"Wait. What do you mean I missed my connection?"
The consternation in my voice was probably apparent to everyone. This was just the latest in a series of delays that had plagued me all day long. I didn't hear my alarm. I got stuck in traffic getting to the airport. My delay there caused me to get a less-than-ideal seat on the airplane. Then, to add even more insult to injury, we sat on the runway for half an hour before takeoff. That caused me to miss my connecting flight. The desk agent was more than helpful, but it seemed that the next outbound plane headed to my destination wasn't going to be taking off for another 3 hours. I thanked the agent for her time and asked her to try and get me on the next outgoing flight. Thankfully, I only had my one carry on, so if I did get stranded at the airport overnight I wouldn't have to worry about being without clothes.
I walked through the terminal until I found the nearest airline traveler club. The funny thing about spending as much time on airlines as I do is that while you may be screwed around by the airplane itself, the time you spend in the airport is not that bad. Exclusive access to frequent flyer clubs is probably the only reason I still fly with an airline that continually causes me to be late and miss my flights. Sometimes it's the little perks that matter. I wheeled my suitcase up to the bar and camped out on a barstool, intent on passing the next few hours with some alcohol and maybe some catching up on the mountain of email that floods my inbox. However, after the second glass of bourbon, the idea of even caring about my email went right out the window. Instead, I focused on clearing my mind of all the stress and irritation of the day.
That's when I heard a polite cough beside me followed by, "Excuse me, do you mind if I have a seat?"
The lounge was fairly empty with plenty of seating all around. It was as I was turning my head to say as much to the person interrupting my solitude when I caught a glimpse of her face. All my snarky retorts faded away as I recognized my old friend Valerie. I shouted out her name in greeting as I stood up and she must have been equally shocked to see me as well. She stepped over and gave me a big hug in greeting. After we broke apart, I took a moment to admire her form. Always the professional, Valerie was dressed for business today. A smart business jacket and skirt adorned with Valerie's most famous accessory, a pair of high heels. She once joked with me when we worked together that the heels stayed on all the time. When I raised an eyebrow at the obvious entendre, she merely smiled and nodded before I could say anything. It had been quite a while since we had worked together in the same place, and we kept up mostly via email once every three or four months. However, seeing her once again was a rare treasure in a day that had already been going downhill.
I invited her to have a seat with me. She pulled her long chestnut hair together and draped it over her right shoulder as she sat down on my right. She ordered something off the drink menu that looked fruity. I continued working on my bourbon as her large pink fruity drink arrived, complete with a fruit salad for garnish.
I smirked at her choice of refreshment, but she chided my reaction by saying, "Hey! It's got a lot of alcohol. Plus it's pink. You know how much I love pink."
I couldn't argue with that. She finished it quickly as we caught up on things since the last email exchange a few months previous. It turns out that Valerie and I spent a lot of time flying into the same airports, just never at the same time. Life as a frequent traveler usually meant living out of a suitcase and knowing the inside of an airport better than the inside of your house. We took turns telling stories about terrible hotel rooms and run-ins with airport security. One particular anecdote about getting caught in the shower by housekeeping had her dying with laughter.
As she laughed and threw her hands around, one of them casually landed on my knee. It lingered there perhaps a second or two longer than it would have in otherwise friendly company. This of course got my mind to racing with some rather interesting thoughts. There was no denying that Valerie was a very attractive woman. Her confident air and take-charge attitude was as refreshing as her beauty. When we did work together there was a bit of unresolved tension between us from an attraction standpoint. We kidded around and made some pretty loaded comments to each other, but it never really went much further than that. Not for lack of trying on either part, mind you. It just seemed that we were never in the same place together long enough to make something of it. Then, she left the company and moved away to pursue other ventures. Now, many of those old thoughts came flooding back in the airport lounge.
I hoped that I hadn't betrayed my thoughts, so I covered quickly with another half-hearted joke. I explained that I was trapped here due to a long layover and that I hoped to catch the next available plane out in a couple of hours. Valerie told me that her next flight wasn't for a couple of hours as well. Valerie ordered another large fruity drink, and I decided to have another was well. I shifted my position on the barstool to face more toward her as opposed to looking over my shoulder to talk to her. She responded in kind and turned more to face me. As our conversation continued, I noticed that she shifted a bit more on her stool until her knee was touching the inside of my leg. I wasn't quite for sure what to make of this, but I hoped that it was something more than just innocent body language. It didn't take too long to prove me right as Valerie unconsciously seemed to rub her leg against mine as we spoke. In the back of my mind, images and thoughts were quickly becoming worse by the minute as our benign conversation continued.
I decided that if things were more than just friendly, it was time to see on my end. I reached out carefully during one of her stories and put my hand gently on the knee pressed against my leg. As it rested there, Valerie didn't seem to notice at all as far as her story was concerned. Her body said something entirely different, however. I could feel her pressing against my hand, almost begging me to touch her more. I rubbed it around her knee a bit, enjoying the silky smooth feeling. I had once asked her if she ever wore stockings. She told me that she didn't need too. Now I could see why. The conversation continued about business related things, but the focus wasn't really on the words any more. Instead, it was on my hand and her leg. I tried to be as casual as I could in the open lounge, but as Valerie shifted more in her seat with each passing touch, it became obvious that we were quickly reaching a point.
Before I knew it, I was stroking my fingers along the inside of her thigh. It wouldn't be long before they were right at the hem of her skirt and all the laid beneath. I was running more on instinct than anything else. All the flirtatious comments of the past and times I had imagined dirty, naughty things were driving me onward now. When the bartender came back, Valerie shifted her attention to him long enough to order yet another fruity drink.
When the bartender had disappeared I joking said, "You'd best be careful. I remember what happened the last time we got drunk around each other."
Valerie narrowed her eyes as she looked back at me as if she was searching for the memory. When she found it, her eyes grew wide and she grinned back at me.
She replied, "As I recall, that was after a few tequila shots. I got up to go to the bathroom and came back and sat in your lap."
We both giggled at that. I had always assumed it was on accident. I was beginning to wonder if that wasn't the case now, though.
Before I could ask, Valerie jumped first with, "You know, I might have been a little tipsy back then. There was something that I meant to do after that and never got around to..."
With that, she leaned in and gave me a slow kiss on the lips. As she leaned in, the fingers that had been brushing up against her thigh scooted further under her skirt. I could feel the heat that she was putting off and I was only a few inches under the hem. I felt her tongue dart into my mouth for a moment and I replied in kind, savoring the feeling of her soft lips against mine. What felt like an eternity was indeed only a few seconds. Valerie sat back on her stool as my hand drifted out from under her skirt. She looked pleased with herself. I was rather pleased as well.
She said out loud, "Hmmm. I should have done that a long time ago. A shame there isn't a more private place around here..."
