The Future Is in the Air

Though not at the butt-crack of dawn like the staff did, Eric tended to rise at early hours. He said he'd already been up for about forty-five minutes when we joined him in the kitchen.

Even though Izzie had brought over some of the incredibly delicious looking

migas

she'd prepared for the staff breakfast at the ranch house, Leah and I both opted for something a little lighter. I had some yogurt with granola, and she enjoyed a toasted bagel spread with some cream cheese and strawberry jam.

"Everything okay?" Leah asked. She must have sensed my distracted state.

"Sure. Give me a few minutes. I need to run something by Eric."

The two of us took our coffee out to the back patio.

"What's up?" he asked, noticing my dodge.

"I had a nightmare last night. Leah augured in on her first try."

"During her solo?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I'm being serious. I'm scared, man. She knows I had a bad dream because I apparently talked in my sleep and woke her up, but I haven't told her about it. I don't know what to do."

"Don't worry about a dream, Lance. I can only imagine the stress you're feeling. Your brain is only trying to process it."

"Come again?"

"She's your first student. You've taken on an immeasurable responsibility, and I can't comprehend what such a risk feels like. I bet you're feeling more stress than parents do when they put a child behind the wheel of a car all by themselves. But … gut feel. Is she ready?"

"She is."

"I can't keep you from feeling like a nervous Nelly, but there you go. When do you think you're going to go up?"

"Maybe in a half hour. We'll repeat the emergency procedures and I'll stay with her for a few landings, then go from there. Everything set for this evening's thing?"

"Yep. We've got reservations for four."

"If my butterflies ever settle, I'm sure I'll look forward to it."

When we re-entered the house, Peggy and Leah were chatting. Peg's hair was somewhat sleep-worn. I found it endearing that she would present herself in such a state, unconcerned about the superficial around us.

"You look pretty, babe," Eric said with humorous sarcasm.

"Hey! Be nice to your wife!" Leah scolded.

"Oops."

Peggy gave him a smooch, then disappeared back down the hallway of the owners' wing with her coffee.

"How're you feeling? I hear today's the big day," Eric asked Leah.

"Are you kidding me? I'm excited! How'd you feel the day of your first solo?"

"I could barely sleep the night before."

Leah glanced cautiously at me.

"It's okay. I already told him I didn't sleep too well and woke you up."

Leah shooed the dog off the end of the sofa to sit next to me. She kissed me softly.

"Are you sure

you're

up to it?"

"Yeah. And there's no time like the present," I said, shooting a nervous glance at Eric.

"Knock it out of the park, Leah," Eric encouraged as we left the house for the walk to the hangar.

Forty-five minutes later, I endorsed her logbook then exited the plane.

"I'm saving a kiss for when you get back," I told her, superstitiously hoping to break any similarity to the dream.

I gave her a few more brief instructions, double checked my handheld radio was truly functioning, and sent her on her way.

There were no horses, or even Eric or Peggy. They decided to stay behind so as not to crowd Leah as additional observers, though I suspected they would be watching from their own vantage point. My heart was racing, and time slowed.

I watched the windsock flutter gently in the light breeze. It pivoted slightly on its bearings, indicating a mildly increasing crosswind at the surface. I sat cross-legged on the cool asphalt of the ramp.

My plane leapt into the air with the love of my life at its controls. Her crosswind turn was well-timed. Her downwind leg drifted a little, but I saw her turn to correct for the wind aloft. She turned base, and the tailwind caught up to her. She started candy-caning the turn to final. My nerves rang. I heard the engine increase in power as she ceased her descent. She overflew the strip a hundred yards off center, climbing back to pattern altitude.

"Good girl," I whispered to myself. I had to fiercely squelch the urge to mash my transmit key.

"That didn't work. It's breezier up here and it blew up my tail on base. Should have anticipated it," she radioed.

Even though I was cheering her internally, "Roger," was my calm reply.

She corrected for the conditions by extending her crosswind about a quarter mile farther. Her next pattern was markedly better.

My heart began to race again.

Descending. Descending. Turning. Descending.

My heart leapt in joy when I heard the wheels chirp, and I jumped into the air, pumping my fists, then put my hands behind my back, hoping she hadn't observed my display from the distance.

She taxied back. I met her midfield and opened the passenger door.

"Outstanding," I said, fighting my excitement. I needed to appear calm and aloof.

"No, it wasn't. I should have accounted for the winds."

