by Nova Rain
Chapter Eleven
Ava
“Six times. Six, incredible times. My legs are a bit sore, but I’m not regretting anything.”
Tingling sensations were running through my body as I typed that text. On a typical Sunday, Penny and I would go out for breakfast; but, with Michael and Jake in town, neither of us was willing to spend the morning with each other.
“I’m shocked you put out. Normally, it takes you at least three dates to consider it. Good for you, though. I had to settle for two.”
“Sorry, sweetheart. I don’t mean to brag, but in a few hours, I’ll be in one of the most romantic places in the world. And guess what I’ll do after I visit that pier I told you about in the office.”
“I hate you.”
Yes, it was rather cruel of me to state my intentions to my friend. I would be with my boyfriend, and hers would be hundreds of miles away. However, I had no regrets. Not so long ago, we were in each other’s shoes. I had to tolerate every single dirty text she sent me. “Jake knows his way around the bed,” “he massaged my G-spot until I shuddered,” “he gave me multiple orgasms,” and the list went on and on. I was happy for her, but at the same time, I envied her. Even while I was with Curtis, I’d never had a fraction of the fun she had been having.
In high spirits, I started to pack. Rummaging through my clothes, I recalled Michael’s joke about the bikini. I laughed it off at first. It was late-March, too cold for considering something like that. Still, there were other ways I could use it. I was definitely not going to go for a swim, but knowing how much he appreciated my figure, I could think of a few ways to entice him with it.
Hours later, I was back at the hangar where I had learned about the existence of the Beluga. It was then that I discovered my mistake. In all my excitement, I had forgotten to discuss the interview with Michael. With the prospect of us spending one more night together, there was a good chance I would forget it again. Therefore, the first thing I did when I entered the aircraft, was write down “interview” in my notepad.
Watching the lights of Prescott Isle Lodge flickering in the distance, it was difficult for me to comprehend the difference in my emotional state. A week ago, I was a woman in pieces, struggling to cope with the loss of a dream. What’s that? Pretty much everything a girl dreams of while growing up: starting a family with the man I thought would be a good father to my children. On this brisk, Sunday night, that pain had abandoned heart and mind alike. In its stead, was the excitement of enjoying some quality time with Michael.
Unlike my last visit to that vintage hotel, he and Jake were the first to arrive. With my suitcases in my grasp, I noticed them standing at the reception counter. Their expressions gave me cause for concern. Jake had his elbow leaning on the counter, his other hand on top of his head, grabbing a fistful of his hair. My boyfriend was staring down at the wooden floor, puffing air out of his cheeks, his side to me.
“Michael, what’s the matter?” I said, my voice more tender than usual. Eyeing me, he raised his right hand. There was an open, envelope in it, with a note on top. The message only contained two words, but they were enough to spread fear into them.
““We Know”
“Oh my God…” I whispered, my suitcases slipping out of my grasp. They hit the floor with a thump as I threw my hand up to my mouth. There was no difficulty in guessing who had left them this note. It was United Airlines, the giant they had gone to extreme lengths to hide from.
“Go up to your room, will you?” Michael uttered in a weak voice. “I need to talk about this with Jake. I’ll see you back here in an hour. I hope.”
“Okay,” I agreed in reluctance. I meant to take part in that conversation. I wasn’t directly involved, and as such, I could keep a cooler head than either of them. Nevertheless, the two pilots possessed something I didn’t: experience. They knew who they were dealing with. They had been working for United for almost a decade. I was just an outsider with a good understanding of the corporate mindset.
Chapter Twelve
Michael
Arrest.
Imprisonment.
Trial.
Or perhaps I should say one of the longest, most grueling trials of the twenty-first century. This was the fate that awaited us.
I wasn’t so sure it would happen to me. Besides, my role in the landing of flight one-fifteen was secondary. I wasn’t the one who decided to put that triple-seven down on a levee. I did agree to it, though. And I didn’t do anything to change Jake’s mind. That’s how the NTSB had viewed it. Although they praised us both, they were not United. They were a government agency, and that damn airline would try their best to crucify us.
“Changing our names, altering our looks, flying to the crappiest airports in North America for peanuts…” Jake paused as we strolled into his room. “It was all for nothing.”
“Not for nothing,” I interjected my opinion. “We got to fly a huge whale. I like that bird.”
“Damn it, man!” He groaned, spinning around to face me. “We’re just about to get prosecuted, for God’s sake! Just how in the hell can you find it in yourself to joke about this?”
“Jake, this sucks, alright?” My voice gained in volume and speed. “It’s everything we’ve been trying to avoid. But turning on each other isn’t going to help solve anything. Keep it together.”
“How?” He wondered, thrusting his arms out to the side. “Pretty soon, those bastards’ lawyers will be knocking on my door, looking for me. If they don’t find me, they’ll go to Penny. Jesus…” He heaved a long, deep sigh. “This is going to crush her.”
“Look, I get that you want to protect her from this shit, but you should worry about yourself first,” I advised, my tone tighter. “She’s not the one United wants to prosecute. We are.”
