Tease to Please Ch. 07

Elise was lying on her side with her long hair sprawled about. Her arms and bare legs were collected loosely in front of her torso. Her narrow feet spooned each other.

Arthur spent the next few minutes thinking of what to do. For a week now he had been obsessing about Elise; ogling her and fantasizing. All along he had convinced himself that he would never act on his impulses in any material way, and in the back of his mind had been the comforting thought that Elise would never find out. More depressing, but equally reassuring, had been his assumption that Elise would never consider him attractive in return. Now all these assumptions lay in ruins. On both Thursday and Friday Elise had beguiled him into touching her and had made her willingness to go farther obvious. It had been HE who backed away in panic, not her.

Now he understood why; he was still in love with Sylvia. Elise's kiss (or Sylvia's kiss, depending how you looked at it) had clarified that.

And now Elise, with her own mother's blessing, was asleep in his living room. What Sylvia surely could not know was that Elise had a sex toy attached to her clitoris and a newfound love of being spanked. How on Earth, Arthur wondered, was he supposed to deny himself such a gift?

Still, he guessed he had way more to lose than Elise did. He was not married anymore, as he had been during his earlier affair with a younger woman, but he was still Elise's boss. With the critical patents and FDA permits he and Doctor Yamamoto were waiting for being so close to approval and the hoped-for sale of those assets looming in the near future, the last thing in the universe he needed was a sexual harassment claim. That would scuttle everything. Doctor Yamamoto would have no choice but to cut him out of the deal to liability-proof it for future investors. It mattered not what legal nuances might distinguish an intern from an actual employee... especially an intern who just happened to be the love of his life's daughter. It was simply too outrageous.

Arthur's mind returned to the question of Sylvia. Why, after all these years, had she decided to send him her middle daughter?

He finished the last sip of his beer and stood. He quietly put the empty bottle into a recycling bin and opened another.

Italian food, he thought, sounded good. He pulled a paper delivery menu out from under a magnet on the refrigerator and retreated to his bedroom.

An hour later Arthur returned to the living room and sat down on the edge of Elise's bed. He reached over and gently touched her ankle.

"Hey Elise," he whispered, "Wake up. Food's on its way."

Elise stirred and stretched like a cat. She propped herself up on one elbow and brushed her hair back from her face. "Sorry—" she said before being cut off by a wide yawn.

"No worries. I just didn't want you to sleep straight through and miss dinner. You must be hungry."

"Yeah. Starving actually. What time is it?"

"Almost six. I ordered some Italian. Should be here in a few minutes."

"Awesome. Let me just freshen up. Then I'll help you set the table."

Elise swung her legs to the far edge of the bed and stood. Arthur could not help but watch as she tugged her cutoff jeans down out of her petite ass. She ambled to the half-bath barefoot and shut the door.

Arthur stood up and walked to the kitchen. "Will you have a beer with dinner?" he called out.

"Ugh..."Elise groaned inwardly. After last night she shouldn't. But... she was a guest. It was important to be polite and not make Doctor Peters drink alone. She called back through the door: "Okay!"

Arthur opened two beers and stood them on the kitchen's small dinette table. Then he got out cloth napkins, two large plates and some utensils. He set it all down in the middle of the table, then walked to the stereo and turned on an old playlist of classic rock he had created ages ago.

Inside the small washroom Elise regarded her image in the mirror. Her hair was slightly matted and her lipstick was gone. She hated it when her lips looked so dry.

She wanted Doctor Peters to enjoy having her around. The BART strike might take a long time to resolve itself. The least she could do was make herself pleasant to look at. Elise pulled out her cosmetics bag and applied a fresh coat of pink to her lips followed by a thick layer of lip gloss. Then she brushed her hair until it hung straight down her back in a long, wide 'V.' Next she adjusted her t-shirt and bra, undoing one more button on the former and tightening the shoulder straps of the latter to lift her boobs a little higher. She cursed her little A-cup breasts for never allowing her to have any cleavage. Next she looked at her faded jean shorts. They were pretty cute -- her favorites in fact. But she wondered whether Doctor Peters found them too casual. Maybe, she considered, a skirt would be better for dinner. Doctor Peters was hosting her in his home after all.

