The Privacy Flights

"Okay. Well... Are you... in the traditional sense... faithful to each other?"

Now Jessie laughs. "So you're just going to wade right in, huh? Not even the pretense of learning more about me as a person? Just start hunting for vulnerabilities and opportunities. Well, okay... I would say yes. That's our intention... our goal. We love each other, and want to spend our lives together, and we don't want to go messing around and mess that up. But we both understand that strange things can sometimes happen, and one crazy event shouldn't mean our love for each other would just evaporate... that suddenly we're different people and we don't want to be together. But the plan is that we are faithful."

"Well that sounds great. That sounds strong... So have strange things happened?"

"What are you asking me?"

"Have either of you slept with someone else?"

"Yes. We have. We both have."

"Alright. Clever. But as you know, I meant since you've been married."

"Oh. Well. That... um... yes."

"You've both had sex with other people? Since you got married?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yes. I noticed that. You're very cagey. Very carefully spoken. And you understand that you don't have to answer any of these questions. They're obviously none of my business. So don't answer anything you don't want to. But I'll admit I'm having fun asking the questions."

Jessie nods in agreement. "That is all true. None of your business. Don't have to answer. You're having fun."

Danny briefly tries to decide if her summary is just a little too clear for comfort, and he should make a strategic retreat for now, but then plunges on regardless. "So... who of you has had outside sex since the ceremony?"

Jessie looks away, trying to decide if she's being a fool to give this guy honest answers. That's what she usually gives people, she thinks, and she's not afraid of him. But Kevin was so adamant that he shouldn't be trusted... Finally she says, "He has. Once. Early on. I haven't. He's not proud of it. I don't think it will happen again anytime soon."

"Okay. Well... that sounds pretty strong. Congratulations."

Jessie nods. "Thank you. You're right. We're pretty strong."

===================

Kevin stares at his phone for a few moments puzzling over who might be calling him from that number, and whether just to let them leave a message. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone, but finally he pushes the talk button and is surprised to hear Jessie's voice.

"Kevin... Hi... How're you doing?"

"Jessie? Is this you? This is a strange phone number. I guess the way I'm going right now, I'll just pick up for anyone who calls me."

"It's like from a plane-to-ground phone. It's Danny's phone. For his job. He said we would be out of range for that soon, so he thought I could just call you up and say hi."

Kevin pulls the phone away from his face and stares at it before finally returning it to his ear. "Oh thanks so much. So 'Danny' suggested this? Am I on speaker? Yeah, of course. Hi Danny. Now take me off speaker... Am I off?"

"Wait... okay... now you're off."

"So Danny gave you his special phone so you could call me and have a little chat and tell me everything was going fine?"

"He just said we were getting out of range. He had talked to one of his old girlfriends. She's married now, with a kid, but they're still friends. So then he thought I might give you a call."

"Right," Kevin says suspiciously. "So why did he suddenly decide to call this old girlfriend? So she could say nice things about him?"

"Well... I guess he wanted her to tell me that he could be trusted. Trusted not to tell other people stuff that he was told in confidence."

"What!? So who might be telling him things in confidence!? And what might she be telling him!? Have you been drinking!?"

"Well, yeah. I had a G&T. But we had just been talking about relationships. How they work."

Kevin immediately knows what's going on. "Like our relationship!? Just to take a random example? How our relationship has been working? Right!? Oh Jesus! This guy's good. And there's not a fucking thing I can do about it."

"Kevin! What do you mean? There's no reason for you to be upset. We're just talking."

"So I'm betting that he's already gotten it out of you that I've slept with someone else, but you haven't. Right!?"

"Well I... we were talking about relationships... what his last one was like... and how funny things can happen... but that the most important thing was honesty..."

"And then you told him that I had, but you hadn't! Right!?"

"I guess I did. But so what?"

"So then he has you check his references, have his old girlfriend give you a thumbs up, and then he has you call me just to reassure yourself that whatever happens up there, it would still all be okay."

"What!!? There was no talk of anything like that! I haven't asked you anything like that!"

