"Babe - did you finish washing the floor?" Steph called from the kitchen.
"Yes hun," I replied.
Sitting cross-legged, my back resting against the lower part of the couch, I surveyed the living room floor earnestly. It seemed clean enough to me. Hearing movement, I looked towards the living room entrance. Steph appeared, stopping to take in the scene. She was a petite little thing, but from my vantage point on the floor she seemed to tower over me. Her wavy brunette hair caressed the bottom of her white crop top, revealing a slim but toned waist. My eyes traced down her sculpted legs towards her bare feet. Steph loved the gym, and in her current pose it really showed. She walked forward a few steps.
"Seems pretty good."
She pivoted on the balls of her feet, arching one foot up slightly to reveal a soft pink sole. A small silver anklet swayed against her pale skin. She glanced at her feet, then looked to me for a reaction. I tried as best I could to act casual, even as I felt my face turning slightly red. It was moments like these I wished I had the courage to reveal my secret desires, rather than keeping them hidden in my sub-conscience. I peaked nervously at the arch of her foot, it's curvy shape, the colour of her carefully painted toes and couldn't help but feel a longing within. I looked up at her, still in disbelief that a woman like this was interested in someone like me. I was... well me! But Steph was a goddess. Suddenly acutely aware that she was watching me, I shrugged with as much feigned nonchalance as I could muster.
"Looks good to me".
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to be picky. It's just that when the girls get here, and everyone is walking around it's embarrassing if their feet end up black from a dirty floor, that's all."
Steph paced around the room, before eventually settling on the couch beside me.
"They're still clean right?" She asked again, this time pushing the soles of her feet towards my face.
I made a show of looking closely, which made her giggle, before nodding and looking away sheepishly. This topic of conversation really had me feeling awkward. I couldn't shake the feeling that Steph was purposely trying to push my buttons. I had made a point not to confess to her that I had a "thing" for feet, and indeed many other kinky things like bondage or domination/submission. Just like I had with every girlfriend before. But the way she was talking (or rather taunting) really made me wonder if she had figured it out somehow. As much as that might be a relief, ultimately it terrified me. I had decided long ago that these things were the realm of fantasy - never to be truly truly realised. This was my status quo. I decided to play it cool and change the subject.
"So who's coming tonight again?" I asked.
"Well Katie of course. But Alejandra and Abigail as well. Michael and Sean might swing by later, and Jess is coming after dinner."
Steph's brown eyes looked to the ceiling as she listed off names. My eyes wandered for a moment down her incredibly toned legs, a quick glance at her feet, then back up to her small waist. My God she was stunning. Our relationship had moved quickly, from an arranged meeting at a pub (thanks to a work colleague), to our first proper date, a few intimate nights and now this - moving in together. I snapped back to reality at the mention of the boys' names.
"Who's Sean again?" I asked casually, trying not to portray any jealous boyfriend vibes.
That's the last thing I wanted to do. The decision to move in together (Steph's decision that is) was hasty, and yet I struggled to say no to her. There was some kind of connection between us I was keen to cultivate and the last thing I wanted was to add tension at this crucial juncture
"Oh, he's the guy who helped find this appartment remember?"
I nodded, but didn't recall hearing the name before.
"I just hope the girls like the place. It's still a bit sparse I suppose - but it's getting there. Oh that reminds me. I need your help with something. Follow me."
Steph sprung from the couch with a twinkle in her eye. We left the living room behind and headed down the main hallway to a storage closet by the front door. Steph opened the door and started dragging out something heavy.
"Well don't just stand there, help me you dummy!" She exclaimed.
I squeezed myself into the corner, crouched down and lifted one side of what appeared to be a large wooden box.
"What the hell is this thing?" I asked, as I shoved my end forward.
"Isn't it cool! It's some kind of vintage trunk or luggage of some kind - I guess the previous tenant left it behind. And it's huge! I thought we could use it as a coffee table in front of the couch! Come on - let's move it into the living room."
It was indeed a large and sturdy oak box with brass fittings and clasps. Each side had intricate panels - rectangles with artistic designs carved out. It felt solid and heavy. Too heavy for a single person to manouvre anyway.
"Sweet!" Steph exclaimed, once it was finally in place in the living room.
I stepped back for a moment and huffed. Steph was right - it did function nicely as a makeshift coffee table, with a smooth wooden top. It was almost as long as the couch from end to end, and the scuffs and scratches from a lifetime (or two) of use gave it a cool rustic look. I leaned over and unlatched the clasp to open it, but surprisingly the lid wouldn't budge.
"Oh right, you need these to open it," said Steph.
She reached into the pocket of her shorts and retrieved two small silver keys. She hesitated for a moment.
"I was going to save this for later tonight. But..."
I had no idea what Steph meant so I just stared at her blankly.
"Well," Steph continued, "remember the night we met, two months ago?"
"Two and a half," I corrected her.
"Right," Steph smiled and touched my arm lovingly.
"Well, you mentioned something that night which stuck in my memory. I remember you complemented my little silver anklet - this one actually."
Steph lifted her foot with the silver anklet up to show me.
