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The grand opening of the new club that Kenny had been hired to work at was approaching at a sickening speed. Rehearsals had begun, set lists were being made and the girls were all in charge of picking their own costume pieces to go with their dances. Mr. Ivaskov, had given them guidelines of what to pick out and McKenna was fairly sure that she was screwed if she tried to do it all on her own.
Carter was preoccupied, he had been her initial go-to. But lucky for her, she at least had more than just one pretty blonde in her phone who was good for opinions on these sorts of things. Her friendship with Isaac was not nearly the same as the relationship she had with Carter, it was much less defined and a little rougher around the edges. While she and Carter had been strictly platonic since she met him, Isaac didn't seem to accept that status as graciously. Not that she minded much, he helped her feel better about herself, boosting the confidence she used to be lacking.
Stagfort was not quite meant for the club that was opening, so she had struggled to find stores that helped her find anything to wear. Once she did, she realized just how awkward she still felt when wearing such little clothing. After some general frustration and struggling to figure out how to put on one of the outfits she chose, she came out of the dressing room, her arms wrapped around her torso and her face beet red. "This is useless, I don't know what possessed me to take this job."
Would his pride be wounded had he found out he was her second choice? Perhaps, though Isaac rarely gave himself the chamce to overthink anything in life.
It was always better that way.
With his arms lazily crossed over his chest, he had his back leaned against a wall as he waited for the young flower to emerge.
His head tilted when she finally did. Pushing himself forward, a hand came to rest upon her head. "What possessed you is your amazing talent and even more amazing drive." He looked at the outfit she'd picked and smiled. "There is a middle ground between classy and... this." He chuckled.
"May I?" He asked, gesturing towards a rack of clothing items.
His compliment had her expression softening into a more relaxed smile. She appreciated his confidence in her abilities, happy to know that she had least had a strong backing of support. She also knew that he was just good at flattery. McKenna couldn't even be upset that he solidified her own thoughts about the outfit. She was so used to having costumes made for a production, not being left to her own devices. She was lost when it came to this style and the fine line between classy and what she'd put on.
Kenny folded her hands in front of her and brought them up to her face with a pleading expression, "Yes. Do it. Please."
Her eyes followed to the rack of clothing and she watched to see what he'd linger on and what he'd quickly toss to the side. This was starting to make her question her own choices of clothing. Was she really this terrible at picking out an outfit? But then she had to remember, Isaac was a guy, he knew what guys liked far better than she did.
He was no pro when it came to fashion. Heck, he didn't even know what was in or what was out. What he did know, though, was men. And even though he would never admit to it, having this girl, possibly the only female friend he had that he hadn't skept with aside from his twin sister, dress up like a hooker didn't sit well with him.
Girls didn't have to show off their goods to be appealing. Being covered up could be as enticing as being naked.
"What do you prefer? Dresses or jeans? Skirts? Shorts?" He turned to look at her.
McKenna pursed her lips as she thought about it for a moment. The owner had been loose with his instructions on the exact attire, he was more looking for a feeling that it gave off. Something she still couldn't even understand as he explained it. But she figured that it was probably more fitting to go with dresses and skirts. That, and they were a little easier to dance in from her experience. "I think we should stick with dresses and skirts."
Just not the ones that she thought would work.
Kenny kept her arms wrapped tight around herself, still feeling very exposed as she waited for him. She was just glad that there weren't dozens of people around to stare at her. She probably would have hid in the dressing room if that were the case. She rocked on her heels and stood on her toes to peek over his shoulder. "Thanks again for coming with me, obviously I'd have been screwed otherwise."
Isaac nodded at her before turning his attention back towards the clothes in front of him. Burlesque had a lot of different styles, so you couldn't really ever go wrong. It had to be comfortable enough to move around in, so he opted for one of the fake corset types, rather than one of the stiffer types that was common back in the days. The ones that often made women pass out because they were on too tight.
Pulling out a corset dress, he looked it over. It was black with silver details and it wouldn't show off too much cleavage either. The skirt was similar to that of a tutu dress, but long enough for it to be comfortable moving around in. She could also jump in it without having to fear showing off her goods by accident. The second dress he pulled out was a longer and red version of a brothel dress. The cut of the dress on the side, rather than being shorter in front and longer in the back. The third, a Gothic looking dress that only really showed off the upper line of the chest and mid-thighs and down. The shoulders, arms and everything else was covered. It was pure black, the only other color being the silver chains down the ribs and the clasps.