Elise heard the doorbell ring and guessed it was probably the food arriving. There was no time to run to the living room to pick out a skirt. Instead she pulled an old trick from her teenage summers. She rolled up the stringy fringes of her jeans into little cuffs around her upper thighs. This made them appear less casual. She also unfastened their top button and folded the waistband down once around her hips. Then she refastened it with the top button inside-out. This lowered and tightened the waistband since it now encircled two layers of denim. She pulled the shorts up higher on her slim hips. Due to the tightened waist, they stayed. Elise turned around and admired the way the blue denim hugged her ass. The shorts' new cuffs were snugged up tight against her crotch.

"I hope this doesn't look TOO desperate," Elise fretted.

Doctor Peters called to her through the door, saying the food had arrived. Elise checked her makeup a final time and then opened the door. She walked barefoot to the dinette table where Doctor Peters stood waiting for her.

Elise wished she had her shoes on. Without them she felt especially short in front of Doctor Peters. She complimented the aroma of Italian food and tried to keep her smile casual as he held a chair back for her. Elise felt a twinge of disappointment that he had not looked her up-and-down. If he appreciated her appearance at all he was hiding it well.

The two of them ate heartily and talked. Elise attacked the Caprese salad. She was more circumspect with the pasta, meat sauce and garlic bread. Doctor Peters, by contrast, loaded up on the latter three as was his wont.

Elise recounted the full version of Saturday night's events. When she was done with her story Arthur suggested that she needed to send her friends a written apology. Elise at first assumed he meant via email, but Arthur clarified that he meant an actual handwritten letter.

"There is nothing more sincere," he said, "than a handwritten note. If you want them to forgive you anytime soon, it's the best way."

Elise agreed; though she could not remember the last time anyone she knew had sent or received a real letter. Arthur rolled his eyes and mumbled something about the slow murder of social etiquette by technology.

An hour later the dishes were done and Elise had accepted a second beer. Doctor Peters switched to water and sat down in his leather armchair, which faced the convertible sofa. The open sofa bed was the other natural place to sit, so Elise climbed onto it. She leaned back against the headboard, propped her knees up high with her bare feet planted slightly apart in front of her and took a slow sip from her beer.

Arthur anguished himself trying to avoid the view of Elise's slender thighs. Other than her tiny denim shorts she was naked from the waist down.

"You know," he began, trying to preoccupy his mind with conversation, "I had an interesting chat with Doctor Yamamoto today."

Elise coughed, almost spitting her beer. She felt a moment of total exposure, like when Wile E. Coyote runs off the edge of a cartoon cliff and hangs in midair with his legs still spinning. She wiped her mouth and tried not to look guilty.

"When I told him you would be staying here for a while he didn't seem to have much of an opinion about it," Arthur continued. "But he became surprisingly supportive when I told him about our little Consequence Game. He even volunteered to help award your cards."

Elise winced. She glanced at Doctor Peters, trying to figure out how much he knew about her interactions with the crazy Japanese doctor. She felt her facial expression admitting vast culpability.

"Can you think of any reason why he would so readily embrace that idea?" Doctor Peters continued.

Elise looked away and hid her face behind another long sip from her beer bottle. Then she quietly muttered: "Uh... no?"

Her head drooped. She hated lying to him. If Doctor Yamamoto had told him everything, about catching her masturbating in the bathroom and then installing her clit clock, it would mean her internship was already over. She scratched the paper label on her beer dejectedly with her thumbnail. Inside her head a feminine burst of tears wanted out.

"No reason, huh?" Doctor Peters said, gently stroking his beard. "Okay. Well, anyway, now that you're here, we should discuss a few house rules."

"Okay," Elise responded. She felt a glimmer of hope.

"Please abide them while you're under my roof, okay? I don't want you out drinking all night and bringing home trouble like you did to your other roommates."

"That won't be a problem, Doctor Peters. I promise."

Elise celebrated inside her mind. It seemed Doctor Yamamoto had not revealed her secrets. A relieved smile grew on her face. She took another long pull from her beer to mask it.

