The next days passed with some semblance of normality. Niki recovered from our misguided anal adventure and she had a whirlwind week of study prep and soccer practice. I continued helping my friend with some consulting work and hardly had any spare time. Our nightly foot massages resumed, and life was good. Niki had spoken with Heather midweek and reported that her grandma was not doing well, and her mom still didn’t know what was going to happen.
It was Friday evening, and I was making dinner when Niki burst through the door in a whirlwind of excitement. She had come from soccer practice and I expected her to be tired, so this burst of energy was unexpected.
“I got invited!” she yelled. “I got invited to the prom! I didn’t think it would happen since our school doesn’t do prom and I’m only a sophomore but Jason picked me as his date! I have to call my mom!”
“Jason who…?” I called. But she had already disappeared into her bedroom and I was talking to myself. Prom? Jason? What the heck? I’ll be totally honest, for a brief moment, it felt like a knife stabbed my heart. How could she? What about us?
But as quickly as the pain flared it dissipated as my rational side took control. Of course she should be dating boys her age. What the fuck was I thinking? Yeah, but part of you is in love and wants to own this teen, sick as that may be. I shook my head to knock some sense into it. I was happy for her. This was a good thing. She needed to have complete emotional growth during her teenage years and this was how it starts. Yeah, but still…
Eventually, I called her for dinner and asked to hear all about her prom date.
“His name is Jason Beck and he’s a junior at the public high school,” she said before stuffing a forkful of salad in her mouth and chewing rapidly. “He’s on the honor roll and plays Varsity baseball. Jason’s school is throwing the junior prom. He lives next door to my friend Ashley and has seen me around the neighborhood. During my soccer practice today, he came by and asked me to be his date.” She spoke so rapidly that the words were almost a continuous flow.
“Wow! How exciting,” I managed to say almost enthusiastically.
She forked a cube of beef stew and almost made it to her mouth before she froze with eyes wide looking almost panic-stricken.
“Oh no! I need to buy a dress and shoes and find a place to do my hair and makeup and nails and a million other things! I’ve never been to a formal before and my mom isn’t here and, and…”
I could see she was getting ready to cry so I went to her and hugged her tightly. She buried her face in my neck and I could feel warm tears.
“Don’t worry at all. I’ll take you anywhere you need to go and help you with the dress and everything else. We can have your mom with us on video chat so she doesn’t miss a thing. It’s all going to be just perfect, I promise.”
“Really?” she said through tear-stained eyes. “That would be so wonderful!”
She jumped up and wrapped me in a bear hug and smothered my face with kisses before giving me one full deep kiss on the lips. Dinner forgotten, she scurried back to her bedroom to call her girlfriends and her mom again. Replaying what just happened, I was struck by her emotional flexibility. How she managed to give me an erotic kiss all the while being excited about her date with a new boy was beyond me. Somehow, I would need to figure out a way to survive this latest twist.
The next week was spent going from shop to shop with Niki and her sixteen-year-old girlfriends trying on dresses and shoes. I had a wild time sitting by the dressing room as these three lovely teens strutted and modeled every type of prom dress. For hours I was entertained with glimpses of visible bra straps, bodices clutched to naked chests, and the occasional panty flash.
Niki was a little vixen and every once in a while, when no one was looking, she would lift her dress to show me her undies or drop a strap and flash me her boobs. And there I would sit enjoying the show with a raging hard-on trapped in my jeans.
Niki picked a beautiful two-piece sparkly lavender floor-length gown, with the skirt featuring a side-slit that ended mid-thigh and a halter-style top that exposed a lovely expanse of her toned abdomen. It fit like a glove, clinging to her slender frame and curving over her ass like a second skin. The halter top had spaghetti straps and structured cups so that no bra was needed, and with Niki’s figure, it looked custom-made on her. Even her girlfriends looked a bit jealous.
Niki’s mom watched much of the activity through video chat and was on board with the selection. She even helped Niki with footwear selection, picking a stylish pair of glittery sling-back open-toed pumps. Now all that was left was to choose hair and makeup, and Heather already had several ideas for them.
Now that the shopping frenzy was over the next few days were routine and quiet until Niki received a call from her mom. I heard them talking in the other room and suddenly Niki cried out in anguish. I held my breath waiting to find out what happened. Soon Niki walked slowly into the living room and handed me the phone.
“Mom would like to speak with you.”
I could see Niki had tears in her eyes and I feared the worst.
