23. Taylor
Twenty-Three
Taylor
Moving my phone back up, Jake’s face appears on the screen, and he blinks slowly, the emerald green of his eyes disappearing behind a curtain of lashes. When he opens his eyes, the intensity of his stare is penetrating, and it urges me on. Our words have dropped off, but our eyes remain locked on each other as my hand continues to move between my legs.
Our faces change, our breathing increases, there’s a comforting quiet of hard breaths and soft moans as we explore our bodies, connecting in ways that being together can’t do. While this is something I’ve never done, I’m by no means feeling reluctant because exploring my sexuality is something that has always been on the top of my to-do list. And doing it with Jake makes it even better.
“Jake,” I call out, my words strangled, my breathing shallow and labored.
“Tell me, Taylor,” he demands, and I love the sharpness to his tone. I love the exploration of new things that turn me on. This isn’t just about sex with him; it’s about meeting our needs together, about learning about each other.
“I want your words to make me come. I want to be the reason you jerk off. I want to hear you call my name.”
“I jerk off to you every fucking day. To the thought of your perky round tits, your bare pussy. You make me come like a teenage boy.”
I’m nearing my release as my thighs shake and my stomach muscles clench tighter. His words are like gasoline to an already raging fire and I moan down the line as I come hard.
Jake’s groan combines with my labored breathing, and I know he’s done too. There’s no need to ask; we just let ourselves quietly bask in our post-orgasmic calm.
“Remember when you asked me when the last time was that I did something for the first time?”
“Back when we were in Sydney?” he asks as if clarifying, his words coming out breathy.
“Yep. Well, you can add FaceTime sex to the list.” I wink at him, and his smile tugs at the corners of his eyes.
“You can add it to mine, too.”
We chat for a bit, both of us wondering if my flight back to L.A. will be delayed. The weather here is terrible, snow falling and ice collecting on the streets and runways. When I landed earlier today, the ground crew spent a good solid fifteen minutes de-icing the plane. It’s one of the reasons I try not to choose routes out this way during the winter, but it’s been a while since I had been home.
“The snow’s supposed to let up around midnight, and my flight takes off early again so hopefully it’s all cleaned up by then.”
“What time do you get into LAX?”
“Early because of the time change. Leave here at six a.m. and land a little after eight. How about you?”
“Headed to Hong Kong in the morning and then back home after that. But really, it’s another three days.”
“Ah, yes, that whole back-to-the-future thing,” I joke, and Jake laughs. “Have you picked your routes for next month yet?”
By the time this round of flights comes to an end, we’ll have been apart for a week. I know the difficulty in organizing routes to fit someone else’s schedule, but with Jake, I’m willing to put in the effort if it means we won’t be apart constantly.
“Not yet, but I was just going to ask you the same thing. Should we try to see if we can organize a couple of flights together?” he asks.
“I have my evaluation when I get back to L.A., so I’ll ask my supervisor if there’s anything we can do to make sure we get a few flights together.”
“That sounds great. See what you can do.” The excitement in Jake’s voice is heard loud and clear, and I think back to the day we met. I had no idea this is where I would end up. I never thought I’d be trying to schedule flights with someone, that I’d ever be all in with anyone again.
We end our call and I’m left hanging out in a hotel room adjacent to O’Hare Airport, an airport that, while it’s one of the largest in the world, is far from the city center and surrounded by houses and industrial buildings. The area has slowly grown with shops and restaurants, but in order to get to any of these places, I’d have to take a cab.
Before meeting Jake, before I’d settled down, I would’ve found someone to pass the time with, enjoying the idea of a meaningless hook-up. But now all of that seems inconsequential. Like I’ve been there and done it, and it’s time to find something bigger and better.
The next morning, my alarm sounds, loud and ear-piercing, but I jump up despite the fact that it’s only four o’clock in the morning. Each hour that passes brings me closer to being home and seeing Jake, even if I will just be sitting at home waiting for him.
I arrive at the airport earlier than necessary with a smile on my face, ready to start the day, but it’s short-lived when I board the plane and realize the crew is talking about me.
“Trent said she’d sleep with any…” a young flight attendant trails off as she catches my eye and quickly looks away, her cheeks flushing red.
“Taylor,” croons Samantha, a flight attendant I’ve known for a while but was never really friendly with after I found out she fucked my husband right around our one-year wedding anniversary. “We were just…”
“Gossiping about me? Trent’s still out there peddling the story that I cheated on him, huh?” I tap my elbow against her a couple of times as I add, “But we both know different, don’t we, Samantha?” I look right at the young flight attendant and smile. “Sammy here slept with my husband while we were still married, so she’s not as innocent as she looks.”
An appalled tisk falls from her lips, her mouth dropping open. There’s a tension hanging in the air, an awkwardness that makes any crew within earshot squirm a little, but they remain hoping to catch the rest of the conversation.
“I’ve always liked you, Taylor, but that was really rude,” Samantha says, a hand over her chest, dishing out an innocent routine that she knows like the back of her hand.