"Great. Now, I'm sure I'll think of other stuff once I've had more time to think about it, but for starters there are these:

"1. No guests. 2. No annoying beeps and alarms in the morning. I'll wake you up myself. 3. Please keep your area clean: this living room and the half-bath. That includes converting your bed back into a sofa each morning. You should also help with the dishes. 4. My room is off-limits except for when it's your turn to shower, which you can do while I'm having breakfast. I'll shower after. That will give you extra time to get ready for work. 5. Both doors to this apartment lock automatically. Without a key, you won't be able to get back in. That includes the connecting door between here and the lab. When you go to the lab for work, be prepared to stay there all day. 6. You can stay up as late as you like, watching TV or playing on your laptop or whatever, but please keep the volume down while I'm sleeping.

"In return," Doctor Peters continued, "you can help yourself to whatever food you want, use the phone, the Wifi and so forth. And you'll live rent-free of course, as my guest."

"Thanks, Doctor Peters," Elise replied.

Arthur set aside his water glass and adjusted himself in his chair. Then he said: "I also want to talk about our little Consequence Game. What happened last time... on Friday...you, you seemed to enjoy your first spanking a little too much, didn't you?"

Elise blushed. She took another sip of beer. Eventually she managed to look him in the eye. "Sorry."

"Well... The game's whole point is undermined if you enjoy the consequences. So I've decided to give you a choice. If you want to continue we can, or, and this is important Elise, if you want the game to end, now is your chance. I'd be fine with that. In fact it would be less work for me. Just say so and I'll tell Doctor Yamamoto that it's over."

Elise let her eyes roam Doctor Peters' bearded face. A sudden rush of affection ran through her, followed by guilt. After all the poor decisions she had made, he was allowing her to decide the best way forward -- even offering to go to bat for her against Doctor Yamamoto's wishes.

Elise realized she was much more accustomed authority figures dictating what she should do. Even this internship had been entirely her mother's invention. She felt suddenly abandoned. She hesitated and then said: "I don't... want to quit."

"You like it that much?" Arthur chuckled.

"Well, no I... I wouldn't want it to go on forever but... maybe just a little while longer?"

Elise felt her face turn pinker. She had no idea what she was doing.

"I mean," she continued, now thinking aloud, "that thing on Friday was really scary at first, but then... I learned, like, a whole new side of myself. I think... I think you should teach me more. I need it."

Arthur tipped his head back against the easy-chair and groaned melodramatically. After a moment he said: "You know you're putting me at risk of a heart attack, don't you?"

Elise met his gaze. Her shy smile returned and she took another sip of beer. She wanted Doctor Peters to continue the game and enjoy having her around but she worried that he did not take her seriously. She imagined that he just considered her a liability: a useless, troublesome little girl.

Elise lowered her beer and tried to show Doctor Peters that she could be mature and coy. She extended her legs until they were flat atop the bedspread, then gave him a smoldering look and asked: "How many red cards do I have now, Doctor Peters?"

Arthur hesitated, his gaze wandering down Elise's bare legs in an obvious way. Was she taunting him or was it just his imagination? Either way, it was working. He straightened his posture. His libido jumped to the fore and the old gravitas returned to his voice: "Five."

"Five?!" Elise gasped. "No kidding? Really!?"

"Yes, and that's being generous. You've gotten yourself into a lot of mischief this week. I should give you more after hearing that story about last night."

"But..."

"Shh," Arthur cut her off with a raised finger. His mood had flipped. "I don't want to hear a bunch of excuses. We're going to continue the game and there will be some new protocols. It'll be more work for me... but since you want my guidance, you should appreciate that I don't do things in half-measures."

Elise could not put her finger on why, but she felt relief that Doctor Peters was taking command again. She looked at him attentively and asked, "Prepare myself for what?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'm going to sleep on it. But together we're going to evolve you into a much more mature girl."

This wording choice slowly percolated through Elise's mind. She finished the last two swallows of her beer and set the empty bottle down on the small table next to her sofa bed.

The conversation was over. Arthur stood up and stretched. He rubbed his lower back where the pain of his sciatica emanated. Then he glanced at Elise's fold-out bed and asked: "In the meantime, are you comfortable enough for the night?"

"Uh-huh," Elise intoned. "Very comfortable. Thank you. I appreciate you taking such good care of me, Doctor Peters."

"Good. I'll give you 'til the end of tomorrow to earn your way out of those red cards. But first you should write that letter."

