Turn Me On

“After you.”

Gregor had stepped aside and was gesturing for Faye to take the window seat.

“Thanks,” she said, sliding into the seat and looking up expectantly as Gregor sat down next to her. “So how did you know I’d be on this flight?”

“Bev told me,” he said matter-of-factly. “I realized I was going to be leaving New York at the same time and I have to admit, I wanted to check out who was going to be interviewing me.”

Faye smiled nervously, wondering what Bev had told Gregor about her.

“Bev said you’re her top writer at the magazine. That’s a very big deal.”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time,” Faye said. “Well, not this exactly,” she said, looking around at her very not-usual surroundings. “But it’s what I love to do.”

“She didn’t tell me that you’re also strikingly gorgeous,” Gregor said and then quickly put a hand over his own mouth. “Sorry. Please tell me you’re not going to sue me for sexual harassment?”

Coming from any other man it might have seemed crude, but from Gregor, it was totally disarming. Faye smiled and laughed girlishly at the suggestion.

“You’re fine,” she said, trying to maintain an even keel while her mind did an instant replay of him calling her gorgeous.

“So what do you want to know?” Gregor folded his hands in his lap and looked directly at Faye, waiting for her response.

“Umm,” Faye stuttered. “How did you…?” Funny enough, her mind, which was normally filled with thoughtful and provocative questions, was running on an endless loop of shirtless Gregor up on that paddleboard.

“I’m kidding!” Gregor said, touching Faye’s shoulder so naturally and letting out a laugh. “Plenty of time for business later.” He turned his attention to the flight attendant who was passing by in the aisle and Faye audibly breathed a sigh of relief. This whole situation was just too intense! “Can we get two glasses of champagne?”

“Absolutely, sir,” the flight attendant responded in what Faye thought was a flirty tone. Moments later, they each had a real crystal glass in hand, filled to the top with fine, French bubbly.

“Cheers,” Gregor said, clinking glasses with her and taking a big sip. “Preflight ritual,” he said, holding up the glass by way of explanation.

Faye reached into her bag and pulled out the copies of her tabloid magazines. “These are mine,” she said with a grin.

“Oooh!” Gregor said, raising his eyebrows with a devilish grin. “I love these. They’re so sordid.”

Faye’s insides turned to butter in reaction to his wicked pronunciation of the word. Why did even normal, everyday words sound so sexual with a British accent? She could probably be happy with him reading the dictionary out loud to her for the entirety of the flight. Instead, Gregor had taken one of the magazines from her and was paging through it.

“This is my favorite!” he exclaimed. “‘Stars, they’re just like us.’ Look, it’s Matthew McConaughey eating a burrito!”

Faye laughed and looked over his shoulder at the picture. She couldn’t help but quickly inhale the scent of his aftershave. It was clean and manly and sent a signal straight to her private area.

“Have you ever been caught for one of these?”

Gregor waved off the suggestion. “That’s just for A-listers. No one wants to see me coming round the bend with a bog roll.”

“I think that would be rather intriguing,” Faye said, which made Gregor laugh.

“If my toilet papers are what you’re interested in, this is going to be a terrible interview.”

Faye looked down at the glass she was holding and realized she had finished off the champagne. She was feeling a little light-headed, though she wasn’t sure if it was from the drink or the cabin air. The flight attendant collected their glasses in preparation for takeoff and Faye made sure her seat belt was fastened before turning her gaze out the window. They were headed for the runway.

“Next in line for takeoff,” the captain announced over the PA system. “Flight attendants prepare for departure.”

Faye wasn’t so sure she was ready for departure, but here she was, buckled in next to a handsome celebrity, and ready to spend a week in London with him working on the story of her career. As the plane picked up speed, she felt Gregor place his hand on top of hers on the armrest that divided their seats. She looked over at him, but he was sitting all the way back in his seat with his eyes closed.

It was exciting, the feel of his skin on hers, and comforting, too. It had been too long since she’d been touched by a man, let alone one she felt so instantly attracted to. Faye steadied herself against the loud noise of the engine and just as the plane became airborne, she felt Gregor squeeze her hand—hard. The sudden pressure gave her a jolt and she felt the nerves throughout her body tingle in anticipation—of what she wasn’t yet sure. But one thing was certain: there was no turning back now.

