Supply and Demand Pt. 01

"What?" he asked, holding his hands aloft in innocence. "It's a fair question." He looked back towards me and shrugged, though I could tell there was clear concentration in his eyes. "It's just the game. I have to ask a question, don't I?"

Perhaps I'd been wrong, and he wasn't being gentle with me. Maybe he wanted me to confess that I was still pining for him, to splurge the details of my hurt. Maybe he wanted to demonstrate to his new girlfriend, that despite being thrown away, he was still such a catch that I was hopelessly in love with him. That was true to some extent, but I wasn't about to massage his ego in that way. Instead, I considered my options for a moment, my eyes scanning the group while my thoughts danced around, almost as much as Gabriela's boot as it bounced in the air. While I watched her booted foot bop up and down, an idea came to me and I visibly chuckled to myself.

"Oh, what's tickled you?" Roger asked. "This is going to be good then."

I took a swig from my glass, almost dribbling wine down my chin as I smugly grinned uncontrollably at what I was about to reveal. There was a secret that had emerged within the past month, and it was something I was coyly proud of. Ever since Hunter had left me, I'd been a mixture of depression and self-consciousness; convinced that I was both unwanted and sexually undesirable. Thankfully, something had happened that had somewhat been helping me with the situation and boosting my confidence. I'd kept it to myself, partly because I was embarrassed, but also because I didn't feel like Hunter would approve. With the ambition of getting back with him, I'd kind of buried this secret inside me and partitioned it away from my regular life of decency. However, now that it was painfully obvious that Hunter had little interest in recouping things with me, suddenly this secret was more useful as a weapon. A weapon that would make his new girlfriend, Gabriela, realise that there was a dark, more sexual side to me. I wasn't the kind of girl that no one else wanted, that could be cast aside. I was the mysterious girl with a dirty secret. I was the black sheep amongst our group.

You see, about a week after Hunter's exit, and while I was buried in empty candy wrappers on my couch, I'd received a rather odd direct message on one of my social media accounts. It was the kind of thing I'd usually brush off, but since I was hurt from our break-up and in much need of a booster, this time, I had responded in my vulnerable state. Simply anything that was able to distract me from my current plight had been welcome, and I had been willing to dip a toe into a world I had previously steered clear of.

The message had come from a burner account, and had been enquiring about whether I'd be interested in selling feet pics. Of course, at first glance, I'd taken this offer with a pinch of salt. I'd read about this sort of thing in multiple magazines and blogs, even sharing a few memes myself as a joke, but never thought anyone would actually be interested in my own feet. I had even rolled my eyes initially and figured it was a scam. I'd never have replied to that sort of thing during my relationship, but since I was single, I had figured: why not? What's the worst that could happen? It was probably a scam, but if it actually was legit, and I could make a little money from something as innocent as feet, then I'd surely go for it. Even if anyone found out...who would care? It was just feet, and I'd occasionally posted stories from my regular pedicures, so it wasn't as if my feet appearing on my page was out of the ordinary.

To be clear, I'd always thought my feet were cute, not in a sexy way, but not offensive at all in their appearance. There were plenty of photos of my feet all over my social media account, mostly pictures of my chilling at the beach while my legs were stretched out. However, I recalled that a long time ago I'd shared a photo at the salon while getting a pedicure, not just a story, but a close-up photo in my feed. My legs were propped up and I had cutely posed my toes to show off my bright, pink pedicure. I'd received a few complimentary comments from other women, but thought nothing of it, as sure, I got regular pedicures and liked to wear fancy shoes, but I'd never considered them to be attractive or sexual: they were just feet, cute feet yes, but nothing more than feet. As if to confirm this, Hunter had never shown any interest in my feet at all, even balking on the rare occasions when I'd been tired and had requested a foot massage. Such an intimate, compassionate display of affection towards his partner seemed to be beneath him. Hunter was always more of a wham, bam, thank you kind of guy. Yet, the same account that had messaged me, had also liked this particular photo from the salon. At that moment, I'd figured maybe this wasn't a scam at all and the offer was genuine. Therefore, in my desperation for attention, I had fired off a reply:

Me: interested, how much do u pay?

