Jenni stepped back from the bed and admired her handiwork. She'd tied Sally to the bed just like Sally had taught her, and her 16 year old baby-sitter was now all hers.
It was a game they'd often played when Jenni's parents were away, usually starting out with the older girl grabbing Jenni and tickling her. Jenni adored Sally, and she absolutely loved it when Sally tickled her. More often than not, like today, Sally would tickle Jenni all over for a bit, then carry the young girl to the bed, nuzzling and kissing Jenni tenderly. Then they'd usually play Jenni's favorite game, "Spy." Sally would tie Jenni to the bed and demand to know where the secret enemy missile base was. Of course Jenni always refused to tell, and Sally would bring a fingertip to each of Jenni's exposed armpits, saying, with a mischievous smile on her face, "We have ways of making people talk." Sally would then lightly stroke each fingertip up and down, up and down Jenni's armpits, and Jenni would just giggle and giggle, loving the tickling even though she could hardly stand it. They would almost always forget about the spy game and just enjoy the tickling. Sally would tickle Jenni's armpits for a while and then let her hands scramble all over Jenni's body, tickling her sides and tummy and belly button and inner thighs over and over again with her long, gentle fingers, or even with a feather duster they always kept handy. Jenni would laugh and laugh until she could hardly catch her breath, and then Sally would stop and untie her, nuzzling and kissing the child affectionately.
Most times, the game wouldn't end there, though, because Sally also loved to be tickled. Sally had taught Jenni how to use the old long socks and soft ropes that Sally used on Jenni to tie Sally to the bed and take her turn at doing the tickling.
Today was no exception. Sally had just finished making Jenni laugh and laugh. Now it was Jenni's turn to make Sally laugh. Jenni loved Sally's laugh.
Sally lay on the bed with her arms and legs stretched out, her wrists and ankles tied to the headboard and footboard. All she was wearing was a bikini and a long t- shirt because they had planned to go out to the pool before their tickling game started.
Jenni climbed up onto the bed an knelt at Sally's left side. "Ready to be tickled, Sally?" Jenni smiled.
Sally smiled sweetly at her. "Sure am, Hon. Take your best shot. Bet you can't make me say uncle."
Jenni's eyes widened. "Really?" she said gleefully. "If I make you say 'uncle', will you let me stay up tonight as much as I want to?"
Sally laughed out loud. "Sure, Sweetie, but only if you make me say 'uncle'. Otherwise, it's eight o'clock for you."
"Cool," Jenni said, bending down to kiss Sally's cheek. "This is going to be fun. Ready?"
"Ready," Sally nodded.
With that, Jenni brought both her little hands to Sally's sides, gently digging her tiny fingertips into Sally's rib cage through the t-shirt and wiggling them back and forth.
Sally threw her head back and started laughing out loud right away, and Jenni loved it. Jenni began to move her hands up and down Sally's sides, wiggling her fingertips through the fabric of Sally's t-shirt the whole time. Sally tossed her head from side to side, laughing hysterically, her blond hair sticking to the sweat on her forehead. "HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH- HAH!" she laughed. "NO-HO-HO-HO-HO! PLEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE- HEEZ! NO-HO-HO MOR-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!"
Jenni found a spot right under Sally's rib cage that made Sally squeal when she tickled her there. "Kootchy, kootchy, koo," Jenni teased. "Sally's so ticklish."
"EEEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! PLEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEZ, JENNI! NO MO-HO-HO-HO-HO-HOR!"
Jenni stopped and leaned toward Sally's face as her baby-sitter caught her breath. "'Uncle'?"
Sally giggled. "Nope."
"Tickle, tickle, tickle," Jenni said as she reached for Sally's armpits, pressing her tiny fingers in until she could just feel the stubble through the loose fabric of the t-shirt there.
"No!" Sally gasped.
"Yes!" Jenni giggled. She began to wiggle her fingertips back and forth. "Tickle, tickle, tickle."
"STAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HOP!" Sally laughed out loud. "HEE- HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! PLEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEZ!"
"Not until you say 'uncle.' Tickle, tickle, tickle." Jenni grinned.
"HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! NO-HO-HO-HO-HO! I WO-HO-HO-HO- HONT! HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!"
Jenni stopped again and let her baby-sitter catch her breath. Tears were running down Sally's face, even though she had a great big grin. Jenni leaned over and kissed Sally's wet cheek. "That's okay. This is fun. I love making you laugh." Then Jenni whispered in Sally's ear, "I know where you're REALLY ticklish!"
Sally's eyes got very wide now. "No, Sweetie, not that! You wouldn't. You wouldn't . . . tickle my feet!"
Jenni giggled as she jumped off the side of the bed. "Yup." She ran to the other side of the bed and grabbed the feather duster Sally had used on her before from the floor.
