by Oliver Rill
“That anyway. But I thought we could have a strategic meeting there. How about a long weekend, walking, working, eating, a wellness-package … something like that?”
“And we have to go to that backwater to do it? We’ve got everything we need here for that and in Florida! Why Santa Barbara?”
“I love Santa Barbara. Maybe you’ll get to love it too if we spend some time there? Please?” I begged.
“Only if you promise to lust after me all weekend.”
“What like this?” I gave him a smouldering look and the decision was made.
“Ok when do we fly? Or are we driving?”
“Let’s drive. Shall we take the Range Rover?”
Aaron had to have some time off at some point and since this was a private jaunt, I drove myself. I had trained Aaron in the way I liked to be driven, relaxed and carefully. I had had to adjust the distance he kept from the car in front and ensure that he braked at appropriate times but then on a clear road he could put his foot down. Eventually, he found a way to adapt his driving skills to my feelings of safety and I reduced my tendency for back seat driving as far as possible.
In spite of its grand title of King Suite, in the Marriot’s Courtyard Hotel, I really didn’t like the room. I had imagined it differently, airy, modern, maybe with a big round bed. In actuality, it turned out to be fairly dark and rustic with a red and green checked armchair and a wooden bed with carved details.
“Come on, don’t be such a spoilt brat. It’s not that bad. It’s quite nice in fact.”
“It’s ok. I just wanted it to be something special with you.”
“Am I not special enough for you? Aren’t I special?” I laughed at Matt’s mock disappointment.
“You know that I can’t get enough of you.”
“Yes I know.” He grinned in self-satisfaction and self-love. The great thing about Matt was that he knew that he was terrifically good looking and in spite of that there wasn’t a shred of arrogance about him. He just enjoyed his gift of beauty and beamed it out, demanding my attention. We christened the bed and then went down for something to eat in the restaurant, chatting about Can Am, between courses
“We have to plan our next move quite carefully, Matt. Up to now, everything has gone fairly smoothly. We’re going to have to make a decision between long haul flights or new inland routes. Whether we’re going to fly to Mexico and Canada, or if we want to capitalize on our existing routes.”
“I see … You mean we should take a look at the costing spreadsheets and at my route analysis and then make a plan, right?”
“Exactly, we have to decide where we’re going to attack next. Then I can get planes and slots and make a plan for next year.”
“Ok, maybe we’ll do that after some early sport, after breakfast and after some jogging. Not tonight.”
“Early sport and jogging?”
“Of course, Oli! That little man there needs lots of training!” I had to laugh.
“I thought you meant … Ok. Lucky escape!”
We decided in the end to take several routes forward. We wanted new inland routes, to carefully build our long haul capacity too and also to build on our less populated routes.
“And is that it for now? Is that why we came here? To jog along the beach and gaze at the computer for two hours?”
“And to walk up and down the high street, eat ice, shop, and for me to have a chat with a real estate broker.”
“With a real estate broker?”
“Yeah, just to keep up to date with the market.”
“You’re on a million a year or so, aren’t you?”
“A little more, but don’t tell anyone.”
“Fuck! Really? So much? Can you buy me a Porsche for my birthday? Then I’ll always have to think of you, because it’s a German car.”
“And you think it’s ok to come to work in a Porsche? Don’t you think that everybody would guess that I’m your sugar daddy then?”
“I’d just say that I inherited it. Please Daddy. It’d be so cool! Think of what I’d look like in one of those. Wouldn’t you think it’s really sexy?”
“You look sexy when you sit on a push bike. And don’t call me Daddy!”
“And if I promise never to call you Daddy again?”
“Be serious, Matt Do you think everyone in the office would believe you? I’ll buy you one. I will. But you see, people will talk, mark my words.”
“Yeah alright. I know. It’s so stupid. But I could have one if I resigned, couldn’t I?”
“If you resign, then you’d get a Porsche made out of wood with brass handles to drive you home to your maker!”
“What’s the point of having a rich friend then?”
“Are you only my friend because I’m rich?”
“Oh come on, Oli! You know that’s not true!”
“Do I?”
“Do I have to prove it?” He smiled suggestively.
“I think maybe you do!” I laughed.
By the end of the year my fleet had grown to 151 planes. Matt and I had laid down our strategy for next year and I just had to decide by Monday which new planes I should buy and how many.
Santa Barbara didn’t exactly knock Matt’s socks off, but it did mine. It did every time I went there. Despite Matt’s protests, I met briefly with a really sweet real estate broker. She was definitely an alternative type, small but really cute. We met in the hotel and sat outside on the terrace under one of the enormous sun shades, drinking coffee.
“I’m looking for something big, with an ocean view. It’d be nice actually on the beach. It’d need lots guest space, lots of living space. A big garden. Something along those lines.”
“We do have a few properties, but on the seafront is difficult and naturally more expensive. Instead of that, I do have …”
“No, I don’t do compromises. Everything I’ve mentioned is a deal breaker. If you don’t have anything right now with all that, then maybe you’ll have something later.”
