Wanted: Girl I Once Met

by Sonja Gunter

  The interior resembled an office and there were four rows of two seats on each side up toward the front of the plane. Behind these seats, were booths with tables. Continuing down the center was a small open area with a door that stood open part way, and she could see what appeared to be a bed. She’d only seen airplanes like this on television and she immediately felt like a movie star or a jet setter.

  Mark told her to sit anywhere she’d like and she quickly chose the last row and the seat next to the window. Mark didn’t join her at first. He had gone up to the cockpit to talk to the pilot.

  Just then, Philip entered the plane and came over to stand next to her seat.

  “Hi, welcome aboard. I have the department store in Naples waiting for your arrival. I’m acting as a steward for this flight. Would you care for something to drink?” Philip asked.

  “Thanks. Do you have a Coke?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  Philip turned and then Mark was standing next to the seat.

  “I thought you might be hungry. I made a tray of snacks,” Mark said and held out a tray of various cheeses, crackers, and fruit. “We’ll have dinner once we’ve taken off.”

  “Thanks. I’m still not sure that this isn’t some sort of dream. I feel kind of like Cinderella.” Rane paused and took a breath. “Will you be sitting with me or do you have to be up front?”

  “No, I’ll be joining you in a few minutes. I’m not the pilot this weekend but Philip is the co-pilot. We’ll be ready for takeoff in a couple of minutes.”

  Mark placed the tray on the table in front of her and as Philip appeared with her Coke.

  “I’ll be back to sit down just before we take off,” Mark said.

  While she sat alone and munched on the crackers and cheese, she attempted to take in everything. The afternoon had gone by quickly after she’d told David off, which still shocked her. At first she’d been embarrassed people might have overheard his parting comments but then Val had been there as always, to put her at ease.

  Oh my god. She’d forget to call Val. And what about Thor?

  Rane quickly took out her phone and hit ‘call’.

  “Hello, girlfriend, how did the rest of your day go?” Val asked.

  “You’re not going to believe where I am,” Rane said.

  “At his house again?”

  “No, I’m in his private jet and we are flying down to Florida.”

  “Really?”

  “I’m not kidding. But I need a favor. Will you take care of Thor for me? He’s going to be really mad when I don’t come home again.”

  “You know I will, he’s the only stable man in my life right now. Oh, I filed the papers on David. You won’t have to worry about him barging in on you at work again.”

  “You’re the best. I’ll call you when I get back,” Rane said.

  “Enjoy all the sex. Bye.”

  Val hung up and Rane saw Mark standing next to the seat.

  “Is everything okay? We’re about ready to take off.”

  “Yea, I called Val about Thor.”

  “The other man in your life, right?” Mark said with a grin.

  “Do you go through the safety things? Keep your seatbelt fastened. In case of an emergency, the air thingy will come down. You know?” Rane asked.

  “No, but I can if you need me to,” he said and laughed.

  “Oh, I think I remember all those things. No need.”

  Soon the plane lifted off and they were on their way to Florida. Mark had a strange sensation of déjà vu when he watched Rane gazing out the window. He had an odd feeling he’d done this before. He was almost one hundred percent sure now that she was the girl from the plane twenty years ago.

  “Rane,” Mark started but stopped when he saw Philip’s signal from the cockpit that it was safe to get up. “Would you like a tour of the plane?”

  “That would be great. I’ve never been on a private jet before.”

  He stood and waited for her to stand before pointing to the front of the plane.

  “That’s the cockpit. There is one restroom in the front. You have our regular seating in this area here,” he said, indicating the section they had been sitting in. He turned and pointed to the next area. “And this is what I call the conference room. I have power outlets for laptops and tables set up here. I’ve had to conduct many meetings in the air.”

  “This is great! I’m sure all your guests have thought so too,” she exclaimed.

  Smiling, he continued to the center. “This is the galley. I usually have two flight attendants, Dawn and Josh, when I fly. They prepare the food here.”

  She saw a regular-size refrigerator, three microwaves, an oven, and another room off to the left.

  “This area has everything needed so I can properly entertain clients in the air. There are two restrooms back here.”

  Next, he opened the door that had caught her attention.

  “And I have a bedroom with its own bathroom.”

  “This is unreal!” She chuckled. “Wait until I tell my mom and Val about this plane. No one is going to believe me.”

  She went and stood in front of Mark.

  “Mark, what—?”

  She wasn’t able to finish her question because the plane hit an air pocket, causing her to lose her balance.

  Mark caught her, pulling her hard against him. “The gods have granted my wish. I’ve been thinking of numerous ways to get you in my arms.”

  Holding Rane close, he lowered his head and kissed her parted lips. The intensity of her response shocked him. He’d thought last night’s kisses were fiery. This kiss was a fast burn all the way down to his aching loins.

  Somehow through the fog he heard a noise, as if someone was clearing his or her throat, and let up on the kiss. He gently moved Rane to the side and peered over her shoulder. Philip.

