Shelly's First Holoku

Chapter 7


Nathan's set was a huge success, and Shelly felt proud to have contributed to it. The closer she got to her entrance the more she had worried about dancing in a dress that ravished her with such intense ticklish sensations. The moment her cue came she forgot all about it. Well, almost. The entire time she was on stage she felt the satin teasing her body, but the effect was more like encasing her in a bright aura of passion. She was certain that the audience could sense the effect it had on her, lighting up her performance with an unmistakable joy that expressed perfectly the love and seduction her danced was intended to convey. As she went off, feeling very pleased with her performance, she wondered if this was the reason Auntie Marge spent so much money on her costumes, and why her girls were so consistently good.

When the show was over the backstage area was crowded with well-wishers. After awhile Marilyn had to shoo them outside to make way for the main show.

Nathan was piled so high in leis that his head was barely visible. Tish was there, looking gorgeous in a tiny black satin dress that molded itself to her voluptuous body and made her legs look a mile long. How her brother had managed to land such a beautiful girlfriend still mystified her, but tonight it made her feel kind of proud. When she realized that Tish was wearing satin she could not help wondering if it felt as good as her holoku. She wished she had a dress like that, one that would not look so out of place in public while tickling her the way her holoku did.

Before they moved outside Shelly watched with intense curiosity as half a dozen female dancers in the main show went in and out of the dressing room, which was packed with male and female dancers. These six wore brightly colored holokus, exactly like hers only in deep, rich hues that covered the spectrum of a rainbow. She was not so bold as to go into the dressing room to check out how much if any underwear they wore under theirs, but to her watchful eye there was no sign of any when they came out. The idea of six gorgeous women enduring the same ticklish torment she was gave her goosebumps.

Just before the last of the well-wishers spilled out into the ally Shelly let her thoughts drift into a fantasy, and for some inexplicable reason it was quite different than what she thought up before the show. She pictured all six dancers engaged in a tickling contest, but its most important feature was the atmosphere surrounding it. It reminded her of the many popular paintings a number of local artists had made recently, portraying women in relaxed, even languid scenes, idyllic settings in which they strung leis or helped each other get dressed for hula. The six dancers gathered in the dressing room after the show, still wearing their holokus and eager to be rid of the constant ticklish torment. The contest was to determine who got to change first, then second, and so-on. They formed two lines of three, standing face to face, the pairs close enough to be within easy reach of each other. They had to stand with their feet together and hold their left hand at the nape of their neck, and not move from that position. Upon signal, each dancer used her right hand to tickle the woman opposite her. Each time a woman moved either her feet or her left hand she was considered the looser, and her partner the next up in the standings. The last one who managed to not move her feet or her left hand got to change. Her partner did not have to do the next round, but she could not change until the next round was over. The looser of the last round had to stand with both arms behind her neck and let the others tickle her for as long as they liked.

The thing that Shelly liked about this fantasy was the attitude they all had. It was not a contest to determine winners and losers so mach as a means to have fun. She imagined that they all enjoyed the strange pleasure of being tickled by their dresses as much as she did, and while she had no idea what it would feel like to have someone run their fingers over the satin, the notion that it would feel even more excruciating and yet pleasurable in the same way her dress felt pleasurable was very intriguing. There was no bondage, no real suffering, only a group of women having a great time seeing who could stand being tickled the longest, with a not too sever punishment for the one who came in last.

Just as she was putting the finishing touches on this scene the group of six came out of the dressing room and stood together next to the stage, whispering excitedly and laughing a lot. Their dresses caught the light coming from the ceiling spots, sending ripples of silvery highlights flowing over their almost too-perfect bodies. For Shelly it was a magical moment. She shut out the surrounding din and studied the group while rolling the scene over and over in her head until Marilyn made them leave.

A few minutes after they went out into the cool night Richard slid up to her.

"Nathan tells me I have the honor of your company tonight. If it's all right with you I know this terrific little place where we can get something to drink."

Shelly had not seem him approach, mostly because her mind was still clinging to that warm, gracious scene with the dancers. She jerked into recognition, feeling at once a little embarrassed at looking so startled, hoping Richard did not take it as criticism.

"That sounds great!" she exclaimed.

They waited a few minutes, until the last of the fans had left and Nathan had gone inside with Tish.

"Shall we?" Richard said, bowing decorously while pointing an arm toward the entrance to the alley.

Richard led her out to the sidewalk, along the bustling street, then down another alley until they came to what looked like a private home. Throughout the short journey Shelly felt the eyes of every passer-by on her, but being with Richard made her feel totally safe. He was, after all, her brother's manager and good friend, and a well respected person in the entertainment industry. She was proud to be with him, and confident that he was not going to try anything weird.