Chapter 7 Chapter 7 - Nothing Last Forever


    The next morning Sam woke in therge bed with David next to her. She was smiling like a fool


    and feeling happier than she had in a long time. She still couldn''t believe the previous night had


    happened. Feeling the need to getup she moved his arm slowly and carefully trying not to wake him.


    She had just gotten up from the bed when his arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her


    back down. She gasped in surprise and David rolled on top of her. "What is it with you and sneaking


    out of bed when I am asleep," he asked her with a feigned expression of offense on his face.


    "I am not sneaking!" Sam demanded.


    "Right, Gollum then what exactly do you call it?" He asked with a yful grin on his face.


    "Gollum!? You did not justpare me to that little monster," she cried with the best frown she


    could manage and tried to push him off of her.


    "Yes I did, now get over it and answer my question!" He replied as he pinned her down with an


    evil glint in his eyes and she growled at him trying hard to look pissed but it didn''t seem to be working.


    "I was just getting up; I don''t believe I need your permission for that," she said cockily


    "Actually I think I like that idea; from now on you can''t get out of my bed until I allow you," he


    said grinning down at her and sheughed at him not believing what an arrogant and absolutely


    attractive jerk he was being.


    "Oh really, and what if I say no," Sam shot back trying hard not to smile.


    "Then you will have to suffer the punishment." He looked at her serious but sheughed again


    looking at him defiantly.


    "Please you don''t scare me Mister!" She returned and managed to get out from under him and


    up from the bed. She stuck her tongue out at him in a childish show of victory.


    "You were warned," he told her grabbing her quickly pulling her back onto bed. She shouted in


    protest as he pinned her wrists above her head. "I warned you, Sam, now you have to suffer your


    punishment," he told her and with his free hand began tickling her sides. She squirmed in a fit of


    laughter soon with tears running down her face. How did he seem to know her every weakness!


    "Okay, okay, you win," she cried after a while feeling theck of oxygen starting to affect her


    and her sides started to hurt fromughing so much.


    "See now was that so hard," he asked then kissed her softly and releasing her wrists,


    "Yes very," she pouted when the kiss ended wrapping her arms around his neck and gave him


    quick kiss. "Now let me up! I am starving," she told him and he shook his head.


    "First you have to ask me for permission," he told her slyly and she narrowed her eyes at him.


    "David, you can''t be serious," she said pushing him a little harder but he didn''t move. Sam gave


    another growl and relented. "Fine, David may I have your permission to get out of this bed before I


    starve to death," she said sounding bored and he seemed to think for a moment. "David," she cried as


    she gave his arm a yful p.


    Heughed and rolled off of her and she looked for her clothes. He handed her his shirt, "I think


    this would look great on you," he told her with a flirty expression.


    "Oh please that is so cliché," she said rolling her eyes but put it on anyways.


    "Maybe but it looks good on you." David told her with a wink.


    He insisted on fixing her breakfast and Sam hesitantly agreed worried about how well a city boy


    like him could cook. She sat at the small wooden table eyeing him nervously and he finally set arge


    cheese omelet in front of her. It looked really good but she wasn''t sure yet.


    She poked the food with a fork. "Really your confidence in me is astounding missy," David said


    shaking his head and Sam couldn''t help but smile.


    "Well if I end up in the hospital, I will be sending you the bill," she threatened as she finally cut


    off a piece of the omelet. She stuck in her mouth ready to grimace but surprised to see it was really


    good. "Wow this is good!" Sam admitted when she had swallowed.


    She eagerly took another bite and heughed as he sat down next to her. "I may be from a big


    city family but I am resourceful and not some spoiled punk expecting everyone to do everything for


    him," he exined just before he took a bite of his own omelet.


    "Tell me about your family David," Sam asked him after she finished her food.


    "Well my parents have been together for nearly thirty-five years, I am the baby of three children.


    My father is awyer in New York and so is my brother, Chris, but he lives in L. A. My mother is your


    typical high ss social bee, and my sister, Lizzy, lives in Missouri living the ser mom life. Not really


    much more the Andrews family," he exined a little monotonously, "What about you Sam, do you


    have any siblings, and your mother?" He got up picking up the empty tes from the table.


