*

“I promise we’re fine. Just a little wind.”

“You call this a little wind?” I’m curled up in a ball on the floor of the hot-air balloon. “We’re going to die!” 

Joseph smiles at me. “Yes, we’re going to die…but not today.” 

I can’t tell if I’m going to throw up or pass out. If he didn’t have those sexy dimples, I’d have demanded he let me off this death trap hours ago, or maybe it’s been days; I’m not sure. 

“Pamela, come up here. You’re missing the giraffes.”

Joseph’s way of encouraging me to stand up is by constantly telling me what I’m missing. 

I love animals, so I roll over to my knees. I want to get up, really I do, but can’t make myself do it. He kneels facing me and lifts my chin. I know I mentioned his dimples, but you should see his eyes. 

“Take my hand. You will thank me,” he says, flashing me that dimpled grin again. 

I can’t resist him, and he pulls me up just as another strong gust tips the basket. I slam into a brick wall, otherwise known as Joseph’s body. He steadies me, and I feel… safe… well, safer than I felt when I first climbed into this crazy flying thing. 

“Look,” he says, pointing over my shoulder. 

I’m reluctant to let go of him, but I turn around and peek out one eye. 

“Oh, my goodness!” 

He’s steering us closer to a mother and baby giraffe. She bends her neck and kisses her baby on top of its head. I melt. I don’t remember ever seeing anything sweeter. 

“You really love animals, don’t you?” 

“More than people,” slips out.

He raises an eyebrow, but doesn't question me. I like that about him.  

The giraffe’s long legs gracefully carry her across the savannah, with her baby following behind. 

And just like that, the grasslands become a blue sea. The balloon takes us higher, and while I'm proud to still be standing, I back away from the edge.

“Where are we now?”  

“Over the Atlantic. Maybe the Pacific.”

“Joseph, you don’t know?!”

“Nope.”

“How did we get here?” 

“Don’t know. I’m not too good with directions.” 

“You’re the pilot!”

“I just keep us in the air. Don’t really have anything to do with where we’re going.”

I’ve grown curious about this carefree-haired, carefree man flying me around. “Don’t you have someone to get back to?” 

“I don’t go backward.” He makes an exaggerated gesture ahead. “Only forward.”

My head’s in the clouds for a while after he says that. He’s more than a free spirit; he seems genuinely happy. 

When I look back down, the water has turned to snow and ice. It looks like earth and sky are one here. I should be freezing, but I’m not. I don’t even bother to ask Joseph where we are. It no longer matters, and I bet he’d say he doesn’t know. 

“Do you hear it, Joseph?”

“Hear what?”

“The silence.”

He puts his arm around me for a brief hug. It’s nice. 

In the whiteout, I see something. Can’t quite make it out. 

“Over there!” I point, and Joseph follows my finger. 

“Penguins!” I squeal. “And they’re all squished together.” 

“Yeah, they do that.” 

I excitedly pat Joseph’s arm. “Can I touch one?”

He drops us lower, and we soon reach them. 

“Lean over the edge. I’ve got you.” 

“I’m scared.”

“I’ve. Got. You.” 

He places his hands on my hips, and I bend over the edge of the basket and stretch an arm. I can almost touch one. Just a little further. Oh my, I rub one’s back.  

Oops, it tips, bumps the next, which then bumps the next, and…

“No, no, no!” 

They all fall down—one by one, like an endless spiral of dominoes. I reach out to them, and whoosh, the wind sweeps us away. 

“Joseph, we have to go back and pick them up!” 

“Eh, they’ll manage.” 

“You really drive me crazy sometimes!”

“But yet you’re still here.” Another dimpled grin.

I’m mortified about the penguins, then something warm is draped over my shoulders. Joseph moves beside me, close enough our arms touch. I pull the coat tighter around me. 

He gives me a little hip bump. “They’re fine. Penguins are tough.”

I hip bump him back. 

He reaches behind him and then reveals a cup of hot cocoa in each hand. He gives me the one with a peppermint stick. 

“Where did this come from?”

He shrugs. “I keep it around.” 

We sip our cocoa while staring out at the snowy scenery. I decide we’re in Antarctica. It’s like we’re on our own planet, and I like the thought of that. Just us. 

I suddenly giggle.

“What?”

“There’s cream on your upper lip.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” 

He leans in, eyes flitting between my eyes and my lips before settling on my lips. Oh, my goodness. Joseph’s kissing me. And I’m kissing Joseph. 

His mouth is warm and tastes of chocolate. I want more of him.

When we finally separate our lips, I notice a bed out of the corner of my eye, covered in fuzzy blankets and pillows. 

“Umm, was that here before?”

More dimples. “No clue.”

“Well, it looks pretty comfy, don’t you think?”

“Well, I can’t tell until we try it out.” 

One of his bedroom eyes winks at me. 

I’m not sure when us holding hot cocoa turns into us holding hands. I give the palm of his hand a tickle with my middle finger, and he leads me to bed. We slip underneath the covers, and our clothes disappear.

I didn’t know it until this very moment, but I’m ready for him. 

