She quickly slipped into her dress and looked around the room, making sure she didn’t leave anything. When she awoke minutes earlier, she heard the shower running and took the chance to leave before he came out. Walking into the spacious living area, she found her heels lying near the couch and grabbed them along with her clutch. After making sure she had everything, she looked around the massive suite and put on her warm jacket. She had a pit in her stomach and needed to get out of here before she became sick. Swallowing the bile in her throat, she couldn’t believe she’d stooped this low-to sell herself for the right amount of money.

This would only be a one-time thing, she thought. When she walked out that door her life would go back to normal; last night never happened.

3 days earlier…

Aspen managed to catch the subway just in time and headed to her temp job at Bates Inc. The company specialized in global marketing and advertising and although she virtually had no interest in the specialties, she loved working there; she was able to get in some great studying and she always got to leave by eight.

As she held on to the railing, she heard her cell going off and hurried to take it out

Bill Mafia (Student Loan) Calling

She rolled her eyes. It was only 2:15 and this was the third time they’d called her today. They never left messages anymore; they only called and if she answered she was met with a rude operator demanding her payments. Her grandmother’s death three months ago in June changed everything; the money Aspen had saved up had to go towards the burial and tombstone. Aspen had no idea they would cost so much and because she had no other family to turn towards, she had to pay for it all herself by using her credit card and savings,-lucky for her, her grandmother’s priest charged her nothing for the private funeral.

Although it would all prove to be damaging to her credit, Aspen didn’t regret it. Her grandmother had done everything for her. And now as Aspen stood in the subway, she ignored the call and tried to conjure up a plan to get her finances back on track. Struggling to pay rent for a Park Slope apartment and keeping up with her studies often delayed her payments towards her overdue bills. She knew she owed her loan office about 300 dollars just for the past couple of months alone and she would take care of it as soon as she got paid next week, or at least pay half of it.

When Aspen arrived to work some twenty minutes later, she was immediately summoned by her supervisor and sent on an errand to get the Mr. Bates’ dry cleaned suit as well as a large black coffee. Since Aspen didn’t want to be chewed out for bringing Mr. Bates a cold coffee, she decided to get the suit first then the coffee second.

In record time, Aspen rushed to the Starbucks closest to her job with the plastic protected suit draped over her arm and hurried inside the café, not paying attention to her surroundings. Before she knew it, her body collided with another, sending her to the ground. She heard the various items in her bag scatter across the floor and the murmurs and giggles from the other patrons.

“Shit! I’m so sorry!”

Aspen rubbed her elbow and caught a brief glance at the blonde woman before standing up to collect her things off the floor.

“No I shouldn’t have been rushing-I’m sorry it’s my fault, ” Aspen flustered out.   

The blonde woman looked at Aspen sympathetically. She bent down to help gather the other items and picked up Aspen’s cell just as it began ringing.

She handed Aspen her things, “The bill mafia is calling you,” she remarked.

Still mortified from the accident, Aspen pursed her lips and took her things, “Thanks…” she muttered.

She turned around to get in line and heard the woman following her. Trying to focus on the line in front of her, she felt a tap on her shoulder seconds later and inwardly sighed. Turning slightly to face her, Aspen got a better look at the woman; she was stunning.

“Hi, my name’s Celeste,” she held out her hand and Aspen shook it.

“Aspen.”

“Aspen? That’s a pretty name.”

“Thanks, I like yours too.”

They moved forward with the line.

“Thank you,” Celeste looked around them before stepping closer, “I hope I won’t offend you by asking this, but, are you having money problems?” she asked in a hushed voice.  

Aspen appreciated Celeste trying to be discreet but the woman’s boldness was nonetheless annoying her.

“Who isn’t?”

Celeste giggled, “It’s just that, y’know, the bill mafia thing,” her eyes went to Mr. Bates’ suit, “Are you some sort of assistant?”

“Temp.”

“Yep,” she nodded, “Been there, done that. Fetching coffees, filing, the whole nine.”

