Rika: A Web Novel - Chapter One

Feeney By Luckycat Chapter one - Phoenix Feeney occupied the two o’clock spot in the restaurant’s biggest booth. She felt a bit guilty for claiming it, given that lunch hour was well underway and the place was full of people. The charming blonde at the counter had offered up the seat as if it were trivial, and being hungry, Feeney took it. Looking up from her soup, she noticed several patrons staring with irritated looks, clearly wondering where everyone else had gone. Across the room, near a queue that had formed, five men in business attire glared at her. A heavyset man in front turned to his companion and whispered something, shaking his head in disapproval. “Fuck you fatty! Fuck all of you! I’m just going to sit right here and eat my gazpacho soup like I have forever. So go away!! Feeney shouted silently in her mind, speeding up her eating. She often marveled at the collective foolishness of a world that insisted everyone eats lunch within the same hour. Dumb! Nearly as dumb was the custom of locking one of the two front doors so you had to fumble your way in just to pay them. Stupid! ‘An hour from now,” She thought. ‘I’ll have this whole place to myself!’ Feeney reached into her purse and pulled out the worn novel she was reading, “Temptations of the Flesh”, a classic romance with plenty of drama. The cover looked so embarrassingly cheesy that she kept it half-covered with one hand to stop people from laughing at her for reading such trash. She quickly became absorbed in the lush story until she suddenly realized her soup had gone cold. The Leather-clad Woman Putting her spoon back into the bowl, she glanced up and saw a tall woman walk past her booth, undoubtedly heading to the restrooms at the back of the restaurant. Feeney’s spoon hovered as she took in the black spandex turtleneck top and tight black leather pants. The trousers went down to mid-calf and were incredibly snug, making Feeney wonder how the woman had squeezed into them. The woman wore a heavy pair of shiny black combat boots with two-inch high soles and metal-covered toes that looked ready for action. Completing her look were fingerless black leather gloves. ‘A curious outfit for a warm October day,’ Feeney mused. As she passed, the woman suddenly stopped mid-step. Feeney couldn’t help but notice the perfect, toned shape of her body and how the pants accentuated it so well. The woman turned to meet Feeney’s gaze with bold eyes. Her face was strikingly beautiful. Apart from violet eye shadow, she wore no makeup at all. Her pale skin framed by raven-black hair cut daringly short, buzzed almost to the scalp on the sides while spiked forward on top. She reminded Feeney of some dangerous, hungry lizard. But among her many remarkable features, her eyes were the most astonishing. One was ice blue and the other a true cat-green; both were piercing. The woman approached Feeney with a quizzical, bemused smile. Until she stood beside the booth, Feeney hadn’t realized just how extraordinarily tall the woman actually was. Even accounting for the thick soles of her boots… “Six foot two.” The woman said in a rich alto voice. “Excuse me?” Feeney asked. “That’s the answer to the first stupid question most people usually ask.” Feeney smiled shyly. “The second is even worse; how’s the weather up there?” Feeney replied, “Then you should pretend to spit on them and say ‘It’s raining.’” The woman’s eyes narrowed before she grinned. “I like you; you’ve got pluck!” “Thanks, but actually…I was going to ask a different question.” The woman’s face tightened slightly. “Yeah? And what was that cutie?” Feeney glanced away, then bravely met the tall woman’s eyes before having to look down again at their knife-like stare. “I… I was wondering how you ever managed to fit into those pants.” The woman gave a short laugh and grinned, revealing perfect sharp white teeth. “I know you, don’t I?” Feeney shrugged. “Maybe. I work at the college.” “Oh?” The woman looked interested. “Which department?” “Student loans. I’ve been there for two years now.” The woman snapped her gloved fingers and pointed a slender black hand at Feeney like a gun. “You work for Tom Corbin?” Feeney nodded. “Yes. Do you know him?” “Not really. Hey, excuse me cutie, but I really need to pee!” The woman turned and strode quickly toward the restroom. “What a strange one.” Feeney murmured to herself as she brought her spoon to her mouth. “Beautiful, but kinda scary.” Rika Three minutes later, the woman rounded the corner and slid into the booth beside Feeney—uninvited. Picking up the plastic-covered menu wedged between the napkins and salt-and-pepper shakers, she buried her nose in it for a moment before lowering it to meet Feeney’s gray eyes. “Name’s Rika. Got a boy friend?” Feeney shook her head. Rika grinned, apparently liking the answer. “What’s yours?” She asked while looking back at the menu. “Mine?” Feeney asked. “Your name, cutie; you do have one don’t you?” Rika said without looking up. “Feeney, with an F.” The two eyes burned into her. “Feeney? Is it short for something? “For Phoenix, but nobody calls me that, just Feeney.” “Shame. Phoenix is a knockout! That’s the bird that arises from its own ashes, like in that Harry Potter movie.” Feeney smiled and nodded. “Well I’m going to call you Phoenix. It fits you better.” Feeney shrugged. “Suit yourself, but like I said, everybody…” “I’m not everybody! I’m Rika*. And your name is now Phoenix! Period!” “Phoenix will do fine.” Feeney said, giving in to the woman’s strong will. Rika made a sour face. “Mine’s actually Erika, but if you ever call me that, I’ll hog-tie you and beat the soles of your feet until you can’t walk!” Feeney felt the smallest twinge of erotic pleasure as her nipples tightened for a brief second. She smiled nervously, though the tall woman didn’t return it. A waitress approached carrying a glass of water and some utensils wrapped in a paper napkin. Setting them down hard in front of Rika she said, “Will there just be the two of you today?” She looked annoyed that she would lose the large tips usually generated by this big booth during lunchtime. “No.” Rika said looking up with a smirk. “I have a bus load of senior citizens outside on their way in. They’ll all be needing separate checks.” “Cute.” The waitress replied blandly, raising her pencil and check pad. “They don’t tip either,” Rika added grinning. A frown tugged at the corners of the waitress’s mouth. “Real cute! May I please have your order?” “I’ll have the sirloin special, medium rare.” “Side dishes?” The waitress asked. “No damned potatoes! Just veggies. And a salad with blue cheese.” “To drink?” “Beer. Harp or Killian’s.” “We have Harp lager.” Rika nodded. “In a wine glass, a Bourdot, if you have one in this joint.” The waitress smirked. “I think that we can accommodate ‘Madame.’” “Thanks,” Rika said, handing the menu back. As the waitress disappeared to place the order, Feeney whispered, “Are you always so demanding?” “Always,” Rika said, scowling at Feeney’s hair. Feeney touched a hand to the side of her head. “Don’t you like my new haircut? I just had it done yesterday; they took off almost eight inches.” Rika snapped her gloved fingers again. “Now I remember you! You’re the one with the Veronica Lake hair.” “Excuse me?” “The actress from the thirties, she had blonde hair clear down to her ass.” Feeney shook her head. “Sorry, don’t know her. And my hair’s auburn.” “Why did you stop so short?” Rika said still scowling. “Excuse me?” “Turn your head and lift up your hair.” Feeney swallowed but did as she was told. Rika nodded. “See, you have perfect small ears and a beautiful face. Why hide it behind that awful mop of hair? Who the hell did that to you? I’d be looking f

