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Mark tried his best not to laugh. "Sammy what in the hell are you doing?"

Sammy spun around, he startled her, he used the connecting door most of the time and skipped knocking, it was hard to believe he had been here only a week, he seemed so big a part of her life "Umm I was trying to cook." She said her face flaming.

Mark walked in her kitchen and surveyed the mess, looked like she had burnt what was supposed to be pancakes, there was flour everywhere including all over her, there was grease spattered all over the stove and it looked like she had used every dish and pan in the house.

Mark just shook his head. "Well you said I need to eat real food." She said quietly her head cast down at the floor.

Mark lifted her chin. "Yeah I did didn't I, let me amend that, no more cooking without supervision"

Sammy sighed, she hated feeling like a dummy. "Don't look so sad, with a little practice , you'll get better."

Sammy shrugged and Mark took her hand and wet some paper towels and wiped off her face. "Well thats a little better, lets clean this mess up, and we'll go out to eat."

They worked together to clean the mess up, and it didn't take too long. Mark watched her, he liked the girl, she was a sweet little thing, he didn't mind watching after her for Kevin and Mia, he was starting to get used to having her around. "Alright, ready to go eat?"

Sammy shook her head. "I don't really feel like going out."

Mark put one big hand on her forehead. "You sick?" Sammy sat down. "No, just don't feel like going out."

Mark nodded and patted her hand. "You get some rest then, okay."

Sammy nodded and watched him leave, Mark seen her as a total screw up, she wished just once he would look at her like a woman, even though the thought sacred her.

She thought Mark was handsome, she knew she was attracted to him, it didn't scare her when he touched her, but the thought of sex was scary.

Kent taking that money from her parents had made her distrust all men, but when he had raped her, it just made her never want to be near a man again, it took a lot for her to trust Kent, after what happened when she was a kid, it had screwed her up, but she had fallen in love with Kent and thought she could put that behind her , then he had put the nail in the coffin, Sammy didn't think she would ever look at a man the same again.

Sammy got up and went down to the living room to do some work, there was no point being attracted to Mark, he seen her as a kid anyway, thats the way he treated her.

Mark walked through there connecting door, he knew he needed to stop, but she didn't complain, so he figured it was okay, he walked in to find her in the living room working. "Get off there. I got us some food." He said waving the bag around.

Sammy looked up and grinned. "Cheeseburgers, I smell them." She said hopping up and following him down the hall.

Mark laughed. "I take it you like junk food?" He asked as he set the bag on the table.

"Yep." She said and grabbed two glasses of tea and napkins.

They sat down and Mark smiled in approval as she tore into the cheeseburger and fries. "I'm going to play cards tonight, not with Scott and Kev, down at a bar, you want to come?"

Sammy wiped her mouth. "Well I would but..."

"But what?" Mark asked sitting his tea down.

"When my father filed that custody suit against Mia, I called him told him where I was so he would drop the suit, well I made a deal with him, don't say anything to Mia, she would flip. I have to go see him and Mother once a week, I agreed to it, I mean Kevin chased him off when he came over here, they don't know about it, Mia would just worry."

Mark frowned, Kevin had told him that Sammy and Mia's father was a prick, he tried to used Seth to get his way, and Kevin had told him, that he had been mean to the girls when they were kids, he didn't get into detail, but he knew from Mia, they had paid off Sammy's boy friend, to dump her. "They cant get their hands on Seth, Kevin will never let that happen, you don't have to keep any agreement." Mark said.

Sammy just looked down. "I agreed, because I was afraid they would get Seth, the thought of him being anywhere near my father, scared me to death and I did what I had to do, but I gave my word, so I cant go back on it now."

Mark got up. "I don't like this one bit Sammy.."

Sammy jumped up. "Please don't tell Mia or Kevin, it would just worry them,and I can handle my parents for a couple of hours a week."

Mark got up and threw the trash away. " I'm coming with you."

Sammy shook her head. "No, my father would get mad, you cant.."

Mark put his hands on her shoulder. "I'm going."

Sammy sighed. "Its just going to make things worse."

