At eight o'clock there was a knock at her door, eight o'clock on the dot. Amber was sitting in her living room in front of the fireplace sipping a glass of brandy. She looked at the clock on the mantle and a second later it chimed eight times. She sighed, set her glass down on the glass coffee table in front of her, and stood up. She was wearing a long black lace negligee and over it a full-length robe, which she tightened and closed once she was standing. She walked to the door and opened it up, Scott was standing there looking adorable as always.

"What was it you wanted to see me about?" He asked her, barely even making an effort to come inside. He was looking at her in her black silk robe trying his hardest not to become aroused by her. She smelled wonderful she looked wonderful and her hair was down, it was long and silky and reached almost down to her butt, some of it was hanging over her shoulders. She looked absolutely radiant to him, and she was sure he was thinking "what does she really want from me?"

"Come in, can I get you something to drink? I have some very good scotch." Amber offered and then took a step away from the door. Scott took a few tentative steps inside and looked around. It was clear from her art tastes alone she was very wealthy. She turned and started to walk towards the small bar in her living room. She wasn't much of a drinker before the attacks, but after it she found that a good glass of brandy to unwind was key.

"Scotch sounds good." He said now just standing in the doorway to the living room. Amber smiled at him and went behind the bar. She took down a crystal glass from one of the shelves behind the bar and grabbed her good bottle of scotch. She had a "bad" bottle of scotch that she would give to people that she didn't really like, but Scott was her friend, and hopefully he would be more. She poured a bit into the glass and then headed back over to him.

"You can sit down, my couch won't bite you." Amber said as she motioned to the beautiful emerald green couch in front of the fireplace. Scott cleared his throat nervously and then took a seat on the couch. She sat next to him and handed him the glass she had poured for him. He took it with a hand that wasn't shaky but wasn't steady. She grabbed her glass of brandy and took a long sip. He looked to the picture above the fireplace. There were incense holders below it on the mantle. It was a picture of Amber with her arms passionately around a beautiful Asian woman.

"Who's that?"

"She was my girlfriend but…" Amber stopped talking and took in a deep, shaky breath, "She was killed." Amber looked down at her hands and took a big gulp of brandy, finishing the glass, before setting it back down on the table. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"You're girlfriend?" Scott replied sounding a little more then disappointed. Amber heard the emotion in his voice and was quick to correct it.

"I'm not a lesbian, nor am I straight, I mean I guess you could say I look for love in whatever package it comes in. Amanda was one of them. I worked with her she was a nurse. A great nurse, I mean I had never worked with some one as good as her." Amber said and then sighed and rested completely back against the couch. She put her arm up on the back of it, almost like she was going to put it around Guber. He had become to engrossed with what she was saying to even notice how close she was getting to him.

"She was killed?"

"Yeah I should have died too but I was the lucky one." Amber replied softly. "I'm betting you want to know what happened huh?" Scott swallowed hard and nodded. His eyes shone with compassion, something she hadn't seen in a long time. The therapist that she was supposed to see after the attacks and the death of Amanda was cold and unsympathetic so she went the mandatory six sessions, got her clean bill of health, and returned to the clinic.

"Here goes. I was working one night in the prison ward. We had a new patient who had just been admitted a month before and he would only speak to me, and only respond to me. I was pulling a double shift when he started to go bezerk in his room, screaming and crying and carrying on. I grabbed Amanda and together we entered the room. He came at me with a self made weapon. I never actually saw it and because I was tired I was way to out of it to even defend myself. He stabbed me in the back three times. I fell and he came after Amanda. I couldn't get up, I just couldn't, no matter what I did. He got her in the neck, cut her throat so deep her head almost came off. He didn't get very far before they caught him and found me on the floor holding Amanda's hand in a death grip. The next thing I remember is waking up in a recovery room. I have only one kidney now." By this time Amber had tears streaming down her face, even as fast as she was wiping them away it wasn't fast enough.

