Captain of Her Heart

I retrieved my bag and headed to the boarding area. When I saw Ryan chatting up our ticket consultant, Margaret, I quickened my pace. My stepbrother was a handsome son-of-a-bitch and Margaret was engaged. If I left her in his presence too long, she'd been singing 'Hopelessly Devoted To You' from

Grease

. Alerted by the sharp click of my heels, he turned and said something to Margaret that had both of them laughing.

"Well?"

Ryan Tidwell was one of the most handsome men I'd ever seen. His shaggy, dishwater-blond hair cascaded over his shoulders and framed his intense turquoise eyes. The straight teeth and perfect smile did nothing to dissuade women from thinking that he was perfect and as a result, he had more dates than I'd had in my entire life. At least he was a gentleman; he always sent them flowers the next morning. He greeted me with that trademark, heart-melting smile and held his arms out to embrace me.

"What's up, sis?"

"Nothing." I hugged him back, grinning as well. "Why?"

"You smell wonderful. What's the name of the perfume you're wearing?"

He and I exchanged a look, knowing that he'd smelled pussy on my lips. "It's new, from Iberia. It's called delGado."

"I see." He hid a snicker under his palm and gave me a mischievous wink. "I'll have to pick some of that up."

"It's a

women's

fragrance, Ryan." He nodded and I gave Margaret my bag. I had a few minutes to spare before I had to descend to the tarmac and I pulled Ryan to the side. "Thanks for coming but you didn't have to."

"Yes, I did. I meant what I said. I consider you my sister, no matter what my stupid mother says."

"Isn't that a dangerous stance for the only-child-who-stand-to-inherit to take?"

"Maybe, but friendship is thicker than blood." He moved a bit closer to me. "I saw the will your Dad wrote. I don't know if you know but you were supposed to get the house. I don't know what happened but I know that my mother did something."

I sighed, looking away, torn between trusting him and thinking that he was in cahoots with her. I decided to rely on my instincts. "Ry, she got Dad's bank accounts, too. I have no money."

"Wrong." He placed a brand new American Express Platinum card in my hand. "It's tied to my account and she pays everything so you spend whatever you want." I was speechless and he gave me a hug. "I'll find out what's going on. She won't suspect me of anything."

"I don't know what to say, Ry."

"Don't say anything. Just have a good flight and take me out to dinner when you get back."

I gave him a huge hug, closing my eyes and enjoying the fleeting feeling of someone who truly cared for me. "You got it, Ry. Whatever you want."

He gave me a strange smile and stepped back, suddenly awkward with me. "Take care of her." He shot to Margaret and he disappeared into the terminal's belly. I fished my purse out, put the credit card away and headed on board the aircraft. This was my regular flight four days a week, a one-stop jaunt from Seattle, Washington to London, England. I stuck my head into the cockpit and said hello to Chauncey Williams, the co-pilot.

"Are we missing someone?"

"Captain Jack retired yesterday. Thought you knew."

"No, I didn't."

"We've got a new pilot coming on. Should be here in a few."

I nodded and took my bag back to the steward's area. Christa was already there, checking beverages on her clip board. I gave her a friendly smile and went to secure the dinner trays. It took the two of us nearly an hour to complete our passenger checklist and we were enjoying a shared Sprite and orange juice when a tall, ice-blonde with green eyes stepped into our tiny preparation space. Her pilot's uniform was crisp and clean, the flight wings glinting in the light.

Christa decided to speak. "You must be the new pilot." She extended her hand, shaking the other woman's vigorously. "I'm Christa McClain."

"Captain Alisa Gudmundsdottir." She held a hand out to me. "And you?"

"Tawnya Simonsen."

"Ah,

you

are Tawnya."

Both Christa and I looked at each other and I gave her my biggest smile. "That doesn't sound very good."

"Oh, on the contrary, Miss Simonsen. It is

very

good. You come highly recommended by your colleagues."

"Really?"

"Really. Walk with me." She turned her back on me and I gave Christa a fast shrug, then quick-walked to catch up with her. "I heard that you're the consummate professional."

"I try to be."

She nodded. "That's very important to me, Tawnya. I'm the best female pilot that's flying the skies these days and I want to make sure that my crew is as good as I am."

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me. You fuck up, you're out of here."

"What? I've been on this flight for seven years!"

"I don't give a shit!" Alisa turned those sea-green eyes on me. "I run the best in the business and I intend for it to stay that way!"

"I don't give a fuck what you say but you're not gonna come on our flight, green like the fucking grass and think you're going to take our jobs from us. I'll fight you every single fucking step of the way."

We remained that way for several seconds: faces close, teeth almost bared like two animals ready to fight. When she scraped a fingernail across my upper lip, it took all of my strength not to push my knuckles into that pretty face. I watched as she looked down, observed the thick white fluid under her nail and slipped it into her mouth.

"Good." She spat in a gravelly voice, then leaned in close. "She tastes good. Just make sure you scrub your face before you greet the passengers."

I watched her enter the cockpit and shut the door behind, wondering what the hell had just happened. On one hand, I was pissed off at this interloper who had come within our ranks and sought to take control but on the other hand, my pussy was so wet that I could feel it soaking through my hose and wetting my inner thighs. Either way, I was in trouble.