Aspen only shrugged dismissively and realized she was next in line. After ordering the coffee she stepped off to the waiting area, hoping Celeste’s nosy ass would leave her alone.

Unfortunately for her, Celeste couldn’t take a hint and joined her near the waiting table.

Picking up where she left off, Celeste leaned towards Aspen, “I was in so much debt and the card sharks rode my ass everyday. My nana, she was always there to help me out but one night she went into cardiac arrest and just like that, she was gone. I was literally living in hell.” 

Aspen looked at her, “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, it was about four years ago.”

“I lost my grandmother a few months ago.”

Celeste gave her condolences and smiled remorsefully, “It’s just fucked isn’t it? You have to keep yourself busy to make it all easier, and if you’re lucky, the stress of whatever job you have will gloss over the hurt.”  

The barista called Aspen’s name and handed her the coffee. This was her chance to leave but now for some odd reason, she didn’t want to leave Celeste just yet.  

“You said you were in debt, how did you get out?”

Celeste smiled at her, “I had a chanced encounter with a woman who gave me a job and it changed my life. Gradually my debts became smaller and smaller-and dwelling into stocks also helped, I absolutely love the stock exchange, anyway now I only fetch coffees for myself,” she said complacently. 

Aspen watched as Celeste dug into her Burberry purse and took out a matching wallet. She opened it and pulled out a lavender pink business card, handing it to Aspen.

Looking the card over, she only saw Celeste’s name and a number. Aspen wasn’t stupid; Celeste was either in the drug trade or in porn.

“I’m not into the whole drug mule thing,” Aspen told her directly.   

Celeste laughed and shook her head, “Neither am I Aspen.”

When the barista yelled Celeste’s name, she took her drink and the two began walking towards the door.

“I’m not into sex on camera either.”

Celeste gave Aspen a look that immediately had her feeling bad for saying such a thing.

“I’m not in porn. Look, I’m just a lucky woman who knows how it is and wants to help, and you look like you need it.”

The two stepped outside and Celeste walked over to a polished black Town Car. There was a muscular man leaning on it, and when he saw Celeste, he opened the backdoor.

Celeste looked back at Aspen, “When you’re ready for a change, call me.”

She waved and Aspen waved back. The man gave Aspen a nod before turning away.

Aspen looked that the graffiti covered seat in front of her as she headed home from work, having trouble getting her conversation with Celeste out of her mind. Thoughts of the short exchange she had with the woman made her workday pass by quicker, but it was all strictly lighthearted; Aspen would never involve herself in something that seemed so shady.

Her ringing phone brought her back to reality-she picked it up and sighed frustrated. 

Bill Mafia (Visa) Calling

Chewing on her lip, she decided to answer, “Hello?”

“Am I speaking with Miss Hale?”

“Yes you are.”

“Hello Miss Hale, this is Gregory from Visa credit services, are you aware that you’re three months late on your payments?”

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that. I’ve been working on making payments and I believe I made a minimum payment of fifty dollars a couple weeks ago.”

“Yes our records show you did make a payment of fifty dollars but you have to make a full payment of $3858.75 by the end of this month Sunday, 11:55pm. If you don’t, we will transfer your information to collections and I can assure you Miss Hale, they won’t be as nice as we’ve been with you.”

Aspen grimaced, “So there’s no way I can make another minimum payment and stay in the clear?” she asked.

“I’m sorry Miss Hale but it’s past the point of leniency.”

“Okay, I’ll try to make the full payment by Sunday, thanks.”

She hung up and made a phone call to her bank; she had just about $460 and figured she could take $200 out and through some miracle, she would raise enough tips passing out cocktails at Vine Friday and Saturday night; anything was possible. Again, she thought about Celeste and the little pink card in her bag; when you’re ready for a change…

Aspen snapped out of it and decided to go to the ATM near her place. Yeah she needed a change, but she wasn’t desperate.

At least for now.

It was still fairly light out when Aspen made it to the ATM. She inserted her card and typed in her pin, unbeknownst to the man dressed in black approaching her.

When she felt something hard press against her back, she froze, “No…” she whimpered.