    "I am an only child and well my mother died when I was little. So really it''s always been  just my


    father and I," she said with a small shrug.


    "I am sorry," David told her sitting back down beside her.


    She smiled at him brightly noticing he wanted to say something more but she knew there was


    nothing to say. "Thanks but don''t be it was a long time ago, I was four at the time. I don''t even really


    remember her." she told him and he gave her a sad smile. "Well I need a shower," Sam announced as


    she got up from the table.


    "Is that an invitation," he asked looking up at her eagerly and sheughed loudly. This man was


    unreal, she thought with a smile.


    "Not exactly," Sam replied walking to the bed room to grab her clothing.


    "But it wasn''t a rejection either," he said huskily wrapping his arms around her causing her to


    jump in surprise, she didn''t realize he right behind her. Sheughed shaking her head side to side.


    "No, I guess it wasn''t a rejection either," she admitted. Sam gasped andughed harder as he


    practically dragged her to the bathroom.


    Sam smiled as she and David sat on the sofa watching a movie, she wasn''t sure what it was.


    She had never seen it before and wasn''t really paying attention. Her mind was running over the events


    that had happened today. She smiled more as she remembered the incredible shower they had taken.


    Sam had never felt so treasured before and she had to admit she loved every minute of it.


    However doubt gnawed at her too as she remembered the conversation she had with her ex,


    Jeff, on her twenty-first birthday when they broke up. Sam chewed on her lip remembering at the time


    she would have swore Jeff loved her as much as she thought she loved him. It had made so much


    sense at the time and seemed like what was meant to be. But it didn''t have any sense and wasn''t


    meant to be, Jeff had told her so that night. He confessed he had be bored with her very quickly


    and that Sam simply didn''t have what it took to keep a man interested in her for very long.


    The memory still stung awfully and Sam tried to swallow the ugly insecurities that started to rear


    their heads. "Hey Sam, what''s wrong?" David asked cupping her cheek turning her face towards him.


    She looked up at him, his face filled with concern and for the first time Sam wondered if Jeff could have


    possibly been wrong.


    "Nothing David, I am fine." She told him with a small smile and leaned against him resting her


    head on his shoulder.


    "Doesn''t look like nothing by the expression you had," David replied wrapping his arms around


    her and hugging her. Sam''s smile grew feeling the warmth of his body fill hers. "You know Sam, you


    can tell me anything. No matter what, I am here to listen," he added and Sam felt pleasantly surprised.


    "Thank you David, that means a lot," She told him, kissing him softly wrapping her arms around


    his neck, praying silently that Jeff was wrong because she really wanted to stay like this with David


    forever.


    Sam walked into the office Monday morning feeling happier than she could ever remember. As


    soon as she stopped worrying about things going wrong, her time with David was amazing. She never


    had felt so satisfied with herself and her surroundings, life was perfect. "There you are, I was starting


    wonder if I should be worrying," Tabby said as soon as she saw Sam.


    "I am fine, why would you need to worry about me," she asked as she sat down at her desk


    trying hard not to smile that much.


    "Gee I don''t know you left with David Friday night and have been MIA for the whole weekend.


    Speaking of which I haven''t seen David either," Tabby replied with an impish smile and Sam''s blush


    and ear to ear smile betrayed her. "Ha! Just what I thought," Tabby cheered excitedly and Samughed


    lightly.


    "Talking about me," David asked walking up to Sam''s desk giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.


    "Of course we are, you pretty much kidnapped my best friend during the whole weekend,"


    Tabby reproached.


    "Well I wouldn''t call it kidnapping but yes I suppose you could say I kept her busy," he replied


    with arge grin.


    "Can you two please stop talking like I am not even here," Sam told them both shaking her


    head.


    "Oh possessive already," Tabby asked and Sam felt her cheeks burn red as she rolled her eyes


    while David justughed.


    "You two are horrible, now if you will excuse me, some of us have real work to be doing," she


    said pointedly at them getting up from her chair with a stack of papers in her hands.


    Sam stayed busy during most of the day and was absolutely starving by time lunch came


    around. She was just about to leave when David called her in his office. She moaned quietly, couldn''t


    whatever he needed her to file wait till after lunch sheined silently. "What do you need Mr.


    Andrews," she asked with a professional tone as he closed the door behind her and pulled her towards


    him.


