She could only admit to herself that post-9/11 flights were not her favorite thing in the world. She wasn't crazy about flying before that but the feeling she had now as she boarded her flight was a mix of fear and anticipation. She found her seat and put her bag in the overhead compartment before she took her seat. She had to be careful as she reached into the compartment, otherwise the other passengers might discover that she was not wearing panties under the skirt that she refused to define as "mini".

As she took her seat she didn't make eye contact with the other passengers who filed past her. Her mind was in the clouds and her thoughts were consumed with seeing him again. With every thought of him she was feeling less fearful. She couldn't allow herself to contemplate anything bad happening on this flight. Not this flight. As far as she was concerned she was on her way to paradise and nothing was going to stop her from reaching her destination.

It had been ten years since she had seen him. Their relationship had drastically changed since then. Ten years ago they were both married to other people. Ten years ago they were just friends. Sometime during those ten years his wife had slept with her husband.

She fastenend her seat belt upon the captain's request and she only half way listened to the male flight attendant as he gave the "in case of emergency" instructions. It was early in the morning and the flight was only to take an hour or so. She was hungry but too nervous to eat. She'd eat when they landed. As the plane headed for take off, she held on to the seat, closed her eyes and prayed for traveling mercies.

The flight was uneventful. She crossed and uncrossed her legs several times and the friction that she was causing between her legs was driving her crazy. She looked down at the black stilettos that she wore and smiled wickedly to herself. She felt the plane begin to descend and her heart skipped a beat because she knew that in a matter of minutes she would lay her eyes on him.

This was too weird. They had remained friends throughout the turmoil and confusion of her separation and divorce. For some reason, he took on the responsibility of being her friend. Weekly phone calls just to check on her turned into daily phone calls or a short note. He made her laugh and that was the one thing she hadn't felt like doing in a long time. Her marriage had not ended because of the infidelity. In fact, she hadn't found out about the extra marital activity until after she decided to leave him. They had other problems that were just too much for her to handle.

The plane came to a complete stop and she carefully stood up and reached into the overhead again. She was happy that she didn't flash any innocent bystanders. She packed light for the weekend and she was thankful that she didn't have to go to the baggage claim. The trip was for three days and two nights. She brought one dressy outfit, one casual outfit, a pair of jeans and some lingerie.

As soon as she entered the airport she pulled out her cell phone and dialed his number. He answered immediately.

"I'm here."
"Where?"
"I don't know ... I've never been here before. Remember? I just got off the plane and I'm walking toward an escalator."
"Take the escalator downstairs and look for the Godiva store. It should be on the right."
"Are you getting me chocolates?"
"Stop being so nosy. I'll see you in a minute."
"Yes you will."

She hung up the phone and had to keep herself from running to the escalator. Instead she struck a pose and decided to let the machine carry her to him. She reached the bottom and stepped off the escalator without getting one of her 3-inch heels caught. Her eyes darted to the right as she began to walk in that direction. She passed a newsstand and a coffee shop -- but no Godiva store. She dialed his number again.

"Where are you?"
"Turn around."

She turned around and saw her weekend knight in shining armour. Mr. Right Now. He stood six feet three inches tall and his bald head was shining. He wore a pair of black slacks and a black turtleneck sweater which was appropriate for the time of year but it almost didn't contain the barrel that he called a chest. She tried to mask the joy that she felt when she saw him -- didn't want to seem too eager -- but damn that brother looked good. She really didn't' know if she would be able to wait until they reached their destination -- a beautiful bed and breakfast that overlooked the river.

He walked toward her and tilted his head to the side and smiled. They stood toe to toe looking at each other. Even with three-inch heels on she was still considerably shorter than he was. He reached for her bag and kissed her softly on the lips all in one motion. She inhaled deeply and all she could smell was a clean man. He took her by the hand and led her to the parking garage without saying a word. She allowed herself to be led without saying a word. There wouldn't be too many more times during the course of the weekend where she would allow him to take the lead.

They had never slept together. However, every phone call, every letter, every e-mail was leading right to this moment. He said he wanted to do something special for her birthday. They tossed around a few ideas and decided to meet in a neutral place. She chose their location after doing some research online. He took it from there and made all the arrangements with the innkeeper -- all she had to do was show up and expect to be taken care of.

They reached the car and he put her bag in the trunk and met her on the passenger side to open her door. Before doing so, he pressed her body against the car and leaned in for another kiss. This time he put his hands around her waist and let them fall to her behind and he squeezed as he kissed her again. He stopped kissing her abruptly.

"You're not wearing any panties?"
She smiled and said, "You are very perceptive. Are you going to let me in the car?"
He buried his head in her neck and said, "What are you doing to me? You know we have a ninety minute drive, right?"
"I know. Sorry," she said coyly.

He reluctantly opened the door for her and watched as she sat down and crossed her legs. He admired her thighs as she reached across the front seat to unlock his door. This was going to be a long drive.