“Shut up. Take all of the fucking money out and don’t you make a fucking sound.”

The man’s harsh voice came out sinisterly in her ear. When she heard him cock the hammer of the gun, she began trembling. With unsteady hands, she pressed the buttons and drained her account. Too afraid to look at anything but the screen, she kept her eyes on the transaction and handed her robber the money.

He snatched the money from her hand and pressed himself against her, chuckling grimly in her ear, sending an eerie shiver down her spine. Aspen felt her body go cold with fear, there had to be someone who was seeing this so why wasn’t anyone helping her?! Moving the gun from her back to her front, the man used the barrel to rub against her intimate area. Aspen held her breath and began trembling harder.

“You should get home baby, there’s pervs out here.”

He squeezed her ass and hurried away, but Aspen didn’t move or look at anything but the ATM screen. It wasn’t until she heard a car horn that Aspen jumped and looked around. There were some people about a block away that were looking in her direction; they probably saw the whole thing, but didn’t intervene in fear of being shot. She was angry, but she couldn’t blame them. Frightened and hurt, she grabbed her card and receipt and rushed off.  She jogged home in her pumps and wouldn’t stop until she reached her apartment door. Aspen cried harder when the shock transformed into realization; she was just robbed at gunpoint! She had never been robbed before and the man humiliated her sexually; she felt sick to her stomach and cheap. On top of all that, she was completely broke.

She ran up to her door and unlocked it quickly, slamming the door behind her and locking it. Still crying, she wiped her eyes and surprisingly didn’t see her two roommates, Nel and Bria, anywhere in the living room; it was a Monday night, those two never did anything on Mondays.

She sniffed and noticed that the television was on, “Guys?” 

She heard something coming from their bedroom and walked to the door, pressing her ear against it. The moaning and bed squeaks made her roll her eyes and she ran to her room, throwing her bag on her bed before falling onto it and putting a pillow over her face. As loud as she could, she screamed out and continued to cry with the pillow still smothering her. She cried until the only thing that came out were dry sobs. The stresses of her debts, rotten luck, and school all came down on her heavily. She used to be able to manage the pressures of everything but fuck it if she could now; she felt utterly hopeless and lonely and desperately wanted to hear her grandma’s warming voice.

As always her phone began ringing and like clockwork she let it go to voicemail. She already knew who it was and when she threw the pillow off to the side and picked up her phone, she was right.

One Missed Call: Bill Mafia (Student Loan)

Aspen sniffed and curled up, holding her knees up to her chin. She had three dollars left in her account, her credit card wouldn’t be working until she made the full payment, and even though she would be getting paid next week she still wouldn’t have enough for her upcoming rent, not to mention food and her cell bill. There was no way she could ask Nel or Bria for money. Those two were trust fund babies so they certainly had it, but Aspen would never mix money and friendship. The two were already kind enough to shed a couple hundred off her rent, and she didn’t want them to start to feel as if she was trying to scam them. If they had a falling out she would have nowhere else to go.

Turning on her other side, she saw the little pink card sticking out of her bag. She closed her eyes tightly to clear her teary vision then opened to look again. Technically, Aspen still wasn’t sure what Celeste did, and she wouldn’t know until she called.  

She picked up her cell and snatched the card from her bag. After wiping her eyes she dialed the number-her thumb hovered over the green button. She felt like Neo in The Matrix; should she push the green button and change her life, or the red and forget Celeste ever happened?

Swallowing her nerves, she pushed the green button and waited for Celeste to answer.

“Hello?”

“Celeste? Hi, this is Aspen…we met earlier today.”

“Aspen wow, I have to say I’m shocked you called so soon.”

“Yeah…”

“Have you been crying? You sound hoarse.”

She sniffed again and exhaled, “I’m home now, but I was robbed-“

“Are you hurt?!”

“No, no I’m fine.”

“Where were you robbed?”

“A-at a ATM near my place. He had a gun and he made me drain my account-I basically have nothing...”

