I looked at him in alarm as the driver opened the doors of the Porsche.
“Relax,” he said unhelpfully.
The scream of jet engines echoing throughout the yard, I climbed the steps to the jet. I chose one of the ten white leather seats near the middle, but I couldn’t decide whether the flight would be more terrifying with the window open or closed.
The stewardess practically bowed to Luke as he entered the plane. He spotted me huddled into my seat.
“Jessica, I need to do some work. Will you be fine?”
I waved him off. “Yeah, whatever.”
He chose a seat with a table and reached into his bag to remove his laptop. The door slammed shut and soon after that I felt the roar of the jet engine under my thighs. It’s so loud. Is it supposed to be this loud?
The seatbelt light flared on and I quickly grabbed the belt, missing the buckle several times in my haste to secure myself.
“So where do they keep the parachutes?” I said to Luke, who looked up from his computer.
“Uh—there are none. There’s a floatation thing under your seat, though.”
What? “Well, that’s stupid,” I said. “What if there’s an attack or an explosion and we’re plummeting down?”
He looked at me coolly. “Then we’ll die.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I’m okay with the logic of it.” He shook his head before returning to his laptop screen.
I gripped the sides of my armrests as the plane lurched forward. I had to remind myself that the flight was nine hours long. Calm the fuck down! Maybe I could have one of those mini liquor bottles.
What if I died without saying goodbye to Natalie? I opened my phone and sent her a quick text: Plane’s leaving now. You’ve been an awesome friend. I’ll call you when/if I land.
There. If I died, at least Natalie would know how much I cared. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as the plane began to turn. Something bumped into my seat and my eyes flew open.
It was Luke. He sat down in the adjoining seat in an effort to calm me down. It would have been sweet if only he would stop laughing at me.
“This isn’t funny,” I said through my teeth. I reached over and shut the window.
“It is, though.” His voice was strained with the effort of keeping from laughing.
I groaned as the flight attendant’s voice spoke over the intercom, telling us to prepare for takeoff.
He broke into fresh peals of laughter as I buried my face in my hands, then Luke lifted the armrest and pulled me into his arms. I relaxed as he snaked his arm around my shoulders. My face was nestled between his neck and shoulder. I breathed in the smell of his cologne and shivered in his arms. It was incredibly soothing. What would it be like to fall asleep like this, every night?
“I think I know how to distract you.”
It was working. All I could think about was how nice it was to be held like this. Then the jet suddenly soared forward and Luke let out a grunt as I seized a handful of his arm.
“There, there. It’ll be all right.”
His fingers were under my chin, making me tilt my head back. Then his soft lips kissed me gently, making me gasp. I couldn’t believe how sensitive my lips were. I felt desire radiating like a heat lamp, pounding all the way down my abdomen. He pulled back as I responded more passionately.
Fire licked my face. There was no one here to see us, save for his flight attendants. Why was he toying with me like this? When he pulled away, I thought I could see some of my confusion mirrored on his face.
I buried my face into his chest when I felt the wheels lift from the ground. It was the most curious sensation. At the same time that I felt the weight lift, pressure increased over my shoulders as we climbed into the sky. Luke reached over and opened the window, revealing a field of blue beneath us.
“See? It’s not so bad.”
“I guess not.”
“How come you’ve never been on a plane?”
I snorted at the question. He might as well have asked why I didn’t own a yacht.
“I grew up poor in foster homes where no one gave a shit about me. No one would have flown me anywhere.”
He made a deep sound that rumbled through my back. “How ironic. My dad put me on a plane the moment my mother died.”
Something cold went through me as I imagined a dark-haired nine-year-old boy, surrounded by strangers on an airplane, wiping tears from his eyes.
“What did she die of?”
I felt his sigh through my back.
“She committed suicide.”
My whole body stiffened. His hand still rubbed my shoulder, as if I was the one who still needed comfort. In a way, I did. I felt terrible. I wanted so badly to turn around and hug him. Luke’s voice was very even, but I could detect a note of resignation. She killed herself. She didn’t love him enough to stay alive.
It would mess with anyone’s head.
“That’s fucking horrible.” Against my will, I found myself wondering how she did it. Did he find the body? Why did he tell me this?
He shrugged. “I’m over it. I think.”
“There’s no way you’re over it,” I blurted. I felt a rush of self-loathing for not keeping my opinions to myself. “I’m sorry. I keep trying to filter my thoughts, but it doesn’t work.”
He weakly chuckled. “Don’t worry about it. Everyone’s always sucking up to me, hoping I’ll advance their career or give them money or something. I’m sick of it. Besides, maybe you’re right.”
“Why don’t you just cut ties with people who suck up to you?”
“Because then I’d have to fire a good ninety-percent of my employees and cut ties with most of my family. I can’t just do that.”
Sure you can, I thought. “Well, I promise I’ll never do that. I don’t think I’m capable. I was never taught manners, for one.” Bringing this up gave me a fresh wave of anxiety. “Seriously, you’re going to have to teach me.”
He leaned in so that I could feel his breath whistling in my ear. “Jessica, relax.” He patted my arm. “Sorry, but I need to do some work.”
I left him alone for the rest of the flight. Aside from a few bouts of turbulence, the rest of the ride was uneventful. I was excited for the three-course meal, but frowned at the small pile of minuscule black balls with the tiniest spoon I ever saw. Next to it was a stack of crackers. I peered at the menu. Caviar.
My first thought as I tasted it was: This is supposed to be a delicacy? It tastes like fishy salt.