Again, no answer after I tried to dial her one last time.
I headed to the pilot’s lounge to check in, get the forecast and go over the flight details. Still no word from Kendall. There was no choice but to stick to the itinerary because this plane wasn’t going to fly itself.
Checking my phone constantly as I met with the crew, it was beginning to feel like Kendall getting on this flight just wasn’t going to happen. In a last ditch effort to stall, I did something I’d never even considered doing once in my entire career: I intentionally caused a delay.
As the first officer, it was my responsibility to inspect the plane when it arrived. I created a fake concern that one of the instruments in the cockpit wasn’t calibrating properly and needed to be looked into. That resulted in an engineer having to run some tests on it. Although the inspection ended up delaying the plane for over an hour, it was all in vain. No Kendall.
I finally closed the cockpit doors, and when my pre-flight paperwork was completed, I got the go ahead for push back.
Ten minutes later, I lifted the plane to a smooth take off while images of blonde hair, honest blue eyes and the most beautiful smile I’d ever seen flashed through my brain. I wondered if we would ever cross paths again.
Once we were at cruising altitude, I decided to use up my last glimmer of hope. The ticket I’d bought for Kendall was for seat 12C. Sometimes a few stragglers boarded at the last minute. Could I have missed her?
When a flight attendant entered with water, I asked, “Is there anyone sitting in 12C by any chance?”
“Let me check,” she said.
The lives of nearly two hundred people were in my hands, and it didn’t make me nervous in the least. Waiting for that flight attendant to come back with the answer? It was torture.
The door opened.
“Actually, Captain, no. That seat is empty.”
“Thank you, Cammie.”
With confirmation that Kendall was definitely not on my plane, I released the breath I’d been holding and took to the intercom to do what I always did when I was feeling down.
But this one was for her.
I TRIED TO RELAX into my seat, even though I was a nervous wreck.
The flight attendant made the announcement to shut down all wireless devices, but that wasn’t necessary in my case, since my phone had died. In my haste to get ready this morning, I’d left my phone charger plugged into the wall back in the bedroom at Maria’s.
Shortly after dropping Carter off at the airport, I had what felt like a panic attack in Maria Rosa’s car. The thought of continuing this trip alone seemed unbearable.
We were almost to the hotel when it all suddenly became clear.
I didn’t even know how to speak Portuguese, so I took a wild guess as to how to relay my thoughts to Maria.
Pointing in the direction behind us, I said, “Aeropuerto!”
She nodded and kept driving toward the Westin.
“Maria, I need to go back to the airport.”
She must have understood me because she suddenly made a sharp left u-turn, up and over the median. Then, we were finally heading the way to the airport. My heart was beating a mile a minute during the drive back.
When she pulled up to the drop off area, I gave her a quick hug. “Muchas gracias!” Immediately realizing that was Spanish, I simply didn’t have enough time to figure out the correct way to thank her. Later, I’d send her a translated thank you note along with some cash to remove the apparent curse on me.
Rushing through the door to the International Airlines ticket counter, I nearly tripped over my own suitcase.
“Has the flight to Dubai left yet?”
The attendant clicked a few buttons. “Actually, that’s been delayed due to technical issues.”
Thank you, Jesus.
“Is there still time to get on that flight?”
She made a phone call before answering, “You’ll have to hurry, but I’ve alerted them to expect you at the gate. Give me your credit card, and we’ll get you set up as fast as possible.”
She printed my boarding pass, and I ran as fast as I could to security. Thankfully, there were no issues getting through, and I was able to make it onto the plane.
He hadn’t asked me to come with him. This was a huge risk.
Despite my growing insecurity, I held onto the memory of the look in his eyes when he turned around to wave to me that last time. His expression had seemed filled with regret and doubt. He’d looked how I had felt.
It would be fourteen hours before I would figure out whether this was a big mistake. The cockpit had already been closed when I made my way to the back of the plane.
Now, I would try to just relax. Well, as best as I could with the knowledge that most, if not all, of the leggy brunettes walking these aisles had likely slept with Carter.
As the plane taxied down the runway, I closed my eyes and let myself feel his presence in every movement of the vessel as it ascended toward the sky. Memories of our tandem gliding ran through my mind. The thought that Carter was the one controlling this aircraft was just as comforting as it was a huge turn on. There was nothing more powerful than holding dozens of lives in your hands. He was a hero, if you asked me.
Once the plane had leveled off, my heart nearly skipped a beat at the sound of his deep, soothing voice over the intercom.
“Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Supreme Commander otherwise known as Captain Clynes. I’d like to take a moment to welcome you this afternoon to my home away from home here on this beautiful Boeing 757. Our flying time from Rio de Janeiro to Dubai is a whopping fourteen hours. We anticipate some pockets of turbulence in the first forty minutes or so, but after that, it should be smooth sailing. Again, welcome aboard International Airlines Flight 237 to the United Arab Emirates.”
Then, without warning, Carter began to sing. While all of the passengers seemed amused, the flight attendants, who were clearly used to his singing, were completely unphased.