“Ok, I’ll make a note of it. Ocean access, how many rooms and roughly how big do you want the property to be?”
“Well, let’s say eight rooms. And around three receptions. The grounds can be as big as you like.”
“Okay. What’s your limit?”
“It has to be an appropriate price. Not over the top. If I give you a price, that’s just going to cut the opportunities down. I wouldn’t even mind a building plot and I build something myself. That might even be better.”
“Ok I get it. I’ll do some research and get back to you.”
“Hey Oli. What’s this about? There’s nothing going on here. And such a big place too? You’ve already got a mansion in Florida.”
“And I love it. But it is five hours away by plane and it isn’t Santa Barbara.”
“Don’t you want to go to Fort Myers anymore then?”
“Of course I do.”
“Well I’m glad about that, but just for the record, I don’t like Santa Barbara. Now, let’s get out of this hell hole.”
On Monday I closed the door of my office and set to work on the plan which would have us adding a further 70 planes to our fleet. We were going to increase flights to Seattle and Denver and increase our presence in the East. Three long hauls came into San Francisco from Asia. I originally thought to target all the capitals in Europe, but then settled on the main ones: Zurich, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Vienna. More might prove to be too risky and I didn’t’ want to invest more.
I let Daniel know to prepare him mentally for what was going to hit him. Aristo would get wind of it soon enough. I almost felt like swaggering over to Melvin with the feeling of muted courage, but a small whisper of doubt crept in and I wondered about feeling too optimistic as I laid my plan before him. Melvin soothed my nerves. He had counted on the airline going down this route. He expected a few visits from Bankers as we got the plan off the ground.
“But I can make deals with Boeing now?”
“The way our figures look
? Go ahead!”
The orders for the 747-8s were as straight forward as before. The smaller variant of the 737s that we purchased had an extended delivery time, because we tended to go for smaller airports in the east of the US.
I knew the path we would be following for the next year, but I had to talk to Matt about the trip to Greece. It wasn’t until late afternoon that I got to leave my office and sit on Matt’s chair, designated for visitors in my anteroom.
“Matt. I am about to jet off to Greece for three or four weeks. To Sifnos. How about it? Are you coming? Or do you want to stay here?”
“Very funny! Us, go on vacation together? Is that allowed?”
“There are such things as cell phones and the internet in this day and age, you know. What’s the problem?”
“Someone has to be here and if you aren’t then I have to be, don’t I? Anyway, it looks a bit funny if we both disappear on vacation together.”
“That’s true. If we do that, you might as well have had the Porsche.”
“Then if I stay, can I have one?”
“Matt!”
“Ok. Ok. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.”
“I don’t know if I can stay away from you for that long.” I said quietly.
“If they everyone in Greece looks like Aristo, then I doubt if we will see you for dust.”
“Only Aristo looks like Aristo.”
“Okay. I’ll keep myself busy with analyzing the books, and maybe look up a few friends and keep myself out of trouble at the gym. Maybe I’ll take a trip to Fort Myers and chill one weekend.”
“Yeah. There is a great club down there!” I teased.
“Strip clubs are more your area.” He retorted.
“I only want one particular stripper.”
“Let me get back to work, or I’ll show you the strip!”
“I’m going to fly next week. First stop Berlin and from there, Athens.”
“But before then, I’m going to give you a strip show of your life. Now out of my assistant’s office and go back to your own, I have a boss to keep happy!”
That evening, Matt arrived a while after me at the poolside.
“Oli, how long do you think you’ll be away?”
“To be honest, I’m not sure. I’d love to stay a couple of months, but I don’t think I can.”
“You said three weeks earlier! Now you’re talking two months?”
“Well I’ve never gone for less than two months before. I really miss Sifnos. But I do know that I can’t stay away that long. Why don’t you come with me? Or even follow me over there.”
“Oli I’ve already said, I can’t. If you’re really going to stay away that long, I might manage a week over there. I really don’t agree with you being away that long though.”
“I don’t think I can stay that long either, but I’m going to try.”
“I’d rather you tried to get back here as soon as possible. I’m going to miss you!”
“I’m going to miss you too, Matt.”
“I know.” He said in a small voice. It was the first time that I had the feeling that he thought of us as a couple, even though we had in effect been that for a long time now. Up until now, he had always treated ‘us’ very casually, as though he could move out again any day or as if he had never really moved in with me, as though my house was just an extension of the job. Him saying that he would miss me made my heart sing because he had said it out loud.
The next morning, Aaron arrived at my house to do the commute into work. I sat behind him, to stop me fussing about the traffic and slamming my foot on the floor when I saw another car cut us up. It was also more comfortable to make calls from the back seat which distracted me a little especially when I needed to phone Europe. It was early evening there, but early enough not to rouse people if they wanted to get an early night. As Aaron pulled into the traffic I asked him if he had ever been to Europe.
“Of course, every weekend!”
“I’m afraid you’re going to have to come with me to Sifnos on Saturday.”
“Where?”
“Sifnos. It’s one of the small Greek islands.”
“Is it off the south coast?”
