Hey you guys. Thanks so much for all your kind reviews! And I'm sorry this took me way longer than a few days....I've kind of been in a slump. But I'm back and rearin' to go as they say. I'm sorry for all the typos, if there is any. I only barely had time to skim this as it's 5AM and I'm about to leave on a trip to Ohio. I have a 12 hr ride ahead of me, so no worries. Those hours will be well-spent. I will have a internet connection so I will post the next ch. as soon as it's available. Thanks for reading!!

~jackielynn

UPDATE: 5.30 PM, Monday August 17...Okay, so I deleted chapter 6 and reuploaded it because my trip got cancelled :( Got in an argument with my parents so...I guess some of you know how that goes. ANYWAY. Now that I have time, I can proofread this for you guys lol. BY THE WAY, I have links on my profile page to pictures of Margaret's hair and dress, just so you guys can get an idea. The dress in the picture is purple, but if you can picture it in black, that's what it looks like.

Quiet but I'm sure there is something here

Tell me everything 'cause I want to hear

~The Fray, "Absolute"

Andrew was worried about many, many things. It was Valentine's Day. It was raining. He was being forced to go on a date with his boss.

Margaret made it very clear to him that this was not a date and she was only using him to get what she wanted. This was the one time in their relationship when Andrew was sure that honesty was not necessary. Margaret's idea of honesty did not quiet align with the rest of society. However, Andrew told himself to be a man and suck it up. After all, he had made it this far with Margaret. How much longer could she keep him on her leash?

The day of the banquet, things at Colden Books were at their usual pace; super busy. Andrew was going through several files on recent authors and Margaret was lazily thumbing through another useless manuscript. The office was closing down at noon so everyone could get prepared for the banquet in a decent amount of time. Of course, how the men got ready was nothing compared to what the women had to go through, so closing the office down early had really been for their convenience.

Andrew glanced at the lower right-hand corner of his computer screen. He had one more hour to get through and then he was home free until six tonight. Jordan couldn't believe his ears when Andrew had told him he was going with Margaret. All Jordan could say was that he couldn't wait to see the night play out. Figures. He was going with Denise, an attractive young lady who worked a few cubicles over.

Andrew sighed and rubbed his hands through his hair, letting them rest at the back of his head. He had a feeling this was going to be one of the longest hours of his life and tonight would be the longest three hours. Andrew had attended dances in high school of course, but never an event with this amount of elegance. He had to admit, it was nerve-wracking. Not only was he going with his boss, but he was going with the anchor of Colden Books. Which meant he had to be on his best behavior…or else.

Andrew was suddenly startled by a message that appeared on his screen. Hungry? Let's do lunch, it read. We need to talk.

We need to talk. These were quite possibly the four worst words a man could ever hear. They only bring trouble. Andrew was sure that these words and Margaret combined were going to make for a hell of a lunchtime conversation.

Before he knew it, it was almost time to close for the day and Andrew's stomach was more than ready for lunch. He figured he could handle whatever Margaret had to say, as long as he had a plate of food in front of him.

He met her in the lobby and they headed silently out the door and in the direction of a restaurant unknown to Andrew. They had spent four hours at work that morning avoiding each other as much as possible. And now, walking side by side, it was still as if they were avoiding speaking to each other. Or, more importantly, they were avoiding the elephant in the room, which was tonight's banquet.

They got to the restaurant and were immediately seated. Then the awkwardness ensued…

"Okay, so I wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I don't normally do this, but I was wrong," said Margaret.

Andrew nearly choked on the water he had been drinking. Come again?

"I'm sorry I forced you into going with me last night," she continued. "I'm just…I'm tired. I'm tired of being alone."

"You're not alone Margaret," Andrew replied softly. "You don't have to do everything by yourself."

"Sure I do Andrew! Don't you get it? I've been alone for a long time now and I will probably still be alone a long time from now."

"You're not alone. You have me Margaret, which is why I'm going with you tonight."

"Oh yeah, about that. I meant to tell you that you don't need to go with me. I'm sorry for intruding on your personal life."

Andrew was shocked…stunned…hurt? Yeah, at first Margaret had been annoying about the banquet. But now? Now he was actually looking forward to going. He wasn't about to back down from a challenge just because the challenge wanted to back out.

"Margaret," he said, catching her eye. "We're going tonight. And that's final."

With that, she gave him a small smile and they continued with their meal. After they had eaten until they were full, Andrew paid for the ticket and they went their separate ways. A limo was getting Andrew at 6:15 and Margaret at 6:30, then they would make their way to the banquet.

After taking a very long, very much-needed nap, Andrew showered, dressed and was ready to go. He was beginning to get nervous. Tonight's gala was after all, being used to generate a media spotlight for Colden Books. But still, he hoped to make a good impression. Who knows? He might meet some of the right people who could help him get ahead in his career. But that wasn't what he needed to be focusing on right now. He needed to focus on dealing with Margaret. After all, that was what he was there for right?

The limo rolled up to his small apartment building promptly at 6:15 and Andrew felt his stomach doing somersaults. This was it, he was going on a date with Margaret and there was no turning back.

A few minutes later, the limo stopped in front of Margaret's building in the middle of the Upper East Side. Andrew took a deep breath and stepped out of the limo to wait for Margaret. The door to her apartment was flung wide open and Andrew was greeted with just one of many shocks he was in for that night.

