Be Positive

“I think it’s a great idea!” you say. “I shouldn’t be surprised that this is what you meant by bold. I think a lot of women... a lot of people... would be too scared to get onstage for anything, let alone while baring so much. But you’ve always had confidence, Liz, and the audience is going to see that and respond well to it.”

“That’s nice of you to say, Connor. Are you being honest, though? I need an objective eye.”

{if benefits=true}You stay seated but spread your legs wide. Your erection is quite obvious under the fabric of your shorts.

“Hey, if you can’t trust my mouth then you can at least trust other parts of my anatomy.” Liz’s eyes roll down your body. She grins devilishly. You feel your skin tingle.

“Not the first time I’ve gotten that reaction out of you.”

“And it definitely won’t be the last if your rehearsals keep being this hot. And you’ll get similar reactions out of your audience. Every set of eyes on you is going to see what I’ve seen: a gorgeous body connected to a very sharp mind.”{else} You stay seated but lean forward slightly, putting your hands on your knees. You hope she hasn’t noticed how hard you are.

“You can trust me. I don’t want you to fail, I want you to have a good time! This is your celebration of getting older but no less bolder.”

Liz smiles warmly and says, “Thank you, Connor.” She then adds, “You aren’t just looking for an excuse to watch me undress?”

You laugh as you respond, “I’ve spotted you doing squats in those shorts and that bra. I’ve already got a pretty good idea of what your ass and cleavage look like. Not that I’m complaining, you take such good care of your body and you look great! There will be a good number of men, and some women, in your audience who will notice the same thing: a gorgeous body connected to a very sharp mind.”{endif}

“Oh, it’s my sharp mind that they’ll be looking at?”

“Well, isn’t that the point of burlesque? Anyone can take off their clothes but you really have to know what you’re doing to hold an audience’s attention while making them laugh and getting them aroused. You’re smart enough and gorgeous enough to pull it off.”

You stand up as Liz covers her face. She is smiling and blushing with what you hope isn’t false modesty.

“That is,” you add, “if you’re going to put in the work. Your routine sounds good when you talk it through but right now it’s just an outline.”

As her hands fall away from her face Liz looks determined.

“Yes,” her answer is voiced with strong conviction. “I’m committed. I’m not chickening out. I’m doing this!”

The rest of your allotted hour is spent with you sat in the chair once again and Liz walking through the routine while the song plays. She focuses on getting the timing of each moment to match the song and you add in your thoughts as they come to you. When it’s time to say goodbye Liz thanks you again and says that she’ll work on it during the week and show you her progress next Saturday.

You can’t wait.