Passion Blooms in Paris (Diary of a Free Woman) (8 page)

As Gwen scanned the people in line, she wondered whom she’d have to sit by on the plane. An older person would be nice, but they talked a lot. A parent with a child wouldn’t bother her, but she might have to get up and down frequently if they needed to use the bathroom or get refreshments. The quiet woman standing in front of her seemed like a good candidate, except she reeked of expensive cologne. She had long blonde hair and wore dress pants and a blouse. Large rings adorned her fingers while a fancy gold watch shone from her wrist. The woman appeared around Gwen’s age, minus maybe five years. When the line moved, she stuffed her book inside her large Coach purse, then tugged the handle of her luggage on wheels.

Tired from holding her heavy bag, Gwen lowered her arm and set her carry-on by her side. Maybe she’d packed too much, but if the airline lost her suitcases, she’d survive a day until she could purchase new clothes. Plus, she needed something to occupy her time on the long flight.

The line moved forward at a snail’s pace. Gwen lifted her big bag with each step, then set it back on the floor. Her anxiety rose a notch when she finally reached the ticket taker. This was it. Once she boarded the plane, she wouldn’t see land for eight hours. Was she ready?

She handed the woman in uniform her ticket. The attendant, a young woman with dark skin, took the slip from Gwen. “Thank you for flying with us.”

“Thank you.” Gwen took her ticket, then lifted her bag and proceeded into the tunnel.

The soft whistling sound of the plane instantly lifted Gwen’s mood. She was on her way to fulfilling a lifelong dream. Not many people would have the chance to leave their job for as long or have the funds to stay away and travel. Gwen had worked hard for over twenty years and longed for this day. Excitement and joy coursed through her. Yes, she was more than ready to take the next step to see her dreams come true.

She boarded the plane, took a few steps then came to a quick halt in the first class section. The blonde with the expensive jewellery struggled to lower the handle to her luggage. Her Coach purse lay in an empty aisle seat. A woman sat in the next one over and stared out her oval window. Past the blonde, most travellers sat in wait. The plane had rows of three seats on each side. Several people stood as they stored their bags in the overhead compartments. Closer to Gwen and on the left, two men had settled into the remaining first class seats. An older gentleman with white hair sat next to the window while a strikingly handsome man with his hands clasped in his lap occupied the seat near the aisle. Gwen’s heart fluttered.

The man who stole her attention wore a dark suit jacket with a white button down shirt tucked into his jeans. A shiny gold watch peeked from beneath his sleeve. A business man perhaps, but he appeared somewhat casual. His short, dark hair had slight waves that reminded her of an actor she’d seen on television. Although he had light creases on his forehead, he didn’t appear too old. She guessed he was in his mid-thirties at least. Broad shoulders and an above average build indicated he had a fit physique. He was a fine looking man…and he was staring at her legs.

Gwen’s temperature rose as his gaze travelled up the length of her body. She looked away from him in an effort to calm her stimulated hormones. The blonde had finally secured the handle on her luggage. While she bent over, as if she planned to lift it, an ache in Gwen’s shoulder signalled she’d held her heavy bag far too long. Gwen slowly slid the straps down her arm while she held her purse. The blonde straightened abruptly, hefted her luggage up and swung it to her side. She bumped Gwen’s carry-on with enough force that it and Gwen’s purse fell straight to the ground. Both items crashed and thudded on the floor in front of the handsome man’s feet.

Gwen stood frozen in time as her belongings spilt onto the floor. Lipstick rolled from her purse and her wallet shot out halfway. Her notebook slid from her large bag, taking with it a shirt, pair of red bikini panties and jeans. Seeing the lace trim of her panties ignited a rush of heat to her face.
Dear lord.
Her underwear was on display in front of the man who stirred her inner desire.

The gorgeous man leant forward and snatched the tube of lip-gloss.

Gwen crouched near his feet. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.” She collected her purse and set it upright.

“Accidents happen,” the dark-haired stranger said with a smile and handed her the lipstick.