"You made the right choice to go around. Go-arounds are always free. Now you know what you're in for. Do number two."

"A doody joke?"

I chuckled. "Maybe."

She taxied back and performed the second pattern nearly perfectly.

"Don't come back. That was great, Leah. Backtaxi and do it one more time," I said over the radio.

She did, then taxied the plane to the apron. After she completed the entire shutdown checklist, we embraced.

I dropped my aloof artifice. "Oh, lord, Leah! I'm so proud of you!"

She kissed me, pecking me all over my face, then slowed for a deep, delicious, all-out delightfully passionate tongue-kiss.

"Lance. Oh. My. Freaking. Word. That was

awesome

! Your story didn't do it justice!"

"Nor will yours." I smiled.

Sophie was on the porch and loped down the stairs to greet us on our return.

"Heya, pooch!" Leah acknowledged the dog.

"Peggy, they're back!" Eric called out into the house as soon as we walked through the door. "Well?"

"Three circuits going into the logbook!" Leah said.

"Congratulations! Lance, you're falling down on the job. She still has her shirttail."

"Nuh-uh. I'm not going to cut up her clothes."

"Do it. Please!" Leah argued. "It's tradition, right?"

"You sure?"

"Of course I am," she excitedly answered.

We followed Eric into his office where he offered me a pair of sharp scissors.

Leah turned her back to me and I started cutting.

"Oh!" Peggy yipped happily having just walked in. "I guess congratulations are in order, and I almost missed it!"

Up the right side of her tee I went, being careful not to catch the band of her bra, then under her shoulder blades and down the other side.

I was aghast when Leah pulled the rest of her wrecked shirt over her head. Eric turned his back. I did, too.

"Jeez. You boys are acting like you've never seen a woman in a sports bra. It's so super-cute, Leah! Where'd you get it?" Peggy asked. Eric and I both rolled our eyes.

I brought the tail of Leah's shirt to the desk, selected a sharpie from the organizer, and drew on the mint green cloth a caricature of her sitting on top of an airplane like it was a bucking bronco.

Leah Reynolds's Solo @ Reiter Ranch,

I wrote. I dated it next to my initials then handed the sharpie to her to add whatever she wanted.

"I'm going to put this away and take a shower," Leah said, folding up the remnant. "I broke a sweat up there."

"Huh-uh," I objected and snatched it back from her. "Tradition is that it be displayed at the location for a while. What, say, a month?"

"Right on the side of our fridge," Peggy suggested.

Leah smiled warmly. "Thank you so much. I absolutely could not have done this without you both," she said. Her face couldn't have looked happier.

"It really has been our pleasure," Peggy said. "And to carry it on, we've planned a celebration."

"Oh?"

"We're going out for some of the best barbecue I've ever had. Spins and your solo in one weekend is a pretty impressive accomplishment," Eric said.

Leah laughed. "That sounds fantastic. Wow. Y'all are too much."

I looked at Eric nervously. He simply shrugged me off.

"We'll leave here around 4:30," Eric said. "But, for now, Peg and I have some business to attend to at the ranch house, so y'all have the run of the place."

Peggy added, "The pool is heated. You can go swimming, go riding, go to the shooting range, or whatever strikes your fancy. Lance knows all about the radios, so y'all can call us or any of the staff if you need anything."

"Thanks, guys," I said.

After Peggy and Eric left, Leah and I began the celebrations in our guestroom.

"I can't imagine a better day," Leah panted after I'd spent some quality time with my face between her legs. "Adrenaline rush from this morning plus you going down on me like there's no tomorrow."

"

Yorr purshr is so yummrrr

," I mumbled with my tongue nestled between her plump lips.

She giggled at my awkward pronunciation.

"You'd better stop. I don't think I can handle any more," she groaned in satisfaction. "Why are you spoiling me so much?" she asked sweetly.

"I'm not. It's like your body simply demands to be pleased. I'm happy to lick your yum-yum any time you want."

"Oh. Is that so?" she said, running her fingers through my hair.

"Yeah."

"Well. Let's see if it's the same for you. Lay back."

I did as she asked, and she settled between my knees.

She treated me to wonderfully tender affection. Gentle strokes with tracing fingers, firm strokes with a tightened grip. Probing tongue at my tip, lapping licks, nose-nuzzles, and soft caresses of my sac and its contents.

She held me in a wonderful state of pleasure, somehow always sensing my increasing urgency, before letting me cool so she could push me uphill again.

