Flight Read online

  “I don’t want to rush this, Mandy.”

  “He’s the first guy you’ve dated seriously since Brian. That’s not rushing.”

  “Mmm. Still, I’m not ready to sleep with him.”

  “Don’t you get horny?”

  Charlie laughed. “Mmm, yeah.”

  “Well, then what are you waiting for? If it was me, I would jump into bed with him in a second, if I wasn’t married.”

  Charlie laughed again. “I hope Rob didn’t hear you say that.” She said, referring to Mandy’s husband.

  “No.” Her friend giggled. “He went to check on Megan.”

  Charlie smiled affectionately at the mention of her two year old goddaughter. “And how is the little angel? I haven’t seen her in almost three weeks. She must’ve grown a lot since.”

  “Mmm. I told Rob that if we’re going to be having another baby, it should be a girl. That way she can wear Megan’s old clothes. They’re so pretty and Megan really hasn’t worn them that much. Most of them are still quite new.”

  “You’ve finally got tired of Rob begging and decided to have another baby, humm?”

  “Actually no, not yet. I want Megan to be a little older first.” Mandy said. “Anyway, we’re off topic.”

  “What were we talking about?” Charlie teased her friend.

  “Sex, of course. You probably don’t recognize that word now, it’s been so long.”

  “Mandy!”

  “Well, I worry about your lack of sex life.”

  Charlie laughed. “Let me worry about that. Anyway, if I sleep with Jeff, it kind of makes us official, you know.” Even as she was saying it, she knew it was true.

  “What’s wrong with that? He’s a great guy, not to mention smart and good looking. I’ll bet a lot of women at PAL wants him.”

  “True enough.” Charlie agreed. She had seen the looks Jeff sometimes got from the women at PAL.

  “I thought you really like him.”

  “I do.” Charlie frowned. She was not sure why she still hesitated.

  “So when are you going to put that poor guy out of his misery?” her friend sighed, “Or are you waiting for a marriage proposal first?”

  “Isn’t that how you got me to propose?” Charlie heard Mandy’s husband commenting mock-innocently in the background.

  “Oh, you, jerk!” Mandy was heard muttering to the side, laughter in her voice. “Just turn over and go to sleep. This is girl talk; it doesn’t concern you.”

  Charlie laughed softly, listening to their banter. It was hard to get a word in edgewise once Mandy began her animated chatter. Being happily married and a romantic at heart, Mandy couldn’t resist trying to match make for all her single friends. They chatted for another half an hour until she heard Rob on the other end of the receiver complaining about missed sleep.

  “You know, you’re about as romantic as a pig,” Mandy muttered indignantly to her husband.

  “I must say, I would be envious of any pig right now. He must be getting more sleep than I’m getting.” he was heard teasing.

  “Oh, you!” Charlie smiled as she heard wrestling noises from the other end. It sounded like Mandy was rolling about the bed with her husband.

  “Rob, stop it! I was talking to Charlie. Stop! Wait!” Mandy began indignantly, only to end with soft moans of pleasure, “Mmm…don’t stop…oh, Rob,”

  “Tell me,” he demanded huskily.

  “What?”

  “Tell me you’re sorry for comparing me to a pig.”

  “Do you mind if I say goodbye to Charlie first?”

  “By all means.”

  Mandy picked up the receiver. “Charlie, honey, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

  “Bye Charlie,” Robert called into the receiver before turning to his wife and kissing her soundly. Mandy moaned in pleasure.

  Charlie was laughing softly as she hung up the phone. But her amusement didn’t last. It was at times like this when she wished she had someone to share those kinds of moments with; an intimacy that could only be shared by lovers. Having been hurt once, Charlie was still reluctant to let Jeff get too close even though she trusted him completely as a friend.

  Putting her computer aside, she curled up under the covers, feeling strangely alone.

