A/N: OK so I know I haven't updated in FOREVER, but I'm back, and this chapter is long, so lotsa stuff happens…I promise I will write more tomorrow…hope you all haven't lost interest…well here goes…

Dr. Cal Lightman parked his car outside the Lightman Group office, but didn't get out when he turned it off. He sat there, thinking of Sam. He really did like her, that is, everything he knew about her so far. She was intelligent, funny, sweet, and very pretty. Her eyes were stunning, and lit up when she smiled or laughed. Cal slid back in his seat as her thought about her, imagining what it would be like to kiss those soft, full lips…

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sam was hard at work, helping making sure everything was in its place before the store opened. She adjusted bottles on the glass countertop in front of her, and made sure she had her best smile on. But all the while she was thinking of Cal. His hair, lips, eyes…and the scent he was wearing, she was pretty sure it was Polo Black, but she wasn't about to ask him. What if she had been wrong? Then she would have felt so embarrassed, because it was her job to know perfume and cologne. She smoothed down her button up shirt, which now replaced her Sex Pistols tee. Just as she was adjusting her belt, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She carefully pulled it out and flipped it open. One new message alert flashed on her screen. She opened it. It read "I cannot wait for tonight". Sam smiled again, this time one that was genuine. He was thinking about her already. This made her happy, because she had been thinking about him since the moment they met.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Cal walked, slowly and reluctantly into the office. Foster was standing just past the front desk.

"Cal! Where have you been?"

"Daydreaming"

Foster looked confused.

"O…kay…..Cal I need you to look at this file on Senator Johnson…"

Cal shot her a look.

"That's what you called me in early for Foster?"

"Well, yes. And I think we should interview his wife…"

Cal took the thick manila folder from her hand

"Sure thing, whatever you need." Cal said in a short, monotone voice.

Foster stared at him.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, did we?"

"No Foster, it's just that when you called me I was…in the middle of something."

"In the middle of…oh God Cal! Don't tell me you were…"

"No! Nothing like that. I was having coffee."

Foster stared again, and Cal sighed.

"With a woman"

Foster's eyebrows rose.

"What do you mean…like a date?"

"Yes."

Foster laughed.

"I don't believe it. I simply don't believe it"

"Don't believe what?" This came from Torres as she walked up behind them, sipping a cup of tea.

Foster turned to her, a big smile on her face.

"That Cal was on a date this morning."

Torres sputtered on her tea.

"You were on a date?"

Just then, Loker joined them.

"Lightman had a date?"

Cal threw up his hands in exasperation.

"Alright then! Why not make it common knowledge?" He said in a loud voice

"Attention all employees and visitors to the Lightman group!", Cal now shouted, "Let it be known that I was on a date this morning, with a woman, who is younger than me, very pretty, and actuallythinks I am quite sexy!"

Everyone who was around them stopped and stared.

Cal leaned in, giving Loker, Torres and Foster a look.

"Happy?" He asked Foster, but stalked off down a hallway full of dumbfounded people without even waiting for an answer.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

By lunchtime, Sam was already tired. Selling perfume in a department store might seem like an easy job, but sometimes it just wasn't. And today was one of those days. Sam had a whole string of difficult customers, but she didn't let it get her down. She just smiled, and thought about how much she was looking forward to that night. But still, here she sat, a bowl of noodles in front of her, slumped against a metal chair in the mall food court, feeling drained and vapid. Her phone, which was sitting on the tabletop in front of her, went off. Sam looked at the screen and saw it was Laura. She flipped the phone open.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sammy!"

"What's up Laura?"

"I was just calling to check up on you. How did your date go this morning?"

Sam rolled her eyes. Of course Laura knew. Sam had only told Julie of her coffee date with Cal Lightman, but she should have known better than to think she would keep it to herself.

"It was short, but great." Sam answered, swallowing a forkful of noodles.

"What happened?"

"He had to leave early. Something urgent came up at work."

"Oh Sammy, I'm so sorry!"

Sam felt herself smiling wide as she stirred her noodles with her fork.

"It's ok, he's making up for it by taking me to dinner tonight."

Laura emitted something resembling a sequel.

"That's great! He must really like you!"

Sam smiled even wider than she was already smiling. She could not remember the last time she felt this way.

"Well, I gotta go Laura, my break is over soon and I need to finish eating my lunch."

"Ok Sammy. Have fun on your date tonight. Tomorrow I want to hear all about it! Bye!"

"Bye"

Sam hung up and clicked her phone shut.

Sam could not help but to smile. Laura was right, Dr. Lightman must really like her. All over his behavior toward her was indicating that he was. His insistence on taking her to dinner, the text he had sent her earlier, and of course what he had said after he kissed her cheek.