With her face burning as if she were on fire, she stared into his blue eyes and slipped into a hypnotic trance. The smooth tone of his voice along with curve of his lips captivated her. He possessed a seductive lure and the tranquil colour of his eyes strengthened it. The underwear she currently wore quickly dampened.

“Thank you,” Gwen said as she collected the lipstick.

“My pleasure.”

As she tossed the tube in her purse, he reached for the items that had slipped out of her baggage. The red lace underwear lay partially exposed between the shirt and folded jeans. He picked up her notebook with the folded clothes on top. The shirt slid from the pile and her bikini panties became available for all to see.

“I’ll take those.” She quickly took the items from his hand, but in her haste, the underwear fell to the floor, on top of her shirt.

Shit.
Could she be any more embarrassed?

“These are sexy.” He rubbed his fingers over her red panties as she shoved her notebook and jeans into her bag. “I bet you look nice in them.”

His soft voice sent tingles skating through her body. “Yes. I…uh…yes.” Those few words were the only ones that came to mind as she gathered the underwear and shirt.

“A beautiful woman should always wear sexy underwear.”

Again, his soft voice roused a need buried deep within her. Years had passed since the last time she’d had sex with a man. She’d focused on taking care of and supporting her children. To quench her desires she turned to her trusty vibrator. Although it had satisfied her enough, she longed to have a real cock fill her again, slide deep and bring her multiple orgasms. Yes, she couldn’t wait for that day.

Avoiding his gaze, she stuffed the items in her bag and stood. “Thank you.”

She glanced over her shoulder to find the blonde stowing her luggage in the overhead compartment. Finally, Gwen could pass by to get to her seat.

“It’s a long flight,” said the man who roused her carnal appetite.

She looked at him and found him holding a small business card between his fingers.

“If you’d welcome conversation, please send me a message.” He dropped the card into her bag.

Gwen’s tongue decided not to move. She didn’t know what to say. The sexiest man she’d seen in a long time had touched a pair of her underwear, called her a beautiful woman and given her his calling card. What kind of appropriate response could she give?

Holding her purse in one hand and the heavy bag in the other, she smiled and said, “Thank you. I will.”

He gave her a wide smile and her inner woman cheered. Men typically didn’t hit on Gwen, nor did she pursue them since she’d focused her priorities on her children. But she was free now and on vacation. Time to live a little and make the most out of life. Time to give up the vibrator for a real cock. With joy and desire coursing through her veins, she passed behind the blonde and proceeded down the aisle and away from the first class section.

Gwen stopped at row sixteen with the empty seat at the end. An older couple, both with white hair occupied the other two seats. The woman wore gold loop earrings and pastel coloured clothes. Sitting near the window, the man had dressed in a light-blue polo and khakis. They greeted her with a smile.

“Hello,” Gwen said.

“First trip to London?” the woman asked.

“Yes. It’s my first trip out of the States.” Gwen pushed her carry-on and purse under the seat in front of her before settling into her assigned spot.

“Ours too. I’m Wynona and this is my husband, Henry.”

He smiled and gave a nod. “Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Gwen. Nice to meet both of you.”

Wynona opened her mouth to speak, but an announcement came over the intercom before she could get a word out. The flight attendant informed them of their destination and estimated arrival time, and encouraged them to secure all bags prior to departure. By the time the attendant finished, Gwen had calmed from her run-in with Mr Sexy.

Wynona leaned towards Gwen. “Did you bring a book or something to pass the time? It’s such a long flight.”

“Yes, I have my Kindle.” And now she had a man to occupy her thoughts. Better yet, she had his calling card. But could she send him a message? What would she say?

“Me too.” The older woman smiled. “I just love it. I take it with me everywhere.”

As Gwen nodded, a door at the front of the plane thudded. Another announcement from the intercom informed them they were preparing for departure and requested travellers to turn off all electronic devices. Gwen suddenly realised she’d left her phone in her purse and it was on.

She reached for her bags under the seat in front of her. Hurrying, she dug inside her purse and found her phone. While she held the button to turn the power off, she decided to search for the card Mr Sexy had dropped in her bag. She pried the opening wide and spotted the little card lying on top of her clothes. Smiling, she picked it up. A glimpse at the darkened screen on her cell indicated it had shut down, so she left it inside the purse.

