Chapter 11
eleven
. . .
“Sooo did he fold you like laundry?” Syn asked, as Aurora closed her car door with her hip and locked it. “I haven’t heard from you in like two days.”
“You know, considering showing up to a wedding we really weren’t invited to was some messy-ass shit, I shouldn’t even be talking to you.”
“Not you got an attitude with me, but your walk is a bit sideways,” Synia pointed out, halting Aurora midstride. “Mmhmm. So give me the tea before we get inside.”
Aurora crossed her arms and looked around at the parking lot starting to fill. “What do you want to know?”
“Bitch, everything. The way that man snatched you up and whisked you out of there like you were the reason he was calling the wedding off. And I might say, doing it exactly when it was supposed to start is diabolical.”
“We got burgers because clearly he’d been drinking. Went to his lake house, talked, made dinner, and I left.”
Synia gave her a deadpan expression. “How did you end up in his bed on your back?”
“Who said I was on my back?” Aurora snipped. “Conversation, I guess. Maybe a tear or two. Comfortability. But that’s over.”
“Said who? I’m seeing Rodney tonight when I leave and if I’m seeing Rod, you can still see big daddy Khalif,” Synia said, rolling her hips and sticking her tongue out. “And don’t lie, he ended your little drought with ease.”
“Syn, please leave me alone. I’m serious. Whatever you’re doing with Rod is great, but Khalif and I are – weren’t anything. One night, that’s it. He has things to do, and I do too.”
“And why can’t y’all be more than a night? Huh?” Synia studied her before gasping slightly. “Aurora Wilson is scared.”
Aurora waved her off. “I’m not scared, I’m a realist. I know where I do and don’t fit.”
“Do you?” Synia asked, propping her hand on her hip.
“Because you don’t belong at Splash. You belong in one of the skyscrapers downtown with an office overlooking the city.
You know those firms with the owner’s name in gold letters behind the secretary's station. Stop talking yourself out of happiness. Were you happy with him?”
Aurora looked away. The answer was yes. But she couldn’t bring herself to say it because the reality that Khalif could possibly be hers was … heavy.
Synia hummed. “Mmhmm. You were. So until you go get your man, operation get you out of the strip club has commenced. Come on.”
Inside the club, the pair was met by Vick, his cloud of smoke, and his disapproving scowl. “Now does someone want to tell me why the fuck my two most requested girls went MIA on me last night? It was damn near a riot in here.”
“Vick, I already told you not to call me in if I’m not on your little schedule,” Synia replied. “I got shit to do that doesn’t require shaking my ass.”
Vick scoffed. “And what’s your excuse?”
Aurora looked at him oddly. “Excuse? Vick, please. I already told you not to call me in. If those niggas were about to riot, don’t have nothing to do with me. My patrons know when I’m here.”
Vick scoffed again, taking a draft of his blunt before blowing it out. “Go get y’all asses ready for tonight. Damn VIP is booked.”
Synia mocked him and rolled his eyes. “Nigga, you better say please ‘cause when we leave what you gon’ do?”
“Y’all ain’t taking your asses nowhere!”
Aurora smirked. “You need to stop challenging me the way you do. I’ll leave your ass right here.”
“And do what, live off your daddy’s money? Oh, wait,” Vick spoke with a condescending chuckle. “Ain’t none. Take y’all asses to the locker room.”
Aurora looked at Synia. “You know, if I were one to fight, I would knock his ass out. I can’t stand him.”
Synia pulled Aurora away. “Come on. You’re almost out of here. Can’t be a lawyer with a felony assault case.”
Aurora allowed Synia to pull her away. At her mirror, she made up her face, but unlike any of the nights before, she couldn’t focus on the task at hand.
With every glide of her hand over her skin, she wished it were Khalif’s touch.
The process of turning into Aura was becoming a task.
A task that took more than an hour to pull off.
She took a look at the red set she wore, the lace mask over her eyes. Just enough showing to make whoever waited in the VIP want to touch but enough covered to silently refuse the advances.
Vick stepped in and called her by name. “Aura, upstairs to the private room. Don’t give me no lip either, this nigga dropped a bag for your ass.”
Aurora frowned. She heard the stories about the private room, typically, the dancers who went weren’t scared of the patron having his way. That wasn’t Aurora’s game.
Vick spoke again before she could object. “Biggs is going with you. I’ve given the nigga the rules. If he steps out of line, I’ll have his ass dropped.”
Aurora relaxed her shoulders slightly with relief. As she started past Vick, she mumbled, “I still can’t stand your ass.”
“The sentiment is the same.”
Biggs and Aurora started to the top level of the club in silence before Biggs looked at her. “How much longer you got in here?”
“A semester and a passed bar exam.”
“You scared of not passing?”
