Move (Club Kitten Dancers #1)
Sophie Stern
Chapter 1
Bailey
“You have to be kidding. Those wouldn’t fit a 12-year-old. There’s no way they’re made for an adult.”
“They’re totally made for an adult. Come on. Just give them a try.”
Kasey shakes the no-way-in-hell-they’ll-fit-me booty shorts in front of me and I grumble before dropping my pants and wiggling into them. She laughs as I manage to pull them all the way up, and then up a little more.
“Is my ass supposed to be hanging out the back like that?”
“Yep.”
“No.”
“Yep.”
“No, come on!”
“Bailey, get real. You’ve had the worst week of your sad little life. I’m tired of you moping around the apartment feeling sorry for yourself. It’s time for you to get out there and do something with your life.”
I glare at Kasey, but she just shrugs. We both know she’s right. I can admit that now and don the matching, way-too-tiny tank top, or I can argue with her for another twenty minutes before I have to put the clothes on.
Glaring, I toss my t-shirt aside and yank on the black tank.
“My bra is showing.”
“So lose the bra.” Kasey looks unconcerned about my modesty. She’s seen me naked plenty of times before. We do live together, after all, but somehow wearing these tiny clothes make me feel more naked than when I’m actually naked.
“Will there be guys at the class?” I ask her.
“Still no,” she assures me. Kasey strips down and pulls on her own dance clothes. She yanks her blonde hair back in a ponytail and tosses me a band so I can do the same. I turn to the full-length mirror on her bedroom wall and turn back and forth for a minute.
“I look good,” I say, finally.
“No shit. Let’s go.” She tosses me a water bottle and heads into the living room. I hear her pulling her shoes on and I realize I need to follow suit or we’ll be late.
Club Kitten waits for no woman.
***
Club Kitten is located in a two-story building downtown. The classy brick walls make me think of a time long past. Despite the fact that it’s a pole dancing club, this place looks classy.
“Are you sure it’s the right place?” I ask Kasey, self-consciously yanking at my booty shorts.
“Stop,” she swats my ass as she walks past me and pushes inside the building. Frustrated, I follow her, realizing I don’t really have a choice. If I didn’t want to clear my head from my horrible week, I should have told Kasey back at the apartment.
I shouldn’t have let her drag me to a pole dancing club.
It’s not that I don’t need to relax. I do. I absolutely do. I’m just not sure that shaking my ass on a pole is the right way to forget about Dominic. Yeah, he was two-timing me with my bitch cousin, Pumpkin, but so what? That happens to lots of people. I just wasn’t expecting it. I didn’t think the guy I loved would betray me like that.
I didn’t think my own flesh and blood would, either.
But that’s life, right? I can’t sit around waiting to get over it. That’s what Kasey keeps telling me. I think she would have let me mope around the apartment for another week or so, but when my boss fired me for refusing to “be pleasant to the customers,” which is code for “flirt,” she knew it was time to take some action.
That, coupled with my mom’s announcement that she’s now sleeping with my English literature professor, made the choice to come to Club Kitten pretty easy.
I just hope it’s the right choice. Kasey keeps telling me that pole dancing isn’t just for professional dancers. More and more women are choosing to pole dance as a way to lose weight or as a form of therapy.
For me, hopefully it’ll be both.
Hopefully it’ll help me feel like I have some control over my life.
“Welcome to Club Kitten,” a friendly-looking woman says when I walk inside. Kasey is leaning casually against the counter, chatting with another girl who looks like she’s here for class.
“Thanks,” I say.
“First time?” The woman says with a smile.
I just nod. There’s no point in playing in cool. It’s obvious I don’t fit in here. I try not to stare at all the beautiful women in the lobby. I try not to compare myself, but it’s certainly not easy. The women here are all different shapes and sizes, but they all exude this confidence.
Will I get that from dancing?
“I’ll need you to fill these out,” the receptionist hands me a clipboard with some forms. I raise an eyebrow. “The first one just says you won’t record anything that happens in class or take pictures. We take privacy very seriously here at Club Kitten and even though these classes are for women only, we don’t want anyone to feel uncomfortable or worry that a picture of them might end up on social media.”
“Got it,” I sign my name. I noticed right away that you can’t see the dance rooms from the lobby. If you want to get to the rooms, you have to talk to the receptionist first. She’s basically the gatekeeper of the club. This is nice since if you don’t want people to know you dance, you don’t have to worry about someone driving by and seeing you shaking your booty in the window.