In Your Dreams

Louis's phone rang at 8:35.

The house had been empty when he got home from work and he just hadn't been able to settle down. He had wandered from room to room, trying not to step on the cat. He had half hoped that Maria would have left some sort of goodbye message, but aside from a pile of rejected clothes on a chair in the bedroom there was nothing. He fed the cat and turned on the TV. It was going to be a long weekend.

Then he felt his phone buzzing. He clicked off the game and pulled the phone out of his pocket. But no, not Maria. Or even Warren. It was Willa. He stared at it, then tapped to answer.

"Hey," he said.

"This isn't what you think," she said, in a rush to get it out.

"What?" he asked. "Um..."

"I just got off the phone with Fiona," she said. "There's all kinds of shit flying around from the latest code release. Big time customers losing their shit and calling to complain." She took a breath. "Fiona says we need to go out to the customer site to fix whatever problems they're having."

Louis's heart sank. "Ah crap," he said. "That makes no sense. I can just dial into..."

"I know you can, even Fiona knows you can. That's not the point. She wants us to show the customer we're committed. Et cetera."

"Crap," Louis said again. He paused. "That's going to shoot the whole weekend."

"It gets better," Willa told him. "Fiona wants us on a plane tonight."

Louis groaned. "Tonight? That's insane! Why not tomorrow?"

"That's a great idea," Willa said. "Why don't you call Fiona and tell her that?"

There was a pause.

"But anyway, why me?" he asked. "Get Asok or Red, they actually did most of the coding work."

"Fiona knew you'd ask that. She said to tell you that you're the tech lead, so you get to lead by example. Show that you care about the customer."

"What if I don't care about the customer?"

"Then show you care about your paycheck."

There was another pause. "Shit," Louis said.

"Happy Friday," Willa said. She sighed. "Listen, Louis. I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"So I'm going along..."

"You are? Why? What are you going to do?"

Her voice was frosty. "Apparently product managers have to show leadership too," she said. "And customer focus. So I'm going to go and make soothing noises while you're doing your magic at the keyboard."

"Oh," Louis said.

"And that's what I wanted to tell you. This is a work trip, with no extra benefits. Totally professional."

Louis moved his phone to his other ear. "Got it," he said. "Of course."

"I have enough to regret," she said. "I don't want to screw my job up as well."

"No," he agreed.

There was a pause. Maybe Willa had wanted him to protest, to argue that they should make the most of the weekend away. He didn't know.

"Who's the customer?" he asked.

"Whitehead and Blinker," she said.

"Huh," Louis said.

"If you check your work email there's a ticket on a ten-thirty flight tonight. It might make sense to get some sleep on the plane, they'll want us at the office bright and early, so..."

"Where's the office?" he asked, but he had a vague recollection of the customer and a sinking feeling.

"Chicago," Willa said. "We fly into O'Hare."

*****

At least Maria and Warren seemed to have taken an earlier flight.

Louis had been afraid there would be an awkward reunion in the departure lounge but he had been spared that. He sat uneasily, trying not to wonder what they were up to, if they were at Warren's place yet. Warren had promised to send him a link to the stream from the hidden cameras in his apartment, so maybe they hadn't arrived yet? Anyway, thinking about the cameras made his stomach lurch. It landed him in the same ugly pot as Warren. What kind of guy would watch a woman who had been tricked into making a porno flick? Even worse, what kind of guy would watch his own wife, a woman he presumably loved, doing that?

And yet. At some basic level, he wanted to be that guy. It was beyond ugly - it was, he knew, unforgivable. But thinking about it made his cock twitch in his pants.

He glanced at his watch. Ten thirty had come and gone with no sign of an airplane or a flight crew. The passengers were restless, checking their phones and whispering. Everyone knew this was the last flight to Chicago and nobody wanted to be stuck overnight.

Louis cast a surreptitious glance at Willa. She had taken a seat across the aisle from him, presumably to emphasize that this was a work trip, but actually it gave him an opportunity to peek at her furtively from time to time. Her laptop was open and she was tapping away at it, her forehead furrowed. She really was pretty. Was it possible that he had lain with her, had spent last night lost in pleasure in her arms? Then gone home and done the same thing again with Maria? It was unreal.

