First Class Sin

Chapter 1

Jill’s heart pounded as she rushed through the bustling airport, her suitcase wheels clattering loudly against the tiled floor.

She glanced at her watch, panic rising with each passing second.

She was already late for her flight and prayed it had been delayed.

Flights were delayed all the time, but she knew that if her luck had anything to do with it, the plane would be in the air before she arrived.

She had done her best to make the flight.

Her bags had been packed and ready the night before, and she’d even selected the outfit she would wear to the airport, but fate seemed to be conspiring against her that morning.

First, she had slept through her alarm. Then she noticed a tear in the pants she’d chosen.

As if that wasn't bad enough, her car had stalled on the road and died halfway to the airport.

Frustrated and panicking, Jill had almost abandoned it on the side of the road before it finally coughed back to life.

“Please, excuse me,” she called out as she weaved through the crowd in her path. “I can’t miss this flight.”

She’d spent a large chunk of her savings on this plane ticket and couldn’t afford the penalty for changing her booking.

When her brother called to tell her that he’d proposed to his long-term girlfriend, she had been so excited for him.

Then she heard the venue they had chosen for their wedding and groaned.

For the umpteenth time since she got the news, Jill wondered why the hell he had chosen to get married in Italy, of all places.

It wasn't like America had a shortage of nice wedding venues.

Her best friend had a lovely beach wedding in California a few months ago, and it was beautiful.

Why Terry and his new bride had insisted on getting married in Italy remained a mystery to her.

She figured it had to do with the fact that his fiancée came from a wealthy family and had long had her heart set on a destination wedding.

To give him credit, he’d offered to pay for her ticket, but she had turned him down.

He was already paying for her hotel room, and she assured him she could handle the flight ticket.

Jill was starting to regret that decision.

She would regret it even more if she missed her flight.

As she ran toward the check-in counter, she glanced at the flight information display board, hoping to see that hers had been delayed.

Her heart sank when she finally located her flight and saw that the boarding gate had been closed.

Finally, she reached the check-in counter, breathless and disheveled. “Please, I need to get on this flight,” she pleaded with the agent, her voice tinged with desperation.

The agent, a young woman with a sympathetic smile, shook her head. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but the gate is closed. You’ll have to book the next flight.”

“I can’t afford another ticket. Please, is there something you can do for me?” she begged the gate agent with an earnest look in her eyes. “I know that plane doesn't leave the moment the gate closes. It’s still out there right now...”

“Doesn’t matter, ma’am,” the agent replied, her voice tinged with an edge of frustration. “No one boards after that gate closes.”

“Bullshit,” Jill hissed. “I’ve seen plenty of people board long after the gates were closed. You just don't want to help me.”

“Ma’am, you’re being unreasonable. I have other people to attend to, and you’re causing a scene.”

Jill glanced behind her and saw that a line was starting to form. Her cheeks turned pink with embarrassment, and she almost slinked away; she hated being a public spectacle, but she remembered how important this was. She would not forgive herself if she missed her brother’s wedding.

“Please,” she pleaded fiercely. “This is an emergency. My brother... He’s getting married, and tonight is the rehearsal. I need to be there for him. You see, my mother—”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” The agent cut her off, clearly done with her. “You need to leave, or I’ll call security to take you away.”

“Don’t do that...”

“What’s going on here?” a deep voice said behind her. “You’ve got people waiting to check in here.”

Jill turned around, worried that security had indeed arrived to throw her out of the airport.

It wasn’t security. Instead, it was a tall, older gentleman.

He had a frown on his face, and she could tell he was irritated by the situation.

The gate agent quickly snapped to attention, and Jill rolled her eyes when she saw her smile endearingly at the man as she explained what was going on.

When she was done, he turned to her, his brows furrowed in a disapproving scowl.

“Nothing can be done about the flight you missed. Either you book a new flight or leave the counter so people who were smart enough to get here in time can check in,” he chastised her in a belligerent tone.

Jill’s hackles rose, and she bared her teeth at him. “I’m sorry, but this is none of your business.”