"Leah," I groaned, craving release after a wonderfully long time of suspense.

"It's okay. Cum for me, my love," she sighed sweetly, enveloping my shaft in her hand and my glans in her mouth.

I felt her tongue against my frenulum and glans, her fingers stroking the sensitive underside of my shaft all the way to the root.

"Leah … Lea⁠—Stop! I'm gonna cum!"

"Hmm-mm," she hummed.

I couldn't hold it back, and I unloaded my tension into her mouth.

She was suckling, nursing from my body, squeezing me upward with her fingers. I felt and heard her gulp twice.

My muscles became less tense as post-orgasmic pleasure settled fully onto me.

"Ohhh," I groaned in relaxation.

"Yeah?" she whispered, sliding back up next to me.

I opened my eyes and saw her beautiful browns glinting.

"You are really something else." I grinned.

"I hope that's a compliment."

"It sure is. I'm simply amazed by everything about you," I said, leaving it at that, preferring to kiss her instead.

Leah and I spent the early afternoon exploring the ranch. We watched some trainers and jockeys exercise a pair of thoroughbreds in a paddock, then visited the stables to feed carrots and oat nuggets to other horses.

She wasn't terribly interested in riding, and to be honest, neither was I. It doesn't matter how gentle a walker an equine is when your bits and pieces are tender from other activities. Such an activity is not always a good idea.

"You said a few days ago that the Reiters have acreage. How much?" Leah asked after we'd driven the mile and a half back to the house.

I told her the story about how he'd acquired the land.

"So, he bought about thirteen hundred acres from Peggy's father

long

before he met her. Combined with what she owned before, they now have somewhere around seven thousand. I think. Something like a dozen square miles' worth, though most of it is leased out."

"From tech wizard to a rancher who married a surgeon? That's an interesting story."

Though the water in the pool was, indeed, comfortably warm, the air temperature was a bit too cool for swimming, so we simply sat at the edge with our feet in the water, held hands, talked, and loved on each other.

Eric and Peggy returned and came out to the pool deck. They sat at a table nearby. We stood from the pool and joined them.

"How was y'all's afternoon?" Peggy asked.

"

Very

, relaxing, thanks," Leah answered.

"Glad to hear it. Hopefully you've recovered from the rush of this morning?"

"Sure have. I even caught a quick nap," Leah said, looking at me with a slightly cheeky grin.

"Good. You'll need your energy for tonight."

"Is there a dress code for where we're going?" Leah asked.

"Hardly. I'm wearing jeans and a plaid button-down."

"Oh, good, because I didn't pack any fancies."

"Eric, we should start getting cleaned up," Peggy prompted him.

I looked at my watch. It was close to 4:00pm.

Both of us followed the pair into the house, and went back to our guestroom, changed clothes, and met Eric and Peggy when it was time to head out.

All four of us loaded into his Escalade for a forty-minute drive occupied by lots of conversation drawing out the exciting experience Leah's morning proved to be.

"A barbecue restaurant on an airfield?

Whodathunk

," Leah observed, checking her surroundings as we exited the SUV in the parking lot of Air Services Gainesville. "Not many parked cars, though. Are we too early?"

Peggy and Eric both glanced at me knowingly.

"Nope. We're right on time. This way," I said, escorting Leah through the front doors.

"Long time no see, Mr. Reiter!" said a face I'd not seen in several years.

"Hey there, Danny. Good to see you again, too," Eric said to the crisply dressed crew member and shook his hand.

"Dr. Reiter, Mr. Marlin, always a pleasure," he said, shaking our hands in turn. "You must be Leah Reynolds."

"Uh, yeah?" she answered with obvious confusion in her expression.

"I'm Danny Harper. I'm your host aboard. If you will please follow me, we're set and ready to go as soon as everyone settles in."

"Lance, what the hell is going on?" Leah whispered before she started walking.

"We're going to dinner."

I stayed next to her, anxious and nervous to see her reaction when we walked outside to the ramp.

As soon as the doors opened, Leah's eyes caught sight of a Cessna CJ4. I was sure she'd seen hundreds if not thousands of similar planes take off or land from the towers she'd stationed. She tentatively climbed the stairs into the cabin following Danny.

"Where do I sit?" she asked surveying the cabin's arrangement.

"What's your boarding pass say?" I joked.

She glared at me a little.

"Anywhere you want." She chose the forward-facing seat on the starboard side, and I sat in the one facing her.