"You don't have to. He and I both know what this call is about. Just call your husband and have a nice chat. Just to be sure he's okay. And he knows that so far, you're okay. And that there've been no changes in the rules. He knows he's got no justification to say now the rules should be changed for you. Just because you'll be unreachable for the next eight hours, lying next to another guy in your own private darkness with nothing much to do. So just let him know that everything's going fine, and not to worry. And you'll see him in a couple of days."

"Kevin! What are you talking about? There's nothing like that going on! I'm fine. It's all fine."

" Right. Sure. It's all fine. Glad to hear it..."

Kevin looks at his phone again as his mind casts about, not knowing where to take this. Finally he says, "So Jessie... What can I say? All I can say is... Please don't do something you'll look back on and regret... because you feel it cheapened you. Don't just let some jerk 'take advantage'. You're a special woman. Don't let anyone... not appreciate that. So call me after your flight. When you're ready. I'll wait for your call. I have to hang up now and go get a drink. Or several drinks. Many drinks. I can't stand this. Bye."

===================

Danny calls to Marta as she passes in the aisle, "Excuse me... Miss...? Marta, was it? Could we have our second drinks? Another bourbon and a gin and tonic?"

"Jessie, is one of those for you? Is that what you'd like?"

Jessie smiles, perhaps with some hint of resignation in her face. "Sure. Why not..."

"Certainly. If that's what you want... I'll get those for you."

Marta returns with the drinks and says, "You seemed to be having an enjoyable conversation earlier and I didn't want to intrude. We are required to go to each pair of seats on the flight and discuss closing the curtains. But you two are certainly wide awake, so I won't bother you further."

Danny responds smoothly, "Well, I don't think either of us wants to be awake for the whole flight. At least I don't. I was just thinking that after this drink I should tilt back my seat and try to get some sleep. But Jessie, what would you prefer? We can leave the curtains open if you want. I'll be alright. Shall we just leave them open? Would you rather stay awake?"

"Um... no... that's alright. I want to get some sleep too."

Marta breaks in, "Jessie, really, you should do what you want to do here. Passengers boarding as singles are definitely not obligated..."

Jessie sighs. "No, really. That would be silly. Close the curtains. I'll be fine."

Marta pauses, trying to decide whether to say anything more to Jessie. Like asking her how her husband Kevin is doing. Finally she just says, "Well... Jessie... If you're sure that's what you want. But if you change your mind," She glances pointedly at Danny, "just ring the bell and I'll come adjust them however you like".

She pulls the drapes around to encircle them completely.

----------------------------

After they finish their drinks, they agree that it's time to try to get some sleep. They adjust their seat positions to flat and each extracts their light blanket from its plastic wrapper and spreads it out. After they turn out their seat lights, Jessie sheds her jeans under cover of the blanket and let's them drop to the floor at her feet. Hearing this, Danny quietly sheds his jeans and does the same.

After a few moments of silence, Danny starts again. "So... Jessie... I'm very lucky to have been seated next to such an attractive and interesting woman. So what's going to happen next in your life?"

"Why Danny, what a surprise! Here I thought we agreed that we would both try to get some sleep. But then after the curtains close, and the seats flatten down, and the lights go out, you immediately renew your personal probing. And throw in your standard dose of flattery for lubrication. So I guess you weren't hoping just to go right to sleep after all. "

"Oh... well... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry if I..."

"Do you actually have a written recipe you follow in these situations, or do you just instinctively go with what's worked for you before?"

"Well, I... I... Really, I..."

"Honesty is your thing right? So let's hear some. You owe me some answers to personal questions, right? How about this one? Whenever you think you see a chance to screw a woman, do you always go for it? You just can't help yourself? Or do you ever actually make a decision that says maybe this time it might not be the best thing to do?"

Danny's eyes widen, and he gets up on one elbow. "Geez. You can just go right in for the kill. That's impressive... and a little scary too."

"Stop stalling and just answer the question. Directly and honestly. Surprise both of us."

"Well, sure. You say 'Whenever I see a chance...' There are a lot of times I don't...."

"Yeah, yeah. As I'm sure you know, I didn't mean just any woman. Of course you reject most of us out of hand with hardly a thought. I meant a woman you find seriously sexually attractive."