“Or a new stylist, right after I tortured the one who did that to my hair!”

Feeney smiled timidly, twisting a strand of her hair between her fingers. “So then, I take it you don’t like my hair?” She said, making a pouting face.

“I hate it.” Rika stated matter-of-factly. “It makes you look like a frump. No wonder you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Feeney blushed. “You certainly don’t mince words, Rika.”

Rika nodded as the Waitress dropped off her beer and wine glass.

“Never have. Pisses people off too. But then, I like pissing people off.”

“Oh?”

“Sure, that way you know where you stand with them.” Rika added. “You should go blonde; you’d make a really hot blonde!”

Feeney’s blush deepened. “Thanks, I’ll think about it. Maybe next time…”

“Don’t think about it, do it!” Rika said hotly. “Don’t be like most people who sit on their asses their entire lives waiting for something fun to happen. Follow your own wildest desires! Make some fun happen for yourself, or one day you’ll kick yourself in the ass for having let life pass you by.”

Spider Woman “That’s an interesting philosophy Rika, but…”

“But nothing! How do you expect to attract a fly into your web if you don’t offer it a little sugar?”

Feeney giggled. “Spiders don’t use sugar, Rika.”

Rika smiled back and shrugged. “Well maybe not, but they should!” Rika took a long sip of beer and went on. “You know, I have a theory about spiders cutie; would you care to hear it?”

Feeney had no idea what to make of this outspoken leather-clad woman. But suddenly, she realized that for the first time in months, she was actually enjoying having a conversation with someone who was very much different from her. Way different.

