The Layover

She sighed and looked up at the electronic board. Great! Thanks to the lousy weather her connecting flight was delayed, in fact it, thanks to the weather it appeared that nothing was leaving the airport. Sheets of rain pounded against the terminal windows and every now and then thunder sounded and lightning flashed.

When they had landed around eight the voice on the loudspeaker had assured her and the dozen or so people on her sparsely filled flight that they would be leaving after only a short delay. That had been over a half hour ago and the bright letters next to her flight number still simply said "delayed". She should have taken the flight in the morning; the company would have paid for another night in the hotel. Now she was stuck here in the small almost empty airport. She sat and sighed again; it looked like it was going to be a long night.

"Damn!" he thought. He had rushed to the airport, driving way too fast through the storm, hurried through security, checking his watch compulsively, and then hustled down to the gate, when what he should have done was call ahead to check for delays! Now he had sped here risking a ticket, and his life, for nothing! His flight was delayed for at least another hour, maybe more because of the bad weather. It made no sense to go all the way back home. "Damn! And double DAMN!"

He stalked across the waiting room, looking around restlessly. It was a large rounded room full of functional chairs all attached in rows; no, that wasn't right. Actually, it was two circular rooms connected like conjoining bubbles full of functional chairs attached to each other in rows. There were some artfully obvious fake plants in oversize planters and the requisite large garbage cans. The rooms were surrounded by windows that went almost from floor to ceiling with a railing around them, presumably to keep someone from falling out. Those windows were dark with night and the rain pouring against them from outside. There were two gates on opposite sides of each room although only the room he was in was occupied, the gates across the way were empty and dark. He looked up at the unchanging status board with its lit up letters and groaned softly in frustration.

"Pretty annoying, huh?" a voice said from almost beneath him. He looked down in surprise at the woman who had spoken and found himself gazing into cool eyes behind stylish glasses. Her hair was thick, reddish and stylishly disheveled. A large brightly colored, gypsy style earring peeped from underneath it. "Yes it is" he replied. He glanced around the waiting area. "They seem to have pretty much shut this place down." He gestured at the seat next to her. "May I?" he asked. She gave him a delightful smile. "Sure, it's a public airport."

From her seat she regarded him. He was medium height with a rather handsome, broad face, dressed casually for travelling in chinos and a shirt, with a voluminous trench coat over it in deference to the messy weather. He removed the coat before he sat down revealing what appeared to be a decent build, neither fat nor thin.

"So" he said "traveling for business or pleasure?"

"Business" she replied. "And you?"

"Business" he nodded. "Although I guess you can't say we're actually doing much travelling now."

"No" she agreed with a small pleasant laugh "Nor apparently in the near future."

They both looked to the board with the flight numbers and destinations frozen on them. "It's not like there's a lot to do here either" he said.

"Yes" she agreed "Pretty much all the shops down the concourse are closed already and you know if you left the airport as soon as you were gone your flight would start boarding."

He nodded. "The only things open are the convenience store and the bar." He looked around and paused. "Well..." he continued. "We could either browse magazines or I could buy you a drink.

"We?" she asked, then gave a musical laugh. She considered. He was she decided several younger than she was. "No" she said then smiled. "I'll buy you a drink."

He smiled back, oddly pleased, "You can get the first one."

"Deal" she said standing. He stood also. She had a trim figure under a stretchy, form fitting top and great legs under her short white skirt. He hadn't realized he was staring until she stopped and looked in his face. "Like what you see?" she asked arching an eyebrow. He flushed, about to apologize, then decided on a bold course. "Yes" he said simply. They stood facing each other for a moment.

"Let's go get that drink." She finally said. They walked side by side to the generic airport bar. The light was dimmer here. It was a long narrow, rectangular room, with stools running the length of a bar that extended along half of the longer side, the room beyond had tables scattered around. One whole side was open to the airport waiting rooms beyond. About half the people from their respective flights were in there, which still made it mostly empty.

She walked to the bar, he followed. The bartended came over. "Vodka tonic" she ordered and looked at him. "Scotch and water" he supplied "with ice." They waited silently for the drinks to arrive. She looked at him. "Yes" she thought "he has a nice face and this was certainly more interesting than reading a magazine." The drinks arrived and she laid a fifty on the bar. The bartender scooped it up and gave a ridiculously small amount of change. She picked it up leaving four on the bar.

"Shall we sit at a table?" he suggested. She nodded and picking up her drink led the way to the furthest table in the back corner, a curious knot of excitement in her stomach. It was not like her to flirt, or to enjoy it quite so much.

He followed her admiring the sway of her hips as she moved, the way her waist tucked in and her hips flared noticeably... They sat side by side and he couldn't help but notice that she had picked the most secluded table in the bar.

"So travelling on business?" he started the conversation.

