Midnight Basketball

She let him help her stand up then said, "I'm not going one step further until you tell me what's going on."

He pointed to the Gulfstream 450 behind him and said, "I'm taking you to dinner."

He reached out for her hand as he shut her door. She handed it to him and he basically pulled her along. "Nathan! Slow down!"

The engines were running and the noise was deafening as they walked up the ladder then got very quiet as they stepped inside.

Janna took a quick look around and saw an older couple turn and wave them up. "Come on, I want to introduce you to someone."

Nathan still had hold of her hand and she had no real choice but to follow.

"Hello, kids!" the older man said. He stood up and shook Nathan's hand then extended it to Janna.

"Councilwoman Reese! It's so good to finally meet you. I'm Rod Sanborn." He stepped aside so his wife could stand then introduced her. "This is my beautiful wife of 37 years, Francine."

She shook Janna's hand and said, "Now I see why Nathan talks about you all the time. That is a lovely dress, by the way."

Janna thanked her then waited for Nathan to explain what was going on.

"Rod owns the company and he and his lovely wife are flying to Denver for dinner and they invited us to join them."

"Well, let's be clear," Rod said. "We're just flying to Denver and back but not landing. Dinner is on the jet. We invited you to join us, but we know Nathan wants you all to himself so you have your own private area right over there," he told her pointing to two gorgeous leather seats with a table that was set with fine linen, real silverware, and crystal stemware. There was a male steward with a linen napkin draped over his forearm waiting for them. "So go ahead and get seated and we'll be blasting off here as soon as you're ready. Enjoy yourselves, okay?"

The outside door closed and the moment they were strapped in the luxury jet taxied onto the runway, turned around, and without a second's hesitation began it's takeoff.

"No waiting for air traffic control in one of these babies," Nathan said as the Gulfstream smoothly lifted off seconds later.

"I'm...speechless," Janna said.

"Good," Nathan quipped. "Maybe you won't call me a bastard tonight."

She looked around at the luxurious cabin and couldn't help but be impressed.

"Wow," was all she said.

They were at 35,000 feet in short order and the steward asked if they'd like champagne.

"That sounds wonderful," Janna said as he poured for her and then Nathan.

"Cheers!" he said before they touched glasses and took a first sip.

During dinner, an amazing meal with kobe beef as the entree, Nathan and Janna set aside their usual banter and really got to know one another.

She learned Nathan had a servant's heart and along with serving his country, he'd nearly always been involved in some form of giving. He was a Big Brother, spent time at both hospitals visiting children and nursing homes chatting with the elderly, and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity when time permitted.

"I'm not a religious person, Janna, and I don't believe one needs to be to have a giving heart. We only have a short time on earth and believing this life is all we have motivates me to make every day count. I'm just hoping there will be someone to come talk to me when I'm 90 years old laying in a nursing home all alone." He watched her reaction to see if he might have possibly offended her as he didn't know how religious she might be.

"That pretty much sums up my outlook on life, too. I don't have the financial resources to give a lot of money to charity, but I have do have time and a willing heart. I have to say though, I'm already seriously questioning whether or not government service is the best venue to give back, but I've at least thrown my hat into the service ring."

Nathan asked if she'd like some more champagne before continuing. "I admire you for serving in any capacity, Janna. Far too many people claim they care about others, but the only thing they actually do is vote for candidates they think will vote to spend more of our money. The sad thing is the money gets spent and nothing ever changes. We've spent over twenty-two trillion dollars in the so-called war on poverty and the poverty rate is within two percent of where it was 50 years when LBJ declared war."

"It's sad, isn't it? Too many people equate spending money with helping. The same is true with education. We pour hundreds of billions of dollars into the educational system and yet we still have thousands of failing schools all across the country. If you don't change the culture underpinning the families who live in those school zones, no amount of money will solve the problem."

"I'm tempted to say something like, 'So young and yet so wise' but that would violate one of my beliefs," Nathan told her.

"Do tell," Janna said taking a sip of the delicious champagne.

"Wisdom comes not from experience but rather from the ability to apply life lessons extracted from experience. One can be 70 years old and a fool while someone can be 25 and wise beyond their years."

"Did you choose 25 as a random number or did you look on-line to see how old I am?" she said with a smile.