Just the thought of this made Sam blush. She thought of what it would be like to kiss him. As Sam pictured this in her head, her cheeks became even redder.

She sat in pure contentment for a few more moments, and then glanced down at her watch.

When she saw the time she quickly finished her noodles, threw away her trash, and then hurried back to the perfume counter at the store.

As she prepared for the second half of her day, she gave one more thought to how much she was longing to kiss the man they called the "Lie Guy".

With all her heart, should could not wait for tonight.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Cal Lightman went about his work like it was any other day, trying his hardest to contain the excitement he was feeling for his dinner date that night. After all, he didn't want Foster to question him too much about the whole thing, and he knew that if he seemed excited, she would notice for sure.

However, when they walked over to get lunch from one of the trucks in the courtyard surrounding the building, Foster finally brought it up.

"So, where did you meet this woman?"

Cal saw this as an opportunity to mess with her a little and smiled.

"Strip club." He said very non chalantly

Ooh. That was rough. Cal felt bad almost immediately for saying it. Not because he was messing with foster but because Sam was a nice girl and she deserved better than to be thought of that way, even if it was jokingly.

Gillian stared at him.

"Cal, of all the deplorable things you have done…"

"Relax, Foster. Don't get your knickers in a twist. I was joking, I met her in a bookstore, when I was buying a book for Emily."

"Well that's certainly a relief. What's her name?"

"Samantha, though she prefers to be called Sam" Lightman said as he looked over the menu of the lunch truck.

"Is she pretty?"

This seemed to come out of nowhere. Cal turned around to face her, studying her face. Her eyebrows rose slightly as he looked into her eyes, and her bottom lip pushed out a bit. Sadness. But what was she sad about?

"Very." Cal said, still studying Gillian's expression. But soon it changed.

"Well I just hope she makes you happy. You deserve it."

"She does." Cal said as he turned back around. "She does indeed."

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

After lunch, Lightman and Foster returned to the building to conduct an interview with Senator Johnson's wife, Lightman was surprised to see Emily waiting at the front desk for him.

"Hi, Dad." Emily said, coming over and giving him a hug.

"Em, shouldn't you be in school?"

"I had a half day today, remember?"

"Oh, right. I'm sorry, I completely forgot."

"That's alright. I just figured since I got off early from school I'd come and see how you're doing." She said, leaning against the front desk.

"You've caught me at rather a bad time I'm afraid, Em. I really busy." Cal said as he picked up the files waiting for him on the desk.

"Oh..that's ok. I guess I'll just see you at home later." Emily gathered up her bag and started to leave.

"See you later, love you." Cal said as he walked briskly the opposite way down the hallway.

"Oh, Dad!" Emily stopped and turned his way.

Cal turned around too. "Yes, Emily?"

"What's for dinner? Are you making something? 'Cause I kinda wanted to order a pizza…"

Lightman hurried back her way, taking his wallet out of his pocket and handing Emily forty dollars from it."

"Here, order whatever you like. You're on your own for dinner tonight." Cal said as he walked quickly down the hall to the room where the interview was to be held

"What do you mean, are you busy later?"

"Yea, I got plans." He answered over his shoulder.

"Plans?"

"Yeah, don't wait up." Cal pointed to her as he said this right before he disappeared behind a door leaving a confused Emily standing in the hallway.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Five o'clock couldn't come fast enough for Sam. She looked up at the clock near the entrance to the store. Four forty-five. Almost time. Sam got through one last grueling sale to an older woman who was trying to pick out cologne for her husband. She finally settled on Yves St. Laurent for men. After Sam rung her up and bid her a good evening, she took off the lanyard with the keys to the display cases and register and handed them off to the girl who relieved her. She then clocked out and unbuttoned her work shirt as she walked through the door, breathing a sigh of relief as the cool night breeze hit her face. She rolled up her work shirt and stuck it in her bag, pulling on her sweatshirt over her t-shirt. She then walked down the street, following the map she pulled up on her phone of how to get to Lightman's office. With every step she felt herself getting more and more excited. She could not wait to get there.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

When Sam finally reached the building, she went over to the desk inside the entrance, where the guard took her ID, presented her with a temporary visitor's card, and pointed her in the direction of the Lightman Group. When She got there, it seemed as if many people had gone home for the night. There was no one in sight, and there was not even anyone at the front desk. Sam started walking left down the hallway when she heard a voice behind her.

"Excuse me, can I help you?"

The voice was not Lightman's, and Sam turned around to see who it was.

It was a young guy with curly black hair, wearing a vest over a plaid shirt, and holding a clipboard.

"Hi, I'm looking for Doctor Lightman. Do you know where he is?"

"If you're coming for an interview for the secretary position, I think you're a little late."

