A Mystery Valentine

This is an entry in the Valentine's Day Story Contest 2024. I would greatly appreciate it if you would kindly vote.

It started innocently enough. Just a little Valentine card on my desk one morning when I arrived at work. Remember when you were in grade school and the class would distribute those little Valentines cards to each other? Usually you decorated a little box as part of an art project to hold your cards. Your mother took you to the store to buy packets of 20 or so little cards (or just bought them for you).

It was one of those cards. The card, unsigned, was in a little white envelope with my name typed on it and sealed. 'Be my Valentine' it said with a little Cupid image. The actual day was over a week away so it struck me even more odd that the missive should be on my desk. I slipped the envelope in my desk and got on with my day.

It was more than a little curious because this wasn't grade school, not any school, in fact. I was the boss of an operations group of about 70 people that served as the 'back room' for a medium sized regional bank. Our location included a number of IT folks as well. I had been with the bank for over 10 years.

Two days later one of the people who reported to me stopped in. Amelia was a bright young woman who I hired a few years back out of college. She progressed quickly and now was one of the managers.

"Hey boss, got a minute?" she asked after knocking on my open door. She had her upbeat, happy face on so I knew this wasn't a problem she was coming to discuss.

"Of course."

Amelia folded her long, lithe runner's frame into one of the chairs in front of my desk. She ran track in high school and college, 800 meters and the 4 x 400 relay according to her resume. I can only imagine what her long legs must have looked like as she came down the home stretch. I'll bet her long, brown hair was tied in ponytail swinging and flying behind her.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Well, it's February and everyone's got a case of the midwinter blahs." Not surprising since we lived in the northern part of the country and it was cold and grey, snow was on the ground and the sun, if there was any, set early. "So a couple of my folks were talking about a party to break up the dullness and the idea they've asked me to pitch to you is a Valentine's Day costume party."

I laughed. "Kinda mixing holidays a bit here, aren't they?"

Amelia's soft brown eyes crinkled as she smiled. "Yes, but that's what they want. The assumption is that a straight Valentine's party wouldn't be a big enough draw and we didn't have our usual Halloween costume party this year."

'Fair enough. And you're involving me in this because...?"

"Two reasons. First, they want to have it here, in the building. They want to use the office and the lobby and they want to serve booze." I could see the nervousness in her face since she was well aware the company wouldn't want booze served at an event on the premises. "Second, they want you to judge the costume contest."

"Oh brother," I commented, shaking my head and dropping it into my palm. "You know I'm not big on attending parties. I make an appearance and then slip away. People have more fun when I'm not around."

"I know," she smiled. She really was an attractive woman, especially when she smiled, though a bit young for me.

"Let me think about it."

"Sure thing, Rick. Thanks." She stood and headed back to her office.

The next day I was in my office when my administrative assistant, Amanda, came in. I had hired her two years ago and she was the best partner I'd ever had. I say partner because she really was that. She could handle just about anything that came to me. She anticipated things that were important to my performing my job effectively.

She also happened to be intelligent, witty and attractive. Following the general tenor of the office, ours was a casual relationship. Most everyone called everyone else by their first names, though a few new hires, intimidated by the Senior Vice President title behind my name, called me Mr. Larkin despite my telling them to call me Rick. Within a few weeks they usually caught on.

Amanda flopped into the chair across from my desk and I watched her blonde hair bounce and fall about her shoulders.

"So," she began, "I've been enlisted by the horde to sound you out about the party."

I grinned back at her. "Making you the, potentially, sacrificial lamb once again, huh?"

"That's about the size of it."

"What do you think?" I asked, honestly seeking her opinion. She had a good head on her shoulders and a very good finger on the pulse of the place.

"I think morale is a little low right now and everyone could use a pick me up."

I considered her thought. "Happy workers make better workers, right? I'm just concerned about the alcohol aspect of things. And we'd need to get the building management's permission to use the lobby."

"True," she mused, her blue eyes drifting off toward the window. "We could always tell them that they would need to hire a caterer for the alcohol. That would put some control on that aspect."

