“How do you do this?” I asked. “You’re obviously turned on right now. How do you give me pleasure without being able to do anything about it?”
“Sara’s meeting me here after this. I can guarantee we won’t make it to the massage bed,” he said.
“I thought the guests weren’t supposed to have sex with the instructors?” I chuckled. “I think I get it. It’s part of that whole sexual freedom thing.”
“Yes,” Sienna said.
I sighed inwardly. I had only been intimate with one man before in my life. And that was a disaster. I had promised myself that my first time was going to be glorious, romantic, maybe even seductive, and it was the complete opposite of that. I never thought my first guy had to be madly in love with me, but he would make love to me like he was. It would be something that I would want to remember forever. But it wasn’t any of those things. It was some upper classman at a frat party just looking for a one-night stand. We attended the same high school but he was older than me and graduated early. We never hung out before. He got me drunk for the first time. It was a big mistake because he didn’t care about me at all. He wasn’t passionate. He was cold. I felt used and betrayed afterwards. He wasn’t any of the things that I wanted in a man. There wasn’t a mind-blowing kiss or a big jolt of electricity when he touched me. There weren’t any fireworks or earth-shattering earthquakes. Whom was I kidding? A man like that could only ever exist in my fantasies.
DAY TWO:
TUESDAY AFTERNOON
POLE DANCING CLASS
It was just after lunch but my nervousness had made eating almost impossible. I was only able to force down a few slivers of wet lettuce and there’s nothing more nasty than wet wilting lettuce leaves. It makes it hard for the dressing to stick to them and it just runs off and pools in the bottom of your bowl. It’s so gross.
After giving up on eating, I made my way to class a few minutes early so I could get dressed for pole dancing. Every activity in this place has an outfit or lack of one, that’s why Sara packed my second suitcase. The classroom was similar to a strip club. There were six poles lining the dance floor with another single pole out in front of the others and I could hear the low dance music pulsing in the background. The room was dimly lit and I could see a small collection of people standing in the hallway looking in through the large windows wanting to get a peek at the hot mess of newbies learning to dance inside. I was silently cursing myself for taking this class.
I only wobbled once. Okay, twice. Nope. Now it was three times, as I walked in my new red platform shoes toward Colt, Sienna, and the five others in my group class who were waiting for me beside the dance pole in Prentice Cabin. Ugh. Focus. I was wearing only my black bra and panties. Up until last year, I was a gymnast and I proudly wore my leotards. But for some reason I felt so weird being barely dressed in front of these strangers and Colt. I had to find a way to get used to this. Not just the shoes, but also the sexually charged atmosphere.
“Here, down this,” Sienna said handing me another shot. I didn’t care what was in it. I needed liquid courage. I grabbed the shot glass with a double and tossed it back. Christ, that burned!
“That’s my girl,” Colt teased. It was my first day. I had just consumed my fourth shot plus a fruity drink since breakfast this morning and one at lunch. I took a minute to think about that. I could feel the alcohol heat my body and calm my nerves instantly. Works every time.
I took in my surroundings once more as I moved to the stage where Sienna now stood next to one of the center poles illuminated in alternating colored lights. Colt stepped over to the side of the room and sat on an old wooden oak bench.
Sienna began, “This is one of the main events in the Camp Olympics, for those of you hearing about this for the first time, read your manuals. Each class you take here at camp corresponds to an event. There are a variety of points given for each event won. This is one of the big three. The winner with the most points is crowned the Kitten Queen and wins an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii on Avery Jameson’s private jet and will stay at Avery’s private estate in Maui for the week. So for all of you who are interested, this is one event you will want to win. Pole dancing is one of the hardest things you will do while you’re here at camp and therefore it awards the most points. It takes proper training and endurance. We’ll start slow then build on your strengths. You can’t rush this or you could get hurt. Everyone step up to your pole. We’re going to approach the pole with confidence. Let your shoulders fall back, then let your fingers slide around the bar as you revolve around it.”