"Sure, Doctor Peters, I will. And speaking of earning cards... How's your back? You look like you're in pain."

"Oh, I just get a little sciatica from time to time."

"Sciatica, huh? It goes down your legs?"

"Yup."

Elise smiled: "I've got a trick for that, you know. People say it really works. You might even consider it worthy of a white card."

"Go on."

"It's a pressure-point technique I learned in PT school."

"Is it going to give me a heart attack?"

"No, I'm being serious. I can help you."

"Okay. Well, so... what would I have to do?"

"Nothing. Just go and change into a towel. Then lie down here." Elise gestured with a sweep of her hand.

"Oh, just that?"

"Come on, PLEASE?" Elise begged. "I've got to earn my good cards somehow. I'm actually a certified practitioner you know."

"I remember," Arthur stalled for a moment. His lower back really did feel uncomfortable. A little relief, no matter how temporary, would definitely improve his sleep. "Okay," he said.

"Cool," Elise grinned. "Where can I find an extra beach towel or something like that? I don't want to get massage oil all over this nice bed."

Arthur's curiosity perked up at the mention of oil. He directed her to a little storage closet where he kept extra stuff like folding chairs and beach towels. Then he retreated to his room, stripped naked and wrapped a fresh white cotton towel around his waist. When he returned to the living room, Elise had pulled the comforter off her bed and spread two giant towels over the bottom sheet.

"Okay Doctor Peters," she grinned, "Just lie down an' get comfy. I'll be right back."

Elise disappeared into the half bath to retrieve a bottle of massage oil form her backpack. Arthur crawled onto the fold-out bed as gracefully as a man his size could wearing only a small towel. He sprawled across the double bed face down and waited.

He felt the bed shift when Elise climbed aboard. She knelt beside his waist and popped open the spout of a squeeze-bottle.

"Sorry for the cold," she said, upturning the bottle to pour a stream of clear lotion onto Arthur's back. "It'll warm right up."

The next thing Arthur felt was a gentle turning-down of his towel to expose his tailbone. He shifted his legs, but resisted the urge to protest. Then Elise's small hands were all over him, smearing oil every which way. Arthur let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. It felt wonderful to have her ministering to his muscles again. She really did know exactly how to touch him.

As Elise worked on his broad back, layers of stress gradually erased themselves from his body and were replaced by a deep sense of calm and relaxation. He forgot all about Sylvia... and his wasted decades.

"God," he whispered about ten minutes later, "this really is nice."

Elise had secured her hair up into a coiled pile atop her head and pushed back the sleeves of her shirt. She was up to her elbows in massage oil. She used the blades of both forearms to iron out the stubborn lumps in Arthur's musculature. Occasionally she locked her arms straight and centered her shoulders above the pads of her thumbs. This helped her press deep into pressure points along either side of Arthur's lower vertebrae and tailbone. Moans emanated from her prone patient.

After twenty minutes she stopped. Arthur felt the mattress shift as Elise crab-walked sideways on her knees. Then her warm, smooth thighs landed across his calves, straddling him. A stream of fresh oil coated the backs of his legs, followed almost immediately by Elise's hands sliding in unison from his knees up to the top of each femur and back down again. An irresistible tingle of excitement ran through his groin.

Elise stroked his muscular thighs in sync using both hands. Arthur felt like he was being bathed in oil. Every time her hands slid up to the top of his legs, his penis tingled. It was growing, and he did not want it to stop. She soon began working on each thigh separately, squeezing down on his muscles with both hands. Her fingertips set off all sorts of ticklish sensations, especially when she reached his upper thigh. She was altogether ignoring the boundary of his towel. Oil ran everywhere. Arthur felt his testicles shift and tighten. Her hands ventured closer and closer on each upward journey but never quite touched him there. Nevertheless his erection was soon completely full. It lay trapped painfully to one side, crushed between the bed and his pelvis.

After about ten minutes Elise whispered behind him: "Okay Doctor Peters, time to roll over."

Arthur felt her rise off his calves. Her hands were no longer touching him. She was waiting.

"Uhhh..." Arthur stalled, aware that the little white towel had no hope of concealing the engorgement of his penis.

"Don't be embarrassed," Elise said softly. "You won't be the first guy I've seen."