Chapter 1
I’d like to tell you about my childhood, and that it was so fucked up and it’s the reason I do what I do, but that would be a lie. My childhood was much like most people’s childhoods. I had a mother and father, who love me greatly. I have a brother and a sister, and though they get on my nerves, we love each other just as much.
No, my upbringing had nothing to do with the person I am today. That came from a night out with my brother and his new girlfriend. My brother is my twin. We do look a lot alike, with our dark hair and tanned skin. Both with the same hazel eyes, though unlike him, my body is covered in ink. Which, of course, my parents aren’t a big fan of, but the ink is my way to express my differences. I yearn to be different; I don’t want a mundane life.
So, anyway where was I?
Oh yes, my brother. Sometimes he knows me so well, that he knows what I’m thinking without saying it. It can be useful at times and some, not so much. Our baby sister who’s only one year younger than us could pass as our twin as well. We all look alike though our personalities differ considerably.
Jagger is my twin, and male whore working his way through lawyer school. Jessa is my baby sister, and I’m pretty sure wants to be a Goth. Me, well, I’m lost. I have no idea what I want to do with my life. Nothing interests me, and I feel that time is ticking away. I’m almost twenty-five and still live at home with my parents. I work at a café that I absolutely hate. It’s full of rich and snobby people. My name is Aria, the lost person who has no idea what I want to do. There’s no way in hell I plan to work the rest of my life waitressing but as I said, I’m fussy and have no idea what I want to do.
Though as I was saying, that changed one night with Jagger’s girlfriend. Celcia was her name, she was already a lawyer. I’d known her for a few years though we never talked much. I knew she knew all about me from my brother, and as much of a whore that he is, he also has a bigger mouth than a girl that’s drunk. Celcia had one too many drinks and decided to tell me about her sex life. I wasn’t interested until she told me how she came about her sexual partners. I thought she was lying to start off with, I thought that doesn’t happen in the real world, only in movies or books. She asked for my number and told me they wanted someone new, someone who could get the job done. Whatever the job was? I brushed her off and thought nothing of it. That was until one night at work.
I never gave a second thought to what Celcia told me that night. I assumed she was drunk and making shit up. She wasn’t. I should have listened carefully, taken in all that she was rambling about. But I didn’t, so the following week when a gentleman came up to me and asked for me by my name, I was surprised. And then when he asked to talk to me in private, I was even more surprised. Then he asked me how many times I’ve been in love and had sexual partners, I was ready to punch him. He laughed at me, his name was Dominic. He wouldn’t tell me much at first; he wanted to get to know me, to see what I was capable of. He was in his early thirties I’m guessing. Very attractive, dressed in a suit. Short dark hair, mysterious was what he was.
“Celcia said you’re what I’m looking for. She said you would be able to handle what needed to be done. I’m not quite sure, you seem too young, too good.”
I wanted to yell at him, to scream at him. The way he said “good,” was like I was a schoolgirl, who did no wrong. So I answered all his questions that day, even the ones I didn’t want to. I needed to know more about what he was offering, even if that meant telling him things I didn’t want to.
“Have you been in love?”
“No.”
“Do you enjoy sex?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want to fall in love?”
“No.”
“Do you want a husband and kids?”
“No.”
“Could you hurt someone so bad that even if they’re pleading with you to stop, but you’re not allowed to?”
“Yes.”
“Can you be discreet?”
“Yes.”
The questions went on and on, and it seemed as though he was testing me, seeing what made me tick. Testing to see my limits. I wasn’t lying when I answered all his questions. I don’t want those things. I like to spoil myself, have everything to myself. I’m selfish, I don’t like to share. I grew up sharing everything my whole life, whether it was with my sister with my clothes, or my brother knowing my thoughts. I wanted to separate myself from that, to be my own person, and Dominic was offering me that.
