Текст книги "Aurora James"
Автор книги: Jessica Ingro
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Текущая страница: 7 (всего у книги 16 страниц)
“I don’t get that. He was willing to pay. Good money, may I add,” I argued.
“His money is worthless,” he scoffed, closing the distance between us, and with a hand on my upper arm, leading me into the house.
I pulled away from his grip and spun around to face him. Now that I was in front of him in the doorway, he had no choice but to stop and listen to me.
With narrowed eyes, I asked something that had bothered me since he first said it. “Why am I off the menu?”
He stared at me for several long moments. I was beginning to think he wasn’t going to answer me when he finally opened his mouth and said, “Boss’s orders.”
“I don’t get it.” His answer bemused me. Why would Xavier say that? You would think he would want to make money off me. Like I said, five thousand was a damn good offer. Even I knew that based on the stories the girls had told me.
Ghost sighed and his shields cracked. He looked just as confused as I probably did. “I don’t get it either. Doesn’t matter, though. What X says goes. If you’re done annoying me, we need to get the other girls and go. This party is ending. Now.”
Even if I wanted to push the subject further, I couldn’t. Ghost picked me up by my arms and set me to the side. I scrambled to keep up with his long strides back to the party.
There was no point in driving myself crazy wondering about Xavier’s motives. They were none of my business anyway.
Xavier O’Brien walked out into the main room of The Den, his head throbbing after spending way too much time trying to figure out what Lucien Spinelli was up to.
He knew from experience that enemies were everywhere and how exceptionally critical it was to stay one step ahead of them.
In this industry, knowledge was power.
Which was why his coming up short with information had his mood darker than usual. All he wanted was to get the fuck out of there and take a drive up the coast to clear his head.
The sight of Aurora sitting at the bar with her one hand propping her chin up and a fruity looking drink in the other had him stopping without even realizing he had done so. Something about her made it hard to stay away. Nearly every day he found himself hanging out in the barroom watching her. Craving her. He loved the way her body looked under the lights and wished he could paint her silhouette and hang it where he could see it every day.
Foolish musings, he thought.
At thirty-seven years old he had nothing to give to the twenty-four-year-old girl. Even if she weren't so much younger, he’d have nothing to give her. Nothing that she’d want anyway.
The sad look on her face had unwanted emotions bubbling up inside him. Emotions he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in nearly fifteen years. He couldn’t let himself give into his weaknesses with her. It would only end badly… for the both of them.
As if they had a mind of their own, his feet took him to her, all the while Ghost’s silent disapproval mocking him from across the room.
Leaning on the bar next to her stool, Xavier was close enough to smell the perfume that she had started wearing two weeks ago. Lilacs. The scent reminded him of his childhood—conjuring memories of love and earth-shattering heartache all at the same time.
“What are you doing?” he found himself asking even though he knew he was being foolish by caring at all about what had her looking so depressed. His curiosity was apparently getting the better of him.
“Wallowing.” Her bottom lip plumped out into a little pout and he had to stop himself from leaning over and sucking it into his mouth. The need to know how she tasted seemed to override reason more times than he could count. One day he feared common sense would fail him.
“Why?”
“My client pulled a no-show.” She sighed and slumped back in her stool. “Figured I’d stick around and try to pick up some walk-ins, but they aren’t picking me.”
She looked so dejected that an uncharacteristic pang of guilt hit his chest. It was such a foreign emotion, he pushed it aside, unsure what to do with it.
No way was he going to tell her it was his fault the client canceled. Or the fact that no man walking through those doors would ever get anything more than a few fantasies from her—no matter how hard she tried to sell more. And she tried. Boy did she try.
Watching her seduce men left and right had him ranging from amused to deadly, depending on the day. The thought of any man defiling her had him wanting to snap someone’s neck with his bare hands.
Big J was lucky he was still breathing after allowing her to go off with not one but two men—of course Big J wasn’t breathing easily after the visit Xavier had paid to his house. The beat down had been a message for anyone thinking to cross Xavier. Every single man he had working for him knew Aurora was off limits. She was to be looked at but never touched. Big J was the example of what would happen to them if they didn’t protect her.