“…yeah actually. I don’t want to be here any longer than I have to.”
“If you ask me, you’ve been here too long already.” Biggs opened the door for her. “You want me inside?”
Aurora nodded. “Please.”
Aurora stepped in with Biggs behind her. Across the room, she spotted the man willing to spend too much money for a private dance. Khalif. Her breathing hitched slightly.
She turned to look at Biggs. “I’ll be okay.”
“You sure?” Biggs asked.
She nodded.
“Aight. You know the word, I’ll be right outside the door.”
Biggs walked out, leaving the two alone. Aurora took the stage and started moving to the music.
“I don’t want a dance, Aurora,” Khalif stated.
“I have to. The cameras record for ten minutes before going black. Apparently, it keeps Vick from getting arrested for his bullshit.”
“You ever danced up here?”
“No, this is where niggas come to cheat on their wives and pay top dollar for it,” Aurora replied, giving him his private dance.
Khalif sat and admired how her body moved. The idea that she would be doing this all night for niggas who didn’t deserve her, niggas who didn’t know her like him made his blood boil. But he found the minimal amount of control and watched her like a hawk for the remaining time.
Aurora spun around the pole and looked at the red recording light on the camera turn off. “You have a game tomorrow, why are you here?”
“You know why I’m here,” he spoke, as he stood, moving from the chair to Aurora sitting on the edge of the stage.
“You have things to clean up, Khalif,” she stated.
“I handled it.”
Aurora dryly laughed and looked away. “Your momma ain’t having that and I’m not putting myself in a position to be disrespectful to my elders.”
Khalif caught her chin and turned her face back center. He craned his neck so they could be face to face. “I handled it. Now I need you back where you’re supposed to be.”
“Those ideas will get us into trouble. Have us believing that one day could be forever. I already told you what this was.”
“It was some bullshit about plays and endzones. Right now versus forever. I like the idea of forever. I’ll have an infinite amount of time to know you.”
Aurora tried to pull away to no avail. Khalif’s grip nor glare under the low lights were easy to escape. Nor did she want to. “You don’t want that. Your head’s just spinning from some good pussy and conversation.”
“I won’t let you reduce yourself to that.” He tilted her chin upward. One lingering kiss. “You better than that. Bigger than that.”
“I don’t like living in my ideas, Khalif. I don’t like that I can’t move without feeling you. Touch myself without wanting it to be you. I don’t like being small. You can’t give me something I need and decide you don’t want it.”
“I know what I want,” he replied, untying her lace mask. “It ain’t Aura. It’s Aurora Wilson. Got my big ass holding pillows so I can smell you. Got me moving my family out of the way and creating boundaries so I can have you. Are you going to let me?”
His lips brushed against hers, causing her to nip his bottom lip slightly. She was too entranced by his energy. Khalif swiped his tongue over her lips. The gestures turned into their mouths devouring the other. Their moans were drowned out by the music playing louder now than before.
Aurora’s hands slid under his shirt. Still no answer, just an overwhelming need to feel him again.
Khalif stepped back, dropping his body into the chair, freeing himself.
The nonverbal invitation for Aurora to mount her throne.
Once she straddled him, he slid her bottoms to the side and pushed his digits inside.
They both groaned at the reunion.
“You missed me,” he grunted, rotating them inside of her.
Aurora’s breathing shuddered. “I did. I haven’t slept.”
“Me neither.”
With another set of rotation of his fingers, he pulled his saturated fingers out of her and sucked them clean. Aurora eased down on his erection and slowly grinded, letting her body readjust to him. He held her close and muttered against her skin, covered in shimmering body oil.
“I need you home with me, you understand me?”
“Yes,” she whimpered. “I understand.”
“Good,” he said huskily.
“Khalif.” Her darkened eyes were on his. “You paid for it. Give me the beast.”
Only Aurora could get him to come out like this. He stood with her body still gripping him and took her back to the stage.
“Ass up,” he growled.
She did, bending over, welcoming him with the view of her center. Khalif dropped his pants and reentered her. His hands were in her bundles while his thrusts were powered into her, challenging her hisses, moans, and grunts to rise above the music.
“Sing for me,” he commanded, leaning into his thrust to bite her shoulder.
Aurora, unable to speak, gave him what he asked for. Juices trickled down her thighs and her ass rippled with every smack of Khalif’s large hands. They were wrapped up in their moment. Nothing mattered outside of these walls.
“Answer me, Aurora,” Khalif growled. “Are you going to let me have you?”
“Lif,” she hissed, trying to get her brain to comprehend his words.
“Uh uh.” He grunted, pulling out and turning her over. Ramming back inside, he stared down at her. “Are you going to let me have you?”
“Y-ye-shiittt. Lif.”
“Say it.”
“Yes,” she whined. “Yes, baby, yes.”