The Beatles song he’d chosen this time was Ticket to Ride. Two things weren’t lost on me: the fact that the song was about a careless girl who was going away and the fact that he’d sung it instead of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. He’d replaced his signature song with one that I was pretty sure was about me.
If you wanted me to stay, why didn’t you ask me?
I couldn’t begin to imagine what his reaction was going to be when he saw me in Dubai.
The day had taken its toll on me. I normally couldn’t sleep well on an aircraft, but Carter being at the helm made me feel safe. I ended up nodding off for a couple of hours.
When I woke up, I was greeted by a rude awakening. A few of the flight attendants were gossiping in the galley. My seat in the last row was located right in front of the area where they prepared the food.
I tried to block out the surrounding sounds to focus in on what they were saying.
“Did you and Trip hook up in Rio?”
“No. We’re not seeing each other anymore. And don’t you dare tell me ‘I told you so.’”
“Honestly…you lasted longer with him than anyone else I’ve ever seen him messing around with.”
“Two whole months.” She laughed. I turned around so I could get a look at which one was speaking. It was the one named Jolene. Tall brunette. Shocker.
“Two months is a lifetime in Trip time. I was hoping it would work out for you. But I knew better…because of personal experience, unfortunately.”
“I should’ve listened to you.”
“Sometimes we need to find things out for ourselves.”
“I’m sorry that I almost risked our friendship to be with him.”
“By the time you told me you were sleeping with him, I was happy with Brian. Someday, you’ll meet a good guy, too. Fuck Carter.”
“That’s the problem. I already did. Now, I just need to get over it.”
I couldn’t stand to listen anymore. Putting my earbuds in, I blasted the music.
Was I sick in the head?
There were just so many reasons why I could potentially be delusional. This guy had a proven track record of being an asshole to women. Attractive women. Suddenly, I was going to be the one to change him? A girl who was potentially about to get pregnant by another man?
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, I felt trapped. Both literally on this long-haul flight, and figuratively by my own idiotic heart. Because as much as I knew I should get out of this situation—my heart wouldn’t let me.
What if.
What if.
What if.
What if what we have is different?
When Jolene came by to take my dinner order, I couldn’t help myself. “Can I ask you something?”
“Sure.” She smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. God, could she have been more opposite from me physically? She was like an Amazon woman. They all were. What did he want with me, if he liked them?
“I noticed that the pilot likes to sing Beatles songs. I was on another flight with him, and he sang Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.”
“Uh-huh. Usually, he just sings that one. For some reason, he did a different one today.”
“My dad used to sing the Lucy song to me,” I lied. “Is there a story behind why he sings that one in particular?”
Without hesitation, she shook her head. “I don’t think so. He told me once he just likes the song.”
I examined her face for any sign of dishonesty. “Okay. Thanks.”
I knew she was telling the truth because she had no reason to protect him at this point. If anything, it probably would have given her pleasure to spill his secret. He hadn’t told her the meaning behind the song.
As Jolene took my order, my heart was doing a bit of a happy dance. The fact that he’d dated her for two months and never opened up to her like he did with me gave me a bit of hope. The cynical side of me, however, quickly concluded that maybe he opened up to me because he figured he’d never see me again.
The rest of the entire flight was spent ruminating. I asked God to give me a clue that my being here wasn’t all a huge mistake. At one point, I was able to fall asleep again.
By the time I woke up this time, the sun was shining through the plane windows, and we were almost in Dubai. I had no clue what time it even was there.
I noticed that the man sitting across the aisle from me had a charger plugged in. Thankfully, he let me borrow it to power up my dead phone.
When Carter’s voice came on the intercom, it sent chills through me, not only because I hadn’t heard it in a while, but because he sounded down and tired.
“Ladies and Gentleman, we are now on our final approach into Dubai International Airport. The time here is a little after one-thirty in the afternoon. This is the hottest time of the year in the UAE. Current temperature is a scorching ninety-three degrees. Stay cool and thank you again for flying International Airlines. We hope to see you again soon.”
Closing my eyes, I said a little prayer for a smooth landing. My ears popped as the plane lost altitude. My heart began to beat out of control in anticipation of revealing myself to Carter.
The landing was smooth as could be. When the engines were shut down, I powered on my phone, shocked to find that there were several missed messages—all from Carter.
Oh my God.
He’d bought me a ticket.
He wanted me here.
He must have thought I’d been ignoring him.
Sweat started to permeate me. My heart felt like it was going to burst.
Unable to see past the line of people waiting to exit the aircraft, I stretched my neck to search for him.
There he was, standing tall at the front of the plane with one hand crossed over the other as people thanked him for landing the plane safely.
He didn’t look like the Carter I knew. His eyes were dark and empty as he nodded to them, going through the motions.
It seemed to take forever to get to the front. With every step forward, my pulse raced faster. Only a few more steps to him.
Someone had asked him a question and in the middle of answering, he stopped mid-sentence when he finally turned and saw me standing there. For a few seconds, he froze in apparent shock. His chest was rising and falling as his breathing quickened. Then, the previously sullen look on his face slowly gave way to a massive smile.
