Miss Opportunity - Ch. 20.1

“Well, ladies, it looks like Leza has the most tips tonight,” Tonja announced after they’d counted their earnings on that Friday night.

“That’s right,” Leza said excitedly, shooting a triumphant glance Cami’s way.

No one had to know that Leza padded her tips with money from her own pocket in order to keep Cami from winning yet another night. The fact that the owners were downstairs at the bar sampling a few new drinks Stefan wanted to introduce into the club menu was another incentive for Leza to cheat tonight.

Like Cami, Leza had a secret crush on Millsap, too. That crush started from the day she was hired. She let it die because he was so strict about not fraternizing with the help. However, after seeing Millsap’s eyes on Cami one time too many, her own crush returned with a vengeance, fueled mostly by her competitive nature.

These days Leza wanted Millsap for more than just his sex appeal. Now she wanted him for prideful purposes. She mainly wanted to prove to everyone that she was the Alpha female in this bunch, not Cami. If she only knew the real truth.

With her competition level at an all-time high, Leza requested that her favorite song be played and that the stripper poles be released. She smirked when Cami instantly frowned at her additional request.

Deeming her rival out of her element, Leza rushed to the stage as soon as Usher’s Love in Da Club cued up and the stripper poles had ascended from the dance floor.

Cami’s frown deepened as her self-proclaimed rival latched onto the centermost pole. Now she wished she’d never thought of this highest tip and song request idea. Especially when she saw Millsap’s eyes instantly go towards Leza’s dancing frame.

However, since she was the one that initiated this idea, Cami pasted a smile on her face and joined the rest of the ladies on the dance floor. She even cheered Leza on, hiding the fact that just being close to a stripper pole brought back too many painful memories. Memories of her mother.

One of the best strippers in the state of Texas, Catrina ‘Cat’ Edison had a private pole in her bedroom that she frequently practiced on in order to hone her considerable skills. She was rewarded for her efforts, too, because exclusive clubs from all over the tri-state area paid top dollar for her to perform at their establishments. She even freelanced at private parties of the rich and famous.

To keep those skills in the family, Cat taught her daughter everything she knew about exotic dancing. Things that Cami couldn’t forget even if she tried to, which she had. Which also means Leza truly didn’t know what she was up against right now.

But would Cami do the very thing she hated? Would she pole dance just to get Millsap’s attention from Leza? After all, she hadn’t even sunk this low when she was competing against Aisha for Bonz.

Keep your eyes on the prize, girl, Cami mused decidedly as her hands slowly closed around the cold pole.

Game on.

© 2008 by Suprina Frazier