CAMILLE
I wiped slight sweat from my brow, frowning. It'd been almost two days since i'd moved into the main house, and I must say....I'd underestimated the girls' jobs to the fullest. It was no joke. Since there was a huge event coming up, we'd all been getting prepared; practicing, working out, and getting fitted for attire.
I'd rarely seen August since Gio had convinced him to let me on. Every once in a while, he'd randomly pop in to make sure everything was running smoothly, but almost immediately afterwards, he'd be stepping out to take a call, or leaving to supervise packaging at one of the warehouses. I wanted to talk to him, but he'd made it more than clear that we had nothing to talk about.
Trim's words had stuck with me, and I couldn't help but to question them. Did August love me? Or was this all some type of set-up? For all I knew, my ass could get killed in my sleep. I doubted that was the case, but it never hurt to be cautious.
"Alright, ladies, you've got five minutes!"
My chest heaved under my sports bra as I made my way to my water bottle. We were all currently in the lounge room, which was where we practiced our pole dancing. I'd always taken my upper body strength for granted, but after the little session we'd just had, I was more than thankful. Just by the sudden pulsing of my biceps, I could tell that I'd be past sore in the morning.
Trinity, one of the other house girls, made her way up to me, smiling. "Tired?"
I could only nod before taking a long swig from my bottle. "Exhausted. I underestimated this shit."
She laughed and slung her towel over her shoulder before patting my behind. "Well, you better replace your electrolytes, ma, cause that was just the warm-up."
My eyes widened and she laughed once again. "Don't worry, girl. You're a natural. I've never seen somebody come right in and kill shit."
"She can still use a lot of work." We turned to Mallorie, who was passing by, not minding her own business. I was about to say some slick shit back, until I heard Trinity speak.
"Damn, Mallorie. You sure do have a lot to say for a bitch that came in here not knowin the difference between a private dance and a quickie."
I couldn't help but to laugh as Mallorie's face reddned. Before she could say anything, Tee, our instructor, ordered for us to take our places once again. Tee was a tall, fit veteran stripper. She looked to be in her mid-thirties, but had the body of a 21 year old. She clapped her hands, standing in the center of the room as we all scattered to our spots. I stood next to Trinity, who looked uninterested in what Tee had to say.
I probably wouldn't have been paying attention myself, if I wouldn't have heard the term "solo."
My entire body tensed up, for some reason. We all practiced together, so I was a little nervous about being singled out. Trinity seemed to notice that I'd tensed up, and she immediately gave me a look of reassurance.
"Don't sweat it, C. You'll do fine."
I nodded, sighing softly as the first girl was called to the center. She chose her song before making her way to the center pole to begin. I watched as she danced, moving to the beat of the song. Before she could even finish, Tee ordered for the music to be cut off. I watched in horror as she ridiculed the poor girl in front of everyone.
The girl walked back to her original spot, hanging her head in shame. I honestly felt bad for her. My head snapped in Tee's direction as she spoke.
"Does the look like a game to y'all? You're a short amount of time from attending one of the most important events of your career, and y'all are out here dancing like some fucking majorettes."
