Cupid's Cameo
by:
J.L. Sapphire
© 2015
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 Bolton’s Steakhouse, and because it was Valentine’s Day, it had been non-stop busy all day long.
It was five minutes after eleven o’clock, and she’d just locked the door behind the dish washer after he’d clocked out and went to try to enjoy the rest of the night…or 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 wouldn’t give for a massage right now, she thought. Unfortunately, she knew that wouldn’t be happening.
Tamara’s ex-fiancé, Tristan, had left her unexpectedly six months ago, with no real explanation, other than the lame- it’s not you, it’s me- break-up line that people give when they can’t- or don’t want to- tell you the real reason they’re kicking your ass to the curb...and he'd told her this via a damn text message. Ironically, their wedding had been planned for today…Valentine’s Day- the holiday that pathetic, ridiculously happy couple's flaunted their love in people's faces, and most single women around the world despised. For them, this day was like being on a bad twenty-four hour date with a total loser that they just can't escape; like, no matter how hard or fast they run trying to get away from him, or no matter which way they run, he's there. Thanks to Tristan, Tamara had unwilling been added as the newest member to the anti-Valentines Day club.
She’d been heartbroken and humiliated…especially after she’d had to return the beautiful, mermaid style Ramona Kaveza wedding gown- which had been the very first dress she’d tried on and had fallen in love with, when she, her mother, and her two girlfriends had gone to Davina’s Bridal; then, she’d had to cancel the venue and caterer’s- which unfortunately, had already been paid for; and lastly, make the call her mother- who’d 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 off…especially since she’d been so happy to hear that some man was finally going to marry her daughter, that she’d offered to pay for the wedding herself.
In an attempt to get The Douchebag (as she’d been referring to Tristan ever since he’d dumped her) off of her mind, she’d been pouring herself into her work over the last several months. Surprisingly, she’d gotten over him rather quickly- once she got over the initial shock and embarrassment of it all…and 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 she’d 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 to herself. She was over Tristan packing his shit and disappearing like a thief in the night, 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, she’d worked so hard today, she felt she earned the extra treat.
She’d 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 glass 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 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, ma’am?” 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 didn’t own a cell phone, so him saying he needed to use the phone, just didn’t sound right to her. She could just see it now- she’d 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 didn’t trust anybody, she quickly came to the conclusion that she was overreacting a bit; what if this man seriously needed her help? It could be a life or death situation, and she was wasting time 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 made the decision 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 butcher’s knife. She may have decided to lend the stranger a helping hand, but she wasn’t 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 sexy…Idris 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-you’re welcome,” she stuttered, while giving him a quick once over. Because she’d gone without sex, or any type of physical interaction with a man since Tristan left, she’d gotten into a bad habit of staring at men’s crotch’s- even when she tried not to- wondering how big his cock was. The tight jeans this unknown man was wearing, emphasized the bulge between his legs. Her 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? That’s how horny she was.
She hadn’t realized that she was staring, until he reached out and shook her slightly.
“Ms…”
Tamara snapped out it. “I’m sorry, what?”
“The phone… where is it?”
“Oh, it’s in the back…I’ll 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 wasn’t about to take any chances. Letting her guard down just because the man looked good, could be what got her knocked off. She’d wait by the door, knife in hand, until he was finished…just 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 night’s like this, she really missed Tristan. She’d 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 didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No prob…wait, how did you know my name?”
The grip on the knife in her hand tightened. This was it, she thought…the moment she’d been afraid of. Was he some kind of creepy stalker? She was sure she’d 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 didn’t know if that something was a gun or a knife, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.
“I come in here everyday…mostly just to look at you…although you never notice me.”
She looked at him oddly; she was sure she’d remember if he was in here everyday.
“I’ve never noticed you in here.”
“I know…you’re usually very busy when I come during the lunch rush, helping the cook man the grill.”
She looked at him in confusion. “I’m 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, finishing his sentence. “Now I recognize you…I usually fix your order, because you like your steak cooked a certain way…not too rare, but not too well-done?”
“Yeah…that 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, uh…did you make your call?” she asked, glancing down at her watch. As much as she was enjoying staring into Deshawn’s seductive brown eyes, she was ready to get going before it started raining even harder.
“Actually…I lied; I didn't 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.
“I’m not a stalker, Tamara,” Deshawn said as if he’d read her mind. “I know you’re usually very busy during the day; and since I don’t 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. “I’m confused?”
Deshawn took a deep breath. “I’ve wanted to ask you out for quite a while, now. I’ve even asked a few of the other employees here about you, and they all say that I don’t stand a chance in hell, because you’re about your work, and not much else…but I decided to take a chance, anyway. I’ve 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 wasn’t such a great idea, but I had do this now, before I lost my nerve. You’re a very beautiful woman, Tamara, and I’d be honored to spend some time with you…outside of work. I know you don’t know me from Adam, but I can assure you, I’m 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 don’t know what to say.”
“Say, yes! Yes to being my Valentine, and yes to going out to dinner with me tomorrow night.”
Maybe she was jumping the gun, but Tamara said yes…to both of Deshawn’s requests as she took the roses and brought them up to her nose.
“Thank you, these are beautiful…roses are my favorite.”
“I have one more thing to ask you,” Deshawn said.
“What’s that?”
“Can I please kiss you? Like I said, I know you don’t know me, but I’ve spent so many nights lying awake in my bed, fantasizing about what it would be like to kiss your lips…and I just have to know, now.”
“Yes…you 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 dropped the knife and flowers on the floor, and threw her arms around his neck as their tongues tangoed with each others. Her body trapped between Deshawn’s athletic body and the glass door, she moaned sensually when his erection pressed against her hip. She was disappointed when Deshawn’s lips briefly left hers, but she got excited again after he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, before his 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 Tamara’s thighs to moisten. That had to be the sexiest thing a man had ever said to her. And even though technically, she’d just met this man, his lips were reminding her that she hadn’t 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.
“I’m really flattered, Deshawn, but seeing as how we just met…”
“Yeah, you’re right. I don’t want you to think that all I want from you is sex, because it’s not. I just had to kiss you, though, and I got a little carried away. My apologies!”
They stared at each other for several moments.
“Well, I guess I need to get going,” Tamara said finally. “Thanks again for the beautiful roses and the candy.”
“Thanks for being my Valentine…for all of fifteen minutes,” Deshawn joked as he bent over and picked the flowers and knife up off the floor and handed them to her.
She took her things, then Deshawn walked her to her car. They exchanged numbers, and he said he’d call her the next day, to make plans for their date.
As Tamara drove home, she thought about the passionate kiss they’d shared. She’d definitely be taking a cold shower tonight. She had been sure that she was going to forever be one of those women who hated Valentine’s 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. She’d often read that the best relationships usually began unexpectedly…and she definitely hadn’t expected Deshawn to show up at her job and ask her out tonight. She hadn’t spent Valentine’s Day as she’d intended to- walking down the aisle or dancing the night away at an elaborate wedding reception- but somehow, the little amount of time she’d just spent with Deshawn, was even better.
#ShortAndSweet #FlashFiction #ShortReads
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