Night fell on Valentine's day, the most important Sunday of my year. I was on my way to the most awaited event by the elites. A yearly ball that is thrown in Saint Valentine's name which took place in a big mansion. Everyone important always attended. It was famous because it was said that every year, everyone that was single and attended found true love. The ones that kept attending said it helped make their love stronger. I would only go to meet new people, and potential buyers to my business services as my company helped plan events like this and celebrated being single with my friend Ivee. Still, I hadn't been a part of the "finding love" finale, I was always left with a big void in my chest, and I never understood why. A part of me didn't know why I kept coming back, but I felt I needed to be here and also oversee everything went perfectly.

I was in charge of this event and my decoration contractors, along with some of the employees. This year we ensured every corner of each room would be filled with seduction and mystery. We wanted everyone to feel anything could happen, especially for the night's main course. We called it cupid's shot. Many singles that took the liquid found their significant other before the clock struck midnight. I never took the drink, but I wasn't so sure I could keep resisting the temptation.

I looked at my phone and saw Ivee's last message asking me if I would take it this year. We both drunk the previous night said we would do it, but now I wasn't so sure.

The limousine drive took forever, but I was texting with Ivee through the ride, and time flew by. It was almost time for me to get out of the limo.

I looked at my phone and saw her last message saying she was on her way to meet me there and that she might have set me up on a blind date. Great. As If I didn't have enough already now, I had to play nice with a man I didn't know.

I slipped out the door gracefully and held onto the tail of my long red dress.

"Good Evening, madam Scarlett." The host attendants manager, one of my employees, gave me a white mask as custom to this event females wore a white mask and males wore a black one.

"Jordan! Everything looks great!" He then grabbed my hand and started leading me to the main door.

"Everything is as you ordered, boss." After a few steps, I let my dress tail fall back, and it slid behind me as I continued to walk forward with grace, still grabbing his arm.

"Thank you for running things over here. It's the most important part."

I noticed him looking at me with longing, and I'd never seen that look on him before.

"Are you alright?"

"Of course, madam."

"Then why the long face? Is anyone giving you trouble?"

"Not at all. Just walking with you made me realize I'd like to be able to enjoy one of these with a lady as beautiful as you someday, is all."

"I'm sure we can work something out. You deserve it."

"I'll take your word for it, boss. I won't let you down."

"Keep up the good work. Thank you." I squeezed his hand and looked at him with appreciation and turned to the main door.

A careless confidence ran through my veins as I stepped once again through the unknown. To my surprise, this year was different. This party was packed tenfold the number of previous year's attendants. I am sure that I will be able to grow my clients with this event. It shows how much potential my event planning is.

A sense of déjà vu embraced me as I realized all my hard work has led to this moment.

I headed to the bar to get my favorite drink, a whiskey sour. The woman in front of me grabbed her drink from one of the bartenders, and I took her place. I turned to my side to call out to one of the bartenders that I was sure he would recognize me and might hurry with giving me my drink. I signaled him to bring me my favorite drink, which he nodded to and started preparing it. As I waited, I see the man next to me looking at me, and he caught my gaze. He was wearing a half-white and half-black mask that caught my gaze. I recognized his light aqua blue eyes and blonde hair from previous years, but the man never seemed to notice me. Everything about him screamed sex. He was a 6'0 godlike-looking creature. For the first time since we both attend, his gaze was upon mine.

"Interesting, males wear black, and females wear white. What are you with half and a half?"

He looked at me as if he studied me. He looked amused with my question and grabbed me by the waist, and leaned forward. I was about to push him back. He was trying to kiss me, but his grip turned harder, and then he turned his head to my right side.

"If you paid all this. Would you follow the rules?"

I opened my mouth to talk, but I was out of words.

Paid all this? Then it hit me. This mystery man was my mystery employer. It had to be him. I never knew his name. He always paid cash and had assistants and lawyers handling everything for him. His mask was half black and half white, something that was never done before. Every year attendees started a game of guessing his identity. In the beginning, he always kept to himself no one really knows who he was or how he managed to enter. To this day, I didn't know his name or who he was either, and I needed to know his identity if I was going to keep planning his events and taking the thousands of dollars cash he spends on it without questions asked.