“Spiders? Sure.” Feeney said, curious.

“Most people think that a bug just flies into the spider’s web because he’s too stupid to see it and gets stuck.”

“But isn’t that why they call it a trap?” Feeney asked.

Rika shook her head. “Bugs have thousands of eyes, and they aren’t stupid! Ever try to catch a fly? Trust me, he can see that web just fine.”

“Then why does he get trapped and eaten?”

Rika’s eyes sparkled as she took a sip of her beer and then bent forward in her seat. “Because he’s fatally attracted by the sheer evil of the spider! The same way people are attracted to stories of brutal murders and rapes. The same way that women fall for guys like Charlie Manson.”

Feeney squinted skeptically. “So…bugs—want—to get eaten?”

“Maybe not eaten,” Rika said with a wicked grin. “But maybe they’re tempted by the thought of being so tightly wrapped up in that strong silk, and struggling helplessly while the spider slowly sucks them dry!”

“Yuck!” Feeney said and shuddered. “You make the bugs sound like perverts.”

“Maybe they are perverts.” Rika said warming to her subject. “Many animals perform acts that we call perversion. Giraffes, penguins, sheep, bats, dolphins, even dragonflies have shown transgender and homosexual behavior.”

“Really?” Feeney asked, surprised.

Rika nodded. “Sure, just look at us humans. We have so many interesting little fetishs that we can’t even keep track of them all.”

“Well—I suppose.” Feeney said hesitantly.

“Scratch the surface of any man or woman who is supposedly ‘normal’ and you’ll find a person that has at least some small fetish, or taste for something slightly bizarre.”

“So…then, what you’re saying is that all bugs are perverted, and want to experience being put into bondage by a spider?”

Rika shrugged. “Well, maybe not all of them; just the lucky ones!” She winked her blue eye.

Feeney smiled and sat up straight. She rolled her head around her neck to be rewarded with several loud cracks. “That’s an interesting theory Rika, but sorry, I don’t buy it. At least the part about people; I mean. Most people are normal—like me.”

“Yeah? Well to me normal is just another word for boring.” Rika said coolly. “And I can’t imagine that you’re boring. Not with that tight little body.”

Feeney met Rika’s intense stare. “Thanks for the compliment; I’m glad that somebody finally noticed. I try to stay in shape.”

“Maybe in some ways.” Rika said cryptically.

“What do you mean?”

Rika ignored this. “Wanna play a little game?”

Feeney shrugged. “Maybe. What kind of game?”

“One that might prove to you that you’re not quite as normal as you think you are.” Rika added. “Unless of course…you have something to hide.”

“I don’t have anything to hide.” Feeney said matter-of-factly.

“Okay, then play. It won’t hurt; it’s only a bunch of questions that I ask.”

“Shoot!” Feeney said, determined to prove the tall woman wrong.

“Look into my eyes, and try not to blink after I ask each question. Understand?”

“Sure.” Feeney said, steeling herself. “Go!”

Gotcha! Rika glanced upward at the ceiling, narrowing her multi-colored eyes in thought. Then locking them on Feeney’s, she began her game.

“Imagine someone’s lips lightly brushing across your own, sweetly and seductively.”

“Whose lips?” Feeney asked.

Rika rolled her eyes. “It doesn’t matter whose lips; anybody’s, the most fucking handsome man in the world! Use your imagination, but don’t talk, or I can’t do this.”

“Okay, sorry.” Feeney said apologetically.

“All right then, Let’s start over. Try to imagine those lips.”

Rika stared intently into Feeney’s gray eyes for a moment before moving on.

“Now, imagine a finger pushing slowly inside your vagina.”

Feeney wanted to smile, but forced herself to stare unblinking into Rika’s eyes.

“Imagine that the finger has now found your clit, and is beginning to stroke it.”

Feeney suppressed a giggle.

“Now imagine lips surrounding the nipple of your breast, while a smooth wet tongue begins to lap at it.”

Feeney continued to stare into the piercing eyes.

“Now imagine a finger softly stroking your anus.”

“How softly?” Feeney said and gave a single giggle.

“Shut up! Now imagine a finger running slowly along the sole of you foot.”

“Stop, That tickles!” Feeney said and began to laugh.

Instead of being scolded once more, Rika smiled and sat back in her seat. “Gotcha!” She said with a satisfied smile.

Feeney looked startled. “Got what? What so you mean? Got what?”

