Security
Chapter 1
I am so over travelling.
It has been 3 gruelling weeks moving around the country on this speaking tour, one city to another, imparting whatever wisdom I could to young professionals aiming to have a career like mine. Now I was on the home stretch, and I could not wait to get back to my haven, have all of my own things around me, cuddle up with my cat and exhale. I am tired, hot, surrounded by strangers and surviving on severely depleted reserves of patience.
As I should be arriving home in the late afternoon, on what my weather app assured me would be a stinking hot day, I already knew I would strip off, take a dip in the pool and then sit and sip a 'dark and stormy' while I watched the sunset. I was craving my ritual and had earned that much with the effort I had put in on this tour.
Which is why I was so pissed off that the line at airport security seemed to be going at a snail's pace. With my headphones on, so as not to be engaged in conversation by other travellers, I was listening to Jaira Burn - Goddess, when I looked over the long, crowded line zigzagging ahead of me and our eyes connected.
The crisp uniform just set off how sexy she was. She was standing behind the security counter of one of the conveyor belts that you place your hand luggage on for screening. Average height with curves in all the right places, her long honey coloured hair hung over one shoulder in a plait, but her eyes, her dark seductive eyes held me captured for a heavy moment in time, until she cocked an eyebrow, acknowledging that I was staring, and I broke away feeling foolish for virtually drooling.
At 5' 6" tall with a fuller but athletic build you can certainly notice my 'assets'. I have brown hair, hazel eyes and with a mischievous playful side, have been told more than a few times, "lucky you're cute!". I have been out and proud for many years now and wear my sexuality openly. Aside from my short haircut, I tend to wear shirts and jeans over leather boots making it fairly obvious that I am into women. As she looked very straight to me, I took the eyebrow move to be an admonishment. Opps, best keep my head down and hope I get directed to another lane.
More than a few times, as the line edged closer, I sneaked peeks and caught her searching the line for me or staring straight at me, each time making me immediately glance away. Usually confident, there was something utterly arresting about her. Was it the uniform and position of authority or the way she stared at me? Whatever it was, it was throwing me out of the usual comfort of my own skin. I felt naked under her stares. More than that, I felt like my attraction to her was so obvious that everyone around me could see it written all over my face making me flush with embarrassment.
Another member of the security team, a tall guy with a stern glare, was directing people, as they got to the front of the line, as to which conveyor to proceed to. I was both relieved and disappointed when he pointed towards the opposite conveyor from where she was standing. Striding over, I bent to collect one of the trays from the shelf below the counter, but as I stood back up, I was just in time to see her tapping the shoulder of an older blonde colleague manning the body scanner right in front of me. Damn, I thought I had dodged the showdown but instead she had put herself in my path, why?
My stomach dropped but I calmly placed my bag and pocket items in the tray, pushed it onto the conveyor and marshalled myself, chin up to step forward and be called through the machine. Stopping and placing my hands on my hips, I waited for her and her colleague to finish their brief hushed conversation. At which point the blonde stood to one side and she assumed the position on the far side of the scanner right in front of me. I noted her name badge labelled her Laurel.
As I lifted my eyes from the badge on her chest, our eyes met, and the same eyebrow twerked upwards just a second before she motioned for me to step forward. This time I recognized it for what it was, amusement with a dash of challenge. I stepped into the machine, assumed the position and waited to be called through, just as I had been at every other security checkpoint at every other airport I had visited in the last 3 weeks.
Instead, in a confident and silky smooth voice she said "Please step over here" gesturing to a spot right in front of her.
The request cut straight through my inner turmoil over my attraction to her and how obvious that might be. I was confused, I had never been flagged for anything before, what could possibly be different this time?
"Are you concealing anything on your person?" She asked.
"No" I answered, "Did the scanner show anything?"
"I will ask the questions thank you. You have been selected for a random body search. Please follow me to a private room." The words 'body search' and 'private room' combined with her authoritative tone apparently triggered a visceral response in me as I became aware of a tingle in my groin.
"What about my bag?" I asked slightly tersely, aware that it was still on the conveyor. My thin patience was now being tested as I wondered "why me?" and it seemed likely the delay meant I would miss my sunset cocktail.
"My colleague will collect that and keep it safe until we are done."
