Capri's Fate (9 page)

He rubbed his face and shook his shoulders. "I'll see if I can find the pilot."

Thall walked back to the little office and returned the milk to the refrigerator.
Now what the hell do I do? I'm not letting her go up in a plane with some pilot.
He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. In his mind, he pictured the procedures need to fly a plane.
Hmph, I know how to fly a plane. Cool.
"

Lachesis
's lilting laugh filled the air. "Trust me. You just have to let the memories guide you."

H
e picked up the black pilot's cap from the counter and exited the little office.

Capri
sat in the chair, gazing off into the distance. When he cleared his throat, she jumped. "You?"

He shrugged. "So it seems."

"Well I've introduced myself and you are…?"

"Captain T. Hall. Like it says on the sign, T. Hall Charterways."

She put her empty coffee mug on the table. "I thought you were the mechanic."

"Pilot. Mechanic. Coffee maker."

~ * * ~

Unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn,
Capri sniffed and asked, "So Captain Hall, when do we leave?"

Thall rubbed his chin and grinned. "My mechanic told me he told you about the storm outside."

"Oh he did, did he?"

"
Yeah. Conversation went like this." Thall removed the captain's hat. "Boss man, there's a pretty lady out there wantin' to go flyin'." He placed the cap on his head. "Did you tell her it's a frickin' cyclone out there." Taking the hat off his head, he nodded. "I did. I told her, but she insisted."

"It's just some rain."
Capri waved in the direction of the storm. A flash of light and a clap of thunder punctuated her statement. "Okay. And a bit of that for effect."

He hitched a hip onto the table. "Why are you so gosh darn gung-ho on getting out of here?"

Capri ran her fingers through her hair, which only succeeded in releasing more stray hairs to fall about her face. "This is my first business trip as the new Chief of Operations for the South Pacific Region, and I want to make a killer impression. And I want to get there, but you are keeping me here all because of some stupid storm."

A gust of wind rattled the doors and thunder rolled overhead.
Capri looked at the ceiling. "Oh shut up. And stop raining."

"Okay." He hopped of the end of the table. "Well then, let's see what we can do for the little lady. I'll make the calls and get the plane ready, and you sit tight."

Within the hour, the plane had been towed out of the hangar, refueled and the galley stocked. Aini, the flight attendant, introduced herself then escorted Capri onto the jet.

As
Capri stepped onto the plane, she sunk into the rich cabernet colored carpet. She strutted past two snow white leather couches, settled onto the matching club chair and tossed her purse onto the small table. The strap hit the vase holding an eggplant purple orchid, knocking it forward. She grabbed it and moved her purse.

Behind the partial wall, which was covered by a flat screen TV, she could see Aini bustling about, preparing the galley for flight. The door was still ajar, and the sound of the rain and thunder provided background accompaniment to the flight attendant's
actions.

Curious about the rest of the interior, Capri stood
, walked past a small business desk and reached for the door handle of—she giggled—her
private jet's
bathroom. The light turned on as she opened the door and gasped. The pewter colored marble vanity countertop glowed under the lights and reflected the sheen of the amber fixtures. Flecks of silver glittered in the black tile floor.

A woman's scream startled
Capri, and she exited and headed toward the galley. The flight attendant was not visible as Capri walked through the cabin. Noises outside the door drew her attention. Aini lay at the bottom of the stairs holding her leg. A ground maintenance worker was speaking into his radio. Capri grabbed her raincoat and scurried down the stairs to hold it over the injured flight attendant.

The airport paramedics skidded to a stop on the slick tarmac. Two rescue workers jumped out and assessed Aini's condition. They braced her leg, strapped her to a gurney, loaded her into the back and drove away.
Capri climbed the water slick steps and ducked back into the plane. The door to the cockpit was open.

"Uh, do you know the flight attendant is gone?"

The pilot stood and exited the cockpit.

Capri
inhaled as her toes tingled. Out of his greasy work clothes and dressed in a white dress shirt, black tie and pants, Captain Hall looked the part of an airline pilot. She cracked a smile as she remembered her basic rule of life – put a man into a uniform and then rip it off his body.

"They are going to check around for me. So I guess, for the moment, I get to play flight attendant." He pulled open the galley doors.

"Going to check around for what?"

Captain Hall leaned around a gallery door. "For a new flight attendant."

"Oh."
My bad.
Shouldn't fantasize so much about the sexy pilot. But then, hells bells, what else do I have to do?
Her gaze caught her reflection on the shiny metal surface of the oven. Her skin was pale. Her hair a mess and her clothes rumpled.
Well it is definitely a one-way fantasy. With me looking like the Wicked Witch of the West there's no way he's up there dreaming about ripping anything off me.

He rested a wine glass on the counter, then pulled open a drawer and lifted out a corkscrew. "Glass of wine? I think there's a nice 2009 Sancerre."

Capri blinked. "That's my favorite wine. Yes, please, I'd love a glass."

"And a snack? Peanuts? Pretzels?"

Capri's stomach rumbled in protest. She placed her hand over it to cover the sound.

"Okay, you need something more than pretzels. Have a seat, and I'll see what I can rustle up."

Capri returned to her seat. She nestled into it like a glove.
What a day. Or is that two days? Wonder what time, no, what day is it? I just want to get to the hotel and sleep.

She blinked and yawned.

"Ms. Gray."

"Huh?"
Capri opened her eyes. "Oh, I must have dozed off for a moment. It's been a ridiculously long trip."

