Her eyes flicked from person to person as the crowd trickled in through the revolving doors that separated the terminals from baggage claim, looking for his. Brooke bit her lip nervously and cracked her knuckles, unsure of what to do with her hands while she waited. Then, as a family of four stepped to the left, she locked eyes with him, her soft brown to his ice blue and her stomach fluttered. He was finally here, and she briefly thought back to when this all first started.
Their 20-year reunion invite came via Facebook, mailed invitations clearly too passé for the class of 1999. The response was lukewarm on the event page -- most people having kept in contact via, well, Facebook. But more than two-thirds of the small class -- just over 100 graduates -- still RSVPed. Corey, who lived out of state, had posted "Where can I crash?" Brooke liked the post, and a few minutes later, he sent her a private message: "hey, how've you been?" It had been less than 20 years since they'd spoken, but still quite a while. They dated briefly in college, but the relationship fizzled when Brooke transferred to an out of state university with a better business program. In the interim, she graduated, Corey did not; he married, had kids, and divorced, and she did not.
Quickly, their messages became flirtatious, then suggestive, though Brooke, now in a serious relationship, teetering on becoming engaged, feeling the tick-tock of the biological clock, remained reserved. Still, she couldn't deny the thrill of excitement she felt when she checked her phone and found a message from him.
As the reunion approached, Brooke had agreed to pick Corey up from the airport and take him to a hotel near the reunion venue. Now, at the airport, she lifted a hand to wave, smiling anxiously, as he walked toward her, stopping half a step away from her and pausing before pulling her into an embrace. The hug was less friendly, decidedly intimate. Corey tucked his face into her neck and she felt the graze of his lips just under her jaw line. Her stomach fluttered again and her breath caught in her throat. She tried to focus her thoughts on her now-fiancé -- they had gotten engaged the previous month -- and found the thoughts flitting away like leaves caught in a gust of wind.
Corey pulled away from the embrace and sexual energy crackled between them. Brooke laughed self-consciously and asked the usual questions one asks a traveler as they waited for his bags. He never took his eyes from her, even as he reached for his bag from the carousel, and they exited the airport. She chattered about her own day, random bits of gossip and nonsense that zipped through her mind and out of her mouth.
Stop talking, fool,
Brooke commanded herself as they reached the car, and she took a deep breath, exhaling another laugh.
She turned to look at him and meet the depths of those Caribbean blue eyes. Corey had a soft smile on his lips and without hesitating, pushed her back up against the car door and kissed her. Brooke's hands immediately went to his chest to resist him, but upon feeling the firmness of his pec muscles, she felt a rush of desire and melted into him, eagerly kissing him back, parting her lips to allow his tongue to find its way to hers. Corey's grip tightened around her waist, pulling her hips toward his firmly, and she felt the heat between them spread down her body and begin to emanate from between her legs. After a few moments, they parted and she began, "Corey, I..." he stepped back and grinned boyishly at her, holding his hands up in mock resignation. "Sorry, sorry...just couldn't help myself. Won't happen again."
The hotel was only a few minutes away from the airport, to her relief. Her legs had the jelly like feeling that comes after an adrenaline rush drains away and more than once she hit the brakes too hard and gunned the engine a bit too much. When he laughed at her skittishness, Brooke smiled coyly and admitted, "I kinda feel like a teenager around you. Just like old times, huh?"
She reminded herself of her plan:
just drop him off at the hotel. Don't get out of the car. You'll do something stupid.
However, when they pulled into the hotel parking lot, she parked in a spot and turned the car off, as if knowing all along the pretense of dropping him off was just that. Still, they lingered in the silent car for a few moments before he spoke. "Wanna come up for a bit? No funny business, I promise." Corey held his hands out as if to show that he had no weapons, no intentions, hidden in them. Brooke hesitated before agreeing and reiterated, "No funny business."
As Corey checked in, she looked around nervously, though doubtful she would bump into anyone who would recognize her. It was hard to separate how much of what she was feeling was anxiety about being found out and anticipation of what was to come. In both high school and college, they had fooled around a bit, but had never had sex, something they'd talked about at length in their messages the last few months. "What was wrong with us?" Brooke had joked. "The ignorance of the young," he'd replied. "We probably always thought there would be another opportunity."
Is this it?,
she wondered.
No,
she told herself firmly,
we're just keeping up the flirting game, that's all.
Once in the room, she kicked off her shoes and perched at the edge of the bed, while Corey settled in a bit, unpacking and exchanging quips about former classmates. Suddenly she was gripped with indecision, realizing the precarious situation she was in, and she stood up quickly.
What am I doing
, Brooke thought,
I'm 38, recently engaged, wanting to start a family...if I fuck things up with my fiancé, who knows how long it might take to find someone else and start over?
Corey paused over his open suitcase, sizing up her sudden movement. "What's wrong?"
"I don't think I can do this. I've had so much fun catching up with you and flirting but...I think I should go."
"Why?" he asked, staring intently into her eyes, "I told you...nothing to worry about. Nothing you don't...want." His deep voice rose at that last word, less of a statement, more of a question.
Brooke was in no position to make a reasonable assessment of her wants. Her body felt as if it had been plugged into a light socket. Seeing Corey again, being in his presence, smelling his masculine scent in the close proximity of her car all brought back memories of who she used to be, so young and carefree, with all the time in the world to make mistakes. Not to mention, since they'd been talking, Brooke had felt a resurgence of her prior affection for him. Knowing they were in two very different places in their lives, geographically and metaphorically, made flirting with him feel safe but exciting. But now, in his presence, in his room, she felt confused.
He took a step toward her, letting his eyes run up and down her body. Brooke was short and petite, with an hourglass figure. She had soft, dark brown hair that fell to her mid back in loose waves. As an unmarried, childless, and an ambitious executive, she took great care to maintain her body. She biked with a cycle group four times a week and met with a personal trainer for strength training twice, keeping her thick legs and round bubble butt strong and muscular. The tops of her round, firm breasts peeked out of her scoop neck sweater, and her curvaceous hips were hugged by black leggings.
She appraised Corey as well -- medium height, dark blond hair cut close, with a slightly receding hairline and widow's peak. Tanned skin -- likely from working on an oil rig for the last 10 years -- made his icy blue eyes stand out all the more. His body was lean and hard from the labor, but his hands still looked soft and well cared for. He reached up with one and caressed her face. Brooke closed her eyes and leaned into his touch and sighed from the well of rising heat it brought.
"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to...I could just eat your pussy...you wouldn't have to do anything back."
Her eyes snapped open, equal parts shocked and thrilled by what Corey had just said. He smiled deviously at her, and her lips parted but she couldn't speak.
"Is that a yes?" He pushed Brooke gently toward the bed, his hands falling to her hips. "I just want a little taste...and if you hate it, I'll stop, promise." She tittered at that, knowing she wouldn't hate it, not by a long shot. Still, she resisted being pushed on to the bed, as his thumbs moved under her sweater, grazing her skin and finding the edge of her leggings, beginning to slowly tug at them. Her mind was spinning and her resistance was wearing down rapidly. She did want this...she'd wanted it from the moment they started talking again, she just wouldn't admit it to herself. At the same time, all logic told her to stop.
As Corey began to pull her leggings down, the tug of war between her mind and her aching body abruptly ended and she laid back, simultaneously allowing him to remove the leggings while she pulled off her sweater. Her body was on fire with an electric pulsing and she needed to be free of all those confining clothes.