He was on his way to Maui for his best friend’s wedding and had brought the guitar because he’d written a really terrible song instead of a toast for the reception. He refused to sing it for Mona but after his second scotch he did recite some of the lyrics to her and she couldn’t help giggling when he earnestly uttered the lines, “Nick, you were always such a loner, with a constant boner. Does she know you’re a huge stoner? Someone really should have told her.”
That had been about twenty minutes ago and now their mood had shifted to more intimate topics. Sam had revealed that he was single and spent most of his free time with his dog, Timbit, and a few friends. He was going stag to his best friend’s wedding and was concerned that his sister was going to try and set him up with one of six marriage-crazy bridesmaids at the wedding.
Mona had loosened up considerably after two very nice glasses of wine and had forgiven Sam for his rude molestation of her luggage. He was just so amusing and confident that she couldn’t help but be charmed by him. Her usual nervousness around men seemed to have disappeared when faced with his easy-going manner. The alcohol had probably contributed to her ease in his company but there was also something so approachable about the man. He was a touch arrogant, yes, but he was also willing to laugh at himself, which made him incredibly appealing.
She couldn’t recall ever encountering a person who embodied such an odd combination of alpha male and class clown. She saw glimpses of both personas and found herself utterly fascinated by these two opposing facets of his personality. Was the self-deprecating thing just an act to seduce women? Or was he really as great as he seemed? It didn’t seem possible. Men who looked like him didn’t usually bother cultivating a personality too, did they? It just didn’t seem fair to the female population for a man like this to exist. But there he was, in the irresistible flesh, just inches away and seemingly genuinely interested in her.
She desperately wanted to get to know him better. She had just been on the verge of casually offering to accompany him to the wedding, strictly to save his virtue from the scheming bridesmaids, when she’d caught herself. She couldn’t go on a date with this man. She was going to Maui for one purpose and one purpose only and that was Operation: Cherry-Be-Gone. She needed to concentrate on her mission. If she was unsuccessful in seducing Sam in the next few hours then she still had the option to meet her fake bridegroom and follow through on her contract with Delta of Venus Inc. Agreeing to go to a wedding with another man while she was supposedly on her honeymoon would look odd, wouldn’t it? So, it would be smart to keep Sam separate from her honeymoon fantasy. What happened on the plane, stayed on the plane, right? She needed to adopt that as her motto.
So instead of offering her protection at the wedding she’d clucked sympathetically about the matrimony-minded bridesmaids and had segued into the whole Mile-High Club question in the hopes of distracting him from making any future plans together. She wanted to keep his thoughts firmly on the here and now. They were strangers on a plane about to have meaningless sex and that’s all she wanted from him. Nothing more. No matter how much she adored the way his gaze seemed utterly fixed on her. Or even the maddening, sexy way his big, muscular thigh seemed to brush against hers every few seconds.
She had to remind herself that there was no future here. Even if he was interested in more than a quick encounter, how would she explain the fact that she was a forty-year-old woman who gave away her virginity to a stranger on a plane? Anything more than a quickie would require explaining herself and her lack of a sexual past to this man. She suspected the whole weight issue would be revealed and she didn’t want him to look at her with pity and confusion. No, she would keep this casual and hopefully she could convincingly feign some sexual experience. She fervently hoped that all those hot scenes she’d read about would help her at least seem like she knew what she was doing. Then she could get on with her life without worrying about explaining her innocent state to her next lover. The circumstances of her lost virginity would never have to be revealed.
“Mile-High Club?” He chuckled, giving her a quizzical look. “Why do you ask?” He unbuckled the seatbelt and turned slightly until his large body was angled towards her. From the corner of her eye she had an excellent view of his sinewy bicep flexing as he curled his arm to take a sip from his drink. She had trouble thinking straight as she watched the play of muscles under his honey-coloured skin.
She took a fortifying drink from her third glass of wine and pretended nonchalance. “Just curious. Are you?” She nudged his tight midsection with her elbow and gave him a sidelong glance that she hoped didn’t make her look cross-eyed.