    "David what are you doing?" Sam gasped in surprised and he gave her that look that she


    learned by now that meant she wasn''t going to be getting her lunch anytime soon.


    "I missed you," he told her before kissing her hungrily pulling her over towards the desk. He


    picked her up and sat her on the desk ignoring the things that fell to the floor.


    "David what are you doing, we can''t do this here," Sam told him after breaking the kiss and


    trying to push him away from her. He pressed her against him and trailing kisses along her neck


    making herugh giddily.


    "Everyone is leaving for lunch and technically we are off the clock so it''s our time," he replied to


    her returning his kisses to her lips. She felt her capacity for reasoning fade away and she returned his


    kiss eagerly wrapping her arms around his neck pushing herself against him.


    Someone cleared their throat and Sam remembered why she should never do anything even


    remotely against the rules as she saw her father looking at them with stern disapproval. She always


    without fail got caught. Her face burn with a deep blush as David stepped away from her with a


    sheepish expression on his face and she quickly pushed herself off of David''s desk. Hurriedly she


    pulled down her skirt which and been pushed up around her thighs dangerously high. Her father looked


    to her and then to David with a look that demanded they exin themselves.


    "Um, hi dad," she finally said not knowing what else to say. Apparently David didn''t either; he


    just stood there rubbing his neck nervously.


    "Hi, that is all you can say," he told her coldly and Sam bit her lip looking towards the floor.


    "Mr. Peters..." David started but her father held up his hand for him to be quiet.


    "I had heard the rumors but I didn''t believe them. I was sure you would never do something this


    stupid," he snapped at her harshly and she bit into her lip harder. "I finally get a top ss employee and


    you go and....and seduce him!"


    "Mr. Peters, I wouldn''t actually...." David started again but her father cut him off,


    "No don''t, I thought you would be more professional than this, after all I heard about you. What


    would your father think if I told him how allowed yourself to enamored by her," he snapped at David


    using a nasty sneer when he said "by her". Sam felt humiliated and ashamed, just like she did the night


    of her twenty-first birthday.


    "I swore to your mother on her death bed I would do raise you right so you would never suffer


    her absence," her father continued looking at her with pure disappointment. "But I swear no matter how


    hard I try you thwart me at every turn! Preferring to make me out like the bad guy in those trashy books


    you read! I knew you had a tendency to make a fool of yourself but this really takes the cake


    Samantha! How could you be such a stupid fool!" Her father yelled at her.


    Sam stared at him open mouthed and wide eyed. He had never told her that before and now


    she felt like horrid monster. She never meant to embarrass him or her mother. Would her mother be


    ashamed of her? Her humiliation increased tenfold realizing that everyone had probably beenughing


    at her the whole time and whispering about what a silly fool she had been.


    His face darkened as he continued, "I can''t do this anymore Samantha. May Eleanor forgive me


    but I can''t! I have tried to so hard but I just can''t do it anymore! If you are determined to make a fool of


    yourself then so be it but you''re not taking me and my reputation that I worked so hard to get, down


    with you!" Sam felt her heart stop. "I disown you Samantha, you may have the Peters name but you''re


    not my daughter any longer," Her father finished harshly and she gasped not believing what he was


    saying.


    "Father you can''t mean that!" Sam eximed. He looked at her with his cold dark eyes and she


    didn''t see any love in them but cold disappointment.


    "I can and I have! Needless to say you are also fired so get your things and get out," Sam''s


    father snapped looking away from her.


    "Dad please don''t, I am sorry I really am," She begged him but he refused to look at her.


    "You have ten minutes before I call security and have you thrown out," He told her and Sam''s


    mouth fall open. A pit opened in her stomach as the tears fell freely and she felt as if he had struck her.


    "Sir, you can''t be serious! Sam didn''t do anything wrong," David insisted and her father red


    at him.


    "Be careful young man, I suggest if you want to continue with thispany you will reconsider


    how you carry yourself and I suggest you eliminate any embarrassing acquaintances that reflect badly


    on you," her father threatened David and he looked at her father dumbfounded.


    "Are you threatening to fire me if I don''t break up with your daughter," he asked.


