Page 10 of Fairy Cakes in Winter

“Yes, I would. It sounds far too stressful and better left for the acrobatically inclined. With my luck, I’d end up with a black eye and an unwitting starring role on someone’s Just Fans page.”

I pursed my lips to keep my laughter at bay. “I think you mean Only Fans.”

He waved dismissively. “The point is…I have no desire to get caught on my knees.”

“Either position would be equally embarrassing, but if you’re gonna get caught, it’s easier to put yourself back together when you’re on the receiving end.”

Theo nodded. “However, if you’re on your knees, you can hide your face and let your partner deal with the fallout while he tucks his bits into place.”

“It sounds like you’ve given that scenario a little thought,” I singsonged.

“No, I—” Theo opened and closed his mouth comically. “This is a very inappropriate conversation to have with a stranger.”

“Yeah, but that’s the thing about strangers like us…we’ll probably never see each other again. A month from now, you’ll forget my name, what I looked like, what we talked about, and—”

“Fairy cakes and blowjobs,” he intercepted.

I hooted merrily. “I’m renaming my bakery tomorrow.”

“It has a nice ring, doesn’t it? We didn’t actually discuss blowjobs, though.”

“Should we?”

Obviously, I was kidding. Of course, we shouldn’t discuss BJs or anything sexy. Christ, that was all kinds of a bad idea. I was counting on him to blush and reset boundaries. Then I’d apologize and we’d change the subject like two mature adults capable of navigating ribald jokes and abandoning the punchline before it made things weird.

But Theo surprised me.

He didn’t blush or sputter, and he didn’t seem to give a fuck about boundaries. He leaned across my armrest, his pretty eyes lit with mischief.

“Definitely not,” he replied with a laugh. “I don’t know why, but I’m reminded of my first boyfriend who considered himself a sex guru. He claimed he could teach me how to give the perfect blowjob. He had a long list of dos and don’ts. I cringe when I think of my younger self memorizing every word that idiot said. Some of it was decent advice, but experience is always the best teacher if you ask me, and Randy didn’t have it. And perhaps this is TMI, but I’ve done enough experimenting to be sure I know how to give the ultimate…well, you know.”

“Blowjob,” I rasped in a gravelly voice.

He nodded, adding, “And hand job.”

Okay, I lost control of that thread fast. I licked my lips, grateful when a chipper flight attendant appeared out of nowhere to save the day.

“Sir, please lift your shade for landing.”

Thank fuck.

I pretended to fiddle with my seat belt and adjusted my semi while Theo raised the shade next to him. The familiar green patchwork fields visible from the window indicated we were close to landing.Good. Though I admit I was torn between being thrilled to get out of this tin can and sad to say good-bye to Theo.

Regardless, it was time to reset some boundaries by asking about his final destination or something safe like that.

I shifted to face him. “So…what constitutes the perfect blowjob?”

A slow-moving grin spread across his face like wildfire, lighting his eyes with unabashed mirth. “I’m sure you can guess.”

“That’s it?” I huffed incredulously. “You can’t withhold vital info like that. C’mon, tell me.”

Theo chortled. “No way. That’s…rude. We’re in public.”

“True, but no one is listening. Trust me. The craziest things in life happen in broad daylight on busy streets in the middle of crowds.”

“You don’t think ears would perk up at the mention of fellatio?”

I glanced around the airplane expectantly. “Nope. Do you?”