“Not sure.” He rubbed his chin, pretending to give serious thought to the question. “I think you have to renew your membership every five years or it expires.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “That’s not true. You’re making that up.”
"Maybe. But if it is then no, I am not a member of that distinguished club.”
“But you were?”
“Yup. My former girlfriend and I took a trip to Vegas and things got a bit heated on the way there.”
“So, you did it in your seats. With everyone listening?” She whispered, shocked.
He grinned, clearly tickled at the thought. “Are you kidding? Marcia was a dirty talker. Pretty sure we would have been taken into custody by an Air Marshall if we tried that.”
She lowered her voice until it was nearly inaudible. “So you went into the lavatory?”
“Yeah. We sure did,” he whispered back.
Mona got the sense that he was watching her reaction very carefully, almost waiting for her to display disapproval or perhaps disgust. But disgust wasn’t what she was feeling at all. Excitement mixed with wild curiosity thrummed through her veins.
Then she chuckled. He was joking, of course. She’d been in those bathrooms before. “But you’re so big. I don’t see how you’d fit.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Wow. You really know how to flatter a guy, don’t you?”
Mona gave him a puzzled look and then replayed what she’d just said in her head. Then she blushed.
“Oh Jeez. That’s not what I meant, you Perv. I was talking about your oversized body. Including your inflated ego. How did you fit all that,” she waved towards his torso, “in there with another person? Was your ex a little person?”
“Actually, she was a plus-sized person and we fit just fine.”
Mona gaped at him. “You? Dated a plus-sized girl? Right.”
His wonderfully arched eyebrows scrunched down in confusion. “Yes. Me. Why wouldn’t I date a plus-sized girl?”
“Because you,” she spoke slowly, like she was explaining a very complicated concept, “look like you. And that means you could be with just about anyone. Supermodels and movie starlets included. Why would you choose to date down like that? It completely defies the natural order of the universe.”
“Wow.” He shook his head and gave her a disapproving look. All heat was gone from his expression now. “I never considered being with Marcia ‘dating down.’ In fact, she was way too good for me. And why wouldn’t I date her? She was sexy as hell. I loved her curves but I wasn’t with her because of them. I was with her because she was warm and funny and kind. And non-judgmental. Which was a huge turn on.” He frowned and stared intensely into his drink, his eyebrows drawn down in annoyance.
Inwardly, Mona fumed in frustration. She wasn’t being judgmental. How could she be? She was a former fat girl herself so she couldn’t be prejudiced against them, could she? She was just being a realist and what she did know with absolute certainty was that men like him did NOT date big girls. Unless they had some kind of fat fetish. Then she had an uncomfortable thought. Was he a chubby chaser? Is that why he was drawn to her? Was there something about her that branded her as overweight despite what her scale and clothing labels said? No, that was impossible. She was thin now and there was no reason to believe he had some kind of twisted ulterior motive fo
r flirting with her. It was just possible that he found her genuinely attractive. She had to stop doubting herself or she would sabotage this miraculous situation.
Looking at his icy profile she started to panic as she realized she may have already ruined any chance at seducing this man. It was time to swallow her pride and be aggressive if she wanted to leave her virginity on this plane.
Taking a deep breath, Mona reached out one unsteady hand and tentatively squeezed the warm flesh just above his knee. “Listen,” she said softly. “That came out wrong. I was just surprised, that’s all. What I should have said was that your girlfriend sounds charming and adventurous. And I really envy her.” And it was true. She did envy her. She couldn’t imagine the kind of confidence it would take to be in a relationship with a man like this who drew female attention like a magnet. Whoever this Marcia was, Mona felt like she could learn a lot from her.
Sam’s expression thawed a few degrees and he raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You envy her? Why?”
“Well, she was brave enough to become a member of the Mile High Club. I could never do that. I’m much too boring and conservative.” There. She’d baited the trap. Would he rise to the challenge? She sincerely hoped so, literally and figuratively. Being the aggressor was exhausting. No wonder women typically left the pursuit to the poor, unsuspecting males of the species.