The waitress appeared and presented Rika with her steak.

“Will there be anything else—Madame?”

“Yes, a doggie bag for your head, and a Harp for my friend here.”

The waitress stormed off.

“Thanks Rika, but I don’t drink beer.”

Rika grinned showing the sharp teeth. “Now you do!” She said, and tore into the steak as though she hadn’t eaten in days.

“Are you always this rude to people?” Feeney asked.

Rika nodded and took another bite of steak. “Always, especially if they deserve it, like her sorry ass does.” She waved a hand in the waitress’s direction.

Feeney laughed despite herself. “Well, she was a bit discourteous.”

“Fuck her.” Rika said dismissively; if she was half as smart as she thinks she is, she’d be sitting at home on her skinny ass collecting welfare like twenty million other losers.

“Shame on you Rika!” Feeney said still laughing. “Welfare is to provide funds for the disenfranchised poor, and to help the children.”

Rika rolled her eyes and pretended to gag. “Think so? Then let me fill you in cutie. What welfare really does is provide an endless stream of money—our money—for a bunch of lazy shits to buy cigarettes, booze and lottery tickets. The poor kids just usually get stiffed!”

“You are absolutely outrageous!” Feeney said, wide-eyed.

Rika nodded in agreement. “Thanks. And I’m usually right too.”

Feeney held up a palm. “Stop. Tell me about this stupid game. Why did you say ‘Gotcha?’ Explain!”

Rika shook her head. “Nope, wait. I’m eating.”

Feeney crossed both arms across her chest and watched as the steak was literally devoured in less than two minute’s time. As Rika was finishing off the last of her carrots and broccoli, the waitress returned and slammed a Harp and a Bourdot onto the table. She was gone before Feeney could look up.

“Okay.” Rika said, pushing her plate away. “The game.”

“Yes?”