He kisses me again. It’s a really nice kiss that lasts a while. We come up for breath, and he pulls the cover down, revealing the upper part of my body. 

“Let me look at you,” he says. 

I want to look at him, too. 

I trace the ridges of his muscled shoulder, down his arm, then slide my hand to his chest. 

His hands are exploring my breasts. “So soft.” He tenderly cups each breast in turn. 

I gently pull his head in for another kiss, then lower so he can kiss my nipples. Oh my goodness, he’s good. My hips start to move. Something hard presses against my thigh. I investigate the hardness, and he gasps. 

“How long’s it been for you?” He looks up and searches my eyes for a closer look inside me, I suppose. 

“Since I had sex or enjoyed it?” 

He frowns for a moment. I didn’t mean to reveal that. 

“I will make sure your answer is the same for both from now on.” He kisses me again. He’s hungrier this time. 

When I open my eyes, he’s smiling. “I’m headed down under,” he says before disappearing underneath the blanket. 

“But you never know where you’re going,” I tease. 

I hear him chuckle, and his head pops back out of the covers. “I’ll feel my way.” 

He disappears again. Oh, my goodness. Hot air blows on my breasts. I feel a suck on one nipple. A nip at the other. Kisses tickle my tummy. Lower and lower, then my body seizes. “Joseph!”

Another deep chuckle from beneath the covers before his hands slide underneath my ass and hold me to his face. He teases my clit with his tongue. Then absolutely spoils it. Fucks me with his fingers. I’m greedy for more and tell him. He’s making out with my pussy. That’s the best way to describe it. 

My knees fall open, and I hear someone screaming. I think it’s me. 

When he appears again, his face smells different. The hardness against my thigh has returned.  

“Are you ready for me?” 

“Please.”

He kisses me as he settles between my legs. I feel him right there, gently pressing. Our kiss deepens as his cock finds my opening. I hold my breath until he pushes inside. I love this moment. 

He finds my eyes before he sinks deeper, and fucks me in painfully long, slow strokes. I spread wide for him, digging my ankles around his pumping ass cheeks. He likes that and moans. 

We find our rhythm while kissing and flirting with our tongues. I wrap my arms around his back, which feels slick from the heat of our fuck. Our breathing fogs the air. White puffs from our passion mingle between our panting mouths. 

Our hands keep exploring different places, always new skin to touch. Kind of like what we’ve been doing in his crazy balloon. 

He pushes hard inside me and holds his position. Oh, my goodness! 

“You’re beautiful,” he pants. 

“So are you.” I squeeze his cock with my muscles. He curses and starts fucking me again. 

I lift my hips, meet his fierce thrusts. My ache intensifies to crazy new heights. I see his ache in his eyes. My legs start their telltale quiver. He thrusts faster. Pushes harder. Deeper. God, I feel this man. 

Pleasure ripples through me as I come. 

He mashes his mouth against mine as I feel him cumming inside me. We cling together, limbs entangled, until we regain our breath. 

He rolls onto his side, pulling me with him. We huddle together tighter than penguins. 

“You know,” I nuzzle his neck, “something special… besides your cock… has found its way inside me.” 

“Mmm, I’ve been impatiently waiting for you to let me in.” 

The balloon gives a sudden pitch. I jump out of habit. 

He squeezes me and asks, “Scared?” 

I nestle back against him. “Not anymore.”

“I like that answer.” He kisses the tip of my nose. 

The snow starts to fall harder. The flakes are as big as pancakes and dance inside the basket around us. He reaches out, catches one, and hands it to me. It turns into a white rose in my hand. I hold it against my heart. 

“So, where to now?” 

“You decide. Wake me when we get there.” I snuggle in closer and close my eyes. 

I’m safe with him. 

**

He bursts into the room and pushes past me to get to her. “Pam!” Her eyes remain closed, and he repeats, “Pamela?”

He snaps his head toward me. “What happened to her?” 

“She volunteered for an experimental dream-influencing experience.” 

“What is that?!”

“In simplest terms, our technology combines artificial intelligence, hypnotic suggestion, and specifically designed audio signals to introduce your chosen scenario as you enter the dream stage of sleep. Then, your unconscious mind takes over.”

I can see his surprise, but ask anyway. “You didn’t know she signed up as a test subject?” 

“No.” 

“We haven’t been able to wake her.”

“Why not?!” 

“We don’t know.” 

“Pam, wake up,” he says again, shaking her shoulder. 

I’m watching her vitals and her eyes. Nothing changes. 

“Wake up, baby.” His voice cracks. 

“She’s still showing the brain activity we expect with dreaming, and her vital signs are stable.” I go stand on the other side of her so I can look him in the eyes. “Do you want to know what she asked to dream about?”

He hesitates before he answers, “Of course.” 

“She said she wanted to fly away.”

“Pam was terrified of flying. She’d never…” 

I watch him carefully; his jaw tightens, and his lips press together. 

“It was a general request compared to the requests from the other test subjects. I told her test subjects typically experienced better results with more detailed requests, but she insisted on that request.”

He’s very quiet and releases his wife’s hand. 

“Mr. Stevenson, I have to ask. Do you know any reason she wouldn’t want to wake up?”