Part One

The rest of the operatives filed out of the van. She pulled out her panel to check for any new messages. There was only one. "Be at the Tower at 11:59pm", was all it said. She looked at her watch, it was already 11:55pm. There was no way she could shower and change in 4 minutes. She pulled out her phone and made the call. "I just came back from the Marrakech mission. I still have on my mission gear", she told the man on the other end. "That's fine, you won't be in it for long. Come on up and be on time", the voice said.

She left the van and turned to Michael; "I'll debrief in the morning." He glanced at her, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her. Once she had her mind made up, it was not going to change. She quickly turned her back toward him and headed to Walter. She placed her gear on the counter. He could tell she was tired. "Get some rest Andrea, you look beat", he told her as he kissed her hand.

She looked at her watch, it was 11:57pm. She had 2 minutes to get to the Tower. She knew better than to be late.

She knocked quietly on the door, it was exactly 11:59pm. It opened very slowly; the room was dark inside, except for the glow of the candles. He walked toward her and put his arms around her waist. "Let's get you into something a little more feminine", he said as he held out a silk robe for her. She took the robe from him as he started to remove her mission clothes. It felt so good for her to be out of the leather. She felt so free. The robe was so soft to her skin. It made her feel so sexy.

As she closed the robe, she looked at the room. "Oh, champagne and strawberries. My favorite", she purred as she kissed him softly on the lips. He smiled and said, "I thought you might be hungry."

She looked surprised, "So this is for me?" He chuckled to himself, "Who else would I want to spend Valentine's Day with?"

She looked at him with hurt in her eyes; "Well North has already claimed you for tonight." He took her hand and led her to the sofa, "Well, she does have me for tonight, but you have me now. I wanted to be the first person to wish you a happy Valentine's Day." He then handed her a box. She looked at him with disbelief. "What's this?" she asked. He smiled and said, "Just something to let you know how I feel about you."

She gently opened the box; she tried to savor the moment. Once the paper was off, she opened the box. She was stunned by what was inside. "Paul, you shouldn't have", was all she could say.

She swore to herself that she would never feel this way again. Not after what Michael did to her. She would never let anyone in her heart again. She resisted at first, but realized it was a futile effort. If Paul's intention was to get her in bed, it was going to happen. There was no use fighting him.

Things were different this time; he was different. Usually their time together was fun and playful. He had seriousness about him tonight. His kisses were deeper and soulful. It was like he was trying to connect to her in some way. It was almost spiritual. She had never been so moved by him. She was suddenly very afraid.

Part Two

Her head rested on his shoulder. When she felt his breathing slow down, she quietly slid off the bed. She reached for her clothes. His eyes opened slightly to find she was no longer there. The only light in the room came from the fireplace. He sat up and tried to find her. He saw her silhouette in the glow of the fire. "Where are you going?" he asked.

She stopped, turned to him and said, "Remember North? If she found me here, she'd have my head. She made it perfectly clear to me that you were hers' tonight."

He pulled her back onto the bed, "Well, it's not tonight yet, my love. We still have time. I'm not finished with you yet."

She tossed her head back and laughed, "Paul, what am I going to do with you?"

Hours later ….

The glow of the fire died down. Morning was just on the horizon. She knew she had to get out of there before it was too late.

This time, he didn't awake when she left the warmth of his bed. She quietly dressed, grabbed the box, kissed his cheek and left the room. She hoped he wouldn't be too upset that she had left without saying goodbye.

She left the Tower and proceeded to return to her room. All she wanted to do was shower and sleep. It was already almost 9am.

The minute she opened the door, the aroma found her nose. Her room looked like a funeral parlor! There were flowers everywhere. She thought to herself, "Yes, I have trained my boy-toys well." She smiled, as she smelled the roses that Dexter had sent her. She blushed as she read the card that Dexter had sent with the flowers. "Oh, Dexter, you have learned so much in our short time together!"

Walter had sent her a beautiful arrangement; Mr. Jones had sent orchids and Paul had sent two dozen roses. She scanned them all over and then noticed the gifts and candy. She smiled and thought, "Not too shabby for it only being 9am."

For a brief moment she felt bad that she turned them all down for dates today. She thought it wouldn't be fair to just pick one. Wouldn't want to turn anyone against her by having someone getting his feelings hurt. If she continued to play her cards right, she would have everything she wanted while in Section One.