"What?" Katie blurted out. "Pole dancing? Like a stripper? Or is that some 'Savvy-ism' for a gang bang?"
"Ree-lax," Savvy dismissed the surprise in her voice with a casual wave of a gloved hand. "Not like we're goin' on stage to git naked fer a'bunch a business fellas an' frat boys ta stuff our panties fulla dollar bills. Least not right away. I wonder if that's the final?"
"Savvy!" Kate protested, trying to remember if her contract with the lab contained a morals clause or not.
"Oh hush. It's a six week beginner class put on by a friend a'mine. Mondays and Thursdays hangin' with bored housewives lookin' ta spice things up in tha bedroom. Maybe a coupla' baby dancers gettin' some pointers. Suppose ta be a real good workout."
"A friend of yours?" Kate tried to settle in for the ride, letting the wind ruffle her long blond hair. While not her first time in Maybelle, this time Savvy drove the convertible out of the garage and both of them stayed dressed. "You know some interesting people."
"Ah know yew," Savvy agreed with her cheeriest smile, scooting the hot pink car through city traffic as if qualifying. "'Berry's a sweetheart."
"Barry? Sounds like a guy with a porn 'stache who WOULD teach pole dancing."
"Naw naw sweetie," Savvy laughed. "Its short fer 'Strawberry'. And she's about as far from bein' a guy as yew can git. Yew'll like her, Ah promise. Started strippin' ta git through school. Now she's a financial adviser but teaches the class jes'ta keep in shape."
They zipped through traffic and made it to the studio only a few minutes late once they pulled a cover over Maybelle. The class consisted of around a dozen women of various sizes and ages wearing tight tops and shorts, two assistants and the instructor gathered at the front of a number of poles spaced around the room.
"Strawberry!" Savvy called out, waving the minute the two of them walked in, interrupting conversation.
"Savvy!" the absolutely stunning redheaded instructor called out joyfully, crossing the room to sweep the belle from her feet in an enthusiastic hug. Standing a bit shorter than Jerry, she possessed a figure that would make her millions of dollars if she did porn and hid very little of it in her dancing outfit. "So glad you finally made it!"
"The timin' worked out this go-round." She returned the hug with equal fierceness until the taller woman set her down and they exchanged air kisses. "And I found a new special friend who's a bit more inta doin' 'bottom ta top' exercise."
"Meaning she doesn't get all of her workouts in the bedroom," Strawberry said with a perceptive smile. Katie didn't miss that her hand slipped down and gave Savvy's ass a familiar caress.
"Well, not ALWAYS in tha bedroom," she replied, taking Katie's hand. "Lotta workouts in the living room, kitchen, garage, bathroom...jes'cause mah faverit cardio is ridin' dick don't mean Ah cain't branch out. Katie Kitty, this is mah friend Strawberry. 'Berry, this is Katie."
"Hello Katie. It's a pleasure to meet you," Strawberry took Katie's other hand and squeezed it lightly in greeting. "Thank you for joining us today. Are you ready to join the class?"
"Sorry about that, ladies," Strawberry said, disentangling herself from Katie and Savvy and leading them back to the group. "Just goes to show, you bug someone enough, they'll actually do what you ask them to do. Unless you're married and then you might as well give up and do for yourself."
The late arrivals set down their workout bags against the wall and joined the group, Savvy greeting a few people she knew on the way. The tall redhead resumed her place at the front of the class where several large pictures of various clothed pole dancers hung on the mirrored wall.
"Welcome ladies to Basic Pole Dancing for Fitness," she said with a big welcoming grin. "In case you misread the flyer, that's 'pole' as in 'stripper pole' and not 'Polish'. Those classes are in a completely different annex and the instructor's name is Zazanna. My given name is Cassandra, but I prefer everyone call me 'Strawberry'. With me today are my assistants Mariko and Nancy."
She paused and asked everyone to introduce themselves, smiling and complimenting each woman in turn on clothing, hair, name- anything she chose to latch onto. Kate immediately recognized the technique she used, memorizing names and faces by putting in a memory trigger for herself- a good strategy that she herself used when meeting large outside groups at the lab. When they finished, she found that she too could easily put a name to each person too.
"Though Pole Dancing may be best associated with strip clubs," Strawberry continued, indicating a photo of herself wrapped around a pole on stage. "It started out as an attraction in 'Little Egypt' travelling sideshows as far back as the 1890s with and wasn't really considered a staple of stripping until the 1960s. And yes, that is a picture of me on stage in 2005 when I worked at the Skin Gentleman's Club as a featured performer to pay for college. If any of you, or your boyfriends at the time, were regulars, you've probably seen me naked."
