A woman’s nipple peeks over the top of her white strapless dress as she dances for her partner at Yorkville’s posh Sequel Lounge in Toronto. She doesn’t seem to notice, but everyone else around her has.

“Oh my God,” someone whispers. “Is that her boob?’

A circle has formed around her. She’s waving a tall, rainbow coloured lollipop in the air. The crowd doesn’t bother her – she keeps dancing. On her head she’s wearing a while nurse cap and a long strip of gauze hangs from her neck. Her partner is sitting on a chair watching her. His hands are bound to the chair with strands of gauze. It’s even wrapped around his head as if he has a concussion. He isn’t hurt, but she’s nursing him anyway.

In a corner near the entrance, former stripper turned author, Mary Taylor is smiling. She’s here to promote her book, Bedroom Games: Stripteases, Seductions and Other Surprises to Keep Your Partner Coming Back For More (Three Rivers Press).

The near-naked nurse is her friend, who goes by the name of Nurse Cat. The strip tease is all part of Taylor’s book launch party, which has drawn out an interesting crowd.

Conservative businessmen sit in the shadows, sipping their cognacs and sneaking a smile. Young, single girls gather in groups near the bar and laugh over cosmopolitans. Couples stand close to the front, arms wrapped around each other, bodies swaying. Once in a while words are whispered and coy glances are exchanged.

Under ordinary circumstances someone might warn Nurse Cat that her dress is slipping instead of quietly waiting to see if it will end up around her ankles, but there’s nothing ordinary about these circumstances.

When the dancing nurse looks down and sees her now fully exposed nipple, the audience is surprised by her _expression. She does a subtle double-take and pretends all is well,

Clearly, it’s not.

The strip tease she’s performing is meant to be just that, a tease – no nudity for this public performance. The dance continues, but less bouncy – her hands cradle her chest as he attempts to pull the dress back up. She doesn’t want anyone to see more of her. The women want to be just like her.

“Every woman secretly wants to be a stripper,” Taylor said later from her Live Girl Productions office in Toronto. “I think they’re intrigued by it. They wonder what it would be like/”

She may have a point. Veronica Jones*, a 26-year-old Humber College journalism student, is just one of many women willing to confess their desire to have someone watch them undress – but want to remain anonymous.

“I just think that if people knew that I entertained the idea of stripping, even if it’s just for my boyfriend, they would get the wrong impression,” she said.

Taylor, 47, was a professional stripper for 20 years before she decided to quit and get a “real job.” One of her clients offered her a position in his import/export company as an executive assistant.

It didn’t last long. One year later she was fired.

“I barely knew how to use the computer,” she said. “I had to do something, but I had no experience doing anything else. I only knew how to strip, but I didn’t want to go back to dancing.

Although her attempt at a “real job” was short lived, Taylor had struck a chord with many of her female co-workers.

“During that year, I had many women ask me to teach them how to strip for their husbands,” she said. I thought they were crazy. I said ‘what do you want to do something like that for?’ In my mind, if you weren’t getting paid for it, why the heck would you want to do it?”

“Women probably feel that rather than having their partner go to a strip club and be aroused by another woman, why not learn the tricks of the trade themselves? Jones said.

But for some women, the performance is less about their partner and more about fulfilling their own fantasies.

Nancy Pierce*, 35, is a Humber College graduate who admits to having stripped for her partner.

“It was a total release,” she said. “It’s something I had wanted to do for a long time and when I did it, it was such a power trip. I was in complete control of what was going on.”

People take their clothes off everyday, whether the task involves sex, showering or simply swapping pajamas for jeans and a t-shirt. Stripping is no stranger to anyone, but Taylor says there are huge differences between the regular slip off and the daring strip off when it comes to getting naked.

“(Stripping) is a performance,” she said. “It takes a really courageous woman to take that step, to say, “ I think I’m going to try this.’ “

So, in 1999 – with the help of one of her eager and persistent female acquaintance – a series of workshops were designed called Peel and Play.

Between 2 ½ - 3 hours long, they teach women dance moves such as “stirring the pot”, “the queen’s wave,” and boobs on Bob.”

The entrepreneur said the classes are not just about taking off your clothes; they also help women overcome their fears and insecurities.

“Women who take my classes may never do a striptease,” Taylor said. “But just knowing that they can, really boosts their self confidence.”

As the popularity of her workshops boomed, so did business. She produced her own video, The Art of Seduction and CD, Sounds of Seduction.

When women began asking if the moves were written down, Taylor decides to write a book.

“The book is for all women.” She said. “Women who are single and want to prepare for the next fun relationship and women who are in long-term relationships who want to do something to spice it up.”

But she said men also benefit from reading the book because they can learn a woman’s secrets of seduction.

“It’s just a lot of fun.” Said Brian, 58 year-old who attended the launch with his wife, “It’s something we can do together, I’ll read and she’ll perform. I got no complaints.”

“The secret to a good relationship,” Taylor said, “is communicating with your partner, having fun in your relationship and sharing each other’s fantasies.”