"It was random but that would have been my guess. That said, I do know better than to ask a woman her age. It's a no-win proposition for any man."

Janna laughed and said, "But that's not true for us woman. So...just how...young are you, Nathan Walker?"

"Oh, boy. I guess it's a good thing we're at 35,000 feet or you might bail out after I tell you." He saw her smile at him before he said, "I just turned 40." He added quickly, "Last month. So I'm a really young 40."

"You don't look it," she said truthfully. She took another sip then said, "I'm going to blame this on the champagne, but I'm still going to ask. Have you ever been married?"

"That one's easy. No."

"I was hoping to get a little more information, but I did at least get an answer," she said smiling sweetly at him. "Okay, let me try this. Are you interested in settling down someday?"

Nathan took a sip of his own then said, "I am. I'm actually very interested." He set the glass down and sat up straight then leaned toward her slightly. "When I was flying Hornets—F-18s—I loved being a fighter jock and well, I also loved...playing around."

"Oh, so you're a player. Good to know."

Nathan smiled again then said, "If I ever was a player, the key word is 'was.' Since retiring from active duty and flying these things, I don't see myself like that anymore."

"Oh? How do you see yourself these days," she asked.

He looked down for a moment then looked back up and right at her. "Lonely," he said. "Not in some sad, pathetic, woe-is-me kind of way. It's just that my previous lifestyle doesn't work for me anymore. It doesn't work because it can't...I don't know...fill me up. My soul, that is." He saw her raise an eyebrow so he explained. "I don't mean in some religious sense. I mean that part of us that needs companionship and love based on loyalty and commitment. I'm finally ready to commit and when I do, my loyalty is guaranteed for life."

"On your honor?" she teased throwing in the other quality the both valued so much.

Nathan knew that question was rhetorical and didn't bother answering. "How about you, Janna Reese? Is there a husband and family somewhere in your future?"

"I hope so," she said sincerely. "I'm not in your league, I'm sure, when it comes to 'player' status, but I've sewn my share of wild oats. I guess I kind of assumed I'd wait until I was at least 30 before settling down, but my parents were my age when they married and they're still very much in love. So...yeah, if I met the right guy, I think I could be persuaded to tie the knot ahead of schedule."

"Good. Then there's hope," he said flashing her that great smile that hit her where it...didn't hurt.

"There's always hope, Nathan," she said smiling the same way back at him. "But don't confuse hope with the wanton dreaming." He scowled at her in a playful way as she stood and said, "I need to powder my nose."

He watched her walk to the restroom and thought to himself, "Marine, you've got it bad for this one."

After taking care of business, Janna was washing her hands and looked at herself in the mirror. "Take a deep breath. This is just dinner." She grabbed a fresh towel to dry her hands then said, "An amazing, totally romantic dinner with the best-looking guy you've ever been out with. A guy who's ready to settle down. A guy who...."

When she went back to her plush leather seat, Rod was sitting it talking to Nathan. "Oh, here she is!" Rod said as he stood up and relinquished it to her.

Janna thanked him then sat back down before Rod spoke to her.

"I'm afraid I have some potentially bad news. The good news is it isn't serious. The bad news is we have a problem."

Janna was thinking that with that kind of double speak at his command, Mr. Sanborn should run for elected office. "What kind of problem?" she asked.

"It's technical in nature but in a nutshell we have an issue with avionics. It isn't serious in the sense it'll cause us to fall out of the sky." He looked at Janna for a reaction but didn't get one. "The bad news is it's going to take our techs in Denver several hours to get it fixed. I can send you home on another Gulfstream if you like. Or I can put you up at the best hotel in Denver for the night and you can get back to Seattle tomorrow morning."

"Is the other jet already scheduled to fly to Seattle tonight?" Janna asked.

"No, but I promised Nathan I'd have you guys back as soon as possible and waiting for up to six hours is breaking that promise. I have another jet there and you're welcome to it."

"I have no idea what that would cost, Mr. Sanborn, but it has to be more than a city councilwoman makes in a year and spending that kind of money seems senseless, in my humble opinion."

"A promise is a promise, young lady. But you're right, it would be very expensive." He looked at Nathan then said, "Beautiful, smart, and practical. I think you got yourself a keeper here, Nathan."