"Oh, no…My name is Sam, he's expecting me."

The guy looked her over, taking note with his eyes of her nose ring and Doc Marten boots.

"Oh, well in that case, I think he's still in a meeting with Doctor Foster. I think there almost through, if you just want to wait."

Sam nodded.

"Thank you Mr. …"

"Eli Loker." The guy said sticking the clipboard under his arm, and reaching out to shake her hand.

"Nice to meet you Mr. Loker." Sam said as she shook his hand.

He smiled as she did so.

"Please, call me Eli." He said still shaking her hand slightly.

"You know Sam, You're really sexy."

Sam looked down and broke out of the handshake, adjusting her bag on her shoulder.

"Thank you." She said, still looking at the floor.

"Well don't look so self-conscious, you most certainly are." Loker said.

"And I bet you have an amazing body underneath those unflattering clothes."

"What?"

"I said I bet you look amazing naked." Loker said lowering his voice a bit as he stepped toward her.

Sam went scarlet.

"Well, I…I…"

"Do you want to get a drink with me?"

"What?"

"I was just about to leave when you came in. Let's go out for a drink."

"No, I'm sorry, I can't."

Loker looked taken aback

"Why not?"

"The reason I am meeting Dr. Lightman is because we are going out to dinner."

Loker nearly dropped his clipboard.

"You have a date with Lightman?"

"Yes."

"You have got to be kidding me."

Sam shook her head.

"No, I'm not. He told me to meet him here at five."

Sam glanced at her watch. Five twenty. She knew Lightman was in a meeting but she wished he would hurry up. Eli Loker was starting to make her feel uncomfortable.

Now it was Loker's turn to shake his head.

"I don't believe this."

"Don't believe what."

"What the hell does a girl like you see in Lightman?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It mean I don't understand why a girl as young and hot as you is going out with Lightman"

"I'm twenty seven…"

"It doesn't matter!" Loker said in an irritated tone. "He's still at least twenty years older than you."

"Well, he…"

"And what I really don't get," Loker said, interrupting her, "Is why you turned me down to go out with him. I am both closer to your age and much more attractive than he is…"

"Well I think Dr. Lightman is very attractive. And he might be older than I am, but we get along very well, and we already have some things in common, and I'm sure there are many more that I haven't found out yet."

Loker simply rolled his eyes.

"Fine, have it your way. But for the time being…"

He scribbled something down on a piece of paper on his clipboard, tore it off, and handed it to her.

"Here's my number. Just in case you change your mind, which I know you will, because…"

He leaned in closer to Sam.

"…I'd bet any amount of money that I'm better in bed than he is." Loker said, lowering his voice again, then leaned in even close as he tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and whispered in her ear. "And yours is a body that needs to be taken well care of sexually…"

Just then a door a little behind then down the hallway opened and Lightman stepped out.

"Sam, hi." Lightman said stepping toward her.

"I'm sorry I'm late, I got held up, I hope you weren't waiting too long…"

"No, it's fine, Cal" Sam said stepping away from Loker and toward him.

"I see you met Loker."

Lightman looked at him and then back to her.

"Yes, I did."

There was then a moment of silence, the three of the standing there looking at one another. Lightman finally broke the silence

"Well, we better get going, our reservation it at five thirty. Do you like sushi?"

"Yes, I do…"

"What's that?"

Cal pointed to the piece of paper with Loker's number on it in her hand.

"Oh, it's nothing." Sam said quickly crumpling it up. She then looked intensely at Loker. "Just trash."

"Well alright then. Shall we?"

Cal extended his arm to Sam and she took it, walking with him toward the exit.

Loker shook his head as Dr. Foster walked out of the same door Lightman had and toward him.

"I don't believe it."

"Don't believe what?" Dr. Foster asked.

"That Lightman gets that, and I get nothing." Loker said with frustration, gesturing to Sam and Cal, who were walking in front the glass windows at the entrance the Lightman Group.

"Is that Cal's date?"

"Yeah."

Foster stared after then as they disappeared around the corner.

"She looks so…young."

"Yeah, she is. I don't want to talk about it." Loker said as he walked down the hallway away from Foster.

Foster kept looking out the windows. Cal was right. She was very pretty. Foster couldn't help feeling the smallest hint of jealousy. But she shrugged it off and went back to her work. But even then it lingered. The feeling of wanting a man she could only wish would ask her out on a date.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Sam and Cal got to the restaurant, a Japanese place called Oya, a little after five thirty, and Cal went over to the hostess station.

"I have a reservation for two under Dr. Lightman."

The hostess, a young Korean girl with silk flowers in her pinned hair, looked down her chart.

"Ah, yes. Right this way Dr. Lightman"

She picked up two menus and motioned for them to follow her.

