The Belly Dancer

Needless to say, I planned my workouts so that I could make it to all of her classes. Which means that I essentially stalked her schedule through Jason, the owner who also happened to be my best friend? Jason would relay all of her frustrated discussions with him about me and my antics in her class which included me trying to videotape the class or should I say her.
Jason told me that that was indeed over the line and so I discontinued that activity.
Everything came to a head in late August, I had probably attended at least 10 of her classes and while I had noticed that the classes had gotten smaller I hadn’t thought much of it.
I was working out in the morning for the first time in a while and I was surprised when she strode into the weight section. It was the first time I had seen her in anything but her belly dancing costumes. She was rocking the shorts and tank top look though. When she caught sight of me her eyes widened and then narrowed considerably.
She stomped towards me. All the grace she had when she was dancing gone. “Could I please speak with you outside.” She said through gritted teeth. I was constantly amazed by the range of emotion her face could convey.
With all the eyes in the weight room on us she turned on her heel and I followed her outside without a word.
“You are killing the attendance to my class.” She started with no preamble. “This has to stop. I need this job and the gym needs the ladies to come to it. With all the damn testosterone in there though it’s a wonder they come at all.” I was about to say something, but she held up her hand. It was a shapely thing. Beautiful and it could be so graceful. I wondered if her fingers were as soft as they looked which made me wonder if she was as skilled with them at other things besides dancing. I shook my head. My brain got off track a lot when she was around.
“I have spoken with Jason, and I struck a deal with him seeing as he couldn’t bring himself to say no to his best personal trainer and friend.”
I was surprised.
“Yes I did my research you idiot. There had to be some reason Jason wasn’t ordering you out of my class and or out of the damn gym!” I shrugged. She had a point.
“So, here’s the deal. Take it or leave it.” She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and spoke really fast. “Ifyoustopcomingtothelessonsyoucanwatchmepractice.”
“Come again?” I said.
She rolled her eyes. “If you…STOP coming to the lessons, then I will let you watch me practice.”
I thought about it. The idea excited me but I was afraid of the catch.
“There’s a catch isn’t there.” I stated. She was smart, a veritable light bulb. She would only have conjured up this offer if she didn’t think I would be able to make the practices. Ahah! I thought. I did have brain power. Probably because I currently didn’t have an erection. See, I thought to myself smugly. I can be smart around her.
“There is no catch. I just practice at 5:00am. “
I blinked. When was the last time I had actually been awake at that hour? College…maybe?
“But, the gym isn’t even open.” I stated. It was when us personal trainers could come in and workout without other clients around. I never took advantage of this because it was simply to early in the morning.
“Take it or leave it.” She stated and turned to leave.
“Wait. What day?” I asked.
“Monday -Friday.” She said without turning around.

Zola didn’t actually expect him to show up. She was banking on the fact that he would not. However, she was careful. She had called in a favor and had asked a dance friend of hers to join her under the pretense that she desperately needed help choreographing her dance for the competition coming up in October.
Sure enough, she was the first to arrive in the morning and she had made it through most of the practice. She knew she had nothing to worry about. She was just relaxing into the music and getting down to serious choreographing with her friend when the door opened.

BEEP…..BEEP….BEEPBEEP… BEEPBEEPBEEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP……BEEEEEEEEEEEE- I slapped the snooze button and blearily looked at the time. 5:30am? Why the hell was it set for that?
I turned over and was about to go back to sleep when I sat up. Little lady had set the challenge down and I was already half an hour late!
I only stopped long enough to make sure I was presentable and to make coffee, of course, before tearing up the road with my motorcycle. I staggered through the door at 6:0,0 coffee thermos in hand, sleep still stinging my eyes.
The shocked look she and her friend gave me when I stumbled in was worth every minute of sleep I had lost. To her credit she composed herself quickly and went on with the practice. Her friend hissed a couple questions at her but I couldn’t hear over the Arabianesque music they had on the stereo system.
I settled down to watch. Come to think of it, I thought idly. At least there was a reason for my morning wood now.

I left as they were packing up. Not a word was said between Zola an myself. There was nothing to say that couldn’t wait and her friend obviously had some words she was dying to say.

As soon Armando had left Zolas’ friend lit into.
“Is that why you wanted me here? So that you wouldn’t have to be alone with that creep? You realize I can’t do this every morning.”
“I know! I’m sorry Mia, I just couldn’t think of anything else to do.” Zola felt defeated.
“Do you think he’s going to hurt you? Seriously. I mean think about it. I know Jason, he wouldn’t let you get hurt. Armando thinks you are hot yes. That is obvious, painfully so. The dick has little tact. However, whatever he’s thinking about when he’s watching you dance is nothing but pleasurable for the both of you. I hate be so blunt but I don’t think he’s going to force you to do anything.”
“Are you trying to tell me that I will eventually willing accept his uh… advances? If you can even call them that! We barely talk, he merely watches me like some creep!”
“Well, figure that out on your own. I have am working two jobs and I’m over my head trying to get my thesis paper even started! I’m sorry but I’m swamped.”
Zola nodded. She’d hoped that he wouldn’t show up but. Evidently she had underestimated him.

True to his word, Armando was absent from the class that afternoon. Much to the relief of both Zola and her students. It was a great class as they gathered confidence by being able to try new things without an audience.
However, throughout the whole evening Zola stressed over what would happen the next morning. She held her iphone in her hand, undecided. Should she call Jason? Could she afford to lose this job?
She dialed then number and then put the phone on the counter. Drumming her fingers she tried to think of anything else she could do.
Picking it up before she could change her mind she hit the call button.
“Jason?”
“Yeah?” Jason had picked up on the first ring.
“I would like to tender my two weeks resignation.”