I walked several circles around the pole squeezing my hand tight around the cold brass.
“Keep your grip loose. Don’t over-think it. It’s about touch and feel.”
Ugh, there were those words again. I loosened my grip and strode uncomfortably around the bar, keeping my eyes to the ground. I wobbled again in my heels and almost twisted my ankle. Damn it, platform heels suck.
Sienna giggled and I looked up to see her smiling at me. “Aria, try not to look at your feet. You’re a runner aren’t you? Do you look at your feet when you run?”
“No,” I replied.
“Exactly,” she smiled. “Now class, chin up. Let your eyes fall on something in the distance. Let that be your center focus. If you spin too much around the bar not fixating on something you’ll make yourself dizzy. Always focus on something in the distance,” she announced to the class. “For those of you that have never seen a pole dance up close, I will show you a short routine just so you can get the feel of what I hope you’ll all learn while you’re here.”
I watched as Sienna danced in her short shorts and tight tank top with the white and green Camp Jameson logo just over the center of her chest. She didn’t falter once in her black platform shoes. Her routine was glorious. Her movements were smooth and seductive. I could be that seductive, but I knew it was just the whiskey talking.
“Okay,” Sienna said regrouping everyone back up to the poles. “First we’re going to start off with a pirouette pose.” She stood with her back to the pole and raised her hands in the air and grabbed the pole behind her then bent her left knee. Okay, simple enough. Sienna turned and faced the pole. She stretched her left arm up the pole and stepped seductively around the pole. Her right hand traced the curve of her hip and leg then back up again as she strutted around the pole once and stepped back to the same spot she left. She made that look easy.
“This is called a leg hook,” Sienna said, lifting her left leg and wrapping it around the pole. She gripped the pole with her right hand and leaned back, letting her left arm trail behind her. “I’m going to do the steps again but I’m going to do it without stopping in between so you can see the end result.” She repeated the first three moves again, this time it was all in one fluid movement. Pirouette pose, seductive walk, leg hook, and then she planted her feet back to the ground. “Okay, Tara, you try first,” Sienna instructed, motioning Tara toward her pole.
Tara was average height with sandy blonde hair and slim narrow hips. She wobbled terribly in her high platform shoes and I wanted to ask Sienna why we couldn’t go without the shoes until we got more comfortable but I knew this was part of the torment, I mean, lesson.
Tara stepped in half steps to the pole and her nervousness radiated through her tight grip on the pole.
“Loosen your grip,” Sienna said stepping up next to her. Sienna pulled her shoulders back and let her hand fall to the middle of Tara’s back. Tara was a nervous wreck. Her chest was moving hard and fast and her eyes were wide with fear. Sienna urged her forward. Stiffly, Tara teetered around the pole and came back to her original spot. On her last step her ankle buckled and she tumbled into Sienna. Sienna just caught her in time before she face planted to the ground.
“I can’t do this,” Tara said with tears in her eyes. We all knew her dumb husband was glaring at her from the hallway through the thick glass windows.
“Take a break, we’ll try again in a bit. Start
by practice walking around the room in your shoes. That’s half the battle.”
“Now Aria, you try,” Sienna said.
“I think I need another shot,” I muttered. Colt chuckled and moved to the mini sized bar and poured me another double. He quickly hurried back to me and I tilted the glass back. I felt it burn all the way down my throat.
“Geez. What is that stuff?”
Colt smirked. “It’s Jameson whiskey. Good stuff isn’t it?”
I nodded as I felt my shoulders relax. I closed my eyes and just escaped into the moment. I let the music fill my head and flow over my body. I stepped up to the pole and turned my back towards it. I reached both arms up behind me and grabbed the pole and bent my leg.
“Good. Now arch your back a bit more. Show us your goods,” Sienna commanded. “Good. Now turn and grip the pole with your left hand and walk around it. Stop when you get to the same spot you started.” I did as she asked, feeling more confident by the second. “Sway your hips some… good,” Sienna continued. “Now hold the bar with your right hand. Lift your left leg and curl it around the pole. Let your left arm fall back behind you. Great, that’s it. Let your head fall back a little and look at me. Pretend I’m the man you want to seduce. How do you feel?”