Once again Amanda had come up with a good idea. "And having to pay on a drink by drink basis would slow down consumption, too. Tell the organizers behind this thing that we need clearance to use the lobby and they need to hire a licensed alcohol caterer. Let's see what reaction that gets."

Later that afternoon Amanda stuck her head in my door. "Erin Cataldo is here to see you."

Erin Cataldo was a bubbly red head who was the on site manager for the company that owned the building. That company owned six of the fourteen buildings in this office park (they had been the developer as well) and served as the management company for an additional three. Erin was the head of the management team for the nine buildings and her office was located across the lobby from our space.

Erin was another woman that was of a similar height as Amanda and Amelia. She, too, had that fluid grace about her when she moved. I'll frankly admit that I had a bit of a thing for Erin but like Amelia, I worked too closely with her to consider any sort of relationship beyond professional with her.

After the usual pleasantries Erin got into the reason for her visit. As I expected she was here to talk about the proposed party and the use of the lobby space. "We have no problem with the space being used as long as all the necessary forms and waivers are signed keeping Brightside Management immune from any liability."

She promised to get the paperwork to the organizers, with a copy to me by tomorrow morning. She also asked if she could come. I told her it wasn't up to me, that she'd have to ask the organizers, but I had no problem with her attending. After a little bit of flirting Erin went on her way.

Monday morning I arrived in my office to find another little envelope containing another little Valentine's Day card on my desk. Once again it was sealed and unsigned. This card said 'Be Mine' and had a cartoon kitten holding a red heart. I dropped that in my drawer and started my day.

When Amanda came in to drop off some interoffice mail I asked her. "Did you see anyone in my office this morning?"

"Nope. Why?"

"Oh, just curious," I replied trying to fluff it off.

In response I got an "Oookayyy," and a curious look from Amanda.

That afternoon Amelia dropped in with Suzanne, another manager. Suzanne was about my age, had dark brunette hair cut rather short and a dazzling smile. She had never hidden her attraction to me. She had been with the bank before I joined and I guess thought she might have first crack at the new, single guy. I made it clear that ours was to be a work relationship only and she toned down her attention, though she never really dropped it completely.

Now a brief side bar here. I'm not trying to make myself out to be some handsome hunk who attracts women by the bushel full. I think that it's more a case of working in an environment where 65% or more of the group are female, where I'm known to be single and where I'm the boss (with whatever power that might connote). I suspect all of these factors gave me a high potential on the 'datability' scale.

I am in reasonable shape, above average height and not repulsive to look at so I guess some women might be attracted to me based on looks. I dated plenty of women (not bank employees) during my tenure at the bank but never got serious with one. I served as an available 'booty call' for a couple of women (and they for me) but we certainly weren't any more than that. In fact, one had just recently become engaged and was now out of the game.

Suzanne, apparently, was one of the originators of the party idea. She and Amelia reported that they had selected a caterer and had secured permission from Erin to use the lobby. The two wanted to get my approval to have the party this Friday night. With everything in place I told them to go ahead.

"And you'll judge the costume contest, right?" Suzanne confirmed.

Reluctantly I said yes. They both left happy and Suzanne, true to form, said, "You'll be a great judge," and winked at me on her way out.

The next day another unsigned card. This one had a bunny on it with hearts floating around its head and 'You're Sweet' on it. Now it was getting a little curious.

Each morning that week another card appeared on my desk. They had typical sayings like 'True Love', 'Together 4 Eva' and other corny sayings. Always unsigned with a typed envelope. I really began to wonder who was behind this little mystery.

Of course Suzanne came to mind first but Amelia, Amanda and Erin all were possibilities. I also wondered if Jamie from the IT team might be behind this. Of course, it could be someone I hadn't considered. It could also be just a prank that someone was pulling.

On Friday there was a pink envelope with a full size card in it. 'Please be my Valentine' it read on the front. Inside was a short verse saying that this was the perfect time to reveal the sender's true feelings for the recipient. The words painted a picture of someone who had held a torch for the recipient and was finally ready to take the difficult step of making their feelings known.

