The locks in the limo click, creating an ominous atmosphere.
“I’m Aurora,” I say, trying to break the tension, but he doesn’t respond. He keeps staring at me, so I nervously push on. “But you probably already know that.” I let out a shaky giggle.
He reaches out his hand, and I freeze, unsure what he’s doing. I feel the limo pull away, and I have a moment of panic. Certainly, the limo driver must know this man is back here. He must be back here for a reason. He grips my ponytail softly, taking the hair tie out and letting it fall down around me.
He runs his fingers through the long locks, and for a second I almost lean into the touch, so unused to physical contact that I’m desperate for it. Even from a stranger. Midway through my last production, they changed a few of my dances so the male lead Sam was no longer touching me. No one has touched me in so long. My eyes fall closed as I enjoy the feeling. I moan, enjoying it.
His hand disappears, and I realize what just happened. I just moaned out loud. I look over at him and feel my cheeks burn. I wish I could see his face better, but the limo is too dark. Maybe he’s some kind of bodyguard or something. He’s big enough. But why would he pull my hair down?
The stranger leans forward and opens up the compartment next to me. Inside, I see drinks. A bottle of Coke, a chocolate milk, and some smoothie-looking thing with whipped cream on it. My mouth waters. Oh God. I’ve never had any of these before in my life. I stare at them, not sure which to pick. How silly is that? I start to reach for the Coke but change my mind and go for the chocolate milk. But then I stop myself again.
I look over at the mystery man, who’s still just watching me. Maybe he can’t talk.
“Can I have more than one?” I ask as I bite the inside of my cheek, feeling stupid. Maybe my mom is right and I don’t have any self-control.
Finally his face changes, and he smirks, showing off his perfect white teeth and a dimple. He nods at me. I grab the chocolate milk and lock my lips around the straw, sucking it down. I moan at the taste. I didn’t know something could taste so good. I look to the man, feeling embarrassed once again. I’m making moaning sounds over a drink, and I notice his expression has turned predatory. I stop drinking and scoot back in my seat a little. I don’t think I’ve ever been alone with a man before. Something in the air has changed. I can feel it running over my skin, and the instincts I should have had the moment I got into the car finally seem to wake up.
“Who are you?” For some reason the words are hard to get past my lips. They feel heavy, and I don’t sound like myself.
He leans close to me, but I can’t seem to focus anymore. I try to shift away, but my body isn’t listening. My limbs are heavy, and now I can’t make them move. He takes the drink from my hand, putting it back next to the others.
He smiles softly this time as he leans against his seat and takes my hand in his. I look down as his big palm engulfs my dainty fingers.
“Soon, little star, all will be explained,” I hear him say as my eyes fall closed.
Chapter Four
Aurora
When I open my eyes, I sit up too fast and then feel dizzy. I push my legs over the edge of the bed and drop my head in my hands to make the room stop spinning. There’s soft light coming in all around me, and I sense a cool breeze on the back of my neck that makes me feel instantly better.
I don’t feel sick, I just sat up too quickly, and it passes almost as fast as it began. When I look up, I glance around the room and see that it’s a large bedroom that is almost the size of my living room back home. There is a bathroom on one side, and on the other there are French doors that are open and lead onto a patio. I stand up and move toward the open doors. The cool stone of the patio on my feet makes me glance down to see I’m still in the same clothes from this morning, but now I’m barefoot. The jeans and V-neck shirt I have on don’t feel warm enough as the breeze hits all of me now. Looking out I see white sand that spans as far as I can see and dark waters crashing against small rocks that shoot out at various points on the shoreline. The tall grass edging the sand is blown in the wind, and beyond that there is nothing.