Forrest wasn’t your typical male fitness model ­– he never aspired to be in front of the camera. His passion was geography and history, but fate seemed to have a different career path in mind for him, at least for now.

He was strikingly handsome with a youthful, fresh face. His lean, perfectly proportioned, toned body made clothes naturally looked incredible on him. He was often told that he could a simple tee-shirt and jeans look like a million-dollar outfit.

While riding the subway wearing just a tank top and sweatpants, a pretty and fashionable thirty-something woman approached him. She politely handed him her business card and explained she was a talent scout. The woman asked if he’d be interested in appearing in some fitness photography for the agency she worked for.

At first, he laughed, dismissing her offer as a joke. But the woman was serious about her offer and explained how he could quickly pay his way through university if he accepted the job. That night, Forrest researched the woman’s credentials online and learned that he really could pay off his debt by modeling.

Forrest joined the agency the next day and soon after was offered his first modeling job. This particular gig would take him across the ocean to Paris, where he’d be showcasing a new line of workout clothes. When his itinerary arrived from the agency, he was shocked to see that his ticket was in the first-class cabin! He was excited to have a luxurious, expense-paid trip to Europe.

His first job couldn’t have started any better.  It was an easy trip to the airport with the car service they booked for him, and then he quickly breezed through the VIP security line. Before Forrest knew it, he was sipping champagne on the plane.

A young, perky flight attendant offered him a warm towel for his face. She smiled as she engaged him in small talk. “It’s a long flight; you’re lucky ­– this is a new plane, and these seats recline to a full bed.” The fact that he could lay down to sleep was an unexpected treat. “That’s great news. I could definitely get used to this lifestyle.” He told the attendant, “I’m starting a new job as a fitness model, so I need to be as fresh-faced as possible when I arrive tomorrow.”

The attendant was quick to reply, “I assumed you were an actor as soon as I saw you. It makes sense that you’re a model since you’re certainly a fine-looking man.” Forrest blushed. He never considered himself anything more than average-looking. The fact that people found him so attractive was quite flattering.

The attendant continued with her pleasantries, “If there’s anything you need to make your trip more comfortable, please don’t hesitate to ask. We certainly try to make our passengers as happy as possible.”

 The door to where the pilots sat was open. Forrest could easily see the two men inside checking gauges and dials in preparation for the flight. As their departure time approached, one man stood up to close the door. Before he did, he and Forrest caught each other’s eye.

The man was the captain of the plane, and he stood at the doorway briefly. At about thirty-five years old, the man had a dash of gray hair around his temples. His defined rugged, handsome face was made even more spectacular by his hazel sparkling eyes and neatly trimmed beard. He was definitely a man who knew his way around the gym as his uniform revealed itself to be tightly snug in all the right places. A quick wink at Forrest signaled that the flight would be on its way soon.

Forrest swooned and was disappointed that he would be locked away behind a door just a mere ten feet away. He thought I’d love to see more of that sexy man in uniform! Hopefully, he won’t stay hidden the whole flight.

***

The plane took off without a hitch, and Forrest quickly settled into all the offered amenities of first-class. The impressive legroom, warm towels, champagne, and the selection of movies were terrific. Forrest was excited and surprised to see all his favorite LGBT titles in the line-up of films – eCUPID, THE 10 YEAR PLAN, and many others made for hours of excellent viewing.

After a hearty, delicious meal, a call from the captain summoned the flight attendant to the front of the plane. Forrest couldn’t help but wonder if the deep, sensual voice he heard over the PA system belonged to the sexy pilot he saw earlier? Perhaps he had just watched too many gay romance films, but the promise that the man he was listening to was the silver-haired fox flying the plane turned him on.

The attendant disappeared behind the door in the front of the plane briefly, and shortly after that, the hunky captain emerged.

He politely stated to the attendant who stood guard at the front of the plane. ” I just need to stretch my legs. I’ll only take a minute.”

Forrest’s eyes were fixated on the hot man in uniform as he continued to provide a spectacular display of bending, stretching, and leaning over. Forrest wasn’t aware he was staring the entire time, but it was clear to the captain that he now had a fan.