"Amber, I am so incredibly sorry. Is there anything I can do? I mean, I just don't know what to say." Guber said after a moment and then took her hand in his. She looked at him and wiped her face with her free hand, she was starting to calm down a bit. She sniffed back a few more tears and then took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"You might have heard about this incident in the news but our names weren't in the reports. The clinic wanted to keep this incident as quiet as possible." Amber said and then ran her hand through her long, soft hair. "Scott, you are so…" she trailed off and moved in to kiss him when he pulled back. She was surprised at this maneuver since she didn't think she ever had anyone move away from her kiss. She was actually startled by this. He did not let go of her hand though.

"Amber you are in a fragile state of mind, I don't think getting physical will help." Guber said to her and then gave her hand a slight squeeze. She gave him a look as if to say you can't possibly be serious. She had never had anyone turn her down, never. They either wanted her for her body or for her money, but she didn't get turned down.

"Scott I know what I'm do—"

"I don't think you do. Lets not continue with this." He replied and then stood up. Now she was getting mad. She was far from a selfish brat, or an egotistical human being, she just didn't get turned down. Now here was a man that she desperately wanted and he wouldn't allow it to happen. That made her want him even more. He let go of her hand and stood up, he set his glass down on the coffee table and made a move to leave.

"Don't go I'm sorry. I guess I just need company. Please stay." She said and then patted the couch cushion next to her. He gave her a leery look but after another moment he came back and sat down next to her.

"I don't mean to seem rude but how do you afford all of this?" Scott asked slowly. Little did he know she got that question all the time. She didn't see it as an insult or being too prying, being who she was she would probably ask herself the same question given the chance.

"Well my parents were very wealthy, business and technology tycoons actually. They developed some sort of microchip that needs to be in every computer, cell phone, whatever, for it to work. I'm worth close to two billion dollars. I was their only child, when they died I got this place and all of their money." Amber explained and then let her robe fall open. Now the lace of the negligee was visible, so were the tops of her breasts. She was trying to entice him, he obviously noticed her because when he saw her chest he picked up his glass of scotch and took a long drink before setting it back down again.

"If you are so rich, why do you work?"

"Because I like to. I mean I didn't have to go to med school, I didn't have to even finish high school but look what that does to people…need I mention Paris Hilton?" Amber said and then laughed, causing her chest to bounce up and down. She looked at him and smiled slightly, she could see beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Wow two billion dollars, what do you even do with that kind of money?" Scott asked not even being able to comprehend the amount. She laughed again slightly. Two billion dollars was a lot of cash, and because of her parents it would keep coming in at a rate that she couldn't even spend it all if she lived three or four lifetimes.

"Buy everything I've ever wanted. Know that I never need to worry about where my next meal is coming from. Give a substantial amount to charities. That sort of thing." Amber replied truthfully. She basically had everything she could ever want, and if they invented something else she needed she could get that too. Scott looked amazed to hear how rich she was, he still seemed to be reeling from it. "I know it's a lot of money Scott, but it's only fun if you have someone to share it with." She leaned in closer to him and kissed him on the cheek softly. She saw a tremor run through his body, she could also feel it.

He looked at her for a moment before moving in to kiss her gently on the lips. She kissed back but more passionately. After a moment of tender kissing Amber began to pull off her robe, she wanted this to happen more then anything in the world. It was true, being rich was nothing if you didn't have friends to share the wealth with. All the times they had ever gone out she had paid for the drinks and the food. She always got them into the best places without a reservation, she only drove the finest car and only wore the finest clothes and jewelry. She was an heiress but more then that she was lonely out of her mind.

When they made love, they did it right there on the floor by the fireplace. The fire was roaring and Amber was crying out in unbelievable passion. There bodies became one, and it was the first time in a very long time that she actually felt like she was in love. She had only known Scott for two months but they had been the most glorious months of her entire life. When they were finished Amber pulled away from him and turned to reach her robe, which she had discarded on the floor near their feet. Her body really was perfect, except for the scars on her back, which Scott immediately seemed to notice. Before she could pull her robe on his hands went to her back, his fingers tracing over the raised skin.