    "I have said what I said, you have till tomorrow to decide," her father told him coldly. He turned


    to leave the office but Sam rushed up to him grabbing his arm.


    "Dad wait please, I am sorry, I wasn''t thinking, I didn''t mean to..." She begged onest time but


    he ripped his arm out of her grasp and walked out of the office. Sam started to sink to the floor but


    David grabbed her and pulled her to him. She burst into tears burying her face into his chest. She felt


    so horrible, more than she had felt in her whole life. She had broken her father''s heart with her


    inconsideration and bad behavior which broke her own in return.


    "I am sorry Sam, I really am. I am sure he didn''t mean that, he was just surprised that''s all. We


    didn''t do anything wrong," he told her soothingly running his hand over her hair softly.


    Sam shook her head and pushed him away from her. "No, he never says things that he doesn''t


    mean. This is all my fault," she cried putting as much distance between him and her.


    "Sam, you didn''t do anything wrong, you''re free to have a rtionship with who you wish," he


    told her with an obvious tone of irritation in his voice. She shook her head wiping the tears from her


    face. If only that was true but she knew better. She knew from the start this would end badly, why she


    didn''t listen to her instinct.


    "No, He is right; this is the story of my life! No matter how mature, serious, or professional I try


    to be I always end up making an ass of myself! I never should have gone to New York and I should


    have never slept with you there and I most certainly shouldn''t have done it here!" Sam told him as she


    attempted to gain control of herself and not break down like she wanted to do.


    She tried to ignore the hurt look on his face. "I majorly embarrassed myself as he knew I would;


    now I have gone and messed up this for him too! I knew you were my father''s prized employee and he


    wouldn''t like it," she ranted feeling so angry at herself for being so stupid! "God I do have to say this


    was the stupidest mistake I have ever made," Sam said with a bitter scoff at her foolishness.


    "You don''t mean that, you''re..." he started but she broke him off.


    "Yes I do David, I am sorry but I really mean it. I keep stubbornly trying to be like everyone,


    when it''s so clear that I not! Jeff knew it, my father knew and he tried to tell me several times, if only I


    had just stopped and listen to him. I have done nothing but hurt the people I love and now it have gone


    too far and it is toote." Sam told him angrily.


    Sam''s chest ached when she saw the hurt look on his face. "I can''t express how sorry I am that


    I dragged you into the mess that is my life," she added before she walked towards the door.


    "Sam stop, your father is being unreasonable. You didn''t make any mistakes or do anything


    wrong! Please don''t do this, don''t leave," he pleaded with her but she shook her head and left his office


    quickly. She rushed over to her desk grabbing only her purse. She couldn''t stay there any longer she


    was just too close to breaking down and she couldn''t let everyone in that building see her lose it.


    "Sam what''s wrong? I just saw your dad stomp out of David''s office and into his own looking like


    he was ready to kill someone," Tabby asked worried and Sam shook her head again.


    "I can''t talk about it right now Tabby. I have to get out of here," she said quietly and nearly ran


    out of the building. She couldn''t believe the mess she had made! She got into her car and the tears


    started to flow down her face again. She started cursing herself over and over. How could she seriously


    have been so stupid? She drove quickly and half blinded by tears not caring if she got in an ident or


    not.


    Once home Sam ran to her bedroom throwing herself onto the bed. Her heart hurt so much that


    she was sure she would die from the pain and wished she did so it would end. Hours passed and she


    didn''t have the strength or desire to get up out of the bed. She had tried calling her father several times


    but he rejected all her calls making her feel so much worse.


    He was serious and cut her out of his life, her only family left in this world and she betrayed him,


    she started to cry all over again. David had called her a couple times but she ignored them all. There


    was nothing left for them to say, it was wrong to have thought she could actually share a life with


    someone. Sam was sure she was born with some kind of psychological defect that made everything


    she did aplete failure. Sam stared at the ceiling feeling more pain than she had felt in her whole


    life. Her phone began to bounce around the nightstand and she picked it up and answered seeing that


    it was Tabby.


    "Hello Tabby," she croaked hoarsely,


    "Sam are you okay," Tabby asked and Samughed bitterly. She was farther from okay than


    she had been in her entire life and she told Tabby so.


    "You know David is right and he is crazy with worry about you!" Tabby told her and Sam flinched


    with a fresh sh of pain realizing how unfair this was for him.


