Tamara took a seat in the leather chair in her office and sighed heavily, happy that the night had finally come to an end. She was the manager of Boltons Steakhouse, and because it was Valentines Day, it had been non-stop busy all day long.

It was a five minutes after eleven oclock, and shed just locked the door behind the dish washer after hed clocked out and went to try to enjoy the rest of the nightor what was left of it.

She rolled her neck around in an attempt to work out the kinks, before she began the task of counting down the days earnings, and preparing bank deposits. What I wouldnt give for a massage right now, she thought. Unfortunately, she knew that wouldnt be happening.

Tamaras ex-fianc, Tristan, had left her unexpectedly six months ago, with no real explanation other than the lame- its not you, its me- break-up line that people give when they cant- or dont want to- tell you the real reason theyre kicking you to the curb. Ironically, their wedding had been planned for todayValentines Day.

Shed been heartbroken and humiliatedespecially after shed had to return the beautiful, mermaid style Ramona Kaveza wedding gown- which had been the very first dress shed tried on and had fallen in love with, when she, her mother, and her two girlfriends had gone to Davinas Bridal; then, shed had to cancel the venue and caterers- which unfortunately, had already paid for; and lastly, make the call her mother- whod often jokingly referred to her as an old maid who would end up old and lonely, with only her cat to keep her company- and tell her that the wedding was offespecially since shed been so happy to hear that some man was finally going to marry her daughter, that shed offered to pay for the wedding herself.

In an attempt to get The Douchebag (as shed been referring to Tristan ever since hed dumped her) off of her mind, shed been pouring herself into her work over the last several months. Surprisingly, shed gotten over him rather quickly- once she got over the initial shock and embarrassment of it alland she was able to not cry every time someone even mentioned the words wedding or marriage.

She worked diligently for the next several minutes, counting and calculating all the money, twice; then she separated the cash that was to go in the safe, from the money shed have to deposit at the bank. Once she was finished entering the daily report into the computer, she shut it down, grabbed her purse and jacket, and headed out of the office. She was ready to get home, snuggle up with her cat, Lucky, and spend the rest of the night watching movies on the Hallmark channel while divulging into a bowl of Blu-Bel butter pecan ice cream.

Hell, I might even have two bowls, she thought. She was over Tristan, but knowing that she should be in a five-star hotel, consummating her marriage to him, instead of going home to watch movies alone, made her sad. And besides, shed worked so hard today, she felt she earned the extra treat.

Shed just walked out to the dining area and stopped briefly at the register to grab the keys to the store off of the counter so that she could lock up, when someone suddenly began banging loudly on the door, startling her and causing her to jump. Everybody around here knows they closed at 10:30, so she was confused as to who this fool was knocking on the glass door.

There was no way in hell that she going to let whoever it was in, especially since she was there alone. She quickly ducked down behind the counter, attempting to hide while hoping that whoever it was would go away, but she had no such luck. The unwanted customer, continued to knock.

Please, can you help me, maam? the man yelled, while still knocking. I know you can see me; I really need your help. I had a flat tire and I need to use your phone.

Tamara weighed her options. Common sense told her that nobody in this day and time didnt own a cell phone, so him saying he needed to use the phone, just didnt sound right to her. She could just see it now- shed give in and try to be the good Samaritan, only to have whoever the guy was who was pounding on the door, kill her once she let him inside. However, since she was an avid watcher of the Investigation Discovery channel and she didnt trust anybody, she quickly came to the conclusion that she was overreacting a bit; what if this man could seriously needed her help? It could be a life or death situation, and she was wasting time standing there trying to decide if she should let him in or not.

What would Jesus do, she wondered. After another minute, she stood up, put her things back on the counter, and walked over to let the guy in. If something did happen to her, she hoped her good deed would earn her some cool points once she got to heaven.

She started to head over to the door, then suddenly, she made a u-turn and ran into the kitchen, where she grabbed a butchers knife. She may have decided to lend the stranger a helping hand, but she wasnt crazy. If this man made one wrong move, she was stabbing first, and asking questions later.

Tamara walked over to the door and gazed at the man through the glass as she cautiously unlocked the door. The first thing she noticed was that he was really SEXY. And not just normal sexyIdris Elba, sexy. She got a whiff of his cologne as he hurriedly brushed past her to get in out of the cold and rain, and almost fainted due to the intoxicating aroma. Instantly, her mouth began to water.

Thank you so much for letting me in, he said as he removed his damp coat. She could only stare at his biceps through the tight, black thermal type shirt he was wearing.

Y-youre welcome, she stuttered, while giving him a quick once over. Because shed gone without sex, or any type of physical interaction wit a man since Tristan left, shed gotten into a bad habit of staring at mens crotchs- even when she tried not to- wondering how big his package was. The tight jeans this unknown man was wearing, emphasized the bulge between his legs. He mind immediately began to wander into dangerous territory. Would he think she was the weird one if she asked him if she could just see it? Thats how horny she was.

She hadnt realized that she was staring, until he reached out and shook her slightly.

Ms

Tamara snapped out it. Im sorry, what?

The phone where is it?

Oh, its in the backIll show you.

She told him to follow her as she headed back behind the counter and around the corner. For some reason, she decided to throw a little extra swing in her hips, just in case he was watching her ass.

She went back out front while he made his call. He was fine and all, and she had- for a brief moment- imagined him screwing her brains out on one of these dining tables, but she wasnt about to take any chances. Letting her guard down just because the man looked good, could be what got her knocked off. Shed wait by the door, knife in hand, until he was finishedjust in case she had to run fast. She stared out the glass door, listening to the sound of the rain while she waited. She saw a flash of lightening in the distance. On nights like this, she really missed Tristan. Shed always hated sleeping alone when it was storming outside, and his arms wrapped tightly around her, had always made her feel safe.

