Page 30 of Shared By the Pilots

I made $34 an hour. That was good money, especially considering Gulf Airlines had better benefits than most airlines. Not to mention the fringe benefit of getting to travel all over the world.

But my eyes popped out of my head when I opened Mr. Langston’s brochure on the ride home: the airline, called Excelsior Air, boasted $71 an hour for flight attendants, more than twice what I was currently making. It sounded too good to be true until I thought about it a little more. His private jets catered mostly to rich guys. The brochure also explained that the job was for only one or two flights per week. Never more than two, even if I didn’t work for Gulf Airlines and had more availability.

The only downside was the potential for getting caught and fired by my current employer. But Luke was doing it, and presumably pilots and flight attendants who worked for other airlines. If they were comfortable working for Bernie on the side, then why shouldn’t I?

Because Taylor just warned you not to.

It was obvious that he was jealous. Taylor was a direct competitor of Bernie, and the two probably fought for the same types of customers. He was trying to scare me off. The vain part of my mind believed he probably wanted an excuse to flirt with me, too. Not that I expected every man to want to flirt with me—I wasn’tthatself-absorbed—but he had definitely given me a healthy dose of charm at the Miami airport. And he had done the same here before our discussion turned into an argument. He didn’t even give me a legitimate reason. What was with men and being vague lately?

Yet there was something about the man that made me want to listen to him. He was compelling. And charming. And sexy in a raw,realway that neither Luke nor Adam were.

It’s too bad he didn’t ask me out. I wouldn’t mind him being the third guy to have to say yes to for Dex’s stupid challenge.

But it didn’t matter, because I wasn’t going to turn down this job. At least not without giving it a try first.

I was excited about the opportunity, but even more relieved that Luke’s big secret was something innocent. I had totally written him off, assuming that he was being secretive for nefarious reasons. Now that I knew the truth, I was looking forward to seeing him again. Whether it turned into something serious, or remained a casual fling, I knew that it was going to begood.

I spent the rest of my day off running errands and doing chores around the house. After dinner, Dex texted me:

Dexter: Okay, I’ve been a good little boy and have resisted bugging you ALL DAY. But now you need to give me the scoop on your date with Adam Mandatory Lay.

Me: It was a lot of fun, but I think he only asked me out to help make Luke jealous.

Dexter: What? How did he know about Luke?

Me: He says he saw the way we were acting around each other on the flight, and jumped in to help.

Dexter: Boooooooo. When I suggested that he ask you out, I thought he was legitimately interested.

Me: He was giving off a weird vibe all night, too.

Dexter: Weird how?

Me: Well, we got tipsy and started dancing. I grinded my ass all over him, and then he said he wanted to go home.

Me: I would say that he really is gay, but I could feel his hard-on through his pants.

Dexter: How big is he? What’s his thickness like? Describe it in terms of dog breeds. Is he a Yorkie? Chihuahua? French Pointer? Labrador Retriever? German Shepherd? HUSKY?

Me: You’re focusing on the wrong thing. The date fizzled out and I’m not sure why.

Dexter: Aww. I’m sorry honey.

Me: And he’s somewhere between a Newfoundland and Bernese Mountain Dog

Dexter: I KNEW IT

We had a three-leg trip scheduled the next day: Houston to Nashville, Nashville to Chicago, and then Chicago to Houston. It was one of the Gulf Airlines daily routes, and the one our flight crew flew the most often.

Adam was friendly and polite when we met him in the terminal, but he was a little bit stiff. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that was probably the best possible outcome. I had fulfilled one of Dex’s challenges by agreeing to go out with him. We had fun, but it didn’t go anywhere. Now we could go back to being just regular coworkers.

And since that had fizzled out, it meant I could focus on what I had going with Luke.

Halfway to Nashville, he came out of the cockpit to get a snack. “What can I get for you, Captain Hendricks?” I asked with just a hint of sexual undertone.

“Oh, there’s plenty I’d like from you,” he replied in a low voice. “But for now, I’ll take two ginger ales. Just the cans.”

“I know you like the cans,” I whispered back, bending over to reach the bottom of the drink cart. Even though the ginger ales were within reach, I spent several moments rummaging around while my ass was in the air.

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