There was a single question mark for a signature.

I questioned Amanda again as to whether she had seen anyone around or in my office before I arrived any morning this week but she said she hadn't. She did give me an odd look again, as if she was questioning my sanity.

The party was planned for 6 - 9:30 and there would be a DJ. I expected that if it took off, and provided the DJ and caterer stayed, it would actually run well past 10. I was told that about 48 people had paid for a ticket (to underwrite the DJ and caterer) which was a strong indication of how much people wanted, or needed, a release during the winter doldrums.

Just after 6 the DJ started the music, the bar opened and people began filtering in to the lobby, in costume, from both the office and from the parking lot. Sam Clifford, a big, tall former football lineman who worked in IT stood at the lobby door to ensure that only people with tickets came in. He was as imposing as any nightclub bouncer, a job he had during college to earn spending money.

As the crowd filled in I looked over the costumes trying to pick a clear standout. There were the usual slap dash, minimal effort attempts, mostly from guys. However, there were a number of really good costumes, among them some sexy witches, Batmans, Taylor Swifts, a Spider Man, a Hermoine Grainger and some cosplay or anime characters that I didn't recognize.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for you," Tim Nolte said, appearing at my elbow and scanning the crowd with me. Tim was the senior IT person at this office and reported to the Chief Technology Officer.

"Yeah. Wish I wasn't involved in this. Want to help me? Be my fellow judge?"

"Sure, why not. As long as you don't tell anyone I had a hand in the selection. Don't want any pissed off losers thinking ill of me," he laughed.

"Thanks a lot, oh comrade in arms," I jibed. "I'll keep your participation secret."

Together we reviewed various party goers. Some we rejected because they were too slutty. Others just didn't seem to have whatever intangible made a good costume great. We had whittled the possibles down to a manageable list when when I heard Tim gush, "Whoa!"

I followed his eye line and saw a Wonder Woman that was worthy of Tim's exclamation. This woman had really done a fabulous job on her costume and had the body to carry it off on top of it. She had a pair of red leather, spike heel boots with a small platform that hugged the diamond muscles of her calves as if molded to them. Around her waist was a very short blue pleated skirt with white stars all over it. The skirt fell quite high on her similarly muscular thighs.

Underneath she wore a pair of blue cotton panties that matched the skirt color. We couldn't see those at the time of course but they were revealed later. Her torso was encased in a red leather corset over which she had laid gold something (fabric?) that looked and reflected light like metal. Her shoulders and arms were also well toned with clear biceps on each upper arm. On each wrist was a wide, silver bracelet. Her long nails were painted fire engine red.

Like many of the attendees she wore a mask. In her case it was a Lynda Carter mask with a full, long, black wig attached. This woman was clearly in great shape. She wasn't a body builder. None of the ropey, popping veins or significant bulk common to serious weight lifters. She had the well defined muscularity of someone with no excess weight but some 'meat on her bones'.

"Who is that?" Tim said, voicing the question in my head as well.

"No clue."

Our dress code at work was business casual so most employees, men and women alike, wore pants and a top. Over time the adherence to the guidelines often slackened and I'd need to ask HR to send out the 'proper attire' email to everyone. Because most of the time the women wore loose fitting clothing whoever Wonder Woman was wasn't identifiable because of her fit arms and legs.

"At first I thought it might be Jamie but then I realized it could be Amelia or Suzanne. They're all the same height and about the same build," Tim speculated.

"Good point. I haven't seen Amanda or Erin either. They both fit the same profile as those three," I added.

"Erin's here? Oh man, she's a hot number, I wouldn't be surprised if it's her."

We both kept our eyes on Wonder Woman as she moved through the crowd. We reviewed a Princess Leia, a Padme and a guy in a Harrison Ford, Raiders of the Lost Ark look. There was a second Wonder Woman but her costume didn't compare. I kept being drawn back to the sensual grace and form of the first. At one point she did a twirl, as Lynda Carter used to do in the old TV show, and her skirt rose up revealing the plain, blue underpants.

