Naughty Tawni lifted her bare foot and let her toes creep over my cheek. Taking hold of her ankle and pushing her foot firmly down onto the couch cushion, I warned her, “If you don’t stop, you know what I’ll do.”

And Tawni did know — or at least she should have by then. We’d been dating for the better part of a year by that point. She knew exactly what teasing me with her feet would get her. But she also knew that, despite my gruff manner, I was getting as much of a thrill out of her behavior as she was. I was anything but angry.

Tawni and I met on the beach last summer. I had taken an apartment not far from the shore, while working on an advertising campaign for a failing department store. I had gone out for a stroll to refresh my mind. The day was absolutely gorgeous with... Read More