"No, not that, Hon!" Sally pleaded, a smile still lingering on her face. "Not the feather duster!"
"Yup," Jenni giggled again. "The feather duster." Jenni plopped herself onto the foot of the bed between Sally's shins and brought the duster right to Sally's right foot, lightly brushing the duster up and down along the top of Sally's foot.
"Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee," Sally giggled, wiggling her foot from side to side.
Jenni brought the duster to Sally's left foot now, gently brushing back and forth, back and forth across the instep.
"Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee! Stop it, Jenni! Hee-hee-hee-hee- hee-hee! It tickles!"
Jenni leaned slightly forward now so she could tickle the bottoms of Sally's bare feet with the soft feathers of the duster. She went from foot to foot, brushing lightly and quickly, up and down, up and down, loving Sally's helpless giggles. "I know Sally's secret," Jenni teased as she tickled and tickled. "Sally's feet are ticklish!"
"No-ho-ho-ho-ho! Stah-hah-hah-hah-hop! I tickles, silly! Tee-hee-hee-hee-hee!"
Jenni stopped suddenly, hopped off the bed, tossed the feather duster to the floor and knelt at the foot of the bed between Sally's feet, just smiling and looking at Sally's bare left foot. She loved Sally's feet. They were so pretty: the toes and arches were creamy white, and the balls and heels were such a cute pink, and they never smelled bad. They were so soft and smooth, too. She loved touching Sally's feet. Jenni brought her right hand to the sole of Sally's foot and began brushing her fingertips very gently along the ball of her foot just below the toes.
"EEK!" Sally squealed, pulling her foot back as much as she could. "No, Jenni, please! Not that!"
Jenni just giggled and started to run her little fingertips up and down the sole of Sally's foot. Even when Sally wiggled her foot back and forth and from side to side, Jenni would just keep it up, stroking with all her fingertips up and down, up and down, tickling and tickling, enjoying how soft the skin of Sally's foot felt.
"HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! IT TI-HI-HI- HI-HICKLES!" Sally cried, tossing her head from side to side again.
Jenni brought her left hand to the top of Sally's foot now and began caressing the top of the foot all over, from the toes to the ankle, all over, while she kept slowly, softly, lovingly running the fingertips of her right hand along the arch, around the heel, up to the toes, up and down, up and down.
"HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! STAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HOP! YOU'RE DRIVING ME CRA-HAY-HAY-HAY-ZEE!" Sally laughed and laughed, and Jenni tickled and tickled.
"Say 'uncle,' Sally," Jenni said as she tickled away.
"NO-HO-HO-HO-HO!"
"I know you won't, because I know you love to be tickled, especially on your feet." Jenni then stopped the tickling for a second, got to her knees and brought both her hands to both of Sally's bare feet, gently wiggling her fingertips right in the arches. "Tickle, tickle, tickle."
"NO-HO-HO-HO-HO! PLEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEEZ! STAH-HAH- HAH-HAH-HOP!"
"Say 'uncle,' then, or I'm just gonna tickle, tickle, tickle. Wiggly-iggly-iggly. Kootchy-kootchy-koo, Tickle, tickle."
"NO-HO-HO-HO-HO!"
"Yes," Jenni said, "I'm just gonna tickle and tickle. Tickle your feet. Tickle and tickle."
Sally laughed and laughed, until she was laughing so hard that she wasn't even making a sound.
This was the best part, Jenni thought. Just a little more, and then she'd stop, even if Sally didn't say 'uncle'. "Tickle, tickle, tickle," Jenni sing-songed. "Tickle your feetsies. Tickle, tickle, tickle."
"NO-HO-HO-HO-HO!" Sally laughed out loud again. "PLEE- HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEEZ! NO MORE! HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH-HAH! OKAY! HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-HEE! UNCLE! UNCLE!"
Jenni stopped tickling Sally's feet right away and jumped up and down. "Yay!" She untied Sally's ankles, ran up to the headboard, untied Sally's wrists, jumped up on the bed and gave Sally a big hug. "You lasted a REAL long time, Sally! You really like it when I tickle your feet, huh?"
Sally was still breathing hard. She gave Jenni a long squeeze. "You really know how to make me laugh, Sweetie. One of these days you're gonna be a professional tickler. When you grow up, you're gonna drive the boys crazy!"
"Yeah," Jenni grinned. "I'll bury `em in the sand at the beach and tickle their feet all day!"
Sally laughed out loud. "I bet you will. Now, what do ya say we hit the pool?"
Jenni looked into Sally's eyes. "And stay up late tonight, right?"
Sally smiled at her. "A deal's a deal, Hon."
"Cool," Jenni hugged her once more. "And maybe some tickles before bedtime?"
Sally reached down and started to tickle Jenni's sides, making the young girl squeal. "You never get enough, do you, Sweetie? Tickle, tickle, tickle."