“Trixie is expecting you today. Give her your schedule for the week.” Then, without further ado, he was gone.

I knocked on Trixie’s door later that afternoon after Ghost showed me how to get through the secret door. Guess now that I had passed the test, I could know how to access the bowels of The Den.

The wooden door opened and I was surprised to see an older woman standing in front of me. I wasn’t sure what I had expected Trixie to look like. Maybe a blonde with huge fake boobs and a tart personality. It would seem what I got was just the opposite. And I was more than okay with that.

Her graying blonde hair was swept up into a messy knot on her head. Her face was devoid of makeup, not that she needed it. I could only imagine what a knockout she had been when she was younger. She was beautiful, even though she had to be pushing sixty years old.

“Hi. Are you Trixie?” I asked the woman, sticking my hand out to hers.

She looked down at it for a moment before extending hers as well. “I am, and you are?”

“Alyssa Swanson. Xavier said you’d be expecting me,” I explained.

“Oh yes. Come on in.” I followed her into a room similar to the one Ghost had taken me to the last time I was at The Den. She sat behind the desk and pushed a small stack of papers in my direction. “Might as well take a seat and fill these out. Need to know your preferences—condoms, no condoms, anal, toys, girls—whatever you like and don’t like. This is your opportunity to tell me what kind of clients you won’t take. Everything is fair game if it isn’t on that sheet. I also need your medical history. Doc will be in on Monday. Until then, no penetration. Need to make sure you have a clean bill of health first. And all girls are on birth control, no matter what. Doc will get you squared away if you need it.”

I stared dazedly at the papers as she talked. It was all starting to seem a little too real for my comfort. Trixie must have been used to it because she gentled her tone as she continued to explain what was expected of me in regards to health exams, schedules and performance.

Still overwhelmed, I managed to fill out the paperwork.

Condoms? Yes, please.

Anal? Um… no, I didn’t think so.

Girl-on-girl action? I guess. I had no frame of reference to know whether I wanted to or not.

Blowjobs? Sure.

Toys? Definitely.

Bondage? After last night, I’d think that would be a given.

The list went on, and I was in a slight daze when I finally finished.

Trixie set a fancy new iPhone on the table in front of me and I blinked at it. Then I looked up at her and blinked again.

“That’s yours, courtesy of the boss. Any important numbers you’ll need to know are programmed in it. If you get a text with an assignment, you’re expected to answer it within the hour. Got it?”

I nodded woodenly, still reeling from the news that Xavier was giving me a cell phone.

He gives them to all the girls. You aren’t special, my mind chided me.

He probably did get them for everyone. The idea that I would be no different to him from the other girls had me frowning. I barely knew the man, and even though I wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, wondering if I was special to him was a dangerous move. Even I knew that, and I was beginning to realize now that my eyes were opened to this crazy world that I was incredibly naïve.

“Welcome aboard, Aurora. Now I just need to know what your last name will be.”

I was caught off guard by her words and, as a result, gave her another confused expression. Last name?

“I’m sorry. Did you just call me Aurora? My name is Alyssa.”

“Maybe out there you’re Alyssa.” She pointed towards the door. “But in here, the boss says your name is Aurora. You can either tell me what you want your last name to be or I can make one for you. Your call.” She shrugged her shoulders and gave me an impatient look.

I supposed it made sense to have a stage name of sorts. Although Marx did know my real name. I wondered if that would be a problem or if Xavier would tell him to call me Aurora next time. If there was a next time. And I hoped there would be. Marx was good looking and wasn’t a creep. I’d take as many jobs with him as I could.

“James,” I told Trixie, my aunt’s last name being the first thing that came to mind. “Aurora James.” It felt odd on my tongue, but I kind of liked it. And the idea of having an alter ego was more appealing than I would have thought. Now I could compartmentalize my life, making it easier for when I had enough money saved up to walk away.

“I like it. I think the boss will like it too. Now let’s show you to your room. You can personalize it however you want, but I suggest you keep it locked whenever you aren’t inside. Girls here can get catty. I don’t approve of it, but I can’t always stop it either. Best to play it safe.”

I took that information in, cringing a little that I would most likely have to deal with childish antics from grown women, and followed her down one of the bisecting halls with lots of doors on either side. Oh, so these were the girls’ rooms. It all made sense now.

Stopping midway down, she unlocked a door on the right and pushed it open. I walked past her into the room. The walls were stark white, a pile of red silk sheets folded in the center of a queen-sized bed. A nightstand with a lovely Victorian lamp was next to the bed, and an old antique looking wardrobe faced the bed. To the left, there was a doorway leading into a three-piece bath.

“I’ll leave you to it. Check in with me tomorrow when you get here.”

“Thanks, Trixie.” With a small smile, she left me to take in my surroundings.

It was hard to believe this was all mine. I imagined a picture of a naked woman I had seen while window-shopping recently on the large empty wall over the bed. Maybe some pretty flowers on the table. I made a note to go to the store and pick both items up after my next paycheck and then proceeded to make the bed with the linens that were provided.

I had just finished putting the pillows in their cases when there was a knock on the partially closed door. Until that moment, I had forgotten I wasn’t alone in this place. Xavier must have paid big bucks to have the rooms soundproofed.

With a pillow in one hand, I pulled the door open with the other. On the other side of the threshold was a pretty redhead with bright green eyes and freckles on her face that gave her an innocent look.

“Hi,” she chirped. “Thought I’d welcome the new girl.”

“Hi,” I responded with a smile. “I appreciate it. I haven’t had a chance to actually meet anyone yet. I’m Alyssa… er… Aurora.” I shrugged. Did the girls call each other by their real names or their aliases? I had no idea what proper protocol was.

“I’m Marcia. But around here people call me Cotton Candy.” At the look on my face, she smiled knowingly. “Silly I know, but you’d be surprised how much the men eat it up.”

“Oh, I’m sure.” Men weren’t that hard to please. Give them a cute girl with a stripper name and they’d be all over her in a flash.

“You can call me Candy, though. So what’s your story?” Candy had walked past me and on her question she flopped herself down on the bed, leaning back on her elbows as she looked up at me.

“Not much to tell. Single mother. No money.” I shrugged.

“Boy or girl?”

“Girl. Sophie. She’s four.”

“I have a girl myself. She’s seven. We should have a playdate with Sophie and Sasha.” Her look of pride at the mention of her daughter mirrored my own.

“I’d like that.” Trixie had warned me about the girls being catty, yet Candy seemed so nice. That didn’t mean I’d let my guard down completely. It did mean I was glad I had found someone to connect with so quickly.