Once he completed his calisthenics, he politely asked Forrest, “Are you enjoying the flight?”

Forrest was quick to answer, “Oh, yes, yes, sir. It’s great. It was just made even better seeing that we are in the hands of such an impressive pilot.”

The captain smiled at Forrest, “I’m happy that you have every confidence in me. I’ll be sure to make sure that your trip is comfortable.” The captain respectfully nodded as he gave one last stretch and returned to the cockpit.

As the captain disappeared behind the cabin door, Forrest looked down on his flat-screen and noticed a particularly racy scene on pause from one of the movies. It was a scene where two men were engaged in a passionate kiss.

Well, if there was any question of whether I was gay or not, this certainly told him everything he needed to know. He chuckled to himself, slightly embarrassed at what had just happened.

About an hour later and hundreds of miles closer to the destination, the plane was now mid-way over the Atlantic Ocean. An electric crackle from the intercom signaled that the captain was about to address the passengers again, “Soon, we’ll be dimming the cabin lights for the night. Feel free to move around the cabin; just be mindful of the passengers sleeping around you. It looks like we’ll be arriving on time at about six am local time.”

Forrest thought, Good idea, I definitely should get some shut-eye, so I’m well-rested and fresh for when I arrive for tomorrow’s photo shoot.

As he pressed the release on his seat so that he could recline into a flat, bed-like position, he could hear a sharp snapping sound, followed by a metal clang.

That sounded bad. Did I break it?

Forrest attempted to recline once again but with no luck. It was clear to him that something was broken. He was clueless as to how this high-tech chair reclined. Careful to not bother his nearby guests, he reached up and pressed the “call button” for the flight attendant for help.

As he waited for assistance, he noticed that everyone around him was already sleeping. The last thing he wanted to do was disturb anyone’s slumber.

A minute later, the attendant appeared. She was cordial as she inquired about how she could help.

“Sorry to bother you with this, but my seat seems to be stuck. I’ve tried to recline it, but it won’t budge. Maybe I’m doing something wrong?” She seemed all too familiar with the problem as she told him, “If you’ll just excuse me, I have to reach over you to release the lock.” As the young woman bent over Forrest, she did her best to avoid an awkward position, politely explaining what she was doing and why. “Ordinarily, I’d ask the passenger to stand in the Isle while I did this, but we don’t want to bother those around you who are sleeping.”

She forced the seat, but it wasn’t going to budge. The more she pushed the more obstinate the mechanism that reclined the seat became. She then adjusted herself to get a more leveraged position on the chair. As she braced herself, she unknowingly placed her hand squarely on Forrest’s crotch.

Forrest wasn’t sure how to react to the situation. He didn’t want to embarrass the attendant, so he didn’t say anything in hopes that the problem would resolve itself quickly and without any awkwardness. The positioning of the woman’s hand and the pressure being applied to his most sensitive of places forced him to make her aware of what was going on.

He attempted to make light of the innocent mistake by saying, “I’d ordinarily say that you need to buy me dinner before you put your hand there … I guess you kind of already did. The chicken was delicious, by the way.”

The statement confused the attendant, but the reading light above Forrest’s head illuminated the awkward situation.

Once she realized what she was doing, her face dropped. She was shocked and embarrassed.

Forrest attempted to make light of the situation, but the attendant was too embarrassed. She made haste in her departure and disappeared behind the door at the front of the plane.

Oh Gosh, what did I do? The poor woman was mortified. I didn’t mean to embarrass her!

Forrest sat anxiously waiting for her to come out from behind the door. He knew that he’d need to apologize to her for his childish and crude joke.

Rather than the attendant emerging alone, she was accompanied by the captain of the airplane. The attendant hurried down the aisle past him, avoiding any kind of eye contact.

The captain, however, looked directly at Forrest, approaching with a somber look. He spoke softly yet firm. “I heard there’s a problem with your seat.”

Forrest’s breathing became shallow. He panicked as he answered, “No, everything’s fine. No problem here.”