Tears started falling again and she tried to calm herself down. She could still feel her robber’s breath on her ear and rubbed her ear to make it go away.

“I’m so sorry sweetie,” Celeste consoled.  

Aspen groaned frustrated and wiped her eyes. Celeste didn’t even know her but she cared and that made Aspen feel a little better.

“You um, you said to call you when I was ready for a change...”

“Yeah, I did.”

“Well, I think I’m ready now!” she chuckled out tiredly.

“Can you meet with me tonight?”

“Tonight?”

“Yeah, I can pick you up at your place. It’s easier to do the interview as soon as possible. That way, you can start working sooner,” Celeste explained.

Aspen looked at her alarm clock; it was about nine, “Um, yeah I guess I can meet with you tonight. “

She gave Celeste her address and Celeste told her she would be there in about a half-hour.

After hanging up, Aspen realized she hadn’t asked Celeste what this job was exactly. Too stressed to care, she took off her dress and wiped off her smeared make-up. She reapplied her mascara and decided to wear black pants with a blue blazer. She grabbed her bag and cell and walked into the living room. Her roommates were still going at it and that was fine with her; she wanted to be alone at the moment and pull herself together.

The sound of the intercom buzzer startled Aspen away from the television. She shut it off and got off the couch to answer, “Hello?”

“It’s Celeste.”

“I’ll be right down.”

She met Celeste on her front steps and Celeste pulled her in for a solace hug before leading her to her car, where the same muscular man was waiting, holding open the door for them. The man nodded at Aspen and she thanked him before getting in.

What’s your driver’s name?” Aspen asked after he closed the door.

“Derek, he’s more so my bodyguard than my driver though.”

“What do you need a bodyguard for?”

“With what I do, sometimes it can get scary, Derek makes sure nothing happens to me, and if everything goes in our favor, he’ll be your bodyguard too.”

“About that…what will I be doing that requires a bodyguard?”

Celeste clasped Aspen’s hands and gave her a nervous look. Aspen could tell whatever Celeste was about to tell her would either make or break the moment.

“It’s called elite escorting. What happens is that men contact my boss to seek out an elite escort for the night. It can be sexual or strictly for appearances, like for a parties.”

Aspen glanced down at their hands. She couldn’t deny that she didn’t see this coming; dirty money often aligned with beautiful people. But she needed this money; she needed a quick fix to help her get back on her feet. Aspen supposed she should be frightened at the idea of being an elite escort but at that moment, the short amount of time with her robber that felt like hours, altered her thoughts on what fear was. What Celeste did, what she would likely be doing, was just sex-sex with a rich guy. It wasn’t like she was a virgin or anything. Just one night with a man would place her back on track and decrease her debts.

It would only be for one night; she would forget about it the next day and move on with her life.

“Aspen? Do you want Derek to take you back home?”

She looked at Celeste and shook her head, “So you’re a prostitute…”

“That’s one of the technical terms yes, I exchange my services for their goods. All of the men are tested beforehand, as well as I, so it’s safe sexually. And as I mentioned before, Derek makes sure I’m protected while I’m servicing,” Celeste explained.  

“How much do you make?”

“Well the starting rate is five-grand, but it can increase depending on your seniority, or how much a client is willing to pay. So since I’ve been with Madame V for a while now, my pay is always in the double-digits.”

“How do you know Derek will protect you?”

“All of your questions will be answered after your interview with Madame V, I know she’ll hire you. Sit back and rest sweetie, you’ve been through a lot.”

Abiding, Aspen sat back, watching the passing cars and city lights. She heard the soothing sounds of a classical symphony enclose around her and slipped into an unexpected peaceful sleep. 

“Wha…?”

Aspen grumbled from the slight shoving and yawned audibly.

Celeste smiled at the dazed woman and kept her hand on Aspen’s shoulder, “We’re here.”