Obviously, I had been fairly new to this whole thing, so didn't know what kind of amounts that feet pics could make. I'd read about girls claiming they were making thousands a week, but that all seemed pretty far-fetched and unrealistic. I'd have honestly been happy with a couple of bucks, with it being rewarding in a confidence-boosting kind of way. I mean, Hunter didn't want me, but someone was willing to pay for photos of my feet? That was kind of cool, and just the sort of attention that I needed to empower me in one of my darkest moments.

I didn't get a reply for a couple of hours, but then when it came, I had been pleasantly surprised by the offer.

Feetguy69: ill give u $10 per pic, sound good? i can buy the first one right now if ur ready?

My eyes had lit up upon reading his message. That was way more than I had been expecting, especially for something so easy. I mean, how easy was it to snap a photo of your feet? I'd been doing it for years on my profile! I had figured he was going to offer a buck per pic, and honestly, I probably would have accepted that just for the rush. I couldn't help but laugh to myself, and my head had been swirling with what I'd be able to spend that extra money on. In my reception role at the hotel, I made about twenty bucks an hour, and there I was about to make ten dollars for a photo that would literally take me about thirty seconds. I was already envisioning myself as one of those girls that made bank on the side from feet-hustling.

Me: deal! i'll take it right now, how do u want it?

The stranger had seemed almost as excited as I was by this recent development:

Feetguy69: can i get 2? 1 of ur toes and another of ur soles? whats ur payment details?

I had been excited at how this was progressing, yet, some part of me was still convinced that this was all a prank and wasn't actually legit. It had just seemed too good to be true and too easy. Perhaps it was even one of my friends messing with me and I was going to be the butt of some jokes. I had considered the possibility, then shrugged, and sent over my payment handle regardless. My heart had been beating in my chest when minutes later I received a notification that twenty dollars had been sent to me. "Wow," I had said to myself in disbelief. I'd officially sold my feet pictures to someone, and I hadn't even taken any yet! Maybe my feet were prettier than I actually realised. I mean, this guy had paid upfront to see them! I had a side-hustle, and I had been over the moon at my accomplishment.

However, things became serious, and immediately, I had been overcome with a feeling of expectation. I had to take this endeavour seriously, and I genuinely wanted this random guy to get his money's worth. I had spent the next quarter hour taking photos of my feet in a variety of poses, trying to capture the most favourable angles of what I thought were sexy shots. I even had a quick peruse online to see what other girls were doing, nodding to myself with smugness at now being a member of this exclusive foot-selling club. It would have been a tragedy if I blew this early, since the guy's eagerness teased that this may become a regular thing.

As a result, it had turned out that the whole thing wasn't actually thirty seconds of easy work, but still, it paid way better than my real job. I had selected a nice photo of my pedicured toes, where I had settled them into the grey fluffy rug in my living room. For the second photo, I had cropped one I'd taken in my mirror while holding my soles up, my peachy butt also visible while my skin-tight leggings showed off its pert form. I had even hidden my face in both pictures, and the fact I could stay anonymous amongst this whole opportunity reaffirmed how lucky I had been.

Even though I'd put in a lot of effort, I had still been nervous as I sent the photos over. I was really clueless when it came to just what constituted a sexy foot pic, and I had harboured fears that I had got this whole thing completely wrong. However, his response had been instantaneous, with love heart reactions to each photo; my own heart thumping in my chest with relief. A message had then followed:

Feetguy69: omg absolutely perfect!!! ur feet are so hot goddess ella, please can i buy some more from u?

Obviously, I had been suitably beaming upon reading such a positive and enthusiastic response; especially at having been referred to as goddess. I had even blushed at the connotations of what such a title meant. On top of that, not only had he loved the pictures, but he wanted more? All of the insecurities and worries that Hunter had brought to the fore immediately dissipated. I had been overcome by a feeling of self-worth, of being wanted and desired, even if it was only for my feet! I had spread my legs out in front of me and wiggled my toes, almost in disbelief that they were pretty enough that a stranger would send ten dollars to see them! No longer did I feel isolated and self-conscious, but rather sexy and powerful.

