TICKLE TOWERS      (part one)

 
 Bethany Chamberlain placed her bag of groceries on the kitchen
counter and answered her ringing telephone.  "Hello?"  "Bethany?
It's Ash.  Listen, I'm having a pool party to end all pool
parties today.  Why don't you come on by?"
 
 Bethany sighed.  Her cousin, Ashleigh, had moved into a new
condo, and she was always trying to get her to stop by.  "I
don't know, Ash, I have to clean the apartment..."
 
 Ashleigh cut in.  "Oh, come on, Beth, I am beginning to get
insulted.  What, are you afraid to come by?"  "Of course not,
but..."  "Good.  See ya in 30 minutes!  Toodles!"
 
 Bethany resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't win, so
she took a quick shower, changed, and drove over to Templeman
Towers, the condo Ashleigh lived in.
 
 When Ashleigh saw her cousin her eyes glared.  "For goodness
sakes, Beth, this is a *pool* party; where is your bathing
suit?"  Bethany stared at the floor, hemming and hawing, till
Ashleigh said, "Here!  Take this."  She thrust a bikini at her.
"It's all I have.  Loosen up for just one day, ok?  For me?"
 
 Bethany sighed and went to change into the scanty pink
2-piecer, regretting the night ahead.  Little did she know what
lay ahead!
 
 Ashleigh brought a bronzed adonis over to the chaise lounge
Bethany lounged on.  "Michael, this knockout is my cousin,
Bethany.  She's um, new here, so, uh, make her feel at home,
ok?"  Michael had a wicked gleam in his eye that gave Bethany
the willies.  "Nice to meet you, Michael, but, if you don't mind,
I really would just like to lie here for awhile."
 
 Ashleigh winked at Michael.  "No problem.  Come on, Michael,
let's let her rest."  As the two walked away Bethany couldn't
help but wonder what her cousin was up to.  She pushed these
thoughts aside and closed her eyes.
 
 After what seemed to be 5 minutes or so, Bethany felt 2 hands
on her feet.  She opened her eyes to see a handsome guy seated
at the foot of the lounge.  "Hi, there," he said devilishly.
"My name's Jason.  You looked so comfortable, yet you still have
your flip-flops on."  He gently removed them and said,"You have
lovely feet, Bethany.  They're so soft.  Are you ticklish?"
 
 Bethany's mind raced.  She knew Ashleigh had set her up.  When
they were kids, Ashleigh derived great delight in seeing her
cousin tickled.  She used to tell the other kids to hold Bethany
while several others (Ashleigh especially) would tickle her till
tears poured down her face.
 
 She had to think fast.  "No, Jason, I'm not in the least bit
ticklish, so please take your hands off my feet!"
 
 Jason grinned.  "Funny, but I hear you are extremely ticklish!"
He started to run his fingers under the soles of her feet.  She
stifled a giggle.  "Please," the words were muffled.  "Aww, is
the baby ticklish?"  He said mockingly.
 
 His fingers accelerated in rapid motions around her soles,
insteps, all the way up to Bethany's knees, a very ticklish
spot.  She burst out laughing, her entire body a mass of
quivers.  "P-p-please, don't!"
 
 Ashleigh walked over and laughed.  "Sorry cuz, but this is your
coming out party.  After this night is over, you will be
tickle-tortured beyond your wildest dreams!  Greg!  Tony!  Come
on, let's take her inside!"
 
 Bethany kicked Jason's hands away and made a run for it.  She
heard Ashleigh scream, "Get her!  Now she'll get DOUBLE the
torture!"
 
 Bethany ran into the lobby.  Seeing a door leading to the
basement, she opened it and ran down the steps, to at a time,
till she reached the boiler room.  "Hi, Beth," a voice said.
She turned around, horrified to see Max, Ashleigh's older
brother, standing there.  "Please, Max, pretend you didn't see
me," she pleaded.  He shook his head and grinned.  "Sorry,
Bethany, you might just as well accept it.  Come with me," he
held a hand out.  "No!" she screamed.  He sighed.  "OK, have it
your way.  I guess we'll have to do this the hard way."
 
 He reached for her and whispered in her ear.  "Are you still
ticklish here?" and started tickling her under arms.  She
doubled over and squealed with horror/ delight.  "Now, I'll stop
if you come along with me."  "OK,OK, I'll go with you!" she
gasped.
 
 As they reached the top of the steps, Ashleigh greeted them
with a sneer.  "Ready for a good laugh, cuz?"  She pulled out
several stiff feathers from behind her back.
 