"Do they hurt?" He asked her almost breathlessly. She smiled and pulled away from him gently before pulling her robe all the way on. She then knelt facing him, the robe half open, her breasts still mostly exposed. She moved her hand and placed it against his cheek gently, stroking it softly.

"Not any more, no. Sometimes I feel phantom pains though you know? Like I think the scars are what's hurting me but they really aren't." She replied and she watched him move to get dressed. Her wrist brace had stayed on the whole time they were having sex, Scott barely even seemed to notice it any more. She was glad neither of them wanted it off because in the heat of their passion she was sure that if he wanted it off it would have come off. She stood up and closed her robe all of the way and then tied it shut. "Excuse me for just a moment."

"Sure." He replied and then continued to get dressed. She sighed gently and headed towards the bathroom. In there she had quite the supply of demoral. She was feeling that it was time for another fix, just a little more to keep her going before she went to sleep. It was a Wednesday and she knew that if Scott wasn't going to spend the night with her, he would want to get going soon. She opened the door to the smaller downstairs bathroom and stepped inside. She shut it behind her, not really checking to see if the door was all the way closed or not. She opened the medicine cabinet and took down a vial of demoral before reaching into a drawer to get out a syringe. She drew the medicine into the needle and removed her wrist brace to find a good vein. Just as she was inserting the needle, the door opened all the way to reveal Scott. It hadn't been completely closed in the first place, she was in too much of a hurry to get to her demoral. At the instinct of turning to hear what a noise was, she did not pull the needle out of her skin right away, she just looked at him, completely stunned.

"Scott I—"

"What are you doing?" He asked in a very accusing tone of voice. She forgot all about her fix for the moment and pulled the needle out without injecting anything in. The lights were bright in there and it was all too obvious now what all the little marks on her wrist were, "What the hell is this?" He asked and then stepped forward and grabbed the wrist that normally had a brace covering it.

"Scott I can explain…"

"Explain what? That you're a junkie?" Scott nearly shouted at her, he was trying to stay calm for the both of them. Amber felt tears welling up in her eyes. Out of all the people she didn't want to ever disappoint, Scott was one of them.

"That's not quite how I would put it."

"How would you put it then?" He snapped back at her and then let go of her wrist like he was disgusted with her. She opened her mouth to speak and then shut it abruptly. She didn't know what other words to use to describe what he was seeing her do. "Do you do this at work?" She looked at him and then turned away, tears finally spilling out from her eyes. He stepped further into the bathroom and picked up the vial that was sitting on the counter and looked at the label.

"It's demoral, Scott." Amber said hoping that her honesty didn't come too late. He set the bottle down and then opened the medicine cabinet to see at least ten other unopened vials in there. "Scott you just don't understand, after the attacks I was bed ridden for a very long time and demoral was my only friend. After I was released I just couldn't stop and it was so easy to get I—"

"And that makes it all okay?"

"No it doesn't make it okay. Please don't tell anyone, I'll lose my job I promise right now that I'll stop, I swear to whatever god is listening, just don't tell anyone." Amber begged him, putting her hands on his shirt, grabbing the material lightly. He looked at her for a moment and then pulled away. Almost immediately he reached for the bottles in the medicine cabinet and threw them in the trash can next to the sink.

"Is that all you have?"

"Yes…that's all of it." She was lying through her teeth at that point but she wanted Scott to believe that she was going to give it up. At the moment, though, she was thinking that she would quit, but he didn't have to know about the rest of her stash it would probably break his heart.

"What about the needles?" He asked her. Now she really could answer truthfully because the only ones she had were in her bag and the downstairs bathroom. She opened the drawer to reveal five disposable syringes. He took them out and tossed those in the trash too.

"Those are all the needles I have, I swear." She said after watching him dispose of them. He looked at her as she was wiping her tears away. He took her hand and led her out of the bathroom and shut the door behind them.

"I'm not going to tell anyone, and I'm going to stay with you all night if that's what it takes." Scott said to her, taking both hands into his. She knew that detoxing wouldn't be pretty but he seemed pretty committed in staying with her. She smiled at him and then pulled him into a hug, after which she kissed him gently on the lips.

