Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Title: 'Defeeting' Autism
Author: Shushali
Summary: When an autistic tween girl's odd behavior drives away female
caregivers, her mother tries hiring a man.  However, her daughter's
'special needs' may be more than he can handle.  (~34K words)
Keywords: gM, coer, slow, feet, oral, ped



   'Defeeting' Autism





   "Hi, you must be Jason," Tara said after opening the front door and
greeting the man outside.

   "Yes, and you are. . .  ?" Jason said as he extended his hand.

   "Tara; please, come in," she said as she shook his hand.  Then she held
open the door and gestured for him to follow her to the living room.

   As Jason made his way inside, he was impressed with her beautiful home.
While it looked nice from the tree-lined street, the interior was
impeccable.  Although she hadn't asked him to do so, he kicked off his
shoes at the front door.  The floors were covered in beige wall-to-wall
carpet, and while his shoes were clean, he didn't want to take any chances.
Since she wasn't wearing shoes, he figured it would be best to take off his
own.  As he did this, he found himself glad that he decided to dress up
this morning.

   "Can I be perfectly frank with you, Jason?" Tara asked as she sat down
while nodding that he should do the same.

   "Of course," Jason said as he took a seat across from her.  French
colonial furniture filled the living area, and he could see a gorgeous
mahogany dining set in the adjoining room.

   "Although my daughter has autism, I'm looking for someone to take care
of her in an. . .  unconventional way."

   "Daughter?  The ad said you had a son," Jason said as his eyebrows
raised.  While he had no objection to taking care of a girl, he assumed
that people wouldn't want a 'man' for the job.  Despite his experience, he
knew that there tended to be a reluctance by parents to have their
daughters cared for by male caregivers.  While he was irked by this kind of
stereotype, he had long since accepted it as a fact of life.

   "I know that my ad was a bit. . .  off, and I'm sorry if this wasn't
what you expected.  Allow me to explain. . ."

   "Please do," Jason said as he cast a strong gaze at Tara.  He wondered
why she was deliberately misleading with the sex of her child.  He took a
moment to take a closer look at Tara, given the circumstances.  She seemed
to be around forty, and was well kempt.  Her burgundy above-the-knee
sweater dress fit snugly, without being too revealing.  When she crossed
her legs while sitting down, her nightshade pantyhose accentuated calves
that were well toned.  Although not fully visible, he could see that her
toes had french tips, just as her fingers did.  Her golden-brown hair was
tied up in a neat bun that sat demurely on her head.

   "Initially my ad said I had a daughter, but the women who answered it
weren't willing to deal with my daughter's. . .  'unique behavior'.  I
figured if I said I had a son, some men might apply, and it would broaden
my pool of applicants."

   "--Is she violent?" Jason asked without waiting to hear if she had more
to say.  While he had recent experience in dealing with autistic children,
he wasn't keen on dealing with a violent girl.  As much as he would treat
her with care, being a man that has to restrain a girl is something that
made him feel like he had a rock in his stomach.  He never wanted to be
accused of 'touching' a child in an inappropriate way.  If she was ever
unruly, restraining her as she struggled and screamed to get free wasn't a
comfortable thought to him.

   "Violent?  Oh heavens no, not at all.  But she has certain--how can I
put this--unique 'behaviors'. . .  that make it difficult to find someone
suitable."

   "What kind of . . .  'behaviors'?"

   "I'll get to that in a moment, but first I wanted to mention that I'm
willing to pay top dollar for the right person.  My husband and I are
divorced, so it's just the two of us here.  It wouldn't be a demanding
job."

   "Wouldn't it be better if you found a woman to care for her?  I don't
know what her needs are, but if she requires 'personal hygiene' assistance,
wouldn't a woman be more. . .  suitable?"

   "First off, as much as some people may make the assumption, I don't
believe that all men are perverts.  Secondly, my home has cameras in every
room, so I'll know exactly how you treat my daughter.  It's not that I
don't trust you--or anyone else for that matter--but I feel it's safer this
way."

   "I have no problem with cameras.  My last job was in a residential
treatment facility which had the same.  Does she talk at all?"

   "She's primarily non-verbal, although she does uses a handful of single
words to communicate.  She loves to read, and she can spend hours with her
nose in a book.  It's to the point now where I buy books by the dozens so
that she always has something to read.  She also likes television, but what
kid doesn't?"

   "You've read over my resume, yes?" Jason asked.

   "Yes, and you seem to be both experienced and extremely patient.  The
latter is what interests me the most."

   "With autism, patience is something that I understand." Jason leaned
forward in his seat.  "Tara, if I can be blunt, what is it you that want
from me?"

   "If I put it into simple terms, I'm looking more for a companion than a
caregiver.  Someone who'll be with her at all times, yet someone who's
patient and willing to indulge her whims.  Ultimately, I want a person who
will put her needs first," Tara said as she pondered how she would 'make
her move'.  She knew precisely what kind of 'special attention' she needed
for her daughter, but she was still trying to figure out how to explain it
in a way that wouldn't have him running for the door.

   "I still don't follow. . .," Jason said with a small shake of his head.

   "Perhaps it would be better if I show you," Tara said as she rose to her
feet.

   Jason stood and followed the woman as she led him into a child's
bedroom.

   "This is my daughter Zoe, she's eleven-years-old," Tara said as she
needlessly gestured to her daughter.  Zoe was seated on a wooden chair,
reading a book, with her bare feet propped up on an identical chair across
from her.  Both chairs had paint on them, the result of her painting
activities.

   Jason stood to the side of Tara.  "Hello Zoe, my name is Jason," he said
as he tried to catch her gaze.

   Zoe took a brief glance at the door when she heard her mother enter. 
After a momentary glance at the man who entered behind her, she lifted up
her feet, held them together, and pointed them towards her mother.  "Feet,"
Zoe said, in a demanding tone as she stared at her mother.

   "Yes, you have pretty feet," Jason said, clearly nonplussed by her
actions.

   Without a word, Tara walked over to Zoe.  Reaching out her hands, she
took Zoe's ankles and then lifted them.  She bent forwards slightly while
bringing her daughters feet to her face.  When they were close enough, she
pressed Zoe's feet firmly against her face.

   As Jason's jaw went slack, he took in the scene before him.  The woman
had just buried her face in her daughter's feet, at the young girl's
demand. Despite this, he hadn't yet considered that this was part of the
care Tara wanted for her daughter.  He assumed it was some kind of motherly
affection.

   "Kiss," Zoe said in a more relaxed tone as she turned her attention back
to her book.  Now that her mother was doing as she asked, her impatience
was fading away.

   Tara relaxed the grip on Zoe's feet, and pulled her head back slightly.
Then, in a slow and deliberate manner, she kissed each and every one of her
daughter's digits.

   Jason was astonished as he watched Tara pepper her daughter's toes with
kisses.  His mouth got dry as he began to consider that this is what Tara
meant by 'special attention'.  With glazed eyes, his mind began to spin as
he pondered the implication.  Is this what she would expect of him?  What
possible justification could there be for such behavior?  He put out a hand
to the dresser beside him to steady himself.

   Once Tara had finished with Zoe's toes, she turned her attention to her
daughter's soles, carefully kissing her way down one, and then up the
other. When she had finished one pass, she released her daughter's feet and
turned to face Jason.  "Do you see what I mean now?" she said as she waited
to see how he would react.  This was the crucial test.  In past interviews,
almost all the job candidates asked to leave at this point.

   It took a few moments before Jason was able to find his voice.  "Yes. .
. I mean no. . .  I mean. . .  I don't know.  Why were you--"

   "-- Jason, I don't have to tell you what it's like dealing with an
autistic child.  She used to throw tantrums all day, until I stumbled onto
a way to deal with them."

   "By kissing her feet?" Jason asked in a somewhat loud and incredulous
tone.

   "Shhh. . ." Tara said with an annoyed gaze as she held up a hand to
silence him.  "Let's discuss this back in the living room please."

   Jason silently followed the woman back to the living room, and dropped
heavily onto a nearby couch.

   As she sat down, Tara said, "I can see this was a bit of a shock to
you."

   "Shock?  Shock is an understatement.  Is this why you've had trouble
getting people?" Jason asked as he continued to process what he had just
seen.

   "Yes.  She needs regular care like any autistic child, but it's these. .
.  'other things' that have made my search difficult."

   "I'm not surprised." While Jason also wanted to say that her
expectations were unreasonable, he didn't want to antagonize her.  "I don't
get it, why her feet?" he asked as he shook his head, still not
understanding how this all came about.

   "Don't look at me, I have no idea," Tara said with a shrug.  "Honestly,
I discovered it completely by accident.  One day--during one of her many
tantrums--she was kicking her feet at me, as she often did.  I grabbed them
her ankles so she couldn't kick me.  Then I asked her to calm down and
kissed her foot.  I did it in a completely innocuous way.  You can imagine
my surprise when she stopped cold."

   "With all due respect Tara, what you just did was hardly a simple
'kiss'. How did it evolve to where it is now?"

   "She's an intelligent girl, Jason.  It's not that she can't speak, she
just chooses not to--unless she wants something.  She started asking for
it, and at first I didn't catch on.  Then, when I did catch on, I refused
to comply.  I'm her mother, and it just seemed uncomfortable to me."

   It seems uncomfortable to me too, Jason said to himself.  "Which meant
more tantrums?"

   "Exactly.  In the end, I gave in.  I couldn't take it anymore," Tara
said as she threw up her hands.  "You don't know what it's like to deal
with her when she's like that all the time."

   "So why do you need me if you can do it yourself?"

   "Honestly Jason?  I'm totally burned out.  I never get a break.  It's
not like I haven't tried to get caregivers for her.  Yet every time I do,
they never last.  They can't control her."

   "Because they don't do what you do?"

   "Precisely."

   "And so you want someone else to do it," Jason said as he stated the
obvious.

   "Yes, but it's more complicated than that."

   "What do you mean?"

   "I don't know what drives Zoe in regard to her feet.  Heck, I don't
understand a lot of why she does what she does.  But if it keeps her calm
and happy, isn't that what matters the most?"

   "So, just you want someone to. . .  kiss her feet sometimes?" Jason
asked, not really understanding what this entailed.

   "No, it's more than that.  I'm looking for someone who will make my
daughter's feet the focus of their attention.  Clearly there is something
about it that 'reaches' her, but I don't have the time to explore it."

   "I still don't quite understand. . ." Jason said.

   "I mean that while I do it when I can, there are still many more times a
day when I'm not able.  Jason, I'm trying to balance my work and personal
life--and take care of her at the same time.  I just can't do it anymore."

   "I guess it can get hard when you're alone," Jason said with a
compassionate gaze.

   "You don't know the half of it.  While I've done what I can in my free
time, I want a someone who will make Zoe their focus.  So unless they're
doing other things for her, they'll always be available to service her
feet."

   "Service?" Jason asked as his eyes widened.  He was being asked to do
something that ran counter to what he considered appropriate to do with a
child, let alone an autistic one.  It didn't seem right, and his stomach
churned as the discussion continued.

   "I don't want to get hung up on semantics.  Your job would simply be to
do whatever is needed to keep her happy.  In her case it will likely
revolve around her feet.  She spends most of the day reading or watching
television, so it's not like you have to chase after her.  Can I ask you a
personal question?"

   "It depends on what it is," Jason said.

   "Well, if you'll pardon my intrusion, do you have a foot fetish?"

   "No.  While I have no aversion to feet, they aren't a 'turn on' for me,
if that's what you're asking."

   "Good.  If you had a foot fetish, I wouldn't be able to hire you.  I'm
sure you understand."

   "Oh," Jason said with surprise.  While he hadn't thought of it that way,
it was an apt consideration.  The last thing she would want would be
someone sexually aroused by feet, given what her daughter wanted.  "What
about personal hygiene?  Does she use the washroom on her own?" Jason
asked.

   "I give her a shower every night, although that ideally is something
that would be done for her too.  However, there is no rush on that.  She
does need a little help when she goes to the bathroom though.  While she
uses the toilet on her own, I've yet to be able to get her to wipe herself
on a consistent basis," Tara said with a sigh.

   "Yes, I've seen that before with boys," Jason said with a nod.

   "So you'd need to clean her after she uses the toilet.  Like I said, I
have cameras everywhere, so you never have to worry about getting accused
of anything."

   "I hadn't thought of it that way, but I guess you're right," Jason said.
After he made his remark, it hit him that this meant she had a camera in
the washroom too.  He wanted to ask about privacy when he needed to use the
toilet, but he figured that it was something he would question at another
time.  He was still considering whether he would take the job.

   "In any case, I'll need to give you a 'trial' before I can offer you the
job.  That is, if you want the job.  So. . .  are you interested?" Tara
asked with hope in her eyes.

   Jason was a bit put off by what she wanted.  However, it seemed pretty
harmless, even though it wasn't his idea of 'appropriate behavior'. 
"Maybe. . .  but I'm not sure.  It still seems odd--no offense."

   "None taken.  Look. . .  why don't you give it a try?" Tara asked as she
rose and led him to Zoe's bedroom.  "If it's not for you, I'll understand."

   "Sure. . .  okay I guess," Jason said with uncertainty as he followed.
While he wasn't keen on doing this, Tara's 'forward nature' made it hard to
say 'no'.  When he arrived in the bedroom the young girl was in the same
place as before, still reading.

   "Feet," Zoe announced when she noticed her mother enter the room. 
Within moments she had lifted her feet and was awaiting attention.

   "If she says 'feet' then she just wants to put her feet in your face. 
She will say 'kiss' if she wants them kissed.  Why don't you lay on the
floor, that'll make it easier for you," Tara said as she picked up the
chair that Zoe had been using to rest her feet.

   Jason did as was asked, still uneasy about what was to come.

   "Feet," Zoe repeated, with impatience leaking into her voice.  She
didn't understand why her mother wasn't doing what she asked when she was
standing right there.

   Tara lifted the chair and placed it over top of Jason, so the legs of
the chair were astride his chest and below his armpits.  It was a tight
fit, but since Jason was small in stature, it wasn't a problem.  In fact,
that was something she liked about him.  While she didn't object to large
men, the fact that he was roughly the same size as her-- made him seem less
imposing.  "Com'ere honey, come sit here by the nice man."

   Zoe glanced at her mother, not understanding what was being offered. 
However, she lowered her waiting feet to the floor and stood up.

   "Come sit here sweetheart," Tara said again as she patted the seat of
the chair.

   With a cautious expression, Zoe walked over--still carrying her
book--and stood beside the chair.

   "Feet," Tara said as she pointed at Jason's face.

   After a glance at her mother, Zoe glanced down at Jason, whom she hadn't
looked at when he was in the room before.  She gave him a curious gaze when
her eyes caught his.  Did he know what she wanted?

   "Sit down and give him your feet.  Go ahead, it's okay," Tara said as
she again patted the seat of the chair.

   In a slow and deliberate manner, Zoe sat down on the chair and hovered
her feet a few inches above Jason's face.

   "Go ahead," Tara said as she watched and waited.

   Zoe had never had anyone else touch her feet before.  However, that
didn't stop her from bringing her feet together and then lowering them to
his face.  When the soles of her feet connected with his cheeks, her face
relaxed.  It felt just as good as with her mother.  In fact, this was the
first time she had ever had the chance to put her feet on someone's face as
they lay on the floor.  She wondered if this meant she could do it as long
as she wanted?.  The thought was pleasing to her, and she intended to take
advantage of this opportunity.

   "See honey?  Isn't that nice?" Tara said as she placed a hand on Zoe's
shoulder, gave it a gentle squeeze, and smiled down at her.

   When Zoe heard her mother offer positive reinforcement, she moved her
feet around slightly to get comfortable.  It was nice to finally have
someone pay attention to her in this way, without feeling rushed.

   Jason found it an interesting experience to have the Zoe's feet on her
face.  Despite her age, her feet seemed to be a bit larger than average for
a girl of eleven.  Or at least they seemed to be bigger from his unique
perspective.  Perhaps they just seemed larger since they were on his face.
Another thing he noticed was heat, which was surprising given the she was
barefoot.  Yet he could feel heat radiating from her soles into his skin.

   "Why don't I leave you here for a while Jason. . .  When she's had
enough, come join me in the den.  It's down the hall, second door on the
left.  I have some email I need to catch up on. . .  ," Tara said before
leaving the room.

   While Jason was a bit unsettled by Tara's remark that she would leave
him there alone 'for a while', he tried to put the thought out of his head.
He was trying to wrap his head around this new development.  It was the
last thing he thought he would be doing when he turned up at the door.

   Zoe let the last of her tension go, and fully relaxed.  As she did, she
felt her thighs release the last of the weight they were holding up, onto
the face of the man below.  Yet despite the weight of her feet and legs, he
didn't seem to be bothered.  She smiled to herself, content with this
newfound caregiver.  He seemed to be someone who understood her needs.

   For Jason, the time seemed to go slowly.  When you are laying prone with
feet on your face, there isn't much to do but think.  He tried to keep his
mind occupied, although on occasion he could feel Zoe as she shifted
position.  After a while he found his mind drifting.

   Although she wanted to continue, Zoe felt it best she not go overboard.
She was smart enough to know that the longer she kept him here, the greater
the chance he would become uncomfortable.  As such, she decided to end her
use of his face as she stood and went to lay on her bed.

   Jason's eyes blinked to adjust to the change in light.  After he rose
and extracted himself from under the chair, he made his way to the den,
although Tara was not inside.  Hearing a television set on in the living
room, he went in that direction and found her watching a show on a
television that had been concealed inside what looked like an armoire.

   "I was beginning to think you were going to stay for lunch," Tara said
with pleased expression on her face.  The fact that he lasted more than
five minutes excited her.  Would he be willing to take on the job, know
that he knew some of what it entailed?

   "Why, what time is it?" Jason asked.

   "You've been in there for fifteen minutes.  I wasn't expecting her to do
it that long with someone new.  When I do it, I only stay a minute or two."

   "Wow, really?  I guess time flies when you're not paying attention.  It
didn't seem like more than five."

   "Does this mean you're interested in the job?" Tara asked with a raised
eyebrow and a hint of optimism in her voice.

   "So lemme get this straight. . .  You're going to pay me to just do that
whenever she wants me to do?" Jason asked with raised eyebrows.  On the one
hand, while it was an odd way to care for a child, it wasn't all that
complicated.

   "Yes."

   "And I have no other responsibilities?"

   "No.  I have a housekeeper that comes once a week, and I cook our own
meals.  Your only job is keeping Zoe clean and happy.  I don't expect any
more."

   "What kind of hours?" Jason asked.

   "That's where it gets tricky. . ." Tara said with hesitation.

   "How so?" Jason asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice.  The more
he spoke with Tara, the more he found out that she played her cards close
to her chest.  It seemed that she was only giving him small pieces of
information, and this troubled him.

   "Are you married Jason?  Or in a relationship?" Tara asked politely.

   While Jason was a bit put off by the personal nature of the question, he
didn't have an issue revealing his marital status.  "No, I'm single.  Why
do you ask?"

   "Well, because I'd love to find someone who would live-in.  But they
would also need to sleep in her room."

   "With respect Mrs.  Williams, can you hear what you're saying?" Jason
asked as his voice became defensive.  "You want me to sleep with her?"

   "Oh God no, Jason," Tara said with a chuckle when she understood how he
took her remark out of context.  "You'll have your own bed, but it'll just
be in her room.  This is a three bedroom house.  I have one room, and my
home office is in the other.  But hers is the master bedroom, so there is
plenty of space."