Tamara.

The deep baritone of the strangers voice, along with his hand on her shoulder, snapped her out of her thoughts, startling her again. She jumped as she turned around and faced him.

Sorry, I didnt mean to scare you.

No probwait, how did you know my name?

The grip on the knife in her hand tightened. This was it, she thoughtthe moment shed been afraid of. Was he some kind of creepy stalker? She was sure shed never seen him before, so how did he know her name. He had his hands behind his back- as if he were hiding something- and she didnt know if that something was a gun or a knife, but she wasnt going down without a fight.

I come in here everydaymostly just to look at youalthough you never notice me.

She looked at him oddly; she was sure shed remember if he was in here everyday.

Ive never noticed you in here.

I knowyoure usually very busy when I come during the lunch rush, helping the cook man the grill.

She looked at him in confusion. Im sorry, who are you?

My name is Deshawn. I own the towing company down the street, and I come here almost everyday and order a t-bone steak, twice baked potato, a sweet tea and

A slice of pecan pie for desert, Tamara said. Now I recognize youI usually fix your order, because you like your steak cooked a certain waynot too rare, but not too well-done?

Yeahthat would be correct.

Wow, you look so much different up close.

Is that a good or a bad thing? he asked.

Tamara only blushed in response. She decided to change the subject. So, uhdid you make your call? she asked, glancing down at her watch. As much as she was enjoying staring into Deshawns seductive brown eyes, she was ready to get going before it started raining even harder.

ActuallyI lied; I didnt need to use the phone, he said.

The hairs on the back of her neck began to rise. So, he really was a stalker. Mentally, she began planning her escape, wondering how fast it would take her to knee him in the groin and make a run for it.

Im not a stalker, Tamara, Deshawn said as if hed read her mind. I know youre usually very busy during the day; and since I dont know your phone number or where you live, I knew this was the only time to catch you.

She heard what he was saying, but because he still had his hands hidden behind his back, she still was hesitant to trust him; however, she was interested in what he had to say. Im confused?

Deshawn took a deep breath. Ive wanted to ask you out for quite a while, now. Ive even asked a few of the other employees here about you, and they all say that I dont stand a chance in hell, because youre about your work, and not much elsebut I decided to take a chance, anyway. Ive gone over and over in my mind, different ways to go about trying to get your attention, and this was what I finally came up with. I realize that approaching a woman late at night like this, probably wasnt such a great idea, but I had do this now, before I lost my nerve. Youre a very beautiful woman, Tamara, and Id be honored to spend some time with yououtside of work. I know you dont know me from Adam, but I can assure you, Im a good guy. I know the day is almost over, but I still have time to ask,-will you be my Valentine? He finally brought his hands from behind his back, and he was holding a bouquet of roses in one of them, and one of those heart shaped boxes of chocolates in the other. While it was a little corny, it was also really sweet.

Tamara felt herself blushing. I dont know what to say.

Say, yes! Yes to being my Valentine- even though the day is almost over- and yes to going out to dinner with me tomorrow night.

Maybe she was jumping the gun, but Tamara said yesto both of Deshawns requests as she took the roses and brought them up to her nose.

Thank you, these are beautifulroses are my favorite.

I have one more thing to ask you, Deshawn said.

Whats that?

Can I please kiss you? I know you dont really know me, but Ive spent so many nights lying awake in my bed, fantasizing about what it would be like to kiss your lipsand I just have to know, now.

Yesyou may kiss me, Deshawn.

He stepped closer to her, and pressed his body into hers, while looking her in the eye. Then, he gently took her face between his large hands, and kissed her lips, gently at first, but then deeper, and with more passion when he saw that she was kissing him back.

Tamara threw her arms around his neck as their tongues tangoed with each others. Her body trapped between Deshawns athletic body and the glass door, she moaned sensually when his erection pressed against her hip. She was disappointed when Deshawns lips briefly left hers, but she got excited again after he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, before his soft lips found that sweet spot on her neck.

I want you so bad right now, Tamara, he whispered in her ear while one of his hands found her breast and squeezed, causing Tamara to moan softly again.

Hearing Deshawn make that declaration, caused the space between Tamaras thighs to moisten. That had to be the sexiest thing a man had ever said to her. And even though technically, shed just met this man, his lips were reminding her that she hadnt had any sexual healing in quite a while. She wanted to screw him six ways from Sunday, but she knew that giving it up so soon, might make him think negatively of her, so she gently placed a hand on his chest and put some space between them.

Im really flattered, Deshawn, but seeing as how we just met

Yeah, youre right. I dont want you to think that all I want from you is sex, because its not. I just had to kiss you, though, and I got a little carried away.

They stared at each other for several moments.

Well, I guess I need to get going, Tamara said finally. Thank again for the beautiful roses and the candy.

Thanks for being my Valentinefor all of fifteen minutes, Deshawn joked.

She grabbed her things and Deshawn walked her to her car. They exchanged numbers, and he said hed call her the next day, to make plans for their date.

As Tamara drove home, she thought about the passionate kiss theyd shared. Shed definitely be taking a cold shower tonight. She had been sure that she was going to forever be one of those women who hated Valentines Day, especially since it was the date she and Tristan were supposed to had gotten married; but Cupid had made a surprise appearance at the last minute, creating a new memory of this day for her. Shed often read that the best relationships usually began unexpectedlyand she definitely hadnt expected Deshawn to show up at her job and ask her out tonight. She hadnt spent Valentines Day as shed intended to- walking down the aisle or dancing the night away at an elaborate wedding reception- but somehow, the little amount of time shed just spent with Deshawn, was even better.