She watched in fascination as he placed his large, tanned hand over hers where it still rested on his hard thigh. He gave her fingers a little squeeze and turned his head until their faces were only inches apart. “I don’t think you’re boring at all. In fact, I think you could be quite wild if given half a chance.”
She gave him an incredulous look. Was he mocking her? “Wild? Me? I don’t think so.” She started to turn her face away in embarrassment but he reached out with his other hand and angled her face up towards him.
“Yes. You. Could be as wild and crazy as you want. No one is stopping you and no one has to know. Don’t you want to see what you’re capable of? Just this one time?” Leaning down a few more inches he breathed against her mouth. “With me. Today.”
Did she? Oh God, yes, she did. With his warm, sweet breath flicking across her lips and his fingers tracing erotic patterns on the back of her hand she couldn’t think of anything except how much she wanted this man. He genuinely desired her and she didn’t even have to pay him. She would sort out the honeymoon fantasy when she got to the resort. Right now she would be selfish and spontaneous and take what she needed for once. She deserved this, didn’t she?
Not trusting her voice, she nodded once and then glanced away.
“Does that mean what I think it does?” He asked with a sexy half-grin.
She nodded again, embarrassed but excited, and took a really huge gulp from her glass. “Should I go to the lavatory first or should we go up together?”
“Whoah. There’s no rush. We have hours.” He slid his hand up and down her thigh in a gesture that was probably supposed to be soothing but instead just made Mona even more aware of how warm and wet her panties felt between her thighs. She went perfectly still, praying that he couldn’t feel her excitement.
“What did you have in mind then?” She asked, trying for a casual tone.
“Well, look around.” He waved his free hand to indicate the other passengers. “Everyone is asleep or watching their movies or working. No one is interested in us. So, why don’t we cuddle a bit?”
“Cuddle?” She asked, completely dumbstruck. She’d acquiesced to anonymous public sex and he wanted to snuggle? This wasn’t going according to plan at all. She’d been clear, hadn’t she? Evidently not.
With an amused glint in his eyes, Sam reached over her and grabbed the blanket he’d requested earlier from the flight attendant. “You look cold, Honey,” he said loudly for the benefit of the retired couple sitting in front of them. “Why don’t we get you warmed up?” With a devilish look he reclined his seat back as far as it would go, tucked the armrest away and beckoned her closer. Unsure of herself but intrigued, Mona inched closer until she was leaning over him with their legs entangled and her breasts resting against his ribs. He began arranging the soft fleece blanket over their bodies, completely obscuring them from prying eyes.
She glanced around nervously but the couple in front of them seemed oblivious to their activities. Mona wasn’t sure what to expect next but it certainly wasn’t Sam’s big arms wrapped innocently around her waist as he pulled her even closer to his warm side. Was he serious? They were really going to cuddle? In her touch-deprived world she’d hugged her friends and held hands with the few men she’d briefly dated but holding someone for an extended period of time just for the pleasure of being close to them was an alien concept to her. She’d been contemplating dirty sex with a stranger, not this oddly sweet and erotic interchange of intimacies.
“Relax,” Sam whispered, bringing up one large hand he smoothed his fingers over her hair and pressed a soft kiss against her temple. “You’re as stiff as a board. Just go limp and let me touch you. Okay?”
Mona tried. She really did but this didn’t come easily to her. She felt like she should be doing something. Not just lying half on top of him like a horny rag doll. But she had no idea what to do with her hands or her lips or any of her body parts. She knew the mechanics of sex but foreplay she’d assumed would take care of itself. Of course it would be just her luck to be trying to seduce the only man in the world who liked to cuddle before sex.
After a few awkward moments she did as he asked and allowed her body to relax into him. To her surprise, he felt quite wonderful, so warm and firm against her curves. Masculine bodies were a mystery to her, so hard and unyielding compared to her own softness. Unable to help herself, she smoothed one of her hands over his chest, marveling at the way his flesh flexed and twitched under her fingers. Fascinated, she traced the contours of his pectoral muscles with one fingertip. His masculine grunt of approval when she accidentally brushed one of his nipples completely unnerved her. He seemed to like her touch but she had no idea what to do next, so she withdrew her marauding hand and tucked it against his side.
