spots in the text due to some weird technical issue or something that interrupt the flow of the story) so far on this forum. Keep up the fantastic work!
Would you mind if I were to pen fanfiction inspired by this story? If so, how much stuff do I have your permission to add? Could I make up wholly new characters related to the ones mentioned in this story, for instance? And, if so, would you consider my fanfiction to be canon, and to take place in the same universe as your original stories? Thank you.
paradigm88
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:54 am

Post by paradigm88 »

I have to apologize for the formatting - I swear when I pasted it in, the quotation marks and such all converted correctly. I've never had an issue in the past. It definitely needs an edit now.

But thank you for the compliments! OceanWaves, you're welcome to write based on the characters (and if you look back for the two previous stories that sort of set this one in motion, they might give you more guidance on the characters as I conceived them). Truth be told, I had another story in mind but didn't have any concrete plans to write for these characters anymore. I'm always leery to say I'd call them canon - if only because I have such concrete ideas as to where the characters are going - but I'd never say never, and I'd never say "don't share where you think the story could go." Feel free to direct-message me if you have any questions in deeper detail.

Xzzzy, it's an intriguing thought. Though for them to "go for it" then would have unwritten the entire story that brought Erin to be in the first place! When I came up with Lilly's character, this tale was nowhere on the horizon; it just seemed like a cool tangent to follow, as well as an interesting plotline to dig into. Many of us have been drawn to a cousin; it's family but not exactly, it's often within our own age bracket, and it's a temptation we can't discuss openly as much as we'd like to. Not to mention the college and post-college days are often barren for those of us with a nylon fixation.
OceanWaves3947
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:19 am

Post by OceanWaves3947 »

I do not usually dictate my stories when writing them; I usually just type them out, although I do sometimes listen to it afterwards, and sometimes I do record a spoken version after I am finished writing.
By the way, JoshJack, how long have you been writing stories? I know you mentioned that you were writing stories on Legs And Heels.com, including the classic Maggie stories, which I found to be from 2003. What was the earliest story you’ve ever written? And do you still have it?
OceanWaves3947
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Dec 22, 2017 11:19 am

Re: All In The Family: A Long Tale Of First Experiences

Post by OceanWaves3947 »

Paradigm88:
Does Erin ever wear flip-flops, slides, or Birkenstock sandals? And, if she does, does she ever shoeplay with them? Did she ever wear one of those and shoeplay with them before she found out from her suitemate that some guys have foot fetishes?
paradigm88
Posts: 377
Joined: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:54 am

Re: All In The Family: A Long Tale Of First Experiences

Post by paradigm88 »

OceanWaves3947 wrote: Fri Apr 27, 2018 8:58 pm Paradigm88:
Does Erin ever wear flip-flops, slides, or Birkenstock sandals? And, if she does, does she ever shoeplay with them? Did she ever wear one of those and shoeplay with them before she found out from her suitemate that some guys have foot fetishes?
I'm sure Erin has a pair of sandals or two. She is a girl, after all. Probably flip-flops or slides; I can't imagine her the type of girl to wear Birkenstocks. (Though she did wear her Uggs barefoot.)

Did she play with them? Maybe, but I'd say it was entirely subconscious if she did. She's a college girl used to comfy and effortless shoes. If they fall off easily, she's sure to get restless every now and then.

After the events of the story? We get a glimpse in "Easter Lilly." I'm sure she has the occasional beach day or yoga afternoon for flip-flops. But thanks to her cousin's guidance, she's a nylon girl now.

(This sort of has me thinking of a spin-off story in which Erin moves on from her disinterested boyfriend and looks for a more welcoming significant other.)
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