“Right,” he agreed with a nod. “So, how do we proceed?”
“There’s nothing much we can do right now,” I remarked, keeping the tension out of my voice. “We wait ‘til we get back to New York and get a lawyer. And please, whatever you do, do not talk about it with Penny over the phone. She’ll call Ava and get all ultrasonic. I’ve seen it happen.”
“I won’t,” He assured me with a giggle.
“Goodnight, big man,” I told him and left him alone in his room. On my way to the second floor, I couldn’t help but recall his words about his girlfriend. My best buddy, a pilot that laughed in the face of death and had even cheated it, was shivering at the idea of his girlfriend finding out about this new development. It was like a tiger not being afraid to pounce on a bear, but running at the sight of a rabbit.
I got a taste of the power she had over him after their reunion. For more than four weeks, Jake and I didn’t see each other outside of work. Those two didn’t leave her apartment much. Whenever they did, they went to my place in Vermont. Every time they returned, my friend was beaming, and had about a hundred pictures to show me.
Yet, those were different circumstances than the ones we were in. Jake could well face prison time, but his mind went out to the girl he’d left back in New York. He could lose the job that meant the world to him, and all he could think about was the impact this new information would have on Penny.
I padded into my room, unable to forget his reaction. I found Ava behind the porch door, gazing out at the view of the lake.
“How did it go?” I heard the urgency in her tone while I closed the distance between us.
“We agreed to hire a lawyer when we return to New York,” I informed her. “I asked him not to break this to Penny. Don’t take this the wrong way. I like her, but she gets all squirrely when she panics. I can’t stand that. Please, don’t mention this to her.”
“I wasn’t planning to,” she claimed, her voice calmer.
“I have a question,” I announced, a thin line of moonlight on the surface filling my view as I hugged her from behind. “Actually, it’s more of a general wondering. I just saw Jake Turner, aka the pilot with no fear, freak out at the thought o
f sharing this piece of bad news with Penny. Why do you think that happened?”
I might have been eager to get a response, but what she did next was not verbal. Ava whirled her head around and looked up at me, her face having twisted into an expression of shock and confusion.
“Oh dear God…” A breathless whisper fled her lips. “You’ve never been in love, have you?”
“Not really,” I answered with a light shake of my head. “That’s why…?”
“Yes!” She gave an emphatic nod. “Michael, when you’re in love, you’re terrified of every single thing that could disrupt your relationship, no matter how small. It doesn’t always make sense, but that’s the beauty of it.”
“Much sense?” I spoke out in irony. “Try ‘no sense at all.’ Ms. Posh, I’ve seen Jake escape the jaws of death twice. He wasn’t scared; at least he wasn’t as scared as I was, and he seemed to dread the thought of telling something bad to her.”
“To be honest with you, I stopped listening at ‘Ms. Posh,’” she maintained, a broad smile spreading across her face as she turned around in my embrace. “Is that my new nickname? And can you repeat what you said after that?”
I let out an exhale. “It was pretty much the same thing I said earlier. Yeah, it is your new nickname. I was debating between that and ‘Ms. Legs.’”
“I like both.” She made her voice sound sweeter. “Just don’t use ‘Ms. Legs’ around other people. It will be a little embarrassing. Anyway, I can imagine how difficult it is for you to understand the dynamics of love, but that’s what I’m here for. I can be your relationship tutor.”
“Fuckers…” I groaned, tearing my gaze away from her. “They couldn’t let us know in New York. They had to leave a note here and ruin our night.”
“Lesson one, Captain.” The cheer in her voice increased, her smile reappearing. “A real girlfriend has no problem sacrificing a steamy night to help you feel better. In other words, she disregards her wants, because your well-being is more important to her than her sexual satisfaction.”
“Believe me, you’d make this a lot easier if you weren’t so sweet,” I uttered, my tone deeper.
“Was that a complaint?” She cocked an eyebrow.
“No,” I said on a breath. “It’s amazing how history tends to repeat itself. You were a mess the first time we came here. Now, I’m the mess.”
“I’ll be here for you, just like you were there for me,” Ava promised, maintaining eye contact with me. “We’ll ride out the storm together.”
At the end of her phrase, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around her. I was tired of talking. I needed someone to hold on to. The only volunteer had found a way to speak to my soul, without saying too much. Some eye contact, some comforting words and tight hug were an ideal remedy. I clutched her body, drawing her scent into my nostrils. I was happy she was there with me. Ava seemed capable of keeping any dark thoughts out of my mind. In a place far from home, she was exactly what I needed.
Chapter Thirteen
Michael
The sound of birds chirping brought my slumber to a delicate end. Beams of sunlight were coming through the open window, reaching up to the edge of my pillow. I would have loved to have awakened with Ava beside me. Sadly, she wasn’t in the room. Her side of the bed had been saturated with her scent. I breathed it in, spotting a folded piece of paper at the foot of the bed. As I unfolded it, a kiss mark at the bottom put a smile on my face.
“Good morning,
I would wake you up, but I know how tense last night was for you. I fell asleep around midnight and you were still fidgeting next to me.
