Little Black Book

The train was leaving the station.

A wave of relief washed over Ellie. For the first time in hours she felt that she might be safe. The train would make several stops as it traveled from the East coast to Still Water Nebraska, to home.

She clutched the black duffle in her lap without being aware of her white knuckled grip. The bag was stuffed with money, old worn bills that were impossible to trace. Twenty thousands dollars and it was hers. If she was being honest it wasn't exactly hers but it was 'for her'.

In New York twenty grand was a nice windfall but in a town like Still Water it was a fortune. With it she could start a new life or rebuild the life she ran away from.

Two years ago she sought to escape the quiet simple life of rural Nebraska. She thought the quiet simple life offered by hometown was stifling. It was like a living death.

She wanted excitement and adventure and why wouldn't she? She had always been told she was gorgeous, the prettiest girl in seven counties as he father described her. He had to say that, he was her daddy after all, but every man and boy she'd ever her tried to curry her favor.

Ellie was the queen of Wester county.

At eighteen she wanted more than being a big fish in a small pond. She took all the money from her birthday presents and went to New York to a model. With her looks she expected it to be easy, unfortunately her expectations were not realized.

Instead of being a model she wound up hustling tables at a filthy diner on the edge of a neighborhood that even the police avoided. It was working fending off the advances of the dregs of society the she met Isaac.

Isaac was handsome, build like an Adonis, and always had a lot of money. There was an air of authority around him that repelled criminals and made everyone treat him like royalty. He was untouchable and he knew it.

He'd come into the diner and smiled at her. In an instant without her knowing how it happened she became his girl. He took care of her. He paid for her apartment, bought her clothes, took her to places she could never have gone to without him. Isaac was her real life Prince Charming.

She didn't know where his money came from. He was a completely free spirit, no one seemed to have a claim on him or his time. The only exception was a little black loose leaf notebook that he was never without.

He guarded it viciously.

That book and a series of disposable cell phones seemed to be the extent of his enterprise but it was a very profitable one. It required conscious effort for her to ignore suspicions that it was something illegal. As long as she didn't know about it then it couldn't hurt her.

After Ellie quit her job and was completely dependent on him he started to make requests of her. What he wanted were things that a good Nebraska girl should never surrender. Maybe she wasn't really the good girl she saw herself as after all.

Each time she gave him what he wanted the next request pushed her ever further. She knew eventually he's want something she couldn't give him. He loved her, he'd said he did, so it would be okay. He would understand and things would be okay.

The straw that broke the camel's back was when he wanted pictures of her; naked pictures. She'd refused and it almost ended their relationship. He wasn't disappointed, he was furious.

He never raised his voice but his expression frightened her. He gathered his things and left. As he slammed the door he called back to her saying he'd be back when she was more reasonable.

He was gone for days and she was getting desperate. She couldn't buy food, her rent was due, and the utilities were on the verge of being shut off.

Her old boss at the diner had already replaced her and refused to consider giving her another chance. She tried every business in the area but they all seemed to know she was Isaac's girl and none of them offered her employment.

Isaac came back the night before her land lord was to evict her. This time when he wanted her to pose for him she agreed. Fighting back the tears she let him take all the embarrassing pictures he wanted. When he was satisfied he recorded the event in his book. Then he paid her rent, utilities, gave her cash to buy food, and took her out to celebrate their reunion.

She and Isaac fell back into a easy pattern of dating. Ellie forced herself to forget the photo shoot reveling in happiness they were sharing. The memories came crashing back when he wanted more.

This time he didn't just want picture of her naked, he wanted to record them making love. She was reluctant but she knew what would happen if she refused. This time he might not ever come back. She didn't dare do it again.

After being degraded she watched him write in his little book once more. The expression of cold satisfaction on his face chilled her. Without knowing why it made her very afraid.

Then he was her Prince Charming again. Flowers, expensive meals, trinkets galore. Ellie convinced herself that she was happy but part of her was terrified of the next thing he might want from her. She kept telling herself she was being silly and paranoid. What more could he demand of her? He loved her but he was just more adventurous than the unrefined timid child that she was.