This was one of those times in life where words were not necessary. Carter slowly shook his head in disbelief, looking deliriously happy. Did I still have my doubts about his intentions? Yes. But he sure as hell couldn’t have faked the look of genuine happiness on his face in that moment.
We just stood there staring at each other for several seconds. All of the passengers had exited the plane, but the crew was still scattered about.
Carter leaned in and whispered, “I see you got my texts.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No. My phone died shortly after dropping you off. I only saw those texts just now. I ended up rushing back and buying my own ticket.”
His eyeballs were moving back and forth as he processed that. “Perky…” He paused.
“What?” I smiled.
“I don’t know what this is.”
“Neither do I. I—”
“Let me finish,” he interrupted. “I don’t know what the fuck is happening here, but when I thought you were gone, it felt way worse than it should’ve after only knowing someone for two days. So, I don’t know what this is. I just know I want more of it.”
He looked around then placed his hand around my waist, leading me into the cockpit and shutting the door behind us.
“I can’t believe you really came.” In an instant, I was against the wall as he pressed his lips hard against mine and groaned into my mouth. I opened wide for him and relished the flavor that I’d only experienced once before—the one I thought I’d never get to taste again. Our tongues desperately explored as I ran my fingers through his hair and tugged at it.
He pulled back first. “I needed this so badly.”
Panting, I said, “That was a long fourteen hours.”
He tucked some of my hair behind my ear. “Listen, part of the reason I just attacked you like you’re my last meal…is because of where we are, okay?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Once we are off this plane and in public, we’re not allowed to touch.”
“What do you mean?”
“Things are very different in Dubai. We’re not allowed to show affection in public. We could literally get arrested. Even married people can only hold hands. Kissing or even hugging for them is considered indecent.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“You can’t swear in public, either. It’s a criminal offense.”
“Jesus, I need a drink.”
“That’s another thing. We’re only allowed to drink in hotels and clubs here.” He looked me up and down. “We need to cover you up before we go out there, too. I hope you brought that bra I bought you.”
“It’s in my suitcase.”
He took off his jacket. “Take this for now. We have to get out of here.”
Carter placed his hand on the small of my back and led me out of the cockpit.
“Where are we headed?”
He winked and flashed a mischievous grin. “I might know of a little hideaway.”
MY USUAL HIDEAWAY was booked solid. Amari had offered me the couch free of charge until one of his three bedrooms freed up the next morning. If I were alone, I’d have taken him up on it, knowing I was going to crash and be dead to the world when I got there anyway. But Kendall deserved better than sharing a couch while random strangers came and went. Plus, even the thought of anyone checking her out while she slept in her little thin nightshirt riled me up. Rather than take a chance on trying somewhere new in a place like Dubai, I took a room at the hotel the airline put the crew up in. It sure as shit wasn’t ideal, but it was safe, and I needed to get some sleep.
Outside of the airport, I steered Kendall away from the airline employee van that would have taken us to the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort with the rest of the crew. I didn’t want her exposed to any more of my past indiscretions than she already had been. At the cab line, we managed to find a shared van without too much of a wait. Kendall and I sat in the rear bench seat, and the other rows were filled with people speaking something I thought might be Farsi.
The back of the seat in front of us held a plastic pouch filled with laminated Local Laws of Dubai pamphlets in different languages. I’d perused them before and figured Kendall would get a kick out it. Slipping the English version out of the seatback, I held it and pointed to the first rule: No public displays of affection. This includes kissing, cuddling, and hand holding. Her palm was flat on the seat. I checked that no one was paying attention and then slipped my hand over hers, weaving our fingers together. She gave me a sidelong look with a gleam in her eye.
Keeping her left hand entwined with mine, she reached over with her right and took the law card out of my hand. She set it on the seat and silently pointed to the second rule: Clothing should be conservative. Females must avoid wearing transparent, low cut, or short clothing. Stomach, shoulders, and back must be covered. Men must cover their chest and shall not display their underwear. She looked straight ahead, making sure that no one in the rows above us were watching, and then slowly began to hike up the skirt on the sundress she was wearing. Knowing it was illegal, and following the slow, sensual movement of her hand as she inched it up little by little, it took everything I had to stifle a groan. By the time she reached the very top of her thigh, I had to shift in my seat. I’d seen her in a fucking bikini, but this…sneaking while people were right there, was purely erotic.
With entwined hands, her skirt pushed up barely covering her underwear, she handed the card to me. Not wanting to draw attention to us by acting strange, and needing a minute to slow the swell of my cock, I spent a minute looking outside the window, pretending to be interested in anything other than the sight of her thighs and the feel of our skin on skin. Then I pointed to rule six on the card: No foul language or indecent gestures whatsoever will be tolerated. I waited until the driver was busy merging onto the highway and the family in front of us was deep in a loud conversation. Then I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “My cock is rock hard wondering if I pushed that skirt up a little higher, if you would stop me.”
Playboy Pilot Page 7