"So just follow you?" I checked.
"Correct!"
With that she turned and started walking, past the conveyors to a room on the far-left wall of the security area. I mutely followed, slightly apprehensive as to what this would involve and how long I would be detained. I was not concerned that she would find anything during this random search but given the effect she was having on me I did not relish having to strip down in front of her, just in case the evidence of my arousal was noticeable.
Chapter 2
As she held the door and gestured for me to enter the room first, I held my breath and stepped past her. I noted that inside the room there was nothing other than a built-in bench seat running down the full length of the far wall and a large mirror to my right. My first thought was oh god, is she going to make me strip, bend and cough like the check-in process at the start of Orange is the new Black?! Surely not.
I heard the door close behind me and turned to see her standing, appraising me where I stood.
"May I see your passport please?" she said, holding open her hand in anticipation.
I pulled it from my pocket and passed it to her. She opened the cover and looked at my details, clearly after finding out my name.
"Thank you Ms Rivers. As I mentioned before, you have been randomly selected for a body search."
It occurred to me, with disappointment, that perhaps this, and not the same spell binding attraction I felt, was why she had been tracking me in the line. What had she seen that lead her to believe that I might be a security threat? If so, it did not feel very random, it felt very targeted.
I didn't get time to consider the possible answers to that before she was informing me, "The search will involve me running my hands both over and just inside the edges of your clothing in order to check for any items that may be concealed on your body, do you understand and consent to this search?"
"So, I don't have to undress?" I asked with a touch of relief evident in my response.
"Not unless I suspect that there is something concealed. At which time I will ask you to remove your clothing so both it and your body can be checked in finer detail." She replied. Did I detect a hint of a smile in her eyes?
"OK, I consent" I replied. It seemed simple enough and at least now I was far less worried about my attraction to her becoming embarrassingly obvious.
Just as I was starting to relax a little she pointed to my right at the full length mirror and said, "Place your hands on the wall either side of the mirror, they are to remain in contact with the wall for the entire search. Feet should be wider than shoulder width apart."
Well this was starting to remind me of Orange is the new Black again. My first instinct was to argue the toss that there was no reason to search me, that I was being treated as if I had already done something wrong. However, what choice did I have. I wasn't hiding anything and the faster I complied, the faster I would get home.
I stared her down with my best unimpressed look for approximately 5 seconds before turning and leaning against the wall, hands either side of the mirror as requested. While I wondered why the mirror, it occurred to me that it allowed me to see her, her movements and as such I should not be surprised at any point by her touch. It gave me some tiny element of control back that was strangely reassuring.
She moved to stand behind me and our eyes met in the mirror briefly until I looked down. She raised both hands to my shoulders and very slowly and gently started feeling along the collar of my shirt. Her fingers brushed the back of my neck and under other circumstances that touch would have felt sensual. I noted with curiosity that she was not wearing gloves as might be expected.
She continued running her hands over the tops of my shoulders and down my arms, she had to step closer and her body was almost pressed against my back as her search reached the cuffs of my shirt. She paused there and her fingertips trailed from the back of my hands around to the pulse points of my wrists making my heart step up its rhythm, could she feel that? Was she trying to feel that? I realized that I was holding my breath again and so looked up in the mirror to see her face and found her watching my expression, watching my reactions. That was the point at which I knew the tone of this search had changed.
Chapter 3
This time I held the connection of her gaze in the mirror while narrowing my eyes just a fraction and tilting my head to one side ever so slightly. My message was "OK, what's your next move?"
She kept up the guise of the search by running her hands back along the underside of arms but without stepping away again. When her hands reached my armpits, they ran down either side of my torso, fingertips just brushing the very side of my breasts which started a tingle that spread throughout my body making me hyperaware of any contact.
When her hands reached my hips they rested for a second and very gently squeezed before sliding around to the front, meeting near my belt buckle.
"I need to loosen this to check your waist band" she purred next to my ear.
The warmth of her breath tickled my neck and while I managed to stifle a small moan that welled up in my throat, I was less successful at stopping my eyes fluttering closed briefly in order to savour that sensation. Just a few seconds later my eyes flew open again, as I felt her grip my belt and start to pull the tongue through the buckle, and I saw she was intently watching my expression in the mirror.
