Strife Without Hope

Amber sobs uncontrollably as she narrated her ordeal to Troy:

"Making my way over his body, I turned around on my butt to look at this man who has tortured me for a week. I kicked him in the head for good measure. It seemed to take forever to make it to the road, but it doesn't feel safe there. What if the others come looking for us and there I lay in plain sight? With that thought in mind, I roll and crawl to a dirt road, moving out of sight until I felt that I was safe, at least for a little while so that I can rest."

It all seems like a really bad dream. But then she was awoke from her nightmare to her savior. She realized that he was standing behind her with his arms wrapped around her body keeping her warm, while tears streams down her face. He kisses the top of her head.

"Come on, Baby, you're safe, no more bad dreams for you."

Troy leads her back to the truck.

The road down the mountain was peaceful, but the tense set of her shoulders tells him she remembers something.

"Baby, what is it? You can tell me anything, and I will help you get through it."

She proceeds in telling him about the crash and her climb to safety. Troy was sick to his stomach that any woman would have to endure such cruelty, let alone try to figure out how to survive in the forest at night. They laughed together at the kick to the head of the dead guard. It's a good sign that she can make light of a very bad situation.

They passed through a few small towns on their way to Hartford. It is closer to where Troy lives and work, so that is where they decided to go shopping. He planned to pamper her and hopes to take her mind off her situation for a minute.

There is a quaint boutique near town where he have purchased some gifts for women with the help of Sarah, the shop owner. Sarah is a beautiful woman who had shown some interest in him at one time, but they found it better just to be friends so he could continue to shop there if needed. He called ahead and have Sarah prop open the back door so Amber is not embarrassed walking through the streets in no shoes and wearing his clothes that drowned her. Sarah's Boutique has a little bit of everything, and it's all great quality. They can get most of her clothing needs from there and then go to the spa down the road.

Pulling into the alley, Troy parked right by Sarah's back door and leads Amber inside. Sarah was waiting for them; she has even closed her shop for lunch so that they may have privacy. Watching Amber's face light up at all the beautiful clothes warms his heart. He feels like a king being able to do these things for her. Troy couldn't wait till they spend the rest of the day at the spa and have a nice romantic dinner afterward.

She has tried on so many things and looks fantastic in all of it. The sexy bra and panty sets are his favorites, along with the flirty sundresses that accentuate her sexy toned legs. Her face flushes a little when she shows him a few of the provocative items, but turns bright red when he grabbed her while she's still dressed in those items to kiss the hell out of her. To save Amber from embarrassment, Sarah has left them to have some privacy in the dressing rooms, and it takes all his willpower not to take advantage of her half dressed. After every outfit and accessory have been tried on, He took them all to the checkout counter.

"No, Troy, this is too much. We don't have to buy everything I tried on. That's the point of trying things on, so you only buy what you love."

"Baby, do you love all these clothes?"

He raises his eyebrows at her daring her to lie.

"Of course, but I don't need them all; the shoes and the jewelry, it's just so much. It will drain my bank account just trying to pay you back; it's all so expensive."

The look on his face is comical. He glances at Sarah and tries not to smile as he hands her his American Express Black card. She has no idea how much money he makes, but judging from the cabin in the woods on two hundred and fifty acres, he seems to do well for himself.

They left the way they came in, but now she's dressed in a yellow sundress and strappy white leather sandals instead of Troy's clothes. It feels so good to dress like a human again−to be treated with respect and feel loved. She owes her life to this man and will probably spend the rest of it trying to please him.

They left the truck in the alley and walked around to the street out front. He takes her hand as they strolled to a little café with spindly tables and chairs out front. They do not look like they would hold a man Troy's size, so they opt to sit inside but by a window in a sturdy looking booth. She didn't realize how hungry she was until the scents waft up her nose. This is the first time anything has smelled as good as Troy's scrambled egg breakfast. She ordered a half sandwich of turkey, avocado and sun-dried tomatoes with a small cup of soup. He had two ham and roasted beef sandwiches with double meat, lettuce, and tomatoes.

Holy cow!, her man can eat! He is almost a whole foot in height above her, plus weighs well over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Next to her hundred and ten pounds of half muscle, although she's in fairly decent shape, he is a giant. She likes to run to clear her head and do Pilates to keep tone and limber. He looks like he weight-lifts cars.

Once they finished their lunch, they head down the street in the opposite direction of the truck again. She was about to ask where they were going when they stopped in front of Day Spa and Salon. He pulls her inside and gives the girl at the counter their names of Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths. She doesn't know if he calls her Mrs. Griffiths to hide her identity or if he feels this is inevitable so why wait, but she could not help the smile that spreads across her face.