“Really? So sleeping with my husband, was that your way of trying to get close to me?” I shrug my shoulders, a faux dumb look on my face. I blink a few times waiting for her response. I’m tired of being shit on and acting like it’s not happening. There are no repercussions for people’s rudeness, and even if it labels me a c-u-next-Tuesday, I at least can say I stuck up for myself.
“Trent’s right. You can be a real bitch,” Samantha huffs out, turning on her heel, but the plane isn’t big enough for her to get the last word in.
“That was probably the wrong thing to say to the person who’s flying the plane you’re on,” I call out, and my first officer, who is now standing on the jet bridge, lets out a small chuckle.
“If it isn’t Taylor Patterson. Always one with the smart mouth, but one of the best damn pilots I’ve ever known.”
“What are you doing here?” I ask, throwing my arms around the older man standing in front of me. “I thought you retired?”
“Every once in a while I’ll pick up a short flight to cover for someone. It’s like I’m back on reserve.”
It’s been years since I’ve seen Jerry, and it’s a pleasant surprise to be flying with him. He was my mentor when I first started at Crescent Airways. He was the first person who believed in me, and he was also the first person to tell me that Trent would never believe in me the way I believed in myself.
“I always told you that your mouth would bring exposure to your ability, and it looks like you’re still as feisty as ever. All publicity is good publicity, right?” He gives me a wink, slipping past me and into the cockpit.
Before I follow him, the young flight attendant catches me by the arm, stilling me, and I turn to look at her.
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me to be talking about you,” she says, shifting her feet as she talks.
“He’s charming,” I say and even though she tries to hide the surprise, the truth slips through in her eyes.
“Who?” she asks, an uneasiness wavering in her word.
I was her once. Blinded by how charming and handsome Trent was. Manipulated into believing I was the only one, but in the end, I came out strong and he’s the one still gossiping about me. I’m going to guess his reputation is catching up with him, while mine clung to me like a baby koala to its mother.
I give her a small but sympathetic smile, and as much as I want to dole out advice, I hold back. He doesn’t deserve any more of my time.
She stops me again, her eyes wide, and she pauses for a second as if she’s processing what to say. “I want to be a pilot,” she spits out quickly and then looks down at her feet.
“Then he’s the wrong person to align yourself with.” I hold up one finger as I quickly grab a business card from my purse. Handing it to her, I say, “If you’re ever in L.A. for a bit, stop by and ask for Charlie or Carrie and tell them I sent you. You can also give me a call anytime. I’m happy to help you out. We need more women pilots.”
“Thank you,” she says, skeptical of my willingness to help her, wary of the image that has been thrust upon her by rumors and bitterness.
“I’m not a bad person, I just have a bad reputation.” I shake my head, not wanting to say anything more at the risk of sounding like I’m defending myself. She’ll hear what she wants, she’ll believe what she wants and I’m not responsible for her misconceptions about me.
The flight is uneventful and easy. I chat with Jerry, making the time pass quickly, and before I know it, I’m in my car heading back home. Tomorrow, I have my evaluation, and then after that I have a full five days off.
Before I have even left the parking garage, I’m calling Carrie to see what she’s up to because it’s been a while since I’ve had enough time off that we’ll actually get to hang out.
“Hey, lady, you back in town?” she asks without even greeting me.
“I am, and I’m already bored,” I joke back at her.
“Oh, the life of a commuter pilot. All exotic places and entertainment twenty-four-seven. Where’s your boyfriend at?”
“I think he’s in Hong Kong right now, but he should be back in L.A. in a couple of days.”
“So you’re admitting he’s your boyfriend then?”
“I guess I am.” I laugh a little, knowing this is not where I thought I would be after my divorce. Protecting my heart was about the only thing I would have admitted to before Jake.
“He’s good for you,” Carrie simply states, taking in a long slow breath. “I know you hate when I get all serious and shit, but he’s the kind of guy who makes you a better person. He wants to be a part of what you’ve created, and that’s huge. He isn’t here to tell you how to make things better. He’s here because he wants to work as your partner. He wants to be your equal.”
“Oh my god, Carrie, enough. You’re making me uncomfortable,” I practically yell, and she laughs out loud. “But yeah, okay, I hear you.”
“You should tell him you’re grateful for him.”
“You need to calm down. We’ve only known each other for a few weeks. I’m not the insta-love kind of person.” I’m lying through my teeth because I am totally falling for him even as I try to hold my feelings back.
“I know you’re not. You’re rebellious and different and a badass because you refuse to be what everyone else is, but it’s okay for you to let yourself fall in love just a little bit. It doesn’t diminish your badassery.”
“Fine. You’re very convincing. Now, how about we meet up for coffee while I wait for my boyfriend to come back home?”
“Ugh, I thought you were never going to ask. Let me drop the kids off at school and daycare and tell Charlie I’m coming in late to work.”
“I’m going to head home and take a quick shower. Meet at our usual place?”
“Yep, see you soon.”