CHAPTER TWO

GREGOR WASN’T A fan of air travel, but he had done it so often in his career that settling in for a New York to London flight was really no big deal. As he settled back in his seat, reclining it now that the seat belt light was off, his mind began to turn over the details of the meetings he had taken over the past few days in the city.

There was talk of launching a new show, a cookbook, even a podcast. And while he was grateful that viewers still wanted to see and hear more from him, the truth was that his heart just wasn’t in it. Ever since things had gone so terribly wrong with Emily, his girlfriend of over five years, he’d been down in the dumps. His friends had tried to cheer him up with several wild nights out in London, Ibiza and even Paris, but nothing had changed his downtrodden mood. His knack for picking up the prettiest girl in the room was still intact. The problem was, those easy hookups just weren’t a thrill anymore.

So when his dear, old friend Bev at the magazine had begged him for an exclusive interview, promising to set him up with her top reporter—who also happened to be dynamic and wildly attractive—he allowed himself to be convinced. Some time spent with a woman who could actually make intelligent conversation sounded pretty good. And besides, when it came to Bev, he knew that there was no stopping her from getting what she wanted. So with a little bit of skepticism in his heart, he had agreed to booking the same flight and opening up his home to a complete stranger.

After flipping through the channels on the in-flight TV, Gregor turned to see that his traveling companion was already fast asleep. He smiled to himself, thinking that Bev knew him better than he had realized. Physically, Faye was his type—blonde, American, fit but not rail thin, with curves in all the right places.

Making sure she was actually asleep, he stole a quick glance at her breasts, the outline of which were nicely visible through her sweater. A feeling started to stir inside him that necessitated him readjusting the front of his jeans. Gregor quickly averted his gaze and grabbed a copy of the free magazine in his seat pocket.

As he absentmindedly paged through it, Faye stirred and stretched and then curled her body into his side. Gregor looked over at her and exhaled with a deep sigh. She was smart and sexy, and there was also an earnestness about her that was totally refreshing. The thought of getting her naked in his bed was very, very appealing.

Keep it professional, old boy, he thought to himself, trying to focus on an article on fly-fishing. Just then, Faye languidly threw her arm across his chest, pressing her ample breasts into his side and making a gentle purring sound as she slept. Gregor rolled his eyes and suddenly felt completely helpless to resist the growing urge she was inadvertently awakening inside of him. As he leaned over to pull her shawl up over her, he accidentally inhaled the sweet scent of her hair—a mixture of jasmine and honeysuckle that went straight to his head, intoxicating him more than any glass of champagne ever could.

Just then, a flight attendant appeared next to him, the same one he thought was flirting with him earlier.

“Excuse me, sir, would your girlfriend like a blanket?” she asked in a hushed tone.

Gregor stuttered momentarily, wondering if he should correct her. “Yes. Thank you very much.”

Clearly, this did not look like what it was—a strictly business relationship. Would he be able to keep it to that? he wondered. When the flight attendant returned with the blanket, he laid it across Faye so that some of it was covering his legs, too. Against his better judgment, he allowed himself to imagine the beautiful American reaching her hand out to touch the growing bulge in his jeans. He thought about what it would be like if she actually undid his zipper, releasing his hardness and stroking it, unbeknownst to their fellow passengers, under the privacy of that airline blanket. Gregor sat back in his seat again, closing his eyes and allowing himself to revel in that sweet fantasy. Faye seemed like a nice girl, which made it all the naughtier, imagining her doing such dirty things to him in public.

“Mmm-mmm…” Faye left like she had no control over the noises that were coming out of her mouth.

“Shhh!” Gregor said, squeezing her ass as he balanced her on the plane lavatory sink. The full length of his manliness was inside her, and she was wetter than she could ever remember being.

In such close quarters, she was forced to look directly into Gregor’s sparkling blue eyes, which was not such a terrible thing except for the fact that it intensified all the sensations she was feeling, making it even more difficult to keep quiet and not arouse the suspicion of the other passengers.