Tim turned to me. "You see that?"

"Sure did." I didn't add that the flex of her legs and the firmness of her ass had sent a wake up message to my groin. Sexual harassment being always on my mind I had learned to keep even harmlessly intended comments to myself.

"Man..." he muttered, leaving the rest of his thoughts unsaid as well. I knew what he meant.

Around 8:30 the DJ announced that the winner of the costume contest would be disclosed in 10 minutes. The group quieted a bit with most people looking around. Whether to judge their chances or to try and determine where the judge was looking I couldn't say.

"She the winner, Tim?"

"By far," he agreed. So I wrote Lynda Carter Wonder Woman and slipped it to the DJ. With my duty done I slipped away to my office.

I could hear the applause and whoops as the winner was announced and then the music restarted. I was sitting at my desk idly surfing news stories about the local sports teams on the web to pass the time until the party ended when Wonder Woman appeared in my door. She silently entered my office and closed the door behind her.

"Congratulations on your win," I said but she responded by holding her long, red nailed index finger to the lips of her mask in the classic 'ssshhh' gesture. I tried very hard to figure out who this woman was by focusing on her eyes but they were shadowed somewhat by the mask and I couldn't make out their color. She then beckoned me to her by crooking that same finger towards herself a few times.

I stood and approached her. In her high heeled boots we were about the same height. She held out her other hand in which there was a number of the little Valentine's Day card envelopes. I took them from her, they were unsealed. She silently indicated I should open them. Each one was a repeat of one of the cards I had received during the preceding weeks. So Wonder Woman was my mystery admirer.

I ran through the list mentally, Amanda, Amelia, Erin, Jamie, and Suzanne. It could be anyone of them and I was smart enough not to guess out loud.

"Please," I said softly, "who are you?"

I stepped forward until we were almost touching. I reached up to gently grasp the edge of the mask below her chin. Slowly I pulled the mask up and off her face. I was pleasantly surprised to see Amanda, red faced and eyes looking down before me.

You know when you finallyget something? When it just clicks? When you finally solve a math problem, or understand a poem, or hit a golf ball just right? That 'Aha!' moment. When I saw Amanda's face I felt that click in my heart.

"Rick..." she whispered, her voice soft and shy.

"The last card, the one this morning in the pink envelope. Is it true?"

She just nodded.

"How long have you felt this way?"

"About two years," she said with a tremor in her voice.

I pulled her close to me and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

"Rick..." she sighed when we broke the kiss as she leaned her head against mine. Her fingers clenched my shirt at my chest and she clung to me. My arms were wrapped around her, holding her warmly to me.

"Amanda, look at me."

She leaned her head back and raised her eyes to mine.

"I never knew." I kissed her again, more passionately this time. She responded by kissing me back just as passionately.

"I'm sorry. I knew you didn't want a relationship with anyone at work. You've always been so circumspect, so careful about how you deal with all of the women in this office. Each day it grew more and more difficult for me to see you, to be so close to you and to not say anything. I don't even know if I'm you're type of woman or not but I couldn't stand not knowing any longer. I had to do something."

I kissed her hard this time, my tongue probing her lips and mouth. I wove my hand into the tight twist of her hair that had been hidden under the wig. She pulled tighter on my shirt, trying to bring me closer.

"I'm so glad you did. I see you everyday but I guess I didn't really 'see' you. You're an amazing woman, just my type," I beamed. "And, forgive me for being so male, but you are sexy as hell."

Amanda pushed her hips against me and ground her crotch against mine. She rode her thinly covered pussy up and down my hard member. "Can we go somewhere?" she purred in my ear.

"Absolutely. Have you a plan?" I asked, knowing her the way I do.

"My apartment."

I looked at my watch. It was quarter past nine. "Can you wait until 10? I should really be here to shut this thing down."

"Amelia, Suzanne, Tim and Sam will take care of that. I reminded them that you like to leave early and told them you'd probably leave after the contest."

Once more she had thought of everything. I kissed her. I didn't want to leave her, even for a minute. "Or we could just lock the door and...?"