The captain looked intensely at Forrest. “That’s not what I was told.” Concerned, the captain looked around at the other passengers as they slept. “Maybe it’s best for you to just come with me? Take any essential personal items with you.

Forrest tried to hold his composure, but inside he was freaking out. “Hold it. What? What have I done? Take my things? Where am I going? Is the captain going to hand me a parachute and push me out of the plane? His mind reeled.

The captain quietly escorted Forrest to the front of the plane. As they entered the cockpit, Forrest was surprised at how spacious it was than he expected. Lights, gauges, and high-tech equipment were everywhere. Before saying anything, the captain assumed his seat and adjusted the autopilot. He invited Forrest to sit, “Take a seat. My co-pilot is in his bunk below deck, sleeping. You can take the chair next to me. Just, obviously, don’t touch anything.

Forrest complied. He couldn’t help feel like he was summoned to the principal’s office and was about to get a scolding for what happened. He readied himself to explain what had transpired but was surprised by an unexpected giggle. “I hope my attendant didn’t hurt you back there. She told me what happened. I found it quite amusing. I appreciate how diplomatic you were about the whole thing. Most passengers would have handled that a different way.”

Forrest was shocked as he replied, “So, I’m not in trouble? You didn’t bring me up here to scold me?”

The twinkle in the captain’s eye assured him that there would be no punishment to follow. He continued, “Oh my, no. I brought you up here to thank you. But also, to tell you that there’s a spare bunk below deck reserved for a third pilot should there be one on board. It’s vacant if you want to use it. Just please don’t mention it to anyone. The FCC would have my hide if they knew that an unlicensed passenger used the captain’s sleep quarters.”

Forrest was relieved that everything was fine and the situation with the attendant was not a problem. The confident and kind way the captain handled the situation made him appear even sexier to Forrest than before. Watching this handsome, muscular stud in uniform fly the plane was the hottest thing he had seen in a long time. He couldn’t help himself to ask, “So, when you get up from your seat, do you use the autopilot? How long can it fly the plane without you needing to attend to it?”

The captain suspected that he knew where this line of questioning was going. “We call it “George.” George can take the plane to our destination safely. The truth of the matter is that unless there’s a problem, the only thing I’m needed for is take-off and landings. Based on our flight path, we aren’t touching down for another four hours.”

Forrest smirked as he inquired, “Well, perhaps you could show me that bunk you mentioned underneath. Can it accommodate two?”

The pilot laughed as he swung his chair so that it now faced Forrest. “No. The area below is designed for just one. You’re sitting in the most spacious area of the plane, next to the passenger compartment, that is.”

Forrest wasted no time in leaning forward towards the captain, “I was told that your airline is known as the ‘friendly skies.’ I’m curious as to just how friendly they get?” His hand was now firmly resting solidly between the pilot’s legs, similar to where the attendant had hers earlier on him.

The captain didn’t seem to object. He reclined a bit as he gave Forrest a wry smile.

Forrest took the initiative as he pressed his lips against the captain’s willing mouth. His hand now wrapped firmly around the captain’s impressive piece of equipment.

Forrest couldn’t help but tease the captain with a pun, “Now I know why they call where you sit the cockpit.”

The captain was enjoying this unexpected mid-air encounter.

Forrest continued, “I don’t want to tell you how to delegate your job, but you may want to ask George to take over for a bit.”

The captain wholeheartedly agreed and reached over to engaged the system that would fly the plane for the next two hours of the trip.

Forrest knew the captain was in command of the plane, but he’d be in control of the captain until they landed. He earned his wings that evening and achieved platinum status as a member of the mile-high club.

He was able to take his seat in the main cabin before the captain turned on the cabin lights, and breakfast was served. None of the nearby passengers were aware of his absence or that his chair was broken.

The flight landed perfectly, and Forrest made haste to his modeling appointment. So much for showing up at his first job with a photographer well-rested. He hoped that the photographer would help out a bit of makeup to make him look fresh.

Whatever happened at the shoot, Forrest didn’t mind how he looked. All he could think about was how excited he was for the flight home!