Mark gave her a look that said he wasn't backing down. "You go I go, Kev, would never forgive me, if I let you go to your fathers house alone."

Sammy got up. "Well I guess you're going then, but my father is a jerk, and he'll be rude, he's going to think we're dating or something and he's not going to like it."

Mark shrugged. "I don't care, he'll just have to suck it up."

Sammy knew things were going to get nasty. "Let's go then."

Mark looked at the huge estate. "You grow up here?"

"Yeah." Sammy said looking miserable. Mark didn't like the way she was looking, she looked like she wanted to puke. "You okay?"

Sammy nodded and got out of the car and trudged up the long driveway. She rang the doorbell and Mark was right behind her. The door opened and the young woman smiled. "Miss Belmont, come in."

"Its Black, not Belmont." she told the maid for the hundredth time.

The maid led them through the huge foyer into the den, Mark looked at the tall gray haired man, he had Sammy's eyes, except his was cold. "You're late young lady, and I see you're still attracted to rif raf."

"Father, This is Mark, he's a friend." She said sounding hopeless.

Her father gave her a disbelieving look. "Girl you never change."

"Where's mother?"

Her father laughed. "Passed out from her drink and pills, now when are you coming to work for the company?"

Sammy took a seat on the sofa and Mark sat down beside her glaring at Sammy's father."Never, that wasn't part of our deal."

Tyson sat down across from his daughter. "You have to take over when I'm gone."

"I don't want the company father, its not happening." She said stubbornly, Mark was surprised she seemed to be able to hold her on with the man.

"Samantha, you need to come home and take your place, I'll find you a descent husband, and then you can take your place in the company." Her father said.

Sammy wanted to scream, the man didn't listen to her . "Samantha I have the perfect man for you, Jefferson Reynolds."

Sammy's heart stopped, she couldn't believe her dad had just said that. She felt like she was smothering. "H H How cccan you even suggest that." She asked not believing her father was this big of a jerk.

Mark could see she was upset, she looked paler than she had before, sick. "You okay?"

She just stared at her father. Tyson rolled his eyes. "You're still on that, please, I would have thought that whipping you got would have pushed those lies you told out of you mouth, Jefferson will be a good husband, you need a strong hand."

Mark stood and took her arms. "C'mon we're leaving."

"Listen here, thats my daughter, she'll leave when I tell her too." Tyson said glaring at Mark.

Sammy had shut down, she couldn't deal with any of this. "Samantha sit down." He father boomed at her.

Mark kept his hand on her arms. "She's leaving."

Sammy stared at her dad. "He's old enough to be my father and he's a sick pervert, are you crazy?"

Tyson looked at his daughter. "Age doesn't matter, he has a fortune, you two have children and they will inherit from both of us, think of the wealth you and your children will have."

Sammy just couldn't believe the man, he was nuts. Sammy wasn't a aggressive person far from it, but she had enough. "If you ever bring that man around me, I'll kill him." She said quietly.

Mark had had more than enough of this prick, he tugged on her arm. 'Let's go."

Sammy nodded and followed Mark out with her father right behind them ranting and raving, Mark didn't know what was going on, but he sensed the deep disturbance in Sammy, she was too quite, too pale, her skin was cold to the touch.

Mark helped her in the truck and put the seatbelt on her, he got in the other side and started the truck and backed out of the long driveway. "You okay?"

Sammy just stared out of the window. "Now that I'm out of there I am."

Mark knew why the poor girl was as messed up as she was, her whacked out father probably made her that way.

The ride home was silent and when he got home and opened the door for her, she got out and looked up at him. "Thanks for going with me."

Mark pushed the short curls off her cheek. "Anytime Shorty." He teased her with the nickname he had been calling her for the last few days.

Mark was relieved when a small smile crossed her face. "I'm not short, you're just overgrown."

Mark put his arm around her smiling. "Yeah whatever, you get on in and relax, go to bed."

Sammy shook her head. "I'm going to work for a while, its helps me relax."

Mark rolled his eyes, but nodded. "I'll come by before I go to bed, okay?"