  The small jet touched down in the middle of the long runway, cruising for several hundred yards before coming to a complete stop outside Hangar 3. The ground crew was waiting nearby. And as soon as the engine was off, they were heading toward the jet.

  Ryle was assigned to start with the Maintenance department when he arrived at the Linwood plant two weeks ago. Essentially, his duties were with the cleanup crew at Bay 6. He was finishing sweeping the floor when he saw the jet rolled in.

  It was a sleek and small jet, gleaming in the cold afternoon sunlight.

  He didn’t pay attention to it, except for the solo pilot that exited the jet. It was a female pilot. Her dark chestnut brown hair flowing in soft waves down past her shoulders as she walked. She wore the same navy blue overalls that many of the ground floor workers wore, but it didn’t seem to distract from her beauty. He could make out the small waist, slim hips and long legs. She moved with a calm confidence that was extremely sexy to him. Nothing showy or deliberately enticing, and yet it heated his blood nonetheless.

  Ryle stopped, held riveted by her beauty. The expression on her face was mesmerizing. She looked happy, like she was on top of the world, as she stepped off the jet. There was pride and accomplishment on her face. Her eyes sparkled. He was too far away to make out their color, but she looked like someone in love; in love with her work; in love with the results of her labor.

  For a moment, he wondered if she looked like that when she had an orgasm. Just the thought caused his groin to tighten. Dammit. He was acting like some kind of callow youth. And he didn’t even know her name.

  She stood with Mike Miyasato, the Chief Flight Test Pilot, chatting. Mike was listening intensely to her, nodding and agreeing with whatever she was saying. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, but there was a confidence about her that told him she probably knew a lot about aircrafts. And Ryle found himself wondering who she was.

  He hadn’t seen her before. Not in the Bay 6 area, and not around the cafeteria or the gym, the other two places he had been frequenting at the plant. But she definitely knew her way around; as she finished talking with Mike and walked off; she exchanged waves of hello with many of the workers and stopped to talk with several of them.

  “Hey,” Jack lightly ribbed Ryle to get his attention when talking didn’t seem to do it.

  “Sorry, what?” Ryle muttered, reluctantly turning away to look at the other guy.

  Jack was grinning widely. “She’s something, huh?”

  “Who is she?” Ryle asked.

  “Charlie Brison. She and her team have offices above Bay 25.” Jack told her.

  Bay 25 was almost at the opposite end of the large complex and Ryle knew exactly where it was located. After all, he drew out the plans about five years ago. The Linwood plant was one of Risberg & Sullivan’s first projects.

  “Is she a test pilot?” He asked, remembering how she and Mike were talking for so long.

  “She’s the lead engineer for the team doing one of the components of AIR230’s testing program.”

  “Heh.”

  “And don’t even bother to ask. It’s not going to do you any good. She doesn’t date people she works with.”

  “I don’t work with her.”

  “Nice try. She doesn’t date anyone at PAL, never has, probably never will.”

  “You seem certain.” Ryle said dryly.

  “She’s been working here for fourteen years now, including all the summer jobs she had while she was at college, and she’s never dated anyone here. I think that’s a fair indication.” Jack said, shrugging.

  “Fourteen years? She looked like she just came out of school.”

  “She started working part-time here when she was just a kid. Her dad work
ed at PAL, and she seemed to have the same talent and skills for it. Anyway, as soon as she was old enough, she signed on for summer jobs and part-time jobs. Doing anything from sweeping decks like you’re doing, to anything they would allow her to do.” Jack said. “She learns fast and over the years, she’s worked her way around the plant. She came back after graduating from college.”

  “She’s not married?”

  Jack shrugged again. “Doesn’t seem like it. She’s always attended the company functions on her own. But she’s always working, so if you ask me, she’s probably married to the job. It’s a shame though.”

  Friday morning, Charlie woke up to see several inches of snow on the ground. She showered and dressed before walking over to the main house.

  “Good morning, Mom, Dad,” Charlie said as she walked into the kitchen.