Gregor kept a firm grip on her ass. His motions were quick and deliberate, his eyes flashing with lust as he expertly drilled her, clearly stifling his own need to grunt or make any kind of sound. Wanting to be somehow even closer to him, Faye tilted her pelvis upward so that with each stroke she could feel his body graze up against her clitoris, which sent shivers running up her spine. It was the most pleasurable feeling she had even known—the fullness of Gregor’s manhood inside her combined with the friction against that sensitive nub of nerves. In a moment her hands were in his hair and she pressed her mouth into his shoulder, trying to stop herself from coming. It was no use, as her body exploded in the biggest orgasm she’d ever experienced.

“Oh!” Faye cried out, waking up groggy in her seat. When she realized she’d been dreaming she instinctively clenched her wrap up close around her throat, covering herself as best she could from the curious eyes of her neighbors in the first-class cabin, and the handsome man seated next to her.

“Someone had a nice nap,” Gregor said devilishly, raising an eyebrow at her. Faye quickly sat up, mortified that she had been pressed up against a man she hardly knew. At least he didn’t know what she’d been dreaming. Or she hoped she hadn’t said anything in her sleep that would give him a clue.

“I’m so sorry,” Faye said, reaching into her bag for the water bottle she’d purchased back at the terminal and taking a big sip. Her mouth was dry and she felt totally disoriented.

“Not at all,” Gregor said kindly.

Faye reached for her bag again and this time, slung it over her shoulder. “Will you excuse me?”

Gregor stood up to allow Faye to pass into the aisle, but even as he tried to make room, their legs brushed up against each other’s, causing Faye to recoil. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy being in close contact with the Englishman, it was that she was too afraid of revealing her not-so-mild attraction to him.

When she reached the bathroom, Faye pushed the door open and locked it behind her. Splashing cold water on her face, but being careful not to wet her mascara, she tried to snap herself out of whatever reverie she was indulging in. Grabbing some paper towels, she looked down at the sink and vividly recalled some of the key scenes from her very dirty dream about Gregor. And although the dream wasn’t real, the reaction of her body was. She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt so frustrated with herself and at the same time, so turned on.

So it was possible she could feel like this again! she thought to herself. After her wedding was canceled, it seemed like her nether regions had dried up like the Sahara. It startled her to think that Gregor could arouse such a primal, physical reaction in her. She was just getting used to leading a sexless existence, but here was proof that she could still get those butterfly feelings—and then some! Fixing her lip gloss and running a brush through her hair, the sensible side of Faye took over. Even if she had been turned on by a dream, that was much different from getting turned on in real life. She unlocked the door and made her way back toward her seat.

“Feeling better?” Gregor asked, flashing Faye a knowing look as she slid past him and took her seat.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she responded. She looked down at Gregor’s tray table and saw that he was reviewing the file folder Bev had given her.

“This is some pretty intense reading,” he said, paging through the clippings. “Guy seems like a bit of a wanker.”

“Hey! That’s my research,” Faye said defensively. “It must have fallen out of my bag.”

Gregor closed the folder and looked Faye directly in the eyes. It was eerily just like in the dream. “Let’s get one thing straight,” he said, his tone turning serious. “If I’m going to do this interview, then it can’t be any of these canned questions. No, ‘what’s your go-to recipe’ or ‘your favorite holiday destination’ crap. I want us to have a real conversation. Does that make sense?”

“Of course,” Faye said, sliding the folder off his tray table and back into her bag.

“I don’t mean to criticize, it’s just that I want this to be genuine,” he said. Faye could see that he was struggling to put all his thoughts and feelings into words. “I’ll make you a promise,” he said, leaning in closer toward her, so much that she could smell that manly, heady scent of him again. “I’ll be completely open with you. If you do the same with me.”

Faye shifted in her seat, feeling just the slightest bit uncomfortable. “Well,” she answered carefully, “this interview isn’t about me. It’s about you.”

“True,” Gregor said, his tone growing even more direct, “but if there’s to be trust, I need to know that you’re being honest with me.”

“Okay,” Faye acquiesced. “What do you want to know?”