"Yes" she replied and sighed. "I knew we would finish late and I could have stayed overnight, but I wanted to sleep in my own bed, so I booked a late flight. Coming here and picking up a connecting flight was the quickest option." She gave a small laugh and continued "You can see how well that plan looks like it's working."

She paused then "How about you?"

"Same" he said "Traveling for business. I live nearby and this airport usually works really well for me... usually. It's gotten so business travel really sucks."

She nodded. "Yeah, just once I'd like to travel purely for pleasure."

"Pleasure is..." He paused looking for the right word. He wanted to sound sophisticated alluring, so which word? Important? Vital? What?

"Good." He said, wincing internally at how lame THAT sounded.

She treated him to the music of her laugh. "Well, it wouldn't be pleasure if it was bad, now would it."

He felt himself flush.

"You're cute when you blush like that." She said laying her hand lightly on his arm and looking into his eyes. It rested there for a heartbeat, then she pulled it away, lingeringly so the motion was akin to a caress.

"Thank you, I really must blush more often" he said. They both laughed.

They chatted about work and airports for a while sipping at their drinks. The conversation was superficial mostly, funny anecdotes about airports, arrivals and departures, people at work. As he spoke he casually pressed his foot gently against hers. He couldn't be sure, but it felt as though she pressed back until he asked "So where is home for you?"

She looked him in the eyes and said "Does it really matter?"

She had removed her glasses and now he looked back into the cool (pale blue? gray? Difficult to tell in the dim light) eyes unfiltered and said. "No for our purposes it doesn't."

She looked away and said. "Whatever our purposes might be." Now they were sitting with their feet and lower legs pressed together. He found the warmth, the closeness pleasant and arousing. He felt himself stir.

"So, ready for another drink?" He asked.

She looked over at him and nodded. It would be a good way to postpone...whatever. As he went up to the bar she sat and wondered: what would happen; would the airport suddenly open and boarding of her flight (or worse) his be announced? Would she be relieved or disappointed if that happened? What was she going to do next?

She chuckled a little to herself at herself. He was after all a complete stranger, they were in an airport and she was by nature cautious. What could possibly happen? Yet... yet she found herself strangely attracted to him... to the anonymity of their meeting, its casualness and she realized the nature of this place; this situation; being stranded here made this feel outside of her normal life, like an interlude in time. Now she really was being silly, she was thinking like this was some sort of a sci-fi movie. Still, as she watched him come back with the drinks in his hand she felt a thrill that she realized was a combination of sexual attraction and the allure of the forbidden. She was off the beaten path, heading into the unknown.

He was semi hard as he approached and found himself hoping she would notice, then sat down and set her drink in front of her. "Here you go." He said and as he pulled his chair in he briefly touched her bare knee. She gulped at the contact then found herself giving him an encouraging smile. He turned to her his face inches away, his hand found her knee again, fingertips brushing then staying on the soft warm flesh. "So what now?" he asked.

She placed her hand over his and squeezed briefly hen removed her hand. "I don't know." She said breathing lightly. Encouraged he let his hand gently slide a bit higher, finger tips lightly stroking until up her thigh, then pulled his hand away.

"Well," he said looking away toward the waiting rooms. "We could keep drinking here, or take a walk around" his pulse was pounding; her skin was so soft and smooth! "Or have sex, or... "He trailed off.

She laughed. "Now, just suppose I was interested in sex with you. Just suppose, hypothetically how would we do that in the middle of a public airport?" She smiled casually trying not to show how hard her heart was pounding.

"Well..." he frowned. The thought had actually occurred to him. His only idea, vaguely formed fantasy really, was that she could blow him in a bathroom, but he wasn't sure how to suggest it, or even how to get both of them safely inside.

From where they sat they could see out into the quiet, dark conjoined bubble shape of the waiting rooms. There were still around ten people in the nearer half; however, the further part, with no flights waiting to depart, was empty.

The sat in silence for a moment.

"Well," she began thoughtfully "there is a way it could be done..."

He reached out again, hand moved gently, slightly up her leg. He left it there. His heart jumped. "How?" he asked.

"Well" she said "Where the two rooms overlap there's a sort of alcove. "We" she licked her lips nervously not believing she was saying this. "Someone, hypothetically speaking, could go there and pretty much be out of sight. Then uh, I" she stumbled slightly over the word. "Could lean against the railing. Uh, you could put on your raincoat and drape it over me...and well..."

"Yes" he said speculatively giving her high a squeeze, it was so soft and warm, he moved his hand away and sat up straight "Someone... could do that!"

"Someone would need a condom though." She said softly scarcely believing she was saying it.

He nodded wisely. "And someone should probably take off her panties in advance."

Hey sat there in silence for a few seconds. They had come to an edge and each wanted the other to take the plunge first.

Suddenly he looked up and across the waiting room. He gulped his drink. "If you'll excuse me for a second I think the newsstand is about to close. I suddenly realize I need something." He stood and took his trench coat.