You woke me up twice during the night. I’m not complaining. I’m just bringing it to your attention. The first time was when you opened the porch door. The second was when you dropped your mug. I have no idea what time it was, but it had to be much later than midnight, because I couldn’t keep my eyes open for more than five seconds.
I’m not going to pretend to know how stressed you are. I don’t. But I do have to ask you a favor. Michael, please, do not let this situation get the best of you. We just started a relationship together. I believe things can work out between us, but I’m willing to bet everything I have that we’ll break up very soon if you allow a corporation to mess with your head. I want the man with the captivating smile and the great sense of humor by my side. I’ve become close with him, and I’ve begun to appreciate him much more than I used to. Do not take him away from me.
Love,
Ms. Posh.
P.S. I’m sorry, but I had to borrow the SUV. I’ve got a lot of ground to cover today, and the nearest rental dealership is sixty-five miles away.”
“I’ll try,” I said to myself. What I would accomplish was a whole different matter. In any case, I had to admit she was right. This situation could ruin our relationship. I had done so much to win her over, and it could all fall apart. A grumpy, moody Michael would push her away, regardless of the great sex, weekend getaways and polite gestures. No woman wants to be around a guy with a short fuse, even one as polite and understanding as Ava. She would dump me. It would not be a matter of “if.” It would be a matter of “when.”
I spent the morning talking on the phone with old friends and acquaintances from the industry, eager to find out whether United had been preparing for a legal battle against me. These things don’t stay secret. There were a huge number of people involved, and no airline could shut them all up. Lawyers, human resource clerks and managers, flight attendants, fellow pilots… But, four hours and about three dozen phone calls later, I realized that none of them had a clue. Everything was quiet. There was no mention of my name or Jake’s in any staff meetings whatsoever.
As the day wore on, it dawned on me that there was just one possible explanation for this. United had decided to go after us, but this decision was too fresh. Because of that, it had stayed in the higher levels of the hierarchy. It was impossible for it to have traveled down the food chain. It was known to shareholders and a handful of corporate managers. I had no doubt it would become public knowledge somewhere along the line, but, so far, it hadn’t reached any of my contacts.
At any rate, this was all speculation. Unfortunately for me, I had no way of corroborating my theory. To make matters worse, I had to play the waiting game. I was forced to sit by and do nothing, in expectation of their move. In other words, I would have to hang on to the edge of my seat for God knew how long. I intended to get a lawyer once I got back to the Big Apple, but that was pretty much all I could do. Head over to some bigshot attorney’s office, narrate the crazy story of flight one-fifteen and ask him to find ways to protect me and Jake from a bunch of vultures called “United Airlines.”
The beautiful colors of the sunset were up in the clear sky, while Jake and I had a cup of coffee in the lobby. I was discussing lawyer names with him as the shape of the black Wrangler caught my eye. Ava drove past the building and turned left and into the driveway; a sense of anticipation built up inside me. I excused myself and strode off to the entrance, wondering what she had been up to all day. If her beaming face was any indication, my girl had had a blast out there.
“I just love how friendly the locals are!” She cheered, holding a red binder to her chest as she jogged towards me. “I got to interview twelve of them today, and none of them complained or tried to avoid me in any way. Not one!”
“Let me guess,” I suggested, wearing a crooked smile. “Those twelve locals were all male.”
“Yes, that’s true,” she answered with a nod. “Why? What does that have to do with anything?”
“I just can’t imagine many guys who’d turn down the opportunity to speak to a beautiful, slender blonde like you.” I stated, my smile widening to a grin. “I’m guessing there was a lot of flirting, too.”
“Not quite,” she claimed, her enthusiasm fading. “Most of those men were in their late sixties. Three of them did the funniest thing. As soon as I started talking with them, they called their sons and
told them to drop by.”
“Awesome,” I snorted in amusement. “You should have woken me up this morning. It’s not safe for you to be out there all alone.”
“Because the locals will try to set me up with their sons?” She ventured a guess, irony dripping from her tongue.
“No, because there’s a lot of wildlife around Lake Huron,” I explained, intensifying my stare. “I’m talking about black bears, wolves, and coyotes.”
“Oh,” she gasped in surprise. “You’re right. I didn’t think of that. Anyway, how was your day?”
“I spent most of my time on the phone with friends in United and the industry.” I began, disappointment lowering my voice down an octave. “None of them have heard a peep about United’s plans.”
“I’m sorry.” She made her voice sound sweeter. “I’m also sorry I came back so late. I should have been here for lunch, but I lost track of time.”
“That’s okay,” I reassured her. “You had a job to do.”
“A job that’s not finished yet.” Ava spoke in a deeper voice. “I have to get back out tomorrow for some more interviews.”
“Then you’re going to need a car,” I remarked. “Hertz is coming over to pick up the Wrangler in an hour. They do that at the end of our stay out here. I’ll call the cab company and tell them we won’t be needing them tonight. You’re driving us to the airport. Afterwards, you can go to that rental dealership and rent a car. Wait here. I’ll go get Jake.”
Chapter Fourteen
Ava