Lucy took a sip from her margarita. “Where do you get your confidence with men from? What I mean is…you were an exotic dancer, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Where did you get the confidence to do that? I need some. I’m five feet nine inches, on the tall side for a woman, and you’re what? Five feet?”
“Five feet one inch.” Because every inch counts!
“Okay. But if we were sitting side by side, and you took height out of the equation, we’re about the same body type and size. But the similarity ends there. When you walk in a room, you own it.” There was admiration in her tone that made Camilla blush. “When I walk in a room, I’m more concerned about the basics like not tripping over my feet, but it’s my size that makes me doubt myself. How did you get up the courage to strip?”
“I’ve always loved dancing. Took lessons since I was a little girl. I had a dancer friend, Charlotta, who got me to apply for the job. She taught me some dance numbers to try out, and I succeeded in getting the job.”
“You’re stronger than me. You’d have to be to pole dance.”
“That came with practice. Charlotta was the perfect ideal, in my mind. Tall, willowy, and beautiful. When I mentioned my own thoughts on my shape, she encouraged me and I got the job. Jake, my old boss, liked having a wide variety of dancers working for him, so his club would have wider appeal. In chatting with men—”
“Chatting?”
Camilla giggled. “Part of my job was talking to them in between dances. They’d buy the girls drinks and we’d chat with them.”
“Oh, I can imagine the kinds of things they wanted to talk about.”
Camilla cocked her head and smiled at Lucy. “Not all men are dogs. Many of them were very nice to me.” Lucy bit her lip and listened. Camilla wondered who had hurt Lucy so badly that she’d turned her hurt feelings on men in general.
“I haven’t had many good experiences with men. None, actually.” Lucy slumped in her seat as she spoke. Several customers came in the door and took seats at the bar or moved on to tables.
“A lot of men really like a woman with meat on her bones, Lucy. Yeah, I was firm all over”—she patted her ass and her upper arms—“but that came with practice. If you’re really asking me what it is that makes certain women appealing to lots of men, I don’t think it has anything to do with what size or how tall they are. It has to do with their spirit, and what shows in their eyes. Curves alone are not as appealing as curves plus confidence.”
“Getting that confidence is the problem, I guess.” Lucy took another healthy sip of her margarita.
“You know, I’ve watched you, and when you’re on the dance floor, self-confidence doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. It seemed to me like you and Vance hit it off pretty well a month or so back. What happened?”
Lucy shrugged. “It was pointed out to me that there’s quite a lot of me to go around.”
“I’ll personally kick Vance’s ass if he’s the one who told you that bullshit.”
“No, Vance is fine. Really fine. Fine, fine, fine. He’s just a player is all.”
Camilla had to chuckle at that astute observation. “Well, whoever told you that or hinted at it is an asshole. Plus, they’re dead wrong. You just need to get comfortable with your own body.”
Lucy’s attention was focused solely on her as she leaned closer. “Yeah? Any suggestions?”
“I’ve been thinking about offering striptease lessons here at the club during the hours when we’re not open for business. Grace and a couple of the others have been asking me about it. It would help you learn to enjoy your curves.” She ran her hands down her rib cage and then over her hips and shimmied a bit.
Lucy grinned. “Grace mentioned to me a few days ago that you’d given her and Rachel lessons before.”
Camilla giggled. “I did. I’ll let you know when they start. Until then, try going naked for a weekend. Draw the blinds and curtains, and go naked the whole time. Fix your hair, pamper your body, whatever makes you feel good about yourself, and see how you feel on Monday morning. You could also play a little. Everything you do that puts you in tune with your body will boost your—”
“Play?”
Camilla nodded as Lucy’s cheeks turned bright red. “Sure. Order some toys, books, or videos from an online adult toy store…and play.” She darted a glance at Ben and Quinten and found them watching her with singular interest.
“Oh, good Lord. I’m about to give in to the pervy Divine mind-set, aren’t I?”