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“Yeah, she didn’t mention you by name, but she mentioned the studio and the amazing brunette who had her, and I quote, ‘feeling like a Sex Kitten Goddess.’ There were some pictures of cats and some various meows, which seemed crazy and weird to me, but the gist was that it was a raving review. And when I came in on Monday, my inbox was flooded, and Eileen has been answering calls requesting private classes and asking if we hold public classes too.”
My breath escapes my chest in a whooshing sound as I slump, something I never do, but I’m so shocked that I can’t even hold myself up for a moment.
“What? I thought it was just a one-time thing?” I say, though I’ll admit to myself that now that I’ve done one, having another class would be fun. “I mean, Donna, I don’t want to ruin the studio’s rep as a ballet school because someone wants to do stripper-robics.”
Donna locks her eyes on me, scoffing. “Not to put too fine a point on it, but this school is mine and I’ll do what I want with it. I’m smart enough to know that people come here for ballet because of my reputation as a dancer and as a teacher. But as a businesswoman, I know how to use my resources, work the strengths, and play away from the weakness. And you are a strength, to me and to this studio. Allie, if you’re up to it, I think it’s time for your encore, my dear.”
I nod like a bobblehead, encouraged. “Absolutely, I’m up to it. What are you thinking? Just private classes, or maybe do a public special event every once in a while? I’m open to whatever you think.”
Donna claps in delight then points at me, grinning. “Good. Remember you said that, though, because I’m going to hold you to it.”
I sit up straight again, feeling like this is Donna’s big solo moment, what she was building up to for the whole rest of the conversation.
“All right, hit me. What are you thinking?”
“Well, like I said before, I want you to teach not just a class, but classes. I’ve been doing quite a bit of research and watched some rather steamy performances too. Everything from burlesque to striptease to pole fitness. And whew, let me tell you, I thought I’d seen some things, but no. Now, I’ve seen things.”
She laughs, and I blush, thinking she’d probably faint at the tricks I pull on the pole at Petals. Thankfully, Donna has known about my other job since she hired me to teach a couple of adult beginner ballet classes, and she’s okay with it. More than okay, considering she’s given me several additional classes to teach. And she is the one who asked me to do the bachelorette party dance class in the first place.
She continues, “I think we’ve been given a golden opportunity here. It’s no secret that profit margins for dance studios are low, but I think this is an untapped niche in East Robinsville. And to be honest, your name brings a certain clout with it.”
Donna looks at me knowingly, and I wonder if maybe she has seen my performances before, though I’m careful to never post anything online. And recording is strictly forbidden at Petals. It’s a rule heavily enforced by Dominick, so I’m almost 100 percent sure nobody would risk his wrath for a blurry, dark video. I don’t even dance under the same name. At Petals, I’m Allie Angel, but here, I’m Allison Bancroft, and only my child students call me Allie.
“I guess.”
Donna chuckles, reassuring me. “I want to begin offering classes a few days a week. Whatever you want to call it and whatever you want to do. We’d work the schedule around our current class offerings, and these would be yours, so we’d split the class fees fifty-fifty. The private classes . . . I doubled the charge for those, and nobody blinked an eye.”
I stammer, shocked. “Doubled?”
Donna’s smile is vibrant, infectious. “Yes, ma’am, doubled them and booked six already over the next three months alone, and we’d split those fifty-fifty like the bachelorette one. You with me so far?”
Holy shit. “Yeah, I’m with you. I’m so with you.”
“Good, here’s where the real fun starts. I want you to rent studio three from me, install some poles, and offer pole fitness classes. In return, I get the rent, low, of course, and ten percent of the class fees. You’d keep ninety percent. We’d be more like business partners.”
Donna sits back in her chair, an expectant look on her face.
I’m stunned, shocked by everything she’s saying. The opportunity, the possibilities astound me. It’s definitely not what I ever saw myself doing, but honestly, I had to let go of that dream a long time ago.