It took less than a week for him to raise the bar and take her to a new level of depravity.

Isaac brought a friend to her apartment. He introduced the massive black man as Stan. Isaac gave her an impassioned kiss while Stan tossed the duffle bag heds been carrying on the sofa. Isaac sent her to the kitchen for refreshment while the men made themselves comfortable. While she served them beers she was mortified that they were looking at the pictures taken during her nude photo shoot. Ignoring her discomfort after ogling her pictures Isaac played the sex tape. He pulled her onto the sofa, wedging her between the two men, as her most intimate moments were displayed on the television screen.

During the show Isaac started to undress her. She tried to stop him but the shock of what was happening left her functionally paralyzed. As he worked on stripping her to the waist Stan started baring the rest of her.

The men spent the next few hours enjoying themselves at her expense. When they finished she, disgusted with herself, curled into a ball and pretended to sleep.

“She is as fine as you said she'd be.”

“I know how to pick them. Are you going to take her now? After the workout we gave her she'll be asleep for hours”

“I know. She exhausted me too. I'm not up to carrying her, I'll collect her in the morning.”

Ellie felt the mattress move as the big man got off the bed and dressed. She heard him moving towards the couch.

Isaac sprung off the bed pursuing him. “ I Don't think so Stanny boy. You can come and collect your merchandise at your convenience but the money is staying with me.”

Stan didn't answer right away considering the situation. “Fine. I'll be back in the morning. You just keep her here and make sure she's ready for me.”

“Don't sweat it. She always makes breakfast. I'll roofie her coffee. She won't be a problem.”

At last she heard Stan leave.

Isaac sat on the bed beside her, jotting in his book. When he finished he kissed her lightly on the temple and whispered 'Tomorrow this will all be over, at least for me'.

The sickening feeling in her stomach prevented her from falling asleep. It seemed like an eternity before she heard the sound of his gentle snoring. When she was certain he was deeply asleep she slowly slipped out of the bed and hastily dressed in whatever was in arms reach.

Then she saw it, Isaac's little black book sitting on the nightstand. She grabbed it and the bag Stan left on the couch rushing out of the apartment. Once outside she ran as fast and as far as she could. Winded and exhausted she leaned against a street light to catch her breath.

The street was empty, silent. The darkness was like a solid mass outside the circle of light the streetlamp provided. Ellie slide to the ground, she couldn't keep the tears in anymore. She sobbed for what seemed like hours before she regaining her composure.

The glow of the approaching dawn began to color the sky. She was afraid she was running out of time, Stan said he'd be back in the morning. Searching her arm for where her watch should be she saw Isaac's book still in her hand. She'd forgotten she picked it up.

In the growing light she opened the book to see what he'd been writing about her. The first several pages listed names, phone numbers, and email addresses. The next several pages were about girls she'd never heard. Ages, names, measurements, notes on their health, background, their friends and family members, descriptions of their personalities, and what he would sold them for.

Finally she came to the end of the book. Her name was the second to the last entry. The book ended with a girl named Loren. Loren's data was very limited. Just a physical description and a name. Apparently Isaac was already working on Ellie's replacement.

Turning back to her pages the details were complete down to the price he'd sold her to Stan for: twenty thousand dollars.

The book fell from her hand as she read that last line. The duffle bag beside her caught her eye. With trembling hands she reached for it. Slowly opening the zipper she saw it was stuffed with money. Five, tens, twenties, all dirty and worn from circulation. These bills were untraceable.

She needed to get out of the city. Isaac and Stan would be looking for her and she did not want to know what he intended for her future to be. Luckily she'd been embarrassed by her mid-western upbringing so she never talked about it. She never told him the names of her family, where she went to school, what her parents did for a living, nothing. Isaac couldn't know where she came from beyond it being somewhere in Nebraska. He might come looking for her but Nebraska was a big state with lots of tiny towns. Besides, she thought, Isaac might have to deal with a very angry Stan who was without the girl he bought and the money he'd paid for her.

The money was for her after all.