  It was quarter to six in the morning and it was still dark out, but the kitchen it was brightly lit and her parents looked like they were up for a long time. When her dad used to work at PAL, he got up at five every morning. And her mother would get up with him to prepare breakfast and lunch for him. He still followed that routine although he no longer worked. Her mom enjoyed her role as a homemaker and she loved to cook for her family and friends.

  “Morning Charlie.” John Brison said, lowering the newspaper he was reading to briefly smile at her.

  “Good morning, honey,” Eva Brison smiled. “Would you like blueberries or raspberries on your waffles this morning?”

  “I’ll have blueberries, Mom, thanks.” Charlie said, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Can I get you a refill, Dad?” She asked, seeing his cup was almost empty.

  “Sure, honey, thanks.” He answered without looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

  “There you are. Blueberry waffles for you. And more Raspberry waffles for you.” Her mom finished making the waffles, setting one plate in front of Charlie and another in front of her dad.

  “Thanks Mom,” Charlie said, helping herself to some fresh whipped cream.

  “Thanks, honey.” John grinned, putting down his newspaper.

  “Eat up, you two. It’s cold and snowy today. You need to eat more to keep warm, Charlotte, if you plan to ride your motorcycle to work today.”

  Charlie laughed, “Oh, mom, I’m not going that far.”

  “It’s a good half an hour ride, especially on conditions like these.” Eva said, frowning. “Maybe you should have your father drive you today. It’s snowing too heavily.”

  “I’ll be okay, Mom, don’t worry.” Charlie told her gently.

  “But look at the amount of snow. I would feel better if you go with your dad.”

  John grinned, “Honey, you know your mom’s going to worry if you don’t.”

  Charlie sighed. “All right, I’ll have dad drive me. But you don’t have to pick me up after work; I’m going out with friends tonight.”

  “Oh?” Eva perked up. “Are you going out with Jeff again?”

  Charlie smiled. Her parents were ecstatic when she started going out with Jeff. When they met him over the Christmas holiday, they instantly liked and approved of him. At that time, when she insisted she was not dating him, they were very disappointed; especially her mom, who worried because Charlie hadn’t seriously dated anyone since her breakup with Brian. The blind dates her mom and her friends had set her up with never worked out. And for a long time, her parents despaired of her ever getting married.

  “Yes, Mom. Jeff and I are meeting up with Becky and her date in Chicago.”

  Becky Williams was one of Charlie's best friends from elementary school. Charlie, Becky, and Mandy Stevens were inseparable throughout elementary school and high school. Although they each have busy lives, they still try to find time to be with each other as much as they can. Becky and Mandy were like part of Charlie's family.

  “That’s great, honey!” Eva was beaming happily.

  After breakfast, her dad dropped her off at work.

  “Thanks Dad, I’ll see you later.” Charlie gave her dad a kiss on the cheek before exiting his car.

  “You’re welcome, honey. Have a good day.”

  Charlie made her way straight toward the fitness facilities. She tried to go there at least three to four times a week, usually before work. When she got there early in the mornings or late in the evenings, it was usually quiet with fewer people using the facilities.

  The running track was high up on the mezzanine level, overlooking the weight room and part of the swimming pool underneath. This morning, there were only a dozen or so people at the tracks. She put in her earbuds and began jogging, smiling in greeting as she and the other joggers passed by each other. On cold days like this, it was a nice luxury to be able to jog indoors.

  She finished her last lap and went up to the water cooler to get a drink. There were many changeovers of joggers since she began. She slowed down as she approached the cooler, taking out her earbuds out while she waited for a couple of other joggers getting water.

  “Hey Charlie.”

  “Hey George.”

  “Had a good workout today?”

  “Yeah, you?”

  “Not as long as I liked. I have an early morning today and need to go ready.”

  “I’ll talk to you later then.”

  “Yeah, see you later.” George scrunched up his paper cup and threw it into the recycling bin.