He turned to my ear and whispered something I couldn't make out but made me feel dizzy.

As he released his grip on me, someone suddenly started tugging at my hand and yelling my name, but I was in a daze. When I got out of it, I turned back to look at who it was.

"Scarlet! Babe!" It was Ivee. I was so happy to see her and to be able to get out of this uncomfortable situation.

"Ivee, thank god!" I hugged her tight as if my life depended on it.

"I've been looking everywhere for you, and so has Walter!"

"I'll explain later but help me get my drink and to get away from here!" I whisper yelled.

But I turned around, and he suddenly wasn't there anymore.

"What the hell?"

Where did this guy go? Would I now finally know who the mystery guy is? Now it was different. His gaze on mine felt like a challenge, but for me was more than that. He was my savior, the only person who could get me out of my business bankruptcy issue. With his investment and good word, my business would glorify this year. I would no longer be looked down upon, and I'd become the best and most wanted event planner of the East Coast.

"You can tell me all about it later, but right now, let's go." She grabbed my hand and pulled me forwards, and I pressed hers tightly and stopped firmly.

"Easy tiger, let me take my drink and avoid embarrassment by running and possibly falling in these heels."

"Come on! I want you to meet your date!"

"Ugh, do I have to?"

"Yes! Come on. Stop thinking about working tonight or else! We've been planning these events and working full time for years. Just live a little!"

The displeased look on my face changed Ivee's features.

"Bitch, just one night. Give me one night. Walter hooked us up with VIP attendants, loaded men!"

"Fine, but if I don't like him, I'm out the second I go in."

"Look at it as an opportunity to meet people with money for your business too! Geeze, loosen up a bit, party planning queen!"

"Fair enough."

I wasn't drunk enough for this, so I took my drink and held Ivee's hand as she led the way. We entered the VIP singles section where everyone looking for a date and paid extra went in. After entering the back hallway, we came into one of the VIP rooms with a group of men chatting with two other women.

"Madame Anderson!" I turned to look at who was calling me, and it was Walter.

"Walter. Glad you could finally join us."

"Is everything to your expectations?"

"Everything looks perfect as always, Walter. This year has been the best so far. Thank you. It was actually about time you came to one of these instead of sticking behind the scenes."

He shrugged. "I have to get a life and live a little."

"Right? That's exactly what I told her!" Ivee barged in and hugged me from behind.

The mystery man suddenly appeared next to me out of thin air, meeting my gaze once more.

Walter shook his hand, but he didn't turn to him as he did it. He still had his gaze set on mine.

"Madam Scarlett, it's my pleasure after all this time to finally introduce you to your blind date."

"Madam Scarlett, happy to meet your acquaintance." He wet his lips as he grabbed my hand and kissed the back of it, leaving behind a trace of fire with its moisture.

"Enchanted." I smiled politely.

"Is this her date?" Ivee whispered highly enough that I heard.

"Well, yes?" Walter added.

"Madame, would you be my valentine?"

"Your what? Is this a joke?"

"Whatever do you mean, Madame. It's no joke."

"Can you excuse me for a second?" I asked as politely as I could as I took Walter aside to talk privately.

"Who is this guy? It's him, isn't it?"

"No one knows who he is. He's the mystery man, the one that set's up cupid's shots at midnight, remember?

"I know that, but what is he doing hanging around before midnight and with that mask. He's never done that before."

"It's the first time we've seen he's been willing to spend time with any of the women around here."

"Well then, why me."

"Beats me. He's the one that asked for you. I think he might be connected to our employer. Give him a chance, boss, find out more information."

"I think so too. We'll talk about this later. Best to not keep him waiting."

"Shall we?" He leaned forward his hand, and I looked at it and back up at him. His look was daring as if I would regret leaving his hand held out. I took it and determined I would find out who this man was once and for all.

