“I’ve also heard that all of you—”

“Some of you.” He cut me off. “The word ‘all’ is a bit presumptuous.”

“Fine. Most of you are emotionally distant and cold. What you see is what you get. It’s all you get. Even the rare pilots, the good guys who almost seem capable of being faithful are...”

“Are what?” he asked. “What have you heard about them?”

“They almost always have a flight attendant for a mistress.” I moved my head back before he could lean in any further. “Is any of that true?”

“If it was,” he said, looking slightly amused, “I would’ve agreed with you. Contrary to your uneven and untrue arguments, a man’s profession has nothing to do with his degree of fidelity.”

I opened my mouth to object, but he pressed a finger against my lips.

“That’s only my first rebuttal,” he said. “Second, if a pilot is single and does have a woman in every city, that shouldn’t be a problem since he doesn’t owe anyone anything. I’ll agree with you on your last point, though. What you see is definitely what you get, but I have no interest in having a flight attendant as a mistress.”

“Too scared your girlfriend will find out?”

“We’ve discussed this.” He pulled me close. “I don’t do girlfriends.” His lips were suddenly on mine, coaxing and warm, then demanding and hot. His teeth punished my bottom lip with a soft bite and I couldn’t help but kiss him back.

Slipping a hand under my dress, he whispered against my mouth. “You don’t want this again?” He tugged at my soaked panties and pressed his thumb against my swollen clit, sensuously rubbing it in circles as he trailed his tongue against my neck.

“No...” I lied, holding back a moan.

Everything around me became a hazy blur as his fingers continued to mercilessly tease me, as his tongue swirled against my exposed skin. I wanted to give in, to admit that he could bring me to pleasure like no one else could, but I knew having him again would only affect one of us.

“Gillian.” His mouth returned to mine. “Say yes to fucking me at landing.”

“No.” I bit his lip and stepped back. “I can’t.”

He looked completely confused. “And why is that?”

“Because if I were to sleep with you again, I’d have to be your only one.”

“My only what?”

“The only woman you have sex with.”

“Come again?” He let go of my waist.

“Like I told you before, I don’t normally hookup...The first time we had sex was fine, because it was a one-night stand, but the second time was a mistake.”

“Having multiple orgasms is never a mistake.”

“Maybe, but I’m not the type who would be okay with having sex with you one night, while knowing that you could possibly be having sex with Sally tomorrow.”

“I don’t know any women named Sally.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I honestly don’t.”

“No matter how much you claim that you ‘need’ to fuck me again, and no matter how many times I might’ve thought about it, too...”

“You’ve definitely thought about it, too.”

“In spite of that, even though the last thing I want right now is a new relationship—”

“Monogamous fucking sounds exactly like a relationship.”

“It isn’t, but the next time I have sex—whenever that is, it will be with someone who’s fucking me and only me. So, if you can’t handle that or agree, you should just walk away.”

He stepped back, and without saying another word, he walked away.

GATE B10

JAKE

In flight—> London (LHR)

I’d heard a lot of bullshit in my life, but “I have to be your only one” might’ve secured itself in the number one spot.

I stared straight ahead from the cockpit, wondering why the hell this woman I barely knew was having any type of effect on me. Twice, after walking away from her, I’d ventured into the cabin for a restroom break and caught her smiling and entertaining a male passenger. Each one was a Wall Street type.

The asshole in 3A told her a joke about “the mile-high club.” She’d laughed at him, and even though I could tell it wasn’t genuine, I knew she wasn’t lying when she told him she’d never had sex on a plane. The color on her cheeks gave her away.

The asshole in 4C kissed her hand after she brought him a glass of wine. Then he caressed it as he flirted with her for a least three minutes. (I fucking counted.)

I was seconds away from walking over to him and saying something, but I came to my senses at the last minute and returned to the cockpit—vowing to stay put for the rest of the flight.

Her demands for monogamous fucking were unfair and completely unrealistic, but as we coasted through another patch of clouds, I briefly contemplated if an arrangement like that could work. Temporarily, at least.

Yes, I’d been unable to seal the deal with most of the women in my contact list for weeks, but I didn’t expect that to last forever. Before running into Gillian on the SkyLink, my London contact was texting me about “desperately” needing sex again, but she was insisting that I take her out on a real date beforehand.

I had yet to respond because I knew if we had one date, she would want two. Then there would be random “I’m thinking about you.” “What are you up to?” text messages late at night, and ultimately a conversation about wanting more. It always ended with someone—always the woman, wanting more and that’s why casual sex didn’t need to be consistent with just one person. It didn’t need to resemble anything like a relationship.

I didn’t need to think about Gillian’s “only one” demand any further.

She’s out of her goddamn mind...

GATE B11

GILLIAN

London (LHR)

“Flight attendants, prepare for landing.” Jake’s deep command came over the speakers minutes before the descent, making me walk through the cabin one last time to make sure all the seat belts were fastened.

The two men who’d flirted with me hours ago were both thankfully staring out the windows, so there was no time for me to accept either of their offers for a date at landing.

The landing came smooth and fast several minutes later, and as the plane parked at the gate, I waited for the ground team to open the door. When all was clear, I took my place near the exit door with Miss Connors.

“We have two days of rest here,” she said. “So I suggest you soak up as much time in the hotel robes as possible, and find the time to unpack your brain so you can bring it aboard our next flight.”

I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to respond to that, so I simply nodded and turned away from her.

“Have an amazing time in London!” Her voice instantly became chirpy for the departing passengers. “Thank you for flying with Elite! Come see us again!”

I started to say farewell to them as well, but I felt Jake stepping between the two of us.

“Nice speech, Captain Weston.” She looked up at him. “Are you not saying the mandatory Elite words and being non-friendly because you’ve forgotten how to be, or are you purposely doing it in hopes that I’ll record it and have you written up?”