He forced himself to look away. Staring at women was bad manners and anyway thinking about last night was getting him more excited than he should really be in a public place. The other passengers were a mediocre-looking bunch, he could just look around and, yes, that was working, his cock was getting softer and... but then his traitorous eyes slid back to Willa. Her tongue poked out between her lips, pink on pink, and withdrew, and his cock did another pushup in his pants. There was a rebel tendril of hair drooping across her left eye and her hand came up absently to push it away with her long delicate fingers. Those fingers... ah. He swallowed, remembering the feel of those fingers on his body. On his cock.

He caught sight of the tattoo on her neck, so long a mystery, and had a sudden remembrance of her naked back, of the woman's face peering out from the ornate foliage. He had run his hands down her back, skin smooth over ribs and spine, until they had found her hips and the mounds of her ass. It had been amazing, a crazy night.

Willa must have felt his eyes on her because she suddenly looked over at him. Her mouth hardened. Jesus. It was going to be an even longer weekend than he'd feared. She looked back at her laptop.

Just then he felt a buzz from his pocket, then another. Incoming messages. His heart quickened but he forced himself to be cool and not pull the phone out right there - if they were from Warren who knew what might be included?

"Bathroom," he mumbled, standing up. Willa nodded without looking up.

He walked past the entrance to the men's room - if there was a video with sound he didn't want to be overheard by someone in another stall. Yes, he had remembered right, there was a separate family restroom, totally private, just a little further down. He went in and locked the door, then got out his phone.

There were two messages from Warren. The first was, as Louis had expected, a photo. It was taken in the mirror of an airplane bathroom and showed a woman leaning forward, hands on the counter. Her dress was open and there was a man behind her, his hands squeezing her breasts. His face was hidden behind a pair of sunglasses but his mouth was open in what looked like a roar of triumph.

The woman was Maria.

Louis grimaced and opened the next message.

great shot, huh? i'm telling you that maria is one hot cookie. she practically dragged me to the john and made me fuck her standing up. said she wanted some mile high action... stewardess gave us a dirty look when she saw us leaving the bathroom together with grins all over our faces haha

The phone buzzed again. A new message coming in.

hey listen, like i said thanks for the help getting her on the plane but you didn't do me the other little favor... she's still going to make me wrap up when we fuck. and she tells me you didn't even use the present i sent home with her.

so i'm sorry but no videos for you this weekend. i might be persuaded to send you a photo or two and maybe dial you in for an audio session. but if you want the good stuff you gotta cooperate, k? no bareback no movie, you get me?

Louis grunted. Stupid fucking asshole. He hated Warren, really hated him.

He scrolled back up to the photo. His cock was, no surprise, hard again. He rested his phone on the counter and unbuckled his belt. His pants slid partway down his thighs and he picked up his phone and turned to lean back against the sink. There was something weird about the photo but he concentrated on Maria's face reflected in the mirror, the hands pawing her tits, the nipples protruding between the fingers. He spat on his palm and drew it methodically up and down his shaft. What would it feel like, sliding up into her from behind, his hands on her breasts, watching the two of them in the mirror. Sliding one hand down between her legs, finding her clit and seeing her face change as the pleasure swept through her. His fingers rolling her nipples, his legs straining and driving his cock into her again and again. He was panting, the bathroom suddenly felt hot. He was getting closer... again he ran his eyes across the photo and imagined himself, now with his hands gripping Maria's hips, pounding into her, hearing her cries, watching her, feeling her pussy around his cock. Then his head was spinning and he bent forward, his cock spurting on his wrist and forearm. He gave a stifled groan.

He put the phone back down and turned, leaning his elbows on the rim of the sink. His breath slowed down. He reached a hand forward and turned on the water, washed his hands and arms, splashed his face. Slowly he pulled up his pants and buckled his belt, then looked at himself in the mirror one last time. Pervert, he thought.

Suddenly his phone started buzzing. Maria. It was Maria. A video call! He picked up the phone and tapped the answer button.

"Hey," he said. His voice echoed off the tile walls and floor.

The screen filled with her face, her mouth wide in a happy grin. "Hey," she answered. Her eyes opened wider. "Are you in a bathroom?"

"Oh," he said, glancing over his shoulder. "Yeah. You caught me just as I was washing up."

"But where are you?"

"Oh," he said vaguely. "This bar some folks from work wanted to go to."