Aurora exuded everything Xavier didn’t—innocence and light. It would be over his dead body before he let this life consume her, making her a cold and jaded shell of who she’s meant to be. She was better than this world. Better than him.
He’d just keep giving her a bigger take of the nightly pot, subsidizing it with money from his own pocket, and hope none of his people ever caught on.
“Come on,” he told her against his better judgment. His hand gripped her elbow and pulled her from the stool. Just that small amount of contact had him thirsty for more. So much more.
“Where are we going?” she asked a bit breathlessly. One of the things that intrigued him about Aurora was the fact that she didn’t hide her emotions. Her attraction to him was written all over her face as if his touch brought to life the same feelings for her as it did him.
“For a ride,” he answered, fully knowing it was the worst idea he had had in a long time.
Knowing it and doing something about it were two completely different things, though. Because even if his time with her ended as poorly as he feared it would, he knew he’d take her with him again in a heartbeat.
The wind whipped my hair around my face as Xavier’s sleek black Aston Martin raced down the highway. My arms flew up in the air and a squeal of sheer delight tore from my throat.
Xavier laughed from his seat next to me, a lighthearted grin aimed my way as he shifted the car, taking our speed even higher while simultaneously making my heart beat faster.
I wasn’t sure how he knew this was what I needed, and I didn’t care. I was so in the moment that nothing mattered to me except the fact that I felt free, every one of my cares remaining back at The Den.
The night had been another failure for me. When I showed up and discovered that one of the men from the party the weekend before had requested my services, I was both nervous and elated. Nervous that I was finally going to go all the way with a client and elated that a client finally wanted me for more than a quick dance or two.
By the time nine o’clock rolled around, my stomach was in knots despite the encouraging pep talks Candy had given me. Every time the door opened, I practically jumped, looking to see if it was the man I was waiting for. After forty-five minutes of waiting, I knew he wasn’t coming. When I asked Ghost about it, he coolly informed me that my client had canceled but didn’t elaborate.
Too disappointed to keep up my charade of being a happy-go-lucky stripper slash prostitute, I told him I was calling it a night. After dressing in a pair of cotton booty shorts and a tank top, I found myself sitting at the bar, wallowing in my own self-pity. Cheech was kind enough to give me a cocktail on the house. It was a gesture of pity seeing as no one at The Den missed my continuous humiliating rejection, but I couldn’t find it in me to be embarrassed over it, considering the drink was so strong it almost instantly numbed my senses.
Feeling like a loser as I downed the drink and paid for a second, I decided I wasn’t cut out for this life. I had never had a problem with my self-confidence until accepting a job at The Den. Knowing men didn’t want me was a huge blow to my ego. Every day that came and went where I was continually cast aside for another woman made it that much harder to cling to my fleeting optimism.
I had money set aside for an eventual down payment on a small house, which would hold us over until I was able to find a new job.
I had never planned to work at The Den forever. Only until I made enough for a better a life. Once we were living comfortably in a nice house, I would find a new job. Maybe even go to school online and get a degree. Something I’d never thought was possible. Not even when I lived with Kevin and he had a good paying job at a bank.
After suffering another embarrassment, I knew it was time to cut my losses and move on. At least I was in a better spot financially than I had been the first day I walked into the warehouse.
The car slowed as Xavier took an unfamiliar exit off the highway. The engine now hummed under us rather than emitting the sexy growl it had been as he pushed it harder and faster than the speed limit allowed. There was something to be said about a performance car like this, especially when it went from zero to sixty in four seconds flat.
“Where are we going?” I asked, having no idea where we were.
“It’s a surprise.” His deep voice slid over my skin like a gentle caress, teasing me into wanting a different kind of caress from him.
He shifted gears as we began climbing a hill. When we crested the top, he maneuvered us into a sharp turn. When we rounded the corner, I gasped at the view that opened up before my very eyes. At the bottom of the steep cliff to the left side of the car was a lake in all its magnificent glory. Lights along the other side of the water glinted and danced, a little tease of the kind of life I once lived and dreamed I’d one day experience again.
