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I had a crush – maybe more than a crush – on a sheltered princess who’d never had a real relationship and who was running away from her parents like a teenager evading curfew. I sure could pick them.

“What about you?” Blair asked, interrupting my musing. “What’s your dating history like?”

“I dated a few guys in high school and college, nothing serious,” I started. “Then I kissed a girl and it was all over for me. I finally understood what everyone was so excited about with sex. I’ve mostly been a serial relationship person since then. I’ve had, I don’t know, maybe five longer term relationships. They last six months, maybe a year, but eventually it falls apart.”

“Why?”

“Inevitably the woman I’m with starts getting anxious to settle down, but it’s never quite right so then I have to break up with them.”

“What’s not right?” she asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I like the person, obviously I do if I’ve been dating them for that long, but when I think about starting a family with them or growing old together, the picture’s not right. Pops told me once that the first time he kissed my mom he could see the rest of their lives playing like a movie in front of his eyes, and that’s how he knew she was the one. It sounds ridiculous I know, but I guess I’m waiting for the movie.”

If I closed my eyes now I could see Blair in the movie, not that I was going to share that with her. This wasn’t a romance book though, this was real life, and as much as I wished things were different, status mattered. There was no way we were going to get a happy ending like my parents got.

“About that kiss…,” I started.

“Please tell me that the next part of that sentence is going to be that you want to do it again.”

When I didn’t answer right away she blurted, “Oh my God! Was it bad? Am I a terrible kisser?”

“No, you’re not a terrible kisser,” I reassured her. “I just don’t think it’s a good idea to do it again.”

“Why?” she asked. “We’re both adults. We’re clearly very attracted to each other and that kiss was fire. Pure fire. I want to do more. Can’t we, I don’t know, be friends with benefits on this trip or something?”

“You’re saying you want to have sex with me?” I clarified.

With her relative lack of experience, I wasn’t totally sure she knew what she was asking for.

“Okay, if you’re not getting that from what I’m saying, I really need to work on my communication skills,” she said. “Let me be super clear. I want to have sex with you. Lots of sex. If us having sex is even half as good as that kiss it’s going to be mind blowing.”

I couldn’t dispute that.

“But if I’m making you uncomfortable because of our… business relationship or if you’re not interested in me, I totally understand. I won’t say another word about it this whole trip, and I definitely won’t kiss you again.”

“But I want you to kiss me again,” I said before I could think better of it.

“Thank God.” She sounded so relieved I had to laugh.

“But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about my job. It would kill my Pops to have to fire me for misconduct.”

“Would it help if I put something in writing saying it wasn’t your fault and you should still get paid?”

I bristled, trying not to be offended by her offer. “No, I really don’t want to do that. And it’s not about the money and I don’t want to have some kind of sex contract. It’s just that I… I really like you Blair.”

I could sense her mood lightening. “Great, we’re agreed. We’re going to have some fun sexy times while we’re on the road, no strings attached.”

“Uh, okay, yeah.”

I wished there were strings attached, but it was impossible.

“That’s not exactly a ringing endorsement,” she laughed.

“Sorry, this is all taking me by surprise I guess.”

Blair herself was a surprise. She was smart and funny, sweet and considerate. She was able to find joy in the simplest things, and she was so damned lovable that I couldn’t understand why her parents didn’t see it.

“That makes both of us,” she replied. “So what happens next?”