Aspen rubbed her fatigued eyes and grabbed her bag. When Derek opened the door, she got out, thanked him shyly, and waited for Celeste to get out of the car. After getting out of the car, Celeste took Aspen’s hand and led her up the steps to a Victorian-styled home. Aspen skimmed her surroundings and noticed they weren’t in the city anymore. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep so for all she knew they could have been in Connecticut. The fog surrounding them illuminated in the moonlight, there was a tall dark gate outlining the generous yard, and the clicks of their shoes on the cobblestone pathway gave off a certain spookiness. The home appeared to be four or five stories and the large lion doorknocker on the wooden door made the home all more intimidatingly beautiful.

Celeste used a skeleton key to unlock the door and walked in, with Aspen following. She looked around in awe at the classic scarlet and gold décor. Almost every hall they entered had one or more Victorian paintings hanging on the black wall, and Aspen smelled the classic scent of antique musk wood. They stopped at a door at the end of the hall and Celeste knocked waiting for entry. Aspen heard a woman say come in and Celeste opened the door, entering first.

Aspen stepped into the study and glanced around, taking in the medieval designs; a armored sculpture of a knight was positioned in a corner, candle chalices holding red burning candles were positioned on either side of the mahogany gothic desk-with the tallest chalice on either side of the desk, leveling down to the shortest. A large sword and shield was placed at the very center wall of the room and below, Aspen saw a brunette woman sitting in a chair that resembled the iron throne from A Song of Fire and Ice. The woman, she assumed to be Madame V, was dressed in black, her chestnut hair pinned up. She wore heavy eyeliner and was gazing at her in a frigid manner.

Celeste guided Aspen to sit in the wooden chair opposite Madame V and stood off to the side.

Aspen swallowed then spoke up first, “Thank you for meeting with me, I’m sorry it had to be so late.”

Madame V cracked a small tight smile and glanced at Celeste before looking back at Aspen, “Don’t apologize dear, we are ladies of the night after all.”

Aspen heard Celeste giggling behind her and nodded in agreement, Madame V had a point.

“So, you’re interested in being one of my girls?”

Aspen nodded, “Yes, I am.”

“Long-term or short-term?”

“Short-term. Very short-term.”

“Why do you want to be one of my girls?

Aspen figured honesty was the best policy, “I need the money, and since I’m going to be involved in the oldest profession known to man, I want to do it in the best and safest environment,” she explained, “I’d much rather escort for you than turn tricks in the back of a Toyota on the corner of 36th street.”

She heard Celeste giggling again and this time Madame V joined.

“I like you Aspen. Tell me, have you had any sexually transmitted diseases in the past, or have any currently?”

Aspen shook her head, “Never fortunately.”

“You’re a very beautiful woman.”

“Thank you.”

“Of course I knew you would be, my girls only bring the beautiful ones,” she took out a slender black tube and placed a cigarette inside. Using a gold lighter, Madame V lit her cigarette and inhaled contently.

After blowing out a smoke ring, she focused her attention back on Aspen, “Age?”

“Twenty-four.”

“Are you employed elsewhere?”

“Yes, I work as a temp, a cocktail waitress, and a clerk. I’m also a medical student at Columbia University.”

Madame V looked at her impressed, “Come! Stand!”

Aspen quickly stood and glanced at Celeste, who was approaching her. With the elegant cigarette holder between her fingers, Madame V approached and walked around her, Aspen assumed she was checking her out.

Madame V stopped in front of her, “Take off your clothes,” she ordered.

Aspen looked at her startled. Madame V smiled genuinely before explaining, “It’s all part of the interview dear. I have to make sure you’re up to par.”

Aspen looked at Celeste who gave her a supportive smile. She exhaled and began taking off her clothes, handing them to Celeste. When she was completely naked, she stood still for her inspection. Somehow, she wasn’t completely humiliated; she felt more violated before with her robber.

Madame V did another inspection before nodding to Celeste. Aspen took her clothes back and when she was fully dressed, she looked back at Madame V.

“How do you feel about anal penetration?”

Aspen gaped at her and shook her head grudgingly.

“How about penetration without male contraceptive?”

“I, well would I have to do it without a condom?”

“My clients pay more for non-contraceptive penetration. All of my girls are on birth control, you will be too if not already.”

