She pulled off the freeway and joined in the traffic crawling towards the airport. Her hands were shaking and her heart was beating rapidly. She looked at the snarl of traffic, and sighed. Glancing at the clock on the dashboard, she knew she had plenty of time yet she still fretted. What if he had changed his mind? What if he wouldn’t be at the curb? What if he decided to stay home?
Nervously, she turned on the stereo and cranked up the volume, attempting to drown out her own thoughts. It was a useless attempt and she quickly snapped the stereo off. As she eased with traffic into the arrivals area of the airport, she let her mind drift.
She remembered that night they had first met. She had gone into a chat room and was stumbling around when suddenly an additional window opened in front of her. “Good evening, how are you, dear?” The words had stood out in stark contrast to the obscene language of other private messages she had been receiving. She quickly typed back, “Fine, thank you. How are you?” And from that began a journey that had lasted just over a year.
At first, they only chatted in the chat room. Sometimes there were sexual innuendos, most times they simply poked fun at the parade of men and women desperately seeking fulfillment of some sort by the light of their computer monitors. Eventually, they had turned to Instant Messaging and had spent long hours talking of their hopes, their dreams, and even the mundane details of their lives. She remembered it was she who first suggested they speak over the phone. He had hesitated, and she thought she had made a serious error. Then a phone number popped up on the screen in front of her, followed by the simple words, “I’ll be waiting.” She had called him that night, and so began many long hours of conversations into the early morning hours.
From there they had exchanged cards, letters, and sent each other small gifts. She had told herself not to get overly involved. It was online, after all, and he lived in another state. But she found she couldn’t help herself. She did love him, and a few months later, he said those same words to her. She was walking on clouds for days afterwards.
Then, the phone calls had suddenly become less frequent just six months ago. He had some financial things to take care of and had to move. In his new place he didn’t have the privacy he once had. But he still managed to call her when he could, and they still managed to spend hours on the phone enjoying the sound of each other’s voices and the cries of passion they exchanged between them.
She had despaired of ever meeting him when he unexpectedly told her he was coming to where she lived for some sort of conference. He wanted to meet her and see if what they shared online and over the phone could be real. Her heart had leapt with joy and excitement. She had volunteered to pick him up at the airport and give him a ride to his hotel. They would share a drink and some conversation and see where things went.
She fought the traffic as it circled the airport, looking for the terminal he was supposed to arrive at. Her nervousness was still present, and she wished she had had time to change before she left work. She had taken care when she dressed that morning, and she knew the soft, light blue silk blouse echoed the color of her eyes and highlighted the deep auburn of her hair. The black skirt was short, with a small slit in front and she noticed she had received many looks from the guys in the office. The high heeled black pumps were not the most comfortable shoes she owned, but they did make her legs look wonderful. Besides, he was very tall and she was only average height. She hoped the 4 inches on the heels would help decrease that difference.
She spotted the terminal and swung in, anxiously looking at the passengers standing at the curb waiting for their rides to wherever their final destination was. She didn’t spot him, and for a moment she feared he had stayed home. Then, at the end of the row of the passengers, she saw him. His height, dark hair, and dark eyes were all as they had appeared in the pictures he had sent her. She aimed for the curb and pulled up in front of him. The smile he flashed caused her heart to flutter, and she had to take a deep breath before getting out of the car. She collected herself as she released the back of the SUV and walked towards it. He met her and they stopped, an awkward moment suddenly arising.
“Jay?” She asked hesitantly, as though he were truly an apparition and would disappear before her very eyes.
He laughed soundly. “Sheri, my angel! Damn, but you look better than in all the pictures you sent me!”
She smiled with relief, and suddenly his arms were around her holding her close. She wrapped her arms about him in a hug and breathed deeply of his cologne.
“And what about this mug, huh? What you expected? Or worse?” He was smiling at her, teasing her.
Sheri pulled back slightly, and smiled into his eyes. “You look even better than I had hoped.”
“Good! I’m glad this ugly mug didn’t scare you off too quickly!”
“Oh, um, here – “She quickly opened the doors to the rear of the SUV, and he tossed his luggage into the back.
Sheri secured the back, as Jay got into the passenger seat. As Sheri slid behind the wheel, she was suddenly conscious of her skirt riding up. Damn! Why hadn’t she thought to wear a longer skirt! She tugged and pulled, trying not to expose too much thigh. His hand stopped her, his eyes smiled into hers.
“Don’t. I like the view. Please?”
She blushed at his words, but she was happy that he found her pleasing to look at. “Whatever you say. You are the guest here.”
She eased back into traffic and slowly headed towards the freeway. Neither spoke until Sheri had navigated the SUV back onto the freeway, and then the conversation flowed as though they were old friends. All nervousness was gone, and she began to relax. He stretched out and played with the stereo, and joked about the things he saw along the way. Before long, Sheri was laughing heartily at his jokes and found she was enjoying herself.
It wasn’t long before they arrived at his hotel. He checked in and had his luggage taken to his room. Guiding her with his hand on the small of her back, they walked towards the hotel bar. It was Friday evening, so there were quite a few people filling up the place, yet Jay managed to find two seats at the bar. Smoothly, Jay ordered their drinks, and Sheri was touched that he had remembered her favorite drink.
When the drinks arrived, the conversation flowed even more easily. They found they shared a common sense of humor, among other things, and the laughter was almost non-stop. Soon, Jay’s fingers were lightly stroking her shoulder, then moving slowly up her neck and toying gently with her earrings. She felt a shiver as his fingers brushed her skin, and she returned his touch by lightly running her hand along his arm. She could feel her body responding to his touch, and she knew she wanted him. But he hadn’t given any indication that he was looking for things to go farther. She began to wonder, and then as she turned towards the bar and the nuts on the counter, she felt his hand rest lightly on her thigh. She almost jumped, but instead tried to act nonchalant. She turned to face him, placing her hand on his and smiling directly into his eyes. He returned her smile and then let his fingers wander over her thigh, creeping up under her skirt until his fingers barely touched the silky feel of the thong panties she wore. The look that passed between them was smoldering, and Sheri knew he wanted her as much as she did him. He continued to tease her as he talked to her, daring her to maintain a normal expression and demeanor.
Sheri lost count of the number of drinks she had, and when she finally slipped off of the bar stool she could barely walk. He took her arm as he slid off of his own bar stool, and laughed softly.
“I think you’ve already had enough, angel! You can barely walk!”