   With yet another oddity revealed, Jason began to feel like this was a
bad idea.  He didn't know why, but his gut was telling him he should pass
on this job.  "I'm sorry Mrs.  Williams, but this is a bit much for me."

   "If you'll just hear me out--"

   "--I'm sorry, but I think I've heard enough.  Plus, should we part ways,
what would I put on my resume?  That I was a foot rest?" Jason was
beginning to lose his patience.  While he initially wanted the job, he was
now finding out about all her weird expectations.  No wonder she was having
trouble finding someone.  It seemed like Tara had no respect for the fact
that he was a university educated professional who had previously worked
for almost two years in a facility serving the needs of autistic children.
He wasn't some 'guy' off the street looking for a babysitting job.

   "Look, Jason, I understand how all this may seem very strange, but I've
been running myself ragged trying to care for her.  None of the day
programs work.  She quickly gets out of control and they call me to bring
her home.  None of the caregivers I've hired have lasted more than a
month," Tara said in exasperation as she shook her head.

   "I'm sorry to hear that, Tara, but this is a bit too much for me." Jason
said.  While he was still put off by what she wanted, he was beginning to
see how she was becoming desperate.  As a result, it began to make more
sense that she would do anything to get some help caring for her daughter.
"Can't you see it from my perspective?"

   "Of course I can.  I know I'm asking a lot, but you'd be paid well,"
Tara said as she tried not to appear like she was begging.  "I wish I had a
spare room, but this is a three bedroom house, and I work from home.  So
one bedroom is mine, and one is my home office.  The basement is
unfinished."

   "Tara," Jason said before he let out a long sigh.  "Even if I could get
past the sleeping arrangements, it just feels like a bad idea.  I'm not
sure if I can do it."

   "At least you'd be doing it because you wanted to.  I've been doing it
because I have to, and I'm at the end of my rope.  If I can't figure out
something soon, I'm going to have a breakdown.  I just can't do it
anymore."

   "I can't imagine what you've been through all these years.  But to be
perfectly honest, the more you tell me about the job, the more I'm
intimidated by it."

   "Why?" Tara asked, hoping that whatever his concerns, she could address
them.  He was the first person to last this long into an interview, and he
seemed very personable and patient.  Given how he actually let Zoe put her
feet on his face, she knew there was the potential to convince him to stay.
She just needed to figure out how.

   "You're asking me to take a job where a young girl will be sticking her
feet in my face all the time.  While I don't have a foot fetish, at least
if I did that would make it easier.  Instead, I need to learn to tolerate
this somehow, because if I can't, I'll never last."

   "I don't know what else to tell you, Jason," Tara said as she leaned
forward in her seat.  "I really need your help.  I've interviewed almost
two dozen applicants, all of them women.  Only two of them didn't ask to
leave when they saw me kiss my daughters feet, and those two turned down
the job when they found out they would be expected to do the same."

   Jason let out a sigh as he shook his head.  He could hear the
frustration in Tara's voice, and he could tell that she was desperate for
help.  Despite this, he was still having trouble wrapping his head around
it all.

   Tara gazed at Jason for a moment, and then made one last attempt to
enlist him.  "Jason, if you agree to take the job--full time--I'll pay you
fifty-two thousand a year, with full medical." While this was higher than
the forty-thousand she had originally planned on, she didn't want to lose
him.

   "Excuse me?" Jason asked as his eyes bulged.  He was hoping to receive
around thirty-five thousand at best.  He had less than two years work
experience with autistic children, so her offer was far above what he
expected.  His 'gut feeling' to pass on the job was now being replaced with
thoughts about money.  It was amazing how quickly 'greed' was able to
settle his churning stomach.

   A small smile came to Tara's lips as she took in Jason's reaction. 
"That's right.  Fifty-two thousand a year, with full medical.  In return,
you live-in and devote yourself to my daughter's care."

   With a deceptively stoic expression on his face, Jason pondered the
offer.  He could pay off his tuition loans in a couple years, and still
have a little bit of money left over.  If he could last for a few years, it
would be enough for a down payment on a house.  As he explored the
possibilities in his mind, he found himself beginning to think that he
could manage to cope somehow.  While he felt like a hypocrite, he pushed
those thoughts out of his head.

   "Can I assume that you're considering it?" Tara asked with a tiny
glimmer of hope shining in her eyes.

   "How could I not. . ." Jason said bluntly.  "I've got almost fifty
thousand in student loans to pay off.  You did say fifty-two thousand,
right?"

   "Yes, but let me up the stakes a bit.  You know how burned out I am; I'm
going to make you a second offer."

   "A second offer for what?" Jason asked as his mind whirled.  He was
already surprised by her first offer, and things were moving so fast. 
Perhaps too fast.

   "For your free time.  I'm sure you expect breaks, weekends off and such,
correct?"

   "Of course.  I'm sure you're familiar with employment standards."

   "Indeed I am.  Up to this point, you're the first one to even consider
this job, and that's worth a lot to me.  It's also where my second offer
comes in," Tara said as she sat up straight in her seat.  "There are a
hundred and sixty eight hours in a week, correct?"

   Jason mentally ran the numbers, and then nodded in agreement, despite
not knowing where the conversation was going.

   "I put Zoe to bed at ten, and she wakes up around eight.  That's ten
hours a night, or seventy hours a week where she's sleeping.  Which leaves
ninety-eight hours a week where she is awake, and needs to be cared for,
correct?" Tara asked.

   Jason nodded.

   "If we divide that by two, we get forty-nine hours a week, which is
roughly what would be expected for a job like this.  Agreed?"

   "Sure," Jason said as he pondered it.  He recalled putting in about nine
hours a day at his last job, and that was entry level.  For fifty-two
thousand a year, he'd work a forty-nine hour week.

   "Okay, here's the deal. . .  You work double the hours.  No breaks or
weekends off.  You'd live-in full time, with free room and board.  I'll
cover all expenses, including your clothing and personal items.  You won't
need to spend a penny while you are inside this house.  In exchange for
double your time, I double your salary."

   "Hang on a second," Jason blurted out in shock.  "You're essentially
asking me to give up my life." He hadn't even considered the extra money
yet, since he was still wrapping his head around what she was asking of
him.

   "I know I'm asking a lot.  But you need to consider that you'd be able
to bank everything you make.  You'll have no expenses.  None."

   "No offense, but I don't want to burn out like you have, Tara."

   "Jason, the difference between you and me is that I've been trying to
hold down a job, take care of the house, cook meals, as well as raise Zoe."

   "I know but--" Jason said before he was interrupted.

   "--Let me finish.  You'll have no other responsibilities.  We're talking
about a girl who spends much of her day reading or watching television.  Or
painting or some other craft.  It's not something that will put any real
demands on you.  You'll spend most of your time just sitting with her. 
Like I said, what I want for her is a companion, not a maid."

   "I get that; but it's still a huge decision.  You're asking me to put my
life on hold.  For how long. . .  ?"

   "Honestly?  I'm just looking at the here and now.  You're the first to
even consider this job.  The thought that I could go a single day without
needing to worry about her is worth more than you could ever imagine,
Jason."

   It was at this point when Jason's mind began to remind him of the
modified salary offer.  A hundred and four thousand a year, plus full
medical.  For someone who had been making a bit more than a quarter of
that, it was hard to imagine.  There wasn't a job anywhere that would pay
him this kind of money.  It seemed too good to be true, which led him to
ask, "I don't mean to pry, Tara, but how can you afford to pay that kind of
salary?"

   "Between child support from my ex-husband, and my own job, I can afford
it with ease."

   "Do you mind if I ask what you do?"

   "I'm a junior partner in a private equity firm.  However, I won't be
able to maintain it much longer if I have a breakdown taking care of Zoe.
That's why I'm willing to do whatever it takes to find someone for this
job. You'll be paid weekly, and you can check your balance online."

   "I'll say this much Mrs.  Williams--you're a shrewd bargainer," Jason
said as he ruminated on the offer she was making him.  It was simply too
much money for him to pass up.  "While I may feel uneasy about the job
conditions, I don't think I can turn down an opportunity like this without
giving it a try."

   "Excellent," Tara said as a relaxed smile smoothed the fault lines of
tension on her face.  "The only question is, which offer did you want?"

   "That's a tough one," Jason said as he gazed at the ceiling for a
moment. "I still owe a lot in student loans, so the 'double' deal is
looking very appealing.  I'm just worried it'll be too much for me."

   "Why don't we do this. . .  ?  If you agree to try it full time, and you
can't handle it, we can cut back to the single deal instead.  What do you
say?"

   After a pause to consider it, Jason nodded and said, "Okay, you've got
yourself a deal."

   "You don't know how pleased I am to hear you say that, Jason," Tara said
as relief echoed though her voice.  "I promise, you'll be happy here. 
Anything you need, you just ask," Tara said as she relaxed back into her
seat.

   "So where do we go from here?" Jason asked.

   "Why don't you stay for lunch, and we can talk it over."

   Jason was able to relax over lunch, as Tara explained various aspects of
'life with Zoe'.  In the end, he decided to sell his car and all his
possessions; keeping only some clothing and personal items.  He would start
in a couple weeks--at the end of the month--after getting his affairs in
order.

   Since there was the potential that Zoe might not accept him, Tara agreed
to pay ten thousand in severance should things not work out.  It was a big
leap for him, and she wanted to make sure he would feel comfortable making
the move.

   While Jason's family was a bit surprised by his revelation, they all
lived in another state.  So it wasn't like he saw them very much anyway. 
He would still be able to call and email them, and they were excited at the
prospect of him getting such a well-paying job.

   * * *

   When moving day arrived, Jason pulled his suitcases into Zoe's bedroom,
and then did some unpacking.  Tara had cleared some closet space for him,
and purchased him a dresser.  Once he was settled, he made his way to the
kitchen and greeted Tara.  "So when do I start?"

   "You already have," Tara said with a friendly smile.  "I'm so glad that
you're here, Jason.  You don't know how much better I've been sleeping
knowing that you were starting today."

   "Well I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," Jason said as he wrung
his hands together.

   "You'll be fine," Tara said in a reassuring tone.  "I know this is a
weird way to deal with an autistic child, but if it works, isn't that what
matters the most?"

   "How often do you do things with her feet?" Jason asked.

   "Usually just enough to stop her tantrums.  She demands it far more
often than I do it for her.  Sometimes she will stop calling out for me,
other times she will keep calling out every few minutes until I respond. 
I'll admit, it's draining when you're trying to work."

   "So you work from home?"

   "Yes, but by necessity.  I can't leave for very long since she gets
unruly with a sitter.  I'm fortunate; since I work in the financial sector,
I can pretty much work from anywhere."

   "So I guess you don't get out much."

   "No.  Everything is delivered, even groceries."

   "Well, I hope that I can give you back some semblance of a life.  I
never realized how much a strain this was on you.  I can see why you're
willing to try anything to get some freedom.  It makes a lot more sense to
me now.  Like you said, if it works, I guess that's all that matters,"
Jason said as he tried to get himself into a positive mindset.  While he
was still uneasy, he felt that if he could make it seem to himself that it
was 'no big deal', it would be easier for him to manage.

   "Thanks, Jason, I really appreciate your support," Tara said with an
appreciative gaze.

   "Hey, they're just feet; right?" Jason asked with a smile.

   "Exactly.  I'm so glad you'll try to make this work.  It really puts my
mind at ease.  Oh, I got you a tablet to use when you're with her and want
to read or check email.  Feel free to order any books you want.  As for
watching video or listening to audiobooks, let's see how things go with Zoe
for the next few days before we have you wearing earphones."

   "Sounds fair," Jason said.

   "I wanted to talk about a couple more things though."

   "What about?" Jason asked.

   "First, about sleeping arrangements.  As you saw, I have your bed pushed
up against her bed in 'L' fashion.  You'll sleep perpendicular to her, with
your head adjacent to the foot of her bed.  If she wants to, she may put
her feet on your pillow, but I don't know."

   "Oh," Jason said with surprise.  "I hadn't expected that she might want
that at night." As he looked at the arrangement, he tried to imagine how
things would work.  Her bed was arranged so the foot of her bed was in the
corner of the room.  The head of his bed was pushed up against the side of
her bed--which was at the foot of her bed.  Since there was no headboard on
his bed, it was like one long mattress.

   "I have no idea what she'll do over the long term.  I'm flying blind
here too, Jason.  I just figured that having the beds together keeps you
both together, yet apart.  You know what I mean?  The second thing is
something to help you adjust.  I'd like you to wear this," Tara said.

   "A collar?" Jason asked with unease.  "What for?"

   "Let me explain. . .  To make sure Zoe can't leave the house, I have a
small RFID chip mounted inside the anklet she wears.  If she tries to go
out any of the doors, an alarm will sound."

   "What does that have to do with the collar?  Will an alarm go off if I
leave too?"

   Tara smiled and shook her head.  "No, of course not.  You're not a
prisoner here, Jason.  I was just trying to think of how I could help you
get used to this.  Then I remembered the chip on her anklet.  Once I put
this on you, if you stay within a yard of her feet, nothing happens.  If
you get more than a yard away, you'll feel a small tingling sensation.  Not
painful, just a gentle reminder to that you aren't close to her anklet. 
It's more a nuisance than anything.  At the three yard mark, there will be
a small shock applied every five seconds.  Again, nothing painful, it's
like a static electricity shock."

   "Is this really necessary?" Jason asked with raised eyebrows.

   "I won't force you to wear it, but I would ask that you give it a try.
I'm not sure how things will work with Zoe, so I want this to go as smooth
as possible for her.  By making sure you stay close to her, she won't have
to yell or demand attention.  You'll always be right there, ready to attend
to her needs."

   "But what if I have to. . .  yuno. . .  use the washroom?"

   "No problem.  Just press the button on the collar and it will be
disabled for ten minutes.  It's waterproof too, so you can wear it in the
shower.  "

   "I'll be honest, this is something I find a bit unnerving," Jason said.

   "I understand, but the collar only has a nine volt battery.  It's not
like you'd be plugged into a wall socket."

   "Fair enough," Jason said as he nodded in acknowledgement.

   "If we use this, it will help you to instinctively remember to stay near
her.  Pretty soon you'll forget you're wearing it.  However, if you find it
too much to bear, I can always take it off.  You're not a slave, Jason. 
Like I said, I won't force you to wear it.  All I ask is that you give it a
try."

   Jason sighed quietly in exasperation.  "Okay.  Like you said, we can
always remove it later." While he still wasn't keen to wear it, he didn't
want to start his first day off on the wrong foot.  Given that he was being
paid a hundred thousand a year, he figured that he should be flexible.

   "Excellent," Tara said.  "Pretty soon it should become habit to stay
close to her.  When we reach that point, you won't need it anymore."

   "Did you want to put it on now?"

   "Why don't you use the washroom first, and then we'll get you settled in
with Zoe.  That way you'll be near her when I turn it on."

   After a brief bathroom break, Jason was in the bedroom with Tara and
Zoe. "How did you want to do this?" he asked as he looked and saw the girl
laying on the bed.

   "Why don't you sit at the end of the bed and lean down.  Then, once
you're close enough to her ankle, I'll put on the collar."

   It felt odd for Jason to be sitting on the young girl's bed.  As he sat
down, he took a closer look at Zoe.  She was wearing a long-sleeved white
top and blue jeans that were cropped and hemmed below the knees, with a
rolled-up cuff.  A gold anklet was loosely draped around her right ankle,
and there was a charm in the shape of a bare foot dangling from it.  She
was laying on her stomach, with her feet on his pillow, crossed at the
ankles.  Her long bronze hair spilled over her shoulders and obscured her
face.  Jason positioned himself beside the pillow, and took a look at the
feet he would be 'serving'.

   "Hold still," Tara said as she slipped the collar around Jason's neck.
"There, it's on.  Try leaning away. . ."

   Jason did as was suggested, and when he was about three feet away he
began to feel a tingling in his neck.  It was stronger than he expected,
but not painful.  However, it was strong enough to encourage him to quickly
get his head back within range of Zoe's feet.

   "How did it feel?" Tara asked.

   "Pins and needles.  A bit stronger than I expected, but not bad."

   "That's good," Tara said with relief.  She was concerned that it
wouldn't work the way she wanted it to work.  However, given that she had
paid almost three hundred dollars for an electronics technician to modify
it to suit her needs, she was happy that it did what she wanted it to do.

   "So, this is it then. . .  As long as the collar doesn't go off, I'm
doing my job?" Jason asked as settled himself on the floor.

   "Pretty much, yes.  This is all you need to do unless she wants
something.  Oh, I almost forgot," Tara said as she walked to a dresser in
the room.  "Here's the tablet I promised.  It has net access, so you can
surf or read books.  Order any books you like, it will bill straight to my
account."

   Jason reached out and took the tablet.  Since he wasn't paying
attention, he leaned himself outside the three foot range, and was greeted
with the tingling sensation.  Moving back, he relaxed when the feeling went
away.

   "I'll leave you two alone.  If you need anything, press the collar
button and come find me.  Otherwise, I'll let you know when it's time for
lunch."

   "Okay, thanks," Jason said as he watched Tara walk out the door.  Almost
if on queue, the girl spoke as she uncrossed her ankles and pressed her
feet together.

   "Feet," Zoe said as she gazed behind herself with a stoic expression on
her face.  She could see the man that she had put her feet on once before,
and he was close to her feet now.  As such, she didn't get worked up with
her demand.

   "Okay," Jason said as he laid down his tablet on the bed.  With
hesitation, he shifted and leaned his upper body towards the pillow.  He
then lowered his face until it came to rest in the cavern formed by the
arches of her feet.  Letting out a deep exhale, he tried to relax.  One
thing he wasn't sure of was whether it would be okay for him to lift his
face out of her feet.  Or should he wait until she moved her feet away?  He
decided that it would likely be best for her to manage his time.  She
seemed to know what she wanted, so he waited and played it by ear.

   Once she felt contact with her feet, Zoe turned her attention back to
her book.  It was relaxing to have him just keep his face there.  Unlike
her mother, Jason seemed willing to do this, and she was pleased by this
development.  She planned to make use of him often.

   Twenty minutes had passed, and Jason was pulled from his musings by the
movement of Zoe's feet as they slid out from under his face.

   Zoe bent her legs at the knees, and brought her feet up so that her
soles faced the ceiling.  When the man didn't move along with them, she
announced, "Feet." She didn't bother to turn her head, instead deciding to
wait and see if he would comply.

   Jason's collar was tingling, so he moved himself over and sat down
behind her legs.  Once there, he lowered his face back into her arches and
closed his eyes.  As he relaxed, he let her feet take on the weight of his
head, as her soles snuggled themselves against his cheeks.  On occasion he
would hear the turning of a page as she read her book.

   Tara peeked into the bedroom and saw Jason with his face pressed against
the soles of her daughter's feet.  While it was an unnerving sight, a
gentle smile crossed her face when she noticed how calm and relaxed Zoe
appeared.  A spontaneous nod rocked her head as she acknowledged that she
had made the right decision.  Provided he could handle this, it would all
work out.  She was sure of it.

   While it was costing Tara a lot of money, there was no disputing the
potential benefits.  She would have some semblance of a life again. 
Instead of being trapped in her own house, she could go out and do things,
knowing that her daughter would be safe and happy.  As she turned away from
the door, she let out a pleasured sigh and returned to her den.