  “Excuse me,” he said, “we should start dinner now. You can have dessert later.”

  Mark saw Rane blush and kissed her lips one more time before replying.

  “Right! Rane, feel free to roam the plane. I had Philip pick up some movies, and you could put one on to watch while we fetch dinner.”

  He let go of his hold on her and moved into the galley to help Philip gather the already prepared food. Fending off Philip’s questions while they assembled the food onto the plates proved torturous, but soon he was on his way back to Rane with two full plates in hand.

  “I hope you enjoy our menu selection,” he said, handing her a plate as he settled next to her. “I had the chef from Jack’s prepare us chicken cordon bleu with rice and sting beans. All we needed to do was heat it up. I’m not a very good cook and neither is Philip.”

  “It smells wonderful.”

  “I think so, too,” said Mark.

  “Do you know that when I was little I read all the books I could find on flying? It held my interest for several years. My mother would never let me take flying lessons. I still would like to learn how to pilot a plane. Someday I’m going to take lessons. The Wright Brothers’ passion for flying has always inspired me. When I feel I’m unable to accomplish something I think about their dream and how they made it real.”

  Mark choked on the bite of food he’d taken, not sure he’d heard Rane correctly. He stared hard at her, trying to see if the girl was there. Here it was again, the déjà vu feeling.

  The girl etched in his memory had also referred to the Wright Brothers. It was one of the reasons he’d gotten his pilot license. He was getting more and more anxious with every mile they got closer to Florida.

  “Tell me about your spring vacations with your Grandma in Florida.”

  He needed to confirm without a doubt that she was the girl. What could they-no he-have missed in the reports? Philip wasn’t going to b
elieve it IF Rane turned out to be the girl.

  “Oh my gosh, that was so many years ago. Let’s see, I used to make my Grandma take me to Tiger Tail Beach on Marco Island almost every day. Now don’t laugh when I tell you why. When I was thirteen, I had a crush on this boy who had sat next to me on my flight to see my grandma.”

  She smiled and laughed nervously before she continued. “I haven’t thought about this in years. Val poked fun at me for the longest time saying he hadn’t been real. I remember him being the cutest boy I’d ever seen. I don’t know if I should say boy, I think he was in college. He’d mentioned going to Marco Island, so I told my grandma that we needed to go to the beach. However, the real reason was so I could find him. That was what I call my first real crush.”

  “Your first crush,” Mark said, his heart beating faster. Like with Mrs. Weber, he knew his suspicions were correct. “Was your search successful?”

  Rane laughed. “No, I had fallen so hard for him during the flight I even asked him to marry me.”

  “For real?”

  “Yea, my mom said it was my hormones gone wild! He was so polite to me when I asked him. He didn’t laugh or tease me he just told me he would when I was old enough to marry.”

  “Well, that was big of him.”

  What should he do? Should he fess up?

  He was that boy. She was the girl. Without a doubt, she was the one he’d been waiting twenty years for. Should he spill the beans?

  Instead of ruining the moment, he asked, “Did you get the boy’s name?”

  “Why, it was Mark, like yours.”

  “What a coincidence. You must really like the name Mark. Maybe I should have Philip check him out.”

  “No need. That was a long time ago. I’ve been over him for years. My grandma never said a word about going to the beach, but I think she knew it was to look at the boys. I would walk the beach looking for him. I did it every year during my spring break.”

  “Did you ever find this boy?”

  “Oh, no. My freshman year in high school, I met another boy. You met him today, my ex-husband. I was young and thought I was in love with him, too. Now, looking back, I know it was just an illusion. You see, everyone in the school expected us to marry. So when he asked, I agreed, not really understanding what it meant.”

  Rane sipped on her Coke, seemingly deep in thought over what she had just admitted. “He was a good boyfriend in school, but an awful husband. He hadn’t wanted high school to ever end. Then, in college, he realized that there was a whole world of women out there trying to get his attention.”

  “Why did you stay with him for so long? You said you’d been married to him for over ten years, wasn’t it?”

  “Yea, I thought we were the perfect couple. What a joke that was!”

  Enough about her ex. He wanted to find out more about what she thought about him. “So what made you give up on the boy in Florida? Didn’t you ever see him again?” He already knew the answer to that one. No. But why?

  His house was on Tiger Tail Beach and the property line bordered the beach reserve. Still to this day, when he would stay at his house on Marco Island, he cruised the beach to look closely at all the women. Had they been two star-crossed souls until now?

  “No, I only talked to him for, what, about three hours on the plane. I never got his full name. I only knew that he was the cutest boy I’d ever seen. He didn’t talk much about himself. I even told him my silly nickname.”

  “You have a nickname that you haven’t shared with me?”

  This was it, the moment he’d been waiting for.

  She chuckled before going on. “Yes! My friends were always having a hard time saying my name so my Mom came up with the name Ro. It stuck with me until high school. Only my true friends still use it to this day.”

  “Didn’t your ex use it today?” he asked and saw her stiffen.

