The winner is...
Meena didn't get a single chance to wear her sexy new swimsuit. It was too bad, because she'd gone to great pains to make it part of the pattern produced by her new body art. But she grew to love the feeling of splashing naked in the surf, lying exposed in the sun, and feeling the breeze on her skin. She also came to love the lustful gaze of strangers. It was like her tan, growing deeper every day.
At night they went to clubs that offered music, dancing, food, or all three. Meena brought evening wear made from edgy designs that were bolder than anything Nav had seen on her before. She usually presented herself as both elegant and feminine. Now, she appeared to be a sexy beast looking for trouble. She acted like it, too, dancing in ever wilder, more provocative ways. Nav was glad Feva was always in the background, monitoring the scene. Trouble never developed, but Meena was such an appealing sight that Nav thought it was very possible that some crude jerk might impose on her. A few considered it, but seeing she was accompanied by Nav discouraged them. The hulking form of Feva was never needed.
The tan was helpful when they returned home. Meena's fitness competition was just one week away, and she needed that time to prepare. She further reduced the calories in her diet so the small amount of fat on her body melted away, revealing the curvaceous muscle below. She made daily trips to the tanning booth so her skin would be as dark as possible when she finally stood on the stage. Meena increased the weight she lifted so her muscularity would be exactly the way she wanted. She practiced pole dancing twice a day. Nav sometimes watched her practice, setting up the VR displays that made Meena's fitness room look like a strip club. Meena didn't remove her costume as she rehearsed for the fitness contest, but Nav had no trouble getting her naked in the bedroom seconds after her rehearsals ended. Her performances were... inspiring.
The regional competition was in historic Las Vegas, which celebrated the centuries it had served as an adult playground. Competition organizers scheduled the event in a performance hall called The Forum, which was selected for spaciousness, audience sightlines, and first-class VR video facilities. This competition selected women to compete in the nationals, and lots of fans of female fitness would watch the broadcast. The hall seated just over 8,200 people, and tickets sold out weeks in advance. It was exciting. Nav was proud of Meena, and Meena was proud of herself.
Neither had the slightest expectation she would place in the top 10. The contestants were nothing like the ones Meena beat in the local pageant. These women were serious. They came to the competition with physiques that matched the sport's definition of perfection. And they had worked for years developing performances that were far more ambitious than Meena's pole dancing. The best routines were a blend of ballet and gymnastics, with artfully performed flexes. Meena was capable of creating a routine like that, but she hadn't had the time in the few short months since Nav told her to "do your best."
Still, it was lots of fun. They flew to Las Vegas two days before the event and attended some of the lavish entertainment the city offered. Meena couldn't enjoy any fancy cuisine or exotic cocktails because she was in training. She'd eat after the pageant was over.
It proceeded exactly as expected. Forty-three very buff competitors arrived. There were so many that it was difficult to squeeze them all on stage at the same time. Meena looked fabulous. She stood before the audience, glistening with oil, and presented herself as a competitor to be feared. Her physique was as good or better than any woman there. She had the additional benefit of being extraordinarily beautiful, which shouldn't have made a difference, but inevitably did.
And those tattoos! Most of the women had body art of one kind or another. But they wore tattoos acquired over years, created by artists with incompatible styles, different types of ink, and with no effort to make the art blend together in a unified way. Meena was the only one with full-body ink that had been done at one time as part of an overall design that was as artistic as it was dramatic. Her black and scarlet hair matched the color of the tattoos. Her tiny black bikini had been part of the pattern from the start. No one had seen anything like it before.
As they walked off stage, each entrant stood before a black background to pose for a professional photographer. He took pictures from the front and back, and Meena noted that the photographer knew a few tricks for making the pictures good. He put a light directly behind each woman. The women's bodies blocked the flash from the camera, but it gave them a kind of white halo that outlined their physique. The photographer quickly sent copies of the photos to Meena, who saw that the effect prevented women with black hair or skin from blending into the dark background. Clever.
There were so many flex performances that they were presented over two days; the final broadcast would be edited down to include only the presentations of women in the top 10. Nav watched Meena perform, of course, but the other women depressed him. They were extraordinary. Meena never expected to compete at the highest level. They would have to make some improvements if she wanted to win in the future.
Nav thought Meena would win one of the lesser awards, but that didn't happen. He was shocked when they called her name while announcing the entrants in the top 10. Wow! It certainly wasn't because of her pole dancing, which was merely competent. The judges appreciated the powerful image she projected on stage. In that regard, she represented the sport as well as any woman there.
They started announcing the winners starting with 10th place. Meena wasn't 10th, or 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, or 5th. Nav looked on in shocked disbelief when they didn't pick her for 4th place, or third. Meena was still standing there at the moment when only two women remained! One of them would finish first!
Meena won second place. Second place! Against some of the toughest competition the sport offered! It was thrilling and stunning at the same time. But it was also mysterious. How had such a thing happened? It seemed unreasonable.
After the pageant ended, one of the organizers explained the outcome to Meena.
The judges agreed unanimously that Meena was the best-looking competitor. This consensus emerged early. They also agreed that her pole dancing, while agreeable, was not the kind of performance that was good enough for a competitor to rank near the top.
There was a spirited debate. Some of the judges argued for bending the rules, giving the top spot to Meena. They noted - correctly - that putting Meena on the covers of magazines devoted to women's fitness would promote the sport more effectively than any of the other women on stage. Indeed, promotion was supposed to be the point of the pageant.
In the end, the notion of giving Meena first place didn't get much backing, but her strongest supporters fought hard to rank her at second place. That would give her prominent visibility inside the magazines, if not on the covers. She would attract new fans.
"If you come back next year with a better routine, you'll win this thing," the organizer said. "You're the best rookie we've ever seen."
Wow. He said the nicest things! Meena told Nav all about the conversation as soon as she wiped off the oil, changed into her clothes, and rushed out to meet him.
"That's wonderful. Just wonderful," Nav said. "I am so proud of you, Meena. That was one of the most incredible things I've ever seen."
"Thank you, Master," she said, smiling so warmly it melted his heart.
The first thing they wanted to do was get Meena her first real meal since she'd started trimming calories weeks ago. As usual, Nav had a surprise prepared. Las Vegas had several first-class clubs featuring exotic dancers, and he'd placed a reservation for a booth at the one ranked best. He'd taken Meena to a strip club after she won the first time, and that went so well he decided they'd do it again. He'd probably buy her a lap dance, too. She'd enjoyed that the first time.
She sucked down her first cocktail with so much gusto that Nav immediately ordered another. It was wonderful seeing her so happy. She wore the second-place medal around her neck, and couldn't resist touching it over and over and over.
"What do you think of the suggestion that you develop a more ambitious flex routine?" Nav asked. "Is that something you'd like to do?"
"If that's what you wish, Master."
It was sometimes a chore getting Meena to tell him what she thought. He already knew she wanted to please him. That wasn't the question. He had to pose the idea as an order.
