PRELUDE: A businessman finds himself seated next to a favorite movie star on a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles. The build-up for this takes some time. Apologies ahead of time if it takes too long to get to the fun stuff.
CHAPTER ONE
Taking a late Friday afternoon flight from Chicago O'Hare to LAX was something that Dan Buchanan would rarely do. He had meetings scheduled to begin on Monday. His expanding public relations consulting business had its home office in Chicago, but the LA office needed reorganizing. His workload had been heavy and he decided to give himself a two-day weekend before putting his nose back on the grindstone.
Dan was in his late 40s and was back to being single. His wife had divorced him six months previous; she was seven years younger and after spending 18 years being the mother to their son, she had decided she wanted to play the field. She had been blunt -- either they were going to start swapping/swinging or she was going to start dating.
His business had been consuming more of his time and that was one reason his ex-wife was unhappy. Their sex life had remained active, but he had neither the time nor the desire to dive into the sex party scene. Plus, he was a bit concerned about how it would turn off customers if somehow his "secret" got out. Her family came from money, so the divorce was amicable in that it didn't wreck him financially. She just wanted out and he was fine with that. Their son was a freshman at Notre Dame and excited about starting his own path; the divorce didn't produce trauma or drama.
He was seated in the aisle bulkhead row in first class (another perquisite he was happy to have available via his frequent flier miles). For the moment, the window seat was unoccupied. Dan was hoping it would remain that way. He was not much for small-talk conversations while trapped on a jet and he typically spent his time working on his laptop.
His phone beeped with a text from his friend in LA. As he was answering it, the final passenger boarded just before the door was shut. Dan didn't pay much attention. The woman stowed a bag in the overhead and offered a soft "excuse me" as she slipped past Dan and settled into the seat. He finished the text and put his phone on airplane mode.
Dan glanced at his seatmate. She was wearing large sunglasses and wide-brimmed hat. "Headed to LA; she probably wants people to think she's a star or something," Dan thought.
"I didn't want to interrupt ... hello, I'm Diane," she said. As he turned toward her, she removed the hat and sunglasses.
The look on Dan's face brought a slight smile to the woman's face as she extended her hand. Dan was having an out-of-body experience, his hand moving slowly to hers, feeling her soft, firm grip. "Dan... I'm Dan," he managed to blurt.
His brain had processed that the person sitting next to him was Diane Lane, an actress that he had long considered one of the most naturally attractive and sexy women in Hollywood.
Her elbow on the arm rest, she rested her chin on her hand as she observed the handsome man she had just met. She was more than accustomed to leaving the men she met flabbergasted, but this was different. Dan seemed like he needed one of the oxygen masks stored above them.
"Well, I guess it's clear you know who I am," she said, her white teeth flashing in a huge smile. "Do you want an autograph?"
"Um, no... well, sure... I uh," Dan felt like a freshman in high school at his first dance. "I mean..."
He took a deep breath as his composure returned.
"OK, yes, you're Diane Lane and I've followed your career since the beginning. I think you're one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen."
She arched an eyebrow and lifted her chin, laughing softly. Dan immediately felt like a complete doofus, complimenting an actress on her looks.
"I've never heard that one before," she said, smiling. She was enjoying this encounter because her new acquaintance appeared to be a successful and attractive man who was normally self-assured, but her presence had flustered him. Her hand reached out to his forearm. "Honestly, most men I meet nowadays are younger and they think I'm kinda old news. If they fantasize about a MILF actress, I might be their choice."
"You'd definitely be my choice," Dan thought to himself. He had recovered his poise and began to feel like a real grown-up man again.
"I've made hundreds of flights and always wondered when I would finally win the seat lottery and find myself next to a lovely woman," he said.
"There you go again, trying to flatter me."
Dan felt his face heat up and he again felt like he was an immature kid. He took a deep breath.
"OK, so maybe I'm still in shock," he said. "But I'm also just being honest."
Diane again reached out to touch his arm. "OK, you're off the hook. No more teasing. Believe me, I appreciate honesty. It's a rare commodity these days. And frankly, I'm looking forward to this flight now."
CHAPTER TWO
As the flight attendant brought drinks, then the bowl of warm nuts, then their meals, the conversation was stimulating. Diane asked Dan about his job and family life. She arched an eyebrow when he described his recent divorce.
When the discussion turned to Diane, Dan was able to quiz her about her first movie in which her co-star was the great Sir Laurence Olivier. She pointed out that her second movie she co-starred with Burt Lancaster and Rod Steiger -- so in her first three movies she appeared with three Academy Award winners.
"Speaking of Academy Awards, it was great you were nominated for best actress in 'Unfaithful,'" Dan said.
"Thanks. It's always an honor to be nominated but it sucks to lose. So, you liked that movie, huh? Was it because I spent a good amount of time naked?"
Dan felt his cock twitching. A few times in his hotel room he had jacked off watching the sexy scenes in the movie. "Honestly, hell yes. Your body is beautiful, and I thought you were courageous in being so committed to realistic scenes."
Diane took a sip of her wine and glanced out the plane's window. She turned back to Dan. "Well, I've been nude, from the waist up, in a lot of movies. I've never been shy about my body. By the way, have you seen the sex tape?"
Before Dan could answer the flight attendant came to remove their trays. Dan cleared his throat. "Uh, what sex tape?" For a busy businessman, he kept up with celebrity news and gossip. He had never heard about any scandal involving a Diane Lane sex tape.
"Well, there is one," she said. "I was in my late 20s and one of my boyfriends persuaded me to let a friend film us having sex. I should have known the bastard wouldn't keep his word about keeping it private. About five years later, just when the Internet got big, there it was."
The flight attendant had refreshed their drinks. Dan took a sip of scotch while Diane took another drink of wine.