Ever since my parents had died, I’d yearned to be on the lake again. To wake up in the morning and watch the calm water as nature slowly came to life around me. To feel the peace of lying on my back in the cool water with the sun beating down on my front. To sit in a chair on the back deck watching Sophie jump off the dock into the water—the same way my mother had when I was Sophie’s age. That was the kind of life I wanted for my little girl and me.
Those few years I’d had with my parents in their house on the lake were the happiest of my life, and I wanted Sophie to be able to experience the same joy. The realization that probably would never happen made me frown.
Life could be so unfair.
“What’s got you so down?” Xavier asked with a quick glance in my direction.
“Nothing.” I sighed and leaned my head back against the seat rest. Before riding in his car, I’d never really understood what the term soft as butter meant in reference to leather. Now that I did, I appreciated it wholeheartedly.
“That doesn’t sound like a nothing. Tell me.” His hand reached over and grasped my knee, lingering for the briefest of moments before he moved it to rest on the gearshift. My skin tingled from the residual heat of his skin on mine.
“I was just thinking how much I’d love to live on the lake again,” I admitted.
“So why the frown?” He glimpsed at me with a questioning raise of an eyebrow.
“Because it will never happen,” I replied glumly.
“Never say never, sweetheart.” My heart stopped when he called me sweetheart. It felt like such a familiar term of endearment between us, though he had never used it before. I would have expected something hard and cliché like babe from him. Not something as sweet as sweetheart. I liked it. Too much.
Shaking off the way he made me feel, I focused on his words instead. “I can safely say never. No way in hell I’ll ever be able to afford a place on the water. It’s okay, though,” I added softly. It was more for me than for Xavier, and judging by his wry grin, I think he knew that.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you never know what life is going to throw your way. You can control the present and plan for the inevitable, but somehow you’ll still get a surprise thrown in there.” His tone was edged in steel when he finished with, “So never say never.”
“Okay,” I agreed. Something about the way he spoke made hope flair alive in me again. Maybe it was something I needed right then more than I thought.
“Were you planning on taking a drive tonight anyway?” I found myself asking as we tracked around the lake.
“Yeah.”
“How come?” I asked distractedly, not wanting to take my eyes off the scenery.
“A lot on my mind,” he finally admitted after several seconds of silence.
I turned my body to face him and studied his profile. A memory of how preoccupied he had been the last few days assaulted me. He seemed more ornery than usual as well. Barking and threatening people like it was second nature. I hadn’t really focused on it before now, having chosen rather to ignore him in hopes that I wouldn’t be a target of his anger.
Who was I kidding?
I had really hoped staying away from him would make it so I stopped fantasizing about him and the way it would feel to have him moving over me. In me. Around me. Anything as long as it was with me.
“Anything you want to talk about?” I asked with sincerity, the need to soothe him far too real.
He gave me a guarded look before shaking his head. Disappointment filled me, but I refused to show it. Instead, I just smiled and said, “If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me.”
Apparently done with talking, Xavier pushed a button on the steering wheel and music poured from the speakers—saxophones spinning a jazz tempo behind Sting’s soulful voice as he sang the classic “Ain’t No Sunshine.”
I never would have guessed this would be his choice of music. Then again, there was a lot about Xavier O’Brien I didn’t know.
I had the feeling that was exactly what he wanted—for people to see only what he allowed them to see.
“Jazz?” I teased.
He shrugged those broad shoulders of his and grinned at the windshield.
“What else would I find on a Xavier O’Brien playlist?”
“Depends on my mood,” he evaded.
“Hmm.” I tapped my finger on my chin thoughtfully. “You seem to be a no-nonsense kind of guy. And you typically look ready to either spit nails or rip a bear’s head off with your bare hands. So I’m going with either hardcore rap or death metal as a guess. Which is it?”
He gave me a surprised look and chuckled. “You got me. Death metal all the way.”