Such was my own enthusiasm, that I had naively sent through another two photos before receiving payment. Yet, his reaction was again instant, then seconds later, a payment notification had come through for another twenty dollars. I had almost screeched aloud and clapped my hands excitedly. It was the most joy I'd experienced in days and for the first time, all thoughts of Hunter were put to the back of my mind.

"You okay, Ella?" Ruth asked me, and I shook myself from that fond memory and realised that the entire circle of friends were staring and awaiting my answer. Even Gabriela looked genuinely curious by what I was about to share. I must have been hovering there glassy-eyed as I reminisced about the confidence-boost of selling feet pictures. Since that first day, I'd made over two hundred dollars from that one guy, and it had been a secret achievement of mine that I treasured amongst the terrible way that Hunter had treated me. Now, I was going to revel in sharing it, and show that Hunter had truly made a mistake by ditching me. I was the kind of catch that could sell pictures of her feet, and regardless of whether his new girlfriend was more physically attractive, could she boast of such an achievement? Highly unlikely!

I eyed Gabriela while my secret was perched on the tip of my tongue. Yes, she was physically better looking than me, and clearly had more confidence, but I was about to better her in a way she couldn't have possibly ever imagined. "I'm sorry," I said while playing dumb and enjoying stringing out their collective intrigue. "What were we talking about again?"

Gabriela cleared her throat and eyed me back accusingly. "My boyfriend," she said, while draping an arm around Hunter's shoulder, "asked you if you have any secrets you'd like to share." Her eyes were almost drilling through me, as if threatening me to confess that I was still infatuated with my ex. "So, do you?"

I initially glared her way, put off by the fact that she already felt so comfortable in our group, but then my face softened at the trump card I was about to release upon her. "Actually, I do." I smirked while my eyes danced between Hunter and Gabriela, curious if my confidence was making them feel nervous. Maybe he had only asked me such a thing to try and put me on the spot, as if to make the wound of our break-up hurt even more. However, he had no clue regarding the bombshell I was about to drop. I looked at Ruth and Heidi, and almost beamed with pride as I announced, "I've been selling feet pics online."

There were a few gasps and a couple of snorts from the circle. "The fuck," I heard Hunter say, before he stared into his can of larger in bemusement. That only made me gleam further as I pondered the thoughts twirling around inside his head; was he reconsidering what he'd thrown away? Maybe he never realised just how desirable I was to others and he had taken me from granted. I mean, a stranger literally paid for photos of my feet!

"What?" Ruth asked. "How does that even happen?" She then narrowed her eyes at me with a playful grin, her wine glass held proudly aloft. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

I shrugged. "Some guy messaged me on one of my accounts asking to buy feet pics from me. I thought: why not? It's just feet."

Ruth's eyes were wide with fascination, but her hand sprung to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "I can't believe this. You're such a dark horse, Ell. I would have never guessed."

Heidi leant towards me, a serious, inquisitive expression plastered to her face. "What sort of stuff do they want?"

I shrugged as I recounted the various snaps I'd taken. "Depends. Could be a close-up of your pedicured toes. Some guys prefer the bottoms of your feet." It felt so good to educate all of my friends about a topic with which they were completely ignorant. I flashed a look Gabriela's way and she seemed somewhat surprised, though not in any rush to know more about my secret.

"Interesting," Heidi said, before her eyes momentarily drifted to my feet tucked beneath me. "I would never have guessed."

Following her eyes, I proudly placed my foot into the circle, shown up alluringly in my favourite high heels which complimented my newest silver pedicure. "See," I said. "What do you think?"

"I mean, they're just feet," said Ruth while leaning to take a closer look. "I wouldn't even know how to judge what makes a foot pretty."

Out of everyone, Gabriela seemed the most curious, but I was slightly put-off at the way she curled her lip in disgust. Immediately I retracted my foot, tucking it back beneath me before anyone else could get a closer look.

"So, how much money did you make?" Roger asked before taking a swig of beer. "Is that how you pay your rent these days?"

I giggled. "Nothing like that. They don't pay much for feet pics, but every little helps." I looked across the group and nodded at them, as I performed as a clear expert in the selling of feet pics. Sure, I was fairly new to the whole thing, but I was an experienced veteran in comparison to everyone else at the party and I was thriving in the spotlight. All eyes were on me, and I was about to unleash the coup de grâce upon Hunter and Gabriela's budding union. He was going to be so impressed. "I get about $10 per photo," I said while honing in on his shocked face. "So, as you can imagine, it's quite profitable!"

