Aurora James

By Jessica Ingro

WEARY. DESPERATE. BROKE.

I did what I had to do to save her.
I sold my soul to survive.
I fell in love with the devil himself.
I'm Aurora James, and this is my story.

DANGEROUS. MENACING. FORMIDABLE.

He is darkness and danger; I am his light.
He is cold and ruthless; I am his warmth.
He is a heartless pimp; I am his whore.
And this is our beginning.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jessica Ingro
• Release date: Sep 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9780990505457

Jessica Ingro

Jessica Ingro grew up in Central/Upstate New York. She is married and spends her days as an IT Security Consultant.

Book preview

AURORA JAMES

BY JESSICA INGRO

Published by Jessica Ingro

Copyright © 2015 Jessica Ingro

Cover photo and design © Sara Eirew / Sara Eirew Photographer

Models: David Santa Lucia and Rachel Baltes

Edited by Indie Solutions by Murphy Rae & Jennie Wurz

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, store in or introduced into retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is no authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

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Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

About the Author

To the women who wake up and suddenly find themselves doing it alone. You're stronger than you know and my inspiration for Aurora.

My red stained lips pressed down on the tissue, setting the lipstick on them perfectly. The smile that played there was nothing compared to the excitement I felt inside.

It was almost eleven o’clock, which meant he would be there soon, and I could not wait. It had been a long few days since the last time we were able to be together, and I longed for him the way a man lost in the desert longs for water.

Waiting for me always drove him crazy, and I knew him well enough to know that one look at the sexy lace dress that clung to every curve of my body would have his restraint snapping. Add to that my red lips that he loved seeing wrapped around his cock, and it was sure to be a really, really good night.

Footsteps on the carpet had me glancing up into the mirror of the dressing table with anticipation. He was early. A smile spread across my face. Just as quickly as it came, though, it was gone. Happiness was wiped away, only to be replaced with alarm when my eyes met someone’s other than his in the mirror.

This was bad… so very bad.

If he knew about the man standing in his bedroom, he would bring the house down with his rage. No one would be safe from it.

This was going to end horribly. I could feel it right down to my bones.

Thank God Sophie was staying at the sitter’s house tonight.

The intruder looked at me with a craziness in his eyes I had never seen before. Something was not right with him. It frightened me to my very core.

What are you doing here? I asked in a small and choked voice.

I’m here for you, the deceptively calm voice replied as its owner crossed the expanse of the room to stand behind me.

I had learned early on when to be afraid of someone, and right then, with his cold eyes locked on mine and his lips curled into a sneer, I knew it was that time.

Paralyzed with fear, I watched in horror as he lifted a syringe and stuck it into my neck. A burn worked its way through my veins, and I instinctively lunged to the side to get away from him, only to be met with a fist slamming into my face, making me see stars.

My earlier suspicions were confirmed right then and there… This was not going to end well at all.

The last thought to cross my mind right before everything went black was that I hoped he was my knight in shining armor after all.

The lipstick glided across my lips, a bold streak of red against my creamy white skin. Pressing my lips together, a vixen stared back at me from the mirror—a stark contrast to what felt like the real me. Studying myself in the floor-length mirror pinned behind my bedroom door, I knew I was a walking contradiction.

More makeup than I usually wore was painted on my face—a mask to hide my fear and vulnerability.

Your face is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever laid eyes on, my husband always used to say.

My long, chestnut brown hair was teased and pinned to the side, a curtain falling over my left shoulder and curling around my breast.

Knockout hair, he also used to say. Of course, that was before… nope, not going to go there.

The black dress that covered my body was probably the only nice stitch of clothing I still owned. It hugged my breasts and showcased my cleavage enticingly while the hem fell just above my knees. It was slightly looser around the hips and waist than it once was, but there was nothing I could do about that now.

My grandmother’s necklace and earrings completed the look—emeralds in a soft and subtle setting that weren’t too fancy. They were just perfect, accentuating the green color of my eyes.

