by Nova Rain
Purring with satisfaction, I turned around. I cupped his cheek and kissed him, but it seemed that my pilot was too tired to stay upright. He snaked his hand around my waist and lay down, his chest still heaving with exertion.
“That was some dessert,” Jake commented. “Unexpected and amazing. I think that’s the perfect combination.”
“Okay, two things,” I gasped, rubbing my head on his chest. “Unexpected? No. I knew this was what I wanted when I heard that song in the restaurant. And you made it amazing. You did all the work. I just…” I paused. “Enjoyed it.”
“I did all the work because you inspired me, Penny,” he replied, assuming a more serious tone, looking down into my eyes. “It helped that you’d kept me waiting, too.”
“Waiting?” I giggled. “This was our first date!”
“Yeah, but I’d been thinking about it since the night we met,” Jake explained. “Don’t get me wrong. It was just instinct.”
“Oh, God…” I sighed, startled by his last two sentences. “You’re scared of me. I mean, you’re scared of how I’d take what you said.”
“Not scared,” he claimed, the confidence in his tone supporting his words. “Just a little cautious.”
“Well, you shouldn’t be,” I advised, smiling up at him. “I may have a bad temper, but I’m not unreasonable. Besides, you did such a wonderful job taking care of me that I wouldn’t mind if you threw me into a bathtub full of cold water right now.”
“Now who’s exaggerating?” he spoke in a tender voice, his fingers getting tangled in my hair.
“All right, maybe I did exaggerate a bit, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t love it,” I stated, running my fingers up his stomach.
“I loved it, too.” Jake confessed. “Anyway, when do you want to do that interview? You should know my next scheduled flight is tomorrow afternoon at six.”
“Tomorrow morning,” I replied and swung my leg over him. “Tonight is for you and me.”
“Fine by me,” He gave me a wily smile, trailing his hands up my back. I crawled up his body, eager for more sensuality, more teasing… More Jake. One time with him was nowhere near enough. Our first night together was still young, and I wanted to make the most of it. I wanted to experience his amazing touch, over and over again. It would show me what it was like to be with a man who knew what to do to please a woman.
Chapter Twelve
Jake
“Ahem…”
Penny’s act of clearing her throat wasn’t that subtle. Wearing my white shirt, arms crossed over her chest, she leaned against the doorframe.
I yawned and rubbed my blurry eyes. “What time is it?”
“Eight-twenty,” she responded. “I’m sorry to wake you, but I don’t have much time. I need to be at the office by ten-thirty.”
“I’ll be right with you.”
I tossed aside the blanket and scooted over to the edge of the bed, a familiar smell coursing through my nostrils. It was none other than coffee. Heading to the bathroom, I tried to recall the last time I had caught that scent in my apartment. I used to order it from the coffeehouse next door, because it was faster and more convenient. It was easier for me to call than to make it myself. I found Penny sitting at the kitchen table, legs crossed, a notebook in front of her and a blue mug waiting for me.
“Thanks,” I murmured, seating myself. “I haven’t made coffee in here in over seven months. I’m surprised it hasn’t gone bad.”
“It was the least I could do,” she said, a big smile gracing her face. “So, do you want to start now or should we wait a little?”
“Nah, let’s do it,” I replied in a lazy tone, waving my hand in front of my face.
“Okay,” she chirped, setting her cell phone on the table. “Let’s start with the basics: age and work experience.”
“Thirty-one. I’ve been a pilot for almost ten years now,” I began, the rich taste of coffee filling my mouth. “In total, I have seven thousand, three hundred hours under my belt, eighteen hundred of which are in a triple seven.”
“That sounds like a lot, Captain Turner,” she commented, her focus on her notebook. “Is it normal for pilots your age to have accumulated so much experience?”
“Yes, it is,” I affirmed. “Modern aviation is a very demanding business.”
“Let’s get back to flight 87 from New York to Miami Beach,” Penny suggested, settling her gaze on me as she tapped her finger on the screen. “I’d like to know what happened, but we can skip it if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Thank you,” I nodded in appreciation. “I’ll give you the same story I gave my superiors, minus the technical details. Is that okay?”
“Yes. Go ahead,” she went on, tapping her finger on the screen once more.
“The plane went into a stall,” I stated in a firm tone, remembering the annoying alarm in the cockpit. “It’s not common in a modern cruise ship like the triple seven, but it can happen. Pilots receive special training on stall recovery. I remembered what I had to do, and saved everyone on board.”
“You make it sound simple,” Penny remarked, continuing to take notes.
“It’s a simple procedure that depends on a number of factors,” I replied. “Altitude, airworthiness and pilot alertness. In this case, we had enough altitude between us and the ground. The aircraft was in perfect working condition, and I was able to identify the problem in its early stages.”
“People call you a hero. Do you accept that characterization?” Her next question was rather pointless.
“Jimmie Monteith was a hero. I’m not,” I answered, my discomfort evident in my bass-deep voice. “I just did what I was trained to do.”