The glossy card gave a name, Phillip Connor, and personal details such as his business and personal number, and his email address. According to the card, he was the owner of Connor Industries. The company name sounded familiar to her.

As she relaxed in her seat, she recalled hearing the name mentioned repeatedly in the news. Connor Industries was the leading medical manufacturing company for prosthetic limbs as well as medical instruments, implant devices and machines. They owned several mid and small sized supply chains too. Connor Industries ranked in the billions and their stocks turned over profits annually.

Gwen’s gaze lowered to the card between her fingers. She read his title again to make sure her eyes hadn’t deceived her. Holy cow, Mr Sexy was the owner. But why would he ride a regular plane instead of a corporate jet?

One of the attendants appeared in the aisle a few rows ahead and instructed travellers what to do in an emergency. Gwen welcomed the distraction to calm her growing anxiety. Although she’d heard a similar spiel when she was a kid and had taken plane rides to visit family, she still listened to the directions. After all, she’d never flown over an ocean and never been in a plane for more than three hours. A drop dead gorgeous and wealthy man had never hit her on before either. God, she couldn’t get him out of her head, especially now that she knew his name and what he did for a living. Her vacation had started with a touch of embarrassment, but it had quickly transformed into a world of possibilities.

The plane gently backed away from the terminal. Two female flight attendants walked along the aisle, checking seat belts, under seats, and securing the overhead cabinet doors. Gwen hid Phillip’s card under her thighs, then clasped her hands together. When the attendant finally made it to her row, she glanced at their laps and feet. She gave them a smile and continued forward. Gwen didn’t move an inch until the pilot came on the intercom and attendants disappeared. She slipped the card out from under her skirt and held it above her lap.

“Afraid of flying?” Wynona asked softly, diverting Gwen’s attention.

She lowered the card on her leg to hide the wording. “No. I’ve flown on planes when I was a kid.”

Wynona’s gaze lowered to Gwen’s lap. Before she had a chance to say anything more, her husband claimed hold of her hand. She looked away and stared out the oval window with Henry while the plane’s engines revved.

The plane accelerated and Gwen turned to gaze out of the windows across the aisle. Other passengers watched too as everything rushed by during the race down the runway. The nose lifted first and the plane shook gently. Then suddenly they were above the ground and climbing in the sky.

She lifted the card and saw Phillip’s email address. Mr Sexy had given her permission to send him a message. He’d acted as if he wanted her to. Hell, he’d touched her underwear. Did he really find her attractive? Did he really want to have a conversation with her? Although she didn’t have a clue what to say, she had to send some kind of communication to him. He’d offered—no, he’d invited her to a conversation. Refusing would be rude, and she couldn’t allow him to think that.

The flight would last eight hours. Surely, she could find something to talk about with him during such a long flight. She thought about what to send in her message and remembered when he had handed her the notebook and had touched her underwear. He didn’t have a ring on his finger. She was a single woman, and if she guessed right, he was single too. The shared detail wasn’t much, but it gave her something to work with. He had liked her panties after all. Maybe he’d like to see her wearing them.

The thought brought a smile to her face. Eight hours trapped in a plane with a sexy and single billionaire inviting her to talk to him. How could she resist? She couldn’t. The time had come for her to live life to the fullest and take advantage of all the opportunities available to her. As soon as the pilot gave the okay to switch on electronic devices, she’d send him a message. And if he asked to see her in the red lace bikini, she’d find a way to appease his request.

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About the Author

Diane lives Indiana. She is a lifetime lover of the paranormal, sci-fi, and fantasy. Her mind constantly wanders into other worlds full of dark and mysterious creatures.

Vampires, werewolves, demons, and other supernatural creatures are her friends. A few bite, others tempt, and some are hot as hell. To escape her day job, she puts her thoughts into words and brings those fantastical worlds and creatures to life.

Reader beware: She is not responsible for any titillation, increased temperatures, hormonal stirrings, or unusual bite marks. Besides writing, Diane enjoys sunny days, travelling, shopping with her daughter, laughter, and red wine. She dislikes taxes, slow drivers, and cranky people.