“It is my business when your incompetence inconveniences me.”

Again, his belligerent tone made her grit her teeth.

He was talking to her like she was a little girl who had left her lunch at home, and Jill curled her hands into fists as she glared at him.

“I paid for my flight just like you. You don’t get to tell me what to do,” she hissed, hating how whiny he made her sound.

“Again, little miss,” he drawled sarcastically, and she wondered how he managed to sound even more condescending with every sentence, “that flight is gone, and no one is going to open the gate to let you in. Common sense dictates that you either book a seat on the next flight or step aside so the rest of us can check in.”

He was right, and that just pissed her off even more.

“The next flight leaves in two hours anyway,” he said, leaning forward to glare at her some more. “Whatever it is you have to do over there can wait for two hours!”

“That’s not the point,” Jill retorted.

“What is the point, then?”

“She can’t afford a new ticket,” the gate agent chimed in, and Jill grew red in the face.

“No, that’s not...”

“Fine, I'll pay for a new ticket for her,” the man said, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “Anything to get this line moving.”

“I don’t need your money,” she growled at him.

“Looks like you do,” someone in the line said impatiently.

“I don’t want it.”

“Just take the money,” someone else said. “We’re tired of standing in line.”

“Ma’am, either you let this kind gentleman pay for a new ticket for you, or I call security to get you out of here,” the agent snapped. “I’m sure the last thing you want right now is to be placed on the No Fly List.”

Jill paused for a moment to think about it.

In a perfect world, she would tell this strange and very rude man to kick rocks.

Then again, in a perfect world, she would have gotten to the airport early enough to avoid all of this.

She wished she could turn down his help, but she couldn’t afford a second ticket, not if she intended to pay her bills next month.

And missing her brother’s wedding was not an option. She was the only family he had left.

“Okay,” she said grudgingly, unable to meet the man’s eyes as she stepped aside to let him pay.

When audible sighs of relief came from the crowd behind her, she sank her head in embarrassment. The agent collected her details and handed her a new ticket. Jill mumbled her thanks and apologized to the people in the line as she slunk off to a corner to hide her face.

A few minutes later, she watched the gentleman who had paid for her ticket wheel his luggage away from the counter.

He stopped to take a call in the middle of the lobby, and Jill watched him.

Tall and broad-shouldered with salt-and-pepper hair that gave him a distinguished look, she could very well imagine him wearing a suit and standing at the head of a boardroom.

He looked good and carried himself well, so she wasn’t surprised he got second looks from women as they walked past him.

She would have done a double take herself if he had not been too old for her.

He had to be at least three decades older than her.

Also, he was a bit of an ass. Just because he was old enough to be her father did not give him the right to speak to her like she was some naughty kid who needed to be scolded.

That didn’t change the fact he had helped her when he had no reason to, and she knew she owed him a proper thank you. Not the mumbled words of gratitude she’d grudgingly said to him after she got her new ticket. Sighing as she got to her feet, she grabbed her luggage and walked toward him.

He was ending his call when she approached him, and she saw a look of impatience cross his face before he masked it. Resisting the urge to bare her teeth at him, she swallowed her pride and got ready to do the right thing.

“I came to say thank you for paying for my ticket,” she said, pushing the words past the thick log in her throat. “It was really kind of you, and I'm sorry if I offended you in any way. It was not my intention.”

He seemed to relax a little, but his expression still held a hint of chastisement as he spoke. “It’s alright. No one is perfect, and we all make mistakes. That is why you’re supposed to arrive at the airport at least two hours before your flight.”

It was his tone. She wouldn't have a problem with what he was saying if he didn't say it in that condescending tone that immediately set her teeth on edge.

“I’ll have you know I planned on getting here long before my time for check-in,” she bit out through gritted teeth. “Things just didn’t work out for me this morning.”

“You must be a real lousy planner, then,” he said dryly, seemingly unaffected by her rising ire.

“I’m not a lousy planner,” she hissed in frustration. “It was out of my control. First, my alarm didn't go off when it was supposed to...”