“Captain Turner, what you did for those passengers was remarkable, but recently, you were involved in a dramatic incident where a Burmese python attacked a snake expert in Miami. What was your initial thought when you realized that Brenda Thomas was in grave danger?”
“Well, get off your ass and do something.” Penny burst out laughing at my statement. “Seriously, I was pretty scared. The Burmese python is a very dangerous snake. It’s not known to attack humans, but this one probably felt threatened and attacked Ms. Thomas.”
“Weren’t you afraid that the snake might release her and attack you instead?” She uttered, her tone playful as she propped her legs up on the chair.
“Not really.” I shook my head sideways, settling my gaze on her thighs. “That python had coiled up around Ms. Thomas. It’s big, but it’s slow. Releasing her would take it quite some time.”
“You’re very knowledgeable about snakes,” Penny praised, wiggling her legs. “Where does that knowledge come from?”
I swallowed hard, averting my gaze from her. “National Geographic. I’ve seen almost every documentary they’ve made.”
She hit the button on the screen again. “Am I distracting you, Captain?”
“Very much,” I confessed on an exhale.
“Feel free to express yourself,” she urged, setting her pen down on her notebook. “This interview’s over.”
“Thank God…” I sighed, rising back up to my feet. I moved around the table, relieved that this torture had come to an end. That’s what those last few minutes were to me: Torture. Seeing her in my shirt, flaunting her shapely legs was just unbearable. I wanted that body in my arms once again. And the lust in her eyes told me that she desired the exact same thing. We were both after some pleasure, and the feelings we had been giving freely to each other for hours the night before.
Chapter Thirteen
Penny
“I belong to you
And baby, you belong to me, too”
All smiles and in high spirits, I hummed that song on my way to work that morning. Whether I got out of the train, rode the escalators, or lost myself on the crowded Myrtle Avenue, it stayed on my lips and on my mind. Strangers bumped into me, but I didn’t glare at them or yell “watch where you’re going.” I dismissed them with a smile and carried on. I was celebra
ting the arrival of a man who seemed capable of changing my life. That much was clear to me after such an eventful first date.
No. Scratch that out. Technically, it was, but the night I spent with him was nothing like a typical first date. There was no awkwardness whatsoever. No silly smiles. Even before my flashback, I felt comfortable with him, which was strange because my 5’5” figure looked tiny compared to his. Of course, it helped that we had known each other for a short while. I had already had a—mixed—taste of who he was. After my flashback, I was dying for him to take me to bed and show me a good time. And Jake did so much more than that…
Stepping off the elevator in the building of the Bulletin, I looked forward to another great day at work. The doors of the empty car closing, I started down the hallway, coming across a few, puzzled colleagues. The reason behind their confusion wasn’t difficult to guess. They were used to seeing a serious, grumpy woman, not a smiling Penny.
I didn’t change my attitude in the hall. I greeted everyone in a polite manner, heading to my office. Pulling my purse from my shoulder, I pried it open and turned on my computer. I couldn’t wait to publish Jake’s interview. But, before I began typing, the click-clacking of Ava’s heels on the floor caught my attention. Her amused expression clued me in on what was going through her mind.
“Good morning, you little minx.” She spoke in a cheerful tone, clicking the door shut behind her. “It’s pretty clear what happened, but I want the scoop anyway.”
“What’s so clear?” I pitched my voice higher in mock ignorance.
“You’ve been fucking your brains out.” Ava chuckled, stopping in front of my desk. “Come on, girl. I don’t have all day.”
“Well, Jake did agree to an interview. I was just about to transcribe it,” I informed her, laying back in my seat. “I was so happy that I kissed him. It was…” I paused and closed my eyes. “Unbelievable. We kissed in the rain. All hell was breaking loose; thunder, lightning, and he wouldn’t stop. He just held me tight, like it was the only thing he cared about.”
“That’s a very promising start,” she commented. “What happened next?”
“He took me to a great Italian place,” I went on, pursing my lips. “I don’t know what came over me. It was as if I’d forgotten our kiss. He was funny and sweet, and I kept asking him why he wanted to date me of all people. He answered me once, but when I asked him again, he upped and stormed out of the restaurant. Our date would have ended as a fiasco, if it wasn’t for that song.”
“What song?”
“I belong to you,” I continued, recalling Lenny Kravitz’s distinctive voice. “Hearing it brought it all back. He wasn’t lying in that note. Believe it or not, he’d treated me like a gentleman.”
“I hate to break it to you, darling, but I did.” Ava reminded me of her attitude. “What about the sex? How was it?”
“We couldn’t keep our hands off each other,” I replied with a sly smile. “The whole night was sex, cuddle, talk and more sex. And…” I paused and leaned forward. “I stopped counting after the fifth orgasm.”
“So, that’s why you’ve been smiling at everyone today,” she concluded in an emphatic tone. “You had the time of your life.”
