Two Bay Fox
Two
Bay Fox
This was the one part of my job that I loathed.
Boarding. It was never smooth, and there was always one or more headaches waiting to latch on to me. Mostly due to humans. Annoying ones. Who did not listen when told exactly what to do.
But other than that, I endured just fine.
Was this the profession I’d worked so hard to get a degree in?
No. But it kept me fed, off the streets, and living comfortably.
The four years I had spent making the dean’s list and living off caffeine because I also worked full-time as a server at an all-night diner had been for nothing.
I’d never be able to go back to the life I had almost killed myself for.
The familiar taste of bitterness began to stir inside me, and I shoved it down.
Refusing to let it bait me. That was all behind me.
I’d moved on, figured it out, and here I was.
A senior cabin flight attendant with American Silver Airways after only four years, and for the most part, I was living a good life.
I hated people the majority of the time, but they didn’t know it. Winning.
“God, I despise you,” Lillibeth hissed as she came to stand beside me.
I smirked. This was the usual when I worked with her. She hadn’t been with the airline long enough to work in first class, and that put a hitch in her plans to meet and snag her a sugar daddy so she could quit work altogether.
“You already spotted one, huh?” I asked under my breath as I turned to smile at the next group boarding the plane.
“Did you not notice him?” she asked incredulously, glancing back at the first-class cabin.
“Yes, there is still plenty of room near the back,” I assured a lady who had a rolling carry-on after she asked if she would be able to fit it in an overhead compartment.
“He’s in 2B,” Lillibeth whispered. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, let him be loaded.”
I rolled my eyes. “I need to get drink orders while the main cabin is boarding,” I told her, not-so-subtly hinting that she had to move. “Guy in 1A likes his Bloody Mary before takeoff.”
She immediately did a quick peek into the cabin. “Oh, is he rich? A regular?”
“He’s some kind of government person. I don’t know. I don’t ask. I get his drinks and make sure he has the wasabi peas he likes.” Now, would you move?! I held a tight smile, waiting on her to get out of my way.
“He’s a bit nerdy. I prefer the dark and dangerous-looking one, scowling in 2B,” she whispered.
“I need to get him a drink too,” I replied with annoyance this time.
“Fine, I’m going. But see if you can find out what the hottie does for a living,” she added with a wink before sauntering down the aisle.
Not bothering to see if she flirted with 2B or not, I went directly to 1A to ask if he’d like his Bloody Mary.
“I’m predictable,” he replied.
I let out an amused chuckle, then asked the lady on his right what she’d like. Once I had their orders, I asked the people across the aisle before going to fill their requests. After waiting until the next group moved down to the main cabin, I slipped back into the crowd to go deliver the drinks.
Purposely, I’d barely glanced at 2B simply because Lillibeth had gawked at him enough.
Green eyes locked on mine, causing me to feel slightly lightheaded.
She hadn’t been exaggerating. Sure, he was older, which was how she liked them, but not the businessman type who dripped with wealth.
This one had an entirely different kind of power radiating from his presence.
“What’s the best whiskey you have?” he asked in a gravelly tone that sent goose bumps down my arms.
I had to clear my throat before speaking and attempt to compose myself. “Uh, um, Jack Daniel’s,” I replied.
The flash of disgust in his gaze caused my stomach to knot up. He muttered something under his breath that I couldn’t make out, then gave me a slight chin lift.
“That’ll have to do,” he said, then dropped his gaze back to the phone in his hand.
I began to turn when I realized I hadn’t asked the man on his left what he’d like to drink.
Fumbling my way through that mistake, I felt my face grow warm, and I hoped that neither of them noticed, although I was almost positive that the man who had me all flustered didn’t miss anything. Even when he wasn’t looking.
I was able to remember the four drink orders I had taken on row 2 and served them without spilling anything. Finishing up the first-class cabin’s orders, I kept my gaze off of 2B, and my heart rate returned to normal.
A hand grabbed my wrist, and I jerked, startled, then spun around quickly to see it was 1A.
I didn’t like being touched by strangers, but I also knew this man was the highest miles status that our company offered.
He was beyond a frequent flyer. Snatching my wrist out of his hold might make him angry. I did my best not to snarl at him.
“Hey, darlin’, could you get me a pack of those pistachios?” he asked with a grin that made my skin crawl. As if he were trying to be…sexy maybe?
He released my arm, and I immediately stepped back.
“Of course,” I said with a stiff nod and hurried back to the galley.
It was ridiculous, but before I did anything else, I washed my wrist. He wasn’t the first passenger to grab my arm or poke my side to get my attention.
But it didn’t happen often. Most of the time, it was elderly ladies.
When a man did it, however, I got creeped out.
I’d been down that road once upon a time, and it was the reason I was a flight attendant instead of working in a marketing firm, like I had gone to college to do.
Shoving that bad memory away, I grabbed the pistachios that I didn’t offer until we were in the air unless we were delayed for takeoff or someone like 1A asked for something.
Thankfully, this was the last flight of my day, and I would be off work for three days. My patience with people was growing thin, and I needed a break.