Aurora
By 9pm I was already leaving for my night shift at the “Smokes on the water” bar, it was one of the best bars in our small-town Greenville County, and although they usually do not hire anyone without proper training and experience, I was the exception. Nash, the manager of the place was generous enough to get me the job of a table attendant five years ago and since then, I’ve stuck around. Not that I had much choice, but I’m grateful for this job. With all the hefty tips these rich assholes give me, it makes the job worth all the indecent comments they make about my body. Amelia stays the night until I come back home, which I am very thankful for, I wouldn’t want my mom to be alone if things go south at night. I walk in through the back door of the bar and am immediately met with the smell of expensive liquor and money.
“Thank God! You’re here!” Nash exclaimed with an exasperated sigh, I frown “but I am right on time, see” I showed him my watch that clearly indicates that it’s just 9:30pm. “I know Aurora but Sophie just called in sick and we are less on staff, you’ll have to cover for her as well” Nash informed and I shrugged and said, “Okay” more money for me. “You’re an angel” Nash said with a small smile. Overall, Nash was a superb boss to work with, he turned 28 just last week and gave us all a bonus for his birthday, which was definitely great for me, I wouldn’t complain about some extra cash. With his dark brown hair and emerald green eyes, Nash gets quite the female attention, but I have no idea why he is so hung up on Sophie, he could do so much better.
I tighten my apron and get to work, tonight is going to be considerably long, and I didn’t exactly prepare for it. The first table I’ve been allotted to, is bearable enough because they are a family of five and not some rich pricks, who think they have an open pass to harass a table attendant. After that, the night flows by with a flurry of new and regular customers coming in and leaving the bar. All in all, it’s been a pretty uneventful night, with only five conceited bastards asking if I was up for a night of pleasure. I very politely declined their intrusive offer, and asked for their orders, even if all I wanted to do was to bash the tray in their faces.
By the time it was 12am, almost every table was empty with only a few patrons drinking and chatting with their fellow mates. I rubbed my palms on the apron and made my way towards Nash’s office, “I’m done for the day Nash” I said, standing near his office door, he looked up from his computer and replied “no, actually you’re not” my eyes widened in disbelief. “Nash, I have my mother to take care of, the nurse will leave as soon as I reach home, I can’t keep her waiting” I explained in the most patient voice but really, on the inside I was fuming.
I worked an extra shift for his freaking girlfriend and he has the audacity to ask me to wait for longer than necessary? Nash sighed and shook his head. “Don’t get me wrong Rory, I am just trying to help you. I’ve a business meeting with two high end clients, and you are my best attendant right now, if they are impressed, you’ll end up getting a hefty tip.” He shrugs and then continues, “If you don’t want that kind of money, then I’ll ask Jake to fill up for you” manipulative bastard! I gritted my teeth, I really wanted to go home but if the money is really as huge as he says then… he knew I couldn’t say ‘no’ to extra cash. Resigned with my situation, I muttered “I’ll do it”, “perfect, they’ll be here in fifteen minutes” he replied and went back to work on his computer.
I waited inside the breakroom for exactly ten more minutes and then made my way to the V.I.P section where Nash held all of his meetings, as informed, there were two more men in suits just like him. I made my way to their table and put on my fake ass smile, “what can I get for you, gentlemen?” I said brightly, taking in their appearance. My smile dropped and my heart stopped beating. There is no way this was happening, there is no way he could be here, no…no…no, this cannot happen.
For a second, I thought I might faint and embarrass myself, my legs were shaking, if I stayed here any longer, I might die from hyperventilation. “Oh Rory! Finally, why don’t you get me a glass of whiskey” Nash ordered in an overly enthusiastic tone and I snapped out of my trance, I nodded and I turned to look at the second mystery man and waited for him to give his order, “Are you on the menu, love?” he asked in a thick British accent, for a moment, I forgot who was around me and all I could feel was anger for this unknown man, how dare he subject me to being merely a thing and not a living, breathing person? Asshole!
I took a deep breath to calm myself and replied, “Unfortunately, for you sir, I am not” I cast him a glare and he laughed like it was the most amusing sentence he’s ever heard. “Vodka” he finally replied and I nodded. There was no way I could ignore him now, I gulped in some much-needed air and willed myself to act as unfazed as possible even thought, from the inside I’m a freaking mess. He was sitting there in all of his glory, seeming totally unaffected by my appearance, he spared me a single glance before looking back at his business associates. And my heart stuttered.
Michael Calloway. My first love, my only love was back in town looking like Greek God incarnate and I was ones again reminded of all the precious things I lost in life, Michael Calloway topped that list because I was stupid enough to let him walk away from me, it was my fault and I was paying dearly. “Bourbon for me” he said with a southern drawl and every inch on my body shivered with anticipation. But then they went right back to discussing business and I was left to wonder if he even remembers me anymore, I shook my head and made my way to the bar to pick up their orders. I might just be a lost memory to him but he was my everything, no, he ‘IS’ my everything.
