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"Well, I guess I could," I replied, nervously scratching the back of my head. "I don't really want people to start thinking I've got superpowers or anything." She laughed as she pulled out her cell phone from her purse.

"Okay, we'll say it was a joint effort. He ran for it, you tripped him; I came in and knocked him out. Sound good?"

I smiled thankfully. "Sounds good."

Within minutes, the police were on the scene. Bright police car headlights and emergency lights were going off in all directions. Crap, was I nervous. I kept my cool as best as I could as we ran through our stories together for the police to write down. All the while she seemed to look over at me frequently with this really warm, pretty smile that made me feel like I'd done a ton of good. I had to admit she was actually quite beautiful. It was funny to me to think that I didn't even pay attention to her looks when I was fighting that guy off of her, I just wanted her to be okay. Head back a couple of months and, instead, I would've been drooling and falling head over heels at the very sight of her in public.

They wheeled the burly crook away on a handcuffed stretcher. He was still unconscious by the time they carted him out to the ambulance.

"You did good, kid," the police officer taking my statement said to me. "Even the littlest amount of help can save a person. That was pretty brave of you to stand up to that guy."

"Thanks," I casually said with a nod.

"We'll give you a call if we need anything else from you. Have a good night!"

"You, too!" I replied before the cop headed back to his squad car. The woman I saved, also freed up from giving her statement, slowly strode up to me.

"I don't think we've been formally introduced," she said,  “at least not without someone coming at you with a knife." I chuckled with her as we gently shook hands. "I'm Cassandra."

"Anthony," I replied with a big grin.

"Well Anthony, it's wonderful to finally know the name of the man who came to my rescue. I'm very grateful to you, truly."

"Always nice to meet a fan," I joked. She quietly laughed and smiled at me.

"You know, I can't just let you go without a proper thank you." I tilted my head curiously. "Come with me into the Apex. I'll buy us a couple of drinks at the bar."

"Drinks?" I asked, almost in shock. I'd never drink alcohol before. Well, aside from stealing a curious sip of someone's beer and also sneaking off with a wine cooler that one time. Those don't exactly count. I was kind of nervous about the idea. Either one of us could've gotten in trouble for it. But, what the heck? I had superpowers now, right? I lived for trouble.

"Sure," she replied. "You're over twenty-one, right?" With her that close to me, seeing that inviting look in her eyes, it was hard for me to turn her down.

"Of course," I replied with a casual shrug. "You couldn't tell by how grown-up I look?"

She chuckled. "You're right - my mistake." She put a hand behind my back and began to lead me toward the building. "Come on."

The police were starting to pull away as the two of us headed off under the very regal overhang above the entrance to the building. The rhythmic sound of her heels tapping the pavement was quite enjoyable. I noticed the valet guy wave to her before we entered the front automatic doors. I thought the outside was regal enough, but the lobby was even more incredible; golden pillars, leather sofas, marble floor, everything spotless and shiny.

"Hello, Miss Cassandra!" one of the security guards greeted her as she walked in.

"Good evening, Paolo," she replied. "You're looking well."

"So are you! That was a lot of police cars out there! Are you all right?"

Cassandra merely shrugged. "Nothing I couldn't handle," she said with a smirk as she began to walk away with me.

"Have a good evening!" Paolo called out.

I was really loving the cool and confidence she exuded. As we calmly walked together, I found myself gazing over at her. I was already finding her quite sexy and I don't mean that just because of how she looked, even though she was gorgeous. Something about her tone of voice, the way she talked and how she carried herself were just dripping with sultriness. I actually found myself a bit intimidated when she glanced over at me from the corner of her eye with a casual smirk.

"So, have you ever been here before?"

"The bar?" I asked in confusion. "Oh, yeah, me and my ... pals ... go, uh, clubbing just all the time."

"I meant the Apex," she replied with a laugh.

"Oh!" I exclaimed with some embarrassment. "No, actually. First time here. It's very ... upscale, I must say."

She humphed. "Most of the people here are a bunch of uptight stiffs. None of them are a lick of interesting. The men are millionaires and the women are the gold-diggers that married them. All seriousness, no fun, totally boring." She then smirked to me. "None of them would've stepped in to help me like you did."

I just smiled and tried not to get completely embarrassed by how thankful she was to me.