“Hello, Heather?” I managed to say.
“Hi, Bill, yeah it’s me. Sorry to drop this on you but my mom has been moved to hospice and doesn’t have much time left. I want Niki to fly out to visit her one last time. If I make the reservations, can you get Niki to the airport?”
I, of course, agreed, and the next day I watched as Niki disappeared through the airport security checkpoint. The airline had provided a chaperone for her so I knew she would be in good hands until Heather picked her up at the other end.
The next few days passed in a blur. Niki texted me a few times just to say she was okay, but I could tell from her words that she was depressed. I tried to keep busy with my consulting stuff, but it was obvious that Niki’s absence left a big void in the house and my heart. I was seeing a preview of what life would be like once Heather returned.
Finally, it was Friday and Niki was on her way back home. When I picked her up she seemed mostly okay but saddened by the experience. I tried to make conversation but got nothing back except one and two-word replies. She declined my offer to get dinner, so we just went home to make do.
Niki didn’t join me for TV that night instead choosing to listen to music in her room. Around ten o’clock she poked her head out to say goodnight and that was it. I flipped aimlessly around the channels but my mind was too preoccupied to watch anything. So, by midnight I gave up and headed to bed.
I was in a deep sleep around two o’clock when I felt someone shaking my arm. I tried to ignore it but it wouldn’t stop. As I struggled back to consciousness, I heard a small voice asking me to wake up. I opened my eyes and saw Niki standing over me. She was partially illuminated by the light from the hallway and I could see she had been crying. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were wet, making her look so very young and vulnerable.
“Can I stay with you tonight?” she said trying not to cry. “I can’t sleep because I’m sad and don’t want to be alone.”
“Of course you can, baby,” I said as I sat up in bed. “Let me pull the covers down and you can climb in the other side.”
She wriggled herself under the blankets and laid close to my side. I helped her turn so that we were spooning and I could wrap my arms around her trembling body.
“Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything, you know. Let me help.”
It took her a moment but eventually she started to speak. She poured out her heart about her grandmom and how after losing her dad she couldn’t bear to lose another close relative. She worried that her mom would be alone and have no one to love except for her. On and on she poured out her fears and all I could do was murmur useless words and hug her tightly.
At last, she had run out of words to say and fell silent. I kissed her softly on the neck and felt her body relax as she finally fell asleep. She was soft and warm and felt so good in my arms I never wanted to let her go. It took me a while but sleep finally came as my brain fretted over this young teen, wondering what I could do to help.
More days passed and Niki’s mood slowly returned to normal as schoolwork and soccer consumed her attention. Niki and Heather spoke daily, and I could see her gradually adjusting to her family’s reality. Prom was also on Niki’s mind with the celebration fast approaching. She’d reserved a hair and makeup appointment and as a gift, I’d rented a stretch limo for the couple and their friends. I insisted on meeting Jason before their date and did my best to put the fear of God in him about respecting Niki. I could see he thought I was being overly dramatic until something he saw in my eyes changed his mind.
Finally, the big day arrived and Niki was gone much of the afternoon getting herself primped and polished. She skipped dinner entirely and when she finally emerged from her bedroom my heart caught in my throat. She was a magnificent study in lavender and scarlet. I had forgotten how well the gown fit her svelte body.
The skirt was high-waisted, starting just above her navel and extending down to the floor clinging to every curve along the way. The matching halter top exposed just a bit of bare midriff and molded itself around her breasts exposing just enough cleavage to be a little sexy. I know where Jason will be staring most of the night!
Encircling her neck was the fine gold chain and small heart pendant I had given her. As before the heart was nestled just above the vee between her breasts. She stood tall and slim on glittery heels, almost reaching my height. The stylist had done a masterful job on her hair with twists and braids all gathered into a swirl of red on the top and back of her head. It looked very formal but was softened by two twisty curls of hair loosely falling on either side of Niki’s face. Her look was finished off with a light dusting of natural makeup and a beautiful touch of pale lavender polish on her fingers and toes. No fashion model in the world ever looked as good as Niki did at that moment.
“Niki,” I could barely whisper, “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life. You are stunning. I can’t even form words.”
I could see her blush furiously as she murmured back, “Thank you.”
As if on cue the doorbell rang and the commotion began. Her date arrived quickly followed by the other couples. I could see the rented limo gliding down the street, so I hustled everyone into the backyard for pictures. I took a few dozen photos of the couples but focused mainly on Niki.
