He brings me my phone before he leaves for supplies, promising he’ll be back before room service delivers our food.

I immediately call my sister.

“Katy, where are you?”

I giggle. The movement makes the water ripple, and the bubbles pop against my skin.

“I’m in the airport hotel. I’m soaking in a bubble bath, and I just had my first orgasm. Actually, my first two with a promise of more later.” Utter silence greets me.

“The guy from the airport? Oh, my God.” I could hear her pop the top off a beer and slide into a stool at the counter.

“Yes, he’s English, and not stuffy at all. He’s amazing.”

“Spill, I want every inch of detail.” Lisa squeals. “Two times?”

My whole body tingles. “Yes, once with his tongue and once with his…”

My sister laughs. “You can say cock.”

“Okay, his cock. His big monster cock.” I run my hand between my thighs and shiver at the residual feelings still left behind. There’s a delicious soreness that I can’t call pain. The after-effects are pure pleasure.

“I’m not sure you’re qualified to judge the size of a cock. Really, Katy, how many have you had?”

It is a reasonable question considering that before Hugh, I had one sexual experience. Freshman year of college. Too much beer. One poor decision.

“I may not have the depth of knowledge you have, but I can compare Mike's tootsie roll to Hugh’s soda can.”

“He is not the size of a soda can.”

“You’re right, he’s just as thick but longer.”

“I’m so jealous. I’ll take girth over length any day, but if he’s got both, you’ve hit the jackpot. You protected yourself right?”

I push my toe out of the water and into the tub spout. “I lack experience, not brains. In fact, he’s gone down to the gift shop to buy more condoms.”

“Wow. You know a guy with only one condom in his pocket is one of two things. He’s a Boy Scout and always prepared, or he’s running low after a night of binge drinking and sex.”

“I’ll go with Boy Scout.”

“What does he do for a living?”

“No idea. He says he’s in the arts. I left it at that. I don’t need his resume. I’m not marrying him. It’s one night.”

“You’re right, and that’s smart.”

The lock on the door buzzes, and I tell my sister I have to go. The last thing she says before I hang up is, “Enjoy every inch.”

Suddenly, the bathroom door closes muting a conversation between Hugh and what sounds like a waiter from room service.

Minutes later, the door opens, and Hugh comes in with two glasses of wine. “For you, love. How’s that bath?”

“Perfect.” I sip at the glass of wine and look at the man who has made a bad day turn good. “Want to join me?”

He smiles wickedly. I know that look; I saw it when we were flirting with each other in the restaurant. He looks at me lustfully, his gaze not leaving my boobs. “Don’t mind if I do.”

The water rises when he climbs in behind me. His already half-hard erection pushes at my back.

“Did they have what you wanted?”

“Yes.” Big hands cup my breasts. His fingers move in to pinch and roll my nipples between them.

“Ohhhh.” I relax against him, and my legs fall open.

“Play with yourself.”

I try to sit up, but he pulls me tight to his chest. “I’m not playing with myself in front of you. Besides, I’ve tried at least a hundred times to pleasure myself. I never can.”

He pulls the lobe of my ear between his lips. “Masturbation is empowering Kat. I bet I could help you get there.” One of his big hands moves to mine and guides it between my legs. He presses my fingers between my folds and forces me to stroke myself.

“Relax love. Tell me what you feel.”

“Good.” My raspy voice sounds foreign. “I’m tingly.”

With his guidance, he works my fingers in and out of my body. He swirls and strokes my clit until my body shakes, and the water starts to splash over the side of the tub. “That’s it love. Harder and faster.”

My nipple is between his fingers, and I come undone again. Only this time, it feels different. Whereas the first two times focused inside my core, this orgasm shot out from my clit. The pulsing is so powerful, I can feel it against my fingers.

A loud growl from my stomach ends the bath. He dries me off, wraps me in a robe, and takes me to the bed where he feeds me the best lukewarm burger I’ve ever eaten.

I snuggle into his side and doze. Sometime later, I wake to his kisses, and that’s how the night continues. We talk and fuck until we’re exhausted. We do it again and again.

In the morning, my laundered clothes hang outside the door. Hugh is showered and dressed when he pulls a tray from room service into the room.

“Hungry?” He pours me a cup of coffee and holds up the cream and sugar with a question in his eyes.

“Starving, and yes to both.”

He serves me in bed, and I reflect on the most perfect night of my life.

“Kat, thank you for trusting me with your first and second and sixth orgasm. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed the company of a woman so much in my life.”

My heart squeezes a little knowing that this isn’t my forever. That Hugh will get off that plane in Denver, and I’ll never see him again.

“You’ve set the bar very high. I fear sex will pale in comparison to what happened here last night. Maybe I was better off not knowing. You can’t miss what you never had.”

He removes the cover from a plate of pancakes and bacon and sits it on my lap. “Quite honestly, you may have ruined me for everyone else as well.”

I don’t like the idea of anyone else, and it dawns on me that we never discussed outside relationships. My eyes flash down to his left hand, and my breath whooshes out of my lungs.

“Thank God.” I take a bite of the crisp bacon and swallow. My breasts sit out in the open like an offering. After last night, Hugh has seen every inch of my body, so there is no need for embarrassment. I lost my shyness after the fourth time. The time he took me from behind and made me scream his name loud enough for the people next door to pound on the wall. “I should have asked. I’m so stupid.”

He climbs on the bed and scoots next to me. “I’m not that guy. I’m a one-woman man. I don’t cheat, and I don’t do casual. This is new for me too.” His arm wraps around my shoulders, and he pulls me close. “We both took risks, but I’ll never regret what we shared.”

“Me either,” I say.

He turns to look at me with an expression that’s truth mixed with affection. “Never accept less than you deserve. Always demand your share of satisfaction. If a man offers you something, make sure to require more because you’re worth it.” He presses his lips to mine and then pulls away. “And…” he stalls, “...never go with a man you don’t know to a hotel room alone.”

I lean into him. “That was the stupid part, but everything after that was amazing. Thank you for not being a serial killer.”

“Thank you for being you.” He climbs off the bed and straightens his jacket. “Have a great last year of school, Kat. Try everything at least once. Your sister is right. You have to balance work and play.”

“I try. I’ve got one more class that I can’t seem to pass. They say three’s the charm. I’m hoping it is.”

“Get ready, and I’ll walk you to the gate.”

I quickly shower and dress. We make our way to the gate. When his phone rings, he excuses himself to take the call he says is business.

The attendant calls for boarding. Hugh is still on his phone when my row is announced. I realize that this is the end of the road for us. In some way, it’s easier to give him a glance and say an internal goodbye then rush to him and give him a last hug and kiss.

I enter the plane and walk to the back, passing Hugh’s empty seat in first class. It’s another reminder of how different we are. He’s English, I’m American. He’s urbane. I’m rather gauche. The girl he slept with wasn’t the girl I am. She’s the girl I want to be. Brave and fearless. Witty and winsome. Unpredictable and unabashed. That’s not me. I’m driven by logic. My life is explained through math and science.

The problem with last night’s recklessness is that I can’t explain this ache I feel in my chest. I know it’s probably the rush of hormones, but it feels like more.

When the plane lands, I see Hugh waiting for me. He turns as if to make sure he hasn’t missed me, and in that minute, I sneak past him. It’s easier this way.