Ginger ended the affair — and that, said a long-serving aide, was the only time he ever saw Howard Hughes cry. You know, I was the only one who ever brought Howard Hughes to a sexual climax, or so he said at that time. Howard was not shy about sex. I slept with Howard Hughes to get The Philadelphia Story,' chortled Hepburn. This was vintage Hughes — selfish, oblivious to how he was ruining everyone's game, and totally spectacular. He was, said Gardner, a 'lousy dancer' but he kept badgering her to marry him and — without much enthusiasm — she finally said yes. Furious, Hughes took a swing at Gardner, who fell back into a chair. Was she genuinely in love with Hughes? Ava Gardner praised his sexual technique, saying: 'He taught me that making love didn't always have to be rushed. His first major conquest, Billie Dove — known in the late 1920s as the most beautiful woman in the world — recalled that during his pursuit 'he would just glare at me — he didn't talk or anything'.