"Would you like another champagne?"
I had been miles away, and at first didn't understand the request. I was used to coach and to strictly rationed drinks. Indeed legal alcohol was also a pretty new thing.
"Yes please." I figured I could do with something to calm my nerves.
As the woman placed a second glass on my pull-out table -- and it was an actual glass, not the normal plastic -- I reflected that Business Transcontinental was a different world. I'd never have been able to afford it myself. I was scared to even ask him how much the ticket had been. I also had a suspicion that it was all part of the seduction. A way to woo me into saying yes.
Yes to what? Well, meeting a guy that I only knew from on-line, plus a few hurried WhatsApps. Meeting a guy who was twenty years older than me. Meeting? Who was I trying to fool? The site was a hook-up one, I'd used it before. Replace 'meeting' with 'fucking' in both of the above instances and you'd be closer to the truth.
And there was more, I was flying from LA to New York so I could fuck a guy who I knew was married. Who told me that he had every intention of staying married. Who said that he wasn't "
that
kinda of guy." But who clearly was the kind that wasn't averse to fucking a college senior behind his wife's back.
And, if I was honest with myself -- something that it had been rather a struggle to be in recent weeks -- the thought of screwing a married guy sent tingles running down my spine and juices dripping down my vaginal canal. I guess I was
that
kind of girl. Plus, if he only wanted a fling, that meant no complications. Just the fucking. I felt my nerve-endings buzzing. A gulp of champagne should help with that.
I looked at the screen next to my seat. Just two and a half more hours to go. But I didn't need to watch a movie, I had my own entertainment. Stories I had on my iPad. Stories I had written and shared with him. Stories about me and him... you guessed it, fucking. I found a blanket, draped it strategically over my legs, and started to read, my hand surreptitiously placed between my thighs. I know it's self-absorbed to be aroused by your own words, so color me narcissistic.
There had been crosswinds and the landing was bumpy, but I'd made it to the terminal. I just had a carry-on case, he'd mentioned not wearing clothes much of the time, so smooth! When I'd replied with false innocence, he'd offered to take me clothes shopping on Fifth Avenue. It was again all part of his technique. He thought himself a player, but it was rather transparent, actually amusing. And I'd have fucked him anyway, without the movie star treatment.
Forty-five minutes in a limo - he'd arranged one of course, complete with more champagne -- and I was in Manhattan. The hotel was on a lovely square with a small park in the center. The building occupied all of one side.
The lobby was subtly lit, dim enough to suggest refined taste, bright enough to not evoke a bar. Monumental artwork hung from many of the walls. The chairs and couches were deep red leather. Groups of guests spoke in discreet tones, and waiters moved silently and attentively among them. Again, I wondered about the cost, then told myself I was worth it.
I gave my name at the desk. No, a credit card would not be necessary. Apparently Mr Jones was a regular. I got the distinct impression that the guest service agent was accustomed to accommodating his female visitors as well. Not that this bothered me, I'd dated my fair share of guys, and I wasn't looking for a long-term thing.
The agent asked if I needed help with my bag and I demurred, departing with my room key and directions. I shared the elevator with two women, older than me, wearing short dresses, and with heavy make-up. My assumption was that they had a professional engagement to get to. Me? I was giving it away for free.
The room was sumptuous. I'd checked them out on-line in advance of course. Mine was Bohemian. Purple and deep reds. Crushed satin. Two modern chandeliers hung low. The bed was massive, the bathroom even larger. And it had a balcony overlooking the park far below. I had time to kill. He wasn't a native New Yorker, just here for a business trip that conveniently spanned a long weekend. His flight from Charlotte wouldn't land for two hours and then he had to get here.
It was Spring Break. A time when many of my friends were taking vacations, or visiting their folks. I had other activities planned. The forecast had been correct and the City was unseasonably warm, my phone said sixty-five. Leaning over the balcony railing, the shadows cast by trees far below convinced me how best to spend my waiting time.
Sitting on a park bench, the sun was warming. Still sweater weather, but with the promise of nicer days ahead. I was glad I had brought my sunglasses. I'd attempted to read, not my own stuff, but a first novel by a Trinidadian author. It was beautifully written, but I found the local dialog hard to follow, especially with other things on my mind. I closed my iPad cover and then my eyes, letting the bright rays kiss my upturned face.
My thoughts drifted back in time. It was only natural to think about first contact. He'd initiated it, that was normally the way of things. The girls were merchandise on display, the guys potential customers browsing the shelves. Some women really put themselves out there. Naked breasts, pussies even. The truly brave, or irredeemably foolish, even showed their faces.
Not me. I had just the one photo. A shot of me in my little black dress. I'd taken it a few minutes before going out to meet my boyfriend at the time. I guess that relationship was already doomed if I was simultaneously taking selfies for a hook-up site. Head and shoulders only, a little cleavage, and my features prudently blurred. Blurred beyond the reach of image recognition software, I'd checked before posting it.
I still got attention. Then I guess most women did. For a start it seems we were outnumbered at least five to one, maybe more. And while my photo left a lot to the imagination, my description of what I was like and what I was looking for was much less circumspect. I'm pretty direct when I want something.