She led them on a zig-zag line through tables of people laughing and eating, until finally she stopped at a small table toward the back of the restaurant."

"Here you are. Enjoy your dinner." Said the hostess cheerfully before she zipped off back through the crowded restaurant.

"This place gets pretty busy." Sam said

"Yeah, but this is one of my favorite places in the city. So you said you like sushi?"

Sam nodded.

"I love sushi."

"Good, me too. They have some of the best here."

They looked at their menus in silence for a short while before a waiter came over and placed two glasses of water on their table.

"What can I get you?" He asked taking out this order pad.

"Well I think we'll start with some hot sake. As for dinner, I know what I want, do you know what you want Sam?"

Sam looked at her menu for another moment or so.

"I'll take the dragon roll, please."

"And I'll take the spicy tuna roll. Thanks a lot mate."

They handed back their menus and the waiter, who like the hostess, zipped off at the speed of light to put their order in. A minute or two later he was back with their sake, and then off again to attend to his other tables.

Cal poured Sam and then himself one, raising his cup to her.

"Cheers, love."

"Cheers."

Then they each took a sip.

"Wow, that's great. I haven't had sake in forever."

"Yeah, they do a good sake here." Lightman said taking another sip.

"So…Sam. What do you do for a living."

"Well, I work in a department store, selling perfume and cologne."

"Really? That must be interesting."

"Actually, it's rather boring. I'm only doing it so I can make money to go back to college."

"Well, that's good, what do you want to study?"

"Psychology."

"Ah, you wanna deal with the crazies do ya?"

"Not exactly, I think I'd like to be a child psychologist."

"Well, some of them can be pretty crazy too."

Sam laughed a little.

"Yeah, I suppose your right."

"So, are you saving up to go back to grad school?"

"Actually no, I never finished undergrad."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I had a scholarship to Georgetown and everything, I just…couldn't finish."

Cal could tell she was upset about the topic at hand.

"It's ok, love you don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

Sam gave him a little half smile.

"Thanks, Cal."

Lightman took another sip of his sake.

"So any siblings?"

"No, just me."

"How about your parents? Do they live in DC?"

Sam looked down at the table.

"My parents died when I was fifteen. Car accident."

Lightman reached across the table and took her hand.

"I am so sorry love. I really am. I'm really not doing good with picking topics to talk about, am I?"

"It's ok, you would have found out eventually."

"Still, I'm sorry for bringing it up. Anyway, I'll pick something I can't go wrong with. Hmm, what's your favorite movie?"

They talked about movies and TV shows until their food came, and then moved on to books and music. They talked about their favorite things to do for fun, and where they grew up and what their favorite foods were.

When dinner was done, they had another sake while they talked more and then Cal paid the check and they left feeling full of good sushi and sake, and quite content with each other's company.

They continued talking as Cal drove Sam home, and when they got there, Cal parked in an empty space on the street in front of her apartment.

"Well, here we are."

Cal looked up at the building.

"Yes here we are." Sam said.

"I'll walk you up." Lightman said as he turned off the car and got out, going around to the passenger side and opening the door."

"Thank you." Sam said as he helped her out, closing the door behind her.

They walked in silence to the stairs that led up to her door. They climbed the steps and stopped at the top, turning to face one another.

Cal looked at Sam's face and could tell that she was nervous. Sam looked down and fiddled with her keys.

"Sam…"

"Yes, Cal?"

"What was Loker saying to you? Back at the office. Just before I came out, what was he saying to you?"

"He was just…it was nothing…"

"I saw his expression. And his pupils were dilated. He was aroused. Did he come on to you?"

Sam didn't even have to answer. The second she looked up at him, he knew the answer was yes."

"Well, I can see why he would, you are very beautiful."

Sam blushed and smiled.

"Really?"

"Really, really love."

Sam and Cal stood there, looking into one another's eyes. Then suddenly, Cal took a step forward and cupped his hands around Sam's face. Then his pressed his lips to hers.

The kiss, their first, was brief, but unforgettable. When it broke, Cal still held her face, and Sam moved closer and began to run her hands through his. Then he found her lips again. Their second kiss was longer, fuller, and deeper than the first had been. It grew with intensity the longer it went on. Cal's tongue explored her mouth, running it along every crevice…

But this kiss too broke, still holding one another and looking at each other with longing and desire.

"Would you like to come in?" Sam said breathlessly.

"Absolutely." Cal said stoking her cheek.

Sam unlocked the door and they both went in. Cal shut the door behind him and pressed Sam up against the wall kissing her wildly. Sam threw her arms around him and Cal picked her up, still kissing her, and carried her up the stairs.

A/N: More to come soon…I promise!