Dreams Take Flight (11 page)

“All right, see you tomorrow. Oh wait—I need your address, and directions might be helpful,” with concern in the tone of Heathers voice.

“Sure,” Lucas said, “that would probably help. I’ll write them down. Have you seen Mike yet?”

“He passed through several minutes ago.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow night.”

Lucas headed straight to the office, walking with purpose. His face was stern. Reaching the office door, he opened it with a force that could have pulled it from its hinges.

Mike looked up from the papers spread across his desk, somewhat startled by the manner in which the door had been opened. Lucas walked straight up to Mike and tossed an envelope onto his desk. The letter nearly slid off into Mike’s lap. Only Mike’s quick reflexes prevented the envelope from leaving the desk. Mike picked up the envelope and, in an agitated tone, said “What the fuck is this?”

“You see who it’s from?” responded Lucas.

“Yeah. It’s from the feds.”

“Well, open it and read it.”

Mike pulled the letter out of the opened envelope. He unfolded the paper and began to read. The letter was addressed to Lucas and read, in part, “Based on a recent ramp check, we discovered you flew Convair N3713P and that it had not had the hundred-hour inspection. This is a violation of FAR 91.409(b). Please respond to this notice within ten days to avoid administrative action.”

“Mike,” Lucas said coldly. “Think before you speak; I’m pissed.”

“When did you get this?”

“Today. Didn’t you get one just like it?”

“No. I haven’t seen anything like this. Guess it’s coming; we’ve both been flying the Convair.”

“Look, Mike, I can’t have this. Global is conducting another background check, and if this creates a problem with Global, someone will pay. Besides, I’m not even the one responsible for checking the maintenance records.”

“Lucas, relax. As I see it, we both have the same problem.”

Lucas said, “We don’t have the same problem! Don’t you check those maintenance records every time before we fly?”

“I do, and I don’t understand. Lucas, why don’t you go ahead and take care of the preflight and I’ll finish up here. When we get back, I’ll dig into these records and see what I can find. Sound like a plan?”

Still agitated, Lucas just said, “I don’t know that we can do anything else at this time of night. See ya at the plane.”

Lucas may have been agitated, but Heather could only wait for the night to crawl by while she anticipated her date with Lucas the next night. Finally, Heather saw Autumn parking, which was the first real sign that the evening had come to an end. It meant she could allow her thoughts to focus on Saturday night without feeling guilty.

“Hey, Autumn,” she said brightly. “How you doing tonight?”

“I’m fine, but I want to hear about your trip to Atlanta. Join the mile-high club?”

“No,” Heather answered in a matter-of-fact voice.

“Steve in the shop told me he found the sling seat lowered, with a pillow and blankets on it. I assumed you two did the deed.”

“No. I’ve decided that a plane isn’t the place to get laid, at least not by someone who’s supposed to be flying it.”

“Didn’t you have any fun?” Autumn asked with a puzzled tone.

“Autumn, I don’t kiss and tell.”

“That means you have something to share.”

“Not really. I just meant that if I
did
have something to say, if something
did
happen, I wouldn’t talk about it. That stuff is personal.”

“Come clean, Heather. I want to hear about that personal stuff.”

“There isn’t any personal stuff.”
She is relentless. I know she isn’t going to drop this. If I don’t give her something tonight she’ll never leave me alone. Worse yet, she may corner Lucas.

“Yes, there is. You have that look. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter. I know when you are holding something back.”

“OK, but you have to keep this to yourself. Promise?”

“Promise. Not a word to anyone.”

“Autumn, it was unbelievable. It was like being felt up in the middle of a movie theater.”

“I’ve never been felt up in a movie theater, but the thought is exciting,” muttered Autumn.

“I don’t know how to explain it. I guess it felt like I was getting away with something—being naughty or wicked or something. We were right there in the cockpit and Lucas started playing with me. I almost came in my pants, but I didn’t have any on.

“Was Mike there?”

“Of course he was. Where else would he have been?”

“I don’t know. You said you had your stuff exposed to the world. What was he doing? Watching?”

“No, it wasn’t like that. My business wasn’t exposed to the world.”

“You said you didn’t have any pants on, so tell me: What were you doing?”