She nodded and Mark watched her walk in her door, she was really upset he sensed that, there was something bothering her besides the bad visit with her father, he just didn't know what it was.

He decided it was time for a visit with Mia and Kevin.

Mark sat across from Mia and Kevin and explained to them what had happened.

Mis jumped up."I cant believe she goes and visits that old bastard."

Kevin wasn't happy either. "Mia calm down, Seth is still up in there, watch the language ."

Mia flushed but sat back down."She said she agreed to it, so he would drop the custody suit, she also asked me not to tell you guys, but I knew you would want to know, just don't say anything to her, I just want you guys to know whats going on, if she insists on going out there, I'll go with her."

Kevin smiled, he had a feeling Mark liked the girl more than he would admit.

"Thanks Mark, did daddy really suggest she marry some old man, I guess thats why she was so upset." Mia asked.

Mark nodded. "Some guy name Jefferson, she freaked out really bad, I was worried."

Mia turned as pale as Sammy had. "Jefferson Reynolds?"

Mark nodded and Kevin was looking at Mia worried. "That bastard, I cant believe him." She said getting up.

Mark looked at Mia. "Who is that?"

Mia just shook her head. "I cant talk about this." She left the room and Mark looked at Kevin. "Whats going on?"

Kevin shook his head. "I'm not sure, but Sammy has a lot of pain in her past, things only she can tell you, okay, Mia is not going to talk about them.

Mark nodded and got up. "Don't say anything to Sammy, I just thought you guys would want to know whats going on."

Kevin got up and followed Mark to the door. "Thanks Mark, for keeping a eye on her."

Mark just nodded and left, something was going on with Sammy, he just wasn't exactly sure what.

Kevin put Seth to bed and went to find his wife, he found her in the bed crying. Kevin sighed, her crying always undid him, he wanted to make everything in her world right, he sat down and pulled her in his lap. "Stop crying Mia and talk to me."

Mia laid her head on Kevin's chest. "I just love my sister, and I'm tired of her hurting all the time, I wish I could take her pain away, but our dad keeps hurting her."

Kevin held his wife wishing there something he could do. "What set you off baby girl?" He asked placing a kiss on her forehead."My dad is a jerk, the guy he's trying to get her to marry is the guy that molested her, I just cant believe him."

Kevin shook his head, maybe him and Scott should go pay this jerk a visit, he knew the guys name now, he would keep it in mind, the guy might just be getting a very unfriendly visit. "Your dad is trash girl, I don't want you and Seth anywhere near him, for any reason, you understand?"

Mia nodded, its not like she wanted to go near him, she just hoped her sister would leave him alone, she should see after tonight what a jerk their dad was.

Mark looked at the time, it was after midnight, he was just sitting around watching TV. He got up and slid a pair of jeans on and opened the connecting door to Sammy's. He walked down to the living room, she was working as usual. "You okay."

Sammy nodded. "Yeah sure."

Mark sat down beside her and watched her, he frowned. "You must be really smart." He said as he watched her type in lines of number and letters.

Sammy shrugged. "At this yes, I pretty much cant do anything else."

Mark leaned back. "Thats not true, you just don't try anything else, you're too busy doing this all the time."

Sammy looked over at him. "Well I think I can safely say fishing is out."

Sammy saw the flash of annoyance on his face, she figured he was still sore about that. "Cant believe you dumped my fish back, I still owe you for that one."

Sammy looked down. "I'm sorry, I just don't like to see things killed, even if it is just a fish."

Mark sighed, she was a tender hearted little thing. "You should get to bed, its late."

Sammy looked back at her computer and started typing again, she didn't want to sleep. Mark didn't push the point, sometimes she agreed with him, sometimes she didn't.

Mark looked at her. "You know if you ever want to talk about anything, you can talk to me."

Sammy nodded. "Thanks Mark."

He nodded and got up. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Sammy looked back at her computer screen, she wanted to cry and scream, she wanted to unleash all the anger she had at her dad, but she calmly put her fingers back the keyboard and began typing.