    "Tell him I am sorry but it''s not his ce for him to worry about me anymore," Sam told her


    friend but now Tabbyughed bitterly.


    "You can tell him that yourself. Honestly you can''t be serious Sam, if he doesn''t worry about you


    then who will?" Tabby asked and Sam felt a little irritated by her friend''s harsh tone. It was clear who


    was going to worry about her, the only one who really had been there for her no matter what her whole


    life, her father! She had to fix things, he was the only one who would always be there for her.


    "Please tell me you don''t believe that bull shit your father piled up on you. Yes David told me


    about the whole "disappointing your mother" crap! Don''t you believe it Sam, that bastard only wants


    you to be his perfect littlep dog," Tabby went on. "It''s David you should be worrying about! You


    crushed him today saying what you did," Tabby told her angrily and Sam frowned. She knew she hurt


    him but it had to be done. She knew she dragged David into this mess and she already apologized.


    There was nothing more she could do.


    "Tabby you don''t understand. He is my father; I have to believe in him and I do believe him


    when he says that only doing what is best for me! He made a promise to my mother to take care of me!


    To raise me right and how am I repaying him and my mother? I act like a spoiled little brat that just


    spends her day making his life difficult for him!" Sam argued feeling a fresh batch of tears threatening


    to fall.


    "I don''t believe that for a minute, can''t you see what he is trying to do Sam, he said that on


    purpose so you will feel bad ande running to his feet begging forgiveness!" Tabby snapped at her


    and Sam grew really angry at her friend. Why was she fighting against Sam so hard on this when


    Tabby is supposed to beforting her instead?


    "No you''re wrong; you have always been wrong Tabby," Sam shot back at her. Why did


    everyone want her to go against her father, he was herst and only family, how could she ever do


    such a thing. He needed her and she only hurt him.


    "Now you''re sounding like your father!" Tabby told her with clear bitterness in her voice.


    "Good, maybe I will start growing somemon sense for once in my damn life and stop


    making aplete fool of myself every time I get the chance," Sam snapped back just as bitter.


    "No you will only just end up being a cold bitter prick like him if you keep going this way," Tabby


    replied causing Sam''s blood to boil, she couldn''t believe her friend was doing this to her!


    "Maybe my father was right about you, maybe you are just the bad influence he always talked


    about, nothing but trouble!" Samshed out at her but she instantly regretted saying it and cringed at


    the sudden silence from the other end. She knew she now had hurt Tabby too.


    "Samantha Isabel Peters, I have only tried to get you to live your life if only a little and break


    you out of the cage your father has put you in! We have been friends since preschool and you''re like a


    sister to me, I thought that would mean something to you. I guess you really are your father''s daughter


    after all," Her friend told her with hurt filling her voice.


    Sam wanted to apologize but Tabby hung up on her before she had the chance. She let out a


    loud scream of frustration as she kicked and punched the bed. Her father disowned her, she cut David


    out, and Tabby was offended by her. How did she manage screw things up so badly, she thought as


    she buried her face in the pillow and began to sob all over again.


    The next day her body demanded desperately food but she didn''t have the strength to get up


    from the bed. He heart waspletely shattered but managed to still ache terribly, her head throbbed


    as if someone had a vice around it and was tightening it more and more.


    She moved her head slowly towards the window to her right and stared at the bright morning.


    She scowled at the weather, how the powers that be dare make today a beautiful day when it should be


    cloudy with lots of rain, thunder, and lightening. She turned back towards the ceiling staring at it trying


    to fight back more tears. She was surprised she had any more water left in her for fresh tears.


    A strong knock on the door caused her to jump. She pushed herself stiffly from the bed but


    paused when she heard David''s voice. As much as she wanted to run and open to throw her arms


    around him and feel his around her she knew it would be wrong and only hurt him more. She ignored


    him for both their sakes, she knew if she saw him now she wouldn''t be able to say no to him.


    N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    She silently begged him to leave as he continued to beat on the door and calling to her. Just when she


    couldn''t take it anymore it suddenly stop and she heard his car leaving. She quietly thanked God


    getting up from the bed. She knew what she had to do now, she didn''t know how she was going to


    aplish it but she had to try.