I live-streamed the whole thing which allowed Niki’s mom and grandmom to watch it all from the hospice room. Niki was over the moon with excitement and it gladdened my heart to see her so happy. Everyone was behaving themselves and having a good time but a toot from the limo driver reminded us of the need to get moving. I herded the gang back through the house to the front yard where the limo waited.
As the kids piled into the spacious interior Niki broke free and ran over to me. We hugged each other tightly and she kissed me chastely on the cheek. I looked into her eyes and saw a maturity I hadn’t seen before.
“Thank you for this, for all this, and everything else these past months,” she said softly in my ear.
Any hope of a reply caught in my throat as she scampered to the limo and got in. Rallying my voice I walked to the limo and leaned inside the open door.
“Listen well, men,” I bellowed. “All of you are lucky enough to be going to prom with the prettiest girls on the planet. But they are only sixteen and seventeen years old so remember the midnight curfew. None of you wants me or any of the fathers hunting you down if you are late. Are we clear?”
A chorus of “Yes sirs” blasted out of the interior in reply. I stepped back, pushing on the door and looked once more at Niki to catch her eye. She was smiling broadly swiveling her head to meet my eyes. We held for a moment as she pursed her lips and blew me a silent kiss just as the door closed. I stood watching the limo drive away, lingering a bit longer even after it had disappeared from view.
Reluctantly I dragged myself back to the house for a fretful evening of hoping Niki was having a good time and worrying that she was having too good of a good time. To help pass the hours I called Heather to see how she was faring through all this. She seemed less worried than me but she did commiserate about how fast kids grow up and how soon Niki would be going off to college. Heather feared an empty nest as I did too, but for very different reasons.
I was dozing in my chair when I heard the front door open. I glanced at the clock and saw it was just past midnight, so score a point for Jason and curfews. Niki breezed into the room looking radiant and a little tired. It was a late night for her and I imagined the adrenaline rush had mostly subsided.
She was barefoot carrying her shoes in one hand and a gift bag in the other. Her hair was slightly disheveled and I could see that her makeup needed a bit of freshening. Nothing unusual for a girl who probably danced for hours and maybe even did some necking in a dark corner of the ballroom.
“How was it? Was it everything you wanted it to be?”
She laid down on the sofa in her familiar position and dropped her shoes to the floor. Pulling her long skirt up to her knees she placed both bare feet on my lap and gave me a look that said, ‘you know what to do’. I smiled and started gently massaging what must have been very tender feet after so many hours in heels.
“It was amazing, wonderful, romantic, silly, funny, and a million other adjectives,” she said. “It was everything I expected and so much more. Most of the kids were older than me and my girlfriends but almost everyone was very friendly and for the few who weren’t, Jason always stood up for me.”
“He sounds like a great guy,” I said trying to sound sincere. “Boys his age are under a lot of peer pressure, and it would’ve been easy for him to take the safe route and join in the joking. The fact that he stood up for you in the face of peer pressure says a lot about his character. Something to remember when dating in the future.”
“Yeah, he was great. When we danced, he even asked my permission before touching certain places like my backside. He made me feel special. Later we held hands, did some kissing, and I even let him squeeze my boob once or twice. But we never went any farther and when he dropped me off, he asked if he could see me again. I’m not sure I want to, but I’ll think about it. He’s so much older and we hardly even like the same things!
Foot massage finished, Niki headed off to text her mom about the evening and then to bed. I revisited our conversation and was happy that she was comfortable enough around me to tell me even the intimate details. I thought it was funny that a twelve-month age gap with Jason seemed insurmountable to her. And it made me realize again how fleeting and temporary this thing she and I had was.
Passion and heat like ours could not last. Eventually, it would either fade away or explode in a ball of destructive fire. As I headed off to bed, I was blissfully unaware of how prophetic my words were and just how soon this fantasy would end.
For the next few days, Niki floated on a cloud of memories from her big night. Many of the girls in her class were buzzing about how lucky she was to be invited by an older boy. I had emailed her the gown pictures I took and several of her classmates said she looked super-hot.
Niki’s school even contacted me to get permission to use one of my pictures in the next yearbook. It was a heady time only dampened slightly by the Thursday playoff game which saw Niki’s soccer team get eliminated. But Niki was too happy to let it bother her for long and soon the disappointment was in her rearview mirror.
Another Friday evening had rolled...