“Ridiculous,” I said angling my neck at a weird angle to look at her.
“Well you look hot,” Sienna said. “Okay, do it again. This time try to build up some speed.” Then it happened. My eyes saw movement by the door and I felt my grip falter when I saw Avery Jameson leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed and staring right at me. My sweaty palms slipped from the pole and I flew backwards as my feet slipped and pointed up at the ceiling while the rest of my body landed hard on my back. Bwhump!
Giggles filled the room. I groaned and stood up trying to gather what self-respect I had left and tried to ignore the rather large crowd that had gathered to watch me through the windows.
“Don’t think about the pole or the people. Just feel the music. You’re the entertainer; the pole is an extension of your body. Whether you’re straddling it or spinning around it, whatever movement you choose will bring life to it, not the other way around,” Sienna said.
I watched as Caitlyn spiraled around the pole like she had done it for a living. She was desperately trying to hold Avery’s attention but his eyes kept wandering to me. Caitlyn noticed where his eyes rested but she was confident on her heels and showed no fear. My eyes shifted toward Amber to see that she was struggling a little with her grip on the pole. On her other side Tara held her wide-eyed gaze as Caitlyn straddled the pole and hung upside down. Okay, maybe I wasn’t doing as well as I thought. I sucked compared to these girls, then Sienna announced to the onlookers, including Avery, that it was time for them to move along. Avery looked like a little puppy dog that had just been kicked, and it really seemed like his eyes lingered on mine as he retreated to the shadows of the hallway.
I took in a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. My hands shook but I squashed my nerves down as I reached out for the metal pole once again. I repeated the same steps with the help of Sienna calling out what to do. As I made my way around the pole, I genuinely smiled for the first time since I arrived. Maybe I could do this. I looked around at my surroundings and groaned inwardly. I was almost naked dancing on a stripper pole. Didn’t I have morals? Isn’t this what society says not to do? Then why did I feel so free? I’m here for six weeks. This was only my first day of classes and I was feeling overwhelmed.
Colt and Sienna stepped away to help Amber and Lucy in the group, I could see Amber’s dark eyes showed confidence in herself as she approached her pole. Her straight ebony hair was pulled back into a ponytail like mine. Lucy had golden brown shoulder length hair. She had a larger frame with curves. I was studying Lucy when Sienna instructed us to practice a bit on our own while she and Colt worked individually with Lucy and Amber.
I spent most of my time trying to mimic Sienna’s more difficult moves, learning how to place my hands and how to hold myself up on the pole in different positions. I learned how to spin around and lift myself up on the pole with just my leg and hands as an anchor. It was hard trying to land back in the same spot I took off from but I found that I actually liked it.
Somewhere in between it all she threw out terms like ‘climbs’ and ‘inverts’ and continued to show off different poses like ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘Daphne’. I laughed at myself when I screwed up. I laughed harder when my hands slipped from the pole and I fell on my ass over and over again. After a half hour, I closed my eyes and just danced. I lost myself in the music. I swayed my hips and straddled the pole. Dipped down, and shimmied around. It was just me and the music. Nothing else. God, how I loved to dance.
“You’re a natural, Aria.” Sienna’s voice broke my trance. Her heated look said more than I was willing to admit. I recomposed myself and glanced around the room. Everyone was starring. Several men I didn’t know had their mouths agape. Shit, the guys never left.
Caitlyn huffed beside me. “Do you always have to be center of attention?” she hissed.
“That was awesome, Aria. I think you’re ready to learn your routine.” My high was short-lived when Sienna started taking me through the steps and the group of others stood behind me and observed.
“Kick your legs up over your head like this,” Sienna’s voice called out over the bass of the dance music.
I shook my head at her. “No fucking way.” I was wearing my ‘you must be crazy’ look.