“Yo

“You have a foot-fetish.” Rika stated calmly. “Excuse me?” Feeney retorted, indignant. Rika looked at her and grinned. “You say that quite often, don’t you?” “Well…I…” “What I meant to say is that you have a strong foot-fetish, which isn’t entirely unusual, but it does mean you aren’t technically ‘normal.’” “So, do you consider me some sort of pervert—like your bondage-loving bugs?” Rika nodded. “Precisely. Only you prefer feet to spider lairs.” “That’s bullshit, Rika!” Feeney said angrily. “What? Was that a curse word I heard? Shame on you, cutie; please respect my virgin ears.” Rika grinned. “Right,” Feeney said. “My humblest apologies. Now let go!” Rika wiped her wide, sensual lips with a paper napkin. “Okay, here’s how it works. I asked some specific questions meant to be…sexually suggestive.” “I’d call them vulgar, but please continue,” Feeney interjected. “And after each question, I carefully observed your pupils for dilation.” “Which means?” “They get bigger.” Feeney exhaled. “I know what dilate means. What do you mean by it?” “I mean…that if I hit a nerve and said something you were afraid of or ashamed about, it indicated an inordinate interest in that particular act or body part.” “And?” “And when I mentioned someone stroking the sole of your foot, the black dots at the center of your beautiful gray eyes nearly exploded!” “Bullshit!” Rika held her hands up in a surrender pose. “The eyes don’t lie, cutie; you’ve been exposed. You have one powerful thing for feet—Care to deny it?” Rika leaned on the table, supporting her chin with her palms. She grinned as her green and blue eyes bore into Feeney’s. Feeney bit her lip and pouted. “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about, you…you…tall leather spider pervert!” Feeney laughed nervously. “No?” Rika said with an evil tone. “Well, know what I think? I think that you’re lying to me!” “I am not!” “Little liar!” “Am not!” Feeney stuck out her tongue. “Liar—liar—liar!” Rika sang. Feeney crossed her arms. “No one can read a person’s secret desires just by looking at their eyes, Miss…ah…*what *did you say your last name is?” “Rand. It’s Rika Rand. And you’re wrong; I can! Want me to prove it?” Feeney blew out a small breath. “You can’t prove something like that!” Rika lowered her hands into her lap and leaned forward across the table so her face was inches from Feeney’s. “Wanna bet?” Captive Feeney felt a gloved hand surround her right ankle. Before she could react, her leg had been lifted so that her foot was held tightly in Rika’s lap. “Hey!” Feeney said, trying to free her foot. “What are you doing?” “Proving my point,” Rika said. “Let go!” Feeney tugged at her foot. But Rika’s hands possessed incredible strength and held the foot tightly locked in place. “Stop struggling, cutie; relax. I won’t bite you. I just want to help you find the truth about yourself. It’s out there, you know?” She smiled. Feeney stopped struggling and looked around the restaurant nervously to see if anyone was watching, but the other diners all seemed busy with their food and conversations; no one paid them the slightest notice. “Let’s just have a little look at the object of our—affection—shall we?” Rika said, sliding the brown loafer from Feeney’s foot and placing it beside her on the seat, well out of reach. Rika sat back in her seat and pulled Feeney’s leg straight out. As she stared down into her lap, she began to grin from ear to ear. “Oh my!!” One leather-clad hand held her foot trapped while the other twisted it back and forth as Rika’s multi-colored eyes took in every part of it. Looking up in surprise, Rika said, “Why the hell have you been hiding these beautiful feet inside those ugly shoes?” Feeney blinked and gripped the edge of the table. “You…you think my feet are…Okay?” She asked, unsure whether to be pissed off or flattered. “Okay?” Rika dropped her jaw. “They’re absolutely scrumptious!” “They’re kinda big,” Feeney began to blush. “No—they’re really big!” Rika looked back down and nodded. “Tens, A-width.” “How…how did you know that?” Feeney asked in surprise. “Do you work in a shoe store or something?” Rika smiled evilly. “No, let’s just say I have special—interest—in feet.” “Well, I’m really glad you approve of my foot; now…now let it go!” Feeney said. Rika ignored her and looked up to meet Feeney’s eyes with a sharp, hungry look that was almost frightening. “This is exceptional. I’ve never seen such a perfect foot in my entire life. A nice round heel, a smooth sole, and wonderfully long toes with stunning nails. I’m really quite impressed!” “Thanks. Now let it go!” “No.” Rika said calmly and bent to inspect the foot once again. “Is the other foot as scrumptious as this one?” “It’s exactly the same, only the big toe is on the other side.” “Funny,” Rika said without smiling. “I wonder…” Rika quickly raised her left leg and crossed it over Feeney’s ankle, further trapping it. Straightening in her seat, she quickly removed her leather gloves. Placing them on the table, she reached down to her lap, holding Feeney’s foot by the heel with one hand while gently moving the tips of the fingers of her other hand slowly along the sole. Feeney’s leg bucked. “Be careful, Rika! I’m really ticklish!!” “Oh I’m so sorry!” Rika said without an ounce of repentance in her voice. “You have my complete sympathy. I’m incredibly ticklish too, especially in the morning when my feet are dry and hard!” The fingers had begun to gently massage the foot. “You mustn’t be embarrassed by having large feet; you know mine are much bigger, size twelve C’s. But the larger the foot, the more the fun, right?” Despite the awkward position Feeney now found herself in, she had to admit that what Rika was doing to her foot was maddeningly wonderful. The strange woman’s fingers seemed to have a gift. Feeney sighed with pleasure as they slowly kneaded every part of her sole. “You’re…you’re pretty good at that,” Feeney said. “At massage, I mean.” “Thanks, cutie. It’s another passion of mine. I have lots of passions, but I’m afraid you might find some of them just a little bizarre!” Feeney sighed again and squirmed her toes. “It’s a shame that in this joint, I can’t give this tootsie the attention it deserves.” Reminded of where she was, Feeney looked around once more to make sure they were still being ignored. The restaurant was beginning to empty. A line had formed at the check-out counter and the little blonde cashier was taking patrons’ money, ringing up the cash register as fast as she could. “The skin on the sole of your foot is like silk!” Rika said, licking her lips with her tongue. The massage was both relaxing and strangely exciting. Possessing such sensitive feet had always been a big problem for Feeney; she had strictly forbidden anyone to touch them, even during lovemaking. Now, for some strange reason, having her foot held against her will seemed to increase both its sensitivity and her pleasure at the tall woman’s touch. As Rika’s fingers continued to move, Feeney became aware that a tightness, a vague desire, had begun to stir within her groin. She was becoming aroused. “Ah ha!” Rika said staring at Feeney’s chest. “Gotcha again!!” “What?” Feeney said and quickly lowered her head to see that her nipples were tightly raised beneath her blouse. “Shit!” she said, once more trying unsuccessfully to free the trapped foot. Rika winked at her. “‘Normal’ people only like having their feet rubbed; it doesn’t turn them on. Sorry cutie, but I just proved my case; you’re a pervert!” Feeney met Rika’s eyes bravely but couldn’t seem to form words. There was nothing she could say; her own body had betrayed her, and there was no possible defense. She knew that she had always had a special interest in her own feet, and they had figur

