Fleur-de-lis

Memoir of a harlot: pt 2

Vanitas's p.o.v.

"Let's try this one again." Khalil says turning the music back on.

Once again I try to dance around the pole just as I had a few days before but I still can't flow from one motion to the other like I had then. I'm nervous.

"Stop, stop stop stop." Khalil says, killing the music on the laptop again.

I stand, anxiously awaiting instruction.

Khalil sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. "What's going on with you?" "You're doing nowhere near as good as when you first arrived here."

"I don't know. It just doesn't feel the same." I state.

Khalil takes a deep breath and heads for the door. "Let's take five and try to figure this out in a bit.

"O-okay." I say.

Khalil leaves the studio and John comes in behind him shortly after. He'd been sticking to supporting me over the last few days, making sure I settled into work nicely.

"Still having trouble?" John asks.

I walk over to a wall for me to lean against and just collapse onto my ass from the weight of all this stress. "Yeah. I'm starting to feel like a burden."

"I'll be here to catch you if you fall." John says, taking a seat next to me.

"It's starting to seem more and more likely." I state. "I can't figure it out. I just suddenly can't dance anymore. All of my moves are rigid and stiff now."

"Sounds sexy to me." John laughs.

"Whatever." I brush him off.

"I'm serious." He smiles. "Why don't you get on the pole and show me how stiff you really are."

I burst into laughter at how horribly phrased that was. "I know you're fucking with me now." I comment.

"Maybe a little." John shrugs. "But I really do want to see you dance. You'd give your boyfriend a private dance for free, right?"

I stand back up. "Hmm. I can't do free but I can give you a discount." I say, playing along.

"Alright. What'll it cost me?"

"A rough massage, later." I smirk.

"Done." John grins.

I go back to pole and start doing the routine that Khalil taught me, not really caring if it was shit because John wouldn't judge me. I twirl around the pole and slide down it seductively. and catch a glimpse of John's confused face, causing me to stop.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing." John assures. "Just that the way you dance still seems as mesmerizing as before."

"Really?" I question.

"Maybe you just needed to get your head in the right place?" John questions.

"My head? In the right place? Pfft." I joke.

"You make a valid point." John smirks, getting back to his feet. "But I love you and your crazy."

The door to the studio opens again and Khalil walks back through. "Okay, I'm back. I think I have a place to start when it comes to figuring out this problem. Let's try this with different music and see how it affects you."

"Oh. Alright." I say.

John kisses my forehead and takes a few steps back to give me my space.

Khalil searches through the laptop for a different song than before.