"It's no problem." He offered, turning his head over his shoulder. He frowned at the dresses he'd picked up before putting them back on the rack. While they covered the bases she was looking for, it didn't suit her. His fingers stopped then, head tilting as he pulled out a fourth dress. He smiled.
Her eyes caught the slightest glimpses at the first few dresses he held up. Her nose scrunched at all of them, but she supposed it wasn't a matter of her own personal taste. It was supposed to be about the men that she was looking to attract. Money, that's the whole reason she needed this kind of job. It was a step in the right direction of what she was going to do with her life. Perhaps not this sort of job, but she liked the experience of it all. It was out of her comfort zone.
When he turned with the last option, Kenny stared at it and chewed on the inside of her cheek. It fit the look of the club, despite it being a lighter color. She'd noted that most of the girls were going for dark and edgy, but she knew she didn't have the face for edgy, not really. Nor did she have the personality and her voice...well, she could go on forever about how not-so-edgy she was.
She was glad that Isaac knew as much without pointing it out directly.
McKenna took the dress from him and took a deep breath, "Alrighty, here it goes." She turned back to the dressing room and pulled the curtain. After a few moments, less struggling and just a few bows that needed adjusted, she emerged in the dress he picked out and held her arms out, twirling. "Whattaya think? Better? Still hot? Or just like...ya know, McKenna in another dress that doesn't look right on her?"
When she returned to the dressing room, the blonde took a few steps away and sat down on a nearby seat. Resting his elbows against his thighs, he took the moment to glance around the boutique. Most of the people inside was women, which quite honestly, wasn't all that surprising. He supposed it was weird that Stagfort mostly offered businesses for the male clientele, but he wasn't in a position to complain.
He heard the curtains being drawn and his attention returned to the only female friend he had that he'd yet to actually sleep with. His blue eyes moved along her slender form, appreciating the way the dress sat on her body. It was still sexy, but in a way more suited for her. She looked somewhat more comfortable in it too.
"It suits you." He stated, pushing himself up. "You look more comfortable in it, too." Confidence was always sexy, and while that wasn't the brunette's strongest suit from what he could tell, at least the dress seemed to help. If only just a little. "Do you want my honest opinion?" He couldn't help the smirk.
She couldn't see how it suited her. Sexy and her weren't words that were used together very often. But her boss had said she would do just fine with a few pointers from the other girls and a wardrobe that was meant to assist. Her hands slid over the fabric along her sides and she chewed on her lip. How a slinky dress could make her pull off sexy, she still had yet to figure out.
Kenny looked up at him and smiled, "It isn't quite as terrifying as the others were, I'll admit." And it wasn't suffocating her or pushing her breasts up into her face. Some girls could work that, but she was not one of them.
Her eyes narrowed at his question and she snorted, "Oh please. Your honest opinion is probably a mockery of what I'm doing. I need to feel confident, not awkward and shy. If only I knew how to actually feel that way." Her hands rested on her hips and she shifted her weight to one leg. "Tell me your secret, how do you do it, Isaac?"
He looked at her, head tilting as his blue eyes slid over her form. No, the word 'sexy' wasn't something he'd ever associated with the brunette in front of him. She was cute, though. It, of course, had nothing to do with her appearance, but the way she carried herself. She seemed more eager to hide herself from the world than to show off and while that was perfectly okay, she was clearly in the wrong business for someone with that kind of mindset.
A mischievous smile formed on the blonde's lips and he moved. "Mmm, you already know my secret, but you've made it very clear you don't want to take part in it." A touch of disappointment hit his tone as he spoke. Slowly, he circled her until he was at her back. Hands reached out to rest on her hips. He pushed at her hips, moving her to face the large mirror to their side.
"What do you see?" He asked, lowering his chin to rest it on her shoulder as he watched her in the mirror.