Gregor leaned in to whisper in Faye’s ear. He was so close, she could feel the bristle of his whiskers against her cheek. “When was the last time you were touched, I mean really touched?”

Faye’s cheeks instinctively burned hot. “Excuse me?” she hissed in a hushed tone.

Gregor turned his head so that their eyes were locked on each other’s. “I can tell when someone is lonely. I’ve met lots of people in my line of work. It’s like a signal people send out when they need contact.”

Faye’s cheeks burned even hotter, not because Gregor was wrong, but because he was so very right.

“Maybe you’re right, but it’s still none of your business,” she said. And with that, Faye reached into her bag, pulled out her headphones and turned her attention to the screen in front of her for the duration of the flight.

When the plane finally landed in Heathrow, Faye was looking cool, calm and collected on the outside, but inside she was completely stressed out. Somehow, she was no longer on speaking terms with the person she was supposed to be interviewing. She vowed to herself to keep her personal feelings out of it and focus on the task at hand.

As they walked from the gate to baggage claim, Faye wondered why Gregor was so intent on figuring her out. Maybe it was a way to deflect attention off himself. Was he afraid of revealing too much? Was there something in his past he’d rather forget? She watched as a little boy walking with his family dropped his stuffed animal. Without a second thought, Gregor grabbed the doll and sprinted toward the family, calling out to them until the little boy was reunited with his bear. Faye watched a second longer as the family recognized him. Gregor gamely posed for selfies with each of the family members, including the stuffed bear. So he was a good guy, too, Faye thought, almost wishing it wasn’t so. If he was an asshole, it would be so much easier to dismiss him, to put thoughts of him out of her mind.

As they left the baggage claim, each with a suitcase, Gregor headed to the parking lot and Faye followed. By the time they reached his car, a glistening black Miata, she was happy to be inside and get warm. Sliding into the passenger seat, Faye looked out the window as Gregor started the engine.

“I’m sorry about what I said back there, about your…” Gregor started and then trailed off. “None of my bloody business.”

“That’s right,” Faye said matter-of-factly, in the most curt tone she could muster. Still, she couldn’t help but allow a smile to cross her lips. It was delightful, knowing he was worried he had offended her.

“What?” he asked, turning his attention from the road to her and back again.

Faye laughed and pushed him playfully on the arm.

“Hey!” he cried. “One of us is operating a motor vehicle. This is serious business.”

“I’m sure,” Faye said, reaching over to the console and turning on the radio. It was “I’m Alive” by Love and Rockets. Faye started to sing and after a moment, Gregor joined in, tapping the beat on the steering wheel.

When the song ended, they smiled at each other in acknowledgment of the moment.

“So, don’t you want to ask me about my sex life?” Gregor asked after a moment.

“Not really,” Faye said, and watched amusedly as Gregor made a face. “How about this,” she started, blushing slightly at the question she couldn’t believe she was about to ask. “What’s the strangest place you’ve ever made love?”

Gregor laughed at the question, throwing back his head. Faye loved the sound of his laugh, it was so devil-may-care and sexy.

“Easy!” Gregor said emphatically. “A bear cave at the zoo!”

Faye laughed. “With—a bear?”

“No!” Gregor yelled, smacking her on the leg. The slap sent a pleasurable sensation across her thigh and straight to her nether region. She put her hand on the spot he had touched and rubbed it. “With a young lady. It was ill-advised. For us and the bear.”

“Thank God you’re alright!”

“Yes, but I am banned by the Zoological Society of London for life. I think they have a security shot of my face midcoitus posted in the break room.”

“I’m sure the bears needed therapy,” Faye said, smiling at him.

“Indeed.”

Faye looked out the window and saw the familiar buildings of London disappearing on the horizon. “Hey, why are we driving away from the city?”

Gregor paused a moment before answering. “We’re going to my country house. You’ll like it. It’s much more intimate.” Gregor must have felt Faye giving him a look because he quickly added, “Less noise. You’ll have your own room, of course, and access to the study.”