He smiled and said, "I'm not even sure she'd even be willing to have me yet, Rod, let alone agree to be kept."

"I guess someone would have to let it be known he'd be interested in...having me." She immediately realized how that sounded fully understanding the implications of that phrase. "Innuendo aside, I suppose from there we could potentially discuss the keeping part." She looked up at Rod and said, "If I agreed to keep him, wouldn't that make him a...kept man?"

Rod howled with laughter and told Nathan, "Don't let this one get away! I'll have a car and driver waiting for you when we land. He'll take you to the Magnolia and pick you tomorrow morning." He looked at Janna then said, "Separate rooms, of course."

They chatted the rest of the time until they landed and just as Rod had said, there was a black limousine waiting for them and within two minutes of stopping the plane, they were on their way to the hotel.

Their rooms were reserved and waiting for them when they arrived and the concierge let Janna know there was something for her in her room which was adjacent to Nathan's.

"Would you mind coming in with me just to see what this 'thing' might be?" she asked as she opened her door.

"Of course not," he said. The lights came on automatically and she could see in the middle of the very large suite, a huge bouquet of red roses along with a garment bag next to it.

"This is interesting," she said as she opened the card.

"Janna, since this is our fault, I wanted to make sure you had a change of clothes for the morning. I guessed you to be a size 4 and hope this will be adequate. Rod and I are very sorry for the inconvenience. The flowers are no substitute for not getting you home tonight, but I hope you enjoy them. With our sincerest apologies and fondest regards, Francine and Rod"

She unzipped the bag and saw a merlot-colored designer dress by Rickie Freeman. It was a metallic jacquard fit & flare dress that cost as much as she'd spent for everything combined for the mayor's dinner.

"You missed these," Nathan said pointing to a pair of heels and a matching bag as well as a bra and panty set along with a black slip.

"Oh, my goodness," Janna said after she saw who made the designer shoes and handbag. "These are insanely expensive!"

"Compared to the cost of flying a Gulfstream back to Seattle, this is pennies on the dollar, I assure you," Nathan told her.

"True but still...."

"Look at the bright side. You're going to be stunningly gorgeous for the flight home tomorrow and I'll be...wearing the same underwear," Nathan quipped.

Janna laughed because there was always some truth to anything humorous. "How do you know there aren't new clothes...and underwear...in your room."

"I'll bet you a nightcap there aren't," he said challenging her to come look.

"You're on," she said. She carefully replaced the dress then hung it up on the way out.

Nathan's room was identical to hers except there were no flowers or garment bad.

"Ha! Looks like someone owes me a drink," Janna said.

"Bitch!" he said pretending to be angry.

"You're just angry because I won," she told him as they heard a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting someone?" he asked Janna.

"Other than my boyfriend? Nope."

Nathan opened the door and saw a young man holding a small bag. "Mr. Walker? This is for you, sir."

He thanked the kid, handed him ten bucks, then closed the door. He walked over to Janna then dumped the contents onto the expensive coffee table in front of the leather sofa. Both of them laughed when they saw three separate three-packs of socks, tee-shirts and underwear.

"Looks like I'll only be wearing the same shirt and pants," he said. "Oh, and I believe you owe me a drink."

"Wait just a minute!" Janna said. "You can't possibly tell me that Hanes underwear equates to an entire designer outfit."

"Clothes are clothes. Pay up," Nathan said. He was standing directly in front of her and smiling at him.

"Bastard," she said as her eyes locked on his.

He reached out for her hands and said, "I can't tell you how beautiful you are, Janna."

He moved closer to her without breaking eye contact as she quietly replied, "You can't?"

He shook his head then put his hands on her shoulders before saying, "I can't." He brushed back her hair and said, "At this point, words fail me. All I can think of is something that sounds cliche but it's so true." Her eyes darted back and forth between his as he said, "You take my breath away."

Her heart was racing again as he leaned down to kiss her. Her eyes closed at the same time his did just as their lips met. She raised her arms and slid them around his neck as he pulled her closer. This kiss was longer and more passionate than the one after the fundraiser and it was most certainly more private.

"We could skip the drink," she said as their lips parted.