Captain Hall pointed to the side table. "I placed your wine and some snacks there. I must get back to the cockpit."

"Are we about to take off?" She straightened up and adjusted her clothes.

"No. Now that I have you taken care of, I need to finish my preflight." He tapped his cap in salute, returned to the cockpit and closed the door.

Capri's gaze followed his firm backside until she lost sight of him
. Cockpit. Love the word. So apropos. He's so handsome and charming. Wonder what he's like in bed? Although no one would be a fantastic as Thall.
She reached for her purse, retrieved her smartphone and sent Kat a text.

Made it to
Jakarta. On a private jet. Hottest pilot you've ever seen. Only passenger on board.

Tuck
ing her cellphone next to her, she reached for her glass of wine and swallowed a sip. Capri picked up the plate of snacks, settled it on her lap, and had a mini-feast of crackers, cheese and chocolates.

Her phone chirped.
The text read, Think
mile high club!

Capri
chuckled, placed the empty plate back on the end table and sipped her wine.
Is this plane ever going to take off?

"Ms. Gray." His voice sounded over the intercom. "The preflight is done and we're ready to roll. The tower has us twelfth on departure. They're waiting for breaks in the storm. So settle back. This may take a while."

Oh, joy
. She peered out the rain-splashed window.
This trip is never going to end. I'm never going to get out of this plane. Or to the hotel. Or sleep in a real bed again. Or make love to the pilot.
She sighed, gulped some wine, pulled her tablet from her purse and clicked on the Angry Birds app.

A half hour later, tired of catapulting birds at pigs, Capri selected a book from her reading list and settled back to continue reading Black Dorn. The motion of the plane interrupted her reading. She glanced out the window and watched the ground roll past.

The small click of the intercom made caught Capri's attention."Ms. Gray. We're next in line for takeoff. No wandering around the aircraft until we're in flight. Settle back and enjoy the flight."

She returned to reading her ebook. The roar of the engines enticed her to glance out the window. The forward
wosh of the jet pushed her back. Moments later, she heard the landing gear retract into the belly of the plane.
At last! We're on our way. Hotel bed, look out, I'm coming!
She picked up her glass and swallowed the last of her wine.

Having finished the book she was reading,
Capri tucked her tablet away and stared at the door blocking her view to the cockpit. She picked up her empty glass, walked to the galley, and filled it, then knocked on the cockpit door. "Anybody in there?"

"No."

She raised her eyebrows and opened the door. "No? No is so not the answer the passenger wants to here."

Captain Hall sat facing the window with his fingers interlocked behind his head. He lowered his arms, turned his head and smiled, then pointed to the empty co-pilot's seat.

Capri stepped closer. "Is it okay that I'm in here? You know, FAA rules and all."

"It's fine."

She slipped into the seat and cast her gaze over the numerous dials, switches and display screens. "Oh, wow. Probably should be able to think of something more intelligent but…" She shook her head. "Look at all the electronics."

"Flying 101. This is the throttle." He gripped his hand around it. "Think of it as the gas pedal." He placed his hands on the metal object in front of them. "This is the steering wheel of the plane. And see this." He pointed to a small screen in front of him, blue on the top and brown on the bottom. "When it is level like that, life is good."

Capri waved her hand at the other devices. "What about all these?"

"Haven't the foggiest?"

"Pardon?" She laughed. "You are not instilling confidence in your passenger here."

"Well then, my telling you that I only got to chapter two in
Flying for Dummies
is probably not a good thing?" His eyes twinkled with delight.

A brilliant flash of light interrupted
Capri. "Oh my God, did we just get hit?"

He did a visual scan of the instrument panel. "Don't think so. But no worries. Planes are designed to take lightning strikes."

She swallowed two mouthfuls of her wine. "I didn't think it would be this dangerous up here. Maybe you were right, and we should've waited."

"Well
, I tried to tell you that."

"But? You left a
but
hanging on that sentence."

"You were being a bit of a corporate bitch, and since I like my balls where they are, I figured I'd get you to where you wanted to go."

Capri fingered a switch on the mid console.

"Be careful. You can finger the switches, but if you flick them, you might not get the result you
expected."

She glanced sideways at him.

"It's best to handle a plane like a beautiful woman. Twist the knobs gently. Move the switches with a gentle flick and when everything is ready, apply a full power thrust."

"That could apply to more than just flying a plane."
Capri raised her glass and was about to take a sip, but looked inside and chuckled, amazed to discover it was empty. "So, Captain T Hall, what does the T stand for?"

"Tallywacker."

"Your mother named you—" The jet shuddered and Capri's stomach lurched.

"Damn." Captain Hal
l sat up and clicked shut his shoulder harness. "Go back. Put anything away that can fly around. Buckle yourself into your seat."

Capri
didn't move. Her gaze locked on the bulging muscle in Captain Hall's jaw and the line of sweat on his brow.

"
Capri!" He met her gaze with a hard stare. "Do what I asked. Now!"

The plane jerked again as she stood and made her stumble over the mid console. She dropped her wine glass and it shattered on the edge of the instrument panel.

"Ow." She glanced at where she'd felt a sharp sting on her calf.

He twisted his head to the right, checked her leg, and then reached up and pulled down the First Aid kit. "You're bleeding. Here. Now go. And shut the door behind you."

As she closed the cockpit door, she heard Captain Hall saying, "Flores, this is flight 7643, we've descended two thousand feet—"