   When Jason was treated to a second reprieve from Zoe's feet, he checked
the time on his tablet.  It's not like it mattered in the big scheme of
things, but when you live a life 'on the clock', it's hard not to wonder
what time it is.

   A relaxed exhale flowed through Zoe's nose as she slid off the bed. 
Although she had spent almost an hour reading her fantasy novel, she was
very much eager to continue.  After a brief pause to ponder her actions,
she let out a yawn and a stretch as she made her way to the large chair in
the corner of her room.  It was very comfy, and she loved curling up in it
to read.  When she sat down, she noticed that Jason had followed her to the
chair.  This pleased her.

   With tablet in hand, Jason sat down in front of her chair.  Since Zoe
had her feet curled up underneath her, he couldn't sit facing her chair
without the collar continuing to go off.  So instead he turned his back to
the chair and sat down on the floor with his shoulders pressing back
against the chair as he slouched down slightly.  Within moments the
tingling came to an end, so he took this opportunity to use the tablet to
check his email.

   As Jason did this, he felt her toes gently press at the back of his
neck. He took a moment to glance behind him, and he could see she was
sitting with her knees together and twisted so that they rested flat on the
cushion.  This put her toes in an almost vertical line, which explained
what he felt on his neck.  She was using him as a backstop so that her feet
wouldn't slip off the front of the cushion.

   Zoe spent a little while reading as Jason sat in front of her.  When she
decided to shift her position, she snaked her legs out and draped them over
his left shoulder, casually crossing them at the ankles as they rested on
his chest.

   It was a bit of a surprise when Jason felt Zoe slide her legs onto him,
but he quickly remembered that he was here to be her 'companion'.  So in a
way, it was good that she felt comfortable enough to have casual contact
with him in this way.  Over the next hour, he sat and used his tablet as
she read her book.  She would occasionally shift her position, moving
herself around, but always staying in contact with him somehow.  While a
bit odd, it began to feel innocuous to him.  Since she wasn't asking him to
do anything, it just felt like she wanted to be near him.

   While Jason was reading, he began to relax and let some of his tension
fade.  Although he had anticipated worse, it seemed like this wasn't going
to be nearly as demanding as he thought it would be.  If anything, he began
to feel a certain affinity for Zoe.  The more time he spent with her, the
more it seemed like she was just lonely.  While he still didn't understand
why she wanted contact with her feet in particular, he became less
unsettled by the thought of it as time passed.

   * * *

   It was lunchtime, and Tara poked her head into her daughter's bedroom.
"Hey you two, lunchtime."

   "Okay," Jason said as he glanced away from his tablet.  He had been able
to spend some time reading since Zoe had since decided to do some painting.
While it meant laying on the carpet beside her feet, at least he was able
to do something with his mind.

   Zoe put down her book and silently walked to the door.

   Jumping to his feet, Jason felt the tingling as he stayed close behind
the young girl.

   Tara waved Zoe to a chair when she entered the dining room.  "Have a
seat for lunch honey."

   "Feet," Zoe announced impatiently as she glanced back at Jason.

   "I'm sorry Jason," Tara said as her daughter demanded attention, "Just
lay on the floor so Zoe will sit and have lunch.  I know it's not ideal,
but it will only take longer to feed her if you don't."

   Jason sighed--but complied--as he crawled under the table and lay on the
floor.  Once in place, Zoe wasted no time in sitting down and planting one
of her feet firmly on his face, while the other she casually draped on his
chest.

   It was a bit of a surprise to Zoe when Jason actually did as she asked.
While she asked him to do it, she didn't expect him to comply.  Her mother
had never done this for her before.  It wasn't that she was all that
interested in him doing this over lunch, but more that she just wanted to
see if he would do it while she ate.

   Tara sat down not far from Zoe and began to eat her lunch.  "I hope you
don't mind. . .," she said aloud.  "You'll have plenty of time to eat
later, and I can always bring something back to her bedroom if we need to."

   Since Jason's mouth was covered, he used his hand to lift Zoe's foot off
his face so he could reply.  However, he was only able to lift it an inch
before her other foot summarily pushed his hand away.

   "Kiss," Zoe announced impatiently as she hovered her foot less than an
inch above the man's mouth.  If he didn't want to lay still, then he could
spend time kissing her foot instead.

   Although Jason wanted to respond to Tara, it became clear that Zoe had
other ideas.  It almost seemed that she wanted to 'punish' him for lifting
her foot, but he quickly dismissed his thought as subtle paranoia.  While
he wasn't keen on kissing feet--any feet--it was something he knew he was
getting paid handsomely for.  After licking his lips to moisten them, he
began to gently kiss the sole of her foot.

   With each kiss, Zoe would move her foot slightly so the next kiss was on
a different spot.  As she ate her sandwich, she made sure every inch of her
foot was being kissed by the man on the floor.  When she reached her toes,
she pushed them at his lips, seeking out his tongue.

   Once Jason had finished kissing what seemed like every square inch of
the sole of her foot, he relaxed when she moved her foot away.  His respite
was short-lived though, as Zoe quickly switched feet and presented the
other one to his mouth.  Before she could demand it, he began to kiss this
foot as he did the other.

   Zoe rubbed her free foot on Jason's shirt to remove the excess dampness
from his kisses.  At the same time, she languidly continued to feed him her
foot to kiss as she calmly ate her lunch.

   "I know you can't talk Jason, but I have to say, this is been the first
time in months when I haven't had trouble getting Zoe to eat her lunch
without a fuss."

   While Jason was pleased to hear what Tara had to say, he was unable to
respond as the young girl's foot sought out his lips to kiss every inch of
her sole.

   After Zoe felt her foot had been satisfactorily serviced, she moved it
to the man's chest to wipe off the dampness.  Then, bringing her feet
together, planted the pair on his face.

   As Jason's nose came to a familiar rest in the arches of Zoe's feet, he
closed his eyes and relaxed as he waited for her to finish eating.  He
began to ponder his role, and he was starting to wonder if he would get
used to this.  As simple as this task was, it wasn't the complexity that
bothered him, but how closely 'tethered' he was to this young girl's feet.
He was amazed at how infatuated Zoe was with having her feet attended to,
but he knew that autistic children could get this way.

   When Zoe had finished her lunch, she lifted her feet, crossed them at
the ankles, and plopped them down onto the chest of the man below as she
relaxed in her chair.

   "Since I have a free moment," Jason said, "When did you think I could
eat lunch?"

   "I'm going to get Zoe some ice cream for dessert since she's been so
good.  I'll get you a sandwich and you can eat it down there, okay?"

   "Uhhh. . .  okay," Jason said.  While he didn't object to waiting to eat
lunch, it was a bit demeaning to have to eat lunch while laying on the
floor.  But he figured this would likely be an occasional thing, so he
didn't say any more about it.

   Tara put a bowl of ice cream down in front of Zoe, then knelt down. 
"Here you go," Tara said as she passed a plate to Jason.  "It's corned beef
on rye.  If you don't like it, I can make you something else."

   "No, that's great," Jason said as he eagerly took the plate and grabbed
one half of the sandwich.  "I love corned beef, thank you." He could hear
Zoe's spoon each time it dipped into her bowl of ice cream, and she was
lightly rocking her feet side-to-side as she ate.

   "You're welcome," Tara said as she stood up and sat back down in her
chair.

   "Tara, I've been thinking. . .  ," Jason said between bites.  He knew
that he may not have too much time to talk with her, so he decided to use
this moment to ask a question--before Zoe demanded more attention to her
feet.  At that moment he felt Zoe uncross her feet, but she simply crossed
them the other way and put them back onto his chest as she rocked them side
to side.

   "About what?" Tara asked.

   "About what happens when she needs to use the bathroom.  Now that she's
had lunch, I suspect that may happen soon."

   "What's your question?"

   "I guess I was wondering what I should be doing."

   "I'm not sure what you mean. . ."

   "I mean physically, where should I be?  I've got the collar on.  When
she's sitting on the toilet, to stay close to her anklet would mean being
in a. . .  somewhat awkward position." Jason felt a bit unnerved discussing
this with Tara while Zoe was sitting with her feet on his chest, but he
assumed Zoe wouldn't concern herself with what they were discussing.

   "Hmmm. . .  I hadn't thought of that," Tara said as she pondered the
scenario.  "I'd really prefer that you stay with her at all times,
regardless of where she is.  If we start making exceptions, it defeats the
whole purpose of having you here."

   "I get it, but what if she doesn't want me in there?"

   "Then she'll let you know.  While she may not be very verbal, she'll get
her point across; don't you worry."

   "So you're saying I should stay close to her anklet no matter what?  In
the bathroom that would mean sitting on the floor in front of her.  Is that
what you want?"

   Tara gave the image some thought, and a shudder rippled down her back.
"To be honest?  Not really," she said.  It was less the idea of a man doing
that with her daughter, and more that she wouldn't want to be doing that
herself.  "But consistency is important to me.  I want her to learn that
you'll always there.  The more she becomes accustomed to it, the more
you'll become a stabilizing influence in her life."

   "But in the bathroom. . .?" Jason asked again.

   After sitting through one of her first lunches in months where Zoe
didn't act out even once, Tara was quickly becoming addicted to her
newfound freedom.  Seeing as he would be wiping Zoe anyway, she shrugged.
"You know what, Jason?  From my perspective, I don't have a problem with
the idea.  It's not something I would want to do myself, but it's part of
your job now.  Just be ready to wipe her when she's done."

   "If that's what you want, I guess I can give it a try.  I know I could
just stand beside her, but I'd be at the wrong height."

   "And that's the whole point of the collar."

   "Exactly," Jason said before taking another bite of his sandwich.

   "Well, seeing how seldom you'll have to do this in the course of a day,
I don't think it'll be a big deal."

   "Perhaps you're right," Jason said as he tried to get his mind to wrap
around what he would soon have to be doing.  It wasn't the personal hygiene
aspect that made him uneasy; he had done that with many autistic boys.  It
was the way in which he would be positioned, and the nature of his
'service' to her.  However, he put that out of his mind for the moment.  "I
almost forgot to ask, how does she get dressed in the mornings?"

   "Oh, of course," Tara said as she considered that she had neglected to
mention it.  "You'll need to help her get dressed.  While she can dress on
her own, it goes far quicker if you help her."

   "What does she wear?"

   "I have her clothing in three groups.  Skirts and tops; pants and tops,
and sundresses.  You can pick anything you want, provided that you
alternate each day."

   "Why is that?"

   "She never likes to wear the same kind of clothing two days in a row, so
just make sure you always choose something different each day.  I usually
rotate between sundresses and skirts since they are easier to put on, but
sometimes I'll do pants or leggings for a change of pace."

   "Interesting," Jason said.

   "And don't worry about underwear.  I used to have her wear them, but she
doesn't like it.  So I don't fight with her about it anymore."

   "Oh," Jason said with a hint of unease.

   "It's really not worth the hassle since she doesn't goes outside.  But
hey, you're welcome to put them on her if it would make you feel better,"
Tara said, detecting his unease.  "But if you ask me, it's not worth the
bother.  I don't care either way so long as she's happy."

   "I guess you're right," Jason said in agreement.  Since he would be
dressing her, he would be seeing her without clothing anyway.  So it didn't
make sense to make a big deal about whether she he saw anything during the
day.  "What about socks and such?"

   "I usually don't bother since she's quite happy barefoot.  However, she
may want them on occasion.  If so, there are a bunch of ankle socks in the
top drawer of her dresser."

   "And her hair?"

   "I wash it when she has her shower every night.  So in the morning just
comb it out.  Or you can braid it if you're feeling adventurous."

   Jason was about to ask another question when Zoe picked up her feet and
nonchalantly plopped them onto his face.  While he had only eaten half of
his sandwich, the rest would have to wait.

   "We can talk more later," Tara said when she realized that Zoe had once
again elected to put her feet on the face of the man on the floor below
her.

   * * *

   Over the next ten days, as best he could, Jason was adapting to this
new. . .  lifestyle.  That seemed to be the only way to describe it.  He
would spend his days with Zoe, usually sitting quietly near her feet as he
read his tablet.  The second day was somewhat challenging, since she seemed
to want to put her feet in his face every chance she had.  While she was a
bit hesitant on day one, any reluctance she had vanished the following
morning.  He was beginning to think this might be too much for him, but
then the frequency lessened with each passing day.

   Jason assumed that she was like a kid with a new toy--playing with it
constantly in the beginning, and less so once the novelty wore off.  Even
so, it was an opportunity to test whether he was able to 'handle' it. 
Thankfully, given how simplistic catering to her needs was, he made no
attempt to change her behavior.  At least each individual event wasn't very
long.  It seemed that--after thirty or so minutes of attention--she would
be satisfied.  Then, within the hour, he would be doing something with her
feet again.

   It took a bit of time for Jason to get used to kissing her feet.  Since
it was an 'active' act--and not passive like when he simply had her feet in
his face--he needed to be able to 'get into' doing this with her.  Soon he
was able to wrap his head around it though, and he tried to see it as
'playing' with her, not unlike playing a simple game of 'peekaboo' with a
child.

   Overall, what Jason found the most difficult was what he wasn't doing.
He was used to a life that was busy and full of activities.  Instead, he
was now in a life that was quiet and peaceful.  He had nowhere to go and
nowhere to be.  With his tablet he was able to do a lot of reading that he
had always wanted to do, but never had the time.

   Yet, when Jason was prompted, he would cater to Zoe's whim and connect
his face to her feet in some fashion.  The time he spent doing this was
much more meditative in nature.  While he had done yoga and meditation in
the past, this was different.  His connection to her feet was something
that she initiated, and that she wanted to sustain.  As such, some of the
time was spent pondering her actions.  What did she get out of using him in
this way?  It was something that didn't make much logical sense, although
he knew that autistic behavior was not usually logical.

   The collar was something that Jason quickly forgot he was wearing.  It
surprised him how the tingling 'reminder' shock motivated him to be far
more proactive.  When he moved around, he would do so while keeping his
distance from her feet in mind.  He soon became an expert at judging the
distance he could be from her anklet before his collar went off.  In a way,
the collar became a virtual 'leash' of sorts.  Even though there was no
physical connection, based on how conditioned he became, there just as well
could have been.

   It was Jason's first weekend in the house that led to his longest period
of 'submission' to her feet.  Tara had left to join her friends for lunch,
and he was laying on the floor--on his side--reading his tablet.  Zoe was
sitting in her cushioned chair reading a book, swinging her feet only a
foot away from him.

   "Feet," Zoe said as she placed her feet together and waited for Jason to
put himself underneath.

   As Jason usually did to prepare for her, he bent his knees and put his
feet flat on the floor, pulling them close to his buttocks.  This helped
take pressure off his lower back.  He also laced his fingers together and
rested them over his navel.  Being comfortable was an important part of
doing what he did.  Yet when he shuffled his body under her feet, the
height of the reading chair made it so that her feet were a few inches away
from his face.  "I'm sorry Zoe, you're too far," he said.

   Zoe looked down and saw the problem.  To her, there was a simple
solution.  If he was too far away, she would move closer.  With book in
hand, she stood up placing her feet astride Jason's face, and then stepped
towards his midsection.  After gauging his position for a moment, she
turned around, stepped astride his hips, and looked down at his face as she
indiscriminately sat down on top of his hands.  Then, after reclining to
rest her back against his thighs, she brought her feet up and nimbly
covered his face.  She found this a very comfortable position, and with a
relaxed exhale she resumed reading her book.

   This was an experience Jason wouldn't soon forget.  After Zoe settled
herself down, he spent about two hours in this position as she turned the
pages in her book.  With his eyes closed, he entered a quiet headspace
after the first twenty minutes.  He became focused on the manner in which
her feet rested on his face.  Since he wasn't moving, the nerves in the
rest of his body became dormant, and the nerves in his face became
sensitive.

   Soon Jason found himself feeling the point at which each of her toes
pressed against his forehead, as well as how much pressure each toe
exerted. Or how his eyelashes would brush against the pads of her feet
whenever his eyes moved.  Even though she was sitting on his
midsection--albeit on top of his hands--she never moved that part of her.
It seemed like only her feet would make tiny and subtle movements.

   But Jason could also feel the heat from her feet as well.  Every point
at which her soles pressed against his cheeks made an impression in his
mind.  Then there was the aroma.  At first he couldn't make it out, but
then he would detect subtle scents.  Like the smell of the bodywash used to
bathe her.  Or the faint smell of sweat.  Every time she shifted her
position, his mind would light up and focus on each and every minor
movement she made.

   As time trickled by, Jason would feel his head move as she rocked it
from front to back, or side to side.  Not large movements, just a small
lackadaisical motion as she continued read her book.  While her mind was
being immersed in the story within its pages, his mind was being immersed
in his submission to her feet.  He had never considered just how powerful
an impact it could have.  Not because of her feet on his face, but because
her feet forced him to stop and relax.  It forced him to appreciate the
simple things.

   After so many years of feeling like he was on some kind of wild ride,
Jason was just beginning to see how much he was missing.  Despite the fact
that he was laying motionless with feet on his face, he began to understand
that there was more to life than the next text message.  There was more to
life than money.  There was more to life than sex.  None of those things
mattered to him in the moment.  He didn't have to go anywhere.  He didn't
have to do anything.  He just needed to be present in his own mind.

   Although it wasn't what Jason expected, he was getting a lesson in life.
By submitting himself to her needs alone, nothing else mattered anymore. 
He could feel his stress and tension bleeding away.  He could feel the
muscles in his body relax in a way they hadn't relaxed in years.  All
because he gave in and allowed Zoe to use him in this way.  Even though she
was a child, she was unintentionally teaching him that life is precious. 
She was teaching him that--when you stop thinking about yourself and
instead think about others--a whole new world can open up before you.

   It was roughly two hours after it all begin when a sound from the front
hall shattered the quiet calm--Tara had returned home.

   Zoe removed her feet from Jason's face when she heard her mother get
home.  It wasn't that she wanted to rush out to greet her mother; it was
that the noise from the front door had disrupted her focus.  After standing
up, she stepped away from him and dropped her book down onto the chair.

   As Jason blinked to adjust to the brightness of the light, his collar
began to tingle.  When he was finally able to focus, he saw that Zoe had
moved to the 'art' corner of her room and started to paint.  Since he was
still a bit stiff from laying still for a couple hours, he decided to forgo
standing up, and instead rolled over and onto his hands and knees.  It was
a short crawl over to where Zoe was now, and when he got there he dropped
himself on the floor beside her feet so he could continue regaining his
senses.

   Jason put his hands flat on the floor and rested his left cheek on top,
allowing him to stare over at her feet, which were only a foot away to his
right.  He was still swimming in the midst of his meditative experience as
his unfocused eyes gazed at her anklet.  How was it that an act this simple
could produce the kind of impact he experienced?  What kind of magic was
this?

   When Zoe heard Jason moving on the floor beside her feet, she gave him a
quick glance before returning to her painting.  She liked that he followed
her around, since it meant she never had to wait when she wanted attention.
Many times she didn't even need to ask.  If he was there, she would use him
as she saw fit.  It was clear her mother had provided him to her, so she
didn't see why she couldn't use him in whatever way she wanted.  As if to
validate her thoughts, she took a step to her left, and lightly planted her
foot on top of the side of his head.

   Although unexpected, Jason didn't move when Zoe decided rest her foot on
his face.  He was still quite tired, so he just let out a long exhale and
reached up to give her foot a gentle stroke.

