I wrote the first chapter of this story over 11 years ago and wanted to move it forward.

All characters are totally fictional, from the depths of my mind.

I hope you enjoy it!

"A Story Revisited, A Connection Rekindled"
After more than a decade, this story takes on a new life with fresh characters. Bex and Sean embark on a long-haul flight together, where unspoken tension and fleeting glances test their carefully maintained professionalism. Will they resist the pull, or will the journey change everything?

Chapter 1

Bex often wondered if he even wrinkled the sheets, he was always so calm and collected, it felt like nothing could ever faze him. Did he moan in the throes of passion? Did he even breathe heavy? Did he like to talk or let his hands do the talking for him? Oh, he wasn't a talker she surmised. He was one of those who said less and did more, this much she had gathered during the few years of having seen his business side. And she preferred her men that way...in bed or out of it. She knew she had absolutely no business thinking of him and a bed in the same sentence, but that did not stop her thoughts from creating extremely wrong fantasies with this very intriguing man. This mystery of a man with whom she was going to share a long cross-Atlantic flight in a few minutes.

As luck would have it, or not, they were seated next to each other in the comfortable business class deck. Being the gentleman he was, Sean offered to place her cabin baggage in the hold area giving her time to make herself comfortable. As he removed his jacket to seat himself to her left, she caught a whiff of something familiar, a subtle masculine scent that suffused her senses with a slow warmth. She sensed him looking over at her, ensuring she had everything she needed before he sat down. They buckled up, ready for the ten-hour journey across the seas. As she leaned over her handbag to rummage for the book she had carried to read during the flight, her hair fell over her shoulder toward him.

From the corner of his eyes, he saw her movements, her small hands deep within her purse and her hair in disarray. He felt himself stiffen as her dark hair touched his thigh and he mentally berated himself for his juvenile reaction. He was a grown man for heaven's sake, and this delectable woman was unavailable by way of being under his employ. With those sombre thoughts, he gave himself a quiet shake to stop thinking of her as anything other than a colleague. He had managed quite well so far.

He had first seen her a few years ago when she had entered his office for the interview and the more he had talked with her, his inexplicable desire to reach out and crush her little body to his only increased.

He was proud of himself for holding himself steady, fingers stealthily on his iPad, all but ignoring his very distracting companion. Ten hours of her lemon-scented hair and fire-engine red toenails, he thought gloomily, great idea to book them both on the same flight. He made a mental note to berate Jimmy with some excuse to avoid this for next time.

Knowing she would not take the initiative to start a conversation lest she disturb him, he turned toward her and asked,

"You okay?"

She straightened up, her hair blessedly moving away from him.

"Yes, thank you" she said, placing her book in her lap.

"Good book?" he asked, just to hear her soft voice some more. That voice that brought visions of dark corners, of sighs and whispers in the night. Get a grip Taylor, he scolded himself, what had got into him.

"Interesting so far" she replied, smiling into his eyes. Was it her imagination or did his eyes linger a second longer than necessary. Now she was just being silly, she shook her head quietly.

With that little exchange, they both settled back for the take-off. Her eyes closed slowly as the hum of the engines lulled her into a short nap. He switched on the overhead light to read the papers.

Sensing no movement after a few minutes, he chanced a glance over to his right and was instantly mesmerised by the soft rise and fall of her breathing. Her earring was caressing the side of her cheek, and he was close enough to see the pulse beat at the base of her neck.

He wondered idly if she would taste salty or sweet. Would those lips yield under his or give back equally. How would those long eye lashes feel caressing his face. How many ways could he make her blush and give into him. These thoughts came lightning fast into his lust-filled brain, seemingly of their own accord. He felt slightly disgusted with himself. Where was the self-control that he prided himself on so greatly, he thought, as he forced his eyes away from her and back to his paper. He inched away from her for good measure even though their seats were the size of single beds. Again, not a brilliant idea being next to each other on a long-haul flight. When they finally were to sleep, it would feel like...right, stop it right now, he told himself sternly. No more thoughts of beds and the lady for the duration of this trip! Right.

Hearing the tinkle of glass, she slowly woke up from her short nap.

Drinks were being served.

"What would you like to drink, Madam?" asked the flight attendant with a smile.

A simple question that put her in a dilemma. Had she been by herself, Bex would have had no trouble ordering a G . But with her boss by her side, she was suddenly unsure of the protocol. It wasn't as if they hadn't had drinks together at various social events, but this was a first for them to be travelling together.

"Oh, stop overthinking Bex, just order what you want and bollocks to what he thinks", she told herself.

"A glass of Rose please, thank you", she replied after a pause.

"Good choice", he said with a smile directed at her. "I will have the same thank you", he asked of the attendant.

With their wine glasses in front of them, he turned toward her slightly and leaned forward to clink his glass with her. "To a successful trip!" he said, and she looked up into his eyes and smiled in response.

She carefully took a small sip of her wine, averting her eyes from him. She was hoping she had nicely masked her startled response to his deep blue eyes. They had crinkled on the corners slightly when he had smiled and toasted making her want to reach out and smoothen his brow. Where was this coming from, she wondered. She had worked with him for several years and never thought of him as anything other than a colleague from whom she could learn a lot. Why was she suddenly behaving like a girl in those romance novels, all shy and jumpy.

"Stop it Bex", she shook herself mentally. "You need to keep your wits about you, not let them run around amok in misplaced desire". And with that sobering thought, she settled into her seat and opened her book to the last bookmarked page.

Surely, he was mistaken that she blushed when he made the toast, he thought with a small frown. Why would she or even look away from him. They had both nurtured a very professional, and healthy relationship over the years and he had come to know and admire the strength of her personal values. But this did not stop him from being envious of the seat as she wiggled herself into it to get comfortable.

She was wearing a dress as usual, that showed off her curves just perfectly, but it was the way her dresses caressed her cheek bottoms that gave him sleepless nights. He glanced at her as she looked out the window. Right then she turned her head, and their eyes met. She gave a small smile to avoid him any discomfort as she had basically caught him unawares.

He looked at her evenly and asked, "Do you enjoy flying?"

"I like the time it gives me for myself", she said thoughtfully after a pause.

He leaned his head back into the headrest and looked at her sideways.

"I wish I weren't living out of a suitcase. It can seem glamorous, all the travels, but I wouldn't mind a few weeks of just being at home."

"This is your third trip in the year to the San Francisco offices, isn't it?" she commented.

He nodded and seemed to gaze thoughtfully into his drink. To her it seemed he had all but ignored her question, as he often did when he either did not want to respond or didn't care for the question, but in truth, he was finding her increasingly distracting right now - the way her lips moved when she spoke, her small tongue licking her lips when she thought, her fingers encircling the stem of her wine glass - in short, just about everything was making him go slightly out of his mind.

Thank you for reading.

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