Song: Heroes by Zayde Wolf

I hear her up and moving around finally. I make my to the kitchen and lean back against the far wall to watch her rummage through the cabinets to find a glass and then to the sink to fill the glass with water. When she turns around she nearly jumps out of her skin. The shock in her eyes almost makes me laugh. A smile forms on my face. "I'm glad you are awake."

She looks around like she is so confused to why she is here at my place. "What the hell am I doing here?"

I walk over closer to the bar but not too close to her. "You didn't show up for work. I thought something might have happened to you and I was right."

She starts to walk past me towards the living room area. "So you brought me here." She suddenly looks a little scarred and confused. "Oh my God...where is my father?" She turns back around and looks at me for an explanation.

"Who gives a shit where he is; are you feeling better now?" I glance down at her arm. It is still bruised from where she injected herself. I want to take care of her; I want her to let me take care of her.

She glances down and quickly rolls down her sleeve to hide the traces that she left behind. "I can explain."

I really don't want to hear about it. "Amber...I don't get mixed up in drugs. I don't allow my employees to get mixed in them either."

Her eyes drift to the floor and I can hear the excuse getting ready to come out of her sweet lips. "I..."

I hold my hand up for her to stop. "You're father is a fucking dick. He hurt you in more ways than one and I get why you chose to shoot-up...I will say you are cleaned out now. My doctor came over and took care of everything. I hope you will stay that way."

"Thank you." This time when she looks up at me her eyes are filled with tears but she tries hard to hold them in.

"You can thank me by staying here. It's not that big of a place but it will be big enough for you."

She looks around the room and back at me. "I don't understand."

"I saved your sweet little ass the least you can do is stay here until you get on your own two feet. Besides you have nowhere to go now...do you?"

"I still don't understand." She drops her head.

I walk over to her and hold out my hand, touching her soft cheek. My fingers caress the side of her face and I lift her chin to look up at me. I lean in and kiss her. I thought she would kiss me back but her whole body tenses up and she pulls back from me. "I'm sorry Mr. Adler...I...I can't. Please don't make me."

I pull away from her. I think about her father and I already know that he has sexually abused her. She is scared that I am going to hurt her and it makes me wonder how many guys have actually hurt her in the past. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to step over the line. Look I need to go down to the club. If you want take a hot shower, get dress and just hang out here for the day. If you need anything to eat there should be plenty of things in the kitchen. Take the whole day to yourself and relax."

Her eyes swell with tears and she fights them back by trying to smile. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"Why not...because you deserve to be a little bit happy don't you think? Seriously...take the day and chill."

I wanted to kiss her again but I don't instead I turn and leave the room. I gather up the rest of my stuff and leave for the day.

When I get back home the lights are off. I have a feeling that she is gone. I go to the extra bedroom and to my surprise she is laying in the bed sleeping. I close the door and go on to my room. Any other time I would have walked over and made her get up. She should be down on her knees waiting on me to get home, ready to please me. I have a feeling that I am going to have to go very slow on her but in time she will come around they all do.

The next morning she is up before I am and is already in the kitchen fixing breakfast. The smell of fresh brewed coffee and the fat from the bacon beckons me to wake up. She is dancing while cooking and I can't help but smile. She stops the minute she sees me. "Sorry Mr. Adler I did not mean to wake you up."

I so need to correct her about calling me that, however I bite my tongue for now. "I needed to get up anyway. Thanks for fixing breakfast."

"It's the least I could do for you." She quickly wipes her hands off on the dishtowel and fixes me a plate. Then she pours me a cup of coffee. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I will say that I have been getting the best nights rest while here."

"Well that's good. You can stay here as long as you need to. I know you have plans for moving far away; just dying to get out of this city."

She looks up at me like she wants to say something. I watch as she bites her bottom lip and looks around. "I wanted to leave to get away from my father. He...he is just so unbearable to live with."

"You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to."

She sits across from me; her eyes grow wide when she looks up at me. I can tell she is so scared of him. "He will find me you know. I know he is already looking for me. When my mom left a few years ago he lost it. He searched and searched for her. He brought her back home and killed her right in front of me. I watched as he strangled her and her body just dangled...lifeless. Told me if I ever betrayed him like she did he would kill me too. He wasn't supposed to be at the club. He said all those girls that work there are sluts. I never ever thought he would go there but then there he was...looking at me with those disgusting eyes."

She stops to take a sip of the coffee. I know she is thinking back to that night. "He was at home waiting on me. He...beat the shit out of me and then raped me again for the millionth time. My father...is not well." I watch as her hand tightens around the cup.

I should have killed him when I had the chance to. "Your father is a sick motherfucker...that is what he is."

She lets out a breathe of air. "Yeah...you have no idea what he really is."

"Look...Amber you never have to go back there you are more than welcome to stay here. I swear he will never be able to get to you here I have so much security that it's not even funny."

She looks around the room. I wonder what the hell she is thinking about in that little head of hers. I can see the wheels turning, thinking about her options. "Say I stay just for a little while. I will never be able to repay you. I need to save up all the money I can to get out of here."

"What if I made you a deal?" I stand up and walk to my office and then come back with the envelope. I debate handing it to her but then just do it. "I have to get off to work. How about you read over this tell me what you think. If you like it you can stay here for as long as you like. Hell don't worry about even going back to work...I will give you a thousand to stay here per week. That way you don't have to worry about your father looking for you and you can still save up money."

"Are you fucking serious...you have lost your mind Mr. Adler?"

I want to punish her now. I want to bring her to her knees and watch her beg for me to love her. I smirk at her smartass comment if I am serious or not. "Maybe I have." I reach over and tuck her stray strand of hair back behind her ear. I let my hand gaze her cheek and this time she looks up at me a little uncertain of my intentions. "Please...consider it. I promise I won't disappoint you."