“Yes it is. Swimming togs, T-shirts, Flip-flops.”
“You did warn me. I’m ready for it.”
“You excited?”
“Are we just going there and coming back?”
“Yeah. Well, we’re making a small detour in Europe first.”
“And what will I be doing there?”
“Nothing special. I’m just taking you to keep the insurance company happy about safety. For you it’ll be a bit like a vacation.”
“Are you docking it from my leave?”
“No way! What are you like! You’re there to keep me safe.”
“Good cos at some point I want to go home. Maybe around Christmas.”
“Yeah, no sweat.”
“So Greece is really warm, isn’t it? Like Florida?”
“Yeah. Just like Florida.”
“Great. And do we have a car there?”
“No, we have a Vespa there. Like a really small motorbike. A scooter.”
“And you and me, I drive you around on this motorbike?”
“Probably not. We’ll rent you one of your own. Oh yeah, and we’re going to have to find somewhere to live. I’ll just make a quick call.”
“Antonis? Have you got two rooms for me? Room number two for me if you have it and another one?”
“When and for how long?” Antonis asked.
“From Saturday, for, let’s say three weeks.”
“Let me have a look. Yes, but …”
“I’m paying the full price, Antonis.” I cut him off quickly.
”It’s June. Normally it’d be … Let’s say 60 per night. Each. For 21 nights that’s 2,500. I’ll let you have the rooms for 2,000.”
“No way!”
“I can’t let it go for anything less, Oli! It’s high season.”
“”I’ll pay 3,000.”
“Have you gone crazy?”
“Antonis. You let me stay last year for nothing for months. I’m in a position now to pay you back. Take it! You said you needed to do some work on the rooms anyway. We’ll be there Sunday. Will you be there?”
“When are you coming? Sunday? Yeah. I’m here till Wednesday. Then I’m back in August. We’ll see each other again. Great!”
Aaron drew up to the building and I got out and strode through the foyer to the lift. Before I went to my office, I turned left into the accounting department.
“Melvin, how’s it looking? I’m taking Aaron to Greece. The firm will pay that, won’t they?”
“Of course. There is a list of rates for expenses according to each country. We either need the receipts or we give a flat rate. In Greece it’s 132 Euros a night and 42 Euros for other expenses.”
“Wow. That’s quite high.”
“It’s the amount we have to pay by law.”
“Will I get that much?”
“Are you there on business?”
“No, vacation. At least I think so.”
“Then I think you can pay for your own vacation just like anyone else. Aaron is there to look after you for the firm. It’s work for him and so the firm will pay.”
“Ok. I get it. Thanks Melvin.”
On the 747-8 to Berlin sitting next to Aaron, I considered how different it felt when it was your own company flying you into your vacation. The holiday feeling normally started when you sat in the aircraft. At least that’s how it always was for me. Now I had a member of staff at my side and I spent time watching the crew move about the plane checking on how they interacted with each other and paying customers and wondering about the standards of their work. The crew of course knew that I was on board, firstly because they knew my face from the TV and advertising campaigns and secondly because the boarding list shouted my name loud and clear. The crew were in no doubt that their work was being assessed narrowly and that
they would have to keep their noses clean today.
I had pressed Matt close to me as we left and we had reminded each other of our deal. I thought Matt was perfect even there was a little bit of game playing and even if he did think of me as his big busty Barbie sometimes. I didn’t want our lives to be lived in the public eye either, but I would have liked to have drawn more friends and family into our lives. I had never met anyone from Matt’s life. I had no desire to start anything with anyone else, I just wanted to get back to Matt as soon as I could. I would miss him, too in the next three weeks and looked forward to planting a big kiss on his lips and being pampered by him again when I got back.
“Where we’re flying to now, is there a nightlife?” Aaron asked. We had never really spoken about his sexuality before and I wasn’t sure if he was gay or not.
“Do you mean if there are queens on the island?”
“Yes. Are there any?”
“There are a few on the island. Just a few.”
“And anyone interesting?”
“I found a couple, yes. I’ve never asked you, Aaron, but what about you?”
“What? You mean am I gay?”
I nodded.
“I’m Gay, yeah.”
“Oh God. I should have known that. I would never have hired you if I’d known!” I laughed. “I never pick it up. Are you seeing anyone at the moment?”
“No, not for a long time. In Fort Myers it was difficult with my job and in L.A. they seem really superficial. I’m okay with that. A few one night stands, no stress, no relationship dramas.”
“I wondered. I didn’t know where you stood. You know the night that you drove me home? That really impressed me and I thought you were such a caring type of guy. You were the sort of person who finds relationships important. A Beziehungsmensch!” I reverted back to my native German as English didn’t seem to have a word for that.
“I have had relationships. Long ones. And I like being close to someone, but then things just didn’t work, what with working nights and so on.”
“I am sure that you didn’t lack offers!”
The Boeing started to roll towards the runway. We were buckled up as per standard aviation regulations even though we hadn’t listened to the air stewardess’ instructions then we felt the momentum pushing us back into the seats as the plane slowly gathered speed.