I also hadn’t had time to work on building up my abdominal muscles again. Not that it had been a priority. And the longer I left it, the less important it seemed.
“But you’re so lean,” Tia said, walking around me, inspecting my stomach. I was only wearing a sports bra and shorts that could double as underwear. “And no stretch marks. Are you sure things didn’t go back the way they were?”
I tensed my pitiful stomach muscles and took her hand, putting her fingers in the slight gap.
“What the fresh hell is that?” she exclaimed, pushing her hand in farther.
“That’s something I could fix since it’s not bad enough to need surgery. But I hate exercise, I’m as coordinated as a drunk donkey, and have no need to get my body back in shape.”
Elle put her fingers on my stomach once Tia dropped her hand. “Let me feel.”
“Go for it. It’s not like I’m self-conscious about the hole in my stomach,” I said, sarcasm lacing my voice when she started probing my belly.
“I’ll give you a few simple exercises. You’ll be fine in a few months. It’s a small separation, but you really need to sort it out.”
I stared at her, brows raised. She finally stepped back and shrugged. “I’m a physiotherapist. I see this after pregnancy all the time. And it’s easy to fix, but you have to put the work in.”
“You’re a physiotherapist?”
Her nose scrunched in annoyance. “We live in a small town. And I don’t make much money but have expensive taste. I got a second job to keep my shoe closet stocked and my mortgage paid off. Stripping is perfect because I can work at night and get a good workout in at the same time.”
I put my hands up. “I’m not judging. I was just surprised that you wouldn’t move to Denver where you could find a better job.”
“My mom had a heart attack last year. If I’m in Denver, I’m too far away to help out.”
“I’m sorry, Elle,” I said.
She winked at me. “Eh, don’t worry, it is what it is. And I don’t hate stripping. It’s just another job to me. Are the customers a bit too handsy at times? Sure, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. Unlike you, I don’t mind prancing around a stage.”
“I guess I need to work on my poker face,” I said.
“Nobody is going to look at your face when you’re up here. No matter how much you frown or draw your eyebrows together, the customers will love you all the same. You have a bangin’ body and gorgeous silky hair. Now if you just managed at least three moves, you’ll be fine.”
I groaned. I didn’t have enough time to get ready.
“It would help if you’d done at least some exercise in the last century,” Tia put in, slapping my butt. “No idea how you can look like you do but have no muscles anywhere other than in your arms.”
“Hey, I have two little kids. When do you think I have time to go to the gym? And my arm muscles are hard-won from carrying said kids around.”
Tia ignored me and clapped her hands. “Let’s try a flying ballerina. You don’t have to lift your legs or hang upside down.”
She explained the move, and it seemed simple enough: hold on with one arm and leg and stretch out the other ones, making the move look like you’re jumping in the air—while holding on to a pole.
I jumped up and kicked Elle right in the face.
“Oh my Jumpin’ Jiminy, I’m so sorry,” I cried and kneeled next to where she was now sitting on the floor. “Do you need some ice?”
Tia was one step ahead of me and appeared with a handful of ice cubes wrapped in a dish towel.
Elle held it to her eye while we were all fussing around her. “It’s okay, guys, stop worrying. Her miniature feet didn’t do much damage.”
“Hey, they’re proportional to my body,” I complained.
“Exactly,” Elle said, her mouth tipping into a smile.
“Guess I didn’t hit you hard enough if you can still make fun of me,” I griped.
The rest of the training session didn’t go much better. At least I didn’t hurt anyone else. But I did fall on my butt another fifty times.
I didn’t know how I was supposed to get through my shift tonight. My head and butt were throbbing, and my arms ached from attempting to hold up my body weight.
When we got back to the dressing room, I changed into my work uniform and then collapsed onto the floor with a pained groan. “I don’t know how you guys do this every night.”
“I’ll write up a Pilates routine for you that will help,” Elle announced, sitting down next to me. “But for now, turn over and I’ll give you a quick massage.”
I turned around faster than I thought I had the energy for. But the promise of a massage was too good to pass up.
“Hopefully this will loosen your muscles a little. We only have five minutes, but it’s better than nothing.”
There was a knock at the door, and then someone called out. “Is it safe to come inside?”
I looked up from where I was stretched out on the floor.
Most of the guys just barged in, so the person outside could only be Sebastian. Tia fanned herself and replied, “Come in, gorgeous.”
Sebastian stuck his head through the half-open door. “Can you get—”
He stopped talking, his attention snapping to where I was lying on the floor, Elle sitting on my lower back, giving me the best massage of my life.
When he didn’t finish his sentence, I dropped my forehead back on my crossed arms and let out a moan. Elle was a master.
The door slammed shut, and when the normal chatter didn’t start up again, I grudgingly lifted my head again. This time all eyes were on me. And then they all started talking at once, making me sit up.
“What did you do to him?”
“Tell