"You're the best, but I can tell you there's going to be a lot of vomiting and crying." Amber said to him. He nodded slightly, it seemed to her that he understood what he was getting himself into and for that moment she was glad that she had a friend like him. All the demoral she had left in the house was only the kind that could be injected which meant that now that she had no syringes she couldn't get any if she tried, besides Scott was going to be with her the whole night, that would keep her honest.

"Lets get you to bed." He said and then started to lead her down the hallway to the front of the house where the stairs were. As he led her to the bedroom she realized how much of a godsend he was. She was going to need all the help in the world to kick this addiction and there he was trying to help her. They entered the bedroom, which was huge, way bigger then Scott had ever dreamed. There was a queen sized bed in there, with a big fluffy black comforter. At each corner of the bed there was a hand carved wooden post that connected with a canopy above. There was a mound of white pillows at the top of the bed that looked ever so inviting.

The carpet was red and very soft, it went with the black and white motif of the bed very well. Across from the bed, on the wall, there was a huge flat screen plasma TV. On a wall off to the right there was a huge fireplace with an expensive abstract painting hanging above it. He could tell it was a working fireplace because there were ashes and wood in it. A few feet from the other side of the bed there was a vanity with a mirror attached to it. A small stool was set down before it, and the top of the vanity held a large jewelry box and a few different bottles of designer perfume. There was a large rosewood dresser near it, and then two glass doors that led out onto a balcony. Amber walked over to the bed and laid down on it, gently resting her head on the mound of pillows.

"Wow." Was all Scott could say which caused Amber to snicker slightly.

"I know it's pretty kick ass isn't it?" Amber said and then moved towards the nightstand next to the bed and opened the drawer. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She had smoked regularly before her demoral addiction, once she was on demoral she didn't need cigarettes to relax any more but had one on occasion. Now she knew they were going to become her best friend. She took one of them out of the box and lit it. There was a crystal ashtray on the nightstand where she flicked her ashes. "If you want to see the master bath it's that door over there." She added and then pointed to a door a few feet away from the glass balcony doors.

Scott walked over to it and opened it up slowly. Even the bathroom was huge. There was a sunken area in the middle, surrounded by four marble pillars, where the bathtub was and it was almost the size of a Jacuzzi. The floor was white tile and the walls were a black and white checkered pattern. Behind the bathtub there were two sinks with oval mirrors and gold fixtures. A little bit away from that was a toilet and next to that a shower with a glass door that came complete with etched roses. Seeing all of this made Scott feel like he wanted to faint. It was so magnificent, something he had only seen in magazines and on TV, now he was standing in it. He turned and shut the door and looked back at Amber. She was now sitting up slightly with the TV remote in her hand.

"You'll probably want to get some sleep, do you mind if I have the TV on?" Amber asked him. He didn't mind that but he did mind the smoking. He sucked it up though, the woman was about to give up an addiction. Trading one for the other was not a good way to see things but he'd rather have her smoking then shooting up demoral. He came back over and sat on the bed and looked at the TV.

"I don't mind. Are you sure you want me to sleep in here with you?" He asked her.

"Well we already have sex and this is a huge bed, if you would feel more comfortable in one of the guest rooms then feel free to sleep in there." Amber replied as she started to flip through the channels to find something good to watch. She knew all the symptoms that came with demoral withdrawal and insomnia was near the top of the list. She wouldn't be getting much sleep that night, but that was nothing compared to what else she faced. Vomiting, cold flashes, dizziness, joint and muscle pain, the list went on and on and on. Scott shrugged and then got in the bed and under the covers, it had to be one of the most comfortable beds he'd ever been in. Amber snuffed out the end of her cigarette in the ashtray and flipped the channel again.

"Goodnight Amber, wake me if you need anything." Scott said.

"Thanks Scott." Amber replied and then leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. He smiled and closed his eyes, slowly starting to drift off to sleep