Something about my appearance was off, and it went beyond the fact that I didn’t usually dress this way. I cocked my head and turned this way and that, trying to figure out what I was missing.

Gripping the hem of the skirt, I tucked it under and dug around my dresser, looking for pins to hold it. Pins in place, I nodded at my reflection and the dress that now sat a good two to three inches above my knee. That looked more fitting for what I was about to do.

With a shaky breath, I smoothed my hands over the material at my hips and tried not to think about what I had to do. It wasn’t prudent to dwell on the circumstances surrounding the interview I was heading to.

Well, not an interview as such. More like an audition, I supposed.

I grabbed my purse off my dresser and walked out into the living room in search of my red high-heeled shoes that had been sitting on my bed earlier. I knew I didn’t need to look far when a tiny blur of blonde curls raced from the kitchen to the living room, little girl giggles accompanying her, along with the slap of my heels on her too-small feet. Throwing herself at me, her tiny arms wrapped around the bare skin on my leg.

Mommy! You look so pretty! my daughter, Sophie, cried out in delight.

I ran my hand over her mane and said softly, Thanks, baby, but you know you’re the most beautiful girl in the world.

"No… I’m a princess. Member?"

It’s remember, I gently corrected her. She screwed up her face in annoyance but nodded her head. I bit the inside of my cheek to contain my laughter at how much she hated it when I corrected her. She was so much like her father in that regard.

Sophie was four going on twenty-four most days. Her long blonde curls and blue eyes that mirrored her father’s made me ache with loss on a daily basis. She was a force to be reckoned with and the apple of my eye. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for her, which was why I was about to go where I never in my life imagined I would be going.

Let your mother go, child, my neighbor, and mostly friend, Ruth, told Sophie as she pulled her back, forcing her hands to release their grip on my leg.

Don’t go, Mommy. Sophie’s lip trembled and tears filled her eyes. I’ll miss you.

I’ll be back before you know it, I reassured her. You’re going to play with Ruth and Mikey.

Mikey was Ruth’s five-year-old grandson who lived downstairs with her. Sophie adored him. Followed him around like he hung the moon. He would be home soon from the after school program at church, and I was hoping it was enough to prevent her from throwing a tantrum. She was so used to me being home when her father was around, that now, whenever it was time for me to go to work, she had a hissy fit.

Can we have ice cream? she asked with an angelic smile on her face. My girl was far from stupid. She knew exactly what she could get away with.

Only if you eat your dinner. I bent down and kissed her now pouted lips. And don’t give Ruth a hard time either.

We’ll be fine, Ruth said with a knowing look. Even though we disagreed about a lot of things, one thing we both knew for certain was how hard it was for a mother to leave her child. Especially to go do what I was about to.

I’ll be back as soon as I can. I took my shoes off Sophie’s feet and slipped them on my own.

You know you don’t have to do this, Ruth said hastily as I reached for the doorknob on the front door. I’ll talk to Tyrone. See if he’ll give you your job back.

I gave her a sad grin and shook my head. The restaurant manager had made his position on my job status perfectly clear when he fired me. You know he won’t. He warned me I was taking too much time off. Sophie getting strep throat was the straw that broke the camel’s back. It’s okay. I’ll make it work somehow. Please don’t worry about me.

How can I not when you’re about to go dance for strange men and let them paw all over you? Her voice rose, and her head shook back and forth passionately. Ruth was a God-fearing woman. Something I might have been had my life not turned out the way it did.

It’s my choice, Ruth. Please just support me on this. I have no one else. I inhaled a deep breath in an effort to keep my impending tears at bay. Being alone was the worst thing imaginable some days.

She studied me intently for several seconds before reluctantly murmuring an agreement. I gave her a smile that I knew didn’t quite reach my eyes and headed out into the afternoon sun.

There were several men in the parking lot sitting on the back of a pickup truck, drinking beers and hanging out. Their whistles and dirty suggestions filtered on the breeze, making me cringe. My feet picked up their speed, my heels clicking away on the pavement to put distance between us.