It had been a prominent feature of her dreams and fantasies. However, she had dismissed it as just another minor human quirk, mentally refusing to admit that it held any real significance for her sexual equilibrium. She resented this peculiar woman for making her look foolish and revealing in mere minutes something Feeney had successfully concealed from everyone else throughout her life. While she craved freedom, there was a strange part of her that didn’t actually want Rika to stop.

Rika started pulling on each of Feeney’s toes, stretching and tugging at them with delightful precision. “What’s wrong?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m… embarrassed,” Feeney murmured softly.

“Don’t be,” Rika shook her head. “There is nothing incorrect about enjoying the pleasures God has given you.” She gazed into Feeney’s eyes while tugging at her little toe. “But if it offers any comfort, I have a foot fetish too.”

“You… really?”

Rika nodded enthusiastically. “A huge one! But I don’t try to deny it or hide it like some deep, dark secret. I would love having my feet touched and massaged just like this. If you were doing this to me, I’d probably be experiencing a second orgasm right now!”

Feeney panicked. “Rika! Let me go! Now!”

“Nope. I’m having the best time I’ve had in months.”

“Please! Set me free! I don’t understand; I’ve never felt these sensations before, and I fear what might happen if you keep this up.”

“Too bad. Suffer!”

“Well, if you won’t let me go, I’ll… scream for help!”

Rika grasped Feeney’s long toe and bent it backward; Feeney gasped in pain.

“Go ahead and scream,” Rika challenged. “I could break every one of your toes, and be out of this building before anyone bothers to lift a finger to help you!”

“You wouldn’t!!”

Rika seemed to ponder this for a moment before releasing the bent toe. “No cutie, I wouldn’t. But only because I would never want to harm such an adorable foot!”

Feeney relaxed.

“But I could get you fired!”

“What?” Feeney asked. “How could you possibly do that?”

Rika grinned at her. “Didn’t you recognize my last name? Rand. Surely you know my father, Sky Rand?”

Feeney’s eyes widened in shock. “Skylar Rand? The president of the college?”

“None other,” Rika confirmed. “And my daddy just adores his little girl and does absolutely anything she asks!”

Blackmail

Feeney found her position untenable. She believed that Rika was indeed who she claimed to be, but didn’t think for a second that she was serious about getting Feeney fired. Losing the job would be disastrous, but having this woman spread rumors about her foot fetish would be far worse. Besides, the massage felt wonderful and she didn’t really want it to end. In fact, secretly, she wished Rika would grab her other foot as well.

“Oops!” Rika said softly.

“Oops what?” Feeney asked nervously.

“You have a rather nasty callus on your heel and another small one on the side of your big toe.”

Feeney looked distressed. “I know! I’ve tried to get rid of them, but they keep coming right back.”

“Of course they do,” Rika said, giving Feeney an impatient look. “Want to know why?”

Feeney shook her head. “No, tell me, spider woman.”

“Well obviously, it’s because of the cheap shoes you wear. You really need to wise up and spend some of my father’s money on a decent pair.”

“You mean like those Goth—Punk—combat boots you’re wearing?”

“Shit no. With these gorgeous feet, you should be showing them off by wearing sandals. But in any case, they should be custom-made to your foot.”

“Oh?”

“It’s a bit more expensive, but it’s well worth the investment! You’ll feel like you’re walking on a cloud, and guess what? No more calluses!”

Feeney was interested. “How… how much are we talking about?”

“The boots I’m wearing—which seem to hate—were twelve hundred dollars.”

“Shit!” Feeney gasped.

“But—they were a specialty item. Not only do they fit my big feet like a glove, but they also have strong steel shackle sewn underneath the leather at the top of the ankle.”

Feeney’s eyes widened into saucers. “Maybe you noticed the little heart-shaped locks hanging from the backs?”

Rika had noticed and nodded her head slowly.

Rika grinned. “They keep my feet tightly trapped inside. The key to the locks is back at my apartment, so there’s no possible way for me to get the boots off without it!” Rika winked with her green eye. “Cool, huh?”