"Oh. Okay. Well... I guess that when I'm talking to an attractive and intelligent woman... and that's what you are, in spades... no bullshit. That then I might say whatever I think will prolong the conversation. Try to keep the interaction going. See what else I can learn about her, about attractive women... what their lives are like... and then maybe see what else might happen, I guess. That's not so terrible, is it?"

"That's the answer to 'how', not to 'whether'. So I guess your answer to my first question would be 'No, I can't help myself. If it looks good, I have to go for it.' "

'Well... honestly... yeah. I guess I haven't really thought about it that way, but... When I do think about it... I guess have to admit... that's probably true.'

"As for your 'how'.. 'I just keep them talking, flatter them that the thing I really care about is their mind, and see how far that gets me.' I guess that could be a charming and almost high-minded strategy -- if it was coming from a 16-year old. Coming from you, the words have a more manipulative spin. But I can see it's bound to be a productive approach. And I guess that's about as much pseudo-sincere innocence as I could hope for from a guy like you, so I'll give you a B-minus. I'm sure some women would want to give you an A-minus. But those are the women that provide all your naive meat, right?"

"No! Well... maybe...But a B-minus is still an okay grade. You didn't flunk me. I should at least be able to continue with you into the next semester, right?"

Jessie smiles and reflects on this, then says, "Yeah, I suppose... So okay, you may continue. What's your next move?"

"Oh c'mon Jessie. 'My next move?' Cut me a little slack here. I'm not being crass or rude. We're just talking. For any guy being next to you like this, it would be... well... exciting. You're an exciting woman. I mean... you're smart... you're thoughtful... you're tough... you're funny... and you laugh at my jokes... well, you chuckle at them some... And you're really hot. I think that deep down, you don't actually get that... you certainly don't rely on it... but you are. Especially to any guy with a brain. Your husband is a lucky man."

"Thank you. Yes, he's a lucky man. And I'm a lucky woman. We are both lucky to have found each other."

Danny pauses for a beat to acknowledge and appreciate Jessie's summary of her marriage. But then he pushes onward. "So it's interesting that even though you agree on the rules, on what might happen... well... he has and you haven't."

"So soon? You're going to pull on that line so soon? I would have thought you would have let out some slack and let me run for a while, tire me out a little before going back to that one. But okay... So obviously, I can see why it would be 'interesting' to you, but it's not surprising. Not that strange or significant. It's all about unlikely events. For either of us. That means it's just chance as to when and to whom they might occur."

"I'm very happy with where we are. Sure, it's good to know that I have the same freedom to screw up that he does. But I haven't felt any need to invoke my rights. I'm just fine the way things are."

Danny continues to test the waters. "But don't you think you're being kind of mean to him? Just leaving him out there in that position?"

Jessie stares at him. "You have got to be shitting me."

"No, really. With him feeling guilty for the unequal demonstration of your love for each other?"

Jessie shakes her head as if stunned. "You're telling me I should have sex with some other guy so my husband will feel better? Oh my God. That's impressive. He kept warning me you were good. I should learn that he knows what he's talking about."

"What? Your husband was talking about me?"

"He just told me I shouldn't trust you. And I can see he's right. I think he must have recognized something about you on the jetway. Like himself at his most manipulative. I can remember watching him at parties before we got together. He was good too. He got what he wanted... but then he still tried to be careful about not hurting people. Do you ever worry about that?"

"How did this suddenly get to be about me? What did I do? We were just talking about the dynamics of relationships."

"Right. Like my relationship with my husband, and how you're suggesting it's out of balance, and what might be done to fix that. So what have you got next?"

"Well I'm not suggesting you should right this imbalance with anyone in particular. Just that perhaps at some point down the road you should let your husband become a full partner in your relationship structure. Give him the chance to show that he understands that you're a healthy young woman and what could happen to him might happen to you too."

"Right. And that it's cruel of me to continue to deny him that chance. What could I have been thinking? But you say that you're not suggesting this should happen with anyone in particular, of course. It's never crossed your mind that someone specific, say you, just for example, that you might have a role to play in this marriage-improvement project you're proposing for me."