“Lucas and I were standing in the aisle right behind the pilots’ seats. Lucas reached around and started rubbing me. My privates got wet and, like I said, I almost climaxed. It was one of those moments that will probably never happen again. I have a date with him tomorrow night. Think I’ll get laid?”

“Forget tomorrow night. I still want to hear more about what took place in the plane. I understand
you
standing behind the pilot seats, but what was Lucas doing there? Wasn’t he supposed to be
in
one of those seats?”

“He had to take a leak and had just come back.”

“So Mike wasn’t watching? What was he doing?”

“He was flying the plane.”

“Oh, OK. Mike was flying the plane while you two were getting your rocks off right behind him.”

“That makes it sound really weird. In reality, everything felt very natural, the way it developed and all.”

“OK. You say you have a date with Lucas. I thought he wasn’t dating?”

“Getting a date wasn’t easy. I’ve been trying to get his attention for months, much less a date.”

“Well, I hope you get laid. I understand he’s good in the sack. So where you going?”

“His place. Now it’s your turn to talk, Autumn,” said Heather with a stern tone in her voice. “Do you know someone who had a relationship with him?”

“No, it’s just what I’ve heard.”

“Who from? Give the specifics. You’re holding out on me.”

“I don’t know; I just heard it from someone. I don’t much pay attention that kind of stuff. Heather, I predict you’ll get laid.”

“It’s been a long time. Hope I remember how to do it.”

“Heather, people don’t forget that stuff. How long has it been?”

“Probably three years. I had just started college and was mostly confused—like most kids, I think. I had never had sex, and I guess I just thought I was expected to do it. We only did it three times, and I didn’t find it particularly fun. He wasn’t really that wonderful.”

“That was the problem—the wrong guy. But are you telling me that you’ve only fucked some guy three times and you’re in your early twenties? Do you rub one out every once in a while—you know, masturbate?”

“No. I told you I don’t have much experience with sex.”

“I know, but masturbating doesn’t have anything to do with having sex. It has everything to do with giving yourself pleasure without having sex. I probably get it on by myself at least once a week. Anyway, I’m surprised you’ve only had sex three times in your life. I try to get laid at least three times a week.”

“Three times a week! Are you kidding me? You don’t even have a steady boyfriend. Do you even know the guys you’re doing?”

“Generally. Mostly we’re on-and-off lovers just trying to keep things simple. You know, no strings attached.”

“Whatever makes you happy. As for me, what can I say? My first experience put me on guard. I decided to be pickier about the next guy I spread my legs for. In all honesty, I’ve got this thing for Lucas, but don’t even know him. I’m not sure why he has the effect on me that he does. What do you think, Autumn? I’m just horny?”

“No, you’re not just horny. Sounds like there may be some chemistry there. Although horny is a possibility.”

Saturday night finally arrived.

Heather didn’t consider herself a particularly good navigator. As a result, she usually left her apartment thirty minutes earlier than any other person would. She also kept instructions and a map neatly placed on the passenger seat, for when a quick review became necessary—a quick review being the norm, not the exception.

A little before six o’clock on Saturday night, Heather reached the most challenging part of her journey—finding Lucas’s apartment among what looked like a thousand identical apartments with identical doors, identical patios, identical everything. His complex exemplified the term “cookie-cutter housing.”
If a person comes home here after having a little too much to drink, who knows where they’d end up?
She thinks to herself.

Lucas told her not to bring anything, and she almost complied. Perhaps it was wishful thinking, but Heather decided to pack a small bag to prepare for the remote possibility that she might spend the night. The thought of spending the night made the hair on her arms stand erect. Just packing the overnight bag sparked a sexual arousal that she couldn’t have anticipated. None of this came as a surprise to Heather, since she had been in a state of arousal all afternoon—anything seemed possible. At the moment, Heather had one thing on her mind: having a satisfying evening with the person who made her heart skip a beat just by looking into his deep, mysterious, penetrating, brown eyes.