“I am, Seasonale, it helps with my cramps,” Aspen told her quietly.

“Very good, I place my girls into categories-what they will and will not do. You’ll have a chance to get specific right after you leave here.”

“Okay.”

“Aspen, sometimes my clients make specific request for ethnic girls, be it their personal preference or for fetishisation reasons. If this should happen and I choose you, would you be comfortable following through with the service?”

“Sure, I guess.”

Madame V turned to Celeste, “Take her to medical room and make sure she signs the papers before she leaves,” she turned to Aspen, “You’ll be tested if need be given a new supply of Seasonale. After your test results come back clear, you’ll be able to start working.”

Aspen thanked her and followed Celeste out of the room and down the stairs to a room that looked more like a lab. There was a woman there, who hardly spoke, and took her urine and blood test, and afterwards, Celeste went over the confidentiality agreements and contracts. Aspen signed them all, including the consent for her background check and access to her medical records.

“Okay here’s the list!”

Aspen had to laugh at the excitement in Celeste’s voice.

“You’re way too happy about this.”

“Oh come on! This is the best part! Here, I’ll read them off and you tell me yes or no.”

Getting more comfortable in her spot on the metal table, Celeste cleared her throat and clicked the pen.

“Kissing, open and or closed mouth?”

“Yes-to both.”

“Intercourse?”

“Yes.”

“Intercourse without male contraceptive?”

Aspen pondered the question; Madame V said she would get more without the condom and she was on birth control. They would both be clean as well…

“Yes.”

“Anal intercourse?”

“No!”

Celeste giggled, “Anal intercourse by finger or fingers, and or by stimulant toy?”

“No and no.”

“Anal toys can be fun you know, especially those little ball things.”

“It’s still a no, I don’t want anyone putting anything up my ass this year.”

“Okay so next year you’ll be more open, gotcha,” Celeste simpered, winking at her.

Aspen smacked her leg playfully, “Next question please!”

“Okay okay! Intercourse by double penetration?”

Aspen frowned at the thought, “Nope.”

“Oral intercourse, either giving, receiving, or both?”

“…Yes, to all.”

Celeste smirked and continued, “Orgies?”

“No.”

“Check all that apply, bondage and or discipline, dominance and or submission, sadism and or masochism?”

“Um, no to the last two for sure…and no to the discipline.”

“Since you say yes to the other three there are subcategories that go along with each.”

Celeste read from the rest of the list, and what seemed like days later, a vocally drained Celeste read the final question, “Exhibitionism?”

“I don’t know what that is so no,” Aspen answered, equally exhausted.  

Celeste slammed the papers onto the table and jumped off to stretch.

“I need a massage and some chamomile tea!” she groaned.

“I need a twenty-four hour nap,” Aspen added wearily.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

Aspen felt bad that Derek had to drive her home so late but he didn’t seem to be bothered. Celeste had fallen asleep on the way, so when Derek pulled up to Aspen’s apartment, Aspen exited to car quietly.

She rubbed her arms due to the cool winds and waited for him to close the door.

“Thank you,” she told him in sincerity.

“You’re welcome Miss Hale.”

“How do you know my last name?”

“Who do you think delivers the papers and samples Miss Hale?”

Derek winked at her and Aspen blushed. She stumbled slightly walking up the steps and gave a quick wave before opening the door. In her room, she didn’t bother putting on any pajamas after stripping off her clothes and fell onto her bed. Her muscles ached with stress and her mind was a million miles away; in an alternate universe where money didn’t matter and regrets didn’t exist. This day felt like a nightmare, not the scary monster or evil demon kind, but the type that felt real; the kind of nightmare she woke up from thanking God her life wasn’t nearly as bad. But this wasn’t a nightmare or one of the crazy daydreams she had on the subway, this was her life and she was wide-awake.

It could always be worse, she thought.

This was the notion Aspen recited repeatedly in her head as she tried to make herself sleep. If she kept repeating it then hopefully, the realization at what she had just agreed to do would feel as insignificant as a bad dream.