   Zoe put her foot back on the floor, a few inches in front of Jason's
face.  She was focused on painting, and her intent was not to leave her
foot on his face, it was only to prove to herself--and perhaps to him--that
she could do this anytime she wanted.

   "Knock, knock," Tara said cheerfully as she peeked her head in the door.


   "Hi Tara, how was--" Jason said before he was interrupted.

   With a glance down, Zoe pointed her toes at Jason's lips and briskly
forced them inside his mouth as a means to silence him.  "Look," she said
as she turned to her mother and gestured to her painting.

   Jason was caught off guard when Zoe stuffed her foot into his mouth. 
But it was clear she didn't want him getting her mother's attention.  He
exhaled through his nose and began to nurse on her toes.  There would
always be time to talk to Tara later.

   "That's beautiful honey," Tara said as she gushed with praise.  After
seeing how Zoe reacted, Tara ignored Jason for the time being.  "Look what
I got you," she said as she opened the bag she was carrying and pulled out
some art supplies.  Although she was able to order these supplies online in
the past, she enjoyed being able to go out and shop for things in person.
It made her feel like she was actually doing something for her daughter,
and not just clicking some links on a web page.

   "Nice," Zoe said as her eyes examined the things her mother bought.

   "Well I'll just put them here, and you can get back to your painting,"
Tara said as she placed the items on the table beside the easel, then left
the room without a glance to the man on the floor below.

   Although Jason wanted to ask Tara if she had picked up the foot cream he
asked for, it was clear from the pressure on Zoe's foot that he wouldn't be
able to do that right now.  With silent resignation, his tongue worked in
circles around her big toe.  He could always talk to Tara at dinner.

   * * *

   Jason was in the washroom, assisting Zoe with her 'personal hygiene',
when he opened the door and called out.  "Tara?"

   "Yes?" Tara answered loudly in response.

   "Can you come to the washroom please?  I need a hand," Jason said with
unease as he stood up and pressed the button on his collar to disable the
response.

   "Be right there," Tara said as she made her way to the living area of
the house.  "What is it?" she asked when she walked in the door.

   "We have a problem," Jason said as he paced in a short circle.

   "What kind of problem," Tara asked as she glanced at Zoe.  Her daughter
was standing holding up the hem of her skirt, facing away.

   "The kind of problem that I shouldn't be facing," Jason said with
exasperation as he shook his head.

   "Jason, you're not making any sense.  What's wrong?" Tara asked as she
looked around to see if she noticed anything amiss.

   "Zoe wanted me to do something inappropriate."

   "What?" Tara asked as her eyebrows raised.

   "She finished using the toilet, and I was wiping her.  After I dropped
the paper in the bowl, she bent forward a bit and. . ."

   "And what. . .  ?"

   "Said 'kiss'.  When I lowered my head to her feet she said, 'No, kiss'
and stuck her bum out."

   As Tara paused to soak it in, she considered what had happened. 
Unexpectedly, she found herself bursting into laughter.

   Jason stood dumbfounded as Tara laughed about an issue that he
considered quite serious.  After gathering his composure, he said, "I don't
see what's funny here Tara."

   "Oh I'm sorry, Jason, but I couldn't help myself," Tara said as she
reigned in her response and tried to compose herself.

   "I don't understand.  What's so funny?" Jason asked, baffled at her
reaction.

   "Because Zoe basically said, 'kiss my ass'," Tara said as another round
of giggles escaped before she got herself back under control.  "I'm sorry,
but it just seemed so silly."

   "Yeah, but--"

   "--Jason, try this.  Imagine that Zoe just said the words, 'kiss my
ass'. As a mother who doesn't get to see much 'life' in her daughter, can't
you see how I would find it funny?"

   "Not really," Jason said with a bemused expression on his face.  While
he did understand that 'kiss my ass' is an expression often used in jest,
the reality was that he felt this girl actually wanted him to do that.

   "Hey, at least she asked after you wiped, and not before," Tara said
with a snicker, still unable to stop finding the situation funny.

   Jason shook his head and let out a sigh, but then added a brief chuckle.
It was getting harder to be bothered by this given how Tara looked at it.
"Okay, I can see the humor, but there's still one problem. . ."

   "What?"

   "She wasn't joking."

   "So?" Tara said with a shrug.

   "Uhhh, what are you saying?" Jason asked as he raised an eyebrow.

   Without speaking, Tara bent down and gave her daughter a kiss on the
cheek of her buttocks, then pushed down the hem of Zoe's skirt.  "There. 
What's the big deal?" she asked with a shrug.

   "But--"

   "--I expect that you probably haven't worked much with young children.
I'm talking about toddlers and such."

   "No, not really."

   "Well haven't you ever seen a mother give a child a raspberry on their
navel?"

   "Yeah."

   "How is this any different?"

   "Because it's her bum, not her navel."

   "Jason, why don't we get Zoe dressed and back in her room, then we can
talk in the den."

   * * *

   As Tara watched Jason enter the room, she pondered the best way to deal
with the current situation.  While she tried to deflect his concerns with
comedy, that could only go so far.  She knew this was deeper than what she
had revealed, but she didn't want to have this conversation so soon after
he started.

   Jason sat down in a chair opposite Tara.  "So, what's this all about?"
he asked.

   "I was hoping that you would have a bit more time before this started
happening."

   "Before what started happening?"

   "Zoe is starting puberty, and she's becoming more. . .  how can I say
it. . .  'sensitive' to her body and how it makes her feel," Tara said in
relaxed tone that she hoped would keep Jason disarmed.  "I'm sure you
remember what it was like for you when you were a kid, right?"

   "Well kind of, but I wasn't asking people to kiss my ass either."

   "Here's the thing though, she wasn't asking you to kiss her ass."

   "What do you mean?  We were just talking about it."

   "I know, but that wasn't what she wanted.  I said that to calm you
down."

   "How do you know what she wanted?" Jason asked as a confused expression
began to form on his face.

   "Because I give her a bath every night."

   "And so what did she want?"

   "Think about it for a second.  She asked for a kiss after you touched a
part of her, right?"

   "Yeah," Jason said as he started to put the pieces together.

   "It was the spot you touched that she wanted kissed," Tara said as she
made her revelation to him.

   "What?" Jason asked incredulously.  He sat and started at Tara as his
mind worked to process the hundred thoughts rushing through his brain.

   "The only reason her bum was pointed at you was since you wipe her from
front to back, and when she stands up she turns away from you."

   "You're kidding me, right?  Please tell me this is a joke," Jason said
as he continued to try and wrap his head around it.

   "It's no joke.  Com'on, Jason, I'm sure you've seen her with her hand
between her legs once or twice.  What do you think she was doing?"

   "Well I understand that kids will touch themselves and that's normal,
but this is something totally different."

   "Of course it is, but you know as well as I that autistic children
express themselves differently."

   Jason received a sting from his collar, so he pressed the button to give
himself another period of 'bypass' time.

   "Why don't I tell you how this all started. . .  A couple months ago,
Zoe became sexually stimulated when I was giving her a shower.  As I was
cleaning her privates, she grabbed my hand and held it there.  Then, as I
was waiting to see why she did that, she began to hump herself against my
fingers."

   "So what did you do?" Jason asked with interest.

   "I pulled my hand away of course.  But it began happening every time she
had a shower.  Didn't you ever wonder why I said that I would give her a
shower?"

   "I thought it was because it would be more appropriate for you to bathe
her."

   "Oh com'on, Jason. . .  You're wiping her after she uses the toilet, do
you really think I would have a problem with you giving her a shower?"

   Jason pondered her remark, and it made sense.  He assumed that she
didn't want a man bathing her daughter, but that seemingly wasn't the case.
"So you were doing it because--"

   "--She would have wanted the same from you ."

   "Wow," Jason said in a shocked tone.

   "There's more."

   "There is?" Jason asked as his eyebrows raised.

   "Yes, there is.  Since we have a large walk-in shower, it's easier to
bathe her that way than in the bathtub.  While I give her a bath on
occasion, it's harder to wash her, and I usually get soaked.  At least with
the shower I can get undressed and get in with her."

   "So where is this all going?" Jason asked.

   "After her first incident with my hand, I would have to give her a small
rub there, so she didn't get fussy."

   Although Jason wanted to be surprised, he was quickly finding out that
there was a lot more going on than he had expected.

   "You may find it disturbing, but honestly, it just seemed very innocent
at the time.  To me it was my way of helping her discover what she could do
with her body in a way that she could understand."

   "Tara, she's your daughter, so I'm not going to judge how you raise her.
But don't you think that it crosses the line?"

   "No, because it was something that she initiated, not me."

   "So how does this affect me then?"

   "I'm getting to that," Tara said.  "After a week of this, Zoe became
more aggressive.  She had gotten a taste of pleasure, and she wanted more."

   "I really don't like where this is going," Jason said as the color began
to drain out of his face.

   Tara ignored his remark and continued.  "It all came to a head one night
when she demanded more.  I was sitting cross legged on the floor of the
shower washing her lower body.  I have a bit of a bad back, so I prefer to
do that rather than bend all the way down."

   With wide eyes, Jason sat and stared at Tara.

   "So I was sitting there, and--out of the blue--she stepped up to me,
pushed her pelvis out, and then said, 'kiss'."

   Jason's jaw went slack.  "You didn't actually. . ." he began, before he
found himself unable to verbalize what he wanted to say.

   "At first I just sat there, shocked.  I'm not gay, and I'm not a
pedophile.  I've never had a sexual interest in women or children--let's be
very clear here."

   "So what did you do?" Jason asked with anticipation.

   "I just sat and stared for a moment as I tried to come to terms with it
all.  As much as I can accept giving my daughter a 'gentle touch' with my
hand, this was something completely different.  But since she had become
accustomed to me kissing her feet on occasion, she must have decided to see
if having me kiss her there would feel good to her as well."

   "So you didn't actually--"

   "--Yes, I did."

   "I don't know what I'm supposed to say to that," Jason said as he shook
his head in disbelief.  "I really don't know how you could do that."

   Tara continued without responding to him.  "Don't you understand?  She's
always going to be autistic, Jason.  I can't change that.  I also can't
change the fact that she won't get married; I won't have grandkids.  This
is it for her," she said as her voice cracked and her eyes began to water.

   "I'm sorry Tara," Jason said as he saw Tara become emotional.  "I didn't
mean for it to come out that way."

   "It's fine. . .  I'm fine. . .  ," Tara said as she composed herself. 
"I guess I thought that I could give her a little bit of what she would
never get otherwise."

   As Jason sat listening to her story, he found himself wondering what he
would do if faced with a similar situation.  While he wasn't married and
had no kids, he knew how much of a strain an autism diagnosis could have on
a family.

   "I'm not a monster Jason," Tara said as she cast her sorrowful eyes to
the floor.

   "I never said you were," Jason said as he tried to get his wits about
him.  He was caught between the startling revelation, and Tara's emotional
response.

   "Can't you see that I just wanted the best for her?" Tara asked with
passion.  "When I. . .  'did it'. . .  the first time, her hands held my
head and pulled me against her.  That's the closest I've gotten to a hug
from her in years," Tara said as she looked back up at him with tears in
her eyes.

   "Really?" Jason asked in shock.

   "Yes.  When I hug her she just stands there or even tries to squirm
away. I know it's not because she doesn't love me, but it hurts," Tara said
as she broke down and began to sob.

   Jason stood up and moved over to Tara's chair.  Dropping to one knee
beside her chair, he took Tara's hand in his and gave it a squeeze.  "You
know she loves you, right?" he asked softly.

   "Yes I know, but it hurts, Jason.  You don't know how hard it is when
you tell someone you love them and they never say it back."

   "But she does love you, and you've done more for her than most parents
ever do.  How many kids like her end up in an institution because their
parents give up on them?  You've given up your life to provide the best for
her," Jason said as he gave her hand another squeeze.

   "I know," Tara said as she wiped the tears on her face with her free
hand.  After taking a deep breath, she regained her composure.  "I'll be
okay. . .  Thank you," she added as she took a deep breath.

   Jason gave her hand one last squeeze, then returned to his chair.

   "Like I said, when I felt her hands grip my head like that, I didn't
think about the ethics of it.  The thought of 'incest' never entered my
mind.  All I thought about was how my daughter was showing me that I
mattered to her."

   " I guess it became a repeating thing with you then?"

   "Yes.  Every night during her shower."

   "So what happens with me?" Jason asked.

   "I guess that depends on you."

   "What do you mean?"

   "On whether you would be willing to. . ." Tara's voice trailed off as
she found herself unable to verbalize her remarks.

   "Hang on a second. . .  You're not suggesting that I. . .  ," Jason said
as the revelation hit him like a truck.  "I'm sorry, Tara, but you can't
possibly expect me to do the same."

   "Look, I understand how this must sound, but--"

   "--It sounds like you want me to perform oral sex on your daughter,"
Jason said brusquely as his anxiety began to deepen.  He quickly pictured
himself being arrested and going to jail.

   "I just thought that you'd be willing to take over for me.  If you could
only--"

   "--Tara, you can't seriously expect me to consider this."

   "Why not?" Tara asked.  In her mind this wasn't wrong.  In her mind this
was just a way to make her daughter happy.

   "Why?  Because it's immoral and against the law."

   "She's the one who wants it, Jason," Tara said with conviction.  "It's
different when adults force themselves on kids.  I can't tell you what I'd
do if I caught someone sexually assaulting my daughter.  Let's just say
there's a reason I own a gun and leave it at that."

   Jason ignored her remark about owning a gun, and said, "It doesn't
matter if she had a notarized letter asking for it, we're supposed to be
the adults here.  We're supposed to know better."

   "Who gets to make that decision though?"

   "Make what decision. . .?" Jason asked.

   "Who gets to decide what's 'right'?  Why can't I decide what's best for
my own daughter?  Why does it have to be a crime to make her happy?" Before
Jason could respond, she threw down the gauntlet.  "Answer me this. . .  Do
you think what I did was sexual abuse?"

   "Well it's not that simple. . ."

   "Yes, it is.  Did I sexually abuse my daughter, yes or no?"

   With his mind whirling, Jason struggled to find a way to answer her
question.  While he did consider her actions to be inappropriate, he wasn't
about to call her a sexual abuser.  Not only would that likely end his job
for sure, it would put him into a confrontation he didn't want to be
having.

   "Well. . .?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow.

   "No," Jason said in a meek tone.  He had been bested in this debate, and
he knew it.

   "Fair enough.  So can you at least understand that I did this because I
love Zoe?"

   "Yes."

   "So you understand that why I'm asking."

   Little by little, Jason found himself becoming sympathetic to Tara's
plight.  He still wasn't willing to do what she asked, but he was becoming
more understanding to how she come to be in this position.  "I'm sorry,
Tara, but I just can't see what could possibly make me consider doing
something like this."

   After a pause, Tara decided to take on a more persuasive tack.  Her
bargaining skills kicked in as she calmed her tone.  "Can I ask you
something?"

   "Sure," Jason said as he tried to relax after this astonishing
revelation.

   "When we were talking during your interview, you said that you found my
salary offer too good to refuse."

   "Yes. . ."

   "I think you mentioned something about fifty thousand in student loans,
correct?"

   "That's right.  Why do you ask?"

   "What would you say if I agreed to wipe off that debt, in exchange for
your cooperation?"

   Jason sat stunned for a moment.  When he had recovered slightly, he
shook his head and said, "This is bigger than money, Tara.  I could go to
jail for this."

   "No one would ever know.  It would stay between the two of us," Tara
said as she tried to assuage his concerns.  She knew what she was asking
seemed beyond belief, but she was so burned out that she needed a break
from it all.

   "What about the cameras?  You would basically have a video record of me
breaking the law."

   "The video goes to my computer, which is encrypted.  No one would be
able to access the images without the encryption key, and I have it
committed to memory."

   As he shook his head, Jason was trying to sort all this out in his mind.
It was one thing to agree when she asked him to appease her daughter's
desire for contact with her feet.  At least that didn't involve anything
sexual.  "Tara, since it's clear you aren't going to back down, let me ask
you this. . .  Can you actually imagine me doing that with your daughter?
Seriously?  Stop for a moment and imagine me doing that.  Does it feel
right to you?"

   When Tara gave the idea some thought, she did find herself instinctively
uneasy.  However, there was a battle being waged in her mind.  She was so
close to a breakdown that she began to rationalize everything as a means to
keep her sanity.  Since Zoe was the one that wanted it, Tara figured that
it made this 'okay' somehow.  "Of course it doesn't feel right," Tara said
as she glared at Jason.  "None of it does.  But I just don't have any other
choice.  I need some time to myself or I'm going to crack up.  I'm done,
Jason.  Done."

   Jason could feel that things were going downhill fast.  As much as he
objected, he could tell she wasn't going to change his mind.  It was
quickly becoming possible that she might just fire him and put Zoe in an
institution.  He could hear the tension rising in her voice.  Although it
wasn't easy, he began to consider what she was asking.  How bad could it
be? he asked himself as he tried to rationalize her request, only to have
his 'moral center' kick back in and chide him for even considering such an
act.

   "I like you Jason.  You're a decent man and you treat my daughter better
than I had ever dreamed possible.  You've also given me freedom.  This past
weekend I went out with some of my friends.  I haven't done that in so long
I forgot how good it felt to get out of the house without worrying I may
get a phone call telling me Zoe was out of control and I needed to come
home."

   A shock struck Jason's neck, so he reached up and pressed the bypass
button as he listened intently.

   "Like I said, if you agree to take care of all of Zoe's. . . 
needs--including this one--I'm willing to take care of your debt.  If you
agree, and stay a full year, I'll wipe that debt clean.  That's above and
beyond the salary we agreed on."

   Jason's stoic expression belied the turmoil that raged in his mind.  On
the one side, his 'moral center' was demanding he refuse.  On the other
side his intellect--and his greed--was pressing him to agree.  In a year he
could be debt-free with sixty or seventy thousand in the bank, even after
paying taxes.

   "Please, Jason?" Tara asked when again when he didn't reply right away.
"Won't you at least consider it for a moment?"

   "I don't know.  I'll be honest with you, Tara, I don't even know if I'd
be able to do this."

   "Have you never done it before?" Tara asked, unsure of what he meant.

   "It's not that.  I've done it often, but I just don't know if I could do
that with a girl.  It goes against everything I believe in to have any kind
of sexual contact with a child, let alone a child that's under my care."

   "But you would only be doing it if she wanted it."

   "I get that, but I don't know if I could go through with it.  I won't
lie to you; the money is tempting.  But I'm not sure if I can physically do
that with a child."

   "Look, I understand how much of a shock this has all been, so I can
understand if you are unsure right now.  Why don't we do this. . .?  If you
agree, but you can't bring yourself to do it, then we'll just keep going as
we are now.  You'll get your salary as promised, but your debts will be
your own."

   Jason sat in silence as he mulled it all over in his mind.

   "Why don't you try it once?  It's not like you'll be doing this all day.
I have no idea how often--or even if--she'll ask once she realizes that I
won't be bathing her anymore.  She may never ask at all.  However, if you
agree to do it if she asks, the deal stands."

   "I don't know what to say," Jason said as he found himself unable to
come to a decision.  "Frankly, this feels like some badly written novel."

   "But it's not.  This is my daughter we're talking about here.  Just say
yes.  Just say that you want to make my daughter happy.  Just say that you
want to keep me from having a breakdown.  Please. . .?" Tara asked one last
time with pleading eyes.