The words that left his mouth made her nose scrunch, "You're one of my best friends, Isaac. You know why I wouldn't go there." It was the same reason she never went for Carter. She loved them both to her core because they were upfront with her in a way her brother wasn't and they looked out for her just the same. Kenny was a romantic at heart, the fling thing just wasn't meant for her. She didn't judge those who did it, she just couldn't find it in herself to take part in it. And she didn't quite see either of her favorite men being the settling down and romantic type.
She reluctantly let him lead her towards the mirror and she frowned at her own reflection. It wasn't that she thought she wasn't pretty, she had never thought that. She just didn't have the same amount of confidence that made a difference. Her hands covered his and she leaned her head against his. She looked at the mirror and tried to see something different. Something better.
"I see a beautiful blonde resting his chin on the shoulder of an awkward brunette who is the very definition of cutesy. And I don't really think of that as a compliment when it comes to this sort of get-up that I'm wearing. I shouldn't look cute in this kind of clothing, Isaac. Why do I look cute in everything?" She groaned.
It was lacking the ability to look sexy, but rather, she didn't feel it. While Isaac didn't necessarily understand it, he knew a lot of people felt that way. To him, it had never been an issue, but then again, he'd never had any moral compass stopping him from growing comfortable with his own body in the eyes of others. Maybe that was the key difference. "Your loss." He offered with a wink. It truly was, but he didn't think she realized that. Ah, well.
One hand moved from her hip to her wrist. He lifted it in the air and flipped it, so that the back of it was resting against her own cheek. "It's all about perception, dear." He said. "If you think you're nothing but cute, that's all you'll ever be." He offered a shrug at that, stepping back and letting go of her hand, and her waist.
"You need to get out of your own head space." He didn't know how else to put it. Being too delicate surely wouldn't work here. "Find out what makes you feel sexy and use it."
Kenny let her hands drop with his and she frowned, that was where the problem was always going to lie. She'd gotten better, much better with her self-esteem, but it didn't translate to how she found her sex appeal. The only time she'd seen sex appeal that she might have been able to relate to was on stage. Jazz clubs in New Orleans radiated sex appeal when a woman with a full voice and some rasp sang a slinky song that everyone danced to. That was the whole reason she'd joined the burlesque club, she wanted to be that woman on stage that could make a room full of people hot and steamy with just the sound of her voice.
And yet, there she stood, wondering if she'd ever be able to feel hot and steamy from herself. Isaac wasn't wrong, but she didn't even know what could make her feel sexy other than music and that didn't help her until she was on the stage. Even then, she wasn't sure it would help.
McKenna turned around, "You think this was a bad idea, don't you? Was it a terrible idea? Maybe I should tell the owner I can't do it. This was just a huge mistake."
He could almost see the thoughts swirling around the brunette's head, and while he couldn't interpret them, he had a feeling he guess what they were about. Still, he remained silent as he watched her. There seemed to be little he could say to ease her mind. And truly, there was only one way he knew to buff her confidence; She needed to step out of the box she held so comfortably around herself. While she didn't need to take a huge leap, she needed to do something that made her feel comfortable in her own body.
She spoke then and Isaac chuckled softly. "I'm not in the business of telling you what you should or shouldn't do. It doesn't matter what I think. What matters is what you think." He shrugged; After all, it was the truth. He could tell her to continue down this path to ease her mind - or he could tell her not to, but at the end of the day, it was a decision she had to make on her own.
"If you want to do it, then do it. If you don't want to, then dont." He ran a hand through his hair, lips pursing in light amusement. "Can I ask you a question, though?"
His reassurance that it was ultimately up to her reminded her of the conversation she'd had with Carter over the same thing. Her doubts and insecurities about the whole thing made her question it, but she was excited about the opportunity that it gave her to explore something different. She needed to explore and exit her comfort zone, but that was the terrifying part. She didn't want to be uncomfortable, nobody ever did.
Her eyes lifted to his and she narrowed them when he asked if he could ask her a question. It always made her shift uncomfortably when someone wanted to ask her a question and asked for permission. It gave her some kind of anxiety attack because she couldn't quite figure out what it was about. They'd gone from joking around to a serious matter to him smirking at her like it was some conspiracy what he had to ask.
Kenny bit her lip, "I'm not sure. Your face is making me wonder if I want you to ask me this question."