"Oh," she said. Her mouth closed. "Okay." She seemed disappointed. Had he said he would stay at home all weekend?

"How are you doing?" he asked. "How is... everything?" He wanted to ask about the photo, about the mile high club, but somehow... it was hard to ask.

Her eyes closed and she brought up a hand to her forehead. "Oh my God," she said. "The flight! It was... incredible." Her eyes opened again and she smiled.

He made an encouraging noise.

"So... of course, being Warren," she said. "He had this plan that involved fucking in the bathroom but I was not having any of that."

"No?" he asked.

"Have you ever been in an airplane bathroom? I don't think they're big enough for a pair of medium sized parakeets to fuck in." She giggled. "That's what I told him. And the chemical toilet smell... disgusting."

"Yeah," he agreed. So what was with the photo? Must be a fake... amazing what you can do with AI these days.Create a photo of a woman having sex in an airplane bathroom and give her this face I just uploaded."So... what did you do?"

"Well..." she said coyly. She licked her lips. "So Warren says, okay, go to the bathroom and take off your panties. Being Warren, of course."

"Of course," he agreed drily. "Did you do it?"

"Yes," she said. "Once we reached altitude and they turned off the lights. It was incredibly quiet, all these people fell asleep right away. And he had paid for first class so it was just the two of us in our little half row." She paused. "You okay?" she asked.

"Go on," he urged.

"Okay," she said. "So I go and take them off and put them in my purse and then I get back to my seat and it's all dim and he leans across and kisses me. And slides his hand under my dress, pushes on my legs for them to spread apart and the next thing I know..." She paused to let it sink in.

"What?" he demanded.

"Turns out he has this glove on," she said softly. "Vibrating fingers. Oh my God... I felt it on my thigh and it buzzed right straight to my clit. And he was stroking me, his fingers going like a vibrator, I thought I was going to die! I thought I had died and gone to heaven!" Her eyes rolled upward. "Can you imagine?"

"Jesus," Louis said softly.

"I mean," she said. "I figured when he told me to take my undies off that he was going to be touching me but I had no idea things like vibrating gloves even existed!"

"No," Louis agreed. He paused. "How long did..."

"A long time," she said. "I don't know. It was like being on a roller coaster. Up and around, then zooming around corners, only it was... orgasm after orgasm. I honestly thought I was going to die, it was so good."

There was a pause. "Then what happened?" he asked.

"I just couldn't anymore," she said. "I pushed his hand away, pulled my head away. Did I tell you that the whole time he was fingering me he was also kissing me? God," she said. "It was so fucking intense."

"Nobody noticed?" Louis asked.

"I don't think so," she said. "At least nobody tapped me on the shoulder and told me to stop coming, it was bothering the other passengers." She laughed again. Her eyes were shining, her tongue darted out and swept across her lips.

"Just a sec," she said. "I'm going to put this down so you can... hang on." She put the phone down and leaned it against something, then took a step back so he could see more of her. She was wearing the sheer red robe, the one Louis liked so much, her breasts visible through the thin material. She reached up and cupped a hand on one of her breasts.

"Louis," she said softly. "You remember that night in Vegas?"

"Of course," he said.

"You do? How I was talking to you when he knocked on the door..."

"Yes," he said thickly.

"Well," she said. "It's like that tonight. He's out in the other room, waiting for me."

Louis nodded but didn't say anything.

"That whole time on the plane," she said. "And after that... he hasn't had a chance to come yet. He's been so patient." She undid the sash of her robe and it fell open. She took another step back and he sat that she was naked under the robe.

He swallowed. It was like what he had been imagining five minutes ago, the perfect curve of breasts and belly. God, why was she so far away? He should tell her to just come home so they could...

She closed the robe again, tied the sash loosely. "So you see," she continued. "I need to reward his patience."

Louis nodded absently.

"Are you hard?" she asked softly.

He nodded again. "Yeah," he said.

"I bet he's hard," she said. "I can't wait to... well, hold him. That will be good, won't it?"

"Yes," Louis agreed. His mouth was dry.

"I decided in the taxi coming here," she said. "I have to reward his patience by letting him be bare. Inside me."

Louis nodded. It was all happening so fast.

"Not to come inside me," she said. "But... I want to feel him inside me. And I want him to feel me... around him. You understand that, don't you?"