   In the end, Jason's 'moral center' lost the battle.  While he was still
very anxious about what he was agreeing to do, he couldn't say no.  This
was an opportunity for financial independence that he would never have
again.  However, it was Tara's fragile mental state that ultimately tipped
the scales in her favor.  "Okay Tara, you win," he said as a defeated and
forced smile came to his face.  "I'll give it a try."

   "You don't know how relieved I am to hear you say that.  I know this has
all been a shock to you, but over the past couple weeks I've seen how you
treat her.  The only reason I went out on the weekend was because I trust
you.  Forget the cameras, I would never leave this house if I didn't trust
you completely."

   "I appreciate that," Jason said with a nod.

   "Think of it this way. . .  You're getting the chance to show her just
how good this can feel.  While I've done it to her, I'm not attracted to
women.  It feels very forced to me, and so I can't help but think that--as
a man--you would be more capable."

   "Well I'm no expert, but I know what I'm doing.  You do understand there
is the potential for me to become. . .  aroused, when I'm doing it."

   "I know, I'm not ignorant of that possibility.  But I think we both
understand the limits here.  Your clothes stay on, and your hands stay out
of your pants."

   "Of course."

   "One more thing. . .  I'm going to pick up some clothing for you to wear
in the shower.  When you're bathing her, I'd like you wearing a t-shirt and
swim shorts."

   "Sounds perfect," Jason said.  If she didn't suggest it, he was going to
make the same suggestion.

   "Great.  I'll pick that up this afternoon, and you can give her a shower
tonight."

   "Fair enough.  Will she expect me to. . .  yuno?"

   "That's what I've been saying; I really don't know, Jason.  If you sit
on the floor in front of her, I'm sure she'll let you know."

   "And if she does. . .  ?" Jason asked, seeking final confirmation.  He
was still a bit unnerved by it all, and he wanted to be completely sure
that he knew exactly what was expected of him.

   "Then go ahead.  I don't expect you to ask permission from me.  If she
asks for it, do it.  When she's had enough, you stop.  It's that simple."

   * * *

   That evening, Jason found himself anxious over the upcoming shower that
he would soon be giving Zoe.  His 'shower gear' was sitting on his bed, and
he kept checking the time on his tablet.  When it was time, he disabled his
collar and quietly made his way to the bathroom to get changed.  When he
was done he walked back to the bedroom.  "Okay Zoe, time for your shower."

   Zoe looked over at Jason, and stared at him for a moment as she examined
what he was wearing.

   "Com'on Zoe, let's go please," Jason said again as he walked over and
took her by the hand.  He walked her to the bathroom and shut the door
behind him, although he didn't lock it.

   Zoe stood waiting in the center of the room.

   "Okay, let's get you undressed," Jason said as he pulled her shirt over
her head.  Dropping it on the ground, he knelt down to undo her pants. 
This was odd for him since usually Zoe would do this herself when she used
the toilet.  However, he assumed his unfamiliar presence may have been
confusing to her.

   As Zoe's pants were pushed down, she lifted one foot, and then the
other. Once she had been undressed, she stood and waited with her arms at
her side.

   Jason did his best not to look at Zoe as he undressed her.  He was
feeling anxious enough, he didn't want to look at her genitals unless he
had to do so.  It was a bit of a surprise when she didn't use her hands to
cover herself, he had expected that she would do that.  After moving to the
shower, he turned on the water to a reasonable temperature, and then held
out his hand.  "Com'on Zoe, time for your shower."

   Without emotion, Zoe took Jason's hand and allowed herself to be led
inside the shower.

   It took a few moments for Jason to get his head in gear.  While he had
bathed children on occasion, he hadn't had to do so in a shower in this
manner.  Usually it was in a bath, and there would be lots of bubbles to
obscure the water.

   "Feet," Zoe said as she became bored with waiting.

   "Not now. . .  I need to get you washed up, then we can do feet, Okay?"
Jason asked rhetorically.  Sensing her impatience, he pulled her under the
spray to wet her hair.  Once that was done, he washed and rinsed her hair,
taking care to keep shampoo out of her eyes.

   With her hair clean, Jason picked up a shower pouf and added some body
wash.  Then, starting at her neck, he gently scrubbed her body.  Working
his way down her back, he went all the way down to the floor, then did the
same in front.  Both times he deftly skipped over her genitals.

   A gentle tug by Jason brought the young girl under the water again, and
he used his hands to help rinse off the suds.  When she was clean he picked
up a facecloth.  After adding a tiny about of soap, he proceeded to clean
her face and behind her ears.  Giving the cloth a rinse, he knew what he
had to do next.

   It was awkward for Jason to sit down in the shower, but he managed to
get himself seated in front of Zoe.  He didn't want to look directly
between her legs, so he turned his gaze up to her face.  "Okay, I need to
clean your privates now." With care, he carefully bathed her crease.  She
was completely smooth and hairless, and it was something he hadn't seen up
close before.  Once done, he reached through her legs and wiped between her
buttocks.  That's when it happened.

   "Kiss," Zoe announced.  She stared down at the man and put her hands on
her hips.

   A shiver cascaded through Jason's body as he faced what he feared.  He
was hoping his first time would have been more innocuous.  Despite knowing
what was expected of him, he found himself frozen in place.

   "Kiss," Zoe repeated as she moved herself a bit closer.

   Jason unconsciously began to lean back slightly, unable to make himself
do what she had asked.

   With a curious stare, Zoe stepped astride Jason's body, planting her
feet beside his hips.  "Kiss," she repeated once more.

   Although he wasn't doing it intentionally, Jason's head shook very
slightly as he stared up at the young girl.  "I can't," he said with a hint
of panic in his voice.

   Zoe widened her stance, and stepped forward again.  "Now," she said,
this time with more of a demanding tone.  Not wanting to wait any longer,
she reached down, took his head in her hands, and began to pull it forward.

   "Oh God," Jason blurted out as he found his head being pulled towards
the junction between her thighs.  The taut skin of Zoe's mons moved closer,
as Jason's eyes were drawn to her slit.  He could see the tip of her nub
sticking out from between the smooth contoured lips as it was drawn towards
his mouth.

   The spray of the shower stopped hitting Jason's head as Zoe's body
eclipsed him.  With only a handful of inches left to go, time seemed to
crawl and the sounds around him faded away.  The light grew dim as he was
drawn closer into her shadow.  His eyes lost focus when she was only a
couple inches away, so he closed them and awaited his fate.

   Jason's nose touched her body as she drew his head between her thighs.
Within seconds, his lips made contact with her mound.  A shudder shook his
body as he came to grips with the situation.  Here he was, sitting on the
floor of a shower with his face between the legs of an eleven-year-old
girl.

   "Kiss," Zoe said when she felt Jason's face where she wanted him.

   After taking a deep breath, Jason cautiously snaked out his tongue. 
While he wasn't certain what he was afraid of, he wanted to take it slow.
When he finally connected with her seam, he could taste a faint hint of
urine.  It was very slight though, given he had washed her there.  However,
he didn't want to press the cloth between her folds.  With his eyes closed,
he tried to imagine that he was doing this with a woman, and not a young
girl.  It was the only way he would be able to go further.

   Jason let his breath out slowly as he tried to relax.  He could feel
Zoe's fingers on his scalp as she tightly gripped his head.  If he had any
doubt as to whether she wanted this, it evaporated quickly.  Soon his
tentative licks drew him to explore further, and he pushed his tongue
between her folds.  He could feel the heat from her body as he searched his
tongue upwards.

   Zoe gasped when she felt Jason touch her in a way she hadn't expected.
While her mother had done this before, her attention seemed a lot more
mechanical.  With Jason, he seemed to dig himself in deeper, and it was
something she found quite pleasurable.

   It wasn't long before Jason's tongue found her nub.  Once there he
carefully traced his tongue around it, in a slow and methodical manner. 
While drawing the flat surface of his tongue across the tip, he could feel
her body quiver ever so slightly.  Up and down, round and round, he danced
his tongue over her immature mound.  He was more at ease now, and he began
to free his mind and allow himself to immerse in the experience.

   With waves of pleasure flowing through her body, Zoe moved herself
forward slightly.  Even though she couldn't press him any tighter against
her body, she still felt the unconscious desire to try.

   Although he didn't notice it initially, Jason could feel that Zoe was
causing him to tip further back.  To keep his balance, he removed his hands
from the backs of her thighs, and planted them on the shower floor. 
Despite this, she continued to press forward, and this made it so that the
only thing holding his face in place was the strength of her grip.  He was
surprised at how she was able to keep a hold on him, despite the change in
balance.

   Unable to keep his arms straight, Jason found himself losing his
leverage.  To prevent himself from falling further back, he wrapped his
arms around Zoe and clasped his hands onto her buttocks.  Within moments he
felt the movement of the muscles in her bum as she flexed her pelvis on his
face.

   Her pleasure was increasing now, but Zoe found her strength beginning to
wane.  She wasn't ready to let him go though, so she carefully lowered
Jason as she kept herself attached to his face.  When she felt her knuckles
scrape on the shower floor, she slipped out her hands and brought them to
his ears.  Without losing her grip, Zoe stepped astride his head, and
settled into a crouch.  However, never once throughout the entire descent
did she stop rocking her pelvis on his face.

   Now on his back, Jason could feel Zoe as she adjusted herself.  The
change in position allowed him to open his eyes.

   Zoe's head was tilted back and her eyes were closed as she continued to
enjoy this new kind of pleasure.  The spray from the shower continued to
rain down on her, although it wasn't something she cared about.  Her jaw
went slack as she began to feel something building inside her.  She didn't
know what it was, but the intensity was increasing.  Despite this, she
gripped Jason tighter.  Whatever it might be, she wanted to ride it out.

   As Jason worked on Zoe's button, he could feel her body ever-so-slightly
begin to shudder.  He kept his gaze upwards and watched as she began to
shake her head.  It was as if she couldn't believe what she was feeling. 
There was no denying she wanted him to continue, and his ears began to hurt
as she pulled on them to maintain contact with him in the slippery spray of
the shower.

   All of a sudden, Zoe felt a shockwave crackle through her body.  She
snapped her head downwards, and her eyes locked with Jason's as her face
began to shake.  As the pleasure rippled through her, she panted and gasped
as she rode the wave.

   There was no mistake to what Jason was seeing, as the young girl endured
her first real orgasm.  He could tell by her face that she had never
experienced this before.  The sheer look of surprise told him that he had
brought her to place she had never been.  It was at this point when he
could feel her juices on his chin.  Despite being in the shower, the flow
of water was no match for her copious discharge.

   As quickly as it started, Zoe felt the wave of pleasure come to an end
as her strength seemed to bleed out of her body.  Fully spent, she spread
her knees into a split, and then dropped them down to the shower floor.  As
she did so, she flattened her feet so the tops faced down, and brought them
together under his neck.  Given her weakness, she stayed in place on
Jason's face as she allowed herself to come down from the high she had
experienced.

   Jason let out a deep exhale through his nose as Zoe relaxed herself down
on top of him.  Her fingers were now running themselves across his scalp in
a gentle fashion as she stared straight ahead.  When she relaxed down, her
body moved forward, which landed her button on his nose.  It also moved the
opening to her cavern onto his mouth.  He could feel it twitch on his mouth
as small aftershocks rippled through her.

   Unable to resist, Jason parted his lips, and allowed her opening to form
a tender embrace with his mouth.  Since his hands were still gripping her
quivering buttocks, he relaxed his grip and let them fall to his sides.  As
the seconds ticked by, he was treated to the fruits of his labor.  While
not copious anymore, there was a gentle weep that slowly coated the inside
of his mouth.  It was a taste unlike anything he had ever tasted before.

   Jason wasn't sure if his mind was influencing what he was experiencing,
but the fluid seemed to have a sedative effect.  How is this possible?  He
asked himself as the young girl sat motionless on his face while stroking
his scalp.  In the end he was convinced that he was simply caught up in the
experience, and that it was his mind's way of helping him to cope with this
overwhelming turn of events.

   A few minutes later, after taking a big breath, Zoe looked down at Jason
as she slowly began to lift herself off his face.  Once she was standing,
she continued to stare down at him in awe of what he had made her feel.

   With his mouth now free, Jason said, "Kiss?" in a way as if to ask if
she was satisfied with what he had done.

   Zoe stood astride Jason's head as a small smile crested her face. 
"Kiss," she said in a whisper as she nodded.  Then, lifting one leg, she
gently traced her big toe across his fluid-coated lips before returning her
foot to the floor.

   It was a surprise to Jason when he saw Zoe smile.  He hasn't seen her do
that before.  His eyebrows raised as he took in the sight before him. 
There standing over his body was a eleven-year-old girl whose wet and naked
body glistened.  It was a girl he had just given oral sex.

   Jason's mind almost refused to believe what it was seeing.  Did he
actually do what he thought he did?  Did he really attach his mouth to the
pink mound that was hovering a couple feet above his face?  Did he really
give her an orgasm?  It all seemed so surreal.  After giving his head a
shake, he began to lift himself off the shower floor.  "Okay Zoe, it's time
to dry you off.  Move back a bit please so I can stand up."

   As instructed, Zoe stepped away from Jason.  It was odd how different he
looked when he was lying on the ground, than when he was standing beside
her.  When he was at her feet he didn't seem like an adult, he seemed more
like a friend.

   Within moments, Jason felt the tingle of his collar, so he pressed the
bypass button and then turned off the water.  "Wait there for a second Zoe,
while I get you some towels," he said as he stepped onto the bathmat.  His
wet bathing suit and t-shirt clung to his body like a second skin.  He
pulled a couple of bath towels off the rack beside him and flung one over
his shoulder.

   After holding up the other bath towel, Jason said, "Okay, let's dry you
off." Once Zoe approached, he gently toweled her body dry and then wrapped
the towel around her.  Then, with the second towel, he wrapped up her hair
and wove the towel around her head.  He was about to question what he
should do for himself when he spied a new bathrobe hanging on the back of
the bathroom door.  "She thinks of everything," he said aloud as he put it
on.

   Jason opened the door and stepped into the hall, with Zoe trailing close
behind.  As he made his way towards Zoe's room, he heard footsteps coming
from within Tara's room.

   As Tara walked out of her room, she approached Jason and Zoe as they
left the bathroom.  "I see you found the bathrobe," she said as she came to
a stop.  "I hope it fits."

   "Yes it does, thank you," Jason said with a nod of appreciation.

   "How did it go in there?  Did you have any problems?" Tara asked in an
intentionally ambiguous manner.  While she could have watched on camera,
she decided to leave it until later so that she wouldn't be tempted to
intervene.  As much as she may have encouraged Jason to take care of her
daughter's 'needs', she was still her mother, and it was hard to imagine
seeing it and just letting it happen.

   "Everything went just fine, didn't it Zoe?" Jason asked as he glanced at
the towel clad girl.  The question was rhetorical though, and he didn't
expect a response.

   "Well that's good to hear.  I won't keep you; let me know if you need
anything."

   "Will do," Jason said as he began to lead Zoe down the hall.

   When Zoe was beside her mother, she stopped and looked up at her.

   Tara was caught off guard by her daughter's actions.  Usually Zoe didn't
pay much attention to those around her, unless she had a reason to do so.

   A small smile curled the corners of Zoe's lips.  "Thank you mommy," she
said.  Then, without a delay, she walked away and to her bedroom.

   While Jason was taken by surprise, he wasn't fully aware of the
significance of what just happened.  When he glanced over at Tara he could
see that she was standing with a zombie-like expression on her face.  "Ore
you okay?" he asked with concern.

   It took a few moments before Tara's mind processed what had just
happened.  When it did, her eyes filled with tears.  "I'm sorry, I have to
go," she said as she turned away.  She strode down the hall and into the
den, swiftly closing the door behind her.

   The collar on Jason's neck reminded him that he needed to get back to
Zoe, so he turned and followed her back to her room.  After pressing the
button on his collar, he helped her get dressed into her nightie.  As was
usual for her, she didn't wear anything beneath it.  However, he was
quickly becoming used to seeing her in that state.  He spent a few minutes
towel drying her hair, and then he brushed it out.  Once complete, he
handed her a book and said, "I'll be right back, I promise."

   With his collar still disabled, Jason walked down the hall to the den.
He tapped lightly on the door.  Not waiting for an answer, he slowly opened
it.  There he found Tara, sitting with a glass of wine, eyes full of tears,
staring out the window.  He slowly approached and moved himself in front of
her.  "Tara, is everything alright?" he asked in a quiet tone.

   While Tara heard Jason speak, her mind didn't allow her to acknowledge
it.

   "Tara?  Are you okay?"

   "I don't know," Tara said in a voice barely above a whisper.

   "What's wrong?"

   "It's Zoe," Tara said in a voice that almost sounded surprised.  "She. .
.  she thanked me," she added with disbelief filling her voice.

   "Yes, I know," Jason said.  "Why are you crying?"

   Tara turned and looked up at Jason.  "You don't get it," she said before
taking another gulp of wine.  "She thanked me."

   "I'm sorry, Tara, but I don't understand," Jason said, clearly not
comprehending the significance of what happened.

   "No, you don't.  Never once has Zoe ever thanked me--for anything.  I
don't think you know how much that means to me.  All these years; all the
time I spent taking care of her. . .  I gave up my freedom for her Jason, I
gave up everything," Tara said while on the verge of tears.

   As the words soaked in, Jason found himself trying to comprehend just
what she had been through.  "Because of what I did for her in the shower,
she was thanking you because she knows that you hired me?"

   "What else could it be?  She's a smart girl, Jason, she knows I was
responsible for this."

   "Wow, I never thought of it that way."

   "She was smiling too.  I saw it.  It wasn't big, but it was there," Tara
said as she took another large sip of wine.

   "Hasn't she ever done that before?"

   "Yes, but not at me.  She will occasionally smile if something amuses
her, but she has never smiled at me directly," Tara said as she began to
compose herself.  While her eyes were still full of tears, she was able to
stop the flow down her cheeks.

   "She smiled at me too," Jason said quietly as he approached her chair
and dropped to one knee.  "It was beautiful."

   "What did you do to her?" Tara asked aggressively as she shook her head,
still in disbelief over what had happened.  "I have to know Jason.  What
did you do to my daughter?" she asked as she turned to face him.

   "I did. . .  I did what we talked about," Jason said as he blustered. 
"Yuno, I kissed her. . .  between her legs."

   "You did more than that," Tara said, gazing intently at Jason.

   "Well yeah. . .  I meant that. . .  I gave her oral sex.  We talked
about this Tara, you said you wanted me to do it.  She was the one who
started it," Jason said as anxiety filtered into his voice.  He was
beginning to think she was having second thoughts about it all.

   "And what happened?  How did she react?"

   "She had an orgasm.  Based on the look on her face, it must have been
her first one.  It seemed like her mind was on fire."

   "I don't know what to say Jason," Tara said as she exhaled deeply and
took it all in.  "I know we talked about it. . .  but I never thought--I
never dreamed--that it could have that kind of impact on her."

   Jason wasn't sure what to say.  He was becoming more relaxed now that he
understood she wasn't upset with him, but he was still trying to comprehend
how this could have happened.

   It took a moment, but suddenly things seemed to fall into place in
Tara's mind.  "Please tell me that you're willing to keep doing this," she
said with pleading eyes.  "You don't know how much this would mean to me,"
she added as she reached out, took Jason's hand in hers, and squeezed it
firmly.  "Please Jason. . .  I can't lose this, not now, not after
everything that's happened."

