Chapter 1 #3
The image of the gentleman who helped her came to mind, and she immediately dismissed it, even laughing at herself as she did.
If she had any hopes of getting anything out of this trip, then she had to be very realistic, and there was zero chance he would be interested in her.
Besides, she needed someone to “fuck her brains out,” not scold her like she was a child.
When she reached the agent at the gate, she handed him her boarding pass and watched him check it. He did a double take, checked again, then raised his head and smiled at her. Jill was stunned when he informed her that she had been upgraded to first class.
“Idon’t understand. Did I win a promo or something?” she asked as her ticket was handed to the attendant who would take her to her seat.
She could barely contain her joy as she was taken to the front of the plane, and her breath left her in a whoosh as the attendant ushered her into the first-class section.
This was only her second flight and her first time in this part of the plane.
Everything screamed luxury, from the spacious, plush seats that looked more like luxurious recliners, with more legroom than she could imagine, to the soft ambient lighting that gave the whole space a serene atmosphere.
Jill could hardly believe she was about to experience such comfort and opulence.
It seemed her luck was finally turning around.
She wondered how she’d gotten so lucky as the attendant led her to her seat at the front of the plane, and then she noticed a familiar thick head of hair in front of her. It was the Good Samaritan from earlier, and she immediately got very suspicious as they moved close to him.
He was flipping through a magazine when she approached and looked up when she stopped beside him. “Did you do this?” she asked him.
He paused, one of his eyebrows rising. “Yes, but I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have.”
Jill heard how hostile she sounded and was immediately embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to... It just took me by surprise. That's all.”
“It’s alright,” he said. “I saved you the window seat, but you can have the aisle seat if you want.”
“I’m fine with the window seat,” she blurted out. She would have been fine with any seat. It was first class.
“Do you need anything else?” the attendant asked.
Jill shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“Well, if you do need anything, don’t hesitate to push the call button, and one of us will attend to you.”
“Thank you. So this is how the other side lives,” she said after the hostess walked away and she was finally alone with her helper, a smile of amazement spread across her face as she took it all in.
He closed his magazine and dropped it on the table in front of him, amused to see her look so awestruck. “Glad to see you like it.”
“Like it? I love it,” Jill exclaimed. “My legs aren’t even touching the seat in front of me.” She turned to him. “I don’t understand. Why are you doing this? I mean, first, you pay for a new ticket for me, and now... this?”
He shrugged. “No reason. It looked like you were having a bad day and could use some cheering up.” He paused for a moment before continuing. “Also, I figured I owed you an apology.”
She frowned. “An apology? For what?”
“Like I said, you were having a bad day, and my manner of approach earlier certainly didn’t help.”
“Are you kidding? You got me a new ticket. That more than makes up for how rude and annoying you were.”
“So you admit I was rude and annoying.”
“A bit,” she said, unable to help the grin that appeared on her face.
“Then I owe you an apology. If my daughter found herself in the same situation you did, I would hope she found someone nice enough to help her and that this person did so in a kinder manner than I did.”
She could tell he was worried, and it made her heart grow warm.
“Trust me, you were a lot kinder than you give yourself credit for. Also, I was being a bit of an ass myself. It was my fault for getting to the airport late. Well... my car’s fault, to be specific, and before you say it, I know I should take better care of her.
She’s always been so reliable, so I get a little complacent about taking her in for maintenance. ”
“Even the best-maintained cars can still get faulty out of the blue,” he said with a small smile. “I should know. I work with them.”
“That’s right. You’re a mechanic.”
“Something like that, and before you ask, no, I don’t make the cars, so I have nothing to do with why they cost so much to maintain.”
It took Jill a minute to figure out he was referring to her earlier statement, and she burst into laughter. “Nice to know you’re not as grumpy as I thought you were.”
“No, not always.”
The pilot instructed everyone to put on their seat belts, and she fumbled with hers, dropping the clasp twice before a large hand closed around hers.
She went still, her cheeks turning red as he helped her fasten her seat belt.
