The Great Chase

When Miss July faces a challenge, she usually has a lef up on her rivals

Got gams? If not, Qiana Chase has enough to share. At five-foot-nine, the statuesque native of Los Angeles learned early on that if she took care of her stems, they'd take care of her. "I've always liked my legs," she says. "One guy told me, 'Oh my God, your legs. They just go from here to heaven.' Are they that long? I don't know. Maybe I can't tell because I'm looking at them from this angle."

Qiana (pronounced key-AWN-uh) has other charms, of course. She draws people close with her warm, high-wattage smile and laid-back vibe. She picked up the nickname Q when she started modeling a few years ago. "I don't know why, but it's so hard for people to say Qiana or remember Qiana, so I'd tell them, 'It's just Q, okay?'" she says, following with a throaty laugh that erupts easily and often. She first connected at Playboy two years ago when she appeared in her first of two Special Editions. "I've been posing nude all my life," she says. "I've always been comfortable with it, which is almost scary, especially for my mom. She'll say, 'Please, put some clothes on. I beg of you.' She asked me to wait until I was 24 to become a Playmate, so today she's okay with it. Now that I'm older I'm more body conscious and aware of my angles. Modeling is a job that you have to study to see what works for you and what doesn't. There's definitely a rush being in front of the camera and having everybody make a big fuss over you."

Once she's away from the camera, though, Miss July wants fuss kept to a minimum. She plans to log a lot of quality beach time this season. "I try to stay carefree in the summertime," she says. "I'm hot, I'm loving it, I look good, I feel good." The season abounds with highlights. "Every year a friend from high school throws a huge Fourth of July weekend party that is so much fun. It's like a reunion. I'm social with everybody. I like a variety of people." When we ask her if this means her dates come in all shapes and sizes, though, she raises her eyebrow and admits that her dates tend to come in the varieties tall and extra tall. "I need to know that if I put on my highest heels, which will make me about six-five, he will be right there with me."

What does she do with eight-inch heels? As it turns out, she goes dancing--often. "I think I go out a little bit too much," she says with a grin. "My friends will ask me, 'Where do you live?' Because I'm never home. I love being in clubs, listening to the music, feeling the vibe of the people and knowing that everybody is out to have a good time."

That's just the attitude you'd expect from a girl who calls herself a free spirit. And like a free spirit, she sees a world of possibilities opening before her. "I do so many things," she says. "Modeling, makeup, working in television. The sky is the limit, and I'll do as many things as the good Lord will allow me to."

Playmate Data Sheet

Name: Qiana Chase

Bust: 36c

Waist: 25

Hips: 36

Height: 5'9"

Weight: 130

Birth Date: 2-12-81

Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA

Ambitions: I would love to be Playmate of the year. I would also love to own as much property as possible.

Turn-Ons: I like people who are sure of themselves and what they want out of life. I love ambition.

Turnoffs: I think one of my biggest turnoffs in people is arrogance. Arrogance is very unattractive to me.

Nicknames: Q, Ki-Ki or just...Chase.

Favorite Author: Maya Angelou.

Five Movies I can watch repeatedly: Swordfish, The Color Purple, Training Day, Monster and finding Nemo.

Sexiest CD I own: Destiny's Child / Destiny fulfilled.

The Tastiest food I ever ate: French fries (My favorite!).

My Earliest Memory: My earliest memory is of my first boyfriend in first grade kissing my cheek.

"I don't get jealous when I'm with a guy who flirts--I'm a flirt myself! But every relationship has boundaries and a balance."

See more of Miss July at cyber.playboy.com.