   "Relax Tara, I'll do it often as Zoe wants," Jason said as he gave her
hand a squeeze in return.  "If it means this much to you, I'll do it as
much as she wants, you have my word."

   "Oh Jason, you don't know what this means to me," she said as her eyes
again welled up with tears.  "The thought that she may come out of her
shell, even just a little. . .  It's something I never thought would
happen."

   "We agreed that I would never initiate, and I won't.  But I can try to
make it so that she'll feel more comfortable in wanting me to do that for
her."

   "Thank you Jason, oh thank you," Tara said as she placed her second hand
over her first and tightly squeezed his hand.  "You've done so much to
enrich our lives, I don't think I can ever repay you."

   "You're welcome." Jason smiled warmly at Tara as she released his hand.
"I'll be honest. . .  When I started here, I was skeptical of it all,
especially when you dropped the bomb earlier today.  But I'm developing an
attachment to Zoe now.  It's hard to explain.  Even though she's not my
daughter, I'm starting to feel that way about her." With his hand free,
Jason stood up and sat down on the chair beside her.

   "So you've become comfortable with the foot thing?"

   "Yeah," Jason said.  "It took a few days, but I finally began to
understand it in a way that made sense."

   "How so?" Tara asked with interest.

   "Well at first I thought it was a simple tactile thing," Jason said with
a nod.  "Yuno, she just wanted to feel the sensation.  But if that was the
case, she wouldn't need you or me.  She could just put her feet on an
object, like a stuffed animal."

   Jason took a moment to press the button on his collar, then said, "She
wants to be in contact with a person, because she wants affection--in her
own way.  Hugging or holding Zoe is probably uncomfortable to her, right?"

   "Yes," Tara said.  "She'll tolerate it briefly, but not for any length
of time.  After a second or two she'll squirm away.

   "And that's why," Jason said.  "With her feet she can get the kind of
affection she wants, without feeling 'boxed in' at all.  She also gets to
do whatever else is she is doing, and still experience those sensations. 
It's the best of both worlds for her."

   Tara's eyes widened slightly as she mulled it over in her mind.  What
Jason was saying began to make sense.  Why else would she want that? 
Furthermore, it meant she wanted attention from her mother.  It was
something that made Tara all the more happy with her decisions.

   "That's why I became comfortable with it so quickly, since it was
basically her version of wanting a cuddle.  When I figured it out, I was
much more willing to be a part of it.  I feel like I'm enriching her life
now."

   "And you are," Tara said with conviction.  "I don't think anyone else
would have gone as far as you have for my daughter.  You've even agreed to
put your life on hold.  That's a sacrifice that I don't take lightly, since
it's a sacrifice I've made myself."

   "You've given up enough Tara," Jason said with compassion.  "I'm only
twenty-five; I have plenty of time to get married and start a family or
whatever.  It's time you get to live your life again."

   "You really mean that, don't you?" Tara asked in disbelief as she shook
her head.  Why would someone she just met want to do this for her?  Up to
this point she had felt the world was against her and she was on her own.
Yet somehow, life was rewarding her sacrifice by giving Jason to her--and
by extension--to her daughter.

   "Of course I mean it," Jason said.  "When you told me about what you've
sacrificed for Zoe, I was amazed.  Most parents would have placed her in an
institution by now."

   Tara sighed.  "Jason, you don't know how hard it was for me not to do
that.  I won't lie and say that I didn't consider it, because I did--many
times.  But I know what those places are like.  It just felt like I would
be giving up on her."

   "I know, and I respect that," Jason said.  "I won't lie either; at first
I was drawn to this job for the money, but now I want to stay for Zoe. 
Like I said, I've developed a bond with her."

   "Well whatever it is, I hope you never lose it."

   "Me too," Jason said with a smile.  "But I don't see that happening, at
least not anytime soon.  Can I be honest with you Tara?"

   "Of course," Tara said as she gave Jason a warm smile.

   "Zoe makes me feel wanted in a way I have never felt before.  I know I
talked about feeling like she's a daughter to me now, but it's more than
that.  Even though I stay close to her feet, I know that she wants me close
to her feet."

   "How can you tell?" Tara asked with interest.

   "Little things," Jason said.  "I see her look at her feet to see if I'm
nearby; she does that quite often.  Also, if I need to use the washroom or
step away briefly, she always asks me to kiss her feet when I get back.  I
don't think there has been a single time when she hasn't."

   "That's amazing," Tara said with interest.  "I had no idea she had taken
to it so quickly."

   "Well to be fair, she never had anyone who was willing to go as far as I
do.  In your case you would only do it on occasion, and only when she got
upset."

   "Given how calm she has become now, I guess that makes sense," Tara
said.

   "So when I entered the picture, she now had access to someone who would
always be there, no matter what.  She doesn't need to act out to get
attention anymore."

   Tara nodded.  "Speaking of attention, you should probably get back
before she starts to fuss."

   "Yeah, you're right," Jason said as he stood up.  "And let me just say
that if you ever want to talk, I'm always here for you, Tara."

   "Thanks Jason, that means a lot to me," Tara said as she smiled in
gratitude.

   "Well goodnight, I'll see you in the morning," Jason said as he left the
room.  Once back in Zoe's room, the expected happened immediately.

   Zoe was lying recumbent on her bed, with her back against the wall,
reading her book.  Her body spanned the width of the bed, and as a result
her feet were resting on the pillow at the head of his bed--ankles crossed.
"Kiss," Zoe said as she held up her foot.

   Jason moved directly to the bed and sat down.  As he reached out and
took Zoe's foot in his hands, his eyes couldn't help but glance between her
legs.  After what he discussed with Tara, he found himself thinking about
how he might be doing what he did in the washroom more often.

   "Kiss," Zoe said with a hint of impatience in her voice.  While he had
taken her foot in his hand, he had yet to start kissing it.  She wriggled
her toes, hoping he would get the message.

   "Yes Zoe," Jason said in a complying tone as he brought her foot to his
mouth.  Once it was close enough, he relaxed his lips and began to place
gentle kisses on the sole of her foot.  Five minutes later, after he had
fully covered her foot with kisses, he lowered it to the bed.  Without
being asked, he picked up her other foot and did the same.

   "Nice," Zoe said in satisfied recognition of Jason's initiative to kiss
her other foot without her having to ask him.

   It was about ten minutes later when Jason put down her foot and took a
break.  "I need to get changed for bed Zoe, I'll be right back," he said as
he walked to the foot of his bed and picked up his pajamas.  After pressing
the bypass button on his collar, he made the short walk to the bathroom to
change, and was back in the bedroom within a minute.

   "Kiss," Zoe announced as she held up her foot.

   Jason got into his bed, and then reached out to pull Zoe's foot to his
face again.  She relaxed her leg as his lips began their leisurely trek
around her foot.

   As Jason took some time to service her toes, he again found his eyes
drawn to the junction between her thighs.  Since she still had one knee
bent, he could see below her nightie.  Although the bedside table lamp
wasn't bright, it was enough to penetrate the pink fabric and cast a
colored hue on her mons.  He was snapped out of his distraction when Zoe
pulled her foot from his hand and gave him the other one.  Without being
asked, he went to work, lavishing her foot with kisses until he had covered
every possible inch.

   "Alright you two, lights out.  Time for bed," Tara said as she entered
the room.  She smiled down at Jason, who was nibbling on Zoe's feet.  "Give
me the book honey, you can read more tomorrow," she said as she took the
book and placed it on the nightstand.  Then, after pulling down the covers,
she pulled then back up and over Zoe, who had been laying on top of them.

   "Goodnight Tara," Jason said after Zoe pulled her feet away.  He
maneuvered himself under his covers.

   "Goodnight Jason," Tara said.  Then, bending to plant a kiss on her
daughter's forehead, she said, "Goodnight sweetheart." On her way out she
shut off the light and closed the door.

   The room was plunged into darkness as Jason's eyes adjusted to the lack
of light.  He typically stayed awake for a little while until he could hear
Zoe's breathing, indicating she had fallen asleep.  Until that point, he
usually would snake his hands under the covers and caress her feet, giving
them a gentle massage.

   Zoe felt content and at ease when she felt Jason rub her feet.  It was
something she never tired of feeling.  While she may not have understood
why he suddenly became a part of her life, after what happened in the
shower, she never wanted him to go away.

   As Jason relaxed and blindly massaged Zoe's feet, he ruminated about
what had happened that day.  Something changed for him.  He couldn't put
his finger on it, but he saw Zoe in a different light now.  When she smiled
down at him in the shower, it touched him deep inside.  For the first time
in a long time, he felt like he actually 'reached' an autistic child. 
Despite the walls in her mind, he was able to dig through and engage her in
a way that allowed her to smile.

   But more importantly, Jason's actions triggered Tara's daughter to do
something she had never done.  Thank her mother.  While it didn't sink in
right away, he could now see how powerful such an event could be for Tara.
It must have been hard to be a parent and not feel appreciated--or even
hugged--by your own child.  The impact on Tara was clear, and the result of
Zoe's simple expression of gratitude had been life-changing for her.

   If Jason had any doubts about whether he wanted to live with Tara and
Zoe, those doubts had all but evaporated.  However, he still found himself
thinking about what happened in the shower.  In some ways, he was still in
disbelief that he actually gave a young girl oral sex.  Had someone asked
him if he would ever do such a thing, he would have been insulted by the
question alone.

   Yet the reality of the situation was that Jason had done something that
he couldn't undo.  There was no way to turn back the clock now. 
Furthermore, Tara's emotional reaction caused him to skip over many of his
moral safeguards.  It almost seemed surreal when he considered that the
mother of an eleven-year-old girl practically begged him to continue
performing oral sex on her daughter.

   The only question for Jason now was how this new 'activity' with Zoe
would manifest itself.  Since she only used a handful of words, it wasn't
as if she could talk about what she wanted.  However, given that he spent
the vast majority of his time near her feet, he figured that his close
proximity would likely be all the encouragement she needed--if she wanted
him to pleasure her again.

   As Zoe shifted in bed, she thought about the man laying by her feet.  On
some nights, she would scoot herself down the bed a bit, and then slide her
feet out from under the covers and onto Jason's pillow.  It was comforting
to feel his face resting on the soles of her feet.  It made her feel safe
and secure.  If she wasn't ready to sleep by that point, his warm breath on
her feet would soon send her to dreamland.  For tonight though, she curled
herself into a ball and fell asleep.

   * * *

   The next morning, Jason woke as he did usually, about two hours before
Zoe got up.  This was the one saving grace about being with her.  Since she
slept longer than he did, it meant that he had a couple hours in the
morning to do things on his own.  In his case, the big one was to be able
to shower and clean himself up.  Once done, he would dry his short hair,
get dressed, and head to the kitchen for breakfast.  "Good morning," he
said as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

   "Good morning. . .  how did you sleep?" Tara asked.

   "Great," Jason said.  "I'm not sure what kind of mattress that is, but
it's amazing.  I haven't slept this well since I was a kid."

   "I'm glad to hear that," Tara said as she placed a glass of orange juice
in front of Jason.  "I know it's a cliché, but I only get the best for my
daughter.  Since you're with her, you'll get the same."

   "By the way, I just wanted to say that I'm glad we can spend some time
together in the mornings.  As much as I'm devoted to your daughter's care,
I realize that being isolated from other adults would likely have been too
much for me.  At least this way we can talk as friends."

   "Agreed," Tara said.  "But you're not a 'friend', Jason, you're part of
our family now.  I can't imagine what I'd do without you."

   "Like I've said, I'm glad to be here.  Can I be honest with you?" Jason
asked.

   "Of course," Tara said as she sat down with her cup of coffee.

   "You've changed, Tara."

   "How?" Tara asked with a curious expression on her face.

   "When I first started, you seemed so. . .  tired.  And I don't mean just
physically.  I could tell that you were running yourself into the ground."

   Tara looked away when Jason mentioned her previous state.  She knew that
she had pushed herself too far, but she had no other choice.

   "But you're different now.  It's only been a couple weeks and already
you seem so much happier.  I don't mean happy about me taking care of Zoe
either.  Just happy about life.  When I see you in the mornings, there's a
spark in your eyes that wasn't there before."

   "Well we both know you're responsible for that.  Jason, I can't tell you
how happy I am to have found you."

   "You keep saying that," Jason said in a politely teasing way as he
dropped his eyes.

   "That's because it's true," Tara said as she waved a finger at Jason in
mock annoyance.  "You can't imagine how much I missed being able to just go
out shopping on a whim.  Or meet my friends for coffee.  Yet at the same
time, I know you gave up a lot for me to have that kind of freedom."

   "To be fair, when I left university, I moved here to take a job in
residential care.  So I had to leave my friends and family behind.  It's
not like I could pop out and see them even if I wanted to.  But I have the
tablet, and I can send texts and emails every day.  I'm not isolated from
the world."

   "I'm glad to hear that.  I've been worried that you might feel a bit. .
. cut off from society," Tara said as she took a sip of her coffee.

   "In the beginning I was worried about that too, but being with Zoe has
given me a new appreciation for life."

   "In what way?" Tara asked with interest.

   "By taking away all my normal day-to-day concerns.  Like you said in the
beginning, all I have to do is be with her.  I don't have to worry about
anything else.  While it may seem confining in one sense, it's quite
liberating in another."

   "I guess we both came out ahead then," Tara said with a nod.

   "Indeed.  Although if someone said a year ago that this is what I'd be
doing, I'd say they were insane."

   Tara let out a laugh.  "I'll fix us some breakfast. . ."

   * * *

   Jason always made sure he was back in Zoe's bedroom before 8AM. 
However, he would always make a stop in the bathroom first and mop the
floor.  While it wasn't expected of him, he figured that if she would be
walking on that floor, he wanted it clean so that she wouldn't have dirty
feet the next time she wanted a 'kiss'.  With the exception of the kitchen,
which Tara kept impeccably clean, everything else was carpet that was
vacuumed regularly.

   Once the bathroom floor was clean, Jason made his bed and laid down on
top.  He moved his body so that his head was close enough to her feet that
the collar stopped tingling, and then carefully pulled the covers to reveal
her feet and ankles.  Since he didn't want to wake her, he carefully
maneuvered his upper body onto the bottom of her bed.

   As Zoe rolled, she ended up on her side with her legs and feet together.
She pulled her stuffed elephant tight to her chest, as she drifted into
consciousness in the midst of a dream.  In particular, she was dreaming
about the encounter she had with Jason in the shower.  Even the thought of
what happened sent a ripple of pleasure through her groggy mind.  Becoming
more aware now, she could feel warm breath on her feet.

   When Jason saw Zoe roll, he noticed that she put her feet in a good
position for him to connect.  With his pillow in hand, he carefully lifted
her feet and placed the pillow under them.  He then laid himself down, with
his face on the pillow beside them.  His efforts allowed him to move his
face into the arches of her feet, which were at the right level now.

   With a relaxed sigh, Zoe realized that it must be Jason at her feet. 
She was awake now, although she wasn't quite ready to get out of bed. 
Instead, she grabbed the bottom of the covers and pulled them over her
feet.

   As his head was plunged into darkness, Jason felt Zoe as she snuggled
her feet in tight with his face.  While she was awake, it seemed that she
wanted to stay in bed a bit longer.  Since she didn't have anywhere to be,
he never made a big deal about waking her up.  Usually he would only do so
if she was still in bed at 9am.  Using his arm, he wrapped around her feet
and hugged them to his face.  With each passing day he found himself more
and more drawn to this odd way of 'connecting' with her.  He wanted her to
break her out of her shell, and he hoped that his unconventional
companionship would be able to do that.

   Although he had no idea how much time had elapsed, it seemed like about
fifteen minutes before he felt Zoe pull her feet away.  He heard a loud
yawn as the covered were pulled off.  Sitting up, he said, "Good morning
Zoe."

   "Kiss," Zoe said as she held her feet up to his face.

   After planting a single kiss on each of her feet, Jason said, "Com'on,
let's get you dressed." Since he had already picked something for her to
wear, he stood and retrieved the items from their place at the foot of his
bed.  "Stand up please," Jason said.  Once she had complied he added, "Arms
up. . ."

   With another yawn and a stretch, Zoe stood and raised her arms above her
head.  Once Jason had removed her nightie, she dropped her arms and waited.


   Jason had decided to go with a sundress today, so he only had one piece
of clothing to put on her.  When he looked at her naked body, he found
himself reminded of just how young she was.  Her chest was flat and she had
no hair down below.  It boggled his mind how this was the girl he was
orally intimate with the other day.  "Okay, arms up please," he said.

   As Zoe once again raise her arms, she waited as the purple and blue
sundress was slipped over her head.

   "There," Jason said as he adjusted it to sit straight.  "All set.  Let's
go and get you breakfast," he said as he gestured to the door.

   * * *

   On this morning, Jason sat beside Zoe in the kitchen as she ate her
cereal.  While there were some times when she wanted him on the floor under
her feet, this wasn't one of them.  He had pressed the button on his collar
to stop the tingling as she ate.  Meanwhile, Tara was mulling around the
kitchen as she put away some things she picked up grocery shopping.  "I
thought you said you get your groceries delivered?" he asked.

   "I used to.  But to be honest, it's nice to get out of the house now.  I
never thought I would enjoy grocery shopping, but when you don't get to go
out often, it gives you a different perspective.  It's amazing how much
free time I have now."

   "I'm glad to hear that.  How are things with your work?"

   "Good.  I've been able to go in for a few meetings in person, instead of
doing conference calls.  If things go well, I could be in line for a
promotion next year."

   "Congratulations," Jason said with a smile and a nod.

   "Thanks, although I'm not there yet."

   "Come," Zoe said as she slipped off her chair and tugged on Jason's
hand.

   "Leave the bowl, I'll get it," Tara said to Jason as she smiled to
herself at Zoe's cute treatment of him.

   Jason stood with tablet in hand and allowed the young girl to lead him
to the living room.  It took a while, but he had gotten used to how she
spoke to him.  When she first said 'come', he felt like he was being called
like a dog.  However, he soon realized that in her manner of speech, she
used whatever single word best suited her wishes.  In this case, she wanted
him to 'come with me', which she would abbreviate as 'come'.  He doubted
that Tara would have ever had a dog, given how much work it was to take
care of her daughter.  As such, Zoe likely had no idea that her commands
sounded similar.

   "Sit," Zoe said as she pointed to an area on the floor.

   Without hesitation, Jason made his way to a spot on the floor in front
of the couch.  Despite her directions, this was the same spot she indicated
each time she wanted to watch television.  Once he was sitting with his
back against the couch, Zoe pressed down on his shoulder as a means to get
him to slouch.  With a shuffle, he scooted himself lower until his
shoulders were level with the couch cushions.

   "Stay," Zoe said to Jason before she turned and walked away.  She could
hear her mother in the kitchen, so she walked up to her and said, "Drink."

   Tara took a jug of apple juice from the fridge and poured Zoe a tall
glass.  "Here you go sweetheart," she said as she handed over the glass.

   As Jason waited for Zoe to return, he endured the repeating shocks from
his collar.  Although he knew Zoe was unaware that it would happen, he
decided not to press the button on his collar.  At times, if Zoe asked him
to 'stay', she would be displeased if he moved in any way.  Instead, he sat
still and waited for her to return.