“I did, but not just because of the great sex,” I argued, my tone mellower. “I spent the night with a gorgeous, caring, mountain of a man who sounded genuinely interested in having a relationship with me. How amazing is that?”
“So, let me get this straight,” Ava requested, a touch of disbelief in her voice. “Yesterday, he was a playboy. Today, he’s a caring man? You realized that after one date with him?”
“I realized that after treating him like garbage,” I countered. “He was nice to me, when what he should have done was give up on me.”
“Penny, please, don’t get all defensive,” she said, making her voice sound sweeter. “I’m not saying he’s bad or anything. I’m just asking you to hold your horses. Don’t get too excited. And don’t forget what he does for a living.”
“I can’t, even if I wanted to,” I muttered, folding my arms across my chest. “He’s coming back on Friday.”
“Right,” Ava said with a nod. “Girl, I really hope it works out between you two, but let’s be honest here. You’ll have a long-distance relationship with him. You know what they say about those.”
“Look, it’s a little too soon for me to think about that,” I replied, speaking my mind, my tone relaxed. “I’d rather enjoy it for now.”
“Suit yourself,” Ava shrugged. “Either way, I’d like to meet him.”
“You will. Soon.” I winked at her. “Now, please, excuse me. I’ve got work to do.”
I plugged the earpieces into the socket of my cell phone as my friend left my office. I did agree with her. Being in a long-distance relationship was hard. Your partner is almost never there when you need him, among other things. However, I was too happy to concern myself with that issue, because Ava was right about something else, too: Jake had indeed given me the time of my life. It was much more pleasurable to reminisce about the steamy moments we had shared. There was no harm at all in recollecting those. There was just joy, and the huge anticipation to experience some more.
Chapter Fourteen
Jake
Predictably, my interview to Penny put me right back into the spotlight. By the end of that very day, my inbox was full of praising emails. Some women even took this a step further. In sixteen cases (!), they had sent me naked pictures of themselves, with naughty comments like: “I’m on all fours waiting for you,” “My pussy’s wet and ready for you, badass,” and “My husband doesn’t know, but I fucked him last night thinking about you.”
What a load of crap… I had witnessed firsthand how easy it was for certain women to drop their panties. Whether it was a broken ego, a divorce, or a bad breakup with a boyfriend, hearing them out increased my chances of getting what I wanted from them. All I had to do was keep my mouth shut and offer some words of comfort. Now, those women had shown me that I didn’t even have to be in the same room as them. My so-called feats had secured some serious action with them.
Sure. In their dreams.
I was flattered, but I wouldn’t be laying a finger on them. Why? Because, first, I’d never considered myself to be a man-whore. I had a lot of self-respect and sleeping with just one of them would rip that to shreds. Second? I hadn’t saved a plane full of people and a woman’s life from a python, just to get laid. I did those things for them, not for me. Most of all, I had the embodiment of sexiness and sensuality waiting for me, back in New York. I had gone out of my way to convince her to date me. Betraying her would guarantee the end of our relationship.
Surrounded by United Airlines logos in the departure lounge of McCarran International airport, I made the mistake of muttering some gibberish. I wasn’t alone. I would be flying to Los Angeles with my good friend, Michael Compton, because my regular co-pilot had an appendicitis crisis that afternoon.
“What’s the matter, hotshot?” He smirked. “You don’t like the attention?”
“See for yourself,” I urged, tossing my phone over to him.
“Whoa!” He exclaimed, his eyes widening. “I wasn’t expecting that! Too chubby…” He swiped his finger over the screen. “Too skinny… Wow.” He shook his head. “That is a nice piece of ass! I’m seriously considering going to the Everglades.”
“Why the hell would you do that?” I asked, furrowing my brow.
“Man, look at all this fan email,” he urged, his eyes still glued to the screen, the device buzzing with a new notification. “This is from a Clara Hoffman. ‘You’re not a hero. You’re a coward. If you had any guts, you’d let nature take its course.’ Huh?”
“Environmentalist,” I presumed, my phone buzzing with an incoming email yet again.
“This one’s even better,” Michael giggled. “It’s from a Kirk Paulson. ‘That stupid bitch had it coming when she approached that python like a complete moron. You can fuck off and
die for all I care, snake killer.’ Are those people for real?”
“I guess they are,” I answered, my tone lazy.
“I’d love to see what they’d have to say if they had a huge snake squeezing the life out of them,” my friend groaned. “Those goddamn retards should get a life. And you should go out and bang some of those chicks who emailed you.”
“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.” I rejected his idea, glaring at him. “Hey, do you still have that place up in Vermont?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Take an educated guess,” I urged, my lips curving into a crooked smile.
“You dog!” Michael laughed. “Who is she? Do I know her?”
“Her name’s Penny Green. She’s the reporter who interviewed me this morning.” I announced. “Log in to the Brooklyn Bulletin website. There’s a picture of her there.”
“I don’t have to,” he spoke in a calm voice, throwing the phone back to me. “I checked out her picture before reading your interview. Man, you don’t deserve that.”