There before him stood his date, fumbling with the door and picking up the hem of her dress as she went down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, she looked up from her small black clutch and saw Andrew. His mouth was slightly agape as he eyed her up and down. She was wearing a dangerously low cut, halter top dress. The bodice was studded with stunning silver jewels, while the lower half was made of a flowing black silk. Her hair was elegantly swept back at the nape of her neck. There, several layers of hair overlapped into spiral curls. When Andrew's eyes met her smoky ones, he closed his mouth and said nothing. She smiled at him and motioned for the door to the limo.

"Should we get in? I don't think we want to be late."

Andrew snapped himself out of his gawking state and came back to reality. "Yes, of course," he said, opening the door for her.

He crawled in after her and the limo made its way to the banquet.

The ride there was silent and awkward. Both members were glad when it was over.

"You ready for this?" Andrew asked as they pulled up to the hotel.

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied.

Andrew got out and was immediately greeted by the flash of camera bulbs and reporters. He grabbed Margaret's hand quickly as she got out of the limo and together, they tried to make their way through the crowd. He pulled her close to keep her from falling over or stepping on her dress and when they made it into the hotel lobby, she thanked him. As annoying as the press could be, they were both glad to see that Colden was finally getting some much needed recognition.

He held out his arm to her as they made their way to the ballroom.

Going in, they caught the eyes and whispers of several people from the office. However, they kept right on going to their table. Andrew pulled out Margaret's chair for her and they sat down right as the banquet was about to begin. After a hearty dinner, several speeches made by various Colden representatives and an award recognition, it was time to resume the night's festivities with something Andrew very much enjoyed; dancing.

Andrew stood up and walked toward Margaret's chair. He felt that even though she forced him into coming tonight, he at least owed her the first dance. When he held out his hand to her, she shook her head and refused. "I'm sorry Andrew. I appreciate it, but I don't really feel like dancing. I don't mind if you'd like to dance with someone else."

As soon as the words came from her lips, he knew exactly what the problem was. He was no dummy. "You can't dance can you?"

Margaret's mouth flew open in shock, "How did you know that?"

"Intuition," Andrew said, tapping his temple. "Come on," he urged, holding out his hand again. "It's easy, I'll show you."

Margaret reluctantly stood up and took his hand in hers. He led the way to the dance floor and pulled her close as the sultry jazz music began to play. He directed her on where to put her hands; her right one in his left and her left one on his shoulder. His arm slowly dropped down to her waist and she shivered from his touch. It had been a while since she had been in the arms of a man. She didn't realize how much she missed it until now. Andrew tried to direct her movements, but she wouldn't let him. He finally had to tell her to let loose and let him do the leading for once. After a few dances, Margaret began to get the hang of it. Really, all dancing was, was swaying and shuffling. Andrew timed things just right and made her look like a pro. Margaret could feel his warm skin burning against hers as he held her close to him. She looked up and his brown eyes seemed to melt with hers. It was surreal. She found it hard to believe that yesterday, they were arguing about whether or not Andrew was going to go tonight. She was glad he did.

After one more dance, Andrew and Margaret both agreed on a break and headed toward a nearby balcony for some fresh air. It was cold, but neither seemed to care and they were grateful for being able to breathe. After a few minutes, Margaret got chilly and Andrew offered her his jacket. She timidly accepted and drew it around her bare shoulders. She leaned against the balcony and gazed out over the city's lights.

"Thank you for coming with me tonight," she said to him softly.

"You're welcome," he said, looking at her.

Andrew was confused. He wasn't quite sure what was happening. If he didn't know any better, he'd say that he was beginning to care about his boss a little more than he should. The thought nagged ar him for a few minutes before he looked at Margaret again. She was absolutely stunning, especially tonight. Here he was, with a beautiful woman, on Valentine's Day and yet – something was amiss. The chemistry was there, but the motivation was not. Andrew remembered two words his father had always used as a bit of encouragement for him. No matter what the situation, Joe had always taught Andrew to "Carpe Diem"…seize the day.

"Margaret," he whispered.

She looked at him.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?" she asked, confusedly.

"Everything. I'm sorry you've been alone for all these years. I'm sorry about your parents. I'm sorry I know about this because you're probably going to kill me for bringing it up. You should know that any guy on earth would be lucky to have you. Especially on a night like this when you…look…like…this. I can't help but wonder about certain things and I…I think in a way, we're similar. Because we're alone."

"Where are you going with this?"

"What I'm saying is that there's a song, with some lyrics that go, "love the one you're with." People always say that those you are closest to often end up being the ones you care about the most. I think…you might be that one."

Margaret let out a small gasp of shock…what did all this mean???

The next thing she knew, Andrew's hand was around her waist and her body was pressed up against his. He had swept her up and pulled her into a dizzying kiss. After a few seconds, she finally got a chance to react and forcefully pulled away from him.

"What the HELL are you doing?" Margaret said, rather loudly.

"I'm sorry," Andrew said, looking innocent. "I…I don't know what came over me. I suppose I did it because it's Valentine's Day and...you're...we're here. Maybe it's the cold air, or the wine. I don't know."

Margaret thought for a minute before responding. "No. I think you knew exactly what you were doing."

And with that, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately, like she was sure she had never kissed another man before. Andrew wrapped his arms around Margaret and kissed her back. He was pretty sure that the rest of this evening was about to get even more confusing. It wasn't over yet.