“I’m not going to lie, you’re a beautiful woman. It’s what I look for, looks are a big factor in what I do. But also strength, I don’t want someone who would fuck up my operation because she cared too much, or she thought what I do is too cruel. I strive in my business, Aria. If you fuck with my business…well, let’s just say you would not be happy.” He leans back in his chair and takes me in. What I guess he’s looking for is something that says I would crack. That he could pick up just from my facial expressions, but I’ve started to master my facial expressions. One has to do so when your family can pick up on the smallest of things.
“Meet me tomorrow at this address. If you think you can handle what I’ll show you, you’ll have yourself a job.” He stands and holds out a card to me. I take it and stand and shake his hand. He looks me over again, this time his eyes roaming my body from top to bottom.
He never said another word then he left. I stood there bewitched by him and his questions. Wondering what kind of job would require such information. Surely what Celcia said can’t all be true.
Woman don’t traffic men, do they?
I’ve heard stories of women been taken and sold into sex slavery, but never a man. Women are an easy capture, easy prey. Dominic seems to think the other way around.
****
I dress in shorts, runners and a blue tank top the next day. As I make my way downstairs, my mother shakes her head at me.
“What?” I harrumph at her, grabbing my bag from the kitchen table.
“Can you not cover them up?” She waves her hand in the direction of my body, at my tattoos. I give her the stink eye. You know the one, where you don’t want to insult your loved one, but what they just said you think is utterly ridiculous.
“I think they’re beautiful,” my father says coming up to stand next to me and wrapping a hand around my shoulders to pull me in for a hug. I’m such a daddy’s girl and I love it.
“She isn’t a man, Ryan, she’s a lady.” I know she means well, and I did almost give her a heart attack when I was twenty and came home from vacation covered in ink.
“No, she’s a strong independent woman, with beautiful words and roses covering her body. Just stop it now, Julie, leave her be.” My father gives me one last squeeze before he walks away, leaving me standing there facing my mother.
“You know I mean no disrespect, hunny. I love you. I just don’t understand this,” she says waving her hands at my arms that are covered in Celtic writing. I do cover up some around her, I have more than her eyes can currently see.
I walk over and kiss her cheek, I’m already running late. Dominic is expecting me in thirty minutes. He was flat on the phone, not providing many details. Told me where and when to meet him, and he said not to be late before he hung up on me. I wanted to ring him back and tell him off for hanging up, but that probably wouldn’t land me a job.
I arrive at a luxury house five minutes late and see two men standing on the front terrace. I guess they’re bodyguards. They look me over, from top to bottom assessing me. The taller one walks out to me and pats me down, he doesn’t say a word. The shorter one nods for me to enter the house. I give him a weird look, are they not allowed to talk?
I walk straight past the men and into a dimly lit entrance. Dominic is standing there waiting for me. He looks me over the same way he did at the restaurant, then his lip quirks up into a smile. I place my hand on my hip and raise my eyebrows, his quirk stops and he starts to walk off leaving me standing there.
“Follow,” he says softly, just loud enough for me to hear. I straighten my stance and follow him up the staircase stopping on the second level of the house. I look around and notice it’s all rooms up here. There are no paintings on the wall, and no photos. Just plain white walls. Downstairs was much the same, but it feels smaller and bearer up here.
“Ms. Nixon, are you sure you want this job?” Dominic asks with his hand on the doorknob looking at me. I’m still not one hundred percent sure what this job entails, but I’m not one to back down. I don’t question him either about how he knew my name. I just nod my head and wait to see what he has for me.
His lips do that quirk thing again, it reminds me of someone who wants to smile, but is trying to retain it inside. He opens the door and walks out of my sight. Following close behind him into the dark room, the first thing I see is a glass wall, one similar to what they have at police stations. I walk close to it, not paying attention to anything else. I feel like I have to see what’s on the other side of that glass.
What I see first is hard to believe, and I immediately step back. Dominic is right behind me and grabs hold of my waist, his fingers burn into my skin, and his grip tightens. But it’s hard to focus on anything else right now as my eyes are glued to the two people in front of me, who obviously can’t see me.