She tried to get more comfortable by sliding one of her bare legs up his thigh. What she hadn’t counted on was that this slight adjustment would bring his hard thigh in direct contact with the moist heat between her legs. Embarrassed at her own arousal she started to slide her limbs back into a slightly less provocative position, but he stopped her with one large hand. “Where do you think you’re going? Get back here,” Sam said, his voice a playful rumble against the top of her head. He hooked his fingers around the back of her knee and slid her leg even higher until she was wide open against him.
Mona had to fight the urge to push away from him. She was practically straddling him now. Suddenly this all seemed much too fast. But she wanted this, didn’t she? He certainly felt wonderful and she was genuinely attracted to him. When would she have the opportunity to do this with a man like this again? No matter how shocking this behaviour seemed to her she needed to calm down and enjoy herself. Her body was eager to experience everything he had to offer, but her mind was still trying to play it safe. She needed to just relax and let her body run the show for once. She’d earned the right to be impulsive and hedonistic, hadn’t she? All those years of deprivation and loneliness were behind her. She was going to embrace pleasure for once, even if it was somewhat torturous.
“Are you sure this is ok? Surely, someone is going to notice,” she whispered, lifting her head to look up into his face.
He was smiling down at her and looking completely relaxed. That should have annoyed the hell out of her but instead she felt reassured by his calm demeanor. He didn’t seem to mind her awkwardness at all.
“What’s to notice? To them we’re just a couple trying to get some much needed rest on a long flight. No one can see what’s going on under here.” To prove his point he slid his hand down her thigh until it rested directly on her ass. He squeezed and kneaded her rounded f
lesh as he watched her, that cocky smile never leaving his lips.
“And what’s going to happen under here exactly?” She asked, shifting restlessly against him.
“Well, I was thinking I’d do a little exploring. And then if you were feeling adventurous, maybe you’d like to do some exploring of your own. How does that sound?”
“Exploring? You make it sound like some kind of adventure tour.”
He chuckled. “Well, yeah. That’s kind of the idea, isn’t it? To have a little adventure?”
“I suppose, but is that all you had in mind?”
He quirked an eyebrow at her. “For now. Until we can’t take it anymore. Then we’ll go somewhere a little more private.”
She lowered her eyes, slightly confused at his casual attitude. Wouldn’t most men be eager to get to the main event? This prolonged foreplay seemed odd to her. Was he not that attracted to her? Did he need the time to work himself up to having sex with her?
“Are you sure you want to do this?” She asked quietly, before hiding her face against his firm chest. She breathed in his mouth-watering scent and waited, dreading his response.
“What? Are you kidding me?” He let go of her butt long enough to raise her chin so he could see her eyes again. “I want you so bad I’m having trouble keeping myself under control. Can’t you tell?” He shifted slightly and she could feel the impressive evidence of his arousal against the inside of her thigh. She hadn’t had much experience with male equipment but she could tell that he was long, thick and very hard. Nope, he definitely didn’t need the time to work himself up. He was up. Way up.
“Oh. Okay. But then why all the exploration? It’s not necessary, you know. I want to do this. The sooner the better.” Oops. Hopefully he hadn’t picked up on that slight note of desperation in her tone.
He cupped her cheek with his palm. “It is completely necessary. One thing I know for sure is that sex is better if there’s a long, slow burn rather than a quick, cheap explosion. I really want this to be good for you. Which means giving you absolutely no opportunity to freeze up or feel embarrassed. So my plan is to make you so crazy for me you can’t even think. I’m going to touch every inch of that gorgeous body and make you feel as sexy as humanly possible. Without any regrets or second thoughts getting in the way. How does that sound?”
Mona's Honeymoon Fantasy (Delta of Venus Inc.) Page 4