I smiled while thinking I really wanted to make him laugh like that all the damn time. Something told me he took himself far too seriously.
“Well, do me a favor and wait until after you drop me off to play your music of choice.” I gave a mock shudder that made him roll his eyes.
“Don’t worry. You’re safe.” His eyes followed my leg from my knee to the top of my thigh before he added, “For now.”
The double meaning behind his words had my internal muscles clenching in anticipation. I had the sudden urge to unbuckle my seatbelt and straddle his body in an effort to be as unsafe as possible.
“Too bad,” I mumbled under my breath and straightened in my seat, looking out the window as the scenery flew by and we fell into a companionable silence.
All too soon we were back on the highway, pointed towards the city. A huge part of me was disappointed our time together was coming to an end. There were so many things I wanted to know about Xavier. So many questions I wanted to ask him.
Of course, those thoughts were just a way to distract me from exploring the real reasons I wanted to spend more time with him. It was starting to get harder and harder to ignore the attraction I felt whenever he was near. Especially since he had become a recurring player in my dreams after that first exceptionally erotic dream I’d had, starring him.
The craziest part? The fact that the best dreams weren’t the sexual ones, but rather the ones where we sat side by side on a porch looking out over a field of hay while the sun set. My soul had never felt more at ease than in those precious moments before I awoke.
“Why aren’t we going back to The Den?” Recognizing the park around the corner from my apartment, I perked up, wondering why he wasn’t taking me back to my car.
“Boys will bring your car to you in the morning,” was his response.
“Still doesn’t explain why you don’t want me driving it home tonight,” I pressed.
Xavier turned into my complex, the engine purring as he parked in a spot by the stairs leading up to my door. He cut the engine and draped his arm over the steering wheel, turning to look at me, a picture of masculine beauty. “It’s late. We’re here. I’ll have the boys bring your car to you in the morning.”
“Okay,” I whispered. My eyes locked on his lips, and I mentally pleaded with him to kiss me. After spending so much time with him and knowing that he was looking out for me and my safety, I couldn’t force myself to deny I wanted him. “Walk me upstairs?”
Indecision flitted across his features, his eyes darting from my lips to my eyes and back again. Oh. My. God. He was struggling to fight his attraction too. My tongue sneaked out to moisten my lips as he watched, his eyes darkening.
Without answering me, he opened his door and rounded the car to help me out. Taking my hand in his, he led me up the stairs to my door where he took the keys from my hand and let us in.
Carla jumped up from the couch, a little startled to see a behemoth man walking in ahead of me. “Shit, you scared me,” she cried out, her hand flying to her chest like she was having a heart attack.
“Sorry. Carla, this is Xavier. Xavier, this is Carla.” I gestured between the two.
Xavier held his hand out to Carla and she practically melted under his sexy grin.
“Okay. Well.” Carla cleared her throat and snatched her purse off the table. “I’m just going to go. I’ll… uh… see you tomorrow.”
Before I could say goodbye she was out the door like a tornado.
“You sure do have quite an effect on women,” I commented as I set my own purse down on the table.
He shrugged as if it was no big deal but let out a little chuckle. The sound of his mirth did funny things to me. Warmth spread in my belly, and my breath faltered at the same time my heart beat wildly in my chest. The realization that we were very much alone save my daughter asleep in her room had lust slamming into me like a freight train.
My mother once told me that opportunities are never lost. Someone will always take the one you miss. I thought of the girl who had been with him that night at The Den and I knew being with him was not an opportunity I wanted someone else to take. A place deep inside me whispered the forbidden words I had tried to avoid.
I want him to be mine.
His eyes bore through me as I closed the distance between us. With my hands on his chest, I lifted up onto my tiptoes until our mouths were so close that we were practically breathing the same air.
“Kiss me,” I whispered. His eyes flashed and his hands gripped my waist almost painfully. What he didn’t do was kiss me.
“Kiss me,” I said a little louder that time.
I shifted closer so that my breasts brushed his chest. When he still didn’t give me what I wanted, I decided to take it instead.
My hand slipped up his chest and neck, and into his hair.
