The work is hard, and I’m breathless by the time we take a break. But it’s not just the dance.
It’s his intensity.
When I sit on the floor with the others so our instructor Terra can show us a new move, he’s as focused on me as he was when I was on the pole.
One of the other girls elbows me. “You’ve got him in a twist, that’s for sure.”
“You think so?”
Another one leans in. “I could strip naked, and he wouldn’t even notice. It’s like his eyeballs are glued to you.”
I flash another glance at him. He notices me, unmoving, his hard stare making my nipples contract.
I press my hand to my chest. How did he do that just by looking at me?
Terra returns the lights to regular mode and grips the pole closest to us. “Today we’re going to take the back hook we learned last time and use it in a spin.” She holds the pole and liftsboth feet off the ground. “Face away from the pole, hook your knee, then begin the backspin.”
I subtly shift my head so I can check the mirrored wall to look behind me and see if Merrick is watching Terra. She’s way more beautiful than me, muscled but with plenty of boobs, unlike my flatlands.
But his eyes are on my butt, perched over my bare feet as I sit on my knees.
My heart speeds up. Is he really looking at me sitting still rather than someone like Terra on the pole?
“Everyone got it?” Terra asks. “Let’s give it a whirl. Sasha, since you are more advanced, I’ll help you with a different move.”
We all stand up. I tug on the back of my pole dance bottoms to snap them into place and peer at the mirror to see Merrick visibly swallowing.
He’s definitely into it.
With this extra shot of confidence, I grasp the pole and lift my feet into the back hook position. It’s an easy move for me, and I circle the pole. I wonder what it would feel like to have my hair loose, so I let go with one hand, move my scrunchie from my hair to my wrist, and do the back hook turn again.
When I arch my back and lift my chin, my hair falls into an arc, tickling the bottom of my feet. It’s so freeing to languidly circle the pole, my hair down.
As I make my way around, I see Merrick watching without even a blink. His gaze meets mine, and even though I’m upside down compared to him, the way our eyes clash sends a flash of heat through me.
The lights are all on since we’re in instruction mode rather than moving freely.
But it’s still sexy and hot, dancing for him. I glide up and down the pole, looking at him every time I turn in that direction.
His eyes take me in, hooded and intense. I split into a V and straddle the pole, circling the cool metal as I climb to the top.
He’s rapt as he watches my body undulate as I move.
If we were alone, this could be it. I’d call him over, dancing around him and the pole, gliding my body up and down his. His hands would reach for me, encircling my waist, turning me to face him so our mouths could?—
“And that’s it for today,” Terra calls. “Great work, everyone.”
I hold on to the pole a moment longer, looking at him. No one else exists, just me near the ceiling and him, eyes raised.
I watch him touch every part of me with his gaze, face, shoulders, belly, thighs, feet.
And after this, I get to ride behind him on the bike.
I slide down the pole to the floor and walk to my sweats.
“He can’t take his eyes off you,” Terra says. “He’s a hot one.”
“He owns a bar,” I say, then wonder why I brought up that detail.