"Well, certainly not, no. It hadn't... but now that you point it out... I guess it is sort of convenient for you that... here we are..."

"Seriously? Now we're worried about what would be convenient for me?"

"Well, yes. But of course, you should do what you think is right for the two of you."

"This is incredible. I should have been writing this down."

"If you'd like, I suppose we could try just a brief kiss and you can see how that goes for you."

It was not difficult, with one quick movement, for Danny to get his mouth onto hers. She backs away slightly but his mouth pursues hers and re-establishes contact. And this time it sticks. Their lips work lightly together for a few moments. Then his mouth opens a little, and then hers does too. But suddenly she pulls back and looks him in the eye. She shakes her head, looks away, and says quietly, "God. What am I doing...?" After another pause she turns her face back to his and again looks into his eyes, trying to read if what she is doing might turn out more serious than she expects. But it had been kind of nice. Simple, not too threatening. She could still keep things under control. Finally she leans forward and restarts the kiss.

===================

With the armrests folded back, the seats are designed to lie close together, so it's easy for the occupants to move into an embrace. Hard to avoid, really. And after the kissing has transitioned from experiment to joint project, Danny's upper hand moves to her T-shirt.

After some appreciative stroking and squeezing of the closest breast, he tries to slide his hand under the shirt, but the shirt is so tight that this is not easy. He tries to tug the shirt gently upwards from the waist but this too is difficult and disruptive.

The kissing stops. Jessie laughs. "It doesn't seem like that step is going to work for you. Maybe you should just give it up."

"But it's so clear that your breasts are really wonderful. I want to see them."

"You just want to 'see them'? So I suppose if I just let you see them, then we'd be done with all that other breast stuff?"

"Well, no... You're right to be skeptical. I want to see them and then probably touch them. Then maybe kiss them. Who knows, maybe even suck on them. There's just no telling what might happen. But first I need to see them. I really want to see them."

"Well I'm sorry, but it seems like with this particular T-shirt, that will be difficult for you to achieve. Although it's already giving you a pretty clear picture of the way things are under there. How about being satisfied with just rubbing on them some through the shirt and kissing me. Like young teenagers. You can remember that. Sometimes that was all you could get. It was better than nothing, right?"

She resumes the kiss, his hand strokes her breast through the fabric, with some subtle pinching of the nipple. But then the hand slides down and starts again to work its way up inside the shirt, this time more slowly.

His attempt to stay under the radar with a careful creeping approach has the opposite effect on Jessie, making her constantly aware of his progress, inch by inch up her ribcage. When she pulls back to glare at him, he stops. When she pointedly looks down at the half of his fingers under her T-shirt, he retreats slightly. When she returns to the kiss, he returns to working his way slowly towards her right breast.

Finally she says "Oh for Christ's sake...", sits up, struggles briefly with that tiny tight T-shirt, then rips it up over her head and off.

Danny says "What a great idea!" and does the same with his T-shirt.

Jessie sinks back down on the seat.

Danny is all smiles, partly triumphant, but also sincerely grateful and admiring. "See I told you. I had to see them. It was obvious that they were kind of large, but I just knew they would be beautiful too. And interesting. See, how this areola is a little larger, but that one is darker and puffier. Are they always different like that?"

"Sometimes. But they can go back and forth."

"See? I knew they'd be sweet. A wonderland of female breast. So would it be alright if I just touched the darker one a little with my finger tip? Like this?"

"Ah!"

"So sometimes it's the other one that's harder and darker? Can you show me? Or can you make both of them hard and dark at the same time? How might we go about that? What should I do?"

Jessie laughs. "What should you do? Gee. I don't think I've ever been asked for coaching at this point before."

So Danny's speculations prove prophetic as he admires, then touches, then kisses briefly, then sucks earnestly.

But when his hand slides down to the top of Jessie's panties and begins to slide under and in, she quickly grabs it and holds it motionless. She looks away from him and neither of them move while she forces herself to think about where she is and what she is doing. She certainly knows what she would have done before she got together with Kevin. But now...? She loves Kevin; she's committed to him. But still... would this really be so bad...? For their long-term love...? And she has to admit... if something like this is ever going to happen... this does seem pretty convenient.