“Colt said you were a gymnast in high school. You have excellent upper body strength. You can do this. Grab here and swing your legs upward in a scissor kick to heighten your jump.” Sienna demonstrated. These moves were way more than the other girls were asked to do. That is, except Caitlyn.
“Tighten your hands as soon as your legs make contact with the pole. When you feel secure, squeeze your legs around the pole and hold yourself there. Release, then dismount.” I crossed my arms, not budging.
“I have to hang upside down from that? Are you crazy?” I ignored the others watching me as Sienna stepped up to my pole to wipe it down as I tried to hide my scowl.
“You’re over-thinking it, Aria,” she whispered calmly. “Think of it like you’re hanging upside down from the parallel bars. Watch again,” Sienna said continuing. Sienna demonstrated it again.
Oh, I see. Why didn’t she just say that in the first place? I didn’t know why I couldn’t cross the one thought into the other, but as soon as she put it that way, I could instantly see what she meant. I stood watching this beautiful swan swing her legs around the pole and hang upside down. She was graceful and seductive. I could be graceful, this much I knew. But seductive, I wasn’t sure.
Sienna continued, “My hands are here, my legs are here. My butt is here touching the pole. I squeeze them around the pole, then I let go.” She dismounted and urged me to try. I sighed, and then swung my legs around. With a small amount of grace, I swiveled my legs around the bar and squeezed them tight.
“Angle your head back,” Sienna added. I followed her instructions.
“Good, now squeeze your thighs together and let your hands fall down by your head.” I followed her instructions. “Re-grip the pole and kick off.” I re-gripped the pole and descended to the floor. “Excellent.” She squeezed my biceps. Man, you are one tough little cookie. Maybe in few weeks we can try a back flip. You might want to consider making this your event at the Olympics. With a little effort you could do really well.”
I laughed aloud. “Now you’re talking.”
“Well, look who’s finally getting her wings,” Caitlyn sneered as she continued her routine.
I smiled at her. “Will you teach me, Caitlyn?” My eyes fell on my classmates. Amber, Tara, Lucy, and Kennedy they all seemed genuinely friendly while Caitlyn stood there with a scowl on her face and rolled her eyes.
“Okay, class. Before you leave, I just wanted everyone to know all this hard work does have a payoff,” Sienna a
nnounced. “It will excite your lovers and those of you who can’t get enough of Avery can sign up for this event at the Camp Olympics. If you win this event and the Sybian Rodeo you’ll give yourself a great shot at Maui and who knows…maybe you’ll get to spend the whole week with Avery Jameson,” Sienna said. “Okay, class dismissed. See you all tomorrow,” she said.
As we stepped outside, Caitlyn followed closely and spoke so only she and I would hear. “Don’t bother signing up for this event, Aria.”
“I wasn’t planning on it,” I said as my eyes narrowed at her.
“Good, because even if you did win the Camp Olympics, a pathetic little thing like you would only disappoint a man like Avery,” Caitlyn said.
My eyes widened as she strutted away like a little princess and as I watched her bony ass walk up the path, I thought to myself, you know what? Game on, bitch!
DAY THREE:
WEDNESDAY MORNING
EXHIBITIONISM IN THE FOREST
There was a light mist over the forest in the morning. The lake had steam rising up from its still waters that came from the air being cooler than the water itself. The sun rose up slowly from behind the trees. I didn’t sleep much last night so I decided to go for a run to relax a bit and explore the camp before everyone else arose. There were only a few gardeners out this early, tending to the walkways, and applying mulch around trees that lined the path. I jogged past one of them named Rodriguez, his name clearly displayed on the patch of his uniform. He barely looked up at me as I passed him. I decided to explore the camp a little further down some pathways that I hadn’t seen yet. I could feel the wind stir the forest around me through my tight, low-cut, pink tank top and black lycra shorts, courtesy of Sara’s shopping spree before camp. It was going to be hot today and the breeze felt good against my skin.
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