His knuckles brushed against her stomach, and she wished she had taken the Pilates class Kim signed her up for seriously.
“Thank you,” she mumbled as he sat back.
The plane prepared for takeoff, and she held her breath, feeling a drop in her stomach as she heard the hum of the engine.
She hated this part of flying, and the last time she’d been on a plane, she’d had a small panic attack during takeoff.
At the time, she’d blamed it on her lack of experience, but as the plane taxied down the runway, she realized it was more than that. She really was terrified.
Grabbing the arms of her chair, she closed her eyes and prayed feverishly that they didn’t suddenly drop out of the sky and crash.
Her stomach twisted and turned, and she felt faint.
Out of nowhere, she felt a hand close over hers on the chair.
It was warm and comforting. Like an anchor, it held her down, making her feel like nothing bad would happen if she held on to him.
“Breathe,” he whispered, and she realized she’d been holding her breath.
She gulped in air and started panting. “Easy now,” he continued in that deep, soothing voice. “Slowly breathe in and out. That’s it. That’s my girl.”
In a flash, she went from panic mode to something else entirely. Something she couldn’t put her finger on. Something she wanted to happen again. Finally, the plane was flying smoothly in the sky, and he let go of her hand. Jill fought the urge to grab it back.
“Feel better?” he asked.
She nodded. “Thank you. I know I shouldn’t, but I get really scared when we leave the ground or come back down.”
“That’s understandable. Took a while for me to get used to that unsettling feeling myself.”
“You used to be scared of flying too?”
“You sound surprised,” he said with a small chuckle.
“You don’t look scared at all. You look like you’ve been flying forever.”
“I won’t say that exactly, but I've been on my fair share of planes.”
“How long have you been flying?”
“Long enough,” he replied, holding back a smile.
She narrowed her eyes. “How old are you?”
His lips quivered as he continued to fight a smile. “Old enough.”
“That’s not an answer.” She scowled at him.
“It answers your question, doesn’t it?” He glanced at her and smiled when he saw her scowling at him. “Fine, how old are you?”
“Old enough,” she replied tongue-in-cheek, her scowl turning upside down.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It answers your question,” she said, grinning at him as they stared at each other.
It was hard to describe, but something was strange about sitting with him like this.
The screen door was closed, so they were in their own private cocoon.
Or maybe it was the fact that they were in the air, headed toward Italy.
Why wait to get to Italy to do the things she wanted to do when she was sitting next to a gorgeous man with a voice like honey and eyes she could drown in?
So what if he was older than her and spoke to her like she was a little girl?
Somehow, it made it even hotter, and she was not ready to explore why.
That was something sensible Jill would do.
She had left sensible Jill at the airport.
This version of herself was open to taking risks, having as much fun as she could, and living life to the fullest. And that started with the man in a first-class cabin with her.
The problem was she had no idea how to do any of that.
She’d only lived one way all her life, and it would be hard for her to do things differently.
So instead of doing things her way, she was going to ask herself what Kim would do.
If Kim found herself in a private cabin with a strange, sexy man, only one thing would be on her mind. And that would be to flirt her ass off.
“So what do you do?” he asked before she could say anything.
“Nothing for now. I just graduated from college, and I'm trying to decide what to do next. Are you married?” she blurted out.
His brows went up. “What?”
Jill’s face heated, and she almost lost her nerve. She was not good at flirting and had no idea what to do, but she was in now, and there was no going back. “You said you have a daughter, and I don’t see a wedding ring, so I’m wondering if her mother is still in the picture?”
He was quiet for a few moments, humor swimming in his eyes. “No, I’m not married. I was, but I lost my wife a few years ago.”
“Oh...” Jill groaned inwardly as her attempt to flirt got off to a terrible start. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to... I was not prying or anything. I just...” She looked down. “I wanted to know if you invited me to join you here because...”
“Because what?” he asked when she stopped talking.
She raised her head and looked at him. “I wanted to know if you were just being nice or if you had something else in mind.”
“You’re a little too young for that, aren’t you?”
“I’m old enough,” she replied, and they shared a smile.