There was a snort from across the circle, and I saw that Gabriela was rolling her eyes. When she noticed my accusing glare, she pretended to look elsewhere and take a sip from her drink. My delighted expression was immediately replaced by a self-conscious grimace. Sure, selling feet pics was kind of weird, but it was easy money as far as I was concerned, so why should I be ashamed? I should have left it at that, and continued to be the centre of attention, as everyone else was still enamoured, however, the fact she was Hunter's new flame really got to me. Who did she think she was, coming here, amongst my friend group and thinking she could laugh and roll her eyes at me?

"Is something funny?" I asked

Gabriela ignored me for a moment, as if pretending she hadn't heard me. When an uncomfortable silence in the group followed, she looked up and seemed confused by my glare. She tucked a couple of thin, blueish-purple braids behind her ear. "Were you talking to me?"

"Yes, I was talking to you. What's so funny?"

"Nothing." She shrugged and looked to Hunter, rolling her eyes as if I was acting up. "It doesn't matter." She waved a hand at me in an almost patronising laziness. "Continue with your story, it's fascinating."

The way she was nonchalantly brushing me off and rolling her eyes at me only infuriated my pride further. "If it doesn't matter, why did you laugh at my secret?"

She shrugged again, then adjusted in her seat before letting out a deep, exaggerated breath. "It's just kinda funny." She turned her head and scanned the group. "I've sold a couple of feet pictures in my time. It's really not a big deal in Brazil. Guys are kind of open about liking a gal's pezinhos."

"Pezinhos?" Hunter asked with a curious look.

"Just a cute way of saying feet."

I already had a retort prepared, however, my words caught in my mouth. I hadn't expected anyone else to actually know about this sort of thing, and the idea that Gabriela was into this world too kind of took away my ability to shine. This was my secret, and my taboo indulgence, yet, this imposter to our group had gazumped me in this sort of thing too? It was bad enough that she was draping herself all over my ex so blatantly, but she was also shitting all over my prized secret in the process. I thought about calling her bluff, but looking at how pretty she was, and apparently so laid-back about this thing, I had a very real fear that I'd come off second best in the feet department too.

Roger blinked and slammed his cup of beer down on the table at his side. "What the hell is going on here? Like, I'm so confused right now. Is this a whole industry I didn't even know about? What the hell does someone get from buying feet pics?"

"Beats me," Hunter said, though he raised his can and toasted me. "Good for you though, Ella."

I delightfully pursed my lips, though Gabriella looked infuriated. "It's really not that impressive," she said in Hunter's direction, and he shrugged his hands, clearly out of his depth with the whole conversation.

Heidi leant her head on Roger's shoulder. "Apparently I made the wrong career choice." She extended one nyloned foot into the circle and wiggled her unpainted toes. "Maybe I could already be a millionaire by now."

"Not with feet like yours," Roger quipped. "You'd have to pay someone else to look at them."

Though the others were laughing at Roger's jokes, I was still focused on Gabriela, especially the way she was whispering into Hunter's ear; his eyes widening before he covered his mouth and stifled a chuckle. They both looked in my direction; a smug grin settled on Gabriela's pretty face. "What's so funny?" I asked again, my face reddening as the two of them apparently schemed and delighted at my expense. Was I a fool for sharing such a secret? I'd been proud of my achievement, but perhaps I had been naïve in all of this. "If you've sold feet pics yourself, then why are you laughing at me?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes again, then kind of batted her palm towards me as if I was an annoyance. "It's just kind of cute that you're so proud of it and all." She made a show of pulling her attention from me and addressed the whole circle instead, as if she was effortlessly stealing the spotlight from me. "I've sold feet pictures for $500 each." Her eyes darted back to me; a smug smirk evident on her lips. She gestured in my direction while cocking her head. Her voice softened to a patronising slowness, "So, it's kind of cute that you're all proud of your little ten bucks." She pursed her lips at me mockingly, and my eyes darted around the group in a panic, convinced that everyone was looking at me in a bad way.