"Did you tell him?" he asked softly.

"No," she told him. She smiled. "It's going to be a surprise for him. I think he'll like it, don't you?"

"Yeah," he said. He forced out a little laugh. "No doubt,"

"He's waiting," she said dreamily. She lifted her hand to her mouth, touched her lips and blew him a kiss. "I have to go," she told him.

"Yes," Louis said.

"I'm not going to call again," she said. "Not till I'm on my way home. But I wanted to let you know... about this."

Louis nodded. "Thanks," he said faintly.

She looked over her shoulder then back at Louis. "Love you," she said softly. Then she blew him another kiss and reached out and the screen went blank.

Louis leaned against the sink for a time. God. He had been waiting, anticipating this call from Maria since he had got home to find the house empty and the pile of clothes on the bed. He snorted. Vibrating glove? On an airplane? Who does that?

Slowly, he put his phone back in his pocket and opened the bathroom door.

The departure lounge was deserted. There was one person having an intense conversation with the gate agent and Willa was still sitting in the seat she'd been in before, but everyone else had left while he was in the bathroom. Ha walked across to Willa.

"They cancelled the flight," she said. Her laptop was closed on the seat next to her.

"Ah jeez," Louis said. "They could have done that hours ago."

Willa shrugged. "They put us all on an early flight tomorrow, you've probably got an email about it."

Louis grimaced. "How early?"

"8:15."

Louis looked at his watch. "Fuck," he said.

"That's what most of the passengers said," she said.

"By the time I go home and come back..." he said.

"Actually," she said. "I'm going to go to the airport hotel. It's attached to Terminal 3. Some people were talking about it."

"You think Fiona will let you expense it?"

"She better," Willa said grimly. "I mean she was going to pay for a hotel in Chicago anyway."

"That's true," he admitted. He paused. "I might do that too," he added.

She looked at him. "Oh?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said. "Like you said, it'll save time and wear and tear." He smiled at her. "No sense zooming around tonight and tomorrow morning if I don't need to."

Willa nodded. "Sure," she said. "That's reasonable." She picked up her laptop and pushed it into her bag, then stood up. "Okay, let's go."

They took the inter-terminal train, almost empty at that hour, to Terminal 3, and followed the signs to the hotel. There were three groups of people in line ahead of them and Louis recognized them from the departure lounge. Slowly the people checked in and the line moved. It might actually have been faster to go home.

But standing there in line next to Willa, he started feeling nervous. His hands were sweaty and his stomach had butterflies. The scent of her hair reminded him, with a jolt, of the moist smell of the shower after she had used it. Then they were at the front of the line, talking to the clerk, checking in. Finally.

When they were alone in the elevator heading up to their rooms Louis felt it, the sudden lurch as he made a rash but inevitable decision. The elevator stopped on Willa's floor and he followed her out. She turned and looked at him.

"Aren't you on seven?" she asked.

He nodded. "Can we... I need to talk to you."

Her mouth tightened. "Louis," she said. "It's late, really late. And we have an early flight tomorrow and..."

"Willa," he said. "I can't stop thinking about you."

She looked at him. "Louis," she said, not unkindly. "We had a really nice time last night but I think you're confusing..."

"Sex," he said. "With... with something else." He paused. "I don't think I am," he added. "Confusing them, it's not just sex. It's... something else."

She didn't say anything, just looked at him. The elevator door closed behind him.

"I think I'm falling in love with you," he said softly. He paused. "Or maybe I'm already in love with you."

She looked away. "Oh Louis," she murmured.

"It's not crazy," he insisted. "It's... it feels so real."

"Louis," she said again. "It's just... Louis. I can't do this right now. I'm so tired... can't we talk... in the morning?" She looked at him again and he thought there was moisture in her eyes. "Let's just talk in the morning, okay? I don't want to make any more stupid mistakes."

He reached out and touched her hand, wrapped his fingers around it. "It's not a mistake," he said gravely.

Willa sighed. "Louis," she said. "I need to sleep. Alone. I don't want to... like I said."

He lifted her hand, touched it to his cheek, then to his lips.

She stared at him. "Louis," she whispered. "Please don't."

He gazed at her.

She stroked his cheek and then gently pulled her hand away from him. "Let's both get some sleep," she told him. "Okay? See where we are in the morning?"