Faye thought about protesting—after all this was not according to plan. Bev’s itinerary stated that she would have her own room at The Savoy and that all the interviews would take place in a meeting room set aside for that exact purpose. Still, it was true that she would probably get more out of Gregor if he were allowed to roam free in his natural habitat. And anyway, she was curious to see how this globe-trotting star lived when he wasn’t filming. Often a person’s home told more stories about them, or inspired the subject to open up like nowhere else.

Instead of complaining, Faye found another song she liked on the radio and settled in for the drive.

It was late in the evening by the time they reached the country roads leading to Gregor’s residence, and it was too dark outside for Faye to discern any of the scenery. The only thing she could see was Gregor, his strong profile lit up by the dashboard lights, his face looking serious as he navigated the winding roads. Seeing him like that made her wonder why he had dropped out of the public eye over the past few years. Was it something romantic? Or something related to a family member? There would be time for all of those questions when they got settled into the country house and had gotten a good night’s sleep. The thought of sleeping in the same place as Gregor made Faye’s heart skip a beat. Even if they would be in separate rooms, it would still be such close quarters. She wasn’t sure if she wanted him to turn the car around and take her to the safe anonymity of her reserved hotel room, or to just pull over to the side of the road and make out with her furiously. She thought about what it would be like to slide over the console dividing their seats and straddle his lap. She imagined her hair falling over her face as she leaned over him, grinding her way to ecstasy on that lean, strong, beautiful body of his.

Faye let out a sigh and saw Gregor’s eyes momentarily flicker from the road onto her and back again. They drove on into the night.

By the time they reached the cottage, Faye was feeling groggy from all the travel, but she perked up at the sight of the beautiful stone house. Even in the pitch black, she could see that it was surrounded by a beautiful English garden, with seemingly every possible variety of flower sprouting from the ground to decorate the gray slabs. Gregor came around to open the car door for her and when she stepped onto the gravel, she noticed just how peacefully still it was outside, her heels crunching against the rocks was the only sound she could hear. It had been a while since she’d left the city and she’d forgotten just how much quieter things were away from the subways and 24/7 delis.

“This is it,” Gregor said, fishing in his bag for the key. “My humble abode.” Gregor unlocked the door and flipped a switch that lit up the entryway and the living room. If the outside of the house was country-chic, the inside was definitely cozy-modern, with neutral colors, comfortable couches, a wide-screen TV and top-of-the-line Bose speakers. Faye could see the kitchen from where she was standing, and it looked like something from out of a magazine. It was like stepping into the most expensive choice on the Airbnb list, except that this was Gregor’s home.

“Or not so humble,” Faye commented, taking in the colorful artwork that adorned the walls. “Oh, my God. Is that a Warhol?”

Gregor smiled and seemed a little embarrassed by his own good fortune. “Yeah,” he said casually, stroking his chin. “I bought it during my art phase. I’ve been thinking of selling it.”

“It’s fantastic,” Faye said, marveling at the painting—and the whole place.

“I’ll keep it, then,” Gregor said.

“Do you mind showing me to my room? I’m a little tired,” Faye said, suppressing a yawn.

“Of course,” Gregor said, snapping to attention. “Right this way.”

Faye followed Gregor down the hallway and into a small bedroom. When he flicked on the lights, she saw a comfortable room painted white, with a beautiful area rug. There were colorful pillows on the bed and a small writing desk with a stool next to it.

“This should have everything you need. The loo’s through there.” He gestured to a door leading to a private bathroom. “Can I make you something? You must be starving.”

“I think I’m just going to take a shower and crawl into bed,” she said, plopping down on the fluffy white comforter. Then, thinking she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea—or did she—she quickly stood up. “Thanks so much for having me in your home. It’s really lovely.”

“Anything you need, I’m just down the hall,” Gregor said chivalrously. The two stood in awkward silence until Gregor cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll leave you to it, then,” he said, smiling at her as he shut the door behind him.

Faye stood there staring at the door for a beat and then lay down on the bed, this time breathing out a heavy sigh. It was exhausting, trying to look good in front of someone for that amount of time. She decided to take a long, hot shower and then get into bed and sleep for a very long time. She could worry about the interview tomorrow.