   On her way back to the couch, Zoe picked up the television remote. 
After placing the remote and her glass on the table beside the couch, she
clambered up into the seat behind Jason's head and sat down cross-legged.
Once she was comfortable, she picked up the remote and turned on the
television.  As usual, the television was on the station she liked, so she
put down the remote and picked up her glass of juice.  She nursed on the
glass for a minute before putting it down again.

   Now that Jason was fairly certain that Zoe was comfortable, he began to
read on his tablet.  Almost at the same time, Zoe placed her feet onto his
shoulders, with her arches hugging his collarbones.  This was a common
position for the two of them.  As she watched television, she would
occasionally shift her position.  Sometimes that meant that she splayed her
knees and pressed the soles of her feet against the sides of his neck.  At
other times she would press her feet together and rest them on the back of
his head.  He wasn't as keen about that position, since it was a bit hard
on his neck.

   For Zoe, she found it comfortable to watch television with Jason.  She
liked resting her feet on him, not just on his face--although she enjoyed
doing that the most.  While she didn't like to be touched, she didn't want
to be alone.  It was an odd feeling, since she kind of felt torn between
the two.  When her mother hugged her, she liked the contact, but she
quickly felt like she was being smothered.

   With her feet, Zoe could have people do things with them and it didn't
make her feel confined.  If anything, she was the one who had control, and
that made her feel at ease.  As commercials played on the television, she
looked down to see what Jason was doing.  Since she wanted some attention,
she slid her leg over his shoulder and used her foot to push away his
tablet.

   Jason put down his tablet when Zoe's foot pushed his hand away.  While
she didn't do this very often, she did do it on occasion when she wanted
attention.  Although she hadn't asked him to do anything yet, he decided to
massage her foot anyway.  Perhaps that would satisfy whatever urge she
happened to be feeling at the moment.

   "Nice," Zoe said when Jason began to rub her foot.  Foot massages were
something her mother rarely did for long, and she was quickly beginning to
enjoy having it done for as long as she wanted.  She slid her other leg
over Jason's unoccupied shoulder, and pushed it towards his hands.  "Rub,"
she said.  When he stopped rubbing her other foot to rub the foot she had
just presented to him, she wiggled her neglected foot.  "Rub," she said
again.

   "You want me to rub them both?" Jason asked rhetorically with a smile.
"Okay Zoe, I'll rub them both," he said as he took a foot in each hand, and
did his best to knead them.

   "Nice," Zoe said as she flexed her feet and wriggled her toes
contentedly.  Turning her attention back to the television, she went back
to watching her show as Jason attended to her feet.

   "Jason?" Tara called out from the kitchen.

   "Yes?"

   "I have that cream you asked for," Tara said as she held up the small
bottle in the doorway to the kitchen.

   "Oh great, could you bring it over to me please?  I kinda have my hands
full," Jason said in a tongue-in-cheek manner.

   As Tara walked over to Jason, she could now see what he was doing.  "I
guess this is perfect timing then," she said as she tossed the small bottle
onto his lap.

   "Yeah. . .  I wanted to see if it would make any difference."

   "Hey, knock yourself out.  If it makes her happy, it works for me."

   "Thanks," Jason said as he reached down and picked up the bottle.

   "You're welcome.  Call me if you need anything," Tara said as she turned
and went back to the kitchen to resume putting away her groceries.

   Jason examined the bottle of cream.  It was meant for use on feet, to
help smooth and soften them.  It wasn't anything fancy, just something from
the cosmetics department.

   "Rub," Zoe said with a hint of irritation in her voice.  While she
understood he needed to take a break, she was growing impatient.

   "I have something for your feet.  Let me do just one, okay?" Jason
asked. After squeezing a small dab of cream in his palm, he took her right
foot and began to massage it--while working in the cream.

   "Good," Zoe said as her eyes widened slightly.  Whatever he was using
felt very nice on her foot.  She let out a relaxed sigh as she sank back
into the couch.  Since her left foot was in the way, she pulled it up and
hooked it behind his head, pressing the top of her foot against the back of
his neck.

   In a slow and deliberate manner, Jason worked the cream into Zoe's foot.
He was even able to bend her leg to get at her sole, since she was so
flexible.  While he was no massage expert, he used to do this with his old
girlfriend.  He wasn't happy that they had to break up when he moved to
this city, but it was a choice he made so he could get a job.  After ten
minutes, he said, "Give me your other foot please."

   Without words, Zoe quickly responded and switched her feet, dropping her
left foot over his shoulder.  She pulled her right foot up, and pressed the
sole against the side of his neck.  She wanted to feel what it was like to
press her foot against his skin, and she wasn't disappointed when she made
contact.

   Jason went to work on her other foot, and used a small glob of cream
before doing so.  As he massaged her foot, he would hear Zoe sigh in
pleasure.  It was something he was glad to hear, since it meant she was
happy and content.  He suspected that foot massages would be a regular
occurrence for him in future, although from his perspective, given how her
feet were often on his face, it wasn't a bad idea that he make them as
smooth and soft as possible.

   * * *

   It had been almost a week since Jason had 'pleasured' Zoe in the shower.
Even though he had showered her every night since then, she hadn't asked
for it again.  He was beginning to think that she may have found the
sensations too intense, or something of that nature.  Since she did enjoy
it, he couldn't think of what else might be keeping her from seeking it
out.

   The next morning, Jason had brought Zoe back from breakfast, and he was
waiting to see what she wanted to do.

   As Zoe looked around the bedroom, she pondered whether she wanted to
resume reading her book, or do some painting.  She glanced at Jason, and
then decided to do some painting.  After walking to the easel, she pointed
at the floor.  "Down," she said as she waited for him to comply.

   With tablet in hand, Jason sat down beside Zoe.

   "Down," Zoe said again.  She put her foot on his chest and gave him a
push.

   "Okay Zoe, I'll lay down," Jason said as he got the message.

   "Here," Zoe said as she pointed to the carpet in front of her easel and
waited.

   Jason hadn't yet laid his head on the floor, so he shifted himself over
so his head was in front of her easel.  This was a bit odd, since he
thought would be in the way.  Once in place, he waited to see what she
would do.

   After Zoe glanced to see that Jason was where she wanted him, she
stepped astride his head, placing her ankles against his ears.  She then
picked up a small jar of paint, opened it, then took a brush and began to
paint.

   It took a few moments for Jason to realize that this was where Zoe
wanted him.  Normally she would have him beside her, if she wasn't actively
doing something with her feet on his face.  Although an awkward position,
he lifted his tablet and tried to hold it over his head so he could read
one of the local newspapers.

   "No," Zoe said when she saw him lifting his tablet over his head.  She
just wanted him to lay there and not move, so she used her right foot to
push his hand away and shove it down to the floor.  Once done, she resumed
her stance.

   "Okay Zoe," Jason said as he let out a small sigh.  While it was a minor
hardship, he put the tablet down above his head and below the easel, so she
wouldn't accidentally step on it.  Then he placed his hands down at his
sides.  As he gazed upwards, he couldn't help but look between her legs. 
Since he had put her in a below-the-knee sundress that morning, there
wasn't anything else for him to look at.

   Jason began to ponder if that was her intention all along.  Her body
would sway as she shifted weight from one foot to another, and it almost
became a bit hypnotic.  For a change of scenery, he turned his head and
began to look around the room--or at least look at what he could see from
his vantage point.

   "No," Zoe said when she saw he wasn't looking up at her.  She again
lifted a foot, this time placing it against his face and pulling it until
it faced upwards again.  Once done, she placed her foot back on the floor
beside his head.

   It was clear now to Jason that Zoe wanted him looking up between her
legs.  But why?  He had seen this view of her dozens of times in different
ways, not the least of which was when he bathed her in the shower.  So he
didn't understand why she wanted this.  As he lay there staring at her
immature sex, the light from the window cast a colorful glow though the
fabric of her sundress.

   Almost thirty minutes later, Zoe put down her painting supplies and
stepped away from Jason's head.  She turned and presented her foot to his
face.  "Kiss," she said.  Once he had given her foot a single kiss, she
placed it on the floor and did the same with the other one.  When that one
had been kissed as well, she padded her bare feet over to the table with
her books.

   As he lifted himself off the floor, Jason watched to see what Zoe would
do next.

   After picking a book, Zoe lay down on top of the covers on her bed, and
dropped her feet onto Jason's pillow.  She started to read as she casually
crossed her ankles.

   Jason moved to the bed, carrying his tablet, and lay down beside her. 
Since he had yet to be able to do any reading, he propped his head up with
his hand as his elbow dug into his pillow.  With his other hand, he brought
the tablet in front of him and began to read.  Over the next hour, he lay
there silently as Zoe would occasionally change positions.  However, while
she kept her feet on his pillow, she never asked him to do anything.  This
was fine by him, since it gave him a chance to do some reading of his own.

   This all changed when Jason felt Zoe move on her bed.  He waited to see
what she was doing, or where she was going, so that he could follow.  Yet
she had other plans.

   In a very deliberate, yet matter-of-fact manner, Zoe moved to the side
of Jason's bed and put her book down beside him.  Without words, she pushed
at him.  It was firm enough that he could tell she wanted him laying on his
back.  Once he had complied, she climbed up onto the bed, and deftly stood
astride his head as she had done before.  This time she had something more
in mind.  She pulled up on the hem of her sundress to gather the material,
and the squatted until she was sitting on his chest.

   When Jason saw Zoe lower herself onto his chest, he thought that this
might be the time she wanted the kind of attention she received in the
shower, but he was wrong.

   After she had settled herself down, Zoe looked between her legs to see
how far away she was from his face.  With only a handful of inches
separating her from Jason, she slid her feet forward and then splayed out
her knees.  The end result had the soles of her feet pressed together over
top of his head, and her legs fully spread and relaxed.

   Since Zoe wanted him facing her, she reached down and pulled up on his
ears.  Although he winced, she was still able to lift up his head.  Once it
was high enough, she slid her heels back so her feet were under his head.
When she released his ears, his head tilted forward and his chin moved
closer to his chest.  Now that he was in her desired position, she pulled
at the hem of her sundress.  The loosely fitting garment spread easily, and
she pulled it over her outstretched knees.

   As Jason pondered her actions, she pulled her dress over his head,
leaving him in the dim light that filtered through the fabric.  What
surprised him was less how she positioned herself, and more that she did so
without speaking.  It was as if she was driven by some kind of urge.  Of
course it was now clear what her intent was, given that she had positioned
her mons only six inches away from his eyes, and tilted his head so he
would see nothing else.

   With a sigh of satisfaction, Zoe picked up her book and continued to
read.  She liked the new position she was in, but she also liked the fact
that Jason would have to stare between her legs.  After her experience in
the shower, she had wanted to do that again, but she wanted him to want to
do it again.  Although she didn't know why, she needed to feel that he
wanted to do it.  In her mind, the best way would be to make it so that he
would see it more.  The more he looked at it, the more he would want to
make her feel good.  Or at least that's what she hoped.

   Since it was clear to Jason what Zoe wanted him to do, he did just that.
To him it wasn't much different from being around her feet.  The only minor
concern he had was what Tara might think, but he knew the cameras would
show this was something she was very insistent that he do.  Since he had
already agreed to orally pleasure Zoe, it didn't seem likely Tara would be
bothered by him 'looking' at her daughters immature sex.

   One of the first things Jason noticed was that Zoe wasn't actually
hairless.  While he could never see hair at a distance when she was naked,
at close proximity he could see a sparse number of short blonde hairs. 
They were so light and fine that he never would have noticed them had he
not been spending time familiarizing himself with her vulva on a detailed
level.  When he was in the shower, the water made the hairs virtually
transparent.

   As the time drifted by, Jason lay in silence as he gazed at Zoe's vulva.
With the sundress acting as a hood, her scent became stronger.  Not
objectionable, but more noticeable.  At times it almost seemed like his
mind was playing tricks on him.  There was one point when it seemed that
her mons was pulsing in a slow and rhythmic fashion.  Could she be doing
this by contracting her muscles?  he asked himself.  The effect was almost
hypnotic, and he wondered if this was her intent, although he also wondered
if he was imagining it.  Maybe I'm seeing things, he thought.

   At times Jason would close his eyes and allow his mind to wander for a
few minutes.  As much as she may have wanted him to stare at her the whole
time, he needed to take breaks on occasion.  However, he was pretty sure
what she wanted from him, so he did his best to stay true to her
wishes--even if she couldn't see him.  It was the principle that was
important to him.

   After what seemed like a half-hour, a small glimmer of light drew
Jason's attention to her lips.  While it was subtle, he could see a very
thin layer of moisture between them.  It fascinated him, since he was
trying to determine whether or not it was sweat or fluids prompted by
arousal.

   However, the end result was that Jason began to feel a desire welling up
inside of him.  While simply staring at her didn't have a significant
effect, potentially seeing her 'desire' was sending a tingle through his
mind.  It was almost like the collar was active.  The more he stared at it,
the more he wanted to 'answer her call'.  The urge increased with each
passing minute.

   Soon Jason was unconsciously licking his lips.  Why was he being drawn
to her in this way--and at this time?  As he pondered this thought, the
moisture on her seam graduated.  It had now become a droplet of fluid that
hung between her lips.  In that moment, there was nothing he wanted to do
more than lean in and taste it.  Yet that wasn't supposed to be how it
worked.  His agreement was that she would have to initiate.  No matter what
his desire, she needed to make the first move.

   With her mind buried deep within a book, Zoe soon forgot about Jason. 
While she knew what she was trying to do, it wasn't in her conscious
thoughts anymore.  However, she soon found herself with an urge to pee, so
she grudgingly slipped her feet out from under Jason's head and then stood
up.  "Pee," she announced as she stepped down and off the bed.

   It took a few moments for Jason to clear his head, but when his collar
started to 'zap' him he 'woke up' quite fast.  Sliding off the bed, he
strode to catch up to Zoe who was already at the door of the bedroom and
walking into the hall.  As usual, when she went to the washroom, he would
close the door and take his place on the floor in front of her.

   Zoe was a bit irked with herself over needing to pee, since she felt
that she may have been able to 'win over' Jason if she stayed in place
longer.  She took her place in front of the toilet and gathered the
material of her dress around her waist.  When she sat down on the toilet,
she initially resisted the urge to pee since--as usual--Jason wasn't
looking at her.  However, she wanted him to look.  The more he looked, the
better the chance he would want to kiss.  At least in her mind anyway.

   As Jason waited, he wondered why he didn't 'hear' anything from Zoe. 
Usually she was pretty quick in using the toilet, and this seemed like it
was taking longer than what it usually did.  He resisted the urge to look
at her though.  Ever since the first time she used the bathroom in his
presence, he would always look away.  He was never comfortable with the
idea of watching someone--anyone--while they went to the washroom.  She was
no exception.

   Since it was quickly becoming clear to Zoe that waiting wouldn't make a
difference to Jason, she took matters into her own hands.  "Look," she
said. When he didn't respond, she reached a hand to his face.  Because of
the distance, she needed to lean forward to reach him.  "Look," she said
again, this time using her hand on his head to turn him to face the spot he
had been watching in the bedroom.

   Jason felt Zoe's hand turn his head towards her.  Although her grip was
soft, it was also firm.  She wouldn't be denied.  Keeping his head tiled
back, he turned and met Zoe's gaze.

   Once Zoe had succeeded in getting Jason to look her way, she needed to
only make a couple more adjustments.  Next she pulled forward on his head.
Although he resisted briefly, he eventually submitted and lowered his gaze
to where she wanted it.  Then in a spontaneous addition, she took hold of
his ears and pulled him forward, while simultaneously spreading her knees.
She finally managed to get his chin on the toilet seat.  "Look," she said
as she sat motionless for a few moments.

   While it was uncomfortable, Jason nevertheless gave in to Zoe's demands.
Although she had never done this to him before, he knew this was somehow
connected to what happened in the bedroom.  As he pondered what might be
driving her strange new behavior, his attention was drawn to the loud hiss
in front of him.  It was an oddly interesting experience to watch her pee.
While he knew where females urinated from, he had never 'seen' it
before--for obvious reasons.

   As Zoe peed, she loosely placed a hand on top of Jason's head.  It
wasn't to keep him from moving, but was just to keep him focused.  She
wanted him to kiss that special place, and she didn't want the fact that it
was where her pee came from to scare him off.  When she was done, she sat
still and let the remaining drops trickle into the bowl.  After lingering
longer than she usually did, she finally pushed back on his head and
stood--waiting for him to wipe her.

   Unlike in the past, Zoe didn't turn away from him this time.  Usually
she would turn and bend over slightly, and he would wipe her from the rear.
This time she stayed in place, and instead propped on foot up on the toilet
seat as she held up her dress.  She wanted to be sure he looked right at
her when he wiped.  Sooner or later, she would make him want her.  Somehow.

   Jason tried not to react when Zoe put up her foot and exposed herself to
him yet again.  He deftly dried her seam and dropped the tissue into the
toilet.  Once done, he stood, flushed, washed his hands, and followed her
back to the bedroom.

   * * *

   The following morning, after he woke up, Jason took a moment to talk to
Tara about what had been happening of late.  "Tara. . .  I've been meaning
to talk to you about Zoe."

   "What about?  Is everything okay?"

   "Yeah, it's not like that at all.  It's about what happened a week ago.
. .  in the shower."

   Tara's eyebrows raised.  "What about it?" she asked as her mind pondered
what might have transpired.

   "Well, Zoe has been acting a bit. . .  different towards me since then,"
Jason said with hesitation.

   "How so?  Did she want you to. . .  do it again?"

   "Actually, no.  That's the weird thing about it.  Ever since last week,
she's acted like it never happened, until yesterday."

   "What happened?"

   "She's kinda been 'exposing' herself to me.  The first time it happened
she stood over my head.  Since she doesn't wear underwear, I was basically
looking up at her. . .  privates.  Thinking she just wanted me by her feet,
but in a different way, I went to use my tablet, but she pushed it away. 
She wanted me to just lay there and look up at her."

   "Really?  Did she say anything?"

   "She just said 'no', and then pushed my hand away when I tried to read."

   "Then what happened?" Tara asked.  She found it interesting that her
daughter was acting in this way.  While it wasn't something she found
disturbing, it was something that was curious to say the least.

   "Nothing happened.  At least not then.  She stood over my head, feet
beside my ears, and just painted.  It wasn't until later that she became
more bold."

   "What did she do?"

   "Well she was laying on her bed reading, and so I laid my head by her
feet and started to read my tablet.  A short time later she got up, pushed
me onto my back, and then straddled my head again.  This time she sat on my
chest, putting her. . .  'privates' only a half foot away from my face. 
She even went as far as to prop my head up with her feet, so I would be
facing towards her."

   "Really?" Tara asked eagerly.  "Did she say anything?"

   "No, she never said a word.  Once she was settled, she pulled her
sundress over my head and just sat there, reading.  No movement, no words.
Again, she just 'exposed' herself to me, and made sure that I was looking
at nothing else."

   "Fascinating," Tara said as she shook her head.

   "I was a bit worried about it at first, but I figured since you have the
cameras you could always see what happened."

   "Of course, but I don't doubt you.  Why do you think she's doing it?"
Tara asked.

   "To be honest, I really don't know.  If I had to speculate, I think she
is trying to 'entice' me somehow."

   "That doesn't make a lot of sense though," Tara said.  "She knows that
she could just ask you to do it again.  So why wouldn't she do that
instead?"

   "Your guess is as good as mine.  She has also objected whenever I wanted
to dress her with pants or leggings this past week, when she never seemed
to care before.  I've been alternating between skirts and sundresses."