I felt like a streetwalker dressed the way I was so early in the day. Later on, I would find that quite ironic. Right then, I just wanted to get into the safety of my car and away from the prying eyes of my filthy neighbors.

Sitting inside my beat up Toyota Corolla, I rested my head on the steering wheel. With my eyes pinched shut, I gave myself a silent pep talk before reversing out of my spot and heading across town.

I could do this. I could. Totally.

Talk about seedy.

My first thought when I pulled into the large parking lot on the side of the gray stucco building was not a good one and had me full of apprehension.

There were at least half a dozen cars in the lot even though it was only four o’clock in the afternoon. Was that normal? I fought against my gorge rising. It was healthy to be this anxious before applying for a new job, right?

So what if this was the last place I wanted to be? It was a necessary evil. Eventually, I would get past the foulness that was Pussy Willows, the town’s premier strip club—or at least that was what they advertised themselves to be.

My heart rate picked up as I climbed out of the car and surveyed what could potentially be my next employer.

A large white sign hung in front of the black metal door, announcing there were strippers inside. The lights illuminated the silhouette of a woman, and each letter underneath her flickered under the shade of a nearby tree. Litter dotted the cracked pavement, making me wonder how they stayed in business with such a lack of care for the establishment. Then again, men usually had a one-track mind. They probably didn’t even notice how run-down the place was, given the fact that it held the promise of naked women once inside.

Standing in front of the building, eyeing my future with unease, I hesitated for a long moment. My feet may as well have been encased in lead shoes for how heavy they felt at the prospect of walking into the dingy building.

I didn’t think I was strong enough to go through with this preposterous idea, but the gnawing ache of hunger in my stomach told me I had no choice. I had to put aside my comfort and pride. Sophie and I needed to live. Now that I was her sole parent, I had no other choice. It wasn’t about me. It was about my little girl.

As I pulled open the large door, music with heavy bass filtered down the small hallway that opened up into a large room. Walking the few feet on shaky legs, I took in the room as I entered it.

A large rectangular bar was to my right. A large soffit hanging from the ceiling around it displayed images of women in various positions of intimacy. A petite female bartender manned the bar, with blonde hair teased out to there and a top that barely contained her breasts. She laughed at a patron who sat on a stool in front of her.

To the left was a T-shaped catwalk with poles positioned down the part that jutted out from the wall. A topless woman twirled upside down on one of the poles while another topless woman was on her hands and knees in front of a group of older gentlemen standing next to the stage. They ran their hands over her, groping her breasts. Money was strewn around her, and while the men were clearly enjoying themselves, her face was blank. Completely void of any emotion.

I narrowed my eyes in search of a bouncer, finally finding one tucked back against the wall on the side of the stage. He was watching the men with a definite interest in what they were doing. Excited interest. Like he was getting off on her being fondled.

Wasn’t there a hands-off-the-entertainment policy here?

My hand tightened on my purse strap and a shudder wracked the frame of my body at the thought I might actually get pawed at while performing. The dancing didn’t bother me, and I knew I could get past being mostly naked once I did it a few times. However, there was no way I could be comfortable with being free fodder for any horny man who walked through the door.

Hey, sweetie? The bartender called from my side, just as I was about to turn tail and run.

I spun around quickly, probably looking like a deer caught in headlights.

Can I get you something? she asked, leaning her forearms on the bar top.

I— Clearing my throat when my voice was low and croaky, I tried again. I was hoping to speak with management.

She gave me a skeptical once-over. What do you want with management?

The man next to her snickered and took a sip of the amber liquid in his tumbler.

I squared my shoulders and told her, I’m looking for a job. I was hoping for an interview.

Her eyebrows flew up in shock. The man out and out laughed at my announcement. The bartender cut her gaze to him, and he choked back his laughter under her glare.

Nice girl like you? You don’t want an interview, she informed me, her eyes shifting from him back to my face.

Yes, I do, I said, my words holding a thread of steel in them.

She stared at me for several moments, likely thinking I had lost my mind. It didn’t say good things about the place if this was her reaction.