Preparations for the evening began when she started to put her already near-perfect body into a state she thought of as “date night ready.” “Date night ready” included plucking her eyebrows and ensuring every hair on her head was in place. During this part of the ritual, she became thankful that her hair was short and easy to manage. After finishing her head, she moved south. Clear polish for her nails—all twenty; shaved legs; and a touch-up of her bikini area, just in case. The final step before slipping into her freshly cleaned miniskirt was to cover her body in her favorite lotion, to ensure the sensuality of her skin and to add a hint of fragrance.

Before closing her overnight bag and waltzing out the door, Heather quickly checked to be sure she had everything—a fresh pair of panties, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste so she wouldn’t feel intrusive, and a pair of running pants, pull-over sleeveless shirt, socks, and shoes.

Not knowing which apartment was Lucas’s, and unable to see the addresses, she decided to simply look for his red Corvette. After cruising the parking lots for about fifteen minutes, she spotted his glistening Corvette about a block away, on her side of the street. Directly in front of his car was Lucas, standing on his patio as though on the lookout for someone who could be lost.

As soon as she parked in the visitor spot next to Lucas’s car, he appeared to open her door. Her overnight bag, cleverly disguised as a large purse, sat next to her. She grabbed her purse with her right hand, allowing Lucas to assist her by taking her left hand as she swung out of the car.

“I see you found the place. Have much trouble?” Lucas asked as he gave Heather a hug and a kiss on her head.

“Not really; just didn’t know exactly where I was going until I got here.”

“Well, come on in and let me show you around.”

They entered the apartment through a sliding door that led directly into a family room, complete with a large-screen television and fireplace. Straight past the family room was a small living room. A cozy kitchen was on the left, with access to both the family room and the living room. These three rooms formed a horseshoe, with the kitchen at the closed end. From the family room, and opposite the kitchen, was a passage that led to another hallway perpendicular to it. Turning left led to the master bedroom. To the right was a bathroom, and at the end was a guest room. The walls were abundantly decorated with many pictures taken by Lucas. The pictures ranged from aviation-related to photographs of scenery from the many locations his job had taken him. Decor within the apartment was much more sophisticated than would be expected from a single guy in his twenties who lived by himself.

“Why don’t you have a seat while I finish dinner?” he asked Heather. “Something to drink?”

“Got wine?”

“I have riesling, merlot, and a blackberry wine. Any of those sound OK? I have Select and Amber Bock beer, or I could make a pitcher of margaritas.”

“OK, you talked me into it—I’ll take a pitcher of margaritas.”

“Aren’t you the funny one? Would you like salt on your pitcher?”

“Actually no, but thanks for asking. Lucas, can I help with something? I feel guilty just sitting here with you doing all the work.”
Now I know I’ve been dating the wrong guys; Lucas is actually waiting on me. And cooking? Is it possible I’m dreaming? Wonder why he doesn’t have a girlfriend!

“Not at all! You relax; I’ll take care of everything. The remote’s on the table, in case you want to catch the news.”

While Lucas retreated to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on dinner and to prepare the margaritas, Heather took a seat on the leather couch perpendicular to the fireplace and directly in front of the television.

“Ever use your fireplace in the summer?” Heather asked.

“All the time—I love to relax in front of it and just watch the flames do their dance. I find it very relaxing. I thought about asking you to bring a swimsuit with you, but it looks like we’re going to get some weather in here in the next couple of hours, so we may be using the fireplace instead of taking a dip.”

“That would have been fun. I love to swim, or at least get some sun. Sitting in front of a fireplace sounds nice too. Use the pool much?”
He said he enjoys watching the flames dance; could Lucas actually have a sensitive side? Swimming pool…bet I could get attention in there!

“All the time; perhaps we can take a dip the next time you come over.”

“That would be fun! Just say when, and I’ll be here.” Heather has to pinch herself.
Did he actually say the next time I come over
?
Things seem to working out better than I imagined
.

From her vantage point on the couch, Heather surveyed the apartment. This was the first time Heather had been in a real apartment belonging to a man. While in school, she had sometimes gone to a guy’s apartment, but it was a mess with little furniture. TV trays were used for lamp tables, with metal folding chairs scattered about. The bed was just a mattress lying on the floor. Recounting that affair, Heather now knew why they only screwed three times. Turned out his apartment was as un-inviting as he was.