Feeney felt her nipples slowly tighten once more.

“This way, I can go about my daily business while being forced to think about my big sweaty feet being so wonderfully trapped inside my own leather boots.”

“Shit!” Feeney whispered. “You really do have a foot-fetish!”

“Big time!” Rika said, nodding. Then she added, “Just—like—you!”

Feeney was silent for a moment as the tall woman’s fingers continued their work. “How… how much for a normal pair?” “What, without locks? Rika teased. “Without locks! Feeney said. “Most custom-made shoes are three hundred dollars or less. A woman cobbler here in town makes all of mine. She has the most wonderful cold hard fingers! I’ll give you her address if you’d like.” To Feeney’s delight, the massage had continued without interruption throughout their conversation. She lifted the Harp to her lips and swallowed half of the bottle. “I would,” she said. “But I’m afraid that right now I’ll have to stick to Wal Mart.”

Rika snorted. “A little short on cash?” Feeney sighed. “Always.”

Rika’s fingers stopped for a moment as she considered something. Then, having made a decision, she continued the massage. “Don’t worry, I’ll have a talk with Daddy. We’ll see if he can come up with a slight raise for you next week.” “You don’t have to do that, Rika. You… you don’t even know me.”

Rika pointed at Feeney. “Shush!! I know what I like when I see it.” She smiled, showing her sharp teeth and added, “And I really like this foot! Come to think of it; for a gazpacho soup eater, you’re not too bad either. You stand your ground.”

Feeney smiled shyly back. “Well, I guess I kinda’ like you too, spider woman. You’re a little weird, but for some reason, well… I just like you.” “Kindred—soles?”

Feeney grimaced at the pun. Rika winked an eye, this time the blue one. “It’s because we’re sister pervets. But then, come to think about it, what a great way to start a friendship!”

Feeney thought, ‘Is that what’s happening here? Are we actually becoming friends?’ She didn’t have many friends, at least close ones she could open up to. For some reason, women or men for that matter had never shown an interest. Not that she was devastated by the fact. After all, she had a job that she loved and did well, and there was her sewing; she was quite good at that too. But she had never had someone who was really close to her, someone she could be totally honest with and share her problems with, who could share theirs in return. Someone special.

Rika was special all right. Confident, outspoken, and decidedly very strange! But despite her rudeness and bravado, Feeney found that she really liked her.

The Hostage

The waitress returned with the check and turned to leave. “Wait,” Rika said. “How much? We’re together.” The waitress peered down at Feeney’s bare foot trapped between Rika’s legs bound in leather. “Yeah, so I see,” she said smugly. “Eighteen sixty.”

Rika pulled a wad of money from the pocket of her pants and tossed two twenty-dollar bills onto the table. “Keep it,” she said, batting her eyes. The waitress looked startled, then with a big smile, thanked Rika and nodded to Feeney before disappearing, clenching the bills tightly in her hand. “That was generous,” Feeney remarked. “I decided to train her. Pain and pleasure, you know? The next time we come in, she’ll kiss both our ass’s trying to please us.”

Feeney laughed and shook her head. “You are absolutely unbelievable!” “Thanks. But now I’ve got to scram. Duty calls and all that.” Releasing her prisoner’s foot, Rika stood to leave. “Thanks cutie,” she said warmly as she pulled on her gloves. “For what? You paid for the lunch.”

Rika grinned. “For sharing that perfect foot with me, and for putting up with my bullshit.”

“I could use a little more of it in my life.” “Yeah?” Rika said, taken aback. She extended her hand for Feeney to take. As they shook hands, Rika asked, “So then, does this mean that we’re going to be friends?” “I… I think maybe I’d like that,” Feeney replied softly. Rika pointed her other gloved hand at Feeney’s nose like a gun. “Don’t let me find out that you’ve left here without finishing that beer!” She added, emphasizing the point with a nod. “I’ll know if you did, and you’ll pay dearly, trust me!” Rika released her hand and nodded once before turning around and striding away from the restaurant. Feeney grinned as she watched two tiny locks at the top of Rika’s boots dancing in merry time to her receding footsteps, wondering if she would ever see her again. Her foot still tingled from the touch of the strange woman’s fingers. She reached for the shoe Rika had removed but after a moment of searching sat back down with an odd smile on her face. Rika had stolen it! Feeney made absolutely certain that she finished every single drop of her beer before leaving the restaurant.

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“Rika” will be continued in chapter two.