"Of course." I grabbed his hand and headed to a more private area.

We stood there staring at each other. I was unsure how to start a conversation with this man. I wanted to make a good impression, which I wasn't sure if I did starting from our encounter at the bar.

"You must be wondering why you're here, with me."

"Something like that," I said as I took a sip of my drink."You know my name, but I don't know yours."

He hummed in response. "I sort of have many."

"So you're that kind of guy. You give girls any name you want, just for the night?"

"Something like that."

"What name should I call you for the night then?"

"Valentino."

"Valentino," I repeated, and his chest growled once his name rolled off my lips.

"Like a valentine."

"I like it. It suits you."

"So, what do you want to do, Valentino? Shall we join the party or talk business?"

"I haven't decided yet."

"I am the man that makes these parties happen. I am Valentine's day. This is in my honor." He continued.

This man sounds like he's had way too many drinks tonight, but for the sake of this conversation and my employment, I just went with what he was saying. Who was I to call out my employer?

"Always happy to oblige. Does this mean I get to keep the contract?"

"That is a given. I thought this was official already."

"Not without signed legal contract paperwork."

"We can work on a contract. Whatever you need." I knew I'd find out his real name now. I had to. We would sign an official contract binding my company to work for him for all his events. I'm sure his name will pop up somewhere. "But I want to thank you first. Since you came into my life, Valentine's day has a better meaning for me. These parties now hold more love and life thanks to you."

"I beg your pardon. To me?"

"Yes, our talks every year have made me realize what I'm missing in love. I thought at the beginning I just had an infatuation with you, but... I'm in love with you."

"In love with me? Excuse me, but we haven't even spoken before today."

"Oh, but we have. You just don't remember."

"What? I'm sure I would remember if we-"

"Allow me to refresh your memory." In an instant, he was leaning in front of me and spreading my legs as wide as they went, and grabbed my legs and stood up carrying me. He leaned me against the wall and caged me there.

"Wha-" Was all I could get out before he delved his tongue inside my mouth, kissing me passionately, intensely. I wrapped my legs around his torso and braced myself as the hit of it all came to me. Memories of previous balls with him suddenly all came back. Us kissing, talking, laughing together, him telling me who he was. When he told me who he really was. When I realized the truth of his words, and then right before I took the cupid shot every time to be with him, he would make me forget. I unwrapped myself from him and pushed him away.

"Why! Why did you make me forget? How could you do this to me!"

"Because I had to!"

"You know what? For someone whose existence feeds of the day of love, you don't live up to your reputation."

"It's not that easy, Scarlett. We've been over this before, and I wanted to save you the pain every time."

"You cannot make me forget. It's cruel! I've been feeling this void inside of me, and it's your fault, I didn't even know what it was, but now that I know, I won't let you do this to me. It's not fair!"

"That's the thing. I can't do it anymore. I found a way for us not to have to be apart anymore."

"How? Is this another trick?"

He shook his head. "Earlier at the bar, I whispered an incantation. Remember?"

I nodded in response.

"It was to bind me to you, to become human."

"You're lying. You told me you couldn't do that."

"No, Scarlett, not this time."

"I'm sorry. I can't do this, Valentino."

"Just listen to me. Please don't shut me out yet. After midnight's cupid shot, I'm releasing my power to my successor, someone I've been preparing to take over since I realized I wanted to be with you. I couldn't do it until he was a hundred percent prepared for this, to rise up and embrace this role."

"Give me one good reason to trust you."

"You have no idea what I go through every day I can't see you, Scarlett. If you don't want to see me again, you are free to go, and I will respect your decision forever. "

"Is what we have real?"

"It is. I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

"What about Valentine's day? And cupid's shot? What about your powers?"

"To hell with it all, like I said, I have someone that can take my place. No more forgetting this night with me, no spending just one night together, just you and me, valentines day, but every day, forever. What do you say?"

A/N: This one-shot was inspired by Wattpad's 2021 Valentine's day contest prompt by #Adangerousvalentine #highfantasy