  She took some more water, smiling as a couple of joggers went by and waved to her. As they went by, her eyes were caught by one of the joggers beyond them, half way across the mezzanine.

  He was tall, at least a couple of inches over six feet and stood out among the other joggers. For someone so tall and powerful looking, his movements were sleek and sinuous; much like the agile grace of a panther on the prowl.

  As he jogged closer, she was momentarily mesmerized by his toned body; those firm sleek muscles flexing with every step. He was dressed in a grey T-shirt and black shorts. The black shorts were fitted but loose, but it stretched taunt against his thighs as he moved. And for a moment taunt against his groin. She couldn’t tear her gaze away. His thighs were lightly matted with dark hair and for one crazy moment, she could actually imagine those thighs rubbing against her own as he slid between her legs. That instant was all it took for heat to rush over her, and desire suddenly knotted in her belly and between her legs.

  Her head snapped up, mortified at her own thoughts, but looking up might not have been the best action at that moment, for she suddenly found herself looking straight at him. From a distance, he was really good looking, but up close, he was even more incredibly attractive. Chiseled masculine features, with bright azure blue eyes and black hair that gave the slightest curl just at the nape of his neck were too much. Her heart went into overdrive. Instead of slowing down to normal, it was speeding up again.

  He was coming closer, and he was looking straight at her. His eyes seemed to look right into her very being. She wanted to look away and dismiss him, but she couldn’t. Her eyes were held captive. Her breathing was rugged as if she had run miles more.

  She was determined not to show that his direct gaze was unnerving her. A hint of amusement lit those his eyes as they moved over her slowly; taking in the fitted white T-shirt and black fitted shorts she wore. His eyes lingered especially long on her legs, as if he was imaging them wrapped around his waist. When he finished looking over her, she felt naked and exposed.

  He jogged past her and her eyes seemed to have a will of their own as they followed him, following those legs and his ass looked so firm and tight. She should get going. She chided herself. She had work to do. And besides, she didn’t want to be caught still staring when he came around again. She quickly drank the water and tossed the scrunched cup. Turning with resolution, she headed for the change rooms and a shower.

  When she walked into her office, the fragrant aroma of coffee filled the air. On her desk was a surprise. A tall cup of coffee from Joe’s Café and a paper bag filled with a couple of Joe’s del
icious zucchini muffins. Jeff. She smiled at the thought.

  She took a sip of the hot coffee and reached for the phone. It rang just as she was picking it up.

  “Hello?”

  “Good morning.”

  She smiled, recognizing Jeff’s voice. “Good morning; you must be psychic.”

  “How so?”

  “I was just about to call you.”

  “Yeah? What about?”

  “Well, I was sitting down and enjoying some delicious coffee and a zucchini muffin, left on my desk by a secret admirer.”

  “Are you?” She could hear the smile in his voice.

  “Mmm. Some wonderful guy must have left it here. I’m wondering how to thank him.”

  “How about a weekend in bed?” He said suggestively.

  She laughed. “I’m not that grateful.”

  He sighed in exaggerated disappointment. “Well, it was worth a try.”

  “How about dinner? On Sunday?”

  “With your parents?”

  “You know the drill.” She teased.

  “Yeah,” He laughed softly.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but this Sunday is going to be a little crowded. My parents have several couples coming over. Becky and her date are also coming, so dinner will be more like a party this week.”

  “I don’t mind at all. I love your mom’s cooking. And your family and friends are great.” He told her.

  “They really like you too.”

  “So let’s make it official.” He teased.

  She frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “You know, let everyone know we’re dating.”

  “Er…let’s take this slowly.” She murmured.

  “Okay.” He said, deciding not to press it and changed the subject. “So what are you doing today?”

  “I have a meeting this morning, and then I’ll probably spend the rest of the day at Bay 6.”

  “Are you doing more flight tests?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll meet you at lunch?”