Aurora The whole night, I served them drinks, it was mostly Nash who was doing the drinking, so it wasn’t exactly a big task but being in such close proximity with Michael wasn’t helping either. Now when I look at him, all the traces of the sweet teenager I knew are gone, in his place is this indifferent, cold, broken man. Not once had he glanced in my direction or tried to acknowledge my presence, it was like I did not even exist for him. It hurt, it hurt so bad to be invisible to the one person whom you care the most about, but I didn’t want him to know that. I didn’t want him to know, that he was still my weakness, that he still had so much power over me. I kept my head held high and did what I came here for, ‘making money’, but it was freaking hard, with his cologne filling the air and the unrestrained masculinity that he emanated, I wonder how any woman could ever stay unaffected by him. When that thought crosses my mind, I chastise myself inwardly for even goin
MichaelWe walk towards the front door of the bar and Kayden opens the door for me, Kayden Donovan is a best friend and a potential investor in my next project. At 25 years old, Kayden has made his own fortune, he gave up his family money and started his own empire. That is why I respect him both as a friend and as a business associate. I place my hand on the inside of my jacket to retrieve my phone but when my hand comes out empty, I curse.“What is it?” Kayden asks with a frown on his face, I shake my head and say “it’s nothing, you should go ahead, I’ll meet you tomorrow” turning around I make my way back to the bar, “My phone’s in there” I say as a way of explaining and push the door to get inside. I take the stairs two at a time to the V.I.P section and rush to the table that we occupied; I don’t feel like spending even a single minute in this place but if the data on my phone is tampered with, I might ju
Aurora Numbness takes over me when I sit in his car and gaze out at the emptiness presented in front of me. I've had a fair share of ups and downs in my life but nothing comes close to this, no man has ever touched me sexually other than the one sitting right next to me. I close my eyes to get rid of the horrific images playing in my head, if Michael wouldn’t have been there, I would have ended up being violated in the worst way possible and there’d be no one to believe me. In the last nine years, my social life has been as dry as the Sahara Desert, I haven’t had time for a boyfriend let alone a friend. I don’t regret it though, I’d go through hell, if that meant I could keep my mother alive for just a few more minutes, oh my god! Panic grips me at the thought of my mother, even though she can’t move, she’d be worried about me not being there, tears spring into my eyes, ‘I can’t leave her alone’, I don’t want to. Its late and I know Amelia wouldn’t leave mom’s side u
AuroraI wake up at 4am and get ready for my morning shift at the post office, this job isn’t as exhausting as the one at the library, but after what happened yesterday at the bar, I don’t feel like moving an inch, my whole body is aching and sore. ‘You need the money Aurora’, I remind myself and sigh in frustration. After Michael left yesterday, I cleaned the blood on my lips and applied some ointment for my bruises, they weren’t exactly bad and I would be able to cover them with some light makeup but it still physically hurt to move. Then I made my way to mom’s room and cried, she wasn’t awake though and that was for the best. If she knew I was hurting, she’d be sad and it would take a toll on her health.I sluggishly drag myself out of the bed and brush my teeth lazily looking at myself in the mirror, the girl that looks back at me, is the one I don’t recognize. All the life has left my eyes and my body feels jus
Aurora I change into a pair of black jeans and a plane white boat neck shirt with my denim jacket and converse shoes. It’s been a while since I bought something for myself, I never really had a chance to go outside anyway, so I never bothered to upgrade my wardrobe. Now, as I stand in front of Michael’s office building, doubt creeps in, the whole building looks like the epitome of elegance. Without even entering inside, I know I’m going to stick out like a sour thumb. I take a deep breath and mutter to myself, “you can do this” with renewed confidence, I make my way to the glass doors of the building, they automatically slide open at my arrival and I stride inside. My jaw drops to the floor as I take in my surroundings, well… damn! This place is even more futuristic than I thought before. The floors and ceilings are all covered in white glistening marble, while the receptionist office and the couches scattered around are all plane black, there are modern steel chande
Michael I see as the shock leaves her face and she compose herself, closing her mouth and bringing her eyes to meet mine, “Don’t you think that is a bit too much money for an assistant?” she asks warily, she’s right. It is too much money for a woman who has no experience what so ever, but I saw her house yesterday and every single bone in my body doesn’t want to leave her alone in a situation like that. It looked horrible, empty and soulless not like the girl I left behind at all. Besides, I know Aurora, for all the bullshit things she did to me, she has always been a smart girl, a quick learner and a great organizer. It pains me to say that I still care about her wellbeing even after all these years and after all the lies she spewed at me, but this time around, I won’t make the same mistake, I will never keep my heart in line for her. “I will be expecting great results from you miss Sinclair, so no, I don’t think the money exceeds the amount of workload I’ll be putt
Aurora To say his words weren’t humiliating was the understatement of the year, I knew my outfit wasn’t exactly work friendly but he didn’t have to point that out. I needed new clothes, asap. So, after I left his office, I went to the nearest thrift store and bought some cheap work clothes, they weren’t tattered or faded, in fact they were better than anything I owned right now. I also had to do something about my job at the library, of course I wouldn’t continue there, I had to quit but without a two-week notice, I am not sure if Mrs. Hemmingway would be happy. I sighed, I kind of have to face the music sooner rather than later, why bother? I walked to the library because I couldn’t afford to waste money on a cab, now that I finally had ‘work appropriate’ attire to wear. When I got back, Mrs. Hemmingway was stacking up the last of books and was getting ready to close the shutter, I went up to her and she asked “how did the interview go?” without looking up, li
Aurora The next day I woke up with renewed excitement rather than dread, since my job at the post office was on alternate days, I didn’t have to get up earlier than necessary. The reporting time for ‘Calloway Constructions’ was at 8am, so I got up exactly at 6:30am and went about my business. I was standing in front of the floor length mirror at 7am with only my bra and panties thinking about what I should wear today. I wanted him to take me seriously and know that I was just as serious about this job, so I picked up a crisp white shirt and folded its sleeves to end right below my forearm. I paired it with knee length black skirt and the only black pumps I owned, to give it an all business look I wore simple pearl earrings and styled my hair into sleek high ponytail. Nothing too flashy, simple in a regal manner, I winked at my reflection in the mirror and gave the woman a thumps up, I applied light makeup to cover up my freckles and painted my lips cherry red. Well…