The Tease (The Darling Killer Trilogy) by Nikki M. Pill

that made them look smaller. She wore light glittery eye makeup around her large eyes that made them look bulgy and fishlike.
Makeup can wait
, I thought.
I’m certain we’ll have bigger challenges in the first lesson.
    “Thank you so much for working me in so soon!” she said. She walked into my apartment. “Wow, what a great space. Are you Buddhist?”
    Her eyes had fallen on the Buddha statue.
    “Not exactly,” I said.
    “Wow, that’s nice, and –
oh what a cute kitty!”
    As Lynne’s voice careened into its upper registers, Caprice flattened her ears back, gave Lynne a look of disbelief mingled with alarm, and scurried into my bedroom.
    “She’s a little skittish about strangers,” I lied.
    “I had so much fun shopping for dance clothes,” she said. “There are just so many cute little outfits. Where do you get yours?”
    I walked her into the studio. I was barefoot in black yoga pants and a tank top that said “DIVA” in rhinestones. “I got this top at Miss Exotic World—”
    “Is that like a festival?”
    “It is. It’s an annual event where—”
    “Can anyone compete, or do you have to be picked? Is it like a pageant?”
    “It’s better to perform at some local events and then some minor weekends first, so that people know who you are—”
    “Are there a lot of events in Chicago? Like do you perform every weekend?”
    “I’m going to suggest you take off your shoes for the warm-up,” I said firmly.
    She complied. It didn’t seem to register that I’d ignored her last question.
    “How do you keep fishnets from getting tangled on your toes?” she asked.
    “You can wear little nylon footies underneath them,” I said. “Or they sell some kinds with a tighter weave around the toes. Are you going to be okay in those?”
    “I’ll be fine,” she said.
    The netting was caught on her toes, creating ugly patterns of white and pink. I sent her to the bathroom to change out of them, and she came back bare-legged save the legwarmers.
    “When do we start, you know, taking things off?” she asked.
    “First, I’m going to show you some basics in posture and movement,” I said. “Then we can start learning about different articles. I like to start with easy things like gloves and shoes, and then—”
    “Do I have to wear something special, you know, like that zip skirt you wore for the performance?”
    I inhaled deeply and subtly through the nose so my exasperation wouldn’t be obvious. “Usually I like form-fitting clothing like leggings and tank tops. We can put on bras and things over them – it’s sexy, I promise.”
    She laughed. “So you have them over your clothes?”
    “While you’re learning,” I said. “It’s hard enough to make it look graceful without being self-conscious.”
    “Oh I don’t care,” she said. “I think the body is a beautiful thing, you know, I don’t know why people want to hide it.”
    “It’s just easier,” I said. “Trust me.”
    I walked her though some of the basics of posture and the warm-ups, and then through some basic routines she could practice at home. Keeping her on track was a struggle. I hoped some of her distraction would reduce as she learned more and focused. She had a nice figure and abundant enthusiasm; she attacked each move so hard I wondered if she might pop a vertebrae. I worked with her on keeping the movements more delicate, absently filing the symptoms of ADHD and Anxiety Disorder under None Of My Damn Business as she maintained her running commentary.
    “Take your time,” I said. “It’s the art of the tease. You have to hold a little something back. Let them savor it and want more.”
    “Like this?”
    I adjusted her hips, and then her elbows. “Now burst your arms upward, and
slowly…
right, don’t rush the
aahhhhh
.… YES!” I jumped up and down, clapping. I get more excited than my students do when they get something.
    Except Lynne. She squealed and hugged me. “I get it!” she said. “It’s