She swallowed hard on her excitement and stood. "Yes, but funny, I realize I need to go to the ladies room."

He walked into the little convenience store heart pounding in exhilaration. "I can't believe I'm doing this." He thought giddily as he gave the saleslady the money. She was plainly eager to leave and didn't spare him or his purchase, a second glance. "Can I really go through with this?" he asked himself stepping from the store. "Can I really not?"

"Can I really go through with this?" She wondered as she stepped out of the bathroom. There was a part of her that said NO! It reiterated the same arguments. They'd be caught, she'd be embarrassed, he was a stranger... She had to tell him no; she just wasn't going to do this! But when she saw him waiting in front of the magazine store she found herself smiling.

As she walked up to her, there were butterflies in his stomach. "I'm all set." He returned her smile. She swallowed. "Me too." They stood there facing each other for a few seconds, for an eternity. Then he took her hand gently and led her across the waiting area. "C'mon." he said. They walked across one bubble room, the one inhabited by a handful or so of bored, half asleep travelers, past the bar with its dozen or so denizens getting slowly or quickly plastered. They came into the second empty waiting room. Where the two sets of curved walls connected there was a sort of little private space made by the confluence of the walls. It even had a convenient planter in front of the corner. Without a word hey stepped behind the plant into the corner.

He slid on his trench coat and faced her. They regarded each other quietly for a second. Then they were in each other's arms, faces together in a mouth open tongue wrestling kiss. She wrapped her arms around his waist, all but disappearing in the voluminous coat. She could hear his arousal in his gasping breath, could feel it, hard and desperate against her thigh.

He gasped and slid his hand down her back, up her skirt, marveling at the smoothness of her skin as he squeezed her buttocks. She had indeed removed her panties he realized listening closely for anyone else's presence. He looked around the empty room breaking the kiss as his hand quested around her thigh to find she was as aroused as he was, as ready. Quickly, with mounting excitement and fear he removed the foil packet from the handy pocket where he had left it.

She smiled and cocked her head and gave him a sultry look from under half lowered lids. She reached her hands out. His zipper seemed unusually loud as she pulled it down and she glanced around to see if anyone was near. She stroked him to make sure he was hard. She need not have bothered, his cock felt like a steel rod covered in velvet. It throbbed in her hand. She looked into his eyes and smiled. Then, with a graceful, seductive motion, guaranteed to raise the blood pressure of anything male, she turned, leaned over the railing and raised her firm butt. She looked over shoulder at him and winked, then faced forward.

He stepped up behind her and draped the trench coat around her, belt undone, pants pulled slightly down. He leaned over her and fumbled for a second. They gasped in unison as he entered her. Then he thrust into her, looking around again. She pushed back to meet him, feeling him deeper inside of her, fighting to suppress the moans that bubbled up from her core. She actually did moan aloud when he leaned over to bite gently at the nape of her neck and squeeze her breasts in their stretchy top. She still had her bra on but he could feel through it the stiffness of her nipples.

He could see her before him as he pushed forward hard and fast. He saw her hands holding on so tight to the railing that her knuckles were white. His mind registered details he hadn't noticed before, she wore an elaborate thumb ring and a white gold band on her left hand. He didn't take the time to think about it, he was too urgent in driving into her harder and faster. Her head was rocking back and forth in time to his thrusts her hair flying. It was fast and hard and sneaky and that made it oh, so good. Then she stiffened. "OHHH" she said through gritted teeth. "OHHH!" He arched his hips to get as deep in her as possible.

Then he felt his whole body tense and release...

They stayed like that for a few seconds feeling the warmth between them. She wished they were naked, wished it had taken longer, wished his hands were still squeezing her breasts.

Then he stood up. She left the shelter of the rain coat looking around adjusting her short white leather, a line skirt. Apparently, no one had noticed. As she straightened her clothes an announcement came over the PA. Her flight was boarding. There may have been other ones that she was too preoccupied to notice. He was discarding seething wrapped in napkins as she turned to him.

"That's my flight." She said.

"Yes, I suppose it is." He replied, suddenly shy and not knowing what to say or how to look at her.

She noticed his uneasiness and somehow it touched her. She reached out and stroked his cheek. "Walk me to my plane." They went arm in arm to the gate where most of her fellow travelers had already boarded. As they walked she thrust a hand into the pocket of his coat. "Souvenir "she murmured.

At the gate she turned to him. "Well this was much better then reading a magazine." She said.

"Much better" he echoed softly. She kissed him quickly on the cheek, turned and walked down the hall to her flight, and back to her real life. He stood admiring the sway of her hips as she moved, the way her waist tucked in and her hips flared noticeably... He turned to go back to his gate and back to waiting for his flight. As he did so he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pair of simple white panties with a lacey insert. "Souvenir "she had murmured. "Yes" he said aloud "Much better."

FIN