   "So what are you planning to do now?"

   "I don't know.  That was why I wanted to talk to you about it.  As I'm
sure you can appreciate, her behavior is outside any kind of accepted
norms. Yet we've come to an 'understanding', and I did agree to. . .  do
things for her--but only if she asked for them."

   "Do you think this is her way of asking?" Tara asked with a perplexed
expression.

   "Honestly, I don't know.  Sometimes I wish I could read minds."

   "Me too," Tara said as she let out a chuckle.

   "I really only have two options.  I can do nothing and let her keep
doing what she is doing, or I can 'initiate' what happened in the shower,
and see how she reacts to it."

   "Why don't you hold off--at least for now.  See if she does this some
more.  In the end, I'll let you make your own judgment call.  If you really
think she wants you to do it, then perhaps you can initiate something when
she has you in that position again."

   "So you're okay with that?"

   "Sure, provided if she objects or wants you to stop, that you do so
immediately."

   "Well that goes without saying regardless of whether she initiates or
not.  I would always stop if I detected anything made me think that she
didn't like what was happening."

   "Play it by ear then.  If it keeps happening, use your best judgment. 
You have my support."

   "Fair enough Tara, thanks."

   * * *

   The coming days had more occasions where Jason found himself 'exposed'
to Zoe's mound.  It grew in frequency, and yet she never 'made a move'. 
Even in the shower she would make a point to have him 'look' at her down
below.  Once he had her clean, she would place her hands on his head so
that he would be forced to look from less than a foot away.  It would last
a minute, and then she would release him.

   Almost a week after Jason had been treated to Zoe's first exposition, he
found himself again being directed to do it once more.

   "Sit," Zoe said as she pointed to the floor in front of the large lounge
chair in her room.  It was one of her preferred places to read, and as was
usual, she wanted Jason there with her.

   When Jason sat down in front of her chair, he had his back to the chair,
as he always did.  However, she objected.

   "No," Zoe said as she pulled at Jason to turn him around.

   Once Jason understood that she wanted him seated facing the chair, he
complied.  It was a bit awkward though, since he needed to feed his legs
underneath the chair in order for him to seat himself close.  The repeated
pushes from Zoe made sure that his chest was up against the front of the
chair when he was done.

   Zoe picked up a book off the table, and then climbed over Jason to get
onto the chair.  Since he was sitting in front, it took a bit of effort,
but soon she was sitting cross-legged on the chair.  She then put her feet
up on his shoulders and let her knees drift apart as her skirt slid up to
her waist.

   As she had been doing of late, Zoe was hoping that he would get the
message.  After sliding her heels behind his neck, she used his body as
leverage to pull her bottom closer to her.  Once he was where she wanted
him, she put her feet back onto his shoulders, and pressed the soles of her
feet against the sides of his neck.

   Jason let out a slow exhale as he tried to relax.  He knew she wanted
him focused on her vulva, but why didn't she want 'more'?  Why did she go
to the trouble of placing his face less than a foot away if she didn't want
to ask for 'attention'?

   While Zoe read her book, she sat motionless with Jason between her legs.
In what was uncharacteristic for her, she found her mind drifting.  Usually
she was always focused on what she was reading, since she spent most of her
days reading.

   Yet this time Zoe's mind was drawn back to what happened in the shower.
As her thoughts recalled the event, she began to feel a 'tingle' down
below. It caught her off guard, since it felt a bit like how she felt back
then.  By instinct, she slid one hand down between her legs, to find the
spot that was drawing her attention.  When she located the small nub, she
began to stroke it with her finger.  Tiny ripples of pleasure washed over
her, so she continued to do this as her other hand held up the book she was
reading.

   It was a bit of a shock to Jason when he watched Zoe begin to masturbate
right in front of his eyes.  Given she still had her attention in her book,
he figured that she wasn't doing this for him to see it--but for her own
pleasure.  Although she had occasionally done this in the time since he
started, it was usually something subtle and brief.

   After a few minutes of stroking her button, Zoe ceased her efforts.  She
was becoming too stimulated, and it was making it too hard to concentrate.
It was at that moment she remembered Jason.  While she recalled that she
placed him in his current position, she now remembered why.

   Zoe wanted him to want to give her pleasure.  In her mind, if he wanted
to do it, then it was something she controlled.  Yet if she asked him to do
it, then it was something he controlled.  He might say no.  Given how he
seemed reluctant in the shower, she didn't want to take that chance.  If
she could make him have desires to pleasure her, then she knew he would do
anything for her.

   As Jason stared at the spectacle before him, he became aroused.  It was
something that caught him off guard, since he had never wanted that to
happen.  Yet it was happening, and there was nothing he could do to stop
it. Zoe's feet were keeping him in place, and he didn't want to upset her
by pulling away.  The tipping point came when he noticed fluid between her
lips as before.  Like the last time, he found himself with an ever
increasing desire to taste her juices.  No matter what he did to try and
drive those thoughts from his mind, they kept coming back.

   When Zoe took a moment to look at Jason's face, she noticed he looked a
bit. . .  unsettled.  It was similar to how he looked in the shower before
she made him please her.  Now was the time for her to seize on this moment.
She could feel some fluid collecting below her button, and her instinct was
to wipe it away.  Yet she paused for a moment, and reached her hand down.
Running her finger up her lips, she took her fluid soaked finger and held
it up to his face.

   With wide eyes, Jason stared intently at the damp finger being held up
in front of his face.  Oh how he wanted to sample what was on it.  As such,
he almost felt like she had read his mind when she brought the finger to
his mouth, and then gently coated his lips.  The synapses in his brain
fired as he hung on to the last vestiges of his self-control.

   Although Zoe didn't know why, a tiny smile came to her lips.  While she
didn't know what he was feeling, she did know that she was close to her
goal.  Bringing her hand back to her 'special place', she again drew her
finger up between her lips and coated it again.  This time she pointed her
finger at his mouth, and then gently pressed it inside.

   Jason's eyes drooped when Zoe gave him a taste of her essence.  He was
beaten and he knew it.  Nothing in the world mattered more in that moment
than being able to taste more of her.  If this was her plan, then she had
succeeded.  She had broken his will.  It was no longer that he was going to
'appease' her by doing it if she wanted such attention.  It was no longer
something he felt would be an 'obligation'.  This was something he wanted
to do.  This was something that he felt an intense burning desire to do. 
With her eyes staring at him deeply, he gave in.

   "Zoe," Jason said in a quiet and shaking voice, "Please. . .  I want to.
. .  kiss you there. . ." When she didn't respond immediately, he added,
"Please Zoe. . .  I promise I'll do it as long as you want. . .  please."
His pleading eyes stared back at her, as he awaited her response.  When it
came, a tidal wave of relief poured over him.

   "Yes."

   Zoe knew that she had him now.  She knew that he would do whatever she
wanted, whenever she wanted it.  Slipping her feet off his neck, she
brought them behind his head and locked her ankles.  Then, in a slow and
deliberate manner, she began to pull him closer.  However, she stopped when
he was only a couple of inches away.  Although she had brought him most of
the way, the final step had to be his.

   When Jason inhaled deeply, Zoe's scent ravaged his brain.  He wasn't
sure why she stopped, and he bit hit lower lip in anticipation.  It quickly
became too much to bear, and he let out a painful groan as he closed his
eyes and buried his face between her legs.  His first act was to draw his
tongue up from the bottom to get another taste of what she had given him.

   Zoe gasped aloud when Jason made contact.  The tension that had built up
had only aroused her more, and her mind was swimming in pleasure.  "Nice,"
Zoe said as she patted Jason's head approvingly.

   It didn't take long for Jason to clean her with his tongue, and he
savored every speck of moisture he found.  When he was done cleaning her
fluids, he used his nose to give her button a small nudge.

   In an instant, Zoe's eyes flew open as her thighs twitched.  Given how
good this was feeling, she instinctively slid her feet down Jason's back
and locked her thighs around his neck.  Her fingers weaved through his hair
as her fingertips pressed deeply into his scalp and pulled him as tightly
as possible against her.

   Jason's mouth opened and he pushed his lips between hers.  Searching
upwards, his tongue found her button and he began to trace small circles
around it.  He was in no rush this time.  Unlike the anxiety he felt in the
shower, this time he was completely at ease with what he was doing.  In
fact, there was nothing else he would rather be doing at that moment.  Over
the next ten minutes, he began to lose himself between her thighs.  Reality
was slipping away, and her gentle touch was drawing him deeper into the
moment.

   "Mommy?" Zoe called out in a voice loud enough to be heard in the den.

   While Jason heard Zoe say something, her thighs muffled the word.  Since
she was still holding him tight, he figured that whatever she said wasn't
something that indicated she wanted to stop.

   Tara heard Zoe's voice, but it was her call of 'mommy' that drew her
attention.  She hadn't called for her once since Jason has arrived.  Tara
got up and strode to her daughter's room.  When she arrived, she was a bit
surprised to see Jason's head buried between Zoe's legs.  While she knew it
might happen, it was just strange to see it right in front of her.  Part of
her mind wanted to pull him away.  Despite how much she begged Jason to do
this, it just seemed wrong somehow.

   "It's so good mommy," Zoe said as her legs squirmed around Jason's head.

   "What?" Tara said, in shock at hearing her daughter speak a sentence. 
The only other time she had done that, was when she had come out of the
shower and said, 'thank you mommy' to her in the hall.

   "I like it.  It's so good," Zoe said between gasps.

   Jason could hear Zoe talking, and it was more than single words.  He was
so shocked he tried to pull back, but she clamped down on him so hard that
he would have had to use excessive force to break free.  Such force would
most certainly hurt her.  As much as he wanted to know what was going on,
he would have to wait.  Since there was nothing he could do, he put it all
out of his mind and focused on pleasing the young girl.

   "I'm. . .  I'm glad," Tara said as he tried to get over her shock.  Her
daughter was speaking to her.  She was actually looking at her and speaking
to her with more than single words.  In an instant, any reservations she
had about what Jason was doing quickly vanished.

   "You got him for me?" Zoe asked.  "He's all for me?" An involuntary gasp
escaped her lips as her glassy unfocused eyes struggled to stay open.

   "Yes honey, I got him for you. . .  He's all for you," Tara said as she
got her wits about her.  She finally understood that Zoe needed this, and
she understood it too.

   "Thank you mommy.  Thank you for this," Zoe said as she lovingly gazed
up at her mother.  She didn't understand what was happening to make her
talk this way.  It was just. . .  happening.  The pleasure she felt was
unlocking her mind in a way she didn't think possible.  It gave her the
mental strength to overcome the resistance that made her withdraw from
those around her.

   Tara walked over and dropped to one knee beside the chair.  "You're
welcome sweetheart," she said as she tried to stay focused on the
conversation with Zoe, and not what was happening between her legs. 
Fortunately, the sheer impact of talking with her daughter had made her
ignore everything else.

   "Oh mommy I love you so much," Zoe said as her eyes watered and she
became emotional.  It was a weird emotion for her in the moment, since it
was a mix of two.  One part was driven by the love of the pleasure she was
feeling, but the bulk was driven by the love for her mother.  Love for her
mother going to such lengths to make her happy.  Even though her mother
tried to please her in this way before, it was nothing compared to what she
was feeling now.

   "Oh sweetheart, I love you too," Tara said as tears began to flow.  She
leaned in and hugged her daughter, burying her face in Zoe's shoulder as
she began to cry.  It was something she never dreamed would happen.

   Zoe took her hands off Jason's head as she embraced her mother, but she
kept her thighs tightly locked around his neck.  She never wanted this
moment to end.  Not only was she able to express love to her mother, but
she was awash in physical pleasure.  It was like her life had suddenly
become filled with color.

   Tara reigned in her emotions as she released Zoe and then wiped off her
tear-stained cheeks.  She didn't understand why this way happening; all she
understood was Jason's actions had 'reached' her daughter in ways she never
dreamed possible.  In that moment, she didn't see what he was doing as
sexual anymore.  To her it had become a therapy.  Highly unconventional,
yes.  But it worked.  She didn't know how, and she didn't know why. 
Frankly, she didn't care.  All she knew is that she didn't want it to end.
In a final gesture, she reached down, placed her hand on the back of
Jason's head, and pushed him deeper.

   Another involuntary gasp slipped through Zoe's lips.

   Since it was clear to Tara that Zoe was far from being 'satisfied', she
decided to leave her to enjoy her newfound pleasures.  "I'm going to get
back to work honey, you do this as long as you want, okay?"

   "Okay," Zoe said.  After a brief moment to close her eyes and soak in
the pleasure, she added, "Thank you mommy."

   "You're welcome sweetheart," Tara said as she stroked her daughter's
hair and rose to her feet.  With a final glance through dazed eyes, she
smiled to herself and made her way back to her den.

   While Jason didn't hear what was said, it really didn't matter.  He was
so fully immersed in his zeal to pleasure Zoe that he wasn't thinking about
anything else.

   Zoe's fingers returned to their rightful place on Jason's head, weaving
their way through his hair and hugging his face to her pleasure center. 
There was something so different about it this time.  She could feel his
passion somehow.  It was like she knew that he didn't want to be anywhere
else.  She let out a long sigh and dropped her head back against the chair.
As she closed her eyes, she began to feel something building.  It was the
same feeling from the shower.  That wave of intense pleasure.

   It was coming again.  It was coming.

   As Jason felt Zoe's thighs twitch at a faster rate, he knew she would
soon orgasm.  That thought alone drove him to make sure that he didn't lose
her 'edge'.  Knowing that this was somehow bringing her out of her shell
made it all the more 'right' to him.  Any doubts he had about doing this
had long since been obliterated.

   When Zoe neared her peak, she felt her body come alive.  It was an
intense building of pleasure, something that had her seeing stars.  When
she hit the pinnacle, she let out a silent scream and then launched her
body forward with a grunt.

   It was a surprise when Jason felt Zoe's body pushing him backwards.  She
had leveraged her upper body into a fetal position around his head, while
maintaining a bond with his mouth.  Since he wasn't expecting it, his upper
body began to fall backwards.  Within seconds his head had hit the carpet,
and she was reorienting herself on his face.

   Like a girl possessed, Zoe pulled her legs out from under Jason as she
drove his head down onto the carpet.  With lightning fast speed, she
brought her feet under his neck as she spread her knees as far apart as she
could.  Although unintended, her skirt fell over his head, although at this
point she didn't care.

   As Jason adjusted to the change in position, he maintained his attention
to Zoe's mons.  He winced as she pulled on his hair while adjusting
herself. With her new position attained, Jason could now feel that she was
building to another orgasm.  A bigger one.

   Zoe quivered like jello as Jason brought her higher over the next twenty
minutes.  Her mind couldn't believe what she was experiencing.  How was it
possible to feel this much pleasure?  Just as that thought entered her
mind, a second orgasm hit, bigger than the first.  Her eyes clamped shut as
she hung on to her sanity.

   Without an inch of leeway to move, and with his head covered by her
skirt, Jason felt the shockwave hit.  Her body began to spasm, and without
warning his mouth began to fill with a gusher of fluid.  His eyes were like
saucers, and in a split-second he had to decide how to react.  When his
brain received word, the response was clear.  It was pee.  He knew it
wasn't unheard of for a female to lose bladder control during an intense
orgasm, he just never thought it would happen to him.  Still in the midst
of the split-second, his rushed decision was to swallow.  The only
alternative would be to push her off, which might upset her, but would also
end the encounter.

   It took a few seconds for Zoe to pick up on what was happening, but she
finally realized that she was peeing.  Since it was a shock to her, it took
a few more seconds for her to wrap her mind about the implications of it.
She quickly realized that Jason wasn't struggling, and that she didn't feel
it gushing back out of his mouth.  That's when it hit her--he was drinking
it!  At that moment Zoe was being torn apart by competing emotions.  On the
one hand she was embarrassed at what was happening.  Would he be upset? 
Wouldn't it make him sick?  If so, why wasn't he trying to stop her?

   Zoe had stopped her orgasmic squirming, and was attempting to get
control of her bladder.  It took some effort, but she was finally able to
'turn off the tap'.  At this point she was still overwhelmed with her
orgasm, not to mention how she felt about peeing in his mouth.  She was
glad that her skirt was over his face, since she was worried about how he
might react.

   Jason swallowed the remainder of the pee that Zoe injected into his
mouth.  While he wasn't thrilled with it, in the big scheme of things it
wasn't a big deal.  He only had to swallow a couple mouthfuls, and it was
very bland.  If anything, it was more a testament to his skills that he was
able to make her orgasm so intensely.  It's not like she did it on purpose.
Although it would have been nice to keep going, Jason knew that she had
been pushed as far as she should go.  Her reaction at the end made it clear
this had taken her over the top.  He could hear her labored breathing, so
he just remained still and waited for her to recover.  It took about five
minutes before she was finally able to stand.

   With a small shuffle, Jason extracted himself from under the chair and
rose to his knees.  "Come sit down for a minute," he said as he held out
his hand and walked her the few steps back to the chair.  Once she was
seated, he pulled a few tissues from the box on the table beside him. 
Then, after lifting the front of her skirt, he gently dried her mons.  "Are
you okay?" he asked quietly.

   "Yes," Zoe said in a voice not much above a whisper.  "Thank you Jason,"
she added, as she gave Jason a bashful smile.

   Jason's eyes widened when he heard Zoe speak more than a single word. 
It was amazing to hear the difference.  He hated to use the term, but she
sounded so much more 'normal'.  But what made it special was that she
thanked him.  There was a radiance coming from her--a glow that couldn't be
seen, but that only could be felt.  Sitting back on his haunches, he
reached down and lifted her right foot.  Then, after bringing it to his
face, planted a tender kiss on the sole of her foot before gently lowering
it back down.  "You're welcome," he said with a nod.

   As Zoe gazed into Jason's eyes, she wanted to give him something more
than words.  She wanted to make a gesture that didn't involve her feet. 
Without losing contact with his eyes, she rose and stood before him. 
Then--in a deliberate manner--she stepped astride his hips, wrapped her
arms around his neck, and slowly sank down onto his lap.  With her ankles
locked behind his back, she buried her face in his shoulder and hugged him
as if he was the last person in the world.

   For Jason it was a moment he would never forget.  When Zoe climbed
aboard his lap for a deep and meaningful hug, he was stunned.  This was the
girl who was so adverse to touching that she preferred that he only come
into contact with her feet.  Yet here he was, holding Zoe in his arms as if
she was his daughter.  No matter how long he was there, he would always
treasure this moment.

   * * *

   A lot changed for Jason that day.  After what happened, Tara became so
thrilled with the positive impact it had on her daughter that she asked if
he would consider doing this as 'therapy' for her on a daily basis.  He
agreed, and twice or more he would lead her into bed and crawl between her
legs.  There he would take her on a slow climb up a pleasure mountain.

   Little-by-little, Zoe came out of her shell.  Tara kept her promise and
wiped clean his loan debt, but at this point he would have done it for
free.

   For Zoe, her view of Jason evolved.  While she used to think of him
almost like a servant, she now thought of him as a father figure.  He cared
for her in a way that no one else did, not even her mom.  Of course, when
he would spend time between her legs, it was something that truly opened
her mind.  Not just physically, but on a personal level too.  She knew that
he did what he did for her benefit.  He never asked for, or expected,
anything in return.  He did it to make her happy.

   In the end, despite her newfound vocabulary, Zoe could only describe it
with one word.

   Love.