Many of the ladies laughed. Savvy nudged her with an elbow and nodded, though Katie already suspected a bit more than sightseeing in their shared past.
"For those of you worried about having to get naked in this class, don't be. No one will take their clothes off for the things we're going to show you. Sorry Nancy." Strawberry smiled sweetly at her assistant, a small and slender brunette who sagged with visible sadness, pouting dramatically.
"We'll start out with ten very basic moves and, once you all master those, then move on to more complicated positions. We'll also talk about how to choreograph a routine for exercising, as well as one for the bedroom because, let's face it, if your man (or woman) isn't turned on by your dancing, they're probably dead. But more importantly YOU will love your body." That got another chuckle from the audience.
"Make no mistake ladies," Strawberry cautioned, moving towards one pole. "Pole dancing may be titillating to watch, and under the right circumstances, downright erotic, but it's a whole-body workout, especially your core and upper body. You'll support your own body weight with your arms a lot. We're going to work on your balance, coordination, stamina and arms. Mariko there may look like a fairy princess, but she's got guns that weightlifters envy." The willowy thin assistant nodded, then flexed into a bodybuilder pose, showing off her bare arms. "If you don't leave here sore all over, you haven't worked hard enough. You'll be tired, but you'll feel great! And if you do leave sore, I use a great massage therapist who will come to your home so when you're a puddle on the floor after she's done with you, you don't need to worry about driving anywhere.
"Now then, lets check out a demonstration of the first ten movements we're going to work on, and then we'll get started with some stretching before we break into smaller groups and try it ourselves?"
Strawberry then took the time to discuss the ten most common positions and movements used in a pole routine. She either demonstrated it herself, or one of her assistants mounted the pole as a live example of how to do it correctly. In review, she mounted the pole and did all ten in order, sliding down to the end to applause.
The group spread out to stretch, following Mariko's guidance through a very basic routine. Strawberry and Nancy roamed through the group, correcting stances and helping put a little more effort into the movements where needed. Katie, who somehow ended up at the back of the group, could follow both women prowling (No other word would do.), providing innocent assistance to some and familiar intimate caresses to others. She caught Strawberry fondling Savvy's thigh and blushed when the redhead turned and winked at her, then whispered something to Savvy who nodded in response.
When the class broke into smaller groups of five to an instructor and gathered around a pole. Katie gravitated toward Savvy and joined with a green-haired girl named Candi, a quiet Hispanic woman her own age called Maya, and Kalamity, who dressed a little like a hooker cowgirl. From what she'd already learned, Candi and Kalamity (Whose real name turned out to be Jane.) already worked as exotic dancers and took the class so they could move to better clubs. Not really caring about the sexuality aspects, Maya took the class to try something new to increase her parkour skills.
Kate, who already enjoyed an active exercise routine, did well enough to appear comfortable with the others. Savvy not so much, though she kept at it and made as many sexual jokes about pole handling as possible when she struggled. But with Strawberry minding their group and the two dancers providing additional support, she started to get the hang of the exercises. She would indeed suffer all-body soreness in the morning.
Following her turn at attempting a Basic Invert, Kate stepped off to get some water and catch her breath.
"How are you doing?" Strawberry asked, following after her.
"Alright," Kate replied, reaching into her bag for a scrunchie to tie up her hair. She fumbled with it, trying to flex the ache out of her hands. "It's certainly more of a workout than I expected. You make it appear so effortless."
"That's from years of practice on the stage." The tall redhead took the scrunchie from her hands and walked around behind her to help. "Before it became an actual exercise craze."
"And you kept up with it even after..." Katie relaxed and let the other woman tie up her hair, trying not to enjoy the grasp of strong feminine hands pulling on it too much.
"I got a patron who helped me through school and made sure I got a good job," Strawberry told her, still holding tightly to the ponytail though she finished putting her hair up. "He asked me to keep it up and teach others. I enjoy doing that for him."
"Nice guy," Katie agreed, aware of the hand now brushing against the back of her neck. She bit her lip to stifle a moan when the teacher's grip tightened ever-so-slightly on the back of her neck.
"Oh, he is! Maybe you'll get to meet him one day." They shared a short pause observing the others going through their basics. "She introduced you as a 'special friend'. In our circles, that's usually code for someone who we've had sex with who is hoping to expand her circle, did she tell you that?"
"No," she confessed with a blush she hoped the other students assumed was the flush of effort. "But I've been with her and her husband recently."
"That Jerry is a great fuck, isn't he?" Katie nodded, trying not to notice the creeping wetness growing between her legs. She didn't have much luck. Strawberry smelled so good and so close. "Can you stay late tonight? I'd like to get to know you a bit better. And reacquaint Savvy with a few Rules."