  “Yea, that’s another reason I don’t want it used. It brings back too many memories.”

  “I’m sorry, I won’t bring it up again. If you’re done with your dinner, I’ll take the trays to the galley.”

  “Thanks, the chicken was fantastic and I loved the beans. They were delicious, but I’m too excited to eat much.” She smiled and handed him her half-eaten dinner.

  Mark quickly took the trays and went into the galley.

  Oh my God! She’d confirmed all his assumptions. Rane was the girl!

  He needed time to think about this. Setting the trays down, he leaned against the galley counter, closed his eyes, and covered his face with his hands.

  Doubt set in. The girl he’d pictured all these years was not anything like Rane. What if she wasn’t the girl and he was just seeing things that weren’t there? Maybe everything she said was just a coincidence. She hadn’t mentioned anything about drawing the picture. A lot of kids went down to Florida during vacations. Summer crushes happened all the time.

  Damn. He was so confused now. Who could help him? No one. That is, unless Rane’s Grandma could help solve the mystery. If he was able to get a glimpse of her, it might trigger his memory and all the pieces would fall into place. He’d watched the girl run to an older woman and give her a hug. He knew he’d recognize the older woman if he saw her again.

  With a new plan in motion, he composed himself and returned to the conference area.

  “Which restroom do I use?” Rane asked.

  “The one through the bedroom.”

  Hearing the door close, he slipped into the bedroom. The mile high club was calling him. He quickly shed his suit coat, pulled out the tails of his dress shirt, unbuttoned several buttons, and discarded his tie. Just before the door opened, he flipped the switch for music and sat on the end of the bed.

  “Oh my . . .”

  Mark stood and tenderly cupped her face in his hands. “I want to make love to you.”

  After making his declaration, he kissed her, then used his tongue to show her what he wanted to do. He felt Rane’s arms go around his neck and felt her fingers play with his hair. He had to let up on the kiss because it already had him aroused beyond his comprehension. He unwound her arms from his neck and took her hand to lead her to the bed.

  He slowly undressed her, leaving her clad in her underwear, and carefully laid her clothes to the side. He left Rane on the bed to completely undress himself. Joining her on the bed, his arousal was very evident. He clasped her into his arms and their lips met. His hand reached down between them and unhooked her bra, freeing her breasts.

  He left her inflamed lips and began a searching trail of kisses. He found her swollen breasts and osculated her nipples, causing her to arch backward in pleasure.

  “Mark, don’t stop.”

  “There are other parts that need my attention too.”

  He continued downward with his kiss until he reached her panties and removed them.

  Mark found what he knew was going to bring her to the highest point he could take her. Her release was hard and fast and he felt her quivering against his lips.

  When the orgasm ended, Mark eased Rane’s legs apart and allowed himself to sink into her heated core. The rhythm was slow but soon it, too, changed. Rane was pushing him harder and faster than he had wanted. Her pulsing core sent him over the edge. “Rane, I love you.”

  Mark wasn’t sure if she had heard him or if he had really said the words aloud. However, he didn’t have time to dwell on it now. The yellow light flashing above the door meant they were descending for their approach into the Southwest Florida International Airport. They needed to get dressed. Gently he pushed her hair away from her face so he could see her eyes.

  “Hey, honey. We’ll be landing in about a half hour, and we need to get dressed.”

  Smiling at her incredulous expression, Mark realized it no longer mattered if Rane was
the girl who he’d met all those years ago or not. He was certain that this was the woman who could fill the void in his life, the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get Rane to feel the same way.

  Getting off the bed, Rane found her clothes lying on the end of the bed. She grabbed them and rushed into the restroom. Not once did she look at Mark. She needed the time alone to go over what he had proclaimed.

  He’d said he loved her!

  Did she love him? A definite maybe.

  Was she ready to love again?

  Did she want to get married again?

  During Mark’s quick shower, it became apparent to him that Rane didn’t remember anything about her promise. He’d been wrong to think the need to find the other had been one-sided. For some unknown reason they were meant not to find each other until now.

  Remembering one of the stories about dragons, Mark recalled it had taken the human years to understand the yearning and find his dragon. The human had saved a young dragon from dying, spending several days to accomplish this deed. The dragon had been so afraid after it had recovered, it had flown away. Later, the dragon had sought to find the human. The story ended with them finding each other and becoming life mates.

  Would Rane and he end up being life mates? Yes, they would! He knew it in his heart.

  He quickly finished dressing and exited the bathroom. The first thing he saw was the flashing red light. Not finding Rane in the bedroom, he noticed the bed had been made. He returned to the front of the plane and found her sitting in the same seat and sat down next to her. Taking her hand in his, he kissed the palm. Rane smiled at him and rested her head against his shoulder and he, in turn, placed his arm around her, holding her close.

  Philip came out of the cockpit.

  “Mark, we have the okay to start our descent. I secured everything in the galley. Is everything checked in the back of the plane?”

  “Yes, we are ready to land.”