Gretchen boarded the flight quite late, as her flight from Los Angeles was delayed - she found her way into seat 1a. She was grateful to be in first class and almost as soon as she was seated, the flight attendant asked what she might like to drink before take off.
"Just some soda water with lime would hit the spot, thanks," she answered.
"Not much of a drink. No champagne?" he asked.
"No, just the water, thanks. Although, it will be my birthday in a few hours," she added.
The man sitting in 1a looked up when he heard this and said, "happy birthday, early."
"Why, thank you," she paused. "Early."
As always, it took her awhile to get settled, it always did. She could feel the man in 1a looking over.
"Can I help you with something?" he asked.
Gretchen thought she detected a bit of a British accent. Oh, she did love a British accent...she looked at the man for the first time. He was attractive, nice arms. She couldn't see his ring finger just yet but time would tell.
"No, I can handle this just fine on my own, thanks. I've been traveling a bit too much lately. Can't seem to get organized. Sorry if I am bothering you."
"Not at all, take your time." He went back to reading, and Gretchen suddenly felt a bit too American.
After take-off, they began to chat. Gretchen learned that he was living in Philadelphia, part-time, as his daughter lived on the West Coast with his ex-wife. He was exactly one year older than she would be in about 3 hours.
He lives in Philly part time, he is divorced, and he's the perfect age. It was as if she had hit the proverbial jackpot, while in on her short layover in Las Vegas. Happy birthday to me!!!! she thought to herself.
He talked quite a bit about himself, as most men tend to do, keeping her entertained and he didn't ask too much about her, which was ideal, just the way that she wanted it. She had always had a fantasy about meeting someone on a plane and joining the "mile high club," and it occurred to her, as they were talking, that this was the golden opportunity. If she didn't do it now, when would she ever do it? She had been flying frequently in the past couple of years and every man she had been seated next to had been lovely, had even chatted her up a bit but they had all been married. A line she did not cross. She had been divorced for three years and she had never understood why a divorced woman would date a married man. What, exactly, was in it for her?
Gretchen saw this as her chance to have some real fun on her birthday. What the hell, right? She wasn't dating anyone, to speak of, it had been ages since she'd slept with anyone and the man in 1a was the perfect gift to herself.
She avoided giving him any real specifics about her life when he did ask questions, and when he introduced himself, she gave him a fake name. The one she gave to married men, in fact, who were hitting on her.
"Nice to meet you, Andrew, I am Kate, Kate McMillan."
Gretchen had a "life" built up around Kate McMillan that she could rattle off pretty easily. She had done it often enough. Pretty boring stuff, really, nothing traceable and it usually was enough to convince a man that she was real and fairly routine. She would never have told them the truth about her life. She was creative, financially comfortable, traveled extensively and had explored a number of options, sexually, since her divorce.
Gretchen was attractive. She was tall, slender, with long, dark hair that still looked just as it did when she was in high school. She knew that she should work out, but she was happy enough with her body, she was comfortable in its sensuousness, in being a woman and what her body could do, what it was capable of - how it brought pleasure to her and how she now knew it could bring pleasure to others.
She did not share all of her secrets, preferring to keep it all to herself... so, whenever necessary, Gretchen became Kate. And, this, surprisingly, had turned into one of those times. Not that Gretchen didn't find Andrew attractive enough and charming but Gretchen needed Andrew to help her take care of one of her list items.
"You know I feel just terrible that I didn't get you anything for your birthday," he said about a couple of hours after take-off.
"If I had only known."
"As well you should," Gretchen replied, with a sly smile, teasing him back. "We will have to think of some way you can make it up to me."
"Can I buy you an after-dinner drink?" he asked.
"Very generous of you, considering that we are in first class. No thank you. I don't drink on flights. I like to have my wits about me in case the pilot needs me to help him land the plane," she answered.
He looked a little wounded. She needed to bring him around.
"It sounds as though you are on planes even more than I am, with business, flying back and forth across the country to see your daughter. You must meet lots of woman, being a good-looking bachelor such as yourself." She didn't mind turning on the compliments, figuring she wouldn't be seeing him again. After all, this is what men do to bed women every day. Where's the harm, right? What's good for the goose...
"Well, yes, I do meet some women but most hold no interest for me. I've met one or two, however," he answered.
She had wasted enough time with small talk, she knew she had to be bold.
"Have you ever just had an incredibly, you know, intense physical attraction, felt like you had to have her right there, on the plane? I mean, I know you are British and all, and lord knows, you all are nothing if not self-restrained," she laughed...she left the question open a bit, hoping he would pick up the ball.
And?
Hook...line...and sinker!
"Now, you wouldn't be talking about the Mile High Club, would you? What would a nice girl like you know about a thing like that?"
"Specifically? I can't say anything," she answered, trying to be coy. "Well, maybe. I am curious if you have ever had any sexual goings-on while on a flight. And sure, while we are at it, are you a card-carrying member of the mile-high club?"
"No, no, and no." he responded.
"Oh, god, how very disappointing," she replied. "Seriously? How is that even possible?"
"Well, have you ever been in one of those bathrooms? They are hardly what one would call spacious."
"Hey, people must get it done. Otherwise it wouldn't be a 'thing.' It wouldn't be on my list!," she blurted out. She didn't even realize she had said it until he started to smile. Even though as far as he knew, her name was Kate, even though he knew nothing real about her, she was still mortified. She could feel the blood rise up into her face and she knew without a mirror, that she was bright red.
"Tell me more about this list, Kate."
"No need, really, that is just a silly term my friends and I use to remind us of the things that we might like to do someday," she replied. "Don't you have a list of things you would like to do?"
"Yes," Andrew said. "I would like to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, I would like to go on safari with my daughter in Africa, but I can't say that I ever considered adding sexual exploits to it. Please do tell me more. I am intrigued. What else is on this list."
"Not on your life. I am telling you nothing more about my list," and with that, she used her fingers to make the motion of zipping up her lips and tossing away the key.
Suddenly the mood changed, very quickly.
Andrew gently, but authoritatively, grabbed the back of her head and drew himself close to her ear, "I plan on unzipping those lips tonight on the plane. Make no mistake about it. Consider this my birthday gift to you."
Despite the fact that Gretchen thought that she had been in charge of this little fantasy, that she had planned it, that she was using Andrew, she found herself unable to catch her breath, her throat was dry, she felt limp all over. How the hell did this happen?
Andrew let go of her head and sat back, resting in his seat, as if nothing had just happened and closed his eyes.
Gretchen was sitting in her seat, facing him, with her hair still a bit mussed up from where he had grabbed the back of her head.