Eric and Peggy weren't far behind. Peggy sat across the aisle from Leah, and Eric sat across from me.

"Um, something tells me they're not going to be bringing plates of food on here," Leah said.

"No. Dinner's waiting for us at our destination."

"And where might that be?" she asked.

"Kansas City, home of the best barbecue in the country. Don't mean to slight Texas, but it's true."

Leah placed her elbow on the armrest, propped her chin atop her fist, and simply stared out the window.

"You okay, honey?"

"I'm feeling very out of place."

"I know. I can tell."

"You're doing all of this because of me?"

"Yes … and no."

"Don't mince words, Lance."

"Yes. This really is a celebration. It's a party to celebrate your completion of a major milestone this weekend. Mine, too. You're my first student to chalk up a solo."

"And?"

"I've … well, I've been holding back from you. I've been hiding a lot of me away … I mean … my lifestyle. I'm sort of scared of pissing you off or digging up certain emotions in you, or making you think I'm only showing off."

She eyed me warily, glancing toward Peggy and Eric who were simply sitting quietly looking at their phones. Though they appeared aloof, they could obviously hear our exchange. I couldn't imagine how uncomfortable they felt wondering what might happen next. They were taking almost as huge a risk as I was.

The cabin became quiet as Danny drew up the airstairs and secured the door.

"I don't want to hide from you, Leah. I love you more than I could've ever imagined possible, so I don't want to hold back anymore. If this sort of thing is too much for you to accept … if it doesn't … fit? Well, we can fly home right now and you never have to talk to me again.

"I don't want to see that happen. I'm really hoping you can let loose for a little while and have some fun. The four of us can celebrate all of our accomplishments together."

"It's too much, Lance. It's … too

much

."

My heart sank in the realization I might have just lost the love of my life.

"Listen. This was Eric and Peggy's suggestion, and I agreed to it. It's not too much … not for me. I want you to have an entertaining evening because you

deserve

it.

I

deserve it. Eric and Peggy do, too."

I decided to strike the final nail, come what may, because there was no longer any point in avoiding it.

"This isn't something I do often. It's a special occasion thing, and it's something I can afford, Leah. It's not too much. Not even close," I said, mustering the most honest smile I could manage.

She stared at me with little expression for a few more moments.

"What should I do?" I asked, gently putting my hand on her knee.

She smiled warily. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but … you'd better get this party started before I change my mind."

I grinned at her in return, grasping her hands and giving her a little kiss before I buckled in.

"Danny, would you let the captain know we're all set?" Eric asked.

"Of course, Mr. Reiter."

Ten minutes later, the Citation was airborne, with Leah watching some familiar territory disappear behind us from her window.

"Whose plane is this?" she asked.

"Mark Cuban's."

Her eyes flew wide open.

"Don't do that, Lance!" Peggy barked. "It's not, Leah. It's a service."

"Like ExecJet?"

"Yep, it

is

ExecJet. Care for some champagne?" Peggy asked.

Leah chuckled. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

"Danny, champagne, please?" Peggy requested.

"Certainly, Dr. Reiter."

Leah laughed. "Okay, I'm sorry, but I have to ask something. Lance and Eric both have PhDs. Why are you the only one who is addressed that way?"

"Outside of academic circles or formal settings, it's not common for academics to be addressed like that. It's kinda pretentious to even expect it," Eric answered.

"That's not fair, is it?" she challenged.

"Maybe not, but I don't particularly care. Besides. It even makes me feel weird to be spoken to that way."

We all heard the "pop" of a cork. Danny returned with a tray a few minutes later, and we each took a crystal flute.

After about another hour, we were on approach to Wheeler Airport where another Escalade awaited at the executive terminal.

"Welcome to Kansas City. Arrowhead Barbecue, right?" asked the driver.

"Correct," Eric answered.

When we arrived, we all settled at a table in the large and rustically appointed dining room which displayed numerous shoulder-mounted moose, deer, elk, caribou, bison, and other game.

The aroma of the entire place was rich and inviting. The waitress brought menus, and Leah's eyes widened when she began surfing hers.

"Something wrong?" I whispered into her ear.

"I don't know what to get. I'm absolutely starving since I didn't eat lunch. Everything sounds so freaking delicious."

"Look at this one," I suggested, pointing out a featured menu item.

She studied the description.

"Oh,

god

yes," she said aloud, drawing the attention of the Reiters.