Total pages in book: 139
Estimated words: 130380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 130380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 652(@200wpm)___ 522(@250wpm)___ 435(@300wpm)
It was so embarrassing it was hilarious, and we all laughed and teased each other as Joany attempted to show us how to look sexier while we circled the chrome.
When we moved on to spins, Riley shocked us all — thanks to her upper-body strength and a core that should have been illegal. Joany walked us through beginner spins with names that confused me even more — Fireman, Goddess, Hollywood — and Riley did each one without more than just a simple demonstration.
Giana and I, on the other hand, were banging into the pole hard enough to leave bruises.
Still, the laughs came easy, and the more we worked on spins and tricks and dance moves like body waves and twerks, the less Leo was on my mind. Soon, I was completely wrapped up in the experience with the girls, in celebrating when they achieved something and laughing together when we all failed.
We were all sweaty and sore by the end of the ninety-minute session, but Giana was determined as she squeezed tacky grip out of a bottle and into her hands, rubbing them together with her eyes laser-focused on the bell at the top of the pole. Apparently, it was a tradition and an honor to ring it once you were able to climb to the top.
“Okay, so you’re going to want to really squeeze your knees together and use the power in your thighs to hike you up the pole,” Joany explained as she demonstrated climbing. “Once you’ve extended your legs, switch your arms and now your bottom arm becomes the top one, and you use that upper body to lift your knees to your chest, squeeze, and repeat.”
She did a couple climbs before sliding back down and gesturing for Julep to go next. Of course, that bitch climbed while the pole was spinning, her long hair flowing behind her and her body moving with all the fluid grace of a gazelle. It was mesmerizing to watch.
Infuriating, too, because when you had a friend that gorgeous and talented, it was hard not to hate her just a little bit.
We all clapped when she was on the floor again, and then it was Riley’s turn. She struggled a bit in the start, but once her muscles understood the assignment, she repeated the movement Joany had showed us until she was all the way at the top. Her movements were more athletic than Julep’s, which made sense considering who she was, but her smile was the biggest I’d ever seen her wear when she rang the bell as the rest of us cheered from below.
Giana was next, and the poor thing could barely pull her chest to the pole while her legs and arms both shook with the effort it took to get her there.
“It’s okay, it takes most girls a few classes before they can climb even that much,” Joany tried to encourage her.
But that little bookworm was nothing if not driven by a challenge, and I watched her eyes narrow in concentration and determination at Joany’s words before she hiked herself a little higher. It was a struggle the entire way, but she made it, hooting and hollering like a banshee as she rang the bell at the top before sliding back down.
“Alright, my inked queen,” Joany said to me next, waving a hand toward my pole. “Let’s see what you got.”
I watched her for a solid second before I laughed, because she had to be joking. But she didn’t return the jest, and the rest of the girls watched like they actually thought I could climb the pole, too.
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked, pointing at me and then the pole. “You really think my fat ass can get up this thing?”
“Hey!” Giana slapped my arm. “Don’t talk about my friend that way!”
“I didn’t say it was a bad thing,” I defended, rubbing my arm. Then, I grabbed the ample curves at my hips and over my stomach, my thighs, my ass, giving them all a squeeze and jiggle. “I’m just saying ya girl is thick and there isn’t any way in hell I’m getting to the top of this pole.”
“Size doesn’t mean shit in this sport,” Joany said. “Stick thin or curvaceous as hell, you can do anything you set your mind to.”
Julep smacked my ass. “She’s right. So go on, get to climbing.”
“You have a lot more faith in my arms than I do,” I mumbled.
“It’s not all arms. Squeeze the knees and engage the thighs, remember?” Riley said, and I gave her a look that said traitor. She only smiled saccharinely back at me.
With a sigh, I gave in trying to fight them on it and decided I’d prove my point. I reached up and wrapped my hands around the chrome, fixing my shin to the front of it like Joany showed us before I engaged my shoulders and lifted the other leg. Instantly, I slipped back down to the floor.