Sentence:  The first time, I was confused. His needs were obscure to me, and what I could perceive of them seemed to me ridiculous, laughable, like a <WSD>fetish</WSD> for lace-up shoes. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Sexual attraction to or arousal at something sexual or nonsexual, such as an object or a part of the body. (from the early 19th c.)