Chapter 1
A light cloud cover made the night very dark. The street light five houses away provided little assistance. Shadows everywhere made her wince at the sudden realization someone could be watching her without her knowledge. The auburn hair stood up on her arms and the back of her neck but she didn't have a choice. She knew what she needed to do but once again she sat in the quiet car trying to think of any other way out. It was a daily and prevalent thought process but once again she came up empty. This was the only way and she knew it.
She was still beautiful at 36 years of age. Her children had for a while affected pretty negative changes to her physically but hard work and persistence had finally paid off. Her body was lean and toned except for the curvy silhouette she would never escape even at 118 pounds. Her green eyes flashed as she checked her make-up and for a split-second admired her own cleavage in the lighted rear view mirror.
With a final silent pep talk and a sigh she exited the car and walked across the street in shiny black four inch heels to a home she had never visited at 1:30 AM. With dread she knew before the night was over she would leave a small piece of herself there. It felt that way every time.
The small light by the door flashed on as she approached. She never knew for sure whether they were set off by motion detectors or by someone anxiously awaiting her arrival. They almost never answered the door right away and she could always sense being eyed through the tiny peepholes, voyeurs taking a last look before they finally revealed themselves to her. She never knew what to expect when the door opened.
Her only prior communication would have typically occurred either by email, text, or a furtive cell phone conversation. They would ask inane questions about her shoe size or how tall was she. Her womanly intuition was strong and she learned to rely on it to keep herself safe. Still she never knew what they would look like, short or tall, skinny or not, light or dark skinned unless there was a dialect that might possibly give something away in advance.
The door never opened. The light stayed on but there was no greeting from an appreciative male looking forward to her company. She waited and knocked at the door several times. She sent a text to the reason she was there in the middle of the night. Then she called. Anger welled up inside her when all she reached was voicemail. She stifled her anger long enough to leave a sweet message expressing concern that perhaps something came up and she hoped everything was ok.
By this time she was settled back in her car. Lights with motion detection usually go off after a few minutes. The light stayed on at the door and she felt with certainty there was someone inside. In that moment, strong feelings of being ignored and rejected, played with and discarded like a toy of no consequence washed over and consumed her. She didn't like being gone at night from her family but to waste time like this was just ridiculous and it made her angry.
Her thoughts were yanked back abruptly to the moment as her cell phone rang loudly in the dark stillness. The ring represented another opportunity and maybe for tonight too so she answered it. On the other end she was asked if she was available to which she replied affirmatively. He provided an address and she promised to text him how long it would take to arrive there.
Just like any salesperson making endless customer calls she was off to the next late night visit. The previous non-encounter was history and she wondered what she would be walking into next. The risk was extremely high but the financial reward was undeniable. Twenty minutes seemed an eternity but she was finally there. This neighborhood was well lit, more upscale with long driveways, big three and four car garages attached to two story homes with lots of windows. She was often amazed at the sheer quantity of men that did this regularly, especially the affluent.
The door opened and she was greeted by an appreciative smile. "You are beautiful!" he gushed. "You are more beautiful than your photos. I can't believe it". She thanked him for his kind words and he invited her in offering her a drink. She asked for a bottle of water. She would not drink anything offered that was not sealed upon arrival. Making that mistake had happened only once before. She had a cocktail and wakened in the morning to a room full of strange men playing cards. They all grinned at her like they knew her well... too well. She didn't know them and couldn't remember a thing. The memory was ugly to her.
This gentleman asked her to follow him and they went into the office at the back of the large home on the first floor. The home was well furnished with quality oversized furniture arranged perfectly in each room she viewed. Beautiful artwork was on the walls, and nicely framed photographs were everywhere of what was surely his family and friends. He offered her a black leather office chair in front of a large well-built mahogany desk. He sat himself next to her in the matching chair, intending of course to be as close to her as possible.
For the first time since she arrived she was able to look at him closely as the light was a bit dim but much better than before. He was a nice looking man of perhaps his late fifties or early sixties with blue eyes and a full head of grey hair. In a second she realized it bothered her because she imagined this man was surely the kindly grandfather of an entire family and the devoted husband of someone special for many years. She would learn he was in fact the father of four grown and successful children as he began to share some information about himself with her.