 
   TICKLE TOWERS <part 2>
 
 
 
   Bethany struggled in vain to  pull free as Tony and  Greg
dragged  her  out  to  the  pool  area.    Ashleigh  laughed
devilishly and said, "Well, cuz, do you have anything to say
before your  punishment?"   Bethany's heart  pounded.  "Ash,
I'm sorry I tried to get away, but can you blame me?   After
all..."  "Enough!"  Ashleigh snapped.  She walked over to  a
large  contraption  that  stood  near  the  middle  of   the
solarium.  It had a large white drop cloth covering it,  but
it was off at the snap of her wrist.  Bethany was  horrified
to see what appeared to be  a torture rack!  It was  made of
wood and cast metal, with stocks for the hands and feet.
 
   Confine her on Mercy!"   Ashleigh ordered Greg  and Tony.
"M-mercy?!?"    Bethany  swallowed  hard.    She was swiftly
restrained  on  Mercy,  her  hands  and feet immobile in the
stocks.
 
   "Don't bother  asking, cuzzy  dear; you'll  soon find all
about Mercy!"   Ashleigh smiled that  smirk that Bethany  so
hated.  "Max, please," Bethany said plaintively.  "Help me!"
 
   Max chuckled softly.  "Come on, Beth, why don't you  just
relax  and  give  it  a  go?   You might actually enjoy it!"
"Enough stalling!"   Ashleigh  bellowed.   She pulled  out a
black kerchief and proceeded  to blindfold Bethany with  it,
so that her cousin wouldn't  know how, when, or by  whom the
tickle-torture would be.
 
   Ashleigh stood over  Bethany, who was  trying desperately
to    free    herself.        Ashleigh   bared   her   long,
perfectly-manicured   fingernails,   lightly   dragging    a
fingernail along  Bethany's right  side.   Ashleigh got  the
response  she  was  hoping  for.   Bethany's most sensitive,
ticklish spot were  her sides, so  she nearly jumped  out of
her restraints at her cousin's teasing.
 
   "Ah, I've hit the proverbial nerve," Ashleigh said.   She
bared her nails  again, this time  lightly scraping all  ten
nails along  Bethany's sides.   Bethany  shrieked.  "Please,
Ash, not there!  Haha!"
 
   Ashleigh  ignored  her  cousin's  plea  and  proceeded to
mercilessly tickle  Bethany.   In rapid-fire  motion she ran
her fingers all over Bethany's sides, belly and under  arms,
causing  Bethany  to  laugh  so  hard  tears rolled down her
cheeks.
 
   "Hahahaha!!!  No!  Please!  Hahahaha!!!"  Bethany writhed
in  torturous  tickles.    Ashleigh  suddenly.    "You know,
Bethany, dear, you look awfully pale.  You could really  use
some color!"  She reached  behind Mercy to pull out  a blush
makeup  kit.    She  removed  the  brush and ran it all over
Bethany's  upper  torso,  causing  Bethany  to  go wild with
hysterical  laughter.    Her  voice  was  hoarse  when   she
screamed, "Oh god, Ash, I beg of you, please stop!!!"
 
   Ashleigh  had  a  satisfied  look  on  her face.  "There!
You've  said  the  magic  word!"    She  stopped  the brutal
tickling  and  motioned  for  Tony  and  Greg  to remove the
restraints and blindfold.  Bethany lay there, exhausted from
her  ordeal.    All  of  Ashleigh's  friends  applauded  her
mastery.  She took a bow and sat down.  Then an older  woman
entered the solarium and said giddily, "Marvelous,  Ashleigh
dear, you were  simply brilliant!"   She turned to  Bethany,
who was still on Mercy.   "Well, my dear, how did you  enjoy
your ordeal?"
 
   "I hated  every minute  of it!"   Bethany  spat the words
out.  "I'm getting out of here -- and fast!"
 
   The woman  clucked her  tongue in  a condescending manner
that both angered and frightened Bethany.  "Hmmm, I see that
you're a very ungrateful young woman who hasn't learned what
she's been taught.  You're a wild horse that needs taming --
at once.   Welcome  to Tickle  Towers.   You will learn many
things,  but  first  you  must  be  taught  a lesson.  Greg,
handcuff her arms behind her back.  Michael!"  The young man
Ashleigh had  introduced Bethany  to earlier  stood.   "Yes,
Mrs. Davidson?"
 
   "Bring her to Malachi -- immediately!"  At the mention of
the  name  Malachi  everybody  gasped  and whispered amongst
themselves, heightening Bethany's fears.
 
   Who was this  Malachi, and what  ticklish torture did  he
hold  in  store  for  our  heroine?    Tune  in  to the next
installment of TICKLE TOWERS!!!