It’s your funeral, then, she eventually mumbled, and gave a meaningful look to the man sitting in front of her, which he returned. I’ll go get Dick.

I watched her walk away, my bravado leaving my body. With hunched shoulders, I stared at the opposite wall and waited as a terrible sense of foreboding took over.

This was a bad idea.

I knew I could still leave with my pride and dignity intact. The only problem was, pride and dignity wouldn’t put a roof over our heads and food in our bellies.

I was never going to forgive Kevin for this. No loving husband or respectable father would leave his family in this predicament.

Reanna was just trying to help you. The man at the bar’s words took me from my thoughts.

Getting this job is what will help me. The words came out a little snider than I intended, and I found myself apologizing. I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind.

You’re about to have even more. His cryptic words sounded like a dire warning, but I couldn’t worry about what he said because Reanna was coming back. Her face, which was pretty earlier, now twisted into a grimace.

Dick will see you. Down that hall. She gestured to where she had just come from and continued, Second door on the left.

Thanks, I croaked out, my throat suddenly dry.

Good luck. She nudged me towards the door, and I forced my feet to come unstuck.

The whole walk across the floor and down the hall felt like a journey towards an enormous guillotine. As if impending doom lingered behind the door.

You can do this, I whispered to myself. My hand slowly reached out, a fist forming. I took a deep breath and knocked on the metal.

Within seconds, the door flew open and my breath left my body in a whoosh. The man standing before me looked shady and sleazy as I took in his thin and balding hair, his paunch beer belly, and his cheap suit pants.

His eyes devoured every inch of my body as I stood before him. The oily smile he gave me had my skin crawling. I fought the urge to run the other way and stuck my hand out towards him.

Hello. My name is Alyssa. My voice trembled, but I didn’t think he was paying any attention. His eyes were fixated on my breasts as he ignored my proffered hand.

Letting it fall back to my side, I cleared my throat and tried again. You’re Dick? I asked in an attempt to get the man’s focus on my face and not my chest.

At the sound of his name, he looked up momentarily and gave me a creepy smile. Sure am, honey.

He stepped back and held his arm out, gesturing for me to come into the room. I hesitantly moved past him and took in my surroundings. The walls were banged up and dingy. Various posters of naked women were pinned up around the room. A wooden desk sat on the left side of the room, papers covering every available surface. And on the wall opposite the door was a large red couch, its cushions stained and off kilter.

Dick closed the door behind me, and I heard the click of a lock. My heart raced at the realization I was now alone in a locked room with this man. I spun around, my hands clammy and my throat closing on me.

What’s your name, sweetheart? He trailed a finger down my arm. I shivered, and not in a good way, at the feel of his skin on mine.

Alyssa, I repeated, my earlier suspicions that he wasn’t listening confirmed.

Oblivious to my distress, Dick undid the top few buttons on his shirt and settled on the couch. Come. Sit, he demanded, his hand patting the cushion next to him.

Um… I mumbled. There was no way in hell I was sitting next to him on that monstrosity. From the looks of it, I’d probably end up with an STD just from sitting on it. The problem was, I didn’t want to alienate him. For as bad of an idea as this was turning out to be, I still needed the job. My options were limited, and I was determined not to leave until I gave it my best effort.

Dick’s lips curled in a jokerish smile. Ah, he said. "You’re one of those girls. Want to get right down to it. I like that."

My forehead creased in confusion. One of what girls? My question was answered soon enough when Dick unzipped his pants and pulled his small erect penis through the opening. His fingers gave it a quick tug before holding it upright.

The blood drained from my face, and my eyes bugged out of my head. When I didn’t move, but rather stared in horror at him exposing himself to me, he said with no small amount of annoyance, Well, let’s go. Sit on it already.

I’m not sitting on that! I cried out in repulsion.

Suck it, then. He shifted tactics.

Are you serious? The words flew out of my mouth. This guy had to be delusional. I might have been desperate, but I still had some self-respect. It wasn’t much at that