Jocelyn Michaels ran as fast as she could through Chicago's O'Hare Airport. All the usual roadblocks of a busy day had delayed her. Work was a bear in the morning, meetings ran late, traffic on I 294 was typical and security was jammed. She could hear the wheels of her carryon clicking over the tile grout in time with her pumps ... she was now regretting not changing into more practical tennis shoes at some point in the dead stopped traffic on 294.
Signs rushed by, people shot her dirty looks as she brushed shoulders and bumped into other luggage being pulled along at a slower pace. Of course her gate was at the end of the solar system ... somewhere between Neptune and the now demoted Pluto. As she rounded the corner to her gate she could see the flight attendant shutting the door to the jet way and panic struck. "NO!!" was all she could get out as she saw the flight attendant smile smugly at her, now running in her pumps and looking ridiculous.
The attendant stopped briefly and impatiently told Jocelyn she was too late, the manifest was set, the cabin doors were closing. Looking Jocelyn up and down, she also told her that perhaps next time she'd leave more time in her schedule to make her flight on time. Jocelyn was so stunned at the woman's rudeness, she didn't even think of a good comeback. She did however notice a little nametag with wings that said "Libby". Perhaps when she wasn't so tired and frustrated and in serious need of a drink she would write the blasted airline and tell them where "Libby" could stick it.
This trip to Houston was not a big deal, a routine visit to a client whose website she maintained. Her personal service was the main reason she still made a good living doing site design. No one was a number or just a paycheck. Knowing her clients gave her good insight into what their website should say about the people behind it.
Checking with the airline, Jocelyn relegated herself to a later flight and a lot less sleep. She booked the only available seat, it was on the 9:30pm flight. It was 6pm Chicago time, so not only did she have hours to kill in the airport, she wouldn't land in Houston until close to midnight. Could be worse, but it should have been better.
Needing a drink and a rest, Jocelyn settled into the comfy airline lounge. She stopped at the bar, then sunk into a couch with a Grey Goose on the rocks and some bar snacks she'd stuck into a napkin. She'd slammed about a third of her generously poured drink when she was interrupted by what sounded like a very bemused male voice.
"You can do better than bar snacks you know, the buffet has fruit and cheese and lots of other good stuff."
Jocelyn turned to face this voice, and in doing so spilled a couple of precious sips of her $12 vodka into her lap. This stunt was followed shortly by her jaw hitting the ground. She'd review later, but this was by far the most gorgeous man she'd ever seen ...and he was sporting a smile that made her want to fall over with her legs open. His hair was literally the color of spun gold and his eyes were an impossible blue. To make matters worse, he spoke with a ridiculously sexy accent that sounded German. His ring finger was bare (not that it really meant much) and the perfectly pressed pilot's uniform he was wearing was the cherry on top of this ridiculously male sundae.
"Umm, I β I hadn't really looked around yet and the snacks were out when I ordered my drink," she stammered. "Thanks for letting me know." She turned away and closed her eyes, wiping the vodka spill from her lap, telling herself that was an idiotic response and that if he didn't stop looking so irresistible she might ask him if she could eat her snacks off of his wide, sexy chest.
Jocelyn just wasn't good at impromptu. She was hit on often enough, men seemed drawn to her pretty face and ample curves, but after that she could just never seem to find an engaging or clever response that kept a man interested. Hoping he would have walked away by now, Jocelyn turned around to find him still standing there, smiling that smile.
"You could ask me to sit down", he said with a grin, and yep, that accent was German.
Jocelyn smiled and sighed. "I'm being rude. Please do sit down. I'm a bit harried as it's been a really long day and I've missed my flight to Houston. And, thanks to "Libby", I'm kicking back waiting for a later flight."
When she said the rude flight attendant's name, Jocelyn made quotation marks with her fingers and it made him laugh. God, she liked his smile. And she thought she saw a hit of amusement in his eyes.
"Well your tardiness is my good fortune then isn't it? I'm being forward, but I saw you walk in and order that drink. You looked like you could use something more than bar snacks to soak up that bowl of vodka you ordered."
Jocelyn laughed and sat back. She had ordered a double and well yes, the glass was kind of big. He was putting her at ease, and she felt like he was looking at her like she was the buffet. The eye contact was hard to break. "I'm Jocelyn," she said. "I really do thank you for the suggestion. I've been on the go all day and I'm starved."
He introduced himself as Tomas Miller, and escorted her to the small but nicely appointed buffet. Once seated again on the lounge sofa, he took a swig of his Heineken and continued talking.
"I have a bit of time ... I'm hitching a ride on a flight home later. What do you do that has you traveling?"