"Yes, we could," he agreed. "And...you could stay here with me...if you'll have me."

"I'd love you to have me," she whispered. "Having me is the first step to keeping me, right?"

"I love the way that sounds," he whispered back.

"Then yes, I'll stay," she said as she pulled him down for another kiss.

Were it possible to read the other's thoughts, both of them would have learned they were equally thrilled with the bare, naked truth soon standing in front of them. Nathan and Janna had hard, tight bodies that were well cared for making the exploration of them a genuine pleasure.

It was just after midnight when they fell asleep in one another's arms, Janna's body carrying a large load of Nathan's DNA inside it. He was as skilled a lover as he was handsome and Janna knew before he entered her that she'd fallen for him.

Nathan saw a hundred pretty faces from the past vanish from his memory as he looked into her eyes before making love to her. In his heart of hearts he wanted nothing more than to see this one uniquely beautiful face every day for the rest of his life. She was passionate in her lovemaking and enjoyed every aspect of it from deep kissing to the giving and receiving of oral pleasure to sex itself. Janna was easy to make love to and Walker found himself aware that she was also easy to love.

It was around 5am when he felt her arm around him. "You awake?" he said to her.

"Uh-huh," she told him quietly as she ran her hand across his chest.

"Was I snoring?" he asked as he rolled over to look at her.

"Uh-uh," she told him as his eyes met hers. It was very dark in the room and they could just see one another's eyes and the outline of the other's face.

"What is it?" he asked with genuine concern. "Did you have a bad dream or something."

"No. Nothing like that," she said as she ran her hand through his short, dark hair.

"Have you been awake the whole time?" he asked her ever-so quietly.

"Uh-huh," she told him again. She snuggled closer then said, "I was afraid if I fell asleep I'd wake up and this would all be just a dream."

"It's not, you know," he told her as he brushed her hair back from her face. "Although from my perspective it feels a lot like a dream." He kissed then said, "A very happy, very pleasant dream."

Janna put her arm on top around him and held him as tightly as she could. She didn't speak. She just lay there holding on for dear life.

"What's going on?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she told him rather than answer him truthfully.

"Really?" he asked sensing something was...different. "Are you telling me the whole truth, councilwoman?"

She relaxed her hold on him somewhat then said, "After my last um...relationship...I promised myself I'd never fall for anyone I couldn't trust completely."

"That sounds pretty smart," he told her as he played with her hair. "Is there more to this I should know about?"

"Just that I...trust you completely, Nathan."

"Trust is important," he told her. "It comes when you believe the other person has integrity." He kissed her softly then said, "You have integrity, Janna, and I...trust you, too."

"Enough to trust me with...." Her voice trailed off as she lost her courage to say what she was feeling.

Nathan came to her rescue and finished the sentence. "With my love?"

"Yes," she said so quietly he could barely hear her.

"Are you saying that if I gave it to you, you'd give me yours in return?"

"Yes," she managed to say again.

"Would you want me to...keep you and your love forever?"

Nathan felt a hot tear splash on his arm that was under her pretty face.

"I've only told one woman I love her in my life," he said to her as he wiped the corners of her eyes."

"Lucky girl," she said.

"Well, she's not exactly a girl," he told her. "To me, her name is Mom."

Janna managed a weak laugh. "But I've never been in love before," he quickly added.

"Before?" she asked her heart pounding again inside her chest. She reached for his hand and curled it tightly just above her breast.

"Before you," he said softly. He gently pulled his hand away and laid it on her cheek. "I'm in love with you, Janna Reese."

Hearing the words she'd dreamed of hearing since he first kissed her, she told him, "I'm in love with you too, Nathan Walker," as she pulled him on top of her. "Make love to me again. Please?" she asked almost pleading.

"My pleasure," he said as he began to grow hard. He began moving down to devote his attention to her perky, B-cup breasts when she said, "Uh-uh. I just want you inside me. That's all I need this time. Is that okay?"

He moved back up and told her, "Anything you want is okay," before slowly entering her very wet pussy.

Janna sighed and moaned as he filled her. She pushed back and ground against him as hard as she could while pulling his body to her. She not only needed him inside of her, she felt some kind of desperate desire to meld with him; to somehow literally become one knowing that couldn't happen but needing to try.