“I don’t want to be lonely tonight,” I whispered while pushing his head down to mine at the same time I pressed my mouth to his. His lips were warm and hard against mine, as I licked them wanting entrance.
Xavier growled low in his throat. His mouth opened over mine and he devoured me. What had been in my control up until that point was now very much in his. All I could do was hold on to him for dear life as he spun me around so my back was against the counter, his hands gripping my ass roughly.
He made love to my mouth with such efficiency that my legs gave out and I was lightheaded from a lack of air. With his mouth still on mine, he lifted me up with strong hands, setting me on the counter and spreading my legs wide enough for him to fit between them.
One hand tangled in my hair, angling my head right before his mouth slammed down on mine. His tongue sought entrance, which I gladly granted him. I craved more of his taste as I solicitously rubbed myself against him from my perch on the edge of the counter. His other hand went between my legs and into my shorts where his finger hit my sweet spot on the first try.
I moaned in his mouth, sucking on his tongue in response to how good he was making me feel. My hips rose of their own accord, seeking more contact, which he gave me when his finger delved inside my pussy, spreading my wetness over my clit before plunging back inside.
With one hand planted on the counter for support, my other found him through his pants and began rubbing his huge erection. He was so hard I felt myself shudder with my impending orgasm.
My soul soared the second he touched me. This right here was what I wanted. What I had been searching for since I was fifteen and alone in this cruel world. Someone who made me feel completely alive. Like nothing could ever touch me.
We were so right together that I knew it could never be wrong.
He tore his mouth from mine, his hand stopping the magic it was working between my legs, even though his finger still applied pressure against my clit, which was throbbing with need.
“Is that what you wanted? For me to lose control?” His heated words were punctuated by a thrust of his fingers inside me.
“Yes,” I breathed, needing more of him but not getting it when suddenly his body wasn’t against mine anymore. I blinked at how quickly he put distance between us, my body still protesting the lack of fulfillment on his pleasure-filled promise. My mind raced to fight the haze of lust he had me under.
What the fuck just happened? My brain screamed.
“I need to be in control, Aurora.” His jaw ticked and his fists clenched as anger poured off him in waves. “The minute I’m not, I’m dead and some sorry motherfucker is taking my place. Only he isn’t going to have a hands-off policy, and you’ll find your cut won’t be as hefty as you’re used to. And the streets, baby? They’ll become your best friend. Before you know it, you’ll be taking it up the ass, feeling the hard fists of your Johns. All the while you’ll wish you were someone else.”
“Alyssa.” For some insane reason, I was choosing to focus on what he called me rather than the cruel and frightening picture he was portraying. What I knew the life of a prostitute looked like for so many women less fortunate than Xavier’s girls.
“What?”
“Alyssa. My name is Alyssa,” I repeated, stronger than last time.
He shook his head and gave me a sardonic look. “No, it’s not, baby. Alyssa died the minute you walked through the door and into my den. You’re Aurora now, and you better not fucking forget it.”
“Fuck you,” I yelled. My chest heaved and I felt tears burning behind my eyes.
That’s when he delivered his killer blow with a ruthlessness I should have expected. His eyes were cold, no emotion in them whatsoever, when he said, “That’s where you went wrong. I don’t fuck my whores. At least I know now that my clients are getting a hot little pussy with how responsive you are.”
He may as well have struck me with how betrayed I felt. His words felt like a knife in my chest. No matter what I told myself, what I chose to believe, all I was to him was a whore. Nothing more than a device for him to make money with.
Lost in the anguish his words caused, I was left speechless when he turned and walked towards the door, ready to leave without another word. My body ached for him at the same time my mind spun with all the things I wanted to say to him to send him away. To kick his ego the way he had just kicked mine. His rejection was too much for me to handle.
Xavier was at the door when I lashed out in anger. “They aren’t getting any pussy from me, though, are they? Not quite a whore when they can’t fuck me! Right?”
He paused with his hand on the doorknob, and I waited to see what he would say to that. After a moment, he opened the door, giving me one last cold look before he was gone.
